Another Trip Down E.R. Lane

Life has been crazy as of late!! CRAZY, I tell ya!  The stomach flu is making the rounds through all the kids.  Yesterday, I was washing everything in the house that could go in the washer but, got stopped halfway through because we had to take Eden to the hospital.  We have been trying different treatments for her chronic constipation, lack of eating, digestive issues, etc.  Anyway, she woke up from her nap and had the blackest, stickiest poop I had seen out of 6 kids!  It was really weird.  So I figured I better call in to Dr. Smith's office just to make sure that was in the realm of "normal".  He said that he recommended taking her to the E.R. because sometimes black tarry poop can mean that there could be a bleed in the upper G.I. tract.  I can also mean that she's been cleaned out, also the miralax she has been taking on and off.
 So, once again Grandma's came to the rescue and took the boys so we could run Eden to the ER in Quincy.  We were there for about 5 hours!  They did an X-ray though (which put my mind at ease!) and Eden pooped 5 more times while we were there.  She also ran around the ER waiting room like a little tank engine at full speed! lol! 
The verdict is that we have to get her on a poop schedule, meaning every day at the same time "making" her go.  It should be a very fun process and I am super excited to do it!  We also discovered that she has the stomach flu as she puked while we were there too.  Super! 
This morning Cedric was puking and didn't go to school.  He won't eat anything.  I hate it when my kids are sick.  I feel so badly for them. 
Today, I will finish washing up all the laundry and linens, make a trillion beds, spray the beds, the air, the doorknobs, scrub every surface down and open the windows! 
Today's positive affirmation:  I am a super mom!  I can get the things done I need to get done and smile while I'm doing it!  I LOVE serving my family! 

Happy Valentine's Day

This picture frightens me........booooo-whahahahaha......think Dracula!! 

What is going on with their faces??

The Title Is Vomit

This past Saturday Jeremy wanted to take the kids to see the Star Wars movie in 3D at the movie theater.  He was going to meet up with his best friend, Chris Hutson, and all go together.  So, it was me,Jeremy and the 4 oldest off to the theater.  We went to Burlington.  On the way there, I decided that I really was not in the mood to sit and that I would go get some errands ran in Burlington while they were in the theater (since we hardly ever get to Burlington anymore.)  I went with them all into the theater so we could get snacks and bathroom breaks and seats done.  Then I left. Everything was fine.
I stopped at Claire's in them all real quick to snag a cute pair of earrings I saw in the window then went to the car.  I had pulled out of the mall parking lot and was just passing Walmart when Jeremy called and said that Asher had puked all over everything!  He got it all over himself, the seat, the floor, the aisle , the hallway, and the bathroom.....and Jeremy.   I quickly pulled into Kohl's to get some clothes real quick for Asher.  Wouldn't you know it, Kohl's had nothing in Asher's size.  Literally nothing!!  What the heck?!?!  So, I just grabbed some stuff on clearance that might fit somebody and left.  Drove back to the theater.  Went into the boy's bathroom to help clean both people up.  Got Asher in some clothes that didn't fit.  Realized then that he didn't have a coat that he could wear....so he got mine.  And it was one of the few REALLY cold days that we have had this winter. *SIGH*
Anyway, I got Asher in the car, drove him all the way back to Nauvoo to Grandma Kelley's house, then drove all the way back to Burlington.  I walked into the mall and the movie was just getting out.  So, a big pointless outing for me!  The other boys really enjoyed it though!!  We don't typically keep soda in the house and if we do, we don't give the kids much caffeine (like they don't have enough energy already!) and so, they were WIRED on the caffeinated soda from the theater....AGH!  Hyper little munchkins!

So, last night Cullen came to our bedroom door at 3:00am crying.  We got up and realized that he had thrown up all over in his bed! Good grief!!  So, I cleaned Cully up, Jeremy changed all the bed linens and we stuck him back in bed.  Eden was wide awake then.  Perfect.  The other boys were stirring from all the racket Eden was making.  Then after we got the big boys off to school, Cullen came to me at my desk and puked in my lap!!  I'm seriously sick of the vomit! 

I took Eden to the doctor yesterday.  She is having constipation problems of epic proportions!  Joy.  My regular doctor wasn't in so I saw the nurse practitioner.

