Hi flygals & guy! I've spent the last two days intensively moving my mother to her new place, so I haven't caught up on the last thread yet.
TA DA's:
*Got all of Mom's stuff in her new place (thanks to DH and college guys and many trips with my van).
*Got furniture to our house
*Cleaned Mom's old place thoroughly (2-day job)
*Unloaded van last night
*Cleaned red clay out of laundry room
*Did one more load of laundry
*Put together some tiered carts Mom gave me
Today's PODA:
*Homeschool
*Therapy appointment (pool this week, gotta bring DD's bathing suit!)
*Move new twin bed upstairs to J.D.'s room
*Reassemble crib in our room for Emma.
J.D. is getting a big boy bed, thanks to Mom! That means Emma can move out of the pak-n-play now. I think I may have written that already.
This week, I will be focusing on curing the kids of hitting each other. I'm ready to get that down to a minimum. Other than that, I will be rearranging furniture. And general straightening and organizing. I had to neglect my house for the last two days and it shows.
Susannah, when you cure yours of hitting, will you let me in on the secret? DD doesn't hit that much, she bites. I suppose it is probably a defense mechanism she learned at the orphanage. She was the smallest in her group.
Well, it's Monday again & I think I'm at least off on the right track for a nice change. I have been trying to be consistent in fly-ing so that I don't get overwhelmed so much. Wish I didn't have to go to the office, though. It was 25 degrees 30 minutes ago & I don't relish getting out in the cold. Oh, well it's only for a few hours.
DD has appt. with ENT tomorrow. So, I guess we'll find out if she'll be getting her tonsils out. Next week she sees the pediatric neurologist and I hope that's it for a while for doctors.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry
* Update checkbook
* Pay two bills online
* Run dishwasher
* Rent videos at library
* Work at office 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (ick)
Really not too bad. I think after dinner tonight, I'll let DH take DD to visit BIL who's laid up with broken legs and I'll stay here and (1) have some quiet time alone and (2) get some things done in the house.
Well, I'd better get going for now. My Mom will be here in 15 minutes so I can go to the office. I'll catch up with you all later!
Hope you get your quiet time Vonnie! Is your Mom the childcare provider for your DD?
Wow, can't believe you're doing all that plus your regular chores Susannah! Good luck with the no hitting campaign!
DD5 is at my weekly swap, so I get a few hours of uninterrupted time - mostly doing chores, though I still have some to do. It is really snowing here, wonder if there will be school tomorrow?
Yes, Andrea, my Mom keeps DD the 12 hours I go into the office. It works out really great because they have bonded; I don't have to worry about who's keeping my child; and I have the best of both worlds. Although today after work, I might debate that point! LOL!
GREAT NEWS!!!! DH got promoted to Team Leader effective Jan. 26 at the Mercedes-Benz plant here. This means a raise, a little more overtime (which they are at 0 overtime for team members right now), and not much physical labor. Yahoo!!! I am so excited. He passed the team leader program last year and we thought it might be next year even before a position opened up. He will be in his same department & on his same shift rotation. We might go out to celebrate tonight.
Well I guess I'd better get going. I've got a lot to get done tonight. Talk to you all later!
Vonnie, mine were all biters! I can laugh about it now, but it was really stressful and traumatic then. DD13 was the worst, he broke skin and bruised people. My MIL says all 5 of hers were biters too. Hang in there, I promise they do outgrow it, I found that once people could understand what they said better they stopped biting. As for hitting...
My boys drive me up the wall with their wrestling. DH says that's exactly what he and his brother did, and many men friends agree, but I still get tremendous anxiety when I hear it. We had to institute a "if you want to wrestle, go outside" rule for my peace of mind.
TADA
got everyone off to school almost on time and only forgot DDs mittens
dishes
laundry
dinner
picked up a bit
They are showering in rotation right now, and the others are reading
PODA
finish showers and reading, get them to bed
collapse myself
For dinner tonight I made meatloaf, and found something cool by necessity. The meat was still quite frozen when I got home, so desparate to speed things along I molded individual meatloaves in the muffin tin. It worked really well! They were done in half the time (I cooked them on a baking tray, so the heat could circulate all around them. Just dump the filled muffin tin upside down on the tray and they slide right out!) and the kids were thrilled with the inidividual servings. Plus there was no arguing who had more than his/her fair share! Just in case you ever have to make meatloaf for a crowd.
Hi all you Monday-ers! Congratulations to Vonnie's DH.
My DH had his first day back at classes today, and beforehand he had to take care of some stuff around the school. I just checked my e-mail and there was nothing from him, so that's a good sign that everything was uneventful.
I was cured of hitting my little sister when she got older and less annoying. Also my parents sent us to separate summer camps, and I missed her so was nicer to her when I came home. And when I got to the age when my parents suddenly seemed annoying and stupid (11), and my sister was just barely old enough to agree (9), we bonded. But mainly she just got older and less likely to repeat everything I said and spy on me from my closet and all those other things that I thought really deserved a smack.
Ta-da:
-laundry
-sent off some mail
-gathered up DH's library books for him to return at school today
-made lunch
-made a bunch of phone calls
I am being very bad and taking a break for crisis cleaning to peek in and say hi. Why am I crisis cleaning?
Because the cleaners are coming tomorrow, of course!
Part of it is I want to take down the tree before they come so they can really clean up the tree mess good. Did I mention our tree has sprouted tons of new growth?
I hope you all will take advantage of the photo gallery option so we can see some recent pics!
I've had a headache sense Friday, not as bad the last couple of days but still there. Friday was the worst. Wondering if any of you had or have headaches during pregnancy, and if so how did you get rid of them? Tylenol which my Dr. says is ok for me to take doesn't work. I didn't have this, or don't remember having it before? Any suggestions much appreciated.
See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
Jamie, (((Hugs)))). I don't know anything other than Tylenol for headache during pregnancy. It doesn't work for me, either. I think Advil is the miracle drug. One thing that does help me is to lie down in a dark room and consciously relax *every single* muscle in my body, starting at the top of my head and working my way down. When you get to your feet, start over again because probably your head has tensed up again in the meantime. It doesn't completely eliminate the headache, but it lessens the pain enough to fall asleep and sleep it off.
Did you get the tree down, Shaun? Mine's still up.
Becky, sounds like me with my sisters...although my parents were very strict about hitting and we didn't do it much.
Good for you Jo on the successful day! You innovator, you!
TA DA's:
*Therapy (we were late )
*Rearranged furniture. Whew! It was an obstacle course in here. Now it's crowded, but there's room to walk again. I'm grateful for the extra furniture. We got a nice roll-top desk, an entertainment center (which, of course, our tv is too big for), a bookshelf, an end table, a chair that was my uncle's, a twin bed...not to mention a lot of smaller items. I put my stereo in the entertainment center and jammed to some great bluegrass while I worked.
*Laundry. 'Til two a.m. Two more loads to finish and two more to wash now.
J.D. was not enthusiastic about giving up the crib, so I set up the bed next to it and will give him time to get used to the idea. When I suggested a "big boy" bed, he said no, climbed into the crib, and indicated "blankie?" "water?" "sleepy?" All this before supper! But he did sleep in the bed last night, his choice.
I tried to upload an image yesterday, but must have done something wrong. Hope I can try again tonight.
PODA:
*Homeschool
*P.E.
*Mom's
*Visit Grandma if I can
How are you?? Been a while, been crazy around here. I worked the whole weekend, then it took me a day to catch up. Everyone sounds like they have been plenty busy too.
Jamie, hope you are feeling better soon. I really don't have any other suggestions except tylenol, and relaxing as Susannah suggested. Is it possibly sinuses? Maybe try some steam and a vaporizer if it is. Hang in there
Vonnie, Congratulations to your DH. WooHoo!!
Off today and tomorrow. Trying to take it easy but have so much to do. At least I finally got the tree down and things are back in order. I love that feeling!!
Ok on to the flying:
Tada:
~took down tree
~took down outside lights
~1 load of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away
~made yummy breakfast
~beds made
~swished bathrooms
Poda:
~made baked ziti to bring to Moms tonight
~keep decluttering
~relax a little
Have a great day Fly friends
Love, Jackie
Just checking in from the pit of chaos...
Not much flying going on here. Place is still in the post-Xmas disaster phase, but the kids are having fun playing in it, so we're not to stressed. Dinners are appearing and dishes are getting done and I just caught up on all the laundry so that's all good. Lots of work-related deadlines are keeping me way too busy for much else. We have started moving stuff to clear out the room that's going to become our new master bedroom. The challenge is to finish the remodel before DW is too pregnant to work on it.
As I recally what finally cured my brother and I of hitting out sister was the threat of separate military schools. Don't know if my dad would really have followed up on that, but we had no interest in finding out.
First of all, make sure your blood pressure is okay; headache can be a symptom of extra-high blood pressure, which as you know is a risk during pregnancy. If your blood pressure checks out, try taking the maximum amount of Tylenol allowed (two pills, four times a day, or whatever your doctor says is okay) for a couple of days whether or not you feel pain, to keep ahead of the pain. Try not to do this for more than two days so you don't get "rebound" pain. Meanwhile make sure to get enough sleep and fluids, and try to stay as relaxed as possible. If that doesn't work, back to the doctor.
(As you know I have no kids, but I have had some non-migraine but severe headaches at various times.)
I went on a fruitless errand to the DMV today. I've been having a horrible, rotten week. No tragedies or illness; just lots of DMV-type issues, if you see what I mean.
I wanted to say "Hi" again.
I am off to (re) join the ranks of Flybabydom.
I missed seeing all of your names ~ and it will be nice to get in a computer habit again.
New Year and New Goals = New Username.
*Hugs*
CariAnne
(Formerly Bronwyn.)
Cari Anne glad to see you've come back. I usually post a couple of times a week. I find it helps keep me accountable to my mini version of flying.
DS12 and I continue to make it to the YMCA every morning. We get there by 7:05 and then I take him to school at 8:15. I get 1/2 hour on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the weight machines. He showers and then I fix his breakfast at the Y. Then home to start my blessings around the house. I think I need to actually write up a new plan.
TADA
morning routines
laundry
attended a MOMs group at church topic "Recipe for a Balanced Life"
hair appt (Blond highlights returned and deadends gone!!!)
dinner (new recipe for sweet and sour chicken, yum)
I have to laugh about the sibling relationship comments. My mom loves to say that we didn't have physical fighting (4 girls and one boy in a five year age span) but boy, could we psycologically scar each other! Sad, but true. We do all get along very well now, though so I guess we weren't too scarred.
TADA
got up this morning to exercise, and I did, but it stunk. My legs felt like logs, heavy and unbendable-no fun at all! I think I might have been dehydrated. I did manage 2.5 miles, but it was a struggle.
dishes
laundry
dinner (the hashbrown casserole I pre-made Sunday, broccoli, & pineapple
homework for a crowd
read the paper while they did their silent reading
got half of them in the shower/tub
PODA
bed!!!!!!!
Tomorrow is my "easy" day. Hopefully I will get some more laundry done because my goal is to send the kids home Saturday night with suitcases full of clean clothes. Then the family can just enjoy each other, and their mom won't have to worry about clothes for church Sunday and school Monday.
I tried Susannah's technique and like she said, it works while I'm doing it. Becky, thanks for the advice, I have an appointment Thursday and I'll make sure I have them check my BP. I think they start off as sinus headache in the morning, and during the day turn into something else. Either way, I'm going to ask the Dr on Thursday what I can do about them.
As far as flying I'm keeping my head above water, that's about it. The boys are helping out alot
Andrea, enjoy "girls day"
Great to have you back Cari
It's late, gona try and get comfy. See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
It has been pretty crazy around here lately. I think that I've finally caught up on all of the posts.
Jamie - I hear you with the headaches!!! I have been lucky enough to get them in the evening so I have been going to bed really early. Let us know what the doc says!!!
Susannah- I am the youngest of 7, so I got smacked around until I was about 11 and suddenly I was taller than all the rest of my siblings. The main problem was with my sister who is 5 1/2 years older than me. She is only 5' tall and at 11 I hit 5'4". (I'm 5'10" now, so she really leaves me alone!!!!!) Anyway... one day she tried to trip me and throw me on the ground and instead of falling I pushed HER on the ground. There wasn't a single problem after that!!!! Good luck with your kids!
Shaun- Did I miss something? What is the photo gallery option?
Vonnie- Congrats to your husband! That's exciting! Where in Alabama are you? I spent a summer in AL. Half in Anniston and half in Montgomery.
Not much else going on here. I'll post more later when I have more to say. Have a great morning everyone!
Morgan
Ha! Well, I'm glad to hear y'all get along with your siblings now. My girls play really well together and no doubt once the youngest boy grows a bit, the boys will too. But boy, can they get into some fist fights! The oldest doesn't hit much, but the younger three sure do. And the psychological scarring...I did that with my sisters! But we love each other now.
Welcome back, Bronwyn-Cari Anne! We missed you!
Vonnie, I meant to say congrats to your DH too! That's wonderful news for your family!
Jo, awful nice of you to do all that laundry.
Susan, Andrea, you make me want to join the local Curves. I honestly don't know when I'd do it, though.
Another late night here. I'm determined to get to bed at a decent hour tonight. I didn't even get any laundry folded last night! But I did bake a cake. And I cleaned the guest bath (DS had another accident in there). Including cat pan.
Otherwise, not much to TA DA from yesterday. We went to P.E., kids had fun. My girls are actually starting to engage with the others. Took some pictures. Then we went to my mother's. DH met us there. The new place is small, and I was a nervous wreck about their messing something up. Inevitably, toddler took a crayon to a wall. Not too bad, though, I was able to get it off with baking soda. No more crayons there, ever. IckDonald's for supper. It's just so small there that everything the kids do (yelling, climbing on sofa) gets on my nerves! Too many kids for that space. So I took us all home by seven o'clock, after Mom got off work. DH stayed to upgrade Mom's computer.
This is awful, but I'm having such a problem with my DS3's bathroom habits. What should I do? All I can figure is that he must be impacted, because he goes just a little bit, but continually throughout the day. We go through underpants like you wouldn't believe! He can't sit on the potty, I guess because nothing significant will come out; he'd be sitting there forever. I've put in a call to his doctor. Don't mean to post about something gross, but I'm really concerned about it. This has been happening off and on for a few months now, but it's been particularly bad this week. At first, I thought he deliberately wouldn't go to the bathroom, but now I see he really can't help it. I've been trying Miralax for the past week, but no results so far.
