New Job

The other day when my Mom was really drugged up, she told me, "You better get a new job because I think that there is going to be a pandemic!"  A pandemic?  A job?  What?  I told her that I would look into it.

A few days later I was thinking about this and wondering what I would do that would be a good job for me, and I decided that I could be a PROFESSIONAL SMELLER.  My nose is SO sensitive (my ears too, but that is for a later post) and I can smell things from a mile away.  I love a good smell, and I HATE a bad smell.  For instance, my car has a bad smell.  I blame the carpool, and too much spilt food.  It used to smell good.  Kids just stink!  Eww, it BUGS me!

My services would be as follows:

House smeller~  I know you all wonder if your house smells good or bad.  I do too.  But some how we get immune to our "smell".  How nice would it be to have a professional come in and tell it like it is.  "A dog, a cat, a child in diapers... and fish for dinner last night?  Yes your house stinks!"

Car sniffer~  "I hate to tell you this, but somewhere in this car is a chicken nugget, probably off the Wendy's dollar menu, and ranging from one to two months old.  I recommend checking under the seats."  "And that car seat has been puked in!"

Clothing critique~  "I love tide, it smells SO great, but you have to take the clothes out of the washer the day OF laundry, not the next day, or even the next.  I smell mildew!"

Breath wiffer~  "Before we continue, I need to make sure that you have brushed today, and avoided garlic for three or more days..."

B.O. detector~  "If you think you have it, you probably do.  But just for the record, this smell WILL go away after a shower!"

Fart Grader~  "Why do you men want your farts to stink?  It is nothing to be proud of.  Yes, I smell it, yes, I am about to puke, and yes, it stinks worse than his!"

Smoke detector~ "You rolled down the car window, but I still smell it.  You keep your windows open in the house, but the smell is still there, and before you even spoke, I knew why I was here.  Yes, I can tell that you are a smoker!"

Stinky feet~  "I am sorry for the inconvenience, but this service is no longer available.

I think I have a good business plan!!

 You would hire me, right?  

Jolly Rancher Anyone?

Many years ago my Mom won a Gum ball Machine at work.  It came with a HUGE box of Gum balls, that have probably caused many cavities in the Grandkids.  Every time the kids went to visit Grandpa and Grandma they would eat tons of gum balls and then fill their pockets for later.  The gum balls seemed to keep coming, and soon they were hard as golf balls.  This didn't stop the kids.  They would put one in their mouths and bite with everything they had hoping to make even a dent in it.  Colorful drool would start to leak from their mouths, and you always knew if they were eating a red one, yellow one, or white one.

Soon we had to cut them with a knife before the kids could eat them, because their teeth just didn't have what it took to make it through the really old hard gum.  Finally, the gum was gone.  The machine was retired to the storage room, and the dental bills began to reduce.

Leave it to my kids to find the machine in storage, and beg to bring it home to turn it into a Jolly Rancher Machine.  Grandpa always has Jolly Ranchers, they are his "Quit Smoking" secret weapon.  So now, every time they are with Granps they come home with pockets full of Jolly Ranchers.  He happily gave the machine to the kids.  Less clutter for him!

Next thing I knew it was packed in my car and the kids were EXCITED to say the least.

It now sits proudly in the boys room.  Yes, they eat a lot Jolly Ranchers, but they love it!  One day they plan to sell the candy for 10 cents a piece, if there is any left, but for now they are just enjoying their hard candy that is actually meant to be hard candy!

Quality time

Just me and my guy enjoying the garden veggies, talking about Star Wars and Captain Jack Sparrow, and spending some quality time together!  

Wanna Save Money??

Example of savings just FYI.  Here is what I bought today.  The majority of the money spent was not on the food, but on the other stuff, but it was still some great deals.  Here is a re-cap of my trip today.

