Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I have a swollen uvula.

Did that get your attention? I said uvula, not vulva! Get your mind out of the gutter!

I don't feel well. My tonsils are swollen. My throat is red. And my uvula is so swollen it's resting on my tongue. I have a huge amount of crap dripping down the back of my throat and settling in my chest. My neck hurts and my glands are swollen. It's lovely.

It's bothering me so much that I bought a neti pot this afternoon and rinsed out my nose. I expected that to be a little weird. But it really wasn't that bad. Of course, I couldn't see myself while I was doing it. So that could have helped. I'm big on personal hygiene though. So, this little apparatus is right up my alley. I clean out my ears with q-tips dipped in peroxide every day. So now I can clean out my nose too.

My son is still not over what he was sick with last week. His head is still filled up with crap and he's still coughing a lot. So being the loving mother that I am I made him do the neti pot too. That went better than expected actually. I thought he'd physically fight me a little more than he did. But really, what did I have these kids for if I can't mess around with them. My daughter was standing there watching everything. She looked at me with big eyes and said "You're not doing that to me, are you?" It's too hard to get the jump on them without the element of surprise so I didn't try it with her.

I have been spraying that ocean nasal saline spray stuff up all of our noses for a couple days. My kids keep walking around telling people that they have the ocean up their nose. They are surprisingly tolerant of this too. I hate it. So I don't know why they don't put up more of a fight.

I broke down and called my doctor today and got an antibiotic. Hopefully that will help soon. My husband has been out of town and this has been a super busy week with after school activities. I'm totally behind on posting and even reading my favorite blogs. I hope I haven't missed anything too big!

I'm looking forward to Friday getting here!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Sick day

My son is sick today. He came home from school feeling yucky on Monday. He laid down and took a nap when he got home from school and felt better. So we sent him to school on Tuesday. Tuesday night is a busy one for us. My son goes to the public school every Tuesday night to get speech therapy and occupational therapy.

Spring brings sports around here. So after time at the public school, my son gets whisked over to a neighborhood high school for track. His track practice overlaps with my daughter's t-ball, which my husband coaches. So midway through track practice, my husband and daughter leave and head over to the baseball fields. After track my son and I head over there too. So it's a busy couple hours of running around the neighborhood from activity to activity. And it was hot last night, very sunny. I got a sunburn on my large lily white forehead.

My son did pretty well at track last night. When they run all the way around the track a lot of the kids start dropping by the way side. But not my boy. He's like Forrest Gump once he gets going. He was runnnnninnnng......

He does not quit running and when another boy looked like he might be catching up towards the end my son somehow sprinted and beat him. Now I'm not saying he is the fastest. I think there was another first grade boy that beat him. And older kids were faster too. But we are just impressed with the fact that he is somewhat competitive at this. Because usually he is just not competitive at anything. He got that from me. It drives his father crazy.

He came in our room in the middle of the night with a fever of 102. So now we are really impressed with the fact that he did so well at track last night when obviously he did not feel very well. Really he does not like to miss anything. He is still asleep this morning and I'm sure when he wakes up he is going to be mad. Because you see, until today he had a PERFECT ATTENDANCE record!!!! He never missed a single day of kindergarten and had not missed a single day of first grade. Even when he had eye surgery. He managed to not miss school because they had snow days then.

I feel really bad for him. He made it all the way to April 23rd without a sick day. I mean he only has like 25 days of school left. It sucks to make it this far and then get sick. Oh well, I guess there are worse things in life. I'm not looking forward to the homework coming home. I've heard that when they are sick a ton of paperwork comes home for them to complete. That is going to be real fun.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Lilly dresses



My BFF and I hit Costco the other day because they had Lilly Pulitzer dresses from 2T to 8 for little girls. I bought my daughter two for this summer and two for next summer. They were only $23.99 a piece!

I was so excited and overwhelmed by this awesome opportunity to buy them at such a cheap price. It took me forever to decide which ones I wanted. I hemmed and hawed over it for quite a while. My BFF took my daughter and her son to go potty and when she got back I still hadn't decided.

