Calling all cars....

Fellow bloggers,

I need your help. If you know me outside of this blog, then I am talking to you. I have been offered an opportunity to work outside of the home. The only thing blocking my acceptance of that offer is the lack of child care. Aurelia is signed up for both sessions of the preschool summer fun and Cory will be home, but I don't want my teenager caring for his siblings. It's a recipe for disaster. So what I am shopping for is someone who may know someone who may be willing to work for me this summer. I am not asking my fellow mothers for this. That is nonsense. Ideally, I would like to hire a college student or VERY reliable and mature high school student who would be willing to keep my kids alive while I am not here. I love them alot and sort of care that they are intact when I get them back. So consider the feelers out there. Thank you, good people.

Buffoon central

The last several days I have been filling in at a mini storage facility as the office manager. Some of the tasks that I have performed have made me wonder if I might wind up falling to my untimely demise with no one around to help me (i.e. climbing a ladder, unsavory mini storage persons carting off my carcass). But it didn't occur to me that taking out the garbage might do me in. There are several public trash cans that need to be emptied and the contents placed in the rear dumpster. And I wish I could say it was a gigantic bag that did it, but I was placing a smallish (15-20 gallon) white bag of trash that was about half full into the dumpster. I held the lid up with one arm (the dumpster is about my height) and swung the bag up with the other hand. I'll be doggone if that bag didn't fall straight down on my head and about brought me to my knees. I think there was a bottle of some sort in there. So if you see me and wonder why I have a gigantic goose egg, you'll know. :0)

Award

TEAM for WV Children recognized Gayle Manchin yesterday evening. Not only is TEAM for WV Children the reason I can volunteer with CASA, but there is even a quote from fellow blogger and advocate for child abuse prevention, Wabi Sabi.

Hippo Health Care

Today was the day of the long awaited (over eight months) visit with the rheumatologist. I arrived several minutes early for my afternoon appointment and was taken back to a room approximately an hour after my designated time. In the room, I waited for another thirty minutes while I perused an outdated women's magazine and read the charts on the walls. Outside the door, I could hear the staff playing with a remote fart machine. I was impressed.

When the doctor came in, we went down the same path most other doctors in his field have taken me down. It seems that I have several characteristics that make doctors wonder if I could have Marfan's Syndrome. But I don't have hyperflexible joints, a caved in chest, or the super wide wing span. I just have long fingers and I'm tall. So he measured me to be sure. Still, I'm just tall.

The overall thought at the end of the visit was this:

1) Secondary osteoarthritis as a result of joint damage from the childhood arthritis
2) X-rays and bloodwork to determine a baseline
3) calcium supplements (500mg 3x a day)
4) Motrin based prescriptions to start (there are 12 to try) for the pain
5) determing whether I have JIA, apparently something that occurs in 1 out of 900, 000 people, rather than Marfan's. The upside to determing that is that it is treatable and detectable from bloodwork.

So that is how today went. I go back in six weeks to review all the labwork. And like I told the doctor today, I am by no means the worst case he will see any time soon. I can remember the pain I had as a child when the arthritis would flare up and cause my skin to be hot and my joints to ache so badly I couldn't sit. This pain is annoying, it disrupts my sleep, it makes tasks harder, but it isn't debilitating. There is no whining in this house. At least not out loud. :0)

Hippo Happenin's

Today was the last day of preschool. And believe you me, I am counting the days until summer fun begins. Not the fun of summer, but the program at the preschool that is duly named Summer Fun. In that week, my oldest will be away at 4-h camp, the youngest boy will be at cub scout day camp, and the wee little girl child will be at summer fun. Oh happy day!

Because lately, I have found myself lacking in the patience department. While I don't hold a conventional job, I do juggle several things that include the kids, volunteer work that I find supremely rewarding, and finding time to aggravate my husband. A normal day will find me with a cell phone in one hand, the home phone in the other, typing on the computer keyboard with my toes, and giving visual commands with my eyes to any child unfortunate enough to pass through the breakfast nook.

This Friday, I get to attend my daughter's first music program and I am stoked! She has been singing her parts around the house and occasionally I will be included. For instance, sometimes I must be the naughty, mittenless kittens so that she can say "You naughty kittens, you lost your mittens, now you cain't have no PIIIE!" Fun stuff.

