I’m sitting in Austin, Tx, waiting on my new nephew to be born. I can’t wait to meet him. Mary is having to have a C-Section and I’m going to wait to meet William until Mary gets to be with him. She will have a bit of a separation from him while she recovers and stabilizes and she’s worried about it. I thought I’d just hang out and be her support system while her husband takes care of their new baby and she gets into her recovery room. But I am so excited and can’t wait to meet William. He’s going to be so cute!!
I haven’t had a lot of time to blog since the last post, but we just really stay so busy these days. And with a new nephew about to arrive I think I’ll be making some day trips to Austin over the next couple of weeks as Mary recovers from this birth. We are just so thankful and happy that baby will be here, he’ll be safe, Mary will be safe, and all will be well.
Working with Mary during labor was so rewarding. It felt really great to be able to help her and Adrian become a family. I think I’d make a really great doula.
- First
- 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 C. Frank’s Red Hot®
- Then
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
- 3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot®
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
- In a sauce pan, boil chicken with water and 1/2 c hot sauce for flavoring. When chicken is totally done, you should be able to shred it easily with a fork. Drain water, return chicken to sauce pan.
- Add to sauce pan the cream cheese, ranch dressing (or blue cheese dressing, or blue cheese and sr. cream), additional red hot sauce, and cheddar cheese. Cook over medium-low heat until all ingredients are melted down, stirring until well blended. Serve with celery sticks. (Or crackers – but it really is better with the celery sticks!)
Many thanks to Gwendolyn for making this SUPER yummy dish! It has been a hit at all our Bunco parties and other gatherings and is GREAT for low carb lifestyles b/c it is so rich and … did I mention yummy?
It is pretty high in fat/cholesterol though so I, obviously, do not recommed eating it every day. But it’s great for a scrumptious treat!
Is it already June 9th? As in – it’s been over a week since I last posted that quip regarding Gloria Allred? Wow! I can’t believe it. The time is just flying by me these days.
I have actually been mulling over removing the blog and revamping it. I LOVE my blog, don’t get me wrong, but for some reason lately I’ve started to feel a bit of concern over having the children’s names and pictures on the web. Frankly, I don’t think there’s anything I can really do about it now. I mean – it’s like a permanent archive now. Even if I delete it – pages are cached by Google and will still come up. What concerns me is not so much the fact that the kids pictures are all over my blog. It’s … hard to explain. Everyday people arrive on my blog and look at pictures of my children through search terms like, “little girls dressed up,” or “little girls and snakes” or “girls playing house” etc. And then I’ll notice, on my blog stats, that the same day someone searches for something obscure related to little girls – a ton of pictures of Claire or Hannah from last year, or year before last, are clicked on. Not like they are reading the blog post that goes along with them – they are just looking at the photos.
Perhaps it’s harmless – but I’ve noticed that it’s never photos of my boys that random people are clicking on. It’s always the girls. It’s starting to bother me.
Maybe I should just privatize the posts with the children in them? If you have the password you could see the post. That way my extended family can still keep up with the children but the general population of creepies *most likely* can’t. (I mean, they could hack it I guess.)
Initially, I started the blog as a place to host some articles I had written about this or that. Then the blog turned into sort of a virtual scrapbook. I’m SO BAD at real scrapbooking – but I can post pictures online and tell the story that goes with them. And it was little – only my family and close friends ventured here because really, who the heck cares what I have to say about anything?? But now the blog has grown and there’s a lot of lurkers and I just am not as comfortable with utilizing this method of communication in regards to my kids as I was before.
I know my blog serves a purpose. 5,000 people a year come here to get my Low Carb Chicken Salad Recipe! (OK NOT 5,000 – but seriously, everyday at least once that post gets a hit.) I just don’t know if I want my kids to be splayed all over it or not.
Thoughts? What do you guys think?
