Our Christmas update

First of all, I hope all of my blog friends had a good Christmas.
Here's our pretty Christmas card that I made last week: I waited really late to design the card this year, and ended up not having enough time to order in my envelopes. So, the only people who got a real card, was those who I actually saw. Everyone else got it emailed, or didn't get anything at all. I suck. I just wasn't really into things this year like other years. Maybe next year can be better.

Last Thursday I had a baking day with a friend and a bunch of kids in the house. Thursday night I started feeling kinda off, and Kristopher was not eating and asked to go to bed around 6pm. Big warning sign for me, but somehow I blew it off as he was just exhausted from playing, and full from so much snacking and a big lunch. So, I had Dennis help keep him up a little longer, while I went out and got some more last minute things. He said he put him to bed a little before 8, and at 10 he text me saying I'm needed at home. Apparently he had woken up coughing and gagging but nothing coming up. Lovely. Meanwhile, I was feeling weird, but extremely thirsty. I drank 2 huge sodas while out, and a 20oz water on my way home.
Around 2am, I woke up to that dreaded cough and splat. It's funny how you can wake from a total dead sleep to the sound of your child barfing. Luckily, it was only once, and he felt better after it happened. He has a cold, and it appeared to be pretty much just sinus drainage anyway. He went back to bed and slept the rest of the night.
I however, slept horribly. At 4am I woke up with really horrible stomach pains, and then by 5 was living in the bathroom. I'll spare you the details, but I will just say I avoided the barf side of things, but still wanted to die. Dennis came home early, and I slept the entire day away, minus several million trips to the bathroom. I was also in feverland. Talk about some crazy dreams!
To me, Christmas eve didn't exist this year. I finally felt better and got up for the day around 4:30pm. I drank some ginger ale and had my crackers, and things seemed to be better. We still stayed home though and just rushed to get the last minute wrapping done.
Kristopher wasn't feeling 100% yet, and barely ate at all. He got a fever again around 6pm and was in bed by 7:30. We rushed to finish things and did the Santa deal, and then went to bed by 9 ourselves. Everyone was fine that night.
Christmas morning was great. We were feeling a good bit better, and it was the first year that Kristopher actually woke US up for it. He ran in at 6:30 saying Santa came, and was full of that magical look. I loved it. So, we got up and let him go to town on the gifts. He took the time to read tags and make a big deal out of each thing. His favorite gifts this year appear to be his camera, and his art case. Zoey also was in her happy place with ripping into gifts. Things that were not hers even. I love that dog.

Our new tradition of breakfast after gifts, with my parents, was ruined already. We didn't trust eating real food yet, so we skipped breakfast. My parents came over around 10 and we did our exchange there, (aka round 2 of paper disaster.) I made some lunch, and everyone visited till Round 3 hit. My grandma and great grandma visited. That lasted about 10 mins because I guess people didn't want to be around us with the sickies and all. After everyone left, we rested and enjoyed watching Kristopher play with everything.
Sunday was a much better day, and we were both finally hungry again. I had to make a return, so we ventured out into the crazy after Christmas stores.
Today round 2 of the sickies has re-entered the house. The 2 little people are sick. It's not as extreme as ours, and I'm hoping it just has to do with their colds, and not the stomach flu. Everyone is resting and I'm relaxing and finally going through a weeks worth of pictures.
Oh and sarcastic news, I'm going to be an aunt, for the 3rd time in less than 3 years. Can we say yay for more welfare babies? I'm sooooooo excited for another niece or nephew that I will never get to know. Yippie. This one comes in July. My mom was so kind to hide it from me till after the holidays. I already suspected though due to my sneaky ways on facebook. Conformation still hurts though. But enough of that. Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas!

Christmas-y update

A quick post to say I'm still alive. Things have been busy here. Recap of the happier times in the past week....
Saturday evening we saw santa. Kristopher still very much believes, and I love it. The look of amazement when he saw Santa walk out was just priceless. Funny story too because we got there and there was a sign saying be back at 5:30. He was all worried that it would take "forever". A lady walks over and says how Santa was on a cookie break, and is on his way back. We were the only ones there, so she was trying to get Kristopher to go sit on his chair and when he came to sit, say "dude! where have you been?!" Well, he was shy and afraid of being put on the naughty list, so he wouldn't do it. Not even when she offered him $5. So, after Santa got back, they joked about that and he said because of how good he was, he was gettin 2 lollipops. He spent a nice amount of time talking and at the end, the nice lady handed him $5 anyway and said he was a good sport. It truly made his night.

And then we will add the Christmas concert. Here he is singing his heart out to "Must Be Santa" at his very first school concert. You could hear him in the back of the gym. Anyone who is friends with me on facebook HAS to watch the video that a friend posted. Watching them sing made me almost cry. I don't know what it is but everytime I see him interacting in the school like that, I have to fight it back. I'm crazy. I just can't believe he is truly that old already and doing all this. I wish I could have gotten more pics but I had the 2 little ones along and the baby was not impressed with me trying to take a ton of pictures. At least we have a few good ones.

Monday in review

Today in a very random review. Hopefully a real post again soon.

I quit already with the 2 extra kids. I told her it was too much with that many, and gave her a 2 week notice. Instead, she had to turn it ugly and I was "fired" as of tonight. Oh well.

Kristopher had his first set of first grade homework. He did awesome.

He also had kindergarten homework. Again, awesome.

I don't remember home work when I was in lower grades like that. Weird.

I finally got ink for my printer and more photo paper.

Attempted Christmas pictures of all the kids today.

The littles did great.

Kristopher did not.

Zoey was in on the action.

I don't know if I'm going to do a card this year.

It's very stressful and I feel like I NEED to do one.

We got our first electric bill since turning the heat on.

I think I need a full time job and new underwear.

It was that scary.

I'm ready for bed.

Goodnight.

I've lost my mind

I made a big decision over the past week, and I am starting to second guess myself. I think I may have totally lost my mind.
Sunday I saw a person I went to school with had posted that they were looking for child care. Part time, and the kids were almost the same ages as the 2 I watch now. I've been looking for a little to see if I could find a regular playmate for the 2 yr old, and decided to respond. The girls are only a month apart and both have little brothers. The boys are 4 months apart, with the newest being only 8 months old. I figured I'd give things a try, and it can't be THAT bad. They will only be 3 days a week, and 4-5 hours at most per day. 10ish till 2:15. I do lunch time at 11:30-12ish, and nap time after till about 2-2:30. It sounded really good right??
I was wrong.
Little 2 yr old #2 is totally loud and out of control. It's going to take some time, and I've let her know I'll give it till the end of next week. Day one was horrible, and day 2 was nice improvement but the kid is so loud and wild. I need to see how a few more days would go before giving up, but I can honestly say I know why they've had really bad luck with babysitters.
And another thing that I am kind of annoyed with is the mom drops them off, and acts very concerned over the behavior and loudness. Claims that she has NO problems at all at home, so she has no advice on how to help here. The dad does pick up, and he says yes, she is wild at home, has no volume control, has same issues I'm describing, etc. I feel like I'm being played....
But, since I know it's really important for the other 2 to have more interaction, I'm going to see how next week goes, if she calls back. It's probably just something that will take a few days for her to settle in. Day 2 was definitely a lot better than day 1. She's basically the opposite of most kids. Most kids are shy at first till they warm up to people, and act up when the parents are here. She is good while the parents are here, and really tests the limits when they are not. And she is not shy at all.
But anyway....That's what's new here. I do have something else I've been wanting to get off my mind and just have not had the time to sit down and do it. Look for that in a day or 2.

Kindergarten Conference Time!

Today was our first parent/teacher conference. It went AWESOME!!! I just have to say that I'm very reassured now that our move was definitely the right decision for him, and he has a great teacher and school. They push to make sure his needs are met, and I know the other district would have just let him be bored and push him through no matter what.

