For anyone with babies and loved the movie Grease..

Ok anyone really. LOL A friend of mine sent me this link in an email. It's called GreaserBabies. How weird. I know I added the link last night.

About Jay...

We got Jay's progress report today. He has a D in Language Arts, A in Math, C in Science and an F in Social Studies. To say that we are shocked and upset doesn't cut it. In the remarks it says, "Needs to do homework."

Okay let's talk about that. Jay goes directly to the homework club after school. He does his homework there and it's checked there. Nevertheless, when he gets home, I recheck his homework. He has an agenda he's to write his assignments in. I check that every night and initial it. So apparently Jay isn't writing all his homework down. Because I know that what has been written down has been checked by one of the counselors in the homework club, then again by me.

The other comments are "Low quiz grades (that's for math, yet he has a 99 in math.

The last comment is "Needs to stay focused." Now that one doesn't come as a surprise since he's ADHD and does have problems focusing.

The director of the homework club called me this evening to discuss Jay's grades. He was just as shocked as me since he knows how I am with Jay and his homework. He knows I'm an active participant in Jay's education. So what we've decided to do as a team is I'll call the school Monday morning to set up a conference with Jay's teacher...all of them if need be. I'm going to request that they initial Jay's agenda each day, I'll do the same as will Nick (the homework club director.) We'll also start Jay with tutoring in Social Studies in Language Arts and Social Studies. The homework club does free tutoring on Saturdays. I'll have the teacher send something for Jay to work on for the Saturday sessions.

As far as how Jimmy and I are handling it. I know I've talked about the science camp coming up in November. We've already paid for half of it. When I call the school Monday I plan on asking if that money can be refunded. If not, we have two options. We'll talk to his teachers and keep an eye on his grades this coming month. If they've improved, he can go. If not, we'll get our money refunded or donate it to another child. All monies have to be paid in full by 10/30. So I'll get the info in advance. In the meantime, Jay is grounded. He will be working hard.

I expect his grades to improve. Am I being unreasonable? Am I being too harsh? This is a first since he's been in school. He's always had excellent grades.

ER...

I'm so addicted to this show it's not even funny. How addicted? When I was in the hospital after having Korinne by c-section and was on a morphine drip, I refused to push that magic button until ER was over for fear of passing out and missing it.That being said, the season premiere last week and tonight's episode has been pure torture.

For those that don't watch a character gave birth to her baby premature. Then ended up having to have a hysterectomy. It was the premature birth that had me bawling.(My twins were born premature and passed awayt shortly after.)

Tonight's episode, the baby is in surgery and having complications. I didn't watch Jackson's surgery but had all kinds of nightmares...ok daymares while it was going on.I really should stop watching, but I can't.

Shopping spree...and allergies

Jackson had his appointment with the allergist again this morning. According to the blood test results, he has a mild allergy to eggs, milk and peanut. The numbers weren't high enough for major concern. Yeah...he's the the freaked out parent who's baby has had medical problems aplenty since birth. So we're to do challenge tests. Next week, we'll go in with some milk. They'll give him milk then check him in 15 minutes, give him more, check him, etc. The same will happen when he has his appointments for the eggs and peanut challenge. I'm so tired of all these doctor's appointments! When will they be over? Ok I really don't mind because I know he's being taken good care of. While at the allergist appointment, he didn't like how Jackson was breathing and that his nose was stuffy, so we were given a prescription.

With prescription in hand, we head to Walmart and drop it off. As we're waiting for the med to be filled, I'm browsing. I decide to by myself things I've needed for awhile...undergarments. Then I'm looking at the clearance racks...I love clearance racks...and come across three tank tops I loved. The highest price was 3 bucks! I did buy a $7 t-shirt with tinkerbell on it that says, "You wish you were me." I got it because I love tinkerbell and it just sounded funny. Along with a bottle of soda, a can of refried beans and a box of garlic bread sticks, the price came to just over $60. When I saw Jimmy later, I told him I went shopping. He immediately got this weird look on his face. He said, "Well you know where we stand with the bills." My heart dropped and I decided to take everything back.

