Listen, I know I'm a screw up all on my own and that I'll never win the most organized, most-got-it-together or whatever award but I didn't expect my kids to completely tumble me off of my meager, barely socially-acceptable, pedestal. Wrong again. I was "working" in my office this afternoon, er, that means I was playing online games, and the doorbell rang. My son joyfully announced that people were here. And, oh boy, they're kids! So, I left my office and walked out into the living room. To my chagrin, not only did my son have his pants removed (at least his training pants were still on), but he and my daughter were clambering on a side table and pulling photographs off the wall. Of course, the shades were up and the table was right next to the window so it would be impossible for any visitor not to notice this.
With great trepidation, and after calmly instructing the kids to get off the table and to put pants on (all said in an admirably restrained manner), I opened the door. Wouldn't you know it, it's the woman from down the street with her three kids. And this woman does have it all together. Her hair and makeup are always perfect, her teeth are perfect and she's very tall and willowy. Obviously, she has beautiful clothing on (I'm guessing size 4 or smaller) and her children are sweet-mannered little cherubs. Just the person I want at my door at this moment (or any moment)! At this point, my son is standing next to me, still sans pants and my daughter has decided to pull the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head and has removed her socks so she looks like a homeless street urchin. Great.
So, after some small talk where I'm trying to cover my mortification, I find out her daughter is selling candy as a fundraiser for her cheer leading squad (I will refrain from commenting about cheerleaders). Of course, the candy had peanuts or was cross-contaminated with them. So, I informed her I wouldn't be buying the candy but I could donate some money. I gave her $2 and couldn't wait to close the door. Of course, they want me to come over to their house on Halloween so they can see how cute my kids are dressed for Halloween. Oh sure, that should be great. That last sentence was dripping with sarcasm in case you didn't notice. I bet her kids aren't disassembling her house and I'm sure they'll have their pants on. Who knew that would be something I'm still trying to attain? Should I just give up and remove my own pants at this point? Is it possible for us to move yet? Ack!!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Economy
I am aware that there are some very rotten things going on in our economy right now. I read the newspapers, Newsweek and catch a few articles on the Internet. However, I'd honestly have a hard time finding how it's affected our everyday lives. We're still shopping the same way, we still have a roof over our heads and two cars in the garage. We're not planning any major purchases but I don't think it's because of the economy, I think it's just that we don't really need any big purchases (knock on wood). I think the only change we've considered is buying regular instead of organic eggs (I nixed that idea).I mean, we've talked about how we have to spend less but I haven't seen anything concrete come out of that.
Part of the problem is that we don't have a budget in place so we have no idea where the money goes. It's hard to know where to make cuts when you're not sure what you're spending. Also, we tend to nickel and dime ourselves into debt. I didn't really need new pants but I spent $25 on two pairs for me and a dress for my daughter. Not necessary, but I couldn't pass up that bargain. However, that's $25 we could've spent on something else or saved up. At least that's the way I see it.
We're not taking vacations (haven't had more than a three-day getaway anywhere for four years), we're not buying a new TV or computer or something like that. Ok, we bought a new car last year and a new couch and chairs this year but those really were necessary (old couches were over forty years old and the two-door coupe wasn't practical with two kids) and we did try to get the lowest price we could on those. I guess I'm confused because we talk about how we have to tighten our belts and all but then my husband overspends on gifts for me for our anniversary (c'mon, am I really going to complain about that?) and spends astronomical amounts at the grocery store.
It's not only us. Everyone in this area is really well-off and do not seem affected by the economic crisis. I haven't seen any foreclosures, there are new stores being built (including luxury ones), and people are talking about planning vacations and other extravagances. The parking lot at Whole Foods Market is always packed and people are still driving shiny new Mercedes.
It's kind of embarrassing to talk about this because I know that there are people who have lost their jobs, homes and are trying to decide between buying groceries or paying for prescriptions. So, this all has to be real but right now it seems so distant from me. Am I just ignorant of our financial situation? Am I going to wake up to a nightmare one of these mornings? I'm really trying to think of where to make cuts but it's hard to enact sacrifices when I'm not sure if there's even a point in doing so.
Part of the problem is that we don't have a budget in place so we have no idea where the money goes. It's hard to know where to make cuts when you're not sure what you're spending. Also, we tend to nickel and dime ourselves into debt. I didn't really need new pants but I spent $25 on two pairs for me and a dress for my daughter. Not necessary, but I couldn't pass up that bargain. However, that's $25 we could've spent on something else or saved up. At least that's the way I see it.
