The Phone Syndrome

I'm calling it the phone syndrome. Yesterday I'm sitting around the house and it's nice and peaceful. Adam is outside playing ball with friends and Aurea is up in her room playing quietly. I decide to pick up the phone and call my mom for a little chat, here comes Adam, Drew, and Devon running in chattering then Aurea comes downstairs and decides she needs attention and wants to talk my ear off. Later on, I get a phone call, Aurea is hungry, thirsty, and sleepy all at once as soon as I start talking. What is it about the phone that suddenly makes kids need attention? I call it the phone syndrome. Ok maybe receiving a call where they hear the phone ring would grab attention, but they do it when I'm making the calls too! I just don't get it....Anyway, both phone calls ended up going well despite the interruptions.

Tonight is the football banquet, this should be interesting. Pot luck banquet at that, guess I better come up with a side dish really fast! Hopefully, girl scouts is tomorrow if we have our room yet.

Not the highlight of my week

I went to the doctor the other day for my annual exam. Supposed to be routine and normal right? Wrong! She said I had a uterine fibroid, but it's just a fibrous tumor and may or may not require surgery, don't worry. Yeah right! I'm a worrier!! Tumor and surgery is all I heard. Afterward though I calmed down and did some research. So yesterday I went to the hospital for an ultrasound.

The good news: I do NOT have a fibroid on my uterus! Yippee! Now I'm thinking, I took off work half a day to spend 3 hours at the hospital having two different ultrasounds and being really stressed and uncomfortable for nothing. After we were done, the radiologist came in to tell me I didn't have a fibroid. I asked him why all the symptoms and pain then, he said, "Well a lot of women have heavy periods." What! That is the least of it, it's about more than that and he said he didn't need to know all that and left! What would he know about it?!

Anyway, I asked the ultrasonographer (or whatever she's called) if it wasn't a fibroid causing my problems then what was it? She said she didn't know that all the ultrasound showed was no fibroid or abnormality except for my uterus being tilted too far forward and pressing on my bladder. She then told me my Gyno will get the results and I can call her Tuesday to see what she says. Then, she said I'd probably either be referred to a specialist or sent for a CT Scan. In other words,I really don't know a thing.

So I leave the parking garage which costs (yes the hospital charges to park!) $2.25 for 1-3 hours. I get my money out and the lady at the booth says $3.00. What? I was here for 3 hours and she corrects me, "No, you were here for 3 hours and 1 minute, that will be $3.00." UGH
Anyway, I came home still an hour earlier than usual and went straight to the bathtub to make myself feel better.

Don't get me wrong, I am relieved that it wasn't a fibroid. But if that isn't causing my problems, what is? Guess I get to continue to wait....For now I'll be glad it's not a fibroid and try not to think about calling Dr. Saunders on Tuesday...

Did I mention on my way home from the hospital, I get a message from my son that he HAS to have a poster tonight to finish his math project for tomorrow? Exactly what I felt like stopping for on my way home! At least I didn't have to pick up my daughter too (her dad got her for the night) and then drag her into the store to whine for everything in sight. I love my children, don't get wrong, but I did not feel real great yesterday so having only one child (who knows when to give me space) for the evening was great.

Of course being the mom, I still got to help with the math poster. It was actually really cute when he got finished. The report card came home yesterday too, 2 A's, 3 B's, 1 C, I'm not a C fan, but he did work hard, not to mention, it was one point from a B. Way to go son, maybe now you can be ungrounded since deciding to call people in my phone book you don't like and telling them never to call me again! Yeah, he did that. Gotta love puberty!!

I must be crazy

"Mom, can I have a boy/girl dance for my birthday?" This came from my son several weeks ago when deciding on a birthday party. Of course my first reaction was NO!!! but I was his age when I had my first boy/girl party so I said ok to a small party. After going back and forth on where he wanted it, he finally decided like 3 weeks ago. Of course, having a child born on Halloween means we have to compete with Halloween parties, especially waiting until the last minute! So of course, the place he wanted was booked through the end of the year. After many calls, I finally booked a place for Oct. 20th (yes, yesterday), since everything else was taken. Then, I bought invitations and he sent out like 40! OMG what have I gotten myself into!

