Bowling

The kids were out of school today, so I decided to take them bowling. I bowled for several years and loved it. I miss it terribly. After I broke my right wrist, it made it difficult to do that. I've bowled a couple of times since I broke it, and by the third game I'm usually pretty sore. Today, the kids and I bowled four games and I didn't seem to have any problems.

When my sister and I were younger, our parents were on a team called "The Poor Four". I bowled as well. When Michael was about three weeks old, I started bowling with a friend of mine on her church's lady's league. At the time I broke my wrist, Sean and I were on a league with some friends of ours. Noelle even bowled for a while. Michael has never really bowled other than for fun.

We all did pretty well:

• Michael~76, 86, 65, & 95
• Noelle~86, 92, 114, & 81
• Me~106, 108, 175, & 108

It did help that we had bumpers. (I confess, I used them a couple of times) Michael tried so hard to get a strike. He came so close several times, but he always seemed to leave one pin. He did end up with several spares. He somehow manages to put an unbelievable spin on the ball that causes it to curve sharply at the very end. If he could make it do that sooner rather than later, Noelle and I would have been in some real trouble.

Let The Freak Out Begin...

well, hopefully not. I scheduled my test for next Thursday at 8 am, so start sending positive thoughts my way. A prayer or two (or more) would be greatly appreciated too.

I am not going to put any pressure on myself. I am going to relax and study, but not get crazy and cram. I know from taking the test previously, that there is not way to possibly have any idea what they could throw at me.

I'm going to put a sign on my bathroom mirror that says "You are an RN" and say it out loud in the morning and at night.

I'm going to put a sign on Sean's bathroom mirror that says "Your wife is an RN" and he is going to say it out loud in the morning and at night.

I'm going to put a sign on the kids bathroom mirror that says "Your mom is an RN" and they are going to say it out loud in the morning and at night.

Feel free to put a sign on your bathroom mirror too.

These Little Lights Of Mine

The other night when I was at Amy's house, it occurred to me that the boys do not have a night light on in their room. I didn't notice any night lights.

We have just a few in our whole house:

• four in the basement
• one in the laundry room
• one in the bathroom off the laundry/kitchen
• six in the kitchen
• two in the den
• four in the living room
• one in the kids bathroom
• two in the spare bedroom
• one in Michael's room (plus he sleeps with a lamp on his night stand on)
• one in Noelle's room (plus she sleeps with a lamp on her night stand on)
• three in our bedroom
• two in our bathroom

Yes, that is a total of 28 night lights!! I was thinking last night as I went downstairs in the middle of the night to take some medicine about why I feel the need to have so many night lights.

When Sean and I were first married, we lived in a little, and I mean little, house out in the middle of no where. There was the house we lived in, the trailer the owner of the house lived in and train tracks. (it was so close to the train tracks that the house shook and we would have to call people back after the train passed) One night, in the middle of the night, I got up to go to the bathroom. The house was dark so I turned on the light in the bathroom. About five minutes later there was a knock at the door. It was around 2:30 or so in the morning. We were more than a little freaked out. We yelled to see who it was and what they wanted.

The man outside said that he had been shot and needed help. Sean told him to show us where he had been shot. Sure enough, the guy had been shot in the top part of his butt. We called the police (who were there in record time). Turns out the guy had been shot in a drug deal gone bad, pretended to be dead and was walking for help when he saw the light go on in the bathroom.

After that, my need to have night lights became very important, and I became, just a little, afraid of the dark.

Me And The Well's Boys

Before we put the boys to bed, Amy took some pictures of me with them. She would take a picture and one of them would have their eyes closed. She kept taking pictures until they both had their eyes open.

My Sister, The Princess

As I've said before, my sister is married to a super fantastic guy. Sunday night, I went over to watch the Oscars. The boys were eating dinner and watching Little Einsteins. They were so excited to see me, and a little disappointed that their cousins didn't come along.

