August 31, 2012

Outside Temp: 73 F (it wasn't too hot today, although I was in an air conditioned car for a large part of it, so I'm not a good judge.)

What I cooked today:
Fish:  see below.

Update:

Patrick, Connor and Grandpa went fishing today in Geyser.

Patrick got his fishing license about 5 months ago, and he had yet to use it.  So, he decided today to finally go fishing.  He and Grandpa went into Geyser, to make sure the fishing hole was a good one.  They had already caught a few fish when school got out and Connor could join them. 

Connor immediately caught a fish, and just kept going!  By the end, they had a total of 9 fish (the limit is 5 per person).

Of course, I was requested to do the filleting, which was kind of not fair. Especially since I can't remember if I have ever filleted a fish before.  And it didn't help that some of the fish were still alive.  I've requested that next time, they just cut off the heads before I get them, so I don't have to see their mouths opening and closing while I cut into them.  So, not cool.

After I had filleted these fish, I was informed that we then needed to skin them, as the skin made it taste bad.  Oh come on!  So, Grandma was kind enough to help (she was actually much better than I was) and we had all the fish filleted and skinned. 

Then we dredged in milk, eggs and flour and fried them up.  With 9 fish, we had 18 fillets, which seemed like a lot.  Amazingly, both Allen and Connor had multiple helpings and all 18 pieces were eaten up!  Wow, I was really not expecting that one. 

Katie was thrilled, since the entire meal for all 8 of us only cost the price of the rice, cauliflower and milk.  (the eggs were ours).  Woo hoo!

I guess I'll let them bring home fish again, but boy was the preparing them a lot of work.  I think I'll make Patrick do it next time!

August 30, 2012

Outside Temp: 58 F (It was only in the mid-80's today, which I can totally handle.)

What I cooked today:
Frozen Pizza: Just in case I forgot, I felt it necessary to remind my family how totally awesome it is when I cook a real meal.  So, I subjected them to really nasty frozen pizza.  Oh my goodness, is there anything worse?  They didn't even finish it, for which I can't blame them.  I think I'll spoil them with real food tomorrow, if they behave.

Update:
Ryan took the bus to school today with no problems!  Woo hoo!  That will be a big benefit to me, especially when the snows hit.  Allen said that as long as he had the tablet, he could play games and he stayed in his seat and behaved.

I worked for my second day of training at the post office this morning.  I still have 2 full days of on-the-job training to go, but I think I'll be okay.  It's not rocket science.

Allen has his first Football game on Saturday, which means that he gets to wear his 'game day' jersey to school tomorrow.  He doesn't really understand the 'big deal' about football, but he's willing to go with it.  He got number 62, which I'm sure the coach picked for a reason.  Of course, I don't know enough about football to guess which player he was thinking about, but it's kind of exciting just the same.

Right now, I think I'm ready for Friday.  I'm tired, and I really don't want to get up at 6:45 tomorrow morning and start all over again.  I don't know how normal people do this every stinking day.

August 29, 2012

Outside Temp: 51 F (it was only 82 today... woo hoo!  Very smoky and a little windy)

What I cooked today:
Pork Roast: I picked up a 'picnic pork roast' at Smiths this week, not really sure what to do with it.  I tossed it into the crock pot with a little water (to keep it moist) and some onions and garlic.  The smell was great.  But the roast was really bland.  I think I used too much water and while the 'drippings' smelled great, it was almost like stock, where all the flavor is in the broth and none in the meat.  Oh well, it still got eaten, and now I know what not to do!

Update:
Ryan's first day of school was great!  I wasn't sure how he would hold up, since he has never gone to school for 3 straight hours.  And, since he was in the hospital yesterday, I was afraid that he would be tired and cranky. 

I think he had his moments of 'I'm tired' or 'I don't wanna do anything', but I only heard good reports from the teachers (would they really tell me if he was terrible?).  We got up at 7am, which is about 4 hours from his normal wake up time.  We gave him his antibiotic and flushed off his line and wrapped up his arm in an ACE bandage.  He seemed to leave his arm alone all day, which was great.  It was really my biggest concern, that he would pull at the dressing or something like that.  But, when I picked him up at 11am, he still had the bandage on, as though he'd not given it a second thought.

We are going to try the bus tomorrow.  I'm not sure what to expect, but if it works out badly, I can always drive him in.  But, I think with 3 siblings to keep him in line, he should be fine.  And it will save me from sitting around for 3 hours, waiting for him to get out of school.

We are considering pushing Connor up to 7th grade.  He's already taking 2 classes with the 7th graders (math and English), and it's kind of like switching between both worlds.  He's missing things in his 6th grade class when he's in his other classes.  I'm not sure why I'm hesitant.  Probably because I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.  I know that he can handle the work.  He already knows all the kids.  Of course, it will mean that he's 16 when he's a Senior in high school, but that's 5 years away, so why am I worried about that?

I've given us until Sunday night to make a decision.  I've already talked to his teachers and the superintendent.  Now, we just have to make a decision.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'm more than open to them.

August 28, 2012

Outside Temp: 68 F (it was 98 degrees today, which, as you know, sucks.  It finally started cooling down, so I'm currently praying for a cooler day tomorrow... please, less than 90.)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Corn: I got some corn on sale today, and I tend to buy things, and then forget to use them.  So, I made a point of using the corn, which was really good.  Even Ryan ate an entire piece!  Woo hoo!

Update:

RYAN IS HOME!!!!

Our hospital stay came to an end today, woo hoo!  The docs decided that he looked good, if anything changes, call us, otherwise, go home and live your life.  I love our doctors!

So, tomorrow, I'll be bringing him into school for his first day of 1st grade!  I think I might be more excited than he is, although he didn't fight me tonight.

"We have to go to bed.  Do you know why?"

"Because I get to go to school tomorrow."

Hehehe.  I love it. 

We took Allen into Stanford to get his hair cut after practice this evening.  He wanted it buzzed off, but we cut off a little less than that.  Grandma really doesn't like his hair buzzed off.  So, I asked our (totally awesome) barber to cut it short, but not too short.  It's a little buzzed on the back and sides, but still has a little bit on top.  I think it looks great, but Grandma has yet to see it.  The best news is that it won't drip sweat into his eyes during practice!

After the barber, we went to the Athletic Booster Club meeting at Geyser.  And, wouldn't you know it, they were picking people for the officer position.  And, apparently, no one really wants the job of president, since that person needs to assign workers for concession, and has to call people and be nice.  So, wouldn't you know it, I somehow volunteered.  Hmmm, I'm not sure what I just got myself into, but I hope it will be fun.  Kind of like the post office, it will give me a chance to get to meet new people!

The only problem is that it got us home around 8:30, and Allen actually has homework.  Which he is currently working on. I hope this 'doing homework at 10pm' thing doesn't become a habit.

August 27, 2012

Outside Temp: 69 F (it's finally cooling off... it was 95 today, and there is very little wind.  Teasing us with thunder and lightening, but no rain.)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and homemade Macaroni and Cheese: I figured after Allen's day of football practice, he needed some carbs.  He ate 3 helpings of macs and cheese, so I guess I was right.

Update:
Ryan Day 10 in the hospital:

Ryan is actually doing really well.  He called me to let me know he got his NG tube removed from his nose.  He was so excited!  Of course, he got a bloody nose right after, but what do you expect.  He had a little bit to eat for each of his meals, and he is doing great.  I'm not going to mention the option of release, but it's a topic that's being passed around.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Allen had his first day of 'full contact' football practice.  He was a little embarrassed when he was tossed over one of the kids shoulders, on to his back. But, he learned.  When you tackle, go low.  Don't go high.  His coach said he is not bad, just in-experienced.  So, he has potential.  Of course, he complained about his body hurting, a little bruised up, but he still sounded like he had a good time and can't wait to learn more tomorrow.

