Bad Mommy Moment

I had quite a scare yesterday and it was definitely a "bad mommy" moment...

I was visiting at a friend's house and she has a son that is almost 5 but is nearly the same size as my two year old so I guess they think they're the same age and LOVE to play together. Usually when we go over there the two of them hop in the power wheels and ride and ride and ride...I would like to say they ride until the battery is dead, but not sure this is true. Sometimes they ride to the front yard, but my friend's son always swings back around to the back yard straight away so I allow it, but I always tell him not to let Alex drive because I am afraid that he'll drive into the street. I was sitting at the patio table chatting with a couple of friends when I realized all of a sudden that it was entirely too quiet. I knew they had gone to the front yard but usually hear the little John Deer zooming back to the rear of the house within seconds... So I got up and bolted to the front yard (my friend's son was headed to the back yard to alert me Alex was driving away) And I found Alex happily driving nearly ONE BLOCK AWAY!!! I started running toward him and was screaming for him to stop. To my surprise he listened, but I think it's only because he's never heard me screaming frantically like that before...it probably startled him. He managed to cross the street, but thankfully it was at a stop sign and he was not hurt!!! I yelled at him not to ever take off like that again, and he is no longer allowed to drive OR ride in the power wheels EVER!

Aside from the frantic screaming, I wasn't too hard on him because he is only 2, and it was my fault, not his. But I wanted to share my "bad mommy" moment so that you all can learn from MY mistake. I am very thankful nothing bad happened, but will be more cautious and vigilant in keeping an eye on him at all times. I usually am VERY watchful over him, but it just goes to show that letting your guard down for even a moment can lead to potentially devastating situations with irreversible consequences.

growing up so fast!!

Today my daughter shared some VERY exciting news with me. When she got home from school, she pulled me close and whispered into my ear. Not sure why she was whispering into my ear because it wasn't a secret...maybe she was whispering because she was so excited?? Anyhow, she said, "Mommy, in a couple weeks I get to eat lunch at school to practice for first grade!!". At first I was amused by the joy she got from this. Clearly, she felt grown up and excited to be doing something the "big" kids get to do. That's when it hit me, my baby, my first born, my sweet little girl is going to be in first grade next year! It made me realize how quickly time has gone by and that I need to do a better job at savoring the moment. I spend a lot of time rushing from one moment to the next, and haven't really taken the time to enjoy the fact that in this last year alone Kaetlyn has learned to read, write in sentences, tie her shoes (learned this skill on her own), add and subtract, navigate her way through rocky friendships, lost her first two teeth (about to lose two more!), has gained so much confidence, and overall has become a much more independent young lady. And while I couldn't be more proud of her, I wish I could go back in time to be able to enjoy everything at a slower pace!!!

glasses

Somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 years ago I went in for an eye exam (first in years) and was told I had astigmatism and would benefit from wearing glasses. So I bought my first ever specs, in fact, I purchased two pairs because I remember the luck my husband had with glasses. He would walk along and a lens would pop out, or as a baby, K would tug on them and rip them off his face and slobber all over them with her cute baby slobber. It turns out that I haven't needed to wear them hardly ever! Sure, there were times I could have used them, driving at night, for instance;however, I never had them with me, because they were always hanging on the lamp shade of the lamp that sits on the side table next to my bed....they sure did me a lot of good there, huh?? The problem with them is that I can't stand how they feel on my nose, and everytime my eyes itch, I forget that I have glasses on and end up punching the glasses into my face as I try to rub my eyes.

Well, suddenly tonight, I HAD to wear them. My eyes became very blurry, and I could hardly read the tv screen without them. Major bummer because I hate wearing them, and feel I look awfully dorky...like a total "four eyes"! ha ha

Anyhow, my first thought after putting them on was that since my eyes are officially "bad", my kids are screwed! Adam had glasses his whole life until he had lasik, and now I NEED them. Poor kids! I hate that as parents we pass on all of our bad genes to our unsuspecting children, and we have no control over it. It's like sneaking up behind them while they are innocently playing with their toys and scaring the pants off of them...THAT would probably causes less damage than the teasing glasses or braces would bring to the psyche. I suppose the glasses and braces, among other things, are what creates character...my kids sure seem to be destined to be blessed in that area! ha ha Good Luck K & A! <3

SO happy!

Alex's surgery went without a hitch today!

He did not want to wear the hospital jammies, in fact he threw a fit about it. I can't say I blame him, I wouldn't want to wear scratchy pajamas with PINK dinos, elephants, and whales! I mean, come on! You can't tell me they don't have blue for boys... Then his sedative started to kick in and he was able to relax....

Watching the nurse wheel him away was difficult, but I was so glad my mom was there with me. Whether she realizes it or not, she really helped me out a lot today. :) I couldn't have gotten through today without her. AND my sister who drove to our house at the butt crack of dawn with her 7 month old to watch K. :)

After he was finished in recovery, he was brought back to his room where he freaked out, mostly about the IV, but he quickly fell asleep and was in a great mood once he woke up! When we got home he was going full force the rest of the day, antagonizing and wrestling with his sister and....EATING!

