Last Thursday we race down the mountain for a medical crisis with The Man's mom. Saturday I drove 8 1/2 hours with 4 kids, one of them with the stomach flu. Tuesday morning Boodle woke up at 2am with the stomach flu. Wednesday night, Loodle got bit by a dog.
(She's fine, it was a dog we know, it was mostly her own fault, many tears (and not a small amount of blood) were shed, many stern words were spoke.)
God. Seriously. A little break between the drama and crises would be much appreciated. I'm not sayin' I don't appreciate the two days there with nothing much but wrangling 4 kids in someone else's house. But if we could avoid anything like a plague of locusts or California dropping off into the Pacific Ocean, you would be doing me a solid.
*********
Update on Connie: she woke up yesterday and was VERY AWARE and alert. Tiffany was able to talk to her and explain a little of what was going on, and ascertain that her mom understood and wasn't scared. The breathing tube was removed today, but she's still not able to fully vocalize. Things are looking very good so far, and we're so thankful. That alone makes up for the stuff I'm dealing with down here.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I'm Back, But Not Where I Thought I'd Be
So this would be the post where I regale you with tales of camping and family and nature and laughter, but instead, I'm dumping drama all over my blog. I've been trying to figure out when to blog this, whether or not I SHOULD blog this, but I guess I'll just start typing and see if it works.
The Man, the kids and I are fine, but The Man's mom had a crisis while we were camping and is still in the hospital. She woke up in the middle of the night last Thursday and appeared to have a stomach bug, but quickly declined to the point that she was rushed down the mountain to the nearest town, and then airlifted to Chico CA. Turns out she had an aneurysm, or bleeding in her brain, and needed emergency surgery.
She's currently still intubated, but is responding to simple commands, has mobility on both sides of her body, and seems to recognize when her sister and daughter are there with her. The outlook is NIGHT AND DAY different than what we anticipated when she left camp. I can't begin to describe how she looked when they pulled her from her trailer and put her in the back of the truck. My sister in law Tiffany rode down with her, and she basically didn't know if Connie would survive the hour and a half to two hour drive to the nearest hospital. The doctors there told her it was not good, and she was then thinking about having to make funeral arrangements.
I don't know how she did it. I don't know how she's DOING it. Tiffany's been there since Thursday, sitting at the hospital or the hotel, playing the waiting game, having no idea where all this will lead.
Actually, I DO know how she's doing it, and how the rest of us are doing it. Faith. Faith in God and His power and will in our lives. We're in His grip, and that can get us through anything. I've never prayed so much in my life, I'll be honest. I even said some very not nice things to God while I was waiting at camp for word on whether my mother-in-law even made it to the hospital. I'm pretty sure I TOLD Him what was going to happen, and that He'd better listen up and get this one right. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure God already knows how stubborn and controlling I am.
Where am I, by the way? I brought all four of our kids back down from Chico to Southern California and am caring for them while we figure out what happens next. And did I mention that two of them have had the stomach flu, one of them on the EIGHT HOUR DRIVE down? How in the world did I think it was a good idea to let The Man go back to Texas to deal with work? What was I THINKING?
However, I'm finding it hard to complain when I get to take breaks with good friends like MamaDB and her family, yet Tiffany is up there in an anonymous city, living out of a suitcase, away from her husband and kids, dealing with a heart breaking situation and making tough decisions about her mom's life.
When did we get old enough to be trusted with all this responsibility?
Anyway, if you're the praying sort, please send some Connie's and Tiffany's way. And I wouldn't mind you sending some my way as well, if only to keep these kids alive for the duration of my stay. What? I only told them to shut up twice and only said dammit that one time. That's pretty good, I think.
I guess that's it for now. I'll update as I can, and maybe someday I'll share photos of the fun stuff we actually did BEFORE the crisis.
The Man, the kids and I are fine, but The Man's mom had a crisis while we were camping and is still in the hospital. She woke up in the middle of the night last Thursday and appeared to have a stomach bug, but quickly declined to the point that she was rushed down the mountain to the nearest town, and then airlifted to Chico CA. Turns out she had an aneurysm, or bleeding in her brain, and needed emergency surgery.
She's currently still intubated, but is responding to simple commands, has mobility on both sides of her body, and seems to recognize when her sister and daughter are there with her. The outlook is NIGHT AND DAY different than what we anticipated when she left camp. I can't begin to describe how she looked when they pulled her from her trailer and put her in the back of the truck. My sister in law Tiffany rode down with her, and she basically didn't know if Connie would survive the hour and a half to two hour drive to the nearest hospital. The doctors there told her it was not good, and she was then thinking about having to make funeral arrangements.
