Wonderment of a good job

My drop off in blogging is a direct result of my new-ish job coaching swimming. I work evenings now. It's not for every long, about 3 hours an evening, but by the time I get home, I am so brain dead. I just want to, and often do, curl up in bed and go to sleep. I'm so thankful I am home during the day to take care of the kids and the house because otherwise nothing would get done!

I adore my job. It's not perfect- nothing is- but I like the coaches, the kids and the parents. I have fun and I learn alot from everyone. But, even though I am so happy doing what I love, I have been having horrible anxiety-driven dreams. It took me several weeks to figure out why- I'm happy! Life's good! Sure, there are still challenges at home and stuff but why am I having anxiety over my job??

Then it hit me- I have hardly ever been in a good work situation. My first teaching job was a disaster. I was totally set up to fail. When I coached another team six years ago, I had a great director, until she left for another position. The new director was the one who fired me because I had a baby. In both positions, I would be told to change something, or do something different, and I would. But it was never good enough, it was never right. Maybe I'm older, wiser or my give a damn is still off because when the head coach tells me to do something or whatever, I don't feel like she's trying to make me fail. Or maybe they just like me and want to help me.

It's weird being in a spot where I feel people like me. For me, it's not normal to think of the long term possibilities in a job. So I don't, really, I don't dare to hope that I will be there in the fall or winter. I mean, I want to! How I WANT to be with this team, these coaches, long term! I would be crushed to lose my job. And hope... well, I try not to think that every time I am positive about something, I lose it. I can't. I won't walk around bitter, thinking, "well, I loved my last coaching position and look what happened!"

Instead, I tend to think in the here and now. Through the summer, I have this great job that I love. I will always have wonderful memories of being on deck. I working my hardest, correcting my mistakes and learning. I'm trying not to overthink everything I say or do. It's hard, given my past and the feeling that every time something good happens, the other shoe will drop.

Because, really, that's not a fun way to live.

Oxygen! It's Awesome!

Whoa. Oxygen. It's amazing. Addicting. Who knew well-oxygenated blood could do so much?!

Okay, I should back up here a moment... or several months. Warning: I'm about to get all TMI on you.

I turned 35 in August. I swear that very month, my body went, "You're old!" and began to crap out on me. My next cycle was six weeks long. This was completely different than my post-baby normal of a period every month, lasting only about 3 to 4 days. I've had cycles of varying length and heaviness my entire life so to have a period that was less than a week and fairly light left me VERY happy. I had a few months of super-heavy-painful cramps but some medication took care of that. I was in happy period land... until I turned 35.

My mom said my cycles might go long-short for awhile so I chalked it up to normal. Then in December I had a very, very heavy period. (This is about to become TMI, peeps.) I had two days of bleeding then nothing. I thought I was done but when I used the restroom during Mass, I had some really heavy bleeding. It reminded me of the first few hours or days after you have a baby only it was pure blood, no clots or anything. Of course I didn't have a tampon on me, so I went home to get one. I began to feel shaky, tired and weak. I thought I was coming down with something so I sent a sub to the nursing home instead and went home to sleep.

Even laying down and sleeping, my period was still heavy and I still felt so tired. After a few days, though, I was back to normal and my  next period was heavy, but nothing like the one before it.

Except... I wasn't so normal.

The first week back from vacation I was fine. I had energy. Well, a reasonable amount. Then I began to get really tired, even after a good nights sleep. I thought it was just part of getting back into our routine. Then I had a period and, well, I'm always tired around my period. But I was still tired. Coupled with some hair loss and swelling I finally made an appointment with my doctor. I had been putting off because I didn't want to hear about how much weight I need to loose (I KNOW OKAY!) but it seemed like my thyroid had finally given up.

Nope. I was anemic.

Anemic? Well, that makes sense. All the symptoms I had (including the sudden need for a two hour nap in the middle of the day and STILL being tired!) are signs of anemia. The doctor told me to take iron and vitamin C and to come back in three months for a re-check.

I took my first iron pill that day and PEOPLE. Energy! I had a little breakfast and then went to do some pre-planned organizing and rearranging. I kept going... and going... and going... At one point, I stopped for some lunch and realized I wasn't tired. I wasn't stopping for a breath (something I had been doing and thought it was because of my weight) and I wasn't "I need a nap" exhausted. In fact, Joe and I snuggled to watch a TV show and I didn't fall asleep! I couldn't believe it was working already and joked to Adam that if this was a placebo effect, I'd take it!

The next day was just as awesome. I helped both Camille and the boys in their room and began plans to declutter the house over the next few days. Adam joked he was going to hide my iron. I said the real test would come this week, when I was working and on my feet more.

Well, it's Tuesday. Yesterday was good. George snuggled against me and napped but I didn't! I felt pretty energized and clear headed when I was coaching. I was more tired than the night before, and fell asleep around ten, which I consider a reasonable bed time. It's one pm now and I am feeling a bit of a mid-afternoon slump but nothing like before. My stomach is a little "Eh" but I have really upped my diet of iron rich veggies and cut back on caffeine, both of which is likely playing a part.

I'm giving myself one full cycle to see how this goes (I'm also starting medication to help with the heavy bleeding) but if this energy keeps up, I might even get up early to go swimming!

Quick Takes Friday: Summer is almost here

1. George had his preschool graduation this week. Adam and I are so not "graduation ceremonies for ALL THE GRADES" type people but this one is special for George. He's leaving the safety of the preschool where he has been for three years for the wilds of kindergarten. I know and trust and adore the kindergarten teachers but... sniff.

When I think back to where he was and where he is now... wow. At his first program for preschool (Christmas 2011) he sat there and refused to sing. He wouldn't do the hand movements. He cried when I came. This time, he sang with his class, talked out of turn, danced and had a great time. In short, he acted like a ... normal?... five year old. Whoa.

2. If I thought April was a busy month for us, it has nothing on May. There are end of the year forms to fill out, fees to pay. I need to make sure everyone is enrolled for school in the fall. I'm checking shoes and buying sneakers. (Thank you, Zulily, for having the one thing I can't get as hand-me-downs for cheap!) The kids are signed up for various camps and I need to pay for VBS. Oh, and do I have end of the year teacher gifts? (No. No I do not.)

3. Cole: Mommy, I want pop-scile.
Me: You can have a Popsicle after school, buddy.
Cole: But my school over!

He had a point and his school was indeed over for the day... so he got a Popsicle.

