I am full of confusion and because of that, I am causing mass confusion in my family.
For example, we really don't know where we're going to be in a few months. The Man has gotten a very sweet job offer here in the state of Georgia. It's not back in South Carolina where my heart wants to be. I am having such a hard time with that. I told God what I wanted. Isn't that how it works?
Humble has become my middle name.
What I want may not be what He has planned. It's very hard for me to accept that. What's wrong with wanting to go home? I want to be near family and friends. I want to go visit them when I feel like it. I want to live close enough that they might even come see me! This is has just about broken my heart.
There's nothing wrong with where the job offer is. It's 100 miles closer to my family than where I am now. That'll make it easier on us to go visit them. It's not close enough for them to come visit us, but I guess I can deal with that or keep getting my feelings hurt over it. I'll let you know when I'm done being hurt....right now, I'm just not there.
Carla-Girl and her family are supposed to be heading to the same area as her husband got a job offer at this place first. I have surely neglected mentioning her lately. They, too, are heading into retirement and dealing with most of the same issues we are. There's a slight difference, though. That woman is amazing. She is a planner, researcher, decorator....just all around good at this stuff. She is the daughter of a retired Marine, so she knows how to move on to the next area. I am in constant awe of her abilities (and right jealous, too!) to make situations work and she's looking out for me, too. I am so blessed to have her guiding me with things like house hunting, Realtors, schools, and etc. I would honestly be lost without her help and patience.
I can't tell you how many hours we've sat on the computers looking at houses online. I've never bought a house before, so this is exciting and thrilling to this ol' girl. Lists are being made of the "must haves", the "no ways", the "wish it had this", and the "pinch me I'm dreaming if I get this" items. I am discovering what's the harm in dreaming if you can keep it realistic in the end?
I'm causing confusion with my family members here because one minute? I'm declaring we're moving in September. The next minute? The kids and I are staying here until end of November. I am so passionate and firmly believe whatever I'm talking about at that moment. It's wearing us all out.
In my Perfect World, everything will fall into place and I'll have perfect hair and eyebrows when it happens. Realistically? We'll be flying by the seat of our pants and I'll have a first aid kit clutched in my hands full of bandages and antibiotic ointment for the bumps and bruises we're bound to get during the ride.
Did I mention my husband accepted that job offer? Yeah, he did. I just can't breathe good until I know he's signed, sealed, and delivered. When he goes to that first day on the new job, I'll be able to shake off a bunch of stress.....I think.
Just promise me I'll have a place to put my gorgeous Christmas tree this December and I'll probably make it.
Yeah, I'm wondering why I'm not on nerve medication, too.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Need More Gumption
It's official. I suck at blogging this summer. Surely you can recall where I mentioned around May-ish, when the kids were getting out of school, how busy I anticipated I was going to be.
I didn't lie.
Dear Joseph and the Baby Lambs, have I been busy. My cell phone has become my life-line the past couple months. I put alarms in all the time. I have to in order to keep it all straight and flowing. The Man does the same in case my phone wanks out on me. It's a crazy system we have working and I almost expect it to tumble like a deck of cards at any given moment.
Take for instance the past couple of weeks.
Back in the Spring, Makenna started having nosebleeds. Alot. Out of nowhere, her nose would just start pouring. We truly chalked it up to allergies, dry sinuses, etc. etc. I was getting calls from the school nurse for a while there about 3-4 times a week. "Hi Ms. Hope, Makenna has a nosebleed again..." was what I would hear. One day we had to go get her because it wouldn't stop. A trip to the doctor's office and our Doctor decided to refer on out to an ENT because, as she put it, "they have better equipment to see up there than I do". Hey, there were no arguments from us!
Of course, I then had to do some referral dancing. The doctor they were going to send her to didn't have an opening until September. That didn't sit too well with me. I don't know what our future plans hold and I wanted whatever wrong fixed or taken care of. I did some calling and begging and Southern Charming and we got that straightened out quick.
Two weeks ago we saw the ENT. I was seriously thinking she was going to get a blood vessel cauterized. You know, something simple.
Not Makenna.
He decided to put her on a ten day round of antibiotics followed by a CAT scan. Something wasn't right up there in her head.
