Good News, Bad News

The good news is that all sorts of bins, baskets, buckets, and drawers at my house have now been cleaned out.  All of the kids' rooms are nice and clean.  Even my room is nice and clean.  Even the laundry room is nice and clean.  Don't bother asking about the office and the kitchen--you surely know that I'm not so much into cleaning those.  My car isn't exactly sparkling clean, but it has been searched headlights to taillights.

The bad news is now it's time to start visiting all the Lost and Founds at places we've been to recently.

Of course...I'm wondering if I can talk the neighborhood boys into scouring the neighboring lots for her glasses if I offer a reward.  This because Sariah told me this morning, "Maybe they are in the grass somewhere."  Great.

Oh No!

We've looked high, and we've looked low.  We've cleaned the boys' room (eeeeeewwwww).  We are cleaning the girls' room (eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwier).  I've been through all of the trash in our dumpsters for the last 2 weeks (eeeeeeewwwwwiest).

We can't find the pretty purple glasses that garner so many compliments.  Prayers and suggestions would be much appreciated.  I'm feeling pretty desperate and despondent.

My Heart Is Aflutter

I'm in love!  Isn't he too cute for words?  Lizzi takes fabulous pictures.  It makes me want to pick him up and hug, hug, hug on him.

Whew

I'm feeling wiped out.

The Bingo Night was a huge success, thanks in large part to the wonderful Byron, Beth & Shannon.  I was thrilled to be the sidekick/slave-type-worker bee.  And I was glad to go home afterward, with that off our plate.

Sariah does indeed have the flu (like influenza, not the stomach flu).  Bummer.  She has finally stopped running a fever.  But she's still not even close to 100%.  And she's still sleeping with us at night.  Bummer, since we tried to kick that habit in the fall.

I'm exhausted.  Sleeping with a three-year-old is the equivalent of not sleeping at all.  It's starting to tell on me.  I'm irritable.  Crabby.  My children try to avoid me.  I'm desperately praying for a full night's sleep with the warmth of my heated mattress pad and not a feverish bed buddy.

On the flip side, Sariah is wiped out exhausted, too, and is now sound asleep.  Rex is sound asleep.  Caleb and I are making triple-chocolate cookies.  When Bob and the girls get home, I can crawl off to bed, snuggle down with a good book until shut-eye time, and luxuriate in some quiet time.  I'll take it.  :)

You Know It's Going to Be a Great Day...

...when you have a PTA fundraiser (thank goodness someone else is in charge of it), your daughter has a doctor appointment because she's been running a fever for 2.5 days, you have to sift all the trash in and out of the house to look for a missing pair of glasses, the middle school has decided (apparently) to change its pick up policy (which, incidentally, occurs when your dr. appointment is scheduled), and you're really tired from being up on and off all night long with the sick preschooler.  Did I really throw away all the chocolate two days ago?!  What was I thinking???!!!  Good times!

On Potties

Caleb's basketball practices started last night.  He played hard.  I'm glad.  He needed to get some energy out.  Not that it makes much difference on a day when there's no school because of the weather.  But I digress from my originally scheduled diatribe....

Have I mentioned how much I despise automatically flushing toilets?

While at basketball practice last night, while I was trying to make some numbers add up on a borrowed laptop, Sariah decided that she needed to go potty.  (Incidentally, someday she will hate me for this public post.  But that's not stopping me now, is it?)  We adventured out of the high school gym to find a bathroom.  We found one all right.  But it was locked.  I told her she'd just have to wait until we got home.  I wasn't too sure about this plan of action, because even though she'd already been potty less than an hour before, I'd been giving her Gatorade all day long because she had a fever.  (Yeah, I'm one of THOSE mothers.  But really, between the 4 big kids, we had 5 scheduled activities at 4 different locations, and Bob's bigwig bosses came into town and forced him to go to Cattleman's for dinner last night {I know, aren't his bosses so terrible? we should sue or something}, so there wasn't a lot of choice but to take an infant and a sick toddler out into the potentially bad weather and grumpy masses...I'm digressing again, aren't I?)

Ok, so Sariah really had to go.  While I was still frantically crunching numbers, I watched her shift her weight from leg to leg, and then finally whimper, "I can't wait, Mommy."  Ok.  Fine.  We tracked down and a janitor and asked where an open bathroom was.  We found it, and I was so happy.