4. Adam and I went to a baseball game Tuesday. His work provided free tickets, loaded with x amount of money for food. I go to games for the food and to hang out with Adam. I also refuse to go during the summer. I like baseball well enough but not enough to sit in hot stands and swelter. We had nachos and hamburgers and all sorts of goodies. A nice man who was in town for a conference sat behind us and we talked about kids, IEPs, the difference between where we live and Southern accents. The guy lives in the one place where we would move to if Adam changed jobs within his field. I really hope he wasn't put in our lives because God is planning for us to move!

5. The kids have a three day weekend and then 3.5 days of school.  No, it doesn't make sense.

6. I am looking forward to the long weekend. We're getting into a good swing around here. Adam has some car and yard work to do. We're headed to a friends house for dinner one night. It reminded me that we may be able to try and entertain again. We like to have friends over but the kids have prevented that. Maybe I have the guts to try?

7. Let's Surf, shall we?
10 Things Moms of Boys Must Do- Read this if you have a male in your life. It's awesome and so true!

As Long as It's Healthy...- Let's not make health a condition of loving someone. I would also like to add that just because you have a baby without any additional needs at birth doesn't mean it will stay that way. It's a fallible world. Kids get sick, they get cancer, they have delays and disorders. I don't love my kids any less because they have additional needs. Would you? No? Then why your fetus?

What is Apraxia and Why Should You Care?- One of the best articles I have read on CAS.

The last thing I want to do this week

Well, to be honest, this is the last thing I EVER want to do. I adore our dentist but dental work isn't high on my list of priorities.

Friday started off great, with a trip to the nearby town to get some medicine and crash a friend's driveway for a playdate. I had a yummy salad from CFA. When I got home, I snacked on popcorn and an apple.

That night, I burned dinner and the dog pooped in the house. I was ready for the day to be OVER at six pm. But was it? No, of course not!

Adam, knowing my evening had been crummy, gave me a gummy bear. I bit into it and lost a crown.

Sigh.

I called the dentist who said they would work me in on Monday. We both knew this crown needed to be fixed but we were hoping to wait until the summer. Now, it can't wait and I get to spend the week before Camille's first Communion... and the school carnival.... and the March for Babies getting an insane number of shots in my mouth. Sigh. I have so much to do and now even less time!

I'd say teeth are overrated but....

Don't Take it Personally, but I Hate You

Don't take it personally, but I hate you.

Maybe hate is too strong of a word but.... naw, hate about does it.

I hate that you have a perfectly clean house, with a husband and children who help keep it clean. I hate that your closest are organized, you aren't fighting a minefield of toy cars on the stairs and your darling children keep their rooms clean.

I hate that you have the perfect 2.5 children, a lovely dog that doesn't shed or drool or eat food off the counter.

I hate that you have it all together.

I hate the 20 page e-mails you send after every class party, detailing every.single.thing that went on. (Let's face it- who has time to read that?) I hate that you think the only punctuation that belongs at the end of a sentence is an exclamation point. Of course, your life is so perfect and everything that happens is so wonderful that the only punctuation for your life is an exclamation point.

I hate that you can teacher CCD, be the room mother, be the Girl Scout leader and head up the PTO without blinking an eye.

I hate that you look on my family with a mixture of pity and scorn, wondering why I cannot do the same. You say, "Oh, I could never have four children!" but at the same time, you think that yes, you could and you would do a much better job at it than I do.

I hate that you never had to worry for a moment about your child's development. You can spend money on lessons and classes, not tutoring and therapy. Conferences aren't veiled hints that your child needs testing and an IEP. In fact, you barely have to go to them, knowing that your kid is doing just fine, thank you very much.

You aren't exhausted at the end of the day, trying to understand what your three and a half year old wants.

You don't spend hours every week talking to specialists, sitting in at therapy, trying to make heads or tails out of the alphabet soup that is your child. 

You don't have to plan your vacations around sensory needs. In fact, you can take vacations, since you have money.

You can go to the gym, take a class for yourself and have a girls night out without worrying that the money you are spending will mean your child won't get therapy one week or a bill won't get paid.

I hate that you have never sat in a therapist's office, crying your eyes out, wondering what you did wrong that made your baby have special needs. I hate that you've never railed against God doing this to your child, your family. I hate that you've never questioned, never wondered never thought that you're being punished for some cosmic sin.

Don't take it personally that I hate you... because I really envy you.

Ow. Ow. Owwwww.

I need to lose weight. It's just a fact. I probably could be considered obese, maybe, but I know I fall into the overweight category. My problems, though, are many:

1. I do not like people watching me exercise. Swimming is GREAT but I can't see people watching me and I get into my own little world. I like pilates and yoga but the times aren't good for me.

2. Childcare at our gym is horrid. However, the price is right and Adam loves their masters swim program.

3. It's too cold to run. Blech.

4. I do not like workout videos.

However, I DO like riding a bike so I thought I would try a cycling/spin class. I hesitated but a friend told me to go, get a bike in the back if I wanted and try. She also told me they dim the lights and you can cycle in the nice, relaxing dark. Yay! Then another friend suggested swapping childcare for two days a week. Her son and George are good friends so we knew it would work out.

I tried the cycle class today and while I don't looooove it, it didn't bore me to tears. I like the instructor, who was helpful without being pushy. I liked the challenge of keeping my RPMs within a certain range. There are two classes a week that work for me, so I think I will work up to going twice a week.

I'm not going to focus on weight loss but rather on getting stronger. I know I will have to cut calories (boooo) and eat more veggies (don't mind that, really) and less wine (ack!) at some point. Maybe that can be my Lenten goal? Not sure. Now I just need to focus on getting to the gym more... and how to get up those stairs to shower because, man, my tushie hurts!

Recipe: Homemade Goo-Be-Gone

I love stickers.

Well, I love stickers as prizes more than I love giving my children a constant stream of candy or cheap plastic junk that will break in two seconds, only to be found by my bare feet at two am. But stickers on the kids TKD uniforms are the ban of my exisitence. Even if I take them off before the laundry, they leave a goopy residue that I cannot get off.

That is, before I turned to Pinterest and found a Homemade Goo-Be-Gone recipe.

You will need:
An article of clothing or whatever with sticky goo from stickers on it
a small bowl
measuring spoons
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
a paper towel or old tooth brush

The the bowl, mix the oil and the baking soda.

Using the paper towel or old tooth brush, gently scrub some of the mixture into the goo.  Use a little at a time, mixing more as needed. You don't want to over do the oil, as you could end up with oil stains.

