Inspiration

I just though a good laugh would do everyone a favor :)

They say that 10 minutes of laughter a day does miracles to your mind, body and soul... so I will try to add a few minutes here.

"Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain."

~Charlie Chaplin

Blankie

"I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken. That's serious"

~Jack Butler (Micheal Keaton), Mr. Mom

Blankie has put on many miles. Blankie has been to numerous locations...and has the scars to prove it! By no means is blankie on it's final thread- I have just been thinking lately about the future. What is Isa going to go through when Blankie has to go? How long do we keep Blankie? To ease my fears, I have begun a search to find a 'replacement', if something should ever happen. Tom disagrees.

See, it all started when friends of ours, Kelly & Chris, gave us the blanket at my baby shower. It was so clean. So soft and cuddly. Now it is filthy and warn, but hey, it's hers. Anyhow, had I known back then (January 2008) that my child was going to become so attached to this thing, I would have bought a back-up blankie. However, it is to late for that now. I have searched high and low for "Tiddliwinks- Under The Sea (sea turtle)" fleece blanket. But I can not find one ANYWHERE! I guess that is what happens when styles change at the rate of changing a babies diaper. LOL! Every time I am at a Target, I always check their shelves... hoping that one day it will miraculously appear!

For now we just have one Blankie. She takes that thing everywhere. They don't call it a security blanket for nothing... it makes her heart smile. You thought we were bad with the paci's... this blanket concept is far worse! She has often acquired the nickname "Linus" after Linus Van Pelt of the Peanuts. Only instead of holding her blanket over her shoulder, she drags it behind her- which get the germaphobe in me at times.

Anyhow, I put together some random pictures of her and her Blankie- I hope you enjoy :)

A while back I wrote about Blankie (but not in great length). Click here and you can recall.

Bats & Science

Today we hit up the batting cages and Cosi. Cosi was awesome because we came at just the right time... an hour before closing! Anyhow, not much else to say about that :)
As far as the batting cages- it was so much fun! I can't wait for softball season.



Carly even got in on the action. She has a lot of practicing to do though! That and the bat is way to heavy for her... heck, that thing is even to heavy for me! I want to get a super light bat once the season starts :) As for Tom and myself, he did perfect... as always! I kept popping them up (above me!), so at one point I put on the helmet- it was a kids helmet, but hey, safety first! LOL

Then we went to Cosi... Hope you are prepared to watch vidoes :)







I have one last video, but it is still uploading and won't be ready... so I will add it in (or make it a seperate blog) some other time :)

POTW

Picture of the Week

I am going to try to do this "picture of the week" bit- but if I slack off, it's 'cause I probably forgot!

Now you all know that there are three kids here... so I can't just pick one POTW... I have to pick POTW x 3.

This is Carly while waiting at the podiatrist. She wanted nothing to do with having her picture taken. I finally had to settle for a shot with her covering her head.

Abby drew me a picture of a sunset on the beach. One of many pictures that she has... this one is on the fridge for now :)
I am so proud of her artistic abilities... although you might be thinking "huh?"... this is not one of her best- she did it in about two minutes. However, she has MANY works of art that are worthy of frames... and someday, we will frame them all!

Isa's art from St. Patty's Day. Although it is still hanging at school, I am still very proud of it and love it! Can't wait for it to be next to Abby's on the fridge :)

Unguis incarnatus

Once again Carly is plagued with the infamous ingrown toenail.

Back in October she was seen and treated for an ingrown toenail. It was cut out and off and all we could do was hope that she didn't have a occurrence. However, she was not that lucky. Over the last 5 months, not only has the nail grown back in, the skin surrounding it has decided to eat her nail. Literally eat it! So here we are with yet another infected toe.

When she discovered the infection (about two weeks ago-sigh), I made an appointment to see her podiatrist. I specifically asked for the Phenol treatment- which is where they put the chemical phenol on the nail to burn it- but when we arrived he 1) did not want to do the treatment, 2) wanted to have her take 10 days worth of antibiotics before doing any procedure and 3) wanted to do the procedure in a 'more sterile environment'. Which is fine by me!

