Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Friday at noon my 'ol BYU college roommate came with her son and took my kids from me.

It was planned.

I was looking for a sitter for the kids today so I could attend my birthday luncheon and she volunteered to take the kids on an overnight adventure.

Big Mister has been at scout camp all week.

I didn't hesitate AT ALL when she offered. I knew the kids would be more than excited and I was feeling the need for a little break. There, I said it. But don't we all need breaks? Surely I am not the only one that needs BY MYSELF TIME. Maybe 'cuz I'm so old! Or am I just feeling old because my birthday is upon me yet again? I don't know?

It was fun for the first few hours after the kids left. I finished cleaning the house (can't help it), went shopping (can't help that either), and watched a movie I picked up at the library (it was boring so I browsed a magazine at the same time). Oh, and I went to a song practice as I was asked to play the piano at the last minute.

The vacuum tracks stayed in the carpet all day. The chairs stayed tucked in under the table all day. Toys stayed in their place. Crayons and markers stayed put away. Furniture and pillows were not messed up. The TV could be at any channel I wanted. I didn't have to make lunch, dinner or breakfast. There was no arguing or fighting and not a dish in the sink.

It was just the peace I needed.

About 6:00 pm I started missing the kids. I finally called them at 8:00 pm and they were in playtime heaven. They didn't go to bed until about 11:00 pm (Little Miss says it was later) and when I called this morning at 11:15 am, Little Miss was still asleep. They will both be good and tired tonight. They were treated to a fun new pool, good food and snacks, games and a movie.

I stayed up until midnight reading a good book.

(3:30 pm Saturday: Blogging interrupted by children being returned to their rightful owner!)

It was weird going to bed with no one else in the house. In fact, I don't think that Big Mister and the kids have ever been gone at the same time. I was lonesome for some kid snuggling when I woke up. Little Mister is the best good morning hugger and snuggler!

Needless to say, I was due for some ME time. However, absence does make the heart grow fonder and makes one appreciate being a mother all the more. I want everyone home.

I missed the kids so much. I am pleased that they have been "clingy" and want lots of hugs. Just makes me feel better:)

Big Mister is due home any minute and then the real work begins! All the camping and cooking gear put away. Hose down all of our folding tables and chairs that he took. Clean out the coolers and jugs. Then the laundry.....oh, we won't even go there. That smokey, campy smell turns my stomach.

After Big Mister smells good again we are going to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. Since it's my birthday I get to pick the place. I want some good Talapia. Then Little Miss wants to take me to Charming Charlies where she and Little Mister can pick out something special for my birthday.

It's nice to be spoiled once in a while.

I really want a laptop for my birthday so we'll see how that goes. Any opinions on a good one? I can't decide whether I want a Mac or not. Hmmmm.

As I sit at the computer finishing this post, I hear the kids banging cupboards, opening closets and now they are out in the hot garage. I asked what they were doing and they told me it was a birthday surprise. Uh oh! I can't wait to see what it is they are up to. Another mess to clean up I'm sure of it. Oh well, it will be worth it to see the joy on their faces.

Now, I just need to remember how much I missed them when they were gone.

When I go to bed tonight everyone will be home and all will be right with the world.

Birthday lunch and a gift.

 

My sisters and mom took me to lunch today at Applebee’s for my annual birthday tradition with them.  We do it for each of our birthdays throughout the year.  It’s so fun to get together….just the girls. 

Now on to more important things….the gift!  Ha. 

They got me these great “blingy” sandals.  Actually, I am the third sister now that has them.  Chrissy got them first, then Terri got them and now I have them.  Now Sharron wants some.  They come in other colors, too:  Bronze, Brown and Silver. 

I can’t wait to wear them.  I’ll even freshen up my toenail polish for the occasion!

One Crazy Day!

Last week we found ourselves in the kitchen most of the day.  I felt like a real Homemaker!   We canned our tomatoes, made strawberry jam and also froze a bunch of strawberries for smoothies.  We got our strawberries 4 for a $1.00 at Superstition Ranch Market.  Love that place.  Blueberries were a good deal, too.  Since they are my all time favorite fruit I stocked up on those as well.  I have a vanilla protein smoothie (no sugar) with blueberries just about every day.  Yummy! 