After the boys had dinner and Amy did the dishes we played with the boys. Jon came into the living room and turned the TV to the E! channel so we could watch the red carpet arrivals. He then went downstairs to set up the Tivo to record the Barbara Walters Special and the Oscars to be sure we did not miss anything. As Amy and I were helping the boys brush their teeth, he ordered pizza and salad from Pizza Hut. After Amy and I read to the boys we went to put on their jammies and Jon went downstairs again and set up two TV trays with napkins and forks in front of the big screen for us. He then paid for the pizza!

HOLY CRAP!!! As I'm realizing that he has done all of this, I said something to Amy:

• Me: "Holy Crap!"
• Amy: "Yeah, I'm pretty lucky"
• Me: "Holy Crap!"
• Amy: "He does the laundry too"
• Me: "Holy Crap!"
• Amy: "I know, I'm a lucky girl"
• Me: "Holy Crap!"

Now, in Sean's defense, he is wonderful as well. However, he is about as technically gifted as my sister and I would say "Holy Crap" if he set anything up to record at our house.

Boys Will Be Boys

The other day, Michael and his friend Cameron were playing out in the backyard. We have a low spot that tends to collect water and therefore forms small "ponds".

The boys decided to use a sled and "motor around" in said ponds:

Parent Teacher Conferences

In the last couple of days, we have had both of the kids parent teacher conferences.

In years past, we have heard from Noelle's teachers the same thing my parents heard, "she's a real talker". This year, Noelle has moved to the middle school and is now part of the "changing classes" world. She has grown and matured so much. The talking has decreased and she is becoming her aunt Amy, pretty much a straight A student. All of her teachers have nothing but wonderful things to say and even one said that Noelle "doesn't talk that much in class". WHAT???? There are times at home that she will talk nonstop at speeds that I'm pretty sure could be clocked at close to 80 mph.

She is also doing a teacher challenge where she tries to read more minutes than three of the teachers. Both kids have always loved reading. (they really didn't have much choice since pretty much from day one, they were read to) I was amazed to see on paper the number of minutes she has read. Noelle can be found reading in the car, (something I can't do) at Michael's soccer practice, and before she goes to sleep. Of course those aren't the only times, but those are her "regular rituals".

Michael was nervous about his parent teacher conference. He has the same fourth grade teacher his sister had. His teacher tends to be pretty strict. Michael is pretty much guaranteed to bring home a "strike" or two weekly. He tends to forget things and has a hard time following direction. It doesn't help that he has ADD. (as do Sean and Noelle. three people with ADD plus one anal person equal a loving, fun family of four )

Michael's conference was led by him. I was very proud of how open and honest he was. He showed us what he felt were both his strong and weak points, something that is very hard for anyone to do regardless of their age. His teacher was even positive about what he said and mentioned that she was proud of how honest he was. Before we went to his conference, we told Michael that we understood that he was having some struggles this year and that we are proud of him no matter what was said during the conference. That in the grand scheme of things he is in fourth grade and that in the end it's not what does or does not happen in fourth grade that will matter most.

Bottom line, I'm proud of both of them and the loving, caring, creative, and smart individuals they are becoming.

Mean Kids Suck

As most of you know, Michael has pretty bad eczema. Some times it's not as bad as it as other times. He has been on several different medications. He has been on countless lotions and creams. Right now, *speaking in a whisper* his skin is doing pretty well *speaking in normal voice*.


There have been times when kids have been very mean. One year in summer school, a kid called him "old man hands". He usually hides his hands and doesn't like to wear sandals in the summer. For the most part, he no longer has problems with kids at school. Well that was until he told me about what happened at soccer.


Michael was getting ready for practice when he came into my room and said he didn't want to go to soccer. He kind of beat around the bush and finally said that one of the kids said "I don't want to sit by Mr. Dry Hands" and pushed him away. After telling him I would speak with the coach, he decided to go.

I spoke with the coach and he said, (in his very neat to listen to Irish accent) he would take care it of. I let mom and dad know what was going on as Sean and I are attending a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University seminar at church. (I highly recommend this to everyone) When we got home, Michael said that again at practice, this same boy said it to him again. He told the coach, who immediately went and spoke with the boy.