In other randomness…my Gr. IV Teacher’s exam is this Saturday! I am excited and can’t wait for it to be over. I know I’ll pass it. I hope I get a Pass Commended, just because that is the present standard of personal greatness so far. But I’d actually be happy with just a Pass. I’m eager to get on with Gr. V and become more *official*. I am starting to feel more confident in my personal abilities than ever before and am ready to start branching out to other dance forms. There is something very edifying in knowing not just how to perform a step – but having control over it. I can’t wait unil I’m turing 5-6 pirouettes. That’s a few years from now, but it will be awesome. And this is why I can personally attest to the benefits of following a classical technique w/graduated syllabus in ballet class. Some students are really just naturally gifted. Others of us have the capacity but must work hard for the skills. That’s me. I need the structure that a fully developed ballet program offers. Speed, agility, strength, flexibility, and style are all fully developed through this Cecchetti program that I am working through. For example, 2 years ago, when I started this journey, I could barely keep up with the pace of the Gr. I syllabus. And now I’m doing many of the same exercises at much faster speeds with ease and control – and I really never thought, in Gr. I, that I’d be able to keep up with Gr. IV work. I remember watching a Gr. IV class and thinking, “Oh my. I’m too old to try to move my foot that fast in a petite battements!” Now I speed through that exercise and Dr. T will say, “Slow down…..too fast….this is *only* Gr. IV.” And that actually gives me great satisfaction!
More on all that later I think. It’s too late..er…early to get into dance pedagogy!
But – all that to say – I think I’m ready to start learning a new style of movement. Last fall I attempted to learn Modern. If you were reading the blog then, you know THAT didn’t go very well. I did get an A in the class – but….it was hard. It was SO difficult. I can’t even begin to tell you. I found out a lot of things about myself from that one stupid class! And then I changed my major. LOL!! FOR REAL!I have always thought that learning modern, jazz, etc, was out of my reach because I’m “too old”. Dance really is the young person’s game. But I came to realize, this year, that I can learn it to try it. I don’t have to master EVERYTHING!! So I am planning on picking up another modern dance class in the spring. My fall is already too booked with college, private teaching, an apprenticeship, and just being a Mom on top of all that. But I’m ready to break out of ballet and move to other styles. I will NOT be giving up ballet – but adding to it.
I really wish San Antonio had an aerial dance facility. There is one in S. Austin, but I am unable to drive the hour up and back just for recreational fun! I’ve been totally excited about this form of dance since a friend went to work for a company in Chicago!
And to cap off this discombobulated blog post – I’m also excited to say that I know FOR SURE on June 18th – my baby sister is going to be induced and I will get to meet my new nephew!! She *could* feasibly go into labor before then – but I seriously have my doubts. 
So does she. And I’m so excited for her and my brother-in-law. I can’t wait to meet this new little fella. I love babies. I love them more when they belong to other people!!!
NO KIDDING!!
She totally flubbed her defense on Dr. Phil just now.
She is arguing with a men’s rights advocate who is defending a young man’s “univeral right” to reject fatherhood. She actually says to this man, “What about the unborn child’s right to come into this world? To be born? To be cared for? What about this child’s right to be supported? And provided for?” Now I might not have that quote 100% accurate but it will be on the web tonight FOR SURE! Prolife advocates watching Dr. Phil will surely get the quote on the web today.
WHAT????
NO JOKE!
For someone who is a huge advocate against discrimination – she sure is being hypocritical. She will fight for the right of a woman to abort a baby, but then turn around and FORCE a man to be a father?? Please. She’s such a joke. She needs to go back and take a refresher course in Legal Logic. :)
I am really appalled at the entire Dr. Phil show right now. There is a debate going on regarding if a man should have to be financially responsible for their own biological children IF they don’t want to. As if they should have the right to a choice. The man advocating for men’s rights says that everyone should have the “universal HUMAN right to” have sex without worrying about becoming a parent. I don’t know who taught him about consequences of your own actions, but they did a really bad job! There isn’t one species on this planet who engage in sex without the possibility of pregnancy. The ONLY people who have that privilege are homosexuals. (Note: using the word privilege loosely here.) Heterosexual sex ALWAYS runs the risk of pregnancy. Anyone with half a brain knows that. And IF there is a risk of pregnancy, and you participate in sex, then you MUST be responsible for any human life that is created from that encounter.
