truth time

okay, so i've been kind of absent in the posting department. if i weren't filled with the need to be honest, i'd lie and say i've been too, too busy to even think about posting. but honestly, i've got several post drafts sitting in the little mailbox, that i didn't feel were worth posting. this blogging thing is messing with my head. i've actually started thinking when i type instead of just typing. it makes me much more hesitant to put anything out there. aargh.

just as a little something to fill your blog-hopping time while i'm wrestling with my inner demons...T-Dad decided to join the fun and started a blog...you can check it out here: http://www.theatredad.blogspot.com/

Spiderman in a kimono

Making the Blog Rounds

So I followed a link to a new blog today...VeganLinda and I'm adding her to my favorites...I like to make the rounds every couple of days/weeks to all my favorite blogs. Its nice to check-in on my virtual friends and see what they've been up to, whether or not they know me. But I've actually got a few crossovers - real friends that are also virtual friends. Who says technology is anti-social? So back to VeganLinda ...I came across her Mother's Day post -a poem by Billy Collins- that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was going to repost the whole poem here...but hey go check out VeganLinda's blog, who knows you might make a new virtual friend too.

Ear infections

Another boring blog post...
My kids have ear infections. Bug went to Convienient Care in the AM - ear infection in the left ear. MealyWorm had her 2 yr Well Baby visit at 11am. MW just got done on Friday with 10 days worth of Amoxicillian for a double ear infection and I was convinced that it was still there...sure enough. She still has a double ear infection, so now she's on Augmentin for 7 days and Ibuterol syrup for raspy lungs. Poor kid. Other than all that, Mealyworm is right on track for her age and development. Her stats: 34 1/2 inches tall, 28 lbs 9 oz, head circumference of 49 1/2 cm.

I'm stressed out...
Maybe I should list all the things that I'm stressed about....nah, that's too much work.

Random Topics

#1 We got a call from the drs. office regarding Bug's blood tests...apparently he has low ferratin levels (a.k.a. iron) So they recommended the complex, expensive, invasive treatment...add a Flintstone vitamin to his daily diet. Okay, we can do that. T-Dad went out the moment I hung up the phone and got some...well actually he analyzed the children's vitamin options and came home with a huge bottle of chewable vitamins with monster shapes that has 18mg of iron because the Flintstones actually only had 15mg of iron. And he wanted to get the most iron possible into our little Bug. Awww- how sweet. [Then I read him the warning listed on the back of the bottle that says 'excessive amounts of iron have lead to health problems and death in young children'. Sometimes we walk a fine line.]

#2 Yesterday evening was Bug's parent/teacher conference. And we got good reports and are really glad to know he is not on his way to expulsion. :) His teacher actually said that he is "in the middle" when it comes to behavior issues. Which honestly was news to us...the last several months have led us to believe a totally different story, like he was the devil incarnate and the worst child they have EVER had to deal with. Hmm...okay, well then, I guess I'm glad that it wasn't as bad as you lead us to believe. But next time...maybe tell us that from the 'get go' por favor.

#3 Wow. After parent/teacher conferences, I attended another great Mom's meetup last night. I got to see the usual suspects - Ms. Looseyfur, Libbygirl, Ms. Quigs (I like that Quigs, can I borrow it?), Ms. Interrupted, and Ms. Freak - which always means a good time is to be had. And I also got to meet some new friends, some totally cool moms just like me. (And I got to hold a sweet little 5 wk old, who only cried a little.) To be honest, I am always shocked that it is as much fun as it is. I've always been kind of nervous about making friends. In fact, when I went away to college for the first time, I was so scared that I wouldn't have any friends. And then in adulthood, I went through some really lean years. Those after college, but before motherhood, years when you're out of touch with your "old friends" and can't seem to find anyone that fits into your new life. Its weird. But I am so happy to be at this new stage where there are plenty of friends to go around and I'm making new ones all the time. Woo-hoo, another point on the board for motherhood.

#4 I am totally looking forward to the three-day weekend. The only item on the agenda is a Meetup on Saturday with lots of balls in big park behind our house. Should be fun.

