Rockin’ & Rolling

Yup, the House O’Speak was “shaking it up” tonight.

We live relatively close to the epicenter. Lost a mirror off the playroom wall. (Glad the girls weren’t in there; it shattered all over the place.) Close enough that we felt it strongly enough to stop what we were doing. If you’ve lived in “earthquake country” you are probably going, “oh, wow, that was a decent one then.“ For the record, when an earthquake hits in our area most people don’t even stop what they’re doing. You take notice, if it lasts long enough, you may even consider heading for a doorframe, but usually it’s over by then and you’re razzing the newbie from out of state who’s looking a bit green right about now.

People who have never been in an earthquake are usually the ones who are terrified of them. It's typical, you fear what you don‘t know. I am terrified of tornados and hurricanes, so there you go. Don’t get me wrong, earthquakes can be very scary and cause lots of damage. But we are very, very lucky to live in this part of the world. My family likes to say “earthquakes don’t hurt people, buildings hurt people.” My dad is a civil engineer, so designing structures to withstand movement is his job, so I know a little bit about this type of stuff. Because we live in the US where we have building codes and the money to support them; an earthquake that would kill hundreds if not thousands in another country, will break a few dishes here. I’m not trying to be flip about it, that’s the truth. If I really get thinking about it I get really angry. It’s beyond frustrating to me that we have the technology to protect all those people but because of politics and money the structures that are built end up killing people. But off my soapbox for now, that’s material for a different post.
………………………………....
It was the girls’ first real earthquake. We had gotten them to bed about 15 minutes before it hit, so they weren’t completely out. I knew better than to go running to their rooms; nothing freaks out a kid like realizing their parent doesn't have complete control of the world. I think DD#1 was asleep enough that she would’ve thought it was part of dream, but DD#2 is a pretty light sleeper so she woke up & started crying. DD#1 heard me with her and so suddenly I had lots of questions to answer. I had to explain what an earthquake was and how it’s a little scary because we’re never expecting it when it happens. I was quick to praise her, indicating she did exactly the right thing by staying in bed. Then we talked about what to do if you aren’t in bed (stand in a doorway or get under a table). It was actually good timing for the experience. DD#1 wasn’t scared at all, and told me so. Hopefully, when she feels her next one (yes, she will feel others in her lifetime, don’t stress it I’m not) she won’t be totally freaked out by it cause it won’t be new.

Guess we're just setting the mood for Halloween!

Can't Resist

We went to a pumpkin carving party this weekend. The girls wore their Halloween Costumes over so I was able to get some pix when the pressure was off, and I wasn't making them wear warm clothes underneath (it was in the 70's all weekend). I hope it's that nice on Halloween for Trick or Treating. Last night I was running around in a skirt & t-shirt, not even a sweatshirt which is odd for me. I couldn't resist sharing these.

No Presents Parties

I just read this: http://blogs.parentcenter.babycenter.com/momformation/2007/10/24/the-no-gift-birthday-party

I'm curious to hear other people's take on it. We have been invited to some kids parties with this request and we too brought a gift. I believe my choice at the first was art supplies (coloring books & pens or crayons). I too felt weird not bringing anything, but figured the mom was in a similar boat as I in wanting and needing no more toys! I felt art supplies (w/a gift receipt so they could be returned if still too much) was a happy medium. I've also bought character PJs for similar requests; needed clothes that probably cost more then mom wants to pay for a pair of PJs, but not considered "boring clothes" by child because of the character on the PJs.

When reading this post my first thought was that maybe the mom could let the b-day boy keep a few favorites and send the rest to charity? Or maybe get rid of an equal number of existing toys that way. But part of me (the consumer in me who has been told that is mean) feels like that might be a bit heavy for a little kid. I mean life lessons are great, but does his b-day party have to be one too? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm totally guilty of both sides.