We're not taking vacations (haven't had more than a three-day getaway anywhere for four years), we're not buying a new TV or computer or something like that. Ok, we bought a new car last year and a new couch and chairs this year but those really were necessary (old couches were over forty years old and the two-door coupe wasn't practical with two kids) and we did try to get the lowest price we could on those. I guess I'm confused because we talk about how we have to tighten our belts and all but then my husband overspends on gifts for me for our anniversary (c'mon, am I really going to complain about that?) and spends astronomical amounts at the grocery store.
It's not only us. Everyone in this area is really well-off and do not seem affected by the economic crisis. I haven't seen any foreclosures, there are new stores being built (including luxury ones), and people are talking about planning vacations and other extravagances. The parking lot at Whole Foods Market is always packed and people are still driving shiny new Mercedes.
It's kind of embarrassing to talk about this because I know that there are people who have lost their jobs, homes and are trying to decide between buying groceries or paying for prescriptions. So, this all has to be real but right now it seems so distant from me. Am I just ignorant of our financial situation? Am I going to wake up to a nightmare one of these mornings? I'm really trying to think of where to make cuts but it's hard to enact sacrifices when I'm not sure if there's even a point in doing so.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Life Changing Events
I got kind of wacky this week. I thought I found a lump which wasn't a lump and managed to lower my blood pressure from the astronomical level of 112/68 (I am being sarcastic, my blood pressure, on average, is ridiculously low) after I was seen by a nurse practitioner and told to stop worrying. I won't go into details about the lump and it's location since it's kind of embarrassing and the one person who reads this blog already knows where it was. Anyhow... before I knew that it wasn't anything to worry about I kind of had one of those moments where I thought "wow, if this is the end, what memories are my kids going to have of me, crazy, yelling-at-them mom, or fun mom who took them to new places and had lots to teach them with love?" So, I decided to be more understanding, to spend more time with them rather than the computer (that should've been obvious regardless of my health, shame on me), that we should schedule in outdoor time every day and to focus more on the positive than the negative. So, before I saw my nurse practitioner I took them for a long walk and we picked up different colored leaves and a rock that caught my son's eye. Normally, I would've told him not to take a rock from a neighbor's stone driveway 'cause if every kid took one then there wouldn't be much of a driveway left. Anyway, we listened to the birds singing and talked about all the things we were seeing. Then, that afternoon while my daughter was napping, I sat down at the kitchen table with my son and we created leaf pressings with some waxed paper and an iron. Then, I used my heart-shaped hole punch so we could thread some string through there and hang it in the window. Of course, then my son wanted to use the hole punch himself. New mommy said "OK" and gave him a magazine from recycling to mangle. I ignored the dozen paper hearts that were littering the floor as he punched away. After my husband got home, I nervously kissed my son goodbye and told him I loved him as I drove to my appointment.
Well, to make a long story short, nothing was wrong. I should defend myself here since I may sound a tad dramatic but even my husband was concerned about my discovery and urged me to get it checked out. He didn't say anything but he must have been worried since he emptied and loaded the dishwasher before he went to work. That never happens so I took it as a little sign that he was worried.
I got home from my ordeal, looked at the kids and my husband and decided that even though this turned out to be nothing, maybe I should learn from this whole thing. Would you call this an epiphany? Maybe I should treat each day like maybe it's the most important one and that it would be what my kids and husband remembered of me. Yup, getting corny. Obviously, I'm not going to be able to take my kids somewhere new and exciting every day but I can do simple things with them that lets them know I care. I'm going to try to make sure that the experiences aren't limited to just going to the grocery store or Target. I swear that my son thinks that going to the grocery store is the height of excitement sometimes. There really has to be more to life.
Today we went to our town's Main Street where there were about 50 scarecrows on display. Our town does a scarecrow contest each October and people really get creative with their themes. The kids loved it and I just enjoyed being outside on a warm, sunny October day. We passed by a park and there were tons of leaves on the ground and really annoying ducks. My son was eager to scuffle through the leaves and my daughter was beside herself about the ducks. "Quack, quack," she demanded imperiously. I was getting towards the end of my limits in terms of energy and desire to be there but I gave in and let my kids have a blast for ten minutes. It was so great to see the joy in their faces over such simple stuff. I really find that I find the greatest happiness in seeing my kids laughing and smiling. I really do need to lighten up more. Granted, I totally passed out this afternoon at nap time, something I rarely do, so I may need to budget my energy a little more carefully. However, today the extra effort was worth it.