So, report cards came and he only had 2 "needs improvement" subjects.
The first was "using high frequency words in kid writing." The reason behind that is because they just started Kid Writing very recently so she gave all the kids the same grade on that. The Second thing was his fine motor skills. She gave him needs improvement because he needs practice with the scissors. And I seriously laughed when she said that, and explained how they told us that before, and we had the big scissor incident where he cut his shirt, hair and beloved simba's mane and tail hair. So we've discussed that yes, he can use them, weirdly enough in the wrong hold. So they want him to push to use them in the proper hold, and if it is worse that way over time, he can go back to whatever way is easier for him. Same with holding the pencil. He can do a really nice job writing, but he holds it somewhat weird with all 4 fingers on the side of it, instead of that thumb/finger hold that they want. Again, push to hold it right and if the writing gets all crazy again, let him do whatever way will work for him.
He is doing above and beyond with his sounding things out and trying to write what he is thinking. When she translates it into real spellings, he remembers it immediately. My kid has a sponge brain apparently. When he learns a new word, he insists on writing it multiple times on the backs of his worksheets. New things he is obsessed with recently is blurbs and he has been making pictures that they are "talking". And exclamation marks. She recently explained those and he is all about "excited writing" and uses them everywhere.
Reading wise, he was assessed as advanced and as far as they are allowed to do for a Kindergarten child. I spied on the form and it showed him at a mid 2nd grade level, but they are not allowed to put him that far. He is going to be in an advanced reading group in 1st grade, starting next Tuesday. He will go for a half hour every day for this, and the books he will be reading will be level 10. I told him about it earlier and he is beyond excited. The books he reads here are level 1's and 2's, and they are very simple to him. I'm getting him a bunch of level 3's for christmas, but these are a different type of level books that he will be using at school. So when he hears the level 10, he is super excited because he's "never seen level 10's before!"
She says not only is he reading without mistakes at the level they are putting him, but he fully comprehends it as well. I'm very excited for him to start next week and to hear how he does.
I also met with the 1st grade teacher that will be working with him, and the principal to discuss the reading group switch. Everyone was really great and act like they truly care.
So overall, she says he is very social, listens without any drama at all, and is a "very cool kid" and she loves to work with him. So I'm finally reassured that waiting was best because last year would have been harder for him to sit and listen like this. He has calmed down a lot and truly loves school.
AND, the counselor is going to be contacting me because they can talk to him and try to figure out what is stressing him out or making him have these sleep issues. He still has the sleepwalking/night terrors a few times a week. I explained that it didn't start after our move right away. It was within a few weeks of school starting that it started and I just feel like he needs to talk to someone so we can see how to help with this. If that can be done with the one from school that he already knows, then great. Otherwise, he has an appt in December for his 6 year check up, and we can talk about a referral to someone then.
All of this was great news and I can finally feel happy about school.

Friday!

I have lots on my mind tonight. So here we go with another long, random post.

First of all, I still love the diva cup. My life is so much easier without my usual drama. Although, this time I've discovered that 3 months of nothing, leads to more drama no matter how it's handled. I hope that things slow down really soon because tomorrow will be day 4 already. It feels like there is no end in sight. But, those of you that have talked to me for years and supported me during the very scary times, I can honestly say it's no where that bad.
Because of cramping and all that wonderful extreme stuff, I have not worked out this week. Other than walking to and from school and the playground the past few afternoons. It's not like it's even a good fast paced walk either on the way back because the kids are all exhausted and dragging their feet.

Kristopher has been begging to go to the playground every day after school. Why? Because his friend, who is a girl but is so NOT his girlfriend, goes everyday. They jump up and down all crazy when we say we will go, they grab hands and they walk together the entire way. Then they play tag and hide and seek and chase each other down the slides for 1/2 hr or more. Until one of us mothers gets too cold and says we're done for the day. Then, they hug at least 3 times. But they are NOT boyfriend/girlfriend and turn all red and embarassed when we say it. It's pretty cute.
Today, his little friend who's a girl but not a girlfriend, got sick at school. He was upset that she had to go home early, but said she really needed her mommy because she got very sick. I asked where, because they sit at the same table. Luckily, she made it to the bathroom and no one had to witness that. I remember barfy kids in the middle of class. It's sorta tramatic.

We got the first report card. The grading scale is:
C: Consistently Strong
D: Developing, more practice and exposure is needed.
N: Not meeting expectations.
He got all C's, except on 2 things. He got D's on "uses high frequency words in kid writing", and on "demonstrates fine motor skills." I don't know exactly what the high frequency words are, but I know that he needs to try harder with coloring to slow down and stay in the lines better. To him, it's a rush to finish it, so he can take his time drawing on the back of the papers. Everything he brings home, has a ton of stuff written on the back, or pictures, or both.
The school nurse also put in some info saying that they did the weight & height in Sept. He was 54lbs then, and 50 inches. My kid is way taller than everyone else. Almost a head taller. It's crazy. OH and they do the BMI info and lecturing already too. He was at 43% which is not quite the middle of normal, but I still find it a bit nuts that they are doing a full page lecture about kindergartner's weight. Some of the kids in his class still have a very much younger, baby chubby look to them. I don't know. I just think they could save it for when the kids have more understanding too. But then again, I guess some parents are just down right ignorant when it comes to their child and need to be told the harsh truth.

Ok, now I'm getting really tired. I have more to write but it can wait for tomorrow.

For my memory

It's day 1. Last cycle was 77 days. I'm suffering today. Very bad. Most of this one was herb free and med free. When my head is clear, I need to make some decisions because this is not happening again 3 months from now.

More on the yuck

I figured it out. Whatever I had going on 2 weeks ago, was a good sign, because the wonderful spotting is here. And extreme tired. And beyond moodiness. And lets not forget crampy and achy-ness. It's been since the very beginning of Sept, so obviously it was extremely late. Now I must decide if it's time for more herbs, or take a few more months off from it with the holiday rush about to begin. The positive to it was something clearly happened on it's own. I've been herb free since I was sick in October and on the antibiotics.
In other news, it's raining and nasty here. The kids were ready for nap early, so I've decided to catch up on shows I've recorded, and to catch up on blog reading. I'd love to nap but I know I'd feel worse if I slept an hour, than just waiting till bedtime. So many more hours to go. Ugh.

Yuck

I feel like crap lately. I spent the first 3 days of last week doing good with the working out, eating better, etc. Thursday the kids didn't come, and I had a lot of other crazy stuff going on. (insert, got a new couch and it was drama)
Friday the kids didn't come that day either, and I manged to find time for a hair cut. And lunch with my mom, and lots of other things that kept me from working out. The weekend was another list of reasons not to do it. Last night I had planned to work out, shower then bed at a decent time. But last night it was a headache and overall blah feeling. I was in bed by 8:30. Very very rare for me. Of course I woke up so many times last night that it wasn't even funny. So here we are at Monday. It should be a fresh start and get me ready to make things right. But, I woke up extremely tired again. And a tension headache. And I just feel very not myself. I'd love nothing more than to go back to bed and stay there for the rest of the day. But of course today I can not do that.
And, it looks like it's about to rain any minute. Great. Can today just be over already??