*pauses and waits for you to laugh with me over that last remark*
We went this past week for the CAT scan and diagnosis. My child has a "Deviated Septum" . Of the highest order. Quick-like, in our terms? The cartilage and all going down the middle of her nose separating one side from the other is all messed up. Apparently, in the past ten years of her life, she has had a broken nose. A BAD broken nose. I have no idea when or where. I have a vague memory of this past school year where she was bumped on the nose during P.E. and had a little bruise there. Maybe it happened then? The doctor wasn't concerned about all of that at all. According to him, it's very common and most people think they have allergies and are prone to chronic sinusitis, when it's a deviated septum and fixable with surgery. I fully admit that we had the scan in hand to take to the doctor's office and as we sat in the truck waiting to go in, I might have slipped them out to see. I don't have a medical degree, but when I saw that deviated line? I said, "HOLY COW!" It was that bad. Even our untrained eyes could see it and we discovered we were right when the doctor showed us during the office visit on the proper lit up machine.
We were given options. We could leave it alone and she could suffer with the sinusitis from here on out or we could let her have a surgery to fix all these nasal problems (a couple other problems have arisen due to this). I immediately told him to let's fix this!
First available surgery was the day before The Man's retirement ceremony. No thanks. No can do. I would end up in the nut house, for sure. Next available date was October. Oh noooooo. I don't even know if we'll be here then! Crap. We went ahead and took the October date.
I received a call the next morning. There's a cancellation for August 20th. You know I snatched it right on up! That was just perfect. I had already started trying to figure out how to handle being on my own (The Man plans to head out to start new job end of September) with three kids and one of them having a 24 hour hospital stay. I told the nurse I owed her big time. I swear I'm going to send her flowers or chocolate. She really worked hard to get Makenna worked in at an earlier date.
Ya know.....I'm so ready for things to slow down around here. Instead? It's moving faster and faster and faster. Some times, I feel like I'm on this wild ride I just can't get off of.
It's sad when the high light of your day is sitting in your chair looking at real estate online. Just typing that made me take a deep breath. I'm so excited about hopefully getting a new home to call my own....to paint walls.....have counter space in the kitchen.
The Man and I also get to upgrade our cell phones soon. If that's not enough to tickle a gadget lover, I don't know what is!
Now I'm off to try and get a few more things done on a big Saturday afternoon. I promise the blogging is going to pick up now. If I don't? I may miss out some memories for my family!
P.S. I got to try and remember to show you how we rigged my computer cord. It has shamed Paige to no end.
I didn't lie.
Dear Joseph and the Baby Lambs, have I been busy. My cell phone has become my life-line the past couple months. I put alarms in all the time. I have to in order to keep it all straight and flowing. The Man does the same in case my phone wanks out on me. It's a crazy system we have working and I almost expect it to tumble like a deck of cards at any given moment.
Take for instance the past couple of weeks.
Back in the Spring, Makenna started having nosebleeds. Alot. Out of nowhere, her nose would just start pouring. We truly chalked it up to allergies, dry sinuses, etc. etc. I was getting calls from the school nurse for a while there about 3-4 times a week. "Hi Ms. Hope, Makenna has a nosebleed again..." was what I would hear. One day we had to go get her because it wouldn't stop. A trip to the doctor's office and our Doctor decided to refer on out to an ENT because, as she put it, "they have better equipment to see up there than I do". Hey, there were no arguments from us!
Of course, I then had to do some referral dancing. The doctor they were going to send her to didn't have an opening until September. That didn't sit too well with me. I don't know what our future plans hold and I wanted whatever wrong fixed or taken care of. I did some calling and begging and Southern Charming and we got that straightened out quick.
Two weeks ago we saw the ENT. I was seriously thinking she was going to get a blood vessel cauterized. You know, something simple.
Not Makenna.
He decided to put her on a ten day round of antibiotics followed by a CAT scan. Something wasn't right up there in her head.