Both Katie and Connor took Reading and AR tests today.  As I should have expected, Katie surpassed her AR goal with 2 quizzes... in the first week of school.  Uhhh, I guess we need to set her goal a little higher!  Connor tested in the 11th grade for reading.  Now, I don't place much stock in standardized tests, but I couldn't help but be a little proud of them both!

Allen is learning how to be organized.  It's actually quite convenient.  He has 3 high school classes this semester, so he is expected to perform at a high school level.  That means actually having homework and being expected to have it completed.  So, he's learning to be organized.  He has his planner, and he's trying to keep track of his classes.  It's a little new, and he's stumbling a little, but I think it will work out for the best.  By the end of this year, he will be so organized, that it won't be a shock when he goes in to High School for real. 

August 26, 2012

Outside Temp: 62F (it wasn't too hot today, high of 84 and it was 42 last night... hehehe, Patrick had to turn on the mattress heater... )

What I cooked today:
Nothing, but I'm home now, so I might cook tomorrow...

Update:
Ryan Day 9 in the hospital:

So, it seems that Ryan's intestines are working again.  As typical, it all worked itself out.  He still has his NG tube in, but we clamped it today, and had no problems.  We even let him drink some ice tea and eat some orange sherbet, and he did fine. 

Grandma was kind enough to come switch with me, so I could come home and get the kids ready for school tomorrow morning.  He will probably be in for a few more days, while they watch him to make sure the intestines are working correctly, etc. 

The good news is that he's handling his 'incarceration' fine.  He's watching TV, movies, playing game and just running around his room.  He would really like to come home and run around the house, but we're grateful for what we have.

August 25, 2012

Outside Temp: Not sure... not too hot.  Nice.

What I cooked today:
Nothing...

Update:
Ryan Day 8 in the hospital

If you neglect to take into account the fact that we are still in the hospital, and that he has an NG tube down his nose, and he can't eat, he's doing fine.  He has no fevers or pain, and we're just bored and hungry.

The good news is that he does NOT have C-Diff, which is a bug you can get when you have too many antibiotics.  The bad news is that he doesn't have c-diff, so we can't treat his problem with antibiotics.

His doctor decided to get a CT scan of his belly today, to make sure there were no major problems (like an obstructed bowel, which would totally suck).  He looks good, with the exception of his spleen, which is enlarged.  If I understand the physiology correctly, the spleen can get enlarged when you have an infection, because of the increased production of red blood cells.

One theory we have right now is that perhaps the spleen, being enlarged, is pushing on the intestine or stomach and causing a slight obstruction.  He is still going to the bathroom, so we know that he's not totally obstructed.  But, he did have a lot of green colored stomach acid and bile out of his NG tube today, so we know that the GI tract is not moving at it's normal rate. 

The good news is that the color turned more yellow today, which means less bile, which means that bile is going down instead of into his stomach.  So, the plan now is to keep him hooked up to suction on his NG tube for the night, and then try clamping the NG tube for periods of time tomorrow, to see if he can handle it. 

It's also good news that his electrolytes and the rest of his labs are stable.  He has no fevers and he's feeling good.  Amazingly, he's keeping his NG tube in his nose, which we were pretty sure he would pull out as soon as he got the chance.

August 24, 2012

Outside Temp: Not sure... probably in the 50's (it was cooler today, in the 70's, with lots and lots of wind!)

What I cooked today:
Chicken Noodle Soup:  Patrick has been asking for soup, but since it's been so hot, I've continually veto'd his desire for soup.  Well, today was cooler, and with the lack of protein in the house (I really need to get more ground beef and chicken, but I've been otherwise occupied), I figured this was a good way to make 9.5 ounces of chicken go into an entire meal.  So, I used some of my homemade stock and whipped up some soup.  The only problem is that we finished off the pot quickly and Patrick wanted more.  Oh well, he'll have to wait for next time!

Update:
Ryan Hospital, Day 7

So, we all know by now that we don't do plans.  We don't even try to do plans.  Yet, somehow, we conveniently forget that we don't do plans. 

I made the mistake of saying that we were going home today.  We even got so far as getting the antibiotics and TPN for home mixed up and ready for us to pick up.  But, Ryan had other plans.

Around 1pm (about an hour from when we were supposed to go home), Ryan decided to start throwing up.  And, throwing up, for a kid with a small bowel and liver transplant is not a good thing.  The doctors decided to keep us a little longer.  We did XRays, and found that there was a lot of air in his bowels.  And, what he was throwing up was green, which is a bad color.  (Normally, bile is produced but goes down the GI tract and out.  Bile is green.  If there is bile in your stomach and you are throwing it up, it means things are not going through your GI tract the way they are supposed to.  This is a bad thing).

So, the doctors decided to put an NG (nasal-gastric, goes from your nose down into your stomach) tube in, which, as you can imagine, Ryan didn't really like.  I mean, lets face it, no one likes getting a tube shoved up your nose and pushed down into your stomach.  It immediately drained out a lot of green stomach juices, which is not good.  The good part is that with an NG tube in, he doesn't have to throw up, and burn his throat and esophagus. 

This evening, Patrick and I were discussing options, and we think he may have developed C-Diff, which is a bug you can get if you are on too many antibiotics.  The GI tract has lots of good bacteria growing.  If the good bacteria get killed off, by using antibiotics, the c-diff bacteria can grown really strong and cause problems.  Common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping.  Essentially, your GI tract shuts down. 

So, we had the doctors order culture to see if it's c-diff.  If it is, we can treat it relatively easily with a different antibiotic (I know, sounds a little crazy), and he should get better quickly.  Until then, he really hates having the NG tube in his nose, and he really would have liked to go home. 

I decided to switch with Grandma, so she could get a good night's sleep.  Ryan's sleeping pattern is totally messed up, and she didn't get much sleep last night.  Of course, this is not exactly how I planned on spending this weekend, but, as I mentioned before, Ryan doesn't do plans.  I know better than that.

So, now we are just waiting for the cultures to come back, and keeping an eye on his NG tube (both what comes out of it, and making sure it stays in place and he doesn't feel the need to remove it).  Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day!

August 23, 2012

Outside Temp:57 F (high of 87 today... which is at least 3 degrees cooler than 90, which is really cool!)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: I think I'm going to be exciting tomorrow and do something in the crock pot.  But, until then, by the time I got back from picking up the kids at practice, and chatting with my mom, it was time for bed.  Okay, not really, but I had to do something quick.  Old standby... here we come.

Update:
So, you all know how much I really hate the heat, right?  I only complain about it every time it's over 75 degrees.  But, one thing that makes it so nice up here is that it cools off at night. 

Yesterday, it was warm, not boiling hot, but warm, in the 80's.  So, as usual, as soon as the outside temperature is below the inside temperature, I open up all the windows.  It lets the breeze flow through the house, cleaning out all the teenage boy smell, and cools it down.

Well, last night was no exception.  As the kids climbed into bed at 9pm, I went around the house, opening up windows everywhere I went.  Connor was the only smart one, who requested that the back door, leading to the outside, be kept closed, to keep bugs out.  Smart kid.

When I climbed into bed around 11pm, I realized it was a little chilly, but not bad.  So, I threw an extra blanket on Katie, put an extra comforter on my bed, and went to sleep, thinking nothing of the open windows throughout the house.

Sometime in the night, I was awakened by a sound of a machine turning on, but in my sleepy haze, I wrote it off to the defrost cycle of the refrigerator, and went back to sleep.  This morning, I figured out what the sound actually was.

It was the propane heater turning on, which only happens when the inside temperature of house gets below 55F.  Ooops. 

It was 42 degrees outside this morning when we woke up, with most of the windows opened, it was just over 50 in the house.  Oh, boy, did I hear it from my kids.  The second day of school, and it was a fight to get them out of the their nice cozy blankets.  Allen even said he had a dream of being stuck in a freezing school bus, as it plunged into an icy lake. 

Perhaps, tomorrow, we'll sleep with the windows closed.