I had a long talk with Michael about all of this. I explained to him, that in life, there are people who are your friends, people who may be unsure about what eczema is and will ask about it and then there are others who will be unsure about what eczema is and instead of asking about it will decide to be an ass. (yes, I said ass)

I explained to him that he can not allow someone to keep him from doing something he loves. Unfortunately, this has been a lesson in "not everyone in the world is nice". I have known for a long time that is a fact of life. It's hard, as a parent, when your child learns that lesson.

We are very, VERY fortunate that the biggest health issue he has is eczema. I know that there are many other parents out there that have to deal with things that are far worse. However, I believe that when it comes to your child, regardless of what may or may not be wrong with your child, when someone hurts them, you hurt too.

List Rules

First, THE KIDS HAD SCHOOL TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Second, as I do most mornings, I started my day off making a list of things to get done (hopefully) today. I must say, my list of things to do is getting smaller. (our spare bedroom is looking more and more like an actual bedroom instead of a large dirty clothes room) Some people write their lists with numbers, some by order of importance, my list is in alphabetical order. If I need to add something to the list, it can not just be added on, the list must be redone in order to remain alphabetic. Now, this does not mean that things are done in alphabetical order.

In my mind, there is this same list, not in alphabetical order, but in order of importance. Why my brain can't tell my hand to write in this order, I have no idea. This "alphabetical rule" only applies to my "things I need to get done today" list. For instance, when I go to Wal*Mart, there is a whole other set of "list rules".

The list is not in alphabetical order and it is not in a "I can't go home with out this" order either. The list is simply in order of the store. When I go to "Wally World", I always start on the left side of the store, (health & beauty, pets etc) and work my way to the right side of the store. Therefore, my list is in the order of the way I shop the store. All "shopping lists" have this rule. By establishing these "rules", I can be in and out of a store for a "quick run" if the need should arise. Need some salad dressing from Hy-Vee? No problem. Gotta have Price Choppers brand of ketchup? I'm your girl.

Being this, uh, some may say "anal", I say "normal", does come with a small hitch or two:

1. Hy-Vee tends to reorganize their shelves (by moving the bread we like from the middle to the top, back to the middle and then to the bottom)
2. Price Chopper tends to remodel the store for "customer convenience"
3. not all Wal*Marts are set up the same way

The Wal*Mart by my parents is the reverse of ours. I find it very difficult to shop in there. When I was in Alabama for the wedding, I went to the local Wal*Mart with my uncle and it was almost too much for me. I felt like I was in a foreign country! (not to mention I felt super old because everyone called me "mam")

Also, what kind of order are soups in? Is it really that hard to have them in alphabetical order? Believe it or not, I did spend some time one day trying to figure out the rational behind it. I thought maybe they are by order of those most often bought. For that to be true, people would have to be buying a lot of "New England Clam Chowder". I don't think that is a big seller here in Missouri. I thought maybe they are put in some kind of seasonal order. If that were true, why have the "Cream of Mushroom" at the bottom at Thanksgiving?

I suspect that my sister believes I have some sort of problem. At Christmas she gave me a refrigerator magnet that says "Turns out there is no prize for alphabetizing your spices".

Oh, I bet there is.

Vacuum Cleaners Suck (except ours) & Other Stuff

When Amy and Jon bought a Dyson several years ago, I thought they were crazy to spend so much money on a vacuum. Well, several years and three vacuums later, I'm the crazy one.

We have had a Dirt Devil, a Hoover and our current piece of crap (POC), a Bissell. We are saving money to buy a Dyson.

I have become quite the vacuum cleaner repair expert. I can almost take it apart and put it back together in my sleep. I know the sound to signal that the brush is no longer turning. I know the sound to signal the hose is plugged. There is a completely different sound for when it plugged in the undercarriage area versus the actual hose itself.

As I was taking our current POC apart this morning, I was sitting on the floor in the living room noticing that the areas around the room by the walls need to be cleaned and thought I should show the kids how to do this. (not at this time because I'm in a 'I can do it faster myself' mode) I decided to completely take apart the parts of the vacuum that can be washed, wash those and then get ready go around the room and brush at the walls to bring the stuff away from the wall so it can all be sucked up (hopefully) by the POC.

