Symptoms

Friday night I had:
red, hot painful palms &
a hoarse, scratchy throat

Saturday I had:
sore hips and legs
achy and painful feet
sore lower back

Any ideas what I might have?


I'll tell you. I have a huge case of : MOMITIS (yes that's pronounced Mom- itis)
I sat, stood and screamed from the bleachers Friday night as my oldest pinned a wrestler to the mat. I clapped so hard that yes my hands were actually painfully red and throbbing and with it comes the sore throat from all my excitement.

Saturday morning came and "J' needed to be at the pool and in the water by 7:30 for warm-ups. I worked the entire morning in concessions and popped in when it was his turn to swim. Then I was slated to time the meets from noon till the end, which happened to be close to 4pm. After being on my feet all day I had to quickly do a Superman change and prepare for "J"'s Cub Scout Blue & Gold dinner. I'm now home at 10pm with my feet elevated and a properly placed heating pad warming and soothing my lower back. Where's the "Icy Hot" when I need it? Calgon take me way!

Gotta come clean

I am a bit of a reality TV. junkie. Not really sure why some days, but hey I'll admit it. When the kids go to bed you can usually find me on TLC watching Little People, Big World, Jon & Kate, 17 & Counting and the list goes on. Hubby just doesn't understand my fascination with watching other peoples families (maybe it's because it makes mine seem so much more normal) Who knows? Anyways, for the past two seasons I have been watching Celebrity Rehab. I have always enjoyed watching A&E's Intervention and this has the celebrity twist. Although I really didn't care about the first season folks I did seem to feel for this last seasons group. For example, I had true empathy for Rodney King and the trauma he incurred after his beating that spiraled him into drinking. And for some reason i really had compassion for the ex-drummer Steven Adler whom had overdosed a few times and had even had a stroke due to an overdose that left his face partially paralyzed and with slurred speech. His drug of choice was heroine. He was on the show trying to kick the habit which was admirable. I suppose I felt bad for him because he had a horrible childhood and was put on the streets at the age of 11. He had been introduced early to drugs and alcohol, had finally made something of himself and hit the big time in the music world only to lose it all to drugs. After the second season ended the folks were given the option to continue treatment in a half-way house and the new show was dubbed "Sober House". I watched last week's show and couldn't believe the way some drugs affect the body. Steven was back for continued treatment, but this time tried to sneak drugs in. He succeeded and was taped afterwards. I have no idea what makes people want to do this to themselves. He was so drugged that he was unable to find his bedroom, he would fall down, fall asleep, tremors and such. After turning off the show I just prayed to God that my children never touch an illegal drug. I can't imagine being a mother and seeing your child in that sort of state. I wish this type of footage was shown to high school students so that they see the harsh reality of what drugs does to you both in use and afterwards. Perhaps it would scare kids enough to never even try it. For anyone interested "Sober House" comes on VH1 on Thursday nights at 10pm.
On a lighter note, the kids were back at school today on time. My fridge was spared a second day of pillaging (at least until they come home from school).

Vultures

My kids are vultures! They will eat anything & everything. Today was a snow day so this left them looking for goodies and vittles. They have eaten everything from pop tarts, cereal (with & without milk), chewy bars, apples, oranges, hot cocoa, marshmallows, more dry cereal, sandwiches, mini bagels, left over ham, fudge bars, cake, ice cream and finally dinner. My mother-in-law witnessed their strong appetites and was curious if they had hollow legs for food storage. Their desire to eat coupled with the mass quantities is why I try to keep junk food to a minimum here. Hubby and I cheat and hide food in various spots so that we have a fighting chance to nibble on goodies.

So what did hubby just ask the boys at 7 p.m. Do you fellows wanna help me make brownies? Do you think they said no...or that they were full. Are you kidding....they are just getting started.

SNOW!!!!

Here's a few pics of the cherubs before they went to play in the snow. Unfortunately they still had school today but are hoping for a day off tomorrow. We are suppose to get a bit more snow tonight with sleet and freezing rain. Yuck! So I figured after school today would be their only chance to play in the powder.

No more fun and games here. When your the oldest in the family a lot more is expected of you. Yes, this is the line of bull I feed to him...he believes it for now. It gets my driveway clean doesn't it? It works just try it sometime! Although he wasn't too happy about having his picture taken while working. I do believe he was excited that there was no wrestling practice. Old Bruiser here had already spent the better part of the entire past weekend on the mat and probably needs to give his body a break. (after shoveling that is). :-)

Cold vs. Heart Warming

I don't know about the weather in your area but it has been bitter cold here. The average is suppose to be the mid 40's, but it didn't even reach 32 here today. Coupled with the wind it was down right bitter. However I am hoping that the extreme cold stops germs from multiplying. Our preschool seems to be running rampant with stomach viruses, rashes and diarrhea. None of these are something that I want to occur with me or my family. Knock on wood we have been fairly healthy so far. Last year alone we had had the stomach flu twice before Christmas even came. I'm hoping that our immune systems are a bit stronger this year and that we are able to fight off incoming threats of illness.