Next year I'm dodging the bullet as far as the big one is concerned; my plan for DD#1 is a "tea party". I'll let her invite 5-6 girlfriends and we'll go to a local tea room where the girls will receive a tea service catered toward kids, but served on real china & such. My SIL did this for my niece's 5th b-day & it was such a cool party. All the girls dressed up in their princess dresses & they loved the fact that they had real china, the sugar cubes were violets and that lunch/tea consisted of finger sandwiches (PB&J), mini rice crispy treats, a mini sundae & other varied sweets. They also hired "Cinderella" to come to the party and entertain the girls with face painting, an interactive story and such. The girls just about died. Yes, I want this party for me, but I think my older one will appreciate it just as much. DD#2 I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm all about the party; I love to plan a theme & decorate, be creative with my invites and the cake, things like that. But we too have more toys then I care to admit to, so a no presents party would be a nice change. What do you think? Any creative ideas on ways to circumvent the mom's (like me) who feel compelled to bring something anyway?

Got an Hour? I've got a post for you!

Sorry for the delay in posting, I’ll explain in a minute and I think you’ll understand.

At this point Miami feels a bit like a long ago event to me. So sad that those vacation feelings fade so quickly, huh? Sigh.

Vacation was glorious. I got over my Fibro episode after about a day and half and it was all good. In fact, I wasn’t spectacular about my low carb diet the whole vacation; I had vodka strawberry daiquiris (diet coke & vanilla stolli got old quick) and even had some pita one night! Gasp! The humanity of it, I know.

I found it hard to be on vacation & not eat some of these evil carb containing foods. I consider a huge part of travel to be the food. And guess what, there’s a lot of food that is based on carbohydrates. So I just tried not to go to town; I didn’t waste the carbs I was having on things I didn’t care that much about, and actually did really well. I’m guess I’m still learning how much my body will and won’t tolerate. I still haven’t quite figured out what my balance is; meaning the range of carbs I can eat each day and maintain my weight. I still lost 2 lbs on vacation, so even eating the carbs I did eat, I lost some weight. That was a bit of an epiphany. I have now hit the weight I was at prior to having both kids. Crazy, huh? I’ve dieted, I’ve exercised, and I’ve managed to lose some weight and inches in the past, but nothing like this; this is almost like it’s melting off. I won’t think about it until I put on a pair jeans I haven’t worn all summer and find that they now sit on my hips instead of my waist. The little episode in Florida also served another purpose: it confirmed that I am controlling my Fibromyalgia with diet. A few years ago, I would never have thought it possible. I was grateful that I had found a drug regimen that was working for me (many people aren’t that lucky). But I have to admit I did have a nagging worry about the long term affects of being on those drugs. Ultimately I wasn’t treating the syndrome, I was treating the symptoms. But if relief of symptoms was the best I could get I’d take it. I may not being doing much different; but now I don’t think I’m suppressing symptoms by this diet. I believe I’m actually treating my syndrome. I imagine it’s a bit like an allergy to a food. In my case it’s a group of foods. If I eat them, I won’t go into shock, but I will get sick and I now seem to know what causes it. I hope they will soon be able to discover the why. The weight loss has been an added benefit and I have to admit I’m thrilled. I hope to lose another 5-10 lbs (down another dress size) and I’d be exceptionally happy with that. I still eat a ton, so that’s the best part, I don’t feel deprived and my overall health and looks have improved. OMG, sometimes I think I’m going to wake up & realize it’s all just been a dream. And I may have to bitch-slap myself over this last paragraph. Seriously, the weight loss has been easy.

So back to vacation; we had a couple glorious days of laying on the beach. I know, not very good for your skin in the long run. But the short term…Dude! I have such an awesome tan! Personally, there isn’t much more relaxing than sitting on the warm sand of the beach while a cabana boy brings you cocktails. Bliss.

I knew I needed a vacation, I just didn’t realize how badly. It was lovely, and it was nice to have so much time with DS, just the two of us. We did realize that we spent a lot of time watching families with kids the same age as ours. We both missed the girls very much. We didn’t pine over it, but we found that they were always on our mind. We stayed out late (and realized we’re kinda over that whole Spring Break scene—too much work) and slept in late. We ate dinner at 10 PM, and sat on the patio of bars watching the whole South Beach scene while sipping cocktails late in the early morning hours. (We love to be the peanut gallery.) It was fun, but we’re both very, very glad to be home. The girls were excellent at the G’parents and have actually been better behaved (knock on wood) since we’ve been back, so maybe we all needed this break.

