Thursday, June 28, 2007

I Not Got Pimples

This evening I was sitting on the couch and Zee climbed up on my lap. She started poking on my checks, so I did the same to her. She looked at me and said, "I not got pimples." I asked her who did, to which she replied, "That boy." I asked her were she learned about pimples and she told me on TV.

I never thought that my daughter, who turned 3 in March, would be talking about pimples at this age. I'm going to have my hands full with this one. There are times that I think she's too smart for her own good.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Calgon, Take Me Away....

The guys left Friday night. Zee did not get to go. Grandpa didn't really want her to go, so she went camping with my parents instead. My mom took her Wed. evening and I picked her up Sat. afternoon. She told me at one point that she was camping all summer.

Once Zee came home she and Sissy have been fighting like cats & dogs. If Zee is sitting in a chair Sissy thinks she needs to be on that particular chair. That's just one example of what's been going on. I have a new appreciation for what single parents go through. B is not the most helpful when it comes to the kids, but I can occasionally leave the kids with him and do something. Even if it is as simple as him taking the kids upstairs while I do the dishes it helps.

I will finally get my break away from the kids next month. My best friend will be flying in on a Friday and leaving on a Monday. She's getting a hotel room and the two of us will be spending a glorious kid free weekend there. I hope to get tickets to a comedy club and a musical for Fri & Sat nights. During the day we will go shopping, sight seeing or whatever we want. I am SO looking forward to this.

The last time I got any time away was an overnight trip for a bowling tournament. That was over 5 years ago. Jay was 6 and we had finally gotten pregnant again. We told everyone and within a week I had a miscarriage. That was just a few days before I was scheduled to leave for the tournament. B wasn't happy that I was going, so we were fighting as well. Needless to say, it was not a very enjoyable trip.

B is not happy that I am having my weekend away, but I don't care. I need a break. He does not realize what I go through on a daily basis.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Crazy Summer Days

I know that I have been neglecting my blog lately. Summer has hit and I have even less time to get everything done. The kids are keeping me on the go.

Jay started summer day camp last week. He goes M,W,F from 9am-2pm. I have to drop him off and pick him up each day. When he's in school, we are so close to the school that he walks to and from there each day. Zee has been attending day care on Tuesdays. I usually drop her off around 9am & either pick her up by 12:30 or grandma drops her off around 12:45.

I am still babysitting 4 days a week. I am also trying to get things together for me to finally finish my degree at the end of the fall semester. I had another yard sale, well actually 2.

A friend of mine wanted to have one at her house on Thursday. We scrambled to put things together in about 2 days. It was so HOT that day and we only made a total of less than $5. After seeing in the paper that someone down the block from me was having a yard sale on Sat., I decided to take advantage of their advertising and had a sale at my house too. We live on a one-way street, so anyone who went to their sale had to drive past my house when they left. Jay had a lemonade stand and make about $6. I made about $100. My friend had some of her stuff here and made only $6.25, $2 of which was stuff that I had bought of hers.

I am trying to help get things gathered for a benefit yard sale that my work does every summer. We will be having it on the 30th of this month. This year all proceeds will go to local food pantries. I have been going through my stuff and donated several trash bags & boxes full of stuff that was left over from my sale. I still have ALOT of stuff that I want to try to sell before getting rid of it. I have winter clothes that I figure people might be looking at yard sales for closer to Sept. I will have another sale then. Hopefully I can get my mom motivated enough to get some things gathered to sell.

I hope that we can get things calmed down a bit, so that I can get things caught back up. The house is a mess from the boxes of yard sale stuff. I'm trying to clean out the basement too. I guess I'll have to be happy with baby steps. It is impossible to do everything in one day. Maybe I can get some things accomplished when Jay is gone on vacation with his grandpa. B might also be going and he said that he was thinking of taking Zee as well. He needs to hurry up and decide because they are planning to leave either late Friday afternoon or early Sat. morning. I need some time to get everything ready for whoever is going.

My question is, when does mom get a vaction???

Monday, June 11, 2007

Some Good, Some Bad

My best friend's mom saw her oncologist last week. She will begin having chemotherapy & radiation treatments soon. The doctor also believes that she could have 5 years maybe more if the treatments are successful. One a less positive note, as a result of the tumor and/or surgery to remove it she has experienced some loss of cognitive ability. The doctor has assured her that with some work she will be able to relearn the things that she has lost.

The problem is that she is currently very depressed and in the "Poor Me" mode. You have to understand that this women is a VERY stubborn and strong willed person. Once she decides that she going to do something she does not give up until the task is completed. I just wish I knew of a way to get her motivated. I told my friend about my FIL who had a non-cancerous brain tumor over 20 years ago. He is now legally deaf, one side of his face is paralysed and he is almost blind in the eye on that side. He has over come these obstacles and continues to lead a very productive life.

