Sweet Sunday Stuff

So I know what you're going to say. "WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU BEEN? DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE SAME POST ON YOUR BLOG? GEEZ!"

I know, I know, I apologize. I have been very busy. Busy living life, busy loving my 3 men, busy training a new puppy, busy spoiling a new rescue dog, busy gardening and swimming and cooking and having water fights and eating popsicles and all that other wonderful summer stuff. For those of you who saw my last post (yes it was over a year ago, I said I'm sorry!), you know Alex was going in for surgery. His surgery was a resounding success and though he still has to have asthma medicine and rescue meds every once in a while, the difference has been amazing. The majority of the time he is your typical fun, energetic 5 year old, trying everything he can think of to get out of going to bed. Stephen is growing and it is hard to believe only 3 years ago he was a tiny newborn. He talks my ear off and makes stunning statements every day that leave me thinking "how do you know that already? how did you figure that out? You're 3!"

I can't wait to fill you in on our new dogs, Shade and Popper (pictures coming soon!), and I'll give everyone the rundown soon. For now, just know that I've missed you all and I look forward to writing much more often!

Merry Go Round, I Hate You

When it comes to my oldest son's medical issues, I feel like I'm on the worlds most awful merry go round, and I want to get off. More than that, I want to be able to get HIM off the d*mn thing too. He's been through too much. He's been stuck and x-rayed and examined and iv'd and tested and essentially tortured because no one can seem to help resolve his respiratory/allergy/sinus issues. He has many, MANY days where he is your typical average 4 year old boy.

And then he'll lay down to go to sleep.

It'll start with a cough. Minimal, every couple minutes or so.

It'll stop, I'll think. He'll get his throat clear and he'll fall asleep and everything will be fine.

Then it'll get worse. And worse. And before I can say "Come on Mother Nature, give him a BREAK already!" he'll be sitting up in bed, coughing so hard he's gagging, and gagging so hard he throws up.

Then what happens? Go back up and start from the "he'll lay down to go to sleep" part and repeat continuously. Sometimes these episodes will result in him needing more asthma medicine, more breathing treatments. Sometimes it results in an ER visit when he simply can't stop and he's worn himself out from the constant gagging. ALWAYS it results in me wracking my brain, what did he do today? What did he eat? Was he around a cat? Could it have been the new juice he tried at lunch? What is it? What is it? WHAT IS IT?

Because if I have something I can recognize, I can eliminate it. I can put on my Mommy armor and completely kick the ever loving bejesus out of anything that dares to make my little guy sick. But I don't have one single thing that always causes a problem. I have no "okay yeah, this is what set him off, now we know better." Instead I'm fighting a war with an invisible foe and his sneaky behind is winning so far.

So I ranted and raved all that to tell you this. Next week, my son, my child, my blonde haired, blue eyed angel that I love more than life has to have surgery. AGAIN. They are yanking his tonsils, opening up his sinuses and replacing his ear tubes. He will be in surgery for at least 2 and a half hours and these people expect me to hold it together and not go tearing into that ER to make sure they aren't hurting my son. They expect me to be accepting of the fact that they get to torture him yet again, that he will be in pain for at least a week afterward, and that though this will hopefully help, there are no guarantees. This is a routine surgery, he will be fine and he will recover and he will forget all about it. But please keep him in your thoughts. Pray that the Lord gives him the strength to bounce back quickly and to be brave.

And while you're at it, if you could put in a "please help his mom not kill anyone", that might help too.

Need Recipe Ideas?

The most horrendous knock-down, drag-out fights in your life will usually occur when trying to get your toddler or preschooler to eat the dinners that you slave over each and every day. Ask me how I know.

A friend of mine is tackling not only the eternal Get My Kids To Eat Dinner battle, but she is also making 365 new recipes while doing it. What can I say, I think she can literally channel Martha Stewart sometimes. Minus the insider stock tips of course. So check out My Year of Living in the Cuisinart!, for some great recipes and some hilarious stories on how her kids react too these new dishes!