In the middle of doing this, the dryer signals that it is time to fold the clothes and move the ones from the washer to the dryer. As I'm doing this, I'm going over the list of the things I want to get done today before I head over to Amy's to watch the Oscars.

Suddenly, it hits me. I've turned into my mother! When did this happen? I remember having the "I'll never make my kids do..." conversations with myself when I had to brush crap from where the carpet meets the wall stuff.

I start to ponder this even further. Is this some sort of conspiracy? I start to think of some of the ways my mother and I are alike:

• both went back to school in our midthiries
• both make lists of things to be done
• both make lists of things to pack when leaving town
• both make lists of things to do or see when leaving town
• both feel the need to clean the area where the carpet and wall meet
• both are fun people

I could continue, but then I thought of the conversations my kids are more than likely having with themselves and can't help but laugh. By doing all of the "things I'll never make my kids do" as a kid, it has made me a pretty organized parent with kids that are pretty cool.

It's not so bad to be "my mother".

New Year's Resolutions

I made a couple this year and I have been doing a pretty good job about keeping most of them:

• not working Saturday nights so we can go to church as a family (check)
• schedule to take my test (I should be able to do that Monday)
• clean and organize the house (getting there)
• catching up on laundry (Barack has been folding the laundry)
• working out to get back to where I was a year ago

I have been doing well on all of them except for the last one. I couldn't start this the first part of the year because I was going to my cousin Josh's wedding. You can't go to a wedding and be on a diet. (it didn't help that Josh introduced me to "Sweet Tea", or that I have been making it here) You also can't really be dieting when it's Valentines Day, but now that has come and gone.

Today, I am going to try to get back to where I was working out a couple of times a day. Swim suit season is just around the corner and I am not buying a new one. It has also come to my attention that some, (ok, a lot) of the clothes I bought are not wanting to fit right.

Time to break out the "Dance Your Pants Off" video. (it's funny that it says this is not rated)

No School, AGAIN

If kids are going to get snow days and days off because of this, that and the other, parents should be provided with medication.

I knew that there was a good possibility that the kids would be off today. Then, the phone rang at about 5:30, the school sends out a recording, to say that due to icy roads, there would be no school today.

For those keeping track, they had no school Friday, teacher in-service. No school Monday, Presidents day. Out Thursday and Friday due to weather. (Michael was home sick on Tuesday, so he was in school a whopping one day this week).

Noelle told me today that they get out early on Thursday and are off Friday for parent/teacher conferences. (NNNNOOOO!)

Because Of Gas...

I'm here today, and so are Noelle and Michael. Because of gas, Amy, Jack and Riley are here too.

Because a man worked at a gas station in Austin Minnesota and a pretty blond needed a fill up the six of us are here today. Because that man chased her down and asked for her number, you are reading this.

Thirty-Nine years ago, my parents made a commitment, that they have stuck by. They have set an excellent example of what love is.

I never thought I'd be so thankful for gas.

Ice Day

The kids are out of school, yet again, today. I looked at the calendar before the school year started and noticed that the only month there are not getting out early or not having school at all is the month of April.

Last night, we had some sleet and later today we are supposed to be getting some snow. Since the kids have yet another snow day, they will most likely be going to school until the first part of June.

Michael, I believe, is on his way to becoming a profession "school skipper". The week of Valentines, he we home sick Tuesday and Wednesday, was at school Thursday and then Friday they had no school for "teacher inservice". Monday they had no school for Presidents day. He was home sick on Tuesday and back yesterday and now they are out today. For some reason, he has managed to pick up every nasty thing going around this year. It doesn't help that he seems to have received my sinus issues.

With a day out of school, I'm sure the kids are thinking "play, play, play". I'm thinking "clean, clean, clean".

I know, "mean mom".

Give Me Some Skin

On Super Tuesday, the kids and I watched the boys. We met Amy and the boys at McDonalds for a "healthy dinner" before she was off to stand for her candidate. (to be inspired, read this)

As we were sitting there eating dinner, Noelle, who was sitting by Jack, asked him to "give me some skin". Jack looked at her confused and looked like he was thinking, "why do you have your fist out at me?". (yes, my nephew is a deep thinker). Suddenly, Jack makes a fist and "gives her some skin". Riley, sitting by Michael, stops eating to look at what the other two are doing. He makes a fist and gives Michael "some skin".

