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Back in the Saddle

Posted on June 19, 2011 by auburnchick

With my EPI courses nearly finished, I have found myself somewhat ready to resume my grocery shopping duties.

You might remember that I have, in the past, saved a dollar or two through my creative use of coupons.

During the last six months, the Mr. has tried to pick up the slack.  His mom, Coupon Queen, has sent him care packages full of coupons.  The Mr. even cleaned out my coupon binder.  Nearly all of my coupons had expired during my hiatus.

Everyone was eager for me to start trolling the couponing blogs again.

So, today, I did.

I checked out the sales for my local stores:  Walgreens, CVS, Publix, and Target.  I pulled a few coupons out of my pathetic stash and made my lists.

Chicky went with me.

My trip to CVS was somewhat fruitful, although not quite as much as in days past.  I have to return in a few days to see if the razors I can get for $.50 (after coupons and ECBs) have been restocked.

Then, we headed to Publix.

We shopped and shopped, and we completely filled up our grocery cart…

Now, a few things have changed since I last seriously couponed way back in July (before I started teaching).  My local Publix no longer accepts competitor coupons from Target, CVS, and Walgreens.  Thus, a lot of opportunities for saving money have been done away with.

Regardless, I still managed to stock up on a few things…

I bought twelve boxes of cereal for about $.80 each…down from over $4.

Another great deal involved cake mixes…

I had a B2G1 coupon, and these babies were already on sale for B1G1.

Now, here’s where my natural couponing abilities came into play.  The average shopper would have probably picked up three boxes per deal, right?

Well, the wheels in my brain started turning.  Basically, for every box of mix you buy, you get one free.  So, that third box…the one you’re getting free with a coupon…well, it rings up at regular price on the register.  Naturally, you should pick up a second box to accompany the first one since they are B1G1.  So, if you’re following me, you’re getting two extra boxes for each deal, and both are free.  So, in essence you’ve only paid for two of the eight boxes.

Whew.  That’s a lot of brain work, and let me tell you…my brain was tired after that deal.

My last “big” deal was on tomatoes…

These cans were B1G1, and I had $1/2 coupons.  I made out like a bandit!  I’ll use all of them…fairly quickly…because of the vegan diet that I’m on.  A lot of my recipes call for tomatoes, so this was a great sale for me to partake of.

The rest of my groceries really aren’t picture-worthy.  By the end, I only saved 49%; however, I’m not mad about it.  I saved $96 — no small feat.  I consider this a very good start for someone who’s been out of the game for almost a year.

I think that my year off was good for several reasons:

  • I learned that I don’t have to drive myself crazy to get the absolute lowest deal.  Life really does go on.
  • The Mr. learned that couponing is very hard work.  He always went to the store with good intentions, and almost without fail, he came home having made at least one mistake.  He did learn how to combine deals and got a good pair of binoculars at Sports Authority for only a few dollars.
  • Couponing makes a HUGE difference in our lives.  Not only does my pantry stay stocked, but there’s more money in the checking account to pay for such bills as college expenses and band dues.  Thus, I have to make more time in the future to keep up with the sales.

It feels good being back in the saddle again.  I have always taken pride in my house management skills.  I’ve always worked hard at my various household tasks.  Today, I felt like I was slipping back into my old skin.

Yee Haw!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

AuburnChick the Grouch

Posted on June 18, 2011 by auburnchick

I feel the need to go ahead and apologize before you read the rest of this post.  I am about to sound a little like Oscar the Grouch…

You see, I simply must rant a bit.

Yesterday, the Mr. and I received a letter in the mail.

It was from our homeowner’s association (HOA).

We had received a newsletter a week or so ago, and I’d gotten a bit miffed back then.

Yesterday’s letter just about pushed me over the edge.

The issue?

Garbage cans.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Garbage cans.

I don’t know if you’ve had any experience with HOAs, but let me tell you that they can be a royal PITA, please forgive my acronym French, if you know what I mean.

