Here in Hooterville

OK , our small town isn't quite Hooterville and my phone is not up a pole (and if you're too young to understand these references, they are not to a restaurant with well-endowed waitresses. Let me send you my DVD's of Green Acres) but it is time for our annual festival. It is so Norman Rockwell it almost makes your teeth ache. I was just uptown. Everyone has left their lawn chairs laying on the curb to secure their place for tonight's parade. As far as I know, no one has ever had a chair stolen. We'll have a parade full of antique tractors, firetrucks, baseball teams and church floats. There will be tons of mingling and the eating of elephant ears and breaded tenderloins (a Hoosier thing). People who haven't lived here in 40 years come back for this festival. Tomorrow has kiddie games, local talent, tractor pulls, pedal tractor pulls, basketball tournaments, etc. Like I said, so wholesome your teeth ache. I admit, a steady diet of this conviviality would wear thin, but for one weekend a year, it's fun.

A Pre-Cap

or re-cap, or list of things because I no longer have two working brain cells to create an actual post.

*It's hot. I know you knew that, and maybe it isn't the heat, maybe it's the shadeless baseball seating, or the hard and splintery (shall we say vintage) bleachers, or the sweat and popsicle stained children who insist on climbing on me, nearly always kneeing my expansive belly. Whatever....

*Baseball tourney time is upon us.

*Next week is Boy Scout camp. I need to get them the stuff they need.

*They also have Friday sports physicals and an asthma check for S scheduled Friday.

*This weekend is our town's big festival. Each healthy kid seems to be in four events.

*Getting up at 2:00am with a newborn is much easier than getting up with a 15 year old. You can just feed the baby and take it back to bed. It doesn't require pain meds, it doesn't stare listlessly at the ceiling, and it doesn't do that lamaze- type breathing that lets you know it hurts while denying it.

Back

Back-the literal reason for the long abscence. E had her surgery on June 11. I'll try to give the synopsized version here. The surgery took about 7 hours. They inserted to titanium rods, pulled her spine as straight as possible(85 degrees to 20 degrees, evidently a very good correction), then chipped her spine so it will fuse. Her incision is about 18" long. Sounds fun doesn't it. On Tuesday her hemoglobing had dropped to 6.9 so she got 2 units of blood. On Wednesday they found her chest cavity had filled with blood (thus the missing hemoglobin), so a chest tube was put in. I got to be there for that at least. She remained in ICU until Friday when they moved her to med/surg. On Sunday evening I finally got to bring her home. This week I've played nurse. She is in alot of pain (though she is progressing). She is still feeling bad enough that she's not bored and isn't interested in her iPod or books. I'm almost looking forward to her whining. At least I'll know she feels better.
Anyway, I'm tired from running to the hospital and now helping her at home, plus getting everyone else to Brownie camp, ball games, birthday parties, etc. Today is finally not 95 degrees which should go a long way to making me feel more human.

Feed the Need

Sometimes you just gotta have what you're craving. Hey it's fruit, and chocolate has anti-oxidants, right? See, it's a health food.

Headlong Rush

Busy, busy weekend and past few days. Tomorrow is the last day of school. Yeah! That should help lower the stress level around here. Finals time is no fun. Over the weekend we crammed in lots of fun--minor league baseball game, backyard camping, shopping trip, Pirates, swimming at the beach. Yesterday was very busy with a ball game, band concert and fundraising dinner and Boy Scouts. Too many places to beeeeeee. Last night Lucky cried. He was really good the first few nights because L and F slept with him in the tent. Probably not too different from being in a pile with your puppy siblings. He does not like being alone nearly as much. I manhandled the pool and accoutrements into position today. I'll have to finish filling it up tomorrow. It takes forever. Then in 3 short months I have to wrestle it down again. Hmmm, bad timing-put it up at 27 weeks and probably take it down a week or two post partum. I should have thought about those dates a little better.

Introducing

Meet our newest family member, Lucky.

