A Visit To The Allergist

Have you ever had allergy testing done? No? You don't know what you're missing!

Big A has been congested and having headaches and earaches for QUITE some time. One doctor gave him antibiotics for a sinus infection back in November. She saw him again in January because he was complaining of an earache. She checked his ears said that there was fluid in them but that they weren't infected.

Later in January a different doctor explained the congestion as being a 'virus' and told me that Big A was clearly depressed as a result of our current situation. He suggested I get him into counseling (Which I knew wasn't the answer.). The doctor who'd treated him for his sinus infection in November, treated him for an ear infection in April. She was concerned enough with the fact that he wasn't ever making a full recovery, to suggest visiting an allergist. She rechecked his ears two weeks after the initial visit and decided that while the ear infection was gone, the congestion was no better and that it was time to take the next step. She made us an appointment with the allergist.

Today we visited the allergist... On the way there Big A asked, "Mommy, am I going to get shots today?"

"No, honey. I don't think so."

I was SOOOO wrong!

As soon as we got checked in, a nurse came and took us to the back. I was thinking that it was great that the office was so prompt and that we'd be out of there in no time! HA!!

The nurse weighed Big A and then took us to a room with a table, a couple of chairs, and a TV. She told Big A to pick out a movie and then had him sit down in the chair. She asked him for his left arm and then the torture began. She did 16 pricks on his arm to test him for all kinds of dusts, pollens, animals, etc. We had to sit there for 20 minutes to find out what Big A is allergic to.

When the 20 minutes were up she measured spots on his arm and then washed his arm and slathered it with antihistamine cream before moving us to another room to meet with the doctor. Turns out he's very allergic to grasses, which we already knew. The dust mite test also came back positive, but the doctor wasn't convinced that Big A was TRULY allergic to dust mites, so he ordered another round of tests. This time they gave Big A two shots in his arm and took us back to the little room.

We sat for another 20 minutes and then 20 minutes more before finally meeting with the doctor again. He concluded that Big A is NOT allergic to dust mites and decided that perhaps his 'allergies' were actually a sinus infection (WHAT?!?! A SIX MONTH SINUS INFECTION!?!?). He ordered an x-ray of Big A's sinuses and sent us on our way with a promise to call the next day with the results.

Big A and I walked over and got the x-ray done and then headed towards home (With a stop for ice cream, of course! 16 pricks, 2 shots, 1 x-ray and 2 hours in the doctor's office deserves SOMETHING!). We hadn't been in the house 5 minutes when my phone rang and it was the doctor confirming that Big A, did indeed have a RAGING sinus infection that he's had for... You guessed it... SIX MONTHS!!

No wonder my poor boy is miserable all the time!! But not for long! He's been prescribed a 20 day course of antibiotics and a 14 day course of prednisone. He should be feeling better in no time! I can't wait!!

Oh... And if your child ever asks if they have to get shots at the allergist, SAY YES!

The Truth Will Set You Free

ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH... A simple lesson that all parents teach their children and God's ninth commandment. Shouldn't be too difficult, right? A more difficult concept to grasp is that not saying anything (or not telling the WHOLE truth) is equivalent to lying. As parents we work hard to instill these lessons in our children, yet the world is filled with people who lie. You know what? It makes me sick!


We are surrounded by liars! In our jobs, in our every day lives, and even in our homes... WHY!?!? What's wrong with telling the truth? Yes, sometimes the truth hurts. Yes, sometimes the truth is hard to hear. But you know what? When you lie you look like a fool! And I'd much rather hear the truth, even if it hurts like hell!


When you lie, one lie leads to another and another and another and soon you're talking and you don't even know what you're saying anymore... And obviously you have NO CLUE how you come across to the person you're lying to.


I don't really have a great point here... And I don't really have a way to tie this all together... So I'll just close with this... DON'T BE AN IDIOT! TELL THE TRUTH!