A new school update

Today I opened Kristopher's folder to find a letter. All sealed and scary looking. It was the kind my mother use to get on very many occasions with my brother. The ones saying something else that he did that was bad and out of line. I was instantly scared to open it.
So, after that minute of fear and asking him if he did anything that he knows his teacher would be telling me about and him saying no, I opened it.
I come to find out that it is not something bad. It says:
"I was able to address Kristopher's reading level and ability at our kindergarten team meeting. We decided that we could better support his abilities by having him attend a reading group on his level in the first grade classroom....."
And a bunch of stuff after that which I'm not going to write out and give too much info publicly. But anyway, I was shocked. He will have his specials, lunch and afternoon activites with his regular kindergarten class, but for the reading part of things, he will be in a first grade classroom. We get to talk all the details at our conference in a little over a week and it is going to drive me crazy until that point. He won't be starting things till we discuss it all further, so it looks like after thanksgiving break, changes take place.
It makes me feel a lot better and feel like we've definitely made the right choice with the move. He's getting a better chance with this school. They are clearly paying attention and took my concerns into consideration. And, I feel like I've done something really right because he was home with me for almost 6 years. Obviously I didn't ruin him by making him stay home with me. Like some people may have believed when I said I was not going back to work. But anyway, not going to be negative this time. I just wanted to share the happy news. I don't think I will fear those letters till I have a reason to now.
And, in other school news. We had a little heat wave this week and it's been great weather for going to the playground. Each day that he does great and his light isn't on, we go to the playground right after school. A little girl was going too, and they were beyond excited to be going together. A minute later, they are walking hand in hand. And then when we leave, they hug. Today he runs out full speed and says he had a great day, his light was not on, and can we PLEASE go to the playground with this little girl. I said he had to ask her mom and he went and asked without being shy. She said they were planning on going, and both kids jump up and down and are all cute. Again, walk holding hands. Looks like he has a girlfriend. But, I am not allowed to call her that because it embarrasses him. They are "just friends!" Friends that hug...and hold hands....and give each other love glances. Ahhhhh......It starts!

Day 2, double ouchie

Wow. I know that the p90x is suppose to be hard core but all I can say is wow. I only made it 22 mins into this next work out and I truly could not go on. I'm so exhausted and sore everywhere. I can barely do the steps. I feel weak and pathetic today. Tomorrow is a new day, and I will push myself to do a lot more than today. For now though, this is me falling to the floor and just sleeping there. THUD.

Healthy starts NOW

Today I started p90x. All I can say to that is OUCHIE! And I seriously suck. I can not do one single push up on my own. I was able to do lots using the exercise ball and a way that I saw before on another dvd. And I can really feel the burn. I have not bought resistance bands, or a pull up bar yet because I was trying to figure out if this is something I will stick to. So, on those parts of today's work out, I did extra push ups, and then did a 10 minute abs and back work out that I found on demand. The muscles hurt. I feel like I truly had one heck of a work out.
Now, I do not plan to make everything super strict diet wise. I'm watching portions, and I'm going to quit snacking after supper. Unless it's for a special occasion. And, I've limited myself to one cup of tea today, and drank a ton of water. Since moving here, I've been lacking with water. I drink entirely too much iced tea. So day one is pretty good and I feel very positive about it all.
My main goal right now is to lose some fat, drop at least 15lbs, by my main goal is around 25-30. Then, in the spring if everything is still wacky, I'm going to do an entire work up again, and see what our options are (baby wise). I think once things finally start up again here, I'll also start the herbs again. I need them.
So, here we go with a new adventure and for once, it's actually looking like a program that might work and that I might be able to stick to. I like it.

Tests....

Just some helpful info...Do not go to dollar tree, with an 11 month old and newly 2 yr old, and buy only a test. The cashier will give that look of pity and sigh loudly.
The said test was negative a few days ago. I'm still wondering though because I am way overdue, but back when I was sick, I quit herbs. So of course it's not unusual for it to be long missing. But now I have clear progesterone increase going on, and cramping. But nothing else. It really makes me wonder late at night. I'm not sure which would be the best option for cheap but accurate tests, and to avoid the horrible dollar tree lady again in the same week.
Anyway, just late night thoughts that really don't mean anything. I mean, I've played these mind games before. That's all it is. There is no way that it can be more. In a few days I'm sure my long lost friend will reappear and make my life miserable. That little part of me that is still really stupid is just thinking too much tonight.
It doesn't help that I've had some really out there dreams about pregnancy and new babies. Not nice to do to someone who's already crazy. Not nice at all....
Goodnight....I'll update more on this in a few days if I get the courage to waste more money.

And the last...

And here will be the last of our Halloween and Trick or Treat pictures for this year. The ghost costume ripped at school on Friday, so we made a new one for the big trick or treat night on Saturday night. He opted for blue hair. And the others are from Friday. Miss Danielle was a ballerina kitty or something. All I know is that the little tights and her chubby legs was just too cute. And she had a headband that has cat ears so she would look at people and go "meow" in a little squeaky voice. It was so stinkin cute. And she insisted on wearing it all day.

And both of the little people together. Matthew was a cranky monkey and had some amazing monkey screams for the full effect. So that sums up our halloween with our favorite little people. The monkey costume was reused from Danielle last year, so it will be interesting to see how much bigger they look next year. She looked pretty much the same as him, just more hair. And Zoey didn't participate in anymore pictures. Her hat embarrassed her too much. She better be around for next year for some more torture. I'm thinking a bumblebee or butterfly.....

Halloween and School

The "fall fest" was yesterday and it went pretty good from what I am told. He had a lot of stuff to talk about when he got home. We ended up sending him as a ghost and he had several books that he could tell them it came from. During recess, his costume ripped across the entire back. It's beyond repair. So luckily, we already did a pretty good trick or treat adventure with family and a few close friends. It's not what we've done in the past, but it will be good enough. I'm not going out and buying a costume for just an hour long event that we were going to do.

He came home yesterday with his school pictures. I know retakes are an option, but I'm not wasting the time. My first complaint is he is not smiling. I might be weird, but I was actually hoping for that toothless grin as his first school picture. A lot of people hope that that doesn't happen, but I thought it was cute. My next complaint is he looks uncomfortable. It's very much not his normal photo look. I asked him about it, and he claims they did not try to make him smile and acted mad and in a hurry. He said there were lots of people to still go, so he sat and did it and was done. Simple enough and the picture isn't THAT bad, but still. With the price of things, I was hoping for better. At least I only purchased 1 sheet since I do all of my own pictures anyway. I truly only wanted this because it was his first school photo. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, and now that I know, I will not be purchasing more than a sheet at a time. Reorders are always an option. And the last complaint I have is that they didn't even use the background we checked. I paid online, and everything was pre-ordered, as well as checked on the sheet we turned in. And it still was wrong.
It just gives me a project now I guess. Time to get out and get some fall pictures. Too bad I was lazy and have missed the toothless grin already. Those teeth came in really fast.

Trick or Treat 2010

Happy Halloween from us. A few days early because I'm sure the weekend will be busy.

As you can see, Kristopher was a ghost again. The costume ripped part of the way up the one side when he got home, so after tomorrow, it will be retired.
I did talk to the school today and got the ok for him to be a ghost tomorrow too. He's happy and am too because I do not have to try fitting making a new costume into my crazy schedule. We will have next years costume made waaaay in advance though since we know ahead of time now. Apparently halloween is a bad word in the school and they are not allowed to call it a halloween party. That is why there was the no costume rule. Lovely. There is also no Christmas talk. It's HOLIDAY. I won't even go there on that one.
Anyway...Zoey was a doggy witch. She was very much not impressed with my decision to dress her up too. As you can tell. She tolerated it great though. I think she secretly liked the attention.

Here's a few more pictures. Enjoy!

Halloween

I probably mentioned it before on here, but I forget. Kristopher's school is not doing the typical halloween parties and letting them wear halloween costumes to school. It's favorite book character day. So, they can come in costume, but it has to be a character from a book they know, and they have to be able to explain and share a little about the story. This has not been an easy task.
He's known since last year that he wanted to be a ghost this year. We still have the costume I threw together last year, and he really liked it. It was simple, and he got lots of compliments. We struggled for a while on what to do as a character. Finally we decided. Cat in the Hat. Then I try to find the costume in stores. Not available ANYWHERE. It would have to be ordered online, and of course I waited till this past weekend to find it. Also, the costume is a one piece jumpsuit that ties at the neck. He has to go to school in this, and be able to function normally all day long without help. So scratch that. Then I decide, how about one of the "Things". Look for a red sweatsuit. No luck. I asked the PTO president on Tuesday and she said let him go as his ghost, and he actually has several books with a ghost in them. I thought all was finally resolved.
Wrong. Tonight I went out to get the hair spray and the cashier got to talking and it turns out she has kids in the same school. And she thinks it's a very bad idea, and that it will be causing issues because they are "very strict" with the character rule, and seasonal books are not the same. It's not a true character. She said I really should check before sending him and causing problems. So this is just wonderful. I have one more day to get supplies and figure something out. The ghost will be the simple approach, and we're not doing face paint. Just hair color and the sheet costume, which is easy enough for him to take off to participate in recess and if he needs to. I can go out tomorrow and try one more time to find a pair of red sweat pants and do the THING 1 if I absolutely had to, but now I'm just annoyed and thinking he should just go as whatever. I personally don't care if he can recite a book to them at this point. But it's his first year there and he is so excited about Friday. I guess I will end up calling the office tomorrow to find out just so his day isn't ruined. It's total crap though.

