Scholastic Mini Mission September Pt One

Have you heard of Scholastic Mini Missions?  JT brought home a paper in his backpack this week inviting us to participate and earn free Scholastic books and the chance for bigger prizes for teachers and schools.  Did you know I love free books?  The flyer was very vague on exactly what a "mini mission" consisted of, though, so I was skeptical about it.  But, after reading around on the website for a bit, I thought this was something we might be able to pull off...at least for one month.  I see this as a win-win: free books and fuel for the blog.

So, the September mission is to head outdoors on four occasions.  We are not fans of the outdoors.  Well, I am not a fan of the outdoors.  The kids actually really like to be outside, but lately they return covered in mosquito bites and that's not a good thing. 

I registered for the website and found a nature inspired scavenger hunt online (The Taylor House).  Then we headed outside.  Normally, my kids love being outside, but yesterday there was a little grumbling and complaining.  But, I was persistent and once we got busy finding items on the list the kids were full speed ahead.  Maybe it was just a new concept for them, this was our first scavenger hunt.  We skipped half of the list, I really wanted to avoid mosquito bites, but for kids my age, eight items seemed like a good stopping point. 

Here's my mission submission:

For our first mission, since we chose to accept it, we had a nature inspired scavenger hunt!  A quick Internet search and we had a list of items to search for and were headed out the door!  We did have to cut our search a little short and skipped several items on our list.  I opted to take a photo of the items rather than have the kids actually collect them and bring them inside.  My favorite item on their search list?  Something you think is beautiful!

 

I had just a little trouble getting everything uploaded to the website.  I'm pretty sure my photo collage was too big and once I chose a smaller photo, it seemed to upload okay.  It was slow, but that's probably my computer.  Next time I'll try saving a version of the photo at a lower resolution and see how it goes.  We're only three outdoor activities away from our first free book!

Kids Say...

JT built a time machine this afternoon and is currently accepting passengers.  He came to me, happy as a clam, after he put it together to ask me what "that thing" is called.  He gave me a description that went something like, "that thing that takes you to different worlds."  I'm sure I gave him a strange look.  But, after falling short with vortex and space ship I was able to think of time machine!  The time machine was made from the pieces of a happy meal toy he got from the treasure box at therapy last week and might have measured a whopping four inches by four inches.  Not sure who he thought he could fit in there, but he and Patty had a blast running away from the dinosaurs while they were in dinosaur world!

I Smell a Baby

We got to spend some quality time with my cousin's boys yesterday.  Her boys are 7, 3, and almost 4 months.  I always say the best way to quash any inkling that you want a new baby is to borrow one for a few hours.  Boy, am I glad I don't have a new baby to deal with!

After laying down the ground rules with the older boys (no running, no fighting, no wrestling) they were no bother for the rest of the day.  Oh, and having a few Kindles laying around is a really good way to occupy kids!  On the other hand, the littlest guy was a bit grumpy and I quickly decided he must be spoiled to being held all day long.  I mean, that was the only thing that made him happy.  I wondered how on earth my cousin gets anything done at home.  I gave her Girl Scout cookies for her birthday, now I'm thinking I should have given her ear plugs!

Really, though, it was a nice day spent with family.  I do believe the little guy had an upset tummy which made him cranky.  I told his dad I think he's ready for some baby food; he'll be four months old next week.  Hungry babies are not happy babies!  His mood brightened though, after a few bottles and a few nice long naps.

The funny thing is, after the kids went home, I could still smell that baby.  Baby spit up, I mean.  I'm sure my kids reeked of the stuff, too, but I just don't remember!  I guess we get immune to the smell since we are drowning in it 24/7 while our kids are taking a bottle.  And now, since it's been a lot of years since our baby formula days, I can smell those little drops of spit up lingering in the blanket I used to cover the floor.

