Your Age in Chocolate

A friend send this to me...it was easy, fun, quick, and painless ;-). If you are a chocoholic like me, this one's for you!

YOUR AGE IN CHOCOLATE MATH

Don't cheat and scroll down to the end...work this out by

reading all the way to the bottom.

1. Pick the number of times you would like to have chocolate in a week (more than once, but less than ten).

2. Multiply this number by ten (just for the heck of it).

3. Add 5

4. Multiply by 50...yes, you can use a calculator!

5. If you have already had your birthday this year, add 1759. If you haven't, add 1758.

6. Now subtract the 4 year digit year you were born.

7. You should have a 3 digit number.

Did you get the number of times you wanted chocolate in a week and your age? I did! I said 5 times a week, and my age is 34. My answer was 534.

Now...if I could only have chocolate 6 times a week...without it showing up on the scale. Somebody should come up with a math formula for that!

Frustration

DEFINITION: Frustration

frustration

n 1: the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted
in attaining your goals [syn: defeat]
2: an act of hindering some one's plans or efforts [syn: thwarting,
foiling]
3: a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized; "her
constant complaints were the main source of his
frustration"

It seems like things have just not been the greatest around here lately...not really bad, but not really good either.

Christina has struggled with #2 ever since we started potty training her over 2 years ago (yes, 2 years and counting now). She'd been mostly fine for a few months, but now the potty business has eluded her and we're back to having accidents. Frankly, I am sick of it...seriously, heartily, and wearily sick of wiping and cleaning off a 4 years and 8 months old little girl. Plus...she has been having the worse temper tantrums, screaming, kicking, earth shattering tantrums, at the frightening rate of nearly one per day. In fact, she is having one right now because I wouldn't let her have a bag of chocolate chip cookies for snack. I can't help but wonder if she'll be ready for kindergarten this fall after all. Sigh...

Gabriel's had a bad diaper rash for nearly a month now...we held off going to the pediatrician because at one point we didn't have health insurance (when David lost his job). We do now, but it took until last Friday to get the new insurance cards. I finally got an appointment this morning, and was floored when I was told Gabriel has strep of the anus. Yes...down there. (Well...I never!) At least it can be cured with a course of antibiotics for 10 days. Hopefully, that is taken care of now.

Both the older two kids have decided to not listen to me when I tell them to do something. It probably has to do with the fact that I have let discipline slip a little. But I've just about had it with the "But MOM!" attitudes and the back talking around here!

Last weekend, it poured rain, and David couldn't work on the new garden shed he's building behind the garage. So this weekend, even though I've not been feeling great...David worked all weekend on his shed. I try really hard to be supportive of his projects, but it just irritated me to no end...even though I begged the Blessed Mother for patience, and tried to just keep going.

It doesn't help that I've had a cough for over 2 weeks now. I don't have a chest cold, and I don't have a head cold either...so I can't figure out why I have a cough. But it keeps me up at night, so I am just really tired. I dragged myself to Rebecca's soccer game on Saturday, and the March of Dimes Walk yesterday, tried to nap when we got back home, only to be awakened by David's vigorous hammering on his shed in the back yard and the kids fighting over the computer. Sigh...

I know I should go in to see the doctor, but Gabriel's had a fever for 2 days, so I need to wait until he is well before I can go. I'll bet I'll be sitting at the clinic for hours too...because even with an appointment, we still usually have a long wait. Sigh...

I am sorry to have this pity party...really...I know people have it worse out there. But I really wish Christina would just poop in the potty, David would just hurry up and finish the darn shed, Joshua and Rebecca could be more obedient, Gabriel would just be well, and that I would stop coughing!

Cough...sigh...

March of Dimes Walk

Every year we participate in the March of Dimes Walk, held on the grounds of the University of Houston. This year, we walked with David's new employer, Sterling Bank.

In the past, the kids get rather cranky about halfway through the walk, but this year, they were marvelously well-behaved, and we hardly heard a whimper out of anyone. The girls took turns riding on Daddy's shoulders, and Gabriel was perfectly content in the stroller (even though he came down with a fever last night, and had one this morning too). We told Joshua he had to walk the whole 5 miles, since his ADHD gives him PLENTY of energy (ha ha!).

Here we are just starting out. It's pretty slow going at first, because the route is so crowded. Joshua kindly pushed the stroller for me for just a second--he's at the bottom of the shot.

Last year, I remember it being very hot, and there wasn't a breath of wind. Today, it was warm, but not too humid, and we had a good breeze most of the morning...thank goodness.

We had 10 rest stops, were we got bottled water, coupons from Macy's (I know who is going to put those to good use, lol), and Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches--yum! That rest stop is always the kids favorite :-).

At the end (it took us just under 2 hours), we got a family picture.