PODA:
*Homeschool
*Fold Laundry
*Put out garbage
*Take down tree
*Homegroup
Yea, it's WEdnesday, half-way through the week. The kids will have a 3 day week-end (no school on Monday). We should be able to adjust the YMCA time to around 8 or 9 (an extra hour of sleep will be wonderful)
TADA
DS12, DH and I spent an hour at the YMCA
Beds made
Breakfast done
laundry started (I do 1-2 loads every day, doesn't seen so overwhelming)
Bedrooms picked up
PODA
vacuum 2nd floor
Anti-procrastination project (pillow shams for master bedroom)
dinner (leftovers smorgasbord, each person can have their favorites from the past few days, sweet-n- sour chicken/rice, meatloaf/mashed potatoes, creamed fish and potatoes, grilled chicken, just need to make fresh salad and vegetables)
The washer has stopped time to transfer clothes to dryer and start 2nd load and then set up for sewing. I'd really like to post later today that I actually made some progress on the shams.
Susannah, WD-40 is the best at getting crayon marks of walls! And it smells good too! (Ok, I'm strange, I love the smell of WE-40, gas, diesel, oil, and manure. And don't forget insilage, right Julie! LOL!).
Welcome Sue!
PODA-Parade of Daily Adventures. or a TODO list
TADA-a done TODO (think horns blaring TADAAAAAA!!!)
SHAM-I'm thinking pillow covers for a bed (I believe SusanY is making some)
SAHM-Stay At Home Mom
WAHM-Work at home mom
DS or DH or DD or DW-Dear son, daughter or husband or wife. Can also be Darn or Damn if the mood suits. the number after DS or DD usually refers to age of child.
Vonnie, congrats on DH!
It's been a busy week here. Had to get financial stuff together for our operating loan renewal, get together bills so DH could get the money for them. Sunday we had a branding, which was fun. I would have had more fun if I could have helped, I hate being stuck in the kitchen cooking for a bunch of people. When DH and I got engaged, I told him I wanted to be out there branding, never cooking for the crew. Well, maybe when the kids get a little older. I did go down to the pens and take a bunch of pictures, I'll try to put them on my site soon. I did cook a good briscut, brocolli casserole and mashed taters for 12 people. One cow went nuts, so she got hauled off to the sale that night. We joke that she had Mad Cow!
Lots to do today.
*Pay the bills
*vacuum
*web site update?
*sewing (I need a new quilt for my bed. Mine is literally falling apart!)
I'm trying to stay off the computer, so I'll check in again someday!
Hey Jenny, we'll have to compare diesel & manure smells sometimes ("2002...that was a very good year for manure...")...those things are all smells that I'm rather fond of myself. I'm sure I could have gotten hooked on sniffing gas fumes if I hadn't found other things first
Still keeping up with book deadlines here, which is my big tada lately. Also wrote an article yesterday, made dinner, did the usual amount of laundry and critter chores, and moved some big boxes of books to the front porch. We're finally starting to clear out the bedroom-to-be. Pretty soon we'll have to learn how to build a wall. Oh, and I made some yummy onion bread, too.
PODA:
- Mail newsletter (already did this)
- Dinner
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Grocery shopping
- Feed store
- Business tax deposit...ugh
- Repair hole poked in inflatable climbing wall
Welcome back, CariAnne...good to see you again here, under whatever name.
Hi all. It's a dreary Wednesday here. I'll be glad when Spring comes!
Morgan, I am in Tuscaloosa. It's about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham. The University of Alabama is located here. I've lived here all of my life & I would have to say I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Thanks to everyone for the congrats on DH's promotion. We are very excited. He started going in 30 minutes early today for training. He is "official" on the 26th.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry (why do I even post this? it is a given, right?)
* Unload dishwasher
* Post expenses/disbursements in budget book
* Update checkbook from bank website
* Strip our bed and wash sheets
* Mail two bills
* Call exterminator who has been calling me to hassle when he can come spray (I TOLD him I'd call him when I was ready - geez!)
* Return work messages
* Make menu plan and grocery list from today's sales papers
Not really impressive, but it all has to be done...
Does anyone else have to jump up from the computer multiple times when trying to post? DD can't stand for me to be on the computer, so she invents as many reasons as she can for me to get up.
Well, I'll run for now. Maybe I"ll even get to participate in the flybaby chat shortly!
Came home from the store to discover Dana had thrown her back out. She's in bed now, whacked out on hydrocodone, and I'm taking care of everyone. I'll be scaling back plans to "clean diapers and everyone fed" now.
TADA
no Wednesday mini-WB too busy
dinner
dishes
two more loads of laundry-down to one!
homework supervised
PODA
bed
DH has two big truck wreckers, and as this is wrecker season, so I was awakened by the ringing phone 3 times last night, plus DD3 and our guest DF9, who woke up so cold he was shivering. I'm a little sleepy today. Of course, I only had to answer the phone, poor DH had to go out into the frigid night and work. Poor guy has done 4 more calls today. Bad for the body, good for the pocketbook!
Susannah, I salute you. I just don't know how you (and everyone else with big families) manage on a daily basis. It seems like it's all I can do to just survive and "fight fires," much less feel I've done a thorough job on anything. You ladies are my heroes!
Mike, bad backs are the worst! Poor Dana! She has really had a time of it. I will send some healing and comfort vibes her way.
I forgot to mention Susannah, that compacted waste is a more common problem in children than you would think. I know of 4 young ones who, once treated with super-laxatives, were much improved in less than 5 days. What your DS is going through sounds very much like what was happening with them. It's good you are taking him to the Dr. This may solve your laundry/cleaning challenges too!
Best of luck,
-Jo
Just trying to follow along with all your busy, exciting lives!
Another deadline to meet on Friday (which really means Thursday, so I can ship it) so things are a bit nuts. Especially since Iris is having heavy-duty separation-stranger anxiety, even with me sitting in the same room! Not good! I just never had sitters with Sophie, so I have no experience with it.
Visited our Catholic school today -- positive experience. DH is more for it every day. I am all over the map and losing sleep!
On that note, better take care of hungry baby and get ready for a late night of workin'. Flying will have to wait til Friday.
Hello Ladies (and Gentleman):
You'd probably all smack me for saying that it's t-shirt weather here and today I bought pansies and geraniums to plant outside. So I won't mention a thing about the weather.
I spent the last two weeks nursing an old sick cat. Unfortunately some tests showed that he was beyond help, so I had him put down. Very hard to do -- I had him for 14.5 years.
Still busy with probate paperwork, and mom's house finally got the replumbing done -- three weeks after it was started! I'm hoping DS will move in there soon so I can have his present room for an office.
Today I emptied the knick-knack shelves and had to justify everything that went back on. It looks much better now.
It's hard to lose a pet, especially one that's been part of the family for so long. Pansies sound pretty.
It's been warm here lately, too. Yesterday we went without jackets.
Welcome to suedsct! Glad you joined us. I think "bedrooms picked up" is a regional expression. We don't say it that way in the South!
Thanks, Jo. I did end up taking DS to the doctor yesterday. Sure enough, it's impacted. So she upped the dose of the laxative and if we don't get results in 3 or 4 days, we have to take more drastic measures. I feel so sorry for him!
Vonnie, I do often get up in the middle of a post...if DS2 is crawling on me and I smell a smelly smell, for instance. Most of the time, though it's people talking to me while I'm trying to think! Arg!
Jenny, I think we all end up doing things we said we'd never do! LOL! Wish I had been there to eat your cooking, it sure sounds good.
Mike, get well wishes to Dana. I can't imagine having a bad back with two children and a pregnancy to take care of! Is she feeling better nausea-wise?
TA DA's:
*Homeschooled
*Folded Laundry (but not all put away)
*Put out garbage (garbage man came and finally figured out how to open garage door)
*Ironed curtains for boys room; put one on curtain rod. Need to put up hardware. I am notoriously bad with tools, though.
*Went to homegroup with baby. Just a planning meeting and praying for pastor & worship leader, who are in India right now.
SLUG:
*Didn't take down tree
We should post a flybaby FAQ with all the acronyms officially defined for newcomers!
PODA:
*Get dressed
*Finish unloading DW
*Homeschool
*Finish with curtains
*Put away clothes
*Wash another load
*Take down tree
Dana is still resting and pretty well whacked-out on hydrocodone. I think she was doing a bit better the last time she had to get up (darned shrunken pregnancy bladder), but I suspect this is going to be another rest day for her. Kids aren't going to get to preschool this week; I thought about taking them myself, but I don't want to leave her home alone. Besides which, the little darlings were both up till midnight before they decided to fall asleep (and having gotten up too early yesterday, that was a real challenge for me). However after 6 hours or so of sleep I feel a bit more rested and am ready to tackle the day. No one else awake yet.
Tada:
- Diapers washed
- Dishes washed
- Everyone fed, including a nice rice pudding for dessert
- Kids kept reasonably amused, though DD1.5 is pretty confused and crabby about not being able to crawl all over mom
- Worked on two books
- Did some work on another couple of book proposals
- Wrote an article
- Patched a hole in the inflatable climbing wall
PODA:
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Dinner
- Fix some bugs in one application
- Write an article, or maybe two if I get lucky
- Keep kids out of mom's hair (and off her back!)
- Dump the ash barrel if I get lucky and both kids nap at the same time
- Reinflate the climbing wall
Yep, definitely need more sleep. I read that Lois was out in t-shirt and panties planting geraniums. Sorry about that.
Susannah, the nausea is mostly past for Dana, fortunately. It's times like this that I realize how much easier having two parents around makes things; just getting dinner together and served was a major production number when I had to do it all myself.
One thing that helps a bit is that DS3.5 is having a sudden burst of independence, and is playing in his room alone for hours at a time. That's a quite recent development, and makes things a bit more manageable, though of course DD doesn't much approve.
OK, time to go downstairs and make sure DD is still asleep. And feed the fish.
Started out stressed. Not anything major; just mainly my frustration at trying to get things done & DD climbing all over me & not letting me accomplish ANYTHING!!! I know, I am being too "task oriented" again! Someone just hit me!
Worked at office 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. Really got a lot done. I sure needed to. I still need to go in some this weekend & will have to put in some extra hours between now & 31st to get 1099's done.
Today's PODAs not yet done:
* Go to Sam's to get bottled water and look for swimming goggles for DD
* Dinner - hmmm... probably sausage gumbo
* Remake DD's bed (sheets are clean & dry now)
* Put away last load of laundry when dryer stops
* Do Bible study/devotional
Today's TADAs:
* Dropped off cable bill
* Put film in to be developed & picked up pictures
* Bought gymnastics tickets at University ticket office
* Worked at office and some at home
* Paid some bills (I know, I am doing this piece-mill)
* Made monthly exterminator appt. (he is due any time now)
We are having unseasonably warm weather here. It went up to 53 here today & I almost broiled in my sweater! If we don't get some cold weather, I'm afraid we are going to be overtaken by mosquitos and fleas this summer!
Well, DD is pulling my clothes almost off of my body, so I'd better go. I haven't seen her much today since I had to go to the office.
And Flybaby Cari reporting in. (I think that Susan is right ~ if I check in I am more accountable...)
I have to admit that I have not read all of the forums.....
But I am guessing on two "facts" that I think I have gleaned from the forums.
So:
1. Congratulations to Mike and Dana on the new baby-to-be!! YEAY!! (How far along is Dana? Sorry that she has been unwell....) and Thank You very much for your kind welcome back note.
2. Jamielea? I take it that you are also expecting?? How far along are you? Gosh I have missed a lot: just with these two things that I managed to learn! CONGRATULATIONS!!
Sorry for these delayed good wishes ~ they are heartfelt, all the same. (From whichever name I post under.)
I did re-sign up at Flylady. (So Tada!)
Today was a computer clearing out sort of day. So I have:
TADA List
Cleared out all inboxes. (All 3 of them.)
Deleted old files.
Ran Virus Scan.
Ran Scan Disc.
Updated "Favorites"
Deleted old files.
Cleared off computer desktop.
Got caught up on all e-mail correspondence.
Dusted "real" desktop.
Went through old magazines (I swear that they breed...) and:
Clipped the pictures/articles of interest
Highlighted the recipes/Crafts that I wanted to make
Placed all of the categorized clippings in a binder in protective sleeves discarded old magazines
put the binder away.
Donated two boxes of books to the library
made the beds
cleaned the floors
cleaned the cat litter
(Hubby did the dishes before leaving for work.)
posted some "Tadas" on TNH.
Now I get to take a short period of time to take a look at the forums so that I can see what else I missed!!
Then I will be picking up DS7 from the bus stop. The 4 day weekend begins......
Cari
Mike, halfway already!? It does sneak up on you, til that last month, then the days after that when you are overdue. LOL!
TADA:
*updated web site with december pics (www.jandjessary.com/updates)
*paid bills
*organized a whole bunch of unlabled vcr tapes
*Got all trash out of garage
*made homemade pizza for tonight!
Dh is playing truck, so more pizza for me! LOL!
Ya'll have a nice night. It's Thursday, so I will be glued to the TV for NBC Must See TV night! whoohoo!
Jenny, the pictures of your children are just beautiful!
CariAnne, welcome back!
Susannah, I extend much sympathy and empathy to you and your impacted son. My little guy experienced similar ~ahem~ problems. I found that Metamucil wafers were helpful for him.
It's a bitterly cold night here in Northern New York. The wind chills are projected to hit -50F. I expect that school will be cancelled again tomorrow. Fortunately, DS6 is very good at keeping himself entertained .. and keeps me amused while he's at it. No signs of cabin fever so far, and tomorrow's PODA will revolve around keeping everyone happy and occupied and warm! Item #2 on the PODA will be to ensure that the pipes/drains in the dishwasher don't freeze. Again. Not fun.
Lois, it's perfectly okay by me that you are discussing pansies. It reminds me that one of my TADA's from the fall was to plant Icicle Pansies in the front garden bed - and that's something to look forward to on a day like this.
Warm wishes to everyone
Rose
Perhaps you have tried some of these Susannah, but I am a parent who is quite experienced with extremely constipated children, so I will share anyway.
Baking soda bath
Ground up flaxseed. Eat a tablespoon every day (grind and store in your fridge, just a few days worth at a time). This is so healthy anyway, and great for constipation. We sprinkle in cereal or yogurt.
Blueberries! Good in smoothies. Best fruit for constipation. Second best: kiwis. (In my experience, anyway.)
No cheese, white rice, banana, or white potato. No iron supplements or iron fortified foods.
Beans.
Diluted prune juice.
Honestly, Sophie had flax, fruits, beans, and prune juice every day for two years -- I am talking literally every day -- to get us through -- and she still has some problems. We had to be very diligent in making her daily diet as poop-friendly as possible. We never traveled without those little cans of prune juice, too!
Oh, and we did get the tree down. Of course, it is just laying out in the backyard now . . .
The photo gallery: look in Lynn's journals about it. I think it could be fun if we/I can make it work!
Oooh! Who knew it was this late!? Off to bed for me . . .