A Date

We finally have a date set for Emma's surgery. She'll be going in on June 11th. We had hoped for a week earlier, but I guess we'll take what we get. It is going to so ruin her summer. She'll be in ICU right after the surgery and in the hospital four or five days. She can't really do much then for 6 weeks and nothing 'physical' for six months. No diving, no rollercoasters, no sports. Boring! I feel like we should do something fun that first week of June, but I'll be darned if I know what that would be. She is past thinking a trip to the beach or an amusement park is a big deal. Oh the ennui of fifteen.

Baseball, and Soccer and Brownies-Oh My!

Lots of sports this weekend. Why even have a home. We could just set up tents at the various parks. Oh well, all kids were dirty and tired Friday and Saturday and this mama likes tired, quiet children. Yesterday was the end of year Brownie Ceremony. I as an idiot, I mean volunteer, helped get it all together. The girls did well and even put on a play without major glitches. E acted as Mistress of Ceremonies for us. Why wasn't I that self-possessed at fifteen? Dh had the camera, so I got one good picture from the whole day, which won't be good once I shrink it for the blog, but you get the idea.

Me, E and L

This~n~That

Yesterday I had four 'student led conferences.' How exciting. I know I should be all geared up, and I do want them to do well in school (which they do), but, I don't need to see a year long portfolio of their work. I see their work every day or on Friday or whenever they bring it home. The teachers don't have much to add that I don't know. I've seen their report cards. Ah well....
What else? I planted the garden just in time for more frost. ~sigh~ I've covered everything. My allergies are bugging me, expecially at the ball park. It it pretty much in a bowl surrounded by trees. A lovely place for the pollen to gather. Oh, and since I'm feeling productive I cleaned out the Hoosier cupboard that we use to stow most everything that doesn't have a real place. It's all clean and tidy and ready for us to shove more needlessly kept junk in it.

Paying the Price

So, yesterday I felt like a human being, a rare occurrence, and so I decided to do all the stuff that has been bugging me. I scraped and recaulked the tub, touched up the paint in that bathroom, washed everything in there and repainted part of the play house. Then I went to a baseball game. And today.... I feel like crap. Stuffed up head, achy, headache... cold, allergies, exhaustion? It is going to be hard to knock this place into shape if all I can manage is one good day of work. Ah well, off to soccer practice and souts. I plan on sitting in the air conditioned van and observing from afar, with my bottle of tylenol and tissues.

Happy Mother's Day

Because nothing says I love you like a dandelion in a shot glass.

Glazed

I feel like one of those glaze-eyed zombies. Same old story. Far too many places to be, usually at the exact same time and no other adult to drive. Luckily school will be out May 31st. Things are winding down, but all the end of the year programs, projects, and parties are happening. This week we did conclude pre-school (swimming party), track (county track meet, nothing like a 4hour track meet, yawn), band (incredibly boring concert, I'm just not into music I guess), and the last story time at the library. Cubs ends in two weeks and so does Brownies- Now I just need to get both those ceremonies organized, ha! Of course we have to fit in soccer games, baseball games, and way too many MD appointments yet. Thus, all this mind numbingly boring activitiy has made for poor blogging. Mea Culpa!

Sounds Easy

* Sort all winter and summer clothes for five kids.
* Clean house.
* Till mudhole, er yard, and sow grass seed.
* Till garden, select herbs and plant
* Clean the Black Hole of Calcutta, otherwise known as a garage, locate baby items from attic while still able to fit.

Sounds like that should not take 3 days doesn't it.

One Of Those Days

It was one of those days where you do alot and yet accomplish nothing. E was running a fever this morning, I thought she should stay home, she was obsessing about some info in her locker she needed. Nice mother that I am, I volunteered to drive to town and get it for her. I left the house to find one of the tires of the van low, I limped over to the local garage and had them plug the tire. I picked up a nail somewhere. THEN I drove to town and got her stuff. I stopped at some garage sales but scored nada. I figured I might as well pick up some milk while I was near Aldi's. That all took 2 1/2 hours. I thought I was done so drug out all the summer clothes for F and C (in case it ever gets nice). I got them all strung around when the kids got home and C announced he had broken his glasses. They made it two weeks, that's something right. I put him in the car and drove to Sears to get them fixed, then stopped at the drugstore to pick up some meds. Our insurance changed and I'd been waiting on a pre-authorization so I could have the priviledge of paying $20 more than I did last month for the same med. I still need to at least kick the boys' clothes out of the way in their room, but my heart just ain't in it. I hate days where you never sit down and accomplish nothing!