Lately, Gabriel hasn't let us take his picture, (it must be a two-year-old thing) but I managed to get one cute shot before he started to fuss at me.

It was a long wait in line for lunch, but it was catered from Taco Cabana (yum again!).

There was an DJ who played great music, and little toys and sidewalk chalk for the kids (always helpful while waiting for food). Rebecca even tried The Macarena, and David showed off his juggling skills.

I have to make a little confession here. David's former employer, that other bank had a tent too, but it wasn't even half the size of Sterling Bank's tent. David thinks their marketing budget was drastically cut, because they didn't even have lunch brought in for their walkers, just some breakfast rolls and bags of chips. I admit...I let myself be human for just a minute and was thankful David wasn't working for that other bank anymore.

We finally got our fajita plates...everyone was hungry... and Gabriel ate on David's lap (poor baby, his fever was starting to come back, but he still had the best temperament).

We got home, I crashed for about an hour, and Gabriel slept for nearly 4 hours. He woke up without a fever just before it was time to go to mass, so I told David I'd stay home with him. I still hadn't had a chance to grab a shower anyway...and didn't want to go to mass smelling like sunscreen and sweat either (always a lovely combination!).

So it was a long day, but truly worth it. Our nephew Daniel was born at 26 1/2 weeks gestation and he's now a perfectly healthy 5 year old. I always think about him during the walk.

Here's to a great walk, and a day of fun. We'll be back again next year!

What I Won

If you want to see what I won on a blog giveaway, click here.

Vegetable Streets

I was meeting up with a friend for lunch today, and there was construction at the major intersection I normally drive though. So I took a shortcut (a detour really) through a part of town I'd never been to before.

I knew the first road was Carrot Street, but I didn't realize that all the streets in this little area were named after different vegetables.

Later on, after I got home, I googled the neighborhood, pulled up the map, and couldn't help but laugh. There's Tomato Street, Turnip Street, Squash Street, Cabbage Street, Okra Street, and Carrot Street.

What was the developer thinking? Was he thinking? I can't help but wonder...

David has class tonight, and when he gets home, I feel like saying,

"Hey honey...do you want to move and buy a house on Cabbage Street?"

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter! May the wonderful cross bring you ever closer to our Lord!

Christ Has Died

100,000 miles and still going

I realized a few days ago my van turned 100,000 miles on the odometer. Wow...and it's still running great. David did replace the radiator a couple of weeks ago because it had a leak...we've replaced the brakes pads several times of course, and the back bumper's been replaced 3 times (yes, 3, and not because the accidents were my fault either). I've never owed a vehicle that had over 100,000 miles on it before.

We bought this van (2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport) right after Rebecca was born, and I was so glad, because it really saved my back to lift kids up, instead of down (into the sedan we'd been using).

It's nothing pretty to look at, but I hope it keeps running for at least a couple more years!

Camping, Stellan, and a Visit to the ER

Well, I told you our weekend was going to be busy. We didn't do everything we had planned, and took a detour to the ER...I'll get to that in a minute.

First of all, we packed up and drove to Huntsville State Park Saturday morning for the camping trip. The kids were really excited, and I was looking forward to it too. I've been reading McMama's blog for the past 2 weeks (okay, stalking her blog) because we've been praying for Stellan. I'd already sent in one picture for Stellan's Name Gallery, but thought about trying to take another one with the Sam Houston Statue in the background. David fiddled with the settings for a minute, and we got a great shot (I was so thrilled!). Here's the pic David took for Stellan's Name Gallery (BTW, I just went there, and this pic IS posted...so cool!).

Of course, we got pictures with our kids too. We've driven back and forth from our house to Dallas a thousand times, and this is the first time we've ever stopped at the statue (I know...we should ashamed of ourselves, since Sam is such a nice guy, and didn't mind the photo shoot at all).

We got to the campgrounds and set up the tent. David bought this thing about a year ago, and it sleeps all of us quite comfortably, even with a queen-sized air mattress in the middle.

While we were setting things up, the kids explored the grounds on their bikes. Rebecca went around a couple of time on her skates, and Joshua kept asking when we were going to eat lunch in between running around with the other Cub Scouts.

David then took all older kids down to the fishing pier. They actually caught one small fish, and released it before I could get a picture. Bummer.

I only got to fish for a minute later that day. I was too busy chasing Gabriel, who kept trying to get the cooler open.

At that point, we scoped out the bathrooms, which were just disgusting. Later on, we discovered another set of bathrooms (and showers) that were much newer and nicer, just a bit further away. Needless to say, we used the nicer bathrooms from then on.

On our way back from the bathrooms, I realized I'd forgotten to pack towels. Oops...not good...we had to shower that night because we planned to go to Mass the next day. So David whipped out his Blackberry, and found the closest Walmart, and made a run there for towels, ice, and bait worms (a request from another Cub Scout family).