With the exception of the three apartments that the Mr. and I have lived in during the course of our marriage, our homes have always fallen under the jurisdiction of HOAs.

Here are some things I’ve learned.  First, the good:

  • HOAs do some good work…like collecting monthly fees that are used to maintain community pools and landscaping (see, I can be nice).
  • HOAs also help people avoid living next door to purple polka dotted houses.

And now, the bad:

  • Most HOAs are comprised of a bunch of retired folks with few things on their agendas (no offense if you are an older person)
  • It has been my experience that a lot of older people are of the grumpy sort.  I guess I would be too if my body was falling apart at the seams, and the highlight of my day was the Early Bird Special at the local diner.  But, I digress.
  • Aforementioned older people walk…a lot…around malls and within neighborhoods…and they have sharp eyes (aided by those mega-powered eyeglasses).  Older people are the perfect candidates for detecting if a blade of grass is two millimeters longer than the rest of the yard, and they don’t mind tattling.
  • Older people notice when people haven’t edged their yards *cough*.
  • HOAs are merciless.  They don’t care if you’ve been laid off and can’t afford to buy or even rent an edger *cough*.  They continue sending those “Warning” letters threatening to assess fines.  Sometimes, I’ve wanted to tell them just what they can assess *cough*.
  • HOAs are also desperate to collect money.  A lot of homeowners do not pay their monthly dues, so the rest of us get stuck paying higher fees to cover for the losses, which can’t be recouped until those owners’ houses are sold and the liens paid off (yes, I said liens, because this is another nasty thing that HOAs do if you don’t pay your fines).
  • HOAs also LOATHE trash cans that are visible…even when said trash cans abut homeowners’ abodes.

So, back to the letter.

Yesterday, the letter contained a warning because our house had been red flagged for leaving the garbage can out…albeit up against the side of the house (not in front either).

To make matters worse, homeowners are not allowed to “hide” the cans in any way, shape, or form.  Forget trying to put the cans behind tall foliage.

Dare I say that the Garbage Patrol is venturing onto private property to look behind trees for those elusive cans?

I am seriously ticked, and if I had the money, I’d incur the fine just to be stubborn.

I’m considering organizing a revolt…against the HOA board of directors.

I’m thinking that I could rally up support from my neighbors.

Besides that, I’m a little annoyed that the HOA is more concerned about where I put my trash can than they are kiddos peeing in the community pool.

Grrr.

You know what makes all of this worse?

As a Christian, I am struggling with these feelings of anger.

I desperately want to fire off a nasty-gram to the “Powers That Be.”

I want to use all of my fine vocabulary skills to put those stupid people who passed that stupid rule in their places.

And then I am stopped by the Holy Spirit reminding me that I will not be a good witness if I do that.

I guess, for now, I will have to be content with being a grouch on my blog and in the privacy of my home (my apologies, family).

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

The Verdict

Posted on June 17, 2011 by auburnchick

Chicky went back to the doctor today…for a follow-up appointment…and to hear the results from the blood work she had done on Monday.

Guess what she has?

Not mono.

Not Lyme Disease.

The Strep culture is still out, but the doctor doesn’t think she has that either based on her other blood component levels.

Basically, she had a really nasty viral infection.

Go figure.

Chicky has now been given the green light to stop taking the antibiotic, which means that we now have three of them sitting in the cabinet.

When we got in the car, I teasingly told Chicky that I believed she had faked the entire illness in her desire to get attention.

She’s like that, you know.

I further reasoned that she also needed a new reason to grump at me, and she probably knew her actions would be forgivable because she was “sick.”

She laughed as I shared my revelations with her.

Then she grumped at me about…well…who knows exactly.  All I can remember is that she has fussed non-stop since we left the place.

My Chicky is back.

I could not be happier.

By the way, we want to thank everyone who prayed for her during the course of the week.  This was the sickest I’d seen Chicky since she was a baby.  Her symptoms were quite frightening as well.

The Bible promises that there is power in numbers, and your prayers certainly were heard.

Thank you all!!