On Monday, I got back onto work and reality hit. I was greeted by a not very nice email which pretty much stressed me out for the next 24 hours. The fact that it stressed me out added to my stress; honestly, I don’t want to care that much when it comes to this job & this place. While I’m not going to go into details the email was somewhat of personal attack & that’s a lot of why it stressed me out. I spent most of my Monday stressing about how I wanted to respond to it and crafting that response. Tuesday morning I was able to mostly put it out of my mind & focus on my girls and today I greeted by what might be somewhat of an apology. Go Figure. I’m glad I was able to more or less put it away when not here (although I did notice that my need for chocolate went up exponentially,) but it still irks me that it was able to get to me to the degree it did. It also irks me that this person effective dropped a bomb & walked away with no regard for the consequences of their statements. BAH!

I was going to write yesterday, but in an effort to put that email aside I mostly stayed away from the computer. I had a lovely day of coloring and playing outside with the girls. We had lunch w/my dad (he surprised DD#1 by showing up to watch her gymnastics class) and while DD#2 took her nap, DD#1 and I colored together which was really fun. It was nice to just hang out with her and not have her whining at me. When DD#2 got up we went for a walk (it was perfect here yesterday) and ended up hanging out for the afternoon at a neighbors house. My house isn’t any cleaner, but we were all relaxed & happy and isn’t that what really matters most?

We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto!

So we’re in Miami.

Our trip was pretty non-eventful; we had a few issues w/DS’s itinerary; had the next days date on it and then upon clearing it up finding that we weren’t sitting together, but a bit of schmoozing and we had the bulkhead seats, so it actually worked out better for us. Compared to the last trip, it was heavenly.

We got here about 9 EST so by the time we got to the hotel & such everyone was ready to eat & drink. We all headed to the main hotel and had bar food for dinner. When that bar kicked us out (at like 12) we went to another real bar w/a couple bands & drank there for a while. Very fun. Very DINKs (Double Income No Kids, which was us before we hard our lovely babies) of us. Ummm, minor detail I forgot; on American (at least in coach) they don’t serve food, just drinks. You can buy food, ridiculously priced of course, but otherwise, not even a bag o’peanuts. We knew this, so in the airport I purchased a sandwich for DS & a salad for myself. Cool. Only when I went to eat my salad, no dressing. IIt was a bummer, but I had some low carb granola bars with me so I ate one of those. Of course, when we started drinking I kinda forgot to take into account that I really hadn’t eaten and started downing Morgan’s & cokes. And since after like 2 sips I was feeling no pain, I continued to drink them all night. I also forgot to order them as Morgan’s & Diet Cokes. Minor detail, which it turns out has major consequences.

Yeah, my body totally rebelled on me.

I woke up the next morning feeling dehydrated, not really hung over, but dehydrated. I started drinking lots of water & about 2 hours later got a headache. I still chalk that up to dehydration. About an hour after that, my stomach rebelled. I’ll leave it at that, you can use your imagination. By dinnertime I was fully nauseous. I ordered dinner took like two bites & declared myself done. The thought of food was making we queasy by now. So we came home by 9 & were in bed by 10. I woke up every hour because I so uncomfortable & I kept the ice bucket (lined w/a plastic bag) next to the bed because more then once I thought I was going to lose it (my lunch to be specific).

DS’s conference started today, so after he left I sort of passed out for about 2 hours, which made me feel slightly more human. Now, I have those “haven’t had any sleep” body cramps. Except that mine our mitigated by the fibro, which makes them more intense & longer lasting then the usual ones. I could nap & drink lots of water, but time & consistency (low, low carb) are what will help get rid of them. I hope.
So it’s 2 in the afternoon & I just finished getting dressed. (I move very slowly when I hurt this much). I’ve had half a bottle of water since I’ve been up & I’m about halfway through a low carb granola bar (only think I had to snack on in the room). I think I’m ready to go look for something more substantial like cheese or eggs. I’ve looked up bus routes & the hours of several things I want to go do, (most are closed today) so it hasn’t been a totally wasted day. And while I’m still queasy, my stomach has stopped doing flip flops at the thought of food. We haven’t seen much of the sun, or I’d probably be down by the pool now w/a book. If we had the kids with us, we’d there or the beach for sure, it’s in low 80s & pretty nice overall. Since I don’t have the kids, I’m going to walk to the closest ATM & then walk to the nearby (about 3 city blocks) Macy’s. (My purse is killing me, I forgot how much pressure it puts on my neck. I need a stroller ;) I don’t really have a “summer purse” since I’ve spent the last two summers schlepping a diaper bag. I’m hoping to find something that won’t hurt my neck so much, but is usable. So we’ll see. If all of that goes well, I’ll probably go read at a Starbucks for a while. If I decide I’m feeling really good I’ll go check out Coconut Grove (supposed to have good shopping). So we’ll see.
Next post I’ll hopefully have some pix of the “colorful” attire we’ve been seeing down in South Beach. It’s so exactly what you’d expect from South Beach. My inner 10-year-old boy is working overtime.

