Finally - 2nd trimester! :) I'm feeling better though evenings are still rough and I'm not eating much. But I'm off meds and surviving so I'm thinking I should be feeling better with each passing day now. If I think back in terms of weeks, I DO feel better than this time last week so maybe I'll feel somewhat normal by this time next week?
Hubby will be away for training next week and I'm not looking forward to that. But it's a good move and he'll get another certification under his belt to make his resume prettier so who am I to complain? ;) I have my MIL and my mom scheduled to come help me out each evening next week since that's the worst part of the day for me and I'm extremely grateful they'll be here. Hopefully it's the last time I'll be needing help for a while. I'm not sure what it is about me but I hate to ask for help. I guess we all do.
Well, Hubby's bday was yesterday and the kids and I are planning a party for him tonight. So I'd better be off decorating, making a cake and home made bread and cleaning up the place.
Everyone have a great weekend!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Friends and feelings
Matthew's best friend, Allen, started 1st grade this year and it's his first year of going all day. This has been a hard adjustment on Matthew. Allen has a younger brother, James, who is almost 4yrs and a baby sister. Rose and James have always had a lot in common just like Matthew and Allen so it's always been 'understood' that James is Rose's friend and Allen is Matthew's friend. [This background is important for the story.]
Matthew has been reading a lot of those Joy Berry Help Me Be Good books lately. I bought the set years ago but was a little disappointed when they showed up. So I shoved them away and didn't think much about them. But Matthew has unearthed them in our library in the playroom closet and has been reading through them. And I’m finding his recent explanations of his actions are getting quite…well-thought out.
Yesterday we had my buddy over and James and his baby sister. Allen was, of course, in school. Matthew had a very hard time playing with James and Rose. He was overly tempermental, bossy, wanted to play and then didn't want to play - nothing made him happy. I was bewildered at his behavior and secretly wondered if he was coming down sick (as is typically the case when he's having such a 'bad' day).
Last night we were snuggling before bed and he said, “Mommy, I’m a googleplex plus a googleplex plus a googleplex (and on and on for a while) sorry about my attitude with James today. I was really sad that Allen wasn’t here to play.” I thanked him for apologizing of his own free will and commended him on recognizing why he had a bad attitude about it. I also told him that Allen's mommy had emailed me and said that Allen was sad he missed seeing Matthew too. He immediately said, “Did you tell Allen that I didn’t play with James??”
I think he was worried that by playing with James, it would make Allen sad and so he didn’t want to play with James and upset his friend. I talked to him about the fact that while Allen was sad about it, I’m sure he understood Matthew playing with James and that he would want Matthew to be nice to his little brother and play with him.
This morning, he said out of the blue, “Mommy, I love Allen very very much.” I reminded him that we’d see Allen this week after school one day and again at James’ bday party in a couple weeks. He seemed happier about that but added, "I wish Allen was homeschooled!" Hubby and I looked at each other with a ???? expression for a second before I said, "Well you know Allen has fun at school and he likes to go. And I bet there are days he wishes you went to school (if you were in his district) so he could play with you at recess." He slowly agreed with me. "We'll just have to try to be more creative in finding time to spend with him and in the meantime, I hope you can play nicely with James next time we see them." He assured me he could.
It's so hard to see him struggling with missing his friend and harder still to see that he's so worried about Allen's feelings that he felt he was betraying his friend by playing with his brother. But I think his sensitivity to others feelings is a great attribute to his character.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Come On!!
Come on!!! You're telling me that NO ONE had a comment regarding the baby name poll???? NOT A WORD???? All you really overly opinionated people who comment me all the time??? Even YOU can't tell when I'm joking anymore??? No, I seriously would not pick any one of those names....but I had to play with you a little. I figured if ANYONE was going to call me on this one it would be my SIL...but even she chickened out. lololol
OK....so your next mission - give me good R boy names. And I mean GOOD ones. ;)
OK....so your next mission - give me good R boy names. And I mean GOOD ones. ;)
I'm feeling better now
Maybe the worst is over finally. I took myself off the strong meds last week due to side effects and after those subsided, I found that I was feeling a lot better. I had a GREAT weekend. On Saturday, we took a couple walks around the neighborhood and played outside in the yard with the kids for a few hours, ending up on the driveway with our sleeping bags, watching the sunset disappear and the stars appear. The kids and I pretended we were camping out while Hubby made dinner. It was such a nice day. On Sunday I was also feeling great. We took a short drive and found a new city park not far from us and let the kids play. It was a windy, overcast cool day and it was refreshing and fun. I even felt good enough to pitch in with housework a little too!
