Happening Now... November 19th, 10:03 AM.

-the posts for the next 10 days are going to be rambling and all over the place. There's a computer in my room- but time is short. I want to jot down quickly, the events that are happening, have happened, for memories sake.

I forgot my CF reader, meaning no picture uploads until I get home. Boo.

No worries, my camera is glued to my hands and I've already captured some priceless moments.

The kids are out in the Florida room with my mom and grandma.

There's a doggy door and the kids like to crawl in and out. Maeve calls it the "rabbit hole." Yeah... :)

Maeve's newest "thing" is picking oranges off the "orange tree." The "orange tree" is actually a cross mix between a tangerine and a grapefruit- HA! So the "oranges" or whatever you want to call them (graperines?) are huge orange balls with pink fruit in the middle. She picked so many last night (and this morning) that mom and MaeMae made JUICE out of them!

Henry's ears seem to really be bothering him. I'm assuming from the plane ride?

Speaking of the plane ride... it really wasn't bad at all. Maeve was AWESOME. I mean, that kid should get a "flier of the year" award. Henry wasn't great... but the kid has double ear infections! He screamed, which was expected- and when a flight attendant asked if "everything was okay" (THAT'S how loud he was screaming), I said "Yeah he's alright- he has a double ear infection so he's just not comfortable." The stewardess looked horrified and (very) rudely exclaimed, "Why in the world would you be traveling with a sick baby?" Like I am the worst parent on the planet. I was caught off guard and a bit speechless- I wish I could go find her and say "Listen lady- I took my kids to the doctor the day before and SPECIFICALLY ASKED about flying on the airplane, how it would effect their ears, the antibiotics they're on, etc. so chill the heck out." But, I didn't. And instead I've repeated the story to anyone who will listen... just so I can be validated that it wasn't a bad choice to travel with the kids... it wasn't, right? I mean, I trust the doctor over a flight attendant, but Henry isn't feeling great and now I'm feeling a little... uhhhh... like a mommy failure? blah.

We're going to see the dolphins at "Marineland" this afternoon. I think we're going to try and go shelling too. I can't wait for the picture opportunities! :) WOO!

I'm getting excited to see my sisters... they're coming next week- I haven't seen Meghan in 6 months or so?!?!?!?!

I am trying to build some kind of a bunker in the back yard to trap Ryan in when he comes down here. Because I'm positive, that once he's here, I won't be able to step back onto the airplane.  If it weren't for that DANG house up in Michigan.... ughhhhh.

That's all for now :)

Happy Friday!

there's nooooo denying.

The odds are stacked against me.

It's 9:30 here... the kids are finally asleep.

It's been a long day.

Both kids ran low grade fevers last night... 99 under their armpit, I noted it, but didn't jump on it.

This morning, I noticed Maeve had this chesty sounding cough. She's notorious for harboring pneumonia, so I called the doc. Maeve had an appointment for 1:00.

Then Henry started acting funny. He threw his food off his tray, was shaking his head around and well, just plain GROUCHY.

I called back, and asked to add on a kid. Luckily, they obliged and both kids were seen.

I honestly thought they'd say "Oh give them a few more days off the antibiotics and they should be feeling better." Instead, it was like a "Ground Hog Day" or something.

Both had their ears checked and throats swabbed.

BOTH have ear infections and strep...AGAIN... yeah.

Didn't we just do this last week???

BOTH are on the same antibiotic- (forgot the name)- but its a "more aggressive" antibiotic, aka "the kids are going to get bad diarrhea and diaper rash."

I am praying for the best. Preparing for the worst.

I've got their antibiotics, claritin, tylenol, motrin, and Bordeauxs Butt Cream.

I have FLORIDA on my mind.

I am picturing stepping off the plane and seeing my mom and dad :)

I can do this. I can do this.

Right??? :)



PS- this blog post counts as my "NoBloPoMo" for tomorrow.... ;)

Would You Rather...

get a series of rabies shots or fly solo, with your kids on a two hour flight?

My answer? Bring on the dang rabies shots. (this is a fact by the way- my husband has had the full series of rabies shots... for real.)

I have not had ONE- NOT ONE- pleasant flying experience with my kids. Even when it was just Maeve, it was tough. Maybe not horrendous, but not enjoyable by any means.

A friend messaged me this morning asking for tips on how to fly with a baby and a toddler. After laughing for a minute or two, I told her I was the wrong person to be asking- clearly- because every flight I've been on with my kids, has been disastrous. We're almost always asked to move to the back of the plane, where, as the flight attendant puts it, we "will feel more comfortable." AKA- get your kids as far away from us as possible- even if that means you're sitting in the back row of the plane, in a jump seat without a window.

