Warmer Weather and Higher Spirits

These last couple of days have been SOOOOO nice weather-wise!! At least, compared to the last few weeks that have been so bitterly cold and miserable. The sound of snow melting is music to my ears!! I even walked around for awhile yesterday with no coat on which, for me, is a big thing since I H-A-T-E being cold.

Otherwise not a whole lot new went on this week. Talin stayed healthy all week this week...yay!! We go to the doctor to get his ankle checked tomorrow morning. Our taxes were deposited this week, and so we used most of that to pay off some bills. I can't wait for the day when we can take that sucker and do something fun with ALL of it!! Just once I'd like to be able to do that...just once!!

Bub became certified at work this week in his department, so he'll begin working the shift he was hired for next weekend, as well as working the required overtime every week. Hopefully things go smoothly for him during this transition. He saw his doctor Friday for a check-up on things, and all seems to be going well...YAY!!

We haven't done a whole lot more with the bathroom project this week. Tossed around a few ideas about things, but nothing much else. Hopefully one day this week or next weekend we'll be able to go out and look again and start making some decisions. A friend of mine & her husband gave their bathroom a face lift, and when I saw that it inspired me to keep pressing on, so I'm really looking forward to getting this project off the ground and start turning our crud cave into a relaxing retreat. I'm also hoping to have the dining room's face lift, not complete remodel but at least an updated look, done before this Christmas. Some different paint, flooring, curtains and trim, and some updated lighting and that room should be done, at least temporarily!!

For now though, I should get back to cleaning up what's still here. Happy Sunday to everyone, hope your week is wonderful!!

My Kid Has Triple-A!!

Well, like the title says, as of right now my 6 year old has triple A's...Adderall for ADHD, amoxicillin for strep, and his ankle is broken!! This poor kid has really been through the ringer the last couple of weeks. Tal & I had influenza at the beginning of February. He went to school for one day and started complaining of a headache that night. His temp was back for another two days. At that point they had a 5 day break from school, and he recovered fully, resuming school last Wednesday.

During that break, on Monday, he was walking up the stairs when his ankle "snapped." This snap was loud enough for Trey to hear it across the room. He cried and told me it hurt, and was limping on it the rest of the night. I looked at it Monday night and sure enough, the thing was swollen up and bruised. So we propped it up on a tiger for the night and I gave him some ibuprofen to help with the pain overnight. Tuesday morning he was still limping, it was still swollen and bruised, and I figured he'd probably better stay off it at school during recess and gym for the rest of the week. BUT...I know that my assessment of this situation, and the fact that my kid is limping with a wrapped, swollen, bruised ankle is not enough to convince the folks at school that he really should probably take it easy on it, so I made an appointment with a doctor, so I could send a note with Talin to school from someone who knows about these kinds of things, since it's so obvious that even I, as his mother, could never have figured out that he needs to stay off it for a bit.

At the doctor's office we went in, he showed the nurse his ankle, he showed the doctor his ankle, we had x-rays done of his ankle, and we looked at the x-rays of his ankle. The doctor couldn't quite tell if the tendon had pulled a small piece of bone away from his ankle, or if it was just how his bone was formed. The radiologist couldn't tell either. We got his note though, and was told it was probably a sprain, and just to wrap, ice and elevate. Talin's pediatrician looked at these x-rays four days later and was able to tell that Talin's ankle tendon had indeed pulled a piece of bone away, and thus the ankle was in fact broken, and extended his no recess/gym note until Feb 25. Great money saver there...otherwise I'd have had to take him in every week!!

The reason we'd gone back to the doctor four days later is because on Thursday, the day after he'd started going back to school from break after recovering from the flu and being boisterously healthy for the previous two days, he woke up with a fever and a sore throat. Fine...it was probably another virus. So Thursday, Valentine's Day and the day his class was having their party for the holiday, he stayed home. Friday was the same...he had a fever and a sore throat. I felt around in his neck and I think all of his lymph nodes were the size of bowling balls. I thought about this in my head....six years old, sick for four days, healthy for 1-1/2, sick for two more days, healthy for three days at home and one day at school, sick for two days after being exposed to a cesspool of crap at school for one day, breaks ankle walking up stairs without goofing off (for ONCE!), huge-ass lymph nodes...it could only be one thing...LEUKEMIA!! So I have myself convinced that my kid has this awful thing, make an appointment with his pediatrician to have him checked out (I didn't state specifically I thought he had leukemia, just that I was concerned about the previously-mentioned pattern of events), and brought him in. His doctor had looked over all his notes, listened to what I had to say, checked him out and gave me the news....Talin likely has....strep. Yep, strep. So we went and had his tonsils tickled, and lo and behold it comes back positive. Whew!! Amoxicillin for a week twice a day...very doable!!