I don't know how she did it. I don't know how she's DOING it. Tiffany's been there since Thursday, sitting at the hospital or the hotel, playing the waiting game, having no idea where all this will lead.
Actually, I DO know how she's doing it, and how the rest of us are doing it. Faith. Faith in God and His power and will in our lives. We're in His grip, and that can get us through anything. I've never prayed so much in my life, I'll be honest. I even said some very not nice things to God while I was waiting at camp for word on whether my mother-in-law even made it to the hospital. I'm pretty sure I TOLD Him what was going to happen, and that He'd better listen up and get this one right. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure God already knows how stubborn and controlling I am.
Where am I, by the way? I brought all four of our kids back down from Chico to Southern California and am caring for them while we figure out what happens next. And did I mention that two of them have had the stomach flu, one of them on the EIGHT HOUR DRIVE down? How in the world did I think it was a good idea to let The Man go back to Texas to deal with work? What was I THINKING?
However, I'm finding it hard to complain when I get to take breaks with good friends like MamaDB and her family, yet Tiffany is up there in an anonymous city, living out of a suitcase, away from her husband and kids, dealing with a heart breaking situation and making tough decisions about her mom's life.
When did we get old enough to be trusted with all this responsibility?
Anyway, if you're the praying sort, please send some Connie's and Tiffany's way. And I wouldn't mind you sending some my way as well, if only to keep these kids alive for the duration of my stay. What? I only told them to shut up twice and only said dammit that one time. That's pretty good, I think.
I guess that's it for now. I'll update as I can, and maybe someday I'll share photos of the fun stuff we actually did BEFORE the crisis.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
I'm Off To Play In The Woods
We're going camping starting tomorrow with The Man's family, minus a few members who shall be sorely missed.
What does this mean? I won't be at my computer for AT LEAST A WEEK. I'm not sure I can function without checking my email and reader 4 times a day. One would think that, having known my departure date for the last 2 months, I planned ahead and set up some auto posts. One would be an idiot for thinking that. This blog may grow cobwebs and be taken over by hobos, and I shan't care until I get back.
So, wish me luck in the woods. Please pray I don't fall into the outhouse or get eaten by a bear. Thank you.
See you on the 25th! (or the 26th, or the 27th...)
What does this mean? I won't be at my computer for AT LEAST A WEEK. I'm not sure I can function without checking my email and reader 4 times a day. One would think that, having known my departure date for the last 2 months, I planned ahead and set up some auto posts. One would be an idiot for thinking that. This blog may grow cobwebs and be taken over by hobos, and I shan't care until I get back.
So, wish me luck in the woods. Please pray I don't fall into the outhouse or get eaten by a bear. Thank you.
See you on the 25th! (or the 26th, or the 27th...)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: How Is It Possible That ALL My Friends Have Created Kids That I Want To Hug To Death?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Which Title Is Better: Dirt Day or Bath Day
I'm visiting with lots of friends here on the West Coast, and the other day, we came out into the backyard where the kids were playing to find a new game had been invented.
Finding some old plastic Easter eggs in the back yard, the kids filled them with dirt,
spread out in a circle,
and let the dirt FLY.
My good friend MamaDB was not so enthusiastic, but I figured hey, it's bath night anyway, and what good is bath night if you're not REALLY dirty? Am I right?
"No dirt in there, yo."
"It's all RIGHT HERE."
Only one or two kids ran around tasting the dirt.
I'm not sayin' which two.
At some point, Jedi Master Pigpen made an appearance, but the Force was no match for the dirt.
And as is usual with 6 children in one yard, we had to have "An Airing of Grievances"
And a tip to all budding photographers out there: when attempting to photograph 5 children at once, do not also allow two dogs to frolic anywhere in the vicinity.
Finding some old plastic Easter eggs in the back yard, the kids filled them with dirt,
spread out in a circle,
and let the dirt FLY.
My good friend MamaDB was not so enthusiastic, but I figured hey, it's bath night anyway, and what good is bath night if you're not REALLY dirty? Am I right?
"No dirt in there, yo."
"It's all RIGHT HERE."Only one or two kids ran around tasting the dirt.
I'm not sayin' which two.
At some point, Jedi Master Pigpen made an appearance, but the Force was no match for the dirt.
And as is usual with 6 children in one yard, we had to have "An Airing of Grievances"
And a tip to all budding photographers out there: when attempting to photograph 5 children at once, do not also allow two dogs to frolic anywhere in the vicinity.