March 31st she will be treated at OSU Hospital, that way he has the sterile environment and access to medication to give her- to make her less anxious. This treatment is not going to be an ordinary treatment either- Dr. Monson plans to remove the nail from the nail bed at the base of the bone. Here is a good image for ya!

So as you can see, Carly is going to need to be sedated! She will remember little to nothing at all about the procedure- just feel the wrath of it after! But for now, she is just to take her meds and soak her foot in hot water, with or without Epsom salt :)

Bed Time?

How do you know when it is time to get your tot into a "big kid bed"?

When something like this happens!

Last night was *rather* routine when Tom put Isa to bed.

He laid her in her crib.

She cried.

He walked away & shut the door.

She cried some more.

And more.

Louder.

Louder and closer.

Puzzled, we looked at one another, then looked at the hallway opening...

when low and behold, out strolls Isa! Sobbing.

Now keep in mind- Carly was in the shower, and Tom and I were in the living room with Abby.

The little monkey climbed out of her crib, opened the door and made her way to where all the action was... which by the way, was not much for action!

So it is time to say good-bye, farewell to the crib. In the meantime, she will have to sleep on the mattress, on the floor! At least she will be closer to Abby now- with no bars to hold her back! Oh and if you are wondering if she hurt herself? No, not that we could tell. She had a scratch on her face- but I imagine she did that to herself while throwing a tantrum after Tom left the room. LOL. Kids

Paci Plunge

So we are attempting to take the paci plunge. OK, daddy is. Mommy is heart broken and Isa is at a loss. Well, that is a little exaggeration.

We are officially down to just one solo paci. However, it was a painful road getting here. It all started late last week when Isa was next door. When we got home (from picking Tom up from work), we went to get the kids from our neighbors place. When Tom saw the paci (NOT in Isa's possession), he told Venus, "You have a trash can, right? ...throw it away." Huff. What about my say? Now wait, back up a few hours. I had already agreed to throw one away, so I did and the trash went out to the dumpster. By nightfall Isa was down to only 2 paci's.

Day 2. We head out the door, again. Kids home. Unbeknownst to me, Tom had the THIRD paci in his pants pocket. As we were strolling through the frozen food isle of the grocery store, he decides to huck it on top of the stand up freezer. "BUT!!!!" was about the only thing that my mouth could get out. Shocked? Very.

So we are down to one. Just one.

Right now she is being pretty good about only taking it at night. She fusses in the car ride to school, but that is about all. Thankfully. So maybe this transition won't be too bad. I just have to keep this last paci out of someones *wink wink* hands.

Guppies

Took the girls swimming today- it has been a very long time!

Abby & Carly jumped in like the little fish that they are. Isa wanted me, so I hung out with her for the most part.

Boo is getting much better in the water. She actually surprised me... as she wanted to "jump" in (but was more like sit on the edge and scoot in), go down the slide and drift away from me. Since she is still not a pro, or even remotely close for that matter, I had her in a toddler vest the entire time. I think she was irritated by it, but I really didn't care!
Carly got a new bathing suit... she has totally out grown her old one- and this one fits her well. Style and size! It is really cute (but don't tell her I told you that)- it is purple/deep pink'ish and it ties up between the breastesis :) Very mature suit, for her.

Abby is still a fish. She had so much fun- so much that she was bummed when I told her she had to get out! But we live close, now... so we can come back whenever we feel like it!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the pics and videos :)

Flies, Flies, Flies

(Poster from Cosi- our presentation weekend)

So I thought I would show off a couple pictures from work. Not the prettiest pictures, but just to show you what I work with on a daily basis :)

(Adult Flies)

Yep. Flies

Here are some of my flies from my last project. I was getting no results, so we sent the constructs to a research facility... and they did not yield any results either :( As it turns out, the DNA we submitted was leathal to these particular flies. So in a way it was bitter-sweet for me. I finally knew that it wasn't my error... it was the little buggers!

(Larva- what you might call Maggots)

It slices, it dices...

Tom bought a Mandoline Veggie Slicer a while back.

It has done nothing but collect dust,

until today.

I decided for breakfast, I was going to attempt to make some yummy hashbrowns. Keyword here is "Attempt".

While it started out good... with the little glitch of not knowing what thickness setting to use, it progressively got, um, difficult.