Turning Two

Today is Mealyworm's 2nd birthday. Wow. Time flies. She was such an adorable baby with lots of hair. And she was just the right amount of plump and tiny at birth, surprising really because she weighed in at 9 lbs 15 oz. But honestly she didn't look that big, I guess it was proportionate...a little extra here and there and there and there. Such a cutie and tons of dark brown spikey hair. I even had an ultrasound pic where they pointed out how much hair she had! Oh memories...I remember when Bug first met Mealyworm. Looking back, I wish I had made a bigger deal out of it and kicked everybody out of my hospital room except for our little family. So we could have really had sometime together as just us and maybe a photo. But I didn't, so the first pictures we have of Bug and Mealyworm all contain my MIL also in the picture. It was late afternoon, my dad had been watching Bug since we left home about 9 am. Mealyworm was born about 1pm. I was lying in the hospital bed "entertaining" guests, my in-laws, my mom (a.k.a. super coach) and T-Dad. And then the B's came to visit with Bug's favorite friend at the time, CB. And suddenly, the quiet was chaotic and there was no special bonding of the newly expanded Lemonade family.

[As a side note, thinking about the Bug's birth... maybe having my MIL, FIL and t-dad's brother's girlfriend, literally hanging out in the room, throughout the actual birth/long ordeal which ultimately resulted in the Bug entering the world, including my FIL video-ing the worst of it, was not such a charming time together, either. To be honest though, that was the last of my worries.]

But back to sweet, perfectly proportioned Mealyworm...Happy Birthday, Big Girl! Your mama loves you lots.

don't let me choose, choose for me.

so i think i've screwed up again. why did my advisor AND my parents let me get through college with only a BS in Biology? what did they - the wise ones in the real world - think i was ever going to do with that? and then...a year later, how could i manage to do it again...and go through graduate school with just an MLIS and not a MLIS plus Type 10 certification so i could actually work in a public school? aarrgh...i need a life coach, and apparently i needed one way back in 1994 and 1998 too. oh, who am i fooling, i needed one probably when i started high school in 1990. i'll cut myself a little slack for K-8.

peeee-ew

Apparently I forgot to put deodorant on today. I stink.

3-D Sidewalk Chalk

Today we had little birthday "to do" for Mealyworm at the Grandparents (T-Dad's folks) house outside of Springfield, IL. Highlights of the visit:
-I got to sneak out of the house, alone, and go to my #1 favorite Kids Resale shop - Just Kids
-I got read several chapters of Good In Bed (I might actually get this book done in time for book club!)
-Mealyworm got some cute clothes and really great toys including...3-D Sidewalk Chalk (yes, that is true. The creative geniuses at Crayola have put there minds to work on this one- the package comes with 3-D glasses and 6 two-color sticks of chalk...and for some reason, when you wear the 3-D glasses the red chalk appears to be levitating above the other colors. true technology at its finest.)
-I ate 1/2 a BBQ pork sandwich for lunch and a BBQ chicken sandwich for dinner...I guess I'm easing into the vegetarian thing...I don't want to be an inconvenience to people or make my issues something they need to concern themselves with...I guess I'll have to work on that.
-I had to stop and get gas...it was $4.05/gallon. I think we are going to be hanging around CU alot this summer.

4 yr well baby visit

Today Bug had his 4 yr old well-baby check up. Guess what, he's doing great. :)
His stats: 42 inches tall, 42 lbs
Its weird but T-Dad and I like to both go to these well-baby visits. I think we both like to hear the information first hand. :) This time we dropped Mealyworm off at daycare before we went. So it was just the Bug and his "p's" . The doctor ordered some blood test so we can cross off some questions regarding his behavior issues - like iron deficiency, lead, and other stuff I don't remember. He was suppose to get some shots too, but we decided getting blood drawn and shots on the same day might be a bit much. So we just did the blood draw today. Bug did SOOOOO well. He freaked out a little when we first went into the lab, but I distracted him with talking about all the colors and the blood shaker looking like a spaceship and such. And then he just sat on my lap and watched the needle go in and did even cry. We were so proud of him. T-Dad took him to CVS to pick out a toy on his way back to daycare.

Mass produced meats

I read The Jungle (by Upton Sinclair) in high school for fun. For some strange reason I picked it up at the library and actually read the whole book. Too be honest, when it comes to classic literature, I am not well-read. The genres "literature OR historical fiction" literally bore me to tears and put me to sleep, respectively. But something about The Jungle kept me interested, maybe it was the gory details of meat-processing. But an article I read this afternoon (don't click if you're in the middle of a cheeseburger) makes me think of the circumstances in The Jungle as downright 'nice' compared to today. I'm a little past half-way through Omnivore's Dilemma and also Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. And for the first time in my life, I am seriously considering becoming a vegetarian. When I think of the mass-production of beef, chicken and turkey...I can almost smell the manure. The crowded, feces-filled, tiny aluminum buildings these animals live in, by the thousands, sadden me. But am I strong enough to really be a vegetarian? Without a doubt one of my faults is 'lack of discipline'. But honestly, there is a ton I could give up easily, without a second-thought like porkchops, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, steak, most ground beef items. And then there are the few things that I actually crave...baked ham, thanksgiving turkey. And I'm not sure what I think about hamburgers right now. I have always hated "unidentifable" meat and ground beef typically falls into this category. But I eat cheeseburgers happily even though sometimes I come across something I can't quite identify. Hmmm...I think its worth trying...but I'm going to continue to eat fish and shrimp and crab. I need something to look forward to besides vegetables at dinner. :)

