Friday, February 27, 2009

Catching Up

I had my second to last training session tonight. I won't miss being tied to the gym during peak hours, but I will miss having someone telling me not to quit or give up. The extra push is always nice. The 21 pounds I lost was nice too. I still think I can drop a few more before Gunner gets home. Once this crud is gone I can get back to running. I was way more up on current events when I was running, since I park myself on the treadmill in front of the only tv that shows Foxnews.

I DVRed the moving Taking Chance and I haven't been able to make it all the way through. I want to finish it this weekend.

Also Oprah did a show on Walter Reed that I DVRed to watch too.

Still no word from Gunner. The website was listing units coming home on each day, but this evening it is back to being very generic. Hoping that he has a chance to call soon and shed some light on his arrival time. My friend Mel's husband is due next week for his R&R, and my friend Abbey's husband is headed home too. Then it is time for PCS season to start.

We got an email that said if we were going to Carson that we could add our name to the housing list now. I called, and they let me add it, and pulled up all his information, and said we qualify for a 4 bedroom. Maybe this means we are going? We have no orders though, so like a good army family we will sit back and wait.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wiped Out

Parent/teacher conferences were tonight. I am wiped out. What really amazes me, is that maybe I do know what I am talking about! I'm sure glad that tomorrow is Friday, and I am glad that I have Survivor to watch tonight.

I am still sick, but eventually I have to get better, right?

I have to get better.

Still no word from Gunner. I like to think that he is so busy tying up loose ends so he can hurry home to us. I know they were getting ready to start left seat/right seat, and that's always a good sign.

I need to buy some more 550 cord and locate the welcome home signs.

My inlaws gave me the welcome home shirts for the kids. They are cute I guess. They are happy with them and that is all that matters. My MIL actually talked to me tonight when they dropped the kids off. Because conferences ran so late, they took Abs to PT for me and then got Junior. They even fed them this time.

And Junior returned home with a bear in uniform, as big as himself, in his arms. We needed more stuff in this house.

Today was trash day. I can count on one finger...maybe two (let's hope not)....how many trash days I have left!

If this is my worst problem, then I shouldn't complain!

The lady that cleans my house was supposed to come this week since she didn't last week. I came home and noticed that my trash can was not overflowing. I walked in and saw my sad house that needed a vacuum, mopping job, and to be straightend up.

I checked my email and her real job called her in, and she admitted that until they got someone reliable she couldn't commit to cleaning my house anymore on a weekly basis.

I thought I would cry. I have to clean my own house? I called my friend Mel, whose maid is booked till she moves in a few days. I checked craigslist. Too scary. I thought about cleaning my house myself and about had a panic attack. Would I have time to fit that in as well as everything else?

Then I called a friend who is headed to a funeral. I don't have that to worry about. We are slowly getting well. The toilet in Ab's bathroom doesn't work well enough to overflow these days. Gunner should be home within the next two weeks if not sooner. My kids are happy (except for Em who is still dwelling on the fact that she might have to choose between a school dance and her dad coming home--I think there is a member of the opposite sex there that she might want to see, God help me). My car is fixed and it cost less than a thousand dollars, and they are letting me leave it there till I figure out a way to get it back to "The Great Place".

......As soon as I started thinking of all the "good", I went and checked the laundry and started to put it all in the dryer. That's when I realized that somehow a Junior diaper got loaded in the washer and had exploded all over the place with those annoying little beads. Of course I don't realize this till I start loading the clothes from the washer in the dryer, and I see the exploding diaper. I try to flip it out, not knowing that those little beads would land all over the clean clothes in the front of the dryer that I needed to fold. I think I am back to square 1 with the laundry.

I'll focus on the positive tomorrow, I've got too many loads of laundry ahead of me and freaking little beads EVERYWHERE to clean up. Fun!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

My Day Off

I set my alarm for 5:45 as I had to get Junior to daycare and Em to school before Abs and I headed out to her two appointments, the first one being at 7:30.

I woke up at 7:19. Immediately gathered my senses, and started yelling commands. We were all dressed and out the door, baby included, in 7 minutes. (This did require me to tell them to grab dirty socks cause we just didn't have time to search for socks--mom of the year I am not!) I got Junior dropped off, Em was late to school and went without her backpack, and Abs and I were a half hour late for her appointment. I never wanted to be an overachiever anyway.

After her first appointment, I wanted to get her in school for about an hour, but they were headed off on a field trip to the art show, so I took her home so we could have breakfast and then head out to her second appointment.

After that extremely long appointment, where they changed her meds, we were supposed to head over to the lab for some tests. They came to tell me Abs needed to pee in a cup as Abs was washing her hands after having used the restroom. The slow, slow, slow nurse told me she needed to try again. I told her that since she just peed, that it would not be worth our time or effort to go try and make her squeeze out a few drops. She was shocked that I wasn't going to make her pee again.

So we head back to get blood drawn. Abs starts to get upset, and the slow, slow lady says "We need to move her to a room so when she screams when I poke her with a needle it won't disturb the hospital."