*pauses and waits for you to laugh with me over that last remark*
We went this past week for the CAT scan and diagnosis. My child has a "Deviated Septum" . Of the highest order. Quick-like, in our terms? The cartilage and all going down the middle of her nose separating one side from the other is all messed up. Apparently, in the past ten years of her life, she has had a broken nose. A BAD broken nose. I have no idea when or where. I have a vague memory of this past school year where she was bumped on the nose during P.E. and had a little bruise there. Maybe it happened then? The doctor wasn't concerned about all of that at all. According to him, it's very common and most people think they have allergies and are prone to chronic sinusitis, when it's a deviated septum and fixable with surgery. I fully admit that we had the scan in hand to take to the doctor's office and as we sat in the truck waiting to go in, I might have slipped them out to see. I don't have a medical degree, but when I saw that deviated line? I said, "HOLY COW!" It was that bad. Even our untrained eyes could see it and we discovered we were right when the doctor showed us during the office visit on the proper lit up machine.
We were given options. We could leave it alone and she could suffer with the sinusitis from here on out or we could let her have a surgery to fix all these nasal problems (a couple other problems have arisen due to this). I immediately told him to let's fix this!
First available surgery was the day before The Man's retirement ceremony. No thanks. No can do. I would end up in the nut house, for sure. Next available date was October. Oh noooooo. I don't even know if we'll be here then! Crap. We went ahead and took the October date.
I received a call the next morning. There's a cancellation for August 20th. You know I snatched it right on up! That was just perfect. I had already started trying to figure out how to handle being on my own (The Man plans to head out to start new job end of September) with three kids and one of them having a 24 hour hospital stay. I told the nurse I owed her big time. I swear I'm going to send her flowers or chocolate. She really worked hard to get Makenna worked in at an earlier date.
Ya know.....I'm so ready for things to slow down around here. Instead? It's moving faster and faster and faster. Some times, I feel like I'm on this wild ride I just can't get off of.
It's sad when the high light of your day is sitting in your chair looking at real estate online. Just typing that made me take a deep breath. I'm so excited about hopefully getting a new home to call my own....to paint walls.....have counter space in the kitchen.
The Man and I also get to upgrade our cell phones soon. If that's not enough to tickle a gadget lover, I don't know what is!
Now I'm off to try and get a few more things done on a big Saturday afternoon. I promise the blogging is going to pick up now. If I don't? I may miss out some memories for my family!
P.S. I got to try and remember to show you how we rigged my computer cord. It has shamed Paige to no end.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Information for Old Parents
Just so you know? If you have children who are tweens and older...you are considered old. I'm just saying.
There are many of us who have given our little darlings a cell phone. The cell phone has personally kept my oldest, Paige, off of nerve medication. The Man and I purchased the phone when she was ten because when she would go visit her biological father, he would refuse to let her call me or contact me. Then came the panic attacks. It had potential to get massively ugly, but all worked out in the end.
I have recently discovered "special" rings for phones. These rings are high pitched in nature and can not be heard by the average adult. I guess cranking up the radio as teenager and going to concerts did our poor ears in.
They use these rings in school and around parents to notify them of text messages and phone calls.
I know the ring sounds work in this fashion because we have played the sound behind my son without him being aware. He immediately covers his ears and screams to turn it off. This has been tested a few times with the same results.
The Man and I never heard the first sound. Nothing. Nada.
My beautiful daughter Paige has lost use of her cell phone for a while and it's in my possession. I have no problem going through and reading her text messages and looking at her call history. Is it invading her privacy? Uh...no. She is not grown, educated, got a J.O.B., and living in her own home. Therefore, as payer of the MINOR's bill, I have full authority to see what my child is doing.
I kept hearing a faint noise from her phone. It was the sound of a missed call. I recognized it as it sounds like the one on my own cell phone. I'd check and lo and behold, a text message or missed call. I had forgotten about that special ringer until, out of curiosity, I checked what ringer she was using. It's called "Mosquito" something or another. Ah ha. It is no longer set on that ringer. I got a nice generic ringer going on that Mama is sure to hear loud and clear. Far be it from me to miss one of her phone calls or text messages.
We need to keep our eye on this generation of teenagers. They are smart with technology......way smarter than we are. It worries me to no end what my son will be capable of when he reaches this age. How will I even begin to keep up with him?
As my facebook status says right this minute:
Miss Hope figures that if I can get my husband transitioned to civilian life, do another major move, keep my ADHD kid smooth, refrain from kicking my teenager's butt, and not start smoking again? Then I am going to throw myself the biggest party EVAH. I kid you not.
