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August 30 GuiltyOK, I read Perez Hilton, who doesn't? Well, ok maybe YOU dont, but I am almost a step shy of being a shut in with two babies, I gotta have some tabloid fun to break the monotony of diaper changes and mac n cheese. Besides, who does not enjoy some vicarious living now and then? It is fun, free, and delish, so sue me. ANYWAY at the moment there are two songs from Britney Spears...I know I am tired of her already too...but you know what? Other than not sounding quite like her (In "Cold As Fire" which is catchy and has a fun beat she sounds a bit like a school yard girl about at the developmental age of 14 but who am I to judge) still it was toe tappin and you know what, maybe the media has saturated us with SO much bad stuff about this poor gal that I am hoping she can swing it out of the park! Go ahead on, Britney....just remember when you play on train tracks, honey, sometimes you get hit by the train...Still you should check it out too so I am not the only icky 30+ something listening on my computer...oh no I really am that gross....crap...see when you are not paying attention these thins happen....I am off to get a book now and try to live up to that College Degree that is collecting dust...Oh Lord.... Last Day Of Camp Pierson And so, folks, as the Summer winds to an end, we must say Adieu to our Camp Pierson posts. Never worry, we will be back next year, but we had our good bye day this week. It was a Science day, we caught bugs and fed our newest family members, the Fire Bellied frogs, Scooby and Daphne (named by my wee ones) and played with water balloons and made some great art and even had good bye tee shirts! Whew! What a Summer of fun! My good friend Allison dropped her son Andy off a little early so she could go to a doctor's appointment, so while I set up camp he and the kids played. Andy, luckily, is one of Patrick's best friends (and Riley has a crush....aw) so that part was easy! Here are some great shots of their time....they even had a moment to pick up some reading material! That is Riley reading Scooby Doo...how did they come up with the names of our frogs, I wonder?
Here she is showing the product...sell it girl!
Now it is camp time! People came and we immediately got the Frog experiment going! I went outside with the kids and we caught a slug, a dead moth and I had crickets to discuss as well, so it was an all out blast! Here is the slug hunt and my hunters Patrick & Jacob:
Banana slugs are abundant in the North West. They are slimmy and gooey and SO cool! They get everywhere and if you put out water you get a lot, put out some beer and you have to change your name to the pied piper of slugs! Here is our slug, "Hammy" Now for the frogs! They eat two crickets in the morning and two at night. We accidentally squished some crickets and the inside was electric neon BLUE! I did not see that coming, but that is half the fun of experiments...well it aint much fun for the cricket I suppose, but he was about to be lunch anyway so at least it was quick and he did not see it coming at him with teeth in the frog tank! The kids loved learning about the moth and the crickets and the frogs and the terrarium. Patrick was VERY proud to show off his "pets" though I suspect in the end he has it better than I do as I have to clean the tank, feed the live crickets to the beasts and buy the gear...he just gets to watch and learn...but again, I digress....
Lunch and an airplane launch ends the day nicely...and so ends Camp Pierson, Summer 2007. What a great summer! Here is our final day Camper roster:
See you next year! Thanks for a great time! August 26 Try to RememberNow that I know it is important for me to remember Riley's love theme, I love you the big much, we sat and tried to remember special stuff Patrick used to say. He used to call trains tucka tucka's, planes were sky tucka tucka's, and helicopters have always been Hebicopters. But one thing we recalled was when we would say time was up on something, you know how like when you say, "OK 5 more minutes till bedtime" and then you go back and say, "OK time's up" he would always retort, "No Mommy, Time is down..." thinking that might buy him a few more minutes...
Cant forget these things you know, they are the golden nuggets of this here Piersonhood.... August 25 The Big MuchThat is my daughter's new way to say I love you. Not I love you this much, or I love you a lot, but she looks at you and smiles and holds her hands out and says as sweet as pie, "Mommy, I love you the big much". Could you just die? There is a story there, I am working on it immediately. We went to a Diego themed birthday party today and the kids got to get cool safari hats, binoculars and go on an animal rescue. How cool is that? It was a fantabulous day. Here are some shots from the day, it was just a blast, some birthday parties are just a little bit of fun and others rock, this was in the rock category:
Yes the Safari was a big hit. Before that though we had some swimming lessons in my pool. Patrick is REALLY taking his swimming seriously, here he is flying through the water:
Thank you and good night from the Mom who is loved The Big Much..... August 23 Lifting FogI think if you know me you may have read between the lines in my blog that all was not well in the Mom world lately here. I have been ill a bit, I am of course being proactive, but I was put on some hormone therapy to stop some of the maladies. The therapy of choice was Promethium which is a progesterone pill, some call it the mini pill, it is basically a high dose of progesterone. I kept saying I was on Promethius, like, um hello, how did they get a Greek man in a bottle? But I digress....
