Update On Christian

First of all, THANK YOU for all of the comments, emails, thoughts, and prayers today. They have helped tremendously, and we feel very blessed to have such a big support system behind us.
We didn't get in to see the doctor until 4pm, which was a bit frustrating in itself. Throughout the day, Christian developed a lovely, bright red, itchy rash that is from head to toe. We got in and out of the doctor's office fairly quickly, so here is the breakdown of what's going on:
1. He has Scarlet Fever (strep throat with the nasty rash)
2. He got a wonderful rocephin shot and should be back to his normal self by tomorrow morning, although he can't go back to mother's day out until Thursday
3. The doctor viewed the footage I had taken of him sleeping that shows how he snores and has trouble breathing at complete capacity, and he decided to go a slightly different route than what I had originally hoped for. The doctor wants to try a liquid steroid, a nasal steroid, and Zyrtec for a week, and then he wants me to re-take the footage of Christian sleeping and come back for a follow-up apppointment next Wednesday.

I know there are varying opinions on this matter--and each to their own. I understand both sides....there are pros and cons to the meds and then to just going ahead with a call to an ENT's office without the doctor's full approval. John and I will be considering all options and making an educated decision soon as to how we want to handle all of this. Ultimately we want what's best for Christian, and that's why it won't be a rushed decision. At least for now I can sleep knowing he will be feeling better and getting some sleep himself. More later...

Monday Morning

This momma is tired. Physically and mentally.
I'm ready for answers, and they can't come soon enough.
I'm ready for Christian to be back to the normal, happy, loving, bouncy little 4 year old that I know he is. We are going to the doctor this morning to address the issue of his tonsils--again.
From the picture you can see what we are dealing with here. I couldn't get a shot of the inside of his mouth, mainly because he can't open that far. He doesn't feel well, and I have exhausted myself trying to help him. He desperately needs to eat and breathe normally, and those are our main concerns.
We'll update when we get some results. Until then, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Friday Fess Ups

I did not eat 10 Nilla Cakesters (with banana cream filling) while my children were napping. I also didn't spend the entire next 3 days running back and forth to the bathroom with intestinal discomfort of the worst kind from eating such bad-for-you items. If, in fact, I had really eaten all of those, I would have sworn the company put laxatives in their cakesters, just to punish people for overindulging in them...but I wouldn't know anything about that.

I certainly haven't avoided cleaning the toilets and bathtubs for 2 weeks now, just because I think it's the most disgusting job on the planet--next to cleaning up poop from underneath a certain child's bedroom door and from his carpet.

Target has not made a fortune off of me this week because I haven't gone there 3 times...and counting. It's not like I was in desperate need of clearanced thank you notes, wrapping paper, and party supplies. I can say no to red tags at Target any day--really. I'm not lying.

I didn't visit the local Starbucks this week because I came downstairs and there was no freshly ground coffee to be had. Not that I was too lazy to push a button on the bean grinder and make my own coffee at home. That's just rediculous.

I definitely do not hide dirty dishes in the refrigerator if the realtor calls and I have clean dishes in the dishwasher and no time to unload them. Nope.

I have never put my 3 darling C's to bed at 7:45pm (their bedtime is 8pm) just so I can sit down, take a deep breath, and eat a fudge pop while watching Houston Animal Police on Animal Planet. That would just be absurd.

John and I are not such crazed LOST fans that we would sit up until 3am watching previous seasons on DVD just to catch up and completely be "in the know" when it comes to the new season. After all, we need our beauty sleep.

Oh yeah--back on the subject of Target--I am certainly not one of those chickies that shops the clothing clearance racks in the little kids section, leaves some good deals for others, and then just-so-happens to call a friend up while she is shopping there (a day or so later, mind you) and convince her to go ahead and purchase 2-3 OTHER items for my children off of the above said clearance racks so I can pay her back later and not have to make a 4th trip there. I would never think of making my friends shop for me or support my clearance-buying habits.

