**Warning - the beginning of this post has a lot of whining, but I promise that there is good news at the end. :-)
I feel a lot like Eeyore lately.
(Although I'm not sure if he ever had tonsillitis.)
One week ago today was when we took Kaitlyn to the doctor and she was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease. It seemed that the doctor fully expected her to be better by Monday.
On Saturday, I went off to the hospital to spend some time with my mom. We had a great time and watched the movie "Last Holiday" which was absolutely adorable.
After I arrived back home, I realized that I did not feel well. When I took my temp, it was above 102.
Yikes.
On Sunday morning I woke up with a horrible sore throat and took a trip to MedPoint, where my fears were confirmed - I had some form of an infection. The doctor diagnosed it as tonsillitis and gave me a prescription for some antibiotics.
She told me to stay home from work on Monday, but after that the medicine would kick in and she was confident that I'd be able to get back to work on Tuesday.
On Monday I continued to feel horrible. I also got a message from my sitter that her son had pneumonia, so she wouldn't be able to watch Kaitlyn for a few days.
I thought, you've got to be kidding me! What else could possibly happen???
(I think I should stop asking that question, because I mean for it to be RHETORICAL but it always turns out to be LITERAL.)
After scurrying to line up some sitters for Tuesday and Wednesday, I realized late on Monday night that I still had a fever.
Um, wasn't the antibiotic supposed to knock this stuff out? Wasn't I supposed to go back to work the next day??
I called my sister Monica for some advice, and realized that I would be taking another day off work. (Without pay, since my vacation and sick time are officially gone.)
On Tuesday we took Kaitlyn back to the doctor because her gums were bleeding (which ended up being connected to the hand, foot and mouth disease) and the doctor seemed concerned about my throat.
He said that if it was a bacterial thing I should already be feeling better.
He looked in my mouth and said, "Whooooooaaaa duuuude. You sure do have some puss sacks back there."
Why, thank you. I've always wanted to be recognized for my puss sacks.
Now, when your doctor, who is normally low-key, feels the need to say "whooooooooooaaaaa duuuude", it's really not a good sign.
The verdict is that whatever I have is probably the same virus that Kaitlyn has, just manifested in a different form.
Yeah, it's a virus. So the antibiotics won't make it better, and I just have to wait it out.
The doctor suggested that I take the rest of the week off.
**sigh**
So Kaitlyn and I have been hanging out together at home this week, trying to get better.
I've let her watch waaaay more TV than is good for her.
We've spent a lot of quality time with Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Bob and Larry. I'm officially tired of watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and VeggieTales.
The good news (yes, there really is good news) is that we are starting to feel better, and we are seeing God's provision during this time.
We are thankful for our church family - people have been providing meals for us this week which has been a huge blessing.
We are also thankful for our immediate family, who have taken the time to help us even though they have so much going on in their own lives.
There have been a few unexpected financial blessings that have come along, reminding us that God will provide for all of our needs.
Another HUGE praise is that my mom is home from the hospital! She arrived home last night, and seemed happy to be back in familiar surroundings.
I know that someday all of this craziness will end and things will get back to some form of normal. For now, I will trust that God continues to be in control.
And maybe next week we can exchange the Eeyore days for a few Tigger days. (Doesn't that sound like a lot more fun?)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A much better day (except for the hand, foot and mouth disease)
Today has been 500% better for my mom. Early this afternoon she was moved to the oncology floor, which has much nicer rooms and a more peaceful atmosphere.
The nurses are also able to be more focused, resulting in significantly better care for the patients.
One huge praise is that mom is now on a regulated morphine drip - she gets a small amount on a regular basis, but can increase it (up to a certain limit) as she needs to.
Another praise is that she has been able to do her breathing exercises more frequently. While she still has a ways to go before she gets to a normal level, she is currently at a level that they consider acceptable for her stage of recovery.
Going to the hospital tonight was a completely different experience - I could immediately see that she was better rested.
I met one of her doctors (she has three), and he was incredibly nice and had a wonderful bedside manner. My sisters mentioned that the other two doctors are just as nice. The three of them have a great reputation and my mom was told by one of the nurses that she has "the big guns" working on her side.
