Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
First middle-of-the-night ER run
Last night Carter ran into our room at 2:30. He was freaked out - breathing rapidly and loudly and you could tell that he wasn't able to draw a full breath. I assumed that he was having an asthma attack so I ran him to the ER. I should have suspected croup when he started to improve out in the cooler air, but he never had a barky cough and he said he still couldn't breath very well, so I took him in anyways. Long story short, by the time the doctor got to us, Carter was symptom-free. I felt like an idiot. It turns out that there is a spasmodic croup that comes and goes unexpectedly and just swells their throat in the middle of the night. Apparently this is what he had. I just wish that I had known about this prior to his $400 ER visit. It typically goes away on its own with the cooler evening air or a steamy bathroom.
He was pretty excited about getting to go to Children's hospital. We drive by all the time when we go to the hospital for Jayme and he always asks about it. It was cute; on the way home he said "thanks Mom, for taking me to the hospital. I feel lots better."
The ironic part is that Mike and I had just been talking about how we haven't had to pay much in medical this year. The kids haven't been sick, we've both been healthy... knock on wood, right? I'm just waiting for Samantha to fall down the stairs and end up with a concussion. That would just be our luck.
He was pretty excited about getting to go to Children's hospital. We drive by all the time when we go to the hospital for Jayme and he always asks about it. It was cute; on the way home he said "thanks Mom, for taking me to the hospital. I feel lots better."
The ironic part is that Mike and I had just been talking about how we haven't had to pay much in medical this year. The kids haven't been sick, we've both been healthy... knock on wood, right? I'm just waiting for Samantha to fall down the stairs and end up with a concussion. That would just be our luck.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
There's a first time for everything
And yesterday was my first time getting stitches! For anyone who knows me and my coordination you know it was just a matter of time.
My nice neighbor asked if we would like to borrow his hedge trimmers - I tried to imagine that he wasn't commenting on how crazily overgrown our bushes are. He's trying to sell his house, I can't blame him. Anyways, as I am not one to wait around when there are new power tools around, I got to work once Samantha was down for a nap. Carter was hanging out with me, asking questions and talking about random things. I was distracted and somehow instead of my left hand being on the handle when I started them up it was on the blade. It felt more like a shock at first and then I saw the gouges in my fingers. I ran inside and ran it under the cold water as I tried to calm down and figure out who to call. I tried Mike, but he wasn't at his desk. I left a frantic message for him to call me ASAP - he later told me that he thought his mom had died. Mental note, be more specific next time. Anyways, I got a hold of my friend Nicki and took the kids there before I took myself to the insta-care for stitches. The doctor told me that as hedge trimmer injuries go, mine was pretty mild. I ended up with 3 stitches each on my ring finger and my middle finger. It is incredibly tempting to post pictures, but I think one of the stitches slipped, so there is still a pretty good size opening where you can see more that you really want to, so you are just going to have to use your imagination.
Mike was impressed that I was able to get everything taken care of without his help. He finally got out of his meeting and returned my call after I got home.
This whole incident has led to a number of funny conversations with Carter. Here are a few excerpts:
"Mom, can I see your hand again?"
"You should be careful not to show anyone except us your owie. Other people might think it was gross."
"Can I see your hand again?"
"Who is going to the doctor with you? You will get so lonely at the doctor's by yourself, maybe we should go with you." (he doesn't know that Mommy doesn't get lonely much)
"Maybe girls shouldn't use hedge trimmers. Some girls are careful and they can use them, but some girls like you aren't careful and they shouldn't use them. Maybe we should just have Daddy trim the bushes now."
"Can I see your hand again?"
My nice neighbor asked if we would like to borrow his hedge trimmers - I tried to imagine that he wasn't commenting on how crazily overgrown our bushes are. He's trying to sell his house, I can't blame him. Anyways, as I am not one to wait around when there are new power tools around, I got to work once Samantha was down for a nap. Carter was hanging out with me, asking questions and talking about random things. I was distracted and somehow instead of my left hand being on the handle when I started them up it was on the blade. It felt more like a shock at first and then I saw the gouges in my fingers. I ran inside and ran it under the cold water as I tried to calm down and figure out who to call. I tried Mike, but he wasn't at his desk. I left a frantic message for him to call me ASAP - he later told me that he thought his mom had died. Mental note, be more specific next time. Anyways, I got a hold of my friend Nicki and took the kids there before I took myself to the insta-care for stitches. The doctor told me that as hedge trimmer injuries go, mine was pretty mild. I ended up with 3 stitches each on my ring finger and my middle finger. It is incredibly tempting to post pictures, but I think one of the stitches slipped, so there is still a pretty good size opening where you can see more that you really want to, so you are just going to have to use your imagination.
Mike was impressed that I was able to get everything taken care of without his help. He finally got out of his meeting and returned my call after I got home.
This whole incident has led to a number of funny conversations with Carter. Here are a few excerpts:
"Mom, can I see your hand again?"
"You should be careful not to show anyone except us your owie. Other people might think it was gross."
"Can I see your hand again?"
