Another year in review.

I'm feeling very When Harry Met Sally. I'm going to be turning 34 in 2007, that might as well be 40. 34. When did that happen? I truly do not feel much different than when I was say, 24, 14, yes, 4 yes. 34.

The antibiotics have kicked in with R and I ended up putting C on a dose as well. We were able to go to the Y for some swimming today, which was really fun. We haven't been in a long time, with me coaching and soccer, etc. We need to go more often. We will.

The last year has been pretty good. Things in Married Land are going swimmingly, we're still quite happy, heading into our 7th anniversary. Do you get the seven year itch after being married 7 years, or is it together 7 years? We've been together 9, so I'm hoping it's the latter and that we're now in the "safe" zone.

I have to say R and C are truly amazing girls. R is quite serious and likes to organize. She's a cleaner, she's responsible, she's a snuggler, she's a hugger, she wants to be with me or her Daddy whenever she can. C is a free spirit, she's positively hysterical, she can entertain herself for hours, she's independent, she's a leader, she adores her sister, she has boundless energy.

It's funny people said that I'd be happy that I had them 18 months apart, but I didn't believe them. They are truly best friends. Everyday I'm amazed at their bond, they play so well, they look out for one another, they also cover for each other. They still have their few disagreements, but I'm blessed, they are wonderful.

Today we three Parker girls were snuggling in bed, and I felt so lucky, so very lucky. They were giggling and there was some thumb sucking, and I was reflecting on the last 12 months. R played soccer for the first time. C followed 6 months later. R and C both found new friends, R started pre-school. C became fully potty trained and gave up her paci, R still visits our bed at night, but it's becoming less and less, and truly, when she stops, I will miss her warm snuggles. Both learned how to ride bikes with training wheels. R started to choose her own outfits. They both gave up Mommy's "bows". They shared a week at Disney World. They lost their only Grampy, they are none the wiser, but I feel sad for them. R can dive from the starting block, C can swim all by herself. C got her Tinkerbelle bedroom, she also got her ponyride for her birthday. R can write her name, C can recognize hers.

I can't possibly come up with all the amazing things that they've done throughout 2006, and I can only imagine what 2007 will bring. Kindergarten for R...pre-school for C.......sadness for me. I miss them already. Sleep tight sweet girls, see you next year.

Poor R.

So R has officially had her first dose of antibiotics.

Poor kid. She has had a cold for about a week and a half, both of them actually. Really snotty, coughs, major yucky. With the holidays and all of the excitement she's just sort of flown under the radar. Until last night that is.

She'd been taking cough and cold meds, ,but she woke up last night around 10:15 (conveniently 15 minutes after urgent care closed) screaming, crying, and pulling her ear. I immediately knew what was wrong. So the FI Suit had just come home, and off R and I went to the emergency room. Fun times.

Arrived at the ER at 10:30, checked in, waited to be seen in triage. Got seen in triage at 11:30, put into a room in the ER and waited.....and waited......and waited. I was getting so pissed. No one looked in the poor kids ear, and she's crying and crying and crying. I KNOW THEY CAN HEAR HER! Nothing. I keep asking when anyone will see her, they are vague. Finally at 12:30 I said, "You know what we're leaving this is ridiculous, she just needs antibiotics". The woman at the desk says, "Oh wait let me get your nurse (who we have yet to see). She comes in says, "Let me check with the doctor, and see if he'll move you up.". Comes back. No he's not moving us up. There were 5 people ahead of us, and she really suggests that we wait. I said, "Uh yeah that could be another 2 hours." Bitch says, "Or 3". Nice, huh?

Really caring for the little 4 year old crying in the ER , really compassionate. So I was absolutely fuming. I did what I should have done all along. Called my sister at 12:30 PM, woke her up, and made the 45 minute trip to get seen by a doctor. So Jenn was really sweet, came out to the car, brought her otoscope out looked in her ear, and said "Yep, Mommy was right you have an ear infection". Then she handed us a bag of antibiotic samples and off we went.

So the moral of the story, at 10:30 I should have called Dr. Jenn, driven 45 minutes, picked up the antibiotics, and been home by 12:00. What time did we get home? 2:00 AM.

Always call your sister the Doctor before trying to not to be a mooch and go it alone, that's the moral folks.

We've managed to escape any prescription meds for the kids for almost 5 years, that's pretty good, why do I think the prescription medication floodgates have just been opened and we're about to start drowning?

I'll give a Christmas/Party synopsis later.