Bug Bites

On Friday night we all went for one of our "short" walks that end up taking us all over town. Sissy and Zee each ride in a stroller. We've found that it's easier to take 2 instead of the double stroller. It's difficult to get the big stroller up and down off of the curbs.

While we were walking Sissy received several mosquito bites. When she woke up Sat. morning she had one, or at least what I thought was a mosquito bite, on the top of her left hand. Her had was a bit red, but that was about it. By that afternoon her had and 3 of her fingers were swollen. My mom thought that it might have been a spider bite instead.

I'm wondering if she has an allergic reaction to the mosquito bites, because whenever she gets bit they get big & red. She has had one other bite, that again I thought was from a mosquito, that got big & ugly looking king of like this one.

Thankfully her hand looks much more normal today. I guess I need to make sure that I put insect repellent on her when she will be outside.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Biting...Help Needed

We are having a major problem with Sissy. She has decided that the best way to communicate is through biting. Zee has a large bruise on her leg from where Sissy bit her the other day.

Zee has bitten her back on occasion, but it doesn't seem to stop her. If I send her to day care, like I plan to in a few months, I'm afraid that she will be kicked out for biting. I know with her lack of vocabulary she can't express exactly what she want to, but this is getting to be too much. Any advice would be appreciated.

Friday, June 8, 2007

What a cute boy......NOT!!!

Well, we did it again. Much to the grandmas' dismay we had Sissy's ears pierced. She's 2 months older than Zee was when she had hers pierced.

B took Zee when she was 14 mos. old had did it. He was tired of our almost bald baby girl, who was often dressed in pink and/or a dress, being called a boy. We have had the same problem with Sissy. Although she does have a bit more hair than her sister did, it's still quite short and I guess a little boyish looking. I had her in a dress one day and she was called a boy by 3 people!!! I know the dress was a pale blue, but COME ON, it was a DRESS with FLOWERS ALL OVER IT!!! Are people just stupid or what????

If I am unsure of the child's gender I always either say "What a cute BABY." or ask questions that the parent might respond with a he or she. When you see a child in a dress, wearing pink, or with flowers all over the outfit I think it's safe to assume that you are looking at a GIRL.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Sick Babies

I have been dealing with sick babies since Friday. 3 of them to be exact: Zee, Sissy & my husband. Zee must've brought home a virus from day care. She has been attending a small family run day care center one morning a week. They've sent several kids home with fevers lately.

Zee had a fever for about 24-36 hours. B was home sick from work Mon & Tues. (Wouldn't it be nice to be able to call in sick??? When I'm sick I still have to do all of my regular duties, regardless of how bad I feel. It can be hell for us stay at home moms when we are not feeling well. ) He said he had a fever and just felt achy. Sissy has had the worst of it.

Sissy started running a fever sometime Sat. It went as high as 103.5. She was still running about 100.2 yesterday. I think it is finally gone today. She has been crabby and EXTREMELY clingy. I can't hardly get anything done. (Right now she is sitting in the living room with a bottle watching her sister play with her Barbie computer.) We have not been sleeping well. I have gotten about 4 hours of sleep each night for the last week. And those 4 hours are not 4 hours straight. It's come in the form of 10 -60 minute stretches with anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours awake in between.

I have spent alot of time cleaning up vomit too. I have washed one blanket everyday for the last 3 days. For whatever reason the virus that Zee had has hit Sissy full force. The Dr. said that it usually takes 3-7 days to run it's course, sometimes it takes 10 days!!! We are on day 6 with no end in sight. I hope it ends SOON. I can't take much more!!!!

Yard Sales

I LOVE yard sales. I get alot of the kids' clothes at yard sales. It is the best way to get alot of clothes for very little money. I often find outfits that are in great condition for less than $2.00. I admit it. I am cheap when it comes to many things. I will not spend more than about $2 for an outfit unless it is new, in like new condition, and/or so cute that I have to have it. I love the sales that most items are a quarter or maybe 50 cents. I do not budget in any money for the kids clothes each month, because I know that I will get tons at yard sales in the summer. The only one that I have trouble finding for is Jay. He is at that age where boys usually wear out their clothes before they outgrow them. His grandma does alot of shopping for him, so I don't usually have to worry about getting much of his clothes.

Having your own yard sale in ALOT of work!!! I had one with my MIL last Sat. That is part of the reason I have not posted in a while. I have to say that it was worth all of the work. I made about $300!!!! I mainly sold baby clothes, equipment & toys. I will be having at least one more sale this summer. We are all done having babies, so all of the baby and kid clothes that the kids have outgrown or won't wear are going bye-bye. I have also gone through the toys & books and weeded out what the kids don't use. I am hoping to make about the same at the next sale, but I'm not holding my breath. About $80 was from one person. She bought all of the baby girl clothes that I had as well as other items.