Getting back to normal

A week after all the sickness began around here we are finally getting back to normalcy.  Moo Moo jumped back to normal the quickest and he is going about life like nothing ever happened.  DH is back at work today and feeling much better.  Wrinkles is feeling better but still not quite back to his normal self.  I think he got it the worst.  I am doing pretty good still a little tired but feeling much better.  Finally got my paper turned in…. wasn’t sure that was ever going to get done!  I’m SO glad that is over!!  Hopefully I will be better at keeping my blog updated now.   

The Sick House

Well…. this is the first time I’ve had a minute to post for a few days.  We have become the sick house around here.  It started Friday when Wrinkles was running a temperature and was acting really funny.  I gave him some Tylenol, his temp. dropped, and he went back to his normal self.  Saturday night we had planned “date night” for the first time since our anniversary in April.  Wrinkles hadn’t required any Tylenol and seemed okay so we preceeded with our plans.  He was fussy for my sister-in-law who watched him but not so fussy that she felt the need to call me and let me know, instead they spent most of the time we were gone riding around in the car to keep him happy.  Ugh!  Why didn’t she just call me?  Oh well we weren’t gone very long anyway.  We had a good time and some great food.  Fast forward to Sunday night when I woke up to a burning hot Wrinkles.  Did he know mommy and daddy wanted and needed to go out with out the children so he miraclously wasn’t sick on Sat.?  I think to myself that he can’t really be sick, he must be working on his first tooth.  Monday was fuss-ville around here.  Wrinkles had to be held all day and every 4 hours needed Tylenol to bring his fever down a bit.  No sleep Monday night!  He was up every hour, the Tylenol wasn’t breaking his fever any longer, it was a long night.  Yesterday I decide to bring him in the ped. as he is no longer eating or nursing.  I don’t think my supply will do well with a nursing strike.  He really is sick.  He has croup and strep throat.  Ohhh… now I feel like the bad mommy who made her child suffer because I didn’t think he was really “sick”.  We started him on some antibiotics for the strep and just traditional steam showers and cold air at night and humidifiers in the house for the croup. 

Then last night as I was heading off to bed I heard Moo Moo crying in his room.  I go to check what the problem is and he is vomiting.  You’ve got to be kidding me!!  Moo Moo vomits often so I don’t know at this point if he is actually sick or just having one of his classic moments.  I decide to camp out in the living room with both the boys as sleeping in our queen bed with all four of us just doesn’t work for me anymore.  I spread out blankets and we all get comfy.  Next thing I know Moo Moo is getting sick again, luckily in his bucket this time.  He must have the flu.  Yuck!!

Wrinkles is still very grumpy but he is no longer running a temp.  He isn’t eating his solids yet but he is nursing again!  Thank goodness!  Moo Moo is still acting sluggish but hasn’t gotten sick for a couple of hours now. 

I have class tonight and I am really torn about whether to go or not.  I think the kids will be fine with my mom but they’re sick and I really feel like, as their mother, I should be with them but we are doing peer review tonight and I think I need to do this.  What to do?!?! 

Wrinkles is up again now and I must work on my paper for class tonight at his next nap. 

Frugal Friday- Use coupons wisely

Today’s frugal tip is use coupons wisely.  I’ve often times gotten caught up in coupons and end up spending more because of the coupons.  I love coupons but you need to ask yourself if this is something you would want or need if you didn’t have the coupon.  Don’t buy just because you found a coupon. Coupons found in the paper often times are for so little off that you can easily buy the store brand or generic for less than name brand even with a coupon.  This is not always true but be sure to check before buying.  Also try to double up your savings by using coupons when the item is alredy on sale. 

If you need help getting the kids to eat veggies

you should check out this book review by An Island Review.  It is on Jessica Seinfeld’s book Deceptively Delicious.  You can even enter to win your own copy of this book.  I plan on purchasing it (if I don’t win ) as DH doesn’t eat any vegetables and Moo Moo is taking after Daddy and eating less and less of them too.