Nothing exciting is planned for tomorrow other than shopping for new sneakers for my son. The ones he has are literally falling apart and I don't want him to go to Saturday's soccer practice wearing them. It's supposed to get a lot cooler but I think we'll still try to get outside for awhile even if it's just to the backyard (gotta scoop the dog's poop up first). We'll see how this goes.
Well, to make a long story short, nothing was wrong. I should defend myself here since I may sound a tad dramatic but even my husband was concerned about my discovery and urged me to get it checked out. He didn't say anything but he must have been worried since he emptied and loaded the dishwasher before he went to work. That never happens so I took it as a little sign that he was worried.
I got home from my ordeal, looked at the kids and my husband and decided that even though this turned out to be nothing, maybe I should learn from this whole thing. Would you call this an epiphany? Maybe I should treat each day like maybe it's the most important one and that it would be what my kids and husband remembered of me. Yup, getting corny. Obviously, I'm not going to be able to take my kids somewhere new and exciting every day but I can do simple things with them that lets them know I care. I'm going to try to make sure that the experiences aren't limited to just going to the grocery store or Target. I swear that my son thinks that going to the grocery store is the height of excitement sometimes. There really has to be more to life.
Today we went to our town's Main Street where there were about 50 scarecrows on display. Our town does a scarecrow contest each October and people really get creative with their themes. The kids loved it and I just enjoyed being outside on a warm, sunny October day. We passed by a park and there were tons of leaves on the ground and really annoying ducks. My son was eager to scuffle through the leaves and my daughter was beside herself about the ducks. "Quack, quack," she demanded imperiously. I was getting towards the end of my limits in terms of energy and desire to be there but I gave in and let my kids have a blast for ten minutes. It was so great to see the joy in their faces over such simple stuff. I really find that I find the greatest happiness in seeing my kids laughing and smiling. I really do need to lighten up more. Granted, I totally passed out this afternoon at nap time, something I rarely do, so I may need to budget my energy a little more carefully. However, today the extra effort was worth it.
Nothing exciting is planned for tomorrow other than shopping for new sneakers for my son. The ones he has are literally falling apart and I don't want him to go to Saturday's soccer practice wearing them. It's supposed to get a lot cooler but I think we'll still try to get outside for awhile even if it's just to the backyard (gotta scoop the dog's poop up first). We'll see how this goes.
Monday, October 13, 2008
EEGs are not fun
I went in to my EEG test this morning looking forward to an hour of relaxation. Um, no, that wasn't on the agenda. I had the electrodes attached to my scalp with this oopy, goopy stuff that gave me quite the attractive hairdo when I was done and then I had to lie perfectly still while the technician got stuff going on the computer. Then, just when I was about to relax she starts talking again. Now, don't get me wrong, she was a wonderful woman and I enjoyed talking to her while the electrodes were being attached. She made me laugh and it seemed like an occasion where the more laughter the better so I could relax. However, I was not in the mood for more conversation once the test began. For some reason I'd assumed I'd be left alone in the room for awhile but that wasn't the case. Then she started the photic stimulation part of the test. Basically, while I was lying on the table/bed there was a strobe light about three feet away from me flashing for awhile, stopping and then starting up again. My eyes started blinking rapidly during this and I couldn't get them to stop. Then, just as I was starting to recover from that we moved into the next and worst part of the test - the hyperventilation part. Wow, I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life. It was only supposed to last 3-5 minutes but it felt like hours of me hyperventilating. I got nauseous, my palms started sweating and I felt really disoriented and confused. I also started getting panicky thinking that something bad was going to happen. I also felt like I was going to pee my pants. Just when I was about to ask the woman to let me stop she told me I could. It's nine hours later and I'm still feeling out of sorts. I'm kind of a wimp I guess. Another surprise was that I wasn't meeting with the doctor today to discuss my MRI as I thought we would. I won't meet with her again until next Friday. I guess I'll get the results of the EEG then too. So, I'm still left feeling clueless.
On a more positive note, ever since I upped my dose of Cytomel under the reluctant approval of my endocrinologist, I've felt somewhat better. A tad more energy and I'm losing some of my weight. My face doesn't look quite as puffy. So, that's a bonus.
