Life and stuff

Fight for Allergy Relief!

christy — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:39:00 GMT

As everyone in this country knows, the pollen levels have been off the charts. Here in Central Virginia a high pollen count is, like 250-500 per cubic meter. On April 7th it was 3,780! Just a leeetttle high. Which would explain why everyone in my family is suffering.

My poor baby boy has woken up the past couple days with swollen eyes and (excuse me) yellow gunk coming out them. The congestion is heavy and productive to the point of (forgive me again, please) vomiting. He is very restless at night which means I hardly get any sleep as well.

My baby girl has some pretty bad congestion as well, coughing and gagging most the day. It breaks my heart when they are feeling so bad. And with the beautiful weather we've been having (which is part of the cause of all this yellow rain) it is hard to explain to them why they can't go outside to play.

We've up'd the meds they are taking, washed the bedding, given nightly baths and bought and installed air purifiers for their rooms. I'm hoping that all these measures are helping to alleviate some of the worst of these symptoms. But I'm fairly sure that no matter what steps we take, with the high pollen count, there is only so much we can do.

Wish us luck at the doctor's office this morning and I hope that you all are fairing better than we are.

SimpleHuman-Simply frustrating

christy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:25:00 GMT

Have you ever seen one of these?

It is a refillable motion sensor soap pump. And I have one. It sets on the counter at the back of my kitchen sink and I use it, like, a bazillion times a day. It's sold by a company called Simplehuman.

My loving husband bought it for me last year knowing how much I like gifts I can use. Not that I don't appreciate the occasional BLING, it's just I like gifts that do more than just sparkle. Not that this baby doesn't sparkle, cause let me tell you....ok, it doesn't really sparkle. But it's brushed chrome finish does kinda gleam.

Recently, however, it stopped working. After a quick call to customer service I learned the pump mechanism on this model was bad and had been replaced by a newer one that they would send to me! KEWL. And since they had a 2 year warranty, all I had to do was take a pic or two of mine and email it along with my personal information. Which I did that very day on January 22nd, 2010.

I went about my day happy to know I would be getting a replacement dispenser soon. I was expecting a follow up email telling me they were processing my request and a date of delivery. After five days of waiting, however, nothing had transpired. So I sent another email and waited. After another five days on January 28th I finally recieved an email from the company telling me they had in fact received my initial email and my request was being processed and expect a delivery in 7-10 business days. That was February 2nd.

Whoooo hooo! It wouldn't be long now.

Is it weird that I get excited over a simple soap dispenser? No? Ok, good.

So according to the calendar, I should be receiving my package by February 16th at the latest.

Well, guess what? That's right, I didn't. I gave customer service a call and spoke to another very nice lady that said, although she didn't see my order "give it another day". Being up to my elbows in work to do, I agreed and waited two days!

I called back, left two messages in two days. Having had enough of that crap, I called and spoke to a different person. She advised me that she didn't see anything but my intial email. Nothing of the second email. Nothing of the confirmation email they sent me. Nothing of a replacement ordering having been sent. GREAT!

She apologized and finally processed the order and said to expect it in, you guessed it, 7-10 days. By now it has been 25 days since my first phone call and email. Unbelievable!

I'm really missing my soap pump! I've already gone through two bottles of the regular manual hand pump variety and am frustrated.

While I am waiting on that delivery, my Graviti Battery-Operated Pepper Mill stops working (I know, I'm spoiled). But this thing is awesome too. I mean look at it!

Sleek. Efficient. And fun too. All one has to do is turn it upside down and it quickly grinds peppercorns into fresh pepper. Freshly ground seasonings is always the best way to get the most flavor out of them. I use this almost just as much as the soap pump.

So when it died, I thought, what else? I was worried it would take another month to get this replaced. But you know what? I called them and within 4 days I had the replacement battery pack! I didn't even have to send them a picture or make any follow-up phone calls! And I still received it BEFORE the pump!

By now I bet you're wondering if I am EVER going to come to the end of this story. Well, yes I am. But at least now you can understand a little of my frustration on this thing dragging on!

I finally did get the newer pump on Monday March 1st! That is 26 business days since my first phone call. I don't think I am being too picky in expecting better customer service than that.

Even though I've had trouble with getting this new one, I am still very happy with the product itself. I never have to touch it after cutting up chicken, dicing sticky fruit or sprinkling streusel over a coffee cake. Simply run your hand over the sensor and it automatically dispenses a pre-set amount of liquid soap into your hand. Perfect. Now all I need is the hands-free faucet and I'm all set!