Later when Jimmy came home from work, I told him I was taking everything back and why. He said, "No you are not taking them back. You needed most of it. And the shirts cost $15 for all four. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I was merely stating that since you handle the bills, you knew whether or not we could afford it." Then I decided, to hell with it. I rarely buy anything for myself, other than a magazine or two a week. I'm keeping these tank tops. The undergarments were very much needed so I wouldn't have taken them back. LOL

See, I handle all the money here. When Jimmy gets his paycheck, he calls me. I go pick it up, it's signed over to me and deposited into my checking account. I pay all the bills and buy whatever is needed. The financial part of our marriage is my responsibility. And he wouldn't have it any other way. At least he knows the bills are paid and I'm not stressing about something being shut off. Yes, we had a little extra for me to shop today. Usually when I do extra shopping, it's for the kids, so it felt really good buying myself some things.

I love shopping! But I'm such a frugal shopper that I will compare before I buy. I devour clearance racks. I even like second hand stores. I bought Korinne a bicycle for 4 bucks at a second hand store and it looked brand new! Ok I'm cheap. You don't have to tell me. LOL

Almost midnight...

and I'm still up with Jackson. I'm okay now, not too tired, but ready for bed.

Jimmy and I went fishing tonight. I babysit a friend's 11 year old every day after school, going on week 2. The girl is only here about 2 hours a day so I don't feel right charging. But because I know how proud my friend is, I charge $25 a week. This friend is so in debt to me, to her thinking that she volunteers to babysit for me.

I took advantage of that tonight and had her watch my oldest (who is grounded) and my youngest (who is 13 months) while Jimmy and I took the two middle children fishing. I know it was torture to the oldest because he LOVES going fishing.

So we get to the park where bank fishing is allowed (10 minutes from home). Justin and Korinne are excited. I'm using an old fishing pole of Jimmy's, with live bait that I refuse to touch. Ok I don't mind touching it, I just cannot kill it by baiting it. LOL Well apparently on Jimmy's old pole, there's a screw missing because the first time he casts off the crank flies off. I found this amusing until he said that was the pole I was using and would have to take crank off before I cast off.

As you can imagine, eventually I forgot to take the crank off. I cast off and hear this HUGE PLOP! Way before my hook hits water. Yup, it was the crank. I felt so bad, yet wanted to laugh. And what do you know, I get a bite. So I'm reeling this fish in by twirling the wheel instead of the crank. Granted it was a teeny tiny fish. I still don't know what kind, but it was beautiful. (We don't keep what we catch.) I caught another the same way. Jimmy caught a baby flounder. We let them all go though. It's not keeping the fish that makes it fun. It's the catching and letting go.

As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Jackson cry, cry cry. He doesn't want a bottle of juice or milk. He doesn't want me to hold him, or even have Jimmy hold him. His diaper is dry. I've given him tylenol because he's teething. Nothing I've tried is working. So I just put him in his crib and turned his music on. I can't go to bed leaving him that way. So I'm sitting her patiently waiting for him to fall asleep. Thankfully Korinne is a hard sleeper and didn't wake up once. LOL

Another battle

I had yet another battle, so to speak, with Jay. Here's how it went down.

I went to tuck in the kids for bed. I tell Jay to turn of the tv in their room. (There's no cable, it's so they can watch movies on the playstation 2.) He trips over something and gets mad. I said, "If you had cleaned your room, you wouldn't have tripped.Daddy may have let you off the hook on cleaning this room, but I am NOT happy about it." I then look at Justin and say, "Justin if you clean this room this week, I will give you ten dollars and get you a special prize. Can you do that for me?" Justin says yes. So Jay gets upset, starts crying and says, "What if I clean it?" I said, "Jay it doesn't matter. You should have cleaned it anyway. I ask you to do ONE thing once a week and you can't even do that. So how about I quit doing things for you. From now on you do your own laundry." At that he interrupts me and says, "I don't know how to do laundry and I don't want to learn!" I said, "I will teach you, and you will learn. If you can't do one thing for me, why should I do anything for you?" He says he doesn't care if I quit doing his laundry. I said, "Fine, you'll go to school with smelly clothes." Again he says he doesn't care. So I turn and walk away.

As I'm walking away I hear the dreaded words "I hate you!"

I whip around and say, "Excuse me? You hate me? Well I'm not exactly loving your behaviour right now. That's ok. I'll remember that. You have a birthday coming up and 'I hate you' isn't going to make me feel generous." He starts crying even more. I turn to leave and hear him mumbling "You're always mean to me."

Again I whip around and say, "I'm mean to you? Let's see, I cook dinner every night so you have something decent to eat. I do laundry so you have clean clothes to wear. I buy you things just because. I make sure the bills are paid so we, including YOU, have a place to live with lights and cable television. And I'm mean to you? Jay, you are 10 years old. You have no idea of how life really is."