Head East Young Man...errr South East, errr Middle aged couple....Whatever, Get Going Before You Change Your Mind!

I just finished putting together a power of attorney document for my kids while we’re gone. We’re headed to Miami for a week on Saturday.

No kids.

I’m not sure how I feel about it now that it’s so close to happening.

When I was making reservations I was still breastfeeding, so the thought of being able to be away from the kids for that length of time was beyond exciting. Originally, I was planning on flying out on Wednesday, DS is going for a conference and will be attending functions Monday – Wednesday. Once I started researching flights I realized it was actually cheaper for me if I fly on the weekends, even though I’m staying longer. Go Figure. Since the hotel room is the same either way we decided to go for it. We haven’t had more then an overnight alone in 5 years! Since before DD1 was born. The thought of having that much free time was intoxicating.

OMG, I can lay by the pool and read a book! Not a short article in a
magazine, but an honest-to-goodness book. I can get a pedicure and not
have to schedule around naps and babysitting availability. We can go out
to dinner at EIGHT PM and no one will freak out.

Ok, DS might freak out, but if I get him a beer and some chips he’ll be fine.

The idea of that much freedom seemed like such a pipedream!

The plan is to hang in Miami until Thursday and then we’re going to drive down to Key West for a couple days. I’m sure we’ll take our time getting there. I’m excited because I’ve never even been to Florida before and I’ve always wanted to visit The Keys. I’m excited to get to spend some alone time with my husband, to be a couple for a little while again, instead of a “family” all the time, to travel without a hard plan, to relax without an end time to it, to be able to decide I want to go do something and just be able to get up and go do it. Oh, and to drive in the car without anyone saying anything, just enjoying the sound of each other's silence.

Don’t get me wrong I’m still nervous about this trip. For some reason, I tend to get very fatalistic about flying. I’m not really scared to fly and dude, I used to be a premier member for years on United so it’s not like I haven’t done more then my fair share of travel. But I do get nervous about the flying thing. I guess it would be more accurate to say I’m nervous about the not-flying thing. You know, crashing or something equally awful. Ok, I said it, so now it won’t happen right?

I’m also nervous about leaving the girls. I know I’m going to miss them like heck. As lovely as a pedicure on my own time and lounging by the pool with a book sounds, it ultimately pales in comparison to the giggles and hugs of my kids. I know they’ll be fine and the G’parents have some big plans for them, so they’re going to have lots of fun. But it still doesn’t make this easier. I am going to miss them soooo much. There’s a reason we haven’t had more then an overnight alone in 5 years and it’s not the babysitting issue. It’s that we really love being with our girls. In most situations, we’d rather have them with us than not. There have been opportunities to do things for a weekend here and there without them, and we’ve opted not do that. If possible, we take them with us. We don’t just love them, we like them too. Most of all we love being around them and I’m so very glad for that.

My mom acts put out that I’m going to leave them for 7 days instead of 4. Apparently 4 is ok in her book, but 7 is ridiculous. Personally, I think I’ll miss them equally 2 days or 2 weeks, that’s part of why I decided it was ok to go earlier. I know I can use a recharge, so ultimately it’ll be good for all of us. Doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, but it will be good.

In case things get so busy I can’t get back on here in the next couple days, pray for really good weather in So FL for me. I totally want to lie by the pool/on the beach and get a tan. When it rains I plan on shopping, spa treatments and sitting in coffee shops while reading. All those things I never get to do anymore because I have kids. I’m bringing my laptop, so assuming I can pick up some WiFi I’ll post when I can, which with no kids around may be more then I have things to write about. Of, course I can always bore you with the details of how much I miss them. And if you have any suggestions for things we need to do/see in the Miami/Keys area by all means please post it, I would love to hear your suggestions.