So hopefully soon I'll be back to my typical post-m/s pregnancy state and will hopefully find something ELSE to talk about. :)
The kids are showing signs of being couped up for too long but they're hanging in there. We've invited some friends over this week and maybe we'll venture out to the park again before the rain comes in later this week. We saw quite a few fall decorations yesterday in our driving around so maybe we'll get ours out too...after all, the first day of fall was Saturday - I guess technically, we're late. ;)
So hopefully soon I'll be back to my typical post-m/s pregnancy state and will hopefully find something ELSE to talk about. :)
The kids are showing signs of being couped up for too long but they're hanging in there. We've invited some friends over this week and maybe we'll venture out to the park again before the rain comes in later this week. We saw quite a few fall decorations yesterday in our driving around so maybe we'll get ours out too...after all, the first day of fall was Saturday - I guess technically, we're late. ;)
Monday, September 18, 2006
AZ trek
http://www.aztrek.us/odyssey.html
This is a website for two 55 yr old women who are a real inspiration to me. To have their energy and drive at 55!! As they put it, 'instead of accepting membership in the AARP this year', they are riding 800+ miles through Arizona on horseback. They estimate the trip taking roughly 8 weeks and they just started Sept 1st. Their diary is quite interesting to read, though it can be sporadic as they don't have internet access at every campsite or every day. Their goal is to write a book about the adventure when they're done and I can't wait to read it and see the pictures they've taken. What a trip!! What guts!! What explorers!!
Their online diary can be found here...
http://web.mac.com/silveraven/iWeb/AZTREK/AZTREK%20DIARY/AZTREK%20DIARY.html
This is a website for two 55 yr old women who are a real inspiration to me. To have their energy and drive at 55!! As they put it, 'instead of accepting membership in the AARP this year', they are riding 800+ miles through Arizona on horseback. They estimate the trip taking roughly 8 weeks and they just started Sept 1st. Their diary is quite interesting to read, though it can be sporadic as they don't have internet access at every campsite or every day. Their goal is to write a book about the adventure when they're done and I can't wait to read it and see the pictures they've taken. What a trip!! What guts!! What explorers!!
Their online diary can be found here...
http://web.mac.com/silveraven/iWeb/AZTREK/AZTREK%20DIARY/AZTREK%20DIARY.html
Baby update
Looks like I'm making up for lost blog time, I know. Sorry!! If you're just tuning in on this Monday, please scroll down some - I've had quite a few posts the last couple days. Just wanted to post a little OB update.
I had my 10 week checkup today. Everything looks great. She couldn't hear the heartbeat with the doppler so she ran me in for a quick ultrasound (teehee - darn...lol). Baby is wiggling ALL OVER THE PLACE! Baby was waving and doing kicks so hard that it jerked his/her whole body. And I still can't feel any of it. It was amazing to see how much movement was going on in there. Heart rate was 176, right where it should be, and he/she measured right on target. I'm down 7 pounds so far but that's probably only the beginning of the weight loss since I usually lose a lot while pg due to a total lack of appetite.
'Course the babysitter, Papa, left without giving hugs and Rose was in full blown alligator tears by the time she realized it. I told her she could call him on the phone and he decided to turn around and come back for a hug. What a great grandpa. :)
I had my 10 week checkup today. Everything looks great. She couldn't hear the heartbeat with the doppler so she ran me in for a quick ultrasound (teehee - darn...lol). Baby is wiggling ALL OVER THE PLACE! Baby was waving and doing kicks so hard that it jerked his/her whole body. And I still can't feel any of it. It was amazing to see how much movement was going on in there. Heart rate was 176, right where it should be, and he/she measured right on target. I'm down 7 pounds so far but that's probably only the beginning of the weight loss since I usually lose a lot while pg due to a total lack of appetite.
'Course the babysitter, Papa, left without giving hugs and Rose was in full blown alligator tears by the time she realized it. I told her she could call him on the phone and he decided to turn around and come back for a hug. What a great grandpa. :)
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Pirate Festival!
There is a local group that does a yearly Renaissance Fair in our area. We've gone once or twice and always have fun being transported back in time for a few hours. Costumes, food, jousts, period language and shows all combine to give you a real feel of the times.
This year, however, they have added a new one - a Pirate Festival! With Matthew having a pirate party that he missed out on, I decided this might be a good way to "make up" for his missed party from last weekend. So he grabbed his pirate garb and off we went.
The festivals take place in a local park in the woods. Walking up to pay the admission, you are already beginning the transformation of worrying about bills and blogs to wondering what the French soldiers might do when they see your son dressed up as a pirate. You are greeted with 'ahoy matey' at every turn and watch soldiers and pirates alike surround you as you quickly forget your modern life.
Among fine craftsmen of swords, hats, pirate garb and jewels, you first stop to watch some street musicians.
The beautiful harp, soft drum and pipe further lure you into pirate land.
Next you come across an archery range, where for a small fee, you can practice your pirating skills. Hubby helped Rose and Matthew a little but I was amazed at what naturals they seem to be. Rose sent her arrow (all by herself) all the way to the back bale of hay! And Matthew shot off 3-4 all by himself.
As we came out of the archery range, we had our first close encounter with a real pirate!! And he had a bearded dragon with him. I'm not sure if Jade was more impressed with the pirate or the dragon.
After wandering around a bit more, we saw that there was a black powder demonstration about to start and after grabbing some pirate grub (smoked turkey legs...yummm), we took the food back to watch the demonstration. We learned how to load a black powder gun and fire it.
He also showed us what flint is and how to use it to start a fire. He also gave us lessons on how to create charcloth to start fires. It was quite interesting! Rose even got to hold the gun to see how heavy it was.
