Sunday Drives

This summer we have started a little tradition of visiting the national reserve near our home every Sunday.  We always go in the evening because it is cooler and the buffalo and elk are more likely to be seen.  Sometimes we start or end the drive with a stop at the little ice cream store in town.  Moo Moo loves to see the wildlife and although Wrinkles doesn’t seem to really care the drives do help him to wind down a bit just before bedtime. 

Moo Moo always wants to know why the buffalo look mad all the time until he saw this one which he says is smiling.

This mama and her babe put on quite the show for us.  They were content to have many pictures taken of them.  When we first saw these two they were playing together, it was very neat to see, then baby decided his belly needed filled up.

This year there seems to be a lot of deer within the fences of the preserve.  Usually the deer leave during the summer but seek haven within the refuge from the hunters during the winter months. 

Nothing ends the weekend and our Sunday drive like a beautiful sunset.

Wow!

Summer has definitely taken over our lives around here.  Little time has been spent inside and even at home lately.  Obviously, since I haven’t posted in over a month…. how did that happen?…. my blog has been a very low priority.  After a mini family vacation in which we completely unplugged from all electronics it has been surprisingly difficult to get back into blogging.  However, I have lots of fun things to share with everyone; pictures of our adventures, new updates on things on the homefront, etc, etc.  I will start catching up tomorrow.

Until then… let’s do a pay it forward giveaway.  Just leave a comment telling me what fun things you have been doing this summer to enter. 

What will you receive?  Good question.  I’m completely unsure but I doubt you will be disappointed.  I will put a box of goodies together.  I have a couple of ideas floating around.

If you win I ask, although it is completely voluntary, that you post a picture of what you receive on your own blog (if you have one).  I would also ask that you do your own pay it forward contest to keep the fun times going…. again not required but appreciated.  That’s all.

This giveaway ends Friday afternoon, July 18, at 5:00 PM CST.

Time for T-Ball

 So if there were a contest for the worst mom in terms of taking pictures I would probably win… LOL!  I always forget my camera.  Maybe it’s because I really dislike it?  Not a valid excuse but the only one I can come up with.  This picture was taken with my cell phone so I didn’t have a lot of editing choices and it’s hard to see.  But there he is getting ready to take a swing with his coach behind him.   

Anyway, this was Moo Moo’s second time at T-ball this past weekend.  He seems to really be enjoying it, periodically I have to remind him to put on his “listening ears” and do what the coach tells them to do but he does pretty good.  He dislikes the running but loves catching, throwing, and hitting.  We “play” against other teams all of the same age group.  It is totally non-competitive and just an introduction into t-ball/baseball fundamentals.  They don’t keep score, have positions, or anything fancy like that- this was one of the big factors in chosing to let him play already. 

I promise to produce better pictures in the coming weeks.

Camera Fever

I have camera fever.  I really want a new camera.  I’m tired of my old camera because nearly all of the pictures taken require editing just to look okay.  I am currently using a Kodak Easy Share camera that is several years old; however I am completely unimpressed with the results from it so I’m pretty sure I don’t want another Easy Share.  I have tried everything to get rid of red eye in my pictures to no avail.  The shutter speed is extremely slow thus losing some really great shots. 

What do I want in a camera?  Good question.  I know that I want to take great pictures in basically any situation- action, landscape/nature, indoors, people, group shots, etc., etc.  I would like to have a camera that allows me explore with the settings but not overly complicated in that I have to set it up for every situation.  I would like this camera to be able to grow with me and my abilities (if that is possible).  My ideal camera would have the extra lens to go with it, I think. 

So… if you have a camera you love would you please tell me about it.  I am completely lost in my search.  Also, if you wouldn’t mind sharing where you got it and any other relevant details I may need to know.  Or if you know of a good site that recommends cameras based on answering questions I would be interested in checking those out too.

And the winner is …

Comment #85: Dawn Bates.  Congratulations Dawn!  I will be emailing you shortly.  Thanks to all for stopping by and entering. 

 

Big Decision Ahead

I have said all along that Moo Moo would go to traditional public school.  So here he is at 3 1/2 and suddenly it’s time to go to preschool this fall.  Registration is due the end of this month and suddenly this feels like the wrong thing.  I don’t know what is holding me back exactly on the whole preschool thing. 

