Parenting 101

Sometimes I am appalled/shocked/pleased at the things I let my girls do. Tonight, as I let Emily have way too much raw cookie dough and I ate some myself, I began to ponder how I raise my kids vs. how my mom raised us 4 girls vs. how my friends raise their children. As parents, we all let our kids do things or not let them do things for a variety of reasons. Maybe our moms let us do it or maybe our mom DIDN'T let us do it. Maybe we agree to let them do things out of pure laziness or b/c that's how our friends told us they raise their kids. I tend to blaze my own trail much of the time but I am influenced by my parents. Mom let us eat cookie dough and cake batter. Why? I don't know but I do know it was something fun we all did together, dipping our spoons in the bowl and licking it clean. Dad always made sure he took us to the store to buy Mom presents for her birthday and Christmas. So I am raising Scott to do the same thing...lol. Tonight, Megan was complaining that I ate a piece of her Halloween candy out of her bowl in her room. That's right, I poured all her candy in a bowl on Nov 1 and put it in her room. And guess what? She still has a huge bowl left. She knows how to eat it sensibly and besides, she doesn't have a single cavity either. What decisions do I make when I feel lazy? Well, sometimes I'm too tired to fix a sensible snack, so I let the girls eat something from the snack cabinet. Or I let them have frozen pancakes for supper b/c I'm too tired to cook. I know my kids eat too many snacks, not enough vegetables, have too many toys, don't always clean up, but overall they're not bad kids. I tend to balance things out by being super strict about other things, like what they are allowed to watch on TV, how late they are allowed to stay up, or where they are allowed to go. I often wonder how my Mom managed to stay sane raising 4 hormonal girls. But deep down, I know you just do what you need to do to survive. And if that means going to bed with a belly full of cookie dough, then hopefully the girls will drift off to sleep thinking about how much fun they had with Mom.
Let me know what you do with your children that may or may not be what the rest of us are doing.

Fulled Up With Love

I am nearing the point in my journey where I believe that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am forever changed. I am forever a better person for what I went through. I view the world through a different camera lense. Am I glad I had cancer? No, I am not glad it happened to me. I still wish God could have caused this transformation through more positive events but I know that having cancer was probably the only way He could think of that would make me STOP in my own tracks. One of my favorite movies is "Queen", which was an offshoot of "Roots". I will never forget Halle Berry's line near the end, when Queen and her husband were rocking on the porch and she said "I'm just fulled up with love". That's how I feel. I have so much love in my heart! More than I ever did before cancer struck. I love every one of you that take time to read my blog. I love all the people that have reached out to me in the past year. I love all my babies at work and I love my job. I love the school my children attend. I love my parish family and I love my Mom, Dad, and all my sisters. I love my husband and most of all I love my children more than I could ever express.
I love life.

Love,
Michele;

Prayers needed...

Prayers are needed! My Aunt Virginia had a car wreck last week and has suffered massive injuries. Please pray that her pain stays under control and that the doctors make the right decisions regarding her care. She is currently in the ICU in Memphis. This is my dad's sister, she is 78yr old and has always been a strong figure in our lives. I have never heard an unkind word come out of her mouth. She has a very strong faith in God. And I love her smile, it always has an element of surprise to it. Aunt Virginia, you are so loved!

On a lighter note, here is a pic of Scott...

Your challenge is to guess what he is calculating. Now, lots of you know Scott very well and many of you have never left a comment. I am challenging you, that if you know Scott, you will take a stab at what would bring Scott to the calculator. I can't wait to see the responses!

I did NOT...

It is NOT 9:30 in the morning and I did NOT leave work and come home and rewash my hair. I am NOT having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad hair day. I have not already changed clothes twice today. I am NOT eating cold pasta salad for a late breakfast, as I type. I am NOT working in Fredericktown today and it will NOT take an act of God to get me back in town for a very important meeting at 3:00 today. I will NOT speed, no, not me. I would never do that.
I have NOT been a bad wife this week. I have NOT blamed my husband for everything this week, including this morning when I did NOT oversleep and it was NOT his fault. No, it was NOT his fault, I would NEVER blame him for that. I did NOT get so mad at him and did NOT call him a negative name under my breath for watching the Weather Channel for hours on end. No, I wouldn't do that, b/c my husband does NOT watch the Weather Channel for hours on end.
This cold pasta salad is NOT the best tasting dish ever produced out of a box and I did NOT tell Scott last night he couldn't eat it. And finally, I did NOT tell Emily the orange pieces in the salad were cheese, not carrots, NO I would NEVER lie to my children.
Oh, and I did NOT have a NIGHTMARE last night that my coffeepot was broken and I was unable to drink my morning coffee.
What have you NOT done lately?

