Why I should not be allowed to have the keys to the car - November 28, 2007 -
I am a bit clumsy. A bit i say, but Bill would throw his head back and laugh at that.
I tend to do lots of goofy things. Like the time I bent down to pick up something I dropped while doing a blood draw on a patient, and on the way down hit my head on the side of the chair. When I lifted my head back up, blood was running down my face from a laceration to my forehead. The patient almost passed out.
Or the time I fell out of the deep freezer at the marine park I worked at, and landed in a crate full of frozen herring, twisting my ankle all to hell.
This time, a car was involved. A parked car.
I lifted the hatch on the van, grabbed the groceries out of the back, and pulled the hatch down hard…..right on my face. i am still trying to figure out how I managed it.
It made me see stars and I staggered in the house with blood running down my face, and dripping off of my nose….the workers building homes on either side of us stood staring, tejano music blaring in the background.
The gash on my nose was pretty icky and wide open. The one on my forehead was mostly just split open. I called Bill at work and, get this, he said he would come home at lunch and look at it. It was 9am at the time. True love.
After checking out the wounds, he decided not to stitch them. The nose one was bad, but stitching that area would be difficult and end up with more scarring.
I also ended up with a mild concussion.
I am not going out in public, because people keep asking what happened and I have to explain how I accidentally slammed my face in the trunk.
Goofy.
And just think, they allow me to drive a car.
Nameless Needs A Name - November 28, 2007 -
Bill says “No” to most everything I ask for.
This is not because he is mean or evil. It is because he is cheap and practical.
I don’t say that to be ugly. I love my husband, and even he admits those particular characteristics.
So, over the years I have learned that if I really want something, I simply do not ask, unless it is a major purchase like a 34 foot RV or a boat. . If I ask, well then, he says “No” and I can’t justify my purchase later on.
Bill aims to please, and I am really quite spoiled. He has to be the most laid back person on the planet. He would have to be to put up with me and some of the things I bring home. Take for instance this little gem that I brought home yesterday:
Yup, that is an eensy weensy little box turtle. It is about 2-3 weeks old and I had to have it for the boys. Our local pet shop carries the most amazing exotic animals, and this little guy and his 4 siblings were there waiting for a family for Christmas.
So, we bought it and all the supplies to properly care for it, and then we snuck it in the house while Bill was at the marina working on the boat.
When he got home, we showed him the turtle.
I know many a husband that would lecture, yell, complain and gripe about it….maybe even demand that it be returned.
Bill lifted his glasses and peered down at it. He then came back in the den and asked the kids what its name was.
(Doncha just love him….I know I do.)
Which brings me to the subject of this post…..the kids would like name suggestions.
So please, lurkers and regular commenters alike, lets name Nameless. Get your kiddos involved.
Nameless Needs a Name.
Oops - November 26, 2007 -
You might have noticed that the site has been down almost all day. That would be because I updated my Wordpress plugin, and everything went to hell in a hand basket.
I am in the process of trying to tweek some templates to highlight the photos a bit better, but am having trouble with one of the plugins, and have also pulled all of my hair out during the process.
So, I am bald and the site still looks like poo, but I am hoping to have it fixed sometime tomorrow.
Until then, and baby makes 6! is under construction, so please excuse the mess.
Gifts! - November 20, 2007 -
Internet, meet my new favorite mug evah!!!
Is that not gorgeous. I love the size, the shape and color oh so much. My diet ended a few days ago, and I am now drinking decaf espresso with soy milk. Mmmm. I never thought it would taste good, but it acutally appeals to me more than a cappa made with milk. And guess what…..my back and chest pain are gone. Imagine that.
Now meet my new hand dyed bag!
Isn’t it cool? Mia has tried to steal it, but it is mine, all mine!
Kathy, thank you so much. I LOVE the cup and bag. You are beyond sweet! Smooches, smooches, smooches!!
Squalls - November 19, 2007 -
The forcast predicted several light showers in the morning and 5-10mph winds, so it sounded like a tame sailing day to us.
5-10mph my ass.
We had several squalls come through. I suspect the winds were more like 15-20 with gusts up to 25, maybe 30. We were flying. Bill had a smile on his face that nothing could remove. I kept looking at him and laughing. He was having a blast.
I sent the little ones down below, just to be on the safe side.
We all worked so great together. We sailed through the first 3 squalls, but the wind kept building and building, and I decided enough was enough and told Bill “It is not going to clear like you keep saying. It is time to go in while we can.” He agreed. I took the jib down, then Bill and I hauled the mainsail down while Cory took the helm. It felt wonderful moving so fast pulling those sails down in the heavy air. God, I want to race again!! (did I just say that?)