While I was at the hospital my mom was able to get out of bed (with the help of two nurses) and move to a chair, where she sat for a half hour. It was encouraging to see her making this kind of progress.
And now we move on to the frustrating part of the day...
At 9:30a.m. I got a call from Kaitlyn's sitter saying that she was once again running a temp.
**sigh**
I picked her up and took her to see the doctor, who informed me (very casually) that Kaitlyn has hand, foot and mouth disease.
Or is it foot, hand and mouth disease? Or mouth, hand and foot disease?
Whatever.
Anyway, I heard this and thought, excuse me? WHAT does my child have? Is it chronic? Will she be foaming at the mouth soon? Is this related to leprosy? Isn't this one of those things that she might have gotten from chickens or cows or some other form of livestock???
(My overactive imagination was working overtime.)
After quieting the many voices and questions in my head, what I actually said to the doctor was, "Um, what did you say she has?"
I found out that this is a fairly common thing for kids to get, and is a virus that simply must run its course. It got its name because blister-type sores can show up on the hands, feet, and in the mouth.
Kaitlyn doesn't have any sores on her hands or feet, but she does have one big sore on her tongue. :-( No wonder she doesn't want to eat anything!
The doctor said to treat it with Benadryl and Advil/Tylenol, and it should go away in a few days.
By the way, another fun happening today (said with just a hint of sarcasm) is that I tried to give Kaitlyn some Bendaryl and when I pointed the syringe in her mouth and squirted some in, it squirted right back out and sprayed my entire shirt.
Nice.
(I think I'm done whining.)
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, both for Kaitlyn and for my mom. Thanks to everyone who has been praying!!
The nurses are also able to be more focused, resulting in significantly better care for the patients.
One huge praise is that mom is now on a regulated morphine drip - she gets a small amount on a regular basis, but can increase it (up to a certain limit) as she needs to.
Another praise is that she has been able to do her breathing exercises more frequently. While she still has a ways to go before she gets to a normal level, she is currently at a level that they consider acceptable for her stage of recovery.
Going to the hospital tonight was a completely different experience - I could immediately see that she was better rested.
I met one of her doctors (she has three), and he was incredibly nice and had a wonderful bedside manner. My sisters mentioned that the other two doctors are just as nice. The three of them have a great reputation and my mom was told by one of the nurses that she has "the big guns" working on her side.
While I was at the hospital my mom was able to get out of bed (with the help of two nurses) and move to a chair, where she sat for a half hour. It was encouraging to see her making this kind of progress.
And now we move on to the frustrating part of the day...
At 9:30a.m. I got a call from Kaitlyn's sitter saying that she was once again running a temp.
**sigh**
I picked her up and took her to see the doctor, who informed me (very casually) that Kaitlyn has hand, foot and mouth disease.
Or is it foot, hand and mouth disease? Or mouth, hand and foot disease?
Whatever.
Anyway, I heard this and thought, excuse me? WHAT does my child have? Is it chronic? Will she be foaming at the mouth soon? Is this related to leprosy? Isn't this one of those things that she might have gotten from chickens or cows or some other form of livestock???
(My overactive imagination was working overtime.)
After quieting the many voices and questions in my head, what I actually said to the doctor was, "Um, what did you say she has?"
I found out that this is a fairly common thing for kids to get, and is a virus that simply must run its course. It got its name because blister-type sores can show up on the hands, feet, and in the mouth.
Kaitlyn doesn't have any sores on her hands or feet, but she does have one big sore on her tongue. :-( No wonder she doesn't want to eat anything!
The doctor said to treat it with Benadryl and Advil/Tylenol, and it should go away in a few days.
By the way, another fun happening today (said with just a hint of sarcasm) is that I tried to give Kaitlyn some Bendaryl and when I pointed the syringe in her mouth and squirted some in, it squirted right back out and sprayed my entire shirt.
Nice.
(I think I'm done whining.)
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, both for Kaitlyn and for my mom. Thanks to everyone who has been praying!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The day after
Today was a rough day for my mom. She woke up to excruciating pain because a nurse had TURNED OFF HER PAIN MEDICATION.
