Catching up

It’s been a while since I blogged and surprisingly we have stayed pretty busy! I started gym on Monday of last week and WOW, I am loving it and somewhat hating it at the same time! It’s been almost 3 years since I worked out, so it has been a bit of a physical challenge , but the feeling afterwards is amazing. Well I take that back, by the time Thursday rolled around I could not move off the couch! Cutting out caffeine and starting to work out pretty fast will get you feeling pretty weak, but on Wednesday night I went tanning…overdid it- burned myself bright red. So Thursday I spent the whole day wrapped up in the blanket on the couch. Aaron has night class on Thursday so he was able to entertain Jack all day while I cat napped all day- got to love a college man! And a great dad and amazingly caring husband!

Also Ethan is done with his state testing- thank goodness we are done with the first year of that! Although I will miss our slow mornings before school together and me driving him to school. Ethan is absolutely a school bus kind of child! He just loves riding on the bus, personally my mother’s opinion about his love for the bus is this- he is an extremely social young man and would not miss ANY opportunity to spend even more time socializing with his friends.

Also Jack is recovering great from his ear tube placement and adenoids taken out. First day was quite rough, second day was very slow but by the third day he was just about back to normal. Unfortunately he got the extreme case of one unpleasant side effect- stinky breath! And let me tell you, that little boy was STINKY! and snotty. Seeing all the gunk coming out of his nose was so sad, yet reassuring that this procedure definitely needed to be done! And as much as I’d love to see him talking already we are getting there. Every day he discovers new sounds he can make and HEAR, in a way it is definitely delayed in Jack’s case, but it is so reassuring to me- he will talk one day. Just imagining that he was barely able to hear and who knows what his own words sounded to him. So we are in the process of relearning basic sounds and how to put them together to form words. I just wish his favorite word for now would not be “no”, ha-ha!

Also we managed to have an other snow storm here up North, after being spoiled by couple of nice , warm days in upper 50’s and very low 60’s, Mother Nature had snow storm planned. Unfortunately we were so busy enjoying the warm weather that I did not take any pictures, but there will be other chances. I just can not wait to get out there again and let the kids be wild little outside creatures and for Ethan to start brushing up on his baseball skills.

NO PICTURES

Ethan is going trough “no picture” stage. he either hides or covers his face, or just runs away-screaming, or makes a ridiculous face. On top of that it is winter and he has discovered the great feeling of “licking your upper lip while it’s cold and windy outside”…not a pretty site when it turns all red and chapped,and cracking… Looks like a red mustache- YUCK! So at times I avoid taking pictures of him, even if he possibly might be in the picture taking mood. Although the other day I tried sneaking a picture of him and he looked at me, covered his face and said(in a shocked voice) : “Mom, you just can’t do that!!! “ …and then he walked away. I was stunned- never knew there were privacy laws that protected little boys from their mother taking pictures of them. But ok, I guess… So I am being extra revengeful without him knowing about it and posting the cutest picture of my firstborn who is growing up way too fast. Enjoy!

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

SHOES

 

To put this simply- I have children who are show snobs. It is not their choice, I’m sure-they are little monsters who despise shopping   , but they just have very finicky feet! However, I must say, Ethan did not start out that way- as a baby and toddler he had some shoes and boots from Wallyworld and did just fine. Jack has not been so lucky- last year he ended up with a HUGE blister from Target sandals and even Nike’s didn’t bend enough for him to walk right, he’s been my Stride-Rite child from the very beginning when he started walking, what is not cheep!!!

Either way, what triggered me to write about this, was Ethan’s winter boots. After we moved to PA and it’s harsh winters the boys needed some snow boots, what by the way is impossible to get at the end of January because even the northerners here are putting out flip flops o their store shelves around this time of year, so after long search I got the last pair of not so cool looking snow boots and working looking boots for Ethan. This was last February- a year ago. So Ethan got about a month worth of use out of his snow boots last year. And about 3 months this year. And they were DONE! The Velcro didn’t stay closed anymore, so my poor child ended up running around with socks at times- IN THE SNOW! Given the fact that no stores carry snow boots his size anymore at this time of year, we decided that he could make do with the work looking boots for the remainder of the winter. HA! That was wishful thinking- a week later those had a hole in them. Their use added up to about 3 weeks total… I did only spend about 20-30 dollars on both of those  pairs of boots, so it’s really not that bad, but still. I guess I am too poor to be cheep.

So from now on I am sticking with what I preach- I am NEVER buying any cheep shoes for my kiddos ever again! I’m going with the brands I know I can trust and the ones Ethan has put trough his own test already.