There are many of us who have given our little darlings a cell phone. The cell phone has personally kept my oldest, Paige, off of nerve medication. The Man and I purchased the phone when she was ten because when she would go visit her biological father, he would refuse to let her call me or contact me. Then came the panic attacks. It had potential to get massively ugly, but all worked out in the end.
I have recently discovered "special" rings for phones. These rings are high pitched in nature and can not be heard by the average adult. I guess cranking up the radio as teenager and going to concerts did our poor ears in.
They use these rings in school and around parents to notify them of text messages and phone calls.
I know the ring sounds work in this fashion because we have played the sound behind my son without him being aware. He immediately covers his ears and screams to turn it off. This has been tested a few times with the same results.
The Man and I never heard the first sound. Nothing. Nada.
My beautiful daughter Paige has lost use of her cell phone for a while and it's in my possession. I have no problem going through and reading her text messages and looking at her call history. Is it invading her privacy? Uh...no. She is not grown, educated, got a J.O.B., and living in her own home. Therefore, as payer of the MINOR's bill, I have full authority to see what my child is doing.
I kept hearing a faint noise from her phone. It was the sound of a missed call. I recognized it as it sounds like the one on my own cell phone. I'd check and lo and behold, a text message or missed call. I had forgotten about that special ringer until, out of curiosity, I checked what ringer she was using. It's called "Mosquito" something or another. Ah ha. It is no longer set on that ringer. I got a nice generic ringer going on that Mama is sure to hear loud and clear. Far be it from me to miss one of her phone calls or text messages.
We need to keep our eye on this generation of teenagers. They are smart with technology......way smarter than we are. It worries me to no end what my son will be capable of when he reaches this age. How will I even begin to keep up with him?
As my facebook status says right this minute:
Miss Hope figures that if I can get my husband transitioned to civilian life, do another major move, keep my ADHD kid smooth, refrain from kicking my teenager's butt, and not start smoking again? Then I am going to throw myself the biggest party EVAH. I kid you not.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Not Old!
We two, Makenna and I, are sitting here waiting on The Man to finish putting The Boy to bed. Our favorite show of the moment (So You Think You Can Dance) is paused and awaiting his return to his recliner.
Makenna grows impatient waiting and hollers towards The Boy's bedroom, "Hurry up and finish reading that book! We're missing the show!"
To which I told her to hush because when she was that age, I would have to read book after book after book to her in order to get her to sleep.
Her reply?
"Well, there wasn't television shows back then that you watched."
Excuse me? Back then???
She is only ten years old. I HAD SHOWS THEN, MAN.
Smart alecky kid.
By the way, I don't want you to think I'm sitting here around The Edge moping and being all depressed. We've actually been quite busy as it is summertime. Not just with counseling (boy, that's a whole 'nother post there), but with all kinds of stuff. We're unable to take a vacation this year because: 1. The upcoming retirement. 2. We are broke as a joke. I have searched and found things for us to do as a family that are fun and memorable. Of course I've taken pictures. You'll get my "What We Did This Summer" blog post when the kids head back to school....the first week of August! I know!!! I am counting down and excited and READY. So ready. Mama's nerves need those precious hours back in order to find some sanity.
I've even stepped further out of my comfort zone and tried new recipes. And no one made me!!! Yeah, we're stepping it up a notch around The Edge. I'm surprising my own self here.
I know I'm not the only blogger in Blog Land who hasn't stayed on top of the blog love these summer months. I was guilty until I realized I wasn't alone. It's all good. We'll meet up when the kids go back to school and sip on beverages while we play catch up.
In the mean time? Congrats to Ally on the birth of the sweetest looking baby EVAH. Pikes Pickles is loving the new addition and I hope I get to meet that precious little darling one day. Also, please keep The Edge and Pikes Pickles in your prayers as we leave the military behind and venture into the civilian world. Jobs are being searched for and nerves are stretched. All the two families want is to do God's will and be where He wants us to be. This is stuff that will probably be blogged about eventually....it's just is buncha buncha plus a lotta and all that to deal with right now in the present. (I promise that makes sense if you think about it.) I just know continued prayers surely are appreciated!