At that point I give up and just walk outside for a smoke. When I come back in, Jay comes out of his room and says he's sorry. So I tell him, "Jay, you have no idea how much I love you. For the first 5 years of your life, you were my whole life. All I had was you and Daddy. Yes there are more people, but I still make sure you have things you need and things you want. I don't feel I'm being unreasonable asking you to clean your room ONCE a week. Justin and Korinne clean EVERYDAY. When I was your age, I had to clean the living room, kitchen, do laundry, cook dinner and babysit my Shannon and Billy (sis and bro) because my mother was too busy partying. Do I make you do any of those other than your room?" He shook his head no. I said, "So how am I being mean there? I know you don't make the mess most of the time, but it's the ONLY thing you have to clean." I told him we were still changing the rooms around. We're moving Justin into Korinne's room because it's bigger and I know two twin beds will fit in there. Jackson's crib will be moved into Jay's room because the only way twin beds will fit in there is as bunk beds. Since Jackson's toys are in a container in the living room there will be nothing but beds and dressers in Jay's new room. All the toys will be in Justin's and Korinne's room. And yes they will both be responsible for keeping it clean.

So that's where we are now.

Here it is 12:20 am...

And I'm still up. Jackson had a doctor's appointment today with the neurosurgeon. The time totally interupted with his naptime.

So here I am at after midnight ready to go to bed and he's wide awake wanting to play! Heaven help me!!!!!!!

Losing battle

Jimmy and I are in a losing battle with Jay...our almost 11 year old. All I ask of him is to clean his room once a week. Korinne and Justin clean every day. Usually on Saturdays, I have Jay clean his room...yes he shares a room with Justin...and yes Justin and Korinne usually make the mess in their room. But because Justin and Korinne clean the living room everyday, and Korinne cleans hers and Jackson's room, I feel Jay cleaning their room is fair. Do you think so?

Well this past Saturday, since we were all at the Blognic, I didn't have him clean the room. Instead we wanted him to do it on Sunday. After many threats and withdrawing privileges, he still refused to clean the room.

So instead of resorting to spanking and all, Jimmy and I decided to switch the rooms around. We're putting Jay in with Jackson and Korinne in with Justin. Because I can count on Justin and Korinne to clean their rooms, that's not a problem. The reason for putting Jay (almost 11) in a room with Jackson (13 months) is because all of Jackson's toys are in containers in the living room. So any mess made in their room cannot be blamed on anyone else.

Besides switching rooms, Jay will lose all privileges such as going fishing with the family (which he loves) and getting any extra prizes (a video game rental or whatever.) We won't ask him to do anything. No more having him take out the trash. No more asking him to clean his room. No more asking him to clean the bathroom Jimmy and I don't use (it's the *kids* bathroom). When he wants something, he'll have to earn it.

Does all this sound harsh? We provide a stable roof over his head. We make sure he has food in his belly and clothes on his back. Is it too much to expect him to keep his room clean? I'm telling you his room is so bad that I have to clear a path each night so that when Jimmy gets the boys up for school in the morning he doesn't trip over something or step on something. At least with him being in a room with Jackson, there will be no toys. So anything on the floor will obviously be Jay's doing since the only time Jackson is in the room is for naps or bedtime.

A fun little survery

Here's a little survey I found on a friend's myspace blog.Thought it was fun. Here are my answers. Who's next?