Lots of rumbling

PART I

Yesterday Jack had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out. As much as I was hoping that we could skip the adenoid removal, we didn’t get lucky on that. He went in happy and came out so miserable, since he’s been congested to start with anesthesia messed with his breathing quite a bit and he ended up needing a breathing treatment, but it made such a big difference! Doctor told us that his ears were full of gunky and thick fluid and his adenoids were quite enlarged, normally kids go in for this procedure with clear fluid and a little enlarged adenoids, so I’m happy I did not fight this procedure like I had planned in the beginning. Either way, yesterday we had a cranky and miserable little two year old, his nose was leaking non-stop and he would not let us wipe it, his face was swollen and Jack-a-Boo was extremely drowsy. Here’s a picture of Jack being miserable: , had to insert a black and white pic here, the colorful version was a bit graphic with yuckiness.

However, after a good nights sleep he is back to being himself with added thoughtfulness about things, he can definitely hear better already, we’ve been reading books- a lot of books, and he has been listening to every word with such amazement and stillness, Jack  definitely has his hearing back! Also he has been forming his words a lot better, he has been saying sounds that have not come out of his mouth since last spring. As bad as I felt yesterday about being helpless to make him feel better, it was all worth it! A brand new world of discoveries is ahead of my little Jackson man and that makes my heart smile!

 

PART II

Why YES!!! I did post a picture of a soda warning label! I have never noticed it before, maybe because Pepsi and Coke doesn’t have one or maybe I am not too interested in soda labels. Either way it caused me to laugh and get angry at the same time! It also reminded me of the movie “Idiocracy” – by the way it is a funny movie and definitely worth watching, I would even go as far and recommend watching it. Where has the world come to these days that we need warning labels on soda bottles? Have most people lost any common sense? Are the law suits caused by  common stupidity really so much out of control? I suppose this is as bad as all the warning on coffee cups warning you of the hot contents- there must be people out there that do not realize that the coffee they just purchased might be hot, therefore  burn their mouths, our if being spilled burn their skin? I just saw a warning label on a knife the other day that said that it was sharp- really? Either way, what I am getting  at, is this- how much government regulations and stupidity warnings do we really need? I understand that in order to protect kids from some extra stupid parents we DO NEED car seat laws and kids should definitely wear helmets while riding their bikes and other moving objects! Helmets are a God’s sent. Here is true story about how helmet saved Ethan from some serious head injury: When Ethanjuga was about 4 years old his favorite thing to do on his bike was to to gain full speed coming down the barely declining sidewalk by our house on post and crash into grass. And because of this insane activity he had, I did insist he wore his helmet; what most of the time he try to avoid. Good thing I was extra persistent this particular time, because something either happened to his steering ability  or he had an extra crazy “brainstorm”- Ethan was flying down the sidewalk , turned the corner(he usually went straight all the way down) and crashed head first into the wall of our house! His helmet needed to be retired, for it had come apart! His head was fine though, I wish I could say the same thing of his knuckles-those body parts didn’t get as lucky- scraped, bloody and bruised. Now, let’s get back to my rumbling about common sense- if my son did not have his helmet on this particular day, it would’ve been my fault if he got hurt- that’s common sense. However some people seem to think that nothing is their fault and possibly would’ve tried to blame the company who manufactured the bike or how about being more extreme and blame the wall, watch out brick manufacturer! It makes me so mad and ridiculously giggly at the same time. Fat people suing McDonalds is an other one- WOW! People still suing cigarette companies – double WOW!

So when it boils down to it- use common sense, take responsibly for your own actions and quit being an idiot! No wonder the modern world is getting more dumb  day-by-day. We are told exactly what to do without needing to even think for ourselves anymore, and instead of being paranoid  about everything, just  think about it for a minute and you will not have disastrous consequences. I’m afraid that if we keep up this pace  my grandkids will be required to wear safety equipment on playgrounds and our food will be served at room temperature- even if it should be hot soup or cold ice-cream(we wouldn’t want burned tongues or brain freeze ).

That’s all for today, have a good night my friends!

No Title

Regards my yesterday’s post- yes, the tonsillectomy is a pretty brutal surgery done the old style, but it was quite necessary, since I was sick most of the time and my tonsils were getting pretty bad. I wasn’t looking for pity either, just thought it would be a good proof for those doubting my statements about how it was done :)! No long term damage done here!

Hopefully this procedure is done more humanely now that there are lot of foreigners sponsoring some of those Belarus hospitals, I know that in Latvia they have been done in the very civilized way for a while now too.

There are so many brutal procedures still going on around the world, I think the most brutal and sadistic one is female circumcision, done all over Africa and in some Muslim countries, that brakes my heart just imagining what those little girls go through   during procedure and the horrendous impact it leaves in their lives. It hurts my heart to think of all the ways children are suffering trough out  the world. As heartless as it might sound I try not to think about it and sort of trying to ignore it, because if I didn’t, I would be a basket case. Every time I hear Johnny Cash’s “Man in Black”, I say a little prayer for all those suffering around the world and then I move on by listening to some happy “Queen” music.