If you wanted to get either one of these beauties for yourself or as a gift for a friend, try Amazon or Williams Sonoma.

Now, go forth and buy something!

ER visits that take way too long suck!

christy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:56:00 GMT

I'm sure everyone out there has had one too many ER visits in their life. They are scary, nerve racking and frustrating. Especially when they take forever! No one wants to have to wait in the lobby of any Emergency Room for three hours, but doing so with a very active 2 year old is just torture!

Especially when the one needing to see the doctor is that said 2 year old who is bleeding into his mouth from a large flap on his lip that has been ripped open thanks to a fight he had with the coffee table that he lost. We are talking about actual blood. That, as you can see from the picture below, is covering the front of his shirt. But apparently the triage nurse didn't think it was that important and he would be okay because we were forced to sit in a waiting room that was getting increasingly more crowded. Now we were told we would be "fast tracked", but after a four and a half hour wait I would definitely hate to see those that were not fast tracked! Bring a sleepin bag and a cooler cause youst gonna be waitin' awhile.

This is after the first hour waiting. Not bad. Bored, getting sleep and hungry. Still bleeding into his mouth. But we're dealing.

After FINALLY making it into the observation room we only had one more hour to wait to see a doctor! However, not long after getting settled into our observation room it was nearing the time for my oldest son to get out of school. Not seeing an end in sight to this whole ordeal we decided I should take our daughter with me to go pick him up before he boarded the bus for home. So I did, and it wasn't until I was gone and back before a doctor finally showed up! Only now my poor little guy had finally fell asleep. So when they started holding him down (it took three of em!) and poking him with needles he wasn't having none of that crap! You could hear him screaming all the way down the hall. Take that all those powers that be that made us wait! Enjoy your musical serenade of howls and screams!

This is after the stitches.

Mommaaaaaaaaaaaa

Overall it was quite a long day. Instances like this make me realize just how isolated we are in this little community. Where those that can, do take advantage. When you have so few options they leave you no choice. You can travel one plus hours to the next closest hospital or make due with what you have. Most will make due, next time, we won't be one of the most!

School!

christy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:13:00 GMT

Today was my oldest son's first day of school. It feels like just yesterday I was wondering how I was going to make it through the summer. Now here we are starting a new school year and he is off for the first time on a bus. For the past 3 years I have been taking him and picking him up from school everday. He feels so much bigger now that he is doing it on his own. Well, with the help of the bus driver, of course!

Now I am home with the littlest two and feeling anxious for the oldest to get home from school so he can tell me all about his day. And it isn't even 9:30 yet! Oh I have plenty to occupy my time. There's laundry, dishes, beds to make, floors that need swept and the never ending pile of toys that tend to collect in unlikely places, like my pantry cabinet, that need to be picked up and put back in their places.

Also there is the daily homeschooling projects that need to be handled and children to be managed. Or is it projects that need managed and children that need handled? Either way. It is a full packed day, everyday. Today is just the first day of the school year. And yet I find myself wondering where my big boy is. If he is making friends. Is he enjoying himself? Is he scared? Will he want to go back tomorrow? Only time will tell. Until then, I will sit here missing my baby and hoping he is adjusting. What time is it now?

Been a long time

christy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:49:00 GMT

Sorry to have been away for so long. I have been traveling and was lucky enough to have my mother come back to my house and spend some times with us. However, I wasn't lucky enough to get out of work while she was here. We had a storage unit that needed cleaned out and alot of boxes to sort through to prepare for a yard sale. While it was a relief to get it all done, it was back breaking, time consuming and hair pulling work. We had all 3 kids, a cat, husband, and meals to cook while doing all this. But things are settling back down now and after the 4th of July I will be back to baking and blogging about it.

Thanks for sticking with me. I am ever so grateful!

Family Fun Day!

christy — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:19:00 GMT

We had a great day at the YMCA. It was Family & Friends Day at our local center and the whole town was invited. It was awesome! Everyone was allowed to come in, get a look around, watch some demonstrations and grab a bite to eat.

There was even a great group of ladies there from a local horse farm. Two beautiful auburn colored equine's of the most gentle persuasion allowed children of all ages to ride them for four hours in the hot sun.

Emma had a great time. She was a natural. So at ease and not a bit of fear.

My little man Riley was so full of excitement he could barely contain himself. He kept saying "ga goodgle dhooba orsey go eee awwww". I think the ladies holding him had just as much fun as he did.

