Tonsillitis

Yesterday my illness went to a whole new and unbearable level, so I went to the doctor YET AGAIN today, and I have tonsillitis. Yay for antibiotics.

Weaning Update

So weaning is going increasingly well, in case you care to know! My drinkies have decided to cooperate! Hooray! 2 days ago one side was really aching so I let her nurse for a few minutes, and since then everything's fine! The only bummer is that Caris is really taking it hard. She is so sweet and compliant, and she does little misbehaviors here & there, but rarely am I frustrated with her. Well, the last 3 days have been . . . frustrating to say the least. LOL She's been just really trying to get my attention any way she can, and I can see that she'll need some extra-special time with me for a while. Yesterday I gathered her up and we had a mommy-daughter picnic on the porch, and she LOVED it. She said, "this is fun" and "I wuv you, Mommy" and "it's nice" over and over and over. Awwwwww.

It's Saturday

OMGosh we're almost down to single digits! I am so excited I can't stand it!

still moaning

Yesterday was pretty miserable with the head cold. My nose and eyes were itchy and running like a drippy faucet. Literally - it was pretty gross. Today I woke up with a very stuffy nose but little else, so it's been a nice day. We celebrated Lyn's Birthday with a pizza lunch that was just really fun! I took a tiny rest during the kids' quiet/naptime, and have been sewing and cleaning and playing and reading and all the things Mommies do. Well, I finally took my inhaler to hopefully ward off the chest settling I tend to get with colds, and it is helping with the coughing of junk. I feel a fever coming on. Most women whine about their husbands being awful sick people, but if anyone in this house has a right to complain about that, it's Alif. I'm a terrible person to be near when I'm sick. What a moaner!

Not again ::::::moan:::::::

I woke up sick today. Again. This one is a totally miserable head cold. I cannot remember a year we've had so many sickies in this house! GO AWAY and leave us alone, would you?

Lynette & I took all the kids today and signed up for next year's Bible Study. Yay.

I'm resting and sewing and working and resting today.

Girls DO run too!

Megan told me about girlsruntoo.com a long time ago, and I thought the beginners' programme looked doable, but never did it. A couple of weeks ago, Lynette asked if I'd like to start running. I told her about girlsruntoo.com and we both agreed it looked like something we could manage. So guess what? We started! We went once, then Easter kept us busy and we didn't go last week, but we got back on track today. Boy did we work hard, and boy did it feel good!! YAY US! The kids whined all through the first time but did GREAT today. Yay!

Happy Easter!

Jesus is risen! What a wonderful thing to celebrate!!

It seems silly to write about weaning on the holiest day of the year, but that's ok, right? Since the last time I wrote, Caris has nursed 2x. The night of the 1 minute + on each side, I told her that in the morning we would not have drinkie. I thought for sure there would be crying in the morning, but she didn't even bring it up! That night when she prayed though, she asked God if she could have drinkie tomorrow. That next day I went ahead and nursed her for a few minutes on the other side. She hasn't nursed since! I asked her if she was ready for her special cup and she wasn't sure. I remained confident though, and told her I really think she's ready! Last night at Target I got her a Dora cup (like a sports bottle) and a Hello Kitty plate set with a tumbler. She loves them and is really excited! My nursies are heavy this morning. I hope it doesn't get too bad!

While I was at Target, I ran into Suzie L. - so good to see her, even for a minute! It reminded me how much harder I need to focus on re-developing a homeschool support system for the kids & I. How I used to look forward to Wednesdays with BHL! I know I can have that same feeling again if I'll just get off my tush and put us back in the game.

Also at Target I saw Richard Gandara's wife (horrible greeter that I am, I cannot remember her name). She recognized me and asked who I am, and though she was faintly familiar, I'd never have placed her. I'm so glad she approached me! After I left Target I thought - dang, I should have gotten their phone number, and asked what Richard is doing, and things like that. She is so sweet! Lynette and I used to always wonder what sort of girl he would end up with, and she seems to be the perfect match for him. How happy!