And, by the way, abortion is not a responsible answer for an unplanned pregnancy.
"Motherhood": Sculpture at the Catacumba Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Nelly Romeo Alves
Claire isn’t feeling well today. She woke up around 2am (naturally, right as I was drifting off to sleep) with a low grade – but still uncomfortable – fever, stuffy nose, and raspy voice. Summer cold, 2nd victim. (Hannah had it last week – although she never ran a fever.) She got up this morning before me and began her morning routine of harrassing the cat, playing on the computer, and getting some breakfast. She’s 5. And that is the order in which her morning progresses every day. Cat. Computer. Cereal. I think it’s funny. If I were a better mother, I’d be awake before all the children and have breakfast cooked and ready and waiting for them. I am, however, not anywhere near that great.
She came in and out of my bedroom several times this morning and I laid in my bed unresponsive. I thought I could play oppossum and she’d continue on her merry way. I was trying to acquire some much needed sleep benefits even though I wasn’t asleep and knew, in the back of my mind, that I wasn’t going to return to sleep. She knew this too – and so she SCREAMED at the top of her lungs, “I LOVE YOU MOM!!” Which made me bolt upright! Scared the daylights out of me. She laughed.
She didn’t need anything – she just wanted my presence in the house. It was 9am and she’d been roaming around for about an hour. I don’t even know if she ever even *really* ate breakfast. I kind of just had assumed she would. She wanted me to stop being lazy I guess. Does sleeping in late because I stayed up too late and then she kept me up even later the same night equate to being lazy? I would say no, but Claire apparently disagree.
By 11am she came to me and asked if we could snuggle in the bed and so we climbed under the covers and began what was the greatest part of the day so far. I asked her if she wanted to watch cartoons on tv but she said no, she just wanted to “sleep because (she) really meant to sleep late but forgot this morning and got up too early.” (YES, she really said that!) I rubbed her back and stroked her little arm until she fell asleep. She slept for about an hour or so. She was so peaceful and serene. This is a child who NEVER naps – so I never get to bask in the moment of watching her sleep. It was great. I’m sorry she’s not feeling well but I did enjoy getting to experience what is supposed to be a Mother’s Right: sleeping children during daytime hours. It has been YEARS since we’ve had consistent afternoon quiet times in this house.
I really think the glory days of my motherhood were when the boys were little, Hannah was a baby, Claire was but a wish, and we lived in the little house. Things were so simple back then. Exhausting because I had a house full of small children – but simple, manageable. I had a little house that required little upkeep. It was 900sf. It was like a small apartment. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and a big backyard where we lived. I really really miss that house. I miss that time in our family life when things were so seemingly uncomplicated. For me, anyway, they were uncomplicated.
Now my children are all growing up and there are no more babies to keep me busy with important yet mundane tasks of diaper changing, potty training, table foods, bottle weaning, night-sleep training…and the list goes on. I take a lot of joy/pride in the fact that I have been here every step of the way with my children. I haven’t missed a beat. I’ve been here for every major and minor milestone. I have never thought to sacrifice those moments in lieu of a nicer house, newer car, or fancy vacations. I’m glad we have lived frugally for the past 13 yrs of marriage so that we’ve been able to give the children this foundation: a mother at home. It’s important. Motherhood has been important to me. It IS important for children. Sacrificing material gain for my children has been something I felt was as natural as breathing. It never occurred to me to keep up with the Joneses. I was too wrapped up in keeping up with my own children.
