Magnolia Mom

Like I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been super busy with soccer league pictures. I finished up last night with taking the pictures. Now I’ve got to finish going through the pictures, editing, posting to galleries, sending emails, and placing orders. Then, start deliveries. Lots of work. I’m just happy that I was able to take all the pics on schedule. No rain outs!

I’ve got several posts in the works, but I just gotta find time to get them finished up and posted. I was looking at my blog earlier and realized that my header has a Corgi on it. WOW! I got a huge lump in my throat, realizing I don’t have a little black Corgi at my feet tonight as I sit and write this post. Tuesday after writing my last post, I cried much of the day. In my peripheral vision, I’d see something white and black on the floor. I guess, by habit, my mind would jump to the conclusion it was Rosie, and then I’d remember that she’s gone. Ugh! I’ve also heard lots of noises while home alone this week. Usually, I would have just assumed it was her, but now with her gone, I became quite curious what was making so much noise. One day, there was a cricket in the kitchen that kept hopping, which made a noise like Rosie’s nails on the floor.

Rob worked hard Tuesday and Wednesday digging a hole in the backyard. We buried her Wednesday and plan to have a funeral for her after the kids make a stone to put on grave. Oh how I miss her…

Anyway, Wow. I got off subject there. I love my header, so I’m not sure I’m going to change it because I know someday, we’ll have another Corgi. But, maybe I’ll find another cool pic to use instead. I’m also working to have some Menu pages with links to those in my sidebar. I’ll let you know when those are up.

So the posts that I’m working on include:
- Kids’ 1st day back to school
- TV Boy’s soccer pics
- Some new recipes
- Cub Scout Survivor Pictures
- Soccer Tourney pics (from this weekend)
- And…..probably more travel posts. I’ve got a couple more cruise posts that I want to share. Then, I plan to move on to Road trips!

So stay tuned.

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I just love when Rude Cactus does the posts of numbers. I’ve kept that in mind, trying to find a good time to do a post like that. Well, unfortunately the time has come. LOL! I was hoping it would be some wonderful post about a vacation or new job. Not so much. I’ll just let you figure out why it is unfortunate by leaving you with the totals….
Days since this all started: 16
Days it seems like it’s been going on: 35
Trips to the emergency room: 1
Antibiotics Rob has taken: 3
Pain meds attempted: 2
Trips to the dentist (so far): 1
Root canals to be had this year: 1
Antibiotics that seemed to work for a few days: 1
Antibiotics that made his tooth hurt more than it ever has: 2
Phone calls to the dentist: 6
Phone calls to the pharmacy: 2
Cost of meds including all the ones that are wasted: $31.24
Days the dentist was on vacation while this was going on: 5
Times of puking: too many to recall
Dentists who said it was out of her “realm” to prescribe Phenergan: 1
Phone calls to relative for Phenergan: 1
Times Rob and I have decided we must be totally ignorant: 30
Times we mentioned that Rob is allergic to Codeine: 50
Times we wonder why we keep putting drugs into his system: countless
Days of work he’s missed: 4 (I think), but regardless WAY too many
Times I googled something related to nausea, drug side effects, etc: 42
Times I told the kids to be quiet because their Dad is sick: 164
Times I think he’s getting better: 7

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My last week at the library I saw this book, flipped through it, and decided to check it out. I loved that it was short, sweet, and to the point. It outlines 63 rules about food. A lot of it is common sense, but I think for a lot of us we have lost our common sense when it comes to food. Anyone else agree with me there? I know deep down, I know what’s good and not good, but when I’m “on the go”, I just throw all that out the window. And I drive up to the window! LOL

So here are some key points I found intriguing while reading this book and I highly recommend you read this book for yourself.
– Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. For example: Go-Gurt
– Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary homan would keep in their pantry. For example: Cellulose? Xanthan gum?
– Avoid food products containing ingredients that a 3rd grader cannot pronounce. Just look at some food labels in your pantry. See how many ingredients you find that fit that rule. Would love to hear some examples.
– Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
– Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetner) listed among the top three ingredients. BTW, sugar is sugar even if it is organic.
– Avoid food products that make health claims. Even Cheerios? It’s supposed to help with Cholesterol…anyone know if that’s true?
– Avoid foods you see advertised on television. That would include fast food.
– Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. I knew this one, but always good to remember when you’re there.
– Eat only foods that will eventually rot!
– It’s not food if it arrived through a window of your car.
– It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language. For example: Big Mac, Pringles
– Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. Never seen this happen until recently when I got a different kind of cereal for the boys. Eee-yew!
– “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.”
– Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. Ha! They don’t know that when I go to the trouble to make to bake, I bake enough to feed the neighborhood.
– “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.”
– Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does. This one isn’t too bad for me, except sometimes when we’re on trips and we get a “snack” at the gas station.
– Do all your eating at the table. This is a difficult one, especially for people who have a hard enough time finding time to eat! Eating in the car, in front of the TV, running around the house while trying to get out of the house, etc.
– Treat treats as treats. Follow the S-policy: no snacks, sweets, or seconds except on days that begin with the letter “S”.

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I usually don’t write about politics. I’m not really one to publically voice my opinions about stuff like this, but I’m really the need to vent right now. I’m on facebook as is most of the world, and have “friends” of all sorts. Anyway, I won’t go into specifics about that as I shouldn’t go down that road. I just don’t get why people feel the need to have such absolute hatred for certain people in politics, especially ones that have never had any jurisdiction you and have in no direct way effected you.

I totally understand that people are going to have different views and although I dislike certain ideas and decisions made by past or present presidents, I in no way wouldn’t ever wish to harm or even express hatred towards them.

