Posts from — July 2008

I’ve been keeping mental notes lately on all of the things that have been bringing me joy or amusement.  So, I thought I’d share some of them with you all.

~Watching my 8 year old LOVE the buffet at Cici’s Pizza.  This kid has nothing but lean muscle on his bones and he is usually so busy he doesn’t care about eating.  All of that changed when we walked into Cici’s Pizza!

~Twenty-Five cent air hockey game in the Cici’s Pizza arcade.  Why didn’t I discover this sooner?  I’m always so cheap, we don’t even venture toward game rooms.  So, Gage (8yo) was thrilled when I played two whole games with him.

~Bowling with my boys (husband included) at a place called Woody’s.  $1.50/game, and that includes shoes!  And, there is an indoor climbing playground, too, for free.  All of you fellow St. Louisan’s, this is the place to go!  The shoes are like new.  That alone is good enough reason for me.  Warning:  It’s owned by a local church, so you may see way too many hokey Christian t-shirts in one place for a lifetime, but, it’s STILL worth it!

~Jelly shoes in the dollar section at Target!  I put them on and told Gage all about how cool they were when I was little.  What in the world were we all thinking and why in the world are they back?!

~Dropping my 8yo off at a science camp in the morning, spending 3 uninterrupted hours with my 3yo, and then hearing all about my 8 year old’s day on the way home.  I love that he tells me all of the details.  I hear that all boys aren’t like that, so I’m thankful.

~Sitting across from my 3 year old in a quaint little coffee shop as he savors every morsel of the cinnamon bun I treated him to.

~Wandering around a pet store with my family.  This is so entertaining for the kids, and it’s totally free.  Oh, and you may be entertained, as I was, when you discover that they are selling pet joggers.  It’s a jogging stoller for a pet!  This can be yours for $129.99!  And, by the way……………..remember the days when they actually had dogs for sale in a pet store?  I’m glad for dogs that they no longer have to suffer, cooped up in cages like that.  But, it really does make going to a pet store much less entertaining.

~And, last but not least, I am looking so forward to a date with my husband Friday morning.  We will be going out for breakfast and to the St. Louis Art Museum ALL BY OURSELVES!  I have NEVER been to the art museum without my kids, so I am thrilled.

What random things have brought you pleasure this week?

I am just like my Mom.  I just caught myself doing a Sandy thing.  I often find myself doing Sandy things.  I brewed an entire pot of coffee at 10:15 PM.  Did I mean to brew a whole pot of coffee at 10:15 PM, you might ask?  No, I was supposed to set the timer for the morning, but instead hit the brew button and didn’t even realize it until the aroma of fresh brewed coffee filled my apartment.  Now, if I was exactly like my Mom, I’d say, “No biggie.  I’ll just turn it off and reheat it in the morning.”  Nope.  That will not work for me.  I’m a coffee snob and have to have fresh coffee.  So, one pot of coffee wasted.  So sad.

That’s what came out of my mouth last night as I tried to pick friends up from the airport.  (and, by the way, I was by myself, kids not present!) I am telling you, I am horrified at the filth that rolled off of my tongue.  You see, I am very familiar with STL airport because we frequently pick up our friend Mandy.  There is a 5 minute pick up area, with parallel slots alloted for those doing a quick pick-up.  I waited my turn, passing by a few cars who were already sitting in their spots.  I pulled into a parking space and began scouring the crowd, looking for Matt and Emily.  Within seconds, I heard banging on my driver’s side window, inches from my head.  As I turned around, there was a witch employee waving her hand, telling me I had to move on.  I rolled my window down and said, “Excuse me?”  She continued to motion with her hand, very dramatically, telling me to move on.  I looked behind me and saw that ALL of the cars I had just passed sitting, waiting their 5 minutes, were STILL sitting there.  What the heck?!  So, I responded, “Why don’t I get my 5 minutes?  These other cars are getting their turn. “  She continued to say, very rudely, I might add, “Ma’am go around.  You have to keep moving.”  My voice raised an octave and I said, again, “I don’t understand!  Why don’t I get the same 5 minutes these people behind me are getting?”  At that point, she lifted her walkie-talkie up to her mouth and said, “I need PD down here to 5 minute pick-up.”  What?!  She’s calling the police on me?!  By that point, I was boiling point mad.  I continued to sit there, looking over my shoulder through the rear windows of my van to see if I could spot Matt and Emily.  Still, no sign of them.  The witch then informed me (as if I didn’t hear her call them) that the Police were on their way.  I’m telling you, the hatred welling up inside of me toward this woman was so intense I could have spit in her face.  I managed to tame my words and spit out, very hatefully, “You people are jerks!”, as I rolled my window up and proceeded on to circle around.