We weren't quite finished gnawing on our turkey legs yet and decided to join another show across the main path. This seemed to be a magic show of sorts but the pirate in charge had the actions, words and personality of none other than Cap'n Jack Sparrow. This man had done his homework! He had the twisting hands and the quick wit down perfectly. We sat on the back row since the show had already started and enjoyed the show while we finished eating. As the show proceeded, Matthew and Rose slowly snuck up until they were standing just in front of this man. Matthew calls out, "I know who you are - you're Jack Sparrow!" The pirate replied, "No, love, that would be piracy! I'm Cap'n Tom Bollinger." After a few other of Matthew's interjections, he laughingly said, "Who does this child belong to?" Hubby and I ducked our heads and Matthew and Rose came running back to us.
And some mean looking jailbird pirates...
All in all, a great time was had by all of us. Though I did take a little spill down the gravel road. I skinned my knee a little but mostly gave it a really good bruise. It was a very fun trip and I was surprised that I had the energy to keep up with everything after 4 weeks of doing literally nothing. Afterwards, we all crashed for a good long nap and dreamt of sailing the open seas searching for pirate booty. ;)
This year, however, they have added a new one - a Pirate Festival! With Matthew having a pirate party that he missed out on, I decided this might be a good way to "make up" for his missed party from last weekend. So he grabbed his pirate garb and off we went.
The festivals take place in a local park in the woods. Walking up to pay the admission, you are already beginning the transformation of worrying about bills and blogs to wondering what the French soldiers might do when they see your son dressed up as a pirate. You are greeted with 'ahoy matey' at every turn and watch soldiers and pirates alike surround you as you quickly forget your modern life.
Among fine craftsmen of swords, hats, pirate garb and jewels, you first stop to watch some street musicians.
The beautiful harp, soft drum and pipe further lure you into pirate land.
Next you come across an archery range, where for a small fee, you can practice your pirating skills. Hubby helped Rose and Matthew a little but I was amazed at what naturals they seem to be. Rose sent her arrow (all by herself) all the way to the back bale of hay! And Matthew shot off 3-4 all by himself.
As we came out of the archery range, we had our first close encounter with a real pirate!! And he had a bearded dragon with him. I'm not sure if Jade was more impressed with the pirate or the dragon.
After wandering around a bit more, we saw that there was a black powder demonstration about to start and after grabbing some pirate grub (smoked turkey legs...yummm), we took the food back to watch the demonstration. We learned how to load a black powder gun and fire it.
He also showed us what flint is and how to use it to start a fire. He also gave us lessons on how to create charcloth to start fires. It was quite interesting! Rose even got to hold the gun to see how heavy it was.
We weren't quite finished gnawing on our turkey legs yet and decided to join another show across the main path. This seemed to be a magic show of sorts but the pirate in charge had the actions, words and personality of none other than Cap'n Jack Sparrow. This man had done his homework! He had the twisting hands and the quick wit down perfectly. We sat on the back row since the show had already started and enjoyed the show while we finished eating. As the show proceeded, Matthew and Rose slowly snuck up until they were standing just in front of this man. Matthew calls out, "I know who you are - you're Jack Sparrow!" The pirate replied, "No, love, that would be piracy! I'm Cap'n Tom Bollinger." After a few other of Matthew's interjections, he laughingly said, "Who does this child belong to?" Hubby and I ducked our heads and Matthew and Rose came running back to us.
Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without a picture of "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (that's a Veggie Tale reference for those of you who don't know).
And some mean looking jailbird pirates...
All in all, a great time was had by all of us. Though I did take a little spill down the gravel road. I skinned my knee a little but mostly gave it a really good bruise. It was a very fun trip and I was surprised that I had the energy to keep up with everything after 4 weeks of doing literally nothing. Afterwards, we all crashed for a good long nap and dreamt of sailing the open seas searching for pirate booty. ;)
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Names
Yes, I'm already thinking about baby names. Why? Well, because this is my FOURTH time "doing" pregnancy...and I know it all already. (lol) So while I can't get totally stoked on the fact that it's totally awesome that my baby is only one inch long and busy sealing his/her eyelids this week until week 27, I CAN obsess on names.
And while we're on the subject of names, we're kinda going with a combo of our own initials and it turns out that this one, if we stick to the plan, should be a R-L. Sooo...there aren't a lot of good R names still out there. I have to say that all the normal R names are taken in the family already like Ryan (a couple times), Robert, Richard, etc. So, not wanting to duplicate those anymore, I find I'm left with these choice names. Please help me out by voting for your favorite in the right side panel. These are potential R boy names. I'll do another R girl name one soon.
[You may need to reload the page if you can't find it just below my Library Thing section on the right panel]
And while we're on the subject of names, we're kinda going with a combo of our own initials and it turns out that this one, if we stick to the plan, should be a R-L. Sooo...there aren't a lot of good R names still out there. I have to say that all the normal R names are taken in the family already like Ryan (a couple times), Robert, Richard, etc. So, not wanting to duplicate those anymore, I find I'm left with these choice names. Please help me out by voting for your favorite in the right side panel. These are potential R boy names. I'll do another R girl name one soon.