Sweet Sunday Sidebars

Time to bring back an oldie but goodie folks. The Sunday Sidebars. Ten points of note from my little corner of the universe, a place where chaos reigns supreme.

1. Big excitement on the job front. Hubby got a new position that we're very excited about. It has lots of pros, it definitely has some cons, but it's something we need to do in this economy to keep our family and our way of living safe. I'm so very proud of him!

2. Potty training. At this point Alex is essentially potty trained though he still has an accident every once in a while. He is very big on doing things himself though, and will ask for "Privacy PLEASE!" most of the time. :-)

3. Stephen is smack dab in the middle of the hitting stage. He hits anything and everything when he gets frustrated, even himself. He's not happy when he gets called on it, but he's slowly getting the message that hauling off is not the best way to get what you want.

4. Because I don't have nearly enough on my plate with taking care of a 3 year old and a 1 year old, I'm now training to be a medical transcriptionist. The training will hopefully allow me to work from home, even after the boys start school, so it seemed an ideal fit for me. I haven't studied this much since before I discovered free parties in college. But if I can get through Anatomy and Disease, I can get through anything. (If you'd like to know more about the medical transcription or the school I am training through, please feel free to email me.)

5. For the first time in a long time I have a very good story idea floating around in my head. I haven't started writing anything but set-up notes just yet, but this thing seems to be taking on a life of it's own, and I look forward to seeing where the story takes me.

6. The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful. It's gorgeous here. In the 80's during the day and mild 60's at night. We've become an open window, running outside, popsicle eating family almost overnight. Bring on the boat drinks Jimmy!



7. The swine flu is making its way across the upstate, and I am getting more and more leery of everyone I pass by over the course of the day. This thing is spreading like some kind of fungus on old cheese, and I do NOT want it in my house. Stay away pig flu, you ain't welcome here.

8. We continue on our mission to find out what is causing Alex's chronic congestion and cough. The pulminologist believes he should have his tonsils out as they may be contributing to if not causing the problem. We are on the "we call you 5 times a day and always get a recording" rotation with the ENT these days to try to get him in for a consult. If you have a child with allergies/asthma/chronic cough/chronic drainage/the-doctors-just-have-no-idea, PLEASE contact me. I'd love to hear the things you've tried and why.

9. Yard sales are back! I love yard sales. Already this season I've found tons of clothes and toys for the boys that would have cost me an arm and a leg otherwise. You can find some great deals on toddler toys at yard sales. My next mission to find a water table they can play with outside. Wish me luck.

10. The weight is slowly coming off. Thanks to my continued efforts at the Y, chasing after the boys and a little extra help from SlimQuick, those extra baby pounds are finally coming off. I won't be competing against Valerie Bertinelli in a bikini contest anytime soon, but I'm keeping an eye on her just in case. :-)



So that's it from our little piece of the cosmos. Enjoy your upcoming week and don't forget to giggle with your toddler today!

Swine Flu and Your Child

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple weeks, you're likely to have heard about "Swine Flu" and the massive continent wide panic attack following swiftly at it's heels. So what should we believe? Should you keep your kids home from school just in case? What if there have been reported cases near you? Should we all start wearing masks to the grocery store?

Whoa. Slow down and back up (slowly so as not to run over anyone on the way). Here's the thing. Swine flu is probably not going to come knocking at your door before breakfast tomorrow. I can't tell you if it's going to start spreading like wildfire (excuse the excessively overused cliche) or if it's going to shrivel up and disappear like the Wicked Witch of the West. I'm voting for the latter, but it's best to be prepared regardless. There are some precautions you can take now. And let's face it, pre-planning never hurt anyone (except maybe all those people who bought one of those wearable blankets on TV because they were just convinced it was going to be the next fashion craze).