Not the thing to say to an anxious 7 year old. Abs starts crying. We get into the room and the lady proceeds to tell her "stop crying, because I just need to poke you with a little needle and get some blood out of your arm". She has nothing setup and puts the blue strap on Ab's arm and leaves it there while she thumps on her elbow pit. The blue strap remains while she gets out the needles right in front of Abs and is getting everything setup. Don't forget, that we have the slow, slow, lady. All of this takes about 10 minutes.

So my poor Abs who has GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) is losing it. She starts screaming. Another person comes in to help, and we are still sitting there for another 5 minutes or so while she is wiping the elbow pit with the alcohol swab, still messing with everything else and the blue strap is still on. She sticks her, and can't get any blood. She messes with the needle some more, and by this time the room is full and I am pissed. I tell her to take it out because she can't do it, and she is still moving slow, slow, slow. She gets offended, and someone else steps in to take over. I told her as long as she did it quickly she could try, but they only had one more chance. I complained that she shouldn't have been moving so slow when she was dealing with a child like this. The other person agreed.

Debbie came in and spoke to Abs softly while Abs got pricked again, and Abs continued to scream "why do you have to take all my blood out of my body???". They finish quickly and Debbie remained there until Abs calmed down. Thank goodness for Debbie.

Then the slow, slow lady had the nerve to ask Abs to pee in a cup. I told her that it wouldn't happen, and she asked what she was supposed to tell the doctor, and I told her to tell her that they were unable to collect the specimen. She was floored that I wasn't going to make Abs pee. She obviously doesn't know Abs.

So I fed her and got her dropped off at school, and raced home to fit a nap into my day. A dream about Junior getting kidnapped and I was back up and racing to pickup children.

Abs told me after school that she had to sit a foot away from her desk because she couldn't bend her arms due to the "blood holes". At PT she was unable to do pushups because of the same problem. She's been walking around with her arms straight out in front of her since noon.

My next day off, I am scheduling absolutely nothing.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Why are you naked and covered in pizza sauce?

I was on the phone with my friend Mel when I posed this question to my almost 8 year old Abs. No telling what she was thinking. Maybe she didn't want to get her clothes dirty? Whatever it was, she was sent to clean up and go to bed. Mel has no children yet (although she claims that her eggs are vibrating!) so she can't believe most of the stuff that rolls off my tongue, even after spending Thanksgiving with this motley crew.

My mom had an adventure with Abs here.

I am taking tomorrow off to run Abs to a couple of appointments. Then I will drop her off at school for a few heavenly hours of peace and quiet. I finally understand what my parents were asking for all those years.

The date for Gunner's return seems to have gone crazy. They are listing things on the website now, so that narrows it down to a few days to more than a month. Ugh.

There's still plenty to keep me busy though. I only have two personal training sessions left, and I am going to miss it. Nothing like making me accountable. I have plenty to keep me busy with the house, downsizing, sorting, and organizing, which is not my strong suit. If only I could find an aspiring interior decorator that wanted to practice on my house. Early Mr. Potato head and unfolded laundry is not becoming anymore.

I need to find new cell phones for us as well. Call me crazy, but a two year commitment on a cell phone stresses me out!

And the ESL test is in just over a month, so I need to start looking over that stuff too. My friend Mel and I were talking tonight about taking some additional certifications. She is a lot like me, and I can see us at our next interviews "Yes, I am a second year teacher and certified in 43 different subjects!". I'm definitely adding on PE though!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The end of an era

Junior has always loved his crib, but he hates to take naps. Desperate for a nap this afternoon, I put him back in his pajamas turned around backwards so that he wouldn't strip down to his nothingness instead of sleeping.

Got him tucked into bed, got into my own bed, and out he came. I cleared off his toddler bed, tucked him in there, and after a few minutes of playing he was out of the room.

He obviously didn't get the memo that he needed to stay in the crib till Gunner got home!

So instead of napping it looks like I will be boxing up toys and everything else and moving them out of the room until I can get it all straightened out. Sounds like good times I tell ya.

Abs is on her way back to the house and my mom made me chicken noodle soup that she is delivering via Abs since she refuses to come inside. Can't blame her!

Lesson plans are made, dishes were washed, laundry going, and Junior is sitting inside the ottoman watching Barney. Won't be much longer till he doesn't fit, so I better get a picture while I can.

It's my turn

Yes, we are still on the sick blog.

It's finally my turn. Fever. Chills. Cough. Congestion. I feel like death warmed over.

I still have to get Em from her sleepover, Abs from Grandma, and Junior will get his wish to watch a lot of tv today. I'm kind of hoping Em slept a lot at her sleepover so I can go crash in my room and get some more sleep. Wishful thinking I am sure.

I wonder if my inlaws would bring me chicken noodle soup and gatorade. That might be pushing my luck....

But the house needs to be cleaned, I should go to the gym (not happening unless a miracle occurs), lesson plans need to be written, and children need to be taken care of.

And Gunner's date got pushed back out again. Still sooner than it was originally, but he said they are changing things left and right so don't hold my breath. Easier said than done!

Back to the sick couch....