Reformed Grits

Where have I been?

Well, I'm not sure...

Partly due to the fact that I'm on Stupamax and partly because life is so busy, I don't know if I'm coming or going! 

I must pause to say that yesterday we celebrated JD's 9th birthday!  Happy birthday to my precious freckle-faced blue eyed lovey-boy!  You are a gift!!!  I love you!

Today we (surprise!) had soccer.  Jojo's team won as well as Poo's team.   It was nice that both games were in the same location.  That was really nice.  And an even better bonus was that a nephew had a game at the same field so we got to watch his game in between my boys' games! 

Tonight, Jojo had his 60's dance which was a lot of fun.  We didn't have a real costume but he did have a giant fro wig we borrowed which was a big hit which he wore with a tie-dye shirt.  Big whoop! 

Most days are spent with a headache, so no, my new-fangled meds aren't helping but I'm sticking with them in hopes that they will.  I'm napping most days 1-2 hours, some days more, and still sleeping at night just because it makes me so bloomin' tired.   I had 2 days in a row this week with no headache however *yay!* so that's good. 

Poo celebrates the big number 7 this week so I will be gearing up for that this week.  Busy times at the Grits' house!   

I don't mean to be ugly...

but would someone tell Britney Spears that she does not have the body of someone on the Mickey Mouse Club anymore but more like someone who has earned the right to wear Mom Jeans?  I'm not slammin' it because I'm ok with my leather-bag purse of a stomach and the stretch marks and tangerine-in-a-sweatsock babyfeeders (See number 10) but she's not foolin' anyone and I just really feel sorry for her.  The sooner she figures it out, the happier she will be, bless her heart, because she is obviously miserable! 

Ok, now back to the REAL world where I couldn't care less about and don't comment on celebrities. 

May her wonders never cease...

Tonight at dinner...

Sugie:  OH!  Mom!  Mrs. Tabony says she has EYES in the back of her HEAD!!!  She tried to show them to us but we couldn't see them cuz of her hair. 

A most precious vapor

I have had a lot of crappy horrible things happen in my life.  Some to me; some that just effected me; some that I have just been touched by.  Tonight I was brushed by one of the most horrible things ever and I pray it never happens again. 

We had just arrived to celebrate the 4th birthday of our little nephew, Will, at the "ranch" of their family friend where we planned to ride horses and eat hot dogs and play games.  Everyone was excited and most of the family had shown up a bit early.  Will's older brother, Michael and their Nana had gotton there a bit earlier and had parked in an adjacent wooded lot to make room for the guests and upon exiting the car had been attacked by yellow jackets.  They each got a few stings and had gone up to the house to get away from the meanies and recoup from the attack.  After about 20 minutes, we were standing by the road when a commotion at the house broke out and we heard people shouting for his mom.  "Michael's not doing well!!  Michael's not doing well!!"  Well, his mom is a nurse and his dad is a CRNP in the local Children's Hospital ER so we knew he was in good hands and they took off running to him.  I stayed with the kids and the scene that unfolded was no less than stomach churning.  Lots of panic.  Lots of bending over.  Shouts of, "He's dying!  He's dying!"  "He's turning blue!"  The kids and I made a prayer circle in the driveway and prayed and prayed for him.  We were so scared and I'm not even sure what words came out.  One uncle tore off in the car to point the emergency crews to the site (we were in the middle of no where), and I ran to the end of the road to mark the house. 

By the time they came, a miracle had happened.   The dad knew that with anaphalactic shock without medicine they die (you can't secure an airway evidently or do a trachiotomy-- I know I butchered the spelling of all those words!) so he had told them to go find benedryl.  So Mr. Grits had gone in to these people's house (that he didn't know!) and had torn their medicine cabinet apart looking for it.  Would you believe he found one lone capsule sitting in a medicine cup that had the technical term on the capsule (diphensomething-or-other hydrochloride) not even Benedryl, recognized it, and took it to him and opened it up and poured the medicine in that child's mouth under his tongue and they were able to get him to swallow enough to save his life?  Coincidence?  I assure you, it was not.  Within moments of it hitting his system he was sitting up in his mother's arms.

I can't tell you how horrible it was there.  I was trembling.  My kids were horrified.   I stuttered as I prayed.  But as I prayed there was more than just the fall wind.  I'm sure it was the wind of the wings of angels as they answered our prayers.   They say life is a vapor.   Who knew a vapor could be so precious? 

Wobble-de-Bee

After 15 months of being toted about like the princess she is, Bee has finally decided to walk.  It's so cute-- she's doing the little Frankenstein walk, with the stiff legs and arms straight out for balance the whole time.  Precious!  My final little wobbly baby toddles out of infancy into toddlerhood!

She goes for her 15 month check-up tomorrow and I'm eager to see how much she weighs.  I doubt she will break the 20 lbs that will put her into a forward-facing car seat.  She is so long I know she's getting tired of being squished in a rear-facing! 

Who said she could grow up?!

She loves animals-- anytime she sees one, she says, "Flbpdadkjuiobsdioda BEAR!!!!"  So cute!

Let's about clouds

Sugie has this funny thing she does when things get tense in the family.  She was the baby for so long that she doesn't like it when things are tense and so she takes it upon herself to break said tension with a little diversion.  I don't think she means to be funny but we've come to rely on her tactics when we need a subject change. 

So this weekend we are driving along to Memphis for the soccer tournament and it was not a fun trip.  We got a late start.  Things weren't left in the best way at home.  Rough week at school.  The roads were not "user friendly" for a long while.  The kids complained.  Mr. Grits was heck-bent on getting way out of town before we stopped to eat which made it late when the kids got dinner which didn't help.  After one particularly hair-raising moment, Sugie's wee voice rises above the grumbling and complaining in the car and she says, "Let's talk about clouds." 