Stinky or not, it was a fun day.  Patty packed up and went to Grammie's for a sleep over, so I don't know if she was dog tired or not.  But, JT and I were both ready for bed.  I think I could have turned in at six o'clock!  JT doesn't want to go to bed alone, so he just got more cranky the longer the night became.  I think he was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Thumbs Down: Cartoon Character Clothing

Here's a little peek into my psyche for you....I don't usually buy cartoon character clothing for the kids.  This practice began shortly after Patty was born.  It didn't take long to realize those clothes are usually more expensive than a regular shirt and I guess I just stopped looking at them as an option.  Fast forward almost seven years to a little boy who has become very insistent about what clothes he will and won't wear. 

Nothing orange or yellow or green.  Absolutely no short pants (his name for shorts).    Do you know how hard it is to find non-jean pants in the summer?!  And guess what his absolute favorite t-shirt choice is....Iron Man.  And no he will not wear that really cute Captain America shirt I picked out for him.  This has become a little bit of a shopping for clothes problem.  I was lucky enough to find stretchy material pants at the PX so he can have more than two pair of pants to choose from.  But, there are only so many Iron Man shirts to be found!  So far, he has a red one (his favorite) and a blue one.  I've started ordering back-to-school wear and it just nearly killed me to order that other red Iron Man shirt from Children's Place when it cost twice as much as the regular graphic tees!

We took the kids to watch Iron Man 3 on Saturday as a "your face is healing well" reward.  All of the glue finally flaked off JT's scar and we decided it was indeed time to celebrate.  He'd been through a lot with the freak accident and then the colitis, so I really felt like he had earned a day out.

The kids were really good considering you have to sit for two hours.  I like all things Robert Downey Jr, so the movie didn't disappoint.  Patty was pretty squirmy, obviously she's not a big fan of RDJr, and she eventually fell asleep in my lap...which nearly put my arm to sleep!  And, of course, JT liked all the action packed moments.  It was a fun family experience that I don't plan on repeating anytime soon!

Only somewhat unrelated....who do you think is the better Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr or Johnny Lee Miller?  The movies have been great, love Jude Law as Watson, but I really think I enjoy the weekly TV show more.  My vote goes to Johnny Lee Miller.

Augmentin leads to Colitis

After his surgery, JT was given a week's worth of Augmentin to combat infection.  The antibiotic came with a stern warning that if any tummy troubles emerged, we should get to the ER STAT.  We made that trip to the ER a week and a day after his freak accident.  Initially we were reassured that it was more than likely a virus and sent home.  But, since the tummy troubles persisted for more than four days, we headed to the walk-in clinic. 

We left the doctor's office with a lab slip for a stool sample.  Let me just say, collecting and bottling a stool sample is a very disgusting experience.  But, it was necessary and it turns out that JT did indeed have colitis due to the Augmentin.

Colitis is basically the destruction of good bacteria in your intestine.  Once the good bacteria is gone, the bad bacteria goes crazy and causes lots and lots of tummy trouble.  Unfortunately the treatment for this is a drug called Flaggyl which doesn't come in liquid form.  A local pharmacy was able to take the pill and turn it into a liquid but the medicine is super duper yucky.  Combine that with a kid who hates to take any medicine that isn't the bubblegum-riffic Amoxicillin and you have a problem on your hands.  Don't think I'm above bribery/threats to get my kids to take their medicine!  And thankfully the dose is about a half teaspoon, which really isn't much.

JT never had the "bloody stool" the surgeon had warned us about, but thankfully the ER doctor instructed us to followup with his regular doctor if things didn't improve.  If you or someone you know has to take a strong antibiotic, you might want to keep in mind that colitis can strike without the tell-tale bloody stool.  If you develop tummy troubles and your doctor doesn't order it, request a stool sample to check for colitis.

When Your Child Is Injured

I have a challenge for you.  I want you to think about all the things in your home that could possibly cause injury to your child.  Make a mental list....scissors, coffee table, knives.