I do not ever move John's things around, thus causing him to lose them--or lose his mind trying to find them--which ever comes first. I totally respect his stuff and the odd/irritating places in which he puts them. I would never think of hiding his much needed items in drawers or closets just to get rid of the clutter. I haven't ever forgotten exactly where it was that I "moved" them to either.
And he isn't missing his ever-so-important knee straps that allow him to run without pain. Arggg

Monkeys...Bicycles...Grapes

*UPDATE* read at bottom of post for info on what I Googled concerning grapes

Christian is SUCH a deep thinker. He spends 98% of his time in the car talking to me about random, out-of-this-world things that he obviously spends a lot of his time pondering.
Today, the conversation went as follows:

C: "Momma, why does Curious George ride a bicycle?"
Me: "Because he wants to, sweety. It's fun!"
C: "But Momma, monkeys really don't ride bicycles...right?"
Me: "Well, yes. Curious George is a special monkey though, so it's ok for him to ride it."
C: "MOMMA....monkeys DON'T ride bicycles!"
Me: *deep sigh and a small chuckle*

about 5 minutes later....

C: "Momma, you know Iris in my class at school?"
Me: "Yes...."
C: "My teacher said Iris is allergic to grapes. Isn't that weird?"
Me: "My goodness, that IS strange. I'm sorry to hear that."
C: "I think it's really weird. I love grapes."

And there you have it folks. Apparently it's disturbing to him that Curious George rides a bicycle and Iris is allergic to grapes.
Come to think of it....the whole grapes thing has me curious. Must go Google that and see if it's a true allergy. I'll update later with my findings. :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*UPDATE*
According to Google:
Q:Is it possible to have an allergy to grapes?
A:It is possible to have an allergy to just about anything, so the answer is yes.
There are several special problems about grapes worth noting:
They are heavily sprayed with pesticides, making them the most toxic fruit you can buy.
Grapes naturally grow yeast on their skin.
Like any fruit, mold can grow on grapes.
Rather than a grape allergy, you may instead be allergic to pesticides, yeast or mold.

Well what do ya know? Maybe Iris has something going here...

Just For Today

Since the day we put our house on the market, I have kept it immaculately clean. I wake up every morning with the mindset that at any given moment, someone may feel the need to call the realtor and want to take a tour. All beds are made, bathrooms sparkle, floors are swept, and toys are tucked away. It's become such a habit that I don't leave a single dirty dish or spoon in the sink--ever.
It's been almost 6 solid months of me living in a super clean home. Although I find it nice, it's very tiresome. Over 1/2 of the kids' toys are stowed away in the storage closet, and they tend to get grumpy with me when I follow them around and clean up after them--even if they weren't finished playing yet.
I'd get grumpy with me too.
So, just for today I'm going to let it slide. The bathrooms aren't sparkling, the laminate floors haven't been mopped, and my kitchen counters have spots of coffee on them. The laundry isn't finished--and the piles that are clean haven't been hung up. The beds aren't made and not all of the blinds are opened to insure the best lighting for viewing purposes. The hallway closet hasn't been de-junked and cleaned out. The garage is a disaster. Caroline is currently playing with the farm set on the floor, and I'm not going to get up and hurry her along, just so I can pick it all up before we leave the house.
I'm going to let it slide, just for once.
After all, they are just children. I am only human. We can be allowed to be imperfect for 24 hours. We still live here, and it's important for me to take a deep breath, unclench my jaw, release my frustrations, and live a little.
If, by chance, someone decides they want to take a tour of our home, they will just have to deal with the fact that we are a family and very comfortable in our surroundings.
Just for today, I'm going to let it slide.

Clean Carpets?