Cleaning

I figured now that I've been doing it for about 2 months now, it was time for another natural cleaning update.
The laundry detergent. I LOVE IT. I will never buy "real" detergent again. I've completely eliminated the use of fabric softener, and our clothes are softer than when I used it. Everything seems to come out easier. Now that Kristopher is in school, his clothes appear to be worse at the end of the day. Every day there are grass stains from the playground, and most days we have marker or paint marks too. So far, all that has come right out without any pre-treating. No complaints about it at all here. Oh and even though it is soap based, I've been actually doing better with my skin issues.

The dishwasher detergent. I will confess that I quit using it about 3 weeks ago. I don't know if it is our water, or the lack of an ingredient locally. I was substituting like the recipe said, but I was not happy. I plan to try it again when I have the chance to find the actual citric acid that we needed. But for now, I'm going the easy route and buying the tabs again. I am lazy and I will not sit there and scrub and basically pre-wash everything. I rinse off chunks and that is it. It has to be simple.

Other than that, I've been using a mixture of items for cleaning and have not bought any actual cleaning products in a while. I know with the amount of laundry I do, I've already saved a ton in the detergent. And, we have about 3/4 of the batch still left, after 2 months. That was split in half with a friend, so a full batch would last us a very very VERY long time. Not bad at all.....

Freaking cold!

Winter is approaching and I seriously do not like it. I woke up today and there was a heavy frost on the ground. I debated just driving down to the school, but I honestly think by the time I get the car warmed up, the littler 2 in their car seats, and get down there only to find that parking is half way up the street...That it is just much easier to bundle the babies up in the stroller and walk. I've timed it before, and driving is actually about 5 minutes longer to get home because I can't turn at the school, and would have to circle out of my way to get home easily. And like I said, parking seriously sucks.
So anyway. Normally the 2 yr old walks and holds the side of the stroller. Today was really bitter, and she's slower on the cold days. I bundled them both up into the double stroller, grabbed my coat and we were off. I think I am going to need some warm pants because my jeans made me feel like I was walking down there without pants. And I'm sure I was wearing pants. Thankfully for the eyes of all those who passed. HA. The little 2 didn't seem to mind it all bundled up, but Kristopher complained that his cheeks were getting cold. I'm not sure how to handle the colder weather yet. Anyone else have thoughts on that? Just curious if I'm the only one who feels freezing for 10 minutes is easier than the hassle of getting the car ready....
Another plus to the situation is I got a nice workout pushing that giant stroller. On the way home I walked faster and my legs now burn. God knows I need to walk like that more.
That would be another reason why I don't want winter to come. I am scared how fat I'll end up this winter. I've gained back a lot in the past year. Enough that my nicer clothes that I got last fall, do not fit at all this year. I know for me it has a lot to do with my mood and my frame of mind. Mentally, I'm weird lately. Out of it. Hard to explain. I guess it's all the changes in the past few months, and now I'm trying to find out where I stand in this busy crazy world I've created.....I need to find something to do for me, so that I can be totally happy again. I need to get back on track with healthier eating, lose weight again, and just feel healthier.
And I won't even get started on the whole baby subject today. But that is back in my head pretty fierce lately, but I do not feel like dealing with all those doctor appts and that drama again. I just don't have it in me to do it all right now.
And I'm going to close with a new picture....My new friend from the school took this picture of me and Kristopher last Friday. His school had a special breakfast date thing for kids where they could bring their mom's in and we had muffins. It's the first picture of me and him in a long time because either I'm the one behind the camera, or I avoid it like crazy because I am a total mess at the time. (that's a lot anymore) He cracks me up.

He's watching me

I have stuff to talk about but I've been to scatter brained lately to do it. So instead, I'll tell you about my crazy little bunny. He's cute, and bad...and likes to make me take pity on him so that I'll let him out and then he hides under the couch when it's time to put him back. Here's the sad little look....

Awake too early

UPDATE:
I tried one more time and managed to get in today. I have a sinus infection and lucked out with antibiotics and the good cough meds. Yippie. Now I'm going to be zoning and tired all weekend, and yogurt is my new best friend for the next 10 days. I HATE antibiotics with a passion and hope to avoid their lovely gift they bring along.....

Original post was.....
I look forward to the weekends now. Why? Because I can sleep past 7. Usually it's only till 7:30 or 8, but those extra few minutes feel great. And while I do not NEED to be up before 7 on weekdays, I'm usually up a good bit before to allow some time to totally wake up and get "me" time before the house gets busy.
So, you can imagine how disgusted I am to say that I was up before 7 today. Coughing like crazy and to the point of almost barfing. It was great.
This cold or whatever I have, has finally moved past the constant snotting and now I get the wonderful cough. It's not enough to make me think I really need anything strong to get rid of it yet. More of a dry annoying cough.
I did call the dr and I can't be seen till Tuesday so I decided not to bother with an appt. By then, it should be clearing up. And if not, I'll call on Monday and try hard to get in somewhere. Meanwhile....Anyone know of any good over the counter med that will work good to keep me from coughing at night/early morning? Once I'm awake for a while, it seems to be fine. It's just that sleep induced crap that gets me.

Wednesday Already

Wow this week is going by fast!
Here's our weekly update since I've ranged about one post a week now.
Monday was our day off. School was closed, we slept in a little later than our normal, and we were lazy for part of the day. Then I got into a major cleaning mood and the day was over before I knew it.
Tuesday. I had 4 kids 2 and under for about 2 and half hours at one point. All week I have one extra during the day for 4 hours. The kids were exhausted and had a blast. The "extras" are gone by 1, so after they left, Danielle crashed hard till it was time to pick up Kristopher. I was pretty tired too and was in bed early last night. It was a good day though.
Today was just my new extra for the 4 hours. My normal 2 were at home since its Wednesday. So my morning was spent with lots of reading and playing 2 year old things. He's really cute and reminds me a lot of Kristopher when he was little. Just a little more quiet. Kristopher has always talked loudly and done everything loud. So now I have an hour of me time before I have to go get that wild bundle of energy. I think after school we will head to the library. We haven't gone in a few weeks because I don't really like waiting till after 7 to go. Last Wednesday we tried since it was just the 2 of us, and they were closed for some weird reason. He was sad.
Kristopher's done with his meds and starting to sound more like himself. No more coughing at night, but he was still at it this morning. I have caught whatever this is. Last week I was assuming a sinus infection for myself, but then it took a turn to the basic cold type symtpoms. I'm still alive though. Managing things with advil cold and sinus and waiting for it to be over. Eventually it has to.
Not much else going on to talk about....Life has just been pretty much non stop busy and I'm just following right along with it.