I started to think, my nephews are quick learners!!!! I can't WAIT to start teaching them the things that Amy taught my kids:

• Me: "Hey Jack & Riley..."
• Jack & Riley: "What?"
• Me: "Nothing."
• Me: "Hey Jack & Riley..."
• Jack & Riley: "What?"
• Me: "Never mind."
• Me: "Hey Jack & Riley..."
• Jack & Riley: "What?"
• Me: "What?"
• Me: "Hey Jack & Riley, want to learn the song 'Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit'?"

Aaaahhhh, paybacks.

Happy Birthday Molly!!!!

We celebrated "Mollers" birthday this weekend. As is tradition, Noelle made a birthday cake and Molly and her "sisters", Sadie and Hydie, each ate their piece in bite.

Enjoy the pictures!

The Birthday Girl.
Let's get this party started.
The card Michael made.
About to open the present.
Molly can't wait to see what it is.
Posing with her birthday bandana.
Time for cake.
Make a wish!!

The Kids Want These...

We went to World Of Wheels on Friday and the kids found a couple of cars they just had to have

Noelle saw this car and just fell in love!! A grandpa did this for his granddaughter. Noelle is trying to convince Sean she needs to have a pink Trans Am. (or her grandpa's need to start saving money now for one of these)

(a member of the Corvette Club let her stand right next to it and have her picture taken)

Michael was in HEAVEN when he found the Mustangs.



(can I have this please?)







Michael got to see the Camero from "Transformers" as well as Lightening McQueen from "Cars".

Happy Valentines Day!!! (a couple days late)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Everyone got a little something.

• Noelle: got a t-shirt that says "I Love Me", a card and some candy


• Michael: got a t-shirt that says "Attention Teachers: this kid tends to forget homework" (a true statement), a card and some candy


• Sean: got a t-shirt that says "How To Talk Your Way Out Of A Ticket" then there are three panels with a cop standing next to a car. The first one says "I was on my way to get you donuts", the second one says "I was on my way home to watch cops", and the third one says "I thought you wanted to race", a card and some candy


• Me: I got a dozen perfect red roses!

Noelle had her concert and it was wonderful! We then went to grab a bite to eat. They just put a Olive Garden here in town, but the wait was 95 minutes, so we went to O'Charley's.

Here are a couple pictures from the concert. I'm figuring out how to upload video. Once I do, I'll post one of the songs.

Some Photos

Here is a photo the kids had taken at Red Robin. Where ever we go to eat, it seems like the waitress is always flirting with Michael. This time it was a bird!

Here are some photos of the shop with windows!!!

Happy Hump Day

Well, it's Wednesday, and a certain Democratic candidate did well last night!!! (You can check here to see how he and the other candidates are doing state by state.)

Michael was home under the weather yesterday. He's back at school today. We both seem to be suffering from this "is it winter is it spring" crap. My sinuses can't take much more. I need to buy stock in Sudafed Non-Drying Non-Drowsy.

Noelle had flute club last night. She really enjoys it. Her first concert is tomorrow. Sean had to drop the flute off at the music store today. It is the same flute that I played and the pads have never been changed, plus there is a spring loose. It's just a "few years old", so I guess it's time to have those replaced. They will have it "just like new tomorrow at noon", so that will make her happy.

Sean continues to work at the shop. He is not "offically" working there because there is no bathroom. Truth be known, it appears there has never been a bathroom. Given the condition of the place when we first acquired it, I don't even want to think about it. The bathroom is next on the list of "things to get done".

I continue to study. I'm at the point where I feel that if I take one more question, I'll pull out my hair. I called the state today and they recieved my application to retest. Once they give that info to the test center, I can schedule to take it. I'm hoping to take it the first part of next week, so be sure to send lots of positive thoughts and prayers my way.

I am also catching up on laundry and have filed our taxes. Look at me go!

A "Blogging Blessing" For Non-Bloggers

My sister was included in a "Blogging Blessing" by a friend of hers and in turn blessed me.