Just think of the blog posts when we get a house for me to decorate and PAINT! It's gonna be ON then, Internets!
Makenna grows impatient waiting and hollers towards The Boy's bedroom, "Hurry up and finish reading that book! We're missing the show!"
To which I told her to hush because when she was that age, I would have to read book after book after book to her in order to get her to sleep.
Her reply?
"Well, there wasn't television shows back then that you watched."
Excuse me? Back then???
She is only ten years old. I HAD SHOWS THEN, MAN.
Smart alecky kid.
By the way, I don't want you to think I'm sitting here around The Edge moping and being all depressed. We've actually been quite busy as it is summertime. Not just with counseling (boy, that's a whole 'nother post there), but with all kinds of stuff. We're unable to take a vacation this year because: 1. The upcoming retirement. 2. We are broke as a joke. I have searched and found things for us to do as a family that are fun and memorable. Of course I've taken pictures. You'll get my "What We Did This Summer" blog post when the kids head back to school....the first week of August! I know!!! I am counting down and excited and READY. So ready. Mama's nerves need those precious hours back in order to find some sanity.
I've even stepped further out of my comfort zone and tried new recipes. And no one made me!!! Yeah, we're stepping it up a notch around The Edge. I'm surprising my own self here.
I know I'm not the only blogger in Blog Land who hasn't stayed on top of the blog love these summer months. I was guilty until I realized I wasn't alone. It's all good. We'll meet up when the kids go back to school and sip on beverages while we play catch up.
In the mean time? Congrats to Ally on the birth of the sweetest looking baby EVAH. Pikes Pickles is loving the new addition and I hope I get to meet that precious little darling one day. Also, please keep The Edge and Pikes Pickles in your prayers as we leave the military behind and venture into the civilian world. Jobs are being searched for and nerves are stretched. All the two families want is to do God's will and be where He wants us to be. This is stuff that will probably be blogged about eventually....it's just is buncha buncha plus a lotta and all that to deal with right now in the present. (I promise that makes sense if you think about it.) I just know continued prayers surely are appreciated!
Just think of the blog posts when we get a house for me to decorate and PAINT! It's gonna be ON then, Internets!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Good Deal
We went on a mission this past Saturday. I woke up and debated on doing some needed housework here at The Edge or packing us up to go hit some outlet stores for some needed items.
Outlet stores won hands down.
The main reason for going was to get The Man and his son some new shoes. They are both huge fans of those ever so attractive croc-o-dile clogs. I bought The Man some on a whim over a year ago and really didn't know if he would even wear them. Those shoes are now worn completely out. We bought The Boy some cheap off brand version to see how he would handle it. He loved them. We upgraded to the brand for school and he's worn them til they can not be passed down. The straps are gone and the soles are worn almost all the way down.
My boys are funny about some things and shoes are one of them. I have seen my overly sensitive child fall on the floor and literally melt into a puddle over being made to wear a pair of shoes he deems horrible. I know a lot of kids do this, my kid isn't breaking new ground. He despised wearing cleats for T-ball but, God bless his heart, he bucked it up and wore them for the game. Some times there are battles worth fighting and some times it's really not a bad idea to get the kid a comfy shoe to wear on a regular basis.
We hit that Croc-o-dile outlet with high hopes and expectations. We were not disappointed. Upon finding out that they offer a military discount, we were glad to give them our meager business. What a crowded store this was, with both people and all types of shoes. It was pretty overwhelming to be honest.
Paige was able to find a really cute pair of dress shoes she could wear to work. It's been really hard on her feet and ankles not being able to wear tennis shoes and being on her feet the full work day. The shoes she found are silver (score for neutral color!) and are almost like ballet flat sling backs. She has deemed them the best shoes ever and I'm glad we were able to find something dressy and workable for her.
What did that boy of mine find? Every single solitary pair of green shoes in the joint. We all know how much he adores the color green. He's not particular to any shade of green, it's all just magical and perfect for him. He gravitated to a pair of neon/lime green shoes that had potential to blind a person from fifty feet away and was insistent he needed that pair.
Did I mention the tape measure? Before we left the house, he got his Dad's tape measure out of the tool box. He measured his foot and he measured his old pair of shoes. He did the math in his head and decided how long a new pair would have to be. He put that big tape measure up in his pocket (cargo shorts) and was fully prepared to shoe shop.