I feel the Lilly dresses were going totally unappreciated at Costco. Women kept walking by with little girls in their shopping carts and stopping to look at these cheesy little outfits and not even giving the Lilly dresses a second glance. I wanted to scream "LOOK... LILLY PULITZER DRESSES FOR $24 PEOPLE! WAKE UP! YOU MIGHT NEVER HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY AGAIN!"

Friday, April 18, 2008

Five Things Meme

Five things on my to do list today (that I am not going to do):

1. The cap on the street light in front of my house is dangling. So I need to call the street department to have them come fix it. This has happened before and the cap fell off and landed on the hood of our car and dented it. When we called the street department to see if the city would pay for the repair they laughed.

2. I need to get a couple baby gifts for some babies recently born. One of my husband's co-workers and an old friend of my husband's both just had baby girls. I'm going to get them the old monogrammed bib & burp cloth combo.

3. I have a great idea for my Mom for Mother's Day. She loves all things monogrammed or things with her initials or name. There is a lady in my neighborhood that takes all of these cool pictures of things that can look like letters. Then she puts them together to spell something and even frames it. So I am going to see if she'll make one for my Mom with her last name.

4. We have recently switched insurance agents and I need to get our new guy a recent copy of our auto insurance declarations page. I also need to get a new appraisal on some jewelry.

5. Complete my first meme listing five things on different topics about myself. I tend to avoid things on my to do list. So this is hanging heavily over my head.

Five snacks I enjoy (really, what snack do I not enjoy?):


1. ice cream
2. chocolate
3. chicken wing dip
4. Starbucks coffee (hot or cold variety)
5. various warm cheesy dips with good bread


Five bad habits (I could probably just copy Southern Fried Mom's. They are pretty close to the same. I will copy and past a couple.):


1. Procrastination
2. Control freak, yet lazy
3. Definitely have a potty mouth
4. Become withdrawn when overwhelmed/stressed out/pissed off/ anxious
5. Compulsive and/or emotional and/or boredom eating


Five places I've lived:


1. I was born, raised and still live in one of the top three largest cities in Missouri.
2. Went to college in one of the other three largest cities in Missouri.
3. Went to another college in yet another of the three largest cities in Missouri.
4. NA
5. NA

Five jobs I've had:

1. Stay at Home Mom.... This one sucks sometimes. I think about quitting at least once a day.
2. Financial Reporting Analyst for a major U.S. department store.
3. Institutional Bond Sales Assistant.
4. Captial Markets Group operations associate
5. Bank teller

OK, I skipped the "five things I would do if I were a billionaire" one. I'm too tired and lazy to do it. I've told you I never finish anything completely. And really, shouldn't there only be five topics for a "five things meme"...........

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Meme Virgin

Southern Fried Mom from Grits with Cheese has tagged me to do a "Five Things" meme.

I have never done one before. So I am a meme virgin. Actually, I'm not even sure how to pronounce it. Anyway, I need to get to it. Since it's my first I want to take my time. So I will get back to you later with it.

You know how on your first you want it to be special. You'll always remember your first, right? You don't want it to be an ugly experience. And you don't want to rush through it. I want to make sure I'm not drunk when I do it, maybe just a little buzz to take the edge off. I might light some candles and put on some music.

I should probably take care of some personal hygiene. It's been a couple days since I've shaved my legs. So I'll take care of that. My pedicure looks relatively acceptable. If I dim the lights, it should be ok. I'll floss and brush and gargle.

And just when I think the moment is right... I'll do it. The question is, can I catch anything from a meme?

Monday, April 14, 2008

I think I figured something out......

I was lying in my bed this morning, for a couple minutes before the alarm went off, pondering how much I love my bed. I REALLY love my bed. It's one of my favorite things in the world. Two Christmases ago my Mother bought my husband and me a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed for a present. And I have been loving it every day since it arrived.

So I'm lying there thinking I wish I could spend more time in bed. It's so comfortable. I started out sleeping at either 40 or 45. But about six months ago I went down to 30. The mattress justs folds up around me like a big pillow. I'm sleeping on a cloud.

My old mattress, while relatively new, was just too firm. I have a little touch of arthritis in my lower back and that mattress would have me waking up with a back ache way too often. With my new lovely sleep number bed, I feel like I'm melting into the mattress. It's soooo nice. And I rarely wake up with a back ache now.