ANYWAY I was baaaad. I was not myself. I had the patience level of a gnat, I was trigger happy emotionally, on a rollercoaster, and set off so easily. It was horrible. HORRIBLE. But I did not know what was causing it or what to do. Then, since the good 'ol greek dude Promethius was not doing his job, I tried something else, and I swear to you, it was like coming out of a tunnel and seeing the light for the first time. When I woke up this morning I was positively happy, and only sad that Harry was not able to see it. The kids and I gigled and stayed in our jammies, we did some art projects and then ran some errands, came home and had a picnic outside and played in the sprinkler. At one point, Patrick said to Riley, "look, Mommy's back!" Aw...was it so bad my babies that it was noticable even to you? I guess so.
While we were outside, I knew I was the old me again. You see, before lunch, the kids were playing so their hands were dirty. Usually I would huff my way inside and get wipes, but it was sunny and fun and I thought why not? Go turn on the hose yourself and wash your hands. Of course they were DRENCHED by the time that was done, but isn't that what you are supposed to do in summer? We have only had like two days of summer here in Seattle, so I was making the most of it as today was one. They returned and stripped down to a pull up for Riley and briefs for Patrick while we enjoyed our picnic and picked flowers. Then they wanted to get in the sprinklers. Now, last week I swear to you I would be completely drained by now. But instead I helped set up the sprinkler and even played along. WHat fun and how sad I missed so much of the summer in a haze of progesterone induced foggy meannness.
When we went to the pharmecist I thanked her for getting some new prescriptions to my Mom and she helped me realize that when I had my post pardum depression after Riley I was taking that damn mini pill then too. WHat the? SO obviously I do not tolerate that crap well, but NO ONE told me that progesterone can have a negative affect on your psyche. I mean it makes sense, hormones make you do insane things, but I cannot fully express to you just how quick to temper flare ups I was or how out of character that is. When you step back and realize that you have not been yourself and can notice when you did something out of character, it is scary. Still, knowing that it was not completely me being insane but rather was chemically inuced made me feel a bit better for a minute till I realized that no one told me how it might affect me, and I hope I can help others know it is a possibility. I am sure that prometrium and progesterone treatments work great for many people, and I hope that remains the case, but we must be informed! I had two small kids with me at all times, and was just not myself. That is frightening. I am still, of course responsible for my own actions and nothing tragic happened (thank God) but can you imagine if anything had? How scary.
SO, that is my story. Glad to be out of the haze and if you see me coming, no you do not have to hide or run down a different isle. I am back to the old crazy me. It is nice. I missed me. I know my kids did too, poor guys. August 22 Movies & MoreAfter my crazy sting at Chuck E Cheese, the friends there were great, but the atmosphere is manic, no wonder kids have attention problems if that is considered a fun way to spend time (can you tell we wont be back anytime soon?) I took the kids to a day out in the rain. We played inside a bit, grabbed a friend and went to a free movie at the Regal Cinemas, if you have Regal in your area, all summer long, EVERY summer they do a movie festival and the movies are FREE and Kid friendly! Sign me up! The rain was horrible but we had a ton of fun watching Wallace and Grommit and then we went to lunch and played some more in an indoor playground. There you go, back to basics and it did not cost a fortune. Whew. Here are some pics of our fun, we really hammed it up!
Here are the boys goofing around:
Then it was lunch!
NOW PLay Time!!!
Whew. When the shock wears off I will share pictures of Camp Pierson Goes to Chuck E Cheese, but seriously, save yourself the millions of dollars and stress time and just make pizza at home and have a play date. You will thank me for that. I am boycotting the place, can you tell? August 20 Hormonal And BloggingIt is said you should not write when you are hormonal, or bitchy or sad or emotional or mad because you come across as the ugliest version of yourself and you regret it the next day. Well, I am all those things at the moment, I am on a rollercoaster from hormones taken to curb my monthly cycle that has been going on for almost three months solid now (started late June, went through July and is still here, even while on the hormones several times a day) nothing stops it. I am hormonal, I have no patience, I am an emotional rollercoaster and I feel sorry for people who have to endure me.
That said, there are people who have said they would stand by me no matter what, thick or thin. From them lately I have heard, "I dont need you at 100%, but I need you better than you have been" which while true is a tad cruel and just plain not the best way to handle someone who is emotionally upset anyway. I mean I can see I am not easy to live with, I never have been. But you know, I do the cooking, I do the cleaning, I make sure the bills are paid, I keep the house, the schedules, the car maintenence, the mail stuff, birthdays and important events, I call all family members on important days whether they are mine or not, I make sure that things run generally. Yes I have been off my game a bit and yes I have had a short fuse. I am also quick to offer an appology and I am trying my best. I cant stay this bad forever and I need people to remeber that this is uncharacteristic of me and give me some credit....
