Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 9)

1. We saw the Parthenon when we visited Nashville. I have to say, that big ol' Athena was pretty impressive. I've been a mythology nut since I was about ten, so seeing her was pretty cool. I was a little bothered by her face, though. It didn't go so well with her body. What do you think?


2. Maddy is in the "knock knock joke" phase. Need I say more?


3. I have learned to make homemade mac and cheese (as in no box and no orange cheesey powder). I wish I hadn't. I don't make it often but when I do, I eat ginormous amounts of it. The sauce is about a million times better than the boxed stuff and I just lap it up.


4. Katie has reached the point where she thinks she's speaking understandable English, but those of us who live with her beg to differ. So I end up with her in the high chair pointing randomly around the kitchen screaming something that sounds like "oooooo" and getting more frustrated by the minute that I don't understand. This happened today and when I got her out of the high chair, I discovered a heinous, large pOOp that was burning her bottom up. In my defense, when I asked her to say poop, it sounded nothing like what she had been saying in her high chair.



5. I am going to read a Joshilyn Jackson book. I have a link to her blog on my blog and I think she is hilarious. It's not often that I read something and laugh out loud, but she makes me. My favorite quote from her post yesterday is, in reference to her cat, "Boggart is hell’s twinkie and he has DEMONS where the cream filling should go." Is that not funny?



6. Have I mentioned that I tend to avoid Christian fiction? I have trouble reading any book that isn't written well. I have read Christian fiction that is well-written, but not very often. I have to say that Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a good one. And, of course, anything C.S. Lewis has ever done is great, including his science fiction.



7. My oldest has a lot of OCD tendencies. One of her most recent adventures in anal retentiveness involved her stuffed animals. She has quite a lot of stuffed animals, large and small. She has two plastic bins in her closet, one for the large ones and one for the small. After telling her repeatedly the other night to straighten up her room, I walked into her closet and just tossed them into whichever bin they happened to land in. Right before bed, she noticed this and lost it....to the point that I realized she wouldn't even be able to sleep with them in the wrong places. So after threatening to make her go to bed without redoing them, I let her put it to rights while I put her sister down. She finally climbed into bed and I noticed a couple of small stuffed animals that had not been put away, I grabbed them and tossed them into her closet. She proceeded to want to get out of bed to check and make sure that I put them in the right place. I assured her that I had and then looked her in the eye and said, "Mommy does not LIE. If I told you I put it in the right place, I did." She has trust issues, too.

Keep on keepin' on

So we saw a hepatologist in Nashville at Vanderbilt just to get a relationship started with them since when my husband needs a transplant, that's the place we'll go. He has Hepatitis C and has had it for years. (Pay attention, kiddies, don't ever experiment with drugs.) Billy sees his gastroenterologist here but we just wanted to meet the doctor in Nashville and get them on board with monitoring him. It went well. We're looking at a transplant in ten years or so, depending on the progression of the virus. The doctor in Nashville basically just said live as healthfully as possible, lose a few pounds, exercise regularly and make some dietary changes. Our goal is to get him off his prescription meds for blood pressure and diabetes, and it's totally doable if he starts a good exercise program. Also, of course, no alcohol, tobacco, etc. Anything you put into your body that God didn't make is processed through your liver so the fewer drugs you take, the less stress you put on your liver. All in all, we praise God that things went well. Everytime he has an appointment and they go over all the symptoms he could have and the only thing that is bothering him is fatigue, I'm so grateful. He could be facing jaundice, fluid retention, chills, fever, and fuzzy thinking, just to name a few. We can work around fatigue. Anyway, there's my update. Thanks for the prayers! It was an encouraging trip. To quote the doctor, he said to my husband, "You still have some tread left on you." And that's good enough for me.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 8)

1. I started a teeny cross stitch project last night. It will have my wedding date and my husband's and my name on it with a wreath of flowers. I thought it would make my husband happy when I finished it because I am SO not crafty. So far it says," they lived happily". I'd have to say it's pretty accurate.


2. My mom bought Maddy, my three year old, a pretty little jewelry box yesterday at Target, the kind that's heart-shaped and has the little ballerina that spins when you open it. I wondered what Maddy would keep in it. Her potty prize button collection? Her Hello Kitty little girl jewelry? Or two rocks? I bet you can guess which one she chose.