I could probably get the flaxseed or blueberries down him, disguised in yogurt, etc., but beans...no way! Only my eldest will even taste beans. Too bad, 'cause I love 'em. I'll try the diluted prune juice too. This is after I taper him down off Miralax obviously. So far, no results with that.
I remembered yesterday that my DD5 had similar problems when she was his age (although not quite so severe) and she also didn't (doesn't) eat much of a variety of foods.
Vonnie, you'll have a good day soon! LOL! Where you can focus, I mean.
I feel sorry for you folks in the deep freeze. Isn't it weird that in the northeast it's so cold and down south it's actually warm?
TA DA's:
*I did get out of P.J.'s
*Finished unloading DW
*Homeschooled
*Put up curtains in boys' room (without a drill...grrr! Two drills and both hidden somewhere by hubby)
*Put away clothes
*Washed another load
*Moved crib downstairs and reassembled in my room. I about broke it, though, I was too lazy to take off the end & head boards. About got myself stuck going down the stairs.
SLUG:
*Did not take down tree
PODA:
*Take down tree!!
*Vacuum and sweep all floors (kids had some crumbly snacks last night and left the kitchen with them)
*Wash, dry & iron next set of curtains and put up hardware for them.
*Write some thank-yous
*Send pix to Darrel's mom
*Pay one bill (we're broke right now)
Great TADA Susannah - hope DS is feeling better soon, that has got to be tough for all.
Gotta check your website Jenny! We got a digital camera for Christmas, so I'd like to do one of our own - maybe. I tried to post a picture here, but it didn't work - has anyone else tried it?
Silverbear, can't remember exactly where you live. We're in Western NY and have had very similar temps - no school yesterrday or today which makes for a 5 day weekend! Of course with no school, DS7 wants to sled but it is just too cold.
PADA so far:
showered
breakfast made
DW emptied
laundry in washer
Zone work (kids' bookshelf)
Gosh, it feels like I've done more than that. Oh well.
PODA:
groceries
mop kitchen
paid work
phone call
laundry folded and put away
I am so jealous of you all who have snow! I wouldn't want it for weeks on end, but I just wish we would get one good snow. I know DD would enjoy it. And I like to play in the snow, too! Ideally, maybe get snowed in (when I am completely stocked, of course!) for 2-3 days. Unfortunately, we usually only get iced-in, which means no power because the lines snap. I don't think we'll get either this year, though.
Today is my short day at work - woohoo! And tonight we're going to the gymnastics meet. I hope DD enjoys it.
My short PODA:
* Laundry
* Put dinner in crockpot
* Update checkbook; post receipts to budget book
* Exterminator at 3
Well, DD is eating b'fast, so I guess I'll go. She'll be done shortly & I'll need to clean up really quick before leaving for the office. Talk to you all later!
No school again today! Some of the schools in this area chose to use the 2-hour delay option, but I think our district made a wise decision in closing today. It was actually painful to walk to the end of the driveway to get the paper this morning.
Andrea, I live just outside Watertown. I am jealous that you can shop at a Wegman's!
TADA's so far:
dinner in the crockpot
bread rising
dishes done
floors swept
DS6 happily playing
PODA:
laundry
change sheets
work on a quilt
bake some cookies with DS6
STAY WARM!!!!!!!
Back from groceries, that was exhausting!! Especially with 2 kiddos. Rose, yes we are lucky to have a Wegmans 2 minutes from my house! I have a love/hate relationship with them - the store is fantastic, but can be very expensive if you are not a smart shopper. That's why they are so successful I guess! I am guessing you will be getting a Wegmans soon if you don't have one - they are expanding everywhere it seems. They also have a great website Wegmans.com with recipes, etc.
Eating lunch now, still need to do paid work. I promised kids sledding even if it's just for a short time so I'll have to follow through with that.
Dana's feeling a bit better, but still needs some bed rest. And the kids are conspiring against me by not napping at the same time, so I don't get to take a nap myself. But heck, I've been worse off before. This too shall pass.
Tada:
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Dinner
- Fixed some bugs in one application
- Wrote one article
- Worked on a book chapter
- Kept kids largely under control
PODA:
- Dinner
- Diapers
- Dishers
- Dump the ash barrel if I get lucky and both kids nap at the same time
- Reinflate the climbing wall
- Work on one article
- Work on a book outline if my co-author comes through with his part
- Author review on one chapter, revisions on another
- Move two book chapters along
A nap would be nice, but I'm not optimistic enough to even put that on the schedule.
Sympathies to those of you in the deep freeze now. It's warmed up a bit here, hovering in the low 30's...means plenty of wet ice to slip on outside, but beats the heck out of frostbite.
DD1 has taken her socks off again. It's hopeless. And I hear DS3 making a ruckus downstairs. Time to get to work!
I had trouble too, but I think I just figured out (duh) that all my images are too big. so here is the question -- is there a way to make them smaller (KB-wise)?
Can't say more -- having a cruddy afternoon of miscommunication, just wanting to cry! I just can't face writing about it right now, but it will all clear up, I'm sure.
Mike, great going holding down the fort. And Andrea...3 feet!! Wow.
I'm not all the way through my TA DA yet. DH wants me to go out to my mother's with him tonight while he works on her computer. I don't know how to break it to him that I really don't want to. I'm sure he wants our company. Last time it didn't work out too well with the kids. Five kids and three adults in one tiny apartment! More than my nerves can take. Not only that, I'm having such a nice, cozy, stay-at-home day. I don't want to give it up.
TA DA's so far:
*Homeschooled
*Took a few ornaments off tree
*Vacuumed LR and Master bedroom
*Washed clothes and diapers, folded a couple of loads...haven't got to curtains yet
*Fixed up some bread to bake with some barley flour Mom gave me, but it isn't rising properly. Need new yeast, I guess. I'm baking it anyway in the hope that it will be semi-edible.
*Working on lentil-rice pilaf with chicken for dinner...and shellie beans! (Love shellie beans)
SLUGS:
*Write some thank-yous
*Send pix to Darrel's mom
*Pay one bill
Had to break out the steam cleaner today. The good news is, it seems the laxative is working!
That's about it for today! I'm going to try to post an image now. Mine are under the KB limit, but they still weren't working. Must be me.
No rain forever, then it wont stop, what's up with that?
Went to my OB appointment today and found out that I'm not as far along as my family practitioner thought. OB says I have a tilted uterus (sorry it that's TMI) and that may have thrown the FP off. I'm due Aug 19, so about 10 weeks, don't that suck! I thought I was threw the first trimester!
At least I can go back to being "tired" again!
I'm having the same problem with my photos, I looked at the link Mike gave but will have to get DH to look at it when he gets home.
No flying to speak of, but I did get alot of groceries today, stocked up again.
Time to make dinner.
See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
I have officially lost it, and as always with me when I lose it, I do it in a big way. Today was our 5th straight day of nasty weather, the 4th of well below zero. The kids (I have 7 of them this week) have not been outside to burn off that energy because this morning it was
-36 degrees. The novelty of being together has worn off. Mine want their privacy back, the others just want their mommy. They have spent the last two days doing things expressly to annoy one another. Plus, DH has worked 76 hours since Sunday morning!
For dinner tonight I had half a brownie and the end of a pint of Ben & Jerry's! Keep in mind I havn't eaten sugar since September! And I do not have a sweet tooth! It was just the only thing in the vicinity. The kids had eaten all the spaghetti, and there is literaly no food left in this house. We went through 7 gallons of milk this week. There aren't any eggs left, no cheese, nothing.
If I hear DDDOOOONNNN'''TTTT!!! one more time I may have to lock myself in the bathroom. My house is wrecked, and there are 4 new loads of laundry that grew overnight. I havn't seen my sink since Wednesday.
As I was negotiating the really icy roads this morning in my-friend-who-is-gone-and-who's-kids-I-have's 4 wheel drive SUV, I slid right through a 4-way stop! I tried breaking, was only going 30mph at the time, and started slowing down way before the sign, it was just a sheet of ice. The car was dead silent and then visiting friend fourteen year old female said, very sarcastically, "That was fun."
Ok. I'm done, I promise. I just had to get that out of my system
TADA
just vented, and I feel much better
Really can't claim anything else.
PODA
go to bed
Silverbear, I'm in very most northern VT. We're neighbors!
Becky, how about a slap for me? It would help I think. Seriously!
Shaun, I know that feeling too, how frustrating! Hang in there!
Everyone else, I hope you are all well and contented.
Here's hoping Saturday is more manageable! Yikes! What am I going to do for breakfast!?!
I've done that before, Jo! With a friend of mine back in high school. She goes and tells everyone I can't drive and don't stop for red lights. Well, I haven't had a ticket or a wreck yet, and she has had wrecks and a DWI, so there! LOL! Glad you got out of that without a scratch on you or friends SUV.
Jamie Lea, first off, I'm sorry about you not being as far along as you would have hoped. Second, quit complaining about the rain!!!! LOL!! Here I am, it hasn't rained since September 29! I bet the farmers in your area are glad for it.
Man, I would gladly trade someones ice and cold if it would mean we would get some precipitation.
DH has been driving truck the past two nights. He's home tonight. I went to the store today for some groceries. Roadside stand selling T-shirts caught my eye, had to stop and buy a couple Orange County Chopper shirts and a hat (one shirt for me, the rest for DH). Real cheap. Ok, I'm sure they aren't the real thing (those go for $30 each!), but they say OCC, I'm happy!. This was probably some guy from Mexico who gets them real cheap then sells them here. Also went to the bank to cash my paychecks for the past 3 months (well, the money DH "pays" me to do our books, which is for something to do with our taxes and health insurance. I don't know, it's what my accountant told me to do! LOL! I'm not making anything, the cash pays for our groceries rather than write a check).
Won't be around tomorrow, the girls both have cheerleading camp all morning and part of the afternoon, then will cheer at Homecoming tomorrow night. DD6 won a seat at a pizza party at school next week for dressing up everyday for spirit week. they did a wild west day, 50's, 60's and 80's day, then today was Bronco Spirit day in which they wore red, white, and blue (our school colors).
Humm? I figured out how to do the pictures, but not how to JUST put them in the album, they keep appearing on the front page? Is that supposed to happen?
Jo, you have every right to lose it - AND to eat that sugary stuff for dinner! I have to admit I raised my eyebrow when you said you were watching so many kids for a week - I would never make it. Don't you think that's a really big favor for a friend to ask?!
Sounds like a busy Saturday for you Jenny - we are too - Winter Fun Days for Tiger Cubs, tap dancing for DS7, and a birthday party for DD5. NOthing tonite or tomorrow thank goodness. Thinking about the crockpot tonite after reading that thread - maybe the beef soup. Hmmmmm.
it didn't work! Arg! I go to Susannah's Photo Gallery and nothing's there.
Anyhoo.
(((Hugs))) to Jo. I can't imagine anybody making it through a week like that without losing it! I have 5 here, it's not freezing cold, and I lose it regularly. It's red mud that keeps me from shooing them outside. I'm so glad y'all are safe and sound. That black ice is scary stuff. Nobody could stand up straight on it! I fell on a patch outside our door once in Chicago (was pg with my first). Was wearing boots with great tread, too.
Teenagers. Humph.
Anyway, TA DA's are, I got the rest of the ornaments and the lights off the tree. Now I just have to stuff the tree outside. And then vacuum. It's dead as dead can be! Also, need to take wreath down from door.
DS is oozing again, way TMI, I know, but it means more laundry. He got it on his brother's bed last night. Bleach! Hoping for more "results" today. I am so ready for this to be over. "This too shall pass, this too shall pass..." Pun intended!
Anyhow, back OT.
PODA:
*Soaking red beans for red beans & rice, for potluck dinner at church tomorrow. Figure out what time to put them on. Also, figure out a salad and dessert. I'm broke and have nothing in the house that will pass for salad but some carrots. Oooh, kashi! Tossed with dressing? Kinda like a bean salad?
*Finish with Christmas decorations, put them in storage.
*Laundry, laundry, laundry. Wash those curtains.
*Thank yous, bill and pictures prepped for mail.
Jamie, that's no fun to be set back in a pg! Oh well, like you said, back to 1st trimester pregnant lady privileges.
I feel better about myself this week, since we've homeschooled consistently. The math program is actually kinda fun (for me, anyway). I'm looking forward to moving ahead in it. The hard part is being patient enough to practice a sufficient amount of time. My 5yo is now writing her name! I mean, she has been for a while on her own, but I'm teaching her to do it in D'Nealian. 7yo still writes numbers backwards occasionally so we are also practicing writing our numbers.
Emma's really chuckling and laughing now. It's like another hs mommy said last week at P.E., "At this age, they are just to die for!"
My friend actually didn't ask. I made her go. She and her DH have not done anything alone in 14 years, and her kids are as good as mine anyway, as we do the carpool thing for school, scouts, band, and tae kwon do, go camping together, and so on. You know how you have a "tribe?" Well, our tribe is my parents & sibs, the in-laws, and this family. When my DH almost died from a staph infection, was on IV antibiotics for 6 months straight, had 5 surgeries in those 6 months,and I also had a newborn (3 years ago) this woman took in my children as her own while I was at the hospital, filled my freezer with meals, and forced me to take showers and eat. Her kids are generally great, and I know she would do it for me in an instant. I'm very blessed to have her (and her family) in my life.
Halleluia, the weather broke! It is 28 degrees and sunny!!!
The kids have spent the last 3.5 hours outside building snow forts and playing in the woods. The girls all went sledding. They are all so happy now! Me too!
TADA
groceries this morning at 7:00am-it was so cool, I was the only one in the store only I forgot detergent, lentils and cat litter
whole wheat pancakes for breakfast
laundry caught up
meal planned, back to my style of eating-yippee!
paid bills
watered plants
gassed up the SUV-Holy cow do those things have big tanks! Good thing I charged it to friend's account, or I would have passed out.
picked up the general clutter and...
last night after I went to bed DH came home and made the kids do dishes and a load of their laundry, plus fold what was in the dryer
PODA
run
counters
toilets
floors
help kids pack up
make:dinner grilled chicken breasts with a shallot-maple-balsamic sauce, roast potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce
take the kids to the airport to meet their parent's plane after dinner
Well, that does make sense Jo - it was certainly very generous of you to offer that to your friends - you're a better woman than I am! Tell us how the chicken turned out - sounds great!
I think I'm doing steaks cooked somehow - probably in the skillet, and the bacon/broccoli/red onion salad that we love so much. Some spaghetti for the kids.
Well, despite my best efforts, the pipe(s) in the dishwasher did freeze or otherwise malfunction. The evidence of this ~ahem~ challenging situation is the water drip-drip-dripping in the basement underneath where the dishwasher is. The evidence that this is a more serious problem than a dislodged drain hose, is that when I turn off the hot water to the house, the dripping stops.
