Random Thoughts and Patterns

This entry is random notes and entries. No order of thought so ignore the chaos and read!!

1. The baby sprinkle was a great success. There were about 20 people at the house and the mom-to-be was radiant. There was a lot of last minute prep and I was stressed to the max. Why do I always put myself through all that? Michelle received a lot of neat gifts including a gift card for "Baby's first Happy Meal". For my friends in Cookeville, they can guess who's gift included that. It was great.

2. I am so friggin' tired. You know when you run nine to nothing for several days in a row how exhausted you get? I was supposed to go to O'Charleys and have appetizers with some friends of mine. This would have been followed by the Sex and the City movie. I so want to go and I know I am going to miss out on a lot of fun with that group of girls. Oh well, I guess I will have to wait and see the movie on Tuesday with my other fun group of girls. What am I saying, all my groups of girls are fun....that is part of the reason why I like to hang out with them.

3. Last but not least....LOST season finale was last night and I missed. I guess I could have went upstairs to watch it during the party but people may have gotten mad. Ya think!!?? I did have a co-hostess of the sprinkle....she could have handled everything!! But seriously, I got up extra early this morning to watch the first half of it on abc.com. Is that pathetic or what?? I still have the second half to go. I cannot wait until the kids are in bed so I can watch it. HEY, don't judge me.....a girl has to have priorities.

GUESS WHAT......IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!

The Sprinkle and the Season Finale of Lost

Tonight is the day for my baby "Sprinkle" I am giving for my friend, Michelle. This is a quasi-baby shower for a second child. I know some people think you should not give showers for 2nd children but I think all children should be celebrated. It is quite a momentous event. I am a little nervous and hope everything goes off without a hitch. I have split the responsibilities with my friend Cheryl which is not like me to do. Kind of a control freak!! I am expecting 20+ women at my home!! Luckily, they are all people I know and am comfortable with so everything should be just fine. The housekeeper is coming today so at least I do not have to worry about cleaning!

HOWEVER.......with all good things there is a caveat. This is the season finale of LOST and I am a huge fan. Why does this have to happen!!

I Need A Barley Sandwich

This is our code-phrase at work when we have had a really crappy day! Strangely enough, this phrase has been used a lot over the past two days. S0 we are already stressed after just two days of work. That is never a good sign! It is not that any of us hate our jobs or career choices..I truly feel all of us love our jobs, it is not "just a place to go and make money." This is especially a good thing for our patients. I think they receive some of the best care around and they know it!
The barley sandwich is in reference to a humongous, ice cold, tall one.....if you know what I mean. Our patient load has been exceptional trying and we are all just tired! I think it is more mentally tired than physical. I don't know about anyone else but the mental tired makes me crash more than the physical.
OK, I am finished venting. You won't read much bitching on my blog because generally..I am in a good mood. I am sure if my husband read that he would vehemently disagree! OK, OK...I am generally in a good mood around my friends....How's that!

Chaos With Intervals of Lucidity

Although kids have their moments of chaos, it is often followed by intervals of lucidity. This makes everything alright and levels the playing field. It started this morning when I woke up feeling absolutely horrible. Marshall got up at 6:30. Normally, Marshall is a whiney little thing in the morning...that is, until he eats! But this morning his Spidey Sense must have been going off. He did not eat for almost 2 hours and entertained himself while I laid around wishing I would just throw up and get it over with! I just think he knew mom was in a bad way!!
He woke Michael up at 8:30 and I informed big brother how I was feeling as I crawled into bed. Michael asked me what was wrong and I told him I was feeling sick at my stomach. He jumped out of bed and ran down the steps at 725 mph! I heard him in the kitchen and then running back up the steps. He had gone to get me a plastic bag.....in case I did actually get sick!! How thoughtful is that. He then brings his brother down stairs and gets a banana for both of them. I made Marshall some oatmeal and Michael made himself a bowl of cereal. He noticed the trashcan under the sink was full when he threw away the banana peels. He then proceeded to take out the trash and even put in a new trash bag! Who was this body snatcher!!
Kids continue to amaze me. They can be so egocentric most of the time then turn around and be so nurturing and caring......it brings tears to my eyes. Have I told you how wonderful my children are lately??

Happy-Sad Day

Today is a Happy-Sad today. This is the last day of school for Michael. I cannot believe that after today he is officially a 3rd grader. Where does the time go?? I remember him starting Kindergarten like it was a month ago. My friend Christie was right....once they start school, time triples in speed. She has a daughter that graduated high school last week, so she should know.

