Life As We Know It

One hell of a weekend.

This has been a weekend I don't wish to relive again. 

Remember on Friday when I posted that I felt like I was getting a migraine?  Well, by the end of our scrapbook night (which was very unproductive for me), it was a smidgen away from being a full blown migraine.  All night I was getting chills, my eyes hurt, my back hurt, my head hurt.  I felt just "blurry".

By the time I got home, stood up from getting out of the car, the pain rushed to my head.  It felt like my pulse shot up to my brain and eyes with a thousand needles. 

I practically left LeeAnn in my driveway to load her stuff, I went inside, threw up, took some Midrin and got in bed bawling.  Ryan gave me a neck and back massage but that still only helped for a short while. 

I was able to sleep pretty well (Midrin is like a knock out drug... ahh).  But, Saturday morning I woke up and was barely able to stand.  Everytime I stood up and moved too quickly I got a piercing pain in my head and eyes.  I called my old chiropractor, crying to them on the phone but they couldn't get me in until Monday.  I called Ry's chiropractor (crying, again) and they said they'd call if they could squeeze me in later that day.

I could barely take care of Porter.  I couldn't eat, nothing sounded good. My grandma (bless her!) came and picked Porter up and I took some more Midrin and went back to bed.  She dropped P back off at noon and I fed him lunch and put him to bed, and I, too, headed back to bed. 

I slept practically from 9am to 4pm yesterday.  I woke up feeling a little better, but my back and neck was still hurting.  The chiropractor called and made a 5pm appt.  He found a ton of sore spots on my back and neck where things were out of alignment, causing all the pain in my neck and head.  He adjusted me and I felt better for awhile. 

Last night was Maria's bachelorette party and I did NOT want to miss it.  I suffered through the pain and went to dinner with the girls (where everyones food made me nauseous, but I was able to scarf down some cheese sticks and chicken fingers).  By 11 I had to call it a night.

Last night was probably the worst sleep I've had in a long time.  I was throwing up all night (cheese sticks... EWWW) and I tossed and turned from about midnight to 4am.  I finally too more Midrin and slept until 10 this morning. 

This migraine is probably one of the worst I've had. Its right up there with the week long migraine I had after I had Porter.  It SUCKS.

I feel a little better now, but I can tell its not 100% gone.  I go back to the chiro on Tuesday.  Hopefully a few more adjustments will help. 

Tantrums, messy house and headaches

First off, I've been fighting a headache today.  Its determined to try to spoil my kid-free evening at Scrapbook Memories tonight.  NO WAY!  I'm hesitant to take any medication for reasons I can't post here.  So, hopefully it'll pass and let me enjoy my night away.

This afternoon I had all intentions of cleaning my house.  I put Porter down for a nap, straightened the living room and kitchen and went to vacuum.  Well, my cleaning attempts started to look like the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book.

If you give a mom a cleaning urge she'll attempt to pick up the living room. 

When she picks up the new potty chair from the living room floor she'll notice dog hair statically sticking to it.

She'll want to vacuum. 

She'll get out the vacuum and realize it needs a new vacuum bag.

She'll search 4 closets, 3 drawers and under the bed trying to remember where she put them.  .

She'll notice the basket of laundry by the basement stairs. 

She'll take it downstairs, and on her way down she'll notice it smells a little musty.  The dehumidifier is full. 

She'll take the dehumidifier upstairs and empty it outside. 

When she goes back downstairs she'll see the piles of dog hair on the stairs. 

She'll get the broom to sweep it up and when she's finished she'll notice the rug by the back door is filthy with dirt. 

She'll go to get the vacuum and when she finds it she'll remember.... it needs a new vacuum bag.

So, I gave up.  I came downstairs to blog and then got sidetracked with elephant stuff (see previous post) and now I'm finally blogging about the little junk I had wanted to blog about originally.  And, my house is still dirty.

Ok, hell.  Tantrums are going to have their own post. 

Tantrums

Tantrums. They're back.  We had a few weeks (months ago) where Porter threw a few tantrums and we started Time Outs.  Then, he was an angel of a child for a few months and now, well, lets just say he's been in time out nearly every day. 

The kid has a memory like a, well, an elephant (lets stick with the topic HAHA!).  When he gets put in time out, its not any specific spot, but usually by a wall. I sit him down and the conversation goes like this"

P: "WAHHHH! ARRRGHHH!  BLEHHH!H"

Me: "Porter, you are in time out for hitting mommy with your truck.  It is NOT nice.  You need to sit here for ONE minute."

I walk away.  He usually pouts, or tries to get my attention by calling me, or saying "HI!" when I walk by.

One minute is up.  I kneel down to him and tell him to stand up so we can talk.

Me: "Porter, do you know why you're in time out?"

P: "Hit!  Mama!  Truck!  NOOOO NOOOO!"