Thankful Thursday- A loving husband

I am very thankful for a very wonderful, loving husband.  He works long, crazy hours to support our family so that I can stay home with our two children.  He is very patient with me- very rarely complaining about the lack of housework, my spending money, and time I spend online after everyone is in bed.  He loves spending time with his family rarely doing anything without us.  He loves his children so much!  I don’t even know how to explain the love that he has for them.  DH has a way of knowing when something isn’t quite right with me, even when I haven’t realized it yet, and getting me to talk about it with him.  He is the best husband I could ask for!!

Wishful Wednesday: I wish my mom wasn’t losing her job.

In seven short working days my mom will be unemployed.  As long as I can remember my mom has always worked a full time job.  She was a SAHM for my first six months of life until she started spending lots of money and my dad thought it was time for her to go back to work.  I think she was ready anyway and my dad just gave her the go ahead.  She doesn’t have a glorious job; she is a factory worker at Maytag in Newton, Iowa.  I remember as a child she was always worried about losing her job because of movements that would take place within the company eventually I learned that she was just preparing herself for the worst case scenario and that most likely it wasn’t going to happen.  She always worried about strikes when contract time came around and again it was just prepping herself for worst case scenario that would never happen. 

Then two years ago at contract time there was a strike.  Mom went out right away and got another job working at a local hospital in assisted living.  She really enjoyed it but it was from the very begining just a job to get her by during strike and her boss knew that.  The strike didn’t last too long and she was back at her factory job.

Now she is losing her job.  I still can’t believe it.  It will be odd for my mom not to be working.  She is still trying to decide what to do with her life after Maytag.  This is what she has known for the last eighteen and a half years.  Now she faces the decision of what to do now: should she take a different job making considerably less? or should she go to college and get a degree?.  She has decided that she will take a little bit of time off to make some decision that she feels is right.  Personally I think she should go to college for nursing but that is a very scary thought for her.  We’ll see what happens. 

I just wish she didn’t have to deal with this although I realize it is just another chapter of life. 

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Back to College

At the end of summer I made a decision to better my education, again.  I decided to go back to college at DMACC.  Right out of high school I was pushed into college by my parents.  I didn’t want to go and my grades showed it.  The only reason I continued to enroll in classes was for insurance reasons (I know, bad decision!).  At first I was only going to take one online class but after meeting with an academic counselor and finding out there is a way to raise my GPA without taking a bunch of new classes I decided to take two classes, one online and one regular class meeting one night per week. 

I’m still not 100% sure about this decision and we are well into the semester.  I feel pretty good about my regular class that I go to and am confident that I will do considerably better in this repeat course than I did the first time.  I enjoy the class, the instructor, and the few people that I’ve actually managed to talk to.  It also offers me an added bonus that I get a little bit of time away from the kids and just a bit of sanity. 

My online class is a different story.  I am not sure about this class and it is, at times, difficult for me to find the time and motivation to complete the required readings that are essential to it.  My original thoughts and intentions on taking this class was that I am always up late online anyway so I might as well be doing something productive with this time.  I didn’t consider that while I am awake and for the most part functioning at the wee hours of the night, I am unable to comprehend and retain the information that is presented to me.  This weekend, after a disappointing test score, I spoke with my family about the situation and we are all going to work together to make sure I find the time to study and work on this course. 

Wish me some luck… because I have a feeling I’m going to need it. 

Our solution to pumpkin bugs

Lately I have heard numerous people commenting on the bugs getting their pumpkins and squash this year.  I realize this is a little late but here is our recipe that we use to get rid of the bugs.

1 Small Onion- finely chopped
2 Medium cloves of Garlic- finely chopped
1 Tbsp. of baby shampoo (We us all natural, so I don’t worry too much about this.)
2 Cups of Water 
      Put everything in to a blender and blend on high for approx. 1 min.  Let sit overnight.  The next day pour mixture through cheese cloth (a coffe filter would work too).  Pour the liquid into a sprayer and apply liberally.

This has worked the last two years for us.  I hope it helps some one else next year.

Giving credit where credit is due

I am not a very creative type of person.  I had a very hard time coming up with a name for my blog, so I cheated and took part of someone’s (whom I happen to know IRL) blog name and recreated it for myself.  You know who you are…. so THANK YOU for a little inspiration.