I was so proud of myself this past week. I went and rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned the ENTIRE upstairs (which is carpeted--the downstairs is all laminate flooring and much easier to care for), minus the tiled bathrooms of course. We installed the carpet 2 1/2 years ago, so it wasn't terribly bad. It really just needed a bit of sprucing up. After 3 hours of carpet cleaning, it looked awesome!
Now tell me: why is it that when I spend so much time and energy on a big project like this, it never fails that something will try to mess it up? *deep sigh*
Caroline--my darling 3rd child--is really trying her best at this potty training thing. She has #1 down well, but there are still times where she feels the need to assert her independence and show us that she thinks she has complete control over the household. Saturday night, she ran into Christian's room after Daddy had bathed her and blowdryed her hair, and tee-tee'd in the floor for no reason. She had a rather spiteful grin afterward. I was so hacked! After all, I had really cleaned those carpets well, and this wasn't about to mess them up again. It was only a small spot--very easy to dab up--BUT STILL.
Today, she has been doing just as well with pottying. I even bought her some baby yogurt bites as treats for when she goes potty for me. I thought I had one up on her by using the reward system. Let me tell you, she's not fooled a bit. She wants the upper hand and she'll do anything to get it. *extremely deep sigh*
That brings us to now:
I had Christian and Caroline upstairs getting them ready for naps. Caroline had just tee-tee'd downstairs, so I figured she was good to go. I left her panties on her dresser and was about to put a pull-up on her when I got distracted by a pile of toys in Christian's room. I bent over to clean them up while Caroline played with the bedroom door, swinging it back and forth.
My first clue should have been the silence.
Anyway, Christian comes through his bedroom door from the bathroom, and he says, "Momma! Something is shewy in here!"
No.......way. She.....did.......not.....
Oh yes, she did.
Caroline had squated and done a HUGE #2 right there in his room. To make matters worse (oh yes, it CAN get worse), Christian had no clue that she had done that until he swung his door completely open.........thus running the door over the #2. It smeared out about a foot from the original spot. Now, it was on the bottom of the door and across my CLEAN CARPET!!
All I could do was clean Caroline up, put her to bed, grab the extra Rug Doctor soap from under the bathroom sink, sit down on Christian's floor, and clean.
Why me? Why in the world does my smallest C think she needs to do that?!?
Uggggggg.....
It is now cleaned up, freshened up, and back to normal in poor Christian's room. I swear that the next house we have will NOT have carpet. It's such a hassle, and with small children it doesn't pay to have it.
Now, does anyone have a suggestion as to how to get Miss Caroline to quit acting out in the pottying arena?????

Time Standing Still

Time has literally been standing still...for the past hour and a half. Apparently I need to replace the battery yet again in my awesome, huge, beautiful clock that hangs above my mantle. It still says it's 9:45pm when in actuality it's 11:35pm. And here I thought I was doing so good and had plenty of time to stay up and mess around on the computer a bit more! I swear I just replaced that battery yesterday--that says nothing good for Duracells. Uggggg---I still have to wash my hair. It will get done...after all, it's only 9:45pm. :)

Friday Fess Ups

I'm going to be doing this every week, so be looking for it! Man, I certainly feel better afterward. This is becoming therapy for me. How sad is that...haha.

1. I did not go on another Ebay buying spree this week.

2. We have not eaten out 3 days in a row just because I was too lazy to cook....and by eating out I mean lunch AND dinner each of the 3 days. Nope, not us.

3. I certainly did not eat a huge cup of peach cobbler with ice cream at one of the eating out joints. I have more self control than that.

4. Regardless of what my husband says, I do not bathe in my own filth. I think baths get you just as squeaky clean as a shower, even if the yuckies from the day are floating on top of the bubbles around the time I start to get out.

5. I did not wear the same pair of capri jeans all week because I was too lazy to do laundry. Nope.

6. We most positively did not skip out on the gym today because of laziness....and I do not see a pattern of laziness in this post at all.

7. The kids' super yummy gummy bears were not calling my name from the top of the fridge all day.....and I absolutely did not give in and go eat a few just to satisfy my sweet tooth. Nopey Nope.

8. I didn't trim my nosehairs with embroidery scissors just because my sweet, darling, loving husband made a comment in the car about how they needed to be scaled back or they would scare the children. Hmmmm....

