Screaming

Who is screaming....

I am... again...

At 4:30 this afternoon, I got a phone call from the lady Kaelin has been staying with. Her phone call was to talk to me about finding someone to keep Kaelin on the days that are not school days. School days are only Monday and Wednesday. There was a whole list of reasons for not being able to keep Kaelin. It was nothing to do with Kaelin, so I won't really elaborate on them.

So I am left screaming.

I mean seriously... Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday... and it is almost October. So, you know all of the reputable places for her to stay are COMPLETELY FULL. I am about to just pull my hair out... but I have gotten it cut so short that there is just not that much to be able to afford to pull any out.

I feel like I am back in the middle of July when I was trying to find a place for Kaelin to stay once she had her melt down about changing schools. The only difference between now and July is, I am back at work and not getting to lounge in the pool all day. But the stress level is the same if not greater.

What am I going to do????? Who the heck knows!!!!

Why is it that I would love nothing more than being able to stay home and take care of my wonderful princess, but am having such a hard time finding someone else to keep her? No, she is in NO WAY a difficult child. She is so caring, so sensitive, so helpful, and always a delight and joy to be around. (No, I am not just saying that because I am her mom... although I am pretty biased).

So, after the screaming has subsided, I will begin calling a couple of places that might still have some openings. Yes... it will involve Kaelin having to change schools and quit her dance classes, but that is just something we will have put on hold for now. Kaelin's dance class starts at 3:00 on Thursdays and there is just no way to make that work with mine or Todd's schedule.

She is going to be upset, but she is such an easy going child that I know she will adjust and we might be able to find another place to take dance with hours that are a little more accommodating with my schedule.

I know everything will work out and it will probably be better than I can imagine, but FOR GOODNESS SAKES I AM TIRED OF TRYING TO COME UP WITH NEW SOLUTIONS!!! I am not willing to sacrifice for "what is available", so this might become quite a chore.

I think my first task is going to involve buying a lottery ticket and see if I have better luck with that.

Kaelin's Homework

Kaelin had homework sent home last week.

Yes... I said HOMEWORK. I don't think I am ready for this. We got the homework on Wednesday, but waited until Sunday night after dinner to even begin working on it. I am already setting a bad example.

The homework was pretty easy, but a little time consuming (especially when you put it off until the very last minute). Kaelin was suppose to fill out a poster called "All about Me". We had to ask her some questions and fill out the poster. It involved where she was born, her birthday, how long she was, how tall she is now, where she lives, etc. There were a few other sections that were pretty funny.

Likes:

Kaelin's favorite color: "purple" (really it is probably pink, but she was on a purple kick last night, so we went with purple)

Kaelin's favorite food: "mac n' cheese, hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza" (sounds very healthy...)

Kaelin's favorite book: "The Little Engine That Could" (seriously... I don't know that I have ever read this book to her, but evidently someone has.)

Dislikes:

"Wolves (Kaelin calls them Wolfers), foxes, monsters, mean people, being sad, and getting in trouble"

Fun Facts:

What do I want to be when I grow up?- "a cheerleader" (Todd was cringing when she said this... but it gets better. That money I have been saving for a college education at an Ivy League school may not be necessary if her life's ambition is to become a cheerleader.)

Things I am good at: "Running, jumping, playing soccer, and playing tee-ball" (Todd was pretty proud of this answer... but she is good at other things too, like wearing bossy pants, color coordinating clothes, pretending to be a rock star, etc.)

Kaelin's Hobbies: First, I had to define hobby. I defined it as something you really like to do. Kaelin's immediate response was "shopping". (Todd just about fell out of his chair. He quickly began saying No, that is not something that is a hobby. Then Kaelin said "well I like it and I am really good at it". Oh he is in so much trouble when she gets a little older. But Kaelin is right, shopping can be a hobby, she does like it, and she is REALLY good at it)

So... the homework was finally completed (a little after 10:30 PM)

If you are thinking you are looking at a picture of Kaelin, think again! Let me introduce you to "Abby". Kaelin has renamed herself Abby. She now refers to herself in third person. It goes something like this "Abby would like for you to fix her hair" and "Abby would like some chocolate milk" and "Abby does not want to go to bed right now". It is pretty funny, but I am beginning to wonder if she really thinks her name has been changed to Abby.