3. Maddy slept in today. My husband was already in the bathroom getting ready for work when Maddy busted into our bedroom. She usually climbs into bed for a snuggle and a little PBS before we start our day, but today she chose to fling open the bathroom door on a very naked, very startled Daddy. He screamed like a little girl. I love it when this happens.


4. Is anyone else horrified by those Kidzbop CD commercials? They play on Nickelodeon and show tweens singing current hits. For example, three 9-10 year old girls singing and dancing to "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls. Inappropriate anyone? And I wonder what they do about the line in that song that says "I want to have boobies"? We're sticking with Choo Choo Soul, thank you very much.


5. I love facebook. There, I said it. I read on so many blogs how much people hate facebook, but it has actually helped me be closer to the people in my life. Especially my church family. So many people you know at church, you may not know well enough to call regularly (and who has time?) but on facebook I can get all the little updates and know if someone needs prayer, has a sick kid, etc. Then when I DO see them in person, I'm better informed. I think it's great.


6. I shaved my legs last night. I don't mean, took a quick shower and ran a razor haphazardly over them. I took a real bath, exfoliated the heck out of them with a scrub meant for feet, and really did a good job. I even lotioned after. (And it had nothing to do with s*x. I just needed a little pampering. I think it had been two weeks since I'd shaved. I know, ew.)

7. We go to Nashville next week to get my husband in the system at Vanderbilt so that when the time comes for a liver transplant, he already has a file started. We're not apprehensive about this trip, but prayer over his liver in general would be nice. His last report from the doctor said we'd probably be looking at a transplant in about 10 years. Mommy that I am, I'm doing the math in my head thinking, "Okay, a thirteen year old and an eleven year old. I hope I'll be able to help him and my kids through this when/if it happens." And of course, since I lost my father at a young age, I'm praying that God will let us keep him at least until they're grown.

Maddy's version

So tonight on the way home from church, Maddy tells me she knows "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". I asked her to tell it to me. This is how it went.

"Once upon a time, there were three bears and a little girl named Goldilocks. The end."

Then she said she also knew "Little Red Riding Hood". This one is even better.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf came and blowed her down. The end." (It took me a while to understand the word blowed. She still pronounces her l's as w's.)

I love this kid.

Loser

So, I've discovered that I'm a much better blog-reader than blog-writer, but does anybody really care? I don't think the blog police are going to come get me. I just wish I was better at throwing random things about the kids on here because I'm going to forget all their crazy little ways. For example, the other night at 3am Katie asked me for Benadryl. Yes, the child that can't talk let me know exactly what she wanted. She was pinching her nose, which usually just means that she needs it cleaned, and pointing at her room door over and over. Finally I said, "Do you want medicine?" and she did this little maniac giggle that always means yes. So since we've had colds pretty much non-stop this winter, who am I to question the kid that knows better than anyone else what's going on in her little sinuses? I gave her a hit of Benadryl and she went right back down. No more drama. And Maddy, where do I even begin? She went to a princess birthday party over the weekend and came home with a "princess" voice. I can't even describe it. She speaks much more properly and ends everything with this lilt in her voice. (Let me add that she has seen NO princess movies. She can't handle anything intense.) And she also starting referring to me as "Princess Mommy". At least she's not elitist. She even called her daddy "Princess Daddy", my mama "Princess Nanny" and Katie was "Princess Katie". I like that she didn't take it all to mean that SHE was somehow more special than everyone else. Equal opportunity royalty, gotta love that.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol 7)

1. I memorized the Jabberwocky in its entirety in eighth grade just for fun. It's still in my head, with all its brillig and slithey, and manxome. I thought it might come in handy some day. So far, not so much.

2. I have been eating hot Grape Nuts cereal lately. For those of you who do not know, Grape Nuts are kind of like gravel when eaten cold. I actually laughed out loud at my husband who asked if they tasted grapey at all. Why in the world they're called that, I'll never know. But for those of you who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe for hot grape nuts: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how juicy you want them), and a squirt of honey (again a purely personal preference). The directions I read online said you could microwave them for 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you prefer. I go sixty. It softens them up enough, but still leaves the center al dente. YUM-O! (I've been watching Food Network, can you tell? That was a little Giada, a little Rachel.)