So here's my Sept. scrap book pages to hold you over in the meantime (names have been changed to protect the cute) :

Did anyone see any pigs flying around today?

OMG! I have actual work to do today! At work! No, I’m not joking.

That’s why I haven’t posted anything yet. I’ve had an hour long (training) meeting, and converted several files for various people here today. Converting the files; not really all that hard, but for some reason it falls into the area of things only I can do for them (now that I think about it, it might be that I’m the only one who has all the software required for such converting; ahh, government work). But that’s ok, things to do. It's not that I don’t thoroughly enjoy getting paid for blogging and updating my scrapbook, but things to do that are actual work related things = job security or at least less job insecurity.

So now I get to go update some web pages. Yes, they do want me to work on something I was actually hired to do! I know, I know, pace myself. Don’t want to burn myself out by doing something that takes longer then 10 minutes. I could be laid out for a week if I try to tackle it all before noon. Might pull a muscle in my eye or something.

So more later today!

No Matter What You Call It, It's Still A Monday.

I had the weirdest day today.

It’s Columbus Day & being a government worker I had the day off. Being in a private preschool (although I did notice our public school was in too) DD1 did not. So it was a Friday again for me. Got her off to school and

• hit the Safeway (Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry low sugar drinkable yogurt or low carb ice cream, Rat Bastards!)
• Picked up my contacts at the eye doctor.
• Stopped by a local bakery & picked up these spice bar cookies I covet from my youth and
• dropped them off at H’s (Baby Girl has been home for a couple days now, Baby Boy is supposed to come home today sometime.) You know, nothing helps with sleep deprivation and milk production like a good home made cookie. DD2 got to see Baby Girl which was so damn cute (her little eyes & nose peeking over the top of the bassinet as she stood on tippy toes to see! Gawd! How come I never have my camera when I really need it! But that’s another post at another time.

All of that was before 10 AM. I was so productive. In fact, I was going to take DD2 for a very much needed haircut and the car for a much needed car wash, but she fell asleep before the end of the block at H’s house, so we went home for her to nap. I know, not weird yet, really good up till that point.

Some back story: At the grocery store I purchased some midol, as I’m having some major cramping and thought it might help. It was about the time we left H’s house that these drugs kicked in. OMG! I’m pretty sure what happened is that my blood pressure dropped. Basically midol is Tylenol and caffeine, so I think the caffeine may have caused the drop. In most people it would probably raise your pulse & BP, but I tend to do the opposite (if the situation would raise your BP, it would lower mine.) And everything was spinning. It was like being drunk, but without the fun drinking part. I put DD2 down for her nap & laid down, which DID. NOT. STOP. THE SPINNING. I tried calling a couple neighbors to see if they could pick up DD1 in an hour if this didn’t stop, but no one was around (of course.) I tried sleeping for that hour, and was successful, but it was a weird kind of sleep and I woke up still lightheaded, dizzy and spacey. Since I had to wake DD2 to pick up DD1 I decided I take them both for hair cuts. I was spinning, but not quite as bad at that point. I’d brought some snacks (cheese, granola bars, water…) figuring I needed to eat and/or drink something and that would take care of it. The salon is in a strip mall which also contains a teacher supply store. So first we went there & got DD1 a pack of alphabet flashcards. (She knows about half of her letters by sight & I think the others, she just doesn’t come in contact enough with, so figured we could make it into a game to help her move along on this topic.) They were also having a two books for one sale so I got suckered into a couple books for her because they had her coveted “Magic School Bus” ones. (I know the theme song to that show. Sad, very, very sad.) Then took them to get their hair cut, which was mostly uneventful. Except that they cut DD2’s hair short! I mean, I guess she needed it, but, oh man, I really hope they didn’t end up cutting out all her curls. During their cuts I noticed that the salon seemed really, really hot & stuffy to me. I had to sit while they were getting done cause I was afraid I'd start passing out. By the time we were done I was getting super lightheaded again . (In fact, I was a little nervous about driving, but figured it had more to do with the place then me.) We skipped the car wash & went strait home. By the time I got home I was in full spin mode. I set the girls up w/a Wiggles movie (2 glorious hours) in the playroom & laid down on the couch in the family room. I informed them to play & get along because mommy was not feeling good. And miraculously they mostly did. At one point, DD2 came over to me & asked for a nap (I know! I couldn’t believe it either, but I think she sensed something was really wrong with me & not to screw around.) I carefully walked her up the stairs (I knew better then to risk carrying her the way I was). DD1 watched her movie and then played w/her magnetic paper dolls. I literally laid on the couch for like 4 hours, other then getting up to put DD2 to bed and then later to get her up. The room Never. Stopped. Spinning.