She turned it OFF.
Less than 24 hours after major surgery.
What was she thinking?
When one of my mom's doctors came in and saw what was going on, she let the nurse have it and made it very clear that mom was to have whatever pain meds she needed.
However, it seems that the communication between the doctors and the nurses (especially after a shift change) isn't the best, and all day long they have been trying (or not trying) to regulate her pain meds.
When I got to the hospital tonight it was obvious that mom was in pain. Between the four of us (my dad, my two sisters, and me) we worked out a plan to document everything and figure out the best system for helping mom to stay ahead of the pain.
My dad and Andrea are going to take turns staying with mom tonight, in order to make sure that she gets consistent care.
Two prayer requests: pray that mom's pain will be managed so she can get some rest, and pray that her lungs will be strengthened. She has to do breathing exercises in order to avoid pnuemonia, which could complicate her recovery.
(At least I think it's pnuemonia, but my brain is dead, so it could be some other condition that she needs to avoid. Even if I'm wrong, I think you get the picture.)
Please also pray for me and my family, that we will know how to best advocate for mom during her recovery.
When I left the hospital, mom was doing much better and it was apparent that the medication was working. She was more conversational and was back to joking around a bit. Hopefully it will all be downhill from here.
One good thing about tonight is that Kaitlyn, who has been cutting her second year molars and had a fever for the past two days, went to bed without any problems. Hopefully this means she will sleep through the night.
(Which means that mom and dad might get to sleep through the night.)
Also, while at the hospital, I was informed that my sisters had read yesterday's post to my mom. I think she enjoyed it, but once she is feeling better she might decide to throw the can of chili at me.
Only time will tell.
She turned it OFF.
Less than 24 hours after major surgery.
What was she thinking?
When one of my mom's doctors came in and saw what was going on, she let the nurse have it and made it very clear that mom was to have whatever pain meds she needed.
However, it seems that the communication between the doctors and the nurses (especially after a shift change) isn't the best, and all day long they have been trying (or not trying) to regulate her pain meds.
When I got to the hospital tonight it was obvious that mom was in pain. Between the four of us (my dad, my two sisters, and me) we worked out a plan to document everything and figure out the best system for helping mom to stay ahead of the pain.
My dad and Andrea are going to take turns staying with mom tonight, in order to make sure that she gets consistent care.
Two prayer requests: pray that mom's pain will be managed so she can get some rest, and pray that her lungs will be strengthened. She has to do breathing exercises in order to avoid pnuemonia, which could complicate her recovery.
(At least I think it's pnuemonia, but my brain is dead, so it could be some other condition that she needs to avoid. Even if I'm wrong, I think you get the picture.)
Please also pray for me and my family, that we will know how to best advocate for mom during her recovery.
When I left the hospital, mom was doing much better and it was apparent that the medication was working. She was more conversational and was back to joking around a bit. Hopefully it will all be downhill from here.
One good thing about tonight is that Kaitlyn, who has been cutting her second year molars and had a fever for the past two days, went to bed without any problems. Hopefully this means she will sleep through the night.
(Which means that mom and dad might get to sleep through the night.)
Also, while at the hospital, I was informed that my sisters had read yesterday's post to my mom. I think she enjoyed it, but once she is feeling better she might decide to throw the can of chili at me.
Only time will tell.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Hey look - my second post of the day! (And it's mostly about farting. Just a warning.)
Can you tell I'm just a little excited to have my internet connection up and running again? Even if it did take the guy THREE hours to set up?
I got to spend a couple of hours with my mom tonight, and she is in GREAT spirits. Her sense of humor has certainly not been affected.
It was really nice to sit in her room with my dad and my sisters - I can't remember the last time it's just been the five of us sharing a moment. We spent a lot of time laughing and joking, which I think did my mom a lot of good.
On my way to visit mom I picked up some flowers, and a can of chili with beans.
The doctors have told mom that she has to pass gas before they'll start giving her liquids. (Right now she's on IV's and ice chips.)