Parades And Play Dates

This weekend was filled with parades and play dates! Big A had a boy from his class over to watch the parade and spend the rest of the day playing and Little A had two friends come over after the parade. The kids were SO excited! Big A couldn't wait to go to sleep Friday night because the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he could have his play date (Perhaps we should have play dates EVERY DAY!).


Little A and I headed out bright and early this morning to save seats along the parade route. We set up our blankets and chairs and then went grocery shopping, headed home to make a picnic, and then headed back to the parade. We were pleasantly surprised that although we parked about 10 blocks away, and despite the fact that there were thousands (?) of people there, our chairs and blankets hadn't been moved even an inch. To top it off, the garbage men had come by and placed garbage bags in every cup holder. Way to go, citizens of Petaluma and employees of North Bay Corp!!


Grandma, Grandpa, Big A and his friend joined us met us at the parade.


Of all the places to watch the parade and of all the people there, one of the boys' classmates ended up right next to us. The three boys had a blast watching the parade, hollering at the participants, and trying to make every driver of every vehicle honk at them. Boys will be boys!

Not only did we see the boys' classmate, we also saw friends of ours throughout the parade! We had friends on the Clover float...

This float...

The boy scouts...

And this horse riding group!

Little A's friends met us at the end of the parade, just in time to head home for Popsicles and more play time! The kids had an EXCELLENT time and all of the kids played well together. They are looking forward to their next play dates in a couple of weeks!

Thoughtful Thursday... Things To Ponder

1. I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

2. There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

3. Life is sexually transmitted.

4. Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

5. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

6. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

7. Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

8. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

9. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

10. In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

11. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

12. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out'?

13. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

14. Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

15. If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

16. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

17. Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

18. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

19. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

20. Do you ever wonder why you gave me your email address? (Or in this case, why you read my blog???)

Truer Words Have Not Been Spoken...

Admitting My Faults...

Let me tell you a little about me, that you may or may not know. For some reason I'mfeeling the urge to be brutally honest with you myself.

I don't play well with others. Well... That's not entirely true, but I like things MY WAY. I have OCD when it comes to that kind of thing. I have to be organized. I have to have a plan. I have to be in control. I struggle with that limbo land that is life. In so many ways I am not in control lately. I try to be organized buy my plans change by the minute... SOOO not my style.

I lack tolerance and acceptance. I am easily irritated by people who are stupid get in my way and slow me down. When I start something I have to finish it and I have to do it right. Sometimes it's easier to do it all myself than to be burdened with help from someone who slows me down.

I lack self confidence. In my mind I can conquer the world! In my mind I am Wonder Woman but face to face I'm a pussy cat. I'd rather clam up and not talk than tell you what's really on my mind.

And there you have it... Those are my faults in a nutshell. I'm sure there's more, after all... Nobody is perfect!

Yes, I have faults but overall I'm proud of who I am and I love myself! I'm a hard worker, a good friend, a great daughter, and an awesome mom!

French Dips And French Fries

Remember I told you the other day that I am responsible for planning, purchasing and preparing dinners? And remember I told you the other day that I'm always looking for new recipes? Well I've done it again! Yep! I've successfully added two more recipes to the keep binder, and this time I have Pinterest to thank!

Tonight we had French Dips and French Fries, all homemade, and SUPER easy!! Even Little A gobbled up her entire dinner!


Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs Beef Chuck Roast
16 oz Beef Broth
1 10.5 oz Can Condensed French Onion Soup
6 oz Red Wine
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
4-6 French Rolls
Sliced Provolone Cheese (optional)

Directions:

Trim excess fat off of beef roast and season meat all over with salt and pepper. Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, red wine and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes (Ooops! In reading this I realize that I didn't let my beef rest... Poor beef! It must be REALLY tired!). Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low for 30 minutes.

Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the beef juice into small bowls and eat everything while it is hot. Serve each sandwich with its own dip. If there is excess fat in your au jus, simply pour it from the slow cooker into a large measuring cup and let it stand for about 5 minutes so the fat separates. Skim it off, then pour the juice into serving cups.