Before David made it back, it was time for a hike. He'd also taken the van, which had the stroller in it. Sigh...so I took all the kids on the hike. Joshua and Rebecca ended up way ahead of us with the rest of the pack, since Christina was a slow poke, and because Gabriel would not let me carry him. It was only a 1.7 mile hike over very easy terrain, so I knew I could carry him, but he protested--mightily and quite LOUDLY. Geez...

At least we enjoyed the scenery, and I got one shot of the little guys. And yes, Gabriel walked every bit of the 1.7 miles. Stubborn kid!

At least that meant he was pooped, even though he let David carry him all they way back (he caught up with us after his Walmart run). I put him down for a nap in the tent and he crashed for about 1 1/2 hours.

The Cub Scouts had free time until dinner, so after another try at fishing, we all went on a hike. This time, Gabriel was happy to sit in the stroller. We followed the lake, discovered the nicer bathrooms, and found a playground that all the kids enjoyed for a little while. I took some pics while the kids played.

By now, it was dinnertime. Mike (the den leader) had set up ingredients to make foil packets. If you want to see what we made, I posted it all on my cooking blog, so you can check it out there. Rebecca had worked up a massive appetite, and ended up eating 2 foil packets for dinner. Joshua had only one...he said he was saving room for the s'mores later ;-).

After dinner, the kids ran around and played some more. it was fairly easy to watch everyone, since we camped on the top of rise, which sloped down to the lake, and all the tents were in the middle of a circular path. I was at our campsite, watching Gabriel and turned around just in time to see Rebecca completely wipe out on her bike, right where the path curved at the bottom of the circle.

I ran as fast as I could...Rebecca was already screaming...I mean really screaming in pain. I got to her, and at first, it looked like she was just badly scraped. I was also dismayed to see she hadn't been wearing her bike helmet (although she'd had it on earlier).

But then her nose started to bleed, a lot. I yelled for David at the top of my lungs, (he told me later on he didn't hear me at first...which I couldn't believe...if he didn't hear me, he should have at least heard Rebecca's screams), picked Rebecca up, and carried her back to our campsite.

Poor Rebecca was beyond hysterical...she was still screaming, crying, and bleeding. I pinched her nose shut, and thankfully, her nose stopped bleeding in just a couple of minutes. By now, David was there along with Mike, the den leader, who had his first aid kit. All three of us started cleaning Rebecca's face off, trying to access the damage, and calm her down.

Rebecca kept saying, "Mommy, I don't know what happened!" I told her she'd fallen off her bike, to which she replied, "Mommy, where did I fall again?" This happened about 4 times, and I remember looking over at David and Mike, because her repeated questions raised our concern about a concussion. Mike asked Rebecca different cognitive questions, and she answered them all correctly, (how old are you, what's the name of your teacher, when's your birthday, etc. ) I didn't hesitate when Mike decided to call for a Park Ranger, since Rebecca was clearly in a mild state of shock, and still repeating the same questions over and over.

The Park Ranger got there, and after stabilizing her on the tailgate of his pickup, called for an ambulance because he wanted another opinion about her head injury. Now that Rebecca was somewhat calm, we could see she clearly landed on her face, and the area just above her nose was very bruised. The ambulance arrived, and they did the same things we had done--cleaned her off some more, asked her cognitive questions (she answered them all correctly), and made sure she had no broken bones (thankfully she did not).

The EMT's told us they wanted Rebecca to be examined at the hospital because she'd hit her head. At first, Rebecca went nuts--she said she didn't want to go to the hospital. I told David I wanted to go, since someone had to stay behind with the rest of our kiddos. We made the decision to let them take her by ambulance (I could have taken her myself, but she was so upset, I thought it would be better if I could at least sit in the bus and hold her).

I have to say carrying her into the ambulance seemed surreal, and I nearly started crying myself. I had the foresight to grab her stuffed kangaroo and blankie, but not the camera, so I didn't get any pics during our hiatus in the ER. I got Rebecca settled on the gurney; she was still pretty upset at the moment, but then the EMT offered her a cute stuffed bear, and our girl calmed right down and was completely fine the rest of the drive. Thank God for stuffed bears!

Once we got to the ER (Rebecca giggled when the EMT's made a big fuss of lowered and raising the gurney), we were taken to a treatment area. I knew it would be a long wait, so we settled down with a warmed blanket and I read Rebeccca my novena book to St. Joseph out loud.

At one point, I went behind the curtain to call David, only to see my cell phone was dead... crap...and I couldn't remember his new cell phone number....CRAP! The ER staff was so nice though...after a few minutes, the security guard realized his universal charger would likely work on my phone. He tried it...and it worked! Hallelujah! I immediately called David...he was glad to hear Rebecca was fine.