9. I would never think about letting Caroline eat sand in the local burger joint's sand box. After all, that might cause a medical crisis of some sort--right? :)

10. I also did not let her run naked outside while playing in the sandbox at home in the backyard, just because she accidentally tee-tee'd her panties and I was in no mood to drag her in for a bath right then and there. After all, it air-dries---right?!?

Eskrima

I find this word very interesting. It's a form of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) that emphasizes stick and sword fighting, and it is also called Kali here in the United States. Why in the world would this word interest me you ask?
Probably because my husband decided to start taking FMA classes.
Oh yes, he did.
We JUST finished our 2nd season of softball--we only won 2 games by the way, just in case you were wondering--and he had to find something else to do. One of the guys he knows out at work is a FMA instructor (or whatever you call him), so John gets to go to his class every Tuesday and Thursday evening for about an hour and a half. Last night was his 1st class and he came home talking about how much fun it was. I'm glad he has found something that interests him. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Christian finds out about it and begs to go with Daddy. :)

Bed Sheets, Parade, and Other Random Thoughts

Christian asked a very interested question this morning while helping me change the sheets on my bed.
"Momma, why are there 2 sheets? Don't you just need 1 to sleep on and then your blanky for a cover?"
Hmmmm...he has a point there. I guess the need for the top sheet is chalked up to 1 of 2 things:
1. People like to have a barrier between them and the comforter/blanket for cleanliness purposes
2. Manufacturers make more $$ by selling us an extra and pointless sheet

On to the next topic:
The kids and I went to the Tri State Fair parade Saturday morning, along with Steve, Jill, Alexis, and Jill's mom Debbie. It was cloudy, cool, and misty--but lots of fun! You know what's sad? There is little to no candy-throwing at these parades. I guess it's due to the safety factor. After all, it would be horrible if someone was to run over a small child who darted out for a piece of bubblegum. What candy we did collect was eaten right away, and that was the plan. NO WAY am I having that yummy, tasty, wonderful junk in my house for me to scarf down during nap time. :)
Here are some pics from the parade:








Next topic:
Have you heard about the shampoo/conditioner that's supposed to regrow hair for men?!? It's Tresemme Silk Protein Healthy Volume Shampoo and Vitamin E Moisture Rich Conditioner (2 separate lines in their collection). At only $3.xx for a big bottle, we thought it would be awesome to try it out (NOT that John really needs it--after all, it's simply a small spot that is thinning...LOL). We visited 3 Wal-Marts and Drug Emporium with no success. Apparently all of Amarillo knows about it. However, Mom did find it recently, so we'll get back to you in a few weeks with the results of the trial.

And yet another:
What in the world is so darn tasty about pork rinds and french onion dip?? When I was in high school, I had pork rinds and a V-8 Splash for lunch every day. Amazingly I stayed teeny-tiny...but I also practiced basketball for 2 hours a day. I found a love for pork rinds then, and now that they are on John's "eating plan," I get to have them again...minus the V-8 Splash of course. *pouty face* Anywho, he recently showed me the art of dipping them in french onion dip and OH MY GOSH! Sooooooo good. YUM. Yes, it appears that the "eating plan" is getting to me. I get excited about pork rinds and french onion dip. Someone needs to save me from myself.


Ok, so it's that time again----time for me to go check on the stuff I'm selling on Ebay.
The question for the week:
For those of you with children, are they picky eaters?? If so, what in the world do you feed them?

Gettin' My Ugly On

For those of you who know me well, this story may seem out of the ordinary. After all, I am the most quiet, gentle, poised, easygoing person on the planet. What? How dare you laugh at that. Seriously now, just work with me on this one.