FINALLY, DS got home! Thank God! We were supposed to go to some friends’ house for dinner & he asked if I wanted him to take the girls so I could actually rest! Yes, yes! Please!

So I’m home alone now, which is weird.

About 7 I realized that I still feel groggy, but not so dizzy suddenly. I decided, after something like 7 bottles of water, (I’m not kidding) that I needed to pee. I got up and found that the room had indeed decided to stay still. My mid-back is killing me because I’ve been laying on the couch all day, but at least I’m not falling over while lying down anymore. I feel shaky, like after you’ve been sick for a couple days & haven’t had anything to eat. Only, I’ve been eating and drinking all day.
Needless, I’ll be staying away from the midol from now on. In fact, I believe Red Bull and Monster are off limits too. It’s so weird; I take a vicodin for pain & need a half a glass of wine to really kick it in so that it helps, otherwise nothing. But dude, extra strong coffee; puts me on my ass!
That’s what I get for drinking decaf.

Testing, testing...

Guess what I’m doing right now? Yup I’m blogging from my couch!!! Isn ‘t it lovely? We finally got the wireless network up and running (again). Keep your fingers crossed that it lasts. Later today I will be attempting to get the CPU we’ve hooked up to the TV going so we can download our movies from netflix; then all will be right with the world.
Sorry, that’s just me geeking out a bit.
So anyway…..
Dutch listed a post about their recent prenatal screening test and boy has it lit up the wires.
It’s interesting to me how differently each of us will take something when we read it. Our personal experiences and the resulting prejudices that shape our opinions on a subjects define our reaction. All he really did was describe his experience and the conflicting emotions he had over the news he would get as a result of this test, good or bad. But many took offence at his perceived lack of empathy toward families with special needs kids. Then the comments started to get heated with the debate regarding “choice.” Poor Dutch, he was just writing about his experience and the internet attacked him. But that is how it goes with the internet, you think you’re writing about this amazing dinner you made and then suddenly PETA is sending you hate mail because you were eating animals. Your most mundane topics take on a life of their own because of the way people perceive you’re writing.
His post was intended to talk about the ethics of the way in which the test is presented to parents. In his case the test was not really treated as optional. It wouldn’t have mattered to them, but that’s not his point. He also discussed the ethics of having this information, in that we are potentially creating a world in which all babies that are born are “disability free”. Is this a world we really want to live in? And while he didn’t even get to this part, my mind went the direction of the ethics of things like choosing your child’s gender, height, hair & eye color. If you’re choosing for your child to be disability free when does that move into things like we only want blue eyed, blonde haired kids? (Personally I prefer my children to have very deep blue eyes, dark brown hair and olive colored skin, but that’s me & I didn’t really get a vote on the subject. Just got to buy the lottery ticket.) Do we circle back to certain hair, eye & skin colors becoming a “disability”?
Eventually, the topic turned back to his intended subject: our medical system. Maybe that’s not exactly what he meant, but that’s where it headed. Much of his concern related to the way in which the test is presented to parents as a standard test, when really it’s a screening. There’s a big difference, I know because I came back high risk for Down’s in a screening. But it isn’t presented that way. In fact, because it is a screening and not a true test of potential issues (a screening to determine if you need the actual test) the information you are provided with is really not complete. And the doctors who are delivering the news don’t really get any training in how to deliver less then great news, which is a large part of what he was driving at. How ethical is it for a doctor to tell you you’re high risk for Down’s or other chromosomal abnormalities when they really don’t know? How ethical is it for a doctor to tell you you’re high risk, but not inform you that what they are giving you is a score based on many factors including external ones (like your age) that existed before you ever walked through the door? How ethical is it for parents to make life changing decisions about their unborn child without being given all the information? Because that’s really what’s going on.