She's been laughing about that because ever since her colonoscopy, all she's done is fart. I don't know how many times she's had to clean out her colon through this process, and all of that cleaning out has caused her whole system to be, um, at the top of its game.
By the way, she would probably be horrified if she knew I was sharing this. (But she's currently drugged up and won't be reading my blog for a while, so I won't worry about that right now.)
Anyhoo... She's hoping that the passing gas part will come sooner rather than later, and has laughed at the fact that we'll be praying for her to fart.
(I'm not going let Kaitlyn in on this particular prayer request, because she remembers prayer requests for a loooooong time. Ten years from now she'd probably still be praying for God to help Grandma fart.)
Before I went to the hospital I stopped at the gas station to fill up (hee hee - see how nicely that fits in?), then went inside to get something to drink.
That's when I passed the chili with beans.
I bought it, and when I gave it to mom I told her it was to inspire her and help her keep focused on the goal.
I'm sure Michael Phelps had his tokens of inspiration, and now mom has hers.
See how I just related Michael Phelps to farting? Yeah, I'm talented like that.
And, possibly, some of mom's drug may have rubbed off on me because I have no idea how I've rambled all the way to the point of talking about Michael Phelps and farting.
Maybe I need to take all of this internet connectedness in small doses.
Or maybe I should go to bed.
Goodnight.
I got to spend a couple of hours with my mom tonight, and she is in GREAT spirits. Her sense of humor has certainly not been affected.
It was really nice to sit in her room with my dad and my sisters - I can't remember the last time it's just been the five of us sharing a moment. We spent a lot of time laughing and joking, which I think did my mom a lot of good.
On my way to visit mom I picked up some flowers, and a can of chili with beans.
The doctors have told mom that she has to pass gas before they'll start giving her liquids. (Right now she's on IV's and ice chips.)
She's been laughing about that because ever since her colonoscopy, all she's done is fart. I don't know how many times she's had to clean out her colon through this process, and all of that cleaning out has caused her whole system to be, um, at the top of its game.
By the way, she would probably be horrified if she knew I was sharing this. (But she's currently drugged up and won't be reading my blog for a while, so I won't worry about that right now.)
Anyhoo... She's hoping that the passing gas part will come sooner rather than later, and has laughed at the fact that we'll be praying for her to fart.
(I'm not going let Kaitlyn in on this particular prayer request, because she remembers prayer requests for a loooooong time. Ten years from now she'd probably still be praying for God to help Grandma fart.)
Before I went to the hospital I stopped at the gas station to fill up (hee hee - see how nicely that fits in?), then went inside to get something to drink.
That's when I passed the chili with beans.
I bought it, and when I gave it to mom I told her it was to inspire her and help her keep focused on the goal.
I'm sure Michael Phelps had his tokens of inspiration, and now mom has hers.
See how I just related Michael Phelps to farting? Yeah, I'm talented like that.
And, possibly, some of mom's drug may have rubbed off on me because I have no idea how I've rambled all the way to the point of talking about Michael Phelps and farting.
Maybe I need to take all of this internet connectedness in small doses.
Or maybe I should go to bed.
Goodnight.
Praises
Praise #1
My mom's surgery went very well. I haven't seen her yet (I'm headed to the hospital as soon as my niece arrives to watch Kaitlyn for me) but Monica (my sister) told me that mom is in very good spirits. She's quite a bit drugged up, which could account for the good spirits, but at least she has her spunk.
Praise #2
After much weeping and gnashing of teeth and several unexpected bumps in the road, I have internet service at home. And cable. And a home phone. Woohoo!
My day didn't go as expected - Kaitlyn was home today with a fever, and Mike had an emergency business trip to Michigan. I would like to have planned it a little differently, however, everything has worked out ok so I won't complain (too much).
Thanks to everyone for your prayers! I'll keep you updated on mom's progress. One additional specific prayer is that her digestive system will start working ASAP so she can start on liquids, and move quickly to real food. (She doesn't want to eat baby food for the next week.) :-)
My mom's surgery went very well. I haven't seen her yet (I'm headed to the hospital as soon as my niece arrives to watch Kaitlyn for me) but Monica (my sister) told me that mom is in very good spirits. She's quite a bit drugged up, which could account for the good spirits, but at least she has her spunk.