Well Cullen just threw up all over the big couch.  Twice.  Poor kid.  Poor me.

Blowing Things Up

Today I will NOT change out of my pajamas.  No sir.  I will wear them all day long.  You know why?  Because I can.
I waited all those years as a kid to finally have control over my life and guess what?  Today I want to wear my pajamas all day.  

I have realized over the past month, that I am not doing the things as an adult that I said I would.  Dang it, I'm gonna live the dream.  And today the dream is wearing pajamas all day. 

This applies to other stuff too.  I swore that I would never live in this area as an adult or raise my children here.  I said that I was going to be a fun mom.  I said that I was going to travel the world and show my kids all it had to offer.  I said that I was going to dress how I feel every single day.  I said that I was never going to take no for an answer.  

I may be having a mild mid life crisis! LOL! It's okay though because these type of events or realizations put a fire under your butt and get you to shift gears.  That's what I'm gonna do.  

On another note.  This week we have been studying volcanoes for homeschool.  We have built our volcano and will erupt it today.  I'm sure it will be epic....er, at least mildly entertaining.  All of the spelling words for the week have come from our volcanic study.  That kid of mine (Tristan) has the biggest vocabulary of any kid his age that I have ever come across.  For reals.  

Okay,another side note here:  The other night I was watching the move "The Aviator".  (A film from 2005ish that Martin Scorcese directed...it's about the life of Howard Hughes)  Anyway, I had seen it a few times before but, Tristan hadn't.
At one point, Howard Hughes was going to test a new airplane he had built....they showed him on the runway and the little red wind sock thing was hanging down with no wind.  Tristan then turns to me and tells me the dangers of taking off without a headwind and what you would need to do if you were flying a plane with no head wind.  He seemed to know what he was talking about and talked to me about it for 4 or 5 minutes, using all kinds of terms I wouldn't expect an adult (much less a child his age) to know.
So the next day I was watching another show on aviation and they were saying all the things that Tristan had told me the night before and he was right!!  He had learned it all when he had done a report on Amelia Earhart two years ago!  This kid blows my mind!  

Tag Reader

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile now.  Liam got the Tag Reader for Christmas in 2010.  He got the reader and two books (Scooby-Doo and Star Wars).  Basically I love anything that Leap Frog makes and this is no exception.  They all love it and it really works!  There are three different functions that you can use the reader in.  

Option one is to have the reader read the whole book to you.  It tells you when you turn the page and uses different voices for all the characters and is really great.  Kinda like the old tapes that you could listen to your stories on! ha! 

Option two is that the child can pass the reader over each word and the reader will read it to the child.  Great for kids learning to read.  They can get help with the words they don't know without interrupting their reading "flow".  

Option three is doing the games on each page.  There are little games associated with each page focusing on different things.  Once you pass each game the reader will then notify you that you have rewards online.  You log on and can print different little things that they earn.  Some are for the kids to use (like a doorknob hanger for their bedroom) and some are certificates.  Either way, Liam loves both!  

So, the moral of the story is the tag reader is well worth the money.  Not only does Liam love it but it will come in handy with Asher, Cullen, and Eden!  Love that! 

Annoyed With Blogger

I had already posted about my hair and Cullen's new bed but blogger decided to delete it for some stupid reason.  I had already posted it!!  How the freak????  AGH!  I hate that.  I don't want to type it all again.
So here is the short version.  New toddler bed for Cullen. Works good. Jeremy thinks I made the room that Eden and Cullen share too girly. (It might be but I can't flippin help it!) I colored my hair.  Then End.  Dang it, the first post was better.  And longer. 

Lego Book

I have been working on this since Christmas.  To say that my boys LOVE legos is an understatement.  They have millions.  Possibly billions.  Anyway, I got them a lego station for Christmas.  I got some nice little wheelie drawer cabinet things for them to keep in their rooms.  I was going to put the two cabinet thingies together with a board on top for them to build on but they seem to like them being mobile.  Another part of the project was to organize their lego instruction books because they usually put the legos together once and then lose/ruin the instructions.  I decided to get some flexible binder and laminate all the instructions.  That way they can build their stuff again and again.  Now, most of the time they like building their own original creations (which is super!) but, they have the option now to build their other stuff too.  The lego instructions come in varying sizes according to what "size" of lego you bought so some are half page and some are full page.  Some don't fit in the binder at all and so I put those ones on single metal rings that they kids can then hang on a hook on their wall. 