The thing is, the OBGYN is booked till October. So do the math, this started in June, we are headed into our third month now, and I have to wait another three. I dont think we can do that either, but I have called and asked about any cancellations, rescheduing, emergencies.. anything to go sooner. There just is not anything sooner. BUT NO ONE BELIEVES THAT I HAVE DONE THAT AND IT PISSES ME OFF THAT I HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO BRICK WALLS! I cant create an appointment unless I am anemic, which thanks to Slow FE I am not, I dont think. Just manic as all get out. I feel sorry for my family, I do, but what I am supposed to do? It is not like I can wish it away and go live in a cave. I am also sad because I know where we are headed...and while I say I did not want any more kids, there is a very big part of me that obviously did and so dealing with that on top of all this crap is just too much.
So there you go, that is me, raw and maybe I will regret it, but there it is. I needed to vent and I cant vent around here or I get into a huge fight which just makes things worse. I guess I am the big bad asshole mistake in the world, but I can only try to do what I can do. I guess my next step is to go to a new OBGYN at a different hospital than I have been dealing with and see if I fare any better. I resent that this is being forced on me, it is a big deal and I wanted to see who I wanted to see and I cant see her until October, but no one can wait that long because you know, Mommy needs to be better immediately because there is no cushion for Mommies to be sick. That sucks, but such is life. It is a 24 hour gig and if you think it isnt, if you look at it with rose colored glasses, you are in for a shock. While there are thank you's and general appreciation from the troops at my house, for the most part the role of Mommy can be a lonely haul and it is not for wimps. In case you are thinking about the vocation, ask someone if you and your huisband can borrow someone's children for a week or so. They will appreciate the break and you guys will get to see who does what and how you handle it. I doubt I would have been deterred, and I love my family, but I realize I am the problem now and just do not know what exactly to do. It is hard to admit when you are the ass and not really know what to do. Hormones suck and chocolate wont help.
OK bemoaning over.
On another note, took the rug rats to Chuck E Cheese today along with the rest of the known world as it was raining, parks were closed as was the children's little local museum KidQwest which was my original plan. It was packed and the pre pubescent workers, who were just oh so not thrilled with their vocation were overwhelmed. Someone needs to tell these dweebs on Clerasil that you do not need to scream into a microphone, you see a microphone projects your voice at a loud volume...screaming only makes you sound like a jerk and no one can understand you and you rile the kids up. This place is 4 year olds on crack in Vegas, only instead of scantily clad girls walking around with alcohol you get an oversized rodents and badly cooked WAY overpriced pizza. For 2 mediums and a small, 2 salad bar plates and some drinks it costs $80! That is a steak dinner and no one yells at you and you dont need to hose the kids with antisceptic afterwards! It is insane. It also is a joint that definately requires a two coffee or tea drink minimum before you can get in the car to go. Going without a real dose of caffeine is a bad idea. At one point, my dear friend from England's son said, sweet as can be, "Mummy, it is awfully loud here, can we go home now?" Oh dear boy, can you take me wth you? Just as he said this, I look over to see Riley running from one arcade to the other, screaming, hands in the air waving madly over her hed and her face, clothes and air streaked with pizza sauce and her brother behind her screeching chasing her for some reason and people literally diving out of their way. yep, those two sweet, dear, cherubs would be mine. That plus hormonal wreck is not a good combo, even with a good suppport system.
Wait I said I was done bemoaning! OK now I am done. Thank you and goodnight. I am off the clock, I gave the children to their father and walked away and am not talking to anyone hoping that things will figure themselves out or I will figre out how to fake it better for a while. Wish me luck. I wish I knew a secret, my acting skills need work.... Camping In The Rain!I sang the "Singing In The Rain" song all weekend in my head as we were camping in the rain. Only it was not really a soft trickly misty rain, at times it was hard core torrential down pour, but even with toddlers we stuck it! HA! We are studs! Harry was a hero! He set up the tent and tore it down in the rain.....but one word to the wise, that seam sealant they give you when you buy a tent? Well...take it from us, it is NOT a suggestion from the manufacturers.... We did not use it, and our tent leaked by morning. We were on air mattresses so we were dry, but our stuff was drenched. Rain on a tent is a BLAST though! The sounds and the feeling is quite an experience. You wanna feel like the daily grind is a bit more insignificant? Go sleep in a tent in the rain. Seriously. The tabloids, the news, everything...it is just you and the tent. You get close. I LOVE it and thanks to my awesome hubby who set up the tent (which I have never done) I was able to do it quite well.... :) Here are some pictures till my camera ran out: Camp Nelson (the friends house where we camped) was a success and the kids were troopers!