Fortunately, most of the water lands in the sump and will be pumped out as per usual. Unfortunately, my temporary solution leaves the rest of the house without hot water.
Naturally, the army has my DH today. As per usual, it's a 7 day work week .. but at least he'll be home tonight.
The appliance repair guy (KitchenAid-authorized) can come on Tuesday.
Maybe Monday if I'm lucky. Yaaay.
Today's revised PODA:
Go to Lowe's and see if they have anything to clamp off the hose that leads to the dishwasher. Then I will be able to have hot water in the rest of my house.
This is the same thing that happened last year .. 2 service calls later, I thought the problem was solved.
At least my sink is clean!!!
Rant over .. time for action!
Rose
There's a cabbage-ramen noodle salad that's oh so yummy. I have about a billion packets of ramen noodles and cabbage is usually pretty cheap. I can make a heapin' helpin'.
Yay for Jo! The kids are outside!
I still haven't got the tree out, but I did pack away the wreath. Baby keeps waking up for her milk in the middle of things. I posted two pictures on my photo gallery, but I had to make them pretty small and you can't see the one of me and hubby very well. I'll try posting Emma in just a minute.
I only just skimmed this thread because I have a LOT to do (when did I get so busy?) but if the boy is even the tiniest bit lactose-intolerant (most people are a tiny bit), lots of milk will have a laxative effect. Chocolate milk and hot cocoa made with milk would be even more effective. Also chocolate-covered peanuts (peanuts are really beans and have the same laxative effect) and chocolate-covered raisins.
It's 70 degrees and sunny and beautiful here. I am worried about people in the NE who don't have enough $ to heat their homes because they budgeted for a usual winter instead of this one.
We suddenly have become very popular (!) and have a lot of people to see this weekend. Yesterday I went to my cousin's and we had a very un-kosher but delicious Friday night dinner with her, her husband and adorable baby boy, and her MIL and Grand-MIL and BIL. Lots of pictures! And DH was at a friend's concert. Today we are meeting up with a friend for coffee, and seeing another friend's play with him (this is DH's collaborator/ playwright for the musical--the one whose play it is, not the one we're meeting for coffee). Then tomorrow, which is not social but should be kind of fun anyway, one of the actresses from the musical is coming over to record a demo of her main song, for the playwright to use in an application for something or other. This is the first time we've had a woman over to our house who is not a relative, and I am more self-conscious about the state of the place with a woman than with a man (I guess I'm more sexist than I thought), so I printed out Flylady's "crisis cleaning" method and will work on that today before we leave for the play. DH says he will clean the upstairs. I think I might end up helping with the upstairs bathroom, though, because the upstairs in general happens to be messier than the downstairs, at the moment.
Becky, I bet that woman is posting a message somewhere on the internet that she has to go to this musician's house and is totally intimidated because his wife is brilliant and creative and clever! Don't sweat it.
Good Sunday morning everyone. It's a dreary, rainy day again here. A little cooler as well. No snow, though, drats!
I didn't wake up until 8 a.m.! I had woke up around 6 & DH was telling DD that it wasn't time to get up yet. I guess I took it to heart, too!
We are invited to someone's house for lunch today after church, so I don't have to cook! Yea!! We went out to eat last night. Since we've been limiting how much we eat out, it was nice to go somewhere & not just the same ole thing.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry - finish DH's uniforms & wash DD's sheets (another night--time accident!)
* Get meats at grocery store
* Plan week's menus
* Do paid work (maybe at home; I don't want to go in to the office!)
* Keep things generally straightened up
DH is off Monday, so I want to keep things clean to encourage he & DD to keep them that way while I'm at work.
Well, I'd better get going. I need to get my clothes pressed for church.
Yesterday was so busy! Cheer camp started at 8:30. It was cold and windy (and we got .25 inch of rain!! At least it knocked the dust down), so dh cancelled his plans to work on some waterlines for the cows new watertank and kept DS1 for me. While at the school anyway, somehow I got roped into decorating the concession stand/eating area for homecoming, then found myself working on editing and printing the programs for the game! Ended up staying 2 hours after cheer camp ended, til 4:00, just enough time to come home, eat something, give the girls baths then back to the school for the game! We won, BTW. Got home about 9 last night. I was gone Friday running errand, so I decided today, no church, I have got to catch up on housework! Especially laundry! My mom, stepdad and grandmother are all coming for a week next week, so must spend this week getting things done!
DH also wants to start Atkins this week, so need to do some menu planning for that. I wish that steer was ready to take to the processor, I've been out of steaks and ground beef for a while, all that's left is some arm roasts, a pike's peak, and a prime rib. While the meat is so low in the freezer, I need to get DH to move the thing to a different area in the garage. He wants to start reloading things again (bullets. Think Pa Ingalls, but modernized. LOL!), so he needs to make room for all that stuff OUT THERE! Not in the house!!!
So, today, tons of laundry, vacuuming (I want to rent a carpet steamer this week before mommy gets here), clean the kids rooms some. You know, everyday stuff.
Vonnie, aren't the Teutles cool!!!!??? Watching them is one reason why dh wants to go on Atkins. He wants to be a Paulie! LOL! I was going to save the shirt and hat for his birthday, but I couldn't wait a month!
Andrea, it came out sooo well! I had bought bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts a few weeks ago and froze them. I had 12, which only cost $3.72! (Yes, you read that right. Sometimes I think whoever is marking the meat is making a mistake, or playing a joke.) Anyway...I figured with that many mouths to feed now was the perfect time to use them. I boned them, but left the skin on and pan-fried them so the skin got nice and brown and crispy. I sauteed shallots in the chicken fat and then deglazed with the balsamic vinegar. Then I added the maple syrup and reduced the sauce. It was really, really good. Sweet and sour with a good hit of shallot. (I only tasted the sauce because of the high sugar content from the syrup)
Well the friends are home; rested, happy, and much better connected with each other. I say we should all take a renew-the-marriage week at least once every 15 years!
TADA
got the house picked up
dishes
laundry
church
cleaned out the van, it really, really needs a washing and vacuuming
PODA
run
laundry
wash the big pots & pans
shop-vac the van and at least rinse it off, I wish we had a carwash nearby
make dinner
prep food for meals later this week
look through my stash of big girl clothes. DD has gone from a size 18 months to a size 4T in 10 months. She is skinny with no rear end, but very long-legged and I can't seem to find anything that fits right
Rose, I hope all worked out ok with the pipes.
Becky, we have already gone through 5 cords of wood and have only 2 left. We usually go through 7 from October-April. At least we also have a full tank of fuel oil, but you're right, it's going to be really bad for some folks, especially since they prices rise with demand.
Jo, thanks for the good wishes about the pipes. Unfortunately, I haven't solved the problem yet. I disconnected the dishwasher from the kitchen faucet, and in so doing, discovered a small leak in the pipe leading to the hot water faucet. So far, plumber's epoxy is not living up to its reputation as a cure-all for leaking pipes.
Any and all suggestions would be gratefully accepted!
There's still cold water, of course, and with a small family it's not so difficult to just heat water in the kettle for dishwashing and bathing. We voluntarily "rough it" to a greater extreme when we camp every summer, so this isn't all that bad. It's all an exercise in character building
TADA's so far
-designed our new kitchen using a nifty application from www.ikea.ca
(the dishwasher simply must be moved away from the outside wall! It's the only long-term workable solution)
-got DH on board for this kitchen renovation (wasn't hard, he's such a sweetie!)
-put in a call to our contractor to enlist his assistance with this project (awaiting a return call)
-scanned several pictures into my ofoto account
-27 fling boogie and re-organization of my dresser drawers
PODA
-clear up hotspots on the top of our dressers
-find another short-term solution to the hot water woes
What a great point of view, Rose. I can't say I'd be as cheerful as you are about the inconvenience!
Jo, have you got a good source for firewood? Glad your week is over for you and I'm glad your friends had a great time. There's a homeschool family in Fla. who is doing a conference at their bed & breakfast this month. Oh, how I *wish* DH and I could have gone! It sounded lovely, and this couple's style of homeschooling is very inspiring (using living books, etc.). It would have been the perfect getaway, so I'll be keeping an eye out to see if they are doing it again next year, when baby will be weaned and we'll (hopefully) be back on a regular budget. I would do that in lieu of the annual state hs conference in Atlanta!
I was up 'til 3:30 a.m. prepping food and cleaning up the LR. You would not have believed the state of this house! Pine needles everywhere, stuff piled on every surface, laundry up to here. Yuk. I got it back to a semblance of order. We were late to church this morning, even leaving DS3 home with DH, but hey, I did my best. The meal was fun. The pastor's DD turned 16 today and he's in India, so we had a little birthday celebration for her too.
I got a few minutes' nap while nursing this afternoon and that always perks me up a bit. Even with DS2 climbing on me.
PODA:
*Tonight, leftovers for supper.
*Vacuum van
*Load van with fling for Ms. Mary
*Clean upholstery where red beans spilled
*Steam clean traffic areas (and little oopsie spot)
*Mop sticky spots in Kitchen and red clay spots in laundry room
*Fold laundry, put away
*"Boil" dirty underpants (DS3 isn't through yet! Arg!)
*If no real breakthrough by tomorrow, call dr. about "next step" for DS3
*Pictures, thank yous, bill (big SLUG)
*Clean up bedroom
*Iron curtains and put up in master bath
I have a list about as long as my arm on sitting my new roll-top desk that I'm not even referring to right now. I also wrote down some anti-procrastination chores that came to mind while cleaning up last night. Maybe this Wednesday I can tackle one.
Tomorrow we will homeschool, do therapy appt., and take fling to Ms. Mary.
"It's rather like camping"?! Oh boy, great attitude is right Susannah! YOu too, though. You've got a lot going on right now - hope your day goes smoothly tomorrow.
We had a nice day - I actually got away by myself for a bit of shopping - work clothes. Also a pair of pants for DH, which didn't fit! We have a Lands' End Inlet near us, which is wonderful! I went there, Penney's for shoes, Value City Furniture to browse for my parents' furniture (they are renting an apt. here in May for one year), and then Borders for my coffee and browsing books. Looked at cookbooks which were tempting, but I can get most of those recipes online!
Jo, I may have to try that chicken. I did print the broccoli cheese soup of yours - sounds like a great low carb lunch!
OK, I'm off to read Cold Mountain! Did you finish it Jenny?
I'm going to get busy and fly tomorrow. This weekend has been nothing but fun and lounging.
Saturday we went to see "Spy Kids 3D", my first 3D movie, we all loved it. After the movie we went to eat at the "Magic Time Machine" all the waiters and waitresses are dressed as character's from a movie, book, or TV show. Each room has a theme, we were in what looked like a cottage and our waitress was Snow white. They give the kids a menu that doubles as an autograph book. Trey (ds5) got Snow white, a pirate, Tinker bell, Zoro, Barbi Q, and some others all to sign his book. Was alot of fun.
Today's been all about lounging around watching Net Flix movies. I did make breakfast and dinner and kept up with the dishes, that's gotta count for something! Right!
Tomorrow I WILL get busy and have a nice big TADA, I'm getting tired of being such a slug. See yall in the morning.
Jamie Lea
Thank you for your kind words, Andrea and Susannah
I don't think I'd be able to cope very well if I didn't flap-flap-flap along with the other flybabies. For all you Douglas Adams fans out there, Flylady keeps me knowing where my towel is.
To add to today's excitement, it appears that the carbon monoxide detector is on the fritz. It went off this afternoon for about 5 seconds. I opened a window, took DS6 outside for some fresh air, took stock of the situation. A little later, I stopped in at the fire station to ask their advice. One of the volunteer firefighters kindly came out to my house with their CO detector, and found zero carbon monoxide throughout the house. He also checked out the furnace (oil btw) and found everything to be looking good. So the problem probably lies with the CO detector itself - which just chirped at me again. Evidently, they do have a finite lifespan. (One website says 5 years .. this device was already in the house when we bought it 4.5 years ago). So tomorrow's PODA will include purchasing a new CO detector.
Comments
Been Moving
Hi flygals & guy! I've spent the last two days intensively moving my mother to her new place, so I haven't caught up on the last thread yet.
TA DA's:
*Got all of Mom's stuff in her new place (thanks to DH and college guys and many trips with my van).
*Got furniture to our house
*Cleaned Mom's old place thoroughly (2-day job)
*Unloaded van last night
*Cleaned red clay out of laundry room
*Did one more load of laundry
*Put together some tiered carts Mom gave me
Today's PODA:
*Homeschool
*Therapy appointment (pool this week, gotta bring DD's bathing suit!)
*Move new twin bed upstairs to J.D.'s room
*Reassemble crib in our room for Emma.
J.D. is getting a big boy bed, thanks to Mom! That means Emma can move out of the pak-n-play now. I think I may have written that already.
This week, I will be focusing on curing the kids of hitting each other.
I'm ready to get that down to a minimum. Other than that, I will be rearranging furniture. And general straightening and organizing. I had to neglect my house for the last two days and it shows.
Love y'all!
Susannah
Just Another Manic Monday?!?
Susannah, when you cure yours of hitting, will you let me in on the secret? DD doesn't hit that much, she bites. I suppose it is probably a defense mechanism she learned at the orphanage. She was the smallest in her group.
Well, it's Monday again & I think I'm at least off on the right track for a nice change. I have been trying to be consistent in fly-ing so that I don't get overwhelmed so much. Wish I didn't have to go to the office, though. It was 25 degrees 30 minutes ago & I don't relish getting out in the cold. Oh, well it's only for a few hours.
DD has appt. with ENT tomorrow. So, I guess we'll find out if she'll be getting her tonsils out. Next week she sees the pediatric neurologist and I hope that's it for a while for doctors.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry
* Update checkbook
* Pay two bills online
* Run dishwasher
* Rent videos at library
* Work at office 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (ick)
Really not too bad. I think after dinner tonight, I'll let DH take DD to visit BIL who's laid up with broken legs and I'll stay here and (1) have some quiet time alone and (2) get some things done in the house.
Well, I'd better get going for now. My Mom will be here in 15 minutes so I can go to the office. I'll catch up with you all later!
Vonnie
Hi all! Hope you get your
Hi all!
Hope you get your quiet time Vonnie! Is your Mom the childcare provider for your DD?
Wow, can't believe you're doing all that plus your regular chores Susannah! Good luck with the no hitting campaign!
DD5 is at my weekly swap, so I get a few hours of uninterrupted time - mostly doing chores, though I still have some to do. It is really snowing here, wonder if there will be school tomorrow?
Andrea
Monday Turned Out GREATTTT After All!
Yes, Andrea, my Mom keeps DD the 12 hours I go into the office. It works out really great because they have bonded; I don't have to worry about who's keeping my child; and I have the best of both worlds. Although today after work, I might debate that point! LOL!