In other news, we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary today. We didn't do anything too special. However, we did go to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner and I had roasted duck breast. YUMMY. One of the best gifts was that both kids were relatively well behaved during the meal so I didn't have to gulp everything down. I didn't dare risk ordering dessert but I didn't need it anyway.
On a more positive note, ever since I upped my dose of Cytomel under the reluctant approval of my endocrinologist, I've felt somewhat better. A tad more energy and I'm losing some of my weight. My face doesn't look quite as puffy. So, that's a bonus.
In other news, we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary today. We didn't do anything too special. However, we did go to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner and I had roasted duck breast. YUMMY. One of the best gifts was that both kids were relatively well behaved during the meal so I didn't have to gulp everything down. I didn't dare risk ordering dessert but I didn't need it anyway.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
What I've Learned This Week
The most important thing I've learned this week is that I hate doing a garage sale. I put way too many hours into sorting clothes (even washing and drying some of them), creating an Excel spreadsheet and setting up tables and clothing racks in an attractive fashion. I then sat out in my driveway for five hours (morning started out at 41 degrees, brr.) and only garnered $75 for my efforts. So, not worth it. However, I put two items up on EBay and within a couple of hours they were sold. In addition, one was sold at the price I was asking for at the garage sale (that people were complaining about) and the other was sold for even more than I offered it for at the sale. Guess where my time and energy is going from now on! Yep, I plan on becoming an EBay mogul.
I also learned that my son shouldn't have excessive amounts of sugar. Please note that the actual amount of sugar he has is still probably significantly below the average American child's intake. However, I have noticed that when he does have something sugary within a half hour there's a horrible mood change. He becomes hyper, belligerent and attacks his sister. When I put him in time out or ask him to stop doing whatever is wrong he hits me. The other day this angered me so much I put him in his room so that I wouldn't be tempted to smack him back. And boy was I tempted! All this bad behavior occurred because he tried a lollipop for the first time and had two homemade cookies (recipe for 24 cookies calls for 1/2 cup of sugar). So, today when I bake more cookies I'm going to halve the sugar called for and see if that improves things. I don't have to worry about lollipops today because he wasn't good enough yesterday to earn one for today. He's working on earning tomorrow's. However, other than this irritating behavior I didn't see any horrible reactions to these lollipops. I am so in love with the company who makes them, Yummy Earth. The lollipops are:
Gluten Free
Egg-free
Dairy-free
Peanut-free
Tree Nut free
Wheat-free
Soy-free
NO MSG
100% Natural Colors
No chemical dyes
Real Fruit Extracts
100% Natural Flavors
Certified Organic
Kof-K Kosher Parve
Plant: no tree nuts or peanuts.
What a relief for a parent with a food allergic child.
Stay tuned for more nuggets of wisdom from me in the coming days.
I also learned that my son shouldn't have excessive amounts of sugar. Please note that the actual amount of sugar he has is still probably significantly below the average American child's intake. However, I have noticed that when he does have something sugary within a half hour there's a horrible mood change. He becomes hyper, belligerent and attacks his sister. When I put him in time out or ask him to stop doing whatever is wrong he hits me. The other day this angered me so much I put him in his room so that I wouldn't be tempted to smack him back. And boy was I tempted! All this bad behavior occurred because he tried a lollipop for the first time and had two homemade cookies (recipe for 24 cookies calls for 1/2 cup of sugar). So, today when I bake more cookies I'm going to halve the sugar called for and see if that improves things. I don't have to worry about lollipops today because he wasn't good enough yesterday to earn one for today. He's working on earning tomorrow's. However, other than this irritating behavior I didn't see any horrible reactions to these lollipops. I am so in love with the company who makes them, Yummy Earth. The lollipops are:
Gluten Free
Egg-free
Dairy-free
Peanut-free
Tree Nut free
Wheat-free
Soy-free
NO MSG
100% Natural Colors
No chemical dyes
Real Fruit Extracts
100% Natural Flavors
Certified Organic
Kof-K Kosher Parve
Plant: no tree nuts or peanuts.
What a relief for a parent with a food allergic child.