Filed under: children | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Fruity Fingers

Posted on June 16, 2011 by auburnchick

Today I had to go back to CVS to pick up Chicky’s third antibiotic.

Yes, I said third.

Her second prescription, Augmentin, made Chicky have terrible diarrhea, nausea, and fits of vomiting.

It has been ugly in my house lately.

The doctor had mercy on her and prescribed Amoxycillin, a milder antibiotic.

Anyhoo, as I was saying…I was at CVS picking up the newest medicine when I began to browse.

Now, I am not normally a fan of shopping, unless we’re talking shoes or office supplies, but I also have a penchant for fingernail polish and other doo-dads you find at drug stores.

So, I perused…

And I found stuff that I liked…

And I tested the stuff out…right there in the store…

And the other hand…

Now, don’t you dare start in on me about opening fingernail polish in the store.

You KNOW you do the same thing, unless you happen to be a guy.  Of course, you could be a guy who test drives fingernail polish.  I’ll leave that between you and the Lord.

The first thing I noticed about the purple polish was the sparkling effect…

You know how much I love sparkles…me, the owner of pink sparkly shoes.

As I was inspecting the polish, I noticed something on the label.  What catches your attention on the following bottles…

Look…

Scented Parfume!!!!

Seriously.

It appears that Revlon has introduced a new line of nail polish that smells like fruit when it dries.

Well, I had to give a bunch of them a try, just to make sure that the advertising was true to its word.

It was.

The purple polish is called “Not So Blueberry,” and it smells a tad like blueberry.  I’m not a fan of blueberries, but the smell wasn’t bad at all.

There was “Bubble Gum,” “Peach Smoothie,” “Cotton Candy,” and “Mad About Mango” (the bottle on the left in the above photo and on my nail below)…

As I walked to the back of the store to pick up Chicky’s prescription, I kept smelling my fingernails.

I’m sure I looked weird.

Actually, that’s nothing new.

Well, because it’s been a rough few days around her, I indulged…

As soon as I got home, I quickly applied a coat of the Mango polish…

On my toes.

So now my tootsies smell fruity too.

No, I’m not sitting on the couch smelling my feet.

I’d like to though.

I’m not coordinated enough to do this.

Plus, the Mr. would look at me strangely when he walked in the door.

I’m kind of used to that too though.

Filed under: This-n-That | 3 Comments »

One Tired Mama

Posted on June 14, 2011 by auburnchick

I am one tired mama.

Last Friday, Chicky came home from work sick.

I got her into the doctor’s office that afternoon.  You probably remember my post about that.

Well, Chicky got through Friday night.

Saturday night was a different matter.

Chicky’s body started hurting…badly.  She called me into her room, and she was crying.

Beyond giving her two Motrin, there was nothing I could do for her.

It was a very frustrating feeling.

I decided to sleep on the floor in her room.  I needed to be near her.

She slept okay, despite the pain.  We slept through church.  I’m sure God understood.

Sunday started out alright, and Chicky had a decent day.

The nighttime was something else.

Her joint pain started early in the evening.

It got worse as the night progressed.

I had stayed up until 1:45 knitting (yes, I’m getting in my fix although I’m so busy doing other things).

When I went to bed, I put my phone on my nightstand.  I usually turn it off and leave it in the kitchen, but I was concerned that I would sleep too late the next day and miss phone calls.

Thank goodness I left it on.

Around 3:30, I got a text from Chicky:  “Mama, my legs hurt really badly.  I can’t sleep.”

I hopped out of bed, grabbed a couple of Motrin and Gatorade, and headed in.

She was miserable…crying…uncomfortable.

Sigh.

I went back to bed upset and frustrated.

Unable to sleep, I got up and decided to do some research.  I could not understand why Chicky’s joints were hurting.

First, I checked the side effects of the antibiotic she was on.

Nada.

I decided since I was wide awake, I would hop online.

Now, a mama who jumps online and googles “joint pain” will find herself fretting over a dozen ailments that pop up.