I spent time preparing, buying refreshments, getting another chaperone, etc. So on Thurs. I realized I forgot to order a cake! My friend who makes cakes needed more than two days notice! Luckily, Wal-mart bakery only needed 24 hours notice, and that's exactly what they ended up getting! The kids had been at mom's for fall break so I was able to do everything Thurs. and Fri., the problem was that the Pocket Rocket Adam wanted for his birthday was nowhere to be found. Believe me, I spend 4 hours Thurs. night either driving to or calling every Wal-mart, Mejier, Target, Toys'R'Us, and Dick's Sporting Goods in four counties! (Why do I procrastinate -- oh yeah, can't take him shopping with me!) Anyway, I finally gave up and ordered the pocket rocket online complete with 7-10 business days for site-to-store shipping! Ahhhh!

Anyway, mom brought the kids home yesterday after I spent all morning cleaning and gluing a picture of a pocket rocket into a birthday card! After doing all the preparation, picking up the cake, and fielding calls from people wanting to know where the building was located, my other chaperone cancels on me!! We picked up the skater cake and went to set up the party.

Unfortunately for Adam, but fortunately for myself (the only chaperone), only 15 kids showed up to the party! For three hours, I chased kids who decided to run outside the building and let other kids try to lock me out (luckily I had keys, if you're ever in this situation, keep building keys on you at all times!!) while I'm running around. Then, rather than dance, it is apparently more fun to throw ice down people's shirts and then try to slide across the now wet floor without falling! They also like stealing each other's shoes and taking turns talking on cell phones!! How old are these kids? Ages 10-12, what's up with the phones and crap?! Ugh they just keep getting younger.

Adam was disappointed only 15 people showed, I was happy. One friend got back from vacation mid-party and came straight from the airport! I am grateful to his mother who decided to stay and help clean up afterward so we could finish on time and get my deposit back!!

It was certainly an interesting night! We got home and unloaded around 11:30, they wore me out!! Glad that's over. Now for his real birthday, haunted housing on Halloween! Oh and did I mention my gratitude to my mother who stayed home with my 5-year-old daughter during all this? Thank you.

Puberty comes more than once

I once heard someone say to be grateful that puberty only comes but once, this person obviously did not have children! I am going through puberty again, not my own, but my son's. Did I really give my mom that much grief? Was I that moody and stubborn and know-it-all? Probably, I'm sorry mom. The trouble is that I understand it in girls and I'll be ready when my daughter goes through it (at least I think I will, but I doubt any parent is ever really ready), but it's different with boys. I have no brothers and my dad didn't discuss boy changes with me, I was a girl! So when my son's voice cracks and he asks how long it will take to change -- I stare at him dumbfounded. He says I should know this, of course, I'm Mom Almighty the all wise one who knows all! Unfortunately, I don't know these things, but I try. I made the mistake of laughing when his voice cracked, "It's not funny mom!" Well, actually it is, but I'll try not to laugh out loud the next time!

My daughter has a beautiful voice and sings so well, her music teacher even said she had the best voice in the class! Wow, she didn't get that from me! Adam used to have a decent singing voice, but it's hard to sing with your voice cracking between notes! I can't sing a lick. Last night, Aurea was singing "Free Fallin" and friend said she was too young to know that song, hey, it could've been "Last Dance with Mary Jane" or one of my many Akon songs (I listen to a wide variety of music) but I do pick and choose what I let her hear! Hey, I can only listen to Hannah Montana and High School Musical so many times, I have to stop and listen to my music once in a while and since she's usually with me, she hears it. I can't help it that the child can hear a song once or twice and repeat back like almost every word!

On a more somber note, I went to the doctor the other day for my annual exam. Supposed to be routine and normal right? Wrong! She said I had a uterine fibroid, but it's just a fibrous tumor and may or may not require surgery, don't worry. Yeah right! I'm a worrier!! Tumor and surgery is all I heard. Afterward though I calmed down and did some research. According to

Medline Plus:
"Uterine fibroids are the most common non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. The cause of fibroids is unknown. Risk factors include being African-American or being overweight. (go figure, I'm neither one!!)
Many women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include
Heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
Feeling "full" in the lower abdomen
Urinating often
Pain during sex
Lower back pain
Reproductive problems, such as infertility, multiple miscarriages or early labor "

Well, I've had almost all of these symptoms, but didn't know this was the reason. I self-treated for bladder infections and crap thinking it was nothing or too much caffeine or something. Who knows?!

Anyway, they put me on medication and I go for an ultrasound next Thurs. the 25th (happy birthday mom!) so they can determine if I simply need to continue medication or have surgery. Now it's minor surgery but the idea still scares me! The hardest part is waiting and then waiting after for the results! ugh! I also have a GI appointment in December.

This really sucks!!! Any women out there with those symptoms, DON'T self-diagnose, go see your doctor immediately! I know it's a pain, but it could help you. Then, write me if you want to vent. I understand!

And they're off....

