I hate technology

Well, I do appreciate technology but lately I realize that my life is too dependent (rather too easy with it) on all the appliances in my house. Why do I realize this? Because everything is falling apart. Our dishwasher has not been working right for over 2 months and good ol' Frankie has been to our kitchen three times in the past few weeks to replace our motor that is supposedly not working each time! What else? Our lovely computer that we bought in June and that I have become very addicted to since I can watch t.v. on its big old flat screen while I cook/eat during the day has crashed now for the SECOND TIME. Yes, did you even know that was possible. We even had the geek squad come and fix it the first time (yes, we lost some stuff but note to everyone GET AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE - it saved all our pictures and finances!) but after that it crashed again! Mr. Eric came back today for the second time to try and fix our computer but even he couldn't do it. So now we wait for Sony to mail us a box (a box??? they should drive over right now and pick this thing up and just give us a new one) for us to mail to them to fix! I've had it with these people. And then today....we got over 20,000 e-mails from the same person b/c of a bug in Comcast's system. Even their techies couldn't figure it out but still we can't get rid of them. So I now can't access our e-mail! At least my t.v. works in the living room and Nate's lap top works! And yes, my hands do work to clean dishes -
All this complaining to say I've never realized the depth of my love/hate relationship with TECHNOLOGY!

What was the view from today's Mini-van ride?

Well...after being awoken by our 7 year old at 7:05am and rushing around the house to get everyone dressed, breakfast ready to eat in the van, backpacks on and hair brushed there was no time for lunch boxes to be prepared (no, I'm not one of those 'got it together' moms who make lunch the night before - although I did that one night and it was great the next morning...go figure). What does my again 7 year old do? BREAKDOWN!! He's never eaten cafeteria lunch before, although his 5 year old brother does ALL THE TIME. Why was he upset? Because he ALWAYS sits in the same seat by a buddy of his who also brings his lunch box and if you get a tray then you have to sit at another table and then they can't sit together. I was not in the sympathetic mood this morning and wanted to look at him and say TOUGH simply b/c he was acting like a twit to me. I tried to solve the problem by telling him to ask his buddy to save him a seat (I've seen other 'tray' kids sit at their table)..."NO, Mom! You aren't supposed to do that!" Well...Eli, ask him to walk in line with you and eat at the other table. "NO, Mom! He won't do that b/c we always sit in those seats!" Who made this first born such a rule follower??? Needless to say, he walked out of the house with his hood over his head, a pouty face - swollen already from hysterical crying! I'm such a bad mom! I asked Nate how the van ride to school was? He said it got better right before Eli got out at school......I'm sure he'll be a bright ray of sunshine for Mrs. Cliche!

A preschool soap box

Watch out I'm about to jump on a soapbox...why is it moms these days (including myself at one time) think that preschool should be the new elementary school? Starting in the 2 year old class we think they should getting prepared for kindergarten. So, when they are in the 3 year old class moms think "my child already knows his letters he should be challenged more." Then when they are in the 4 year old class my goodness they should be learning to read and write; that way they can test in those Kindergarten classes at the advanced schools where they are writing essays in Kindergarten. Play time --- overrated...Free art --- everything has to look cute and professional or we throw it in the trash as unworthy to keep. I felt this underlying current when I taught 2 year old preschool as well as the fact that I promoted it I'm sure. What did those kids want to do? Really, just free play, dress up, scribble with a paint brush, run, scream and have fun. But we mothers say "well I'm paying for you to teach my kid something so SHOW ME what they learned today. Really, they are learning just by playing and having fun. Do we not realize that they have to learn all that letter stuff and writing stuff over again when they are 5 and actually at the real kindergarten? How bored they are now b/c we taught them to read when they were 3! Now, I'm just as guilty of this. But I realize how absurd it is recently after hearing moms talk about preschool and finding the right one and what they learn, etc. Do we not realize most preschools are filled with teachers just like I was...mom wanting some extra money who stay at home but also have a love for small children (and are a little insane). So, if your kid is a trouble maker - give the teacher a break. It's not her fault. If your 3 year old isn't learning to read yet - give the teacher a break....Let him/her watch Sesame Street more often! Trust me...they'll learn it all in Kindergarten! That is what it was designed for!

