Ozzy Update

Ozzy is feeling better. He has started to want to play again, and can bark without coughing. I am so glad and I think that if he was going to have a problem, it would have happened by now. He goes for another test in 2 weeks, then another 4 weeks after that. If both those tests are negative, we will resume HeartGard and be considered heart worm free. Thanks to everyone who thought of us and prayed for Ozzy. I felt silly asking for doggy prayers, but St. Francis himself showed us that to care for God's creatures touches God.......

I'm Baaackkk!

I am home but had a chance to post. Yesterday I had a job interview (first one in 10 years). It went well and I've got a pretty good shot at it. Helen passed her karate test (I was surprised since she hasn't been to class in 2 weeks and hasn't practiced either). The school is adjusting its curriculum, so she got 3 stripes this month and will get her blue belt early (August instead of October). As I said, she really didn't work this month and it probably sent her the wrong message to receive all those stripes this month. At her school, the stripes on the belt are part of rank.

I will post more later, as I need to get myself outside and get the last of my junk out of David's car.

Gettin' ready

Here we go- again. I am packing today. I was going to the river to swim again, but I think I will stay close to home (and Ozzy, who is at the vets receiving the first treatment for heart worms today). Maybe we'll go to the park later since it is supposed to be cooler today. Can't play X-Box ALL day.......

So I need to make yet another list of stuff to do, clean bedrooms and pack clothes, in addition to cleaning out my car for David. It is full of cookie crumbs, toys and dog fur. I do try very hard to keep my car presentable, but darn it's hard. And the back windows are covered in something- I think Helen licks the windows. And under Zachary's car seat is enough crumbs to keep an army of ants alive four months. So we have to visit the car wash today, too.

Yeah, maybe skipping the swim is a good idea. The river is about 20 miles away, so it's not like I can just drop in for a an hour and come home- I usually stay all day.

Perfect Packing Plan

This is based on FlyLady.

For each child for one week:

3 pairs pjs

7 pairs underwear (plus "pullups" if needed)

5 play outfits

3 "nice" outfits

2 bathing suits

1 pair of sneakers, one pair of "nice" shoes

(they wear crocs in the car because I am NOT putting on 2 pairs of shoes for every stop, lol)

I typically take the number of days away and add one "extra". SO for a weekend, I'd take 2 pairs of pjs, 3 pairs undies, etc. I follow a similar plan for myself. It seems kinda lame now in print, but as I said it works for me. I usually don't have leftover "clean" clothing. Traveling alone with the kids is very different from traveling with Dad. When I go with just the kids, I take a picnic lunch, snacks and drinks. We stop at a rest area to eat and always stop at South of the Border on the way to GA. We drive about 6 hours the first day and then stop for the night. We go swimming, eat dinner and hang out in the room. They like to buy a soda from the vending machine (indeed a novelty) and then fight over who sleeps with me. (truthfully I cannot sleep with Helen, so I usually move after she goes to sleep and then tell her I was cold or something- does that make me a bad mom?).

Just another stop at home

We returned from camping yesterday and met up with the in laws for David's brother's 40th birthday. I had the best shrimp (yes, not very vegetarian of me, but I just cannot give up some things- coffee, candy, shrimp and eggs are too difficult.

Now I have 2 days to get laundry done, deal with the dog and clean my house before I pack up to go to Georgia for the remainder of he month. Why did I think that traveling for an entire month was a good idea? We will have 4 weeks after we return before school starts back and I do hope it is relaxing....... Yeah, right- have you MET my kids- no relaxing there. They always want to GO GO GO........

Any way, over the years I have developed a perfect packing plan and it has never let me down. I will share it with you in a later post.

Is it really back to school?

Well, Target is already putting out their wares, and I am making my lists. Since I've got 2 this year, I am spreading out the spending and starting early. I just ordered Zachary's lunchbox. Helen already has a pink one just like it. I just get the bento box, not the carrier. It proved too small to carry snack and drink plus the lunchbox. I went with a softsided cooler type bag for holding it all. The Laptop Lunch system was pricey ($20), but if you consider that Helen has been using hers for 3 years now and I didn't have to buy a lunchbox ($12), plus inside containers ($5+), plus ziploc bags ($2.50 for 50), etc, it has proven cost effective in the long run.

Next week we'll go to Stride Rite and get these lovely school shoes.
Helen hates these things. Can't say I blame her- they aren't very feminine. Zachary already has pants, shorts and two shirts. We still need:
3 jumpers (if hers don't still fit)
3 blouses (I'll get long sleeved later)
1 gym uniform
2 short sleeved white polos (will need long sleeved later, along with some button-down oxfords)
2 ties
1 belt

And then there are the school supplies- what is a "flexible binder" any way?

