Hubby and I sat in the waiting room with the 1 yr old & the 3 yr old for over 90 minutes before he was finally called for his appointment. Of course the 1 yr old rescheduled her poop for the day to coincide with us being out in public & the office had no changing table in their restroom. Have I told you how much I've been LOVING having her in cloth diapers? Well, today wouldn't be a good day to talk about it, since it is the very first time I've had to bring home a yucky diaper in a plastic bag.
When we finally got into the exam room, a very nice nurse asked us the usual questions & assured us that the Dr would be in to see us soon. Much to our surprise, he actually showed up less than 5 minutes later. He agreed with the diagnosis we received from the Dr we saw on Monday & explained the next few steps that will help us figure out the extent of the problem & what our treatment options will be. For now we are to basically do nothing. We go back for some tests on November 11th & then see him for the results the following day. Prayers that this will not require surgery would be greatly appreciated, Hubby really doesn't like the idea of surgery.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Whew!!! No poison ivy
We all seem to have escaped the itchies!!! The slight itchiness on Sunday was either all in our heads or very tiny mosquito bites....we are a rash free household!!!
We are of course now dealing with our first round of "Fall colds". It could be seasonal allergies, we are all stuffy & cranky, the baby especially. Doesn't help that she is also STILL teething. She is now 17 months old & barely has 9 teeth. Since I haven't kept very detailed records of the other kids, I can't tell you for sure how that compares to her siblings, but my foggy mind believes that only ONE other child has been this slow to get teeth.
Hubby had a good Dr visit today. He has been dealing with unexplained swelling in his feet & lower legs for several years. We have been to many Dr's, had many tests with no definitive diagnosis & no workable treatment. Hubby is the typical man who only agrees to go to the Dr when he believes that his life might be in danger. Last week his legs starting blistering for no known reason....he paniced & agreed to let me try ANOTHER Dr. The Dr we saw today was a foot & ankle specialist. He took one look & gave a diagnosis that actually sounds plausible & much to Hubby's delight it is not FATAL (my delight as well, I can assure you). The Dr wrote prescriptions to deal with toenail fungus & foot fungus & gave us instructions on how to deal with that & then he secured an appointment for Hubby to be seen this coming Wednesday (yes, this WEEK) with a vein specialist. I'm especially happy with how quickly he will be seeing the next Dr, it gives almost no time for Hubby to decide he is "fine" and cancel. We're hoping treatment will not require surgery, but if it does at least we have insurance.
We are of course now dealing with our first round of "Fall colds". It could be seasonal allergies, we are all stuffy & cranky, the baby especially. Doesn't help that she is also STILL teething. She is now 17 months old & barely has 9 teeth. Since I haven't kept very detailed records of the other kids, I can't tell you for sure how that compares to her siblings, but my foggy mind believes that only ONE other child has been this slow to get teeth.
Hubby had a good Dr visit today. He has been dealing with unexplained swelling in his feet & lower legs for several years. We have been to many Dr's, had many tests with no definitive diagnosis & no workable treatment. Hubby is the typical man who only agrees to go to the Dr when he believes that his life might be in danger. Last week his legs starting blistering for no known reason....he paniced & agreed to let me try ANOTHER Dr. The Dr we saw today was a foot & ankle specialist. He took one look & gave a diagnosis that actually sounds plausible & much to Hubby's delight it is not FATAL (my delight as well, I can assure you). The Dr wrote prescriptions to deal with toenail fungus & foot fungus & gave us instructions on how to deal with that & then he secured an appointment for Hubby to be seen this coming Wednesday (yes, this WEEK) with a vein specialist. I'm especially happy with how quickly he will be seeing the next Dr, it gives almost no time for Hubby to decide he is "fine" and cancel. We're hoping treatment will not require surgery, but if it does at least we have insurance.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Why do we start to itch at the first thought of having contracted something ITCHY?
Argh!!! The 10 yr old & the 8 yr old went on a fun trip to a corn maze on Saturday morning with their youth choir from church. When they returned all the families gathered for an informal cookout at the fire pit on the hill above the church parking lot. It is a very nice camp groundy (I know I'm making up new words again) area with a very woodsy feel. The 3 yr old & the 1 yr old ran loose through the brush with the bigger kids & since it was a sweltering 85 degrees, they were in shorts. Then it happened, the choir director casually mentioned that we should be cautious because poison ivy could be growing in that brush.