Here comes Wiggles squirming and wiggling around while Roxanne tries to take care of her, Shadow is trying to run and explore, Aurea is chasing Shadow who is now chasing Wiggles...Robert the maintenance guy is trying to work but here comes Shadow around the corner, ohhh time to chase Wiggles who is now trying to hide and under everything, Shadow is now upstairs, go Aurea go run!! Ok, I'm being silly, but that is sort of what my house was like last night.

After work, I had a parent-teacher conference at Aurea's school, we have a lot of work to do! She's just not where she needs to be, and I'd say her vision issues contribute to that a great deal. Then, we get home and cook and eat while trying to play scavenger hunt (sending Aurea to find things in the house that start with a certain letter, I thought it would be fun when I made it up, she didn't!) and the phone ringing. Adam is on the phone, Aurea is whining and trying to find stuff, I'm trying to cook and talk on the phone...

After supper, Roxanne came over with Shadow (her ferret), she's going on vacation soon and I'm ferret sitting so she wanted Shadow and Wiggles (my ferret) to be around each other, get their nails (claws? whatever) trimmed and all this stuff before she actually leaves. She was trying to cut Wiggles' nails for me, by the way, there is a reason she is named Wiggles! lol That ferret would not be still and was trying to get to Shadow. In the meantime, the maintenance man comes to fix the sink which is apparently clogged by a grease chunk (ewww) and a popsicle stick! How did the popsicle stick get down there to begin with? Ask Aurea, I'm sure that was her doing! Anyway, he goes to wash his hands in the bathroom and gets cornered by a ferret (can't remember which one), which I'm sure he loved.

Adam is yet again on the phone, Aurea is chasing ferrets around the house, Roxanne is helping with the ferrets, I'm trying to watch Aurea and the ferrets and listen to Robert and the stupid phone is still ringing! Finally, Robert leaves and the three days worth of dishes can be done after Roxanne hunts down Shadow and heads home! Adam helped me with dishes and Aurea, thank you!

Then, Adam says tomorrow is the pep rally for the big football game, East vs. West (go East!!) and he wants his face painted, pleassse mom! So I paint his face and help with homework before sending the kids to bed and finally getting a little peace and quiet.

This morning, I got to touch up the face paint half his face is green with a blue E (East) and the other half is blue with a green J (Jaguars), he looked ready for football! Tonight is the big game and we're done with football! Yippeee!!

Random thoughts and updates

Let's see, my cousin Chris and his wife Carla had their baby. Her name is Brooklyn Ann, Jeff and Jeanie's baby Gracie is doing good. Yes, Chris and Jeff are brothers and both have new babies! I feel sorry for Aunt Margie and Uncle Terry! Mom just told me last night Carla had a C-section because Brooklyn was breech, that's about all I really know right now. Too bad I'm not in Glasgow to go to the hospital. :(


Anyway, last night was Adam's football game and homecoming, he got really excited. We won 20-0. Go Jaguars!! Tonight, Aurea starts Girl Scouts. Both are doing well. Adam's ready for fall break and his birthday. Aurea is always asking for her birthday, poor baby, I can't help that I had her 3 weeks before Christmas and she has to wait a whole year for either one!

Still job hunting, I had a couple of interviews this week, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I really want one of them... I guess that's really it. Just working and coming home to two kids and an otherwise empty house, sigh! I need to make more friends or get a boyfriend or something, I'm so bored and lonely at night now! I love my kids but they aren't much on conversation except Hannah Montana, football, and middle school happenings! I love some aspects of being single and despise others, I guess that's life huh?


October 1, 2007 - Monday
In remembrance:
Six years ago today, Adam was 5 and I was 7-months pregnant with Aurea. Shannon, Adam, and I lived in Cave City. Mom got Adam off of the school bus. I'm not sure why, but Shannon and I both went home before picking up Adam that day. As soon as I put my stuff down, the phone rang and it was mom. I thought she was going to be upset I wasn't there yet, but I answered and she just told me to get over there right away. I knew something was wrong so Shannon and I both got in the car and drove to her house....

My grandfather, Truman, had been through a lot. He had had a heart attack recently and the doctors told him to rest. However, it wasn't in Papa to rest. He wanted to farm, it was in his blood, that's what he enjoyed most. Oct. 1, 2001 (the day mom called us over) Papa Truman went out to farm that morning. When he got hot he sat at a picnic table to rest, that's where he was found lying...

When we got to mom's house, she told us that Papa Truman had passed. It was hard. We weren't really that close, but the only death I had ever dealt with until then had been my great-aunt and uncle, whom I loved, but didn't know real well. It was the first time someone that close to me passed away.