We had read that this boat can get overpowered in heavy air due to the huge mainsail, but she handled perfectly. My husband was in ecstasy. Pure, adrenaline filled ecstasy.
Fun, fun, fun!!!
It is on days like this that I know I can talk him into going cruising for a year…or two. He keeps shaking his head and saying “Your crazy”, but you know what? I can see it in his eyes too…..
Crazy is as crazy does.
Being grateful for a bit of insomnia - November 14, 2007 -
There is illness in our house.
Fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches. Bill has had it, Mia, and now Cory. I am exhausted.
Bill has been sleeping in Mia’s room because he is so miserable. His stroke symptoms come back with glee when he is ill, so he feels double rotten.
Last night I awoke at midnight and could not go back to sleep. After an hour, I gave up and turned the bedside lamp on and started reading.
Around that time, Quinn crept into the room and crawled into bed. I asked him what was wrong and he said “Nothing”
“Are you scared?”
“No”
“Do your legs hurt?”
“No”
“Well, why did you come in?”
Sitting up in bed, smiling, he replied “Because I love you”.
Sometimes, I just have to wonder how I got so damn lucky.
3 sons - November 12, 2007 -
Last night, I let my 2 oldest sons watch Saving Private Ryan.
I heard that…….that collective **gasp** from the internets.
“Why would she let her 10yo see such a movie?”
“What kind of mother are you?”
Well, I am the kind of mother who has 3 sons who like to play war.
Unfortunately, we live in a society that creates games such as “Call of Duty” and “Medal of Honor” and the only thing that is more unfortunate is that there are parents who buy these games for their kids.
My children do not have these games, but do have friends that play them. Not just here, but back in Mayberry as well.
My boys are forbidden from participating, and while we were at the RV park, a young man played these games openly in the rec hall, and my children told him they were not allowed to play, and could he please put something else on.
Regardless of this, I know they long to play and probably will some day when they are not under my supervision.
I listen as my boys go into the forest behind my house to play war. I hear fake machine gun fire. They use sticks and water guns as weapons. They build bunkers and my oldest reads everything he can get his hands on about WWII. He brings home history books and devours them. He talks about being a marine.
My father was a WWII veteran and his uncle was a pilot in the Airforce. His uncle Jimmy was shot down over the Sea of Japan, killed in action. I have held in my hands the telegram that was sent to my great-grandmother, and I wept with my grandmother as, 50 years later, we sat on her living room floor and read it again. She told me how her mother fell to the ground as she saw the car drive up the road to the farm. She knew what it meant. Jimmy was dead.
My father, in a fit of rage, went straight away and enlisted in the Navy. Jimmy and he were very close, and his heart was broken. He knew what he was doing. He saw his grandmother screaming and crying about Jimmy. He entered the Navy at a time of war, knowing what could happen. He felt called to duty, and he went. There are men like that today in Iraq, and I respect, honor and admire their courage.
My son has my father’s dog tags, and Jimmy’s wings. Jimmy went to war to protect our country from unbelieveable evil, and he died.
War is not clean and neat, like the war in a video game. When you are done with it, “Game Over” does not flash on the screen. The bodies don’t disappear. You don’t have to call your buddies family back home to tell them their son is dead. In these videos you don’t have to watch your mother or grandmother crumble to the ground because she has been told her son is dead.
So I let my sons watch Saving Private Ryan.
Cory sat in the big chair with Bill, his father’s arm draped around him. Cody sat on the ottoman at Bill’s feet.
I cried with my boys during the opening scene at Omaha Beach.
I cried when Mrs Ryan fell to the ground as she saw the the car pull up in front of her house and an officer and a priest step from the it. I imagined my great grandmother falling to the ground. I imagined myself falling to the ground, weak with grief. I told the boys at this point that that is what happened to their great-great grandmother when she saw the car drive toward the farm.
I told them “I have three sons.”
And they watched Saving Private Ryan.
You may disagree with my choice. You may think a 10 year old should not be exposed to such a thing, and that is your right. The fact is, I am their parent, not you.
The fact is, I don’t want my sons to think that war is like a video game. Fun, clean, exciting. I don’t want them glamorizing it. I can’t tell you how many stories I read in the paper about soldiers coming home from Iraq saying things like “I had no idea when I enlisted that I would actually shoot real people.” “I thought I could enlist, get a free education and see the world”. I just couldn’t believe the naivety. I wanted to slap them and scream “What the hell did you think you were doing? Did you think that the army and marine core train people to be tour guides?”
In a world where it has become okay to virtually kill people, I decided that my sons would see Private Ryan.
Hearing Tom Hanks say “I just know that with every man I kill, the farther way from home I feel” was worth it.
My sons heard this letter recited at the beginning of the movie:
“Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, Abraham Lincoln.”