It was ugly.

I couldn’t make myself stop, though.

I didn’t shut the computer down until around 8am, when I finally decided to rest on the couch…only after I had called the doctor’s office and begged them fit her in.  She got an 11:45 appointment.

I dozed off for about an hour before Chicky got up.

She acted like she was feeling better.

Then she started going downhill.

It was not pretty.

We went to the doctor, and he ordered up an assortment of blood tests.  He’s checking for Strep, mono, Lyme Disease, and some other stuff.

He also changed her antibiotic to something stronger and provided her with a prescription for pain medicine.

As soon as I got the prescriptions filled, I gave her the first dosage.

The pain medicine kicked in immediately, and it was a joy to see her smile.  She felt good enough to dye my hair, although I’ll admit that I was somewhat concerned that I would wind up with blue hair.  LOL

The main problem after that became her stomach pain, which became almost intolerable.

Poor girl…the antibiotics were doing a number on her…and I listened to her moan all evening.

We did sleep well, though, but I found myself utterly exhausted this morning.

I spent three hours working in the kitchen…fixing her breakfast…making her take her medicine…refilling her cup every so often with more Gatorade…fixing lunch for her and Rooster.

I finally took a nap on the couch…a three-hour nap.

I haven’t worked on my EPI classes much the last two days.

My brain just doesn’t have the energy to function at the level it needs to.

At this point, Chicky is spending her time running back and forth from the couch/bed to the restroom.  Her back still hurts from the virus, but the pain is must more tolerable.

We’re waiting for the doctor to call with the results from the tests he ordered up, and she has a follow-up appointment on Friday.

I am one tired mama, but I am also extremely grateful that this happened during the summer when she could be home with me, and I could be home with her tending to her every need.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

3 Weeks To Go

Posted on June 13, 2011 by auburnchick

I am down to three weeks left until I finish my certification classes.

I am starting to get antsy.

Last week, I had to complete two rubrics for my problem-based learning lesson plan.

If you are a not a teacher, you might think that a rubric is easy to create.

Think again.

Rubrics have to be aligned to the standards and objectives that are being taught.  Group projects (which is what problem-based activities are) must be assessed individually, so teachers have to make sure that the rubrics are geared for students as individuals.  No group project grades should be given (shame on me for doing this, by mistake, in my classroom a few months ago).

I got my rubrics finished early, and I’ve already received feedback on them.  I received all but two points, so I will be tweaking them just to get full points.

I am anal, oh yes I am.

Meanwhile, I worked very hard on my remaining two Classroom Management assignments.

For one of them, I had to create a cooperative learning lesson plan.

It was a humdinger.

I took my problem-based learning plan and adapted it for my Classroom Management assignment.

I.

Was.

Smart.

Of course, there was stuff I had to add in because the rubric for this assignment was different, but it sure was easier since I already had a lot of it figured out.

Yay, me!

My other assignment involved dealing with classroom discipline issues and planning for a successful parent conference.

I had some fun with this and got creative.

Read on and see if you catch my humor…

Student’s Name:  Stephen King                                                                                                                              

Parent’s Name:  Mrs. King                                                                                                                                     

Date of Conference: October 12, 2011                                                                                                                   

Statement of Concern:

Teacher:          “Mrs. King, I am concerned about Stephen’s ability to use his own words when completing research projects for my class.”

Description of Problem:

Teacher:       “When Stephen turned in his essay this week, I checked it for plagiarism, as I do for all of my students’ written assignments.  My plagiarism checker confirmed that Stephen’s essay was copied from the website GetAnAOnYourEssay.com.  Here is a copy of the essay from the website.  As you can see, Stephen’s essay matches it, word-for-word.”                                                                                                                                               

Teacher’s Report of Actions Taken to Alleviate Problem:

Teacher:          “I have reminded Stephen that the definition of plagiarism is, ‘the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.’  I also explained that plagiarism is a form of cheating, and I gave Stephen a copy of the school’s policy about cheating.  I explained to Stephen that he received a zero on this assignment because I had explained what plagiarism was when we began working on the assignment, so he, along with all of the students in my class, were familiar with the concept.”   