Did anyone put storm door latch on your list?  Probably not.  I would never have put it on my list, either.  That's a photo of the latch on our storm door right before my husband removed it.  He removed it because of the freak accident it caused a week and a half ago.

You see, we were having a pretty ordinary Wednesday afternoon.  Then, it feels like all hell broke loose. 

Somehow, as JT was running out the back door, the latch got caught in his mouth and caused about an inch long tear through the corner of his mouth and cheek.  I heard him crying, then I got to the kitchen and saw blood in the floor and thought, "Oh, he's bloodied his nose."  Then I got outside and saw his face and just absolutely freaked out. 

Thankfully, Casey happened to be home that afternoon and was standing in the middle of the driveway talking on his phone.  JT is a bit dramatic when he's injured, so Casey didn't think anything of the crying until I screamed like a crazy person.  I do remember screaming for him, and then just repeating hospital, hospital, hospital.  I was in full panic mode.  Literally, it felt like I was trying to run and my feet wouldn't move.  At that moment, I couldn't remember where Patty was; if she was inside or outside of the house.  Luckily, Casey is a better reactor than I am; thank you combat life saver training.  He very calmly asked for a towel, I ran back into the house, grabbed a handful of paper towels, and my mom who happened to be at the house went for a towel.  Then I managed to get car keys and phone while she and Casey guided JT to the car.  It was quickly decided that I would sit in the back and apply pressure while Casey drove like a bat-out-of-hell to the ER.

That was the longest car ride of my life.  We live about twenty-five minutes from the hospital, I don't know how long it took us that afternoon.  But, we by-passed a line of cars at a stop light, and got pulled over for speeding.  It definitely made me rethink waiting for an ambulance.  But, as we got on the parkway, I am pretty sure JT was trying to pass out, so I'm glad we were on the way to the hospital.  I don't think I could have held it together if we'd had to wait at our house.  I can remember climbing into the back seat and JT asking for a band aid.  Honestly, he was calm as can be considering the pain he had to be in.  I felt like I was falling apart.

The hospital was phenomenal.  My hands were covered in blood and the security guard filled out that first little piece of paper for us.  Before she had it completed, there was a nurse checking his injury and telling us we were heading strait back to an exam room.  Within minutes, a doctor was there looking at the damage.  I will never ever complain about emergency rooms, because those folks were super heroes.

The plastic surgeon was paged and JT dozed off as we waited.  Then, just before the doctor arrived, JT's head rolled to the left and blood ran out of his mouth.  Like, a lot of blood.  I didn't know it until the plastic surgeon arrived minutes later to check the wound, but the artery in his cheek had been severed.  Have you ever seen an artery spraying blood?  It's not something you want to see coming out of your child.  It was like something out of a horror movie.  Seriously.

I always knew there would come a time when one of the kids would need stitches.  But, I was not prepared when the doctor said anesthesia and surgery in the same sentence.  Our freak accident went from OMG to Holy Shit in a matter of seconds.  Just the thought of having JT taken away from my side, no matter how necessary, absolutely scared me to death.  Still scares me to death.

Then, the real work began.  The completely wonderful anesthesia team came and scared JT to pieces.  He was bleeding and I was trying to hold the gauze to his mouth.  I honest to goodness felt like I was going to pass out.  After much crying and fear, the anesthesia team called me out to the hall and basically said, we're going to go in, hold him down and give him a shot in his leg, it'll zone him out and we'll take him back to surgery.  And that's exactly what they did.

And then the really hard part began.  The waiting.  It was horrible.

I'm not sure exactly how long he was in surgery.  It felt like a thousand days.  But, finally the doctor was finished and we were called back to speak with him.  That's when the seriousness of the accident really emerged.  It's not good when the doctor refers to it as a freak accident and says that a dog bite would have been preferable.  The rip tore through his muscle, the one you use to pucker your lips, the nerve, and the artery.  The doctor said he took his time so the scar would be less, but that if the lips didn't match back together perfectly, JT would be facing reconstructive surgery.  There was mention of permanent muscle and nerve damage.  It was a pretty scary conversation.  Scariest conversation of my life.