1. Do you still talk to the person you lost your virginity to? No
2. What would you do with 1,000 plastic spoons? Let the kids play with them?
3. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? Um...Tiffany and Debbie Gibson, how sad is that? LOL
4. What is the best thing about your current job?I don;t miss anything new my children do.
5. Are you against same sex marriage? No, who are we to judge anyone? Judge not, lest ye be judged
6. Have you been on a date in the past week? Yes
7. Where did you go on your last vacation? Georgia, when I visited Jodi, when she lived there.
8. Quote a song lyric "Cause I'm broken..."
9. Are most of the friends in your life new or old? new
10. Do you own any furniture from Ikea? no
11. Do you like your parents? My dad yes, my mom sometimes
12. Have you ever gotten a ticket, speeding or otherwise? Yes Broken windshield
13. Tell us about the last conversation you had? With Jimmy with him complaining about people
14. Where do you see yourself in one month? Sitting right where I'm at, in front of the computer with the kids sleeping
15. What is your favorite smell? Jackson fresh out of the tub. I love freshly cleaned babies
16. Have you ever done anything vindictive to your coworkers? yes, and I enjoyed it! LOL
17. Have you ever played spin the bottle? Yes
18. Have you ever toilet papered someone's house? Yes, LOL
19. Have you ever liked someone but never told them? All the time
20. Have you ever gone camping? Yes, and realized sleeping on the ground is not for me!
21. Have you ever had a crush on your brothers friend? My brother is 8 years younger than I am, and his friends are all goobers. LOL
22. Have you ever been to a nude beach? No
23. Have you ever had sex on the beach? Ew! And get sand in uncomfortable places? I don't think so!
24. Have you ever had a stalker? Not that I know of
25. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Yes
26. Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Yes
27. Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only sober one? Now that's fun! Free entertainment. LOL
28. Have you ever been cheated on? Yes
29. Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? Yes
30. Have you ever felt like you were just completely rhino raped? I don't think so
31. Have you ever lied to your parents? Oh yes
32. Have you ever gotten a haircut so bad that you wore a hat? No
33. Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food places? No, that'd be gross
34. Have you ever gotten so wasted you didn't know what was going on? LOL Yes
35. Have you ever spied on someone you had a crush on? No
36. Have you ever slept with one of your coworkers? Yes
37. Have you ever seen your best friend naked? Yes

It's MY night...

From the day our oldest, Jay was born, Jimmy and I agreed that since he worked and I didn't I would get up with the kid(s) Sunday through Saturday. He would get up Saturday night/Sunday morning. I have never once in all these almost 11 years asked him to get up. So I consider Saturday nights/Sunday mornings to be MY time. I take that opportunity to drink what I want, as much as I want, or to stay up as late as I want. I get to sleep in on Sunday mornings, though I rarely due.

The reason? Because I'm selfish. I want to enjoy every single moment Jimmy is home from work. So I sacrifice my sleep in time to spend time with him. I DO take naps during the week when Jackson and Korinne are napping. So I don't feel I'm missing out on sleep.

So here I am at who knows what time (since the time I post is never the actual time) I have my two oldest spending the night out. and the two youngest plus Hubby in bed asleep. I'm disconcerted because usually when any of my kids are out for the night, I call them to tell them goodnight. Otherwise I go to bed feeling I forgot something. Tonight when I called to where they are, there was no answer. Wannabet, I won't get any sleep tonight? LOL

Yes I know I need to let them go some. But I'm not ready for that. They're 10 and 5! They should be home with me! Dammit! LOL

Next week will be even harder because the same friends the boys are at tonight, my girl will be with their girls. Korinne has never been at any sleepover other than my mother. I'm not worried about Korinne in regards of our friends, because we all share the same beliefs on discipline and whatnot. It's just that I've never been away from Korinne for any time except when I stayed at the hospital with Jackson when he had surgery on his skull in February.

September Blognic

Wow did I have a great time! I was confused at first since I had no idea where to go. Thanks to Heather, we found our way. LOL

Even though I didn't eat, there was a lot of delicious looking food. I will definitely skip breakfast for the next blognic. Then I'll be hungry for lunch. LOL

I met a lot of wonderful people. I met Dan and Janet, Mike, Vera, Patrick, Eugene, April, Jason, and Harriet. I didn't get to meet Chuck or Jared really. Though I did listen in on some of their conversations and am a little disappointed for missing out on chatting with them. Heather and Margo I already knew.

There were 9 children there...4 of which were mine. LOL I was amazed that mine were so well behaved. All the children were. April's daughter is so cute! I can't wait for us to get together for "Betty" and Korinne to have a playdate.

I told Jimmy he was going to the next get together if I have to drag him. LOL I was so nervous when I first got there. I've become such a homebody that my stomach gets in knots when I'm purposely going out to meet new people. But I'm definitely glad I went. (I had to after I offered to bring drinks. LOL)

I'm looking forward to the next get together and may even get a babysitter so I can take advantage of adult conversation. LOL

By the way, thank you all for indulging me by wearing name tags, so I'd remember who was who. That helped a lot. :)

Ugh...Field trips/Fundraisers

Jay has a field trip coming up in November. I'm all for my kids going on field trips. This one is to a science camp for three days/two nights....in North Carolina. The cost $210. I said no at first, But Jimmy convinced me that it would be something Jay would love...He LOVES science....and Jimmy would work extra to make sure it could happen.