After all that, Little Miss was craving pizza for dinner so we had more cooking to do.   She whipped out the recipe book and before you know it she was making the dough.  Good thing I had cheese and pepperoni in the freezer.  She also learned to make pizza sauce which she thought was fun. 

 
Here she is rolling out the dough.  I forgot to take a picture of the pizza fresh out of the oven but it looked pretty good.

 

Little Mister wanted bread sticks to go with the pizza so we could be like Little Ceaser’s.   When we were all done he said we need more butter and garlic on our breadsticks next time.  OK.  Check. 

This is what I was left with.  Yuck.  I didn’t take a picture of the dirty flour covered floor!

(I don’t have real mice and other creatures on my counter…those shadowy looking figures are wooden animals the kids painted from the dollar section at Michael’s.  Didn’t want anyone thinking we had mice with our pizza.) 

All in a days work, right?

Another Update on the boy

It’s a wonderful thing when the kids are old enough to begin doing “real” chores.  We just can’t wait for him to be old enough to mow the lawn!

So, we have more to report on Little Mister.  It has not ended :(

Our Pediatrician wanted us to do one last test due to Little Mister having a not so common for young boys, Urinary Tract Infection.   Last week I took him to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for a VCUG which is an x-ray examination of a child's bladder and lower urinary tract.  This was not fun for him as they had to place a small tube inside him so they could shoot the contrast material into his bladder and let his bladder get really, really full.  This is the only way to see what’s going on.  He hated it! 

I may not get all the terms right, but he has what the doctor thought he might have.  He has stage 4 (out of 5) Vesicoureteral Reflux.  This is where the flow of urine goes backwards from the bladder back to the kidneys.  It especially important not to have an infection so that infected urine is not sent back to the kidney which causes even more damage.

He is currently on a nightly antibiotic to prevent further infection and we have an appointment with a pediatric urologist next week.  Our pediatrician and the doctor that did the VCUG mentioned that surgery may be the only option at his age.  Most children outgrow this problem by age six to eight.  Little Mister is almost eight so chances are he will not outgrow it.

He has been having a hard time going to sleep because he is worried about having surgery.   I have been letting him fall asleep in my bed even though I am not there….he just likes it better.  Then I move him to his own bed when I go to bed.   The first couple of nights after the test he woke with nightmares about surgery :(   Poor kid. 

His sister told him that if she could get through eye surgery two times, he could get through his first surgery without any problems.   Thanks Little Miss. 

Tomatoes!

This is the first season we have grown so many tomatoes. I planted lots of tomato plants this year so that helped with the higher yield. We’ve given some away, eaten lots, enjoyed homemade salsa, and we still have lots left.

So, last week we went FROM THIS:

TO THIS:

I really don’t mind canning, but I don’t enjoy it all that much. I can think of a hundred things I’d rather do :) But, Big Mister loves seeing a shelf full of canned items.

I must admit that I am getting burned out on the garden. I love it, but it’s a lot of work and it’s hot and getting harder and harder to get out and weed, harvest, check for bugs, etc. The kids don’t even want to follow me out to the garden anymore. They just want to be in the pool!

I’ll keep at it and see how much more we can harvest. I feel the season of growing yummy things is almost over….until the Fall when we start all over again!

Halloween in July

I can’t believe we grew these pumpkins!

Our pumpkins were ready to be picked and we knew they would just rot if we left them on the vine.  So, we had a fun evening with some friends where we carved pumpkins.  The kids felt like putting on Halloween costumes and going trick-or-treating!

Of course, mom had to dig out all the guts!

 

Little Mister’s pumpkin got stabbed with a skewer.  

The pumpkin plant has now been cut down and thrown away.  We’ll definitely have fun with this again next season.  The kids loved watching their pumpkins grow.