5 sons. 5!
This morning, I asked them how the movie made them feel.
Cody said “War is horrible’. It is nothing like I thought”.
Cory was silent. I asked him if he still wanted to be a marine, and he shook his head hard “no”.
One day in the future, if he does decide to be a marine, it will be an informed choice, not one of mystical bravado and glory.
I let my sons watch Saving Private Ryan because sheltering them from the truth and allowing them to believe that war is a video game could cost them their lives.
We live in a time of war. I pray for peace. I pray that the draft never happens again. I pray that my sons never have to know first hand what killing another human being feels like.
I pray that I never have to see that car drive up in front of my house.
***editted to add that I just realized that it was Veterans Day. Duh. Happy Veterans Day an a big thank yo to all who have served and died for our country and rights to freedom!
My fairy lost a tooth - November 9, 2007 -
A little too early.
She is jazzed. Mom, not so much. She is carrying her tooth fairy box around and will not put it down. That and the dollar Quinn gave her and the dollar the tooth fairy actually remembered to leave.
I will miss her little, crooked front tooth. The tooth that I lovingly tried to keep in her mouth as long as possible after she knocked it loose many moons ago.
Since she lost it so early, it will be a long time before I see her tooth filled grin again.
Mia is just glad to be rich now.
Green light - November 8, 2007 -
We have been talking about it.
We have argued back and forth.
I was for it.
He was against it.
I gave up and realized that what he was afraid of was the unknown.
Homeschooling.
So I ordered the curriculum to do after school. I was excited about diving into the adventrue with them, even if it was not full time. I had been reading the Sonlight website obsessively since Chris told me about it last January.
Then Kathy started ordering her books, and I was all “Okay Jody, cr*p or get off the pot”.
Bill was all, “go for it”. So I did.
The kids love it. I love it. It’s a great fit for us.
My 2 oldest want to stay at their schools. They are really happy and have acclimated fantastically. Their schools are excellent.
Quinn, not so much so. My happy little buddy has developed a really bad attitude. When he comes home he is bouncing off the walls and ceiling and will not listen. He is just down right pissy and what I fear is that constant grounding and punishment will just crush his little spirit.
On the weekends, he is our little Quinny again. But then the whole cycle starts over again.
We know what the problem is. It is the school. I won’t go into detail, but will tell you that the first week of school Qunn fell headfirst off of a 10 foot slide and landed on his head. He cried, went to the nurse, she put ice on it and when he stopped crying she sent him back to his room….and never called me. When Quinn came home he was sick to his stomach, his head hurt and he could not stay awake. I thought it had to be a virus as there was no marks of bumps on his head.
He had a concussion, and I went ape nuts on the school when I found out.
Quinn has met some sweet little boys. He loves his teacher. But he is not learning anything there. All of it is stuff he mastered in pre-k 3, pre-k 4 and kinder.
Today we talked at lunch about Quinn, and Bill said he wants to keep him home after Christmas break and homeschool him.
I am relieved, excited, and just plain jazzed out of my mind.
So, Quinn and Mia will be homeschooled at least through 3rd grade.
Now I have to get busy with finding math and LA for them!
A very berry shake - November 8, 2007 -
Breakfast of champions.
I am wondering if I will ever get the seeds out from between my teeth.
Detox - November 7, 2007 -
Last year, when I was in the middle of full-time working hell, I went to see a doctor. See, I was having some chest pain when I inhaled, and it had gotten quite bad.
This doctor wanted to do some serious testing. Thalium stress test and cardiac echo. Bill and I both agreed this was over the top, and I never followed up.
Well, I still have the pain, and it is worse now. When I breathe in, it hurts my back, wraps around under my arm and into my chest. I can elicit it with movement, so we were pretty sure it was muscular, but what would cause muscular discomfort like this for over a year?
In addition to this, my left shoulder and arm were killing me.
My mind started working overtime, and I had convinced myself (thanks Google) that it was either lung cancer or breast cancer. I felt like crap. I was nauseated all the time, and had no energy. Bill was like “GO TO THE DOCTOR!” because his brain was coming out of his ears listening to me whine about it.
Seriously, I think I actually got depressed about it…. and very stressed……so I finally went to a doctor. I had a mamogram, chest x-ray, multiple blood tests, and I am supposed to have an MRI of my back and shoulder.
The bottom line is, all the tests done so far have came back normal, thank God. The doctor thinks that it all is a result of injuries I sustained when I had my bike wreck. He thinks I damaged my thoracic vertebrate and the nerves that run along where I am experiencing pain. He also thinks I damaged my shoulder and may have torn a rotator cuff. Also, I may have some arthritis.