MommyFest 2008

MommyFest will be on May 12-16, 2008 and moms all over the net will be blog hopping through other participating mom blogs. We will have a list of participants in a special post in the Mommyfest 2008 blog with Mr. Linky. Moms will have an opportunity to meet, learn a bit more, share and chat with other moms in cyberspace.

What is a party without presents and treats? Well, Mommyfest is giving away fun prizes so make sure to join us for all the fun. A list of prizes will be listed in a special post in the Mommyfest blog. Prize drawing will be open to all participants of Mommyfest.

KangarooBoo.com

Recently I discovered that popular blogs often have contests to promote/support specific causes and online stores. As well as provide some fun competition for their faithful readers. The other day I came across a contest on Chicken and Cheese for the messiest room in your house! Wow, I was so happy to see so many other people had messy houses just like mine! Unfortunately, I missed the deadline on that one, so I couldn't enter. But I didn't miss the deadline on this one...
The Full Mommy is having a contest for two gift certificates to the online toy store KangarooBoo.com. All you have to do is check out their website and post a comment about what toys you liked. :) Cool, I can do that. The toys that I really liked: I love the bib clips - attach a paper napkin and then throw it away! I have a pile of dirty bibs to wash!
And the Swallow Mobile was beautiful for kids or adults. Actually, they had an awesome collection of unique, attractive mobiles. Artsy, not the same old mini stuffed animal crap that they have at every baby store.
And some other favorites: Animal Masks from Morroco and the awesome wooden fire truck complete with not 1, but 2 firemen!
Here's some more information about the store:

KangarooBoo.com offers a wide array of wooden toys, educational toys, battery-free mobiles, and fun & practical products. Their product selections continue to expand literally every day, as well as cool website features (entirely built by Justin).
Grateful for her cancer survival (diagnosed at age 24, merely 10 weeks after their wedding), and mindful of those, especially children, who are still battling or have yet to start the fight, Jennic and Justin hope to help raise funds and awareness for children-related charities through their charity goals and philanthropic efforts. Starting from the first day after opening for business, KangarooBoo.com has donated and will continue to donate a portion of each and every purchase towards the charity of choice of the customer... you pick the charity during the checkout process!

Just Walk Away

So Bug is going through separation anxiety...again. He's four, this shouldn't be happening again and on top of all the other crap I have to deal with but it is. It starts when we begin walking down the hallway to his classroom, he hangs on me. He pulls my pants, my jacket, my shirt, burying his face into me. And then I peel him off of me to hang up his jacket, and I give him a big hug and kiss and tell him I will see in later and that I love him. And have a good day, and go to the window and wave to me when I get outside and all of it falls on deaf ears. He clings to me and cries, "one more hug", "don't leave mommie", etc. I'm filled with mixed emotions and only one option - to walk out the door as quickly as possible and get to work. Don't get me wrong, of course there's a part of me that just wants to scoop him up and take him out for doughnuts at that moment. But there's another part of me that is irritated...stop pulling my shirt, your hand is in my crotch, I've got to go, why do we have to go through this, why is my kid doing this, his little friends look like such good kids - why isn't he?, let go of me! So I walk out and the other mom's dropping off in the hallway look at me and I wonder, do they understand? or do they think my kid is rotten and I'm a terrible mom. But then there's that other part of me that says, free...free at last, no one clinging to me, I'm on my own...for a little while.