No, no, we haven't really had to sit in the jump seat- but we do almost always end up in the last row without a window. I compare this to being trapped in a box, being tortured with hot coals or something.

Every trip starts off with the best of intentions, and good thoughts. I have a bag packed, full of snacks, activities, and "prizes." I am fully stocked up on nuks, candy- all that stuff that normally thrills my kids to pieces, but then seems to have no effect on them, while on an airplane.

I am particularly concerned about flying this week because I've got two kids coming off of being sick. Henry, (as of Friday) has fluid in his ears and Maeve is still dealing with the stuffies.


After some careful thinking, I've decided to break down my flying experiences into phases, to give you a better understanding of the areas I really need some help with.

Phase one: At the airport, stressed, sweating, trying to make it through security with everyone and everything, but in a semi-cheerful mood because strangers can be so kind. They like to help put shoes on my kids, unfold the stroller, grab my stuff, etc.

Phase two: Waiting for the airplane. Excitement is in the air, because we're about to board a giant "birdy," as Maeve calls it. Things are a tad crazy. Something is guaranteed to be spilled, dumped, destroyed- watchful observers are silently praying that they won't be the lucky ones, stuck sitting by us on the plane.

Phase three: boarding. This is a debacle all in itself. I am holding Henry and the carseat, pushing a stroller, trying to keep slow poke poking along, and balancing the giant (and I mean, GIANT) carry on bag. Again, strangers are kind, and will ask if I need help. At first I was hesitant to allow anyone to help. Now I gladly hand over a bag, stroller, heck a kid- whatever, just to make it through. As we get on the plane, its almost like Russian roulette. Every single person looks up, with fear in their eyes, as we walk down the aisle- they're all thinking "PLEASE pass us. PLEASE don't sit by us..." And then we make it to our seat, and some poor teenage guy gets stuck with kicking babies, boogers and smells that could wake the dead.

Phase four: the flight itself. I might bring a themometer with me, because I am curious as to what my core temperature is while in the middle of this chaos. I feel feverish- hot- I'm sweating buckets. Maeve is kicking the seat in front of her, Henry is screaming to get down. I'm digging through my bag, practically throwing suckers, jelly beans, starburst- whatever- at Maeve. Maeve (who is probably on a sugar high; is this my problem?) is shouting embarrassing things like, "I pooped!" or "Momma, I not stink, YOU stinky. HAHA Momma pooped!" or how about, "Oh momma, you take your medicine and feel so better?" (as I'm popping my xanax).

Phase five: deboarding- or whatever you want to call it. The rush of relief is similar to just giving birth. It's over. It's done. We've made it- its time to relish in our success. I'm a mess- the kids are a mess- we've lost nuks, coloring books, sippy cups, hats, etc. All I'm thinking as I'm steering the stroller is "Get to mom. GET TO MOM."

So, moms, please, PLEASE give me some flying tips!!!

and if you want to check out our past flights, click the link/label below called "plane rides"


PS-THE DRAWING FOR A $20.00 CREDIT TO "NANNAH BREAD KNOTS" IS TONIGHT. IF YOU HAVE NOT LEFT A COMMENT, COMMENT HERE!!!!! -the contest will close at 9 PM, tonight.

***and stay tuned... the winner will be announced tomorrow AM :)

sicky sick

Ughhhh its been awhile since I've been so sick! I guess I've had little head colds here and there... but this sickness is kicking my butt.

Remember my Florida post and my near death experience at the end of the flight? (super dehydrated + sun poisoning+ brain aneurysm... or ya know- something like that :) Anywho, that's when I started feeling sick. The next day I felt better... but still had that "coming down with something" kinda feeling. By Friday (my birthday) I was feeling like barf. I popped all the tylenols and throat lozenges I could just to keep my head afloat. I DID have a good day (a GREAT day) it was just clouded by this sickness.

Monday evening is when it hit REALLY hard. Monday evening, I was begging for silence (aka "Ryan take the kids somewhere and shut my door") and meds.

This morning I woke up and my right eye was swollen and bloody. Seriously. WTH. I called the doc asap and they squeezed me in at 2:30. This posed a new problem: 2:30 is right smack dab in the middle of my kids naps. I was geared up for a cranky, stressful afternoon at the docs. Luckily, my mom saved the day (yes... all the way from FLORIDA!) and called a good friend of hers (ours) who came over and watched the kids, while I, got the pleasure of having the longest doc appointment ever.