For the third part of my assignment, I had even more fun when creating a scenario of a potentially difficult situation of my choosing (student gets a poor grade on the final exam, resulting in a poor grade for the term).  Read about how I empathize with the parent and see if you can catch my ever impressive humor…

Teacher:          “Mrs. King, I understand that you are very busy with your husband deployed to Iraq and four young children at home.  I remember that you had an incident with your dog, Cujo, and that your little daughter, Carrie, was very sick on Parent Night, so you could not come to my classroom that evening.  On that night, I showed parents how to use the website I created for my classroom.  I apologize for not getting back with you regarding this tool.  That was an oversight on my part.  I would like to show it to you now, if you have a few minutes.  First, you will need to navigate to MrsAuburnChicksAwesomeEnglishClasses.org, where you will find a list of assignments and instructions for the assignments.  I update this site daily, so I encourage you to check it as often as possible.  This will be a great way for you to keep up with Stephen’s assignments.  I always upload the rubrics for the assignments, so students can print them out.  You might find this helpful too.  The neat thing about the website is that your husband will be able to see it as well, so he will know what Stephen is expected to do in my classroom and provide some support that way.”

Knowing my luck, I’ll have to resubmit these assignments. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Thus ended my week.  As of this moment, I have three tough assignments left and three itsy-bitsy assignments, and then I will be finished.

That light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bit brighter.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

A Whole Lotta Dough

Posted on June 12, 2011 by auburnchick

Apparently, I must think my life is not filled with enough activities.

Take, for instance, my newest adventure…bread baking.

It all started out when my friend, Christina, casually mentioned, during more than one conversation, that she was baking bread.

Finally, I asked her for the recipe.

She gave me this website.

I decided, upon first glance, that it was too complicated, but she assured me that it really wasn’t.  So, I decided to hunt for a video.

I found this one…

Well, by that time, I was intrigued…enough to hunt for coupons and go out shopping.  First, I bought the book…

Then, I bought the other stuff…

FYI, the authors of the book suggest using an oven thermometer to calibrate your oven.  I discovered that although my oven temperature might read 400 degrees, it’s actually 350.  So, my oven is off by fifty degrees.  This is good knowledge to have and may be why some of my food doesn’t cook according to the time suggested in recipes.

The whole premise of the book is that you can have a loaf of bread with about five minutes of preparation.

This is sort-of true.  First, though, you have to make the dough.  The recipes, in general, require very few ingredients and no kneading at all.  The first time I made a batch of dough, I put it in a small bucket type of bowl.  The instructions clearly say to use something that will hold five quarts.  I learned the hard way to follow instructions…especially when my bucket overflowed as the dough started rising.  I moved that first batch of dough to a long, rectangular Rubbermaid container (a pain in the rear, let me tell you, and it took up a LOT of space in my refrigerator).

Because you use the same batch of dough to make several loaves, I had a few days to find a larger container.  I wound up buying this (with a coupon, of course) from Bed Bath & Beyond…

FYI, I purchased the tallest container.  Another FYI, I’d like to buy the whole set.  That’s how much I like the one I purchased.  BTW, you need something BIG because the dough GROWS…a lot!  I like the fact that my container is TALL because I can put it in the door of my refrigerator, freeing up much-needed shelf space.

On the day you want to bake the bread, you do have to allow 45 minutes from start to finish.  It’s a fairly easy process.  My first loaf came out looking okay…

It had a lot more flour on the top than it should have.  I’ve since quit sprinkling so much on the top.

Apparently, the flour did not affect the taste.

Oh.  My.  Word.

It was delicious!  Everyone in the family agreed.  The bread tasted as good as Panera’s, and I am not exaggerating.  The texture was “normal,” something I worried about because I am not known to be a great cook.  The crust was crunchy, thanks to my new pizza stone.  I don’t know how I’ve lived my entire adult life without this gadget!