Finally after about 2 hours, the doctor came in and examined Rebecca, asked her more cognitive questions, and decided to go get the attending on duty. Sigh...but I was thankful she was talking...it meant she most likely did not have a concussion. The attending doctor arrived and after he examined Rebecca, he told me she would be fine...most likely didn't have a concussion, but to watch her carefully over the next 24 hours. He also said to put some Mederma on her face once she started to heal, as it would keep her from scarring.

I called David again, and he came to pick us up (we were only about 15 minutes away from the campgrounds). It was nearly midnight by now, and we were all exhausted.

I guess my adrenaline had been running pretty high...it took me forever to finally fall asleep...even with earplugs in. And I got up 4 times to go to the bathroom...yes, 4. And yes...I had to bush it because the bathroom was about a quarter mile away. BUMMER!

The next morning, we all got up just after 7AM. The original plan had been to get up earlier, pack up and make it to 9AM mass so the girls could sing at Mass. Well, that didn't happen...and we didn't make it to Formation class either. I was worried Rebecca's face would be black and blue, but surprisingly, she didn't look to bad...she'll take some time to heal though. Here's a pic I got of her...she's holding her new bear (the EMT thought she should name it "Crash" but Rebecca name him "Crushie." I personally voted for "Crash.")

We had breakfast, packed up camp, took the kids for one last time to the playground to play, and got home around 10AM.

We still taught our NFP class, which was over around 3PM. I got a nap right after that...thank goodness...it felt awesome. Everyone got dressed for mass at 5:15...it wasn't over until 6:45, since yesterday was Palm Sunday. I told David to just drive through McDonald's for dinner, which he did...the kids were happy as clams, of course :-).

So, our weekend didn't go exactly as planned. Our little detour to the ER was definitely not planned. But...Rebecca is okay. She is going to be just fine. I cannot thank our Lord enough that she wasn't seriously injured. And believe you me, she told us she'll never ride her bike without her helmet again.

I still can't quite grasp the fact this all happened in less that 12 hours. I prayed about 100 Hail Mary's in that time...don't know if I ever want to go camping ever again. Still...I am thankful... humbly, and gratefully thankful that Rebecca is fine. And yeah...I kinda do want to go camping again, because we really did have fun...but not anytime soon!

First Rose

I always feel like spring has its firm grasp here when the roses start to bloom in our front yard. David spend several weeks building the rose bed, (about a year after we moved into the house) tilling in quality soil, laying in irrigation lines, and planting 6 bushes. I was slightly annoyed at having to hear a rotor tiller going full blast for 3 days, but I must say, it was worth the headache.

My favorite is the lavender bush, which David planted at my request, since purple is my favorite color. Yesterday, the first bud started to open up.

I admit it...I love having roses growing right outside my front door. I can go get one whenever I want...it's like a little love note from my hubby every time.

Prayers for Stellan

I don't know how many of you already know this story. I read McMama's blog from time to time, and her faith is simply amazing. (If you click on her blog, you should check out her son's name gallery too.)

Stellan (aka "McMuffin") was diagnosed with SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) in the womb, and was not expected to live. SVT (in a nutshell) is a very high heartrate-- and a baby's heart cannot keep up that kind of pace long-term. Jennifer and her husband put their son completely in God's hands, and he was born full-term, with no signs of SVT.

Unfortunately, about 11 days ago, Stellan's heart flipped into SVT and he has undergone just about every procedure possible (except surgery) to get his heart into a normal sinus rhythm. He has to stay out of SVT for 24 hours, but so far, he's only stayed out (I think) for about 4-5 hours at the longest. There is no telling how long Stellan will have to remain hospitalized. He just turned 5 months old a couple days ago.

McMama's blog has received so many hits, and Stellan's story has become so widespread, that Jennifer was interviewed last night by her local TV station in Minnesota. Her is the link to the newcast:

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S859209.shtml?cat=1

Incredible, isn't it? Even a little baby can spread God's message, of faith, hope, and love.

I think back to when Gabriel was 6 days old, and he had to go back in the hospital because his jaundice was really bad. The home health care company had no bilirubin beds available for in-home treatment. I was so upset...yes jaundice is temporary, but it was no fun. They wanted to start an IV in Gabriel, couldn't find a vein, and after 4 tries, I told them to stop because my angel baby was screaming so hard, he was turning blue. We did have superb care though, and Gabriel was discharged after 14 hours, after his bilirubin count stayed down.

So my experience is really nothing compared to what Jennifer, Stellan, and their family are going through right now. Please, please pray for Stellan. Please pray for strength for Jennifer, her husband, and their 3 other children. Please pray for Stellan's heart, and that God's will be done.

No matter the outcome, it is awesome to see God's hand at work. Little Stellan has no idea how many people have been praying for him, but the graces are visible.

Stellan, we are praying for you!