Stay tuned for more nuggets of wisdom from me in the coming days.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Medical Updates
I've been very busy lately in the health department lately. I've been trying to get therapy, I had an appointment with the neurologist last week and today I saw my endocrinologist and I'll be having two MRIs done tonight. Phew. I'm getting very tired of all this but maybe I'll get some answers. I did convince the endocrinologist to increase my Cytomel dosage (synthetic T3 hormone) as I'd had luck with the higher dose in the past. He wants to have my thyroid levels checked in eight weeks along with testing my vitamin D levels and my adrenal glands. I also convinced him that I should have an ultrasound done of my thyroid since I used to have that done in Northern Jersey but haven't since I moved here. He argued that it wasn't necessary since I didn't have nodules.... Um, correction buddy. The ultrasounds I had done up north did indicate there were nodules there but they were cold. I think it's important to have this done because I remember reading an article about CFS and thyroid issues that found thyroid malignancy in ME/CFS patients greatly exceeds the normal incidence of thyroid malignancy in any known subgroup. Check out a summary of the article at http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/id/8895
Anyway, the MRIs I'm having done tonight are for my brain and lower spine. Next week I'll meet with the neurologist again to go over those results and to have an EEG done. According to webmd.com an EEG is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of your brain. Special sensors (electrodes) are attached to your head and hooked by wires to a computer. The computer records your brain's electrical activity on the screen or on paper as wavy lines. Certain conditions, such as seizures, can be seen by the changes in the normal pattern of the brain's electrical activity.
I don't want them to find anything scary but I'm really hoping we can find some answers here. I'm tired of the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and the idea that it can't be cured. I don't want to just treat symptoms because that gets you on the path of taking medicines with icky side effects that sometimes are worse than the symptoms they're supposed to cure.
A bit of good news. My daughter had her 18 month appointment and she was in the 90th percentile for both height (33 inches) and weight (27 pounds, 13 ounces). My girl is HEALTHY!
Anyway, the MRIs I'm having done tonight are for my brain and lower spine. Next week I'll meet with the neurologist again to go over those results and to have an EEG done. According to webmd.com an EEG is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of your brain. Special sensors (electrodes) are attached to your head and hooked by wires to a computer. The computer records your brain's electrical activity on the screen or on paper as wavy lines. Certain conditions, such as seizures, can be seen by the changes in the normal pattern of the brain's electrical activity.
I don't want them to find anything scary but I'm really hoping we can find some answers here. I'm tired of the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and the idea that it can't be cured. I don't want to just treat symptoms because that gets you on the path of taking medicines with icky side effects that sometimes are worse than the symptoms they're supposed to cure.
A bit of good news. My daughter had her 18 month appointment and she was in the 90th percentile for both height (33 inches) and weight (27 pounds, 13 ounces). My girl is HEALTHY!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
I Love My Husband (No, Really!)
Our anniversary is still eight days away yet I've decided that this blog will express my appreciation for my husband because he has simply outdone himself over the past couple of days. We all went to my son's soccer game yesterday and he was a great Dad there to both kids. In the afternoon I took my son out to two festivals and when we got back there was my husband slaving over a hot oven. He made us brisket with carrots and potatoes and he threw together some knishes from scratch. That's not so easy when you can't use butter or eggs! He did a splendid job though. Today he made a special lunch for just him and me (kids got stuck with leftovers) and then he vacuumed and mopped the kitchen. I am overwhelmed. I don't know if this is all a result of my increased libido but hey I'm willing to keep that going if this is the reward! It doesn't hurt that I'm looking at my husband and thinking he's a hottie.
Of course, all these yummy foods are undermining my efforts to lose weight but I think once dear hubby returns to work on Monday I'll be able to get back on track with my diet.
We will be celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary on October 13. The traditional gifts are iron and candy and the modern is wood. I ended up buying him this beautiful wood bowl - hand carved from maple and I will also splurge on some gourmet candies. Unfortunately, I have a follow-up appointment with my neurologist that day but that won't take up the whole day and, really, what exactly can we do to celebrate the day with two young kids in tow?
Of course, all these yummy foods are undermining my efforts to lose weight but I think once dear hubby returns to work on Monday I'll be able to get back on track with my diet.
We will be celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary on October 13. The traditional gifts are iron and candy and the modern is wood. I ended up buying him this beautiful wood bowl - hand carved from maple and I will also splurge on some gourmet candies. Unfortunately, I have a follow-up appointment with my neurologist that day but that won't take up the whole day and, really, what exactly can we do to celebrate the day with two young kids in tow?
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Funny How Things Work Out!