Chuck E Cheese

Oh my... who ever invented Chuck E Cheese must have hated parents. That place is totally not a place that any sane adult would choose to go to, but every kid loves it. Don't get me wrong, I am not a "chuck e cheese hater", that place just drives me absolutely crazy. Kids are running around, totally out of control. The pizza is not that great and you spend a fortune buying tokens so your child can buy some 10 cent piece of junk that you spend $40 buying tokens on.

Is my bow too big? Oh wait... there is NO bow that is TOO big. Just like having too much money, being too skinny, having too many shoes... bows being too big just does not exist.

Kaelin had a birthday party there today. The party started at 12, but we arrived at 12:30 and by 1:45 I could have sworn that I had been there at least 8 hours. As you can tell by the picture, she was absolutely ecstatic. I really should have taken pictures of the parents... not so ecstatic.

Chuck E Cheese is packed full of rides, video games, and other machines whose sole purpose is to just take all of your tokens without you even realizing what is going on. These are like little slot machines for kids. They just suck you in on the hopes of winning some cheap junk.

But... with all that said... Kaelin had a great time. In fact, she had so much fun that she fell asleep in the truck within about 10 minutes.

Going to Louise's House

You may be asking "Who is Louise?"

I am asking myself the same question. Louise is a friend of Kaelins. No I don't know Louise. No I have never seen Louise. No I have not spoken to Louise's parents. But somehow, my daughter was allowed to go to Louise's house today.

Confused...

We were having lunch at Aunt Debbie's house today. While we were eating, Kaelin went into Aunt Debbie's closet and drug out every bag in the closet. She filled each of the bags with "treasures". When we caught her, she said she was packing to go to Louise's house.

I asked her "Who is Louise?" she responded "My friend".

I asked "Where does Louise live?". Kaelin said "She lives in Baytown."

I asked "How are you going to get to Louise's house?" She said "I am going to ride the bus."

So here is a list of the goodies I found in Kaelin's bag and an explanation of why she needed to take this to Louise's house:

There were about 6 bags (each containing stuff)

Books in at least 3 of the bags- "so Louise and I can read"

Dog toys (lots of dog toys)- "Louise has a dog that wants to play too"

A pull up diaper- "Well, for you know, just in case"

2 Coasters- "For our drinks"

A pencil (same as below)

A pad of paper- "So we can write stuff"

Napkins- "For our messes"

A bottle of water- "In case we get thirsty"

So, now you know who Louise is. She is Kaelin's imaginary friend. But don't tell Kaelin that Louise is imaginary. I think she truly believes she will actually be going over to Louise's house one day.

Another funny... Todd took Kaelin upstairs to watch cartoons because of course Todd is convinced that the downstairs TV can only play football on Sundays (and Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays and Fridays and of course Saturdays).

He asked Kaelin if she would rather watch cartoons or drag racing? She said drag racing.

This is just one more piece of evidence to support my "redneck gene" theory. In case you don't remember, I believe that redneck behavior is due to genetics not a learned behavior.

My Turn

So after a daunting Sunday with Kaelin throwing up all over everything and just feeling so miserable, we were really looking forward to a less eventful week... ha ha ha...

Monday started out pretty good. It was Kaelin's first day of school. I got her up a little early so I could help her get dressed. She was so excited. I don't know if she was more excited about school or the fact that she got to wear her new backpack.

Of course I did fix the pink ruffle at the bottom of Kaelin's shirt before I let her go out the door. I wouldn't let her leave looking like that...

So that was Monday. Kaelin came home from school and was VERY sleepy, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Tuesday morning around 3:00 AM, I woke up feeling like someone was jumping up and down on my stomach. I stood up, got out of bed, and had to make a quick dash to the toilet. Yes... I had managed to come down with Kaelin's stomach virus. (Is this my pay back for taking my child to church with a stomach virus... maybe).