I did not give the kids Easter baskets this year. I'm so put off by EASTER becoming commercialized, I just won't play into it with my kids. I don't think it's wrong to give them baskets, by any means, but they already get baskets from two sets of grandparents and sometimes even extras from aunts and uncles. It's shocking to me, because when I was growing up, we got a beautiful basket from our parents and that was it! So - I just got them each a cute, soft Easter stuffed animal and made them each a little card. Last night we made Resurrection Rolls and they were SO cool. The whole family participated. Definitely a new tradition! How do people make the links into the words - like, here's the link for the Resurrection Rolls, but how would I make just the words themselves to be the link? http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipes/resurrection_rolls.htm

One last thing: Megan is going to use cloth diapers on the new baby! I'm ridiculously excited about this! Maybe pictures of Sweet Pea in his/her dipes will satisfy my baby craving. Ha ha! I actually made a list yesterday of what all Megan's stash should have. :::must not be meddling auntie::: I just cannot get over it still: Megan's gonna be a Mommy! Megan's gonna be a Mommy! Visions of the two of them cuddling their newborn - wow, how sacred! Suddenly though, every time I think of Megan, it's her as a little girl. It's hard to believe we're all three grown up, married and with families!

Scotland Countdown continued

Maybe she needs her own blog

I feel like I need a blog just for the funny, sweet, silly, crazy things Caris says! She's at that age, I guess. Here's one that happened just now. I was in the kitchen, and she came in to throw away her banana peel. The kids & Alif are all playing table soccer. She said, "Mommy! Daddy said I have to stay on the bunk bed! He put me up there and then he got me down so I can throw this away." I looked at her with a concerned face and said, "You were on the top bunk?" "Yeah! Daddy put me up there! I not fall down from there." I said, "I don't know that that's the best idea, sweetie. You be very careful! You're my precious girl!" She said ok and scooted off, then came back a few seconds later and said, "Mommy, God has to take care of me ok? I not fall off from there." I said, "Yes, He sure does honey, but that doesn't mean we should do unsafe things, ok?" LOLOL

Getting to know Graham

How old are you? 6
How old is Mommy? 7
How old is Daddy? 8
Are you being silly? No ::smiles in a rascally way:: I wanna watch TV. Can I?

Moments with Malachi

How old are you? 8
How tall are you? Uhhh, I don't know.
What's your favorite thing to do? Climb.
Climb what? Trees.
How about your favorite inside thing to do? Umm, play computer.
What specifically? Neopets.
How old is Mommy? 31
How old is Daddy? 31 and a half.
How old is Grammy? 6 and a half
How old is Caris? 2 and a half
Who's your best friend? God
Tell me about your pets. I don't know.
What do you mean? ::smiling:: I like 'em.
What is your favorite thing to learn about? God
What's your favorite school subject? Hmm. Math.
Why? 'Cuz I like to do it.
What's your favorite cartoon? Umm, Power Rangers.
What would you like to be when you grow up? A police officer.
What would that be like? Fun.
Will you be married? Uhh, maybe.
And if you are, will you have kids? Yes.
How many? I don't know.
If you had a boy, what would you name him? I don't know.
What about a girl? I don't know.
What would you like your wife to be like? I don't know.
What are you really good at? Soccer.
Why? 'Cuz I like it.
Have you had enough of my questions? Yes.

I hope it's okay!

I hope it's ok to blab at this point . . . MEGAN IS PREGNANT!!!! I'm so beside myself with excitement I don't even feel like writing ::gasp:: HA HA HA MEGAN IS PREGNANT!!!!

Blue House Soaps

Can I just give a HUMUNGOUS shout-out to www.bluehousesoaps.com? Melissa not only creates a wonderful product, she is absolutely WONDERFUL to work with. I e-mailed her asking how I could get my hands on a loaf of her Basic Bar, and she first mailed me several darling, great little samples for free, even though I offered to pay her for them. I loved everything she sent and contacted her again, asking if she could make me a loaf of the Basic Bar, but could she add raw honey and ground oatmeal? She said sure, and not only did she make it, she added it to her site! Look!