And then there was more waiting.  Surgery was over, but we still had anesthesia to deal with.  I think that was the worst part of the whole night.  It felt like an eternity before we were finally reunited with JT in recovery.  And he was fine.  I think that speaks volumes for the nurses who were with him.  He had one final task before we could leave: urinate.  He was still very groggy from the anesthesia, but his stitches looked great.  Casey had to pack him to the bathroom because his little legs couldn't carry him.  But, he took care of business and we were on our way home soon after.

The accident happened just before 4:30, and we were home around 11:30.  Seven of the most gut wrenching hours of my life.  I seriously want to wrap him in bubble wrap for the next decade.

The very next morning, I made a visit to the home improvement store.  I am certain that if the pneumatic door closer thingy on our door had been functional, the freak accident would never have happened. 

I was on a mission.  The latch was going bye-bye as soon as Casey got home, and the new pneumatic thingy was going on before bedtime.  This is the one I bought, the heavy duty one.  I am going to start giving these things out as baby shower gifts.  No home should be without one.

JT had his one week recheck and other than not letting the doctor remove the stitches, we got a good report.  The stitches will come out on their own, but the scar would be better if the doctor could have removed them.  I'm not really worried about the scar.  I'm just glad that the muscle and nerve seem to be healing properly. 

We were instructed to use scar gel (not Mederma), to massage the scar, and to come back only if there was a problem.  I did have just a little bit of trouble finding the scar gel.  The not-so-helpful secretary said look for "scar gel" but checking the ingredients told me that the store brand of "scar gel" is the same as Mederma, and that is exactly what the nurse said not to get.  I really have no patience for secretaries who think they know enough to give out medical advice.  I like to speak with the nurse or the doctor, and most doctor's offices don't allow secretaries to speak to patients about medical matters.  Thankfully, the pharmacy had Kelo-Cote and it met the nurses ingredient instructions.

Other than a nasty looking crust of glue, JT's mouth looks almost normal.  He let me pull off a piece of the glue last night and it bled just a little.  He wouldn't let me near him after that.  Here's a picture of him five days after, the first day he was really able to smile again. 

Oh how relieved I was to see that beautiful smile!

School's Out for Summer!

Hooray!  We have survived another school year without catching head lice!  I know that's a sad reason to be happy on the first day of summer vacation, but hey, we all need to find our own little slice of happiness, right?

I was so proud to sit in the audience and watch Patty and her Kindergarten classmates at their graduation ceremony Monday.  On the way to school she asked if I would be there to watch her not sing.  And not sing is exactly what she did.  But, she stood there with a happy expression during both songs and that made me so happy and proud!  I just can barely believe she's going to be a first grader soon!

Want to hear something funny? Patty woke me up around 6:15 this morning. On a typical school day I would have to practically drag her out of bed at 6:45! I certainly would like to sleep in during summer break, but if she gets up early all summer it'll just be easier when school resumes in the fall, I guess.

I think Phineas and Ferb get 104 days of summer vacation, and we only have 78 so we must make the best of each and every one of them.  How we are going to do this?  I have no idea.  But, JT told me Monday, "I'm so boring."  That's what he says instead of "I'm bored".  I know I should correct him, but it's just so funny I can't bring myself to make him change it!  Since he's a boy, and boys like all things messy, I think I'll be scouring Pinterest to find something messy to keep us entertained each day.  Bonus if I can make it a learning experience, too.  Did I tell you JT finally learned to recite his ABCs?  So relieved!