A new update

I have been so distracted and busy lately.
Kristopher has been sick since the first week of school. At first I thought it was just the back to school germs, and it was no big deal. Then I thought maybe it was still lingering because it was allergies. He was acting normal, just sounded stuffy and would cough at night. So it's been at least 4 weeks. Last night he woke me up a few times by this weird cough that sounded like I was going in to find barf everywhere. He was doing it in his sleep, and it was just noise, no barf. So that was good. But I called anyway today and they said the cold that is going around is usually gone within 2-3 weeks at most and to bring him in. We waited till after school ended, and took him. It's a sinus infection. He's on a kid version of the z-pack and hopefully it gets him back to normal.
So far this week, we've made bedtime very stress free and calm, and he has not had any night terrors. It's not like it's been very stressed or upsetting but still if it's rushed or we're irritated, it seems to trigger things. He's very emotional and frets stuff that he shouldn't so we just have to be extra sure to keep bedtime calming.
I think I also have a sinus infection. I'm taking Advil cold and sinus for it so hopefully I avoid a dr trip myself.
And lastly, I've been working on a big project for the PTO. I'm doing the student directory for the school and it's actually been fun. I haven't used some of these programs in at least 7 years, and it is kind of amazing how quickly it because normal again as I worked at it. I still have some work to finish up after I get more info, but it's almost done. It's been fun and I feel important this week. Now if only I could find a job doing data entry type stuff at home, I'd be living the perfect life. Ha.

Strikes again

The night terrors have struck again. After a few good nights, I thought maybe it was just a fluke. Tonight's had me very freaked out because he was mumbling about something and pointing at the corner of the room, right next to me like he was talking about someone or something. After about 5 mins though, he muttered it was about the sign on his door. Very freaky though.
So tonight I found that when he was upset, by holding him very tightly so he couldn't swing his arms around and be all out of it, he came out of it pretty quickly. He was so upset though about wanting to build something. I think it may have a connection to school because he kept raising his hand asking if he was allowed to build something. So we went along with it, asking what he wanted to build, what he wanted to use, etc. He kept getting upset and asking over and over and pointing, then when we said he could build, he seemed to chill out a little. I don't understand it though, and it really freaks me out!! I hope that it ends soon. If it happens too much more in the next week or so, I'm going to call and see if we can bump up his 6 yr check up to discuss it.

So for my own notes to remember, each time it's happened it was within an hour of him falling asleep. Just like everything I'm reading has said about. He does not remember it at all. When he comes out of it, he is confused and doesn't remember even a second before. Tonight he was confused why he was out of bed and begged to go back to sleep. It's just hard because it doesn't make sense.....

Tuesday Night Thoughts....

I'm slacking again. I have lots I want to talk about, but never seem to finish what I start. I just deleted 6 blog entries that I started and then just forgot about. Oh well.
What's going on here this week....
Kristopher has a cold. I also had it, but am mostly normal already. I'm assuming it's just the lovely school germs, but his has been going on 3 weeks and starting to worry me. It's not like him to have a lingering cold. Typically it's very fast for him. He's still acting normal and eating fine. No fevers or congestion. Just sniffing and snotting. And sounds a bit funny. Other than that, same Kristopher.

Well, I should take that back. 3 times in the past week we've had what appears to be night terrors. Very freaky. Last night was the worst yet for it. He woke up about an hour after falling asleep, in a panic cry/scream fest. He claimed he had to poop, and was arching around all crazy. He was screaming that he had to go, and he was sorry, and something about not wanting to make a mess. We kept telling him he can go, he was in the bathroom, on the toilet but he would not snap out of it. Anytime we'd walk near he would get majorly freaked all over again. Finally about 10 mins later, he snapped out of it and had no memory of why he was up, what happened, and did not remember being in the bathroom. It was very freaky and we both slept like crap last night worrying about him. I asked him again this morning and he did not remember it still. He thinks I'm making it up.
He had night terrors when he was around 2 or 3, almost nightly but that was different. He wouldn't respond to us at all. Just cry for about 5 mins then go back to sleep. I hope that it was a fluke last night and we don't start something regular.
Other than that, things are going pretty good here. School is balancing out and no issues, we're all getting into a new routine, and the days/weeks seem to be going by fast. Tomorrow is the first time in a few weeks that I'll have my Wednesday freebie day, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I get my cleaning and stuff all caught up early every day, and the extra 2 kids keep me busy. And I like that. I wonder how long it's going to take for me to get use to the quiet though.....

Oh and in other news, Zoey has a friend. Our neighbor has a dog and we've been outside in the evenings a few nights chatting and the dogs have become friends. I think it's cute.

A special project

Apparently my email of concern the other day has jump started things a little. Yesterday the teacher sat down one on one with Kristopher and he read her a story. Basically to prove himself I guess. So, today's special project for him was to sit in the big rocking chair and read his classmates a story for story time. He LOVED it. He said he only needed help with one word and that he had such an important job. He was beaming as he told me. I love it!!
He's truly starting to change (for the better!) with school and I guess the structure is what he needed. It's kind of sad to see him turning into a big kid. I sit here during the day and look at the baby and remember that was Kristopher 5 years ago. The chunkiness, the cuddling. How can time go so fast? I love that the kids were able to keep coming with the move because it makes my days alone seem so much easier. Because with Kristopher in school, the plan was never for me to be alone this early. There was suppose to be at least one more before that hit. A few more years at least! But anyway...My baby is a big 6 year old and loving and thriving in school now. The special project has made me feel so much better about him being there now. Now it's just that bittersweet feeling.

The response

I guess I feel a little better about the school situation for now. His teacher replied and seems to be nice enough regarding my concerns. Basically the first month or so of school is for them to get use to the new settings, learn the new rules and expectations, and make sure everyone understands what is expected with their routine. Now that that's been done, she said they are getting into more of the "learning" part of things. October they will starting the Handwriting Without Tears program for kid writing time. Since I've explained to her again about Kristopher's reading level, they are going to work with him one on one during some free time, and see how he does, and make sure he's comprehending the story instead of just reading the words. After that, I guess they will determine what is next for reading wise.
She said that he listens great, never any behavior or boredom issues at all and he volunteers in class consistently. It sounds like he is the perfect little student so I feel somewhat better about it. It sounds like he just saves all the negativity for at home, which as long as he is listening there, I should not complain. Last night he came home talking about title pages in books so that's something new.
I told her that if there is ever a point that he does start the behavior issues or attitude because he is bored with what they are doing, then we need to talk asap so we can get on the same page with the behavior plan and redirecting him. I explained about the therapy and early diagnosis of ODD/ADD. Which to that, I still think it was the living arrangement and just the age, but time will tell on that I guess.
I found a nice way to write back about the whole imagination trip comment and just simply said that due to his boredom we stay very busy on the weekends and he will probably start coming in talking lots about our weekend trips soon. If it's brought up again though, I will say something more.
Yesterday I had to go to the store for a few things mid day, and I timed it just right that I passed the school during his recess. He never saw me, and appeared to be playing and getting along great.
In other news, I have somewhat joined the PTO. I put down on his first day paperwork that I'd be willing to be a classroom parent, and help with PTO projects from home or during special times, and they called me yesterday. I figured it would be a good way to get on the good side of everyone since school seems to be all about who you know. They asked if I could help with a giant project and I figured since I have the computer skills and extra time now, that's how I'll help. Sorta scary though. Me, part of that. Funny how we change as we get older..... I'm now on the PTO and I'm also the parent who spies on her kid at school. ha.

Bring on the school drama...