Tonight was actually a great night. My bible study started up again and we are doing a Beth Moore study on "Esther". It seems like an intriguing book. Here's a bit of bible trivia...It is the only book that does not mention or use God's name within it's text. Anyone whom has ever experienced a Beth Moore study knows how incredibly smart, insightful and knowledgeable she is about the Bible. I will share tidbits with you as I study.

Speaking of studying I suppose I should run since it seems as I have about 150 prefixes, suffixes and roots to learn for my first Exam in Med. Terminology.

Also, please pray for my friend Carla's two girls as they undergo serious surgeries. Rubea had a titanium rib placed in today to help straighten her spine and Kaylea will undergo a spinal cord detethering on Friday. Both girls will spend numerous days within the PICU unit and additional days on a regular floor. Pray for the doctors, nurses and those that care for the girls as well as John & Carla and her other children during this time. You can check out her blog at www.eightisenoughfornow.blogspot.com

McHappy

Hubby and I were treated to an evening alone last night. My in-laws offered to babysit the two youngest and Kyle was at his girlfriends watching the Eagles get spanked. So hubby and I were off to try the new restaurant in town "McGlynn's". It's kinda like a sports bar with class. The rooms are beautiful and we could see the partially frozen lake outside the windows. We chose this restaurant because it really wouldn't be a place my kids who enjoy or appreciate. Since it's so bloody cold here we both decided to start with the soup. Hubby had a fabulous french onion and I had clam chowder. Yum! Our dinner entrees were good but we had both decided to try something else on any future visits. The atmosphere was nice and quiet and we were able to enjoy great conversation. Then it was off to my favorite store Target. No date would be complete without shopping (That seems to be our running joke). We then went home and did what boring parents do. Hubby wrote a paper for his Master's class and I snuggled onto the couch and watched "Four Weddings and a Funeral". Kyle came home and we all slept in this morning. It's now snowing and I'm praying for a snow day tomorrow. All I need is a two hour delay and my school closes! Come on let it snow, let it snow, let in SNOW!!!!

"Artic Nuts"

Here's a picture of "Big Red" and hubby setting up for cooking lunch. They eat really well when they camp, but it's still not for me. They were having grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch and roast beef stew for dinner.

This is the face of a little boy who didn't want to be out in the cold. He's normal. The nuts camping are not normal. Yes, they are sleeping in those tents and seem kinda happy about it. Of course this picture was taken at 11am when it was a bit warmer. They might not feel quite the same by now.

Josh was warming himself by the fire. He's a lot like his dad...he enjoys camping.

Your doing what?

Hubby and the Boy Scouts are camping this weekend. Yes I said camping. It is suppose to be absolutely frigid this weekend and my hubby and oldest will be sleeping outdoors in a tent. Thankfully this is a 3 day weekend because I think they will need Monday just to thaw out. I personally think they are borderline crazy. I won't even stay outside for 5 minutes and they plan on spending hours in the elements. It's even suppose to snow shower here tomorrow. Better them then me. I will pop down to the campsite tomorrow and take a few icy pics for all to see. Perhaps the snot flowing out of their nostrils will form icicles. We'll see!

Stitches

No one one received stitches...for those family members whom read the blog. However I was in "stitches" this afternoon from a preschooler. It is way to bloody cold to play outside so we set up playtime in the fellowship hall. Well while a co-worker and I were chatting we saw one of the students walk past with plastic balls stuffed in her shirt like she had "boobs". We started laughing hysterically. She was quite the Dolly Parton being all of 3 feet tall and boobs the size of mountains rising from her chest. Well apparently they were playing Mommy and this little girl had a true imagination. Needless to say we had to ask her to remove them. Luckily Mom is really cool and laughed when we told her. All in all the day at work went great even if I did end up with glue in my hair. Serves me right for standing over a child trying to help him paste. I should really learn to bob & weave a bit more to avoid sticky white glue in my bangs. Comes with the job I suppose.

"Gloria"

I've spoken before about how music seems to generate memories for me. Well today was no different. The song "Gloria" came on and fond memories of my co-worker came flooding back. I remembered how she said that at each family function that included music to include weddings and anniversaries that her dad would sing the chorus part of this song. Just really repeating the words Gloria in a chanting way. So on the way home a smile came across my face just thinking of Kathy and her matter-of-fact humor. She is truly missed at the preschool.
Shortly after the song ended I became a bit sad. The military life I lead increases my chances of meeting great people...only for them to move a million miles away. While I do love the perks of the military, the moving and loss of friends does bug me at times. Some friends you never lose contact with while others just seem to fade away. So as you ride from here to there and the tunes are on in your car remember great times from the past whether it's something that happened yesterday or 30 years ago. You never know what song may pop on have you thinking about the past, present or loved ones you know.