EEEK!!! I instantly retrieved all my children & forced them to sit roasting marshmellows next to the campfire, but it was probably too late. We left a short time later & I washed everyones hands with sanitizing wipes. Then washed the little ones legs & arms with another wipe, being careful not to contaminate from one to the next. Then I used different wipes to wash my own face, arms & legs....just in case even though I hadn't gone anywhere near the brush. I was itching worse than when the word lice gets mentioned in hushed tones. I tried really hard to convince myself that it was all in my imagination, but since I am one of those people who can get poison ivy from walking near a wooded area on a windy day, I was pretty sure we would all be painted bright pink with calomine before night fall.
As soon as we got home, the babies went in the tub. All their clothes went in the wash. Next I took a shower & put my clothes in the wash. I used the most drying soap I could find in the house, now I'm not sure if my itching & little red patches are from the drying soap or poison ivy...of course it could still all be my imagination. Time will tell.
EEEK!!! I instantly retrieved all my children & forced them to sit roasting marshmellows next to the campfire, but it was probably too late. We left a short time later & I washed everyones hands with sanitizing wipes. Then washed the little ones legs & arms with another wipe, being careful not to contaminate from one to the next. Then I used different wipes to wash my own face, arms & legs....just in case even though I hadn't gone anywhere near the brush. I was itching worse than when the word lice gets mentioned in hushed tones. I tried really hard to convince myself that it was all in my imagination, but since I am one of those people who can get poison ivy from walking near a wooded area on a windy day, I was pretty sure we would all be painted bright pink with calomine before night fall.
As soon as we got home, the babies went in the tub. All their clothes went in the wash. Next I took a shower & put my clothes in the wash. I used the most drying soap I could find in the house, now I'm not sure if my itching & little red patches are from the drying soap or poison ivy...of course it could still all be my imagination. Time will tell.
Friday, October 10, 2008
I'm feeling very cranky about money today
we are currently renting a house that barely meets our needs. There is not enough space for all our "stuff" & I'm not one of those people who enjoy parting with their stuff. The two car garage has no room for cars & I'm feeling totally unmotivated to even attempt to organize let alone purge anything.
Back to the money thing. When you apply for a mortgage they tell you that you can't spend more than 30% of your income on housing, now I realize this is GROSS income, but even so, 30% really doesn't seem like much. We currently pay 54% of the money we actually see each month just for the rent. Utilities account for at least another 25% which leaves us with about 20% for everything else including food & gas for our only running vehicle.
Our lease is up in December & we may have to move again....I'm not sure how we would manage a new security deposit & the expenses of moving, but I've started praying NOW that if we are going to move again it will be to a place that better meets our needs & is more affordable. We somehow managed to only move twice the whole time our oldest was in school, but we have now moved more in the last 4 yrs than we did in the previous 15 yrs.
Have I ever told you that I HATE moving?
Back to the money thing. When you apply for a mortgage they tell you that you can't spend more than 30% of your income on housing, now I realize this is GROSS income, but even so, 30% really doesn't seem like much. We currently pay 54% of the money we actually see each month just for the rent. Utilities account for at least another 25% which leaves us with about 20% for everything else including food & gas for our only running vehicle.
Our lease is up in December & we may have to move again....I'm not sure how we would manage a new security deposit & the expenses of moving, but I've started praying NOW that if we are going to move again it will be to a place that better meets our needs & is more affordable. We somehow managed to only move twice the whole time our oldest was in school, but we have now moved more in the last 4 yrs than we did in the previous 15 yrs.
Have I ever told you that I HATE moving?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I HATE school fundraisers
My oldest daughter came home all upset today because I hadn't purchased anything in her recent school fundraiser. Her classmates who did sell things received their trinkets today & she was beside herself because she didn't receive them too. I know the school feels it needs more money than it receives in the budget, but making kids sell "junk" to make up for that short fall just seems soooo WRONG to me.