So some simple precautionary steps to keep your fingers-in-everything, sneeze-in-your-face, what-do-you-mean-I-can't-play-in-the-toilet toddler from picking up any unwanted germs these days:

1. Let'em wash! Make sure your toddler washes their hands before meals, after potty breaks, after coming from outside, and after sharing toys or items with others. Let them squeeze the soap or play in the sink. You can even let them get the whole front of their shirt wet. I won't tell a soul.

2. Push the politeness. Practice being polite with your toddler. "We cover our mouth when we sneeze, just like this." "We cover our mouth when we cough, see?" Toddlers are excellent mimics. Use a puppet, use a book, use Grandma Ruth, whatever works.

3. Carry reinforcements. My personal fave is this little baby - Lysol Healthy Touch Hand Sanitizer Foam. It comes out in a foam, dries quickly and doesn't leave your hands feeling like they belong on the crypt keeper. You can find it in the checkout line at most Wal-Marts, CVS, Walgreens, etc. Make it a habit to foam up whenever you can't wash your hands, or after any particularly germ-filled experience. Did I mention it comes in this super handy small size that fits right in a purse or diaper bag?

4. Go on the defensive. Start thinking like a germ. Did you know for instance that a virus can live on almost any surface for up to two weeks? That means dinner menus at your favorite restaurant, grocery cart handles, the door to the public bathroom, the treadmill at the gym, THE BOTTOM OF YOUR PURSE!! Wipe these items down with sanitizing wipes or foam up after using them.

5. Ramp up bath time. I know, I know. Bath time sucks. It kills your back, your clothes get all wet, etc. It is a well known and documented fact that toddlers are the only ones who actually enjoy toddler bath time. But you're going to have to suffer even more. Make sure your toddler gets a bath every day, or more often if they get into a particularly messy scenario. Consider buying some new bath toys to keep your little angel occupied and your sanity somewhat preserved.

Obviously if your child goes to day care or regular school, make a back up plan in case school is closed. Hopefully things won't get to that point, but one can never be too prepared. Good luck, and happy germ killing everyone!!

Cross 'Em If You Got 'Em

Against all odds, we finally got a day where Alex wasn't running a fever or coughing like crazy that also worked with the doctor's schedule, so he went in and got the booster they suggested earlier today. We also got his test results back on some food allergy tests and the great news is he's not "allergic" to anything per se. He has intolerances to cows milk, eggs and wheat, that can build up and may be contributing to his upper respiratory symptoms. So our job is to basically limit those in his diet for at least a couple months to see what benefits we can get. He has absolutely NO allergies or sensitivities to the dog, the cat, dust mites, pollen, etc. *HAPPY DANCE, HAPPY DANCE* (Okay stop laughing at me, that is seriously how I dance!)

I have to say, after only two days of restricting those things in his diet I have noticed he is not sneezing or coughing or complaining of a sore tummy at all. He's also eating everything he can get his hands on faster than a offensive lineman getting ready for the superbowl. He even has the tiniest bit of color back in those pale as a baby's butt cheeks, and has definitely regained that mischevious "I am so going to get into something I'm not supposed to and there's nothing you can do to stop me" twinkle in his eyes. I am absolutely thrilled to see such a change in him already, and can only hope that this continues!

So long story short, we've done what we can with the information we have at this point. So cross 'em if you got 'em, I want all the good luck I can get!! :-)

And if anyone is wondering about food allergy testing, I can highly recommend Better Health USA, the website affiliated with ImmunoLabs, which is who did our testing. They did a full pediatric food panel as well as a huge list of airborne allergens and molds. So if you're looking that direction, feel free to visit their site and sign up to get their free info. I'm already glad we did.

I Double Dog Dare Ya

Okay, so some time back (and by some time I mean could have been years, I have no real recollection) Benny's dad over at A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son posted 100 special things about his son. It gave me the idea to create a "100 List" as I call it about each of my boys. I'm currently working on one for Stephen and am trying to track down my original "100 List" that I made for Alex. It's super easy. Simply make a list of 100 unique or special things about your child. I dare ya. I double dog dare ya! It's just an easy way to remind us how truly blessed we really are.