Ewwwww!

Well, I had the cast removed yesterday. The title says it all. Now, I have never had a broken bone in my body, and was not prepared for the cast removal. I thought it would be instant relief to have that stinking, heavy, bacterial breeding ground off my arm.

Silly girl. That’s what the nurse was thinking. Holy cow it hurt!! It hurt so much I wanted them to put the cast back on. Something about pressure, blah, blah, blah. And do I really need to write about the “eewww” factor? We all know what I’m talking about.

So after a serious scrubbing in the doctor’s sink with some serious antibacterial soap and SOS Pad, (steel wool), I got this new brace. I have been instructed to take it off around 3-4 times a day, and I have a new series of therapy exercises to regain the use of my wrist.

Last night I took the brace and my defective wrist to the pool did a half work out in the pool. This is going to take some time.

The kids start school next week, and most likely I will have more time to devote to therapy, sewing, cleaning and so on. If I keep writing it, it may actually come true, right?

In other news, I took the time to update the other blog “Moms Bragging Rights”. As always, I am taking submissions from other parents who feel like participating.

Here’s a shot and post from the humor blog:

http://momsbraggingrights.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/behold-the-shirt/

Behold! Crappy lighting again (dusk), but we were trying for that "Mona Lisa" smile. Needs work.

Raven is nagging me now to get off the computer. Something about “her turn” or some nonsense like that.

One more day until Friday!!! Yes!

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We All Do It:Bragging

As parents, we all like to brag about our kids. I am certainly no different from any other parent in that respect. But I say if you’re going to do something-give it your best shot.

Don’t just brag….OWN it! 😀

That’s the motto behind my new blog, “Moms Bragging Rights”. What started out as just a blog to showcase some of my favorite photos with that new photo-blog setting has now become a tongue-in-cheek humor blog.  At least that’s what I hope people will see.

My goal is to take submissions from others. If parents have a stellar shot of their kids and want to show it off I will gladly post their entry as long is the bragging is:

1) Clean. No profanity or inappropriate pics. will be tolerated.

2) Creative. Go out of your way to brag. The more elaborate and outrageous the better.

3) Obnoxious. Yeah…it’s gotta be obnoxious. That’s what makes it funny.

Here is my latest entry: http://momsbraggingrights.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/no-doubt-destined-for-greatness/

People, every now and then we need to take a step back and poke some fun at ourselves. It’s what keeps us humble, and life is definitely more fun when we can relax and take a little good-natured shot at ourselves. Hopefully in time we can have monthly contests for the best entry with a give-away or something like that. Who knows? It could be fun.

Something rather cool happened to me yesterday. I got two random compliments about my dolls and purses from strangers, AND I sold a wristlet! I rather forgot that I was selling anything for a while because of this broken wrist.

I Sold This Wristlet. Yay!

So have a great day today. Take a peek at the brag blog if you are so inclined, and feel free to send me your most insufferable bragging rants.

Bye!

Swimming Lesson Soapbox

Hi everyone!

Thank you for hanging with me and for the kind words in my comments section.  Apparently it’s perfectly normal to hurt while you heal. What a BS concept. Wednesday is the scheduled date for my cast removal. Hope I don’t go nuts and saw this sucker off with a steak knife before then.

This past weekend, Jon and I had the kids at the pool to resume the ongoing swim lessons. As a child, my mother was/is terrified of the water. She cannot swim and therefore enrolled me in swim lessons as soon as I could say “water”. I had year round swim lessons for 13 straight years. It didn’t matter that I had passed the class. She went back and enrolled me again for “practice”.

In a way, I have followed in my mother’s footsteps. I’m not afraid of the water, (far from it), but I am just as obsessive as mom when it comes to swim lessons. To date, Alex can swim but needs to work on his coordination, and the girls need to begin the crawl stroke. None of them are what I would consider “strong swimmers” as of today, but as God as my witness, they will be when I’m done with them. I promise.

So this is my public service announcement for today. Please, please, pretty please teach your children how to be safe in the water. Give them the necessary tools to safely enjoy themselves.

Raven and Alex at our family hangout.

Don’t let your phobia of the water (if you have one) stand in your way. My mom is terrified of the water and could have chosen to just keep my brother and I “safe” by avoiding the beach and pools during our childhood. In my opinion, that would have been a huge mistake. She would not have been doing me any favors.

Recently, I have ramped up our family swim lessons from once a week to 2-3 lessons a week. We don’t advance quickly to anything beyond their skill, but I think the practice is valuable. In time, Lenore and Raven will be able to swim the length of the pool and Alex will be able to tread water consistently for 2 minutes. (We’re not there yet, but I think these are reasonable goals to set for the year.)

Now I am going to crawl down from my soapbox and resume my hand therapy. Wednesday cannot come soon enough.

Be safe! 😉

What the heck!?

Ok…I know I am behind at responding to comments, reading my friends blogs and updating/responding to announcements. I did something funky to my arm during therapy exercises last night and typing this little bit hurts. The doctor has been called and an appointment may be scheduled.

I want to at least give a shout out to the world about my new baby niece/nephew that is going to be born some time next year. Yeah Connie!!!

But that’s as good as it gets for right now. If anyone could find a way to injure themselves during therapy, it would be me. I can’t wait to find out what I did wrong.

Take care all!

Something of Substance

Alex is the oldest.