Here is my STUD setting up the tent in the mist before the storm....what a guy!
Rolf, our friend, had even set up a zip line swing in his forest next to his shed. Here are a few fun shots before that was rained out and we went inside....Patrick was in heaven soaring through the trees like Robin Hood...
Rolf set Patrick up nicely...Look at his face! He LOVES this.... Riley tried it too, but I did not let go...4 year olds may have the arm strength but my 2 year old needs more time... But I was not afraid to try....Whooo peee!!!! Then the kids hammed it up under the deck while we BBQ'd in the rain for dinner...but we ate inside...
Yes a VERY fun time had by all! And now, for the tent...it was wet, it was loud, it sure was a lot of fun....till next year when the kids are old enough for more than backyard camping we think....we will take this show on the road and into the Olympics! Cant hardly wait! Camp Nelson 2007 August 18 Count Down To FallSummer Fun is coming to a close. I am planning my classes for the Fall and though Spring of 2008, writing lesson plans, making folders, you know getting the party started. I LOVE this time of year. Promise of new students, excitement of new challenges, meeting new people, extending yourself....it is fun. I hated it for a few years when I was not working at all. I missed getting my classroom together and every time I saw teachers stocking up I got that tinge of sorrow that I somehow gave up on myself a bit. Now, I am a stay at home Mom who only teaches one day a week, on the day I teach I have a family member watching my kids (rarely will they be in day care and most of that will occur in their own home) and I am the luckiest stay at home Mom on the planet if you ask me. I know the munchkins are taken care of, I get a day to challenge myself, keep my hand in the game so to speak, and for one day I do not have to share my lunch, I get to listen to what I want on the radio, I can wear big girl clothes and not worry about spooge getting on it till after 3 pm when I get home and I get to talk to other adults without constantly having to say excuse me to redirect my own cherib who is likely eating a plant, running amok or picking their nose. Fabulous. Thanks to my friends at Sacred Heart I not only have a community I have an outlet beyond this space and my home. Thank you thank you. I am very excited about my plans and the stuff I am putting together even though it will be rapid fire for the kids and hopefully challenge them a bit beyond their abilities, stretches are good, I expect a lot. But, alas, it means the close of Summer. Still, summer is still here for two more weeks at least, and the latest and greatest has been fun too. Here are a few of our latest antics and capers, more to come to be sure, two weeks is still a LOT of time to pile it in!
That was a fun play date! See ya next time....get ready, Fall is a comin'! August 16 Sass & BrassMy daughter is all sass and brass. She is nails, man. At two she has it all going on and I am not kidding. Here are a few exerpts from our daily dealings:
The Permanent Pen Incident:
Que morning, I am having a cup of tea in the kitchen and I hear Patrick shout, "Mommy! Riley has a perbament marker!" I run in and Riley looks at me incredulously and shouts, "I put is BAh-ACK!" with the sass of a 14 year old. Uh oh. I go get it, go back to my tea and hear again, "Mommy! Riley has another perbament marker!" (he cant say permanent well yet) and I run in again, mind you I am only 10 feet away to begin with so I see the whole thing unfold as she leans over and slugs him in a very Jr High School, "dont be a rat!' sorta way and says to me, " What? I put it back again! Jeez lady!" Dude...she called me lady! That is like calling me Ma'am at the grocery store, just shoot me now!
The Car Seat
Patrick is trying to do his own seat now. He can do the top part of the seat belt (these things are as secure as the jump suits for NASA) but not the bottom yet. I go to help Riley and she slapped my hand! SLAPPED IT! And shouts, "I can do it myself!" So I wait, of course she cant but she has to try and I dont want to get slapped again lest I slap back (not really but come on, there is only so much sass the Irish Catholic in me can take!) and say calmly, "Can I help you now?" to which she replies, in a very exasperated tone, "Oh alright, but do it fast, I want my music!" Oh dear oh dear oh dear....
Now for Patrick...normally my kids are as polite as can be, but on the rare moment you catch them, the sass can be a bit overwhelming. Patrick, who is always forthcoming with please and thank you occasionally looses his damn mind. Here is an example:
The Drink
We are at a play group. The kids are thirsty. Mommy's are scrambling to get stuff together. One Mommy says, "Ok guys, I am getting the juice now" to which my son states very matter of factly, "That's good because I am thirsty!"
