We were going through the McDonald's drive through last night. Nate notices a new item and asked, "What's the McDouble?" The guy replies, "It's like a double cheese burger but with one slice of cheese." We noticed it's 20 cents less than a double cheese burger. What kind of dumb marketing is that?
We were watching television this week. You know how they've been scrolling messages on the screen about the switch over to the digital television stuff? This message said something like, "If you're reading this, then you are successfully receiving the new digital tv." So, if you're not able to read their dumb message, then you are already up a creek...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Another Long Week
Every week seems like it's a tough one, but then another one comes equally as challenging. Two weeks ago, Mikayla was out of school most of the week with a cold or virus. I woke up last Saturday with it and by Sunday I was in bed all day with a super high fever. I barely had the energy to walk to the bathroom. The fever broke by Monday and I was left feeling tired and with a nasty cough most of the week. We were supposed to go to the Dells for a special family time we'd been planning for awhile, but with the bad snowstorm and my health, we rescheduled weekends for the end of March. I'm feeling tons better, but am still tired and woke up with a tender lymph node again. Not sure what that's about. I have a consultation on Monday am with a thyroid specialist. Then on Friday the 13th I have an overnight stay at the sleep clinic (think I should watch a scary movie before bed since it's the 13th? Just kidding!) I'm beginning to feel a bit doubtful as to finding some health answers, yet am nervous at the same time to finding out something.
Elyana and Mikayla have been fighting more than ever this week. I think it's more Ellie's fault with immediately wanted to play with whatever Mikayla is playing with first. However, the situation always escalates when Mikayla decides to solve the problem with a screaming match. I have lost track of how many tantrums and time outs I've given Ellie this week and am beginning to wonder what else to do. At times Ellie even requests a time out, which throws me for a loop. What in the world does that mean? Either they are not effective or that she realizes she needs help calming down?
I also wanted to comment on how it makes me nuts to go somewhere with my kids. It's not the going there, it's the getting ready to go there that is ridiculous! For example, we were going to pick up Nate from the gym after work on Friday. I gave myself 45 minutes to start them getting ready. They had a snack and I got Mikayla to get her shoes on. Then, I focus on Ellie. She needed a diaper change and she refused to be changed. I finally pinned her down, threw my leg over her, and changed her. Then came for getting her shoes on. She saw me coming with the shoes and runs screaming again. While I'm struggling with Ellie AGAIN, I notice that Mikayla has taken her shoes OFF and is writing in her notebook. "What are you doing!?" I ask. "I'm writing a message to Ellie about how she should be more respectful," she replies. "Why do you need your shoes off to do that?!" I get Ellie's shoes on AND Mikayla's on and then for all 3 of us to get our coats on and out to the van. We are late of course and I'm pretty uptight . . .
On a positive note, when you feel at the end of your rope, a child always says or does something sweet or funny to help you recall why you chose to have them in the first place. My favorite this week is when we're outside at night and Ellie exclaims, "It's dark in here!" I love that she calls stars, "Twinkles." I also love that Mikayla is really into spy movies. She has watched all the Spy Kids movies. If you have seen any of them, you'd know that the spy family is called "Cortez.'" We're leaving church tonight and Mikayla sighs, "It's so hard being a Cortez she says." She seemed annoyed when I said, "I thought you were a Jones?" Also, the movies feature a sister and brother kid spies. Mikayla is constantly trying to make Ellie a spy with her so they can fight crime together. I heard Ellie screaming "NO" today and found out Kayla was trying to "force" her into wearing different disguises.
(Karin, if you're reading this, Mikayla suggested her purse you made for her should say "Cortez" on it since she is keeping her spy gear in there. I told her the M will have to do. She thinks if someone recognizes her as a spy, she can put her purse inside out and they will then NOT recognize her. This must be what Superman thought he'd accomplish with his glasses I guess. She loves her purse so much that she is sleeping with it tonight. It's a big hit, thanks!)