I picked up the cell phone and called Jared, asking him to check on the flight status.  By this time, 30 minutes had passed since they had landed and I figured they were waiting for me somewhere other than 5 minute pick-up.  Now, I say that I asked Jared to check their flight status, but that was only after I informed him of the witch I had just dealt with.  And, my informing was more like yelling and cussing every other word.  I think I can safely say that Jared has never heard such filth come out of my mouth.  Yes, he’s heard filth come out of this mouth, but it is highly unlikely he has ever heard that much filth at once from me.  I think I should have been a hard-core marine or something.

Am I proud of the way I acted?  No way.  I’m actually pretty horrified.  It scares me that I can actually feel hatred like I felt last night toward anyone.  But, it’s also a really great reminder for me.  I am reminded of the fact that I really do need a Savior and that I’d be a wreck without Him.  I am so thankful that I don’t have to curl up in a ball and beat myself up over this.  It’s not about trying to fix it and make myself do better.  Do I repent?  Of course.  But, I can know that this has already been taken care of.  It happened on the cross and it’s not about what I do, it’s about what is already done for me.

Through the absolute filth that came out of my mouth (and heart, I might add) last night, I am reminded that I have a Savior who paid my penalty.  I am looking forward to the day when I can meet Him face to face and somehow express my gratitude.

A snippet into an 8 year old brain:

Gage-”I think I know what I want to be when I grow up.”

Me- “Really?  What’s that?”

Gage- “A carpenter.  I’m gonna buy a shop like that one (pointing to a business) on a street like this and have an apartment up above.  I’ll sell the stuff that I make in my shop.  I’ll make tables and stuff like that.  Mom, could I make much money doing something like that?”

Me- “Yeah, Gage, I think you could.  I think you’d be good at that. You should do something that you enjoy and figure out how to make money doing it.”

Gage- “If I did that, would I have to give the money I make to the government?”

Me- (stifling laughter) “Well, you’d be self-employed, so yeah, you’d have to pay taxes.”

Gage- “What does employed mean?”

Me- “It means that you have a job and self-employed means that you work for yourself.  You are your own boss.”

Gage- “Yeah, I think that’s what I want to do.”

I’m reading Mary E. DeMuth’s novel “Watching the Tree Limbs“.  I highly recommend it, as well as her blog.  Anyway, this quote jumped out at me and I thought I’d share.

“Half our problems in life come from forgetting.  You need to remember.  Spend enough time in the past and you’ll be able to live happy in the present.  That’s the secret to life.”

I have to agree.  For myself, remembering where I came from brings joy to the present.  My life is like two photographs, held side by side.  One is flawed and in need of editing.  It needs to be cropped.  Not so that I can forget.  Just so I can move on.  The other is cropped and edited, ready to be presented, but far from perfect.  A photographer always has room for improvement.  As I look at the cropped picture beside the uncropped, I am able to remember where I came from and it makes the new picture so much more valuable to me.

We ended up giving Shea a Fever-All suppository last night because he was running a fever.  Within an hour, he was asking for water and then he said he wanted to eat.  He ate  4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a row (crusts excluded, of course).  I know, I completely went against the philosophy I was raised with of only giving a sick child saltine crackers after they’ve been sick.  But, he was so miserable and I just figured if he was asking for it, I’d give it.  He held it down fine, and within minutes, was entertaining us by acting out how men catch crocodiles with ropes.  I’m still convinced the Zyrtec had something to do with all of this.  Jared and I both agree that we’ve never seen him as miserable as he was yesterday.  I’m just so thankful that he is over it.  Thanks to those of you who were praying!

So, here’s the scenario:

Shea woke up with a swollen, red eye this morning, and I thought he was having an allergic reaction.  I noticed his eye puffing up yesterday, so I figured this morning that it must be allergies.  I gave him half of a children’s Zyrtec tablet around 10:30.  Within an hour, he was saying he was tired and crawled up on the couch to fall asleep.  This was while we had friends over visiting, which was odd.  But, I just figured it was the Zyrtec.

