Disappointed...

I'm so disappointed in today. The media had a lot of people freaking out about the "storm" coming. It wasn't even a hurricane, yet schools were closed, lots of businesses were closed. And all we got was a full day of rain.

My kids were all freaking out, asking, "when is the storm coming?" I had to explain to them that the rain WAS the storm. There was no thunder, no lightening. Just rain. My kids were out of school for a rain day?! Come on people! I could understand more if it were a SNOW day. We rarely get snow. But for a tropical depression, we shut everything down? We were actually under an EPSOM 1...whatever the hell that means. I know it's not good. But if they're going to get all freaked out, at least let it be for a hurricane, category 1 or so. Not for a tropical storm or tropical depression.

I KNEW this was just going to be a "rainy day" and everyone else was freaking out, evacuating or going to shelters. I stayed where I am usually at. HOME. Inside. With my children, in the AC, watching cartoons or playing games or coloring. LOL

Yes it rained a lot and hard at some times. But there was nothing being blown around. I had to clear out my patio for nothing. My grill is in the back of Lucy Blue and all the chairs were brought inside...where we constantly tripped over. This place is not big enough for outside furniture. LOL

I am glad that it was just a rainy day though. I would not be here for something as strong as Katrina. My kids and I would be long gone.

Shelters?

The shelters here are requesting you only bring neccessary items. What do you deem neccessary? I, myself, would choose things that CANNOT be replaced over items like blankets, clothes, computer, etc. I would choose my pictures and cds of pictures, birth certificates, and ss cards. No, those won't help me live through a disaster. But those are the things that CANNOT be replaced...ok as far as pictures go. Birth certificates, SS cards, and stuff like that CAN be replaced, with a hassle. But pictures, and heirlooms, how can you replace those?

I also have to admit...

I admit that if it weren't for me having school age children, I wouldn't even know who Ernesto is. The only reason I have been keeping up is to know whether or not I'm sending my boys to school. I think this is going to be just a heavy rain storm. I know it could gain strength and all that. I've been watching the news. But I think since this is the first big "storm" to head our way, people are overreacting in fear of another Katrina. The biggest difference, we were all aware of how strong Katrina was. This is just a Tropical Depression right now. I highly doubt we're going to be hit as bad as the Katrina survivors were. Yet, when I went to the grocery store for sodas earlier, you'd think we were preapring for a national disaster. It was a madhouse!

Friends of ours are evacuating. They're from NY so I guess they're not used to hurricane threats as much as we are, even though they were on the East Coast as well. I could be wrong in all of this. It may gain strength, but I don't think there's enough time for it to become over a category 1. I know the weather people are worrying because we're supposed to have high tide when the storm hits us, so there will be major flooding. But to put people in a panic over a tropical depression? Sorry, not gonna happen.

Plus we have Harriet making her special Hurricane cookies! So we're gonna be just fine! YAY!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my Jackson!!!!

He is 1 year old today and I am thankful for every minute with him.

And yesterday, I learned he has a tooth! YAY!

You can't see it, but I can feel that it finally broke through the gum.

No wonder he's been happier lately. LOL

First day of school pics!

Finally! I have first day of school pics!

Justin's VERY first picture in a school uniform.

On the way to school.

Justin standing by the flag pole.

Jay standing by the flag pole.

Justin putting his stuff in a cubby.

One last parting shot.

Justin and Jay getting off the bus this afternoon.

One last shot after the boys got off the bus.

I really could have taken tons more pics. But I was trying not to cry and embarrass my poor boy. LOL

First Day of School!

Well I was going to upload some pics of today, but the computer isn't cooperating. LOL

Ok here's how it went. I woke the boys up at 6am. Fed them, they dressed, brushed their teeth and we watched cartoons until 7:10. At 7, Justin started counting down. LOL I took them to school this morning because I didn't want Justin having to cart all his supplies. I took several pics of them. A couple at home, a couple in front of the school, and a few of Justin in his classroom. Justin was very excited. He gave me a kiss and a hug and said, "See you later, Mama." It was all I could do not to burst in to tears! But I held it in. Until I got to the car of course. LOL Then it more just sniffling all the way home. LOL

It was soooooooo quiet today. No fighting at all! LOL I cleaned, which took maybe an hour. Then I read a book while Jackson and Korinne played. We all took naps. I set my alarm for 3, just in case. LOL Jackson woke me up at 2:30 anyway. So at 3, we loaded Jackson into the stroller and headed for the bus stop.