Praise #2
After much weeping and gnashing of teeth and several unexpected bumps in the road, I have internet service at home. And cable. And a home phone. Woohoo!
My day didn't go as expected - Kaitlyn was home today with a fever, and Mike had an emergency business trip to Michigan. I would like to have planned it a little differently, however, everything has worked out ok so I won't complain (too much).
Thanks to everyone for your prayers! I'll keep you updated on mom's progress. One additional specific prayer is that her digestive system will start working ASAP so she can start on liquids, and move quickly to real food. (She doesn't want to eat baby food for the next week.) :-)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Prayers for my mom
As I've mentioned before, my mom, Priscilla, will be having surgery tomorrow. A routine colonoscopy in July revealed a small cancerous mass, and further testing showed masses in her ovaries as well. So, she is having a complete hysterectomy tomorrow and a small portion of her colon will also be removed.
The surgery is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. (EST) - she'll be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. for all of the pre-op festivities. The doctors estimate that the surgery will take 4-5 hours, and they expect my mom to be in hospital for 7-10 days for recovery.
Here are some specific prayer requests:
~initial IV to go smoothly (nurses seem to have a hard time finding her veins)
~epidural to go quickly and smoothly
~ureter is free and not entangled
~protection as she receives blood transfusions
~a clean and thorough surgery
~quick healing and total recovery
At her meeting with the surgeon, Mom asked if he could throw in a quick tummy tuck.
Sort of like when you take your car to get an oil change, and 15 minutes into it the guy comes out and says, "Your xyz contraption is dirty and should probably be replaced soon, and your abc gasket needs to be flushed. Do you want me to go ahead and do that now, while I'm already in there?"
Apparently, that's not really an option when it comes to major surgery.
(If you can't tell, my mom has a very healthy sense of humor, which is one of the many things I love about her.)
I hope to be back tomorrow night (from home! on my very own high-speed internet connection!) to post an update.
For now, I'll leave you with two pictures of my mom and my sisters. The first is of my mom and my sister Monica, and was taken a year ago at Kaitlyn's first birthday party. The second is of my mom and my sister Andrea, taken while my parents were visiting her in California.
I love you, Mom!
The surgery is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. (EST) - she'll be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. for all of the pre-op festivities. The doctors estimate that the surgery will take 4-5 hours, and they expect my mom to be in hospital for 7-10 days for recovery.
Here are some specific prayer requests:
~initial IV to go smoothly (nurses seem to have a hard time finding her veins)
~epidural to go quickly and smoothly
~ureter is free and not entangled
~protection as she receives blood transfusions
~a clean and thorough surgery
~quick healing and total recovery
At her meeting with the surgeon, Mom asked if he could throw in a quick tummy tuck.
Sort of like when you take your car to get an oil change, and 15 minutes into it the guy comes out and says, "Your xyz contraption is dirty and should probably be replaced soon, and your abc gasket needs to be flushed. Do you want me to go ahead and do that now, while I'm already in there?"
Apparently, that's not really an option when it comes to major surgery.
(If you can't tell, my mom has a very healthy sense of humor, which is one of the many things I love about her.)
I hope to be back tomorrow night (from home! on my very own high-speed internet connection!) to post an update.
For now, I'll leave you with two pictures of my mom and my sisters. The first is of my mom and my sister Monica, and was taken a year ago at Kaitlyn's first birthday party. The second is of my mom and my sister Andrea, taken while my parents were visiting her in California.
I love you, Mom!
Menu Plan Monday - week of 8.18.08
I'm actually here to post my menu! Since our week will include trips to the hospital to visit my mom, I've kept the plan very simple.
I also don't expect to follow through on all of this, but for me, the point of menu planning is to have a focused grocery list and to make sure I have options available when I need them.
After a crazy couple of months, I'm very happy to get back to menu planning and at least have one normal routine again. I think I'm starting to remember what it's like to grocery shop and cook.
Here is my rough plan for this week:
Monday - chicken pot pie from a lovely person at church, who made this and froze it so I could us it whenever I needed to. What a great idea!