So above my better thought, I agreed. Yes, I know Jay would love this. I know it's only available to the 5th graders. And yes I know that all the 5th grade teachers will be going, along with many other chaperones. (I'd love to be a chaperone but know I couldn't find someone to be here for my other three children.)

So to help cover the cost of this field trip, the school is doing a fundraiser now. We're to sell gift certificates to Krispy Kreme. The cost, $6 for a free dozen glazed donuts and 1/2 price a 2nd dozen if purchased at the same time. Also a $10 gift certificate to Nathan's Deli here on Hwy 61 for the price of $8.50. Each certificate sold for Krispy Kreme takes $2 off the remaining balance for field trip. Each certificate sold for Nathan's Deli takes $2.50 off remaining price.

So I sent the forms with Jimmy to his job in hopes some would help out. His main bitch is that he doesn't mind paying full price for Jay. He'd rather the fundraising money go towards the students whose parents cannot afford to send them. I'm fine with that. I'll call the school Monday morning and tell them to put the credit Jay's gotten towards a student who may not be able to attend.

My bitch is regardless whether this fundraising helps Jay or another child, I want Jimmy to at least ask for help. I don't mind the help going towards another child that may not otherwise be able to attend.

All that being said, would anyone like to contribute? The checks aren't even made out to me, but to the school. If you like to purchase certificates to either Krispy Kreme or Nathan's Deli, email me directly at SunnieFaerie@comcast.net and I'll tell you how to make the check out to, or make arrangements to meet and have you sign the forms and pay in cash. Up to you. But if anyone would like to help out, whether it's for my child or another, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

The ABC Meme

The ABC Meme, stolen from Mike, who stole it from Well Mannered Frivolty. LOL

• A - Accent: Southern with a mix of midwest (so I've been told)
• B - Breakfast Item: Sausage McMuffin with egg
• C - Chore you hate: Scrubbing the floor
• D - Dad's Name: Bill (ex-stepdad, but only Dad I've ever known)
• E - Essential everyday item: Water
• F - Flavor ice cream: Mint chocolate chip
• G - Gold or Silver?: Silver
• H - Happy Place: Relaxing in the tub with a good book
• I - Insomnia: Rarely
• J - Job : Domestic Goddess, Domestic Engineer, call it what you want
• K - Kids: 6, 4 living, 2 in Heaven
• L - Living arrangements: Me , Hubby Jimmy, Jay, Justin, Korinne, Jackson
• M - Mom's birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
• N - Name your pets: Jay, Justin, Korinne, Jackson. LOL J/k no pets
• O - Overnight hospital stays: 2 days giving birth to Jay, 3 days giving birth to Justin, 4 days giving birth (c-section) to Korinne, 13 days when I gave birth to my twins, 3 days giving birth to Jackson
• P - Phobia: Burning alive
• Q - Question: Why do children argue just for the sake of arguing?
• R - Religious affiliation: Baptist
• S - Siblings: Shannon, Billy, Joshua and Robert (the latter two from ex-stepdad)
• T - Time you wake up: Whenever Jackson wakes up. Otherwise 6:30am
• U - Unnatural hair colors you've had: My hair has been red (my favorite), black, brown and my natural blonde. It was also accidently dyed burgundy (looked reddish-purple) once.
• V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Spinach
• W - Worst habit: smoking
• X - X-rays you've had: When I was ten and cut my finger badly
• Y - Yummy: japanese food
• Z -Zoo animal: turtles

Jack in the Box

Look, Ma! I found a box!

Pffffffft I'm playing in the box! HaHa! Riding along in my automobile...

What do you think?

Jimmy says Jackson needs a hair cut. I have never had to take any of my kids for a hair cut before the age of 2. This is Jackson normally. With his helmet on and his hair hanging over the top. This is Jackson without the helmet. He has more hair than my others had at his age. I don't want to get his hair cut. Right now, since he wears the helmut 23/7 I don't see why I should cut his hair. It's not in his eyes. What do y'all think? Should I bite the bullet and take my angel for a haircut?

Beautiful skies

The sunset tonight was absolutely beautiful! Jimmy grabbed one of the digicams and took these pics. Of course, the pictures don't do the sunset justice.

What was I thinking??!!

Earlier in the week, I called our former neighbors to see if their oldest son could spend the night with Jay. I called my sister to see if Justin could spend the night with his cousin. Both were yeses.