A First Time for Everything

   We were in need of a Laundromat to wash a large sleeping bag.  I didn’t want to wash it at home so we located a Laundromat in Chandler and off we went.   This was a first for the kids.  They were very curious, of course.  I let them eat junk while we waited through a wash and a dry cycle.  BORING! 

At least this adventure gave us something to do one morning and now they know what a Laundromat is.  They saw a young couple there with a baby and asked me if they were homeless.  We had a discussion on the many reasons why people would need to use the Laundromat.   They assumed people washing clothes at the Laundromat didn’t have a home.

What a day!

Another update on the boy

It’s been crazy.

Little Mister has more infections.  The doctor called last Saturday and told us he had a urinary tract infection.  Great, just great.

Then Monday morning the doctor called again and said he also has an E. Coli infection.  What?  Isn’t that food poisoning?   No wonder he has been so sick.  Where and how did he get all this junk?  No one else around us has been sick.  Our family has not had any illnesses (knock on wood).   I keep thinking he picked up all this junk at the Father and Son’s outing when all this started in April.  But, I don’t know anyone else that has been sick.  Hmmm?  We will probably never know where it originated.

The antibiotic he has been on for six days now should kill everything.   Wednesday we have more blood work and a renal ultrasound (doesn’t that sound lovely).  

Thursday it’s back to the Pediatrician again for a check up.   Then Friday more blood work.  Poor guy!

Now, the icing on the cake.  Even worse than the needle in his arm.

The DENTIST next Tuesday.  He has to have a baby tooth pulled because his permanent tooth is growing in just behind it and the baby tooth won’t fall out on it’s own.   It’s time for a cleaning anyway.

I had a sticky note on my desk that said, “Dentist” to remind me to make the dental appointment the next morning.  This is what I found when I looked at the note the next morning.   

Too funny.  But it didn’t work.  He’ll thank us later for getting his teeth fixed!

The trouble with glasses

Notice a problem in this picture?  No, not me, the glasses! Ha.

I always buy cheap-o glasses at Wal-Mart or Walgreens because my glasses tend to  break often.  I hate to keep replacing them!  I’ve even picked up a pair at The Dollar Store.  I wouldn’t suggest that as the glasses from The Dollar Store didn’t even last a week.  Maybe a more expensive brand wouldn’t break.  But, I think with my luck, they would.

So, Saturday I was up for new sunglasses.  I Went to Wal-Mart and they didn’t have the pretty, sparkly, blingy, glasses that I like.  What happened to all of them?  They used to have quite a selection.  Where do you get sunglasses that are cute and are reasonably priced?

Luckily my friend mentioned a new store at San Tan Mall called Charming Charlie.  I was all up for a new jewelry store.  I LOVE jewelry!  So we were scheduled to meet there Saturday evening.  I decided I better run into the Sunglass store at the mall before I met her.   I don’t even remember what the store was called, but the cheapest pair of sunglasses was $75 on clearance.  Um, no thank you!

Charming Charlie is the coolest store with great prices.  Besides cute jewelry, they just happened to have sunglasses.  So I picked up a new pair for only $15.  And they are cute and blingy, too. 

Charming Charlie has lots of jewelry and it’s all displayed by color.  So cool!  They also sell shoes, purses, belts and other fun goodies.  It’s a must see if you like that kind of stuff.  

I’m already feeling the need to go again.  Hopefully not to buy sunglasses again for a long while though!

Here we go again!

Little Mister all bundled up, watching TV and feeling pretty lousy!

We had quite a little scare this week with our little guy.  He started getting the same sickness symptoms that he had a few weeks ago.   Last Saturday night he woke up with chills and a fever of 104.  I called the Pediatrician whose triage nurse said to take him to Phoenix Children’s urgent care in Mesa.  We did.  They didn’t do anything which I was frustrated about.  I knew he had the strep infection back that could only be determined through a blood test.  They did the rapid strep test and checked for other obvious signs of infection which all had negative results.  They could not find anything.  I was told it was just a virus.  I knew better.  They would not do a blood test even with the history I gave them.  He’d only been off antibiotics for two weeks.   I knew something was terribly wrong.