Tuesday - Chicken tacos
Wednesday - Hamburgers on the grill, fries
Thursday - Pork roast in the crock pot, scalloped potatoes
Friday - Chicken in the crock pot, stuffing
Here are my "recipes" (I use this term loosely):
Chicken tacos
1 pound frozen chicken breasts
1 can tomatoes w/green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
Mix canned tomatoes and taco seasoning. Put chicken in crock pot and pour tomato mixture on top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and use for tacos, or this is also great for casseroles.
Pork Roast in the crock pot
1 pork roast
pork rub, or whatever seasoning you want (I make this up as I go)
a little water, or chicken broth, or sometimes I live life on the edge and I don't use *any* liquid because the pork can cook in it's own juices
Put seasoning on pork. Put pork in the crock pot. Add the water/broth (or not, if you are feeling crazy and adventurous). Cook on low all day. Come home to really juicy pork, eat it, and then shred the leftovers and use them for pork bbq sandwiches.
Simple chicken in the crock pot
Chicken (I'll be using a couple pounds of chicken thighs, and they'll probably be mostly frozen when I put them in)
1 can cream of something soup (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery - whatever you have on hand)
Put the chicken in the crock pot. Pour the cream soup on top. Cook on low 7-8 hours, depending on the size of your crock pot and how much chicken you use, etc.
---
I don't know if you can call these recipes - they are more like a working mother's attempt at home cooking without making it too complicated, but without resorting to fish sticks, frozen pizza, and chef boyardee.
(Rest assured that vegetables will also be included, but I'm not sure which ones on what night.)
That's all for now. Go to http://orgjunkie.com/ for more meal ideas!
P.S. Stacie, I don't know if you are famous, exactly, but I am tickled to know that you read my blog. :-D I hope you have a great morning with my sister!
P.P.S. Thanks for the prayers for my mom! Later today I hope to have a few minutes to post some specific prayer requests for her surgery tomorrow.
I also don't expect to follow through on all of this, but for me, the point of menu planning is to have a focused grocery list and to make sure I have options available when I need them.
After a crazy couple of months, I'm very happy to get back to menu planning and at least have one normal routine again. I think I'm starting to remember what it's like to grocery shop and cook.
Here is my rough plan for this week:
Monday - chicken pot pie from a lovely person at church, who made this and froze it so I could us it whenever I needed to. What a great idea!
Tuesday - Chicken tacos
Wednesday - Hamburgers on the grill, fries
Thursday - Pork roast in the crock pot, scalloped potatoes
Friday - Chicken in the crock pot, stuffing
Here are my "recipes" (I use this term loosely):
Chicken tacos
1 pound frozen chicken breasts
1 can tomatoes w/green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
Mix canned tomatoes and taco seasoning. Put chicken in crock pot and pour tomato mixture on top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and use for tacos, or this is also great for casseroles.
Pork Roast in the crock pot
1 pork roast
pork rub, or whatever seasoning you want (I make this up as I go)
a little water, or chicken broth, or sometimes I live life on the edge and I don't use *any* liquid because the pork can cook in it's own juices
Put seasoning on pork. Put pork in the crock pot. Add the water/broth (or not, if you are feeling crazy and adventurous). Cook on low all day. Come home to really juicy pork, eat it, and then shred the leftovers and use them for pork bbq sandwiches.
Simple chicken in the crock pot
Chicken (I'll be using a couple pounds of chicken thighs, and they'll probably be mostly frozen when I put them in)
1 can cream of something soup (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery - whatever you have on hand)
Put the chicken in the crock pot. Pour the cream soup on top. Cook on low 7-8 hours, depending on the size of your crock pot and how much chicken you use, etc.
---
I don't know if you can call these recipes - they are more like a working mother's attempt at home cooking without making it too complicated, but without resorting to fish sticks, frozen pizza, and chef boyardee.
(Rest assured that vegetables will also be included, but I'm not sure which ones on what night.)
That's all for now. Go to http://orgjunkie.com/ for more meal ideas!