Ryan is doing great.  His doctors have already talked about going 'H', although we don't actually say it out loud (something about testing fate).  Grandma was awesome and took over watching him, so Patrick could get some work done.  We will have 2 weeks with his PICC line, which is annoying, but not awful.  I'm sure we'll survive.

I went into town today, to pick up football supplies for Allen.  Who knew there were 'football supplies'.  So, we needed first a mouth guard and a cup, obviously.  Then, we realized last night, that his helmet and pads don't fit into the NIKE bag that we had lying around, so we needed a new bag, that would be big enough to hold all his crap.  Then, Allen informed me that there were these awesome spandex shirts with padding built in, that protect your ribs from opposing helmets.  I tried not to think about other people's heads going into the rib cage of my oldest child, but in the event that it occurs, I liked the idea that he would be slightly protected.  I hope that will be $50 well spent. 

Of course, as luck would have it, mouth guards need to be 'fitted', which means they get heated up in boiling water, and then molded to the mouth.  All of which could not occur during the 3 minutes between the time he got his stuff and the time he had to be on the bus.  So, he didn't have a mouth guard.  And, as luck would have it, he managed to drop his new, un-fitted mouth guard in the field somewhere, and it didn't make it home.  Which means that he will have a third day with no mouth guard.  I'm just hoping that he can find it and I won't have to buy another one!

And, Katie will need her 'Volleyball supplies'.  Oh joy.  At least she's easier... she just needs knee pads, I think.  We'll see tomorrow if there are more things we need.  This sport thing is kind of expensive!

August 22, 2012

Outside Temp: 56 F (It was only 84 here today, although it was in the 90's in Great Falls...I'm hoping that it stays this way, or gets cooler... I really don't like the 90's)

What I cooked today:
Chinese Chicken: I actually cooked today!  In my own kitchen!  Woo hoo!  After the extremely busy day today, I made of point of making dinner.  Of course, I was too lazy to make fried rice to go with it, but that's okay... They still ate it all!

Update:
Ryan Day 5 in the hospital, and First Day of School!

The first day of school was awesome!  Each of the kids had something exciting to say, and there were no negatives, which is just unheard of around here!  Allen went off to football practice and Katie went off to Volleyball practice (I didn't see that one coming), which Connor decided he really wasn't the football kind of kid, and that's okay.  Allen said he really liked football and he was really happy to find that he could actually run (so I guess last year's Track and Field really paid off).  Katie was a little concerned, since she didn't really know how to play volleyball, but she's willing to keep going for the season. 

We didn't get to start our online Web Design class today, since the kids aren't registered yet, so instead it was more of a 'sit around and chat' day, which is fine.  I think I'm going to come up with a few things to show them for the rest of the week, since they may not be able to start their official class for another week or two. 

Connor is taking 2 classes with the Junior High class, even though he's in 6th grade, so I was a little concerned.  I shouldn't have worried.  He said the classes were great and he didn't have a problem at all.  At the same time, Allen is taking 3 High School classes (he's in 8th this year) and he said they were no problem and he was really excited about his world history class.  I just hope their enthusiasm sticks around after the first week.

As for Ryan, he got his PICC line placed today!  The first doctor who tried to place it, had problems and said it kept rolling (which happens when your veins are too thin and curvy), but the second doctor went in and got it on the first try.  A PICC line goes from the inside of your elbow, up your arm, and then drops down into the heart (just like a central line).  The annoyance is that it's in your arm, not your chest.  But he seems to handle it just fine.

The doctors had to laugh, because he used an amazing amount of medication to keep him sedated through the procedure.  They thought they had him down, and when the nurse touched his arm, he reached up and hit her.  Nope... not down yet.  The next time they thought he was down, they tried to put the nasal cannula on him (the little tubes that go on your nose to help you breathe).  He opened his eye and started moving around.  Nope... still not down yet.  They ended up having to get a second bag of the medication, just to get him sedated enough that they could start working on him!  He has an amazing tolerance for drugs. 

When he woke up from the sedation, he immediately reached for his chest, and looked up and asked, "Where's my line?".  He obviously thought they were placing another central line.  It was explained that his line was now on his arm.  "Okay." he said, and accepted it just fine.  When I asked him later, "Where is your line?", he looked down at his arm and said, "Right here."  Duh, silly mom.

The infection in his blood seems to be under control (i.e. gone), but they are still a little worried about the staph infection on his skin.  They are keeping a close eye on any rash on his body, and they are using a topical antibiotic to make sure there is no lingering staph infection anywhere.   We will probably keep him in at least a few more days, just to be on the safe side.  And, while isn't obnoxiously inconvenient, it's also worth it to make sure we are good and healthy before we come home.  We are also on antibiotics every 6 hours, which will be a little bit of a pain when we do get home, so every day we stay in the hospital is one more day I don't have to do 4 IV antibiotics a day at home. 

He's feeling fine, sitting up in bed and playing his XBox games.  I guess it's a good thing that he doesn't know that he missed the first day of fun games at school! 

August 21, 2012

Outside Temp: 64 F (high of 93 today... supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow...)

What I cooked today:
Forget it, I should just accept that I'm never cooking again.

Update:
Ryan Day 4 in the hospital:

How is it possible that it's only 4 days into this admission?  It seems like we have been there for weeks!

So, last night, after we pulled his line, we put in a little IV.  And, we know Ryan well enough that we weren't surprised that his IV blew this afternoon.  We called our (totally awesome) doctor at home, and he came in to put in a new IV (he used to be a EMT, so he's actually the best person to put an IV in Ryan). 

We are scheduled to attempt a PICC line tomorrow afternoon.  The interventional radiologist came in today and ultrasounded (is that a verb?) his arm, to make sure that he could get it PICC line in.  He's pretty confident, so we'll see how things go tomorrow.

Also, of course, tomorrow is the first day of school!  Woo hoo!  So, tonight, after I got home from the hospital, saw me sitting on my floor, sorting through back to school supplies.  I've been gathering supplies for the last 4-5 weeks, checking the sales and my list, to make sure we had everything.  I missed getting 3 prong folders, instead of just pocket folders, and I still need to get post-it notes (they were NEVER on sale!), but, considering I have 4 kids, and the excitement of the last few days, I think I did pretty good.  So, there is now 5 packed backpacks, one for Katie, Connor and Allen (Ryan doesn't need his yet), and a gym bag for Allen and a gym bag for Katie and Connor (they are in the same class, so it's just easier to pack one bag, especially since I don't have 6 backpacks). 

The bus will be here at 7:20, which means I have to actually get everyone up and dress at the inhumane hour of 6:45-7:00.  Ugh.  Of course, I can go back to sleep, since I don't need to be there until the afternoon for our Web Design class.  Hehehe, does that make me a bad mom?

August 20, 2012

Outside Temp: 64 F (it was 91 today, which is still annoying, but at least it wasn't mid-90s... every little degree counts)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: I cooked, albeit not really exciting.  I couldn't really justify making something significant when it was just me and the kids (Patrick is at the hospital with Ryan).  And, we were out of cheese, which made for some really dry burgers.  But, it was food, and I cooked, and that's all that matters.

Update:
Ryan Day 3 in the hospital.

So, the lesson learned from today's excitement is that a Staph infection sucks.  Not to say that other infections don't suck, they do.  But a staph infection really sucks.

We made the executive decision, after consulting with Seattle, to pull his line out today.  A staph infection is nasty, and it was not only in the blood, but it was on the skin next to the line.  And it would be easy for the infection to attach to the tip of the line, or to travel down the line and lead to an infection in the heart.  And infections in the heart really, really suck.

So, since we've been having trouble with the line anyway, we decided to pull it out.  It was actually kind of terrifying how easily it pulled out.  We snipped the little stitch that our doctor put in last week, and it just slid right out.  They aren't supposed to come out that easily.