We met up with my friend Bridgette on the way. Her daughter is in a different kindergarten class. We decided to walk to the first bus stop where the Homework Club kids get off. I figured that would be where Justin would get off since that's where Jay gets off. Sure enough, Justin was right behind Jay. LOL Once Bridgette got Hannah off the bus, we started back. The bus passed us heading to the second bus stop. When she was leaving she pulled up beside us and told us about the second bus stop. (I think she thought we didn't know about it.) I thanked her and explained why I knew Justin would get off at the first stop. She laughed. But I told her that tomorrow, both Justin and Hannah would get off at the second bus stop.

So I ask Justin how his day was. He said it was fun. They played. The teachers wrote a story for them. They had lunch and TWO snacks. (I figured they would so I sent along an extra snack. LOL) He said they learned some letters. But he already knows his letters. He's excited to go back tomorrow!

I did just fine at home while he was gone. I missed him terribly. But I'm so glad he enjoys school. I was worried but now I can breath easy...for now. I'll try to post some pics again later.

The night before...

It's the night before Justin starts kindergarten. I've got his lunch made, his supplies packed and ready to go, his uniform all laid out. I even have his shoes, socks and belt ready for him. Now I'm sitting here so nervous. He's never been in day care, so he's been with me at home for almost 6 years. I feel like this is way different than when Jay started school because I worked when he was a toddler. He was in day care for almost 3 years, home with me for a year, then off to pre-k. So even though I was nervous when he started school, I was sort of used to him being away from me.

The longest I've ever been away from Justin (other than the 2 weeks I was in the hospital pregnant with my twins) is maybe a day here and there when he'd spend the night at my mom's. It's going to be weird having only Korinne and Jackson here.

I do plan on taking lots of pics tomorrow and Thursday. I always take Jay to school the first day to help him carry his supplies. So I'll be taking them both tomorrow. Then Thursday, Justin will be getting on that big yellow bus for the very first time. So I'll have lots of pics then too. LOL

I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight!

First Day

Ok we went to the school this evening to meet the boys' teachers. Jimmy took off just a tad early so we could all go. We loaded all four kids, plus Jay's friend who'd spent last night with us and was spending tonight with us. We get to the mad house and slowely make our way to where Jay's class will be. Jay's teacher is new to that school. He seems nice. When I told him about Jay's ADHD and not being on meds, he said he was ADHD as well, but on meds. So he'll keep an eye on Jay. This will be Jay's first male teacher. (He's starting 5th.)

We then made our way to the other side of the school to meet Justin's kindergarten teacher. I took one step inside and had to catch my breath or burst in to tears. Yes, I'm that emotional. LOL I'm not ready for my baby to start kindergarten. I can only imagine how it'll be when my girl starts kindergarten. It'll be even worse when my baby baby starts!

So anyway, his teacher is super nice. We warned her that Justin is very stubborn and to be firm with him right off. She seemed shocked that we would say something like that about our own child. But it's true. LOL She thanked us for the warning and assured us that he would be fine.

They start school on Wednesday. And I'm about as nervous as I can be. I should be a pro, shouldn't I? I've already shipped one child off to school 5 years ago. But those that know me, and know me well, know I can cry at a damn kleenex commercial. LOL (I'm an excellent sympathetic cryer. LOL)

So about ten minutes ago, I finally open the packets the teachers gave us with all the papers I have to fill out. In Justin's packet was this poem that, yes, I admit, brought tears to my eyes.

Here's the poem:

The First Day

I gave you a little wink and smile

As you entered my room today.

For I know how hard it is to leave

And know your child must stay.

You've been with him for five years now

And have been a loving guide.

But now, alas, the time has come

To leave him at my side.

Just know that as you drive away

And tears down your cheeks may flow,

I'll love him as I would my own

And help him learn and grow.

For as a teacher, I too know

How quickly the years do pass

And that one day soon it will be my turn

To take my child to class.

So please put your mind at ease

And cry those tears no more

For I will love him and take him in

When you leave him at my door.

I want MY BED!

Ya know how they used to say, "I want MY MTV!" ? Well, I WANT MY BED! After my ordeal of running out of gas, see previous post, I'm ready for bed. However, Jackson who passed out on the way home and woke back up at 10:30 pm, is wide awake and not ready for bed. Here it is, 12:16 am, and he's still wanting to play.