P.S. Stacie, I don't know if you are famous, exactly, but I am tickled to know that you read my blog. :-D I hope you have a great morning with my sister!
P.P.S. Thanks for the prayers for my mom! Later today I hope to have a few minutes to post some specific prayer requests for her surgery tomorrow.
Friday, August 15, 2008
My apologies to Michigan and Tennessee
Kaitlyn tried to eat Michigan and Tennessee yesterday.
And she put several of the New England states in her ears.
I have no idea which states she put up her nose, but I know there were at least two casualties on that front.
Needless to say, the small foam United States puzzle has gone to the top shelf in the closet for a vacation, and we aren't sure when it will return.
Before all of these casualties occurred I did get a great video of her repeating the names of the states, so I'll have to post that when we finally get an internet connection at home.
Speaking of the glorious internet connection, it should be installed on Tuesday. Woohoo! I never realized just how much I use the internet until now. In some ways, it's been nice to have a vacation from it, but in many other ways, it's just plain annoying!
Also, my mom, Priscilla, is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday morning. She will have a complete hysterectomy and a small part of her colon will be removed, and then she'll be in the hospital for 7-10 days for recovery.
After she recovers from the surgery she will have six rounds of chemo, and we are expecting that she'll kick cancer's butt. :-D If you think about it, please say a prayer for her on Tuesday!
On a good note, my sister is coming home from California for a week and a half! Yippee! I wish my mom didn't have to have surgery, but this is a very nice side effect.
I'm trying to quickly post this during my last few minutes in the office, so I'm going to sign off for now. I hope to be back on Monday for a Menu Plan Monday post, but I'm not sure that will happen since we have a lot happening in the office on Monday. At least I'll be able to post from home on Tuesday!
Have a great weekend!
And she put several of the New England states in her ears.
I have no idea which states she put up her nose, but I know there were at least two casualties on that front.
Needless to say, the small foam United States puzzle has gone to the top shelf in the closet for a vacation, and we aren't sure when it will return.
Before all of these casualties occurred I did get a great video of her repeating the names of the states, so I'll have to post that when we finally get an internet connection at home.
Speaking of the glorious internet connection, it should be installed on Tuesday. Woohoo! I never realized just how much I use the internet until now. In some ways, it's been nice to have a vacation from it, but in many other ways, it's just plain annoying!
Also, my mom, Priscilla, is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday morning. She will have a complete hysterectomy and a small part of her colon will be removed, and then she'll be in the hospital for 7-10 days for recovery.
After she recovers from the surgery she will have six rounds of chemo, and we are expecting that she'll kick cancer's butt. :-D If you think about it, please say a prayer for her on Tuesday!
On a good note, my sister is coming home from California for a week and a half! Yippee! I wish my mom didn't have to have surgery, but this is a very nice side effect.
I'm trying to quickly post this during my last few minutes in the office, so I'm going to sign off for now. I hope to be back on Monday for a Menu Plan Monday post, but I'm not sure that will happen since we have a lot happening in the office on Monday. At least I'll be able to post from home on Tuesday!
Have a great weekend!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Menu Planning
After a month of craziness, I am craving a return to routine and normalcy. I desperately need to plan a menu and go grocery shopping, but after so long of not doing this, I feel more than a little lost.
What is it that we like eat? I can't remember. Seriously. I'm sitting here at the end of the day at work, trying to remember what my go-to meals are.
And all I can think of is mac and cheese, Subway, and Chinese take-out.
I know I have frozen chicken of some sort in my freezer, and I know that I generally cook that kind of thing in the Crock Pot, but I don't remember how I cook it.
I think this must be some sort menu-planning/cooking atrophy.
I got on the "year of crockpotting" blog because I figured that I would at least find something good there, and I did, but the problem is that I found 200+ good things. I wandered aimlessly around the site for at least ten minutes before giving up.
Sometimes having too many choices leaves me feeling paralyzed to the point of not making any sort of decision.
Which is what led me to write my own blog post about my dilemma. Because, clearly, writing my own blog post will help me accomplish writing out a menu.
Right?
