Flashback Friday: Strep Throat

Spring 1998--Spencer has a fever that won't go away.  We take him to the doctor.
Diagnosis:  Strep Throat
Treatment:  10 day course of amoxicillin
9 days into treatment (on his 3rd birthday):  he wakes up covered head to toe in an itchy rash

Diagnosis:  Spencer is allergic to penicillin

Flash forward 12 years without a single episode of strep throat....

Spring 2010--Ellie has a fever that won't go away.  We take her to the doctor.
Diagnosis:  Strep Throat (with Scarlet Fever rash)
Treatment:  10 day course of amoxicillin
9 days into treatment (a couple of days before 5th birthday):  she wakes up covered head to toe in an itchy rash (with swollen lips)
Diagnosis:  major déjà vu 
  

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT MEDICINAL ALLERGIES:  According to our pediatrician (and online research) an allergy to a medicine can show up at any time while taking it.  The most severe allergies often occur within a few hours of beginning it, but it is very common for it to take several days of exposure before reacting.  This was Ellie's first time ever needing antibiotics and her reaction was much more severe than Spencer's including swollen lips and face. It was Spencer's third or fourth time taking penicillin before he reacted.  Once somebody has reacted to a medicine, the likelihood of a more serious reaction in the future is much more likely.  Therefore Spencer and Ellie have doctor's orders to avoid penicillin for the rest of their lives. They estimate that up to 10% of the population is allergic to penicillin. 

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Note to Self:

Next time I decide to cook some green potato soup and bread bowls...

for my hungry little leprechauns....

make sure my half and half isn't spoiled first. (true story)

♣Happy Saint Patrick's Day!♣ 

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Shoe-ly I'm Not That Daft...

I have friends whose shoe collections rival the racks at Payless.  On any given day, whether they be buying formula at the grocery store or raking their leaves; they look cute.  Their shoes match their handbags, which match their outfit, which match their car seat covers, which match their kitchen towels.  It's amazing. 

I, on the other hand, own approximately 4 pairs of shoes--2 of which are tennis shoes, which is approximately 16 fewer pairs than my brother has.   I guess most days I feel lucky that I've showered and taken off my pajamas, so I never even think about what I put on my feet.   Combine that with the fact that I hate to shop and you've got a good glimpse into my complete and total footwear indifference.  

I first began to get a clue that I may have a footwear problem back when I was in college and I was a bridesmaid in a wedding where a pair of high heels was purchased for me to wear.  At first I was excited to enter the upper echelons of fashiondom and add an extra couple inches to my puniness.  However, it did not take long before it was abundantly clear to everyone in the wedding party that I had never owned a pair of heels before.  The bride's mother only scolded me a little for stumbling in the expensive dress and immediately traded the shoes in for some boring old flats, which, by the way, I still own 17 years later. 

I remember another time at an Enrichment Night where they had everyone gather in a circle and take off one shoe to place in the middle for some kind of get-to-know-you game.  No one had too hard of a time tracking me down, as mine was the only turquoise running shoe in the midst of cute black or brown loafers.   


Normally my anti-shoe fetish doesn't bother me much, but every once in a while after one of these embarrassing experiences I  question whether I should go get my estrogen levels checked or something.

Most recently, for instance,  I was at a fancy social event where a classy older lady (a relative) had to force herself from staring at my shoes while we conversed.  It was soon clear that she was smirking at my tights and sandal combination.


Still I remained stoic and nonchalant in my footwear choices.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I caught myself at the grocery store wearing Glen's oversized slippers and I decided then and there that it was time to go to a real store (any store besides the thrift store) and invest in something cute and fashionable.  If nothing else, so my kids will still be seen with me. 

So, here you go... 

 My new Sunday shoes.

...and my every day shoes.

I know. I know.

I rock.   

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Lessons I've Learned From a Cold, Snowy Winter

Minnesota, Alaska, and Seattle are permanently stricken off my list of possible future residences.

Sears' shovels are far superior to Sears' appliances.

My Vitamin D supplements are the lifeblood to me having a semblance of mental health in the winter.