He packed away a lot of food today! Aside from the hospital food, he ate: applesauce, banana, pasta salad, mandarin oranges, cookies, chips(against my best attempts to deter him to a different food), pasta salad again, and of course he was hungry for eggs. He BEGGED me to make eggs for him, and then he begged me to let him help(which I did under close supervision).

Another plus about today; Alex got a TON of new toys and activity type things from some of his favorite family members....toys that were purchased to keep him resting while he's recovering as he's not suppose to be up and running around. Hopefully tomorrow he lays around a bit more.

So glad today is over as it was a long and stressful day. And here's to hoping his recovery isn't as rough as I hear it's suppose to be, but time will tell.

surgery

My baby is having surgery tomorrow and my stomach is already doing somersaults! I know everything will be alright. According to the Encyclopedia of Surgery death from a tonsillectomy is very uncommon and about one in every 15,000 tonsillectomies ends in death usually from anesthesia or post operative bleeding....BUT it's the anesthesia that scares me! The truth is, you can't really tell how a person will react to anesthesia until after the fact, and that's scary to me. They could administer the anesthesia to him and he could NEVER wake up! But I am trying not to dwell on that too much, and am trying to focus, instead, on how I am going to keep him relaxing for the two weeks following his surgery. Too much activity is the leading factor in heavy post-op bleeding, and my bug is a very active 2 year old. I can see myself making a small investment into cars movies and easy craft projects geared for toddlers....whatever it takes! <3

No energy

Today, I have felt completely drained. I think it's because I have a lot on my mind as there are a lot of aspects of my life that will be changing soon...and thinking about it all of the time is wearing me out.

My mom has allowed us to live with her for the past two years (THANK YOU MOM), and we have done this for two reasons. 1) With Adam being in Japan, cost of living is too high for us to live seperately and still be able to afford the basics like housing and all the extra stuff that goes along with it, and 2) Adam is in Japan, I hate living alone!

I am currently "looking" for a different place to live as we have definitely overstayed our welcome(we were only suppose to be here for about 3-6 months, tops), and when my mom and her fiance move into their new house I don't want to invite myself along. The problem is, with Adam in Japan, we can't afford it! The other problem, another reason I am stressing out, is that he is supposed to be getting out of the Army soon. We are suppose to receive all sorts of benefits which will be helpful with paying bills, but I know how the Army is...we probably won't start receiving those benefits for several month if we're lucky! And jobs are slim-pickin's around here. I have been searching for a job for over a year now without any luck. So, I don't know how I am suppose to find a house to rent or buy without a job, and I obviously can't afford it without one either.

SO....I think this is some of what has been wearing me out. I think about it constantly. I napped a lot today, so hopefully that'll help restore some of my energy that I need for the rest of the week, but I didn't get much done today. I did fold a load of laundry, but it's still on my bed and I don't know if I have the energy to clear it off before I go to sleep! ha ha

I will keep trucking along, and hopefully I will find a lead on a job that'll be a perfect fit for me and my other responsibilities (kids, coaching, school)...but then I will be exhausted physically rather than mentally! ha ha

Easter

The Easter bunny hopped into our house and was out like a flash! My kids sure will be happy campers in the morning when they wake up! K has been asking me for an electronic journal for nearly 2 years now, so she'll be happy to see the Easter bunny left one for her. And A has been asking for a particular green semi truck for a few months, and guess what!? The Easter bunny left one of those for him! :)

We got this new type of easter egg dye for coloring eggs this year, and I was hesitant about buying them. There were gobs and gobs sitting on the shelf while all the old school cups with dye tablets were almost cleaned out. But I have to say that I LOVED them! They look like q-tips and when you break one end, the dye falls to the other end, and then you basically paint with them. The only mess my kids made with them was that they got some of the dye on their fingers, but I didn't have to lay out newspaper, and there was no dipping, spilling, or staining. And they were cheap at 97c a pack! One pack colors at least a dozen eggs, and there was still enough dye left for painting after we were done.

I am a little bummed that there are no Easter dinners or gatherings to go to tomorrow. I am used to going to Church with my in-laws, and then there's usually a dinner somewhere to attend. But not this year.... I always get excited about dressing the kids up, and hanging out with adults! They are adults I don't generally have much in common with, and most aren't anywhere near my age, but still...it's adult interaction! Oh well, we'll make the best of tomorrow. Actually, the kids probably won't mind not being drug from one place to another...

I know that Easter isn't about dinners, or cute dresses, or Easter bunnies, but it's the tradition that my family and I are use to. I do not come from a very religious family, so we don't normally take the time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. But this Easter, amongst all the chaos of hunting for Easter eggs and eating Jelly beans, I will find the time to talk to K and A about His sacrifice, to take the time to explain the true meaning of Easter. And maybe by talking about the true meaning, we'll begin a new tradition of rejoicing in the sacrifice of Jesus.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!! <3