Oh wait, he's looking tired. He's wallering on the floor alternately putting his bottle and pacifier in his mouth. He doesn't want me to hold him. So hopefully, he'll fall asleep soon and I can put him in his crib and go to bed myself. LOL

Got Gas?

Yep, we ran out of gas tonight. In Lucy Blue. LOL

See when we bought Lucy Blue, the gas gage didn't work very well. It fluctuated from empty to full. But I always kept gas in it for fear of running out and being stranded with all the kids. Jimmy kept saying, "Oh we can go about 500-600 miles before we have to fill it back up. The gas tank is huge." Yeah okay! LOL

We're on our way home from Books A Million this evening. All four kids in the car. We pass a mustang on its side in the ditch near Carey Hilliards on Rivers Avenue. (For those that live around here, you know about where that is and that's it's not really a place anyone wants to run out of gas. LOL) So as soon as we pass this car, we go through the light at Eagle Drive and the van shuts off. I'm struggling to pull it over into the grass, thankfully we were in the far right lane, but the steering wheel was hard to turn. I look at Jimmy and say, WE ARE OUT OF GAS!"

So I grab my cell phone and call GEICO's ERS service, where I'm told it will be at least 2 hours before anyone could get to us because of all the accidents from the rain. NO way in HELL am I sitting on the side of Rivers Avenue with 4 children in the car for 2 hours! I had one bottle for Jackson and it had maybe 2 ounces of juice. I knew if we sat there much longer, he'd be crying. So while I'm on hold with ERS, she's calling other companies on their list, Jimmy decides to walk back a quarter of a mile to see if they had gas cans. I tell the woman on the phone to call me when she hears something because I didn't want my phone to die while on hold. (Jimmy had conveniently left HIS cell phone at home.)

As I'm sitting on the bumper of Lucy Blue, I see all those cop cars that had been with the mustang leave. 3 or 4 passed me and didn't even look back. This Cadillac pulls up in front of the van and this young black guy pulls up with his stereo blaring rap. He turns the radio down and asks if we're all okay. I tell him we'd just ran out of gas and my husband had walked up the road to the gas station. He said, "Oh okay, so no one is hurt? You're all okay?" I thanked him and said yes. I said, "You're the first person to stop and ask." By this time we'd been there at least 30 minutes. He smiles and says, "I had to stop. I would want someone to stop and make sure my sister, or my mother were alright if they were pulled on the side of the road. I thanked him again and assured him that I was fine. So he left. I thought that was very nice. Chivalry is NOT dead! LOL

So finally Jimmy makes his way back to us and puts in just enough gas for us to crank up the beast and turn around to the gas station. Our usual hour long trek to and from Books A Million lasted 2 hours.

And YES Jimmy took full responsibility for us running out of gas. LOL Though all I can say is, I'm soooooooo glad we weren't on the interstate when we ran out of gas. I'd have been scrambling to find someone willing to bring us gas without having to wait 2 hours for a tow truck. LOL WHEW! What a night!

MMMM Yummy cookies

The Homework Club has been running a sort of snack store for the past week to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. So I've been doing my part to help out. I just made my second batch of No Bake Cookies, which I'm told were sold out the first day. So here's the recipe:

No Bake Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup stick butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal

  Bring to boil the butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk. Boil for 1 minute. Combine chocolate in a bowl with the oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow to sit until firm.

  Quick, easy, and oh so delicious!

Rough, rough rough

It's been a rough couple of days, but I'm pushing on. It's always hard this time of year. I want my twins here with me. But I'm also thankful they're not because I have Jackson. Jackson, my sweet boy, will be one on the 25th.

He's had such a rough time in his short little life. Not only was he born with *Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, but was later diagnosed with Craniosynostosis. When he was born, I heard the most beautiful sound. A weak little cry. Then he was whisked away to NNICU, where he was given chest tubes and all kinds of IVs. He had surgery at 2 weeks to correct the diaphragmatic hernia. While still in the hospital, it was determined he also had **Craniosynostosis. He came home one week shy of being 2 months old. I never breastfed my other children, but had planned to with Jackson. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I DID pump for the first three months, until he was eating more than I could pump.

He had surgery on February 13, 2006 for the Craniosynostosis. He wears a helmet to protect his head and to help shape it as his skull grows back together. (The doctors took out a portion of his skull in the front and on the sides.) He's doing wonderful though.