The goo should clump up and start peeling off. The black writing you see on the background is my child's name, written in Korean.

As soon as I had the goo removed, I popped the uniform in the wash. They came out nice and clean!

*Note: I have not tried this with other oils. I imagine it would be okay but, as always, spot check before you do the whole thing!

Quick Takes Friday: This week

1. Whoa. Dude. This week, man, this week.

It all began when Adam left for New Orleans Sunday night. He had a traning to go to. My mother-in-law said the week would go by fast but I just shot her a dirty look. A week, alone, with four kids in 2013? Oh, no. Nothing was going to go fast.

I was right.It dragged and in more ways than one.

2. Aside from the general crazy life, things went fine. George and I took off for Aldi. He's pretty good about not wanting wheat products, aside form bread. I am going to try and make him a good allergen free bread this weekend. He misses his toast. I am so thankful our Aldi has almond milk and I can get a variety of fruits and veggies there. They even have gluten free chex! I'm still working on what has cross contamination and what doesn't, so for now I am doing my best when it comes to labels.

3. George has eaten alot of hot dogs, peanut butter and apples and some rice this week. However, I did manage GF EF DF chicken fingers that the kids ate. I will blog about those soon!

4. Come about Tuesday or Wends, I started feeling REALLY bad. My teeth hurt. They had been hurting for a few days but it was worse and the pain was moving around. I made an appointment with my chiropractor but then I couldn't eat. My internet friends (whom I asked- not like I could leave the house!) told me to go to the dentist. I wasn't sure it was a dental problem but 48 hours without proper food was making me grumpy.

5. I called the dentist first thing in the morning. My status said, "Taking two kids to the dentist. It's like hell frosted in hell." Only- they were perfect little angels. Stayed in the waiting room and played nicely while I had x-rays.

6. It turns out I have a sinus infection. As my prize, I got ten days of antibiotics. I think the last time I took them, I had mastitis with Cole so I am not too fussed. I got adjusted and feel better, although still tired. I didn't think I was having problems breathing, but once I was adjusted, I realized I was.

7. In addition to the sinus problems, kids missing Daddy, the DOG missing Daddy, we got an ice storm the same day water poured out of my washing machine. I might had had a small snit fit. Thankfully, Adam got home on time, fixed the washing machine and got me ice cream. I'm going to sleep until Sunday...

A Whole New (Wheat, Dairy and Egg free) World

It's been several days since the doctor's office called and told us the results of George's allergy blood test. In the days since receiving the news that our house needs to be wheat/gluten, egg and cows milk free I have done the following:

cursed enough to make a sailor blush

laughing hysterically at the timing. Now? Really? Smack in the middle of the holiday season when the entire world is coated in diary, wheat, eggs and sugar? Really? I have to find alternatives for all the holiday goodies RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE?!

Cursed

cried

cursed some more

read and read and read and educated myself and read.... and came out feeling stupider than I had before. I know nothing about this. No.thing.

Okay, well, I do know some things. Useless stuff like how I need to read labels and decide if I am okay with food that "is processed on the same lines as _____" or "made in a facility that also contains _____." I know to prepare George's foods first and that my house needs to be a safe zone for him. All the food- or the majority of it- needs to be safe food for him.

I know alot about nutrition but not alot about what wheat free foods taste good. Many of my friends say that I should just avoid the wheat subs for awhile until we forget the taste of wheat and then go for it. Normally, I would be all down with that advice except for the "smack in the middle of the holiday season" thing. Class parties are next week and OMGOSH that is not enough time to make tasty WF/DF/EF cookies from scratch! If he was younger, I would just keep him home, but he's five and he wants to go to the party and he's not going to eat carrot sticks while his friends have giant frosted cookies.

Oh, and there's snack. I have to provide snack for him and I need filling snacks that cannot include peanuts because there is no PB in the classrooms and WTF am I going to feed him...

BREATHE LAURA. We'll have to deal with this sometime and we might as well jump in with a giant brick tied to be both feet, am I right?

In between moments of freaking the freak out and making snarky comments (the Gospel reading was about John the Baptist eating wild locust and I whispered to Adam, "Hey, a wheat free source of protein!"), I am reminding myself of all that we can eat. We had French Dip the other night and George had his over rice. Tonight we had chili with potatoes or corn chips. I made pumpkin muffins that he liked. We're having tacos (minus the cheese) and will try WF pasta this week. I keep reminding myself I can and will learn to cook from scratch again and that the boxed mixes I use are only for this "I need it NOW!" season.

As for George, he seems to be taking this like a trooper. I think the real test will be in school. He does not want his tummy to hurt so he gamely eats his "gorilla cereal" (an organic version of Kix with a gorilla on the box) and Almond Milk. He seems to also be living on hot dogs and fruit but friends have assured me this is temporary and he will come around. (In addition to the food allergies, he is a selective eater, which makes this that much more tricky.)

The other kids are okay with this turn of events. They are very slowly getting used to the "No food in the living room- I MEAN IT!" and "Please wash your hands after you eat." Joseph is happy as long as he does not have to eat the GF/WF bread we bought (frankly, the dog won't eat it!) and can still go out to eat. Camille is mothering George and Cole... as long as there is "Yoyo bird" (his yellow angry bird) and juice, he's happy.

Adam and I? We're viewing this as temporary until told otherwise. The test he had done has a high false positive rate and we've been advised to see an allergist. George has an appointment at the end of the month and I think more detailed testing, including a skin prick test, is in his future. Meanwhile, our home will be allergen safe and I will be Googling and Googling for more information.

And cursing.

Because labels can be a good thing

There seems to be a debate going on as to whether or not people (especially children) should be slapped with a label: ADD/ADHD, Apraxia, CP, and so on. While I agree that people should not be ONLY their label and you should not be DEFINED by a label, I think labels are a good thing. Like with food labels, a well diagnosed, well placed label helps me understand what is inside the "package" (person) better. With a label, I can get help for my child.

In this case, yes, we have another label slapped on a kid in our house: ADD/ADHD, inattentive type.

Sigh.

I wasn't surprised. This kidlet has had problems at school that only increased as school work got harder. In many ways, this is a bit of a hard won label too: I had been asking teachers about this possibility since she was little, but got, "Well, she's making progress. She has friends. You're doing everything you can." When I specifically asked, "Should my kid be tested?" I got hemming and hawing.