GREAT NEWS!!!! DH got promoted to Team Leader effective Jan. 26 at the Mercedes-Benz plant here. This means a raise, a little more overtime (which they are at 0 overtime for team members right now), and not much physical labor. Yahoo!!! I am so excited. He passed the team leader program last year and we thought it might be next year even before a position opened up. He will be in his same department & on his same shift rotation. We might go out to celebrate tonight.
Well I guess I'd better get going. I've got a lot to get done tonight. Talk to you all later!
Vonnie
Vampire Children
Vonnie, mine were all biters! I can laugh about it now, but it was really stressful and traumatic then. DD13 was the worst, he broke skin and bruised people. My MIL says all 5 of hers were biters too. Hang in there, I promise they do outgrow it, I found that once people could understand what they said better they stopped biting. As for hitting...
My boys drive me up the wall with their wrestling. DH says that's exactly what he and his brother did, and many men friends agree, but I still get tremendous anxiety when I hear it. We had to institute a "if you want to wrestle, go outside" rule for my peace of mind.
TADA
got everyone off to school almost on time and only forgot DDs mittens
dishes
laundry
dinner
picked up a bit
They are showering in rotation right now, and the others are reading
PODA
finish showers and reading, get them to bed
collapse myself
For dinner tonight I made meatloaf, and found something cool by necessity. The meat was still quite frozen when I got home, so desparate to speed things along I molded individual meatloaves in the muffin tin. It worked really well! They were done in half the time (I cooked them on a baking tray, so the heat could circulate all around them. Just dump the filled muffin tin upside down on the tray and they slide right out!) and the kids were thrilled with the inidividual servings. Plus there was no arguing who had more than his/her fair share!
Just in case you ever have to make meatloaf for a crowd.
Happy Tuesday wishes!
-Jo
hello!
Hi all you Monday-ers! Congratulations to Vonnie's DH.
My DH had his first day back at classes today, and beforehand he had to take care of some stuff around the school. I just checked my e-mail and there was nothing from him, so that's a good sign that everything was uneventful.
I was cured of hitting my little sister when she got older and less annoying. Also my parents sent us to separate summer camps, and I missed her so was nicer to her when I came home. And when I got to the age when my parents suddenly seemed annoying and stupid (11), and my sister was just barely old enough to agree (9), we bonded. But mainly she just got older and less likely to repeat everything I said and spy on me from my closet and all those other things that I thought really deserved a smack.
Ta-da:
-laundry
-sent off some mail
-gathered up DH's library books for him to return at school today
-made lunch
-made a bunch of phone calls
Better start dinner now too.
Hello busy bees!
I am being very bad and taking a break for crisis cleaning to peek in and say hi. Why am I crisis cleaning?
Because the cleaners are coming tomorrow, of course!
Part of it is I want to take down the tree before they come so they can really clean up the tree mess good. Did I mention our tree has sprouted tons of new growth?
I hope you all will take advantage of the photo gallery option so we can see some recent pics!
Check you later!
Need help?!
I've had a headache sense Friday, not as bad the last couple of days but still there. Friday was the worst. Wondering if any of you had or have headaches during pregnancy, and if so how did you get rid of them? Tylenol which my Dr. says is ok for me to take doesn't work. I didn't have this, or don't remember having it before? Any suggestions much appreciated.
See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
Headache
Jamie,
(((Hugs)))). I don't know anything other than Tylenol for headache during pregnancy. It doesn't work for me, either. I think Advil is the miracle drug. 
One thing that does help me is to lie down in a dark room and consciously relax *every single* muscle in my body, starting at the top of my head and working my way down. When you get to your feet, start over again because probably your head has tensed up again in the meantime. It doesn't completely eliminate the headache, but it lessens the pain enough to fall asleep and sleep it off.
Did you get the tree down, Shaun? Mine's still up.
Becky, sounds like me with my sisters...although my parents were very strict about hitting and we didn't do it much.
Good for you Jo on the successful day! You innovator, you!
TA DA's:
)
I'm grateful for the extra furniture. We got a nice roll-top desk, an entertainment center (which, of course, our tv is too big for), a bookshelf, an end table, a chair that was my uncle's, a twin bed...not to mention a lot of smaller items. I put my stereo in the entertainment center and jammed to some great bluegrass while I worked.
*Therapy (we were late
*Rearranged furniture. Whew! It was an obstacle course in here. Now it's crowded, but there's room to walk again.
*Laundry. 'Til two a.m. Two more loads to finish and two more to wash now.
J.D. was not enthusiastic about giving up the crib, so I set up the bed next to it and will give him time to get used to the idea. When I suggested a "big boy" bed, he said no, climbed into the crib, and indicated "blankie?" "water?" "sleepy?" All this before supper!
But he did sleep in the bed last night, his choice.
I tried to upload an image yesterday, but must have done something wrong. Hope I can try again tonight.
PODA:
*Homeschool
*P.E.
*Mom's
*Visit Grandma if I can
DH needs the phone!
Love,
Susannah
Hi Flyfriends!!
How are you?? Been a while, been crazy around here. I worked the whole weekend, then it took me a day to catch up. Everyone sounds like they have been plenty busy too.
Jamie, hope you are feeling better soon. I really don't have any other suggestions except tylenol, and relaxing as Susannah suggested. Is it possibly sinuses? Maybe try some steam and a vaporizer if it is. Hang in there
Vonnie, Congratulations to your DH. WooHoo!!
Off today and tomorrow. Trying to take it easy but have so much to do. At least I finally got the tree down and things are back in order. I love that feeling!!
Ok on to the flying:
Tada:
~took down tree
~took down outside lights
~1 load of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away
~made yummy breakfast
~beds made
~swished bathrooms
Poda:
~made baked ziti to bring to Moms tonight
~keep decluttering
~relax a little
Have a great day Fly friends
Love, Jackie
Fly-by posting
Just checking in from the pit of chaos...
Not much flying going on here. Place is still in the post-Xmas disaster phase, but the kids are having fun playing in it, so we're not to stressed. Dinners are appearing and dishes are getting done and I just caught up on all the laundry so that's all good. Lots of work-related deadlines are keeping me way too busy for much else. We have started moving stuff to clear out the room that's going to become our new master bedroom. The challenge is to finish the remodel before DW is too pregnant to work on it.
As I recally what finally cured my brother and I of hitting out sister was the threat of separate military schools. Don't know if my dad would really have followed up on that, but we had no interest in finding out.
Tylenol/ headache
First of all, make sure your blood pressure is okay; headache can be a symptom of extra-high blood pressure, which as you know is a risk during pregnancy. If your blood pressure checks out, try taking the maximum amount of Tylenol allowed (two pills, four times a day, or whatever your doctor says is okay) for a couple of days whether or not you feel pain, to keep ahead of the pain. Try not to do this for more than two days so you don't get "rebound" pain. Meanwhile make sure to get enough sleep and fluids, and try to stay as relaxed as possible. If that doesn't work, back to the doctor.
(As you know I have no kids, but I have had some non-migraine but severe headaches at various times.)
I went on a fruitless errand to the DMV today. I've been having a horrible, rotten week. No tragedies or illness; just lots of DMV-type issues, if you see what I mean.
Hello FlyFriends.....
I wanted to say "Hi" again.
I am off to (re) join the ranks of Flybabydom.
I missed seeing all of your names ~ and it will be nice to get in a computer habit again.
New Year and New Goals = New Username.
*Hugs*
CariAnne
(Formerly Bronwyn.)
Welcome Back Bronwyn (Cari Anne)
Cari Anne glad to see you've come back. I usually post a couple of times a week. I find it helps keep me accountable to my mini version of flying.
DS12 and I continue to make it to the YMCA every morning. We get there by 7:05 and then I take him to school at 8:15. I get 1/2 hour on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the weight machines. He showers and then I fix his breakfast at the Y. Then home to start my blessings around the house. I think I need to actually write up a new plan.
TADA
morning routines
laundry
attended a MOMs group at church topic "Recipe for a Balanced Life"
hair appt (Blond highlights returned and deadends gone!!!)
dinner (new recipe for sweet and sour chicken, yum)
I'll try to check in tomorrow.
Susan
Exercise
You and your son are very inspiring Susan! Let's see if I can make it to Curves in the am!
I hear ya Becky! I think DMV's everywhere have that effect on people!
Well, busy work day today, but nothing scheduled tomorrow - yay! DD5 and I will have a "girls' day" as she calls it!
Andrea
Flapping Along...
Down to "dangerous windchills" again.
I have to laugh about the sibling relationship comments. My mom loves to say that we didn't have physical fighting (4 girls and one boy in a five year age span) but boy, could we psycologically scar each other! Sad, but true. We do all get along very well now, though so I guess we weren't too scarred.
TADA
got up this morning to exercise, and I did, but it stunk. My legs felt like logs, heavy and unbendable-no fun at all! I think I might have been dehydrated. I did manage 2.5 miles, but it was a struggle.
dishes
laundry
dinner (the hashbrown casserole I pre-made Sunday, broccoli, & pineapple
homework for a crowd
read the paper while they did their silent reading
got half of them in the shower/tub
PODA
bed!!!!!!!
Tomorrow is my "easy" day. Hopefully I will get some more laundry done because my goal is to send the kids home Saturday night with suitcases full of clean clothes. Then the family can just enjoy each other, and their mom won't have to worry about clothes for church Sunday and school Monday.
Have a warm evening all!
-Jo
Thanks everybody :-)
I tried Susannah's technique and like she said, it works while I'm doing it. Becky, thanks for the advice, I have an appointment Thursday and I'll make sure I have them check my BP. I think they start off as sinus headache in the morning, and during the day turn into something else. Either way, I'm going to ask the Dr on Thursday what I can do about them.
As far as flying I'm keeping my head above water, that's about it. The boys are helping out alot
Andrea, enjoy "girls day"
Great to have you back Cari
It's late, gona try and get comfy. See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
Still here!!
It has been pretty crazy around here lately. I think that I've finally caught up on all of the posts.
Jamie - I hear you with the headaches!!! I have been lucky enough to get them in the evening so I have been going to bed really early. Let us know what the doc says!!!
Susannah- I am the youngest of 7, so I got smacked around until I was about 11 and suddenly I was taller than all the rest of my siblings. The main problem was with my sister who is 5 1/2 years older than me. She is only 5' tall and at 11 I hit 5'4". (I'm 5'10" now, so she really leaves me alone!!!!!) Anyway... one day she tried to trip me and throw me on the ground and instead of falling I pushed HER on the ground. There wasn't a single problem after that!!!! Good luck with your kids!
Shaun- Did I miss something? What is the photo gallery option?
Vonnie- Congrats to your husband! That's exciting! Where in Alabama are you? I spent a summer in AL. Half in Anniston and half in Montgomery.
Not much else going on here. I'll post more later when I have more to say. Have a great morning everyone!
Morgan
Sibling Rivalry
Ha! Well, I'm glad to hear y'all get along with your siblings now. My girls play really well together and no doubt once the youngest boy grows a bit, the boys will too. But boy, can they get into some fist fights! The oldest doesn't hit much, but the younger three sure do. And the psychological scarring...I did that with my sisters! But we love each other now.
Welcome back, Bronwyn-Cari Anne! We missed you!
Vonnie, I meant to say congrats to your DH too! That's wonderful news for your family!
Jo, awful nice of you to do all that laundry.
Susan, Andrea, you make me want to join the local Curves. I honestly don't know when I'd do it, though.
Another late night here. I'm determined to get to bed at a decent hour tonight. I didn't even get any laundry folded last night! But I did bake a cake.
And I cleaned the guest bath (DS had another accident in there). Including cat pan.
Otherwise, not much to TA DA from yesterday. We went to P.E., kids had fun. My girls are actually starting to engage with the others. Took some pictures. Then we went to my mother's. DH met us there. The new place is small, and I was a nervous wreck about their messing something up. Inevitably, toddler took a crayon to a wall. Not too bad, though, I was able to get it off with baking soda. No more crayons there, ever. IckDonald's for supper. It's just so small there that everything the kids do (yelling, climbing on sofa) gets on my nerves! Too many kids for that space. So I took us all home by seven o'clock, after Mom got off work. DH stayed to upgrade Mom's computer.
This is awful, but I'm having such a problem with my DS3's bathroom habits. What should I do? All I can figure is that he must be impacted, because he goes just a little bit, but continually throughout the day. We go through underpants like you wouldn't believe! He can't sit on the potty, I guess because nothing significant will come out; he'd be sitting there forever. I've put in a call to his doctor. Don't mean to post about something gross, but I'm really concerned about it. This has been happening off and on for a few months now, but it's been particularly bad this week. At first, I thought he deliberately wouldn't go to the bathroom, but now I see he really can't help it. I've been trying Miralax for the past week, but no results so far.
PODA:
*Homeschool
*Fold Laundry
*Put out garbage
*Take down tree
*Homegroup
I guess that's enough for one day.
Love y'all!
Susannah
Anti-procrastination DAy
Yea, it's WEdnesday, half-way through the week. The kids will have a 3 day week-end (no school on Monday). We should be able to adjust the YMCA time to around 8 or 9 (an extra hour of sleep will be wonderful)
TADA
DS12, DH and I spent an hour at the YMCA
Beds made
Breakfast done
laundry started (I do 1-2 loads every day, doesn't seen so overwhelming)
Bedrooms picked up
PODA
vacuum 2nd floor
Anti-procrastination project (pillow shams for master bedroom)
dinner (leftovers smorgasbord, each person can have their favorites from the past few days, sweet-n- sour chicken/rice, meatloaf/mashed potatoes, creamed fish and potatoes, grilled chicken, just need to make fresh salad and vegetables)
The washer has stopped time to transfer clothes to dryer and start 2nd load and then set up for sewing. I'd really like to post later today that I actually made some progress on the shams.
Have a great day.
Susan
Howdy
Susannah, WD-40 is the best at getting crayon marks of walls! And it smells good too! (Ok, I'm strange, I love the smell of WE-40, gas, diesel, oil, and manure. And don't forget insilage, right Julie! LOL!).
Welcome Sue!
the number after DS or DD usually refers to age of child.
PODA-Parade of Daily Adventures. or a TODO list
TADA-a done TODO (think horns blaring TADAAAAAA!!!)
SHAM-I'm thinking pillow covers for a bed (I believe SusanY is making some)
SAHM-Stay At Home Mom
WAHM-Work at home mom
DS or DH or DD or DW-Dear son, daughter or husband or wife. Can also be Darn or Damn if the mood suits.
Vonnie, congrats on DH!