Last night was the first day with homework. During homework, you could tell he was bored. He did it, and when we got to a part where we change the name and made it to Pappy, he thought it was hilarious and it was fun then. But, I still have been noticing the boredom when he talks about things. He has not come home telling us about anything that is new to him yet. Of course, he has been mastering the fine motor skills with a lot of writing. He can now fit his name onto the lines a lot easier and his writing is starting to become a lot less messy. They will not start the kid writing and the without tears program until they have mastered all of the alphabet. So when he does his writing time, it's on his own. An example is they had a paper yesterday in which they were suppose to use the empty space to draw what they did to prepare for kindergarten. He wrote that he "got a bac pak". He sounded out the spelling. When we get home from pick up, I ask what he did, and we look at his papers. He always acts annoyed, and does this little attitude body shake thing when describing it. That is a boredom thing for him. As far as I know, this is only for at home. I have not been told about any concerns or issues in the classroom yet. He told us last night that when he finishes before other kids, he is allowed to go and play at centers quietly till everyone has had time to finish. He says he gets to do that "almost all the time."
Now, I know there are going to be some things that each child is bored with or already knows, I still feel that he should be happier and more into telling me about his day. The things he gets happy about are always the lunch or recess part of things. He does his work, and plays. Maybe that's all kindergarten is suppose to be. I don't know. But I feel uneasy about things still.
And what really got me annoyed last night was over the weekend we decided to do a day trip to the DC zoo. He went to school yesterday excited to tell his teacher about it. Last night when we asked if he told his teacher he says "yes, but she said that I'm doing a good job using my imagination." So after asking a few times, we've determined that she blew it off as an imaginary trip, and doesn't believe the fact that he went to the freaking zoo. The teachers aide told him that it was cool, and he apparently believed the fact that he went, but seriously?????? What kind of response is that? So, I'm officially annoyed with the teacher.
This morning I wrote an email about the boredom concerns and I started it by saying that we noticed while on our long car ride to the zoo....And said how he acted annoyed with us questioning what he learns in school. So, now she can know we actually went and maybe next time he tells her about something cool he does on the weekend, she will believe him. She can get use to it now that we are an active family and we do a lot on the weekends. And distance is not a big deal to us so if we want to do something that is 2 hours away, oh freaking well. We're going to do it if we have the time. And we make it a learning experience while we go. He loves it.
As of right now, I'm not asking for him to be pushed up a grade. I just want them to realize that he is coming home acting like it's boring to him. I'm very glad it's just at home that he acts this way, and that there are not concerns in the classroom. But I feel that there might be too many kids for her to fully see this herself.
He also found in the hallway how other kids in 2nd grade had a project to draw a picture and write something they like. He used his extra time to draw a picture and he wrote "I like cats". I asked what his project was and who told him how to spell it and he said he did it on his own. So after he explained why he did it, I found it funny because it was a picture of a house. I'm very impressed with fact that he did that on his own, and is it too much to ask that a teacher picks up on that as well? She sees all the projects because she is the one putting them in the folder!
So yeah...let the drama begin because I just have this feeling that this is about to become a big push to keep him busy till he hits his level.

The library

Kristopher is obsessed with the library since we moved. We've been going several times a week, and he gets at least 3 books at a time. He has a project with school that we are suppose to read him 17 books per month and he is 3 away from filling the sheet. And since he can already read, he is reading those books to us. He is so excited that by tomorrow night, his "homework" is finished. I find it sad though because there was a reminder today about how they have a little under 2 weeks to finish those 17 books, and some kids are not even close. We read daily, and several books at that. We've read to him since he was very young, and maybe that has to do with why he is so into them and can read so well. Either way, he's done way ahead of time.

So we were at the library the other night and it was really busy. There was a lady who was yelling at her kid, who was throwing world's greatest fit about who knows what. The kid was on the floor and refusing to move and she kept hissing "Christopher! That's it. That is it! We are leaving the libary. That's it! You are never coming back to the libary again!" Well, Kristopher was a bit panicked at first looking to see why some stranger is yelling his name, and worried that he is banned because on the way up, he forgot his "library voice". Then when he realized it was a different kid with the same name, he got more annoyed because the mother wasn't saying it right. He says to me that it's not called a "wibary, it's called the WibRary!!" I about died because he was so upset over the "berry" part of things and he still can not pronounce his L's.
Just one of those things that I have to make sure is documented for when he is bigger and it's not a Wibrary anymore......

Caterpillars

We have done a lot of educational stuff over the past year or 2. And just because Kristopher is in school does not mean the learning is going to stop here. Obviously I have done something right because my kid is pretty advanced and so far has yet to come home with anything that is new to him learning wise. Behavior wise, it seems to be slowly helping, and he has gotten better about interrupting and waiting his turn. Anyway, onto the whole subject of this post.
Over the past year, he's become very interested in science. Last year we collected a few caterpillars, but didn't have much luck on um...remember to add leaves when others were eaten, or just bad luck with them. This year though, we have been learning the names. What they will turn into and what the butterfly or moth is going to look like. And we've found out that we have some pretty cool ones around here that aren't as easy to find, even an hour away at friend's house. We've successfully kept an imperial moth caterpillar and it's currently in it's chrysalis. That was a really gross but interested transformation. We got some butterfly caterpillars earlier today and I still need to find out what they are going to turn into. Again, really cool looking and they are eating like crazy. He can't wait for those to change.
The cool part is school is also doing the caterpillar into butterfly lesson. They have 2 monarch caterpillars and have been talking about it each day. The kids are beyond excited with their classroom pets, and Kristopher was very excited to say what he knew about them.
We've been going to the library several times a week since moving and lately all he picks out is science type books. The biggest thing he has been looking for are the butterfly books. I think it's pretty cool because I wasn't really into all of that when I was younger so it's a learning experience for both of us. I have some cool pictures I want to work on uploading, so look for those in a few days. Or when life slows down enough.

School update

Tonight was open house at Kristopher's school. Parents only is what our paper said, but some people ignored that and showed up with what I believe to be some of the worst behaved, wild children ever. And this is coming from a parent of a hyper and wild child of my own. It was pretty annoying. So anyway, back to the open house. They talked about the PTO and the fundraiser they will do this year. They talked about lunch and attendance special programs. A few other small things then they sent us on to our classrooms to meet the teacher and explore the class more.
During the class presentation, we learnt a lot about their day, requirements for "graduating" kindergarten, what they are learning now, and what to expect during the rest of the year. Some of it worries me a little. A good bit of what they are saying they will complete to move onto first grade, Kristopher has been doing for at least a year. They don't even start the writing stuff for another month or 2. Not until they get thru the entire alphabet and everyone learns all the letters. Which I understand, but I still worry that he is going to end up bored. He breezes through the step 2 books now and is starting to read step 3 stuff without much help. Which is like an end of 1st, beginning of 2nd grade level from what other people with older kids have told me. He knows all his shapes and letters, and the requirement of being able to count and recognize numbers up to 30 by the end of kindergarten, he can go till we make him stop. Which is way up there. I don't want to sound rude or anything, but the kid is freaking smart. He amazes me everyday. If he hears it once, he remembers it forever. If he reads it once, it's memorized. So I definitely have things I'd like to bring up to the teacher when we can talk one on one.
Oh and the good news of the night was when we asked how he is doing, she says excellent. His behavior chart is one of the only ones that was totally full for the week, and he got a super student award today for following directions. I'm shocked because the behavior at home has gotten a little worse since school started, so apparently he saves it all for home. I think part of it is he is more tired by the time he gets home. Plus, he does not want to be embarrassed in front of the other kids, or miss any recess time. I feel better that we waited, and didn't push to have him start last year. I believe that if he would have started last year, he would be like some of the other younger kids who are talking too much and not following the directions. He is most likely the oldest of the class.
So there's our long school update. I'm the only one still having a tough time with the adjustment apparently. In time, I guess it will grow on me more. For now, I'm lost without him....

Quiet and empty house

Today is my day off.....The kids dad has off most Wednesday's and decided to keep them home today. Any other time, it turns out to be a nice thing. Today though, we still had to get up early. For school. And now my house is quiet. Way too quiet. I honestly do not remember the last time I've been home totally alone like this. With free time. It has to be at least 6 yrs! For real. That is absolutely crazy.
But anyway, I've got all my cleaning done, laundry is going and I don't know what else to do. The house is clean! If it wasn't for babysitting, there is no way I could do this stay at home thing with him in school now. It's not for me. I feel lazy and bored now and it's not even 11am.
My sewing maching broke down right before we moved. I've discovered that it is a timing issue, and I probably can not fix it myself. I may attempt some step by step instructions though, and if that gets working I have projects that seriously need done. And then maybe I'll attempt getting my little online shop idea up and running for my boring Wednesdays.