2 boxes of Apple Jacks, 2 cake frosting, 5 Dannon Yogurts, 4 Progresso soups, 2 healthy choice meals, 8 Grands Biscuits, 4 Croissants, 4 Sweet Rolls.
4 Hair Colors, 8 Nut Clusters, 3 Campbells Soup at Hands, 2 Lunchables, 2 Nutragrain bars, 2 Cinnabon bars, bananas, avocados, apples.
7 Thermal tops, 5 pairs of undies for me, 2 Bissell Floor Cleans, PJ shorts for Kenna, Stapler, and a purse.

Grand total- $68.10

Just the food- $35.43

** That is more than I would usually  spend on food, but I have been way busy lately and have not been good about deal shopping like I usually am.  But I still saved TONS of money!!

OK, so for a long time now I have been telling everyone that I have been doing the whole coupon thing and getting tons of free stuff, and everything else for really cheap.  I have had so many people asking me how I do it, that I decided that have someone that is a pro come and teach everyone.

The problem is I booked her over a month ago when my life was a lot less crazy... and now I need to follow through with the event, which is great, but I am having  hard time getting invites out.

SO!!!!  Here are the details... If you want to come and learn how to do this FOR FREE come on over on Monday night (Sept. 28th) at 8:30 pm.  It will only take about an hour, and you will be so glad that you came!!!

She will give you all of the details on how it works (it is easy, if I do it, you can too) and get you going.  No, this is not the Grocery Guru, it is way better!!!  I promise.

Remember, this is free, so come hear what she has to say, and even if you don't want to save money, you can eat some of my goodies.

PS-  You do not have to become a coupon clipping fool, and this is not something that takes over your life.  It takes me about an extra hour per week, saves me SO much money, and has made my cold storage jam packed with food, most of which I got for free!!!

Call me with questions.  :)  See you Monday!

PS- if you are coming, leave me a comment on this post so I know how much junk food to make (or buy)!  Oh and feel free to bring anyone along that you want.

Summer rain.

There is nothing better than playing in the rain!

High FIVE!

Coren entered this world like a mad man five years ago, and since then I have thought to myself so many times... "IT IS GOING TO BE A MIRACLE IF THIS KIDS MAKES IT TO FIVE!!!"  Well, I am happy and shocked to say that he did it!  He is now officially a five year old, and loving it.

He got the motorcycle bike that he has been wanting for so long!  He was so happy and has already broken it in!

Carson and Kenna went to the store and got him some cool gifts all by themselves.  They were all three so excited about it.  They did a great job picking gifts that he would love, I was so proud of them!

On Saturday we celebrated at Arctic Circle, and on Sunday did a joint party for Coren and Brooke.  Two party animals!

Today, his actual birthday he got all fancy in the outfit that Grandma and Grandpa gave him and took off to school on his new bike.  Never have I seen a cooler kid (just ask him, he is WAY cool!)

People are good.

To say the last few weeks have been hard would be a HUGE understatement.  Despite the trails that we have been facing with my Mom's sickness, I have learned a huge lesson.  People are good, (except for that loser that flipped me off on the freeway today... WHY?) people are very good.

I have been taken back by the love, support, thoughtfulness, and helpfulness of the people around me.  To say that they are good is in many ways an insult to them.  They are simply amazing!  My faith in humanity has been more than restored.  I am looking forward to the day that I can try to repay people for what they have done for me.  I hope that I can.

While I have been helping to heal my Mom, I have learned so many things.  I have learned about the human body.  It is strong, and it is weak.  I had no idea how quickly a person could slip away.  However, even the weakest and sickest person is still a living and loving person.  No matter how distant they become due to pain, grief, and medication, they still find a way to be there everyday.  Between gibber and jabber and questions answered with random off topic answers, they shock you by saying things that are just "so them."

I have learned that we all cope differently.  I now know that some people just cannot take as much as others, unless they really try.  It is amazing how much you can handle when you are forced to.  It is even more amazing how much you can handle when you just handle it.  Yeah, things suck, but you can survive them.  We all can.  Especially if we tell ourselves that we can.