The Halloween Costume
My son wants to be The Incredibles for Halloween. He wants to be Dash, he wants us all to be characters; Harry to be Mr. Incredible, me to be Elastigirl and Riley to be Violet or Jack Jack, it is hard to say which she fits best. I say to him, "Oh sweetie, I am sorry but Mommy is just not ready for elastic spandex any time soon." to which he replies, "Thats ok Mommy, you can just be Mrs. Incredible before she gets back in shape!" OUCH!
Yes they say some hum dingers! Funny but at moments you just are left thinking to yourself, "What was that about? And how much trouble will we be in in 10 years?" the answer: a shitload.....
August 13 Camp Pierson Snore & RoarWell, we did it! Another successful annual tradition and it was a BLAST! Camp Pierson Snore & Roar (also affectionately known and sleep in a sack night) was a resounding success! I will take some time with this post to give you the low down so that people who came can relive the fun, those who missed it can get the jist and get there next year and family members far away can have fun watching us all look like dorks at a Y camp! (See, all those years as a counselor for the Y, you can take the girl away from the North Hollywood YMCA but you cant take the ragger Y counselor out of the girl I guess!) Overnight Camp Pierson 2007 Yes, here we were in all our glory after crafts and relays but before the not -so-BBQ BBQ, the "adult" cocktail hour after bedtime for the kids, the rain on the tents at 5 am, the wild dogs howling, the crazy crow fight at 6 am and the donut sugar high and low! We look so put together! Wow, look how clean we still are here! That did not last I can assure you! Everyone arrived around 3 pm at my house, to set up tents and while they did I had some art for the kids. Then we got to do some fun relay races, a water balloon fight and some ball tosses! Thanks to LOTS of help from parents to set things up it all ran super smooth! Crafts were plentiful too, of course. I mean come on, I am the teacher so I rocked with the crafts! We used magic paint to discover hidden pictures in some Dora and Diego pictures, we tie dyed a canvas and then did a hand print to preserve the year, we decorated tee shirts and did an iron on transfer of the camp photo you saw above, we colored family portraits and each other and in the morning before saying good bye as the parents took down the tents I helped the kids make friendship bracelets... What a ride! Dinner was yummy, a great pot luck of hot dogs, burgers, home made spaghetti, salads, chips, veggies, cut fruit and we all got to try some Leachie (sp?) fruit from an Asian market that my kids are still asking for...thanks very much for that tip Debbie! Course, the one bummer was Harry's coveted BBQ decided that this night was the night to die a horrible death and we were a tad frantic trying to consider how to feed everyone BBQ without an actual BBQ! The broiler came to the rescue and Harry worked some magic on the kids hot dogs, so it was all good and now we have an excuse to get him a new one that he has been wanting, that will be fun. After dinner we had a faux campfire...I felt real fire around toddlers seemed like a bad idea, so we used flashlights. A good thing I gave a beacon light to let the mosquitoes know where their salad bar was, otherwise they may have missed their smorgasbord! HA! We all got bitten, but none as badly as Riley. She has over 36 bites, we thought it might be chicken pox (or ticken pops as she calls them) but the Dr today completely ruled that out, so really she was just the main event (main course & desert if you ask me, the rest of us must have just been the appetizers) for every single biting bug in the tri-state area. Poor thing. We read books, sang songs, I held hand made song que cards so adults could sing along too, fun fun! After we finally got the kids in their bags around 9:45 or so we had an adult cocktail hour with some yummy drinks and great conversation...We had people here from everywhere camping with us it seems, and in getting to know each other better we got to hear from Cathia about things from pre and post Shaw in Iran, from Marcin about things from pre and post communist Poland and anecdotes from all of us! It was so eclectic and fun and I just love that we all have such different experiences but we are all brought together somehow by these lovely kids of ours! How cool is that? Then we crashed. Morning was a sugar and diabetic frenzy, donuts, juice, coffee, tea, cut fruit, bran muffins, etc. The kids went to Saturn and back before 9 am! What a blast and then a crash....still we did the last few crafts and finalized the few left over and packed up and played and hung out and made each other friendship bracelets. It was fun but fast close. We were all already talking about next year, so I guess it was a hit! Here are a few pictures from the event, enjoy and see you next year!
On to the relays & wall art!~
Bring on the food!
OK time for S'mores and campfire and songs and stories...get your PJ's on!
Then sleep and to morning with us all...snore roar and sleeping bags....
And thats all folks! Till next year, see ya! Chicken Pox or bug bites?It is likely a really bad case of bug bites from our camp out, but we are headed back to the Dr today because it might actually be the Pox. Hard to tell. Yes she was bitten that much if it is bites, crazy huh? It looks like bugs thought she was the desert tray at The Keg (popular steak house here in the NW) but if you have to explain the joke I guess it sucked, so whatever....