Saturday afternoon, I drove 45 minutes to my sister's house to drop off Justin. For some reason he got all upset and didn't want to stay. I wasn't going to force him, but I did say that I did NOT drive all that way for nothing. So Alex came home with us. We went grocery shopping on the way...me plus 5 kids ages, 10, 6, 5, 3, and 1. The 3 year old and 1 year old behaved. LOL

Upon leaving the grocery store, I called my old neighbors to say I was on my way to pick up D. Jimmy called and said he was done working but wanted to know if he could hang out a bit longer. I said that was fine, because it was. He hardly ever hangs out with people. He's usually at work or here with us.

We get home and the four older ones all want to play video games. I said no way and sent them all outside to run off some energy. It really wasn't that bad until it was time to settle down in bed and watch a movie. They couldn't agree on a movie. a few wanted The Incredibles, the others wanted Austin Powers. We settle on the Incredibles, but because my boys don't know how to take care of their movies, it started messing up. That's when I put in Austin Powers. Within 30 minutes or so starting that, they were all passed out. I let Korinne sleep in the boys' room because she'd passed out on the floor with her sleeping bag.

When I woke up in the morning it was to hear Jimmy saying, "Keep it down so your mother c

an sleep!" (Sundays are my mornings to sleep in.) I was awake and there was no going back to sleep. LOL

We had a great day though. We cooked out, had good food, played with the kids. When my sister came to pick up Alex, she stayed to babysit my kids while Jimmy and I went fishing. Jimmy's birthday is Tuesday and he wanted just me and him to go fishing. We didn't catch anything, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. The rest of the day, we listened to music, danced with the kids and just enjoyed ourselves.

I hate Mondays! I love having Jimmy home. Though I admit, I love being able to pay the bills more. LOL

The Black Dahlia

Ok first, I have to admit that I am totally addicted to crimes. Not the actual crime itself, but how they're solved. I'm addicted to Court TV. I love the forensic shows. So when I saw the previews for the movie Black Dahlia, I jumped at it. I bought the book over the weekend and devoured every word. There are actually two books on this. One was in the true crime section and it was all the files concerning the case. That book was 26 bucks. So I chose the book that was in the mystery section that told the story.

Now that I read the mystery book, I really want the one from true crimes with the files. I think I'll check out eBay on that.

Now that I read the book, I really, really, really want to see the movie. If I have to go by myself, so be it. LOL

Jackson and allergies.

Today Jackson had his appointment to be tested for allergies. According to the skin test, he's allergic to egg whites, egg yolks, cows milk, peanuts, soybean, shrimp, fish and I cannot remember the last one. We were given a referral or whatever to have blood drawn to get a more conclusive result.

I just learned that even though his formula doesn't look or taste like milk based formula, there are broken down milk proteins in it. Then I learned that milk allergies can cause eczema. I haven't been able to get his eczema under control since he first came down with it. Then I thought hard and realized, he didn't get eczema until I quit pumping and gave him formula. Why did I quit pumping? Because he was in the hospital for almost two months so I wasn't able to get him used to nursing. When he came home, he lasted a month before he was drinking more than I could pump.

He was three months old when I put him on formula. It was also then he developed eczema. So have I been causing the eczema by giving him formula? I just don't know.

We go back to the allergist in two weeks, so I hope I have answers then. Until then, I'll keep doing what I'm doing...NOT giving him anything dairy. I'll stick to the foods he's been fine with.

UGH!!!!!

BIG UGH! I just saw online an article that Dog the Bounty Hunter, his son and brother have been arrested. The charges? Illegal detention and alleged kidnapping. The "victim?" Max Factor heir Andrew Luster who was convicted of raping three women. This asshole flees the country, is caught and the bounty hunter that caught him is being charged? What the hell kind of justice is that? DAMN!

What a day and night!

To quote Heather, "It's just one of those...weeks? Maybe it's been a month."

I'll say! Jackson has had several hearing tests since he came home from the hospital. Each one was discouraging. Finally we were referred to the Pediatric ENT. Because Jackson's ear canals are so narrow, no one, not even the pediatric ENT has been able to see his ear drums. However the hearing test he had on Friday was promising. It had better results than his last one. So apparently as he grows, his canals get a tad wider.

We had a great weekend, nothing eventful. Just good family time. We did try this new Greek recipe. I'll do another post on that one later.