 It turns out that the tides have turned since I was getting my degree. Back then, we couldn't say to a parent, "Look, I've been teaching a darn long time and your kid is bouncing off the walls and can't pay attention to a tap dancing elephant if it was standing on his face. Get 'em tested for ADD." Why? Well, for one thing, ADD/ADHD is a medical diagnosis. It means something in a person's brain is wired funny. That diagnosis should be made by medical professionals WITH the input of the parents and teacher. For another, if a teacher even hints at "your kid needs this to succeed at school" then the district could be sued to cover the costs of testing or medication. We live in a very law suit happy area.

It's even worse now. I now completely understand why I felt like teachers were trying to shove me out of the room during conferences! They are not allowed to breathe or hint of "your kid might have a problem" even when the parents says, "Look. I get where you are coming from. I do. But something is wrong with my kid and I can't help her unless you give me a direction in which to go. Help me help her!"

It is so, so frustrating. We don't have the money to have anyone tested willy-nilly. I'm not the type of parent who thinks her little darling is a spesual snowflake who never, ever does anything wrong and of course it must be a problem with the school/government/weather/gluten/whatever. Dude, I have two kids on IEPs already! I admitted her father and myself have or had an ADD diagnosis. I told them that many family members are dyslexic. Her BROTHERS have a neurological disorder. All I got was, "Hem. Haw."

I don't blame the school or the teachers. Their hands are tied because someone else decided to abuse the system. Sadly, it made it all the harder for me to figure out how to help my child.

Anyway, I finally e-mailed the teacher and bluntly told her our concerns. Enough red flags were raised that I said, "Screw this" and made an appointment with our doctor. After he and teacher exchanged information, we got a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD and a recommendation to begin medication.

I am not opposed to medication. I myself take medication, although not for this. Before I put her on it, I wanted to make sure we had done everything possible for her- healthy fats, fish oils, protein, positive redirection, all that jazz. And you know what? We were. The school is. This is what is left.

We started right after Thanksgiving, in order to monitor her at home for possible reactions. I myself wanted to see if this worked for her.

You know what? It does. I still have my daughter but it was like a veil has been lifted. It was almost like she was looking at the world through a film and the film is gone, allowing her to function in a clearer manner. When she's on the medication, she's not as whiney and speaks in a normal seven year old voice, rather than this grating baby voice she has. I took her to the fabric store with me and she stayed by my side instead of wandering everywhere and touching everything. I had a conversation with her and I felt like she was listening and really thinking about choices when we went to a clothing store. She seems to fight less with her brothers.

I'm writing this Sunday night. The REAL test will be this coming week at school. She has to take it at lunch and I need to get unbiased reports from her teacher as to how she is doing at school. I am not expecting miracles but I hoping that, without the fog surrounding her brain, she will be able to focus, study and learn and catch up to her peers.

One can hope, right?

Well, we almost made it to the end of the year...

I swear, instead of an individual or family cap on health insurance, there should be an extended family max out. Like, when you have two relatives with cancer, a niece who was in the NICU and the run of the mill health stuff... you should max out. Frankly, I am done with hospitals and sickness!

At the beginning of last week, I noticed my daughter was coming home with work that wasn't finished or had a note on it that said she needed alot of help. I e-mailed the teacher to ask if Cami was doing her work and using her time wisely or if so items needed to be finished at home. The result was a several e-mails long conversation that included my husband, myself, the teacher and the reading specialist (who is also Cami's tutor and former kindergarten teacher). A couple phrases were said that raised a few red flags with me and I Googled.

The result was this website on WebMD. The last four bullet points stood out:

Feels inadequate. Self-critical comments like "I'm dumb" or "I'm not good at reading or math" can indicate low self-esteem that accompanies ADHD, particularly in girls. 

Expresses anxiety about school or social situations, such as not making or keeping friends. For girls, that might mean bossy or just socially inappropriate behavior. 

Looks to you for significant homework help and needs a lot of one-on-one guidance to stay focused. 

Gets reports from teachers that she is not participating in class, requires constant reminders to stay on task , or has trouble completing or forgets to hand in assignments.

Huh. Well, alot of that sounds like my daughter. We had similar concerns in January and the doctor said to come back if her teacher had concerns again. I called our family practice doctor and they had an appointment open for us that day (which also happened to be George's birthday!). I took her in and received paper work for her teacher to fill out.

I left the paperwork in the teacher's mailbox and sent her an e-mail asking her to fill it out. She sent home forms for me to sign, giving the school permission to talk to the doctor. I also got an e-mail stating that the school specialists were meeting about my daughter.

Well. THAT was new as I had been informed that since Cami was making progress (slow progress) the specialists would not meet about her. I was getting antsy about this, as we had been helping Camille for 18 months with tutors, after school tutors, homework and so on and nothing much was changing. I guess dragging her to the doctor lit a fire under someone's butt. Or they realized I was serious about her work and the fact that she is not on grade level. Huh. Whatever it was, the job is getting done.

The next day, George had his well child exam. I mentioned that he has been having severe stomach pains and we don't know why. The result was an x-ray (that he screamed through) which showed severe constipation. As in, "Congratulations! You get to give your son nine days of suppositories and enemas!" We also had to go to the children's hospital for blood work. After reassuring him that they would NOT cut his arm open to get blood ("It is a little needle with a hole. It will pinch when they put the needle in your arm but the blood goes up the needle and into one of the vials that are right there") I got to hold him down for blood work. They are testing for a variety of food allergies and celiac.

I am so, so thankful my sister was in town so she could watch the kids while I had to have this done.

How do I feel about this? Pretty sh!tty. (Poop jokes abound now!) The way 2013 has gone, I am fully expecting that my son is allergic to everything including AIR. I need to begin prepping for Thanksgiving but I am waiting for them to call me back so I know if I need to get gluten/egg/dairy/whatever free items for him. And with my luck, it will be GLUTEN. (We've tried gluten free food before. It is expensive and gross. Don't tell me there are items you like better gluten-free. THIS IS A PITY PARTY PEOPLE!)

Sigh. So, we wait. We wait to see what other testing my daughter needs. We wait to see if our son needs to stop eating certain foods. We wait... and hold out hope 2014 holds less drama.