I am debating having the MRI’s. Why? Well, so far we have eliminated the thing that I feared most….lung cancer. My dad was a heavy smoker. I spent 18 years in that house inhaling his secondary smoke. I watched him die a terrible death via suffocation. I had nightmares for months and months, so when this pain carried on after I left my job (we at first thought it could be stress induced) my imagination took off. Having ruled out cancer and knowing that if the MRI shows anything I have no intention of having spinal surgery or go through treatment for a joint or rotator cuff injury, I figure what is the point. Each test will cost $1900. Yup, that is one load of $$$.
So, what I have decided to do is reclaim my body. Exercise will take a greater role in my daily life, and I have completely revamped our diet. I will break it down below:
Exercise
-Running- not umpteenmillion miles, but 1 and only 1. 1 mile 3x each week.
-Sailing on the weekends
-Surfing when there are waves
-Biking along the waterfront
DIET
-First, I am on a detox diet.
I have eliminated:
*coffee and replaced it with green tea.
*High-fructose corn syrup
*processed and refined carbohydrates and sugar
*junk food, fast food, packaged or processed foods
*alcohol (gasp)
The first week of the diet, you withdraw from caffeine, sugar and excess carbs.
The second week I will basically have rice-protein shakes, broth, brown rice, chicken, fruits (mostly berries) and veggies (save for nightshades). I am on week one right now….the prep week.
All the foods should be organic.
You also drink 2tbs of olive oil mixed with 1/2 organic lemon every morning to help your liver.
Drink lots of water and green tea.
Already I feel better, although it is reeeeeally hard giving up the sugar and caffeine.
There are many detox diets out there, but I am using the Ultrasimple Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman.
After the 2 weeks are over, I hope to have developed some healthy habits and have eliminated some bad ones. I will probably resume drinking coffee in moderation. We will enjoy our margaritas and bahama mamas here and there (and there and here and there).
Remember, this diet is not meant to be a weight-loss diet. That can be a benefit for sure, but mostly I am doing it to be healtier.
I cleaned out our cabinets of all the junk.
I went with more organics, because I can now. We have wonderful grocery stores here at the coast and I don’t have to drive for over an hour to get to them! I was surprised at my grocery bill. I expected it to be sky high. I mean, my cart was full of nothing but organic foods, and my total was less than I usually spend. How can that be?
Well, there was no junk food, that’s how.
It is time to do this.
We have made this wonderful change in our life, and now it is time to do something wonderful for my body.
We are just like everyone else - November 6, 2007 -
Least ye think all is perfect and wonderful at Chez andbabymakes6…..
Yes, it is good, but….
My kids scream at each other.
They hit each other.
They lock each other out of the bedrooms.
Bill and I bicker about stupid stuff.
I get bad PMS.
Mia spends most of her free time screaming and whining.
I tell my kids “No” and they do it anyway.
I scream at my kids when it all gets too much.
When my husband tells me he has a headache, I feel like I am dropping 20 stories in an elevator. That night, I lay in bed listening to him breath.
Chris wrote a wonderful post yesterday that everyone should read if they haven’t already. Go on, click over. I can wait.
Is that not so true? Yes, photos tell a story. I love that image.
Life here is pretty darn good. There is no denying that. We are utterly and completely appreciative for our life. But what you see here on this blog, although real in every way, just scratches the surface.
I try to focus on the good in life. Sometimes the “stuff” gets to me, and I vent here, but what I have learned is that it usually comes back and bites me in the hindquarters. Case in point our move here. My blog felt like a safe place to vent some frustrations, but some IRL friends read it and it did not go over well. Sooo, I did edit and delete some stuff. I will never do that again. I do not lie or fabricate things on this blog, and it felt dishonest to me when I edited.
I also have to watch my P’s and Q’s with Bill….the job thing and all. You know, I can’t post photos of him chugging margaritas anymore. ;*)
I just find myself more careful about my topic choices.
So, yes. Life is beyond grand here. We really do have it good. Having said that, we are like any other family with our ups and downs. We just have some fabulous views to remind us how blessed we are and to get over the downs already. Ya know?
Sunday - November 4, 2007 -
Have I ever told you how much I love Texas? Well, I do.
I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November.
I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November on a boat.
I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November and sweat on said boat….because it feels like June.
I love that my kiddos can be barefoot on a boat while searching for dolphins…yup, in November.
I love that I have little Texas creatures that can steer the boat…..
……while Bill and I enjoy the setting sun on the bow.
I love seeing this man enjoy his life at the coast.
And these kids grow up by the water.
If a Texan doesn’t have an auto helm, he makes one.
And the barefoot kids name it Wilson, after the volley ball in Castaway.
Texans have big hair
And they love extra big as well
Texas….it is just the best. Ya’ll guys know what I mean?