A cute styling winter hat does wonders for bad hair days.



 3 feet of snow makes for fun photo-ops.

Glen is a patient, saintly man.

They Just Ain't What They Use to Be....

In high school I looked forward to weekends as a time to relax.

I'd sleep in.  I'd twiddle around the house.  Call my friends.  Do a little homework here and there.  Take a nap.  Maybe have to work for a few hours.  Hang out with my friends for a while.  Stay up late talking to sisters. 

In college, I still loved weekends.  I usually had homework to catch up on and I always had to work for a few hours, but I still relished the unstructured time to sleep, socialize, and work when I felt like it.

In our early married days, I still loved weekends.  It was a time to spend more time together as a couple.  We'd get things done around the house.  We'd stay up too late playing board games or watching movies together, then we'd sleep in.

Somewhere between being a young married couple to becoming the parents of five active children, weekends have taken on a whole new meaning.  Gone are the days of leisurely sleeping in.  The kids wake up at the same time no matter what day it is.  Gone are the days of twiddling around with unstructured time.  Now we have sporting events, chores to get done, school activities, church activities, Sunday lesson preparation, all the while still taking care of kids, cooking meals, and doing yardwork.

Weekends just aren't what they used to be and sometimes I miss that.

But then I remember, our weekends are the only time we get to spend with Daddy around the house all day.  The only days we have time to eat big breakfasts together.  And the only time we don't have to rush from homework, to dinner, to bed.  And since we don't do playdates on weekends, the kids play all day with each other.  They read. They play games.  They twiddle around the house (after they do their chores).  The older kids take naps.

I guess maybe our weekends aren't that different from my childhood after all.  It's just a different perspective and I can't imagine what weekends were like for my parents with EIGHT kids to tote around and rally into action.  Thanks for your patience Mom and Dad!
 

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And just for fun,  here's a little glimpse into our weekend:

Friday was Pi Day, so I got talked into making 6 pies to donate to the school, so each class could eat a Pi(e) on Pi Day.  I made the crusts, used store bought filling, and over-cooked them (and barely cared).  Glen was quite proud of my non-perfectionism. 

Ellie perked up shortly after starting on antibiotics and spent the weekend a little on the hyper side.  Apparently she had a little pent-up energy after spending the week in bed.   We were also happy to see that she did not lose her sense of fashion during her illness.

 One thing we didn't see an ounce of this weekend was sunshine.  It's been raining now for 4 or 5 straight days.  Lucky for us, last week at the Home Depot Kid's Workshop the kids got to make these rain gauges.  They knock them over whenever they check on them, but they're still fascinated with measuring all the rain we're getting.   They estimate that we've gotten at least 91.2 inches since Thursday. 

With Spencer's new spring lacrosse schedule, we're having family home evenings on Sunday nights again.   With the advent of daylight savings time this morning a couple of the kids were a bit drowsy during our lesson on Christ's atonement tonight.

We also attended JD's baptism ( my cousin's son) on Saturday morning.  I slipped on the mud on the way out the door and had to completely change clothes and wipe mud off my hands and hair.   Thankfully, we still made it in time for the beautiful occasion.  We will be sad when the Snows' move away.

We also wrote our letters to grandparents, went grocery shopping, did chores, cursed our finicky internet that is running slower than dial-up and only works a few hours a day, prepared the Sacrament Meeting program, made copies at the church, shuttled Spencer around to church and social activities, took care of nursery business,  went on a date with Glen while AnnaLisa took care of the kids, finally finished the tax return, turned the house upside down looking for the stapler, and let Glen grill burgers for us. 

It was as busy as can be, but in a good way.  It's only Sunday night and I'm already sad the weekend is over...

What are weekends like at your house?   Do you look forward to them?  Or dread them?  

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A New Family First

First teeth, first words, first steps, first days of school, first dog, first day of early morning seminary...  With five kids in the house we've been through a lot of firsts together.

This however was a first we could have done without....

Our first case of scarlet fever!