I can’t say this sacrifice hasn’t come without a price-tag. From a strictly financial point of view I have no idea how we will help the kids pay for college, get married, or start their own lives. And I really want to be able to do that for them. I have no idea how we will afford another family vacation, renovate the house (it needs it – not just for aesthetics – it really needs it), or buy cars for the kids to drive when they get old enough. And I have no idea how we are going to retire! It has always taken every penny we’ve ever made to raise the kids with a full-time mom at home. These are (some of the) reasons I’ve decided to return to college and eventually get a decent paying job. As my children outgrow the need for my constant oversight in mundane matters (everyone brushes their own teeth now), I feel like my energy needs to be redirected into something more productive than managing the chore list for my household, writing weekly menus and reading board books to preschoolers. In a way, I think, I’m starting to prepare for their departure – for an empty nest. I know that sounds awfully fatalistic – but it’s true. My baby years are over – a new chapter is unfolding – and I don’t want to be caught off guard, unprepared. Emotionally – or financially!
Motherhood by Andrea Annunziata
But all that brings me around to this morning – when Claire asked if we could snuggle – and she took a nap curled up next to me. And I thought how wonderful it was that I was still here – still able to be here for her, still able to comfort her while she’s sick. And that made me wonder – will I still be able to be this kind of a mother when I’ve graduated and begin a career. Will I be able to balance everything? Will I succeed at duality – career and mom. Time will tell. And the uncertainty that impending change will inevitably bring to our lives does make me stop, these days, and be more present with the children – knowing that my full-time status is being systematically deconstructed.
On the other hand, I look at all the wonderful possibilities of growth that will come as my new life – that of career mom – is being constructed, built up, established. And it’s exciting. And it’s invigorating. And sometimes exhausting. But then, I think, isn’t life anyway? Just exhausting sometimes?
As I was laying here with Claire this morning (I am writing on my laptop in my bed) I thought how my time with them is so limited. My time with my children. So limited – but so eternal. Claire will not remember that we snuggled in the bed this morning when she was feeling tired and weak. But she will know, in her heart and for the rest of her life, that she had a mother who was willing to sacrifice everything for her at the drop of a hat. And for that – I am blessed.
Motherhood suits me well. It has afforded me the opportunity to grow up with my children. To discover who I am while doing something with my life at the same time. I have not wasted any years. I am young enough to recoup the financial sacrifices we made when I was in my 20’s. And yet old enough to appreciate the worth of those sacrifices – and know that I have no regrets for the path my life has taken me on. And am looking forward to watching our family evolve in the next chapter of our life.
Dislcaimer: Some mothers have made different choices. They work and put their children in daycare. Some because they want to – and some because they have to. I hope those women are not offended by MY thoughts about MY experience with motherhood. That is the point of the post: introspection. I can’t speak for or judge the women who work, deal with daycare, etc. I have no point of reference to write about issues near and dear to those women. I know all healthy-minded mothers love their children and will do whatever they have to for them. I have nothing negative to say about working moms/daycare kids.
Between April 29th and May 20th we stay really busy! My birthday is April 29th, then 2 weeks later is always Mother’s Day, then on May 16th my oldest child has a birthday and then on May 20th my youngest child has her birthday.
That’s a whole lotta cake, ice cream, and wrapping paper!
But it’s also a whole lotta fun!
Claire is turning 5 on the 20th. I am amazed at how fast Claire’s babyhood went. The oldest, Adri, seemed to stay a baby forever. The baby, however, seemed to grow up right under my nose without any assistance of mine what so ever. She didn’t nurse very long. She started sleeping through the night really early. She potty trained really quick. She learned to do everything really quick. She is the baby, and she is the most snuggly, most loving, most sweet child - but she’s not much of a baby. She’s incredibly independent and very very creative. She just brought me a picture she drew of herself in which she is dreaming of her birthday party of cookies. She drew herself sleeping in her bed with her pillow and blanket and dreaming of all the cookies that will come to her party – which she said she wanted a lot of cookies and kids at her party with lots of presents for her because it IS after all her first party…. I think this is really funny and very bright for a 5 yr old to draw. I guess because none of my other children have been that pleasantly expressive in their artwork. Adri’s artwork remains the same as it was when he was 3. Ean’s artwork is always related to blood and guts. Hannah just draws flowers and such. But Claire – she creates artwork that has to do with herself and her emotions, dreams, wishes, etc. And I love it. But at the same time it makes her seem so grown up and that part I don’t like so much.