Later that morning I finally get to see the rheumatologist that I have had an appointment with for at least eight months. I have done research, written notes to myself on things to bring up, and basically tried to prepare for my brief visit. But as I told neighbor Jenny (sorry, too tired to link, she's over there --->) I am prepared to be told that I must suck it up and deal. Which really isn't all that bad. I mean, I'm not broken down, mostly. I will hold out a teeny bit of hope that he will tell me something that will be helpful though. Like how to reach my own feet when no one else is home to help. That would be great!

Prom Night '08

Leon Redbone

This is the speed of my internet connection right now. It is also the speed I would like to be operating at as summer approaches and lazy evenings on the porch with the kids beckon. I'll be back, I swear!

Happy Mother's Day

From my boys (please not that Daniel says I am good at watching TV and getting mad, while Cory says he appreciates all I do for him "even though we fight most of the time." Ahh, the cockels of my heart are all warm and fuzzy! At least Aurelia gave me a plastic cup full of silk flowers. :0)

Shazaam!

After months of misplaced Social Security cards, expired attendance forms, and overall not having it together, today the boy above received his learner's permit!

Congratulations Mr. Man!

A veterinarian in the making

This morning on the way to preschool, I spied some ducks at the end of our street. I pointed them out to Aurelia and asked her, " What do you say to the ducks?"

Her answer:

STUPID DUCKS! You LIVE in the WATER! You NOT supposed to be in da YAWD!

Knocked the warm fuzzies right out of the moment.

We've gone green, baby!

For several months we have been debating about a switch in vehicles. We have waffled between styles and brands and colors and whether or not to even think about it. I was sure we were done. Then, after I drove Ted's Outback to Wayne County on Friday, I mentioned in passing that I could drive a car. (I have only had a van for years and find it difficult to get in and out of many low cars). The next day we were at the dealership test driving the hybrid. The only reason it was still on the lot was that most of the salesmen thought it was sold. (The earlier buyer's financing had fallen through, but that hadn't made it down the grapevine yet). So now we are the proud owners of a Toyota Prius Hybrid. It is a very strange car to drive (no key required, just a fob and a power button.) It has a back up camera (REALLY could have used that in the van), a DVD navigation system (oh yes, I am very challenged in that area), and a whole host of other perks that I just think are groovy.

So lookout peeps. I may not have to fill up my tank (this thing gets like 48 mpg) until the kids are out of school! WOO HOO --- it took $75 + to fill the van and that only lasted less than a week even though I don't travel frequently.

Dentist day gone south

As some of you already know, my kids love the dentist. When the first visit is over there is a countdown until they get to go again. This visit was a little different.

There are two dentists in this pediatric practice and the taller of them was seeing Aurelia. He noticed her misaligned front teeth and asked if she sucked her thumb. Oh, if it were only that easy! No, my girl crooks her right index finger, sticks it in her mouth, and commences to chewin' the ever lovin' hide off of it. She has a callous at the base WITH TEETHMARKS! She is serious when it comes to the finger. We have surfed the web, used every suggestion available to get her to stop. This sweet, innocent doctor suggested that we wrap an ace bandage around her elbow, so that when she bends her arm it will be a gentle reminder she shouldn't bite her finger. Well that my friends is a hoot! Because this little princess has ripped off clothing, scaled gates, and shit in the floor to avoid conforming to your average expectations and she ain't about to stop now. Oh, we'll try it, I'm just sayin' we ain't about to bet the house, if you know what I mean.

Moving right along, my sweet Daniel has always loved the dentist, too. But we live about a half an hour away from their office and he gets a little queasy on the ride there. He'd said his stomach was hurting in the car. But once we got there he rushed in and played air hockey until he was called back. The dental chairs are all lined up and have flat screen televisions (tuned to Cartoon Network, of course) on the ceiling. So he just stretched out and waited his turn. The doctor came and looked him over while the assistant was cleaning Aurelia's teeth. Braces, but we already knew that. The kids got my teeth, not Ted's. But when the assistant came to clean she broke out the bad tasting, gritty junk they rub on the teeth. Daniels eyes watered and his face contorted. She sat him up for a minute and when he recovered she started again. I'm not sure why they did away with the little spit sinks in a dentist's office, but now they have these little suction tubes they lovingly shove in your mouth and tell you to kiss (which frankly grosses me out). Daniel felt this was a personal affront and as he closed his lips around the hose he puked! It just shot right into that suction and the nurse, looking puzzled, said, "Did you just throw up?" Um, duh! And because some of it got on his shirt, he rode home barechested and unhappy. Fortunately, he is resourceful and used the half hour ride home to tell me all about what he should do since he you know. All he needed was a good meal. Some chicken soup.... instead he ate a hot dog. GAG.

T-minus six months and counting!