Catching Up
I just went through the five thousand pictures I've taken in the last week, and came across some that I meant to share earlier. (Disclaimer: I suck at indoor photography and was too lazy to edit these photos. I'm still working on getting the lighting right, so please ignore the fact that we often look like the next Blue Man Group.)
And away we go!
I think I already mentioned we did an indoor entertainment center for 4th of July. Here's Loodle, putting those string bean limbs to good use:
She's getting pretty good at the rock climbing, going so far as to doff her gear and kick it old school:
Next, Grandma got a little competitive at the Skee-Ball games:
Loodle had to just walk away:
The Man also started teaching the girls the beginnings of how to be a pool hall hustler:
Moving on, here's where the girls slept on the first night of our drive out:
I inexplicably booked us a room with two DOUBLE beds, and since I'm tall and wide, I didn't want to share with the kids, and didn't want my mom to have to share. So, I gave Boodle some bedding to make a pallet, and Loodle opted to sleep in a chair. Man, roughing it is harsh.
What's evenmore pathetic harsher is realizing after the girls have gone to sleep that I'd given away ALL my bedding, and rather than wake anyone up, simply pulled the fitted sheet halfway off the bed and wrapped it around myself. Hey, don't knock it. The elastic keeps it tucked nicely around you. No, I didn't get photos of THAT.
And of course, there was much swimming at each hotel, given that the temps were well above 100 degrees:
And away we go!
I think I already mentioned we did an indoor entertainment center for 4th of July. Here's Loodle, putting those string bean limbs to good use:
She's getting pretty good at the rock climbing, going so far as to doff her gear and kick it old school:
Next, Grandma got a little competitive at the Skee-Ball games:
Loodle had to just walk away:
The Man also started teaching the girls the beginnings of how to be a pool hall hustler:
Moving on, here's where the girls slept on the first night of our drive out:
I inexplicably booked us a room with two DOUBLE beds, and since I'm tall and wide, I didn't want to share with the kids, and didn't want my mom to have to share. So, I gave Boodle some bedding to make a pallet, and Loodle opted to sleep in a chair. Man, roughing it is harsh.
What's even
And of course, there was much swimming at each hotel, given that the temps were well above 100 degrees:
Friday, July 10, 2009
Are Women Born This Way?
We interrupt the non-stop posts about road trips to bring you this:
I'm pretty sure this is what The Man hears when I'm on about something or other.
I'm pretty sure this is what The Man hears when I'm on about something or other.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
FIRE! (And Other Stuff From Our Drive)
Twice yesterday we were delayed by a fire near the freeway in the Los Angeles area. The first one was right next to us on the 60, and we had to turn around in the middle of the freeway and reverse course. That added another 45 minutes to the drive. BUT, we made it!
The second was near the Getty Center as my mom and I were continuing our journey to my hometown after dumping the kids with my sister in law. The fire was mostly out, but it was A FIRE! We MUST STOP AND LOOK! The fire! It's out, but we might still see something exciting! Sigh. Another 45 minute delay, and mom and I made it home finally at 11pm. I promptly decided to...zzzzzzzzzzzz.
I came back down to L.A. this afternoon and enjoyed hamburgers bbq'd by MamaDB. Tomorrow, the circus!!
I have about nine hundred thousand pics on my camera, and just need time to get them onto my laptop.
An aside: at the hotel on Wednesday morning, the TV was carrying HLN's Showbiz Tonight coverage of the Michael Jackson funeral/tribute. After ten minutes of gushing and crying and accolades, Loodle, at the ripe old age of 6.5, turns to me and says,
"Why are they doing ALL THIS when just one person died?"
My reply, keeping in mind my opinion of the non-stop coverage from minute one: "Well, first, let me say, you've hit the nail right on the head. Secondly, and more compassionately, he was a very famous man and beloved by people in all countries, and he died too young."
That makes up for my callous disregard, doesn't it?
The second was near the Getty Center as my mom and I were continuing our journey to my hometown after dumping the kids with my sister in law. The fire was mostly out, but it was A FIRE! We MUST STOP AND LOOK! The fire! It's out, but we might still see something exciting! Sigh. Another 45 minute delay, and mom and I made it home finally at 11pm. I promptly decided to...zzzzzzzzzzzz.
I came back down to L.A. this afternoon and enjoyed hamburgers bbq'd by MamaDB. Tomorrow, the circus!!
I have about nine hundred thousand pics on my camera, and just need time to get them onto my laptop.
An aside: at the hotel on Wednesday morning, the TV was carrying HLN's Showbiz Tonight coverage of the Michael Jackson funeral/tribute. After ten minutes of gushing and crying and accolades, Loodle, at the ripe old age of 6.5, turns to me and says,
"Why are they doing ALL THIS when just one person died?"