I thought I had the typical "flu"-ya know, I wanted to check to make sure my eye wasn't going to fall out or anything, but I was fairly confident it was going to be an in and out appointment. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Remember Ryan's new job? I didn't. And I COMPLETELY forgot our new insurance stuff. Poo.

The front desk guy wasn't thrilled with me.

Once I finally got back there, I was weighed (WAHOOOOOOO...I am seriously SO SO SO CLOSE to my goal weight!!!!) and had my BP taken. Then the doc came in. I ran through my laundry list of your typical flu symptoms... he checked my ears, throat, nose, etc. Then I asked him to look at my eye. He kept pulling each lid down and inspecting each eyeball closely. The diagnosis? PINK EYE. EWWWWWW. Actually DOUBLE EWWWWW because I am POSITIVE my kids will get it. Unfortunately (fortunately?) the pink eye has nothing to do with my aches, fever, chills, sore throat. I got a strep test- negative. Did a urine sample (since I'm notorious for harboring UTI's) and then was sent down to the lab for blood work and a chest xray.

I guess I'll know the results from those tomorrow... I'm convinced its swine flu. Doc. Bigelow thinks otherwise... what does he know? :)

All that I'm sure of, is I'm sick. My head is pounding. I'm hot and clammy. My throat is on fire and I have an energy level of -20. My patience with my kids is nonexistent. My head cannot take the screaming, whining, pounding...

So the moral of this story... if you think you wash your hands a lot... wash them more. I am seriously an OCD hand washer- and there is something SO gross.... SO contagious, going around.

Wish me luck with tomorrow. Pray I don't have any crazy pneumonia or blood diseases...

If you need me, you can find me in pjs, wandering the house and gulping theraflu.

"Here I go Again on my OWN!!!"

Well not REALLY on my own- but without my second half! Its another vacay with just my kids & I (and my mom). I'm excited. I need out of this cold. But its always a tad scary taking that leap onto the plane and away from the comfort and familiarity of home. Especially when Ryan stays home (which he does 99% of the time). Our plan of action for this vacation is as follows:
tomorrow afternoon arrive in Orlando.
drive to Crescent City... relax. swim. eat. relax. swim. eat. (repeat for 3 days)
on Saturday we'll be driving back to Orlando for 2 days at DISNEY. Not much relaxing to be done there... BUT its DISNEY GOSH DARNIT! :) I can't wait!

Unfortunately, my grandma lives in a town the size of a poppy seed. Click HERE to see it on a map. And click HERE to get an idea of the kind of town it is. LOTS of old homes. No hotels, only bed & breakfasts, 2 restaurants, one gas station and a bank. SO what I'm getting at, is there is NO way I will be able to connect to the internet there. NO SIGNAL whatsoever!!! Sadly, the laptop will stay here... on Pemberton Lane. But don't despair friends, I have my camera(s) and will surely document our journey! I'm thinking that for my "return" post it might just be ALL pictures... we'll see. Anywho... you all have a fabulous week. I will do my best to RELAX and enjoy the sunshine state... & no worries, I'll even say "Hi" to Mickey for you.

Gone, Going.

For some unknown reason, I've committed to going to Florida tomorrow morning. I say that because I will be traveling without Ryan and staying in a FULL house of family. hmmm... I LOVE, LOVE my family but I'm not sure how 5 straight days are going to go with me being moody as heck, Maeve teething and sharing ONE, yes ONE bathroom. It will definitely be interesting. Also, today, here in Jackson I think the high got up to 80-something and I have been sweating like a pig. I came home from Lasing (impromptu shopping trip) and peeled my clothes off and laid in bed with the fan blowing on high, directly on me. I started thinking of Florida in the summer- a high in the 80's would be a cool day for them. GAHHHH. I am going to pop like a tick down there. And as much preparation as I've put in for this 2 and half hour flight, I am still SO nervous about doing it alone. How the heck am I going to maneuver myself in those tiny bathrooms with Maeve and my belly? How am I going to keep Maeve happy while SITTING for almost 3 hours? How am I going to lift and carry things (stroller, car seat, diaper bag, purse, suitcase) without putting myself into labor? How am I going to do all of this while keeping my sanity? I have no clue.

So why am I going to Florida? My sister, who lives in Mississippi is going to be there- and I never see her and having the opportunity to visit and let her spend some time with Maeve is a huge reason. Also, my dear, sweet grandma's house was robbed a couple of weeks ago and she really needs some help to get things back in order. Also- she has an awesome, screened in pool that I can freely bare my whale-like self without the onlooking from strangers. And then of course it really comes down to Maeve- she is going to have such a blast at Sea World, the beach and spending the days by the pool with her aunt Meggie, GiGi and nana. SOOOOO I will bite the bullet, board the plane and try my hardest to get there all in one piece. Anyways, please say a prayer of safety for us- I hate flying with a passion! Also- my grandma's computer was stolen during the robbery- so this will be the last update until we get back. Be on the look out for a billion beach pictures! :)

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic!"