After spending a couple of hours with my head in the toilet, I knew I had to go into work for a couple of hours. I had been asked to fill in for some of the principals on my campus so they could attend a meeting.

Against my better judgement (the judgement that I obviously did not use Sunday when I took Kaelin to church despite her throwing up all morning), I went into work. I immediately went in and told our secretary I would probably be leaving as soon as the principals returned to campus. She agreed. I guess I looked that dreadful.

8:00 AM (after a couple of trips to the bathroom), I looked at the clock and could not believe I had only been at work for a little over ONE hour. My stomach was definitely swirling faster than the clock was ticking.

9:00 AM I knew the end was near. Laying my head on the hard desk actually felt comfortable.

9:30 AM I saw the first principal arrive back on campus... which was my cue to hit the door as fast as I had been hitting the restrooms.

After about 12 hours of sleep, some 7 UP, and a few crackers, I finally returned to the land of the living. Now, I am not going to go out and run or anything crazy like that. I am just not constantly casing every place I go for the nearest restroom.

Our Day of Rest...HaHaHa

God must have such a great sense of humor. I mean calling Sunday "the day of rest". No matter how hard I try, rest seems to be so far fetched every Sunday.



Here is a quick run down of "My Day of Rest"



I got up at 5:00 AM to go meet my friends to run about 9 miles. Just as I was getting ready to head out the door, I heard Kaelin crying. Kaelin had come into my room at 5:15 AM while I was getting my running clothes on. So, she was laying in my bed. I decided to go upstairs and check on her. Todd had the lights on and was wiping something up. The closer I got, I could see we had a big problem on our hands. Kaelin had thrown up all over the bed. So, I helped strip the bed, clean up Kaelin and change her pajamas.



Just as I finished that, she started throwing up again. I cleaned her up again. Then I went downstairs to send my friends a text saying I would not make it to go run today. Then I went upstairs and laid in Kaelin's bed with her. We both went back to sleep for about 1 hour. We got up and Kaelin threw up one more time, then she got to feeling better.

(Here is where bad parenting decisions were added to the mix...)

We had eaten Mexican food the night before and it definitely looked like Kaelin had tossed all of her enchiladas. So, in my mind, I thought she probably had gotten some type of food poisoning because she was feeling so much better. So, I decided to take her to church. She was wanting to go to church and since I had chalked it up to food poisoning, we left for church. Today was the grand opening of our new church, so I wanted to go, but probably should have stayed home.

Kaelin did pretty good at church, but she had very little energy and was very pale. Still, in my mind, this was related to her morning spent with her head in the toilet. I worked in Kaelin's Sunday school class, so I would be close by if she got to feeling bad and needed to go home.

Kaelin and I left church and headed to the grocery store.

On our way home, I got a text from my friend Tara (the girl that Kaelin stays with during the week). Tara was going to have a little get together at her house this afternoon but she was having to cancel due to A STOMACH VIRUS. I read the text and said "Holy guacamole" (since it is Sunday, I kept the swearing to a minimal). It all became a reality. Kaelin had a stomach virus, that was obviously contagious, and I had just taken her to church with a ton of little kids (since it was the grand opening, it was packed), then we went to the grocery store where it was almost as crowded as the day before Thanksgiving.

So here is my apology...

Dear very concerned parents with better parenting skills than me,

I am truly sorry for my poor parenting choices. I do realize that most parents don't like to have their children exposed to contagious viruses and would really prefer that parents keep their children at home if they are throwing up before church. I apologize for the loss of sleep you will endure while getting up in the middle of the night to tend to your throwing up child. I apologize for the tremendous amount of laundry you are going to do while washing all of the sheets, blankets, towels, and pajamas you are having to try to clean the throw up out of. I apologize for you having to take call in sick at work.

In the future, I promise to not try and persuade myself and those around me that my child is perfectly healthy even though she had thrown up everything from her toenails up. I will also think twice before chalking up throw up to food poisoning when the food that was consumed were cheese enchiladas, which have nothing that would typically be contaminated. I also realize that having no fever does not equal not contagious.