Second Annual Natural Parents Netowk Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway ($50 Credit to Door to Door Organics (ARV: $50)) (12/6, 26 winners, US only ARV: $2,587.26)

This is a joint review and giveaway of Door to Door Organics food and service from Door to Door Organics, KC, from the Natural Parents Network and WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN ONLY TO PEOPLE IN THE KANSAS CITY AREA.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Door to Door Organics began in 1997 as a way to empower people to eat good food. Their goal is to make a positive impact on peoples health, communities and environment. They strive to find local, organic, humanly raised and/or fair trade food and deliver it right to their customers’ doors!

Delivery is free and Door to Door makes sure the routes are as environmentally friendly as possible. Instead of having to drive from store to store to find the most local, in season and eco-friendly foods as possible, they take all the best foods, place them on their website for your choosing and deliver them to you. Gas, time and wear and tear on your car (not to mention nerves!) are saved!

In addition to produce, Door to Door also offers a variety of meats, cheeses, bakery items and pre-packaged foods. I found organic milk (and alternative milks, like rice and soy), breads from my favorite local bakery (Farm to Market), Annie’s items, spices, canned goods and more. Any of these can be added to your order for an additional cost.

Door to Door offers co-ops and fundraising co-ops. At the end of every month, they will donate ten percent to the non-profit the co-op has selected.

THE REVIEW

For my review, Door to Door Organics of KC gave me a 50 dollar credit towards their store. To begin my review, I had create an account, and select a produce box type and size. Since we are a family of six, I selected the medium box of fruits and vegetables. It is $38.66. That week, they offered:

Parsley (I changed this to potatoes from CO)

Kale

1 Butternut squash

1 honeycrisp apple

1 bunch of scarlett turnips

2 romaine hearts (changed to  5 potatoes)

1 pound of purple potatoes

1 pound of carrots

1 pomegranate

2 grapefruits

1 onion (subbed in 2 more honeycrisp apples)

2 golden delicious apples

2 bosc pears

4 bananas (again, subbed in apples)

1 avacado.

I add a pound of local, organic ground beef to my order and a package of chocolate hazelnut spread.

As you can see, the box is very customizable. If our family didn’t like something, like onions, I simply had to

click on the icon and a box of options would pop up. Little symbols beside each food denotes different attributes (USA, organic, GMO-free, Kosher, etc). This makes it simple to pick food by your preferences.

I also really like that they have recipes on their web site. This is a great way to try new produce. For example, I have never cooked with turnips before but I kept them in my box because they featured a  recipe for Mashed Turnips and Potatoes. You can easily bookmark favorite recipes within your own account. Many of the recipes would be easy for a busy parent to prepare!

Our family of six has a weekly grocery budget of about 150 dollars. We shop at Aldi and Trader Joe’s, with occasional trips to Target and Sam’s. We have no food allergies and do not buy everything organic. Even with added cost of the organic foods, I found that our food budget did NOT increase that week! I adjusted my menu planning to include more of the Door to Door produce. While I still had to head to the store to buy a few items, my trip was quicker than it normally is. (If I had really been under a time crunch that week, I could have ordered all my food through Door to Door!)

Our food was delivered first thing in the morning. (Actual delivery times vary.) While I left a cooler by the front door for our food, the ground beef was wrapped tightly to keep it cold and safe until I got home. The rest of the food was in a bag, with our order information on it. All the produce was fresh and perfect. Everything was exactly as I ordered. The Herd dove into the fruits and carrots and said that everything tasted great. (At least I think that’s what they said… their mouths were full!)

It is very convenient to use Door to Door Organics. A subscription or gift certificate to this company would be perfect for new parents or even an elderly relative who may have trouble getting to and managing the grocery store. Parents of children who need to avoid crowds during cold and flu season would also love this service, as healthy and delicious food would be delivered right to their door, avoiding the germ filled grocery stores.

Would I use Door to Door again? Yes, I think I will especially on weeks when my husband is traveling.

BUY IT!

Want your own subscription to Door to Door Organics? Head over to their website, make sure they deliver to your area and start shopping!

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win an 50 dollar gift certificate from Door to Door Organics, or one of the 26 huge prize packages we're giving away, come back to this post on November 6th when our Rafflecopter widgets will go live for your chance to enter! Or you can visit Natural Parents Network on November 6th to see and enter to win all of our fantastic prize packages at once!

  Disclosure: Our reviewer received a sample product for review purposes. 
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Summertime, Swimmer time!

The big kids are finishing up week one of two weeks of swim lessons. It's been (glup!) two years since they had swim lessons but, in that time, I had worked with them in the pool and we had gone swimming a lot. I knew they had advanced from the levels they had been in so I took a look at the level descriptions and guessed. I got it right and both are doing really well!

Camille can swim a decent freestyle and breathe to the side! She gets her left arm up slightly higher than her right but that's normal. I saw her do an elementary backstroke the other day and she can float easily. Joseph can also swim the freestyle, dive and play all sorts of pool games. They have gotten so confident in the water and it's nice to go to the pool without having to overly worry about or help every.single.child of mine!

Speaking of confident, George will wear a lifejacket and swim with a noodle! Two years ago, the child would barely get in the water! He saw his best buddy swim with a life jacket and had to try it. He loves it and would swim into the deep end with Adam. He paddles after the other two and tries to play with them. He even holds onto the wall and scoots to the deep end. So proud!

Cole is a little attention hog in the pool. I have to swim him around, catch him, give him my undying attention or he gets mad. I can't help or play with any of the others. He likes to swim but we're learning to share Mommy in the pool.

I can't believe I am typing this but I am getting a little tired of the pool. I take the big kids to swim lessons every day and the we normally head right to our neighborhood pool. The kids swim for a few hours and then one of two things happen: a) the little boys power nap for an hour and are recharged and ready to roll at 8 pm or b) no one is tired and are still going at nine! Either way, I am exhausted at night but the kids are still going strong! I'm hoping now that the summer solstice has come and gone, they might go to bed earlier. Maybe.

They have one more week of swim lessons and then maybe I'll put the little boys in lessons. They have been begging and begging to go. I am a little hesitant because VBS was such and epic disaster for George... and Cole will probably just get up and jump into the deep end without warning. We'll see. Still so proud of the progress all four have made, though!

The Great Zucchini Strike

My mother is an avid gardener. We moved with the military, but if we had a back yard, she had a garden. She even managed to get roses to grow in the volcanic dirt soil of Hawaii, which is no easy feat.