411

Hi, It's me Danyelle.
Can you help me?
Great, thanks.
Um a relative sent two $25.00 Target Cards to Frick and Frack yesterday, and I cannot find them.
Yes, I've looked everywhere.
Yes, the FI Suit even emptied two bags of trash looking.
Yes, we did find the envelope they came in.
Yes, we looked in all the obvious places.
Yes, we even enlisted the help of Frick and Frack hoping they were behind the disappearance.
Nope, nothing.
Frack was very helpful, but that was only because she knew a shopping spree was on the other end.
I know, we really can't find them.
Yes, we did look in the stockings.
Yep, in tree too.
Even the freezer, and the fridge.
Yes, I even emptied all my "bins" searching.
Nope, still nothing.
Really, you have no more suggestions?
Wow, some information....OK, I'm going to return to ripping my hair out because this is the kind of stuff that will drive me CRAZY!

Ok, Ok.

The ceiling:

The new light that I love:


And lastly the disarray I call my dining room:


I do believe he'll always be the FI Suit, however. Love him dearly, but FI. ;)

Good shape.

So R's school party went very well, the other Room Mom that was supposed to help with the party was MIA as her hubby surprised her with a holiday cruise! So I was flying solo. I had to bring cupcakes and pizza. I was informed by R's teacher that the kids never eat the cupcakes, but these were extraordinary, and teachers and kids from other classes were coming in to sample! The FI Suit sure can make a mean cupcake. The highlight of the party was C was asked to stay for the movie and playground time! I left her for about 90 minutes with the 4K class, and to say she was thrilled would be an understatement. I swear that was better to her than any Christmas present. A few kids were missing (cruising), and C immediately filled in an empty seat and snuck (spell check says this isn't a word, I think it should be, I'm writing Webster's) right in in for cupcakes, juice boxes, and pizza. Guess I won't have any trouble sending her to school next year.

I have to say I'm not one to get sappy, but I feel so lucky to have found this school. The teachers are wonderful, and the whole place is just amazing. There are only 4 classes, each with 10 kids, so it's small. Everyone knows everyone. I gave the director, helper, and R's teacher a little gift bag on Thursday before the program (early because I knew I couldn't carry all that stuff and the party stuff on Tuesday) and all three were so appreciative. R got three personal handwritten thank you notes in her going home bag on Tuesday! Isn't that crazy? All three women also made it a point to personally thank me and it wasn't generic they commented on each item in the bag. I felt so good, but at the same time I have to wonder do other parents not do little gifts? I really didn't see too many little gift bags when I left, so I can only speculate, but I hope they are treated well, they are truly wonderful women. C will go to this same school for 2 years, so I just feel so fortunate!

Ok enough sappiness.

Christmas Eve is shaping up to be awesome. About 30 people, I'm psyched. I've done all of my baking, made caramel corn, pretty much finished shopping, wrapped all the gifts, sent all the little gifts to the FI Suit's unappreciative work, and gotten started cleaning. Most of the stuff I need to do now has to wait. We've also had a Christmas Day change of plans, originally my sister was not coming Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but they've had a change of heart, so now we're traveling to her house Christmas Day with our beef tenderloin roast. The kids will have a blast, I'm sure.

Well I have about 20 magazines to read because I'm cleaning off my end tables to make room for alcoholic beverages on Christmas Eve!

If I don't have a chance, Merry Christmas! Hope Santa is good to you. :)

PTL.

R had her Christmas Pagent tonight at school. I can safely say I don't think that she will ever be a Vegas show girl, which really isn't a bad thing at all. She did not cry or flee from the stage, nor did she enjoy one part of the program. She did, however, greatly enjoy the trip to Fuddrucker's after to celebrate her singing debut.

And my personal favorite. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!


By the way......how about throwing out a comment here and there....I know you're reading...I can see you.

Imelda Marcos

So I'm living with Imelda Marcos. R has about 30 pairs of shoes/flip flops/sneakers. I realize this is absurd, but for the most part they are given to us by our neighbor. Well R has decided that shoes do not belong in her closet on the shoe rack, but they should be lined up on her empty wall space. I so should have taken a picture, but I didn't. Any hoo.......this line up of shoes reminds me of the play room toy line up last year, all neatly arranged ready for take off.

Now R is a bit of a neat freak some times, hence the line up, but like me the neat freak stuff comes and goes. I have been barely able to open her bedroom door for a few weeks (since she decided the closet wasn't worthy of her shoe collection), because there is a "line" right in the door path. Well today I decided I was done, SHOE PURGE USA.