Me: "You're right.  It hurts mommy when you hit her with your toys. Its not nice.  What do you say to mommy?

P: "Sorry-oh" (sorry... I have no idea where the "oh" comes from)

And then he hugs me.    Its so sweet.  And, that incident was like a week ago.  He still, when he plays with that truck says "Hit!  Mama! Truck!  NOOO!"

Today we went to the Toy House to pick up a few misc. track pieces for his train set (they sell them separately for 50cents to $2).  He was a great listener all throughout the store.  I let him walk through the TH instead of sitting in a cart.  And he does a great job.

Well, we get ready to leave so I pick him up so I can hold him while I pay for the train tracks.  I didn't want him running back to the book area or getting out of my sight while I was paying.  He sees a little bucket of mini cars on the counter.  He wants them.  I tell him "Yes, those are cars.  No, you can't have them.  They're nice, aren't they?  But, you have cars at home."  I sit him on the counter about 2 feet from the bucket of cars and he starts to whine and fuss and whine louder for the cars.  I get in his face and say "Stop it right now, Porter.  You can NOT have the cars.  If you keep whining, you're going to sit in a time out."

I try to pay.  He starts whining louder.  So, I do our little time out ritual right there on the floor at the end of the checkout line.  He sits there while I pay, whining and kicking his feet in his time out.  By the time I'm done paying, he was over his tantrum and we had our little talk and things were peachy keen.

Public tantrum #1 out of the way.  It wasn't that horrible or that embarrassing.  I felt like I handled it ok, and that I made my expectations clear to Porter and followed through in a consistent manner. 

However, it also didn't involve too much kicking and screaming and flailing. I can't WAIT for those kind of tantrums.  EEEK! 

Elephants changed the direction of my mind today

I came downstairs to blog about some mindless daily activities today (which I'll get to later), but then I came across some posts on my CLM board about the elephant that "visits" the local apple/cider farm.  My friend Zoe does not let her kids ride the elephant and she has voiced before that she has issues with the elephant there. 

I haven't asked her WHY exactly, but why would you guess?  Did she see the elephant act aggressively?  Is she a germaphobe?  Does she dislike her kids smelling like caged elephant?  Without asking her, I can still bet that those are not the reasons.

I remember awhile ago thinking about how I wanted to find out exactly how inhumane it was to have animals in the zoo, and in doing research on that topic I came across some devastating videos and websites about circus elephants.  Videos that made me bawl my eyes out watching these majestic creatures tortured, beaten and living lives in chains and boxes, bored out of their minds.  After watching these videos, it is very safe to say my children will NEVER visit a circus and when they are old enough I will expose them to the reasons WHY they won't be allowed to visit the circus.  It is absolutely sickening.   

I watched this video this morning and, in the beginning I thought "GO!  Good for you, elephant, good for you for not taking it anymore.  Good for you for sticking up for yourself and not taking that abuse anymore." I silently hoped that the animal handlers were seriously hurt.  And then I watched as this poor elephant is gunned down in the street, and shot over and over and over and over, screaming in confusion and pain, until he collapses into a car and dies. 

There is just far too much information for me to even begin to post here about.  I found a great site, Circuses.com, that has many videos and a lot of information on what REALLY goes on behind the scenes. 

Joining B.A.A.

aka... Blog Addicts Anonymous.

Lately I've been whipping up new blogs left and right.  A few for my business, a few personal, a few this and that. 

I thought I'd share one today... Moon Moon and More.  I am addicted to buying (collecting??) children's books.   Scholastic Book Orders must *love* me.  As I said in my TFT Post about buying WAY too many clothes for Porter, I also have that same problem with books.  This spring I counted that he had over 300 books.  Yeah, some I don't care for and some are a little above his attention level right now, but there are quite a few that are our favorites and I thought I'd start a blog to highlight all the good children's books that I come across. 

Check it out, and if you have any suggestions on books we should read let me know!

**BTW** Just thought I'd let you know I purchased a nice, new PURPLE toothbrush.  Hopefully Ryan won't mistake that as a "manly" color HAHA!  No more sharing tooth scum! Yay!!

Intervention! Intervention!

Jess says I'm in need of intervention.  Let me explain.

I love buying clothes.  For Porter.  Long ago, I loved buying for myself, but with the extra flab around the middle, the wider hips and more than bubbly butt, clothing choices for myself are drab. 

I'd like to say I'm a "Quantity over Quality" buyer, meaning... I shop garage sales and resale shops for Gap and Old Navy clothing, and 'trendy' look alikes that are cheaper than buying $20 shirts brand new.  I guess my view on it is, "Hey, if its only $3, why not?"

Well, a few weeks ago I was chatting with Leslie about a recent trip to the resale shop in Ann Arbor.  And I mentioned, as I hauled in a huge shopping bag into her house, that Porter now had FIVE winter coats and numerous hats to match each of them and I needed H.E.L.P. deciding which ones to keep. 