We have added another antibiotic, which should help to kill off the bug faster.  Ryan's fever has come down (although it spiked a little when we pulled the line, which is not surprising), but he's still really tired and doesn't have much energy. 

The plan (as of now, since we know how plans work around here), is to place a PICC line (which is an IV that is threaded up the arm, not as permanent as a central line, but it will work for a few weeks).  However, we can't place a line if we feel the infection is still active.  The docs will decide tomorrow if they want to wait a few more days.  Although there is a catch-22, in that the longer we wait, the longer we have sub-nutrition, which can cause a whole mess of problems.  But, if we place the PICC line too soon, we can get it infected, which would suck.  It's all a balancing act.

We are scheduled to go out to Seattle in mid-September, so the plan is to place a new central line when we go out there.  It's a relatively easy procedure, and it shouldn't require us to stay too long (only a day or 2).  Of course, that's assuming that we get a PICC line in, and we don't have any problems with it between now and then.  And, you all know how assuming works.

On the good side, the school board approved our plan to mentor the On-Line Web Design class for the high school this semester.  Patrick and I will both be mentoring the class, so we can switch off as other requirements come up (you know, like actual work).  I'm actually pretty excited, since I think that it's a great skill to have, and I hope the kids like it.  It's a college course, online, but they needed a warm body in the room, to help if the students have questions.  I think Patrick really wanted to do it just for the fast Internet. 

August 19, 2012

Outside Temp: 61 F (It was still hot today, although I was inside an air conditioned hospital most of the day, so I didn't really care.)

What I cooked today:
Still nothing.  I think I may have forgotten how to cook.

Update:
Day 2 in the hospital:
Ryan is doing much better, as of right now (10:27 pm).  It was a very long, interesting day.

So, overnight, he continued to have fevers, although they weren't too high (in the mid 103's).  Then, around 10-11pm, he started throwing up.  Which was okay for the first few hours, but once his tummy was empty, then he started with the dry heaving.  Ugh, is there anything worse?  Of course, for Ryan, he has a problem with varicies in his esophagus (veins in the throat), which, when put under stress (such as dry heaving), have a tendency to rupture and bleed.  So, around 5am, he threw up a bunch of blood.  Lovely.

Fortunately, it only happened the once, and the doctors immediately changed his anti-nausea medicine to something stronger.  We checked his labs and his blood numbers were fine, and there was no bleeding anywhere else, so we're crossing our fingers that it was just a one time thing.

His blood cultures came back with a Staph Aureus (which is similar to staph epi, which is the skin contaminate that sometimes shows up).  It's usually associated with surgical wounds, and wouldn't you know it, we have a surgical wound that is having trouble.  Hmm, I think there might be a relation there. 

Of course, Staph Aureus is a gram-positive bug, and we usually get gram-negative bugs, so the antibiotics that we started yesterday were pretty much useless.  We switched him to the right antibiotic this afternoon, and he's feeling much better.

I feel much better as well, now that we know what the problem is, and he's being treated accordingly.  It was kind of hard last night, knowing that he'd had a few doses of antibiotics, and he was not getting any better.  We also know that it's due to the problems that we are having with his new line, not something that Patrick or I did wrong with his TPN or accessing his line (that's always a concern, with the 'could I have caused this?  or could I have done something different?' questions). 

Patrick switched with me this afternoon, so that I could not only get a night's rest at home, but I could go to the school board meeting tomorrow night, and also head over to the school tomorrow to check up on our web design class.  School starts in 3 days, and I'm actually getting kind of excited.

Of course, on the way home, it was dark and I was very cautious, looking out for deer ( I did see 2 deer in the ditch next to the road, but fortunately, none of them felt it necessary to run out into the road and get hit).  But, while driving up to the grandparent's house to get Katie and Connor, I did manage to hit a porcupine.  This thing was huge!  I guess I imagined that a porcupine would be about the size of a cat, but this was the size of medium sized dog.  Of course, he was just meandering across the road, like he had nothing else going on.  And, of course, I was going about 35-40, on the dirt road, which means that I couldn't really stop.  I slowed down a bit, and he went under the car.  I guess I managed to have the tires miss him, since I didn't hear a dreaded 'thump, thump' of him going under my tires. 

I immediately turned around (it's a narrow road, so it took about 5 3-point turns to get turned around), and I just caught him wandering off into the grass on the side of the road.  I guess even getting hit didn't phase him.  I did see where he went under my car, because there was a small patch of quills on the road.  I was just grateful there was no blood!

August 18, 2012

Outside Temp: Not sure... but it was in the 80's, maybe even the 90's today... ugh.

What I cooked today:
Nothing... not by choice...

Update:
Well, today was a very interesting day.

I started the day at 7am, for my first day of "On the Job" training at the post office.  It's amazing how much I really learned over the last few days of in-class training.  And, it's amazing how being in the office cements that knowledge.  I had a great time with my postmaster and I don't think I mess up, which is always a good thing.

As I may have mentioned, the house that we are renting is up for sale.  So, last night, the Realtor called us and asked if she could show the house today.  That meant that we had to get the house somewhat picked up before they arrived.  Since I was working, that job fell to someone else.

Patrick was helping his dad build the greenhouse, and Allen was helping them  So, Grandma picked up the slack and, with the help of Katie and Connor, got the house as 'show ready' as we could get on short notice.  I love the fact that the house is so small, so that in a few hours, we had the place vacuumed, dusted, dishes washed, beds made, etc.  Grandma even took all my laundry (since our washer is waiting for a new pump, due in next week) up to her house.

So, when I got home from work, Grandma and the kids had the house clean.  But, Ryan was sleeping.  He wasn't feeling very well this morning, but we were hoping it was just that he didn't want to wake up early.

No such luck.

I ran my hand across his forehead, and immediately started packing my bag.  Grandma took Katie and Connor back to her place, and I took Ryan into the hospital.

We called our doctor on the drive in, and the pediatric floor had our room ready for us when we arrived.  His temp was 103.9, and he was not feeling well.  We got him started on some fluids and antibiotics, and took cultures and labs.  The interesting thing for me was that he wasn't attached to his IV when he started his fever, which is a little different than usual.  His labs don't look overly bad, so I'm interested to see what the blood cultures show.  It seems really typical that school starts on Wednesday, but Ryan doesn't usually follow anyone else's schedule but his own.

As of now, he's still feeling punky, and he's been sleeping most of the day.  But, he doesn't seem overly sick.  As for me, I'm exhausted.  It's been a busy couple of days, and even with the hospital bed (they put us in a double room, so I get a real bed, instead of a fold out couch), and the alarming pumps (they actually don't beep very often), I'm sure I'll be asleep with no problem tonight!

August 17, 2012

Outside Temp: 55 F (it was in the mid 80's today, and around 40 this morning... with frosted windows and everything!)

What I cooked today:
Nothing, again.  We had a family dinner out tonight...  I'm sure I'll be back to cooking soon!

Update:
Day 5 of USPS training...  Today was my last day in Great Falls, thank goodness!  The training wasn't bad, but I really didn't enjoy the drive in, or the hours and hours of sitting.  Tomorrow, I get to do some on the job training, which I'm sure will be much more interesting!

Grandpa broke ground on the new greenhouses, and there is now a big hole on his property.  I'm not entirely sure of the entire design, but there is something about water under rocks under ground, which will be used to regulate the temperature.  I'm really looking forward to seeing it get put together!

Patrick and I went into town this evening with 3 of the 4 kids, for dinner.  Allen didn't really want to come with us, so he stayed home.  The rest of us had some good family time.  Connor asked me if I would be doing the 7:15am until 6pm every day with the USPS.  I laughed and told him this was just the training week.  Our post office is only open until 1:30 anyway, and it's only a block away, so my hours will be much better, on those days that I actually work.  He seemed so relieved, and said "Good, because if you had to do this every day, I'd ask you to quit."  Hehehe.  That's my boy, looking out for me! 