Most of you may recall an incident when the "ugly" side of me appeared and I put the fear of God into one of my neighbors who was making too much noise when my children were trying to sleep. To refresh your memory, I have included a link to that story:

Probably Should Have Been A Cop

Not that this sort of behavior happens regularly around here or anything. Sometimes I think it's weather-related, or possibly due to a full moon. My neighbors just have ways of tweaking me wrong and turning my otherwise kind, sweet, subtle nature into a beast. What happened you ask? I'll tell it to you:

I was sitting in my big comfy brown chair, "possibly" ebaying and watching Miami Animal Cops on Animal Planet (there's my first problem--I start picturing myself as a big bad police officer ready to take down the idiots who DARE to harm an innocent animal--but I'll save all of that for my therapy sessions which are long overdue :) ) and all was quiet in the house. Well, of course there's the annoying cricket, but I'll let him live for now. Anyway, my living room gets rocked by the loudest VVVVRRRRRROOOOOOMMMMMM I've ever heard. It lasted about 2 minutes straight and sounded as if someone/something was gonna drive a Harley straight into my dining room window. Bracing for the impact and almost spilling coke all over the computer, I realized it was my oh-so-darling neighbor down the alley playing w/his Harley again. DUDE---do you have to do that at 9:30pm?!? Reeeeeally?
One time, no harm I guess. I get back to my "possible" ebaying and get all caught up in the Animal Cops call about an abused dog. Suddenly---VVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMM. Ok, one time was p-u-l-e-n-t-y. Now he's just being a jerk. I sat in the chair getting more and more annoyed with every extra VROOM he was producing. After about another 2 minutes of it, he stops. I think to myself---ONE more time, buster, and I'm going out that back gate to give you a piece of my mind. I was secretly wishing he would do it, just so I'd have an excuse to go out there. About 15 minutes later....you guessed it....VVVVVVRRRRROOOOOOMMMM.
I was hot on his trail like an Animal Cop headed to give a citation for dog abuse. I flew out the back door, flung open the gate, and waited for him to turn the Harley off. I could hear him chatting with someone else, but I thought it best to speak my mind loud enough for the both of them to hear me.
"EXCUUUUUSE ME! STOP DOING THAT! I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN TRYING TO SLEEP! DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THIS FENCE!!" My Sheltie gave me the look of, "Wow, that was impressive. What are you gonna do to him? Beat him up with an umbrella? Shine a flashlight in his face?"
Whatever. I felt better, and that's what counts right? I huffed back into the house, plopped back down in the chair, gulped down my coke, and waited for the adrenaline rush to leave my system. All the while I'm thinking, "Dude, you got so lucky. I could have SOOOO whooped you. Consider that your warning."
Back to watching Miami Animal Cops---and just so you know, he hasn't vroomed again since.

You know what the difference is between a stay-at-home momma and a bulldog? LIPSTICK :)

Most Definitely Not

A fellow blogger has done this for a while now, and I find that she feels so much better after venting---thus why I am choosing to follow her lead and tell you the things I have not done recently:


I didn't go to Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby yesterday and buy things that really weren't necessities just to pass the time until Christian's school started.


I certainly haven't let my children go a day or two without a bath. After all, what kind of momma would I be if I did that?


Caroline does not run around with nothing on her lower half all day just to make it easier to get to the potty. We definitely have more class than that.

I have not enjoyed taking 2 hour naps the past few days. I have way too much to do to waste time on slumber.

I definitely haven't begun another Ebay buying streak. My husband would kill me if I did something stupid like that.

I wouldn't dream of starting John's "eating plan" again just to have an excuse to have half and half in my coffee, all the bacon I can eat, cheese on everything (even if it doesn't need it), and Blue Sky at least twice a week. Nope.

I most definitely have not cheated on the above "eating plan" and had a handful of nilla wafers....and possibly a gummy bear or 2...or 5....or whatever. That would just be plain irresponsible.

I do not spend too much time on Twitter....or Ebay....or Etsy....or ANY website for that matter. Too much to do around here.

I don't ever allow my children to eat goldfish with tongs. How ridiculous.

My youngest C is not currently sitting in the living room floor with a box of unopened Certified Organic Chicken Broth attempting to pluck the seal off of the opening with her fingernails and teeth. Who would allow that, really?