Elyana and Mikayla have been fighting more than ever this week. I think it's more Ellie's fault with immediately wanted to play with whatever Mikayla is playing with first. However, the situation always escalates when Mikayla decides to solve the problem with a screaming match. I have lost track of how many tantrums and time outs I've given Ellie this week and am beginning to wonder what else to do. At times Ellie even requests a time out, which throws me for a loop. What in the world does that mean? Either they are not effective or that she realizes she needs help calming down?
I also wanted to comment on how it makes me nuts to go somewhere with my kids. It's not the going there, it's the getting ready to go there that is ridiculous! For example, we were going to pick up Nate from the gym after work on Friday. I gave myself 45 minutes to start them getting ready. They had a snack and I got Mikayla to get her shoes on. Then, I focus on Ellie. She needed a diaper change and she refused to be changed. I finally pinned her down, threw my leg over her, and changed her. Then came for getting her shoes on. She saw me coming with the shoes and runs screaming again. While I'm struggling with Ellie AGAIN, I notice that Mikayla has taken her shoes OFF and is writing in her notebook. "What are you doing!?" I ask. "I'm writing a message to Ellie about how she should be more respectful," she replies. "Why do you need your shoes off to do that?!" I get Ellie's shoes on AND Mikayla's on and then for all 3 of us to get our coats on and out to the van. We are late of course and I'm pretty uptight . . .
On a positive note, when you feel at the end of your rope, a child always says or does something sweet or funny to help you recall why you chose to have them in the first place. My favorite this week is when we're outside at night and Ellie exclaims, "It's dark in here!" I love that she calls stars, "Twinkles." I also love that Mikayla is really into spy movies. She has watched all the Spy Kids movies. If you have seen any of them, you'd know that the spy family is called "Cortez.'" We're leaving church tonight and Mikayla sighs, "It's so hard being a Cortez she says." She seemed annoyed when I said, "I thought you were a Jones?" Also, the movies feature a sister and brother kid spies. Mikayla is constantly trying to make Ellie a spy with her so they can fight crime together. I heard Ellie screaming "NO" today and found out Kayla was trying to "force" her into wearing different disguises.
(Karin, if you're reading this, Mikayla suggested her purse you made for her should say "Cortez" on it since she is keeping her spy gear in there. I told her the M will have to do. She thinks if someone recognizes her as a spy, she can put her purse inside out and they will then NOT recognize her. This must be what Superman thought he'd accomplish with his glasses I guess. She loves her purse so much that she is sleeping with it tonight. It's a big hit, thanks!)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Crafty Days
Well, Mikayla has been sick this week. It started with a stuffy nose and sneezing. Now it's a fever, cough, sore throat, and stuffy/runny nose. Despite her being sick, the dentist still wanted to see her today considering they're booked till June. We tried a new dentist for the girls today and I'm so glad I switched. We were going to Apollo and it wasn't as "kid friendly" as I would want. We went to Denistry for Children and Adolescents today. (If you're in town, check out their website if you are thinking of switching to a new dentist too: http://www.dentistryforchildrenrochester.com/first_visit.htm )They first did an education thing where the girls got to sit in the dentist chair together and played with puppets that had teeth. Every tool that they were going to use they let the kids practice on the puppets with them. Then while we waited for the dentist, we watched a super funny video that I even laughed at. Then the dentist gave the girls each a little hand mirror and asked them to look in their mouths as she examined them. Then Kayla headed off to get her teeth cleaned. She got to choose any movie she wanted. They had little headphones (it helped to block out the sound of the cleaning tools). She even got to wear sunglasses so the bright light wouldn't bother her eyes. She did pretty good, but still got nervous after awhile and they decided to cut the exam short. They are more focused on making the dentist a fun place than forcing a cleaning and having them dread the dentist. Something I did discover was that Kayla is getting in her 6 year old molars. I didn't know about this happening. I guess they are part of her permanent set of teeth and 3 of them have already broken through. We were also told that we really really need to wean Elyana from the pacifier due to her overbite. I'm totally aware of this and I am the one that doesn't have the guts to do it. Nate said he might do it when I have my ladies weekend away in a few weeks. That would for sure earn him the Man of the Year award (which he should already receive for a zillion other things he's done recently!).