The other day I was bumming. I went to see a new therapist, this time a psychologist. I explained to her my frustration with my son and how he wasn't listening to me. She suggested that he was bored and maybe if he spent some more time with boys his age he'd be a little more manageable. Problem is, I rarely have the energy to get him places where he can interact with boys his age. I've already joined a playgroup which will hopefully provide some of that for him and we're doing soccer but I really can't invest much more of my time and energy. Anyway, yesterday, he was out shopping with his Daddy and I was out for a walk with my daughter. When we came around the corner and started heading back to the house I heard laughter and saw some scampering in leaves going on. My neighbor had been outside with his 3-year-old son and, for the first time, the boys were both outside at the same time and took the opportunity to play with each other. My neighbor's son is about seven months younger but that didn't seem to matter. The two of them hit it right off. When my neighbor encouraged his son to go home so they could fix a snack for his older sister I actually suggested that his son stay a little longer and I'd watch them so they could keep playing. I was enjoying the interaction between them so much. They played about 15 minutes longer before we had to call an end to it. Unfortunately, my son was still a cheeky monkey that evening but at least we all had some fun. Anyway, I just find it really funny that we saw a need here and then, all of a sudden, a solution provided itself. My neighbor informed me that his son wasn't in preschool either and that he'd been looking for some kids his age to play with too. I like my neighbor so this may actually work out for us! Yay!
In other news, I made it to my neurologist appointment yesterday morning. After a very long wait in the waiting room I taken into her office for a discussion of my symptoms, when they showed up and we did a quick evaluation of my reactions to different things. Well, she didn't laugh me out of her office and she wants to do a bunch of tests including an MRI of my brain and lower spine and an EEG to monitor my brain waves. So, it remains to be seen if there's something going on here.
I am really eager to see the endocrinologist this week to see if my depression is due to low thyroid levels. It would be terrific if it was. A quick adjustment of my thyroid medication would set everything right and things could go back to normal.
Now, here's the weird thing about this depression I've been having - yes, I'm crying a lot and feeling pretty rotten but I'm also really eager to meet new people, try new things and I've had a libido like I haven't seen since my twenties. I laugh a lot when I'm not crying, honestly! So, it just seems like a weird kind of depression.
Well I'm off to a local festival (or two) this afternoon. I expect we'll get a lot of free stuff for my son from the fire department and perhaps I'll buy something fun for myself or the house.
In other news, I made it to my neurologist appointment yesterday morning. After a very long wait in the waiting room I taken into her office for a discussion of my symptoms, when they showed up and we did a quick evaluation of my reactions to different things. Well, she didn't laugh me out of her office and she wants to do a bunch of tests including an MRI of my brain and lower spine and an EEG to monitor my brain waves. So, it remains to be seen if there's something going on here.
I am really eager to see the endocrinologist this week to see if my depression is due to low thyroid levels. It would be terrific if it was. A quick adjustment of my thyroid medication would set everything right and things could go back to normal.
Now, here's the weird thing about this depression I've been having - yes, I'm crying a lot and feeling pretty rotten but I'm also really eager to meet new people, try new things and I've had a libido like I haven't seen since my twenties. I laugh a lot when I'm not crying, honestly! So, it just seems like a weird kind of depression.
Well I'm off to a local festival (or two) this afternoon. I expect we'll get a lot of free stuff for my son from the fire department and perhaps I'll buy something fun for myself or the house.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Busy, busy, busy
The past few days have been super busy for me. On Sunday we drove up to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania so we could spend some time with my Mom and also visit the cemetery my Dad's buried in. We normally would've gone in August but my husband was traveling then. Anyway, although it rained most of the time it was still a good opportunity to see some leaves changing colors. I love this time of year. Sunday was very nice. We spent a lot of time with my Mom and I pigged out at this sinful restaurant called the Country Cupboard. I got the buffet and pigged out on dishes like prime rib, baked corn, mashed potatoes and cherry pie. Yes, I know I'm not supposed to be eating things like pie because of the gluten but I couldn't resist. After all, I haven't received an official diagnosis, I just think I might have celiac. Monday was a tad disappointing. After a rough night's sleep (my son had some night terrors), we reluctantly woke up around 8. We started getting the kids dressed and their breakfast ready. Just as my husband was going into the shower there was a knock on the door. My Mom had just had breakfast and decided to come over. I didn't mind since an extra pair of hands with two young kids is always appreciated. However, the surprise came when she told me she was going to get on the road soon. This was unexpected since I'd planned on all of us going to the cemetery together followed by lunch before we all hit the road. When she saw the look I gave her she explained that she always gets anxious the day she has to drive. I had a hard time understanding this because she always complains how she doesn't see the kids enough and that when she does we only spend a couple of hours with her. Now she has the opportunity to spend a few more hours with them and she's not taking it. I will never understand this woman. However, my issues with my Mom will be discussed another day. I got over the hurt and managed to enjoy the rest of the day, especially our yummy lunch at the Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport. I love their garlic fries and root beer. I'm beginning to understand how I was able to put on five pounds in two days now!