The 5K challenge

I've been dying to get back on this blog...after a semi-dramatic Christmas, some traveling, a crashed computer, the stomach bug, a leaky dishwasher & getting to know the dishwasher repair man very well (he's been here three times now), now getting to know the Home-Depot man as he is going to tare up our already new kitchen floor...I think I can settle down at the computer again.
So, what's the 5K challenge --- this is a SHOUT OUT to all my girlfriends out there who have said "I want to get in shape this New Years" and WHO AREN'T ALREADY RUNNERS (although if you are a marathon runner I guess I won't hold it against you...I just might have to talk about you behind your back out of jealousy) hee hee. I want to challenge myself, post pregnant body and all, to get into shape but to do something fun and new at the same time. I want to run a 5K this Spring. Why? Well, I did it last Fall for the first time and it really changed my perspective on what my body could do. All my life I've used the excuse "I can't run...my body just can't do it." Well...that is bologna! I've found out that ANYONE can run (unless you are hurt) and I have a personal fitness trainer I've met that can back that up with proof! I'm rambling....well it took me a couple of months to train my body to run (really I just jogged quickly) and I made it through the 5K with breaths to spare. It was hard work and I did almost hit my husband when he looked at me (he was my partner and cheerleader) and asked, "Sarah, do you think you could speed up the pace just a little?" (old women were passing us)!!!! But I made it and then sadly I never ran again because I got pregnant and lazy!
But it is a new year and I want TO TAKE BACK MY BODY. Everyone gets a piece of us women: our babies, our toddlers, our older kids, our HUSBANDS, we try to impress strangers at Wal-mart by not looking like bag ladies when we go out, the other school moms, other women at church, DEAR GOD WHAT ABOUT US? I want to be happy with my body and do something to challenge it! So...I want to run a 5K again but do it with my girlfriends who don't run!
Let me know if you are interested...I'm looking for a Spring race so it isn't too cold our lungs freeze and so we have plenty of time to get in shape. Note: there are some girlfriends already trying this running thing out so you better get on board fast!
Run...Walk...Run...Walk...that's the way to do this thing! And find a buddy to do it with! That always helps. Let me know if you have a race you've heard of. I'm sure there are 1,000s out there. Happy New Year - and HAPPY RUNNING!

A great date night

So Christmas is over. Family have come and gone. Presents have been dispersed. It's Saturday night and we are pooped! But this has been the greatest date night with my sweet husband that I had to post it. What did we do? Well...I didn't cook supper although my fridge was stocked full of ham and fixings and soup from a family get together. Instead we ate Wendy's hamburgers, got the kids in bed and then...we exercised to dancing with the stars! That's right! Nate and I did some latin dancing in our living room for almost an hour until our legs were wobbly and then we sat on the floor and....played the kids' playstation 2 Madagascar game. Now it's almost 11pm and I must take a shower and get ready for bed. But what a great night I had with Nate!
I'm on my way to a slim and trim dancing with the stars body - watch out! hee hee

Watch out or you'll poke your eye out...