**Sniff**Sniff**
Adri, on the other hand, is literally growing UP. I swear he’s grown a foot this past year. What I dislike most about that is he is eerily close to being at eye level with me and that really changes everything. I can’t say, “Look UP here at me RIGHT now – and I mean eye contact Mr.” I am going to have to get me a stool to stand on when it’s time for discipline. He is growing up to be a very responsible child though. By the grace of God. And I can see that he’s changing 100 different ways every day. And you know what – I love it. Adri is the child who I thought would never outgrow his boyhood – but he is changing into a really cool adolescent and I’m looking forward to his teenage years. I know they will be rough – but they can’t really be any MORE difficult than when he was an infant and would scream for 6-8 hours straight. Through the night, of course. Same level of intensity as an infant but different dynamics as a teenager. Maybe I’ll “MAKE” him draw me a picture of what he wants for his birthday party. LOL! That would be funny….
My birthday was great – I blogged about in on Facebook. Maybe I’ll post the post here. But basically I got exactly what I asked for AND had a great “Girls Night Out” the following Saturday. So that was cool. I have to say that 33 just SOUNDS SO much older than 32. Even 34 sounds better than 33. I don’t get it. But whatever – age is just a number. (Isn’t that what everyone in their 30’s says?)
Well I gotta get back to my party planning. Sleep overs, cream stuffed cupcakes, video rentals, trips to GameStop, balloon decorations, cake planning, pink punch making and gift shopping awaits!
Last summer I had a lot of fun keeping an online log of the books I read, along with reviews, thoughts, etc. I shut that blog down during the school year because I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to read anything for fun. And I was right!
~BUT~
I just got back from the library with 10 of the books off my Summer Reading List in hand and am going to start reading tonight. The only thing I really need now is a hammock, a beach house, an endless supply of sunscreen, and a full-time husband to stand over me with one of those fan thingy’s to keep me cool. Hee hee… yeah … that is total fantasy land….
Seriously thinking about a hammock though….
Here’s the link to the book blog:
I know. I’m über-creative with blog titles.
Come by – pick a book off the reading list and join in on the fun!
Ahhh….summer is here. Even though it’s only May 9th – summer has arrived in Texas already. Couple that with my 2nd semester of college wrapping up and I’m hot to trot for the beach. I am sitting here looking at my calendar and seeing that I have nothing on the schedule for next Wednesday – and I’m considering driving the kids and myself down to the coast for the day. It’s only a 4 hour drive from here. If we left EARLY on Wednesday morning, we’d get there by noon and could play all day in the sand. We could drive home in the early evening – and be home by bedtime. It really is doable. And Wednesday seems like a good day for it!
I’m SO GLAD to be finished with another semester of college. I had really easy classes this semester. SUPER easy classes, actually. Which made the semester enjoyable – even if it was a lot of reading and writing. Next fall should be a little more challenging – I am taking my first of 2 biology classes, a political science class, a technical writing class, and a philosophy class on ethics. Only 12 hours – but it’s going to be a lot of reading/writing … again. Of course – that’s basically all college is. The technical writing class is actually an online course, so again I’ve been able to keep my on-campus obligations to 9 hours, 2 days/week. Hopefully the mid-terms and finals will go as smoothly as they’ve gone this semester! **keeping fingers crossed**
I actually changed my major so I do not really know how much longer it will be until I graduate.