Serves 4-6 (I had a 3lb roast and made six sandwiches with a bit of beef leftover)


Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Seasoning Salt
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425
*Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8
*Place on a foil lined cookie sheet (My potatoes still stuck. I may try the non-stick foil next time.)
*Mix all of the spices and the Parmesan cheese in a small bowl
*Place potatoes in a gallon size freezer bag and add the olive oil and Parmesan cheese/spice mixture
*Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated (I added the potatoes to the olive oil and got them well coated and THEN added the spice mixture and shook it all around again.)
*Once thoroughly coated, dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer
* Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown (I turned mine halfway through.)


I love sharing these recipes, and perhaps I'll get better about taking pictures of the finished products! DARN! Dinner time is just so hectic...

The Learning Curve

I'm realizing lately how much I've learned in the past four months, and how much I continue to learn on a daily basis. For example, I thought I'd finally learned how to pour the coffee without dripping. Turns out I was wrong, it still drips. What I *REALLY* learned is that there's no hidden art to coffee pouring, our coffee pot just sucks.

I've learned that even when you think you're alone, you can always be more alone.

I've learned that contrary to Rod Stewart's song, the first cut isn't really the deepest... Usually it's the second or third cut that really hurts.

I've learned that sometimes life is a bottomless pit... When you think you've finally hit bottom and it can't get any worse, it can.

I've learned that life's biggest gifts often come in the most unexpected and unconventional packaging.

I've learned that Cleo and I have quite a bit in common.

I've learned the value of a single dollar bill, and how quickly they add up when you toss them in an envelope every time you get one.

I'm sure I've learned many, MANY other things in the past four months, but the most important thing I've learned is that family is by far the most important thing in the world, and that I'm loved more than I can ever imagine.

Catching Crabs I Mean... Crabbing With Grandpa

Because really... That first title has WAY too many implications but certainly nothing that would affect my 7 year old!

Big A has been begging Grandpa to take him fishing for over a year now so today Big A and Grandpa headed out to Tamales Bay to go crabbing. Grandpa was fairly convinced that they wouldn't catch anything, but.... Well.... Wait and see!

It was a beautiful day, clear and sunny. They launched the boat and headed out to set the traps.


After the traps were set they went to shore to do a little exploring. Big A is certain that he saw bear tracks and Bigfoot tracks and he also found shells of all shapes and sizes, and some sort of sea worm ("The biggest night crawler I've ever seen!").

(Anyone know what this is he's holding? Because certainly it's NOT the world's largest night crawler!)

After exploring for a bit they headed back out to check the traps. The had three or four traps set and two or three of them were empty. One had lots of craps in it, but only four that they were able to keep.

They re-set the traps and tried their hands (unsuccessfully) at a little shark fishing. After awhile they went back to collect the traps, and...

JACKPOT!!

Crab... It's what's for dinner!

Pork Tenderloin And Road Rash

Tonight I tried a new recipe (SUCCESS!) and tonight Big A tried riding too fast down the sloped gravel driveway (UNSUCCESSFULLY!).

Part of our new living arrangement is that I do the meal planning, shopping and prep. I don't mind it at all... A small price to pay for what I get in return! The challenge comes in thinking of what to have for dinner and keeping it 'changed up'. I tend to find a recipe that I like then make it over and over until I'm sick of it. No bueno!

So I've been trying hard to come up with different ideas and I've been using the crock pot quite a bit so that I can prepare the meal the night before and my mom can turn the crock pot on the next day. It's a pretty good system when I can keep up!

Yesterday I was searching online for crock pot recipes for pork tenderloin. I'd found one on Pinterest for a balsamic glazed pork tenderloin, but since I had no balsamic vinegar (and was too busy to make a second trip to the store this week) I decided to look for something else. My search let me to Paula Deen's recipe for Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, a recipe for which I had all of the ingredients at home (or so I thought).


Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
2 cups baby carrots
1 medium red onion, thickly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper

 

 

Directions:

Line the bottom of a slow cooker with carrots and onions. Season pork tenderloin liberally with salt and pepper and place over carrots and onion slices. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together stock, preserves, mustard and thyme leaves. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour glaze mixture over tenderloin. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until tender.

 

 

Turns out that I didn't have a full 18 ounces of apricot preserves but I substituted with a heaping serving spoon full of low sugar orange marmalade. I also didn't use any onion.

Talk about tender! I couldn't even slice because it was so tender. It fell apart like pulled pork. And the carrots? Even Little A gobbled them up! I'll definitely add this recipe to keep pile!

While I was finishing dinner, the kids were outside riding bikes. Grandpa was running up and down the driveway helping Little A practice riding with no training wheels while Big A was riding circles around Little A. (Those of you who've been to our house, know that learning to ride with no training wheels here is a LOT different than learning to ride with no training wheels on a city sidewalk or paved driveway!)

The three amigos came in for dinner but the two little ones headed back out right away when they were done eating, as Little A was very excited to master the new skill . Not five minutes had gone by (in fact Little A had JUST gone out the back door) when we heard screaming crying shrieking coming from the driveway. At first I thought it was the sounds of happy children playing but soon realized that wasn't the case. As I ran out the back door I saw Big A hobbling and shrieking around the side of the van. He was saying he couldn't walk on his left leg and was crying uncontrollably.

By the time I got to him and began to assess the situation, Grandpa was right behind me. We carried him to the deck and started looking him over, starting with his right ankle which was what he told us was hurting him the most. (Let's see how carefully you're reading... Remember I said it was is LEFT LEG he couldn't walk on, but now it's his right ankle that's hurting??) While Grandpa checked his ankle, I began checking out the scrapes on his arms, hands and stomach. (OUCH!!)

Grandpa moved his ankle all around and it seemed to be okay. We had him walk into the bathroom where we washed his wounds and slathered them with Neosporin then we gave him some Ibuprofen and propped him up on the couch.

He's still in pain, but nothing a little Ax Men and the promise of crabbing with Grandpa tomorrow won't fix! We'll see how those feel when he wakes up in the morning... YIKES!

Random Snapple Facts

Random Snapple Fact #724 - A pineapple is neither an apple or a pine. It is, in fact, a large berry.

Random Snapple Fact #725 - Only female mosquitoes bite.

Random Snapple Fact #727 - A spider's silk is stronger than steel.

Random Snapple Fact #758 - The only lizard that has a voice is the gecko.

Random Snapple Fact #864 - Taft was the heaviest U.S. President at 329 lbs; Madison was the smallest at 100 lbs.


And there you have it... A little bit of random trivia.

Mighty To Save

A few months ago an event occurred that caused me to question my faith. In the months following this particular event I faced another series of events where I needed to rely heavily on my faith and to turn to God for support, answers and just plain being there. My inward battle with questioning my faith was winning over putting my complete trust in God and I was convinced that I could do everything on my own.

I couldn't.

As often is the case with this kind of battle, my faith eventually won (More like I was walking down the street one day and it slapped me in the face, but....) and I'm in a much better place because of that. I'm happy to return to church and to the fellowship that I find there, I pray constantly, I can once again listen to K-LOVE without being bitter and resentful towards God, and when I really think about it I realize that He was with me all along. He just happened to give me the wake up call I needed to return to him.

Today in church we sang Mighty to Save by Hillsong United.

I've always liked this song, but today as I stood in church singing my heart out, one verse struck something inside me... It was SO fitting for all I've gone through lately. I went right home and updated my Facebook status with the verse and then decided I'd share it here, as well...