When I was little, she had a large backyard garden that my grandmother helped her tend. One summer they thought, "Well, if one zucchini plant is great, then SIX is even better!" They planted six, and the bounty of zucchini was endless. Between the two of them, they found every possible use for the vegetable- soups, bread, in main dishes, in place of potatoes in meals, grilled, baked, stewed. By the end of the summer, my father was pushing away his plate saying, "I just can't do this anymore!" I think it was a good ten years before he ate it again.

When Adam suggested planting some in our backyard vegetable garden, I said, "Fine. But only plant two and only if you agree to eat it.." He agreed- and planted more than two.

At our peak last summer, we were getting over six zucchini's a DAY and Adam would asked, "We're having zucchini and what for dinner?" At every meal, even if it came out of a cereal box, the children would question if there was zuc. in it. It was shredding six cups a day and freezing it in the deep freezer. But the end of the summer, the Herd was on strike.

Like, hard-core strike.

The kids would NOT, EVER, eat another zuc. Not in a muffin, in a casserole, in a pan. Not with chicken, not with ham. No zucchini pizza would cross their lips and they banned me from pinning anymore zuc recipes on Pinterest. Peas? Yes, please! Corn? Bring it on! Carrots? Yum! Zuc? NEVER EVER EVER.

Not that I blame then. I was sick of it myself.

Everyone cheered when the last plant died for the season. I got rid of the frozen stuff by offering (so kind! and generous!) to make homemade muffins for the teachers on "snack day." We saved none for ourselves because we are all so stinking sick of it.

But, of course, it's baaaaaack. We have AT LEAST two more plants in the backyard. They have blossoms. I'm considering paying the children $5 to "accidently" weed the plants out of the garden. Unless... anyone want some zucchini?

I survived the Dirty Duo!

And it was six miles! SIX! I've only run two on my own! To be fair, I didn't realize it was six miles when I signed up, but...

My friend and I had to leave our houses at six forty-five am. We had a very last minute car problem that nearly put us out of the running, literally. We were supposed to take her car since mine was going to be in the shop getting the AC (finally! after months!) fixed. Then the day before her car broke down and her husband needed their van to take her kids to baseball. I finally convinced Adam to let me drive his car and to borrow his parents van.

Now, my husband loooves his car. I swear he loooves it more than me most days. I've known the man over 19 years and it has only been in the past year that he has allowed me to drive one of his cars. I guess he figures that if he is going to have a car that does not fit all of us, I'd better use it when I need an extra car!

Anyway, he was telling me things like, "triple park horizontally" and "park far away so no one can park near you." I sent a text to my sister asking her to find a picture of a car similar to Adam's parked in the mud. I wanted her to send it to him to harass him... but, apparently, pictures like that do not exist!

The race itself was... long. It was made longer by the fact that we all ran in the wrong direction for half a mile! I have no stamina, so I was pooped at the beginning. I didn't pace myself well because I was trying to keep up with my friend, who is a much stronger runner than I am. She quickly outpaced me and I ran/walked the whole way.

At about every mile, there were obstacles and most were pretty easy, like walking on a log. I say easy... but when your legs are so sore and tired from running, everything is hard! I tired, though, and the only ones I didn't finish were the ones that required upper body strength. When the going got really tough, I thought of my sister and Miss Who and kept on running/walking.

AND I WASN'T LAST! My friend was wearing the time piece but I think I did six miles in about a hour and half.

And we went through the mud! We were totally disgusting and covered in mud. My parents and Adam snapped pictures, my kids watched the mud pit and I inhaled a hot dog. (I think it was a hot dog... I'm not sure I tasted it.)

Will I do another one? Yes but I will make sure it is a 5k first! The Dirty Duo? Maybe... if I keep running and can work up to six miles. Right now, it's more about time. I have 45 to 60 minutes to run in the mornings so I just go with what I have, no matter the distance. (I think I could go pretty far if I pushed myself but that's another post.)

Oh, and in case you are wondering... I took a nice long bath when I got home and napped!

QTF:Melly, I ain't so very drunk!

1. Just kidding. I'm not drunk. Not that you would know it by the half empty bottle of two buck chuck and the IM conversation with my cousin. But hey! Before you judge, I'm writing this at 9 pm Thursday night. It's after five pm!
2. No, I am not drunk. But, damn, I should be. I haven't been this upset since George was a baby. Aside from the hideous VBS week, Cole tried to drown himself at the pool. He was wanting me to go to the far side of the pool to make him a "bed" on the lawn chair. (He wanted the towel down on the chair to lay out like the teenagers!) I said no since I was talking and he walked off. Two seconds later I turned around and said, "Where's Cole?"
   Now, I have no idea why I turned around when I did. Prompting from the Holy Spirit? Mother's instinct? No clue, but I didn't see him and started running to the pool. I just knew where to go and I saw him under the water, struggling to get to the top. I can still see the white beach towel out behind him, one little hand still holding it. I grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the water. He started coughing and gagging and I said things like, "Cough it up, Bear. You are such a brave boy to try and swim to the top. Did you see fish in the pool?" He didn't cry but he freaked me and my friend out.
3. Believe it or not, I didn't cry which is why my bursting into tears in front of one of our parish employees is so notable. Yes,  I did. I just got sick and tired of people literally being in my face and aggressive about how I was helping George. I got tired of people chirping, "I know how you feel! My son was attached too!" and me wanting to scream, "IT'S MORE THAN THAT!" I finally told her that I come to Mass not for the people or the fellowship but for the Eucharist. No more, no less. May that be a wake up call to the parish and how people like my son are viewed.
4. Did I also mention that they literally took my son from my arms, crying, as I was protesting? Hello, trigger much?
5. After I wrote my post on Wends, I took George to speech with the SLP in the school district. He has seen her nearly every day for two years. As they walked back to the room to work, I could hear him scream, "Mommy, don't leave me!" When they came out, she told me it would be best to pull him from VBS because we were both seeing anxiety behaviors we hadn't seen in years. YEARS. Thankfully, she doesn't think we need to see a doctor for it. But MY BABY, Anxiety is hard enough for adults and this is my BABY.
   (Anxiety in new situation is somewhat normal for Apraxic kids. Yay!)
6. My goal this week is to not punch the church employee who took George from my arms. How's that for a good goal?
7. Camille loves VBS but Joseph is still luke-warm about it. I am wondering if I will send him next year. That year, he will be in the junior high group (!!!!) so it might interest him more. If not, I think I will look into Totus Tuus for him. Or call it a wash and figure he's just not a VBS type kid.