But that’s neither here nor there now. Right now, all I can think of is going here:
North Padre Island - Padre Island National Seashore
How to get swine flu. Or rather – WHAT NOT TO DO DURING A SWINE FLU PANDEMIC!
Ummm.... someone get some Tamiflu for this toddler STAT!
I like how the media hyped this one up.
I never trust first reports.
And I find I’m taking this whole “pandemic” a little … annoying … to be frank.
For the record – the first human being to die on U.S. Soil due to the Swine Flu – was NOT an American. This in no way negates the loss of this child to his family – but it is being hyped up as the “first US death” and he was not a United States Citizen. He was a Mexican who brought Swine Flu to the US. He did not die because he caught it IN Texas – he was already carrying it when he got TO Texas. Which makes me think it’s maybe time to close the borders for a while. It’s very obvious that Swine Flu is coming FROM Mexico – so WHY are the borders STILL open and our schools – full of healthy Americans – closed?
It’s … stupid…. if you ask me.
It’s swine flu – but it’s still just flu. And it’s nothing new really. The same treatments you’ve used before to care for yourself are important still – and nothing new has been developed. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you cough. Stay home if you are sick. Get tested as soon as you suspect flu. Start Tamiflu IMMEDIATELY. Take Sambucol. Pump up your intake of garlic and vitamin C. Drink PLENTY of fluids. Rest. Rest. and Rest.
So far 1 Mexican child has died on U.S. soil due to swine flu that he contracted in Mexico. He brought the infection with him to the US because our borders aren’t closed. He brought the infection with him to the hospital where he died. I’m sorry for his family’s loss. I hope no one else gets sick because this family brought swine flu into the United States.
Furthermore – there has been 1 pediatric death (nationality aside) from swine flu this week. There was also ANOTHER pediatric death from the “regular” flu this week as well. Why didn’t Obama offer his condolences to that family? They were probably even American. I’m not being racist here – I’m being patriotic. If the first US death from swine flu was a Canadian, I’d have as much to say about it as well.
Did you know that SO FAR THIS YEAR – per the CDC’s own website – there have been FIFTY-FIVE pediatric deaths due to influenza? Per their reporting system: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
So 1 pediatric death is due to swine flu – and 54 are due to regular flu. Looks like regular flu is a little more scary that swine flu, if you ask for my uneducated opinion.
Call me cynical but I can just already see where this whole “Pandemic” is heading: forced flu vaccinations. The government will rush to get a Swine Flu Vaccine ready. They will force us to vaccinate against our own moral/medical judgements. More people will possibly die from the vaccine than from taking their chances with catching/treating swine flu. Just like in 1976. Or – take it from someone even MORE cynical than me…. I read THIS ARTICLE and had to shake my head – because THIS is EXACTLY what I thought when I read that the government was pushing to get a vaccine against swine flu “market ready asap” – I thought…Great! We’ll just inject the entire population with swine flu… couldn’t that just exacerbate the problem? I was already thinking that the Swine Flu would become a man made epidemic because the government will refuse to close the borders and demand that everyone get vaccinated. And in the case of a pandemic – the government CAN force vaccinations.
You, who are unable to think outside of the box and who believe everything the government says, might say- to the article below – HOGWASH! Maybe even “Irresponsible Ramblings!” But – first, I say, read the articles below and THEN read the news with a new set of eyeglasses – and see where your own independent mind can take you.
Dr. McBean has written HER expose about it HERE.
If you’ve read The Plague by Albert Camus – you can imagine how much worse it could get before it gets better. We don’t need to go that far in the U.S. We need to stop travel to/from Mexico, isolate swine flu cases as they emerge, quarantine whoever needs to be quarantined, and let this “pandemic” ride itself out.
But with power moguls like Obama in office – they will milk every Mexican death they can (esp. if it happens on US soil) and begin to lay the groundwork for government forced vaccinations.
Or maybe I’m just feeling a little EXTREME right now. You never know how it will really play itself out. We could all get sick and die. Who knows.