It's been a busy week here. Had to get financial stuff together for our operating loan renewal, get together bills so DH could get the money for them. Sunday we had a branding, which was fun. I would have had more fun if I could have helped, I hate being stuck in the kitchen cooking for a bunch of people. When DH and I got engaged, I told him I wanted to be out there branding, never cooking for the crew. Well, maybe when the kids get a little older. I did go down to the pens and take a bunch of pictures, I'll try to put them on my site soon. I did cook a good briscut, brocolli casserole and mashed taters for 12 people. One cow went nuts, so she got hauled off to the sale that night. We joke that she had Mad Cow!
Lots to do today.
*Pay the bills
*vacuum
*web site update?
*sewing (I need a new quilt for my bed. Mine is literally falling apart!)
I'm trying to stay off the computer, so I'll check in again someday!
So we're all strange
Hey Jenny, we'll have to compare diesel & manure smells sometimes ("2002...that was a very good year for manure...")...those things are all smells that I'm rather fond of myself. I'm sure I could have gotten hooked on sniffing gas fumes if I hadn't found other things first
Still keeping up with book deadlines here, which is my big tada lately. Also wrote an article yesterday, made dinner, did the usual amount of laundry and critter chores, and moved some big boxes of books to the front porch. We're finally starting to clear out the bedroom-to-be. Pretty soon we'll have to learn how to build a wall. Oh, and I made some yummy onion bread, too.
PODA:
- Mail newsletter (already did this)
- Dinner
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Grocery shopping
- Feed store
- Business tax deposit...ugh
- Repair hole poked in inflatable climbing wall
Welcome back, CariAnne...good to see you again here, under whatever name.
Dreary Mid-Week Day Here
Hi all. It's a dreary Wednesday here. I'll be glad when Spring comes!
Morgan, I am in Tuscaloosa. It's about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham. The University of Alabama is located here. I've lived here all of my life & I would have to say I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Thanks to everyone for the congrats on DH's promotion. We are very excited. He started going in 30 minutes early today for training. He is "official" on the 26th.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry (why do I even post this? it is a given, right?)
* Unload dishwasher
* Post expenses/disbursements in budget book
* Update checkbook from bank website
* Strip our bed and wash sheets
* Mail two bills
* Call exterminator who has been calling me to hassle when he can come spray (I TOLD him I'd call him when I was ready - geez!)
* Return work messages
* Make menu plan and grocery list from today's sales papers
Not really impressive, but it all has to be done...
Does anyone else have to jump up from the computer multiple times when trying to post? DD can't stand for me to be on the computer, so she invents as many reasons as she can for me to get up.
Well, I'll run for now. Maybe I"ll even get to participate in the flybaby chat shortly!
Vonnie
L:ife just stays interesting...
Came home from the store to discover Dana had thrown her back out. She's in bed now, whacked out on hydrocodone, and I'm taking care of everyone. I'll be scaling back plans to "clean diapers and everyone fed" now.
I'm around
I'm around, just kind of tired. I finally put shelf paper on the shelves.
Suedsct, most of the abbreviations originally come from http://www.flylady.net, or from http://www.shesintouch.com.
Brrrr....
Made it through another one, whew!
TADA
too busy
no Wednesday mini-WB
dinner
dishes
two more loads of laundry-down to one!
homework supervised
PODA
bed
DH has two big truck wreckers, and as this is wrecker season, so I was awakened by the ringing phone 3 times last night, plus DD3 and our guest DF9, who woke up so cold he was shivering. I'm a little sleepy today. Of course, I only had to answer the phone, poor DH had to go out into the frigid night and work. Poor guy has done 4 more calls today. Bad for the body, good for the pocketbook!
Susannah, I salute you. I just don't know how you (and everyone else with big families) manage on a daily basis. It seems like it's all I can do to just survive and "fight fires," much less feel I've done a thorough job on anything. You ladies are my heroes!
Mike, bad backs are the worst! Poor Dana! She has really had a time of it. I will send some healing and comfort vibes her way.
Good Night,
-Jo
Warning-Potty Talk
I forgot to mention Susannah, that compacted waste is a more common problem in children than you would think. I know of 4 young ones who, once treated with super-laxatives, were much improved in less than 5 days. What your DS is going through sounds very much like what was happening with them. It's good you are taking him to the Dr. This may solve your laundry/cleaning challenges too!
Best of luck,
-Jo
quick hi
Just trying to follow along with all your busy, exciting lives!
Another deadline to meet on Friday (which really means Thursday, so I can ship it) so things are a bit nuts. Especially since Iris is having heavy-duty separation-stranger anxiety, even with me sitting in the same room! Not good! I just never had sitters with Sophie, so I have no experience with it.
Visited our Catholic school today -- positive experience. DH is more for it every day. I am all over the map and losing sleep!
On that note, better take care of hungry baby and get ready for a late night of workin'. Flying will have to wait til Friday.
--S
Hello Ladies (and Gentleman):
Hello Ladies (and Gentleman):
You'd probably all smack me for saying that it's t-shirt weather here and today I bought pansies and geraniums to plant outside. So I won't mention a thing about the weather.
I spent the last two weeks nursing an old sick cat. Unfortunately some tests showed that he was beyond help, so I had him put down. Very hard to do -- I had him for 14.5 years.
Still busy with probate paperwork, and mom's house finally got the replumbing done -- three weeks after it was started! I'm hoping DS will move in there soon so I can have his present room for an office.
Today I emptied the knick-knack shelves and had to justify everything that went back on. It looks much better now.
Glad to see you back, Bronwyn/CariAnne.
Welcome, Sue.
Lois, so sorry...
It's hard to lose a pet, especially one that's been part of the family for so long.
Pansies sound pretty.
It's been warm here lately, too. Yesterday we went without jackets.
Welcome to suedsct! Glad you joined us. I think "bedrooms picked up" is a regional expression. We don't say it that way in the South!
Thanks, Jo. I did end up taking DS to the doctor yesterday. Sure enough, it's impacted. So she upped the dose of the laxative and if we don't get results in 3 or 4 days, we have to take more drastic measures. I feel so sorry for him!
Vonnie, I do often get up in the middle of a post...if DS2 is crawling on me and I smell a smelly smell, for instance. Most of the time, though it's people talking to me while I'm trying to think! Arg!
Jenny, I think we all end up doing things we said we'd never do! LOL! Wish I had been there to eat your cooking, it sure sounds good.
Mike, get well wishes to Dana. I can't imagine having a bad back with two children and a pregnancy to take care of! Is she feeling better nausea-wise?
TA DA's:
*Homeschooled
*Folded Laundry (but not all put away)
*Put out garbage (garbage man came and finally figured out how to open garage door)
*Ironed curtains for boys room; put one on curtain rod. Need to put up hardware. I am notoriously bad with tools, though.
*Went to homegroup with baby. Just a planning meeting and praying for pastor & worship leader, who are in India right now.
SLUG:
*Didn't take down tree
We should post a flybaby FAQ with all the acronyms officially defined for newcomers!
PODA:
*Get dressed
*Finish unloading DW
*Homeschool
*Finish with curtains
*Put away clothes
*Wash another load
*Take down tree
Later!
Susannah
More fun than an impacted barrel of monkeys...
Or something. Sorry, I'm a bit low on sleep.
Dana is still resting and pretty well whacked-out on hydrocodone. I think she was doing a bit better the last time she had to get up (darned shrunken pregnancy bladder), but I suspect this is going to be another rest day for her. Kids aren't going to get to preschool this week; I thought about taking them myself, but I don't want to leave her home alone. Besides which, the little darlings were both up till midnight before they decided to fall asleep (and having gotten up too early yesterday, that was a real challenge for me). However after 6 hours or so of sleep I feel a bit more rested and am ready to tackle the day. No one else awake yet.
Tada:
- Diapers washed
- Dishes washed
- Everyone fed, including a nice rice pudding for dessert
- Kids kept reasonably amused, though DD1.5 is pretty confused and crabby about not being able to crawl all over mom
- Worked on two books
- Did some work on another couple of book proposals
- Wrote an article
- Patched a hole in the inflatable climbing wall
PODA:
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Dinner
- Fix some bugs in one application
- Write an article, or maybe two if I get lucky
- Keep kids out of mom's hair (and off her back!)
- Dump the ash barrel if I get lucky and both kids nap at the same time
- Reinflate the climbing wall
Yep, definitely need more sleep. I read that Lois was out in t-shirt and panties planting geraniums. Sorry about that.
Susannah, the nausea is mostly past for Dana, fortunately. It's times like this that I realize how much easier having two parents around makes things; just getting dinner together and served was a major production number when I had to do it all myself.
One thing that helps a bit is that DS3.5 is having a sudden burst of independence, and is playing in his room alone for hours at a time. That's a quite recent development, and makes things a bit more manageable, though of course DD doesn't much approve.
OK, time to go downstairs and make sure DD is still asleep. And feed the fish.
Lois, put on some clothes!
Thanks for the laugh Mike!
Pants!
Yes Lois, even in your weather you need pants or something!
Mike, hope Dana is better soon! That rice pudding sounds great, but off-limits on my low carb plan.
Kids home from school and preschool today due to low temps - my school closed for kids, but not for staff, but I didn't go in anyway. No childcare!
OK, I'm off to clean the main bathroom in the house - I'll check back later -
Andrea
Is This Week Over Yet???
Started out stressed. Not anything major; just mainly my frustration at trying to get things done & DD climbing all over me & not letting me accomplish ANYTHING!!! I know, I am being too "task oriented" again! Someone just hit me!
Worked at office 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. Really got a lot done. I sure needed to. I still need to go in some this weekend & will have to put in some extra hours between now & 31st to get 1099's done.
Today's PODAs not yet done:
* Go to Sam's to get bottled water and look for swimming goggles for DD
* Dinner - hmmm... probably sausage gumbo
* Remake DD's bed (sheets are clean & dry now)
* Put away last load of laundry when dryer stops
* Do Bible study/devotional
Today's TADAs:
* Dropped off cable bill
* Put film in to be developed & picked up pictures
* Bought gymnastics tickets at University ticket office
* Worked at office and some at home
* Paid some bills (I know, I am doing this piece-mill)
* Made monthly exterminator appt. (he is due any time now)
We are having unseasonably warm weather here. It went up to 53 here today & I almost broiled in my sweater! If we don't get some cold weather, I'm afraid we are going to be overtaken by mosquitos and fleas this summer!
Well, DD is pulling my clothes almost off of my body, so I'd better go. I haven't seen her much today since I had to go to the office.
Talk to you all later!
Vonnie
Thanks for the welcome backs! :O)
And Flybaby Cari reporting in. (I think that Susan is right ~ if I check in I am more accountable...)
(How far along is Dana? Sorry that she has been unwell....) and Thank You very much for your kind welcome back note. 
How far along are you? Gosh I have missed a lot: just with these two things that I managed to learn! CONGRATULATIONS!!
I have to admit that I have not read all of the forums.....
But I am guessing on two "facts" that I think I have gleaned from the forums.
So:
1. Congratulations to Mike and Dana on the new baby-to-be!! YEAY!!
2. Jamielea? I take it that you are also expecting??
Sorry for these delayed good wishes ~ they are heartfelt, all the same. (From whichever name I post under.)
I did re-sign up at Flylady. (So Tada!)
Today was a computer clearing out sort of day. So I have:
TADA List
Cleared out all inboxes. (All 3 of them.)
Deleted old files.
Ran Virus Scan.
Ran Scan Disc.
Updated "Favorites"
Deleted old files.
Cleared off computer desktop.
Got caught up on all e-mail correspondence.
Dusted "real" desktop.
Went through old magazines (I swear that they breed...) and:
Clipped the pictures/articles of interest
Highlighted the recipes/Crafts that I wanted to make
Placed all of the categorized clippings in a binder in protective sleeves
discarded old magazines
put the binder away.
Donated two boxes of books to the library
made the beds
cleaned the floors
cleaned the cat litter
(Hubby did the dishes before leaving for work.)
posted some "Tadas" on TNH.
Now I get to take a short period of time to take a look at the forums so that I can see what else I missed!!
Then I will be picking up DS7 from the bus stop. The 4 day weekend begins......
Cari
20 weeks
I think that's right. Eek. Halfway through. Oh my...
Check-in
Lois, I'm sorry about your cat.
Mike, halfway already!? It does sneak up on you, til that last month, then the days after that when you are overdue. LOL!
TADA:
*updated web site with december pics (www.jandjessary.com/updates)
*paid bills
*organized a whole bunch of unlabled vcr tapes
*Got all trash out of garage
*made homemade pizza for tonight!
Dh is playing truck, so more pizza for me! LOL!
Ya'll have a nice night. It's Thursday, so I will be glued to the TV for NBC Must See TV night! whoohoo!
SMACK to Vonnie
There, I hit you-- is that better?
Lois, I am very sorry about your cat.
Ta-da: ran a couple of errands
put away some laundry
Uh, that's it. I was not feeling well due to yet more steroid withdrawal and had to sleep.
tiptoeing in ...
Jenny, the pictures of your children are just beautiful!
CariAnne, welcome back!
Susannah, I extend much sympathy and empathy to you and your impacted son. My little guy experienced similar ~ahem~ problems. I found that Metamucil wafers were helpful for him.
It's a bitterly cold night here in Northern New York. The wind chills are projected to hit -50F. I expect that school will be cancelled again tomorrow. Fortunately, DS6 is very good at keeping himself entertained .. and keeps me amused while he's at it. No signs of cabin fever so far, and tomorrow's PODA will revolve around keeping everyone happy and occupied and warm! Item #2 on the PODA will be to ensure that the pipes/drains in the dishwasher don't freeze. Again. Not fun.
Lois, it's perfectly okay by me that you are discussing pansies. It reminds me that one of my TADA's from the fall was to plant Icicle Pansies in the front garden bed - and that's something to look forward to on a day like this.
Warm wishes to everyone
Rose
impaction ideas
Not sure that is really a word, but anyway . . .
Perhaps you have tried some of these Susannah, but I am a parent who is quite experienced with extremely constipated children, so I will share anyway.
Baking soda bath
Ground up flaxseed. Eat a tablespoon every day (grind and store in your fridge, just a few days worth at a time). This is so healthy anyway, and great for constipation. We sprinkle in cereal or yogurt.
Blueberries! Good in smoothies. Best fruit for constipation. Second best: kiwis. (In my experience, anyway.)
No cheese, white rice, banana, or white potato. No iron supplements or iron fortified foods.
Beans.
Diluted prune juice.
Honestly, Sophie had flax, fruits, beans, and prune juice every day for two years -- I am talking literally every day -- to get us through -- and she still has some problems. We had to be very diligent in making her daily diet as poop-friendly as possible. We never traveled without those little cans of prune juice, too!
Oh, and we did get the tree down. Of course, it is just laying out in the backyard now . . .
The photo gallery: look in Lynn's journals about it. I think it could be fun if we/I can make it work!