Emily's Honey Bear
Our new Honey Bear soap was another customer-inspired creation. Suggested by a customer with whom I have chatted extensively about the effects of eczema on her child, this was her suggestion and we created it from scratch for her in our Blue House kitchen. The results were amazing. Our pure and natural olive oil soap recipe is enhanced by a generous portion of raw golden honey and finely ground colloidal oatmeal. Honey contains many vitamins and minerals which support healthy skin care. Honey contains a bacteria-killing property known as "the inhibition effect", and is an excellent source to promote wound healing. Colloidal oatmeal in water will coat sensitive skin, moisturize and protect it. This soap contains NO fragrance or essential oils, yet it has a fresh, home baked smell that is amazing! We highly recommend this bar for use on people with allergies and skin sensitivities. This bar is generously cut to at least 4 ounces.

Click HERE to see an ingredient listing for this soap

Our Price: $4.49 Units: 4 oz +

The countdown is on!

Caving and Travel

So the drinkies were in a state of fullness this morning that I was not prepared to live with all day, and I indulged Caris and the drinkies in over a minute of nursing on each side. :::::gasp::::::

Also got out of bed and checked out any travel information Mom & I could need to know during our trip to Scotland. We're so lucky to have Megan and Jason to guide us, but also the travel information is pretty straightforward.

I'm now really starting to think about how it will be to be gone for 8 days! One thing that put me into a bit of a panic was trying to figure how to leave proper information on all of Caris's medications. I know them well, when to use them and when not to, the doses and times and which can go with which, but Alif is blissfully unaware. I think my best bet is going to be to just have him keep her on one - say, Zyrtec - the entire time I'm gone, and then leave instructions on managing symptoms. Hmm.

The Drinkies Rebel

I knew it couldn't last forever, this amazing adaptation of the drinkies to the newly-shortened drinkie schedule. All day yesterday they were uncomfortably full. They never did get to a truly painful point, but this morning with only 45 seconds per drinkie, there wasn't much relief. Caris is fully aware that her drinkie days are nearly over, and she often mentions the special cup! I've promised her when drinkie days are through, but she is not ready to let go. She brought up the special cup! this afternoon and I said, "do you think you're all done with drinkie now, all the way?" She said, "Not yet." So - I guess tomorrow we'll have a 30-seconds-per-side drinkie. Oh, I HATE this! I hate it!

Babble

Drastic Cutdown of Drinkie went way better today. I warned her beforehand that it would be VERY short. She had one minute per side, and she desperately clamped and clutched onto the drinkie and my pajamas, which is desperately heartbreaking, but with the promise of the "piggies" game she unclenched. Within 5 seconds she was giggly and happy. And in other good news, the drinkies themselves are adjusting amazingly well!

Alif comes home today from a 3-day trip to work on the house at the beach. We were supposed to join him, but with all the rain it just didn't seem like the best idea. I am glad we didn't, because it was really stormy all day yesterday. If I ever thought the kids got stir-crazy being stuck inside, I had no idea how stir-crazy a dog could get! Moxy's behavior was so obnoxious yesterday. Thank God it's not raining today, and none in the 5-day forecast either. WOO HOO!

Graham's Prayer

Graham's prayer tonight, after Grandma had taken Malachi to Build-A-Bear for his Birthday:
"Dear God, I love you soooooo much. Thank you for giving Grandma all the money to buy Malachi's Build-A-Bear and I hope he had a good time, and I hope he has a good time with his new Build-A-Bear. You are the most powerfullest man and if you touch the devil with your fingernail one time, you will defeat him. I love you so much. In Jesus' name, Amen."

29 days and 6 minutes

Mom & I are leaving for Scotland in 29 days! Caris & I are in drastic nursing cut-down now; as of today, we're down to 3 minutes per side. Yesterday she nursed 9 minutes total, today 6. I cannot believe our nursing relationship is ending in literally days. I guess I'm feeling a little more ok with it now. I had a nice, long cry the other night over Malachi turning 8 and Caris weaning, and as melodramatic as it sounds, grieving is really helping me to end this. It's freedom for me to know I don't have to act like it's no big thing to wean an almost-3-year-old. I mean wow, every day for the last 1000+ days I have nursed her! That's a loooooot of nursing. LOL! Anyway, pardon my rambling about the nursing, but please expect lots more of it before weaning is through, and probably beyond.