Pics and Eden's First E.R. Visit

 Cullen's little black eye he got when he hit his eye on the futon or something at Grandma's house.  Poor guy....and still smiling! 

 Tristan is such a great big brother to Eden!  They all are really...they love their baby sister.  

 Cedric and Eden watching tv together.  Aren't they cute??

Yesterday I went with Debbie and Trisha to Ivy Bake Shoppe for lunch and then tagged along while they got their hair cut at Amy's Cutting Edge in Ft. Madison.  She (Amy Lauber, Jeremy's cousin) has a new salon there and it's really cute!  Anyway, we were walking down the sidewalk, Eden wanted to walk all by herself.  She was doing so good until....she tripped on something and knocked her little nose and mouth on the cement and got a big, bloody, fat lip.
Then I came home and got all the kids home .....Jeremy had just walked in the door from work when Eden decided to dive off the ledge on our steps.  It's dangerous and we know it.  Just two days ago I blogged about those dumb radiators still being there too! ugh!  Anyway, she dove over head first and cut her head open!  Being an EMT does nothing for you when it is your own children.  I can't even think! We did realize that our family crisis response time needs to speed up.  We had to load everyone into the van, while Jeremy is holding a bleeding, screaming Eden.  The boys were freaked out.  Asher wasn't even wearing pants!  I dropped Jeremy off at the hospital with Eden, Liam, and Tristan (I found out when I went back, that he wasn't wearing any shoes!!), drove back home and got all the important information, drove back and then traded with Jeremy.  I stayed at the hospital with Eden.  He took the boys and ordered Casey's pizza since I obviously wasn't cooking.  She was a real trooper.  They glued her head back together.  I thought for sure she would need stitches.  It's only about an inch or an inch and a half long but it was deep.  And I was worried that she fell head first onto an metal radiator but they didn't even scan her head.  I think she is fine but she was up and down all night long.  Poor baby.  She keeps messing with her head and lip.  I know they bother her.  She also scraped up her face some more.  AGh.  This is stressful stuff.

Not-So-Rock-Candy

Tristan and I have attempted to make home made rock candy twice now.  I have wasted three bags of sugar.  The first batch didn't turn out because I didn't let the sugar mixture cool for 10 minutes first before putting the bamboo sticks in it.  It melted all the sugar off the stick that the crystals were supposed to cling to.  The second time, I did everything exactly by the directions and even made four jars of stuff and NOTHING has happened!  I can't figure it out.  We made cherry, banana, peach, and butterscotch.  I imagine they would have tasted pretty tasty if the darn things would ever turn out! 

My First Arbonne Anniversary!

Hi Peeps!  This February is my Arbonne Anniversary Month!!
 I'm so excited to be offering a TON of GREAT DEALS and REWARDS for being such great a great support for my first year in business with Arbonne!! 
Also this month I am in qualifications to hit the next management level!! 
I'm stoked!! 

For all my Preferred Clients (PC's)
A free $25 voucher towards the purchase of anything you want in the month of February only!!



For anyone that is not signed up as a PC yet
Sign up is easy peasy.  It's similar to a Sam's Club membership.  You sign up for $29 which will get you these perks:

• 20% off for the next year
• FREE single item up to $100 value with a $150 purchase (plus you get 20% off of this order)
• Shop the entire catalog at 40% off in February (after initial $150 order at 20% off)
  

Also, when you sign up in my anniversary month I will give you the free $25 voucher towards the purchase of anything you want in the month of February!!



This month only---Buy any skin care set (RE9 advanced, FC5, or Clear Advantage) Get your choice of any foundation for only $15!!!
Fit Kits on sale at 35% off!!  Normally $276...now only 169.40!!

Been wanting to try the Arbonne cosmetic line??  It features opti-light technology and is ANTI-AGING!! Honestly the BEST makeup I have ever tried!! Purchase any two cosmetics, get a FREE eyeshadow!!

And it doesn't stop there!!!!
Book a party in February get these awesome rewards!!