Sunday late night, Jackson wakes up at 12:52 am screaming. I give him some tylenol and baby orajel, cause I know he's got another tooth that bout ready to pop through. I fix him a bottle but when I come back from the bathroom, he's passed out, so I put the bottle in the fridge. I go back to bed where I toss and turn for an hour or so. Then Jackson wakes up at 4 am. Nothing I was doing was making him happy. He screamed for two hours straight. I just gated him in the living room and laid on the floor with him, praying he wouldn't wake anyone else up. By the time Jimmy got the boys up at 6am, I was in tears. I'd gotten 3 hours of sleep and knew my day was shot for any rest.

Jay had an eye at exam at the medical university for a second opinion on whether vision therapy was really needed for him. When I explained why we were there, they actually sneered. Apparently they've been having a lot of appointments for second opinions lately where vision therapy has been recommended from another optomologist. They did a lot more tests on Jay and assured me that there was nothing wrong with Jay's eyes other than him being slightly near-sighted. So there was no reason for me to waste my time, not too mention the money on something he doesn't need. He said, (and I quote) "There is no reason for anyone to waste their time and money on something that hasn't been scientifically proven it works." Didn't matter to me, I was just relieved that Jay's eyes are fine.

So we leave there, drop Jay off at school and head home. I call Jackson's asthma doctor and make an appointment for him to be tested for allergies. The three times I've given Jackson anything milk-related, he's developed a rash. Now that he's a year old, he can no longer get formula on his WIC, unless his pediatrician writes a prescription. After that call, I call his ped's office and request they write the prescription. We then headed down the road of his ped's office for a visit to the dermatologist. That doctor gave us a different med for Jackson's eczema. On the way home, we stopped at the ped's office and picked up the 'script.

We arrive at home at 2:50. Just enough time for me to change Jackson's diaper and head to the bus stop. Jackson is burning up! I take his temp rectally (I hate doing it that way) and it was 104. I gave him some tylenol and after we got Justin off the bus, I gave him a tepid bath. It's then that I realized he'd been sleeping all day. I just chalked it up to him having been up a lot the night before. When Jimmy came home from work, Jackson still had a fever. I sit down and write down all of his symptoms. High temp, loss of appetite, hardly any diaper changes, lethargic, extremely sleepy, wheezing (I'd given him two breathing treatments already). He had a few moments of energy but those were few and far between.

So I finally convince myself that I am just not going to get any sleep unless I call his pediatrician's office. Because of Jackson's medical history, I was told to take him to the ER just to be safe. So I load him up into the car and head downtown. His temp there was 102 (rectally) and they were concerned with his breathing. They send us to a room where most of the time, I sat with him sleeping in my arms. They gave him a breathing treatment with a stronger dose of albuterol than he gets at home. They're not satisfied with that so they send him for a chest x-ray. They saw a small hazy spot on his right lung that resembled pneumonia. Lucky me! Poor Jackson! The ER doctor said she was glad we'd brought Jackson in before he developed full blown pneumonia. He's given a shot of antibiotics and a prescription for me to fill. By the time we're sent home it's after 1 in the morning. My poor little guy didn't even budge when I put him in his bed. I collapsed into bed exhausted at 1:45.

Jackson slept all night and has been so much better today. His appetite is coming back, he's drinking his pedialite and even cruising around the furniture. We went to his ped's office for a follow up visit this morning. That went well. He has no more fever and his breathing has gotten better. His coloring looks much better and his eyes are no longer red.

Jackson had a check up with the pediatric neurosurgeon today. I had to reschedule that. Then I had to call and reschedule his appointment with the helmet guy (the Doctor that handles his helmet fittings) and the plastic surgeon even though those appointments were next week. The last two though are contingent on the neurosurgeon's visits.

I plan on going to bed at half past dark. LOL 7 hours of sleep in 48 hours is not something I'm used to. LOL I hope the rest of the week goes so much smoother.

Only cartoons for us today.

We will be watching Nick Jr and Discovery Kids all day. Well when we're home.

I can't bring myself to watch the news or anything else. Sitting here remembering that day 5 years ago, I can remember every detail. It was just after 9am, I was on the phone with a friend. I changed the channel to watch Montel and saw instead news going on. I vaguely listened when I saw the the second plane hit. I screamed, "Oh My God!" and dropped the phone. When I picked it back up my friend, was freaking out asking what was wrong. She thought something had happened to Justin, who was 10 months old. When I told her what was going on, she turned the TV on at work. She worked in the office of the apartments we lived in.