Until we walked into the stall.  And there it was.  The Automatic Flusher.  Sariah stared at her nemesis for awhile. Couldn't, wouldn't be coaxed into using it, even if Mommy held her hand over the sensor.  Meanwhile, Sam was ready to get in and take a swim.  But Sariah, she just didn't need to go that bad.  Suddenly.  Seriously.  When we are on road trips, she'll pee beside the car before she will use an automatic flusher.  Seriously?

I try to tell myself that she's easier than I was when I was little.  I.  Didn't.  Use.  Public.  Restrooms.  Period. That had to have been hard on my mother.  But I sure was smart, then, eh?  Do you know what nasty things you can get in public bathrooms?  Take, for example, the flu.  (Really, that's a random throw-out there.)

So, we'd been home 3 full minutes, and ... erm ... I had a mess to clean up.  Dang it.

And my day just keeps getting better.  Did I mention that I'm pretty sure Sariah has the flu?

Yeah, I'm THAT mom.

6 Things I'm Not Loving So Much These Days

1. Laundry.
2. Tummy aches/colds/flu season.
3. Library fines.
4. Glum weather.
5. Dishes, of the dirty variety.
6. Aching muscles.  Grr.  Yay!  Grr.

Yes, I'm making lots of lists lately.  They give me the appearance of control.  Hahahahahaha.

Mother of the Year? or More Rexian Adventures?

I just can't decide which title.

Hopefully this post won't land me in jail for child neglect.

But it IS pretty entertaining.  Now.  After the fact.

So, back in November, Rex was not feeling well, and I ended up taking him to see the doctor.  His neck hurt, but it was fine.  Meanwhile, while she was peering into one of his ears, the doctor asked if we had any red fish tank rocks.  Ummm, no?  Hmmmm.  Well, it looks like there's one in his ear.

Whereupon, helpful Rex pipes up, "Or maybe it's a crayon."

Ummmmm....how long's it been in there, ya think?

"Oh, since the first week of school."  Very casually and helpfully.

Doh.

So, the doc tries to fish it out, but it won't come out, and Rex is crying.  Ok, so now we need to go see the ENT (ear, nose, throat guy).  We did try to flush it out at home.  Had I known how large it actually was (for being in an ear), I probably wouldn't have attempted that.  Anyway, the appointment....

Ummmmm....I forgot to set up that appointment.  Which I was reminded of when I took Rex in for his annual well-child right after his birthday in early January, and the doctor was peering in his ears again, and said, "I feel like I'm having deja vu?"

Doh.

I called the ENT THAT VERY DAY, and they got him in the VERY NEXT DAY.  (Does this make up for anything?)  Rex cried on the way to the office.  He cried in the office.  He flinched when they went to take his temperature, even though his ear didn't hurt AT ALL, as he had voluntarily reassured me repeatedly.  I got a dirty look from the nurse when I told Rex not to be a wuss about having his temperature taken.  Ok, so granted name-calling is NOT good.  But I did already know that his ear didn't really hurt.

It just went from bad to worse.  They took him across the hall to where the ENT had a handy-dandy microscope for peeking into small orifices like the ears.  It took 3 people to hold Rex down while the ENT dug the crayon out.  Rex was screaming BLOODY MURDER.  I was starting to wonder if it really did hurt when the ENT pointed out that he wasn't actually touching Rex's ear when Rex was screaming the loudest.  It was bad.  When we walked through the waiting room after, people stared at us because Rex had been screaming so loudly.  It wasn't pretty.

The part that kills me is that Rex insists, to this very day, that the crayon accidentally fell in his ear.  Hello?  Has anyone out there ever had an object fall into their ear canal so far that a doctor had to remove it for you?  I didn't think so.  Oh yeah, AND he insists that he really could hear better with the crayon in.  Ok.

But now it's all over.  Crayon's out.  And hopefully (knock on wood), Rex won't ever feel inclined to stick something in his ear again.  And the moral of the story is...ummm....Tracy is the mother of the year?  LOL!

Thumbs Up!!