Alright, where to start, where to start??? I guess, I should say that we made it back to this beautiful state of Michigan yesterday afternoon, all in one piece. That's a good thing! :) We had an amazing time- not too relaxing, but it really was a great get away. I'll just do a quick recap...

Our plane ride down was so-so, meaning Maeve was wild/crazy/a 15 month old :) for a solid hour and then she finally conked out. We got to Florida super early- 9:30! So we had the whole day... it was 78 when we landed!!! :) By the time we got our luggage, met my grandma and drove out of the crazy Orlando airport it was about 10:30 so we decided to drive to Sanford for lunch... we ate at one of my fave. places "Sonnys." And I guess I should say this is when the eating madness started... and it didn't end until this morning. BLAHHHH! All that hard work to lose weight and I'm pretty sure its all back! After lunch we drove to my grandmas who lives in Crescent City- a whopper of a town! :) haha... but it was nice- she has a pool so we swam, Maeve played with her toy box of new toys (my grandma is a known spoiler!! :) and we took a nap.

The next day we drove the 45 minutes to St. Augustine (where I was born:) and had a fantastic time. We ate waaaaaaaayyy too much, went to the beach, shopped and just walked around. It doesn't matter how many times you go to St.Augustine, each and every time it is beautiful and breath taking. I don't consider myself a tourist when we go there- I was born there and lived there for years and after we moved back to Michigan, we went to St.Aug. every year, several times a year. I know that city like I know Jackson. So anyways, like I was saying, I don't consider myself a tourist but I sure look like one! I've got my camera in hand at all times taking pictures of things that I've photographed a million times before... oh well. :) Another really cool thing about going back there is bringing Maeve - I have pics of me all over that city as a kid- so its fun to put Maeve in the same places and take pics :)

On Saturday we drove over to Palm Coast- not too exciting. Don't go there to vacay! Its a bunch of old people. But we did meet up with my aunt Cindy which was nice :) And we got to see this amazing place called the "European Village." Truly awesome. It was this huge open square full of condos that people (VERY rich people) live in, the bottom has a grocery store, countless restaurants, coffee shops and little boutiques. Its crazy cool.

Sunday we went BACK to St. Augustine because, honestly, you can't ever get enough of that place. We ate at the Columbia and went to the beach. Niiiiice day :)

Monday we drove to Orlando, did Lake Buena Vista (downtown Disney) and City Walk. I had a little too much fun at "Margaritaville" and I got ditched by my mom! HAHA! I texted Ryan and told him I was by myself drinking at Margaritaville... yeeeeahh. whatever, I had a great time! :)

Tuesday we flew home too early...

That was a super quick recap of our trip... but the title of this post, is what I really wanted to blog about- I don't know what got into Maeve but something just kind of sparked when we were in Florida. Her vocabulary has now expanded into countless words and sayings. It is crazy! Here are the new things she has learned to say:

"Ohhhhhhh Nooooooo" (haha that one is hilarious to hear her say!)
"Uh-Oh"
Bird
Frog
Meow
"I don't know"
"Gigi"- (that's my grandmas name for her!)
Plane
Duck- actually there is a story to this one- we were trying to figure out what the heck she was doing- she was saying "duuuuuuuck, duuuuuuuuuuck" and finally my mom was like "she's playing "duck duck goose!!!" On Tuesdays, my mom takes her into class with her and she watches the kids play the game- she caught on I guess... because now she will start to say "duuuuuuck duuuuuuuck" and then after a few times I will say "goose!" and she will set off running! HAHA!

she puts her finger up to her mouth and says "shhhhhhhhhhhhh"
she blows kisses (a little late on this one... I've heard a lot of her baby friends have been doing this for awhile...)
she can point out her eyes, ears, hair, tongue, teeth, nose

****Anyways, that's her list of new things she learned on our trip! Ryan was super sad he missed a huge chunk of learning but like I said, I have NO IDEA what prompted the little spark in her, but she was like a sponge!

I think all you blog readers are my friends on facebook so check out the pics from our trip there.... I am being super lazy and not posting them on here...

Sorry for the lack luster post... I am still tired from the trip and I have to work tonight (BOOO) so I'm going to try and nap while Maeve is napping.... :)

good to be back! (sort of... okay no not really)