I think making hashbrowns is an art.

I am not artistic.

Come to think of it, cooking is an art.

I am not a chef. Not at all.

So while it started out with great intentions...

Midway through they kinda looked like fried cat turds.

Yeah, I said it!

But by the time the rest of breakfast was ready, they wern't too bad. With the exception of being a little too fried!

Carly said they were good.

Isabella finished all of hers.

And Abby liked them too...

but my kids like ketchup... and ketchup fixes nearly everything!

I guess I shouldn't be to hard on myself.

But I will practice.

I will master.

I will conquer.

Someday!

Happy Birthday, Dad

What do you get a man for his birthday, who has nearly everything you could possibly think of... besides the winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket? When you run out of ideas, you fall back on the the more intimate, sentimental, gift from the heart.

Adult diapers.

For those of you that don't know us that well, my father and I are two of the most sarcastic, smart-@sses walking earth. Yes, it gets us into trouble from time to time (especially him ;)) and it may get us into hot water with our loved ones, but what takes the cake is when we are successful wiseguys to one another. This here birthday gift tops all, so far, this year. Although I have a strange suspicion that I may be in a pickle now :)

Anyhow, the diapers come at a perfect time... it was actually suppose to be a April Fools Day joke, but having them come on his birthday instead, is far better than I could have ever planned!

See, it all started when I began visiting the blog http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/ , from there I have ordered hundreds of free stuff and random samples. When the sample for Tena came up, I could not help myself. I thought, "How perfect would these be for my dad?"...so I signed up... no hesitation! You can too... for that loved one with a aging, leaky bladder! I'm not sure if his bladder is leaky, but I know it is aged! LOL!!! http://www.tenahomecare.com/

So Happy 52nd birthday... if that is what you are claiming to be. But I still think you are 61!

P.S. Next year I think I am going to have to search for a sample of Rogaine... you're looking a little thin on top, dad!

Ear Tube Check-Up

Earlier this week, Isabella had a check up on her tubes and hearing. Well, at least that was the plan.

Her appointment was at 3:30pm. Once we arrived, we were almost immediately taken back for the audio portion of her visit. That went semi fast. We did have one snag- so we had to endure multiple tests.

The first test was to measure the pressure in her ears. She really didn't mind the transducer in her ear. The left ear was OK, but the right ear measures were 'abnormal', so she ruled that portion inconclusive. THEN, when the lady was doing the vocal and sound component, Isabella got bored. Really bored. She would respond to vocal ques, but wasn't having the noises. She'd look at me and roll her eyes. Never once looking to the visual ques. I found it kinda funny. So because she was not 'stimulated' enough, that test was ruled inconclusive. So on to test three we went. This time a different set of probes were placed in her ears. We had to be very still and quite. Yeah, tell that to a two year old. You'll never guess how that test came out... OK, maybe by the trend, you can. Yep, inconclusive.

By this time the lady doing the screening was out of options, and Boo was bored, yet antsy. So off to the waiting room we went. We waited. And waited.

And waited. Finally, about 5pm, we decided to get up and walk out. The front desk did not ask any questions, did not care to reschedule, nothing. Just an "OK, bye". Um- you just had a patient tell you that they are leaving... and you don't care? Thanks. About a half hour before we left a woman and her daughter walked in. The woman used a walker, had O2 and was about 75-80 years old. She had an appointment slip with the date and time on it. She was refused service because the person (front desk person) wrote down the wrong date and time. They left, politely. How sad is that? If it were me (or Tom), hell would have been raised, and we would have been seen.

Anyhow, we wound up leaving because it was dinner time, there was another family in front of us... yes, they triple booked patients, and the girls were at home waiting for us. So we are going to find a new ENT, locally, and have Isa's records sent over. This time I want to actually search for a good one, that deals with pediatrics. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Dr. Tobin... just not his cast and crew.

We Are The World- Then & Now

Brought tears to my eyes then....




....And still does today...



Unfortunately it shouldn't take a disaster to help, recognize and make a difference. It should just be about human compassion. 24/7, 365. But nonetheless, the song, whether from 1985 or 2010, brings tears to my eyes :)

Lightning Crashes?