August 16, 2012

Outside Temp: 56 F (it was pretty cold this morning, but it heated up during the day.  It's supposed to be back into the 90's this weekend.)

What I cooked today:
Frozen Pizza: yuck.  Totally not worth the 2/$5 sale price at Walgreens this week.

Update:
Day 4 of USPS training.

Whoever the idiot was who thought that having 5 days of training in a row, with commuting back and forth, was a good idea, I'd really like to kick their butt right now.

I'm totally exhausted and just finished yelling at my husband, although I can't quite remember why.  I really, really don't want to get up at 6:45 am, again, and drive an hour, again, just to sit in an uncomfortable chair for 7 1/2 more hours.

While driving home tonight (and trying not to fall asleep at the wheel), I developed a whole new appreciation for my mother, who drove back and forth to San Francisco in 2 hours of traffic every stinking day for YEARS.  I also have a whole new appreciation for any one who has a job.  I think jobs are totally overrated.

I have no idea what my family did today (nor do I really care right now).  I'm falling into bed right now, and I pray for at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep (oh yea, like that's going to happen), and perhaps I will feel somewhat normal tomorrow. 

August 15, 2012

Outside Temp: 53 F (we had a high of 58 and a low of 48 today!  But tomorrow, it's supposed to be back up into the 80's!)

What I cooked today:
Nothing... take out KFC.

Update:
Day 3 of USPS training.

I had a lot more fun today at training.  I really like our instructor for the rest of the week and she made the training useful and interesting.  I learned a lot about the actual day to day process that I need to know, and I'm beginning to feel more confident about the new job!

Ryan and Patrick went into Great Falls today, to have his doctor look at his line and put in an extra stitch.  Even with the numbing agent, he still required 3 people to hold him down, to put one little stitch in his chest.  That kid is strong!!  Of course, once the stitch was in, Patrick asked him, "did that hurt?" and he said "no."  Ugh, typical.

Katie went with the grandparents to 'Gem Mountan' which is a sapphire mine, west of Helena.  I heard they did really well in their 'mining', but I will have to wait until tomorrow for pictures, as they are not home yet! 

August 14, 2012

Outside Temp: 67 F (and dropping.. it was in the high 80's/low 90's today, but we have an awesome storm coming through, and the temp just dropped like crazy!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Pasta: I actually cooked, although to be fair, I only had to work 1/2 day today.  It was so hot, I was cranky and tired when I got home, but I realized that Patrick was going to feed the kids hot dogs for dinner, so I figured I'd let him do that tomorrow...

Update:
Day 2 of training in Great Falls.  Which means for the second day in a row, I was awake and out the door by 7:15.  It's actually good practice for when school starts next week!  I still have 3 more days of training, but the first 'orientation' part is over. 

Ryan got to spend part of the day with the grandparents, trying out a new toy...

He had so much fun!!  Of course, his kite is a 'transformers' kite!

We also got our first 'blue' egg from our Aracana chickens! 

So, we got a call from Ryan's doctor, who said that his line is probably okay, and we can just keep an eye on it until we head back to Seattle in September.  We will be bringing him into Great Falls tomorrow, to get an extra stitch on his line, just to give it the extra support it might need to get it through the next 3-4 weeks.  It seems like it's holding up okay, so we'll just keep praying.

The weather front passing over the house right now is making wind gusts into the 50+ MPH range.  The kids our out front, pretending to fly around in the wind.  I'm really looking forward to the drop in temperature... it should be in the 60's tomorrow!

August 13, 2012

Outside Temp: Not sure, but it was in the high 80's today.  Supposed to be cooler later this week.

What I cooked today:
Nothing.  I worked today.  I'm not sure how working mom's actually cook anything.

Update:
Happy 10th Birthday to my beautiful daughter, Katie! 

Today was my first day of training for the USPS.  I've accepted a job as a relief postmaster, so I can help out the post office when they need a relief person (i.e. when the snow is so high, they can't make it in!)

In the last 15 years, since college, I have been a consultant and homeschooled my kids.  Which means that I haven't had to work in a regular office, with normal people (my husband doesn't count), in years.  Lots and lots of years. 

And, working for the federal government isn't exactly like a normal job in the private sector.  I'm not sure what I expected, but it was interesting.  I'm sure there is some confidentiality thing I signed or agreed to, so I can't actually talk about the training.  But I did have to be in Great Falls at 8am (like, in the morning), which means I was up and dressed and out of the house at 7:15am.

Then, I had to stay awake and pay attention until 5pm!  Oh my goodness, I don't know how people do this every stinking day.  It wasn't awful, but I'm not looking forward to the next 4 days.

On a better note, Katie has been asking to have her birthday dinner at the 3D in Great Falls for the last few months.  In fact, I think it's all that she really wanted for her birthday.  So, Grandma and Grandpa brought the family into town and I met them at the restaurant for her birthday dinner. 

We had a great meal and she even got ice cream (which is always a good thing!).

August 12, 2012

Outside Temp: 70 F (In the high 80's today... supposed to be cooler this week... woo hoo!)

What I cooked today:
Nothing: Patrick cooked a Papa Murphy's pizza for the family while I took a nap.

Update:
So, today was supposed to be a nice, relaxing day.  Somehow, things never work out like they are supposed to.

Ryan got out of the shower this morning, and we noticed that he had pulled his dressing off his line.  When I went to re-dress it, I noticed that the 'cuff' that holds his central line in place was not in the right location.  It looks like he pulled his line a little bit, which is never a good thing.

So, Patrick and I jumped in the car with Ryan and headed into town.  Our doctors at Benefis are amazing, and, while our doctor wasn't on-call today (it is Sunday, after all), the doctor who was on call knows us, and had us come right up to the floor to see her.  She sent us down to radiology to get an x-ray to make sure the line was still in place.

It looks like it's okay (for now), but we'll be bringing him back in the hospital tomorrow, to see how they want to handle the issue. 

Of course, since we were in town, we decided to go out to lunch and get some shopping done.  So, by the time we got home, I was exhausted.  My awesome husband sent me off to bed, and took care of the kids and dinner while I slept.

August 11, 2012

Outside Temp: 62 F (it was only 86 today, and I heard it would be cooler for the next week... woo hoo!)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Pasta: I really, really didn't want to make dinner tonight.  You know those nights, where you really don't want to cook?  In the old place we used to live, this would be a day for pizza or a restaurant.  However, sometime around 9pm, I realized that if I didn't cook something, I'd feel guilty.  My kids would have a quesadilla, or ice cream, or a sandwich.  So, I picked up my tail, and defrosted some ground beef and made dinner.  Amazingly, it made me feel better... who knew?

Artisan Bread: Grandma has this amazing recipe for artisan bread, where you make the dough and leave it in the fridge.  Then, you can pull out the amount you need when you want to make some bread.  I bought a new toaster oven a few weeks ago, and I wanted to see if I could make the bread in the toaster oven, so I wouldn't have to heat up my entire oven, just to make awesome bread.  You all know how I feel about the heat.  So, the first loaf, I was arrogant enough to think I knew the temperature (350) and when the bread came out, it was crispy dough.  We could cut off a piece and toast it, and it was much better.  The second loaf, I used the correct temperature (450) and it turned out great.  The only problem was that I don't have a stone for my toaster oven, so the bottom wasn't crispy.  It was still pretty tasty.  I meant to save it for dinner, but the kids ate it up before dinner time.  Oh well...

Update:
So, those who know me well, know that I'm not very strict with my kids.  I usually ask for the obvious: respect and honesty.  I try to explain my requests in such a way that they understand why I'm asking.  I try to be kind, compassionate and understanding.  I expect them to tell the truth, treat other people with respect, and do what is required of them.

However, my oldest is almost 14.  I'm not sure if the increased sassy-ness is due to his age, puberty or exposure to other kids or the internet.  It doesn't really matter why it's here, it's here.  And, I decided that it's time to start treating him like a young adult, rather than a child. 