I shall explain.

Coat #1.  Nautica, Navy blue with a horrid yellow and white stripe somewhere on it... the side? The arm?  Anyway, bought for $10 at a garage sale.  Cute coat, cute style, but way too big for Porter.  Not to mention I can't find a hat to match the bright yellow. 

So, I went to venture for a more "casual" coat. 

Enter Coat #2 from Children's Place.  Paid $19.99 for it and I figured that while it isn't a coat to play in the snow in, it'd be perfect for daily use.  I also picked up a cute hat at Old Navy to go with it as well as a cute $4 hat at Children's Place (primarily to use in some pictures b/c its so cute).

Well, a few days later I went to the resale shop and found another Children's Place coat EXACTLY like the one I had just bought, only it was navy blue and only $8.  I planned to return the tan one.  I also found a plain navy blue winter jacket ($6) that I liked (that would match the "cute" striped hat I bought at CP for pictures... so, why not get a coat to match it and he could wear the hat more often??) as well as a green Old Navy jacket that would be great for snow use ($14).  I couldn't decide.  My head was saying "Green O.N. Jacket! It'd be his snow jacket!  He'd have the Navy CP jacket (casual) and then this one for the snow!"  But then I kept thinking... but SIX DOLLARS for that other navy blue coat! SIX DOLLARS!

I bought all three of them.  And another hat. (since then, I've also purchased another hat... GAHHH!!)

Back to chatting with Leslie...

I was telling her that I have issues.  I love LOVE LOVE buying Porter clothes, and I feel like I can justify it because they are SO STINKING CHEAP!  His closet is stuffed FULL with shirts, his drawers are stuffed full with shorts and pants.  I estimated.... "I swear, Les, I bet he has about 40 shirts in his closet." (her jaw dropped)

Later that night I was putting away some of Porter's laundry.  I decided to count his shirts. 

I hesitate to write the number.  Please let me add... this is short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, button up shirts, sweatshirts.... all in this number... this... one..... tiny..... number.....

70.   

SEVENTY EFFING SHIRTS in my kids closet.

(this photo was taken back in February... however, it still looks very much the same)

What kid needs THAT MANY shirts?   I have issues.  I seriously have issues.  I've never really put a number to it, but I've always known his closet was very.... well stocked.

I just have a hard time passing up shirts for $2 on clearance at Target, or cute Gap polos for $4.99, or consignment shop deals for $2 and $3.  I mean, WHY NOT?  (then again... those 70 shirts times, ohh... say an average of $3 each... $210!!! yikes!!)

I am now on a clothes-buying hiatus.  I will NOT look at the clothes at Target.  I will NOT step into the children's side of Gap. I will NOT head to the consignment shop.  Maybe.  And, well, even if I do, I will muster all the self control I can get and not walk out with anything.  Unless, of course, I find something super cute for a couple bucks....

Ahh... I'm hopeless.

So, tell me, what is YOUR purchasing weakness?  What can you not pass up when you see it in a store?  And, further more... how many shirts do your kids have?  Please tell me I'm not alone......

Other Thoughts on Thursday participants:
Mary
Kelly
Jenny
Mackenzie

Heads up!

Tomorrow is Thoughts on Thursday.... get your thoughts rolling and get your posts ready!!

Its the wrong color!!

AHHH HAHAHHA!  And her response to her brother's video...

Kids Songs CD's

Porter is obsessed with Old MacDonald. He LOVES the song.  I have the 4-cd set "110 Silly Songs" and the first song on one of the cd's is... you guessed it...Old MacDonald.  We don't get past song #1. 

The cd set is pretty decent... especially seeing I bought it at a garage sale for $2.  However, I'd like to find some kid cd's that have "cool" music... kid songs that don't sound like they're sung by a choir of kids in unison. 

I've heard about Dan Zanes and Laurie Berkner... anyone have any suggestions on specific cd's or other "hip" kid song artists?

ETA:  I just found this artist: Justin Roberts. Anyone have any of his cd's?  I found him on Amazon and you can listen to clips of his songs. Meltdown sounds like a pretty cute song.

Scrapbook Evening in Chelsea

I’m so excited for this Friday--- I’m going to Scrapbook Memories (in Chelsea) to scrapbook until late late Midnight with some girlfriends. I can’t wait to get some quality scrapping done!

I wanted to post on here in case there is anyone else in the J-town area that is interested in going. I am leaving around 4, and will be staying until midnight. If you are interested in going and want to ride along, drop me an email if you’re interested in going and you want to drive yourself (can’t go at 4, or don’t want to stay until midnight), let me know if we should save you a seat!

Its going to be a fun evening. Just me, a few great friends, lots of scrapbook goodies and no children to whine and cling to us.