The verse says:

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender (I surrender)

I'm not perfect. I have many shortcomings. But I know that God loves me and is walking through this journey with me and I have given up and put my faith in Him, that he knows what he has in store for me, he knows how this all will end, and he won't ever give me more than I can handle (although sometimes it sure feels like it!).

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Kids Bowl Free!

Do you have kids?? Are you looking for things to do with them in the summer? Do you have an AMF bowling alley near you (or perhaps your local bowling alley does this too... Ours does!)?? If you answered yes to those questions, then you should definitely check this out. I learned last summer that both AMF and our other local bowling alley offer free bowling for kids all summer long. They send you an email every week that contains coupons for the week. Kids 15 and under can bowl two games per day all summer long and all you pay for is shoe rentals. It's a deal that can't be beat!

They also have a deal for parents, older siblings, babysitters, etc. For $24.95 you can purchase a pass that's good for up to four people for the entire summer. It's the same deal as the kids are getting... 2 free games per day and you only pay for shoe rentals. I'm telling you, there's no better deal around!

Last year my kids went bowling about five times. This summer I hope to take advantage of the offer more, and I'm even considering purchasing the family pass. I also registered at both bowling alleys so no matter where we are we can bowl if we decide to.

What have you got to lose? There's no charge to register and who doesn't love FREE bowling?!?!

No Pun Intended... Or Maybe There Was...

I'm sorry to do it (again) but I have to share! I'm a sucker for a good pun.


I don't enjoy computer jokes; not one bit.

I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.

When chemists die, they barium.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

A guy got arrested for playing the guitar. He was fingering a minor.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.

PMS jokes aren't funny; period.

Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

We’re going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.

I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.

Broken pencils are pointless.

I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool .

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York 's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crêpes.

Velcro — what a rip off!

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.

Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

The earthquake in Washington obviously was the government's fault.

Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too.


Okay, so some of those were pretty bad... But admit it, you liked 'em!

Wordless Wednesday - Cousin Michael Is A Good GREAT Sport!

More Kidisms

Big A on the 'F Word'

We were driving home the other night and Big A asked me, "Mommy, what's the other F word?"

I'm thinking, "The 'other' F word? Yikes! What's the first F word? Surely he isn't talking about *THE* F word... Perhaps the F word he already knows is fart... How do I answer this?" So I ask him, "How do you know about the F word? What F word are you talking about?"

He responds, "The cousins said something like flat jack?"

OH! Flat jack! Of course! (What the hell is flat jack???)

______________________________

Little A on Storage Wars

Grandpa and Little A were watching Storage Wars on Sunday afternoon. Little A wasn't happy about it because she wanted to watch The Middle but since we watch that show ALL THE TIME, Grandpa won.

In trying to convince Little A that Storage Wars is a good show he said, "They find some good stuff in there, and afterwards we get to find out how much money they got for it."

Little A looked right at him and said, "No they don't! They find CRAP!"

Guess we know how she feels about THAT show!

Wordless Wednesday - Little A Doesn't Like Circus Peanuts

Little Aisms - Four Dollars

Tonight we went to a Dine and Donate for Big A's school. After dinner we had to run to CVS. While there, Little A found a toy phone/camera that she HAD to have. She asked me if I'd buy it and I told her I would not. She asked if I could pay for it and she'd pay me back and after a short discussion about how much money she had, how much the phone cost, and if she really wanted it, we decided that her plan would work.

While she was getting ready for bed she said, "Mommy, I need to give you the money I owe you."

I was tired and it was late so I said, "You can give it to me tomorrow." Well, she insisted that we take care of it right away, and after giving it a minute of thought I decided it was better to have her be responsible and pay off her debts, so I took her into my room to get her her wallet.

I opened the wallet and counted her money. "You have twenty dollars," I told her.

She took the money from me and started going through each bill one by one while I hung up clean laundry. Then she said, with an exasperated sigh, "Mommy, I don't *HAVE* a four dollars."

I love my kids, I love being a mom, and I love those priceless moments!