Stevie was all over the place. He couldn't decided where to start first. After the horse ride though he settled down. But just long enough to get his face painted. Then he was off again. He decided a purple sun was better than a yellow one.

And Emma thought her ice cream cone would be better suited on her arm instead of marring that beautiful face of hers. Ever the more practical of the two.

Even though we didn't stay the whole four hours it was a full day! Everything was free except the hotdogs and drinks (and they were only $1). But the most asked for item of the day was the free cotton candy which was consumed before we hit the van! The sugar rush that brought on was quickly replaced by a nice crash that left most of us napping for a little while when we got back home. Thank Goodness!

We all had an amazing time and are very grateful to our local Y for all the things they do for and with the community. So get out there. Get moving. Go join the Y!

Code Camp

christy — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Posing with Daddy Artist in Action

Recently I was privileged to throw a baby shower for my lovely step-daughters. However, I was going to be so busy that day that having all three of my children with me insured failure on a embarrassing scale. So my wonderful husband decided to take our oldest son with him to his ~~Geek fest~~ code camp presentation.

Making his entrance Taking a break

It is when a bunch of VERY computer literate coders get together to learn more information about how to do their jobs. They are a great bunch of people and were pretty accepting of having a 6 year old running amok all over the place. I am sure they learned very quickly he is quite a talker and a know-it-all.

Getting set up Making his getaway

So much so that he probably took over several sessions and gave everyone in attendance a quick lesson in how to annoy your parents! A skill he is very adept at! He was definately full of stories when he got home about mean husbands, pretty ladies, and good food.

Showing them his magic disappearing cheeto trick

He seemed to do well without having momma around all day but more than made up for me missing him by loving all over me when he got home. We are truly blessed to have great friends who will help care for our babies when they are away from home and thank all of you for your kindness.

Daddy showing him how to meet ladies! Picking up one of his own!

SNOW

christy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:11:00 GMT

Let me start off by saying I am sorry I have been so lax in my blogging duties as of late. I have been going to school, dealing with sickness and then there's the kids and hubby! It's exhausting. But right now we are all huddled in my master bedroom of our little farmhouse with the generator humming along outside powering two radiator heaters and our laptops. Why you might ask? Well we had a little snow hit our area yesterday dumping a modest 11 inches here at our abode. Needless to say it overwhelmed our newly budding trees and managed to knock out power to, not just us, but millions of electric loving citizens all along the east coast.

And while this is difficult when you have three (very bored) children at home we have managed to make due with what we have. Namely our summer outdoor grill. Since we have very little storage (ok, so it's more that I was just lazy) the grill didn't get taken off the back deck and put into the shed last fall. Which worked out all the better for us right now since there was about 10 yards of foot thick snow standing between us and that shed.

We shoveled a path from the kitchen door across the deck to the grill, brushed off what snow had accumulated on top, and drug it back closer to the door. Where I proceeded to try and light a charcoal chimney full of coal with an almost empty lighter in 30-40 mile an hour gusts of wind! I wasn't feel particularly productive at that moment. However, we managed to get it lit (and by 'we' I mean Andy) and I heated up some water for the baby's milk bottle while Andy tried to get the generator started.

It was long and slow going but after a call to TroyBilt, the little engine knew it was had and started right up. So we shoveled our way down the driveway (again, by 'we' I mean Andy. Bless his hard working heart) and headed to town for more supplies. Our trip wasn't quick or easy, but we made it back safe and sound and with snacks! I fired up the grill again and made us all lunch then gratefully got to lay down with Emma and Riley for a nap.

After that it was all downhill from there. We colored and watched video's on my laptop. We munched and played, danced and sang. And before we know it, darkness starts to settle over the quiet. And sleepy eyes start showing up left and right. We prep for bed and just as the children are settling in for their " indoor camp-out" the lights come back on (blinding us all) and we feel the heat rushing out of the vents. Awwwww. Sweet, sweet heat! Glorious electrical currents! We cleaned up, put the kids back in their beds and turned the TV on to catch up on whatever we missed whilst living in the dark ages. Overall it was a long, cold, tiring day. But it was also a endearing time we spent together without outside distractions. Stevie proclaimed it his "best day ever". Emma was still recovering from the flu so she wasn't allowed to play in the snow, but still deemed it a good day.