I'm just so proud of Jackson and all he's accomplished. So why would I give him up and wish for my girls to be here. I would rather have ALL of them. But I know that's not a reality. My reality is I have Jay, Justin, Korinne, and Jackson. There's nothing I can do to change that. I honestly, I don't want to change that.

Yeah, I'm just rambling now because I'm blonde and TOTALLY lost my train of thought. LOL

• Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia is where there's a hole in his diaphragm and his intestines/liver/stomach were in his chest cavity. Thankfully, his liver and stomach were in their proper place. So it was only his intestines in his chest cavity.

• Craniosynostosis is where the soft spots in his skull closed way too early. Had we not had surgery, he could have had brain damage because there would have been no where for his brain to grow.

I had a case of "The Mondays!"

This morning, Jay and Korinne had appointments at the dentist's office for fillings. We get there at 5 minutes to 9, like we were supposed to, only to find out, they're not on the schedule. The receptionist treated me like I was stupid and had made a mistake. Luckily, I'm a pack rat and had the paper the dentist's office gave me with the date and time of their appointments still in my purse. I gave her that and her attitude changed. "I'll go talk to the doctor," she says and walks away. Apparently whoever did the scheduling the last time we were there failed to enter it into the computer. So the said they'd "work them in."

We were there for 3 friggen hours. I had all four kids with me. I brought the diaper bag, but no extra bottles since I didn't think it would take that long. Thankfully, Jackson did well. I ONLY had to carry him around for the last hour to soothe him.

By the time we left, the three older ones were working on my last nerve. We get home and it's lunch time. I inform Jay and Justin that they will NOT be going outside or playing any games until they cleaned their room. I laid down with Jackson at 1 for a nap, Korinne was already napping. I tell the boys that their room had BETTER look better when I get up...or else. The or else was I would take what ever was left on the floor and trash it, no matter what it was.

When I got up at 3, the room DID look a hell of a lot better, so I let it go with a warning. They STILL could not go outside or play games until the room was clean. They fought and argued the whole time, but it was eventually cleaned by 4.

By the time Jimmy came home from work, I was ignoring the kids unless there was blood dripping or a bone broken. That's how bad they pushed me today. All except for Jackson, who's not even a year old and has more demanding needs than a 10, 5, and 3 year old. LOL

I so looked forward to 8 o'clock for bedtime. LOL

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Pheobe and Audrey, who today would have turned 2. As I lay in that recovery room, set further away from the rooms where mothers were holding their babies, I was given two books called Tender Memories, one for each baby I'd just given birth to but would never see grow up. Inside these books was this poem, written by one of the nurses.

Memories by Louise Prioleau

Memories are mine to keep

As you rest in your eternal sleep.

Memories of your heart beating its sound,

Until that moment, it could not be found.

If my heart could beat for you,

You would not lie there with that shade of blue.

The doctors and nurses did all they could

And I obtained prenatal care as I should.

Memories I can't erase,

Of your sweet and lovely face.

Memories of joy I felt,

As I held you close to my breast,

Your lifeless body in my arms,

As to protect you from further harm.

The unfortuante fact is that you've died,

Despite all efforts that were tried.

Cried, I did to no avail,

Your journey was over before the sail.

Get well wishes and sympathy greetings,

Flowers, phone calls and silent meetings

All expressed from the heart

Their sympathies to the void of your depart.

Yes, memories are mine to keep,

But, I did not get to rock you to sleep.

If tears could build a stairway, And memories a lane, I'd walk right up to Heaven And bring you home again.~Author Unknown

What's sad is NO ONE in my family even aknowledged the day. My mother called (and she and I talk about my girls a lot) but she said not a word about the day. I felt like the only ones that remembered were me and Jimmy. I prefer people to talk to me about them. Ask me questions. Anything. It helps me to talk about them. I held everything in until late evening, when we decided to listen to music because the kids all love to dance. A song came on called 'Lonely Day' by System of a Down. I broke down in Jimmy's arms crying through the whole song and a few minutes afterwards. Thankfully the kids were occupied and didn't notice. Except for Jackson who crawled to us, pulled himself up and hugged us. We both looked down at him and Jimmy says, "He was worth it." And he's right. if Pheobe and Audrey hadn't died, we would NOT have Jackson.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Can you tell we had a little rain today? These are just some random pics I took to show what our parking lot looks like right now. LOL See how high the water is on the white car? The water is mid calf on J.