And more on the weird

More on my reviews of new stuff tried....
I wrote a few weeks back about making our own laundry detergent. It's a huge success as well. And, I've even ventured as far as a few cleaning products and dish washer detergent as well. I love it because....1. I know exactly what is going into it. 2. It's cheap. 3. It works AWESOME. The detergent works so great. It takes out ketchup stains. It takes out formula spit up stains. I use reusable napkins for the kids and those get pretty messy. It has them looking as good as new! And, I swear the clothes look brighter. I am hooked on that. It cost me around $6 to make 10 gallon! Now the first batch was split with a friend, so I only have 1 big bucket here. I have my mom hooked on it too and we're sharing mine. I have barely used anything from mine so far. Also, it's safe for HE machines as well. Mine is a front loader, and I only use 1/4 a cup at a time.
The dishwasher detergent works pretty good too and since I already have a lot of the ingredients, it only cost me about $1 to make. It uses 1 tbsp at a time. Not sure how long that will last yet but so far, it's going well. That is pretty new so I'll update on that more later.
So now that I officially look crazy to everyone who isn't into this stuff, I'll shut up.
If anyone wants recipes, feel free to email me. My email address is linked in one of the tabs in my header.

Another new product....TMI warning!!

Ok, so if you are easily grossed out, or a man, I'd say click away from this post now. It's going to get more graphic than some would like. And we're talking period talk. So that's the final warning with it. Continue reading if you dare.

Since you have been pre-warned, I'll continue.
I've always had issues with my periods. From the first time. Little did I know, it was PCOS causing these issues. Since I was doing the herbs, things have improved to more regular, less extreme bleeding. But in the recent year or so, I've started having issues with irritation and pain with pads and tampons. Tampons have pretty much become something that is not possible for me, and without them, I am housebound. And while on the subject, I've never been able to get away with just a tampon without the leakage and mess. The only thing tampons did for me was make me get more than an hour between changes. And not much more than an hour. Even at night, I'd be getting up 3 times or more to switch, for those first 3 days or so. Anyway, onto the pads. By the time things slow down, not only does the tampons make me feel like I've been ripped apart, but the pads have caused irritation and I'm raw in places I should not be.
So, I started researching more. I almost bought the organic, chlorine free stuff, but then discovered cloth pads. I bought 2 as trials (and they work nicely but feel HUGE), but then also discovered diva cup. I decided after spending at least a couple days reading reviews, looking for horror stories to convince me not to buy it, looking for more plus's, etc, that I'd buy it. So, it comes and I'm instantly terrified of the thing. It's a lot bigger than a tampon, and truly looks scary. The instructions are worse. I was freaking out mentally about it. Then, we move, I took a break from the herbs, and nothing shows up. I had spotting issues and tested out the pads. No issues at all, and I felt totally normal. Then, finally day one hits. I had a lot planned for the weekend so I decided to give the cup a try. What do I stand to lose?
I will say that the first few times of inserting and getting that whole art down, was very gross, and we won't go into anymore detail than that. But, I figured it out. And it is 100% comfortable and best of all....IT WORKS!!! Since that 2nd time of not having it in place totally, there has not been ANY leaking at all. And, unlike the tampons, I can go at least, and I do mean, at least! 6 hrs!! That was on the heaviest. Now that things are slowing down, I can get away with letting it go for the 12 hr max if I truly wanted. Last night 2 nights, I've made it all night long and still not full. I'm totally sold on it. And, even better, I was able to continue my plans this weekend, and not be strapped to the bathroom. And, the cramping was barely there. I did use a liner as just in case, but I feel pretty safe that I don't NEED that.
This was a late period, so it was bad. It held up awesomely, and I am totally sold on this product. Even the gross factor has passed. It takes about the same amount of time as a tampon at this point, and my body feels totally normal.
So, other than the first few times of placement, it's been super easy to use and my period no longer slows me down. And even if you are grossed out by all that, and placement is a little more involved than a tampon, I think it's something easy to overcome and so much easier over time.
Anyway, I just had to share my little review. Maybe it can help someone else out as well.
Oh and the herbs are back on and new set has been ordered. The 3 weeks I've been off of them has turned me into a raging hormonal crazy woman, and I NEED them. ha.

Birthday!

Finally, I have sat down and had a chance to update more on here. It has been a very busy past few weeks between the move, starting kindergarten and then the birthday party/holiday weekend. So, first up, Kristopher's birthday. Friday was the big day, and he turned 6!! Hard to believe how fast that time has gone. I woke him up at 7 so that we had a chance to spend some time together before the kids got here, and before school. School must wear his butt out because it's rare for him to sleep after I get up. So, here is he kind of zoning, opening what we got him.Still sleepy and that is when he is cute and sweet.

And next is after school. Miss Danielle decided she had to be right beside him because she's still in the major missing "Ger" because of school. So she follows her "ger" everywhere. (Ger is Kristopher in Danielle language, if I missed explaining that one before.)

This year, we made our own cake and he picked green icing. The one in the back was a big top cupcake failure, and we tried to turn it into a Toy Story alien. Another fail. But, he was excited to have the green cakes, so it wasn't all bad. And yes, my washer and dryer is IN the kitchen. We have a separate dining area, but I don't like the idea of kids eating over carpet, and the washer/dryer doesn't bother us so there it is.And these are the cupcakes I made for school. They were made in ice cream cones and a HUGE hit with the classroom. That itself was so cute. The kids were having story time or something when we got there, and were all sitting on the big rug. Kristopher had to help hand out his snack, and then everyone sang to him and the teacher did the whole pulling ears thing. Then, they all watched as he took the first bite of his special birthday snack. He looked sort of embarrassed but at the same time, was loving being center of attention and so cool because of the awesome cup cakes. Which truly, I was so impressed with how cute they turned out! Just a heads up though, they do not keep overnight well unless you freeze them. I had to re-do the whole freaking batch 2 hrs before we were due at school because I discovered them all soggy and gross. So, that basically sums up the birthday bash. He had a great time and made out like the typical spoiled little monster that he is. haha. But hey, they are only little for so short of time, and it goes so fast. So, he is spoiled. I have no shame in that. I hope he grows up realizing how loved he truly is.

6 yrs old

Short one tonight, but my boy is officially 6 years old! He had a small, family only party tonight, and it has me exhausted. Pictures at some point this weekend.
I can't believe he is 6 already......

The Big Day!

Well....we survived the first day of school. He loved it, and had no issues with going. He settled right in and says he had a great day. His only complaint was they served peas with his lunch, and peas are not a hit with him.
I did ok while we were getting ready. The walk was a little sad, but I kept my cool. I even did great in the classroom. There was a few times while watching him that I felt the tears, but I fought them back. When we left, I did fine and was distracted with the other 2 along. And my wonderful husband came along which turned out to be a huge help because they had the kids doing a scavenger hunt with a parent, and I had the 2 little people along. So anyway, he was along to help and that kept me from losing it on the walk home. I did great after he left even. What did me in? The pictures. I loaded the pictures and it just all let go. Then, little miss D started to miss her buddy. She kept yelling for Gerrrrr?! (what she calls Kristopher) and she would run from the steps, yelling up for him, then to the kitchen to see if he was out there, and back again. It was really sad. After many times explaining that Kristopher was at school, he went bye byes, she decided to grab her shoes and try to go too. Ended in a total fit because we couldn't just go get him. So that was heart breaking too.
While the babies napped, the house was so so soooo quiet. Too quiet. I don't know how I'd be able to do it if it wasn't for the extra kids around now. The day seemed to seriously drag. Then finally, it was 2:30 and we got to pick him up. He was excited to tell me all about the day and miss D attacked him and hugged him over and over. After we got home, she was so happy that I got her "Gerrr" that she kept hugging and kissing us.
School wore Kristopher out and he was a lot calmer for the afternoon and evening. He got to call and tell lots of people about his day and then finally got sick of all the attention behind it.
His school does a staggered start to kindergarten, so he is off the next 2 days. Thursday he goes back and will finally be in with the full classroom. He is looking forward to it and today says it's taking too long. For me, these 2 days will be a nice way to ease me into the new normal.
So, enjoy some pics. For those of you on facebook, you've seen them before, plus some. There's several good ones that I've decided not to put on publicly, so if you haven't seen them on facebook, check them out later!
Here's the pics!