Oooh! Who knew it was this late!? Off to bed for me . . .
Oy! There's a sight!
I said I bought PANSIES to plant. Sheesh! And I thought MY eyesight was failing!
Although it IS that warm outside.....
Thanks for the ideas!
I could probably get the flaxseed or blueberries down him, disguised in yogurt, etc., but beans...no way! Only my eldest will even taste beans. Too bad, 'cause I love 'em. I'll try the diluted prune juice too. This is after I taper him down off Miralax obviously. So far, no results with that.
I remembered yesterday that my DD5 had similar problems when she was his age (although not quite so severe) and she also didn't (doesn't) eat much of a variety of foods.
Vonnie, you'll have a good day soon! LOL! Where you can focus, I mean.
I feel sorry for you folks in the deep freeze. Isn't it weird that in the northeast it's so cold and down south it's actually warm?
TA DA's:
*I did get out of P.J.'s
*Finished unloading DW
*Homeschooled
*Put up curtains in boys' room (without a drill...grrr! Two drills and both hidden somewhere by hubby)
*Put away clothes
*Washed another load
*Moved crib downstairs and reassembled in my room. I about broke it, though, I was too lazy to take off the end & head boards. About got myself stuck going down the stairs.
SLUG:
*Did not take down tree
PODA:
*Take down tree!!
*Vacuum and sweep all floors (kids had some crumbly snacks last night and left the kitchen with them)
*Wash, dry & iron next set of curtains and put up hardware for them.
*Write some thank-yous
*Send pix to Darrel's mom
*Pay one bill (we're broke right now)
Love y'all!
Susannah
Morning check in
HI guys!
Great TADA Susannah - hope DS is feeling better soon, that has got to be tough for all.
Gotta check your website Jenny! We got a digital camera for Christmas, so I'd like to do one of our own - maybe. I tried to post a picture here, but it didn't work - has anyone else tried it?
Silverbear, can't remember exactly where you live. We're in Western NY and have had very similar temps - no school yesterrday or today which makes for a 5 day weekend! Of course with no school, DS7 wants to sled but it is just too cold.
PADA so far:
showered
breakfast made
DW emptied
laundry in washer
Zone work (kids' bookshelf)
Gosh, it feels like I've done more than that. Oh well.
PODA:
groceries
mop kitchen
paid work
phone call
laundry folded and put away
Have a great day everyone!
Andrea
I'm Jealous
I am so jealous of you all who have snow! I wouldn't want it for weeks on end, but I just wish we would get one good snow. I know DD would enjoy it. And I like to play in the snow, too! Ideally, maybe get snowed in (when I am completely stocked, of course!) for 2-3 days. Unfortunately, we usually only get iced-in, which means no power because the lines snap. I don't think we'll get either this year, though.
Today is my short day at work - woohoo! And tonight we're going to the gymnastics meet. I hope DD enjoys it.
My short PODA:
* Laundry
* Put dinner in crockpot
* Update checkbook; post receipts to budget book
* Exterminator at 3
Well, DD is eating b'fast, so I guess I'll go. She'll be done shortly & I'll need to clean up really quick before leaving for the office. Talk to you all later!
Vonnie
A five day weekend!
No school again today! Some of the schools in this area chose to use the 2-hour delay option, but I think our district made a wise decision in closing today. It was actually painful to walk to the end of the driveway to get the paper this morning.
Andrea, I live just outside Watertown. I am jealous that you can shop at a Wegman's!
TADA's so far:
dinner in the crockpot
bread rising
dishes done
floors swept
DS6 happily playing
PODA:
laundry
change sheets
work on a quilt
bake some cookies with DS6
STAY WARM!!!!!!!
I tried to post a picture but no luck so far
Happy flying everyone!
Rose
Groceries!
HI all!
Back from groceries, that was exhausting!! Especially with 2 kiddos. Rose, yes we are lucky to have a Wegmans 2 minutes from my house! I have a love/hate relationship with them - the store is fantastic, but can be very expensive if you are not a smart shopper. That's why they are so successful I guess! I am guessing you will be getting a Wegmans soon if you don't have one - they are expanding everywhere it seems. They also have a great website Wegmans.com with recipes, etc.
Eating lunch now, still need to do paid work. I promised kids sledding even if it's just for a short time so I'll have to follow through with that.
Enjoy the gymnastics Vonnie!
Andrea
Still slogging along
Dana's feeling a bit better, but still needs some bed rest. And the kids are conspiring against me by not napping at the same time, so I don't get to take a nap myself. But heck, I've been worse off before. This too shall pass.
Tada:
- Diapers
- Dishes
- Dinner
- Fixed some bugs in one application
- Wrote one article
- Worked on a book chapter
- Kept kids largely under control
PODA:
- Dinner
- Diapers
- Dishers
- Dump the ash barrel if I get lucky and both kids nap at the same time
- Reinflate the climbing wall
- Work on one article
- Work on a book outline if my co-author comes through with his part
- Author review on one chapter, revisions on another
- Move two book chapters along
A nap would be nice, but I'm not optimistic enough to even put that on the schedule.
Sympathies to those of you in the deep freeze now. It's warmed up a bit here, hovering in the low 30's...means plenty of wet ice to slip on outside, but beats the heck out of frostbite.
DD1 has taken her socks off again. It's hopeless. And I hear DS3 making a ruckus downstairs. Time to get to work!
photo galleries
I had trouble too, but I think I just figured out (duh) that all my images are too big. so here is the question -- is there a way to make them smaller (KB-wise)?
Can't say more -- having a cruddy afternoon of miscommunication, just wanting to cry! I just can't face writing about it right now, but it will all clear up, I'm sure.
Shaun
Hugz Shaun, I am so sorry! T
Hugz Shaun, I am so sorry! Those days really bite.
I'm having the same problem with my photo - not sure how to fix it though.
We just got back from sledding. It was fun!! Our sleds went really fast! DS7 actually bounced about 3 feet high at one point!
Andrea
(((Hugs))) to Shaun...
Boy do I know that "wanting to cry" feeling well.
Mike, great going holding down the fort. And Andrea...3 feet!! Wow.
I'm not all the way through my TA DA yet. DH wants me to go out to my mother's with him tonight while he works on her computer. I don't know how to break it to him that I really don't want to. I'm sure he wants our company. Last time it didn't work out too well with the kids. Five kids and three adults in one tiny apartment! More than my nerves can take. Not only that, I'm having such a nice, cozy, stay-at-home day. I don't want to give it up.
TA DA's so far:
*Homeschooled
*Took a few ornaments off tree
*Vacuumed LR and Master bedroom
*Washed clothes and diapers, folded a couple of loads...haven't got to curtains yet
*Fixed up some bread to bake with some barley flour Mom gave me, but it isn't rising properly. Need new yeast, I guess. I'm baking it anyway in the hope that it will be semi-edible.
*Working on lentil-rice pilaf with chicken for dinner...and shellie beans! (Love shellie beans)
SLUGS:
*Write some thank-yous
*Send pix to Darrel's mom
*Pay one bill
Had to break out the steam cleaner today. The good news is, it seems the laxative is working!
That's about it for today! I'm going to try to post an image now. Mine are under the KB limit, but they still weren't working. Must be me.
Love,
Susannah
Image compression
Try ReaCompressor. 30-day free trial, $25 if you decide to keep it.
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
No rain forever, then it wont stop, what's up with that?
Went to my OB appointment today and found out that I'm not as far along as my family practitioner thought. OB says I have a tilted uterus (sorry it that's TMI) and that may have thrown the FP off. I'm due Aug 19, so about 10 weeks, don't that suck!
I thought I was threw the first trimester!
At least I can go back to being "tired" again!
I'm having the same problem with my photos, I looked at the link Mike gave but will have to get DH to look at it when he gets home.
No flying to speak of, but I did get alot of groceries today, stocked up again.
Time to make dinner.
See you guys later.
Jamie Lea
Lost It
I have officially lost it, and as always with me when I lose it, I do it in a big way. Today was our 5th straight day of nasty weather, the 4th of well below zero. The kids (I have 7 of them this week) have not been outside to burn off that energy because this morning it was
-36 degrees. The novelty of being together has worn off. Mine want their privacy back, the others just want their mommy. They have spent the last two days doing things expressly to annoy one another. Plus, DH has worked 76 hours since Sunday morning!
For dinner tonight I had half a brownie and the end of a pint of Ben & Jerry's! Keep in mind I havn't eaten sugar since September! And I do not have a sweet tooth! It was just the only thing in the vicinity. The kids had eaten all the spaghetti, and there is literaly no food left in this house. We went through 7 gallons of milk this week. There aren't any eggs left, no cheese, nothing.
If I hear DDDOOOONNNN'''TTTT!!! one more time I may have to lock myself in the bathroom. My house is wrecked, and there are 4 new loads of laundry that grew overnight. I havn't seen my sink since Wednesday.
As I was negotiating the really icy roads this morning in my-friend-who-is-gone-and-who's-kids-I-have's 4 wheel drive SUV, I slid right through a 4-way stop! I tried breaking, was only going 30mph at the time, and started slowing down way before the sign, it was just a sheet of ice. The car was dead silent and then visiting friend fourteen year old female said, very sarcastically, "That was fun."
Ok. I'm done, I promise. I just had to get that out of my system
TADA
just vented, and I feel much better
Really can't claim anything else.
PODA
go to bed
Silverbear, I'm in very most northern VT. We're neighbors!
Becky, how about a slap for me? It would help I think. Seriously!
Shaun, I know that feeling too, how frustrating! Hang in there!
Everyone else, I hope you are all well and contented.
Here's hoping Saturday is more manageable! Yikes! What am I going to do for breakfast!?!
Icy
I've done that before, Jo! With a friend of mine back in high school. She goes and tells everyone I can't drive and don't stop for red lights. Well, I haven't had a ticket or a wreck yet, and she has had wrecks and a DWI, so there! LOL! Glad you got out of that without a scratch on you or friends SUV.
Jamie Lea, first off, I'm sorry about you not being as far along as you would have hoped. Second, quit complaining about the rain!!!! LOL!! Here I am, it hasn't rained since September 29! I bet the farmers in your area are glad for it.
Man, I would gladly trade someones ice and cold if it would mean we would get some precipitation.
DH has been driving truck the past two nights. He's home tonight. I went to the store today for some groceries. Roadside stand selling T-shirts caught my eye, had to stop and buy a couple Orange County Chopper shirts and a hat (one shirt for me, the rest for DH). Real cheap. Ok, I'm sure they aren't the real thing (those go for $30 each!), but they say OCC, I'm happy!. This was probably some guy from Mexico who gets them real cheap then sells them here. Also went to the bank to cash my paychecks for the past 3 months (well, the money DH "pays" me to do our books, which is for something to do with our taxes and health insurance. I don't know, it's what my accountant told me to do! LOL! I'm not making anything, the cash pays for our groceries rather than write a check).
Won't be around tomorrow, the girls both have cheerleading camp all morning and part of the afternoon, then will cheer at Homecoming tomorrow night. DD6 won a seat at a pizza party at school next week for dressing up everyday for spirit week. they did a wild west day, 50's, 60's and 80's day, then today was Bronco Spirit day in which they wore red, white, and blue (our school colors).
Have a great weekend!
OCC Rules!
Jennye, that's funny. I got an OCC t-shirt for DD to give DH for Christmas!
Went to gym meet; am really beat. Will post tomorrow.
Good night.
Vonnie
Humm? I figured out how to do
Humm? I figured out how to do the pictures, but not how to JUST put them in the album, they keep appearing on the front page? Is that supposed to happen?
No!
That's not supposed to happen. I fix.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Losing it
Jo, you have every right to lose it - AND to eat that sugary stuff for dinner! I have to admit I raised my eyebrow when you said you were watching so many kids for a week - I would never make it. Don't you think that's a really big favor for a friend to ask?!
Sounds like a busy Saturday for you Jenny - we are too - Winter Fun Days for Tiger Cubs, tap dancing for DS7, and a birthday party for DD5. NOthing tonite or tomorrow thank goodness. Thinking about the crockpot tonite after reading that thread - maybe the beef soup. Hmmmmm.
OK, I'm off to do some banking and then exercise.
Andrea
I tried a pic again yesterday...
it didn't work! Arg! I go to Susannah's Photo Gallery and nothing's there.
Anyhoo.
(((Hugs))) to Jo. I can't imagine anybody making it through a week like that without losing it! I have 5 here, it's not freezing cold, and I lose it regularly. It's red mud that keeps me from shooing them outside. I'm so glad y'all are safe and sound. That black ice is scary stuff. Nobody could stand up straight on it! I fell on a patch outside our door once in Chicago (was pg with my first). Was wearing boots with great tread, too.
Teenagers. Humph.
Anyway, TA DA's are, I got the rest of the ornaments and the lights off the tree. Now I just have to stuff the tree outside. And then vacuum. It's dead as dead can be! Also, need to take wreath down from door.
DS is oozing again, way TMI, I know, but it means more laundry. He got it on his brother's bed last night. Bleach! Hoping for more "results" today. I am so ready for this to be over. "This too shall pass, this too shall pass..." Pun intended!
Anyhow, back OT.
PODA:
*Soaking red beans for red beans & rice, for potluck dinner at church tomorrow. Figure out what time to put them on. Also, figure out a salad and dessert. I'm broke and have nothing in the house that will pass for salad but some carrots. Oooh, kashi! Tossed with dressing? Kinda like a bean salad?
*Finish with Christmas decorations, put them in storage.
*Laundry, laundry, laundry. Wash those curtains.
*Thank yous, bill and pictures prepped for mail.
Jamie, that's no fun to be set back in a pg! Oh well, like you said, back to 1st trimester pregnant lady privileges.
I feel better about myself this week, since we've homeschooled consistently. The math program is actually kinda fun (for me, anyway). I'm looking forward to moving ahead in it. The hard part is being patient enough to practice a sufficient amount of time. My 5yo is now writing her name! I mean, she has been for a while on her own, but I'm teaching her to do it in D'Nealian. 7yo still writes numbers backwards occasionally so we are also practicing writing our numbers.
Emma's really chuckling and laughing now. It's like another hs mommy said last week at P.E., "At this age, they are just to die for!"
Gotta go!
Love,
Susannah
Not Too Much To Ask
My friend actually didn't ask. I made her go. She and her DH have not done anything alone in 14 years, and her kids are as good as mine anyway, as we do the carpool thing for school, scouts, band, and tae kwon do, go camping together, and so on. You know how you have a "tribe?" Well, our tribe is my parents & sibs, the in-laws, and this family. When my DH almost died from a staph infection, was on IV antibiotics for 6 months straight, had 5 surgeries in those 6 months,and I also had a newborn (3 years ago) this woman took in my children as her own while I was at the hospital, filled my freezer with meals, and forced me to take showers and eat. Her kids are generally great, and I know she would do it for me in an instant. I'm very blessed to have her (and her family) in my life.
