Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears...

Oh boy... a week has come and gone, and I guess I've fallen into the black hole that is the house, holidays, and family chaos :)

I suppose I didn't realize how much time has passed already where I've been absorbed in everything but poking my head out for fresh air. It took a couple days for everyone else to feel better, luckily Chase, Kaely & I escaped without catching the nasty stomach virus. Jokingly attributed it to the "super boobs"- hmmmm.

Then, we had the last week of school before winter break, so "Polar Express Day" (pajama day), crazy hat day, and teacher gifts. I wasn't entirely sure how to handle the gifts since her teacher has been out on maternity leave, and the substitute has been around for the past month. I have been lagging behind all season on gifts, cookies, decorations, etc. AHHHH

Also, everyone wants to stop by to visit, but thing is, I have things EVERYWHERE. I am trying to wrap gifts, finish making them, etc., and to have anyone stop by would require putting everything away unfinished- which is not easy or ideal. Soooo- I inadvertently offended people since it was too difficult to have visitors this week.

Oh, what else? I often have songs stuck in my head, as a "theme song" for the event, moment, or general mood- kind of like a soundtrack to my life. However, this week it was book titles, and subsequently, the songs that may go with them. Such as, How the Grinch Stole Christmas with cranky people, and a book I grew up reading, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears after I woke up around 2am last night to a mosquito quite literally buzzing in my ear. I swung in the dark trying to catch it, then resorted to turning on the bathroom light, then the full bedroom light... to no avail. I felt like a total idiot, gave up when Chase woke up, so tried to go back to sleep. Just as I was drifting back off to sleep, I heard the stupid whine... Oh my...

I believe I finally have some handle on the upcoming holiday- not looking past it yet- as I realize we're down to a week until Chase's 1st birthday! AHHHHH! 'One day at a time' is what I have to hold onto.

On the flip side, one of the cool things that has brought me great joy, and great frustration, is getting Kaely the Kindle. I started searching for it on Ebay a couple weeks ago, and for the price, thought it'd be an awesome tool to encourage reading. This led to frustration as I kept losing auctions at the last minute, then eventually got one, it arrived- and is total trash. The stupid seller didn't bother even wiping it down, reeks of cigarettes, and didn't include what was advertised. I was devastated. 4 days before Christmas and the main gift I was getting for Kaely turned out to be a big flop. Luckily, my sister came through and accepted my offer to buy hers off of her. She brought it by today, and I've been playing half the day through our library's website, and am so stinking excited over all the books she can "borrow" online, and the free books off Amazon. I think this is better than any video game or toy - since it has a quiet way of being a great learning tool. Very awesome.

So, just saying, we're still around, just a giant madhouse preparing for the holidays and getting everyone back to wellness... Hope everyone is doing great and Happy Holidays!!! Tons of pictures to come on Christmas :)

Cheerios!

Actually Nathan's toy for Christmas- but seriously? Most entertaining ever! I'm not all about buying new toys, but it's awesome :)

Practice for the main event on Tuesday ;)

Happy Holidays!

Surviving Sunday

You know it's going to be a long day when by 9 am, trying to play on the floor, Chase gets upset, crawls over to me, wedges himself on my neck/shoulder- and passes out. Huh....

Complete with lines of drool trickling down my neck- yuck!

He woke up an hour later (yes, I transferred him to his bed), and was again ready for another nap around noon. I'm getting nervous because Nathan has been sick since Friday night, although he hasn't been in the house since Saturday morning... now Dad seems to be joining on it- and I'm just waiting on the other shoe to drop. In the meantime I'll do my best to take care of everyone!

At least Chase joined me for dinner tonight :) Mashed potatoes and butternut squash always taste best when smeared all over your face...

Horrified and Sick To My Stomach

What is wrong with people in this world? The news of the massacre in the elementary school located in Newtown, CT reached us sitting in our homes today. Appears that the madman -at 20 years old- opened fire on what they believe is his mother and nearly an entire 1st grade class- killing 20 children, a total of 26* people dead at this point. I cannot even wrap my head around this- in my own fears of protecting my children, even when that means having to intervene and discipline them, I do not know how we can send them to school, the mall, the movies, without fear of them never returning.

We sat stunned months ago after the massacre at the Dark Night movie- wondering how this child could grow up to become that kind of person. At least there, it seemed that everyone was a target, and not as many children were there. But to take down an entire classroom of elementary school children? I am baffled and horrified.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those families, and may he burn in hell.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/gunman-identified-ryan-lanza-connecticut-school-massacre/story?id=17973836

Things About Grounding a Child

I have been out of the loop a lot this week after having to handle more drama with Kaely at school. At first, it seemed one-sided and that she was being ganged up on... as the days have passed, I've found that for the sake of winning approval- she seems to be encouraging a lot of drama in the classroom. Combined with lying and blatantly disregarding instructions not to "share" anything (such as her lunch, money, hair accessories, etc)- she won herself a week's grounding. I was so angry about her actions, I took everything out of her room with the exception of her bed, clothes, a couple pencils, and chapter books. I got her from school and escorted her straight to her room- and other than a cup for water- she was on her own.