I do not allow the kids to sit atop the couch and jump off--after all, that could possibly cause bodily harm. Who would allow their children to play such a fun but possibly harmful game? Sheesh.

I definitely do not take Ruby Penelope's food dish and wheel out of her cage every night just so I can sleep in peace and quiet without that stupid rodent making some sort of irritating noise just to spite me. Nope.



What have you not done today? :)

Getting Our Vote

Just so you all know, the comments have been disabled for this post. John and I respect each reader's opinions on the election and hope you will do so with ours. I will not be making any other posts regarding the elections, so never fear--it's not becoming a forum for political discussion. We have bought each child a t-shirt or onesie in the year of an election-JUST FOR FUN....not that I find a need to explain myself. Thank you! :)

Yes, It Is Possible

I actually think I've run out of things to blog about! :)

Nothing is really going on around here, other than school is in full swing and we are as busy as ever. I'm sure ALL of you can relate. Caitlin loves her new school and has had to experience homework for the first time in 2 years (at Arbor Academy, she never had homework). She is also loving the fact that there are no uniforms--she can wear whatever she pleases...within reason, of course. She is making new friends and fitting right in, which thrills me to pieces.
Christian is having a blast at Mother's Day Out--we call it school for his sake--and he gets very frustrated on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays when he doesn't get to go. Here is a pic from his first day which I never got around to posting:


Caroline is my little firecracker. She is into EVERYTHING and saying pretty much anything she hears us say. Her new favorite phrases are (written just the way she says them):
1. Did ya getch ya coffee?--what she says every time we pass a Starbucks (so sad)
2. Getch ya money Momma!--what she says when I drive by an ATM
She's definitely getting a big personality....I say that as she strips down to her nakedness (that's a term right?!?) in the middle of the living room and runs around in circles.
Oy!
Hopefully I'll have more as the week goes on. I think a blogging slump is just something I go through from time to time, so many apologies for now until I get out of it! Have a great week!

Do You Follow Me?

Hey blogger friends! I found a new application--Followers--and want to ask this of all of you:
If you follow the Haskell Rascals blog, please let me know by going down to the "My Visitors" section on the lefthand side and clicking "Follow this blog." You should be able to see what I'm talking about. I would love to see all of your shining faces there--it encourages me to see just how many friends/family/strangers think enough of us to read about our lives.
Thanks in advance and have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Dust Buster

I seriously think I need to break down and buy a dust buster. Charlie is a great dog, but he really refuses to help me out in the clean-up-dropped-food-after-the-baby-eats department. Oy! Caroline sits in a booster seat at the dining room table now, so it's harder to contain messes. I find myself down on my hands and knees after ever snack or meal with a wet paper towel cleaning up what she dropped so the floor looks spotless---just in case someone wants to come take a tour of the house. Either that or I'm constantly pulling out the big vaccuum and lugging it over to take care of just that one area about 10 times a day. Not my idea of fun--I have much better things to be doing.
Might have to make a trip to the store tonight...

Intense

C3 (aka: Caroline) is a very intense girl when it comes to playing. That's really the only word that comes to mind to describe it--she's right in the middle of the action and not afraid to get down and dirty. Throughout the day, I find her on her tummy somewhere checking things out--rollie pollies, dead crickets, grass, dirt, babydolls, toy cars, pieces of Charlie's hair on the hardwood floor, leaves that have fallen from the indoor plants...you name it. I love my child's ability to just engulf herself in her surroundings without a care in the world. All of my C's have been this way to a certain extent, but I have noticed C3 the most lately. Funny what you see when you aren't really even looking (oooohhh that was deep huh-ha!). :) I especially love the fact that she can play by herself for more than 5 minutes. She talks to toys, arranges and rearranges the bean bags, plays with matchbox cars, dresses up and "goes places" with her purse, and rides a stick horse around the house. It's so awesome to see an imagination at work!