• $20 gift card to Kohl's
• Hostess gift from me when you have your party
  
• Arbonne rewards (up to 80 % off and free items too!)
• Fun night with friends relaxing with foot spas, facials, or trying our fabulous health and wellness products!

Parties are very easy. Just get yourself and 3-5 friends and I will do the rest!  We can do tons of different "themed parties"  such as"
chicks and chocolate
skinny jeans party
masks and margaritas
pamper me
makeup madness
and many more!  Just let me know!!

Keep watching for other great deals this month!!! I want to hit Manager!!

Have you ever thought about joining Arbonne?  Ask me for more info, I would love to take you to the top with me!!

Thanks again, everyone!!!

Need a catalog...call or text me 309.337.7679
OR log on to
www.arbonne.com

There will be a $4 shipping charge per order and tax is figured on the full amount at 6.25%

Post

****I just sat down at the computer and found the following post on my screen.  I guess I got interrupted and never did end up posting it.  lol!****


Seriously, I think I deserve some kind of medal.  I just endured the WORST and LONGEST tantrum thrown in the HISTORY OF MANKIND!  No joke.  And to come from Cullen?? Weird. And all over Buzz and Woody or Wall-E. Pretty sure that if I wasn't deaf before (which I was) that I am for sure now.  He made the inside of my ears rattle around!  For reals.  The thing is, I couldn't even really scold him because the poor kid looked as confused as to why he's doing it, as I was. 

Okay, so I typed that last paragraph at 9:52 am, it is now 4:00pm.  That child didn't stop his insanity until after noon!!  I pretty sure this ringing in my ears right now is the aftermath of the shrill screech he would emit every 2.5 seconds!  He is now passed out on the couch.

Today was a bad diet day.  I have stopped any progress forward.  It has been a conscious decision because I hate January and food makes me feel better, lol!  (I know, I'm weird, it's okay though)  So today is February 1 and I don't know what to do with myself because I'm still acting like it's January but now it's not.  Okay, so to get me out of my January slump, I am going to do something fun in February on my blog!  YAY!  Now, what should I do that is fun?  Hmmm, I don't know, I will let everyone know tomorrow. Oh, the excitement builds, I can just feel it!

Eden's favorite word of the week is, nose.  She loves to point to mommy's nose, then her nose, then clap and say yay!  Another quirky little thing she does.....whenever I am baking or cooking in the kitchen, if I say hot, she will toddle her way over to the towel drawer and pull me out a hot pad while saying, "hot, hot."  Cute stuff.  I need to get some video of her before this precious time is gone.  She is my baby and there will be no more after her.  It's kind of like the end of an era!  Dramatic, but true!  Now, I have to wait for grandkids.  It's exciting too though as I feel like I have graduated onto some higher level of adulthood now!

So, this morning "someone" (pretty sure it was Liam) snapped one of our kitchen cabinet doors in half!  What the???  How is that even possible.  It didn't come off on the hinges, no, that would be too easy.  He somehow managed to break it in half vertically to the left of middle.  I really don't think wood glue is going to work.  And we have already looked into just buying doors (or drawers) because someone (maybe it was Liam) snapped the front off one of the drawers in much the same fashion.  No one sells just the doors or the drawers.  Curse it anyway.  So, we have to price all new cabinets for the bottom half of the kitchen anyway.  It looks ridiculous in the the mean time.  By the time we are done, we will have replaced every single thing in this house and then we will sell it to some family that can fit into it and they will love it because everything will be brand new.  
I don't think that I ever followed up on our new furnace and duct work.  It was so exciting to walk into that old basement and see a shiny new furnace!! And what was even more exciting was the new vents in the floor!! lol!  That means we can get rid of these pesky radiators and wall thingies.  We just need someone to get them out.  We have heard it is a pain in the butt but those things are worth money because of the copper in them??? Not for sure how much.   Anyway, we didn't get the duct work to the upstairs done until spring.  Floyd Duffy (Duffy Ducts) said he usually does AC in the spring so that's when we will do the upstairs.  That is also when we get to knock a wall out.  Sweet.  Now, if everything goes as planned it will be a miracle! lol!  Home improvement always seems to have some kinks along the way.