• Sam drank from his sippy cup today.  Yeehaw!  Been waiting for that, and worrying that he would never take to it.  Silly Mommy.
• I'm back on track for PTA, and super excited about the things we have going on this spring.  I can't tell how grateful I am for my executive board.  Byron, Beth & Shannon make me happy!
• Yesterday I only taught 2 CTR 4s.  And 4 Sunbeams (3 year olds).  And the Holy Terror (a.k.a My Diva Daughter).  It actually went okay, so long as Sariah wasn't saying "No no no" which then prompted all of the rest of them to say it, too.  Live and learn.
• Part of the reason yesterday went so well was because of the new Children's Songbook app I got for my iPhone.  The kids got to pick a picture and see what song played.  They thought that was pretty awesome.  So did I.
• I started my Personal Progress.  Moms are allowed to do it with their young women.  I figure now is a good time to start since Hannah is only a few projects away from completing hers, and Lizzi will be in YW come June.  Now I can do it with both my girls.  Of course, at the rate I progress, I'll probably still be working on it when Sariah is old enough to be a young woman.  LOL!
• Caleb is one achievement away from attaining his Bear ranking in Cub Scouts.  Awesome!  And he has the most awesome den leader ever, because I certainly didn't do most of this work.
• Sariah slept in her own bed all night long last night.  That's one night in a row.
• We started Rex's Cub Scout stuff.  He should get his Bobcat at the next pack meeting.  Way cool!  I'm so amazingly on the ball.  (ROTFL!!)
• Lizzi just needs to memorize the Articles of Faith, and she will earn her Faith in God award.
• And my wonderfully fabulous husband has procured a new keyboard and a new mouse for my dilapidated older-than-dirt super wonderful computer.
• I have really enjoyed having my family home for a long weekend.
• And I will enjoy kissing them all good-bye tomorrow morning.  :)

16 Things Tracy Is Currently Obsessed with....

1. Peanut butter.  Crunchy, creamy, it doesn't matter, as long as it's peanut butter.  No wonder the Cardio Workout isn't working.
2. Lotion.  It's dry around here.
3. Webkinz World.  I know.  Not even my kids are on.  I just like to have limitless money to spend.
4. Sugardoodle.net.
5. My library card.  Not that that's really anything new.  Neither is peanut butter.
6. The shaker-can to keep Dumb Mutt from jumping up on the door.  He's taller than me when he does that, I swear.
7. Google Calendar.  Especially since Amber showed me how to move things around.  That's fun.  It's the small things.
8. Scotch Self-Sealing Laminating Pouches.  My primary lessons will last forever.
9. Colored, felt-tipped pens.  Why did Santa only bring them for Hannah & Lizzi?  Didn't he know that I might hijack them?
10. Teaching Sam to wave bye-bye.  Or night-night, which seems to work better.
11. Cuddling with RaiRai at bedtime every night.
12. Fixing the stubborn flash on my stubborn camera.
13. Getting Caleb's Bear done for Cub Scouts.
14. Starting Rex's Bobcat & Wolf so we're not madly trying to get them done right before his next birthday.  Of course, I have NO idea how that actually feels....
15. Byron and Beth's awesome Bingo skilz.
16. And we're back to peanut butter again.  I think I need another spoonful.  'Night, all!

On Being a Primary Teacher

In December, I accepted a new calling at church: primary teacher to the CTR 4s.  I've missed being in primary.  I don't have the attention span for Sunday School and Relief Society for grown ups.  I like to be up and down, and to have singing time, and to make rapid transitions occasionally.  But teaching the 4-going-on-5s is going to give me a run for my money, I think.  I started the first Sunday of the year, so I've taught the class exactly 2 times.

On the first Sunday, one of the little girls threw up.  Yeah, I'm that great of a teacher, lol!  It was a great confidence booster.

I think I might have to pick a different off-day for my exercise schedule.  My class is rather ... active, so we sing "Do As I'm Doing" enough times that every child gets to be the leader once.  We jumped for 4 runs through the song.  That's longer than I jump rope on Cardio Workout.

4 is such a transitional age.  For our coloring activity, I had one child done coloring his picture in less than 30 seconds.  And another one who, at the end of 10 minutes, had colored precisely one line in his picture.  And he cried when it was time to put the colors away.

All this being said, I'm having a great time teaching this class.  Yes, it's tiring because they are so full of energy.  But because they are so full of energy and fun and life, there is never a dull moment, and everything is new and shiny.  I'm still super excited!