A Post By A Different Name

This post was originally going to be titled, "Peace! And! Quiet!" In it, I was going to tell you how I dropped one kid off at summer school, three at VBS and had two and a half HOURS to myself. I was going to tell you how I went fabric shopping to recover two kitchen chairs- alone! JoAnn's! Alone! Amazing! Then I was going to tell you about returning an item at the store- Alone!- before coming home and sipping coffee in peace! and! quiet! before picking the kids up.

Yeah, it didn't happen.

I got the kids all hyped up for VBS. I told George it was just like Jesus Preschool (CCD for preschoolers) but super more fun! He asked if his preschool teacher would be there. I said no but he would make lots! of! new! friends! And look how HAPPY Cami and Joe are! (This is partly a lie. Cami was excited. Joe wasn't.)

I dropped Cole off at summer school and drove the older kids to VBS. When we were there, I caught one of the coordinators/leaders looking at George funny. Granted, he looks like he had some horrible plague. I assured her it was just chicken pox but he had scabbed over and was no longer contagious.

Fellow Catholic: Chicken pox! Poor baby! You know they have a vaccine to prevent that now, right?
Me: Yes, but  my three year old got it from someone who was vaccinated and shed the virus. [Note: this is our best working guess.] He's allergic to vaccines. Oh, and you know that the vaccine contains fetal cell lines, right? (big smile)

At this point, the fecal matter hit the fan. I turned to walk George in the gym and he said, "No, I don't like this!" holding onto the door as if he life depended on it. I began mentally kicking myself. Crowds. New faces. Lots and lots of people and loud music, bright colors and dancing. Hello, visual and audtiory overload. Why did I think he could handle this? I should have brought Penguin. I should have brought his headphones. They are just volunteers; they can't handle him.

I picked him up, patted him on the back and said, "I know it's alot of people but I would like you to try." I handed him off to his poor teenage guides and said to call me if it got to be too much. I said the same thing to the coordinator and then got the heck out of there while listening to him scream, "I hate you! I NO LIKE THIS!"

All the way to JoAnn's I berated myself for leaving him and not warning the coordinators. I realized we keep his life very confined- school where people understand his needs, TKD has small classes, we avoid crowded places and resturants when we can, etc. I think he's doing well but only in those tightly controlled situations, and when I throw him in with the normal kids, it's like feeding him to the wolves. I think he's not severe but maybe he is. Maybe he needs Care and Worship. But maybe he's what my SpEd professor calls a "cracker," a kid who has special needs but not severe ones and will fall between the cracks.

My head was a very confusing and unhappy place to be. 

I got to the store and not five minutes later, I got a call from VBS. George was not calming down, didn't want to participate, etc. I chatted with them a bit, made my purchase and went to get him. By the time I was there, he had gone back to class. We watched him come down the hall with his group (I hid) and he was grouchy but participating. I told them I don't care if he sits and sulks as long as he doesn't bother the kids. I reminded them not to take the "I hate you and I don't like this" stuff personally. And then I got to explain CAS and SPD to a group of six other women who were standing around judging me.

Okay, that's a bit harsh. But, honestly, I'm a bit touchy right now and that's what it felt like. I feel like if George's disability was visible people would be more understanding. I mean, if he couldn't walk they would understand his need for modifications. But everything is hidden in his brain. It's seems like it is sooo hard for people to understand this. He's not neurotypical and when he acts out, it seems like people think it is a result of bad parenting, not his inability to process his environment or speak. He IS learning how to manage this world; I DO get him help. 

So... he was doing better so I left him at VBS, agreeing to pick him up early so he didn't have to sit through the loud closing ceremony. When I got back after picking Cole up, I saw George run into the gym, very happy. We agreed to try again tomorrow and he didn't seem opposed to the idea.

(Joseph, however, is another story. Ahem.)

I'm glad I encouraged George to try VBS. I wish I had brought his tools to make it easier on him and I really, really, really wish I felt like our parish was more encouraging and understanding of the invisible disabilities.

(Note parish does NOT equal the One Holy Roman Catholic Church. The Church loves and values my child and his life. The fallible human beings at our parish are, um, fallible.  I suppose it is my job to show them God's glory in my son. I don't mind this- most of the time.)

Quick Takes Friday: Poxy, Cold, Non-traveling Summer

1. Like I said Wednesday, George has the chicken pox. My poor boy has it bad, bad, bad and he is not happy, happy, happy. (Yes, we watch Duck Dynasty!) For the first two days, I think he was pretty proud of his pox. Then yesterday he walked up to me and said, "Mommy, I hate my chicken poxs." He was, and still is, complaining that his spots hurt. Not itch- and he hasn't been scratching- but hurt. All he wanted to do was snuggle, which is not really like him. I spent most of the afternoon and evening on the couch with him, watching everything Disney has to offer.
2. Last night, he spent the night with us in bed. That sounds great until you realize that I had taken myself to HIS bed (thanking God that we had bought the boys new big-boy beds!) and Adam was not-sleeping with him. I think there was a 3 am McDonald's run for ice cream. This was a brilliant idea on my husband's part... except the ice cream machine was broken. They got a smoothie instead and it helped his mouth enough that he could eat breakfast this morning. That, and a hefty dose of Tylenol and Benadryl, per doctor's orders.
3. As you can imagine, my older kids are going stir cray-cray. I dumped Camille off with a friend's yesterday but none of Joseph's friends could play. He moped around the house until Adam got home and I took both Joe and Cami out for a run. That was not the most relaxing run I have ever had. It was like running with squirrels who have ADD and never stop talking! My kids have better running endurance and lung power than I thought!
4. On the agenda today is tye-dying shirts for the DirtyDuo next week. Our team is the "Dirty Smelly Hippie Mamas." I think tye-dying is fitting, no?
5. Speaking of my race, Adam is gone until right before the race. I guess where he is going is better than where they want to send him: Paris! Yes, he is going to Paris- alone. I am not terribly happy about this. Actually, that is a big understatement. We are not talking about this.
6. My niece, Miss Who, still needs some mega-prayers for her lungs.
7. Actually, so does another mother who had PPROM at 15 weeks! Jen has links over at Conversion Diary, so check it out!

The Walden Family and the Terrible,Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Friday

I actually wrote my Quick Takes Friday notes around 10 am Friday Morning. Normally I do them the night before and schedule them for that morning. I was behind that week, so I just popped them out that am. Plus, the boys had been up early and it was the first day of summer break, so I thought we all deserved a morning to just chill.