"Who is going to the doctor with you? You will get so lonely at the doctor's by yourself, maybe we should go with you." (he doesn't know that Mommy doesn't get lonely much)
"Maybe girls shouldn't use hedge trimmers. Some girls are careful and they can use them, but some girls like you aren't careful and they shouldn't use them. Maybe we should just have Daddy trim the bushes now."
"Can I see your hand again?"
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sodalicious
The other day I had the strongest craving for Pepsi. I haven't liked soda since high school. Every once in a while I will have a root beer, but in general I don't like soda. So this craving was a weird one (and no, I am not pregnant). So I went to the store and got some. It was delicious. Pepsi was on sale at Wal Mart, so I stocked up. For a good week and a half I wanted nothing but Pepsi to drink (Mike convinced me to stick with Pepsi One, so I'm not packing on the lbs from it). Then, one day I had a big glass of ice cold Pepsi and nothing. I hate it again. I tried again and still, nothing. Weird, huh? My sister says that my body just needed it. I am sure that my body was in desperate need of the caffeine, carbonation, and artificial sweeteners. At least it got what it needed. Lots of what it needed :).
Tagged.
Janelle tagged me forever ago, and I have been slacking. But Carter is at school and Samantha is being good, so here you go Janelle:
3 joys
1. My Family. I have an awesome husband who supports me wholeheartedly and 2 great kids. It's not always fun and games, but overall they make my life better.
2. Friends. I have been lucky enough to have wonderful friends throughout my life. I have some great friends here in Milwaukee, which is one of the main reasons we stay here...
3. Sunny days. Sounds simple, but here in WI where we can go weeks in the winter without seeing the sun, I have learned to really appreciate them.
3 Fears
1. My kids getting really sick.
2. Mike dying.
3. Fatal car accidents.
3 Current Obsessions
1. Twilight series. I think once I finish the series I will be able to move on.
2. Food storage/emergency preparedness. I am a nerd, I will admit it, but I get fixated on something and can't stop. There are worse obsessions, I know.
3. Blogging. I am a total blog stalker.
3 Random/Surprising Facts About Myself
1. I have been in 14 car accidents. I may have mentioned this before, but most were just fender-benders and not my fault. I have totalled 2 cars, though (one of them was totalled twice). Hence the fatal car crash fear. It has been a while though, at least 4 years.
2. This one is embarrassing, but I absolutely suck at mopping. I hate it. I sweep/vacuum on a regular basis, but rarely mop. Needless to say, there is no 10 second rule in this house. I have requested a Hoover floor mate for my anniversary.
3. I love office supplies. I was arrested when I was in 7th grade for stealing some.
I'm now tagging Christine so that she has something to post about.
3 joys
1. My Family. I have an awesome husband who supports me wholeheartedly and 2 great kids. It's not always fun and games, but overall they make my life better.
2. Friends. I have been lucky enough to have wonderful friends throughout my life. I have some great friends here in Milwaukee, which is one of the main reasons we stay here...
3. Sunny days. Sounds simple, but here in WI where we can go weeks in the winter without seeing the sun, I have learned to really appreciate them.
3 Fears
1. My kids getting really sick.
2. Mike dying.
3. Fatal car accidents.
3 Current Obsessions
1. Twilight series. I think once I finish the series I will be able to move on.
2. Food storage/emergency preparedness. I am a nerd, I will admit it, but I get fixated on something and can't stop. There are worse obsessions, I know.
3. Blogging. I am a total blog stalker.
3 Random/Surprising Facts About Myself
1. I have been in 14 car accidents. I may have mentioned this before, but most were just fender-benders and not my fault. I have totalled 2 cars, though (one of them was totalled twice). Hence the fatal car crash fear. It has been a while though, at least 4 years.
2. This one is embarrassing, but I absolutely suck at mopping. I hate it. I sweep/vacuum on a regular basis, but rarely mop. Needless to say, there is no 10 second rule in this house. I have requested a Hoover floor mate for my anniversary.
3. I love office supplies. I was arrested when I was in 7th grade for stealing some.
I'm now tagging Christine so that she has something to post about.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
I've held my tounge long enough...
I don't like to argue politics, so I usually just keep quiet when the topic comes up, but I have to admit, I really like Obama. I would even go so far as to say that I will almost surely vote for him this November. I understand that this goes against the belief that seems to be out there that a good Mormon should be republican. I also understand that I will be ostracized and possibly disowned for this. So, let me explain...