"Lightning is one of the leading weather-related causes of death and injury in the United States. Most people do not realize that they can be struck by lightning even when the center of the thunderstorm is 10 miles away and there are blue skies overhead"



~National Geographic




This is exactly what happen to Carly and I, 5 years ago. March 5, 2005 was just another day, in sunny Arizona. As we drove to pick up Abby from Mill Avenue Preschool, we sat at a red light on Rural and Hwy 60. In a split second, we were struck by lightning. BAMM!!! Only louder and more colorful! I was shocked (no pun intended) mentally. It took quite some time to realize what had just happened. But as I gathered my senses, the puzzle came together. Surrounding cars did nothing but stare at us. Not once were we asked if we were OK. Not once! It all happened so fast- it was, I don't even know how to describe how it was. Amazing?


Let me give you a little more leading up to the climax. As we traveled down the road, the sky was blue, the roads were clear and the sun was shining. A few sprinkles appeared out of nowhere, literally nowhere. Carly was sitting on the left side. She had her window rolled down, but as we drove more into the sprinkles (out of nowhere), I told her to roll it up... like a good little girl, she did. Two minutes later we are sitting at the red light.

Lightning strikes. Let me be the first (I am assuming first) to tell you that it is LOUD! BOOOOM... but it was actually more like a crack. Out of my periphery, I see bright glows of bright yellow'ish, white'ish, green'ish. Did I mention this was all on my left side? Behind me? Yes, the same side as 1) Carly and 2) the gas tank. ...No one once asked if we were OK.


The light turns green. Frantic, I pulled over at my next possible option; a hotel. I get out, examine the car. It's not on fire, the tires are still inflated, no smoke, no damage. That I can see. I pull myself together and continue my drive to the daycare (which at this point is about 2 miles away). I pull in the driveway and it hits me. I was just struck by lightning. OMG! I lost it. I go inside and explain to everyone what had just happened... which is when a few of the staff follow me out to the car to "see". When low and behold, there was damage (with lingering effects that I will soon figure out!). The top of the trunk had a burn mark... imagine leaving a welding gun on one spot of metal (I imagine this would happen) for a prolonged period- it burned, like that. A ring about the size of a quarter. On the inside of the trunk, the entire upper inside had a trail of burn along the outter rim. I imagine the lightning entered and followed the metal until it left the car, which I have NO IDEA where it left! Eventually we left and safely returned home- where my dad was awaiting us. We were going to CA for St. Patty's Day weekend :)

Fast forward. We come home from CA. That Monday I dropped off the girls at school. Later that day, I picked them up. On my way home, "Big Red" (the car) stopped working. Kaputt. I had to push it to a parking spot in McDonald's and have AAA come take it to a mechanic. Once at the shop, I never told them what happened the previous week- I was afraid they would not work on it (for whatever reason?). The diagnosis? Dead battery, dead alternator and something else was wrong with the electrical wiring. Pretty much everything electrical about it was shot. Oh, and I needed new wiper blades, but that was totally irrelevant!

The car is long gone, but the memory is still alive and kicking... as are we! So another anniversary comes and goes- but it is nice to be able to talk about it :)
Oh, and to keep the memory even more alive, I got a tattoo. I have a four leaf clover, with lightning bolts coming from in. On my left shoulder :)

Laundry & Tanning

Yep. We spent most of the afternoon at the laundromat :) We found a HUGE one not to far... not only can you wash, but you can tan while you are waiting. Yeah, that's just what I want- to pay for cancer while I clean my cloths. Real healthy ;)

The girls did pretty well, behaviorally... although by the time the last stretch of time came along, they were begging for quarters... sigh. They gave it a good try, but failed miserably! Carly really wanted a super ball (real bouncy, fist size ball)- she would have had a blast in my hometown, if she were around, when I was her age. A "Wham-O-Superball" disaster occurred and those damn things were everywhere! www.octhen.com/2006/07/wham-o-superball-disaster.htm

Anyhow, she got no ball :( How sad.

Isabella slept the entire time! She even slept right through lunch... poor kid was wiped- from what, I don't know though!