An hour or so later, I decided to move him off of the couch into our bedroom.  I was planning on taking a quick shower and I was a little concerned about him.  I knew something wasn’t right.  As I was getting ready to jump into the shower, I heard him stirring on our bed and discovered that he was throwing up.  Within the past hour and a half, he has thrown up 4 times, and all he has left to come up now is bile.  I am absolutely convinced that he is having a reaction to the Zyrtec.

I started getting a little concerned, so I decided to call the pediatrician.  The secretary answered and I was immediately put on hold.  In a few minutes, the phone was answered again and I requested to speak to a nurse.  I was met with a quick, “This is ______.”  Okay, I just asked for a nurse.  Are you a nurse or not?  If you’re a nurse, say so.  Don’t just tell me your name.  I proceeded to tell her my issue and she quickly dismissed it, telling me he probably has a stomach bug.  I told her I didn’t think so, trying to explain to her why I was so concerned.  She checked with the doctor to appease me, and when she returned, told me the same thing.  She said that the vomiting should not be occuring as a result of taking Zyrtec.

I got off of the phone (oh, and by the way, Shea puked again while I was on the phone with her) and sat here with Shea on the couch until, once again, he woke up to puke.  This time it was green.  Nothing but bile, and he could barely get it out.  Oh, and it was also coming out of his nose.  So pitiful.  After getting him settled again, I picked up my laptop to do a little investigating  of my own, and this is what I found:

“In children, stomach pain and vomiting may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.” ~via Web, MD

So, I decided to call the pharmacist since the nurse (at least, I think she was a nurse) didn’t seem to be concerned.  The pharmacist basically told me to keep him hydrated (which is pretty impossible when he’s puking every 30 minutes) and that if it continues, to call the Dr. or take him to the emergency room.

Isn’t it crazy how quick the Momma Bear instinct kicks in?!  I’m telling you all, there is something wrong with my child, and it’s not just a stomach bug.  It has to be a reaction to the Zyrtec.  Hopefully Zyrtec won’t be the cause of an emergency room visit later.

(And, once again, vomiting in the middle of me posting this.  That makes 6 times in the past 2 hours)

If this doesn’t stop soon, somebody’s gonna  have to listen to this Momma Bear!  Mamas know when there is something wrong with their babies.

1.  A good cup of coffee

2.  Cardio-Pilates at the Y

3.  A clean house

4.  Thai dinner with Mandy

5.  Listening to Ben Harper in the car (thanks, Beth for telling me about him!)

6.  Full moon and clear skies

7.  Blue Bunny Lite personals ice-cream

8.  A glass of red wine

9.  Enjoying that glass of red wine with my husband under a bright and beautiful full moon.

Yesterday was a good day.

On today’s agenda:

A very excited 8 year old boy is going to a waterpark with his Dad.  You wanna know what makes me proud?  Jared was asked to take part in a conference call with some big-time internet people he has met through networking.  He was asked to do it today and he told them he couldn’t because he was taking his son to a waterpark.  He’s a good man and we love him!

Lyra,

The next time you find yourself in need of a bathing suit, please just remember these tips and you’ll be so much happier.

1.  DO NOT go to the mall.  You’ll feel much more comfortable at Goodwill (well maybe not for a bathing suit…that’s just nasty), TJ Maxx, or Marshall’s.  And, you’ll avoid those annoying kiosk people who think they can convince you to put on some hand cream.

2.  DO NOT even consider trying on a tankini top that looks shorter than a shirt you would buy.  You wear those spaghetti strap tank tops under your shirt for a reason- to keep your stomach from hanging out.

3.  Don’t be surprised when you find yourself looking at swimdresses like your mom used to wear.  You didn’t give in this year, but don’t be surprised if you do next year.  It’s only a matter of time.

4.  For the love of God, don’t gain back the weight you just lost!  Remember what hell you went through looking at yourself in those bathing suits that you thought were so cute on the hanger.

5.  Under belly-button swim bottoms……………..just don’t even try them on.  It will save you from lots of agony.

I just leaned over to check on Shea, who is laying on the couch with a high fever. As I kissed his hot forehead, he said, “Me otay, Mommy.  Me just want to lay on couch for a little bit.”  I hate it when he is sick.  So pitiful.