In years past, I have bought at least one thing from each child in the house who is selling something for school, but this year the money is too tight & we really didn't need a coupon book packed with coupons for places we can not afford to go. The schools pitch is that for the $10 paid for the book you will receive $1600 worth of coupons. The problem for me is to receive these "offers" you invariably have to buy something...something that I have eliminated from our budget due to necessity. Try explaining that one to an 8 yr old.
In years past, I have bought at least one thing from each child in the house who is selling something for school, but this year the money is too tight & we really didn't need a coupon book packed with coupons for places we can not afford to go. The schools pitch is that for the $10 paid for the book you will receive $1600 worth of coupons. The problem for me is to receive these "offers" you invariably have to buy something...something that I have eliminated from our budget due to necessity. Try explaining that one to an 8 yr old.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Handy Mommy...
My 3 yr old occasionally watches Handy Manny on Disney channel, it is not one of my favorite shows and I try to avoid it. Yesterday, I got to be Handy Mommy.
The kids computer has been on the fritz for at least a week. Since mine died last month, that left us with only one computer in the house that could connect to the internet & that is not a pretty picture in a house full of internet addicts. Last night after dinner, I ran a diagnostic on the wireless connection & suddenly got a connection. Yay!!! But within 3 minutes the connection was lost & rerunning the diagnostic did nothing to get it back. I sent one of the kids to find an ethernet cable and started trying to figure out how we would get the DSL modem close enough to the computer to use the cable. Then I had a brainstorm....maybe the antenna on the wireless card really was the problem. (one of the babies had pulled the cover off it last week just before we lost internet). We have boxes of old computer junk in our garage, so I went looking for a compatible antenna. First I tried the router, two antennas, but they don't come off. Next, I found an old DSL modem in the garage & while the antenna was shorter, the connection was compatible & it WORKED!!!!
Later, when the kids were getting ready for bed I told the 10 yr old to help the 3 yr old get her teeth brushed. He started screaming for me to come into the bathroom. It seems the 3 yr old had forced her toothbrush down the drain. She is obsessed with brushing her teeth & was very upset that we couldn't get it for her. I sent them all to bed & after they were asleep, I got a wire coat hanger to see if I could fish it out. No luck. Hubby was sure we were going to need a plumber. We can't afford a plumber, so I unscrewed the pipe & out popped 2 toothbrushes. The pipe is pvc, so I just put it back on & screwed the pieces together. I ran the water for a couple minutes & was very pleased that it didn't leak. The toothbrushes went in the outside garbage & the 3 yr old will have to wait until Friday to get a new toothbrush, she's devastated....hopefully she won't put anything else down the drain.
The kids computer has been on the fritz for at least a week. Since mine died last month, that left us with only one computer in the house that could connect to the internet & that is not a pretty picture in a house full of internet addicts. Last night after dinner, I ran a diagnostic on the wireless connection & suddenly got a connection. Yay!!! But within 3 minutes the connection was lost & rerunning the diagnostic did nothing to get it back. I sent one of the kids to find an ethernet cable and started trying to figure out how we would get the DSL modem close enough to the computer to use the cable. Then I had a brainstorm....maybe the antenna on the wireless card really was the problem. (one of the babies had pulled the cover off it last week just before we lost internet). We have boxes of old computer junk in our garage, so I went looking for a compatible antenna. First I tried the router, two antennas, but they don't come off. Next, I found an old DSL modem in the garage & while the antenna was shorter, the connection was compatible & it WORKED!!!!
Later, when the kids were getting ready for bed I told the 10 yr old to help the 3 yr old get her teeth brushed. He started screaming for me to come into the bathroom. It seems the 3 yr old had forced her toothbrush down the drain. She is obsessed with brushing her teeth & was very upset that we couldn't get it for her. I sent them all to bed & after they were asleep, I got a wire coat hanger to see if I could fish it out. No luck. Hubby was sure we were going to need a plumber. We can't afford a plumber, so I unscrewed the pipe & out popped 2 toothbrushes. The pipe is pvc, so I just put it back on & screwed the pieces together. I ran the water for a couple minutes & was very pleased that it didn't leak. The toothbrushes went in the outside garbage & the 3 yr old will have to wait until Friday to get a new toothbrush, she's devastated....hopefully she won't put anything else down the drain.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
It's October already....