Clean clothes, doctor's visit and camping

The washer turned out to be a minor problem. The hose connecting the little bleach cup to the washer had come undone. The Big Strong Man fixed it and now I'm rockin' the laundry. Yeah. Now I guess he expects gratitude......

Helen goes to the doctor for her overdue well child visit (it is July and her bday is in May). I just dread going because of the whole growth chart. She has been consistently off the chart since she was 3. The curve has remained the same for 5 years, so I think it is just the way she is built. She could get more exercise and eat healthier, but so can most skinny kids I know. Overall she is healthier in most respects than our toothpick neighbor who eats pizza, fruit snacks and Burger King daily. It is sad that I stress so much about the weight of an 8 year old, as if lifetime of worry about my own hasn't been burden enough. I am pretty much sick of it and wish I didn't have to think about it ever again. But that isn't going to happen, is it? UPDATE- Dr. visit went well. She got 1 shot and barely flinched (better than the time it took 5 nurses to hold her down for an allergy test and blood draw). She is tall and heavy, but he said her weight gain has been consistent for years and is just how she grows. Make sure she exercises and makes healthy choices, etc. Not as bad as I was thinking it would be.

Lastly, we are getting ready to go camping. Yep, one day at home and it is spent getting ready to do the next thing. Fun. I love camping, though, so it will be nice. Just the packing and organizing part that is work.

Home Crap Home

We're back and I am tired. My washing machine is tired, too. I went to start all the laundry and as I am loading clothes, my feet are gettin' wet. I am standing in a puddle. Great. Flat tires, dented car, sick dog, broken washer........ Any clue what a broken washer means to a SAHM? Here is a f;ash back to the SAT's fer ya:

washer:SAHM::truck:trucker::pen:writer::money:banker::taxi:driver::script:actor

Does that clarify it? I do at least 2 loads daily. Help me.

Happy Fourth of July!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Goin' on Vacay

We're leavin' in the am; destination Greenville, Maine. We'll be there for the fourth and will no doubt be takin' a ride in the boat to your left. We'll be back around next Wednesday. Then we go camping on Friday. Ozzy is supposed to have his procedure on Tuesday/Wednesday of that week. Then I leave for GA on the next Wednesday, which will give Ozzy 10 kid free days to rest. After that we're home until school starts and then I need to find something that pays me to do something.

heartworms=heartbreak

Ozzy has heartworms. I wasn't going to test him, but I did so that I could get him back on HeartGard. I'm glad I did. He is not showing any clinical signs yet, but I did have another test run to confirm the result and will have an answer tomorrow. The false positive for this test is rare, so it looks like we have to come up with a treatment plan. $887 was the estimate (high end, so chances of it being more is slim). I am sick about this. It feels like I have let him down. HE is my fur child and I am supposed to protect him. I would have never let Helen and Zachary go without a vaccine, why did I let the HeartGard lapse? TO save a couple of dollars? I am so mad at myself right now and so upset for the kids, especially Helen. She wanted a dog for so long and she loves Ozzy so much. He is such a wonderful and beautiful dog. I love him and so does everyone who comes around him. So, if you have a dog and you really care, get the heartworm treatment. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and left untreated, the heart is pretty much destroyed. Heart failure is likely. I am guessing at this point we have to decide if we can afford to treat him or if we have to have him put down.. I know that it would have to be soon- I can't watch him suffer and then have him put down. We just don't have all the money in the world and what if it doesn't work? Treatment can also fail and has its own risks. Arsenic is used to kill the adult worms and can have side effects on the dog. I am so very upset right now.

My child is strange some days

I've had a lot of posts about Zachy lately, but none about Bean. Ever since the Big Storm That Blew Our Roof and Tree Down, she feels the need to check the weather several times a day. The Yahoo Weather site is on her faves list, right under Webkinz. Now we have a new phobia. Last night she stayed up too late watching Verminators on the Discovery channel. When I put her to bed, she quietly asked when was the last time I changed her sheets (yesterday) and then picked up her toys. Later she got up and asked me if that noise was Zachary hitting his wall or did we have rats in the attic. OK, so I guess no more Verminator for you. Her other favorite shows are Clean House on the Style channel And Jon & Kate Plus 8. I find it strange that she enjoys shows about clearing clutter, pest infestation and a super control freak with 8 children (no offense Kate, I think you rock and I'm a control freak with 1/4 as many kids as you).

On another note, we are going to see the Kit movie tomorrow night with our friends, Erin and Emily. I'm more excited than Helen! Z is staying at Grandma's because he talks too much at movies and he won't like this girl fest any way!

I cannot believe this

Dad took Zachary for his hair cut. I kinda thought this would happen, but I am in shock still. I am going to visit MY family in a few weeks- how fast does hair grow? At least he can't have it after August 25- school doesn't allow Mohawks. And, yes, it is green- his favorite color.

I should be OK with this, but I'm not yet.