In the midst of that busy store, people milling all around, my son would whip that tape measure out and measure a shoe before trying it on. God, how I love him and how his amazing mind works. Paige was on the embarrassed side because her little brother had a tape measure in public. I told her it just showed how incredible his mind is at being able to figure out measurement and apply it to every day life. I had not one problem with my child carrying that tape measure to measure and compare. I looked at it as an awesome learning experience. Shoot, you only live once.
In the end, we bought The Boy two pair of shoes. One pair for now, and one pair to start school with. The school pair are a good sturdy brown, guaranteed to match just about anything I put on that kid.
(Did I mention that I finished school clothes shopping for him while there? Every kid's store had amazing sales going on. I bought shirts from .99- 3.99. I bought shorts for 1.99-3.99. I am thrilled to pieces he is ready for kindergarten!)
What about the shoes he gets to wear now, you ask? Oh, what an amazing magical pair of shoes we have, Internets.
Outlet stores won hands down.
The main reason for going was to get The Man and his son some new shoes. They are both huge fans of those ever so attractive croc-o-dile clogs. I bought The Man some on a whim over a year ago and really didn't know if he would even wear them. Those shoes are now worn completely out. We bought The Boy some cheap off brand version to see how he would handle it. He loved them. We upgraded to the brand for school and he's worn them til they can not be passed down. The straps are gone and the soles are worn almost all the way down.
My boys are funny about some things and shoes are one of them. I have seen my overly sensitive child fall on the floor and literally melt into a puddle over being made to wear a pair of shoes he deems horrible. I know a lot of kids do this, my kid isn't breaking new ground. He despised wearing cleats for T-ball but, God bless his heart, he bucked it up and wore them for the game. Some times there are battles worth fighting and some times it's really not a bad idea to get the kid a comfy shoe to wear on a regular basis.
We hit that Croc-o-dile outlet with high hopes and expectations. We were not disappointed. Upon finding out that they offer a military discount, we were glad to give them our meager business. What a crowded store this was, with both people and all types of shoes. It was pretty overwhelming to be honest.
Paige was able to find a really cute pair of dress shoes she could wear to work. It's been really hard on her feet and ankles not being able to wear tennis shoes and being on her feet the full work day. The shoes she found are silver (score for neutral color!) and are almost like ballet flat sling backs. She has deemed them the best shoes ever and I'm glad we were able to find something dressy and workable for her.
What did that boy of mine find? Every single solitary pair of green shoes in the joint. We all know how much he adores the color green. He's not particular to any shade of green, it's all just magical and perfect for him. He gravitated to a pair of neon/lime green shoes that had potential to blind a person from fifty feet away and was insistent he needed that pair.
Did I mention the tape measure? Before we left the house, he got his Dad's tape measure out of the tool box. He measured his foot and he measured his old pair of shoes. He did the math in his head and decided how long a new pair would have to be. He put that big tape measure up in his pocket (cargo shorts) and was fully prepared to shoe shop.
In the midst of that busy store, people milling all around, my son would whip that tape measure out and measure a shoe before trying it on. God, how I love him and how his amazing mind works. Paige was on the embarrassed side because her little brother had a tape measure in public. I told her it just showed how incredible his mind is at being able to figure out measurement and apply it to every day life. I had not one problem with my child carrying that tape measure to measure and compare. I looked at it as an awesome learning experience. Shoot, you only live once.
In the end, we bought The Boy two pair of shoes. One pair for now, and one pair to start school with. The school pair are a good sturdy brown, guaranteed to match just about anything I put on that kid.
(Did I mention that I finished school clothes shopping for him while there? Every kid's store had amazing sales going on. I bought shirts from .99- 3.99. I bought shorts for 1.99-3.99. I am thrilled to pieces he is ready for kindergarten!)
What about the shoes he gets to wear now, you ask? Oh, what an amazing magical pair of shoes we have, Internets.
The Boy now owns his very own pair of kelly green croc-o-dile shoes that Mama happened to find in the clearance bin for $9.99.
Yes, sir, having your child come kiss you goodnight wearing nothing but a pair of Power Ranger underwear and green shoes? Priceless.
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