If you've ever heard that punishing a child is usually more punishing to the parent- it's beyond true. I was so worked up and then worn out before the evening ever even arrived. Plus, it means every plan we had got thrown out the window- running to the store, going to holiday events at the parks, visiting Santa, etc. Worse yet, it's most punishing to Chase, because he LOVES playing with Kaely. But- so does she- so I can't have that for now.

So, the earlier bedtimes, grounding, teething (I swear I'm going to throw a party when he finally gets all these teeth in), and lack of sleep- I'm just worn out! Then, it backfires even more the day following her first day of "grounding"- by her letting me know "Mom, you know this grounding thing is working out, it's not so bad after all!"  SERIOUSLY??? Is this reverse psychology from a 7 year old? Or is this simply about getting attention from me- even as negative as it is??? I'm stumped. 5 more days to go :(

On the other hand Christmas is around the corner, and I am starting to get all my goodies rolling, trying to (start) wrap up gifts for the kiddos, and get into the spirit. Fortunately, as exhausting as they are, the boys are too funny!

Splish, Splash & Screech

Ahhhh... the joys of bathtime... and surround sound acoustics.

Crazy boys :)

Teeth, Teeth, and More Teeth

I preface this post by admiting my mistakes, feeling beyond horrible as a parent, and apologizing for the bloody picture (lol).

Honestly, this is about what NOT to do. My fear of going to the dentist started as a small seedling as a child, grew into an anxiety as a teen and young adult, and has now become a full-blown phobia. Combine that with absent insurance in years past, and you have the ultimate procrastination on getting to the dentist. This ended up happening to Kaely- since she was required in the past to get a prescription antibiotic the day of a dental appointment- it was hard to coordinate any last minute appointments. Lame excuse- but it is what it is. We found out at her cardiologist appointment last year that she no longer needs the antibiotics to go, but then we lost our dental insurance- and well... the chaos of the past year happened.

So... I finally made an appointment this past week, and got her to it following her losing her first- and then second- teeth- Finally!

So between my own fears & anxiety, and then guilt over having not taken her in... yeah... that long... I didn't want to go. But, no one else was available. So I did. The looks I got after her x-rays were done were enough to make me want to hide in the corner and cry. I stay on top of her about brushing her teeth for at least 2 minutes a day, rinsing with the fluoride mouthwash, etc. etc., but genetics suck, and I guess she needs a new lesson on brushing. Her x-rays came back with an orthodontic nightmare, and cavities to boot :(
 

I was just thinking- what? Not us! We're not "that" family- are we??? Then I realized that no matter how well I thought we may be doing at home- without things like fluoride treatments and constant care, disaster was bound to happen. Now, after a prescription for antibiotics and an appointment made in the next week or so for the dental work to occur, I have been slapped with a cold dose of reality.

The reason I share is for the sake of not repeating the same mistakes. They recommend seeing a dentist around their 1st birthday- but let me tell you, I've been calling around and a ton of places don't see them until they are 5 years old and up- WTF??? So, I will be trying to find one this morning for Chase. He's on tooth #7- and brushing is difficult when all he does is chomp down while I try to brush them. UGH

Sooooo... one way or another, find ways to get into the dentist for yourself or your children! I may be choosing the "put me to sleep" option to go- or maybe a mild sedative? LOL. Going into the healthcare industry, I know better- so shame on me. Prevention is soooo much more effective than treating after the fact! 

So Kaely? I am so sorry baby-doll, and hopefully with those brand new chompers you have coming in, we'll make sure they stay golden. Bad mommy!!!

Chase? Well, you have no choice- you'll be living at the dentist for the rest of your childhood now :/

Love you guys!

Welcome December!

It's that time of year- in addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, lights, candy, etc- but time for citrus to start coming to the peak! We have passed this family-owned grove down the road from us hundreds of times, but never thought to actually stop. So, on our way to visit my dad- with time and all that good stuff being put into perspective- we decided to check it out. Some people stop to smell the roses- for us? It's oranges.

We met the cutest older couple who ran the "stand" as a part-time gig (as the wife said, their tax man says it's a hobby- not a business- hmmm), but we got to take home some flame grapefruit, a navel for Chase (he suckered them into it apparently), honey (with the comb!), and pictures with the honeybells (won't be ready to pick until early January). Sure, it was only 20 minutes out of our day, but I will definitely make an effort to stop again.

Our typical Florida weather is here- 7 days straight of 78degrees and mostly sunny forecast... This, I can handle. I love having the house opened up, being able to cook in the crockpot, bake fresh bread and still plan on BBQ... cool enough to enjoy the hearty foods, but warm enough to want to be outdoors. I must say we are very fortunate.

A big day ahead for Chase tomorrow- my sister will be watching him most of the day as I head out of town (about a 2 hour drive) for school orientation. This will be the longest I've ever left him- especially during "awake" hours- I feel bad already, because I know he's been a bear even with me. Oh well- it'll be good for him (I hope!) Wish us luck!

Happy Sunday :)