With children, who are young and inexperienced, you can give them knowledge, so they know right from wrong.  You can't blame them for ignorance, if they have never been exposed to a situation, how can they know they are doing wrong? 

However, as children grow into young adults, a time comes when (in my case) you might want to stop assuming they are ignorant.  For as long as I can remember, in my house and with my children, there were always warnings prior to any punishment or discipline. 

"Stop teasing your sister, or else there will be consequences."

"I've already asked you twice to do the dishes, if you don't do them now, I'll get very angry."

"I've already explained that it's bedtime, why are you arguing with me?"

It finally occurred to me last night, that rather than my kids being ignorant of the correct choices, they are actively making a choice counter to my request.  They are not being ignorant, they are taking advantage of my reactions.  They know that I won't expect them to move on the first count, (kind of like that 'if you don't stop by the time I get to 3', so the kid knows that he has 1 and 2 before he needs to act.).  I was treating them like children, when they are more than capable of being young adults.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and I was lamenting on the sass-ing behavior, and the moodiness, and the sullen looks.  She told me that when she was a child, there were consequences, in the form of physical labor (cleaning, weeding, etc... something physical, annoying, not really necessary, but time consuming and not fun).  I realized that with my four children, I should have the cleanest house in the neighborhood.

So, we had a talk last night.  There will be no more warnings.  When the kids mis-behave, there will be immediate consequences.  I will assign chores for every infraction, to be carried out immediately.  Computers and TV will stop until the chore is complete.  I will not yell or whine or beg anymore.  I will simply let them know that a chore is now assigned.

I don't think any of them actually expected me to follow through with my new rule (I mean, lets face it, following through is not my strong point.) 

This morning, I asked Allen to clean up the floor under his computer, and he did a half-assed job of it.  So, he was required to clean the toilet, and them finish the job. 

When Allen and Connor got into a little argument, Connor was requested to scrub the bathroom sink and Allen was requested to clean his bedroom (Allen was more at fault, so he had a more severe chore). 

When Katie and Connor started arguing in church, they were both assigned 10 minutes of folding laundry (yes, we have so much laundry, there is always something to be folded). 

And, this evening, when I asked the kids to do the dishes, and they all 3 went into the TV room to watch TV, they all were assigned chores and the TV was shut off for the evening.

Amazingly, there was no yelling and no fighting.  There were a few tear from Katie, as she realized that she was in trouble.  But, all in all, it worked out fine.  And, I have a clean bathroom, 3 clean bedrooms, and some folded laundry to show for it!  I think, if I keep this up, I might just end up with a clean house after all!

August 10, 2012

Outside Temp: 65 F (much cooler today, in the mid 80's and overcast most of the day!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: The kids all cheered when I told them what I was making for dinner.  I guess the old standby isn't too boring around here.

Update:
We had a very lazy day today.  Played games, read books, watched movies and TV shows (Katie's next two disks of Leverage, the TV Show, came in the mail from Netflix, so that took up about 5 hours of the day). 

Patrick went into town with his dad, and I entrusted him to stop at Staples and pick up some school supplies.  I've been watching the sales for the last few weeks, and (since we got our supply list from the school) I've made up my lists.  I already had a little over half the list, but still had plenty to get.  I'd been waiting for a good sale price on filler paper, since I didn't want to pay $1 a package for paper.  There was a sale at Staples, and I didn't want to drive all the way into town, to attempt to save $0.99 on paper.  That makes no sense. 

However, I rarely allow Patrick to go shopping.  He's notoriously bad at it, and he always picks up something that is not on my list.  Since I'll be in town next week, I know I'll be able to finish out my list, but I really wanted to try to get this deal before the sale ends.  So, I thought I'd try it.  After all, how bad could it go?

The deal was simple.  You get paper at $0.01 (max of 5), if you spend $5.00.  So, I had to create a list for him that got items on my list, at a good price, and didn't overpay for those items.  But, I had to make sure that they met the $5.00 minimum price, without going too far over. 

The list included 2 pencil boxes, a 2pk of scissors, 4 2pks of pens, 2 pks of dry erase markers, and (of course) the paper.  The total should have been $5.05, exactly (since we don't have sales tax here... woo hoo).  I warned him that it is common (especially at the end of the sale) that the wouldn't have everything on the list.  He could add and subtract items, as long as he got the deal on the paper.  I even sent him with the flyer, with all the items circled and numbered. 

So, I was totally amazed when he came home with everything on the list.  They had run out of the 2pk of pens, so he supplemented with erasers, but the total on the receipt was exactly $5.05.  And I got my 5 packages of filler paper!  Wow!  I might just trust him with my shopping again, assuming that I send him with a detailed, color coded list, complete with pictures.

That all being said, he did go to Sam's Club with his dad and spend about $25 on chips, nuts, popcorn and pasta.  All my careful planning and budgeting goes out the window when he goes to Sam's Club. 

August 9, 2012

Outside Temp: 66 F (it was a little cooler today... only 92.)

What I cooked today:
Meatloaf: I wanted to try making meatloaf in my new toaster oven.  The theory being that I didn't have to heat up the entire oven, I could just use the toaster oven.  It actually worked!!  I was really shocked, but it worked out great!  Unfortunately, when I made up the sauce to put on the top of the meatloaf, I added a little too much dry mustard.  The result was similar to cocktail sauce... very spicy!  Patrick loved it, while the kids and I scraped most of it off the top.  It's a good thing that meatloaf works well with ketchup!

Homemade Onion Dip: I've been craving onion soup mix dip for the last few days, although Patrick hates the smell.  Since he was gone, I thought I'd spoil myself.  But I couldn't find any onion soup mix.  So, I went online and found that it's really just onion powder and beef bouillon (with some onion flakes, salt and pepper).  Well, I had onion powder and beef bouillon, so I just tossed a little bit of each, and then added some sour cream.  It was so yummy!  I only made a small amount (since I probably could have eaten then entire 16 oz container of sour cream if I had made that much), but I can always make more another day! 

Update:
Allen and I went into the school today.  He needed to get tested, to make sure that he didn't have an lasting effects of a concussion (it's a computer test, that check's memory and stuff like that).  While there, we set up Allen's schedule for next year.  He'll be taking a high school World History class as his elective, which means he'll get to take 2 history classes.  He also gets to take 9th grade science, which he is excited about. 

We also discussed the computer course that Patrick (and I) will be mentoring.  It's an online course, so he (we) won't have to do much, but answer questions and hold hands.  But it will be fun!  The first semester will be a Web Design class, and the second semester will be a Game Design class.  I think Patrick's more excited about the second semester!

After our adventures at the school, we came home, and complained about the heat.  Sometime around 4:30, we heard a very loud 'SNAP'.   About 3 nights ago, I was woken up by a scratching sound next to my end stand.  I woke up, moved the end stand, to find nothing.  We set a mouse trap, but came to the conclusion that the rodent making the noise was actually in the walls.  Prevented from doing anything, I forced myself to just go back to sleep.

Last night, Katie came into my bedroom around 3am, saying that there was a mouse in her room.  She couldn't sleep because of the scratching noise on the wall next to her bed.  Ugh.  So, we set a trap, and yet she was unable to sleep with images of rodents crawling across her bed.  I let her sleep with us for a few hours, before sending her back to her bed around dawn.

So, when we heard this very loud 'SNAP', we both knew what it was.  I asked her to stay outside her bedroom, while I checked the trap.  I was very grateful that the rodent was not still alive.  The trap had conveniently snapped down on his back, and it never knew what hit it.  However, I was confused.  This was the smallest mouse I had ever seen.  And it looked a little strange. 

I immediately called my husband (who was in town with his dad) and asked him what to do about this dead rodent.  He told me to put it in the freezer.  Oh yea, like that was going to happen.  So, I hung up the phone, put on gloves, and picked up the trap (with the rodent attached).  It had a very long nose and small beady little eyes.  I placed the trap, and the rodent, into a ziploc bag, and then a second ziploc bag, just in case.  Now, I was able to observe the rodent closer, without getting too freaked out.