The book has a lot of delicious recipes.  I recently tried the roasted garlic potato bread.  The next time I make it, I’m going to add a lot more garlic.  I couldn’t even taste it in the the bread.

My family loves this bread so much that I have found myself making a lot of it…almost a loaf a day.  Each loaf does not last long, let me tell you.  I have a feeling that if I ever got a loaf made in the morning, I’d be making a loaf again in the evening.

So, I seem to have found an easy way to indulge in my up-to-now-hidden-kitchen-alter-ego.  I guess if I’m not going to make a lotta dough in my teacher paycheck, I might as well make it at home!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

The Mom Dash

Posted on June 11, 2011 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I found myself doing the Mom Dash.

If you are a mother or have ever taken care of little ones, you might be able to relate.

First of all, you might remember that Chicky came home from work very sick.

I’m talking dog sick.

She had an afternoon appointment with a doctor who also happens to be a friend of the family’s.  The doctor didn’t know we were coming (his staff did, though).

Poor Chicky just could not drive herself.  She had managed to grab a few hours of sleep…unheard of in the middle of the day for her.

She woke up groggy and still feeling woozy.

We drove to the office, and I let her fill out her paperwork and go into the examination room by herself.  She’s 19, after all.  She’s almost *cough* a big girl.

I waited and waited.

The doctor came out…the family friend.

He was ever the professional and shook my hand.  That was a little strange.  But still, he chatted in the pleasant way that friends do.

“Chicky is very sick,” he said.

“Yeah, I know.  It’s good to hear someone who really knows confirm that fact to me, though,” I said.

“No, you don’t understand.  She’s really sick,” he said.  He continued, “She’s got pharyngitis.”

“Huh?” I said, dumbly.  “Did you do a strep test?” I asked.

“No, but I’m treating her as if I did.  She’s sick all up here,” and he motioned with his hand all around his face and neck.

It turns out she has a very bad sore throat virus-y kind of thing that can be caused by the same bacteria that causes strep.  The symptoms are much more severe, though, as evidenced by Chicky’s extreme physical aches and pains and killer headache.

The doctor ordered up a shot of some miracle medicine (the Mr. tells me it was a steroid) to help with the pain.

Poor Chicky.  She hobbled out gripping her booty.  It’s been years since she’s had a shot, and this one was a doozie.  She said she felt the medicine burning its way down her leg.

The doctor’s office had already sent in her prescription electronically.  Yay!

That’s when the Mom Dash began…for real.

I dashed home with Chicky…eager to get her back into bed.  Along the way, I called the Mr. and gave him a run-down.

Don’t you dare say a word about me talking while driving.  Moms doing the Mom Dash don’t have time to sit beside the road and have conversations.

It’s all about getting things done quickly…while obeying the speed limit, of course.  😉

While at home, I called CVS and confirmed that Chicky’s prescription was in the process of being filled.

It was.

Before I dashed out, I made a list of Chicky’s favorite Gatorade flavors:  Riptide Rush and some sort of light blue stuff (can’t remember the name).

Then, I dashed out to CVS.

I walked like a madwoman to the refrigerated case, but there wasn’t any of the preferred Gatorade flavors to be had.

Rats.

I would have to stop somewhere else.

While in CVS, I called Chicky.  I had an idea for something she might be interested in eating.

She informed me that the shot she had been given was working its magic, and she was feeling a lot less achy.  In fact, she had discovered that she was very hungry.

She still sounded pitiful.  I offered to stop at Panera to pick up soup.

She sounded hopeful.

I told her I’d call her when I got back out to my car where I have a copy of Panera’s menu.

Um, yeah.  I really do drive around with menus in the car.

I’m like that.

Prepared, that is.

So, after paying for her prescription, I dashed to my next place…a convenience store that I knew would have a good selection of Gatorade.

It did, and I found what I wanted.

I dashed out and hurried to Panera.

My order was very large.  I was feeding three of us (Rooster is at church camp).