Everyone got quiet. 

She said, "They are fluffy and white."

Someone else added, "Sometimes they are shaped like animals." 

Another said, "I like the big pretty ones when the sky is all blue."

And on and on the conversation went. 

No more tension.  It was like magic. 

So for the rest of the weekend when things got tense and we just needed a subject change, someone would say, "LET'S TALK ABOUT CLOUDS!" and we'd re-start the conversation. 

Don't you just wish sometimes you could do that with your day?  When things get hectic and frazzled and busy and nervous and angry and disappointing, don't you just want to say, "Let's talk about clouds!" 

It's worked magic in the Grits' house lately!

Pink Elephant

It's hard to blog regularly when you have a pink elephant in your head.  Some big life "thing" that blocks out all the other meaningful, important things of life that bear noting.  Whether that elephant bears the face of a child facing huge struggles, a friend from church facing a mortal crisis, or good but stressful life events, trying to make a light-hearted, insightful, interesting blog becomes a stressor and not a fun hobby. 

This is me right now.  When my thoughts are all but consumed with "what's next" in more ways than one, the joy of the daily race is robbed. 

Tonight, soccer and scouts; tomorrow, skating party then we are all off to Tennessee over 4 hrs away for a soccer tourney til Sunday.  Next week I have a total of 4 yes FOUR doctors' visits--2 for me and 2 for children, and I haven't gotton sitters for any but one of them.  That doesn't include the regular soccer practices, scouts, projects, homework, school for Mr. Grits, church activities, and so on that are a normal part of life.  I really am not complaining; just saying it's hard to think about blogging with so much life clutter. 

And now it's time to play...

Mrs. Tabony says!!!!!

Mrs Tabony says 'After you go potty when you get in the classroom, you always have to get a puzzle.'  (Thanks, Noah!)

Mrs. Tabony says you have to wear your tennis shoes to school.  (Thanks, Caroline M!)

Mrs. Tabony says your food goes on your plate.  (As if this is the first time my child has heard this!!) 

Mrs. Tabony says if you talk while Mrs. Tabony is talking you have to sit in the corner. 

And last but not least today from Sugie...

Mrs. Tabony says we have to keep our clothes on. 

:-D

Today's the day...

Today is Poo's first soccer game in U8!  He played U6 about 1 1/2 yrs ago but today he is playing with a different club and we are really excited about his first game!  I haven't met his coach yet, but Mr. Grits says he is fantastic and so great with the kids.  I'm really looking forward to moving up through the ranks with another little guy! 

Next weekend we will be out of state for a soccer tourney for Jojo.  That will be fun.  8 people.  2 beds.  One hotel room.  Priceless.

By popular demand...!

I'm back!  Thanks to the super IT staff at the school (that'd be Mark) I have this very, um, utilitarian laptop with which I bring you tonight's blog.  I say this all tongue-in-cheek (well, not the thanks to Mark part-- he was speedy and saved everything on my puter and put it all in this brand-new shoebox laptop!)  Seriously, I complain only because I am totally spoiled beyond measure.  I had a super state-of-the-art Inspiron 9300 with all the amenities-- for sound and video.  It was nice, y'all.  Until the monitor went out. 

Now I have an Inspiron B130.  B.  For "Budget."  Seriously, it kept making this harsh BOOPing at me and I asked Mr. Grits "Why does it scream at me so?" and he said, "Um, that would be because it doesn't have a speaker."

GASP.  No more YouTube.  No more FoxNews stories.  No more funny email clips with sound.  Unless I learn to read lips.  I know, it's a work computer.  Just the "BOOOP" like the beeper in season 2 of Lost as it counted down before someone typed in the "magic numbers."  I'd look for a clip to link to explain it all, but honestly I wouldn't know if it was there.   My point being, that is how my computer, who I really need to give a nickname, rails on at me.  (Bud, for budget?  Dell?  What about Ron for Inspiron?)  Every time I make an entry into Quickbooks.  Everytime I get MAIL in my inbox, y'all.  BOOP.  There's no volume control for it. It just has a mind of its own.  And if to mock me, when I clicked on my toolbar to see if there was a volume button I saw my MusicMatch Jukebox.  (Sniff)   

Not only that, but the video is not NEARLY as crisp as my old one.   Which, for emails and crunching numbers would be fine, but, sisters, cry with me:  I just got that brand new camera.  I want to cry!  I look about 2 inches shorter and about 20 pounds bigger in pictures which is insulting enough but I just LOST it all, cotton-pickin'!  Humility, Kim.  Humility.  See, and now I can hear all you so-called friends going "HAHAHA!  That's what you get for braggin' about yo' weight!"  Alas.  I eat humble pie.  Cold.

On the positive side of the new toaster laptop, it's very clean and new!  And it's much lighter than the old 17" monitor.  (Sniff.)  I am indeed thankful that I have a reliable computer to do my job with!  And I am so thankful that all of my "life" in the hard drive of the old computer was not lost or corrupted somehow.  I have all of my 3000 pictures, my blogs, my Microsoft Money, my Quickbooks for the school, my address book and all of the HUNDREDS of email addys I have in it for the prayer chain for church, and all of my documents that I have to keep for work!  THAT, my friends, is something to be thankful for!   

But someone did tell me today that my size 4 capri's were falling off me. 

And I guess if I had to choose between that and a fancy computer... well, that's a no brainer!