[You may need to reload the page if you can't find it just below my Library Thing section on the right panel]
Friday, September 15, 2006
Well, I'm doing it
Today I'm venturing out of my house. Yes, for the first time in at least 4 weeks, I'm going OUT...and I'm even taking the kids. I'm still not up-to-normal-speed yet but I'm desperate. The kids are sick of these 4 walls and need some others to interact with for a while (and frankly, so do I). So we're heading out to our new MOPS group. Fortunately it's only about a 5 minute drive so if I need a quick exit, that's possible. And the kids will have 2 solid hours where they don't even have to look at each other. :) Not that they're fighting non-stop but they are showing signs that they really need a break. I wish I felt good enough to take them to a park this afternoon but I don't. Maybe Grammy will take pity on them when she stops by tonight and take them for a walk around the subdivision at the very least. ;)
Hubby will be gone the first week of October for training in....Vegas. Yeah, I'm sure he'll get lots of studying done! teehee...actually, if anyone in the world could go to Vegas and not be the least bit tempted, it's him. We're not gamblers in the least but even I would have to go see the sights and take in some cheap buffets at the very least. LOL I'm hoping I'm feeling a LOT better by then because even though Grandma and Grammy have offered to come help out that week, it's still going to be a rough week without him.
Oh and if you didn't get my personal email (lol), we're super excited that Veggie Tales/3-2-1 Penguins will now be airing on NBC on Saturday mornings at 9CST!!! We've been die-hard Veggie fans since Matthew was about 2.5 years old.
Jade has been working on word sounds a lot lately and I feel she's about to have a language explosion soon...at last. She certainly understands everything I tell her and can follow two-step directions so I'm not concerned. But I *am* getting tired of her whining and crying because I don't know what she wants. She loves the 'more' baby sign and uses it almost constantly. The problem is that you never know what she wants more of...so you spend your day turning yourself into Alex Trebec..." more milk? more crackers? Do you want your doll? you want to learn more signs?"
Rose is in the throes of the terrible three's. Though I have to say that compared to her brother, it's barely noticable. Having said that, I DO notice. ;) She in the middle of that "changing her mind all the time on purpose" stuff. So we've been making her stick with whatever her first decision is and I think she's finally catching on that we're not playing her game anymore. "Do you want cake?" "No." "Ok" (start to put it away) "I mean yes, I do want cake!"
I suppose that's most of the news for now. When you spend the day distracting your sick stomach with TV and reading, it doesn't leave much to blog about. But I should have a glowing report about the new MOPS group soon. ;)
Oh and the REALLY REALLY big news...
Yesterday in the mail, Matthew received a birthday card from his great-grandparents...with $5 in it. I'm telling you, I've NEVER seen a kid so happy to see Mr. Lincoln before. "Nana and Papa sent me FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS!!! Now I can get that mini-con set with the bad guy and the good guy that I've always wanted!!! When can we go shopping???" So a major thanks to you, Nana and Papa. You just made his day!
Hubby will be gone the first week of October for training in....Vegas. Yeah, I'm sure he'll get lots of studying done! teehee...actually, if anyone in the world could go to Vegas and not be the least bit tempted, it's him. We're not gamblers in the least but even I would have to go see the sights and take in some cheap buffets at the very least. LOL I'm hoping I'm feeling a LOT better by then because even though Grandma and Grammy have offered to come help out that week, it's still going to be a rough week without him.
Oh and if you didn't get my personal email (lol), we're super excited that Veggie Tales/3-2-1 Penguins will now be airing on NBC on Saturday mornings at 9CST!!! We've been die-hard Veggie fans since Matthew was about 2.5 years old.
Jade has been working on word sounds a lot lately and I feel she's about to have a language explosion soon...at last. She certainly understands everything I tell her and can follow two-step directions so I'm not concerned. But I *am* getting tired of her whining and crying because I don't know what she wants. She loves the 'more' baby sign and uses it almost constantly. The problem is that you never know what she wants more of...so you spend your day turning yourself into Alex Trebec..." more milk? more crackers? Do you want your doll? you want to learn more signs?"
Rose is in the throes of the terrible three's. Though I have to say that compared to her brother, it's barely noticable. Having said that, I DO notice. ;) She in the middle of that "changing her mind all the time on purpose" stuff. So we've been making her stick with whatever her first decision is and I think she's finally catching on that we're not playing her game anymore. "Do you want cake?" "No." "Ok" (start to put it away) "I mean yes, I do want cake!"
I suppose that's most of the news for now. When you spend the day distracting your sick stomach with TV and reading, it doesn't leave much to blog about. But I should have a glowing report about the new MOPS group soon. ;)
Oh and the REALLY REALLY big news...
Yesterday in the mail, Matthew received a birthday card from his great-grandparents...with $5 in it. I'm telling you, I've NEVER seen a kid so happy to see Mr. Lincoln before. "Nana and Papa sent me FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS!!! Now I can get that mini-con set with the bad guy and the good guy that I've always wanted!!! When can we go shopping???" So a major thanks to you, Nana and Papa. You just made his day!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The decision
Well, after 3 hours of crying and whining and hanging all over me and begging me to make the decision for him, I finally told him I wasn't going to listen to anymore of it. This was HIS decision. And I wasn't going to talk about it once more until supper time. This kinda got his attention. Once he lost his audience, he skulked to his room and when he came out, his attitude was much better. Just before afternoon quiet time, he came down the stairs with a screwdriver in hand. I eyed him suspiciously and he said, "Mommy, I just needed to use the screwdriver for something in my room. You should go see what's on my bed."