We've been doing more crafty indoors activities to pass the time. Here are some pictures. I love this one of Elyana. She did this to herself when I stepped out of the room of course.
And here is a toilet I made out of play dough for Mikayla's Polly Pocket dolls. I think it looks pretty good!
We've been doing more crafty indoors activities to pass the time. Here are some pictures. I love this one of Elyana. She did this to herself when I stepped out of the room of course.
And here is a toilet I made out of play dough for Mikayla's Polly Pocket dolls. I think it looks pretty good!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's Day
We had a pretty decent weekend, especially considering the crazy week we just had. We ran errands, went to church, Nate got the oil and oil filters changed on the vehicles, I make an awesome diaper cake (for a baby shower I'm helping host next weekend), and we each got to go to the gym. I had such a good workout today; I biked for about 20 minutes and swam a good mile. I hope our week won't get swamped again and I won't get more workouts in. My goal is to get my sleep issues settled so I can wake up early and work out. I finally have a consultation this Thursday at Mayo's sleep clinic.
Mikayla was so excited about Valentine's day at school this week. She was so into it that she wore a heart patterned dress, hot pink tights, AND her toes and fingernails were painted red and pink patterned. Here's a picture of her making a V for Valentines:
Mikayla has really been having a growth spurt lately. It's amazing to see the kid eat! For example, her afternoon "snack" today consisted of half a banana, a corn dog, and a bowl of cereal! It's pretty common for her to eat a good dinner, come downstairs, and ask for a snack. Wish I could say the same about Ellie. They seem to have switched. Ellie is finally wearing some of her 24 month pants!
Mikayla now has two loose teeth. The bottom front two. We have a dentist appointment this week with a new children's dentist I'm trying. I hope it goes better than last time! I've been encouraging Kayla to teach Ellie how to brush her teeth better. I love these pictures of them practicing. Yes, Ellie is pantsless. We are also making a little more progress on potty training. She will use the potty before naptime and bedtime (for an M and M of course).
Mikayla was so excited about Valentine's day at school this week. She was so into it that she wore a heart patterned dress, hot pink tights, AND her toes and fingernails were painted red and pink patterned. Here's a picture of her making a V for Valentines:
Mikayla has really been having a growth spurt lately. It's amazing to see the kid eat! For example, her afternoon "snack" today consisted of half a banana, a corn dog, and a bowl of cereal! It's pretty common for her to eat a good dinner, come downstairs, and ask for a snack. Wish I could say the same about Ellie. They seem to have switched. Ellie is finally wearing some of her 24 month pants!
Mikayla now has two loose teeth. The bottom front two. We have a dentist appointment this week with a new children's dentist I'm trying. I hope it goes better than last time! I've been encouraging Kayla to teach Ellie how to brush her teeth better. I love these pictures of them practicing. Yes, Ellie is pantsless. We are also making a little more progress on potty training. She will use the potty before naptime and bedtime (for an M and M of course).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
New Organizer
I bought another organizer for our house at Target. I really love this one. Only 39.99 too.
Also, I'm beginning to get some medical test results back. I don't want to say what they're finding until I have all the results back so I'll post something later this week... We did have a roofer come out to examine the leak. Good news. We have a cracked vent that some snow blew into and melted. It should only be $50 to replace once spring comes. If we get anymore snow though, we might have to climb up on the roof and brush it away from the vent to prevent more leaking. So, we're hoping for an early spring and no more snow. Anyone find out what the groundhog yesterday predicted? I never heard. If it's 6 more weeks of winter I"m going to personally hunt down that groundhog. I can't take anymore winter!
Finally, Elyana did one of the grossest things ever last night. The girls were brushing their teeth together and I passed by the bathroom to check on their progress. I saw Elly dip her toothbrush in Mikayla's toothpaste spit and then brush her teeth. Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!!! If you have a grosser story, I'd like to know.
Also, I'm beginning to get some medical test results back. I don't want to say what they're finding until I have all the results back so I'll post something later this week... We did have a roofer come out to examine the leak. Good news. We have a cracked vent that some snow blew into and melted. It should only be $50 to replace once spring comes. If we get anymore snow though, we might have to climb up on the roof and brush it away from the vent to prevent more leaking. So, we're hoping for an early spring and no more snow. Anyone find out what the groundhog yesterday predicted? I never heard. If it's 6 more weeks of winter I"m going to personally hunt down that groundhog. I can't take anymore winter!
Finally, Elyana did one of the grossest things ever last night. The girls were brushing their teeth together and I passed by the bathroom to check on their progress. I saw Elly dip her toothbrush in Mikayla's toothpaste spit and then brush her teeth. Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!!! If you have a grosser story, I'd like to know.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
When It Rains It Pours!
It is nice that all this snow is finally melting. However, for some reason as it's melting, we have water dripping through our dining room light fixture and onto our kitchen table! Of course Nate is out of town today.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tom and Jerry and Charter Communications
I woke up with pink eye today for the 2nd time this month, the cold that began a month ago rages on, and the night sweats that began 2 years ago continue nightly. My body is ultimately run down and I can't figure out how to bring my immune system back up to normal. My appointments at the clinic went well today. I picked up some kit to measure my oxygen level at night with and had an ultrasound of my thyroid and lymph nodes done. Tomorrow I get to have some blood work done and begin my 24 hour pee collection. In three weeks I'm having more blood work done, an appointment with the sleep clinic, and if nothing else turns up then a full body CT scan will be ordered. I'm trying to stay positive but am beginning to feel a bit down.
I am so thankful for the constant laughter that we have in our home. The newest thing is the girls absolutely love watching Tom and Jerry. They just bust out laughing at it every time. I was so thankful it was on tonight because it provided tons of laughs. I can't believe that show is still airing!
Oh yeah, one last thing. Not sure if I mentioned that we got sick of Charter messing up our bills, telling us one thing and charging us another. We switched our TV to Digital Satellite and our Internet to Qwest. It's a high speed that runs through our phone line. We couldn't be happier with both services! A few days ago we received a mysterious check from them. Today we heard the news and immediately deposited the check. In case you haven't heard, here are some news snippets:
"On January 28, 2009, Charter Communications reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
I am so thankful for the constant laughter that we have in our home. The newest thing is the girls absolutely love watching Tom and Jerry. They just bust out laughing at it every time. I was so thankful it was on tonight because it provided tons of laughs. I can't believe that show is still airing!
Oh yeah, one last thing. Not sure if I mentioned that we got sick of Charter messing up our bills, telling us one thing and charging us another. We switched our TV to Digital Satellite and our Internet to Qwest. It's a high speed that runs through our phone line. We couldn't be happier with both services! A few days ago we received a mysterious check from them. Today we heard the news and immediately deposited the check. In case you haven't heard, here are some news snippets:
"On January 28, 2009, Charter Communications reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Four former executives received criminal indictments in 2005 for accounting fraud related primarily to the inflation of cable subscriber numbers. The company has been under financial pressure; its stock peaked at $27.75 per share in November 1999, before falling to under $1 in 2002.[3]
Charter has been criticized for poor customer support and frequent billing consistency issues, causing the Better Business Bureau to post [9] a warning to consumers about the company:
The Better Business Bureau has received numerous complaints regarding this cable, digital TV, and high speed Internet access provider. Complainants primarily allege that the firm had improper billing practices, referred customer bills to collection agencies in error, provided poor customer service, used misleading advertising, provided defective Internet or cable performance, used improper sales tactics or misrepresented the actual costs of installation and service, failed to properly install or maintain service, damaged customers' property, and failed to honor service appointments.
PCWorld also ranked Charter's cable Internet service as worst among 14 major Internet service providers.[10] Charter High-Speed is the second-worst-rated cable ISP on dslreports.com [11] and Consumer Reports indicated in their February 2008 issue that Charter's television/Internet/telephone bundle collectively is the worst of all major national carriers."
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