My reply, keeping in mind my opinion of the non-stop coverage from minute one: "Well, first, let me say, you've hit the nail right on the head. Secondly, and more compassionately, he was a very famous man and beloved by people in all countries, and he died too young."
That makes up for my callous disregard, doesn't it?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Notes From the Road
DAY 1:
Hey, when you've got a slow leak in one of your tires, it's best to get that checked out BEFORE you leave on your three day driving trip. Cause guess what? It's gonna leak. Luckily, we ran into Clint, a lovely young man in... I don't know, SOMEWHERE in West Texas, who diagnosed a cracked valve stem in under 10 minutes. $12 later, we were back on the open road.
Hey, when you've got a kid who still needs pull-ups at night, it's good to stop every 27 miles to use the bathroom. Of course, when you just stopped 10 minutes ago and she pipes up that she's had an accident in her seat, it's not good to try and figure out how in the every loving hell that can happen. It IS good to simply wad up that fancy pink skirt and underwear and throw it away at a truck stop with absolutely NO REGRET.
Hey, after a gigantic flip out temper tantrum, it's good to apologize to your children, and your mother, and go soak in the hot tub for a while. In theory.
DAY 2:
Our waiter killed a cricket loudly and proudly in the booth next to ours by smashing it with his order pad.
THE END
Hey, when you've got a slow leak in one of your tires, it's best to get that checked out BEFORE you leave on your three day driving trip. Cause guess what? It's gonna leak. Luckily, we ran into Clint, a lovely young man in... I don't know, SOMEWHERE in West Texas, who diagnosed a cracked valve stem in under 10 minutes. $12 later, we were back on the open road.
Hey, when you've got a kid who still needs pull-ups at night, it's good to stop every 27 miles to use the bathroom. Of course, when you just stopped 10 minutes ago and she pipes up that she's had an accident in her seat, it's not good to try and figure out how in the every loving hell that can happen. It IS good to simply wad up that fancy pink skirt and underwear and throw it away at a truck stop with absolutely NO REGRET.
Hey, after a gigantic flip out temper tantrum, it's good to apologize to your children, and your mother, and go soak in the hot tub for a while. In theory.
DAY 2:
Our waiter killed a cricket loudly and proudly in the booth next to ours by smashing it with his order pad.
THE END
Monday, July 6, 2009
On the Road Again
We're off on our cross country road trip! Today, we drive approximately 437 hours to El Paso, Texas. I'm pretty sure we'll make it by nightfall. Wish me, or more importantly my kids, luck that we all survive in a van together. I'm hoping my mom's presence will temper any violence that I'm tempted to whip out on everyone.
Wish us luck!!
Wish us luck!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
We Need An Intervention
Y'all. Please help me talk some sense into The Man. He's teetering on the brink of insanity.
First, we had this:
Then, last week or so, we had this, and you all weighed in:
(some of you claimed to like it, and now I'm thinking I have to block you from my blog)
I must clarify that after the beard photo was taken, and The Man was told he needed to clean it up, there was a shaving of the beard down to a goatee. While it wasn't my favorite, it was growing on me. However, after a business trip to LA on Wednesday, The Man came home looking like this:
Dude, biker gangs are SO 70's.
On the plus side, if they somehow bring back Jeff Bridges' character in the next IronMan movie, The Man is a surefire stand-in:
First, we had this:
Then, last week or so, we had this, and you all weighed in:
(some of you claimed to like it, and now I'm thinking I have to block you from my blog)
I must clarify that after the beard photo was taken, and The Man was told he needed to clean it up, there was a shaving of the beard down to a goatee. While it wasn't my favorite, it was growing on me. However, after a business trip to LA on Wednesday, The Man came home looking like this:
Dude, biker gangs are SO 70's.
On the plus side, if they somehow bring back Jeff Bridges' character in the next IronMan movie, The Man is a surefire stand-in:
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Fourth of July
Hope you all have a fun weekend planned. We're going to a pool party thrown by The Man's coworker, whose only instructions for what to bring were "alcohol". Should be fun for the kids!
In the evening, we're off to watch the fireworks that are shot from a nearby stadium, where they will have an orchestra playing patriotic symphony music. We'll be miles away in a mall parking lot, sitting in lawn chairs and eating marshmallows, but I'm sure we'll get the same effect.
Why marshmallows? When Boodle was around 3, we took her to her first fireworks show, and she insisted that we bring marshmallows. We were confused, but complied. When we got there, she seemed confused, and we then discovered that she had yet to discern the difference between "fireworks" and "campfire". The tradition has held for the last 5 years.