Finally, I dashed back home.

Chicky was sitting up in bed, a good sign, although she was having trouble focusing on her history assignment.

I checked her forehead for fever and dashed around the house, getting her everything she needed to be comfortable:  a bit of soup, a bit of mac & cheese, an insulated cup filled with Gatorade, a piece of bread, and last, but not least, two antibiotic pills.

Whew!

I read a comment on my Facebook wall that being a mom should be considered a sport.

I totally agree.

In fact, I think there should be an Olympics just for moms of sick children…

Some suggested events:

  • Race to deliver the puke bucket to the child before the child explodes with vomit
  • Race to respond to the child’s bed after the bell has been rung for attention
  • Race to see who can get the medicine down a stubborn child’s throat the quickest
  • Prize for most creative way to get medicine into an uncooperative child’s body
  • Endurance test for who can stand and walk/rock a sick baby the longest
  • Race to see who can complete the most cleaning chores while carrying a sick child around in her arms

Although I am not a naturally-gifted athlete in a “real” sports arena, I think it’s safe to say that I could certainly hold my own in a Mom Dash competition!  Yesterday’s events reminded me of this fact.

Filed under: children | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Mothering Skills Go Into Overdrive

Posted on June 10, 2011 by auburnchick

I am such a great mom that during the summer, I sleep in until 11am, never seeing my children off to work.

Um, yeah.  I’m being a little sarcastic.

Seriously though, I am sleeping in late, and I really am not kissing my children goodbye when they leave in the mornings.

However, my mothering skills are now going into overdrive.

Why?

Well, you see, this morning I was happily snoozing my life away.  I had, I guess, left my cell phone turned on, but it was in the kitchen.

Still, I managed to hear when it rang…at 10:55am.

The ringtone was the one I use to let me know that Chicky is calling.

“Mama.  I’m sick.  I’ve got a really bad sore throat, my head hurts really bad, and I hurt every time I move.  I’m coming home.  I think I caught something from one of the kids at preschool.”

My heart fell.

My 19 year old baby was sick…or make that “is” sick.

When she walked in the door, she looked bad.

She looked worse after she crawled into bed.

Her face was pale, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

She couldn’t move either.

As I looked for the doctor’s number, I realized that this is the first time she’s not going to visit the pediatrician.

Sigh.

I found the number for a doctor-friend of the family’s.  His son played soccer with Rooster way back when.

I begged the office to fit her in.  I even threw in the fact that I knew the doctor personally.  Hey, it’s all in who you know, what can I say.

She has an appointment in 45 minutes.

When I walked back into her room to tell her (this was several hours ago), I explained that I would be running out of the house for a bit.

She didn’t know this, but I had a play date with a friend.  My friend is watching her friend’s boutique, and she wanted me to come play dress up with some of the clothes that are for sale.  Not that I can afford the clothes, mind you, but they are small in size and, we felt, would look great on me.  I had agreed to be her Barbie doll for the day.

As I told Chicky I would be leaving, I took another look at her.

She seemed to have shrunken further into her bed.

I realized that I could not leave her.

I called my friend and told her that I couldn’t play today.  We’ll just have to play tomorrow.

My baby needs me.

When I asked Chicky if she wanted me to drive her to the doctor, she weakly nodded her head “yes.”

:::Sniff:::

I do not do well emotionally when my children are sick.  In fact, I have tears in my eyes as I’m typing this.

I hate to see my children suffer.

I want to run to CVS and get them ten different medications to make everything stop hurting.

My poor baby.

And so my mothering skills have gone into overdrive.  Although it’s nice to be needed, I’d much rather be needed for such decisions as “does this dress look good on me” or something like that.

Please say a little prayer for Chicky and for all of those who are catching summer bugs.  My nephews have also come down with something this week (they live a couple of hours away), so something is definitely in the air.

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Hodgety Podgety Hodge Podge

Posted on June 8, 2011 by auburnchick

It’s time for the Hodgepodge!  You can play along by linking up on Joyce’s blog.