Oh, and we have the Summer Bridge books that I purchased a while ago.  I'm trying to decide if we should dive into those today, or wait until Monday.  I also purchased another K to 1st summer activity from The Moffatt Girls, along with their Journal Prompts packet.  Patty needs a lot of writing practice so I hope the ready to go prompts will work for us.  And there are always sight words to be practiced.  I don't want to over do it, but I don't want to under do it.  First grade is going to be tough.

One thing I must accomplish this summer is the dreaded yard sale.  We are just over flowing with stuff and it's time to thin out the mess.  But oh how I loathe getting a yard sale together!  But, it must be done.  We'd be in serious trouble if we ever had to move into an apartment or smaller house.  I have an entire room full of just extra stuff.  It's like the room Monica had, where she hid all of the mess.  Sadly, my mess can not be contained in one room!  My mess creeps across the entire house!  More on that later.

Here's to a happy summer!

Random Observations

Observation No. 1
You know those little plastic dental floss sticks?  It's like a toothpick on one end and a little string of dental floss on the other.  How is it that those end up discarded in parking lots?  I mean, who carries those things with them out of the house and then decides to just toss them down while walking from the car to the store?  That is so gross!

Observation No. 2
Have you noticed that people don't actually look both ways when entering or exiting a store?  I am a little guilty of this too.

Observation No. 3
I saw a car driving the wrong way on a four lane highway yesterday.  It took the driver, and I'm really guessing about distance here, about two city blocks and meeting two cars to realize they were on the wrong side of the road.  Of course, we were the second car and after the initial shock, I flashed my lights like a crazy person.  It's not the first time I've witnessed people going the wrong way on that same stretch of road, but most people catch on faster!

Observation No. 4
Why didn't we have the nausea/vomiting medicine filled after JT had his ER visit last November?  'Cause it would be really nice to have it for him this morning after he started throwing up at 1:30.  Oh, it is going to be a long day.

Observation No. 5
Why does everything have to upgrade?  I woke up to find that my MSN email account has upgraded to Outlook and I am not at all happy about  it. 

Kids Say...

JT and I were sitting on the couch and the conversation went something like this...

"Mom, are you gonna sleep in my bed tonight?" he asked in that all too sweet voice of his.

"I slept in your bed last night," I replied.  And I slept for all of three minutes the whole night, I thought.

"But, I can't sleep in my bed all by myself!"

Seriously, why didn't we just buy a stinking king size bed?  If you've never tired to sleep on a twin sized bed with a five year old, let me just tell you, it is not comfortable.  I feel like I'm an inch away from falling off the edge all night long.  Definitely considering pushing their twin beds together just so I can sleep in the middle!  And don't you know how much I hate to sleep in the middle?

Too Early For Summer School?

Would you send your child to school during the summer if your district offered a program? 

I do worry about the summer back slide, but I don't know if I'd want to send Patty or JT to school during the summer months.  

So, I'm getting a jump start and ordering a couple Summer Bridge Workbooks for the Kiddos.  A Kindergarten to First Grade for Patty, and Prek to Kindergarten for JT.

I looked at several workbooks last summer while we were trying to decide if Patty should have a second go at Kindergarten and I gotta tell you I was very intimidated by the First Grade work.

I'm really hoping the workbook will keep her interested in learning over the summer.

JT, on the other hand, needs all the help he can get.  Getting that kid to learn his ABCs is proving to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done!

He's really good at writing the letters just by looking at them but he has zero interest in learning the names of each letter. 

Reaching a New Milestone

Patty can get out of the car all by herself now! 

For the past three mornings, Patty has carefully opened her door and climbed out of the car at school.  With no incident, I'm happy to add.  I even got a thumbs up from Mr. W this morning.  And for the past three mornings I have pulled away from the school bursting with pride with a gigantic smile on my face. 

This milestone probably won't be on any list you'll find, but maybe it should be.  For me, it ranks right up there with first steps and first words. It's monumental. It's completely changing the way we do things. This milestone has been a really big deal for me. 