Halleluia, the weather broke! It is 28 degrees and sunny!!!
The kids have spent the last 3.5 hours outside building snow forts and playing in the woods. The girls all went sledding. They are all so happy now! Me too!
TADA
only I forgot detergent, lentils and cat litter 
groceries this morning at 7:00am-it was so cool, I was the only one in the store
whole wheat pancakes for breakfast
laundry caught up
meal planned, back to my style of eating-yippee!
paid bills
watered plants
gassed up the SUV-Holy cow do those things have big tanks! Good thing I charged it to friend's account, or I would have passed out.
picked up the general clutter and...
last night after I went to bed DH came home and made the kids do dishes and a load of their laundry, plus fold what was in the dryer
PODA
run
counters
toilets
floors
help kids pack up
make:dinner grilled chicken breasts with a shallot-maple-balsamic sauce, roast potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce
take the kids to the airport to meet their parent's plane after dinner
Have a good one!
-Jo
Checking in
Well, that does make sense Jo - it was certainly very generous of you to offer that to your friends - you're a better woman than I am! Tell us how the chicken turned out - sounds great!
I think I'm doing steaks cooked somehow - probably in the skillet, and the bacon/broccoli/red onion salad that we love so much. Some spaghetti for the kids.
I'm off to cart DD to her party!
Andrea
note to self: don't panic
Well, despite my best efforts, the pipe(s) in the dishwasher did freeze or otherwise malfunction. The evidence of this ~ahem~ challenging situation is the water drip-drip-dripping in the basement underneath where the dishwasher is. The evidence that this is a more serious problem than a dislodged drain hose, is that when I turn off the hot water to the house, the dripping stops.
Fortunately, most of the water lands in the sump and will be pumped out as per usual. Unfortunately, my temporary solution leaves the rest of the house without hot water.
Naturally, the army has my DH today. As per usual, it's a 7 day work week .. but at least he'll be home tonight.
The appliance repair guy (KitchenAid-authorized) can come on Tuesday.
Maybe Monday if I'm lucky. Yaaay.
Today's revised PODA:
Go to Lowe's and see if they have anything to clamp off the hose that leads to the dishwasher. Then I will be able to have hot water in the rest of my house.
This is the same thing that happened last year .. 2 service calls later, I thought the problem was solved.
At least my sink is clean!!!
Rant over .. time for action!
Rose
Oooh, you made me think, Andrea...
There's a cabbage-ramen noodle salad that's oh so yummy. I have about a billion packets of ramen noodles and cabbage is usually pretty cheap. I can make a heapin' helpin'.
Yay for Jo! The kids are outside!
I still haven't got the tree out, but I did pack away the wreath. Baby keeps waking up for her milk in the middle of things. I posted two pictures on my photo gallery, but I had to make them pretty small and you can't see the one of me and hubby very well. I'll try posting Emma in just a minute.
Later!
Susannah
milk
I only just skimmed this thread because I have a LOT to do (when did I get so busy?) but if the boy is even the tiniest bit lactose-intolerant (most people are a tiny bit), lots of milk will have a laxative effect. Chocolate milk and hot cocoa made with milk would be even more effective. Also chocolate-covered peanuts (peanuts are really beans and have the same laxative effect) and chocolate-covered raisins.
It's 70 degrees and sunny and beautiful here. I am worried about people in the NE who don't have enough $ to heat their homes because they budgeted for a usual winter instead of this one.
We suddenly have become very popular (!) and have a lot of people to see this weekend. Yesterday I went to my cousin's and we had a very un-kosher but delicious Friday night dinner with her, her husband and adorable baby boy, and her MIL and Grand-MIL and BIL. Lots of pictures! And DH was at a friend's concert. Today we are meeting up with a friend for coffee, and seeing another friend's play with him (this is DH's collaborator/ playwright for the musical--the one whose play it is, not the one we're meeting for coffee). Then tomorrow, which is not social but should be kind of fun anyway, one of the actresses from the musical is coming over to record a demo of her main song, for the playwright to use in an application for something or other. This is the first time we've had a woman over to our house who is not a relative, and I am more self-conscious about the state of the place with a woman than with a man (I guess I'm more sexist than I thought), so I printed out Flylady's "crisis cleaning" method and will work on that today before we leave for the play. DH says he will clean the upstairs. I think I might end up helping with the upstairs bathroom, though, because the upstairs in general happens to be messier than the downstairs, at the moment.
Intimidated
Becky, I bet that woman is posting a message somewhere on the internet that she has to go to this musician's house and is totally intimidated because his wife is brilliant and creative and clever! Don't sweat it.
Kelly
Good Morning
Good Sunday morning everyone. It's a dreary, rainy day again here. A little cooler as well. No snow, though, drats!
I didn't wake up until 8 a.m.! I had woke up around 6 & DH was telling DD that it wasn't time to get up yet. I guess I took it to heart, too!
We are invited to someone's house for lunch today after church, so I don't have to cook! Yea!! We went out to eat last night. Since we've been limiting how much we eat out, it was nice to go somewhere & not just the same ole thing.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry - finish DH's uniforms & wash DD's sheets (another night--time accident!)
* Get meats at grocery store
* Plan week's menus
* Do paid work (maybe at home; I don't want to go in to the office!)
* Keep things generally straightened up
DH is off Monday, so I want to keep things clean to encourage he & DD to keep them that way while I'm at work.
Well, I'd better get going. I need to get my clothes pressed for church.
Bye!
Vonnie
Yesterday was so busy! Cheer
Yesterday was so busy! Cheer camp started at 8:30. It was cold and windy (and we got .25 inch of rain!! At least it knocked the dust down), so dh cancelled his plans to work on some waterlines for the cows new watertank and kept DS1 for me. While at the school anyway, somehow I got roped into decorating the concession stand/eating area for homecoming, then found myself working on editing and printing the programs for the game! Ended up staying 2 hours after cheer camp ended, til 4:00, just enough time to come home, eat something, give the girls baths then back to the school for the game! We won, BTW. Got home about 9 last night. I was gone Friday running errand, so I decided today, no church, I have got to catch up on housework! Especially laundry! My mom, stepdad and grandmother are all coming for a week next week, so must spend this week getting things done!
DH also wants to start Atkins this week, so need to do some menu planning for that. I wish that steer was ready to take to the processor, I've been out of steaks and ground beef for a while, all that's left is some arm roasts, a pike's peak, and a prime rib. While the meat is so low in the freezer, I need to get DH to move the thing to a different area in the garage. He wants to start reloading things again (bullets. Think Pa Ingalls, but modernized. LOL!), so he needs to make room for all that stuff OUT THERE! Not in the house!!!
So, today, tons of laundry, vacuuming (I want to rent a carpet steamer this week before mommy gets here), clean the kids rooms some. You know, everyday stuff.
Vonnie, aren't the Teutles cool!!!!??? Watching them is one reason why dh wants to go on Atkins. He wants to be a Paulie! LOL! I was going to save the shirt and hat for his birthday, but I couldn't wait a month!
Great Chicken
Andrea, it came out sooo well! I had bought bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts a few weeks ago and froze them. I had 12, which only cost $3.72! (Yes, you read that right. Sometimes I think whoever is marking the meat is making a mistake, or playing a joke.) Anyway...I figured with that many mouths to feed now was the perfect time to use them. I boned them, but left the skin on and pan-fried them so the skin got nice and brown and crispy. I sauteed shallots in the chicken fat and then deglazed with the balsamic vinegar. Then I added the maple syrup and reduced the sauce. It was really, really good. Sweet and sour with a good hit of shallot. (I only tasted the sauce because of the high sugar content from the syrup)
Well the friends are home; rested, happy, and much better connected with each other. I say we should all take a renew-the-marriage week at least once every 15 years!
TADA
got the house picked up
dishes
laundry
church
cleaned out the van, it really, really needs a washing and vacuuming
PODA
run
laundry
wash the big pots & pans
shop-vac the van and at least rinse it off, I wish we had a carwash nearby
make dinner
prep food for meals later this week
look through my stash of big girl clothes. DD has gone from a size 18 months to a size 4T in 10 months. She is skinny with no rear end, but very long-legged and I can't seem to find anything that fits right
Rose, I hope all worked out ok with the pipes.
Becky, we have already gone through 5 cords of wood and have only 2 left. We usually go through 7 from October-April. At least we also have a full tank of fuel oil, but you're right, it's going to be really bad for some folks, especially since they prices rise with demand.
Have a lovely Sunday everyone!
-Jo
It's rather like camping ...
Jo, thanks for the good wishes about the pipes. Unfortunately, I haven't solved the problem yet. I disconnected the dishwasher from the kitchen faucet, and in so doing, discovered a small leak in the pipe leading to the hot water faucet. So far, plumber's epoxy is not living up to its reputation as a cure-all for leaking pipes.
Any and all suggestions would be gratefully accepted!
There's still cold water, of course, and with a small family it's not so difficult to just heat water in the kettle for dishwashing and bathing. We voluntarily "rough it" to a greater extreme when we camp every summer, so this isn't all that bad. It's all an exercise in character building
TADA's so far
-designed our new kitchen using a nifty application from www.ikea.ca
(the dishwasher simply must be moved away from the outside wall! It's the only long-term workable solution)
-got DH on board for this kitchen renovation (wasn't hard, he's such a sweetie!)
-put in a call to our contractor to enlist his assistance with this project (awaiting a return call)
-scanned several pictures into my ofoto account
-27 fling boogie and re-organization of my dresser drawers
PODA
-clear up hotspots on the top of our dressers
-find another short-term solution to the hot water woes
Have a great Sunday everyone!
Rose
Great Attitude
What a great point of view, Rose. I can't say I'd be as cheerful as you are about the inconvenience!
Jo, have you got a good source for firewood? Glad your week is over for you and I'm glad your friends had a great time.
There's a homeschool family in Fla. who is doing a conference at their bed & breakfast this month. Oh, how I *wish* DH and I could have gone! It sounded lovely, and this couple's style of homeschooling is very inspiring (using living books, etc.). It would have been the perfect getaway, so I'll be keeping an eye out to see if they are doing it again next year, when baby will be weaned and we'll (hopefully) be back on a regular budget. I would do that in lieu of the annual state hs conference in Atlanta!
I was up 'til 3:30 a.m. prepping food and cleaning up the LR. You would not have believed the state of this house! Pine needles everywhere, stuff piled on every surface, laundry up to here. Yuk. I got it back to a semblance of order. We were late to church this morning, even leaving DS3 home with DH, but hey, I did my best. The meal was fun. The pastor's DD turned 16 today and he's in India, so we had a little birthday celebration for her too.
I got a few minutes' nap while nursing this afternoon and that always perks me up a bit. Even with DS2 climbing on me.
PODA:
*Tonight, leftovers for supper.
*Vacuum van
*Load van with fling for Ms. Mary
*Clean upholstery where red beans spilled
*Steam clean traffic areas (and little oopsie spot)
*Mop sticky spots in Kitchen and red clay spots in laundry room
*Fold laundry, put away
*"Boil" dirty underpants (DS3 isn't through yet! Arg!)
*If no real breakthrough by tomorrow, call dr. about "next step" for DS3
*Pictures, thank yous, bill (big SLUG)
*Clean up bedroom
*Iron curtains and put up in master bath
I have a list about as long as my arm on sitting my new roll-top desk that I'm not even referring to right now. I also wrote down some anti-procrastination chores that came to mind while cleaning up last night. Maybe this Wednesday I can tackle one.
Tomorrow we will homeschool, do therapy appt., and take fling to Ms. Mary.
Later!
Susannah
"It's rather like camping"?!
"It's rather like camping"?! Oh boy, great attitude is right Susannah! YOu too, though. You've got a lot going on right now - hope your day goes smoothly tomorrow.
We had a nice day - I actually got away by myself for a bit of shopping - work clothes. Also a pair of pants for DH, which didn't fit! We have a Lands' End Inlet near us, which is wonderful! I went there, Penney's for shoes, Value City Furniture to browse for my parents' furniture (they are renting an apt. here in May for one year), and then Borders for my coffee and browsing books. Looked at cookbooks which were tempting, but I can get most of those recipes online!
Jo, I may have to try that chicken. I did print the broccoli cheese soup of yours - sounds like a great low carb lunch!
OK, I'm off to read Cold Mountain! Did you finish it Jenny?
Andrea
Family fun weekend :-)
I'm going to get busy and fly tomorrow. This weekend has been nothing but fun and lounging.
Saturday we went to see "Spy Kids 3D", my first 3D movie, we all loved it. After the movie we went to eat at the "Magic Time Machine" all the waiters and waitresses are dressed as character's from a movie, book, or TV show. Each room has a theme, we were in what looked like a cottage and our waitress was Snow white. They give the kids a menu that doubles as an autograph book. Trey (ds5) got Snow white, a pirate, Tinker bell, Zoro, Barbi Q, and some others all to sign his book. Was alot of fun.
Today's been all about lounging around watching Net Flix movies. I did make breakfast and dinner and kept up with the dishes, that's gotta count for something! Right!
Tomorrow I WILL get busy and have a nice big TADA, I'm getting tired of being such a slug. See yall in the morning.
Jamie Lea
All hail Flylady!!!
Thank you for your kind words, Andrea and Susannah
I don't think I'd be able to cope very well if I didn't flap-flap-flap along with the other flybabies. For all you Douglas Adams fans out there, Flylady keeps me knowing where my towel is.
To add to today's excitement, it appears that the carbon monoxide detector is on the fritz. It went off this afternoon for about 5 seconds. I opened a window, took DS6 outside for some fresh air, took stock of the situation. A little later, I stopped in at the fire station to ask their advice. One of the volunteer firefighters kindly came out to my house with their CO detector, and found zero carbon monoxide throughout the house. He also checked out the furnace (oil btw) and found everything to be looking good. So the problem probably lies with the CO detector itself - which just chirped at me again. Evidently, they do have a finite lifespan. (One website says 5 years .. this device was already in the house when we bought it 4.5 years ago). So tomorrow's PODA will include purchasing a new CO detector.
Shaun, are you around? How are you doing today?
Hope everyone has a great week.
Rose
Im new
hello everyone, please can someone help me with the abreviations on this site like...TADA
DS12, DH ??????
er SHAMS???? whats does this mean?-> Bedrooms picked up ?
im really sorry
feel dumb!
Hi Lois.....
I am so sorry about your kitty.
Have you ever read the poem "Rainbow Bridge"?
http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
I hope it helps.
My thoughts are with you....
(and thanks for the welcome back.)
*Hugs*
Cari
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