My big Kindergartener! Ready to walk out the door!

And Daddy got home in just enough time to go along. That helped me a lot I think.

Trying to rush us. I think we both started to slow down more when we got to the last sidewalk to school.

And this one is the last, from the classroom. He was very annoyed with me at that point and thru clenched teeth says "How many pictures do you need?!"

This week...

Tonight's post will be short. I have several that I have started and got side track with. Things have been so busy.
So, big stuff this week.
Monday. TOMORROW ALREADY!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!! First day of school. Holy crap. It's a staggered start, so he will go only tomorrow, with 1/3rd of the class, and then 2 days off.

Thursday. First day with the entire class. First full real day of kindergarten. Again. Yikes!

Friday!!! My boy will be 6 years old! His first birthday spent away from me for an entire day. I can not believe any of this is actually happening already.

So tomorrow, a new post with lots of pictures. He is excited, and I'm happy for him because of that. His backpack is ready, his letter to his teacher is finished, and he is fast asleep and ready for his big step as a big kid.
I need sleep now too. I'm willing to bet I don't sleep as great as he is.

Excited about laundry!

Yeah. You read that right. I'm actually excited about laundry. Not only because I love my nice new washer and dryer, but because I've decided to switch to homemade detergent as well. Yesterday a friend visited and we finally gave it a try. Super easy to make! I was shocked. It smells good too. You can add more to it, but I went with the basic and kept with the original soap smell because I'm not sure what scents would give me a reaction. From what I've been told, this is baby safe, diaper safe, and sensitive skin safe. Oh and HE safe as well!
It only has 3 ingredients, other than water, and it was super cheap to make. I think total, including tax, it was right under $6. 2 of the ingredients there is enough there for MANY more mixes, and the soap bar was only 89 cents. It makes 10 gallons for one recipe! So, definitely going to save a ton here!
But anyway, the detergent needs to sit for 24 hrs to firm up a little and it has been driving me nuts. I really want to try it.
Another friend of mine has actually tried it for several weeks now and said the clothes are softer and cleaner. It's even managed to take out the formula and baby food stains off the baby clothes.
I'll do my own review after a week or 2 of using it. Till then, I just had to share my new adventure and weird excitement over laundry.....

More on school

I don't remember if I updated or not and I'm being lazy and not going back to re-read things. But, we got the school info on Saturday. Kristopher's first day is going to be on the 30th. He will go with 1/3rd of his class, then not go back again till the 2nd. Then, the 3rd is his birthday and he gets to celebrate in school! I'm still having major mixed feelings. I know it is for the best for him to go to school, but to me it feels wrong. School is a lot different since I went. Even elementary. But we're still going to try it.
He has started asking me what I'll do all day when he is gone. I'm not sure either. I'll still be babysitting, so that will break up the day a lot. But it will be so weird without him here. There are a few things I'd love to do to try to occupy the time. And I've even thought about quitting the babysitting and finding a job. But, I still want to be here whenever he needs me. I know there isn't many jobs that are going to tolerate call off's, kid issues, and what not with a new employee. And besides, I've gotten very attached to the kids, so giving up sitting will be hard to do too. So for now, I'm sticking with that. They definitely will keep me busy. The other 2 things I'm considering doing are more sewing projects and trying again at selling things. The other thing I'd love to try to figure out is selling some of my photos. I recently printed some for the new place and they look really great framed. I do not know where to begin with that though. Framed or just prints? What to charge? ect. It's complicated.
So, just a lot going on in my head this week as we prepare for the big day and our new "normal". It's scary, but I know we will adjust. But again....I don't wanna!!!!

Toothless!

It's funny how excited we got over the teeth coming in when he was a baby. It was exciting, but sad at the same time because it meant he was getting bigger. It is the same feeling for when he loses them now. Tooth number 6 fell out at breakfast. After at least a day of it seriously dangling on by a string. By the way, losing teeth is so much grosser than when they get them in. Anyway, it fell out at breakfast and now he is missing his 2 front teeth. Just in time to go to school. It looks so funny, and he sounds different too. Today he ate a lot better than he has been in a while and is in a little bit better mood.
So now the tooth fairy has to stay awake till she's 100% sure he isn't laying in there playing with it and hopefully he left it in his special pillow.
Here's Mr Toothless:

I'm alive still!

We are moved. We actually started the huge part of things last Friday. Before this point in the day I should add. We still have maybe one, possibly 2, car loads left at my parents. I'm just beyond exhausted at this point, so it's waiting.
So the move. It was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong, did. We started by signing the lease and getting keys on Thursday. We rented in the exact area about 3 yrs ago. So we were told the house was the same, and we didn't push to see things first. It's across the parking lot from the old one, and some things are most definitely different. One is we have a walk out basement instead of a back patio and sliding doors. I knew this, and was fine with that. The basement has a totally different layout though, and is scary. We plan to do the paint and make it a playroom and nice storage area, but for now it's just staying scary. The washer and dryer had to be in my kitchen. We eat in the kitchen because the dining area is over carpet, and I do not like the idea of feeding kids meals in a room that is all carpet. So, we improvised there and stacked our washer and dryer. It worked out and at least it's a really nice new set and fits nicely.
Speaking of washer and dryer, we had a horrible experience with best buy when we picked those up. What should have been a simple pick up since it was ordered and paid for almost 2 weeks in advance, ended up taking about 2 hrs in the actual store. Nightmare.
And back to the actual move. Our helpers backed out on us, so we had just both sets of our parents, and my friend who I babysit for. It rained, so we ended up renting a uhaul as well. Things did not go smoothly and we were non stop from Thursday night when we got the keys, till Monday. Tuesday I got the kids back and have just been at home working on making things nice. I'm exhausted, but I finally feel like things are falling into place. All that is left is a few odds and ends boxes of stuff that needs into nicer storage options, and the stuff on the walls. This weekend we will be DONE!!

Last night was new student orientation at the school. We still don't have his classroom info, so he met both of the kindergarten teachers and saw both rooms. We got the tour of the school and what expectations they have. Our teacher info and start date paperwork will be arriving tomorrow or Monday. He's excited but I can honestly say that the way he acted for a while after being at the school is scary. I kinda wish we would have visited the homeschool idea more, but I know that for him, it's best to be in a school. But....if he ever gets to the point that school is not fun, and he is upset, I won't waste any time with pulling him and homeschooling.

But anyway, I'm back and will be updating more frequently now.

Wednesday

This may be my last post till after the move. Tomorrow will be pretty busy with last minute packing, and at 5pm, we get the keys! I have 2 cars loaded now, and there will be at least one more loaded and over before I give up tomorrow night. The goal for tomorrow is to have the kitchen unpacked and put away before I come back home. We will see how far that goes. I'll admit to being pretty OCD, so chances are it will be done.

Today I fought with my sewing machine for a good 4 hours. Something with the bobbin screwed up (while it was going so awesome) and now it's down till I can get it serviced. Whatever happened bent something in there I'm guessing. NOT what I needed. So I attempted to have my grandma help me out, but she's forgotten how to do things I guess and I didn't have the time to sit over there with someone watching over my shoulder. I fought with my old machine and got it working enough that I now have new curtains for my new bedroom. They aren't perfect, but I'm satisfied for now.

The hives/itching is crazy this evening. I had called the dr and had an appt set up, but then decided I'd just wait and try the benedryl first. It seems to help a little, and I have to fight back the urge to scratch. The hives fade if I do good with that. Tonight with the stress of things, it was horrible. I finally took my other dose of meds and did the cream again and I'm feeling happy again. I'm willing to bet a lot of it is stress. And that I'll suffer for a few more days.