So Talin is my high-maintenance child at the moment. That's okay, he's been pretty easy so far, so I guess he's entitled to a little extra attention every now and then ;o)

In other news, Bub and I began our latest and greatest endeavor so far...remodeling the bathroom completely. Ceiling, walls, floor, fixtures lighting...everything is getting redone. Neither of us can stand the mold hole that currently exists, and so today we spent a couple of hours at Menard's looking over things and picking out things we liked. We realized we have a lot of the same ideas, and a lot of very different ideas, so this should prove to be interesting!! LOL There were a lot of things we really liked, a lot of things we didn't like, a lot of things we loved that probably wouldn't fit in our bedroom let alone our bathroom, and a few things we couldn't figure out who would even consider looking at them...like vomit-looking counters! In any case, we're both looking at different things too...he's looking at the financial practicality and ease of installation of things. I'm looking at "How do I turn this crap corner into a room I won't mind locking myself into on a regular basis?" LOL But, we have a good start on ideas, and realistic prices to look at, and that helps a TON! Looking forward to getting this bad boy conquered and moving on to the dining room!!! LOL

The Good Things

Like so many people, I often find myself complaining about all of the negative things around me, the frustrating things my kids do, the things I wish were different...the list is miles long I'm sure LOL Today is my husband's birthday, and in honor of that I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the things that made him "The One" for me :o)

First off, he's older than me LOL A primary requirement for me in any dating field. I've had lousy luck dating men my age and younger. To me, he is a handsome man with a tender smile and deep eyes that seem to be a one-way track straight to his soul. I love that he's a big man, I feel safe and protected when he's around, not to mention he's wonderful to cuddle with ;o) All of you muscular men out there...you're fantastic to look at, and I give you tons of credit for being able to maintain your physique, but there's just something about my guy that makes me melt into him. I love his eyes...the way they give EVERYTHING away LOL Every time I look into them there's always something there...a question, a concern, happiness, laughter, sadness, frustration, that "look" that's just for me...they're truly the windows to his soul, and about as transparent as any glass you'll ever look through.


I love his heart...how he sees people and wants to help, but there are times logic kicks in and says they'd do better helping themselves. He's got such a soft spot for kids (unless ours have acted up...then the soft spot kinda goes away LOL) and it's adorable to see him with them. I remember the first time I brought Talin to visit as a newborn baby (before we were dating), I was visiting his sister, and Trey was 2-1/2 years old. Trey saw Bub putting some chocolate milk away and asked me if he could have some. I told him it wasn't mine so he had to ask Bubba since it was his. Trey asked, Bub asked me if it was okay, I okayed it, and Bub shared his chocolate milk. Trey looked like he won the lottery...it was so cute!!

I remember how vigilant he was over Derrick while he was in the hospital, and how he still brags that he got to hold him before I did LOL He was so supportive of me during that time when we were both uncertain of what was to come, but he never let me think for one second that anything bad was going to happen. In fact, he was a major factor that our wedding even happened 11 days after Derrick was born LOL He convinced me to leave the hospital and finish the details that needed to be done, and even though I knew he was right it was still hard for both of us to be happy when we were so worried at the same time. He drove me to the hospital every day since I couldn't drive myself at that point, stayed the whole time with Derrick & me, and sometimes even left to get the other two and bring them to the hospital before bringing me home. I can't believe how big he looks...or how little babies look...when he holds them. Yes, he's not afraid to hold a baby LOL

He also has a big heart for animals. Me and my crazy ideas for pets, we've had three parakeets who have all left us, and one in particular that he got very attatched to that he spent a lot of time with and trained very well. We still miss Shiloh. The night one of the others died, he figured it must have been a heart attack, and the tenderness and sadness in his eyes was undeniable. We have two dogs who we adopted from shelters, and two cats, and he pets every one of them, scratches their ears, and even lets our 70 pound lab love on him since all of the rest of us are just kinda swallowed up if he tries it on us LOL