My Food Meme

A food Meme...taken from Mike...who took it from Ally Bean.

• How do you like your eggs? Sunny side up
• How do you take your coffee/tea? I don't drink either. The rare chance I drink tea, it's hot and only to ease a sore throat.
• Favorite breakfast food? Biscuits and sausage gravy
• Peanut butter? Smooth .
• What kind of dressing on your salad? Ginger
• You’re feeling lazy. What do you make? Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
• You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? ham and mushrooms.
• You feel like cooking. What do you make? Medium rare steak, shrimp scampi, homemade mac and cheese, and sauteed zuchini
• Do any foods bring back good memories? Lima beans and homemade bread....my mother would make a huge pot of lima beans then bake homemade bread. I loved dipping the bread in the lima beans. MMM MMM GOOD!
• Do any foods bring back bad memories? Brussel sprouts...I lived with my grandfather and his wife for about 6 months and she tried to make me eat brussel sprouts. Told me I would sit at that table all night until I ate them. I was still at that table come morning. LOL
• Do any foods remind you of someone? No, not really.
• Is there a food you refuse to eat? Oh lots! Brussel sprouts, basically any green veggie that's not green beans, green onions are zuchini. LOL
• What was your favorite food as a child? Homemade mac and cheese
• Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love? Zuchini. LOL
• Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate? Peaches...but only because I'm now allergic to them. :(
• Favorite fruit & vegetable? Fruit....pineapple. Veggie...zuchini
• Favorite junk food? nacho cheese combos
• Favorite between meal snack? I don't have between meal snacks. LOL
• Do you have any weird food habits? Hmmmm is that like putting potato chips on a ham and cheese sandwich?
• You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Yogurt? Heck I don't know. I don't diet. LOL
• You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? Filet Mignon (medium rare) and shrimp at a japanese restaurant.
• How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? I've never had Indian or Thai food. It's on my list of foods to try though.
• Can I get you a drink? Vodka and oj as a drink. Goldschlager as a shot. LOL
• Red wine or white? Gosh I don't know. I don't think I've really had wine.
• Favorite dessert? Apple pie
• The perfect nightcap? Vodka and sex? LOL Sounds good to me.

Last Field Trip for the Summer

Today was the last field trip for the Homework Club for the summer. We went to Splash Zone. I'd never been, so it was a treat for me. LOL My sister came over and babysat Jackson and Korinne. I took Justin with Jay and me this time.

I had so much fun! Though I had such a scare that I actually cried. I bribed Justin to go on the water slide with me. We got a tube that seats two and made our way through the line. Swish, swish, slide, slide we went. When we reached the pool, he screamed, "That was so fun! Let's go again!" I said ok, and we made our way through the line again. Swish, swish, slide, slide we went. We reach the bottom and hit it just right to where the water flipped us over. I automatically turn around to grab Justin. The water at the end of the slide is being pushed out to keep us moving when we hit the end. Well all I see through this bubbling water is Justin's arms flailing in the air. I'm trying to grab him but the water keeps trying to push me away. I know he's underwater and I'm really freaking out. The lifeguard grabs him the same moment I grab him. I pick him up and hold him tight telling him over and over how sorry I am. He coughed and coughed. I cried, of course. Then he looks at me and calmly says, "Ok I am so done with that slide." It was so serious and so cute that I laughed while crying. He spent the rest of the afternoon on the kiddie slide and swimming in the pool. But after that, I couldn't really breath unless I had him in my sights at all times.

He's 5 and he's learning how to swim. But he only stays where he can reach the bottom or near the edge. So when I saw his head go under and his arms in the air, I stopped breathing. If I let myself, I could cry even now.

So a couple of hours ago, I said, "Justin I'm so sorry we flipped over and you went under water. I was so worried you would be mad at me." He put his little arms around me, looks in my eyes and says, "Mommy, I would not be mad at you. I love you." Yeah talk about trying not to cry! LOL Man he can tug my heart strings!

My baby pics

Again, taking a cue from Mike on posting baby pics. Here are 2 outta like 6 of mine. LOL The first one, I'm about a year old. The second one, what the hell was my mother thinking putting me in a red onesie, red tights, and a brown and white checked dress?! LOL these were taken in '76 for the first and 75' for the second. I only have about 6 baby pics of me, one of me when I was 4, one when I was 5 and very few of me from then until oh about 19 or so. SO I don't mind sharing the few and far between that I *do* have. LOL

Deny it all you want...