Our poor little guy was so hot and so sick.  His head hurt.  His legs hurt.  His eyes burned and his fever would come on with a vengeance.  He took several baths a day and sometimes in the middle of the night when his chills would not go away.

On Monday we didn’t let him swim at our family party in the afternoon, however, we did let him swim that evening because he seemed to be doing better.  Every day when the fever would break I would doubt my hunch.  However, every afternoon and late evening when the fever would spike right back I was sure the strep was back. 

Because of the Holiday on Monday I had to wait until Tuesday morning to call the Doctors office.  Our Pediatrician was off that day.  I just wanted a doctor to order a blood test.  It was determined that Little Mister needed to come in to the office.  Our regular doctor did not have any openings on Wednesday and I didn’t want to start all over with another doctor.   I knew if I left a message for our regular doctor she’d order labs right away without us having to go in and then go in again.  Once she got the message she ordered labs and stat!   By Wednesday afternoon we were headed for the lab for Little Mister’s fourth blood draw.

Thursday morning we went in the the doctor’s office at 7:45 a.m.  The result was what we expected.  The strep number was through the roof with a few other strange numbers.   Little Miss and I were also swabbed for the rapid strep test with negative results.  Darn that urgent care last Sunday.  I should have insisted they do a blood draw.  His fever at the urgent care was 104 and all they did was give him Tylenol.  Oh well.  It’s all ok now.   I’ll be more persistent if this ever happens again.  A mother’s hunch is usually correct, right?

The doctor was worried about rheumatic fever so we were sent straight to a Pediatric Cardiologist for an Echocardiogram.  They squeezed us in at the last minute which made us so worried. 

The results:  His heart is fine.  No rheumatic fever.   Thank goodness!  Our pediatrician said she had never seen a case of rheumatic fever as it is so rare now.

We got a new prescription for a stronger antibiotic with double the dose for 14 days.  We started it right away.  We do another blood draw on Monday and another blood draw at the end of the 14 days.  Whew!  I’ll be glad when this is over and hopefully we can kill whatever yucky thing is inside his body.

After five days of high fevers, there has been no fever since he started the new medicine.  He also slept through the night last night for the first time since last Saturday (that was nice).   When I woke up this morning I jumped out of bed, reached for the thermometer and went to find Little Mister to take his temperature.  I was a little surprised he didn’t call out during the night.  He was up, bright eyed, and looking so much better I could tell that there was no fever.  What a relief.  When we went outside earlier this morning he said, “hey, my eyes don’t burn”.  Little Miss eating popcorn and watching a movie thinking she is “so bored” because we can’t leave the house with her sick brother.  She’s been a trooper but this is definitely not a fun way for any of us to begin the summer.

We are hoping that next week will be much better.  Now, I just need to plan out the week and find some fun things to do.

Memorial Day Fun

We had two family parties on Memorial Day.

Big Mister’s family and some friends came to our house for a swim party and barbeque at 11:00.   We swam, ate yummy food and then broke out the games.  We had a Bingo game going and then we broke out the Trivial Pursuit game for the adults.   Big Mister’s siblings and his mom and dad all have that memory gene that stores trivial knowledge forever.  They’re all pretty competitive, too!

We then headed to my sister’s house for another swim party and dinner.  The kids had a great time, however, we noticed Little Mister was not feeling well and was just not himself.  More on his illness in the next post.

Let the Swim Season begin.  Happy Summer!  (and may it go by quickly)

Schools Out for the Summer!

Can you just hear Alice Cooper singing “Schools Out”?

Little Mister and his buddies

What will Little Mister miss about school?

- playing with his friends (of course this is first!)

- soccer

- basketball

- kickball

- bull dog game (I don’t know what this is?)  Start at the fence and run to the other side before you get tagged???

- teacher

- PE

(Little Miss and her classmate)

What will Little Miss miss about school?

- friends

- chasing boys

- art