I have learned the HUGE difference in the power of a positive attitude, and the not so great power of a negative one.  An attitude that wants a positive outcome can lift and strengthen even the weakest.  Boy oh boy does negativity and a lack of hope feel a room with a sour smell!  And WOW, the difference in the afflicted when they sense your hope and your uplifting attitude.  I am not sure about you, but if someone tells me I am going to live, or tells me I am going to die, I am going start to believe them.  Then, one of two things will happen.  I will start to hold on, or start to let go.  We should never let go.  Hope is what keeps us alive.  We should never lose hope.

I have learned in the everlasting strength and love of a Mother:

Monday afternoon I took my Mom for her weekly doctors visit.  As we slowly made our way into the first exam room we were offered and quickly declined a wheelchair.  My Mom sat in the exam chair and I could see the concern in the nurses eyes.  We were quickly taken to an exam room which was very abnormal for these visits.  Within minutes Dr. Stennett arrived in our room.  We had waited for his arrival, but when he walked in, I wanted him to turn around and walk out.  He had a frowny face.  A sad Doctor, from my experience, is the bearer of bad news.  He asked how she was doing and she used the energy she had to say, "good" and nod her head.

After taking a minute to examine her, we helped her back to her chair.  He opened his folder and began.  "Chris, I have always been honest with you, and I am going to continue to do so...."  He gave us "the talk" and told us that she is really sick.  He showed us some graphs and spouted off some numbers and said that none of it looked good.  He said the she just "wasn't the same person anymore" that she was weak and that he would no longer be able to treat her with chemo therapy.  He said that Hospice (I hate that word) would be available to us, and that if she wished he could even continue to see her.  He also said that he could draw blood to test her numbers again, but that it probably wouldn't be worth it.

I began to sob.  Not just tear up, but do that loud cry where it is hard to breathe.  She said that she wanted her blood tested and he left.  I laid on her frail shoulder and broke down.  She didn't shed a tear.  She reached up her hand and rubbed my face.  She asked Coren to get me a tissue.  She told me that it would be OK and that we were lucky to have the memories.  I kept crying, "MOM!!!!  No!!!!"  I remember telling her to cry, and telling her that it wasn't OK!!  She continued to comfort me.

The nurses came and hugged and kissed her.  They told her that they loved her and that she was their favorite and sweetest patient.  She has been going there for SO many years, and has a very good friendship with all of them.  They knew all about us kids by name, and all about her prized Grandchildren.

Finally she said, "Get me out of here.  I want to go to bed."  

I cried all the way to the car.  She asked for a blanket and wanted to heater on.  The 10 minute drive home was torture.  Not only because it was 150 degrees in the car, and I could barely see the road through my tears, but because I knew that waiting at home was my Dad.  It would be my job to pass on the news.

The next day I arrived at her house and she took one look at me and said in her weak voice, "I was up all night repenting for those bad thoughts I was having.  That isn't me.  I am going to fight.  I am going to get better!"

"Good, then what can I get you to eat" I asked.  (Three weeks without food alone can kill a person.)  At that moment, we flipped back on the heal switch.  We will not be turning it off.

And in the midst of my daily emergencies, long hours helping out, and forgetting the unimportant/pretty important things like laundry, cleaning the house, and caring for the yard... and occasionally forgetting about the kids (oops) it is all under control.  If you call this control.

Friends have dropped their lives FOR ME at the drop of a hat.  Left work to watch my kids, fed them, let them hang out, helped with carpool, driven them to me when it was too hard to pick them up myself, fed me, talked to me, offered to help with anything anytime, listened to me, mowed my lawn, helped me look for a cure to this nasty disease, and SO much more.  When I think about it all it makes me so happy to know that there are such wonderful people in the world.  Who knew?  I only hope that I can see the needs of others and pay it forward.  

Family.  That is what it is all about.  And in a crunch, everyone just does their part.  I have had to ask some hard things of people.  I have had some pretty terrible conversations with people who maybe just weren't on my same wavelength.  I guess we just can't all agree all of the time.  I have also been so lifted up by family and amazed at their generosity.  I have been in awe of my Dads strength, and the love that he has for my Mom.  She is sick, but he is suffering in so many ways.  His shoes are ones that we be hardest to be in.  Without family I am not sure where I would be.