So now it is over. That adventure is over and it's time to go to bed. Need to rest up for the numerous adventures that lay ahead. Will try to post more often, just as soon as I find more time! G'night

PUNKA!

christy — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

When my oldest, Stevie, was learning to talk his version of Pumpkin was PUNKA. My husband and I were commiserating about it yesterday on the way to Richmond. It's fair time in our area and yesterday was the Pumpkin festival at a farm not far from us.

We went last year and it was pretty fun. This year they outdid themselves in most respects. The admission, rides, bounce houses, and pumpking picking was better laid out and everything ran smoother.

The food wasn't terrible and the balloon twisting clown was great with the kids. We picked up some barbeque sauce, apple butter (aren't you proud of me dad?) and some fresh honey. I only hope it wasn't collected from the same bees that were circulating around the trashcans! Since it is a large farm, in all possiblity it could be from any of the flower producing fruits and vegetables they grow.

There was music playing, and a roast your own hot dog area, as well as a large corn pit for the kids to get lost in. Which, unfortunately, ours didn't! But we did pick dried corn out of their socks, pockets and underwear when we got home.

They got to ride horses, walk the corn maze, go through the haunted house, and take a hay ride. We drank lots of water, ate a few apples, and two bags of cotton candy. Two out of the three kids took a nap on the way home and were still pretty exhausted at bedtime! Yea for us!

All in all, it was a great day. And we have sore feet, upset tummy's, tired legs and three very nice pumpkins to show for it!

Side note: thanks to my step-daughter Amanda for the great "thing 1, thing 2 and thing 3" shirts. They are adorable and are very handy for keeping an eye on all the children together in a large open area.

Day in the life...

christy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:17:00 GMT

....of a stay at home mom. I am luckier than most moms. I am blessed to have the option of staying home with our children. And I am even more lucky in that my two older children go to school everyday! Giving me the opportunity to go back to school, run for public office, or solve world peace. But not me - I'm lazy. I like to play poker, go to the gym, play with Riley, go shopping, and push my kids out into the rain, make them get filthy dirty and take pictures of it. And, as you can see, they hated every minute of it.

Tropical Storm Hanna had made it's way up the eastern seaboard and right through our front yard. It was raining cats and dogs, pigs and cows, elephants and dinosaurs....well, you get the picture. You can see across the street the stream running the full length of the field. Our ditches were full and overflowing and puddles inevitably formed everywhere.

Here they are discussing the best way to jump in so that they got each other equally wet and muddy.

And here is the result. Dripping wet, muddy, cold, shivering children. But look at the smile?

Do they look unhappy?

My baby girl. What she won't do for a good time. What self respecting girl would allow her hair to look like that anywhere other than the shower? We need to talk baby!

There they go, back at it. O for the little joys and abundant energy of children.

And here are my boys together. Stevie is such a big helper sometimes. My two men. My big boy and my little boy. Watch how he shows Riley the correct way to eat. First you open your mouth wide so I can put the spoon in far enough to gag you.

Then you close your mouth like this over the spoon.

Then you throw your hands in the air in VICTORY. Touchdown! Oh, and please don't look at my dirty dishes in the background. The maid was late that day! Yes she was! I am going to have to have a talk with her.

Peace out!

What do people do?

christy — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:45:00 GMT

So the kids started school on Friday and call me crazy, but WHY would you start school on a Friday? Anyway, they started school and I don't know what to do with myself. I am so used to caring for three kids all day that I'm not sure what do with only one. And a not-so-needy one at that. I mean Riley is pretty easy as far as my babies go. And I am very happy he is, cause we were due one. But now that I am home all day I am a little lonely and bored. I mean, it isn't like I don't have tons of stuff to do, but.. yeah, I don't wanna. I'm just relishing the quiet in the house. And trying not to look at the pile of laundry that has accumulated this week. But instead of buckling down and getting busy I decided to plop down on the sofa, download some new pictures, write this blog and play a little poker with my friend in Florida. She is expecting some bad weather and I felt it my duty as her friend to reassure her and keep her company during this tumultuous time. See how good of a friend I am? While she was busy taking all my chips I was busy sorting pictures. Here is what I've come up with. Some goofy, some sweet, but all of them are my babies (and some of our cat - Ruru).

This is Emma after her first official day of the first week of school. Wait, huh? What did I just say? Ok, let me put it this way. This was taken on Monday at the park after I picked the kids up from school. She loved her dress and was a little concerned she was getting it dirty in the sand. Bless her little diva heart!