You see, we had an experience, way back when JT was a baby that frightened me nearly to death.  He opened his door in traffic one day, on a four lane high way.  He was barely one at the time, but I remember it like it happened yesterday.  All of a sudden the interior light was on and the ding sounded and I had one of those "what the...." moments as I  looked into my side mirror seeing his door opening.  I was scared to death.  I was able to pull over into a turning lane, thanks very much to the folks behind me who no doubt saw what was happening and slowed down to accommodate me.  And obviously he was safely buckled into his car seat and wasn't in a huge amount of danger.  I mean, his arms were short, he wasn't going to be able to get the door open very far.  But, that experience was scary enough to keep the child locks firmly in place for all the time since.

And for all these years, Patty has never bothered with the child lock on her door.  JT, on the other hand, learned months ago what that little switch is for and proceeded to flip it whenever he could.  Go figure.  Eventually, I gave up trying to keep his door on child lock.  We haven't had any incidents with doors opening in traffic, but I've had to scold him many times in parking lots.  It was definitely time to give Patty the same freedom.  I guess this is just one of the many fears I'll have to "let go" as the kids get older and more independent.  It's not easy.  It's really not easy.  But, if I didn't worry, what kind of parent would I be?

Return to the Land of the Living

Whew.  Patty shared her cold with me last week and I was down for the count!  Thank goodness I made a turn for the better on Sunday and am happy to say I feel quite recovered today!  Although, I am wondering if that ground hog got it right, 'cause in my neck of the woods, it's not looking spring just yet. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, not because it's Valentine's day, but because it's Girl Scout Cookie arrival day!  I've been dreaming of those little yummies since Patty brought home the order sheet.  I wish I possessed the restraint (and the bank roll) to stock up on a year's worth of my favorites, but I am afraid I'd eat them all and gain, like, a zillion pounds by spring break!  I'm picturing Tim Allen in the Santa Clause, remember that one?

I am happy to report that I finished off the Beautiful Creatures books during my illness last week.  Now I have to patiently wait for the final book to arrive in paperback.  Can someone tell me why can't you find a release date when you need one?  I've been pretty pleased with this series, though, once I got into it.  It reminds me a lot more of Harry Potter than Twilight, and hardly at all like True Blood, but it's been a nice read.  I did discover that there were some serious changes made for the movie adaptation.  I'm never too fond of that, but I gotta say the movie preview looks good.  Think I can get Casey to take me to see it for Valentine's Day?

I grabbed a copy of Safe Haven, the newest book to movie offering of Nicholas Sparks.  Have you noticed how many of his books have become major movies?  To think it all started with A Walk to Remember, which I read and made Casey take me to see at the theatre.  We were the youngest people there.  That's partly because I have this thing about going to the matinee instead of a night show, but I remember it was just us and a bunch of grown up ladies; all of us crying into our popcorn!  Wow, that was eleven years ago.  I feel old all of a sudden.

Oh, and I am looking forward to the Valentine's snack for Patty's class tomorrow.  I was so proud of  her writing her friends names on their Valentine's cards.  Sure, some of them were hard to read, but she did it all by herself!  And we ended up two cards short of having enough for everyone, but thankfully I found one lonely box at the mart yesterday!

I know it's kind of late to mention new year's resolutions, but I wonder if anyone ever resolves to win the lottery?  I'd elaborate on that, but JT is in the bathroom with the door closed and i hear a clicking sound i can't identify.  Wait, i think that's my birth control pill...gotta go!

Getting JT Ready for Kindergarten

JT would have been in his third year of preschool right now (he has a late birthday) if he hadn't been stricken with a bout of separation anxiety that I had really not expected.  His anxiety sparked right in the middle of Patty's anxiety about attending a new school, and we decided to let JT stay home with me this year.  Now, I am left to prepare him for Kindergarten and I was happy to see this little online tool in an email I received recently: Kindergarten Readiness Test. 