I know this post got a bit heavy, but when I have a few minutes I will write about our “scare” during my first pregnancy. It was pretty awful. Then I think you’ll understand why I feel compelled to comment in the first place.

It's BOMBASTIC!!!

So did you know today was "the great mofo delurk" day? No one told me either. Yeah, my feelings were hurt too. And since the day is mostly over for about (or aboot if you're Canadian) half of the country I'm pretty sure most of you will not be delurking, but by all means knock yourself out. I don't mind if you're a day or two late. In fact that would be entirely appropriate for me. And now onto your regularly scheduled post...




Ever make a trip to the local cable office? Me neither, till yesterday.

We get our internet from cable & our wireless router wasn’t working with our modem. After much trial and tribulation and many phone calls to customer service it was determined that we should exchange our modem. I’ve had good intentions to do this for several weeks now. I HATE that I can’t access our internet from downstairs!

It’s the reason why I generally don’t post on non-work days. Rotten kids think I should actually pay attention to them. Jeez! They’re so demanding! They want to be fed and stuff too!

I was trying to run this little errand while DD1 was in school so I’d only have one child to torture myself (and the CSR) during my visit. It just wasn’t working out, so yesterday, with both kids in tow, I went to the Customer Service office for our cable company. (Rhymes with Bombast.)

The office isn’t far from us, so we head over there and try to find parking. Uh oh. Not off to a good start, the very large parking lot is full. Apparently the majority of the building is used for training, so I assumed (wrongly) that the majority of the cars were probably for that. Oh yeah, and the stroller never got put back in the car after our Costco trip this weekend. This was not starting off all that well. After about 10 minutes I found a random parking space, it was in their parking lot, so I guess I should consider that a plus. I carry DD2 while holding DD1’s hand through the parking lot. DD2 is getting pretty heavy these days, seems that she’s at least 20 lbs now. My point is that my back (which hasn’t been so hot lately) was not doing so hot by the time we got to the sidewalk and I could put her down, and I was starting to break a sweat (ewww). We got to the building and open the door and….the line! OMG the line! Think DMV, but with only 4 service windows. One window is only taking cash transactions and only one window has a Spanish speaker in it. Luckily those were not the same window. It did not look hopeful. The line wound around the office twice and was at the door. We go in it. It was lunch time, DD2 had not had a nap yet today. Wow, this was as pushing it as we could get.

Guess what!

Totally uneventful. Most people couldn’t use the cash only window and/or needed the Spanish speaking guy, so we only waited about 10 minutes. AMAZING! I was able to switch out our modem without incident. The lady who helped us was nice and helpful and it was just so ODD!

In fact it was BOMBASTIC! If you know what I mean.

Happy October!

Actually has been pretty happy. I had a rough weekend with my back; actually broke down & took a vicodin yesterday. That was after I was completely useless for most of the day. I think I’m feeling the after affects of it today as my blood pressure (I think) is low. I started randomly having a dizzy spell, and I got hot and then I got a headache. Bah! Very reminiscent of my pregnancy. No I’m not pregnant, don’t go there. I wouldn’t exactly be sad if I were to get pregnant, but this isn’t how I’d tell you either. DS says we’re done, so unless he changes his mind I guess we’re done. Kinda a two person thing you know.

On the other hand, Auntie H & Uncle A are now Mommy H & Daddy A! Yeah!!!! The twins were born on Saturday and are doing very well. Baby Boy was 6 lbs. 3 oz. (bigger then DD2, who was a full term single birth) and Baby Girl was 5 lbs 8 oz. Baby Boy has had a few issues that are somewhat typical (I think) of multiple births, but some have already ironed themselves out, so I’m sure it will all be happy chaos by the end of the week.

The only real new news is that I have been cropping like crazy these days and actually been approached to do someone’s baby book for them. I know! At first I was like, I don’t know, cause that feels like such a responsibility, but then I looked into what a commercial license entails, etc… and I feel more comfortable about it now. So I emailed her today to see if she’s still interested. We’ll see. I think I’m going to leave it at that so I can go crop some more AND because I still have this raging headache. I’ll leave you with one of my recent layouts to fill the usually lengthy (wordy) void.

Layout credits: All layout paper and elements are from the express yourself kit by Ronna Penner of Scrapadelic.com. Grunge mask from J. Sprague.