The rules are to bless three bloggers. I know one blogger, my sister, so I came up with my own blessing:

• To my sister, Amy, who is always there to cheer me up and point out the good things in life when it seems to be nothing but crap. Who found prince charming and he worships the ground she walks on. (this man should teach classes) Who manages to have tons of energy while being the mom of twins. (the "terrible two's" are just around the cornor) Who reminds me to take time for me and always says "I love you" before we hang up.


• To my parents, who don't blog, (but should). When ever I have a patient who tells me that I'm a good nurse or just a good person in general, I think of them. It's because of the values that they instilled in me that make me the person I am. They support my sister and me and let us know that they are always there to help us out no matter what.


• To Sean and the kids (who are trying to start their own blogs~kids, not Sean). The three of you are what make each day wonderful. To watch you all work hard for something you want makes me proud to be your wife and mother. I love to watch Noelle and Michael encourage each other and support each other. The way they treat those around them is not a reflection of me, but again, my parents. To see Sean work so hard at his dream and watch it start to unfold is amazing. He see's the light at the end of the tunnel and soon the tunnel will open wide to a field full of opportunity and I can't wait.

Speaking of "Speak"

I went to Josh, my oldest couisn's wedding in January. (It was a beautiful wedding and I had the most WONDERFUL time)

While I was there, I got to spend a lot of time with my aunt Julie who is also a nurse. It was wonderful. I could speak "normally" and not have to explaine what things were. (in his defense, Sean is picking up the nursing language pretty well)

Anyhoo, Julie and I were riding in the van with my parents to an outlet mall when this conversation took place:

• Me: "I got to work with my first rectal tube this past week"
• Julie: "Really, it's been a while since I have"
• Mom: "Rectal tubes, I don't even want to think about that"
• Me: "For some reason, we have had a lot of those lately"
• Mom: "Oh, I don't want to hear anymore"
• Julie: "What kind of things do you have on the floor where you work"
• Me: "A variety of things, we have a lot of vents. They're not too bad, but I just can't stand sputum."
• Julie: "Yeah"
• Me: "It's funny, but I would rather clean poop all day than suction people and obtain sputum samples."
• Mom to my dad: "Steven, make them stop"

Some people are just so squeamish.

Just Like That, It's Gone

We took pictures of my much loved van yesterday and posted them with an ad on Craig's List. In about three hours, it was sold at the price we had wanted.

Sean, being the car guy he is, wrote the ad in "car speak" and wanted the ad to read "motor seized". About an hour after I had posted the ad, he came home and was on the phone explaining when that meant:

• "No, it's seized, not sized"
• "No, it won't start"
• "It doesn't turn over"
• "No, it doesn't drive"
• "You can't drive it"
• "The motor locked up"
• "You can't drive it home"
• "It's locked up you'll have to tow it"
• "The MOTOR is locked up, the doors open"

He hung up and I asked him if he wanted me to change the ad. YES!!! He couldn't believe that people didn't understand what seized meant. (like when I'm shocked people don't understand "nurse speak")

I told him that when he had said he wanted the ad to read "motor seized" the first thing that came to my mind was that someone came and confiscated the motor. He looked at me and let out a huge laugh. I wonder how many other people thought the same thing.

Guess Who I'm Voting For

Soccer, Volleyball, Studying OH MY!

Yes, believe it or not, I am updating our blog. Here is a quick update on what's been going with us:

• Michael is still playing soccer. He is done for the winter, but practice continues. He scored a goal at 3 of his last 4 games (one of them was the winning goal)
• Noelle is still playing volleyball. She has her first band concert coming up this Thursday.
• I have been studying, paid my fee's and am just waiting for the ok to test. (third times a charm, right?)
• Sean has heat in the building and the beast has been moved!!!

Now, the happy part about the beast moving to the building is that I could park the van in the garage. That happiness was short lived as this past Thursday, the engine locked up in the van. Fortunately, Sean had Amy's car to sell. We're borrowing it for the next week or so until Sean is finished working on a car for a friend.

If it's not one thing, it's another. Things could always be worse, so I think we'll just accept what we have and go from there.