I thought that this time would come and we would happily send him on his way into his own life- separate from us.  I fear making the wrong decision and I think that is the biggest thing.  I know in my heart that he will do fine, he will learn new things, he will make friends, he will be fine.  BUT every timeI think about it my stomach starts to churn.  I don’t want to homeschool for ME.  If we homeschool it will be for the kids not out of our fears and trepidations of sending them out into the world.  Yet this is thebiggest thing holding me back on sending him.  We have grown a lot spritually since the time that DH & I began our life together.  I don’t think that the entire world and public schools are filled with impurity or unbelieivers but the fact of the matter is that Christians are more and more in the minority.  Now, more than ever, I belieive that having that foundation is essential for our children.  I know that we will not be able to shield the kids from life but if we can give them that foundation of Christianity I think they would be better off to fight against things that I believe are coming sooner than I would like to think. 

However I don’t think that this is the only thing that bothers me about sending him to public school.  I went to public school my whole life and my parents were able to teach me a very basic foundation of Christianity that has brought me to where I am today with it.  We could do the same.  There must be something else, something that I have yet to uncover from my own conciousness.  There seems to be no time for that right now but I think there is.  The current plan is to register him for preschool and take a careful and well thought out evaluation leading up to the time that school begins.  Hopefully by then I will know in my heart AND in my stomach what is the right decision.  If we decide to homeschool, there is only a (very) small deposit that we will be out of financially and if we decide that preschool is the right place for Moo Moo everything will be in place and ready to go.

I have recently began networking with other families in the area who do homeschool preschool- structured curriculums.  We have not been doing a set curriculum; rather just working on the basics and supplementing with things that interest him.  We have lots of fun activities planned for this spring and summer which I know he will have a blast doing while learning at the same time.  All of the families in the area are very supportive of the decision to homeschool while at the same time understanding of our fears and reluctance to do so- so far seeming respectful of whatever route we choose but willing to help if they can.  That has been a blessing but also makes my heart yearn for being able to teach our son(s) at home, myself.

Decisions.  BIG decision.  What’s a parent to do?

** Note:  In most of this I implied that the decision is mine and mine alone.  DH most defienly has a say in what ever the decsion is but thus far is supportive of whatever I choose, offereing his observations and input along the way. 

It’s time for another giveaway!

It’s time for another giveaway!  This is the second time I am happy to offer a giveaway for anyone who leaves a comment.  It’s always so hard for me to choose what to offer!  I have so many great ideas!  This prize is a gift certificate to spend with any WAHM of your choosing in the amount of $15.  I love to support WAHMs and hope that you do too!  :) 

I will randomly pick a winner from all comments on Saturday night at 8:00 CDT.  Depending on the number of entries more prizes may be awarded, I will update this post if more prizes are offered.

Winners will be notified by email and also posted here on my blog.  If you are the winner you will have 3 days to claim your prize before it is offered to someone else.

Thanks for visiting and please take a couple minutes to look around.  More giveaways can be found here.

Grades

When it comes to grades in my classes I have found that I am a little obsessive about them.  There are several reasons for this in my mind.  1.  I am paying for my education with little in the form of grants but lots in the form of loans.  2.  I feel the need to prove myself.  Not only to myself but to my husband, parents, and siblings.  This is not because of pressure they put on me but rather a redemption of sorts.  I want to prove to them that I can handle it all and succeed.  I want to prove that my past failures do not determine my future success.  3.  Self-satisfaction.  4.  The need to improve my GPA from first college attempt so that I can transfer to a different institution that offers the program that (I think) I would like to pursue. 

So here we are nearing the end of sprng semester.  Total points are starting to be calculated.  (Actually I have only one class left to finish up next week.)  I keep track of every single point that I get in all of my classes.  When there is a test or quiz I review them all to learn from my mistakes and to ensure that I recieved credit for correct anwers.  This semester I have found numerous times that a question was graded as incorrect when in fact my answer was correct.  I notify the professors and cite what page number in the text the correct answer is found.  If I miss points on assignments or quizes I seek out extra credit opportunities to earn those points back or correct them for points (as is the case in one of my classes). 

All of this leads me to the obsession.

In my psych class I am 3 points shy of having all available points for the semester.  That’s pretty good right?  The problem is that I was supposed to recieve 10 extra credit points but she forgot to add them to the grade book.  The points aren’t going to change the grade that I receive.  An A is an A BUT I want the satisfaction of knowing that I recieved all the points possible, making up those that I didn’t earn with extra credit. I keep telling myself it’s not a big deal however it is eating at me.  There really isn’t a point (that I know of, at least) as to why it should bug me.  On my transcript it will appear the same whether I recieve the points or not.  I don’t want to bother the professor with such trival matter.  If these points would change my grade in any way then I most definetly would contact her but that isn’t the case.