Apparently it's just strep throat with a bright red rash, but it's one of those illnesses that in past generations was a dreaded diagnosis.  Experts believe that scarlet fever may be the illness that left Helen Keller deaf and blind.  Today I am feeling very blessed to live in a day and time where after a 10-day course of antibiotics she'll be good as new!   

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Sugar Free FAQ's

I've had a lot of people asking me questions about my new quest to be sugar free, so in the true spirit of divulging TMI on the internet I've compiled a list of my most frequently asked questions and answered them all for you right here.


What prompted the no sugar diet? I felt like I was addicted to sugar and the temporary burst of energy it provided. I was finding it harder to keep my weight stable and I was growing increasingly worried about my long-term health and the example I was setting for the kids.  


How are you doing it? The way I'm doing it is that I'm completely avoiding sugary foods six days a week and indulging in something special once a week (usually Sunday).  


Is this permanent? At this point, I'm viewing it as a permanent thing. Eventually I hope to get to a point where I'm not as obsessive with my sugar fixation and that I will be able to indulge in those special treats that come along (even if it's a couple times a week). But for now I feel like I've got a long way to go, before I can reach that kind of self-control.


How do you handle the cravings ? At first, it was just pure mind over matter and not wanting to cave in front of my kids. I've been chewing gum like crazy too. One of my biggest challenges here is that I found myself subconsciously filling the hole that sugar left in my diet with other carbohydrates, like homemade bread and cereals. While my homemade bread is whole grain and my cereal choices were healthy, I still realized that I was plugging a hole. Now that I'm more conscious of it, it's not as bad. I'll still use a bowl of Cheerios as an afternoon snack, but not the mindless eating of them by the handful. I still struggle day-to-day with cravings, especially on stressful days, but they've become much easier to handle now.  


Did you get headaches? I did get headaches (and stomach aches) occasionally from the withdrawal, but I found the hardest part was being tired. I had been using sugar to keep my energy level artificially up and I really missed those jolts of energy that sugar gave me. With that though, I quickly realized that while I missed the jolts, I was also missing the crashes that inevitably followed the burst of energy. I feel like I have been much more even since beginning this quest. Even-energy wise and even-tempered.


What about Cami's treat baking? Do you still always have treats in the house? Well, let's see....right now we have a heaping plate of peanut butter bars Cami made on Sunday for our FHE treats and 2 boxes of Girl Scout cookies we ordered before we started our quest. They're both hidden out of sight, but it's common that we have treats of one form or another in the house at any given time. Having said that, one of the quickest benefits of Glen and I embarking on this journey, was that it was not as rewarding for Cami to bake treats as often as she had been. She is now focusing her efforts on making more special treats for Sundays, which have to last until FHE too. It's been a very good change for the whole family.  


What about social eating? While I still struggle more with my private eating habits, social events have been difficult too. Like last night at Enrichment night, there was a homemade cake on every table and everyone was sampling all the different kinds. I had to intentionally throw away my silverware and refuse the plate, so I wouldn't try to snitch just a bite. I also find that the more people I tell, the easier it is to refuse, because I don't want to embarrass myself by cheating in front of knowing eyes. 


Have you lost any weight? I have no idea. We just bought a scale on Saturday, but I do feel more svelte and calm if that counts for anything.



Any suggestions or techniques you want to share? It's much easier if you can get your husband on board with it too. Glen had always been very resistant to any kind of drastic dietary changes like this, but he finally realized that this was a moderate approach that thus far has been very maintainable to us. Granted we're only about 6 weeks in, but I'm hopeful that we can keep this up for the foreseeable future! I also believe that accountability is huge. That's why I talk about it on the blog and openly tell friends and family about it.


Have you ever tried drastically changing a bad habit before? What kinds of hurdles did you face? Any words of wisdom for me?

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End of an Era

Today I did two things:

1.  I filled out the preschool survey form from our elementary school where we indicated our intention to send Ellie to kindergarten next year.

2.  I officially announced my impending retirement as the preschool coordinator in the ward.

  While I know that life (and co-op preschool) will go on without me, I just can't seem to shake the feeling that after eleven years of participation and eight years of being in charge, that somehow I'm selling my baby off.  