3. My mother in law cleaned my kitchen when I took Maddy to see "Elmo Live" this week. She came over supposedly to visit with Billy and Katie and I came home to find her PULLING MY REFRIGERATOR OUT to clean behind it. She then proceeded to clean my kitchen floor with a bowl of soapy water and a rag. On her hands and knees. Besides the obvious amount of clean she left behind, I also could tell she had been there from the zip lock bags left to dry on my dish rack. Not really a habit of mine, washing used zip lock bags. I have mixed emotions on all of this. They run the gamut from grateful (who wouldn't be?) and shame. I think I will just stick with grateful. This is how she shows love. I would rather sit and chat over some sweet tea, hear what's been on your heart and mind; she would rather work her butt off to show you that she cares. Either way, it's done out of love.

4. Maddy, my three year old, is on Miralax and has been from an early age. Prayers would be appreciated. We've had a rough couple of weeks in that department.

5. I get ridiculously excited when I see OPI nail polish on sale. Seriously, though, I've had a couple of bottles since before my Maddy was born and they still work fabulously. They have yet to get all gloppy and separated. So while it's a little pricey, it's so worth it. And their colors are gorgeous!

6. I'm actually making a list of books I want to read this year. I'm the worst to see a book recommeneded by someone, think it looks like a great read and then forgetting all about it. So I'm trying to keep a notebook by me when I'm checking out blogs so that I can write down anything that looks interesting.

7. Maddy has decided she likes to clean her room. It is kind of wonderful and weird all at the same time. It's great to have her actually pick up after herself on occasion but after she picks her room up, she gets all crazy OCD and won't let her little sister touch anything for fear that Katie will wreck the now clean room. No happy mediums with this girl!

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 6)

1. My 15 month old is obsessed with hygiene. You can't even say the b-word (bath) without her running to the bathroom and attempting to pull her own clothes off. It goes further, though. She also wants me to clean her ears and will sit very still and let me. The same goes for her nose. If she has something bothering her in her nose, she will point to it and let me know something needs to be done. She has also become obsessed with getting her teeth brushed. Now at every diaper change, she will yell at me until I get her toothbrush and put some of the fluoride-free baby teeth cleaner stuff on it. I try to get away with just the toothbrush, but she doesn't ever go for that. I always lotion her up after bath and she will sit there on her cute, naked tushy and scratch at her lower back so that I know exactly where she needs the lotion. Bossy? Katie? Never!

2. My resolution is taking better care of myself and all that stuff that falls under that category. You know, healthier eating (which has to translate into weight loss, because I mostly eat crap), exercise, more sleep, even little stuff like shaving my legs more often and doing my nails. You have a baby and all of a sudden, they're the only ones who really looked groomed. I'd like to look like somebody who really loves me is taking care of me, too.

3. I am de-cluttering. We have stuff that we have not unpacked since we moved to this house almost two years ago. Obviously those things are entirely unnecessary to our existence. I intend to go to the basement and make a garage sale/Goodwill pile. (Who am I kidding? I always do Goodwill because I dislike the early morning effort a garage sale entails.)

4. I have figured out the huge appeal of Elmo for toddlers. They can say it! How many one year olds can say "Barney" or "Diego"? But they can all get something out that sounds like "MO" for that little red monster! Mine has gone Elmo crazy. It's the only thing on TV that she will sit down and watch with rapt attention. She has gotten a little too smart about it, too. She will bring me the remote and say "Elmo!" I can't remember my first being quite so tech savvy. Of course, she had no competition, so she didn't have to make her requests so forcefully known.

5. Speaking of what's on TV, we got Maddy, my three year old, a Choo Choo Soul dvd and cd for Christmas. We all love it and the music is so rockin' that my Maddy always dances around like a crazy fool every time.

6. My husband is bubble retarded. I mean, when it comes to blowing bubbles, for some reason, he's really bad at it. And it's not the fault of the bubble liquid because I can use the same stuff and get a bunch.


7. Maddy, my three year old, got a vanity table with a mirror for Christmas. After staring at herself for an unspecified amount of time, she came into the living room and announced that she had lost a tooth. Poor baby, we had to explain to her that she just has such a big gap between her front teeth that it looks like she's lost a tooth. (I actually had an eleven year old boy at church ask me if she'd lost a tooth already.) I think it's cute on her. She's got enough character to pull something like that off.

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