How high school is it to throw things at politicians? Sheesh…

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I’ve been so busy lately. I started a temporary job at the Auburn University Library. I’m there four days a week M-Th from 6 pm to 12 am. I also substitute as much as possible and still work at the day care teaching music M & W. All this means that if I sub on M & W I work from 7 am to 12 am!! WOW! If it sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not! I’m actually shocked at myself that I’m able to survive this, and very glad to have this opportunity to get some extra money, with school being out so much for the holidays.

I am so very thankful for my wonderful husband, who is doing a great job “taking over” for me while I’m gone. He’s helping me out in every way he can to ensure I’m getting as much sleep as possible. He’s started getting the kids up for me in the morning to allow me to sleep a little longer. Every evening it’s so comforting to come home to a clean kitchen…sparkling clean! There’s just something soothing about not seeing dishes piled up in the sink. Thank you, Rob!

{{So I’ve got several posts that I need to get caught up on. Hopefully I can get those done soon.}}

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— This evening around 7:40 I was able to get away and go to the grocery store! Pretty sad, when I’m excited about going to Wal-Mart. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a normal trip for groceries. I went through the self-check out, as I always do. I rang up my 50 items or so and paid. Then, as I got ready to pull my buggy away, I realized I didn’t ring up the items in the top part of the cart. Since there was a line waiting behind me, I wasn’t able to just ring up the items. I had to get back at the end of a long line and ring up the 2 loaves of bread, hot dog buns, grapes, bananas, and pickles! All at the cost of $12.76!

— Today Monkey and I were watching TV and this commercial came on:

He wanted to know how you can fly with oatmeal.

— Did you know Monkey loves to eat hot dog buns plain? He can put down half a pack of buns in one sitting! The boy loves bread, much like his great grandfather.

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Today I took TV Boy to the dr. for a check up for boy scout camp that he’ll be attending in a couple weeks. We saw a new doctor, Dr. Matt Carter, who was super nice. TV Boy checked out great, but to my surprise he had to get 2 shots. No big deal or so we thought….

The nurses come in to give him the shots in his arm. Didn’t seem to phase him much so he hops up and we go to pay and leave. On our way out the door he mentions that he feels like he’s gonna throw up. I look over he’s pouring sweat and white as a ghost. I tell him we need to go in and sit down for a few minutes. However, he says no and continues to walk towards the car. He leans over like he’s gonna hurl. I took him by the arm and said we’re going inside. After letting go of him so I could open the door, he lays out on the ground. Without really thinking things through, I run in and tell the front desk people that he had just gotten shots and is not feeling good. They ask me something, but I’m thinking I really need to be out there with him and Monkey Boy who is running around since he’s not getting the attention. I try to grab MB’s arm, but he wants to play chase. All this while TV Boy is still sweating profusely and continues to lose color in his face that he doesn’t have! I manage to get TV Boy inside to sit down.

Fuming at this point, I go outside and have to chase my lovely 5 yo around. And as everyone from inside watch, I’m feeling like #1 Mom right now, looking pretty old cool! NOT. I manage to grab MB’s arm with the “you better behave before I lose it” kind of grip. After going inside I get in his face, I tell him that his brother is not feeling well and I need him to sit down and not to move. I got some wet paper towels and put them on TV Boy’s forehead. The nurses came out with a wheelchair and wheeled him back to the room. They had him lay down and a few minutes later come in to take his blood pressure and told him to lay down until he feels better.

Dr. Carter comes in, sits down, and talks with us for a few minutes. He shared with us that after military come back from being overseas, there’s a period of time military have to wait before giving blood. He got back from Iraq, waited until the time had passed, and decided to give blood. After the needle was inserted, he started to feel light-headed and his wife had to be called in to take him home. That would be something he would never live down. I just thought it was so nice of him to take that time to sit with us. Hopefully it didn’t put him too far behind, but they didn’t seem real busy.

TV Boy worked his way from laying, to sitting, to standing, and felt ok finally so we were able to head home. All is good now, but not without a little adventure at the doctor’s office!

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1997 Ford Explorer with 230,000 miles = dead = must get new car
Here’s what we got.

Honda Pilot

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So yah, I haven’t been on here regularly….really in over a year. Life has had its major ups and down the last year and half. I’ve always believed that God only gives you what you can handle but sometimes I wonder! I’m not going to rehash everything, but I’m sure as I start writing more, more will come out. It’s not that I’m wanting to hide anything, just don’t want to bore you with details.

What I will say is that in May I was laid off right before getting out for summer. Alabama has a serious problem with their funding in education and so it seems that every few years they have major layoffs of non-tenured teachers. It wasn’t a real shocker and really God was looking out for me. I had only been in that system that one year and it was THE worst year of my life career-wise. Getting beat up and cussed at is not rewarding and makes you wonder how anyone would ever want to teach school. I know I came steps away from walking out many days.

So I spent the summer looking for a job, not just teaching, but at the university and other jobs. I wasn’t closing the door to any option, really. I still spend several hours a week looking and calling. I can’t afford to just be a WAHM/SAHM, which is really a bummer. In the mean time I’ve started my own business. Very exciting, but LOTS of work. Most of it is work I love. Photography has become a true passion of mine, so it’s very rewarding to share my talent with others. I’ll admit that I have so much to learn and need so much more equipment, but I’m doing the best I can with what I have. So if you’re in my area and need a photographer for events, portraits, or sporting events, please let me know! I’m not doing weddings yet, but will do engagement photos. Those aren’t near as stressful!

Anyway, I didn’t want to just put a post with my menu for next week (haha), so I decided to actually try to write something with some substance. I’m sure all my readers have abandoned me, which is totally understandable. If there is anyone out there still reading or if you’re new here, please drop me a comment. Thanks

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