Strike!!

One of the fun things about being in year round school is that the rec centers in our area have lots of fun programs available during off track times. While they were off track in September, Daniel decided he wanted to try bowling. So he went to the bowling alley twice a week and learned how to bowl. His scores were better than mine have ever been (not hard when I average forty and Daniel had bumpers up, but still) and he had a really great time. On the last day of lessons, they had a contest and the winner from each lane got a trophy. Daniel was thrilled to death with his bowling pin!

Soccer Mom

Nathan has been playing soccer this summer and fall and after a couple of months, he is starting to get the hang of things. He is a lot less aggressive than some of the other kids, which means he prefers defensive positions. But he'll stand back, guard the box, and be ready to stop the ball when it comes his way. Here he is doing his stuff (look closely and you'll see that he has a tendency to stick his tongue out when he is concentrating).




On of the fun things about doing rec sports is that every kid gets a trophy at the end. As always, Nathan felt like a winner!

Two Out Of Three

This afternoon I picked Daniel and Nathan up at school so we could get Nathan to his appointment with the eye doctor. He was very excited about this appointment because he knew that if everything was going well, he would only have to wear his patch for one hour each day. We had plenty of time and arrived about ten minutes before his appointment. We walked into the building and Matthew took off running to see the fountain in the foyer because, let's face it, who doesn't love a fountain? This particular fountain is surrounded by a glass wall that is about waist high and is anchored into the floor with (for lack of a more appropriate word) a little metal curb with a rounded edge. Unfortunately, Matthew tripped and the force of his running and his full body weight was transferred to his head smacking into the metal curb. I was right behind him and picked him up just as he started crying. Now I can do blood and I can do cuts, all with a minimal amount of panicking. But when I rolled him over he hadn't started to bleed yet and what I saw was a gash and a dent in his head and bone. A dent in his head and bone! And I freaked out a little bit. To my credit, I don't know a mom alive that wouldn't have a bit of a panic attack upon seeing her child's skull minus its nice flesh covering. Luckily for me, all the folks at the doctor's office kept their cool, slapped some gauze and medical tape on Matthew, and sent us to the emergency room. As we headed back to the car, Nathan started crying but I don't know if it was because Matthew was hurt, I was freaking out, or because he didn't get to have his appointment with the eye doctor. Poor kid.

When we arrived, me carrying a bleeding toddler, I was told that the other boys weren't allowed in because of flu precautions. I assumed they meant into the examining and treatment rooms and told them my husband was on the way. Half an hour later, Kev arrived just in time for them to take Matthew and I into the back. Poor Matthew was pretty much freaking out. He was bleeding, hurt, scared and sans blankie. Even still, he managed to charm everyone into giving him stickers, crayons, more stickers, crackers, etc. He was a real trooper. Later on, Kev came back and told me that as soon as Matthew was taken back, he and the boys were kicked out . . . as in outside. Apparently, when I was told that the older boys weren't allowed in, they meant anywhere in the building. The only reason they let them in when I arrived was because I was the only adult with them. So I know the swine flu is super contagious and all that, but seriously! Have a bit of compassion for the families of the injured! And none of us are even sick! Anyway, back to the story. So Kev took the big boys home while Matthew got stitched up. The doctor called the dent "dimpling" and told us you usually see that with an injury that is associated with great force. Ummm, yeah. Twenty-eight pounds of toddler running at the speed of light. That's force for you. Anyway, he said as Matthew grows it should become less noticeable. It will be interesting to see just how noticeable it is when he heals up. Ten stitches later (two underneath and eight on the top), he was good and ready to get out of there and nearly flew out the door.

This evening Kev commented that he was surprised that there isn't more of a welt on Matthew's head. My opinion? I think the effects of the swelling are canceled out by the dent in his head.

So yep. That's two out of three boys that have had stitches on their foreheads. At least Daniel's weren't right between his eyes. And hopefully Nathan won't feel left out and have an undeniable to need to join the club anytime soon.

Trypanophobia Free

Today was Matthew's yearly blood draw to do his allergy testing and as usual, he charmed everyone and then amazed the nurses with his willingness to cooperate. He didn't cry, scream, or fight. He whimpered once when the needle went in and that was it. He did so great that he got a treat afterward. I guess it is a good thing he doesn't freak out over such things because he is likely to have a lot of it to deal with in his lifetime.

The (Bottled) Fruits Of Our Labors

Kev remembers many, many October conference weekends as a child (and a teenager, and as an adult) spent making applesauce. This weekend we upheld the family name and made our sauce. It was a family activity and the boys were all so anxious to help crank the strainer that Kev had to devise a rotating system so that everyone had an equal amount of cranking time. I think the applesauce tasted sweeter than usual to them because they made it.

The Greatest Show On Earth!

The last time I remember going to the circus was somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty years ago. I still remember my parents giving me and all of my siblings a choice to see either the circus or “Saturday’s Warrior.” I was still young enough that the circus was still way more cool that a musical. I don't remember many details from that particular circus, but I do remember that it was fun. I especially loved the trapeze artists.

Last night we took the boys to their very first circus. They were terribly eager to go. Daniel and Nathan were so excited that when I told them everyone was going to take a rest in the afternoon since we would be staying up late, neither one complained. Matthew was so excited that the only way I could get him to take a rest in the afternoon was to tell him that the elephants were resting to so they would be ready for us. Unfortunately, the same tactic didn’t help at dinner time and Matthew ate about two bites and then got down and proceeded to prance around and around the table. So I packed fruit snacks and granola bars into my purse knowing I would need to feed him once we got there.

This picture pretty well sums up how the boys felt about the circus:



Daniel kept exclaiming, "How do they DO that?!!" Matthew was leaning so far over the railing that I was afraid he was going to launch himself onto the arena floor. And Nathan was so transfixed that he was oblivious to everything else. The only downer for the evening was when we got out of the car and Nathan turned to us, looking all confused, and asked where the big top was. Then we had to explain that they don't actually use the big tent anymore. Besides that, they really enjoyed themselves.

Daniel’s favorite part was “The dog that jump roped on two legs!” Nathan loved “The whole thing! Especially the magic!” And Matthew’s favorite part was “Ephants! More ephants!! More ephants!!!” There were eleven elephants. He has never seen that many in one place before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many in one place before.

One nice discovery was that in the nearly three decades since I last saw the circus, they have eliminated the peanuts. When I was a kid you could still buy a paper bag full of roasted peanuts. They fed peanuts to the elephants. Peanuts, peanuts everywhere. That is gone now and as the mother of a kid with a peanut allergy, I was somewhat relieved. It meant Matthew could have the whole circus experience without me being a total spaz case about it. In fact, I was nearly as mesmerized as the kids. I guess the circus really is for kids of all ages.

Bliss

An hour in the tub with peace and quiet, bubbles and a book. Ahhh!

I Am The Champion!

Let me begin by showing you what the shower in my wonderful red bathroom looked like when we bought our house.

Gross, huh? Of course I cleaned the thing before we moved in, but in spite of the fact that it was germ free, the hard water marks seemed a permanent fixture. You couldn't even see through the glass. And no, it is not frosted glass. So I scrubbed. And I scrubbed. And then I scrubbed some more. I used every cleaner I could think of. I tried Soft Scrub, Tilex, Lime-A-Way, Scrub Free, Kaboom, baking soda, vinegar, baking soda and vinegar . . . nothing was even making a dent in the nastiness. So finally, in my desperation, I turned to the internet for ideas. Most of what I found raved about the charms of all the many things I had already tried. But after sifting through about fifteen message boards dedicated to the topic of cleaning glass showers, I happened upon a small miracle cure for hard water deposits. The solution? Glass stovetop cleaner and delicate duty scotchbrite pads. On the chat board where I read about the stove cleaner, one lady commented that she attached her scotebrite pads to her rotating sander and went to town. At first I thought that was a bit of overkill but many, many arm aching hours later I must admit that if I had a rotating sander it definitely would have been called into active bathroom duty. Nevertheless, after many months of weekly (if not daily) assaults on the thing, I have finally emerged from the bathroom, tired but victorious. Here's the proof:

There is still some work to be done on the grout in the floor and the aluminum frame, but that is nothing compared to what I had to deal with on the glass. So now, I intend to sit back and admire my work from the supreme comfort of my bubble bath. And for those who may be wondering, I did in fact buy a squeegee. One minute a day of squeegeeing the glass is a small price to pay if I never, ever have to scrub it again.