We had the annual camp out last Saturday night! What a blast! More on that later, but when we woke up in the morning, Riley was covered in red sores all over her face, her hands her neck and some on her back. No fever and nothing on her tummy, which to my knowledge is a crutial point to mention, but she did have diaper rash. It could just be a tragic coincidence of events, we were exposed to the Pox last week, unknowingly by a friend who did not know her son had contracted them as he had had the vaccination. When he came up with them, she let us know. That came in to us during the camp out and we all remembered it t akes 7 days or so from exposure to sores, so since it had only been a few days and the camp was in full swing (most were already in their tents for the night) there was not much we could do. When we woke up though, and she was covered so badly, I thought we should go to the urgent care, so we did.
We saw a RNP there and she said it was near impossible to discern a Chicken Pox sore from a bug bite IF Riley had gotten the vaccination at a year old. Apparently the vaccination has changed the way the pox appears, and no two children display the same sores, so it is near impossible to tell. They could be pox or bites, but for now we are treating it like pox to be safe. I have to go to her regular Dr today to be checked out. If it is the pox here is what I know if you have gotten the vaccine and get the pox anyway I learned the following:
* The severity and duraion of the sores will be far less than a full blown case because the vaccination did give you some immunity
*You are far less contagious to others and should not worry too much, but should act as though you were for safety and commen sense courtessy, and tell people you have seen that your child has it but was vaccinated in the past so that they can relay that info to their Dr
*If a child 4 or more has been subjected to an infected person, and has not received the booster vaccination (usually given between the ages of 4-6) they should tell their Dr and see if they can get the booster vaccination right away. (we will be doing that for Patrick)
*Calamine lotion now also has some benedryl to it if you are will ing to pay almost twice as much, but even for bug bites, which I now have plenty of, the Caladryl is so nice. It even comes in clear now, but I went old school and got us all pink. Now we smell divine and look like chalkie clay people!
*Aveno has great oatmeal baths to sooth the scratchies that are baby sensitive
*we had a newborn at the camp out and it is likely that her immune system from her mother is still in effect for the first 5-6 months so being exposed is something to watch out for but not be terryfied of, hopefully she will be fine.
whew. What a ride. Riley calls them Ticken Pops which almost makes more sense since the pustules just "pop" up and you play a tick-tock waiting game to see what will happen....I like her style!.
So, here we go, Ticken Pops or Bites, we will hang low and practice potty training for a few days. After the rush of camp, laying low may be VERY good for us anyway. I will have pictures from camp soon.
August 10 Say WHat?!?!?Went to the Dr today. A friend had volunteered to take the kids but I was so late getting out the door I had no time to even stop to drop them off. We all go in, the poor office is so small, I had to bribe the munchkins with cookies for good behavior...hey man bribery can be your best friend at times! Any way, they were checking my blood pressure. I have had a cough since I was put on this blood pressure medicine a few months ago and after 4 months I have had it! SO they check it and low and behold, even with the added stress of the camping escapade tomorrow and the kids in the office with me, and evrything, amazingly it is normal. I ask the Dr if instead of new medicine we can wait and see how we are doing and he agrees, whew. See, loose a few pounds (in sweat but who cares) and eat a bit better and you too can see if you can drop your Blood Pressure meds! WHoo hoo! (obviously check with your Dr first)
Any way he was saying, "well, check your BP a few times throughout the day and record it at different times of the day once a day for a month and then come back and we will see where we are...now if your kids do something that strsses you out..." right as he said that Patrick knocked over a lamp and Riley fell off a chair. God Bless them, there went the cookies deal we had bartered...but he was like, "Well, if you need the BP medicine till we get them to kindergarten, I understand that too" ha ha ha.
After he wrote me a prescription for a BP cuff to take my readings, my son says as polite as can be, "Um, excuse me, Doctor?" Dr. Fader replied very calmly but I could tell he was a little scared of whatever the question migt be...so Patrick put him out of his misery with this doozy, "How is that little piece of paper gonna help my Mommy's blood pressure get better?" Aw. See he was paying attention! Cookies back on! The Dr looked genuinely surprised like he was encountering an alien and looked at me for help so I said, "Well, the paper is like a recipe card. You know how when Mommy likes to cook, I need a recipe with directions to follow? It is like those directions.. it tells me what to do. It is also kinda like when Daddy puts something together and he follows the directions sheet." that made sense to him and out the door we went.
In the car Patrick calmly says, "Mommy, when you are following your directions, you better try not to say God Damnit like Daddy does, ok?"
Say what??? See, kids say the darndest things! August 08 My Kid's Got PeepsMy boy says some amazing things. I know that all parents think that, and they are all right, our kids say and do amazing things.