As I rounded the corner into his room, I saw Metroplex on his bed and Matthew beaming from ear to ear. "I decided to keep him and I put his batteries back in." He was truly happy with his decision. I put the girls down for their naps and came back into Matthew's room. I told him how very proud I was of him for not taking the easy way out. It boiled down to him thinking it was too hard to transform and I was proud of him that he decided to muddle through and conquer it. So I stayed and, following the instructions, helped him transform it. It was then his turn to be proud of me. ;)
"You know what, Mommy?" What? "I'm proud of me too!" That's good because that's THE most important thing. ;)
As I rounded the corner into his room, I saw Metroplex on his bed and Matthew beaming from ear to ear. "I decided to keep him and I put his batteries back in." He was truly happy with his decision. I put the girls down for their naps and came back into Matthew's room. I told him how very proud I was of him for not taking the easy way out. It boiled down to him thinking it was too hard to transform and I was proud of him that he decided to muddle through and conquer it. So I stayed and, following the instructions, helped him transform it. It was then his turn to be proud of me. ;)
"You know what, Mommy?" What? "I'm proud of me too!" That's good because that's THE most important thing. ;)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Buyers Regret
Well, as I stated earlier, Matthew got two duplicate Transformers for his birthday. So we exchanged them last night and, along with a gift card from Grandma, purchased a new one. This was an expensive super-duper $40 Transformer, Metroplex. Then we went over and got a smaller one from ToysRUs to complete his shopping.
Last night he happily played with them. Metroplex needed batteries so he could do some cool manuevers and we fired him up. Cool, right? Well, this morning I was told that Metroplex is "too tricky to transform". I asked if he wanted to exchange Metroplex for something else. "Yes. I mean I want to keep him. I mean he's too tricky and I want the set that has one bad guy and one good guy in it." Ok. But as soon as I started to put Metroplex back in the box for the store, down came the tears. He's now on hour #3 of going back and forth on this decision. Should he take Metroplex back and get something else?
He's trying to force me to decide. And I tell him that it's his money and his birthday present and I refuse to decide for him. "But you're the best deciderer I've ever had." Nope. "But you always know what's best for me." Nope...not gonna decide. "But he's too tricky." Then take him back if you're not going to play with him. Tears. "Well, Jade got $5 from Grandma that she hasn't spent yet and that's what the set costs that I want." Nope. "But...." NOT going to decide for you. Sorry honey. "OK, what if I take him back and YOU get me a new transformer that you think I'll like?" Nope. This is your decision. You can do this sweetie. More tears. "That's not very nice to put on your blog Mommy...here, I'll put crying tears on top of you to prove it." You already have.
What a horrible decision for a 6 yr old. Please send your condolences to us at unschoolingblogger at charter.net.
Last night he happily played with them. Metroplex needed batteries so he could do some cool manuevers and we fired him up. Cool, right? Well, this morning I was told that Metroplex is "too tricky to transform". I asked if he wanted to exchange Metroplex for something else. "Yes. I mean I want to keep him. I mean he's too tricky and I want the set that has one bad guy and one good guy in it." Ok. But as soon as I started to put Metroplex back in the box for the store, down came the tears. He's now on hour #3 of going back and forth on this decision. Should he take Metroplex back and get something else?
He's trying to force me to decide. And I tell him that it's his money and his birthday present and I refuse to decide for him. "But you're the best deciderer I've ever had." Nope. "But you always know what's best for me." Nope...not gonna decide. "But he's too tricky." Then take him back if you're not going to play with him. Tears. "Well, Jade got $5 from Grandma that she hasn't spent yet and that's what the set costs that I want." Nope. "But...." NOT going to decide for you. Sorry honey. "OK, what if I take him back and YOU get me a new transformer that you think I'll like?" Nope. This is your decision. You can do this sweetie. More tears. "That's not very nice to put on your blog Mommy...here, I'll put crying tears on top of you to prove it." You already have.
What a horrible decision for a 6 yr old. Please send your condolences to us at unschoolingblogger at charter.net.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Matthew is 6yrs old today!
But the party was over almost before it began. Since I've been laid up, my mom offered to do the games and decorations and my MIL offered to do the food (I did the cake), the kids all arrived, they were running and playing and WILD. 'Course some of that was Papa's fault for showing up decked out in Pirate garb.
After about 20 minutes, we were going to get started on games and Matthew comes in and says his tummy hurts. Hubby takes him upstairs for a few minutes and comes back down and says he went to the bathroom and was feeling a lot better. Five minutes later Matthew was throwing up. So he went upstairs and watched the kids play a quick game of Walk The Plank, grab their party bags and wrapped up cupcakes and leave. I feel soooo awful for him to miss his party!