After much deliberation, I decided it looked just like this:

(this picture is from Wikipedia... this is not the actual animal from the trap... that one was dead.

Yes, it was a shrew.  Really cute little thing, but I'm kind of hoping that it didn't have any family or friends around the house.  I'm not looking forward to another night of scratching in my walls.

Later this evening, Patrick went up to help his dad with the new greenhouse.  And, as the story goes, Grandpa almost stepped on a rattlesnake tonight.  Patrick grabbed the post-hole digger and cut it in half (and then the kept the rattles).  We haven't seen as many snakes this summer, so we've gotten a little complacent. I was very upset that they didn't get a picture of the snake, but I guess my little shrew will have to do. 

August 8, 2012

Outside Temp: 71 F (we had a high of 100 degrees today.  Amazingly, although it was hot and I complained, I guess I'm getting used to it.  At 4:00pm, as I tried to work, I was sticking to my clothes and it got to 88 in the house.  I'm looking forward to winter and that white stuff I'm not allowed to name.)

What I cooked today:
Eggs, eggs and more eggs: We were given a dozen eggs from our chickens from Grandma's house last night.  So, this morning, I made up fried eggs for everyone.  Katie and Connor both asked for 1 egg, then asked for a second about 10 minutes later.  After everyone was full of fried eggs, I made up 18 hard boiled eggs.  There are only about 6 left, since apparently, everyone in the house likes hard boiled eggs.  Which is good, considering how many chickens we have!

Chicken and rice: Patrick was working with his dad on the new greenhouse, so he didn't make it home for dinner until after 9.  Which means that I (very smart person that I am) didn't make dinner until he was actually through the door.  Chicken has gotten to be an easy stand-by dinner around here.

Update:
It was hot.

I tried to work. 

I got some work accomplished, but it was hard to think in the heat.

Then, around 6pm, the thunderstorm came in.  But, it didn't really cool down.  We still opened the windows.

I kicked the kids outside around 7:30, since it had cooled off enough, that it was (barely) cooler outside than inside.

Finally, around 10pm, it dropped below 80.  

I'm not looking forward to the next few days, where it should stay in the 90's.  I miss winter.

August 7, 2012

Outside Temp: 59 F (it was in the 90's again today... Ugh, it's going to be in the 90's for the rest of the week.  We're experimenting with leaving the windows open at night, but, of course, we wake up too late to close them before it starts getting hot. )
What I cooked today:
Nothing: We ate in town, and Grandma cooked some Lima beans, so I didn't cook anything!

Update:
This morning, I got to help the Judith Basin County Fair with judging of the elementary projects.  There were a few moments, when I held my tongue, because I knew that we were judging a project in which my kids participated.  It was amazing to see the wonderful projects, and I was so honored to be chosen to help judge!

I also got a chance to catch up with some people from our school, from Stanford, and meet some new friends.  We even got spoiled with lunch afterwards, which allowed all us women to chat about random topics, which is always a high point in my day!

Afterwards, Grandpa, Patrick, Connor and I went into town, to run errands.  The most important errand, was picking up Connor's new glasses!

We had a great time in town, getting school supplies, random items for Grandpa's house, and groceries. 

Afterwards, Grandma gave me a dozen eggs that our chickens have been laying.   They are getting between 2-3 eggs a day, for now.  As the chickens get older, they'll produce more eggs.  Until then, we get scrambled eggs with cheese tomorrow morning!  Woo hoo! 

August 6, 2012

Outside Temp: 75 F (it hasn't cooled off like it usually does.  I think we're in for thunderstorms tonight... I can smell rain)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Pasta: I was so tired, I almost made them go without dinner.  Boy, is my family lucky that I worry about actually feeding them. 

Update:
We went into Stanford today.  I had to run some errands, so the kids (minus Ryan, I didn't want to risk it with his new line), jumped in the car with me, and we headed east.

We stopped at the Elevator in Geyser, to pick up some chicken feed.  As luck would have it, the cat that lives there had her kitten.  So stinking cute.  I think the kitten is about 4 weeks old, still mewing and so small.  Of course, Katie fell in love, and spent the entire time coo-ing over the kitten.  I think we are going to have to break down soon, if only to get her to stop her begging for a cat.

After that, we headed over to the library in Stanford.  The kids had some books to return, and wanted to get a few more.  The librarian over there is amazing.  I guess it helps that there are so few kids, but she knows everyone, what they like, what they've read, etc.  She had asked her son about a book for Allen, and was looking for it.  There was some confusion over whether her son had brought it back or if it was still at the house.  So, since her son was at the pool, she told us to ask him and then come back.

So, after I finished my other errands, we went over to the pool.  The kids are getting so much better at both swimming and diving.  Allen is loving the diving board, and he's showing off his back and front flips (of course, the front flips usually end up in a flop of some kind, but he is getting better). 

Connor was able to dive (head first) off the board for the first time.  He has always been nervous about diving head first, ever since the last time, when he belly flopped.  It made quite an impression.  But, one of the nice ladies in Stanford offered to help him out, and show him how.  I was able to stand back and watch.  Amazingly, he listened to her, and (perhaps because it wasn't me) he managed to get into the water head first.  After about 3-4 more tries, he was able to go off the board!  Woo hoo!

Katie has been practicing her swimming.  She hasn't had much practice before now, so she was very unsure of herself.  We went back and forth a few times, with me giving her pointers (your head needs to be in the water, cup your hands, don't forget to kick, etc).  After about 30 minutes, she decided she was ready to try going from side to side.  She did great.  So, we moved up to the deep end (10 feet) and she decided to swim side to side in the deep end.  I think she was a little surprised when she reached the end with no problems.  Slow and steady, don't freak out, don't forget to kick.  You should have seen the smile on her face!  She was so proud of herself!  So, she had to swim back and forth a few more times, just to prove that she could.  Amazing! 

While we were at the pool, we met a very nice older gentleman, and we started talking.  It turned out he was part of a group that were bicycling across the country.  There were 2 older men, a middle aged man, a younger man (probably in his late 20's, early 30's) and a younger woman (in her mid 20's).  They started out in Washington and were biking the whole way.  One of the older men used a recombinant bicycle, where he could use his arms to peddle, instead of his legs.  Both men were probably in their mid 70's.  The whole group was inspiring, although I know that I'm too lazy to ride a bike across the country! 

After the pool, we went back to the library.  The librarian's son said that he book was there, but she still couldn't find it.  So, being the awesome librarian that she was, she left us in charge of the library for a few minutes, while she went home to look for it!  After about 10 minutes, she came back, very upset because she couldn't find it.  Then, she happened to look at the bookshelf where she puts 'reserved' books, and there it was, with his name on it!  We had a great laugh over the concept of putting things where they belong, and never finding them again!

Of course, with our busy day (which, of course, required a trip to the little grocery store for ice cream), I was pooped, and immediately fell into bed when we got home.  I wonder if my sunburn had anything to do with that...

August 5, 2012

Outside Temp: 58 F (we had a high of 94, which is a little hotter than I would prefer... But it did get down into the 40's last night... I love the 50 degree difference between day and night!)

What I cooked today:
Chicken and Fried Rice: I started cooking my normal chicken, when Patrick commented, "Wow, honey, that smells really good... Are you making something with bacon?".  I had to inform him that he was smelling the neighbor's dinner.  Oh well, it turned out fine, with no complaints.  But, perhaps I should try something new, perhaps with bacon?

Update:
So, my two middle children were doing the dishes today.  And, perhaps prompted by a post I saw today on Facebook (Apocoloptomist: Someone who knows it's all going to shit, but will turn out fine in the end), they began discussing the options of a zombie Apocalypse.

Connor: "So, how likely, do you think, it would be that there could be a zombie Apocalypse?"