You will notice that several pictures on my blog involve Patrick and specific friends over and over. He has a very smart network of friends and the kid is 4 yeard old for crying out loud! We have been spending a lot of time with a set of twins, John & Katherine, and they are slightly older than Patrick. Patrick will tell you John is his "new" best friend even though he has known him for his whole life. Riley will tell you that Katherine is her best friend, period. We were at the dinner table th other day, when they were professing their love of the twins when Patrick looked at me and said, "Wow mom, John is my best friend, and Katherine is Riley's best friend and they are brother and sister and we are brother and sister. I guess that's pretty darn convenient, huh?" Where do they get this stuff? WHat a riot.
This weekend is our annual camp out and am busy planning away and plotting away and cramming away and cleaning, setting up, etc. The Camp Out is the high light of every summer. I cannot wait. It is themed with Dora and Diego (a little something for everyone) and the crafts and all are very cute. Riley can REALLY participate this year which I am really looking forward to, but I am worried too because lately she will only go to sleep in hr own crib! Yikes! Not a good sign, but hey we are not far from home....ha ha ha...so I can always sneak her to bed.
Getting ready for Pre School, signing up for Churh Catechism and such, you know, August's rigamorole. It is a crazy time of year...I guess they all are. Luckily, Patrick will be in the same class as John and Katherine and Riley will be in the baby class. That is right, I get to attend Mass, my kids get some instruction and friend time, and no one goes crazy in the baby cry room! Win win! Planning well, no substitute. This year is all set, seriously. Crazy huh? Next year will be harder though, with Patrick headed to Kindergarten Fall '08 and Riley to Pre School. This year, I will still have Riley here with me. She is on a wait list for a pre school for like an hour or two a week to see how she likes it; but when we talked abut it, did she want to go, etc., she said, "Oh no, I want stay with you!" well I only get this year to indulge that, so I will! There, just saved a couple hundred bucks...Child care is crazy expensive. If my nerves were nt shot I swear I would run a pre school myself!
OK, that is it for today....off to plot away...making prototypes of friendship bracelets, painting crafts, and tee shirts for the camp out! Oy! I am one busy Mama! It is my modesty that knocks you down, huh? Camp Pierson Rides The Ducks! Yes, Party People, The toddlers, their Mommies, and I, the fearless Mommy - turned - Camp Counselor, braved a truly FUN Seattle tourist attraction last Monday. 22 of us got our rain gear and bathing suits out as the weather was all over the place and hit the WWII tour busses that become boats that tour the city, spreading cheer, good disco music and happy times from highway to waterway! We rode through the city, toured Seattle's attractions from Downtown to Freemont and rode through the water to see Gassworks park and the famous Seattle floating homes! What a blast! The kids had a riot of a time riding a bus without car seats (for shame I know, but that is the way it is on these tours!) and we were silly tourists as a conclusion to our transportation week at Camp Pierson! Here are some of the pictures of the day, they were all so fun and precious!
Then we hit the water. The kids were glued to the windows which were all open holes really, watching as the bus drove into the water. They asked some great questions...what happens to the tires? (they rotate and stay where they are, btw...and when the bus is on land, as it drives, the rudder stays where it is and turns as well) and why do the sides get so got (WWII vehicles not known for quality emissions and the engine sets off a LOT of heat - hey it is working hard!) Here are some of the fantastic views even though it was a gray rainy Seattle Morning:
After the ride, we had lunch at the Seattle Center....what a riot! The kids set up tables and ate like they were adults while the Mommies bussed around. Then we headed to the International Fountain for some water play (though still gray, it was warm, so the water was nice and fun) and then we dried off on some grass running and singing before calling it a day! Whew! What a fun outing! Here are some of the pictures from our play time:
Then to the Fountain! CHARGE!
OK, there you have it, a full day at Camp Pierson! Feel like you were there? I bet you do! See you next time, only a few more "camp" days to go Summer has gone SO fast! August 07 Camp Pierson Takes It On The RoadThe unit the past two weeks was transportation. We studied cars, trucks, planes, trains, bikes, anything that moved. At my house last week I set up several centers all over the house. Train centers in the play room and by the bay window, car centers by the fireplace, an activity center on the kitchen table and outside was a true obstacle course. It was way cool! Here are the center signs I worked so hard on....gotta show off the art man....
Even the little bitties got in the action in the cars I set up: Last it was time for art work on my garage and what we did was pick out several cars from our collection with cool treads and then dip them in paint and use them instead of brushes, It is called "Tire Painting" and it turned out pretty cool! Here are the artists:
VERY cool day! The field trip was to the DUCKS and we did that yesterday. My computer was down so it took me a while to get these posted. I will dedicate a post to that day, it was a BLAST! Riding old WWII cars that turned into boats through the bay was a blast and if you are ever in Seattle it is NOT to be missed.... Bye for now from Camp Pierson! Summer On, Dude, Summer On!