So I am thinking about how much I love the bed and my desire to spend more time there. Then I start thinking about how I started taking Effexor because I was having trouble getting going, getting my shit done, getting motivated to keep up with life.

And then a light bulb went off. I wonder if I would need the Effexor if I was still sleeping on the hard mattress. I wonder if there is a correlation between sales of sleep number beds and prescriptions of Effexor or other anti-depressants being written..... just a thought.

By the way, I hate the Effexor. I really don't feel like it's giving me the kick I desire. And the worst part is the withdrawal symptoms. If I miss one day... man, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Ashley from Ashley's Closet described the withdrawal well.

I really need to get off of it and switch to something else. But, like I mentioned in my last post, I have an aversion to going to the doctor. So I just keep taking the crap and live in fear of forgetting a dose......

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

OK, I have a confession to make......

My arm/shoulder still hurts.

On Monday morning my arm did feel better. But it's not 100% better. Plus on Monday I still could have been drunk from Saturday. I had A LOT TO DRINK on Saturday......

Anyway I have a real problem when it comes to going to the doctor. It's not the doctor. I really like him. And he will write a prescription for WHATEVER I want. You can't ask for more than that really. But the whole process of making sure the kids are taken care of. Getting cleaned up beyond my normal day to day attire and God forbid, actually putting some make up on.... it all sounds like too much for me. So I avoid the whole scene.

Also, and now you're really going to think I'm nutty, I don't want to have to actually make the phone call to make the appointment. This is weird. But I hate the steps in between me needing a doctor and actually talking to the doctor. You have to call and tell them why you want to see the doctor. Then when you go and they escort you back to your room, you again have to explain why you are there. Is this really necessary? No person I talk to in between can write a prescription for me or order a test. I wish I could just call and talk to the doctor directly, with no in betweens.

But wait, there's more!!!!!! I have Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot. I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon who gave me a cup to wear in my shoe, a prescription to take twice a day and an exercise to do with my foot. Because his office is really close I actually went two or three times for follow up appointments. But you see, the cup only works in my tennis shoes and I don't wear those all of the time. And I could only remember to take the medicine once a day. Oh and that exercise, NEVER DID IT ONCE. We kept making follow up appointments and I would assure him that I would start doing what I was supposed to do. But I never did. So on our last appointment he was really nice but said something about not making any more appointments. I know he thinks there is something wrong with me.

I know this is weird. I would rather walk around in pain than call and make an appointment. So my foot has been hurting me since last summer. Now I've got the shoulder pain. I have a cough I can't shake that disrupts my sleep. And I've been taking this Effexor for a while that I'm really not crazy about (no pun intended) and would like to switch off of and yet I STILL WON'T CALL THE DOCTOR. So far the power of positive thinking is just not working for me. I tell myself all my problems will resolve themselves. God knows I've given them plenty of time to work themselves out. But it hasn't happened yet.

OK, so now I have really opened myself up to let you all know I'm whacko. My husband knows I must feel pretty bad if I actually ever suggest going to the doctor or the hospital. Now he on the other hand, is a whole other post. If I pinched him, we'd have to call an ambulance and administer CPR.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Real Housewives of NYC meltdown

I'm not sure if this was a new episode I just watched or not. Jill had Bethenny (weird spelling) make dinner at her condo for all five of the "housewives" featured on the show. Alex brings her husband Simon with her even though it's a "girl's night"......

Jill and Bethenny knew Simon was coming, but Ramona was not expecting him. Well, Ramona sees Simon come through the door and goes totally bitchcakes! I mean I'd be kind of pissed because I'd be thinking well, I would have brought my husband too if husbands were welcome. And it would totally change the dynamic of the party for one man to be there. But once he is there, he's there. Don't have a fit. She totally had a hissy fit and looked totally crazy! (Can I say "totally" a couple more times????)

I was so surprised by her fit that I had to discuss this. It was really entertaining but almost uncomfortable. My husband walked in just in time to catch her fit and was saying there's no way she can recover from this. I said the only thing she can do is next time the group gets together she apologizes and admits to being out of line and crazy!