More on More Lately

The Keepers' Tattoo was okay.  I was interested in the story line, and I think the writing shows a lot of potential.  This fantasy world is both historical and futuristic, with an interesting blend of the realistic and the magical.  The book isn't just your typical romantic fantasy; it touched on societal, cultural, and political issues, with a strong message of belief in oneself.  However, it's not on my list of must-reads.





Happenstance Found is set in another fantasy world with its own real-world-grounded parallel, as well as more magic.  This book's strength is the characterization.  Each character is carefully crafted with his or her own resounding personality.  Ebullient Lord Umber is my favorite, especially as his character is developed towards the end of the story.  Though definitely not the same, this book reminded me some of James A. Owen's Imaginarium Geographica books.  I will probably eventually read the sequels.

A magical ancient world is the setting for Wolf Brother.  I felt like this was well written and captured the 12-year-old main character, Torak, and his wolf brother, Wolf, accurately, with age appropriate and species appropriate flaws.  I loved how the author stretches your brain by making you think about the wording of things.  The action moves along fairly quickly, and nothing is dragged out unnecessarily.  I already have the sequel on reserve at the library, though I am a little afraid that my favorite characters aren't going to be in it enough.

For the purposes of this blog, We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes wins my prize for most creative.  This is the tale of the capture of a snake by an obnoxious young boy, from the snake's point of view.  It's humorous to the last line, the ending was unexpectedly delicious, and I really loved how even the snake's perspective changed with time.  It's obviously not like a "serious" "classic," but it is entertaining and thought-provoking.

I've been intending to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter essentially since it came out.  It's the story of a doctor who delivers his own twins on a snowy night and the following choice he makes to send the second born, a daughter, away because she has Down's syndrome.  The story follows this family for the next quarter of a century and the consequences of the fateful decision.  Admittedly, it was a little slow for my tastes in some places, but the book description promised that it was ultimately a story of the redeeming power of love ... and it was, though it ended more realistically than I wanted it to.  The book was superbly readable and believable, the kind of book that makes you think about what you would do if it were you.  (And I stayed up late one night reading it, and only put it down when Sam decided he wanted to stay up and play with Mommy.)

Catching Fire and Mockingjay are both part of the Hunger Games trilogy.  In the past I've been leery of reading the current "It" books.  I guess I was being a snob.  But then Harry Potter came along, and friend finally convinced me to read those about halfway through the series, and I did.  Sometimes there is a reason the "It" books are the "It" books.  My 16-year-old cousin (a boy, incidentally, if you look for good books for boys) recommended I read these last summer, but I put it off--what was I thinking?!  Memory Keeper was almost addictive.  The Hunger Games books ARE positively addictive.  At the same time that they are full of suspense, they are thought-provoking about a somewhat futuristic society and civil unrest.  And yet it's still up close and personal, and you care deeply about the characters.  If you haven't read them yet, read them!

More Lately....

And in case you are wondering what else I've been doing...I've been trying to catch up on some things I've intended to read for awhile. Some were okay, some were good, and some were positively addictive!

Lately

If you are wondering why I have fallen off the face of the planet, this is what I've been filling my time with recently.  I started with the Wii Fit stuff.  But my avatar is a little ... fluffy, and I wasn't losing any weight, and I was really tired of that sound the Wii Fit made whenever I got on it.  Plus, your Wii Fit age is based entirely on how you perform on the balance tests.  Tracy + Balance Tests = Old Age.

Ok, so I'm still not losing any weight.  But I feel like I'm working.  Does that count?  I'm building muscle, right?  And I can throw a mean right hook now.  Not that I've tried it out on anyone.

Hey, don't knock my progress.  Last week I couldn't jump rope for 20 full seconds.  I'm up to a minute now. I'm so awesome!

Not that jumping rope is an important life skill....

No, I don't have mixed feelings about working out or anything.  ;)

Hamming It Up!!

Caleb's Honor Choir concert was in December.  My favorites were "Where Are You, Christmas?" and "Takin' Care of Christmas" (hence, the shades).  Afterwards, Caleb consented to let me snap some shots!

Eight!!

2011 has already been a busy year for us.  But that might be because it starts off with Rex's birthday.  And this year, he turned 8, which means he was old enough to get baptized.  His dad baptized and confirmed him on Sunday evening.  Hannah conducted the music, Lizzi said a prayer, Mom & Caleb gave talks, Sam hung out with  Sister Stephens, and Sariah ran around like a wild thing!  Thanks to all who attended and made Rex's day so special!