1.  Do you and your family enjoy camping?  What do you enjoy most/like the least when it comes to family camping?  When was the last time you camped?

I do not like camping at all.  I have never been, but I can tell you that I don’t like it.  The closest I have ever come was when I visited my dad in Texas.  He picked us up from the airport in Houston (or somewhere) and drove us to San Antonio.  Along the way, we stopped in the Hill Country and stayed in “cabins” that had air conditioning units in the windows.  I hated it.  I hated not having anything to do.  My kids were bored stiff.

My preferred place to “camp” out on vacation is the Marriott, thank you very much.

2.  Did you attend a summer camp when you were a kid?  Is that a happy or not so happy memory?

Apparently, I was deprived as a child, for I did not ever attend summer camp.  My summer camp entailed working my behind off at home.  In my down time, I camped out on the couch and watched Days of Our Lives.

3.  Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else?

Well, I became a mom when I was almost 22 years old.  I am now 41.  Thus, I have spent half of my life being a parent.  I think it’s a safe bet that I have spent the most time pondering parenting decisions.  I remember fretting over the best way to warm up breast milk, when to introduce solids, which daycare to send my children to…the list goes on and on.  The decisions keep on coming.  I foresee a few more years before I will begin to spend more time pondering something else.

4.  Which of the seven natural wonders of the world would you most like to see?  There are many lists of ‘wonders,” but this is the standard natural wonder list:  Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, the Harbor of Rio de Janerio, Paricutan Volcano, and the Northern Lights.

I think, perhaps, I would like most to visit the Northern Lights.  I’ve seen them animated in various movies.  I cannot help but think that to really see them in person must be an amazing experience.  I think it would be like glimpsing a piece of heaven.

5.  What was your first real job?

I have been working since I was about eleven or twelve years old.  My stepfather owned his own businesses.  He brought cable television to the small town I grew up in, and I began working during the summers and after school in that office.  I filled in for my mom but eventually grew reliable enough to have regular hours.  I performed typical secretarial work.

6.  Lemonade or sweet tea…which do you prefer on a hot summer day?

I’d have to go with lemonade, although I will say that Panera makes a mean cup of sweet tea!

7.  What is something that always brings a smile to your face?

One of the things that never fails to bring a smile to my face is running into students…especially those I subbed for at Podunk High School…when I’m out and about.  A few months ago, the Mr., Rooster, and I were at a local wings place.  As I got up to leave, I heard someone call my name.  As I turned, I saw that it was one of the students, currently a tenth grader, who I had subbed for (a month-long gig) the year before.  He was (and current is) on the wrestling team, and I was always impressed because of the willpower he displayed when trying to get down to his weight.  He is just an awesome kid!  He pointed across the restaurant to a couple of other guys…friends of his and students I had subbed for as well.  I had dubbed him “Surfer Boy” when I had subbed for him because of his very light blonde hair.  I quickly called out his nickname, and I watched as he chuckled.  He informed me that he had his drivers’ license, and I asked him to give me a schedule of when he would be out on the road.  I’m mean, I know, but the kids know how I am.  They seem to like me despite this.

One of the most rewarding things about working with students is the bond you develop with them.  When they take time to call out in the middle of a public place, that bond takes on even more meaning, and it never fails to make me smile.

8.  My Random Thought

Ok…so last week, I bragged (ahem) about my Words With Friends score.  Well…I topped it…

Oh, let me show you a close-up…just so you can really appreciate the score…

I felt bad…just a teensy bit…but not bad enough to not post this picture on my Facebook wall and tag the gal who I was playing against.

She saw the Facebook picture before she saw it on the game itself.

Thankfully, she’s a good sport, and we’re still playing…albeit a new game.  😀

Thanks to all of you who sent me your usernames.  You really have no idea how much fun I’m having.  I need this distraction.  I have chained myself to my computer in my quest to finish my certification classes.  Playing this game engages my brain in a fun way, and I am learning a lot of words in the process!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 9 Comments »

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