Name

So, lots of people have asked me "Are you changing the name of the blog?" I can't think of anything even vaguely amusing concerning the number 7. Do any of you have any thoughts? Got a name you think is funny, even if it has nothing to do with numbers? Otherwise, we're keeping the same boring name folks. Now as for the name of the baby-anybody got any ideas about that either?????

Think About It

Read this article. Now tell me it's not true of you. I do it all the time. I put myself at the bottom of every list. I'm gonna quit that.

Random Thoughts

* I'm finally, finally, finally feeling better.


* This means that the children are dropping like flies. We've had 4 fevers and one ear infection/burst ear drum.

* Our new insurance now requires $50 copay at urgent care. The old one (which just expired last week) only required a $15
copay. Note, no one was sick last week!

* The weather at least was lovely. It looked nice through the window, sigh.

* I had time to read two books this weekend. America's Cheapest Family and Not Buying It. The first makes me think that if
they are the cheapest we must be what, the stingiest? scroogiest? The second one had alot of interesting info on
consumer society. The author undertook it as an experiment and her goals were really more environmental than frugal. It
was still interesting though.

* I have too much to do this week, but you knew that.

* Neither the lawn mower nor the garden tiller will run. I guess we quickly pay for a repair or go for that natural prarie look.

* I had to replace three shingles on the garage roof. I don't even want to contemplate what I looked like on the roof.

* I am annoyed by little things this morning. I want to quit feeling nauseous and vomiting. I don't want to have heartburn. I
want to sleep, without eight hours of the strangest dreams/nightmares. If I didn't know better, I'd think Timothy Leery had
been doctoring my tea. I want to quit feeling whiny and be one of those positive people who glow through pregnancy,
whip up gourmet dinners, know how to repair lawnmowers and never snap at their children. Ain't gonna happen though.

Lung Removal

I'm still trying to remove my lungs through my esophagus. I've been so worn out I haven't posted in a week, oops! Hmm, what's been going on? The boys went camping last weekend. It snowed. Fun, fun. Everything they brought home was soaked. I went ice skating with the Brownies. I'm sure I cut quite a Kristi Yamaguchi-like figure, 20 weeks pregnant and coughing. Sooooo attractive. Sports are runnning full throttle. Last night (is Tuesday the only night of the week folks?) 2 soccer practices, 1 baseball practice and a boy scout meeting. I sent L with another family to soccer. I can only be so many places, right? They told me when they got home about what a delight she had been. She is not a delight here, WTF? I guess she went on and on about what a nice family they had and how it's great they do things together and like being together so much. Hello! Thus suggesting we are knuckle-dragging yokels who don't give our own kids love, attention and horizon expanding activities. And I will note, she has not been a delight here this week at all! It must be due to our apathetic child rearing.

Unwell

1) bronchitis. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...Chronic or acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes. 2. A disease marked by this inflammation. bron·chitic (-kitik) -ADJECTIVE...

It doesn't sound so bad does it.... unless of course you are 20 weeks pregnant, and you cough so hard you pull muscles, and people keep avoiding you, and your family tells you to go to bed, you look really bad, and you fear a, shall we say, incontinent moment. On the other hand, a huge thank you to my SIL, who after talking to me, sent me a beautiful bouquet. I'm giving it until tomorrow, and if I'm not better, I might even have to go to the doctor. ~ Shudder~

Easter

Saturday was E's 15th birthday, so the day involved cherry turnovers and chocolate lava cake, then we had the Easter chocolate-a-thon. I wonder why the kids seemed keyed up.
Either a demented Easter bunny or training for a future career waiting tables at a cheap bar.

Five well dressed children

But where you ask is #6?

Time to cut that one back on sugar.