So, I promise to make wiser choices in the future.

Sincerely,
Mom of the Year

So, after we got home (with two stops on the side of the road to try and throw up), Kaelin ran into the bathroom and threw up again. Then she was feeling great. She was finally hungry. I let her eat a little lunch then I showed her the Dallas Cowboy cheerleader outfit I got her. That put a spark back in her step. She all of the sudden acted as though she had not thrown up at all. The Dallas Cowboy's costume is actually her Halloween costume, but seeing how today was opening day for the Dallas Cowboys, it only seemed appropriated to let her wear her costume.

Say "cheese enchiladas"...

The only thing missing (beside shoes) is a big bow. This won't happen again. Stay tuned for an update on the bow. You can bet it will be the biggest bow I can find. Doesn't this outfit just scream for a big bow.

*** Here is my side note on the costume. I ordered it from the Dallas Cowboys website . When I looked online, the costume looked really cute, but did not look like it had an open midriff. When the package came in, I opened that and thought "Oh my, my child is going to look like a stripper". Although she does not look like a stripper, I will still be buying a white leotard for her to wear underneath the costume, especially when she wears her costume to her school (at the Baptist church).

So, Happy Day of Rest to everyone!!!

Going to Mexico

This is a true conversation that Kaelin and I had on the way home from work today. And I must say that I like the way the princess thinks. She and I are definitely on the same page.

I picked her up and we began talking.

Kaelin says "Mom, why do you have to go to work?" --- we have this conversation all this time. Only this time, Kaelin has put a little extra thought into her responses.

I say "Well, Kaelin, mommy and daddy have to work so we can pay for our house and cars. If we did not work, where would we live?" --- I was expecting an answer like "we would live at PawPaws" or "we would live at Aunt Debbie's". But that is not what I got.

She said "We could live in Mexico" --- Okay, so I can go along with this.

I said "Would we have a house in Mexico?"

She said "Yes, a really big house"

I said "Would I work in Mexico?"

She said "No"

I said "Would Daddy work in Mexico?"

She said "Yes"

I said "What would Daddy do for work in Mexico?"

She said "He would work at a computer."

I said "What would I do?"

She said "You would drive the car."

I said "Well, where would I drive the car?"

She said "You would take me to see my Mexico friends because I really like my Mexico friends."

I said "Oh that sounds fun, where would we live?"

She said "At the beach in Cabo in a really big house."

I said ... nothing... my daughter and I share the same dream.

Isn't she just wonderful... she has us living on the beach in Cabo where I don't work (only Daddy does) and I get the pleasure of driving her to see her Mexico friends. I can handle this.

So if you are wondering, we have been to Cabo and to my knowledge Kaelin does not have a group of friends in Mexico. However, if we did live there, it would definitely not take her long to round up a group of friends. We loved Cabo. Loved the beach. I would probably move there in a heartbeat, Kaelin would probably move there in a heartbeat, Todd would rather have a large ranch in South Texas where you see more cactus and less beach and more deer and less blue marlins.

Soccer Pictures

Here are some pictures of Kaelin's super fun weekend with her PawPaw (away from her Mommy and Daddy for 2 nights without even missing them...)

Friday night, before driving out to Katy, they went to a football game. Here is Kaelin with Callen and the Big Scary Panther.

No... your eyes are not deceiving you... Kaelin is really holding little fruity drink umbrellas. You might be wondering where in the world she could have gotten something like that at a high school football game... Her PawPaw brought them to her from Hawaii and she thought they were just the coolest things ever. (I wanted the drink the umbrellas came out of).

Kaelin at the soccer tournament... Day 1.

Let me just remind you about this soccer tournament. It was not a tournament Kaelin was playing in. It was just something she went to watch.

But by looking at this picture, you might be a little confused.

Let me clarify... yes, she wore a soccer uniform to the soccer tournament (that she was not playing in) and yes, she wore shin guards to the soccer tournament (that she was not playing in).

She definitely looked the part of a player not a spectator. Too funny.