After hearing, "But what will we doooooo today?" I said to the kids, "I have errands to run. We need to go to the vacuum store, Hobby Lobby and the grocery store. Let's do our errands and get lunch on the way out." By the time I had showered and dressed, the kids had cleaned up the living room and were ready to rock and roll. Cole even used the potty and was refusing a diaper! Yay!

After driving through two different fast food joints (see how nice I was! I don't normally do that) we went and got a new vacuum tube. Errand one? Check! Painless!

Then we went to Hobby Lobby. By this time, Cole had sucked down half my tea, so I said, "Let's all use the potty! Isn't the potty TOTALLY FUN? AM I RIGHT?" Camille got the hint and was all, "The potty is AWESOME! I could use the potty ALL DAY!" Joseph was like, "No." Guess who won herself a pony?

We roamed Hobby Lobby with a VERY crabby 3 year old who was pouting because I made him hold hands in the parking lot. After finding the potty, he sat and didn't go. Then he sat on the dirty bathroom floor and pouted. Potty? FAIL.

We got what we needed and spent time staring at a fake vintage train that cost 40 dollars. I refused to buy said train and hauled the kids to the front, where some one's weather alert app kept going off. The kids freaked out and then were side tracked by the stuffed animals. I got to say "No" fifty million times.

By this time, Joseph reminded me that he needs summer jammies. He won't wear an old shirt and boxers to bed, he wants jammies. Fine. We detour to TCP, where my kids acted as birth control for the teenage population.

And Cole peed on the floor.

I steered him to the bathroom where he threw a fit because I held his hand. I changed him then lined up to buy jammies and a t-shirt. At this point, my kids went bat-shit insane and I wondered if leaving them there was an option.

I didn't. Instead, I hauled them out to the car and read them the riot act about how they SHOULD NOT climb clothing racks or play in dressing rooms. Instead of going to the grocery store, we were going home and they could STARVE for dinner since we had NO FOOD. They were going to sit on the couch and do NOTHING for one hour.

They did, but when that one hour was up the whinnnnnning began. Of course, George doesn't have CP and they could have friends over and go to the poooool and the pool isn't cooooold. I finally told them they could go to the pool when Daddy go home, fully intending to pass them off to their father and run to the store alone.

Except as soon as I was ready to leave, the basement leaked. Again. And while it still was NOT sewage, it was right in the area where my dolls are.

(Yes, I am a grown woman with a doll collection. A NICE doll collection with family dolls that I love.)

I was not happy.

I might have thrown a fit and locked myself in my room to cool down.

See, I had been asking my husband for four years to get shelves to get the dolls up off the ground. He has refused because basements in the Midwest do not flood.

Hog.wash.

We spent several hours cleaning and organizing the basement AGAIN. The good news is that it will be clean and purdy come large trash pick up day. The bad news... my doll boxes (most of which were in giant cardboard boxes) got damp and I am worried about mold and mildew. I opened every single boxes, checked for leaks and moved the doll boxes to a shelf that had been holding out grown and to-grow-into clothes.

On Saturday, I was still in a bad mood but a little calmed down. Adam took the children out for the morning so I could write and when he came home, he said, "Guess what I got you at Home Depot?!"

"Shelves!"

"No! Roses for the backyard! I know you wanted something under the bay window, so I though rose bushes would look nice!"

Husband? FAIL. I gave him The Look and asked, "What is cheaper? A divorce laywer or new shelves?" He wisely picked shelves and bought home a massive unit on Sunday. About half the basement is in our dining room/craft room because I can't and won't take stuff down there until the shelving unit is up. We haven't had time to do that because...

George has chicken pox. 

Quick Takes Friday: Quarantine on Summer Break Edition

1.

There are some perks to being under house arrest while waiting for your kid to break out in spots. Cole decided to use the potty! I put him in underpants to help with the spots that were being rubbed against his diaper. At dinner, I asked him if he need to use the potty and he said, "NO POTTY!" but then jumped down, ran to the bathroom and got himself on the potty. I MIGHT have done an End-Zone dance!

Since then, he's used the potty a handful of times. We have to keep underwear or a bathing suit on him or we have to play "Find the Poop." Since no one likes to play "find the poop", underwear it is!

Except for yesterday, when he was throwing temper tantrum after temper tantrum and I finally put him in a diaper. I am a lazy mom. But not today! Today we wear underwear!

Except I have a load of errands to do... maybe I should rethink this.

 

2,

Speaking of errands, yes we have to STAY AWAY FROM EVERYONE BECAUSE YOUR CHILD IS GERMY AND COULD CAUSE AN EPIDEMIC! OMG! I can take them to a few non-crowded stores until George breaks out. You'd better believe I am maxizing my ability to get out of the house while I can, although we so stay home most of the time.

 

3.

Since someone is using the potty, I washed and sunned all the diapers to get them ready to sell. Cha-ching! Nine years of cloth diapering is almost OVER. You're welcome, Mother Earth.

 

4.

Except Mother Earth probably hates me because a large rainforest DIED for my children's education. They cleaned out their desks and brought home all the end of the year paperwork. The older two had thick folders thanks to end of year testing results and report cards. The littles had IEP updates. I looked over the report cards and still cannot make hide nor hair of the 1-2-3 grading system. Why does my child who has trouble reading get all 3's (saying "mastered the subject") while the child who has clearly mastered subjects gets 2's ("progressing"). Can we say "subjective grading," children?

 

5.

It's been raining cats and dogs, turning our backyard into a swap. On a non-rainy day, Adam mowed the lawn and accidently unplugged the sump pump. The next day, we had a huge rainstorm and a small flood in the basement. Thankfully, the food storage, my dolls and clothing were far, far away from the flood. Joseph and I heard the water spraying and ran down to the basement. Yes, I stood in water to unplug the pump. Yes, it was stupid but, at that point, there was no where that wasn't water! The kids were AWESOME and helped haul up boxes, move stuff away from the water and bring towels. I ended up having to do several loads of laundry because of this but I'm just thankful it wasn't worse... and it wasn't sewage!

 

6.

Today is the first day of summer break and we were woken up at six am by a thunder storm and the boys, who were freaking out. We had to have the "If the storm wakes you up, come snuggle in bed, sleep on the floor, whatever, but do NOT freak out, turn on all the lights, yell, whine or demand food." Yeah. It went like that.

 

7.

Our summer routine starts Monday. I am busy typing it out, getting workbooks together (I am THAT MOM) and stocking up on food.

 

You know the routine on Friday's- head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.