A Few of My Favorite Things

In most regards I'm somewhat of a cheapskate when it comes to shopping.  I buy whatever's on sale and don't think about it again until I start to run low.   Over the years though, I've found that there are a few items that are totally worth splurging on.   This post is dedicated to those....

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Daily Moisturizer --I've tried all the other reasonably priced moisturizers and won't use any other brand.  It has just the right balance of making my skin soft without feeling greasy.  I love the subtle smell and the fact that it has the sunscreen built in.  

Tide laundry detergent--I've tried every name and store brand there is and there just isn't anything better for consistently getting my laundry clean and fresh smelling.  I buy it by the truckload at Costco!

Bath and Body Works air fresheners--They're fresh smelling without being overpowering.  I also like that they're pretty to look at too.

Trader Joe's frozen orange chicken--it's not healthy and it's only cheap compared to fast food, but man oh man, in just 10 minutes I can whip it up with some instant rice and I know everyone will devour it!  It's my favorite crazy night dinner.

Marriott Rewards Visa-- With all of our monthly expenses going on here, the points rack up quickly.   I don't know when or where, but someday we're going to go somewhere fun and exciting and not have to pay a penny for our hotels.

Cheerios--Okay, so this one is boring, but I love Cheerios.  I eat it for breakfast, I eat it on yogurt, and before I gave up sweets I even ate it on ice cream.   Someday I'm going to eat a bowl of Cheerios on top of the Eiffel tower with a beret on my head while holding a poodle.

Goldtoe ankle socks--They're comfy cozy, don't slip off my heels, and they last forever.  The only bad thing  about these socks is that Spencer is always trying to steal them from me.

Nike Air running shoes--I've had a pair of Nike Airs (many consecutive pairs, not just one) in my wardrobe since I was 15 and I love them as much today as I did then.   They're perfect for chasing kids, traversing mud puddles, and cooking dinner.  I wear mine every day.

Oral-B Satin floss --One day I was feeling cheap and bought another brand of  floss and within a week after having to tug between each and every tooth I actually pulled a cap off one of my teeth.  After the humiliation of traipsing into the dentist with my "tooth" in an envelope for him to cement back on, I decided that this luxury was well worth it!

Crayola crayons and markers--After five kids and eleven years of home co-op preschool---I've learned the hard way that I'll never buy another brand.

Toyota--Acceleration problems or not, we LOVE our two old Toyotas.  They're by far the most reliable cars we've ever owned and we intend to run them both into the ground!

5 gum-- I chew it when I'm  craving sweets, I chew it when I can't get to a toothbrush, and I chew it when I'm feeling rebellious towards my mother who hates gum almost as much as she hates communist socialists.   I'll send you a pack of 5 gum if you do your own post on your favorite things....

  

What are some of the things you won't skimp on?  Do you love (or hate) any of my favorites?    Do you have any good stories about discovering a favorite brand?   Does your husband agree with and support  your brand loyalty?

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Tooth Fairy, Earrings, and Sisters

I try to keep my full-out bragging to a minimum here on the blog, but this is one of those times (like this one from last summer) where one of my kids has stepped up and out of the realm of just being cute, sweet, smart, funny, and good-natured in the eyes of their adoring parents and has done something so genuine and thoughtful that I just can't help but do a little brag post.

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Exhibit A:   A letter written to the tooth fairy after s/he'd forgotten to come seven full nights after losing her tooth. 

Of course the tooth fairy came that night. 

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Exhibit B:  As soon as she had her tooth fairy loot in hand, Emma started bubbling with excitement about how she finally had enough money to buy a pair of the handmade earrings the school lunch lady sells to the kids for $3 a pair.

 My thought:  Oh, they're as cute as can be for her newly pierced ears (that are now totally healed from the freak gym class incident).

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Exhibit C:   The attached note. 

After all that build up of having to remind the tooth fairy to come, all Emma really wanted was to buy a special present for her big sister.

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Exhibit D:  One very happy 12-year-old sister. 

(and a mom with a tear in her eye).