What will actually happen is that I'll probably go to Wal-Mart tonight after Kaitlyn goes to bed, and will wander the aisles for a while. I'll come home with an assortment of meat, vegetables, and other miscellaneous products that will hopefully turn into several edible meals over the course of the rest of the week.
By the way, I must pause to mention how much I love the Wal-Mart close to my new house. Seriously. I had previously written off Wal-Mart because I always walked out of there feeling like I had been through war.
But this new Wal-Mart is heavenly. It's clean. The workers are nice, and appear to actually be knowledgeable. Even the other shoppers were courteous, and I didn't catch one swear word from anyone. The whole experience was great.
Which is especially lovely since the store is five minutes from my house.
But I digress.
Menu planning.
Yes, my goal for tonight is to have some sort of plan in place. I can't guarantee that I'll have a chance to post it, but my goal for next week is to get back to participating in Menu Plan Monday.
(Which, as I've heard through the grapevine, should make Stacie happy.)
:-D
What is it that we like eat? I can't remember. Seriously. I'm sitting here at the end of the day at work, trying to remember what my go-to meals are.
And all I can think of is mac and cheese, Subway, and Chinese take-out.
I know I have frozen chicken of some sort in my freezer, and I know that I generally cook that kind of thing in the Crock Pot, but I don't remember how I cook it.
I think this must be some sort menu-planning/cooking atrophy.
I got on the "year of crockpotting" blog because I figured that I would at least find something good there, and I did, but the problem is that I found 200+ good things. I wandered aimlessly around the site for at least ten minutes before giving up.
Sometimes having too many choices leaves me feeling paralyzed to the point of not making any sort of decision.
Which is what led me to write my own blog post about my dilemma. Because, clearly, writing my own blog post will help me accomplish writing out a menu.
Right?
What will actually happen is that I'll probably go to Wal-Mart tonight after Kaitlyn goes to bed, and will wander the aisles for a while. I'll come home with an assortment of meat, vegetables, and other miscellaneous products that will hopefully turn into several edible meals over the course of the rest of the week.
By the way, I must pause to mention how much I love the Wal-Mart close to my new house. Seriously. I had previously written off Wal-Mart because I always walked out of there feeling like I had been through war.
But this new Wal-Mart is heavenly. It's clean. The workers are nice, and appear to actually be knowledgeable. Even the other shoppers were courteous, and I didn't catch one swear word from anyone. The whole experience was great.
Which is especially lovely since the store is five minutes from my house.
But I digress.
Menu planning.
Yes, my goal for tonight is to have some sort of plan in place. I can't guarantee that I'll have a chance to post it, but my goal for next week is to get back to participating in Menu Plan Monday.
(Which, as I've heard through the grapevine, should make Stacie happy.)
:-D
Friday, August 8, 2008
Disconnected
We don't have internet at home (yet).
I never realized how much I rely on being connected at home.
I also didn't realize that we were moving to the middle of no where, at least according to the phone, cable, and high speed internet people. There is only ONE company that will provide service to us.
Excuse me? We live in the middle of a sub-division, and you service the people just a few houses down from us, but you can't give US service?
The one company that will provide service to us doesn't have any openings until August 18.
**sigh**
I'm done whining now.
I'm writing this at work and need to get out the door, but I did want to post an update. We have officially closed on both houses - woohoo! We love our new house, and even though we are in the midst of endless boxes that need to be unpacked, we are really enjoying our new living situation. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us through this process, and thanks for "listening" to me whine last week. :-)
I'll be back soon to post more!
I never realized how much I rely on being connected at home.
I also didn't realize that we were moving to the middle of no where, at least according to the phone, cable, and high speed internet people. There is only ONE company that will provide service to us.
Excuse me? We live in the middle of a sub-division, and you service the people just a few houses down from us, but you can't give US service?
The one company that will provide service to us doesn't have any openings until August 18.
**sigh**
I'm done whining now.
I'm writing this at work and need to get out the door, but I did want to post an update. We have officially closed on both houses - woohoo! We love our new house, and even though we are in the midst of endless boxes that need to be unpacked, we are really enjoying our new living situation. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us through this process, and thanks for "listening" to me whine last week. :-)
I'll be back soon to post more!
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