A Very Thin, Very Strong Thread

What I feel I have learned as a mother...the list is so long...here's today's topic of choice:

I seriously believe that the "toddler/preschool" age is THE HARDEST PART OF PARENTING (I'm hoping) especially when you've got 2 kids going through it. There is no logic or reasoning with a toddler, they selectively listen, they selectively follow directions, they can do something one day but not 5 min. later, and they don't stay put where you put them (like those cute little babies they once were). They have VERY strong opinions, very loud voices, sharp fingernails, the smelliest poops that never end up in the potty, unending amounts of energy and the ability to grate on every last nerve without even knowing it. I think this time period must miraculously evaporate from parents' minds who have older children. I regularly experience parents of older children, including my own parents and in-laws, looking at me with questioning gazes or moderate annoyance while my child is in the midst of a CODE RED temper tantrum and I am trying every Parents magazine technique for getting a handle on the situation. They seem to forget I'm learning as I go and that I really have no clue how to "make it stop" but I am trying my hardest to raise a good child who feels feel to voice his concerns but also has respect for his elders and isn't spoiled, but doesn't feel restricted or denied, etc. etc. etc. It really is such a thin thread that keeps us, the entire family, from a complete mental breakdown most of the time. But amazingly enough that thin thread must be really, really strong because it hasn't broken yet.

My mom defends Philip Pullman!

My mom and I are both Aries. We are cut from the same cloth in many, many ways. And this, among other things, has caused us to clash regularly and often. But one thing I have been and always will be in awe of is my mom's ability to articulate some deep wisdom. Recently, I got an email from her that included her response to one of her more religiously conservative friend's slam on the upcoming Golden Compass movie. I would include the whole thing her but I'm afraid some Lit student will steal it for an essay, its that good. :) Here's the highlights:

Pullman may indeed be an atheist. His novels, however, while they show organized religion in very negative ways, show that heroism, loyalty, and faithfulness are rewarded. I am not going to rush my little ones to see this movie although I do not think that it would injure them. But when they are old enough to read the books, I'd certainly encourage them to do so. And, we read the Narnia tales until our paperback copies wore out. God's truth is not so weak that it will fall when others speak differently and we can learn things from those other viewpoints.

I'm not sure this little snipet really does her whole argument justice, but it gives you a taste. The discussion reminded me of the quote at the end of Criminal Minds last week:
Fairy tales don't teach children that dragons exist. They already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales teach children that dragons can be slayed. -- G.K.Chesterton

Car Crash - Ouch!

Well T-Dad left for his "boys weekend" on Friday morning. So I was on kid-duty, solo all weekend. I picked the kids up on Friday evening and we went through the Hardees drive-thru for 2 cheeseburgers and an Orange Cream milkshake. Halfway home on Hwy 45, we were just minding our own business, a pick-up truck crashed into the driver's side while we passed the cross street Leverett Rd. We spun around and struck a hwy sign and came to a stop in the ditch. Fortunately, Bug (3 yr) and MealyWorm(1 yr) were buckled into their car seats securely and no one was injured. Milkshake everywhere! Crying kids. Very shaken up Mom. But everything was OK. I talked to the kids and they calmed down, I said "We just got "bumped", but we're okay". Bug was interested when I told him a policeman was going to come check on us. Fortunately, my neighbor happened to be driving by and stopped! He was sooooo wonderful. We got the carseats out of the mangled car and into his van. And he took the kids back to his house to play with his kids. And I stayed to wait for the tow trucks and finish up the police report. The other guys was issued a citation and was totally at fault. The weekend was definately "thrown off" a bit with all that. Fortunately, my awesome neighbors let me borrow their van for the weekend, since I still had no car. (T-Dad wasn't due back until Sunday evening) So the weekend shaped up okay and this morning I got the ball rolling on insurance adjustments, renting a car, etc. What a pain. But thank God, no one was hurt.

Healthy Kids

The kids are back in school today. MealyWorm(1 yr) has been home sick the last 2 days. But yesterday she did a complete turnaround after one of her naps...she woke up happy and active. Today is Wednesday - "Anything Can Happen" Day. From the book Enemy Mine.

Piano is Arriving!

We are getting a piano today! And the kids are both coughing and running a fever! So T-Dad is home with them this morning, awaiting the piano movers. And I will take the afternoon shift. T-Dad's Aunt and Uncle are giving us their piano because they are moving. We struggled with how we were going to get it from their house in the Chicago area to ours. We even rented a U-haul and tried to pick it up a month or so ago, but we weren't prepared for how heavy and delicate a piano is. For some reason we thought he and I would be able to lift it onto a 5x7 trailer (with our 2 toddlers running around) and drive it (45 mph) all the way home. Silly, silly us. So professional movers are delivering it today. I hope for a smooth move. :)

For information on Madeleine McCann

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/Madeleine/

http://gazetadigital.blogspot.com/

http://www.anorak.co.uk/madeleine-mccann/

http://www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/