So far, it seems to be more intestinal than throwing up but that's awful enough. Jade had a stomach bug last weekend but I thought we would have already gotten sick from it if we were going to. Poor guy. But everyone left, he opened his presents (I took pics so we can send them in the thank you cards).
And maybe we'll have a playdate in a few weeks and get to play the games and if I'm feeling up to it, maybe we can re-do the cake too.
He's taking it **really** well, bless his heart. I'm the only one about to break down in tears. He did cry for a little bit before the kids left and then came out of his room and said, "I know it's a little late but thank you all for my presents." Poor guy. At least he has some new toys to keep his mind off of feeling so awful.
Not the best picture in the world but here's the cake, matey!
So far, it seems to be more intestinal than throwing up but that's awful enough. Jade had a stomach bug last weekend but I thought we would have already gotten sick from it if we were going to. Poor guy. But everyone left, he opened his presents (I took pics so we can send them in the thank you cards).
He's taking it **really** well, bless his heart. I'm the only one about to break down in tears. He did cry for a little bit before the kids left and then came out of his room and said, "I know it's a little late but thank you all for my presents." Poor guy. At least he has some new toys to keep his mind off of feeling so awful.
Not the best picture in the world but here's the cake, matey!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Plans...
"Mommy, I figured out what I want to be when I grow up."
"What is that?"
"I want to be a Crocodile Hunter to replace Steve's life. But I won't go scuba diving. And if I see a sting ray, I'd really just try to stay near the other divers."
"What about your former dreams of being an astronaut and an archaeologist?"
"Hmmm...well, I will be all three!"
"What is that?"
"I want to be a Crocodile Hunter to replace Steve's life. But I won't go scuba diving. And if I see a sting ray, I'd really just try to stay near the other divers."
"What about your former dreams of being an astronaut and an archaeologist?"
"Hmmm...well, I will be all three!"
Pluto
Matthew: "Mommy, what are you watching?"
Me: "A show about Pluto. They think it might not be a planet after all."
Matthew: "Actually Mommy, Pluto is in the Kuniper Belt. Some scientists think that it's a planet and some think it is an asteroid. They're arguing about it."
Mental note: Never get into a scientific topic that I don't know much about with my son. And the actual name of the belt is Kuiper (before I get corrected), I learned while watching the show. ;)
I've had a couple good days. Today isn't as good but still better than I was feeling last week. Maybe I'm starting to come out of the really bad morning sickness days. :) Jade, 17mos, had a stomach bug all weekend and was throwing up and other stuff. Thank goodness Hubby was home to clean her up and take care of her. Rose has some kind of cold or respiratory flu that she's being kind enough to share with us all. And I think they picked both of these things up at the mall last week. Their only outing last week was going to the mall play area with Grammy while I was at the hospital for re-hydration. I don't get it - usually there's at least a month of school before the kids start picking up everything in sight, right? Maybe it was our milder winter last year. If so, BRING IT ON this year! :) I'm not scared of snow. ;)
Me: "A show about Pluto. They think it might not be a planet after all."
Matthew: "Actually Mommy, Pluto is in the Kuniper Belt. Some scientists think that it's a planet and some think it is an asteroid. They're arguing about it."
Mental note: Never get into a scientific topic that I don't know much about with my son. And the actual name of the belt is Kuiper (before I get corrected), I learned while watching the show. ;)
I've had a couple good days. Today isn't as good but still better than I was feeling last week. Maybe I'm starting to come out of the really bad morning sickness days. :) Jade, 17mos, had a stomach bug all weekend and was throwing up and other stuff. Thank goodness Hubby was home to clean her up and take care of her. Rose has some kind of cold or respiratory flu that she's being kind enough to share with us all. And I think they picked both of these things up at the mall last week. Their only outing last week was going to the mall play area with Grammy while I was at the hospital for re-hydration. I don't get it - usually there's at least a month of school before the kids start picking up everything in sight, right? Maybe it was our milder winter last year. If so, BRING IT ON this year! :) I'm not scared of snow. ;)
Friday, September 01, 2006
I apparently spoke too soon
What a difference a day makes. Day before yesterday when I had the IV, I felt really great afterwards and was able to actually eat a meal. I went downhill all day yesterday and last night was horrible. It's not that I'm actually getting sick. And I'm getting fluids in...at least I was up until last night. But I cannot force myself to eat. I had teeny bites for dinner, 1/2 serving of cream of wheat for breakfast and a few bites of potato soup and shortbread cookies for lunch. I know, it's not nearly enough. But I have some "stores" I can get by on for a while (believe me, it's not like I don't adore food), as I usually do lose a lot of weight while pg. I don't know how I can go from feeling so much better to so utterly horrid in one day. And I'm really scared my OB will be talking about a stomach tube soon. Anyway, I'm not trying to go on and on about being pregnant but if you could send up some prayers for me, I'd really appreciate it.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Hollywood and a pg update
Hollywood is cruel, especially when you're 5. transformersmovie.com Matthew's latest obsession, Transformers, is bringing out a movie next JULY. Yes, an entire year from now. How cruel to my sweet son who's [upcoming] birthday list consists of:
17 Transformers and 1 set of Magnalogs.
Hmmm...wonder what he'll be getting this year?