Kathryn: "Well, since zombie's don't exist, I would say none."

C: "But, that would depend on how you define 'zombie'."

K: "Well, a zombie would mean 'living dead', which is a contradiction, so therefore, can't exist."

C: "It depends.  Perhaps it just means 'animated dead', and we could come up with some way to animate dead bodies."

K: "Even if we could come up with that technology, it would be a long time from now.  Maybe even a million years."

C: "So it is possible!  Maybe, say, a 0.0000000001 chance?"

K:  "Yea, that sounds about right."

C: "Hmmm, so, how should we prepare?"

At this point, I was laughing so hard, I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, if there was any.  By the time I recovered, they were on a different topic.  I don't think they even knew I was listening, which made it that much funnier.  I love my kids conversations.

Then, over dinner, we had another conversation:

Connor: "So, we're eating Fried Rice, which is Chinese, right?"

Me: "Yes."

C: "Are there other areas that use rice in their meals?"

Patrick: "Of course, a lot of areas use rice."

Allen: "Like Japanese?"

Patrick: "Yes, or Thai, or ..."

Katie: "What's Thai?"

Patrick and Me: "Thailand."

Allen: "Why do they call it Thailand?"

Connor: "Because everyone wears a tie?"

Patrick: "Or, because every competition ends in a tie?"

Allen: "Or because everyone is named Thai?"

Connor: "That would be so cool, so if you wanted to get someone's attention, you could just say, 'Hey Thai!', and everyone would answer."

Yes, we are all a little strange.  But I like it that way! 

August 4, 2012

Outside Temp: 55 F (it was a little warmer today, into the mid 80's... Not too bad, especially since it cooled off as soon as the sun went down!)

What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: Quick, easy stand-by dinner.  Didn't involve much thought or prep, and it was gobbled up. 

Zucchini Bread: I was given a very large zucchini by one of our awesome neighbors, so I was required to make zucchini bread tonight.  Yumm!

Update:
Very relaxing day!  I can't think of anything special that happened today.  We played on the computers, I read a little, we chatted about nothing in particular.  We went to church, then I got to chat with some (really cool) neighbors for an hour or so. 

My big deal for the day was making my zucchini bread with the zucchini that came out of my neighbor's garden... this evening!  He just walked over, and picked it out of his garden!  So good!

August 3, 2012

Outside Temp: 53 F (it was a PERFECT day to go to the fair!  It was in the high 60's, low 70's, with a few droplets of rain... I couldn't have asked for better weather today!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... we spent the day eating "fair food", so no cooking for me!

Update:
Montana State Fair!  Woo hoo! 
Ryan has never been to a fair before, so this was a great experience for us!  We spent the money on the wrist bands, so the kids got to go on unlimited rides for 4 hours.  Of course, we realized 2 minutes into the fair, that we actually needed a 5th wristband, for one of the adults to go on the rides with Ryan.

Patrick started out with the wristband, but after the 'Starship' (which is the ride that spins really fast, and you stand up, and the centrifugal force makes you rise up to the top), he realized that he couldn't ride the rides the way he did as a child.  He suffers from motion sickness, and the rides were just not working out for him.  So, we switched his wristband out, and I ended up with one.  Which means that I got to go on the rides with the kids (which was actually really fun).  I haven't been on the Zipper since the Napa County Fair, probably in 1990, although I do remember it being my favorite ride.  Oh my goodness, it was so much fun!  I went on with Allen (since he couldn't go alone), and I loved it!

I also got to go on a few more rides in the 'big kid' section, and then a few rides in the 'Kiddie' section with Ryan. 

After that, we got some munchies (you can't go to the fair without eating lots of junk food), and then wandered around some exhibits.  Katie got to see the mini-ponies and the bunnies, but we missed the chickens (which we really wanted to see).
We had a blast and Ryan was furious at 10:45, when we told him it was time to go home.  We are already thinking about next year!  What a fun day!

August 2, 2012

Outside Temp: 57 F (it was cooler today, in the 80's with an awesome breeze!)
What I cooked today:
Mexican Lasagna: I realized that I over-bought corn tortillas, which means I needed an excuse to use them up.  This worked out well, although there was some complaints about the store-bought salsa I used.  Spoiled kids.

Update:
So, there was a beta test of the game we like to play, which means that at 1pm until 5pm, the family had to fight over who got which computer to play.  We came up with a schedule to decrease the fighting, which wasn't really fair, since the server crashed during Katie's time, and we used up some of Connor's time downloading the changes.  Only Allen got to play with no delays, but, since they all picked their times, they had to deal with the consequences.

The only sad part is that Patrick had to work... the entire day!  So, while the kids and I were playing the game, Patrick was 3 feet away, working hard.  I felt bad, but not bad enough to deny myself the pleasure of playing.  Does that make me a bad person?

Ryan was a little dehydrated yesterday, which was probably a result of going from 24 hour TPN while in-patient, and going back to his regular 10 hour TPN at home.  His body needed to remember how to regulate his fluids.  Today, he was much better, and spent a few hours playing outside in the back yard.

Of course, I sometimes forget that Ryan is as smart as he is.  He wanted to play with the sprinklers.  We have a pump, that gets water to the faucet in the middle of the yard.  There is a hose attached to the faucet with a sprinkler attached.  But, we had the pump unplugged, so we didn't get too much water. 

So, since Ryan wanted the sprinkler on, he knew that he needed to plug in the pump.  That was easy enough.  Then, he realized he didn't want the sprinkler head that we had attached.  So, he found the one he wanted, turned off the water, unscrewed the existing sprinkler head, attached the new one, then plugged the pump back in.  Voila, he now had the sprinkler the way he wanted, without any help.  I just sat back, kind of stunned, and watched. 

Of course, the thoughts going through my head was, oh crap.  He's smarter than I thought.  What else is he getting into?  The second thought was, how awesome, he's smarter than I thought.

August 1, 2012

Outside Temp: 55 F (it was warm today, but not that hot... thank goodness!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... Grandma got Papa Murphy's pizza while we were in town, so we had pizza... I promise I'll be cooking something, anything, tomorrow night.

Update:
Our first day home.  I slept in until after 11am, which was only 9 hours of sleep, so I guess that's okay.

I had to return my rental car into Great Falls, so Grandma drove with me back to town.  The rental car that we drove from Seattle was a black Chrysler 200 (something, I know nothing about cars).  It was a great car and I really enjoyed driving it.  Mostly, Ryan loved the color.  He's in a black stage, where his favorite color is black.  Needless to say, when we returned it back to Great Falls, it was no longer in the driveway.  Ryan was very, very unhappy with me.

"Where is my black car?" was his first question when he looked in the drive way.  Then, he proceeded to hit the front of my yellow car with his fist and exclaim, "I want my black car."

I see that we will have to end up with a black car soon.

While we were gone, Patrick and Grandpa had to get the new Greenhouse out of the semi-trailer.

That means that Patrick got to play with the forklift.

I wasn't there, so I didn't get any pictures, but Patrick said it was fun!  I caught this picture while they were driving the forklift back down to the local service shop down by the highway.

July 31, 2012

Outside Temp: 57 F (woo hoo, I know the temp!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing, but I have a good excuse!

Update:
WE'RE HOME!!

I'm too tired right now to fully describe our day, so I'll summarize.

We were discharged.

There was some mis-communication (gasp!), and we were on our own to get home.  We (might) be reimbursed sometime in the future.

I decided to drive, rather than fly, since driving would be less than 1/2 the cost.

The hospital got us to Seattle Airport, where I rented a car.

Then I drove, and drove, and drove.  It takes about 10 solid hours of driving.  I left Seattle at 2pm local time (3pm Montana time).  I walked through my front door at 12:30 Seattle time, 1:30 Montana time, which means that either I drove really fast, or we didn't stop for bathroom breaks every 2 minutes.  Perhaps both.

It was a good drive, nothing eventful.  And I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight!