It Is Done

From the day we moved into this house, ten years ago, my goal for this oddly shaped little alcove in our living room has been to have a cozy little nook for reading. Reading has always been near and dear to my heart. I've never been able to comprehend not loving reading. It's escapism in it's finest form. Who could possibly not enjoy vicariously journeying with Bilbo to slay a dragon? Or win a Quidditch match with Harry, Fred and George? Or even accompany David as he brings down Goliath with a rock and God?
I've arranged and rearranged in vain. No one, including myself, has ever gone back there to read. Possibly because the quaint rocking chair I had back there was terribly uncomfortable. And before that, because you had to risk life and limb to climb into the papasan.
But now...now that I have my new chair... my goal is attained. I insisted on the chair and half and, once home, quickly came to the realization that it was THE READING CHAIR. And once I had it arranged, Maggie quickly realized the same thing. It really is the coziest little set up you ever snuggled into. I am at peace.
I love you all.

Sick Sucks

After 4 days of running a fever with no other symptoms, on Saturday evening, we took Liam to Childrens Close to Home Urgent Care. UC was a madhouse, no 2 ways about it. They were overcrowded, overworked, overwhelmed. Still, the nurse who admitted Liam really ticked my tock. She acted like I was an idiot for bringing him in with nothing but a fever. All but rolling her eyes at us, she failed to get a throat culture, despite the fact that I told her strep was epidemic at his school right now, and had us shown to a room. After seeing him and checking his throat and ears, the Dr. said he looked ok, but given the prevalence of strep coming into the office, she still wanted to get him a strep test. Thank God. Liam didn't exactly take the strep "tickle" like a champ, but he took it. After she left the room, he turned to us and said with astonishment, "She touched my uvula." It was hilarious. His strep test came back positive and he is now taking amoxicillin and on the mend.
I have been fighting a cold since around Christmas, and last night started feeling like rather than battling it back I was beginning to succumb to it, getting worse. So this morning I promptly called my drs office and got in to see the nurse practitioner. Let me just say, that at my drs office anyhow, the nurse practitioner cannot be beat. While the Dr's there are nearly impossible to get into on short notice and even more impossible to get any real attention from, NP Linda Ambrose is wonderful. She is usually easy to get in to see, and she treats me like a patient. A patient she remembers from visit to visit. She does not make me feel like a timeslot. She makes me feel like me getting better is just as important to her as it is to me. I adore her. After checking me out she diagnosed a double ear infection and possible strep. She opted not to do a strep test, I can only assume because she was prescribing antibiotics already. She also upped the dosage of my Advair and gave me a months supply of the higher dose. Just until I get well, at which point she said I can go back down to the lower dosage I was taking now. Then she got me a shot in the ass. So, Liam and I are both on the mend. And I say, being sick SUCKS!
Love you all!

Work = Lazy

As many of you already know, since last May I have been working fulltime, while Jon has held down the frontlines at home. I confess, I did not enjoy this set of circumstances. I did not like working fulltime, but more significantly, I did not like Jon doing my job at home. Doing my job, and not doing it exactly like I did it. I know, that's a whole seperate issue. However, I yesterday came to a startling realization. Working has made me LAZY!! You just don't really know how completely and utterly inactive a deskjob is until you get winded scrubbing your childrens bathroom. I don't like it. I have vowed to get back into some sort of reasonable good health. It's positively shameful that scrubbing a bathroom at 37 years of age should make one tired. I'm going to start really light...I think I will make myself spend 15-20 minutes on the treadmill after the kids leave this morning. I need to do something...before I go sit at a desk all day again today. And to all of you, try to do the same, don't let your job keep you down! Love you all!

Keys and Towels and Library Books

Can anyone tell me why boys are so cavalierly irresponsible? Anyone? Please?

My boys are driving me crazy. I'm observing a big difference between boys and girls this week and I've decided to share it and open the floor for comment.

I actually will begin with the library book. Maggie left a library book on the table when she went to school Wednesday. Being a type A personality, this untidiness was not ok with me. After she left it was dealt with swiftly. Swiftly, and apparently mindlessly. When she got home Wednesday, there was a flurry of panicked chaos. She immediately noticed it was gone and started scouring the house for it. All the while adamant that it was on the table when she left. All the while, I was adamant that it was NOT on the table after she left. She went to bed completely stressed out that night and woke the next morn still upset. Devastated that she would be awarded a dreaded "Strike" for not having her library book. It was not until I pulled her bookbag out of her locker to hand it to her on her way out the door, that I remembered putting the book in the purse she also left on the table. At which point I saved the day and handed her the library book. Her  relief was palpable. So was my guilt.

Cut to this morning. When I told Sam to make sure he had his house keys. Again, this prompted a flurry of panicked activity. Note: the panic was all on my end. Please keep in mind that I have a key rack hanging right inside the door. He flipped through his locker and meandered to his bedroom. No keys. I am a person who likes for everything to have a place. And I want those said things to be IN their places. So, while he looked for his keys, I railed. I railed about the keys, and the key rack and his need to be more responsible at 14 years of age. In the midst of my railing, I grounded him from his new Playstation 3. Initially, for the evening...but as we progressed into 10 minutes of looking and no keys, I railed " No Playstation 3 until you FIND those keys!" Thinking "That'll show him! I mean business! " He left for school, with no keys in hand. I refused to hand over mine to him. The last thing we need is for him to lose my set of keys too! So, I told him on his way out the door that I love him and he might want to grab a hat, cause it would be pretty damn cold outside when he gets home and has to wait 45 minutes for me  to arrive. After he left, I went to his room and within 5 minutes I had unearthed the keys. At which point I texted him " Found keys. They will be where I hid them before. This had better not happen again.I U" His response? Well, of course, it was "Thanks Mom, You're the greatest".
Bwaaaaaa hhhaaaa haaaaaa haaaaa.
Sike, it was actually, "am i still grounded" . To which I replied, "Yes, you still lost them. You really need to be more responsible."

 Ugh!!!

As I sent this last text, Liam screamed at me from the bathroom, "I need my towel!" I screamed back at him, "Well, then get it off the back of the door!!" Needless to say, it was not hanging on the back of the door. I had to go find it on his bedroom floor and take it to him. In hindsight, perhaps I should have made him run cold and naked to find it. Seriously, how hard is it to hang your towel back up when you're done with it? For that matter, I should have hung Sam's keys on the key rack in the house and let him freeze for three quarters of an hour.

The most frustrating part for me is their attitude. They are so unaffected. There is no emotion visible. No guilt, no remorse, nothing. Not so, Maggie. She is in a positive tissy when something of hers goes missing.

Why is that? Why is my 8 year old daughter more responsible than my 14 and 9 year old boys?? I don't understand?

I love you all!

A Second Residence

The Garrett family has a new vacation home. I know, it’s very gaudy and ostentacious of us, but there you have it. We’ve signed a six month lease on our home away from home.

Where, you ask? Why, the beach of course. Well, not really the beach. It’s more like a Great Lake. Well, not really on a Great Lake, but near a Great Lake. Ok, FINE, it’s in Buffalo, NY. Are you happy now? Have you ever been to Buffalo?

What can I say? Except possibly don’t waste your time. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are advantages to visiting Buffalo. I just haven’t come across any yet. Actually, that is totally untrue. The one advantage: PIZZA! To be fair, Buffalo is near a Great Lake….and it is winter. I’m sure it will be much more appealing in the spring.

All joking aside, we plan to make the most of our sentence. Jon’s new apartment is only like 15 minutes from Niagara Falls. That is a commendation, all on it’s own. He plans on coming home most weekends, however, we do want to spend at least one weekend a month up there with him. Seeing the sights, visiting Canada, Niagara Falls, all that good touristy stuff.

The vacation home, ahem, apartment is small. But I was able to at least make it cozy.

The kitchen leaves a bit to be desired… A bit…like a decent fridge, some cabinets that aren’t 40 years old,

and, ummm, ANY other stove/oven.

I am really digging this brick wall in the dining area though.

The bathroom is likewise old…but it does have good water pressure to commend it.

And I absolutely love this shower curtain!

The living area is ho-hum. Can’t say I care a bit for the rental furniture…but I have seen worse.

  So, the kids and I went up with Jon on Monday, so he could get everything up there without renting a truck and because I needed to nest.

Add my little touches…

If you wanna check out Buffalo, and you aren’t afraid of a little snow, well, ok, a whole helluva lotta snow, come on up and pay a visit!

Love you all!

Buffalo or Bust

We have spent this second day of 2011 packing. Tomorrow, we move Jon to his apartment in Buffalo, NY. None of us is in the least bit enthusiastic about it. Well, the Buffalo part anyhow. The kids are keen on the fact that they will not be going back to school Tuesday with the rest of their classmates. They will return to school on Wednesday. We are driving up with Jon tomorrow. For several reasons. The least of which is that he cannot fit everything he needs to take in his Corolla.
The most important reason we will accompany him is because I feel a very strong urge to nest for him. I have thought about just sending him up on his own, and I can't do it. I have to go...clean, decorate, make it at least comfortable. I know he's not going to be happy there, but what kind of wife would I be if I didn't try to make it a home for him? So, I've spent a bunch of money on things like matching bathroom decorations when according to my brother, Bobby, all he really needs is a big tv, his Xbox 360 and beer. We ladies do what we can.
Last week, when we accompanied him up to sign for his apartment, we kenneled the dogs. That was distressing for us all. I worried about them constantly while we were gone. Then when we got back they were starving, exhausted and both of them puked for 2 days. So I think they picked up a bug there. Thank God, this evening, Krisi (my future sister-in-law, I HOPE) called and offered to keep Jet. That was such a HUGE load off my mind. I will feel easier leaving him in a home, with people I know will take good care of him. Plus, an added bonus, I think Jet will have a blast with Corn (my brothers dog). So, THANK YOU and God Bless You Krisi and Bobby!! Marley, we are going to take with us. I have a fair amount of confidence she can be snuck into the apartment with ease! ;)
So, we are driving up tomorrow and the kids and I will head back Tuesday. With Jon being in Buffalo, I will be going back to working part time. Which I must confess, is the one part of all this mess that makes me happy. I will be working 10am-3pm four days a week. Taking one day a week to be home with no kids, so I can get stuff done here. Jon plans on coming home every weekend possible. So, we are praying for little snowfall. The snow will likely be our biggest enemy this winter. I will keep you posted as we progress. Love you all!