In other news, I went to the hospital today and got a litre of IV fluids and some top-shelf hyperemesis medication, Zofran. I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel than this time yesterday. Hoping against hope that it lasts, I still feel the need to say that I will probably still be sporadic in posting for a while. The kids were exceedingly sweet and my dear mother took several hours off work and watched the kids for me. One of the big downsides to being a SAHM and/or homeschooler is these things that come up - like doctor appts, etc. - where you'd really like some privacy but don't have many places to drop the kids off. So you try to rotate within your small group of people who can help but still feel like you're calling on them all the time. Mental note - find more local homeschooling friends that you can trade off with. ;) Oh yeah, and make sure they don't look like this
when you mention 3 or 4 children.
In the meantime, check out my RL [real life] best friends new blog! Yes, I've converted yet one more mommy deep into the blogging world. [insert evil laugh here] Mwahaaahaaahaaaaaa She's asked that I not share her site just now but I had to announce her conversion with pride. teehee..
17 Transformers and 1 set of Magnalogs.
Hmmm...wonder what he'll be getting this year?
In other news, I went to the hospital today and got a litre of IV fluids and some top-shelf hyperemesis medication, Zofran. I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel than this time yesterday. Hoping against hope that it lasts, I still feel the need to say that I will probably still be sporadic in posting for a while. The kids were exceedingly sweet and my dear mother took several hours off work and watched the kids for me. One of the big downsides to being a SAHM and/or homeschooler is these things that come up - like doctor appts, etc. - where you'd really like some privacy but don't have many places to drop the kids off. So you try to rotate within your small group of people who can help but still feel like you're calling on them all the time. Mental note - find more local homeschooling friends that you can trade off with. ;) Oh yeah, and make sure they don't look like this
when you mention 3 or 4 children.In the meantime, check out my RL [real life] best friends new blog! Yes, I've converted yet one more mommy deep into the blogging world. [insert evil laugh here] Mwahaaahaaahaaaaaa She's asked that I not share her site just now but I had to announce her conversion with pride. teehee..
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
It might be a while
It looks like my morning sickness is going to be on the severe side again. So I probably won't be posting regularly for a while. If you haven't signed up for my RSS feed, please do so and you'll know when I'm back in business. The RSS site is:
And, of course, all prayers are welcomed. I keep trying different medications but nothing's working yet.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rss.php?u=amalapert
And, of course, all prayers are welcomed. I keep trying different medications but nothing's working yet.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
AND we homeschool...
It was eery this morning, driving through a couple subdivisions around 10:30a, to find them completely devoid of children. I've never really noticed it any other year [perhaps because Matthew would be starting K this year?] but it was kind of a shock to the system.
Speaking of shocks, we've had a stressful week and a half. I didn't post about any of it so I'll briefly sum it all up now that things are fine. As you remember, I had the positive home pregnancy test a week before this past Saturday. It was a shock to us, though we definitely wanted one more child in our family. A couple days later they did an ultrasound to find out how far along I was and couldn't find a fetal pole or heartbeat and we thought that I was far enough along that we should see them. We feared the worst. We were given a glimmer of hope on Friday, when my HCG numbers almost doubled in 48 hours but we knew it still could have been bad. So we held our breath and prayed. Lots and lots of praying. Today I had another ultrasound and voila - there IS a heartbeat and fetal pole. YEAH!! So we're thanking God for His ongoing faithfulness and watchfulness over us. I'm 6 weeks, 6 days along and due on April 14th (tax baby...lol).
I was reading a post by a friend today where she was appalled by watching that show, Wife Swap. The show she saw had paired up a city family with a homeschooling country one. The homeschoolers were shown as eccentric and having out-of-control kids and messy homes, etc. The city family made comments like, "Each of our kids have a playstation so they don't BOTHER us," and yet were portrayed as 'normal'. I.E. If you think you fall into that 'normal' category, I'd be mad too! LOL
That post got me thinking about what people picture when I tell them we're homeschoolers. [As a side note, why does it seem that either 'the kids go to school' or 'we're a homeschooling family'? Well in our family, it's definitely a cooperative effort. So I feel I must include myself in the education statement and say "we" are homeschoolers. But if I sent the kids to school, that's "their" thing. Just a passing thought, forgive me.]
So whenever strangers comment, after seeing my three little ones, that "you MUST have your hands FULL" or "bet you can't wait til they start school!" and then I smile and say, "We're homeschoolers", I always get THE LOOK. You know what I mean. They look at me and see THAT SHOW going on in my house. Their thoughts go like this:
I'm a freak and my kids are so far out of control and ohmygosh, I probably have a GARDEN out back too! (You should see the looks I get when I mention the compost pile! ROFL) For fun, we must grow our hair out to our knees, hang out at the library and learn how to weave baskets. We must go from door to door selling the fruits of the garden and schedule every other weekend as canning time. We stay in our four little walls with no tv or modern niceites and ~ oh, the horror~ hang our laundry outside to dry (which my subdivision actually doesn't allow us to do)! I don't allow my kids to play with the freakish public school kids across the street, for fear that my kids will learn a little too much about life before I'm ready. We have converted our dining room into a one-room schoolroom, complete with desks and a chalkboard. We are strictly scheduled and have ourselves wound so tight that you'd better not talk to me or I might break down on the spot and weep in front of you.