But this is one damn cute baby! He must have had a rough day playing with his three cousins today. (My sister had a funeral to attend today so I watched her 6 year old, 2 year old, and 4 month old.) I so love taking pics of Jackson no matter what he's doing. And sleeping pics are just so cute!

My nephew...

To the left is my nephew Christopher, who will be 4 months in 2 days. Below is my Jackson, who will be 1 year on the 25th. I had thought as Jackson grew, I'd pass his clothes down to my sister for Christopher. Not gonna happen. LOL Christopher is in a size 6-9 months, while Jackson is still in size 3-6 months. LOL I said, "Damn Shannon, you'll have to pass down Christopher's close to Jackson rather than the other way around." LOL Aren't they both so cute though? LOL

Misguided girl....or something else?

I'm starting this one over.

There's this girl around here, I'll call J. She's 13 years old and is in desperate need of guidance. She lievs with her mother and so-called brother. I say this because mother is 34 and so-called brother is 29. She makes me very uncomfortable, though she's always nice to me. She was recently dating a 28 year old. She's not anymore as far as I can tell. But when her mother found out, all she did was ground her for less than a week. She tries to get this guy's attention but from what I've seen, he completely ignores her.

She shows up at the pool in a skimpy bikini and pouts if there aren't several men hanging around the pool. This makes me really uncomfortable since I'm there with my 3 year old daughter (we're both in one pieces.)

She's constantly fighting with her mother, which wouldn't bother me too much since my mother and I fought a lot. But this girl and her mother will yell and cuss each other out. The mother is constantly calling the police on this girl. The mother told her neighbor, my friend, that she was trying to get J committed somewhere.

She's always wanting Jay to hang out with her, which I don't like. He's 10 and it's obvious she's got issues with sex. She uses her body to get attention, since I'm sure she only gets negative attention at home. Maybe the reason I don't like her is because I can see some of myself in her. Granted I chose a different route and threw myself in school.

It's obvious her mother is unapproachable when the first time I met her, she practically cussed me out for washing my clothes at home, then taking them to the dryers at the laundry center. So how can I go to her with my concerns for her daughter? I don't want to make life more miserable for her. But I also don't want to see her throw her life away.

Ultrasounds...

While scanning the news on my comcast home page I came across this article on ultrasounds. My last two pregnancies were quite eventful. I gave birth to twins prematurely and lost them after only 30 minutes. I became pregnant with Jackson on THEIR original due date. I had an ultrasound quite early with him to verify it was a single pregnancy. Then another routine ultrasound at around 20 weeks. It was then we discovered something was wrong. After a few weeks, we ended up having a 3D ultrasound every could of weeks. Jackson was diagnosed with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Basically he had a hole in his diaphragm and his intestines were in his chest cavity. So we had A LOT of ultrasounds (I'd have to go through all the discs and pics to give an exact number) to monitor his condition. So according to this article, I should now be worried about mental retardation and childhood epilepsy to developmental dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia, to say the least. Hasn't Jackson been through enough??!! Haven't I been through enough? Not long after his birth, Jackson was also diagnosed with Craniosynostosis. Basically, the soft spots in his skull closed way too early. He had surgery for that in February where the surgeon had to actually take portions of his skull out to accommodate for brain growth, thus the helmet he is required to wear. What more do I have to worry about?! Yes I know these tests were done on mice, but aren't most studies done on mice? I'm just so upset. I've always been scared for Jackson's future in relationship to what he's already endured, do I need more?

Reality shows...

I have always sneered over reality shows. I find them annoying and cheap entertainment. I have always refused to watch The Apprentice, Big Brother, or whatever shows my friends are addicted to. I admit I've always watched the auditions for American Idol...have you seen the people who think they can actually sing??!!

However, recently I have found myself addicted to not one, not two, but THREE reality type shows. The first is Pinks! shown on the Speed channel on Wednesdays at 9. What is that? Two people race the best three out of five. You lose the race, you lose your ride. I hate this show so much because I cannot miss an episode!

The second is Dog The Bounty Hunter. Why? I'm not sure. I find the show funny most times. Yes I know they're hunting fugitives. But Dog seems to really care and really want to help these people turn their lives around. In any case, since I've gotten addicted to it the last month, I manage to catch every episode that airs whether they're repeats or not.