For those of you that do not have kids in school yet, BEWARE. Things are different from when we went to school. I went to a private school in Nashville (Franklin Road Academy) and felt like I received an advanced education. However, compared to my son....public school, 2nd grade....I had no idea how fast kids are learning now. My goal is to keep up with what he is learning as he goes...that way when he reaches my plateau (granted I have a college degree) I can still help him. In math, he has learned 3 digit addition/subtraction including 'borrowing' in subtraction. By the way...it is no longer called borrowing....it is called re-grouping!! Whatever?!?!? He has also learned his multiplication tables of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10. English consisted of ownership, punctuation (not just at the end of sentences but commas and apostrophes), capitalization, verbs, nouns and adverbs. Science class included buoyancy principles, the mechanics of pulleys, and states of matter. Spelling was the most advanced I have ever seen. His lists included words like throughout, petroglyph, naughty, daughter. I did not spell words like this until maybe fourth or fifth grade and what the hell is petroglyph, anyway!!!!! I feel dumber by the minute. I am happy to say Michael finished with 4 A's an 2 B's. This included a 100 average in spelling. That a boy!!!!

The Pseudo-Nickname

This day started out as normal as any other day. That is until 8:45 a.m. when my cell phone rang. The I.D. stated "**the school my son goes to." I answered it begrudgingly...it is the school nurse. She told me Michael had been feeling sick at his stomach and was not able to make it to the bathroom. He threw up all over the classroom floor. Apparently, the volume of the "throw up" was sooooo much....they evacuated the kids outside to read until the janitor could get it cleaned up. Please Lord, do not let some crazy nickname be attached to this incident that will stick with him until graduation. Vomit-man, Pukeboy, SplatMaster!!!! You get the point!

**NOTE: That is obviously not the name of my son's school. However, due to all the sickos out there....you never know who is tracking your every move.....God Bless America!!

Pajama Day Was Today!!!

Oh, how I love this holiday. About one day a month I designate Pajama Day. If you do not have this family holiday....you need to adopt it. For those of you that do not know what this day is I will say, "I am sorry." This is a day where everyone stays in their pajamas (hence, the title). There are rules...of course...always rules to ruin everything.

1. You are allowed to bathe but in order to maintain the order of the holiday....you have to put some type of pajamas back on.
2. This has to occur impromptu....decided the morning of....no planning, that is cheating.
3. You are not allowed to do any type of work. Pajamas::Relaxing (Sorry SAT flashback)

I implore anyone who has never experienced this holiday to do so. Please do not say....
"I have too much to do for this type of holiday!" Believe me, I do to. I work full time and have two children. Sometimes you have to let things go and live in the moment. You will thank me one day if you try it. Good Luck!!

Cookeville Mommies

I took my kids to the park today and had a glorious time. This is a small park with a few swings and two separate wooden play areas. One is for bigger kids and one is for smaller toddlers. It is behind a church in Cookeville. It has two wonderful features: 1. It is completely fenced in, 2. There is hardly ever anyone there. It is like your own private Idaho! Marshall actually did very well and Michael had a friend to keep him company. While I was there, a couple of moms that I did not know arrived with their kids. I started talking to one of them and found out we all had common ground. She was from Gallatin, TN originally and her friend was from Hendersonville, TN. For those of you that don't know....these cities are in the same county and that is where we moved from (Hendersonville) when we came to Cookeville. I really enjoyed the conversation and meeting someone new. We had been there for 2 hours and one of my friends showed up. Her daughter and Marshall are in the same class at daycare. All four of us were sitting under a big, oak tree watching our kids play with each other.

STAY WITH ME....I HAVE A POINT TO THIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another young lady showed up with her son who looked to be close to Marshall's age. I could tell she probably would have loved to join our conversation but I knew we were getting ready to leave. I did not want to start to talk to her and then say...."oh, gotta go!" I hated that. I felt bad that I did not get to speak to her. It is so hard being in a small town and not knowing anyone. Let me tell you.....big towns are much easier to get to know people. Small towns tend to have tighter cliques and they are not interested in adding to their gaggle. I have been fortunate to meet several people that have been very pleasant, friendly and introduced me to many people. However, if not for these special people....I would still be alone in this town and I have been here for 4 years!!!

I know Cookeville is probably not big enough to support a mommies internet group but I wish it had one. I have toyed with the idea of starting one but I don't have the time and I don't know how. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Just something small on-line to get to know other moms. This would most likely be visited by new transplants to the area so they are open to new friendships for themselves and their children. If anyone has any bright ideas, I am open to suggestions.
I guess for now...all of us imported moms will have to continue to survive in a tight-knit town.