August 06 Dentist & Lake Washington = FULL Day!The kids went to the dentist last week. Patrick is only 4 and has been grinding his teeth SO badly that I have quite literally pried his mouth open because it sounds like he is chomping on broken glass. It is horrible! What does a 4 year old have to be that stressed about anyway? The Dentist said that a lot of kids go through that, it is nothing to worry about, his bite looks fine and bite guards at his age are pointless because they just spit them out and then you have paid $250 or more for something that sits on their pillow. I asked about trying a pacifier again and the dentist agreed that the step backward was not worth it nor do I think Patrick would take one anyway. Urgh. He has not done it in a few nights now,so that is good, but man it sounds awful when he does! Riley did awesome and everyone was SURE she was 3 already. "Nope she is just 2" I would reply and they would say, no way or uh uh, or cant be to which I would say, "Wait, you are arguing with me? You do know I was there when she was born, right?" ha ha ha. She just did so well! Patrick's little mouth was too small to get an X-Ray but Riley got her little x-ray done no prob....I guess girls DO have bigger mouths! Uh oh, I am gonna catch heat for that one! Here they are:
Riley would NOT lay back, so they had to do the work sitting up, check it out:
Then we went to the lake for some fun in the sun with Katherine and John....Patrick enjoyed his freedom rock climbing while I had a heart attack. You see, he is VERY cautious, but all the other kids were doing this crazy stunt climbing these wet jagged rocks and he was SURE he could do it. I was worried and said no, but I watched him be careful and decided to let him try on the smaller ones if he was careful. You cant let nothing happen, then they don't experience anything. He LOVED his independence and did SO well! I was actually proud and terrified, good emotional haul for a 4 year old!
What a stud! Fun summer continues! Riley, by the way, was not in a water mood after the dentist. She stayed in my arms, hence the no pictures at the lake. Afterward she was happy to go to Costco for a hot dog and some slushy with her buddies!
OK bye from the Summer Days Daze... August 03 Tough DaysWe all have them. Today was NOT my day. Dr appointments in the morning that did not go right, then the kids went insane all day...you know how it goes. Sometimes you just want to shout, "WHY did I go to college for this!?!?!?!?!" Not that going to college has ANYTHING to do with anything, it just sometimes seems like you went WAY off track and you have these little beings as proof. But then there are days, and thankfully I have chronicled many of them here, where I am sure they are my Magnum Opus, so it is all good in the end....
After the Dr appointment this morning; where I had my oil changed and tires rotated, code for girlie stuff; I came home to kids climbing the walls. Called a friend, set up a play date, was assigned some stuff to get from the store and dutifully went as I had prescriptions to fill anyway. While there, on my way out....so close to escape....the girl made that face. EVERY Mom knows that face, the face that says, "look out I am gonna hurl" and I asked for help. The poor checker who could not have been a day over 20 looked at me like she was bored out of her skull and not pleased that she was going to have to answer another boring question like where the toilet paper was, looked at me with appathy that slowly turned into horror as in front of her eyes my daughter turned into the exorcist. All I said was "Help" again and the boy was holding up some stupid movie like "Night Of The Dead Part 43" talking about how it had mummies on it or something when Riley leaned forward, then backward and forward again only to hurl like she was a sorority girl on spring break. She was not messing around. All I could do was look at the horror struck 20 something and say, "I guess I will buy that too" refering to the movie Patrick was holding that was now dripping with Riley's mystery illness. Yuck. Luckily, while young , she had a sense of humor and didnot hold me to that. Still... no play date. drove my groceries over, because I am a good friend and other people were there waiting for lunch. Then home. But she was not sick again. She was in limbo, that not sick but not well sorta crazy place. The rest of the day was spent hearding these two toddlers like cats, no one wanted to sleep or play, but no one would stop pesterring either. It was gruelling.
Now they are asleep...wait Riley is now crying....again....see, they dont always talk about days like this, but they are here....worth it still, but when you are in them, it is SO hard not to just look around and ask, "What were we all thinking?"
Well, they are cute....smart...funny...sneaky...heartwarming and yes, talented (even when they hurl they have style!) and who knows...maybe today it was my turn to be a public service announcement for the 20 somethings in the store who were horrified at the sight of the wee one loosing her cookies. That is me, the public service announcement. Ha ha ha. Well, look on the bright side, tomorrow is another day and my washing machine works, so I have that going for me! Oh yes, and my hubby, who is now taking care of the crying baby....poor guy.... |
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