Oh and Alex and Simon's house!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!! It looked almost dangerous for the children to be living there. And they appeared to be in no hurry to do anything.

It's crazy! And I don't trust Luann. She seems to be able to get other women to say something bad without ever saying anything herself. My favorite is Jill. Although, I'm liking Bethenny more after tonight. She was kind of funny tonight, kind of dry.

I'm looking forward to next week. It's the season finale and the previews made it look like everybody is pissed at Ramona about something..... We'll see.

I'm down to so few tv shows I really want to watch anymore. I Tivo a whole bunch of shit that I never bother to watch. I manage to catch this one though because Bravo repeats the episodes all of the time on the weekends. It's easier to keep up that way.

Did anybody see it? What did you think?

Monday, April 7, 2008

My Arm/Shoulder

You know how I said that I was going to wait until Monday to call the doctor about my shoulder problem. Amazingly it feels pretty good today. So no call to the doctor!

Gin In My Apron Pocket: Healthier Eating

Don't let the title fool you. It's only been one day. Tonight I made Stuffed Turkey Burgers. It's an Ellie Krieger recipe from the Food Network.

1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers, divided
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Divide turkey into 4 equal sized rounds. Make 2 equal sized patties out of each round so you have 8 patties total. Sprinkle 4 of the patties with 2 tablespoons each of roasted red peppers and cheese, and top with remaining patties working the turkey around the edges to seal burgers closed. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill or broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.


OK, I made the patties and my husband grilled them. So I did part of it. We even had them on whole wheat buns that my husband also grilled. They were ok. The thing with eating like this is I really have to convince myself to enjoy the food. Otherwise I could very easily think that tonight's dinner tasted like crap. I was really hungry so that always helps. I'm much less picky when I'm super hungry.

I'm really going to try to make healthier choices when it comes to food. It seems like everyone else is doing it but me. I'm just waiting around for everyone else to quit. Like it's a fad that won't last long. But everybody keeps on eating well and exercising. The joke is on me.

If anyone was reading my blog back around my birthday, you may remember that my Mother gave me a month of Nutrisystem (and a wad of cash!). I still have some food left from that. You see I NEVER complete ANYTHING 100%. I'm not kidding. I always quit. I am the least competitive person ever. I just have no drive.

On Easter my Mother told me to order myself another month of Nutrisystem and put it on her card. For Christmas she gave me a years membership to a local gym. Now before you go thinking that my Mom's a bitch about my weight. I ASKED for these things. Because I would like to be that healthy Mom who cooks light and works out every day. I just never have been and even if I start I have a hard time sticking with it.

So I'm going to try some baby steps. Remember "What about Bob?" with Bill Murray. That's going to be me. I'm going to just try and do a little here and a little there and maybe one day it will come more naturally to me.

Now I don't know what this means as far as the large volume of beer I consumed on Saturday. It was Bud Light. So that's a healthy choice, right? I mean it's not like I was throwing back full blown Budweisers!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Gimpy Arm

I went to a baby shower tonight for one of the girls in my bunco group. Another girl in the group is a physical therapist. So since my freaking shoulder still hurts I asked her what she thought.

I was getting a lot of grief because nobody understands why I wouldn't have just gone to the doctor by now. It's been 11 days since I fell and I just figured I'd give it a good two weeks before I decided that it was worthy of a call to the doctor.

The PT said I needed to do something because if it was hurting anytime I used it there is something wrong. We're thinking it's my rotator cuff in my shoulder. She said it might not necessarily be torn, but could be just inflamed. But since I'm walking around favoring it and trying not to use it because it hurts she said I could wind up with it frozen if I don't get it taken care of.

So I swear, Monday morning I am going to call the doctor. Unless, you know on Sunday it seems like it's getting better on it's own......

One of the gals offered to do that move that Mr. Miyagi does in Karate Kid when slaps his hands together and warms them up and pops the kid's shoulder back in place. Yeah, I stayed away from her the rest of the night.....

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Blank

I've got nothing. I'm completely blank. I think the new colors have stifled my creativity. I'll let you know as soon as something hits me.