Manic Monday

Today has just been one of those whirlwind days. I'm finally just sitting down and it's almost 11 pm. My day has summed up kinda like the Bangle's song "Manic Monday", as I too wish it were Sunday! The weekend just flew by. Saturday was a swim meet and that took up all morning and into the early afternoon. This was my first time working as a timer. I felt like I deserved the BMA (Bad Mom Award) as I missed the first two events that Josh swam in. I was so engrossed in timing and watching my lane that I lost track of his event numbers. Luckily he swam 3 more times and I was able to catch all of those. Sunday was pretty quiet and I just worked on cleaning and laundry after church.
Today was also my first day back to college. Yes, I'm back in. This time I'm taking Medical Terminology & Psychology 125 Child Development. I have finally come to the conclusion that I really do enjoy taking classes. I think it's the challenge of learning new material. I'm also really wrapped into a new book called "The Tribulation Force". This book is the second in the Left Behind series. I have really gotten into the characters and have become fascinated with what life would be like if the rapture were to happen and all those unbelievers were left here on Earth. It gives an interesting view into what this world could look like at any given moment. Definitely thought provoking. So if your looking for a good read I highly suggest reading 'Left Behind" and then catching up to me with the second book.

No carbs...only protein

Tonight I served another grand dinner. With hubby still working till 7 I have really slacked some nights on our dinner selection. Tonight was no different. So I opened, heated and served Spaghetti-O's. Josh & I had plain while Andy had Alphabet Meatball. After praying over my glorious meal Joshua kindly asked Andy for a meatball. Andy obliged. Josh then asked politely for a second. Again Andy fished out a meatball. However this time it had alphabet noodles attached. Joshua quickly said that he didn't want the spaghetti'o noodles on it. So Andy popped the meatball up to his mouth and sucked them off, then quickly threw the meatball into Joshua bowl. Well you would have thought that Andrew had launched a turd into the bowl from Josh's reaction. His jaw dropped and a bellowing "OH MY GOSH...I KNOW YOU DIDN'T JUST PUT YOUR SPIT ALL OVER MY MEATBALL" came blurting out. Meanwhile I was practically on the floor laughing. Joshua then plucked the meatball out of the bowl and threw it back into Andrew's and fished his another meatball out. I guess you had to be there. I told hubby when he came home and I still can't stop laughing. You gotta love kids.

Rainy Wednesday

Is it raining there? It feels like it has been raining here forever. I'm looking forward to seeing the sun again. Sliding out of bed in the dark and dreariness is no fun at all. The yuck weather makes me feel slower and lazier than a turtle. I did come home from work this afternoon and try to clean up and start a load of laundry. This makes me feel like I have something accomplished. Hubby is working 12 hour shifts this week and his late come-homes are wearing on my nerves. Family dinners just aren't the same when he's not here, and a 7:30 dinner for the little guys is just out of the question. Especially since my kids are in bed at that time. So I suppose I'll grab a straw "and suck it up" (new teenager lingo I learned). Well I'm off to prepare a new dinner recipe. I'm hungry already!

First Saturday of 2009

Well it's the third day into this year and I'm trying to stick to my resolutions. I haven't eaten at a fast food restaurant and I have been getting out of bed as soon as I wake up. I also have not been eating as much lately and lost 5 pounds. Yeah! Only 20 more to go. But who's counting? Hubby & Josh are off at a cub scout sleep over on the Battleship New Jersey and Andrew and I are hitting the movies. I enjoy spending one on one time with the kids. It gives me a chance to really give them complete uninterrupted attention.

Andrew is giving us cues that he's gonna be quite the little Casanova later on. Kyle's girlfriend Julie told him the other day that he was cute. He's been in love with her ever since. That night he cried over getting to sit next to her at dinner. Yes, I caved! He then proceeded to give her googly eyes and served her macaroni and cheese. He was totally hamming it up for her. He even told her he loved her. Yikes! With his adorable looks and his charming ways he is totally going to be a lady killer. Watch out Kyle & Julie in 15 years he'll be 20 and you'll only be 35. He may dig older women still at that time.

Happy New Year

Welcome 2009! Hubby and I had a good time last night with friends. We enjoyed great conversation, yummy food and a little edge of your seat entertainment from Vegas. The daredevils this year were awesome and kept my stomach in knots just praying that they made it out alive.

So anyways, what your New Year's resolution? I have really thought about mine and I believe I am going to crack down on eating out. This perhaps will work two-fold on my weight loss goals. In addition I plan on waking up earlier and being a bit more on top of things. I know some of you are shaking your heads at the idea of me evacuating the bed early but you'll see.

To conclude today's post please pray for a friend's husband who is traveling to Vietnam to pick up their new daughter. Pray for travel mercies, an easy transition and for physical health while there. May we all be blessed abundantly from the Lord this Happy New Year.