Tomorrow Jack is going in for his ear tube procedure! This hospital believes in joining it together with the adenoid removal, but I’m still hoping that Jack won’t need that done- time will tell. Jack’s speech has been delayed as some of you may know- he does a lot of jibber jabber, but not so much clear talking, so we finally figured that he has a significant amount of fluid in his ears what could most likely be the culprit of his speaking troubles. He has not had any ear infections, thank goodness!!!, but we still need to take care of the fluid, since that can lead to hearing loss in the long run. Sadly, we are quite familiar with that- Ethan had the same problem and at age 5 he failed the hearing test. On the happier note, right after his tubes were placed and the excess fluid drained his hearing bounced right back and Ethan has perfect hearing now.  It definitely feels good to go in for Jack’s procedure and know what we are going to deal with, that little bit of experience helps a lot. Hopefully my baby cakes Jacksie Boo will be well enough tomorrow to let me sit down at the computer and write an other blog tomorrow.

And I’m off to entertain a 2 year old who needs to stay up and eat a lot of food, since he’s not going to be able to eat breakfast until the procedure will be over.

Have good night and thank you for reading!

Flash from the past

Ok…where do I start???       I was watching a video on YouTube today about kids from Chernobyl  expecting to hear an overload of info about how the radiation has affected generations that came after the horrendous tragedy, instead I saw a video of tonsillectomy! The minute that video started I had a flashback and  knew exactly what that poor boy is going to go trough. So here is my  flashback from year 1990..or maybe 1991

When I was in first/second grade I had to have my tonsils removed. My mom prepared me the best she could- she gave me just enough info not to freak me out, but also prepared me mentally for things to come. It was a 3 day stay in the hospital for this type of thing, so my mom had packed me a bag with some clothes and some toys. It didn’t take long to unpack my things into the little hospital nightstand and as I was done doing that they called me to THE BACK ROOM! Thank goodness for my mom explaining to me(without traumatizing me ) what is going to be done to me! The minute I saw that big brown dentist looking chair with all those leather straps hanging from it, my heart sunk and I just wanted my mommy. The nurse calming me down and telling me that this will just be a quick check-up for my throat didn’t really help, I still remember clinging to that vague hope that just MAYBE that nurse is telling the truth all throughout the tonsillectomy.  From then on all I remember is my slippers flying trough the room, extra straps being tied around my chest and neck and blood everywhere! And it HURT!!! Oh and my tonsils were taken out with NO PAIN MEDICATION! That would explain the pain I suppose, he he! Just in case some of you are brave enough to attempt watching the video, here is the link- skip right to  about 0:50 of it and enjoy! Grab some popcorn! Don’t forget a drink! But really, be prepared to shut your eyes and turn away, I did- I’ve lived trough and have no need to see it! Here’s the link:

How did ’ya  like it? Like I mentioned above, I can’t watch it, I sort of listened to it while peaking at the screen and it hurt just from that, it’s been a couple of hours since I watched it but my throat still feels a little raw…

On to the next subject- I guess this might explain my annoyance with overreacting people who call little procedures surgeries and ask for insane amounts of prayers as they go to have a skin tab removed, really? Be thankful you live in a great country where these things are considered brutality. I know I am thankful that my son’s have all the advances that medicine here can give, I mean you get anesthesia for a simple  bilateral myringotomy with tubes(got to love the fancy names for simple ear tube placement procedure) to save them from the traumatic experience and make sure they are still.

Well that was me- reliving my traumatic childhood experience. What doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.  Have a nice day and be thankful for little things that make your life a little less painful.

State testing

Ever since Ethan was in kindergarten I have been  dreading this day- I have no idea why, but just seeing signs all over the school that advise you to be very quiet because state testing is in progress have given me the weird feeling. Maybe it is because I know that Ethan has to come a lot more responsible stage at his school career or just the reassurance that he is definitely growing up, or maybe even the fear of him not showing his full potential and doing what I did as a kid and always freeze up when it came time to take a test.  But the day has come- Ethan has his PA state testing in 2 weeks! He is calm about it, looking at it like that will be just an other day at school. Me- not so much, I am a basket case, making the poor child take sample tests every day and lecturing him on right techniques about answering reading questions and writing little essays.  In all reality my sane  side of the brain knows that my little brainiac will do just fine- he didn’t miss a single answer on the 4th grade’s math quiz. But he is a boy, age 8 who has no patience to bother with  any kind of creative writing, but even with that he is doing just fine most of the time.  I am also in process for planning the breakfast menu packed full of protein and figuring down to the last second of what the perfect time should be to leave the house- he’s not going to be taking a bus on the testing days, I’m driving him to give him little pep talks  :) . These are going to be rough next few weeks for Ethan and me, admitted that I am driving myself crazy and taking Ethan along for the ride of his mother’s madness.  But I will keep you updated on how he did once he get the results back, that I’m estimating won’t be for quite  a while.

Meditating Brainiac