Sunday in St. Louis

Today was an interesting day. Scott and Megan had a place to go so Emily and I took a little side trip.
First we had to decide who would drive...

After arriving, we had a little lunch...

Then we checked out future job opportunities...

Then it was off to the bank to withdraw large sums of money...

Your challenge is to tell us what Emily would do with a large sum of money.

Around the world in just 1 blog

Approximately 14 hours and 5 min ago, someone in the United Kingdom googled "get a rat to gnaw that thing off your face" and MY BLOG POPPED UP. Unbelievable how it's possible to stumble onto my blog!!! And WHY were they googling a quote from "Uncle Buck"? In case you are a new reader, last spring I had a fever blister and I blogged about how I needed a quarter to go downtown to get a rat to gnaw it off. Anyway, I am LOVING the Traffic Feed I recently installed. I discovered that someone in Iceland reads my blog daily! I love looking at the cities and figuring out who is reading. For example, I know who is reading in Perryville (Kasey) and Dexter (Robin) and Asheville South Carolina (vman) and Jeff City (Tammy). I think I know who is in Baltimore (Suessfan, is that you?) but I don't know who is reading in Poplar Bluff, Chaffee, Independence, Waterloo and St. Peters. My sister Linda is now afraid she will be revealed as a stalker when I see the traffic feed! So I hope I don't scare anyone away! Anyway, it is fun to look at the cities and if you want to reveal yourself in a mystery city, please feel free to leave a comment!
I love you all!!!
Michele;

Big hair, leg warmers and tight-rolled jeans

It was 80's night at the skating rink this weekend for our first It's No Monkey Business fundraiser. What, did you really think my sisters and I routinely dress this way?

Make note of my tall hair and tight-rolled jeans. No one can roll their jeans as tight as me (with one exception- our buddy D.L. does run a "tight" 2nd). And before you ask, No I did not skate, are you kidding me, my blood doesn't clot and I can't feel my feet. Which means I would fall down and bleed to death. Not to mention, I had just been under anesthesia 48 hours before. Are there any other risk factors we can throw in there to make the situation more dangerous?

Speaking of medical issues, Scott's only words when he found out Megan would be skating- "Michele, remember- broken bones in Arkansas are out-of-network."

Did you really think she would be doing anything else at the party?

It was a fun and successful night. In case you've been living under a rock, go to http://www.itsnomonkeybusiness.com/ for more info.

I set a new record this year. CHRISTMAS CARDS ARRIVED TODAY!!! So maybe I'll have them mailed even earlier than Thanksgiving! Seriously, I do know someone who mails her cards out in July. Not a bad idea! (Jen and Steph, I read your mom's card every summer when we visit Jenni, it's always on the fridge).

I just realized tomorrow is Wordless Wednesday...hmmm...it may be late again this week.

Write back. I love your comments!

Love,
Michele;