Wow, sometimes I just don't know where time went. I've been busy, but not THAT busy. For some reason the fact that it is OCTOBER already really snuck up on me. I'm struggling with a lot of things right now and it being October just makes that so much worse.
I'm trying really hard to get connected with people in real life and get things accomplished on a daily basis. My Mom was here over the weekend to watch the kids while I went to my Catechesis training on Saturday. She wanted to go home on Sunday, but we had a full day of activities to accomplish for the kids at church & I just couldn't find the energy to make the 3 hr round trip drive to take her home Sunday night. I spent most of my day on Monday taking her home, nothing else worthwhile got accomplished and I didn't even get a nap.
I'm fighting a depression right now and of course my Mom's answer was that I should talk to a Dr & get on an anti-depressant. I know prozak has saved my mother's life, but it is not for me. I have valid reasons to feel depressed and I need to be allowed to work through those things on my own terms. Going on medication is not going to help me have more money for utilities and groceries, it won't get our second car running & it won't magically get my laundry done or my dishwasher unloaded. Yes, I'm crying more than my mother is comfortable with, but crying is one of my only outlets for my frustration. I would LOVE to be able to stay in bed for days at a time like she did when I was a kid, but I don't have that luxury, my kids and hubby need me to cook for them, clean the house & transport them everywhere all day long. If I don't do these things, nobody else will & the whole family will suffer. If I get to the point that I am not able to meet my families daily needs, I will talk to a Dr, but for now, I am functioning just fine & she will have to accept that I do have emotions & do feel the need to cry when the frustration is overwhelming.
Our Rector talked about how tough the economy is now, in Church on Sunday and about how those who were having a rough time needed to speak up & allow the church to help them. I am one of those people who is having a very rough time, but I'm not ready to admit defeat and ask for help yet. What he was saying hit home so hard for me that I had to leave the service and miss the sermon to get my emotions under control. I truly feel invisible most days in regard to how tough things are financially. I am sure that nobody who knows Hubby or I would ever consider that we may be struggling. All I can do at this point is keep praying and hope that next month will be better.
I'm trying really hard to get connected with people in real life and get things accomplished on a daily basis. My Mom was here over the weekend to watch the kids while I went to my Catechesis training on Saturday. She wanted to go home on Sunday, but we had a full day of activities to accomplish for the kids at church & I just couldn't find the energy to make the 3 hr round trip drive to take her home Sunday night. I spent most of my day on Monday taking her home, nothing else worthwhile got accomplished and I didn't even get a nap.
I'm fighting a depression right now and of course my Mom's answer was that I should talk to a Dr & get on an anti-depressant. I know prozak has saved my mother's life, but it is not for me. I have valid reasons to feel depressed and I need to be allowed to work through those things on my own terms. Going on medication is not going to help me have more money for utilities and groceries, it won't get our second car running & it won't magically get my laundry done or my dishwasher unloaded. Yes, I'm crying more than my mother is comfortable with, but crying is one of my only outlets for my frustration. I would LOVE to be able to stay in bed for days at a time like she did when I was a kid, but I don't have that luxury, my kids and hubby need me to cook for them, clean the house & transport them everywhere all day long. If I don't do these things, nobody else will & the whole family will suffer. If I get to the point that I am not able to meet my families daily needs, I will talk to a Dr, but for now, I am functioning just fine & she will have to accept that I do have emotions & do feel the need to cry when the frustration is overwhelming.
Our Rector talked about how tough the economy is now, in Church on Sunday and about how those who were having a rough time needed to speak up & allow the church to help them. I am one of those people who is having a very rough time, but I'm not ready to admit defeat and ask for help yet. What he was saying hit home so hard for me that I had to leave the service and miss the sermon to get my emotions under control. I truly feel invisible most days in regard to how tough things are financially. I am sure that nobody who knows Hubby or I would ever consider that we may be struggling. All I can do at this point is keep praying and hope that next month will be better.
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