That comment has never seemed so real to me then now! Ian was in a light saber accident with a friend (maybe foe at the time) and apparently lost b/c he walked away with a hurt eye and the other 5 year old seemed unscathed. (Sorry to make light of the situation sweet friends)! After the initial injury Nate and I took him to the ER in M'boro. We could see blood pooling in his eye. They were so fast in seeing him and quickly diagnosed it worse then I would have imagined. The nurse said the bleeding was one thing to deal with but worse then that she saw that his pupil was oblong and his vision was going in and out which meant he might have a detached retina. She ordered an ambulance and sent us to Vanderbilt. At this point I must confess I lost it. Again with Vanderbilt hospital? Can a family really have two children sent to their ER within 5 weeks? As soon as he got there the optometrist looked at his eye and saw that the pupil was back to the round shape and the blood was decreasing! We definitely call it a miracle. No detached retina...and no surgery...no blindness (all things we were warned about at M'boro). After many hours into the wee morning and three optometrist taking turns looking at Ian, who by the way was such a superstar (Elizabeth can I steal your Vandy title for a minute?) he never complained until about 2:30am when he was sound asleep and was woken up to put in yet more eye drops! So....where was I? He has a torn iris (the colored part of your eye) that has an 80% chance of healing but even if it doesn't heal it won't cause any damage to his eye. go figure??? But the kicker is...we have to keep this little spunky kid as still as possible (wait I mean his eyes as still as possible) for the next several days for the iris to try and heal. This is a critical point now to make sure his eye doesn't bleed more which could cause the retina to detach (worse case scenario). I don't know how many times we've said today "Ian keep your eyes still..." that's hilarious! I told the doctor "we'll just let him watch t.v. all day right?" And she looked very seriously at me and said "No he shouldn't do that and he shouldn't read books either. He needs to be very bored or else we could admit him to the hospital for you?" What???? But Nate and I have realized that your eyes do indeed move less watching a t.v. screen then they do watching your brother play with Lego's, people walking by, or Christmas presents under a tree! So there Mrs. Doctor!
We go back to Vandy tomorrow (Sunday) and maybe the next day too to check the bleeding and the tare. Long term??? He has a higher chance of his retina detaching if he has another trauma to his eye but really what can we do to prevent that? I praise God that he has walked away from a potential horrible accident! There is a sweet angel watching over our little ones I tell you! Parents- put away all light sabers before Christmas (we have at least 3 of them in our house) or at least say really loud when they get them out and start battleing "be careful or you might poke your eye out!"

The confessions of a bad mom...

Last full day before a two week run with both boys at home for the first time with Elizabeth! And what am I doing but keeping my oldest home because he threw up at 3am on my bathroom floor. I think I'm insane today...at first I'm of the opinion he can't go to school simply b/c he threw up in the last 24 hours; but then as the morning begins and he is feeling okay I start to rethink it. Only because he has a Christmas party this morning where he is very excited about getting a 'boy' present (why are we sending more toys to school for our children to exchange I don't understand) and he was to have cub scouts this afternoon and most importantly GO HOME WITH ELI CRAMER!!! So after a good three hours of observation and Eli's persuading me he thinks he is okay I rush to get Elizabeth ready, me suitable for the secretary (hee hee) and his lunch box packed. We get into the van, banana in eli's hand and coffee in mind and he says "I think my stomach hurts." WHAT???? I'm sitting in the driveway with garage door down and a decision to make. Instead of getting mad and losing my cool (what I might normally do) I laugh out loud and say "we are crazy aren't we Eli?" And pull the van back into the garage telling Eli to go lay down in bed. Elizabeth looked at me and gave a big smile when I plopped her back on the kitchen counter and said "home again so soon?"
I feel very bad that I even thought about sending him to school and knowing Katie (Eli Cr's mom) is reading this...even worse that I would think of sending my post throw up child to your house - how desperate am I? (background info....Nate just flew out to Washington D.C. for two days so I'm alone with everyone for the first time and for some reason a little nervous about it----get over it right?) SO...sorry to Eli for being a bad mom, sorry to Katie for almost being a bad friend and maybe getting your whole family sick, sorry to Elizabeth for totally disturbing your mobile crib time and oh yeah, sorry to Mrs. Cliche for almost sending a possibly infectious child to your classroom so he could get that toy that I didn't approve of to begin with.
I'll be okay don't ya'll worry! =)