Colon Countdown

I am celebrating not only the good results from the colonoscopy, but also the fact I survived the required prep. It is so hard to go without food for so long! I spent weeks pondering how I would survive what I call the Colon Countdown. I call it that b/c that's what I did- I counted the hours until I knew I would be put under anesthesia and it would all be over. The first thing I did was totally pig out Tuesday. I ate whatever I wanted. I went to Panera and ordered the Soup in a Bread Bowl. I do not think Panera intends for people to actually eat the entire contents- soup and bowl- but that's what I did. I sat in my office and ate the ENTIRE bowl. Have you ever tried to eat the bread bowl. It's not easy. I looked like a lion tearing a piece of meat, my head swinging back and forth trying to tear the bread with my teeth, soup residue flinging around the room. By the time it was over, the tomato soup splotches made my office look like a crime scene. But I digress...So I also ate a big plate of greasy pizza before I went to bed and felt so full, I was praying for Wednesday's hunger to set in. So Wednesday came and I decided my only hope of feeling full was what I call Liquid Sugar. That is the only approved form of sugar that is allowed during the Colon Countdown. So I drank a large blue Powerade and then went to Rhodes and bought a 44 ounce Dr. Pepper. Now, you should know I rarely drink soda and when I do, it's always diet. So you can imagine the high I was on after I sucked down all 44 oz in less than 2 hours. I was wired! It was a "Happy Hunger" that I was feeling by afternoon. One thing that I was allowed to have was clear, hard candy. So I ate an entire bag of hard candy throughout the day. If my teeth survive this Colon Countdown, I'll be a lucky girl.
Then 4 o'clock came and it was time to start taking all 32 pills. That's right. 32 of those things between 4 and 9 o'clock. And if you know anything about how the prep works, which I'm sure you do, you know that you can't just take the meds and go to bed. Oh no. You are required to stay up all night and make sure Charmin stays in business.
So I arrived at the Clinic this morning bright and early, weak from dehydration but feeling better than I thought I would. I was laughing and joking with the nurses in an attempt to redeem myself for last year's tantrum. Then the dr. arrives and I was left to ponder how it's possible for this guy to be even more attractive than he was last year...and how does he spike that hair so perfectly...and keep it such an attractive gray color...Anyways, the first thing he said to me when he walked in was "I need to tell you that Someone was looking out for you last year b/c at your age with your symptoms, we just don't ever do this test. You are very lucky".
So, the test was completed and he told me I don't have to come back for 2 years. I am grateful for that, but it scares me to think of going 2 years without looking for cancer.
I do think it is meant for me to live. Too many events fell into place at just the right time. I believe God is not nearly done with me. In other words, he doesn't want me hangin' around up there, cracking jokes and eating all the chocolate. I think he wants me right where I am.
Thank you to all who have prayed for me. I love you all! And one more thing, you can't hide from me anymore! I have installed a live traffic feed on the blog that tells me what cities are looking at my blog. So I may not know your name, but I know where you live!
Love you all,
Michele;

GOOD NEWS!!!

My colon looks good!!! I will write more later about everything but right now, I just wanted to share the good news. Thanks for the prayers!

I did NOT...

Aunt Flo did NOT leave her luggage on my doorstep this month. I did NOT send my 3 sisters an email that caused a ruckus and my husband did NOT ask if I was on drugs when I wrote it. I did NOT forget to show up at my friends house today and I did NOT say a bad word when she texted me, asking me where I was. I did NOT go to the office and find out that after working there 2 years and 3 months, I have been incorrectly following procedure and no one ever told me.
Today, I did NOT eat like there's no tomorrow b/c let's face it, when it comes to eating, there really IS NO TOMORROW when you are having a colonoscopy in 2 days.
What have you NOT done lately?
Michele

Wordless Wednesday...on Monday...and not quite Wordless either

After a brief absence, Wordless Wednesday has returned! I know it's not Wednesday but there's a reason I won't be posting on Wed. More on that later. This week's pic involves Megan, a magnifying glass and a piece of pizza. I promise this picture was NOT staged, I actually caught her doing this and I grabbed the camera. Answer the question What is she doing? For last month's pic, someone wanted to know the story behind Megan's picture of injustice. Truthfully, I don't know. I do not recall what she was ranting about but it looked pic worthy.

My colonoscopy is scheduled for Thursday. I am having a lot of anxiety about it! Wednesday I am not allowed to eat anything but clear liquids (chicken broth and jello) and Thursday I can't have anything at all, not even water. The test is scheduled for 11:00. So I will be crabby and very weak by then. I did call and get the ok for an Ativan. I'm sure they want to avoid my little tantrum I threw last year when the appt was delayed. I was so angry, I can remember when they finally took me back, I had to answer a bunch of questions and I was so weak but trying to muster up a bad attitude at the same time. By the time they put me in the room, the fight had left me and all I could do was whisper "I'm scared" and then it was over.

Just want to say Congratulations to Katie and Steve, who were married this weekend! We had so much fun at the reception. The girls loved dancing all night!

Say a prayer that I can survive with no food Wednesday and that my colon is squeaky clean on Thursday!
And don't forget to give the picture a caption!
Michele;