I guess next time we go to the baseball games she is going to want me to let her wear a cup and bring a bat.

Kaelin was playing at the RV park. She and her PawPaw went to feed the ducks and play on the playground. (Yes, she is wearing a pink John Deere shirt that says "Country Girl"... she is a Crazy Hick growing up in a Hick Town)

Isn't this just about the cutest picture you have ever seen????

Wait... no, this is the cutest picture you have ever seen!!!

Weekend Update

So, Kaelin surprised me...

She spent Friday night and Saturday night with her PawPaw. I did not pick her up until about 4:00 PM Sunday. I called to check on her and she was too busy playing to even stop and talk. I called one time and they asked her if she wanted to talk to her mom and she said "No, I am going back in the bus", then they said "Kaelin, do you want to talk to your mom or not?" She said "Or not". Not only was she not wanting to come home, but she was not even wanting to talk to me.

Of course, I was beginning to take a little offense to it. I am used to my sweet little Momma's Girl always wanting to come home at bed time.

I was thrilled that she had such an incredible time playing and being away from home for a little while. But... truth be told, I was really missing her. In fact, had she called Friday night (at any time) I would have made the 1 1/2 hour drive to go get her.

You might be wondering what we did while we had the house all to ourselves...

Todd ...
mowed the front and back yard
bought a new weed eater
weed eated (if that is even a word) the front and back yard with the new weed eater
trimmed the hedges in the front yard
went running
went to church on Sunday

I...
swept the kitchen, bathrooms, entry way
mopped the kitchen, bathrooms, entry way
scrubbed the kitchen cabinets
scrubbed the baseboards in the kitchen, living room, bathrooms
went shopping
laundry
laundry
laundry
laundry
went to church on Sunday

So, as you can see we are quite the lively bunch. I know we were not quite this boring before we had Kaelin, so I am not exactly sure what has happened in the last three years to make us this uneventful.
No... I am definitely not complaining... boring is not always bad and uneventful is pretty good.

Woo Hoo... 3 DAY weekend

It is about time we had a holiday.

I mean it feels like I have been working for 3 weeks without a day off.

What kind of work force am I employed by?

3 weeks... no day off (weekends don't count).

Next holiday... (but who is counting) Thanksgiving.

WOW... can I make it that long with no holiday?


What to do with the 3 day weekend?

Kaelin left last night. She is spending the weekend with her PawPaw. Last night they went to a high school football game to watch Callen cheer. Then they headed to Katy in the bus. They are camping in a RV park in Katy. Aspen is playing in a soccer tournament in Katy, so Kaelin is going to get to watch her play soccer all weekend.

So you might be asking yourself, "I thought Kaelin did not like to spend the night away from home". She does not. I am wondering how this will play out. When I was dropping her off, she was very excited. But... just as I was getting ready to leave, she began asking why I could not go with her. Then she said "So, if I get scared, I will just call you." I said, "You can call me, but you will have to stay the night and there is nothing to be scared of."

I have not called to check on her yet this morning, but I will a little later. I told Kaelin she had the option to stay one night and I would come get her this afternoon or she could stay two nights which would mean she would come home tomorrow afternoon. Secretly, I am almost hoping she wants to come home today. I don't want her to be scared and want to come home. I am just missing the little princess. Remember... I was used to spending all day with her during the summer. Now, that I am back at work, I only get to spend time with her in the evenings and the weekend.

I will let you know how the weekend goes...


Now for something good...

Kaelin and I made a delicious treat the other night. I got this recipe from my friend Tara and it is super yummy and super easy.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent roll dough (I used reduced fat)
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 cup sugar (divided)
1 t. vanilla
cinnamon sprinkles
1 stick butter, melted (I used a low fat butter)


Heat oven to 350. Use a 9 x 13 pan or dish.
Spread one can of crescent rolls in the bottom of the pan.
In a bowl, mix the two cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla.
Spread the mixture on top of the crescent rolls.
Put the other can of crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Pour the melted butter on top of the crescent rolls.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the butter.
Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Let cool. Then eat. If you have left overs (but why would you), refrigerate.