On top of all this madness and gluttony, Rosh Hashanah began Monday night after we got home. My husband and I were exhausted and chose to just order Chinese delivery and the kids had leftover chicken and french fries. So, it wasn't the holiday feast we should've had. However, I made up for that last night. I roasted a whole chicken with an apple inside it and basted it with a yummy mixture of olive oil and honey. Yummy. I also baked sweet potatoes, cooked some rice and bok choy. For dessert we had a honey cake and my husband and I enjoyed a glass of Riesling, a nice sweet wine.
I figured all this wasn't bad cooking when I had to take food allergies into concern AND I'm not Jewish. My husband is and we agreed to raise the kids Jewish so I get to enjoy all the Jewish holidays in addition to the Christian I grew up with. How this all works will be discussed in another blog. Anyway, my husband really appreciated the dinner and I think I actually got some of the symbolism right with all the sweet treats. Oh, and we had apples dipped in honey for an afternoon snack earlier in the day.
This morning I got to enjoy some one-on-one time with my son. I took him to his first mommy and me pottery class at the local art studio. We made a pencil cup out of slab clay using slip to hold it all together. He got to use a stamp to make a pattern on the cup and then he sponge painted it blue. I think it will look really nice after it gets fired in the kiln. We'll be picking it up next week. It was so nice to have that time alone with him and to do something fun like that. One thing about having more than one child you never get to spend as much time with each child as you'd like.
So, that's what I've been up to. My husband's home this week so I'm hoping to relax a bit more over the next couple of days. I have an appointment with a new therapist tomorrow night. Hopefully, she'll be more helpful than the nut I was seeing. Then, I'm going to see a neurologist on Friday to see if my memory loss, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, balance issues and headaches are caused by something other than the chronic fatigue syndrome. I really do hope we find something fixable. I'm tired of being stuck with an illness that isn't curable.
On top of all this madness and gluttony, Rosh Hashanah began Monday night after we got home. My husband and I were exhausted and chose to just order Chinese delivery and the kids had leftover chicken and french fries. So, it wasn't the holiday feast we should've had. However, I made up for that last night. I roasted a whole chicken with an apple inside it and basted it with a yummy mixture of olive oil and honey. Yummy. I also baked sweet potatoes, cooked some rice and bok choy. For dessert we had a honey cake and my husband and I enjoyed a glass of Riesling, a nice sweet wine.
I figured all this wasn't bad cooking when I had to take food allergies into concern AND I'm not Jewish. My husband is and we agreed to raise the kids Jewish so I get to enjoy all the Jewish holidays in addition to the Christian I grew up with. How this all works will be discussed in another blog. Anyway, my husband really appreciated the dinner and I think I actually got some of the symbolism right with all the sweet treats. Oh, and we had apples dipped in honey for an afternoon snack earlier in the day.
This morning I got to enjoy some one-on-one time with my son. I took him to his first mommy and me pottery class at the local art studio. We made a pencil cup out of slab clay using slip to hold it all together. He got to use a stamp to make a pattern on the cup and then he sponge painted it blue. I think it will look really nice after it gets fired in the kiln. We'll be picking it up next week. It was so nice to have that time alone with him and to do something fun like that. One thing about having more than one child you never get to spend as much time with each child as you'd like.
So, that's what I've been up to. My husband's home this week so I'm hoping to relax a bit more over the next couple of days. I have an appointment with a new therapist tomorrow night. Hopefully, she'll be more helpful than the nut I was seeing. Then, I'm going to see a neurologist on Friday to see if my memory loss, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, balance issues and headaches are caused by something other than the chronic fatigue syndrome. I really do hope we find something fixable. I'm tired of being stuck with an illness that isn't curable.
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