If you've been reading my blog for any time, you know that there's not a whole lot of truth up there in that so-called snapshot of our family. Ok, so we do have a large garden and compost pile (Hubby's passions, not mine...but I do cook the food), we DO actually hang out at the library quite a bit and if my kids want to learn how to basket weave, we'll venture down that road too. But I see the above story in the strangers LOOK when I admit that we're homeschoolers. It's actually pretty fun to see the horror flutter across their faces as they say, "Wow, then you really ARE busy...and a little crazy! [nervous laugh]". But it usually shuts them up...kind of a show stopper. lol
But Matthew is getting to that age where people are expecting him to be in school during the day so we will get the question a lot more now that school has started. I need to find some other great comebacks to add to their suspicions...perhaps I should mutter something to the kids about the "science experiment" in the basement on the way past them (in truth, we do have some garden onions drying on racks down there so they'll last all winter - not too much of a real experiment but it could work). So if you have any great suggestions for me to use, I'm all ears. ;)
Oh, and what do/did you think of homeschoolers before you met one (or read their blog - lol)? Admit it, you had the same image in your mind. Well, close to it. ;) Guess what? SO DID I...and that's why I did NOT want to be one.
Speaking of shocks, we've had a stressful week and a half. I didn't post about any of it so I'll briefly sum it all up now that things are fine. As you remember, I had the positive home pregnancy test a week before this past Saturday. It was a shock to us, though we definitely wanted one more child in our family. A couple days later they did an ultrasound to find out how far along I was and couldn't find a fetal pole or heartbeat and we thought that I was far enough along that we should see them. We feared the worst. We were given a glimmer of hope on Friday, when my HCG numbers almost doubled in 48 hours but we knew it still could have been bad. So we held our breath and prayed. Lots and lots of praying. Today I had another ultrasound and voila - there IS a heartbeat and fetal pole. YEAH!! So we're thanking God for His ongoing faithfulness and watchfulness over us. I'm 6 weeks, 6 days along and due on April 14th (tax baby...lol).
I was reading a post by a friend today where she was appalled by watching that show, Wife Swap. The show she saw had paired up a city family with a homeschooling country one. The homeschoolers were shown as eccentric and having out-of-control kids and messy homes, etc. The city family made comments like, "Each of our kids have a playstation so they don't BOTHER us," and yet were portrayed as 'normal'. I.E. If you think you fall into that 'normal' category, I'd be mad too! LOL
That post got me thinking about what people picture when I tell them we're homeschoolers. [As a side note, why does it seem that either 'the kids go to school' or 'we're a homeschooling family'? Well in our family, it's definitely a cooperative effort. So I feel I must include myself in the education statement and say "we" are homeschoolers. But if I sent the kids to school, that's "their" thing. Just a passing thought, forgive me.]
So whenever strangers comment, after seeing my three little ones, that "you MUST have your hands FULL" or "bet you can't wait til they start school!" and then I smile and say, "We're homeschoolers", I always get THE LOOK. You know what I mean. They look at me and see THAT SHOW going on in my house. Their thoughts go like this:
I'm a freak and my kids are so far out of control and ohmygosh, I probably have a GARDEN out back too! (You should see the looks I get when I mention the compost pile! ROFL) For fun, we must grow our hair out to our knees, hang out at the library and learn how to weave baskets. We must go from door to door selling the fruits of the garden and schedule every other weekend as canning time. We stay in our four little walls with no tv or modern niceites and ~ oh, the horror~ hang our laundry outside to dry (which my subdivision actually doesn't allow us to do)! I don't allow my kids to play with the freakish public school kids across the street, for fear that my kids will learn a little too much about life before I'm ready. We have converted our dining room into a one-room schoolroom, complete with desks and a chalkboard. We are strictly scheduled and have ourselves wound so tight that you'd better not talk to me or I might break down on the spot and weep in front of you.
If you've been reading my blog for any time, you know that there's not a whole lot of truth up there in that so-called snapshot of our family. Ok, so we do have a large garden and compost pile (Hubby's passions, not mine...but I do cook the food), we DO actually hang out at the library quite a bit and if my kids want to learn how to basket weave, we'll venture down that road too. But I see the above story in the strangers LOOK when I admit that we're homeschoolers. It's actually pretty fun to see the horror flutter across their faces as they say, "Wow, then you really ARE busy...and a little crazy! [nervous laugh]". But it usually shuts them up...kind of a show stopper. lol
But Matthew is getting to that age where people are expecting him to be in school during the day so we will get the question a lot more now that school has started. I need to find some other great comebacks to add to their suspicions...perhaps I should mutter something to the kids about the "science experiment" in the basement on the way past them (in truth, we do have some garden onions drying on racks down there so they'll last all winter - not too much of a real experiment but it could work). So if you have any great suggestions for me to use, I'm all ears. ;)
Oh, and what do/did you think of homeschoolers before you met one (or read their blog - lol)? Admit it, you had the same image in your mind. Well, close to it. ;) Guess what? SO DID I...and that's why I did NOT want to be one.
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