Oh she's going to be so pissed! I got rid of about 10-12 pairs that she does not wear and the rest are in her closet on the rack. She had decided her closet was her clubhouse and was using her laundry basket for books, (the toy box in her room was suddenly filled with dirty clothes) and she had all her "stuff" in there, with little notes taped on the walls, etc. Gone, gone, gone.

Do you remember when your Mom would do this as a kid? I remember being happy at first coming home from school to find my room in order, but then you started looking for "things" that were missing....well at about 2:30 today that will be R.

All cheapo birthday party favors-purged.
All McDonald's happy meal toys-purged.
All random accessories-purged.

Listen closely you just might hear the screaming.

Have I told you

That C call's ornament hangers "hookers"? Like, "Mommy Santa needs a hooker." How funny is that? She asked the FI Suit what his favorite "hooker" was. Guess that'd be me, right?

Swim team ends this Thursday with an end of the season meet, of course I have to rush out and try to be at R's school program. It never fails that these things fall on the same night. So frustrating. I feel bad leaving the meet, but my normal schedule is until 5:30, and I just can't stay and risk missing my little girls singing debut! Sorry kids. Speaking of the kids, a little boy gave me a handmade card and homemade cookies today, so cute! Also another gave me a box of Russell Stover chocolates....guess who got a fun practice today? Chocolate bribery is such a good tool.

Let's see what else, nothing really. I need to get list making for my big Christmas Eve party, I'm not getting many RSVP's, which does not mean people aren't coming, it just means they can't read or that they don't know what RSVP means. Duh.

Here's a funny Mom story, her water bill was really high this month, so she figured out that her toilets have a "silent flush" ie, sucking water silently costing her big bucks. Well she went to Wally World to buy new "guts" for the toilets and she was asking the gentleman in the hardware department about the pros and cons of certain models, etc, and then she says "Will I be able to do this on my own?" His reply, "Well sure, but why not just get one of the guys from the Church to come do it?"

Ahhh......The Southland.......funny church assumers. It was a nice sentiment, but oh well.....she did it herself.

I know, I know.

I create a new blog and then I neglect it, but you expected that, right? We're fighting a very odd virus in the Parker House these days. Miss C had the the R sickness from Thanksgiving last Monday, then acted fine Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all day, only to puke once each night between the hours of 10 PM and 1 AM. Odd you say? Yes, me too. Well we thought that her random pukes were from coughing and that she had "practiced" puking so well on Monday that it became a natural reflex...that's at least what Doctor Mommy had decided......

Appears I was wrong...very wrong.

Fast forward to Monday, when we had been in a puke free household for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. R wakes up at 10:30 PM and pukes her guts out. Made it to the bathroom, bless her heart (said the washing machine). Then she slept with us all night and was seemingly fine. Tuesday morning (school day) she was blah and I decided not to send her to school, however she got wind of this and suddenly was "fine, fine, fine". So she appeared fine, ate a bagel and off she went to infect the masses.

Picked her up Tuesday from school, fine mood, no worries, then I opened her lunch bag, she ate nothing. Nada, zippo. So I asked her if she was sick, "No, Claudia brought in donuts". Ok, that was odd, but I "guessed" that was the reason. The girls were slated to sleep over at my Mom's house so the FI Suit and I could wrap presents, so we headed that way and I told my Mom what was going on, etc. She wasn't worried, and I told her I'd call after practice. So I called, and all was well, and they wanted to sleep over. Fine.

Well this morning the FI Suit called my Mom to pick up the girls and yep, R puked last night around 11 PM, in Mammy's bed, all over Mammy (getting her back for the chili incident last week). So all day today R acted fine, she ate minimal little soup here and there, but in general mood fine. She's in bed tonight snuggling with "the bucket" and I've given her instructions on steps to take to avoid puking all over the bed....I'm hopeful. She did say she "thought she'd get sick tonight". That isn't giving me a warm fuzzy feeling.

My stomach has felt like crapola since dinner.......I really hope I'm not getting the "Mystery puke between 10 PM and 1AM Once a Day Sickness". Man that would suck.

Oh well, the presents are wrapped.

This blog site rocks by the way...SPELL CHECK! Woohoo...do you like my country song? It's totally R....swearing woman that she it. :)

Coupon Humor

The folks at Proctor and Gamble are so funny!Anyone else see the humor in linking these two products?

I especially like the "cha, cha, cha" thought because that's what I'm thinking as I run to the bathroom after my first morning cup of Folgers.

Happy Sunday to you, too.