The first thing that drew me to Obama was the one thing that most anti-Obamans hate him for- his health care policy. Keep in mind that at this time I have a mother-in-law living with me who has no income, no health insurance and incredibly poor health. Her doctors wouldn't even consider evaluating her for a liver transplant until she had some sort of health care coverage. They simply told her she was going to die. Getting her on Medicaid and Social Security was nothing less than a small miracle. There were so many forms to fill out and hoops to jump through. There were times when I would make 7-8 phone calls to different departments, counties and states just to get one issue resolved. It is a joke and it really opened my eyes to how messed up our health care system really is. How wrong is it when a doctor has to tell a child's parents (who are completely able and willing to work) that they are better off quitting their low paying jobs and going on full welfare in order to receive benefits for their sick kid? This happens. With Obama's plan, it would not be a universal health care system like they have in Canada and other countries. He would simply create an insurance plan that anyone could buy into, regardless of pre-existing conditions. You don't have to, though. As a matter of fact, if you want to keep your insurance that you currently have, it will cost less. He promises low premiums, deductibles and co-pays. He plans on policing the insurance companies and make them lower their costs by cutting out waste. This would be subsidized by taxes, yes, but taxes from the rich. He plans on letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making over $250, 000 a year. Yes, you could say that this is making government bigger and giving them more power, but who else has the power to go after these huge companies? As a man who watched his mom worry about her medical bills as she died from cancer, I believe that he understands more about the realities of the health care system than his opponents.
There are rumors that he plans on doubling taxes for everyone, reinstating the inheritance tax, instating capitol gains taxes, etc... Take a look at his website and you will find that he is looking to cut taxes for the lower and middle classes by at least $1000 and completely eliminate taxes for the elderly making less than $50,000.
Do I agree with everything that he stands for? No, but I agree with enough. I respect his decisions this far and feel that he has fought at least as fairly as McCain. In general, with his upbringing I feel that he is more in touch with the issues that I am facing in my life. I believe that he can and will bring change to Washington.
Having said that, I don't hate McCain, and I actually like Sarah Palin. And I will definitely re-think my position when I am making more than $250,000, although I am pretty sure that that is a long time from now. So, take it or leave it; I'm stepping down from my soap box. All I ask is that you do the research before you place your vote.
The first thing that drew me to Obama was the one thing that most anti-Obamans hate him for- his health care policy. Keep in mind that at this time I have a mother-in-law living with me who has no income, no health insurance and incredibly poor health. Her doctors wouldn't even consider evaluating her for a liver transplant until she had some sort of health care coverage. They simply told her she was going to die. Getting her on Medicaid and Social Security was nothing less than a small miracle. There were so many forms to fill out and hoops to jump through. There were times when I would make 7-8 phone calls to different departments, counties and states just to get one issue resolved. It is a joke and it really opened my eyes to how messed up our health care system really is. How wrong is it when a doctor has to tell a child's parents (who are completely able and willing to work) that they are better off quitting their low paying jobs and going on full welfare in order to receive benefits for their sick kid? This happens. With Obama's plan, it would not be a universal health care system like they have in Canada and other countries. He would simply create an insurance plan that anyone could buy into, regardless of pre-existing conditions. You don't have to, though. As a matter of fact, if you want to keep your insurance that you currently have, it will cost less. He promises low premiums, deductibles and co-pays. He plans on policing the insurance companies and make them lower their costs by cutting out waste. This would be subsidized by taxes, yes, but taxes from the rich. He plans on letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making over $250, 000 a year. Yes, you could say that this is making government bigger and giving them more power, but who else has the power to go after these huge companies? As a man who watched his mom worry about her medical bills as she died from cancer, I believe that he understands more about the realities of the health care system than his opponents.
There are rumors that he plans on doubling taxes for everyone, reinstating the inheritance tax, instating capitol gains taxes, etc... Take a look at his website and you will find that he is looking to cut taxes for the lower and middle classes by at least $1000 and completely eliminate taxes for the elderly making less than $50,000.
Do I agree with everything that he stands for? No, but I agree with enough. I respect his decisions this far and feel that he has fought at least as fairly as McCain. In general, with his upbringing I feel that he is more in touch with the issues that I am facing in my life. I believe that he can and will bring change to Washington.
Having said that, I don't hate McCain, and I actually like Sarah Palin. And I will definitely re-think my position when I am making more than $250,000, although I am pretty sure that that is a long time from now. So, take it or leave it; I'm stepping down from my soap box. All I ask is that you do the research before you place your vote.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Free Parent's Magazine
If you don't already subscribe, go here for 2 free years!
http://www.dealiciousmom.com/2008/09/parents-magazine-free-for-2-years-no.html
http://www.dealiciousmom.com/2008/09/parents-magazine-free-for-2-years-no.html
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Victory Team Chaplin
We have had a garage door opener for a while. It's just been in a box. We can open the garage by hand and with the nice weather I don't really care about parking in the garage, so it hasn't really been a priority for us. Mike started it a few weeks ago when a friend generously offered to help out. They got it assembled, but had to get some parts before it could be installed. The other day as I was trying to get the kids in the car in the remnants of the hurricane that hit a few days ago it moved up the priority list a couple spots. Then, this past weekend when I accepted that summer is over and pulled out all of my dying flowers it shot up to the top of the list. I know it's a small thing, but it is really nice to just push a button and have your garage open. Especially when it is -20 outside. Something that you don't really appreciate until you don't have it. Anyways, Mike and I finally finished it and I have to say I think we did a pretty great job. I don't have a video camera or else I would have gotten some opening/closing footage. You can imagine, though. If not, come on over--I'll open it for you:).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)