Other than that, my weekend will be filled with frantic packing, planning and shopping. Boodle inexplicably has grown out of all the pants that I bought her in January. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Me neither. I hope this isn't a trend or anything.
Be safe everyone. Enjoy your holiday weekend. No matter your current political world view, please remember that this country rocks. Happy Fourth of July!!
In the evening, we're off to watch the fireworks that are shot from a nearby stadium, where they will have an orchestra playing patriotic symphony music. We'll be miles away in a mall parking lot, sitting in lawn chairs and eating marshmallows, but I'm sure we'll get the same effect.
Why marshmallows? When Boodle was around 3, we took her to her first fireworks show, and she insisted that we bring marshmallows. We were confused, but complied. When we got there, she seemed confused, and we then discovered that she had yet to discern the difference between "fireworks" and "campfire". The tradition has held for the last 5 years.
Other than that, my weekend will be filled with frantic packing, planning and shopping. Boodle inexplicably has grown out of all the pants that I bought her in January. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Me neither. I hope this isn't a trend or anything.
Be safe everyone. Enjoy your holiday weekend. No matter your current political world view, please remember that this country rocks. Happy Fourth of July!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
And Next Week, I Shall Become Insignificant
In the face of these fine folks,
how am I to even dare compete for my kids' affections? I might as well prop a cardboard cutout of myself in the corner of Tiffany's living room for all the attention my kids will pay me in July.
We're coming, guys! Soon!!!
how am I to even dare compete for my kids' affections? I might as well prop a cardboard cutout of myself in the corner of Tiffany's living room for all the attention my kids will pay me in July.
We're coming, guys! Soon!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday Words
Today is July 1st, which means two things, well, three things at least around here. And since I don't want to wait until tomorrow to post this, I'm skipping Wordless Wednesday.
1. It's doughnut day. Back in L.A., we passed a doughnut shop every day on the way to the girls' school, and foolishly, one day I stopped and bought them a doughnut. I know. EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, there were pleas for doughnuts, tears for doughnuts, bargaining for doughnuts. In an effort to save my sanity, we declared the first of every month Doughnut Day. We no longer live down the road from a doughnut shop, but the tradition remains. So happy doughnut day, everyone!
2. Which leads me to the second significance. It's weigh in day. Duhn da duhn duhn. I won't keep you in suspense. I made it. I squeaked in by the skin of my teeth, coming in 1/2 a pound over on the bathroom scale, but 1/2 a pound under on the Wii Fit scale, which was declared a legal weighing measure. I can also tell you that The Man made his weight, needing to lose only 8 pounds, and instead losing EIGHTEEN pounds. Stupid men and their will power. To celebrate? Why, yes indeed, I DID get a doughnut today! No weigh ins over our July vacation after all.
3. Which leads me to the THIRD significance of July 1st. I have 5 days before we leave, and I've yet to pack anything for our MONTH-LONG trip to California. This trip will include a week of camping, so I'm really packing for TWO vacations. It's daunting. I'm hoping that now that I'm not obsessed with all the food I can't eat, I can concentrate on finding the bug spray and sleeping bags and flashlights and the 437 other things I need to be ready. Wish me luck.
1. It's doughnut day. Back in L.A., we passed a doughnut shop every day on the way to the girls' school, and foolishly, one day I stopped and bought them a doughnut. I know. EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, there were pleas for doughnuts, tears for doughnuts, bargaining for doughnuts. In an effort to save my sanity, we declared the first of every month Doughnut Day. We no longer live down the road from a doughnut shop, but the tradition remains. So happy doughnut day, everyone!
2. Which leads me to the second significance. It's weigh in day. Duhn da duhn duhn. I won't keep you in suspense. I made it. I squeaked in by the skin of my teeth, coming in 1/2 a pound over on the bathroom scale, but 1/2 a pound under on the Wii Fit scale, which was declared a legal weighing measure. I can also tell you that The Man made his weight, needing to lose only 8 pounds, and instead losing EIGHTEEN pounds. Stupid men and their will power. To celebrate? Why, yes indeed, I DID get a doughnut today! No weigh ins over our July vacation after all.
3. Which leads me to the THIRD significance of July 1st. I have 5 days before we leave, and I've yet to pack anything for our MONTH-LONG trip to California. This trip will include a week of camping, so I'm really packing for TWO vacations. It's daunting. I'm hoping that now that I'm not obsessed with all the food I can't eat, I can concentrate on finding the bug spray and sleeping bags and flashlights and the 437 other things I need to be ready. Wish me luck.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