Petri Dish

I think I am going to require a HASMAT suit before coming into my home. This virus is spreading throughout the entire family. Who knows, maybe I will single-handedly be responsible for a pandemic in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. Hopefully, not. I do not think that would look good on a resume.
So, as I stated in my last blog, my youngest was very ill. He has now made a complete 180 and I have my old Marshall back! My oldest child is finally better as of this morning. However, my husband is now under the weather. No appetite, sinus gunk, etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my immune system is one kick ass machine. As all mothers know, when Mom is sick...no one caters to her and the household ceases to run at full capacity.
I just want a good night of sleep at this point. I really do not think that is too much to ask for. Since Marshall has been sick with a ridiculous temperature, I slept in his room on a fold out couch thingy made of foam. It is for kids...picture that blue Pottery Barn couch. It works good in a pinch but nothing can replace a Stearns and Foster, if you know what I mean.

Double Whammy

Well, it has finally happened. Both of my children are sick at the same time. Here is the breakdown of my family ailments:
My baby has had a fever for 3 days that the antibiotic has not touched. We went back to the M.D. today in an attempt to figure out what is going on with him. The doctor is stumped. Make no mistake....I trust my doctor but he cannot know everything.....he is human. We are supposed to go back tomorrow for another CBC (blood check). If the counts are the same or less, no worries. If the counts are higher...the will admit him to the hospital to do a complete blood culture, x-ray, etc. If anyone reads this, please pray for the little guy. Marshall can be such a 'spirited' little turd but I love him so much and I want my old Marshall back.

My oldest child has some random fever averaging 101.5. This is accompanied by off/on nausea and diarrhea. He is talkative but tired with little to no appetite. As everyone knows, having a sick child is the pits no matter what. The difference, my oldest can verbalize what ails him. My baby cannot.
I hate that I have not made a post for 6 days and when I do it is all negative. I guess with the good you have to take the bad. All and all, I have had incredible luck with my children and their health. Make no mistake, I am not a bit frustrated by this recent turn of events. Worried sick sums up how I feel at this point.

Throw Some Dirt on It

Dirt cures all that bores you. This would be your mantra if you were a boy or at the very least my youngest child. Marshall is a boy's boy. If I knew the authorities would not get called, I could put him in the back yard 24/7 and he would be happy as a clam. (How happy is that, exactly?) So, Sunday I decided to try and plant some flowers in the pots on the patio. To keep Marshall occupied...I gave him a spade, pot of dirt, and a Tonka dump truck. He proceeded to dig all the dirt out of the pot and put it in the dump truck. After he was finished he took the plastic pot, put it on his head, and just sat there for a few seconds. He was covered in dirt and was so cute. He then helped me water my flowers followed by trying to rinse his dirt covered hands in the water that was running out of the bottom of the pots. It was a mess but he had a ball. I totally stripped him down before coming into the house. This did not bother him either. Did I mention how much he like to be naked? Total bliss for him would be naked AND outside 24/7. Have you ever seen a blissful 20 month old? If not, please refer to the following picture. Don't worry, it is the clothed version!

The Victory and the E.R. Visit

I will start off by saying, LISTENING WORKS!! Michael's team finally won a baseball game. Well, the word 'won' is a slight understatement. I do believe 'spanked' would be a more appropriate description. The final score was 21-4. How excited those little guys must have been to come out of a game victorious!! In all honesty, I don't think they care as long as they get their free hot dog at the end of the game. You can't blame them....a man has got to have priorities.
There is just one glitch to this fairy tale ending. You always have to include the character in the story that did not listen and the lesson he/she learned 'the hard way'.
Mike (husband/coach) had been yelling at this one young man who was playing right field to 'pay attention'! What did this little guy do.....not pay attention! Well, this type of behavior is well and good when you are in the outfield but in the infield with bats flying....you may want to keep your eyes peeled and listen to the adults. Visualize the following scenario if you can.......

LESSON LEARNED THE HARD WAY: The batter hit the ball, dropped the bat, and started to run. The next man to hit is in the on deck circle, swinging the bat in order to warm up (this is my child by the way). The kid who has not been listening decides he wants to get the bat the guy just dropped despite the dugout mom telling everyone to stay seated until it is their turn to hit. Hence, the non-listening child gets creamed in the mouth with a warm up swing from my son who did not know this kid was coming up on him. Parents are running out on the field, blood everywhere. You get the idea. I do know that no teeth were found on the field. That is definitely a plus. The child was rushed to the ER and 6 stitches in the lip later, he is OK.