People are good.  People are the only thing that have gotten me through this hard time.  I know I have more to learn but so far I know:

-More people love me than I deserve

-Have a positive attitude

-Look for ways to help people, because the ones who really need help won't ask

-There is power in words

-We all have some hidden strength in there

-It is OK to cry, just get back in control before too many people see you

-Mom's are the greatest, who knew they would really always be there for us, no matter what

-PEOPLE ARE GOOD and I need to be better 

What?

Today was my first day of freedom.

Oh, wait... What I meant to say was today was Coren's first day of school.

He is just so cute.  Isn't he just the cutest?  Can I just tell you how dang cute he is?  I cannot handle how big he has gotten.  He just took off this morning like it was no big deal.  School as usual.  I guess it helps that he has the same teacher, but still, it was all new kids.  He wasn't scared at all.  He looked so big this morning, and I couldn't help but think that next year he will be in kindergarten!  How weird!  My kids are all getting so big.

I hope he had a great day at school.  I know I have had a great morning all to myself!!!

What is better than killing a vole?  Killing a pregnant vole!!!  Yes, we are still haunted from time to time by the nasty voles.  Yesterday as we were out in the yard we heard a rumbling in the bushes.  We all went over and sure enough a vole started to make a run for it when BAM Steve tapped it with his shoe and laid it to rest.  Those things die so easy, it is crazy!  We realized pretty quick that it was expecting some nasty baby voles.  Should I have felt sad?  Maybe.  But I screamed and yelled praise to Steve for his 10 in 1 killing.  The more of these things we can get rid of the better.  I am worried that I am teaching the kids violence.  So we had the "talk" about only killing nasty things.  I think that worked.

And our snakes?  Well, we haven't seen them for a while.  In all we counted three living in the yard.  I think they got smart to the boys wanting to catch them and keep them as pets.  They must have evacuated to a safer home.

The basement is coming along nicely.  Steve spent most of his time off this weekend working on the trim work.  We are getting so close.  Kenna and Carson have both said that they are moving downstairs as soon as it is done.  Weird!  They are growing up so fast.

And Steve?  He just left for Price.  He is going to be building a Senior Center down there for the next year.  He will come home all the time, so I am not upset about it.  Plus, in this economy, work is work.  From what everyone says this is the worst they have seen the economy.  There are so many people struggling.  It is so sad.  I hope that when we look back on this time we will be glad that things have improved.  Let's hope.

How is Chris?

Just wanted to let you all know that I started a blog to keep everyone updated on the health of my Mom.  Hopefully this will be a good resource for family and friends to stay up to date on what is going on.  The address is howischris.blogspot.com.    

Got eyes?

It isn't one of those "be nice to your sister" or "clean your room" kind of things.

It is one of those, "I am going to cut some of you off" kind of things.

I know.  I need to take control and just tell the kid that once your hair completely covers your eyes, it is pretty mandatory that we cut it.  It just isn't that simple.  To a kid like Coren, your hair is a huge part of you.  He loves it.  He thinks it looks cool.  So for me to just start chopping it off is pretty abusive, especially when he is crying and upset.

He only lets me do it, and I am not good at it, as you can see.  But he now has eyes again.  Sunday at church I noticed that he looked like a blind child.  I couldn't see his eyes.  Not one bit.  I leaned over and told him that he might enjoy seeing the world and all of the beauty it has to offer.  To my delight, he gladly accepted.  

We got home and started the process.  When I say process, I mean it!  First, he must stand up while I cut it.  Second, he has a talk with me the whole time we are getting ready to make sure that I know what I am doing, and that it is going to look OK in the end.  I never make any promises.  Third, I start to cut and he says, "You are taking all of my hair.  There won't be any left!!!"

In the end, I saw two eyes.  I had forgotten what they looked like.  I smiled and said, "I forget how pretty your eyes are!"  He immediately went cross-eyed!

Got hair?

This post is dedicated to 

the inventor of the flat iron...

BLESS YOU MY HERO!  You are a LIFESAVER!