Maybe it will help if I just get it off my chest here.  Hopefully?!?  

Quick Update

Wrinkles has improved.  We did not have to be admitted to the hospital today…. thankfully! :)  We had another shot of antibiotics and started the oral antibiotics tonight as well.  Today he had regained 4 oz. so that was good news.  Tomorrow we go through the same routine… re-check with the pediatrician and hopefully no shots tomorrow.  They also started him on some Albuterol liquid today to help loosen everything in his lungs.  I think he is starting to feel a little better as today wasn’t quite so much whining and he actually got down and played for 5-10 min. intervals in between naps. 

Moo Moo had fun at the farm today even though it was rainy all day.  He got to see the bottle calves and some of the lambs.  He has been talking non-stop about it all afternoon and night.  He wanted to stay there but I decided to make him come home instead of staying the night.  Maybe sometime soon he can have a sleepover with his cousins.

Grandpa watched Wrinkles tonight so I could get out of the house for a short time with Moo Moo. It was good for us to have a little one on one time and Grandpa enjoyed spending some time with Wrinkles, even though he is sick. 

That’s all from here for today.

 

Long days, long nights

We’ve all had the end of winter/beginning of spring cold around here for the last couple of weeks.  Everyone except Wrinkles who had come trough relatively well with only a slightly runny nose and a severe eye infection.  The eye infection was caught early and treatment began luckily without the use of IV antibiotics. 

Until Monday.  Everything changed quickly and dramatically.  He began laying around, wanting to be held nonstop, and running a temp.  No big deal- the temp. is his body’s way of fighting off the infection.  At midnight his temp. skyrocketed to 104.2.  Now what?  Do I go to the ER wait for hours and find absolutely nothing out?  After two hours of sponging, sitting in the tub, giving tylenol it finally went down to where I was comfortable enough to wait until morning. 

After 4 short hours of sleep we were up and headed to the pediatricans office.  I wasn’t going to mess around with this one.  We went in on walk-in basis and surprisingly waited less than 15 minutes to see the nurse practioner. Fever, throat red, ears clear.  She ordered a blood count, strep test, and influenza test.  Strep and influenza both came back negative.  Blood counts were elevated though.  She recommended that we do x-rays to check for pneumonia.  I thought “yeah right, whatever!”  Good thing she did this or who knows what we would have been facing.  The x-rays came back and she showed me the pneumonia he is facing.  Scary!! They gave him a shot of antibiotics and re-check today (Wed.).  If everything looks good continue with oral antibiotics.

Last night his fever continued to raise.  At 2 a.m. it was 105.0.  It scares me to think what it would have been minus tylenol, ibuprofen, and the antibiotic shot.  Again it lowered within in a couple of hours to a more comfortable level.  We headed back in to the ped’s office this morning.  No improvement on blood count, lost 1/2 pound in 24 hours, and still running a temp.  Frustration!  Another antibiotic shot, an IV mostly saline with some additional antibiotic, and re-check yet again tomorrow (Thurs.). 

Hopefully things will be better tomorrow and we can continue with the oral antibiotics.  So far tonight his temp. has not spiked AND he’s slept for 2 1/2 straight hours!

This is not what I expected to do with my whole week but we will do whatever is necessary to make him well again.  It is such a helpless feeling when your little one is sick and there’s nothing to do that will make him better.  Add a tired mommy to the mix and you end up spending lots of time relaxing on the couch just holding and comforting the sick. 

Moo Moo has been awesome through it all.  He has been keeping it pretty low key around here which is nice to have quiet, relaxing time.  Granted he’s been glued to the TV for the last 2 days but he hasn’t seemed to mind.  We had a chance to snuggle and talk tonight before he went to bed.  It was great to be able to hold him and explain (again, but in more detail) everything that has been going on.  He is going to go to the farm tomorrow to spend time with his aunt.  Just in case they would do something crazy with Wrinkles like admit him to the hospital.  I’m sure he will have a blast even though the weather sounds like it will be icky. 

To top it all off, in my sleep deprived state I have lost my cell phone with a dead battery.  At least I have insurance.  I filed the claim tonight because I need my phone and after looking extensively have been unable to find it.  I’m too tired and lack the care right now to look any longer.  I pay for the insurance so now it’s their turn to rescue me.

Things will get better once again.  It’s just been a yucky week.  I will update tomorrow after we return from the doctor.  No news is bad news in this case latest update will be midnight Thursday night/Fri. morning. :) 

Ooops… gotta go.  Wrinkles is up so I’m in for another long night most likely.