And this little dude. He is trouble, let me tell you! He was busy grabbing handfuls of sand and throwing them out in front of him. He thought it was hilarious. I could only think about the sand I had to clean out of all his crevices!

I don't have a picture of Stevie on that day. He ran off and made a friend, so I am reverting back to the "First Day of School" on Friday. Andy was walking them in to class pushing Riley in the stoller and Stevie was mad at me. He was mad at me because he didn't like the heavy back pack on wheels that he picked out. He insisted on having it because he saw all the other kids last year with them. But now that he had to carry it full of supplies he decided it was too big. When I suggested he use the rollers he said he wasn't tall enough for the long handle and he ended up dragging it. So now the fancy shmancy backpack that he had to have wasn't as cool as it looked. I ended up buying him another backpack fit more for his size. Needless to say, he was no longer mad at me for the backpack mishap and he had a great day at school.

Here is Riley this afternoon. He's having a difficult time adjusting to Emma and Stevie being at school. He wanders from room to room grunting and making noises. Then he comes to me and pulls the one load of laundry I got folded today off the couch. So I took him out in the yard to play for a little while. Our neighbors dog, Gopher, came wandering over and decided to check out this new walking, drooling, and squeaking figure who smelled like milk. Riley said "uogh" and tried to pinch his nose. Gopher wasn't too impressed. And like the cat, he decided to give this new creature a wide berth. Yes, the dog is afraid of our cat. Go figure.

Speaking of cats, here is Ruru. It is a long story why she is called that. So pull up a seat and take a listen or, if you don't feel like hearing one more story about my life, pick another blog to read, cause this one is finished. Period. End of story. Thanks for listening. I'll be here all week.

I thought you would want to hear more. Ok, so the story of how Ruru got her name. On a visit to my brother and his family near Atlanta one year we had the pleasure of meeting his cat named......kitty. I know, not real original, but she was loved. She was a fiesty thing being that he played roughly with her, but she was also very cute and lovable. When discussing the ins and outs of neutering pets, my vastly knowledgeable husband pontificated that if cats got "fixed" were they not now inherently gender neutral. And if so why couldn't "female" cats have male names like 'Rufus'. So when the visit was coming to an end my brother told me that they were thinking of getting rid of the cat because with their new daughter in the house it was a little.....crowded and time consuming. So I convinced my husband that we needed a cat so that our child could grow up with a loving companion. Of course the real truth was that I wanted the cat. Having grown up with pets all our life I enjoyed the sweet comfort a cat can bring. The way they snuggle up to you and trust you completely. Not so unlike my children, but furrier. So of course, being the man who promised to "get me anything I wanted within his means" he said yes. But nothing would do with having a cat named kitty or rufus. So I, in a fit of intelligent brainstorming, came up with a compromise. I named her "Ruru". And we brought her home with us. That was 5 years ago. She is a healthy, funny, quirky, lovable little creature who has attached herself to me as her new "momma". She even likes my kids! Sometime when I wake during one of my many times at night I find her snuggled up in the bed with one of them. She looks up at me with her eyes glowing in the nightlight and gives me her typical 'puuuroower" sound. It's kind of mix between a half meow and purr. I scratch her soft head and tell her what a good kitty she is and leave her to protect my kids from whatever monster might lurk in their dreams. She's a good cat. We all love her fiercely. Even my husband does. Especially when she lays in his office chair and plays office kitty and leaves him a hairy reminder of her presence.

So now the dryer is done and I truly have got to get up. I'm going. Right now. Here I go. Ok, one more hand of poker. But then I really am going to finish that laundry.

My Family

christy — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:42:00 GMT

I thought you might want to know a little about me. WHY? I don't know. It may just be an excuse for me to show off pictures of my family. I do love them, even though they are triflin. What? Triflin? You haven't heard that before? Well, "triflin" is my redneck husbands way of saying bothersome, trouble, or hard-to-get-along-with. And you gotta make sure you don't put a "g" at the end of it. Lawd have mercy don't do that! Or you'll run the risk of making it sound Yankee. And you just can't have that. Not that there's anything wrong with being Yankee, but it would ruin the meaning of the word if you go changing it and all. So, at the risk of ailenating anyone out there, I am going to stop talking now and just show you some of my kin!

These are my two oldest ankle biters!

And this is my littlest angel! Isn't he the cutest, if I do say so myself.

And this is my GEEK!

It looks like I feed him well, right? Heck they all look that way, who am I kidding! Especially that little one there. He's my little pudgmister! I love that little punk.