I'll spare the rest because I'm sure everyone can figure out the funeral and everything that followed. Every year after until I moved, I would go with Granny Gladys and daddy to Metcalfe County (where the family cemetary is located) to visit Papa's grave on this day. I can't go this year, but I will go the next time I'm in Glasgow and able to drive over to Summer Shade.

It doesn't seem like it's really been six years. I miss him dearly. Adam and Madison are really the only great-grandkids to know him and they were little (Adam was 5, I think Madison was 4). Hunter and Brandon were born but they were less than a year old. It's funny though that even though Adam was so little, he can still remember riding the tractor and farming with Papa Truman!

Anyway, I better stop this stroll down memory lane. I just wanted to remember Papa on this day.


September 27, 2007 - Thursday
Updates
My poor baby! I have been worried about Aurea's eyesight for awhile and when the doctors said she might need surgery I was even more worried. Fortunately, they decided to wait awhile to see if there were any changes. There have been changes! Yesterday I got to daycare and they asked if she had vision problems. "Her eyes cross and both eyes are 20/40 and....why, what happened?!" Apparently, she got off the daycare van and ran into the brick wall. My first reaction, she's a kid she wasn't paying attention and watching where she was going right? No, her eyes blurred and she actually did not see the side of the building before running into it and busting her lip! Now I'm really concerned. I called the doctor this morning, we have an appointment next week.....


Adam has a football game tonight and my dad is coming up to stay the night and go to the game. I'm excited, I know Adam will love having grandpa at the game. Also, school is out tomorrow for inservice or something so they get to spend the morning together before dad has to go back to Glasgow!

I'm just being bored and lonely as usual. My job sucks. My boss seems to think I'm a complete idiot. One day she's awesome and lets me do pretty much whatever I want. The next day she jumps down my throat for the least little thing. I know we all get in moods (Lord knows I do!) but geez, it's really annoying sometimes. For example, I'm allowed to keep my cell phone on and take calls as long as my work gets done and I don't stay on it all day (usually), but yesterday Aurea's school calls and she yells at me for being on the phone-- this is work! Hello, my daughter comes first and the one time you decide to bitch about the phone it's the school! I didn't say that or anything else actually, I bit my lip instead, but I wanted to say a lot of things!!


Random:
I went to Speedway on my lunch break the other day and saw three ducks waddling across the parking lot. I have no idea, there is no pond (to my knowledge) anywhere on Tates Creek Road, but whatever, it was interesting.

Still trying to find a new job, day care assistance raised my co-pay again and I'm broke-- why do they go by gross income anyhow? And when were these rates set, the 60's?
Ok, I could go on all day about the last one but I have other things to do today...

September 25, 2007 - Tuesday
Thoughts for the day
Received this in an email, but I thought it would be fun to post here:

Things to think about that you probably have never thought about and will never think about again:



Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. . but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If Wiley E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride; he sticks his head out the window?

Do you ever wonder why you gave me your e-mail address in the first place?

Parent Job Description
..>
This was sent to me in an email too, but I thought I'd share, it's funny

PARENT - Job DescriptionThis is hysterical. If it had been presented this way,I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!!

POSITION :Mom , Mom my, Mama, MaDad , Dad dy, Dad a, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :Long term, team players needed, for challengingpermanent work in an often chaotic environment.Candidates must possess excellent communicationand organizational skills and be willing to workvariable hours, which will include evenings and weekendsand frequent 24 hour shifts on-call.Some overnight travel required, including trips toprimitive camping sites on rainy weekends and
endless sports tournaments in far away cities!Travel expenses not reimbursed.Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :For the rest of your life.Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,until someone needs $5.Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack muleand be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flatin case, this time, the screams fromthe backyard are not someone just crying wolf.Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toiletsand stuck zippers.Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars andcoordinate production of multiple homework projects.Must have ability to plan and organize social gatheringsfor clients of all ages and mental outlooks.Must be willing to be indispensable one minute,an embarrassment the next.Must handle assembly and product safety testing of ahalf million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.Must assume final, complete accountability forthe quality of the end product.Responsibilities also include floor maintenance andjanitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :None.Your job is to remain in the same position for years,
without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :None required unfortunately.On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :Get this! You pay them!Offering frequent raises and bonuses.A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 becauseof the assumption that college will help thembecome financially independent.When you die, you give them whatever is left.The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is thatyou actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :While no health or dental insurance, no pension,no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays andno stock options are offered;this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growthand free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know,
in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis,letting them know they are appreciated for the fabulous job they do.........>