You can access your child's Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Auditory Processing, Visual Discrimination, Letter/Word Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Math/Number Awareness, and Social/Emotional Development.  At the end, you're left with a tidy little table and a nice summary of your child's strengths and weaknesses.  That's a pretty handy little tool!

Obviously, we have our work cut out for us in the Letter/Word/Phonemic Awareness department.  But, we have seven months to master those 26 letters so I'm not worried that JT will be unprepared for Kindergarten this fall.  I'll search Pinterest for some cool ABC activities and get busy!

Gettin' Squatchey

Okay, okay, it's true. 

We watch Finding Bigfoot. 

You can't imagine how tickled I was when Casey pointed out the Sasquatch family stickers on the back of a mini-van in traffic yesterday!

I just had to get a picture.

Isn't that so much cooler than those little happy stick figures you usually see?

I only wish JT had been with us because he is absolutely infatuated and terrified by Bigfoot.

Patty, on the other hand, calls it Pink Foot and isn't scared at all!

Two Photos, One Thank You

So, what do these two photos have in common?

Well, besides those adorable faces and the snow.

They merge together to make one super cute thank you card!

 

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  Only wish I had brightened Patty's face a little.

Now, just have to supervise these two with the new sharpie I grabbed today for 49-cents!

Plus, I got the prints for 9-cents each at Walgreens.  Love nine-cent prints!

Since I needed 100 to score that price,

I did these little Girl Scout Cookie thank you reminders, too.

 

I'll have Patty autograph these too and get them out to everyone who ordered cookies.

That's her school photo from last fall.  Speaking of school pictures.  Did you check your packet for a Shutterfly coupon code?  Patty and JT both received a $20 code in their Lifetouch packets.  And they expire January 31st so I need to make myself a note to do something with them soon!

 

 

 

The Tree is Up, Finally!

Finally!  Our Christmas tree is up and decorated!  I know a lot of folks put the tree up right after Thanksgiving, but I think we might make a new tradition for ourselves and put the tree up just a couple weeks before the big day.

These are cell phone pics of Patty putting a few ornaments back on the tree after one of the kitties playfully knocked them off the tree while we slept.

We handed over the non-breakable ornaments to the kids this year and they had so much fun decorating!  When you have little kids, it doesn't pay to be a perfectionist!

Happy Holidays!

Kids Say...

I try not to say "Santa's watching you" in order to get the kids to behave.  It just sounds creepy, you know?  But, something along those lines that has proven to be a very effective behavior tool is the threat to call Santa on the phone and give him a naughty report.

So, imagine my surprise when Patty actually tried to call Santa to tell him that JT had made a watery mess on the bathroom floor!  Casey told her Santa's number was 1234567 and she promptly grabbed my phone and dialed it!  Thankfully, it just gave her the "call can not be completed" message.  But, it sure did make me giggle!

Kids Say...

The other day JT and I had a conversation about his marbles.  It went a little something like this.

"Why don't you just pick up your marbles?" mom asked.

After a deep breath and dramatic pause, JT replied, "Well, it's hard work.  It makes my hands tired."

Here's a picture of the remaining marbles in our house.  We've bought bag after bag.  I have no clue where all the other marbles are hiding.  I'm sure they'll turn up in some really strange location some day!

Getting Sick Stinks

We are at the beginning of Day 6 in our battle with the stomach bug. 

JT got his very first trip to the ER and Patty missed three days of school and ended up at the doctor's office.

The stomach bug is relentless. 

Why hasn't someone been able to stamp it out or develop a vaccine?

After six days of this, I can definitely say I am thankful for disposable plastic ware and toilet paper!  Oh, and I'm thankful I haven't caught it yet!

An Unwelcome Holiday Guest

How was your Thanksgiving holiday?  For the most part, our weekend was laid back and low key. Well, with the exception of an unwelcome holiday guest. Can you guess who it was? That's right, we've had the horror of hosting the dreaded stomach bug for the past several days.