The third is Driving Force. I don't know how many people know who John Force is, I certainly didn't until Jimmy explained it to me. John Force is a professional race car driver. But this show not only focuses on him and his racing, but that of his family, with all three daughters involved in racing.

Why, oh why, did I marry a car guy? LOL I guarantee you, had I not married a car guy, I wouldn't be addicted to Pinks! or Driving Force. Though I do have to admit, I'm the one that insisted Jimmy watch Driving Force with me the first time it aired. LOL

Field Trip Part Deux!

I had sooooo much fun! So did Justin and Korinne. Like I said before, we were going to see The Ant Bully. It was such a cute movie, funny too! I'd never been to an IMAX theatre, nor saw a movie in 3D. It was so trippy! I felt like I could just reach out and grab something. LOL I'm glad I was able to take two of my children. They really enjoyed the experience and the movie.

Field trip!!!

Tomorrow, the Homework Club is having another field trip. I'm chaperoning. We're going to the IMAX to see The Ant Bully. I'm so excited!

Unfortunately, Jay didn't earn enough points to qualify for this field trip. First time all summer. The guy that runs the homework club called me yesterday to let me know. He said he would understand if I didn't want to chaperone since Jay can't go. I told him that was nonsense, that I'd told him I would chaperone as long as I could find a sitter for Jackson. Jay was supposed to have finished a project by yesterday morning, one he'd known about for over a week. That's why he doesn't qualify for the field trip. What's cool, is I can bring Justin and Korinne with me as well. I know they'll enjoy it.

So my mother is dropping my cousin off in the morning and she'll babysit Jay and Jackson. Jay keeps saying, "I could still go if you buy me a ticket." I informed him firmly that I would do no such thing. It wouldn't be fair to the other children that didn't qualify. Plus he knew he had work to do and didn't do it. That's his responsibility. Wth me taking along Justin and Korinne, I can still fit 5 other children in Lucy Blue.

I called the guy this morning to let him know I did have a sitter for tomorrow and would still chaperone. He seemed surprised. I guess he thought I'd be like the other parents and back out if my kid couldn't go. Nope, I wanna go to the IMAX theatre too! LOL

Mistakes....

My first mistake in blogging is to have my settings where anyone can respond. I did so because I wanted my friends who weren't "registered: be able to respond. My second mistake that was pointed out by a few people, was to let what others said get to me. That being said, no one can respond to my blog (anymore) under anonymous.) Second, I'm tired of people sending me emails or responding with one thing in mind that has nothing (really) to do with what I'm talking about. I ranted and raved about Andrea Yates recently and recieved several emails telling me I should seek help for depression. Nowhere in that post did I say I was referring to the present. (For those that don't know, I have gotten ahold of my depression, and will not explain myself further unless directly asked.)

That being said, my last post on my cry wolf update..people have totally misread my point on the story. I was merely sharing how upset I was about the whole thing. Yet I get responses from someone who is too coward to post under their name, choosing anonymous instead, "chastising" me for "tattling." Said person must really know me to know where I live and give an exact address. I deleted that post because the asshole GAVE my exact address. No one where I live can associate my "Sunnie" name with my real name. So obviously this person has an axe to grind...according to others who read my blog. No ONE where I live even knows I have a blog. So why would they look for me? Again as I was pointed out, why search for my comments and where I may or may not live? My profile says Charleston....which covers A LOT of area. Obviously said person has an axe to grind. Do it somewhere else! or have the guts to post under your real name. I totally hate cowards!

Cameras...

For my birthday (back in April), Jimmy bought me this wonderful Polaroid digital camera to replace my Vivatar digital camera. The thing is, I loved my Vivitar camera. And while it was so sweet of him to buy me a new digital camera, I hate it! I have been changing settings in so many different ways to get the pictures right. They're either too dark or too light.

So tonight he comes home with the Vivitar for me to upload pics to the computer. Later I say, "Honey, I love the new camera, but can I please have this one back?" I've actually been a little depressed (more sad) that I haven't been able to just snap pictures of the kids when I want because I haven't figured out the settings on the new camera. I hate that I have to keep changing settings to try to get a candid moment of the kids.

Of course, this makes him feel bad because he thought the new camera would make me happy. And it does, because of the thought. But the new camera works best when used outside...And that's where he takes his pictures. I take mine inside. So I finally convinced him to trade cameras with me. Cause I so miss taking pics of the kids when I want and knowing they'll turn out right.