He's very loyal and does what he can for his family and friends, be it listen, talk some sense into them, help them out or be there for them. I recall two years in a row when I worked in the office, he brought a former co-worker of mine some things for Valentine's Day since she was single and he didn't want her to feel lonely, as most of the rest of us were married or had significant others. It was important to him that she didn't feel left out since he knew what that felt like. He's stuck by me, even when I've made dumb decisions (like I ever do that! LOL), made him mad, and there's probably countless other things. He always comes back and loves me anyway :o)

He's intelligent with a good sense of logic. In the fall of 2005, at 32 years old, he enrolled himself into the tech college here, and in May of 2007 he graduated, on time, in two years, with his associates degree in computer networking and a 3.1 GPA, while maintaining part time employment throughout his schooling to help provide for me and our three boys. He provided for all of us to the best of his ability while doing his best to fulfil his dream of getting an IT degree, and to achieve our family's future goals and dreams. He installed our water heater when it puked. He's primed the furnace I don't know how many times LOL He does a lot of the work on our cars...oil changes, pulley changes, belts and hoses, lots of different things. He was even patient enough to show me how to do an oil change last year, or at least the basics anyway ;o) He's looking forward to passing all of that knowledge and much more on to our little guys as they grow.

He's helpful around the house and with the kids, and gives me a break when I need it. This past weekend I was down hardcore for three days with a viral illness, and so was Talin. Bub wasn't feeling 100% himself since he has a sinus infection, he was maybe about 50% or 60%, but he made sure that all of us were taken care of. He made me countless cups of tea, served us hot, healthy meals (yes, that includes chicken noodle soup! LOL) including veggies (even broccoli one night!!), and made sure we were comfy and got meds if we needed them. He's got the same sense of humor that I do most of the time. He can have a romantic side sometimes. He's almost always thinking of his family. He's tender and tactful, but not afraid to speak his mind when he sees something that isn't right.

Happy birthday hun...you're a wonderful man, a devoted husband and father, a loyal friend, a steadfast companion, and I'm thankful every day that you picked me to be your wife ;o) Now and forever, you're my soule mate :ox

The Great, The Good, And The Ugh!!

THE GREAT: Yesterday Trey had his first BIG swim meet. Divisionals was held in Black River Falls, and it is a qualifying meet, meaning he needed to place in the top six in any of his events in order to go on to Conference next weekend in Stevens Point. Individually Trey did extraordinarily well...he took time off from his 50 free, a TON of time...nearly 30 seconds...off his 100 free, and added a fraction of a second onto his 50 back, but he was really tired by then so I can't say I blame him!! He didn't place in the top six individually, but BOTH of his relays...his 200 Medley Relay with him swimming back stroke, and his 200 free relay, both qualified for Conference next week...YAY!! In his 200 free relay, he was second in the relay. When he dove in, his relay was in last place by almost half a pool length. When he got out, they were caught up, neck and neck with the team that was in 5th place. Their relay still came in last, but that's okay....they made it!! On top of that, I'm nearly finished with the baby afaghan I've been crocheting, thanks to having time during that meet to work on it!! LOL

THE GOOD: Today Trey is getting his first Bible presented to him in church. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be there to see it, which is The UGH!!. My parents brought him to church with them today so he could participate in the ceremony with the rest of the third-graders, which is wonderful of them. Bubba has been sick for the last week, and finally went into the doctor yesterday and was told he has a sinus infection and started on antibiotics to treat it. He's on the road to recovery...YAY!!

THE UGH!!: All of us except for Trey have been sick with something!! Bubba and Talin have it the worst...Bub with the aforementioned sinus infection, Talin with something yet to be determined by the doctor later this morning. High fevers, headaches, a sore throat and queasy tummy have plagued him for the last three days. I hope it's something simple like strep or the flu...and not something super-yucky like purtussis (aka whooping cough) or pneumonia. Tylenol Cold & Cough help him stay comfortable, but yesterday the lowest his temp got was 102. Yep...you read that right, 102. This morning he was at 103.3...Yikes!! Derrick has had a cold, and I think Bub shared his sinus infection with me...so I'm going to have that checked today when I take Talin in. I hope it's just a miserable, awful cold and I'll be better in the next couple of days. Gotta love winter in Wisconsin...UGH!!! So today I'll be running to Wal-Mart to pick up juices and liquids for people to consume. I like tea when I'm sick, the kids like Jell-O and freezies. Bub's choices change constantly LOL I just wanna stay in bed :o(

Hope everyone else is WAY healthier than we are!! I'm looking forward to Trey's meet next weekend, and will write again when there's more to tell!! Take care!!