Waiting for the other dryers to finish- in the meanwhile, I bugged her by taking nonsense pictures with my phone. Of course. She wanted quarters for candy... but she had no luck either :)

Dora and Boots

About midweek, Isabella started on a new word-"batpa" AKA: backpack :) She has also been trying to wear one of Carly's, but has had a little rough time, as it is way to big! So Tom and I thought it was time for her to get one of her very own.

So off to the Target Tom went... WITHOUT ME!!! >:( But I am over it now!

Tom found the cutest Dora the Explorer with Boots, toddler backpack. It is perfect size for her and she LOOOOOOVES it! It went to school with her yesterday... she stored her hat, mittens, cup and change of cloths in it :) It also can now double as a diaper bag :)

Dora and Boots from behind

Isa sporting her backpack in front of school

100 things...

Sometimes life grabs us by the horns and drags us down. For many it is hard to grab the reins and get back on the saddle again- for others it is all part of the motions. During these down times, it is often hard to think of what makes us happy in life- but sometimes you just need to pick up a pen and paper and write down everything that makes us smile in a day... even if it is the little things that make us smile.

I have a lot to be thankful for, that make me happy, and that I love dearly. These simple pleasures often get overlooked because I am so caught up in 'life'- but unconsciously I know I am surrounded by the fruit of my own happiness :)

Here is a glimpse of 100 simple things that make me happy (and in no particular order):

1. My Mom

and Dad



2. Swiss Cheese
3. Fresh air through open windows
4. Warm cloths (out of the dryer)
5. The smell of Luvs diapers
6. Spring





7. Blooming flowers
8. The sandbox
9. Mac n' Cheese
10. Wasabi and Horseradish
11. Wine


12. Softball

13. Fluffy down pillows

14. Double quilted soft TP

15. Dr Pepper

16. Baking bread

17. Moon, Stars & the Sun
18. Hugs

19. People watching

20. Lighthouses
21. Stargazing (especially meteor showers)
22. Cuddling
23. Swimming & the feeling it gives me
24. Strolls
25. Watching the girls blossom with every new day

26. Purple (and Harold too)
27. Photography
28. New recipes
29. Minnesota
30. Satsuma
31. "It Only Hurts When I Laugh"
32. Snickers
33. Dockweiler State Beach
(lay on the beach sand and watch planes take off and land @ LAX)







34. Listening to Carly make music
35. Being called: Mom, Mommy, Mama & Babydoll
36. Reading others Blogs
37. Texting friends in far away places
38. Jim Gaffigan
39. Footloose
40. Willow Trees
41. New Orleans Saints
42. Flip Flops
43. Del Taco's fries (and Del Classic Chicken Burrito)
44. Shady trees
45. Tattoos
46. Fruit picking
47. Finding money in pockets
48. Decorating Christmas trees
49. Baby babble
50. Double-Double (In-N-Out)
51. Finding and Reconnecting with old friends
52. Family time
53. Kisses & Eskimo kisses from the girls
54. Random surprises from Tom
55. Giving
56. Looking thru old photo albums
57. Meeting new people
58. Boardgames on family night
59. Elephants
60. Funny sarcasm (not hurtful)
61. Thursday morning breakfast with Tom
62. Dressing up
63. Clean sheets
64. Crashbandacoot
65. Cheesecake

66. Mn. State Fair's _______ on a stick
67. The number 11
68. Hot baths
69. Olives
70. Seeing my children happy
71. Toms massages (back, people!)
72. That Tom does 99% of the driving
73. Antique stores
74. Thrift stores
75. Playing with Abby's hair

76. Samoa Cookies
78. Back rubs from the girls
79. Roses
80. Laughter- gut busting laughter
81. Coffee

82. Fireflies and catching them
83. Singing in the car
84. Feeling valued
85. An occasional pity party
86. A kiss before going to sleep

87. Lake Superior (Miss America in my eyes)
88. Puppy kisses
89. Baking with the family
90. Holding hands
91. Whole Foods (especially on sample days)

92. Death and Coma

(our previous couch and love seat)
93. Snow tubing & sledding
94. Diamonds in the snow
95. Isabella taking off her shoes and saying "goway, goway"
96. Innocence
97. Candles
98. Steele Magnolias
99. 143 &5 texts
100. Tom, Carly, Abby & Isa!!!