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The Woman Who Mistook a Book for a Bolt of Lightning

It all started out innocently enough during a discussion about which book to read for next month's book group selection.  It may have been that she knew that there was an upcoming movie about the "lightning" book that put it there in her head.  Or maybe she just remembered that a couple of her children had read it and really enjoyed it. 

Whatever happened there in her harried brain that night, it set off a chain of late night reading of the "lightning" series, scintillating conversations with impressed 3rd graders, and an ever-growing curiosity at the quality of discussion that would entail with refined women discussing a hilarious book about the son of a Greek god written at a third grade level. 

Then one day her friend, Corinne, innocently asked her how she'd liked the book for book group and whether she'd cried during it. 


Cried with laughter you mean? 


That's when it dawned on her.  What book are we reading again?

Uh oh. 

PS  I bawled like a baby before and during the "real" book club book.  

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Okay, Sweetheart.

PART 1:

Lara-boo. Lara-chka. Wawa. Boo boo. Wawa de Hut.

My parents had all sorts of terms of endearment for us kids, and though I may have occasionally protested using my pet names in public I always secretly enjoyed it.

Now as a wife and mother I'm usually just called Honey or Mom, which I adore of course.  Glen is  Hunny (yes we spell our versions differently to differentiate) or occasionally Glenny-Boo which inexplicably always sends the entire house into hysterical peals of laughter,  but over the years I find myself subconsciously lavishing more and more pet names on the kids.

Buster Brown, Ems, Ellie Bellie, Camikins, SpenceBence, M & M, CamCam, Elles Bells, Sweety Petey.  

Some of them may be indecipherable to non-family members, but they all know who I'm referring to when I use them and I like to think they secretly like it too.

PART 2:

  Although the Washington DC area is a pretty cosmopolitan place itself, you don't have to look far to realize that we live squarely in Dixie territory.  Confederate monuments and battlefields and sweet old ladies that call everyone, "Hun," dot the landscape and remind us that we are, indeed, officially southerners.

At first I thought the whole southern tradition of calling people you didn't know by a nickname like, Honey,  to be a little too familial for me, but then the other day I overheard Cami and her friends talking:

"It's so cute.  Your mom always calls me sweetheart or sweetie."  
" I noticed that too.  I think it's kind of weird."  
"Oh I never noticed, but I guess you're right.  She calls everyone that, even Spencer's friends. "  
"Ew, now that's really weird." 

CONCLUSION:  

 A)  Being called a sweetie is better than being called weird.

B)  When you stop eating sweets, then everyone and everything turns to sweeties before your eyes.

C)  I have every intention to continue to refer to all of my children's friends as sweeties until they're 87 years old.

D)  If I ever happen to call you sweetie, please don't slap me.

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Ladybug Valentines

Ever since finally finishing my photo-a-day project, I've been wondering what to do with this blog.  It seems too sad to just let it go by the way-side, so based on an idea from a friend I've decided to make this my "Project Blog".  Since I already have project in the title, I won't even need to change the name. 

So these are the little Valentine's that my four and seven-year-olds made for their classes this year.  I got the idea and template from here.

 

I was surprised at how much Ellie and Adam were able to help with creating them.  Both of them did all their own cutting (Adam made 28 and Ellie made 14) and Adam also stuck in all of the brads.   

  

Twisting the black crepe paper around the lollipop, attaching it to the back of the card, and hot gluing the eyes were things they needed help with, but after spending over two hours on cutting and writing Ellie and Adam were glowing with pride at a job well done.

  

 

Flash to the Future Friday

Attention!  Attention!  I interrupt the regularly scheduled Friday posts ( Flashback Friday ) and bring to you a special edition of Flash to the Future instead.

This video is of an elderly couple (married 62 years) who upon arriving at the atrium of the Mayo Clinic, discovered this piano, and....



Although I can't play the piano like that and I hope not to ever have to hang out in the Mayo Clinic, I do hope that in 46 years that Glen and I are:

a)  That spunky and energetic
b)  That deliriously happy
c)  That madly in love

I hope you've enjoyed this one and only special edition of Flash to the Future Friday, now back to your regular programming.  

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