It was all so surreal. I was horrified, thinking of all those people dying. I was frantic with news from my online friends that lived in that area. I was holding Justin so much I was afraid to let him go. I called Jimmy at work just to tell him how much I loved him. I called the school to find out if the students were being sent home. They were, thankfully, because I'd have walked to that school to get my baby if I'd had to.

I avoided the news this morning. I did take dessert and a Thank you card to our local fire station. The fire chief almost made me cry. Though I did learn that oatmeal raisin are his favorite cookies. LOL So next time I feel like baking cookies, I'll bake him some of those. I think we should all take a moment to thank those who risk their lives everyday for us, firemen, police, military.

I'll have a whole different post tonight on my night last night and day today in my household. Lots to share on Jackson and doctor's appointments and whatnot. Until then, God Bless you all as we commemorate today.

Calling the doctor...

Guess I'll be calling the doctor Monday. The allergist to be exact. Seems Jackson's body does NOT want him to have dairy.

The first time I gave him dairy, it was mac and cheese. He broke out in a rash and had welts on his arms. He hasn't had anything since. Well he's a year old now, which means no more formula on his WIC. We still have formula left (his formula is not milk based), and he eats regular food. So today I give him 2 ounces of regular milk. He seemed fine. The only reddish areas were where he has eczema. SO I thought nothing of it. Tonight I give him 4 ounces of milk. Now he has a rash on his face. So I wake him enough to give him some Benadryl.

That's why I'll be calling the allergist. He already sees this doctor for asthma. Now I want to know what he's allergic to because I'm afraid to give him anything new.

None of my older three had allergies, so this is all new to me. Wish me luck! I think I'll need it. LOL

Ernesto...Schmernesto...

Ernesto...was NOTHING...compared to the rain I'm getting now. It's thundering AND lightening now. And the rain is coming down MUCH harder than Ernesto. Go figure!

Body man in training?

On Saturdays when Jimmy goes to work, he takes one of the older boys. He alternates so each get a turn. Jay likes to go to catch lizards and just hang out. Justin likes to go to actually work. LOL This past Saturday was Justin's turn. While Jimmy was working on a car for the shop, he let Justin sand on his truck (right next to him.) He told Justin he could sand anything but the tires and glass. Thankfully, he took the digicam with him because I have proof that Justin actually helps. LOL Here they are!

Hard at work!

Hey Daddy, I can barely reach this part!

CA law to ban smoking in cars..

with children, that is.

I came across this blog about smoking with children in your car. Now, I'm a smoker. But I do NOT smoke in my house. Or in my car if my children are with me. I used to smoke in the house and subject my innocent children to second hand smoke. I quit that almost a year ago when Jackson came home from the hospital. Since then, when I feel the need for a cigarette, I step outside. Yes I know I can carry the smoke through my clothes. I try to take precautions with that...wearing a different sweater/shirt/whatever.

The fact is, I smoke. But I DO smoke away from my children. I don't smoke in the house. I don't smoke in the car. And I do NOT smoke when other people's children are in my care.

I don't know how to comment on the blog in question. On one hand I'm outraged that the government is yet again telling us how to live our lives. On the other hand I'm in agreement with parents NOT smoking around their children.

I'm such a hypocrite because I smoked with all of my pregnancies. I tried stopping but just could not. So anything and everything that is going on with my kids, I blame myself for. Even for the major things that have nothing to do with me. I still feel the guilt.

But I do feel banning people from doing something will just make them do it even more. No matter what it is.

What do y'all think>

4 movies....

I've recently watched four movies, albiet reluctantly, that I found I enjoyed. Two were stupid ass comedies. Two were action. Now, I'm more into the horror movies than anything. I tend to avoid action movies. And only watch the comedy ones when Jimmy's watching them.

So the four movies lately were:

1. Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector. This movie was so stupid it was funny. Now I love Larry the Cable Guy...he's hilarious. Again, the movie is stupid. But I found myself laughing the whole time.
2. The 40 Year Old Virgin: I am so not a fan of Steve Carell. I find him incredibly annoying. But this movie, was funny. I laughed so hard.
3. The Transporter: HUGE action film. Basically, it's about this guy who transports things, no questions asked. Of course thing go awry.
4. The Transporter 2: Same premise as above, different plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed all four of these movies.

So now I ask you all...what 4 movies have you ever watched and enjoyed, even though you didn't expect to?