Yesterday I was a bit whiny because of a multitude of reasons, and to be fair there was really nothing to that last post. I promised that I would come back today with something of substance. Well, this is substance to me anyway. 🙂

As I type this, our son, the first born is on a plane heading back to Hawaii. He has been visiting family on the mainland for the Summer and having the adventure of his life. Alex usually doesn’t get much face time on my blog. He’s not the baby/handful like Lenore, nor does he have any health issues like Raven. He is the strong silent loyal “Big Brother” who goes out of his way to take care of his little sisters whether they appreciate it or not.

When I came home from the hospital after Raven’s birth, I came home alone. It was a horrible day, and I remember the errie quite ride home as our baby girl lay in the NICU fighting for her life. Jon was home with Alex (only 18 months) and we were going to trade off on who went back to the hospital to be with Raven. Alex was not allowed to see his sister at this time.

After Jon had left, I sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor. For some reason, my legs gave out and I had to sit down. I wasn’t crying or anything like that….just overwhelmed with our nightmare. Alex was playing with his toys in the corner of the living room. I’m not sure how long I was there maybe 10 minutes or so when I felt these tiny arms around my neck. I looked up to find my tiny son had come up behind me to give a hug.

He then patted my head and said, “Ok, Mama“, before going back to his toys. Somehow he knew I was upset and wanted to help. It did for a while.

When I was very pregnant with Lenore, Alex and Raven were having a VERY bad day. Constant fighting, bickering and all that goes with siblings behaving badly. I finally could no longer take the stress and told the children that every time they fight, they cause stress to me which adds stress and hurts the baby. They were promptly sent to their rooms for a much needed afternoon nap, and I took the time to rest on the couch.

About 30 minutes later, I heard little footsteps on the stairs. At first I believed it to be Raven as she was known for sneaking down during nap time in an attempt to watch the TV. Much to my surprise, it was Alex (now 5) doing his best to quietly make his way to the couch without “waking” me. I pretended to be asleep to see what he had planned.

He quietly tiptoed to the couch, and placed his hands on my baby bump. “Shhhhh. Baby”, he whispered to his unborn sister…”Don’t be hurt and please don’t die. You’re going to be ok…take it easy. You’re fine….” and so on. He whispered a few more words of encouragement to my stomach, and then sat down in the armchair next to the couch.

He continued to watch me in silence until he fell asleep. It took at least 45 minutes for him to drift off, and all of my energy to remain “asleep” throughout the entire exchange. When he was fast asleep, I covered him with a blanket and got up to begin dinner but I will never forget that moment as long as I live.

THAT is what we have been missing all Summer, and that is who is coming home to us in a few short hours. We can’t wait. I’m glad I got the opportunity to share these stories about my son with you. While his sisters go out of their way to command our attention with their antics and girlie charm, he is always quietly and patiently sitting on the sidelines with a  loving smile on his face.

We’re so lucky to have him.

Recovery and Keeping The Peace

Good morning friends.

Today I am working on therapy for my arm. It’s painful, and makes me cranky. But since I still cannot place my right hand palm up on a table, it’s quite necessary. Lenore and Raven asked that I post their favorite recent shots of them today. The get a kick out of seeing their faces and adventures on my blog. Raven loves her MIB Agent “R” shots and Lenore was quite unhappy with me when I removed this photo of her yesterday.

Originally it was part of yesterday’s collection but I took it down (along with another) because really- how many “kissy face” pictures can I expect you good people to view? I know it gets boring, but today I would ask that you humor me as I don’t feel like dealing with the little girl drama and didn’t really have anything prepared today. It’s her new phase, and I hope it will go away before she starts school. She’s fascinated with her lips and thinks this is the funniest picture pose ever.

Yep... I have about 30 of these. It's getting on my nerves too.

As for Raven, she is going to play secret agent today with her black suit but it’s only 9:00 AM  right now and we’re both a little tired and cranky right now.

She feels confident when she's wearing her black suit and shades, fighting space ailens with her pink pistol.

This cast and the therapy involved with recovery puts me in a foul mood, so I’ll spare you the major gripes today.

On the creative side, there isn’t much to report. I have been so wrapped up in therapy and entertaining the girls that sewing has come to a standstill. I DID manage to make this little picture with a paint program with Raven the other day.

I know it gets pretty desperate when I’m posting old photos and my doodles on the computer. Sorry for the lameness. I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday,and I’ll be back here tomorrow with something of substance.

Doodles to pass the time.

Bye!

MidSummer Night’s Gleam

This past weekend was very busy. On Saturday, we took the girls to the “Open Call” for that new Battle Ship movie. I would be amazing to be called back to be part of the background, but we had fun no matter the outcome.

Fun at the recycling plant.

Straight from there, we went to recycle our cans and bottles. It was loud and the girls hated the smell, so while Jon took care of business we had some fun in front of the building. It was just a plain white wall, so I thought it was a fun bright backdrop for some shots.Jon joined in with the fun and Lenore continued to make the Kissy Face. I guess it’s the new thing for a while.

Headlock!

Daddy and his girls.

Once we did our part to save the planet, we got a pizza and headed to the Midsummer Night’s Gleam at the Foster Botanical Gardens.  We had a fantastic time as usual. There were games with fresh plants as the prizes, music, bagpipes, fairies, bubbles, arts and crafts for the kiddos, knights, archery, a haunted trail, and we enjoyed every minute of it. The best part is when they light up the 2500 luminaries throughout the park, that sparkle at night. The girls thought it was magical, and I think they were right.

I took a about 100 photos, but I wouldn’t dream of posting all. So I will include some of the shots of the evening. It rained off and on so some of the pictures aren’t so great, and this particular Polaroid doesn’t like night shots. (the other rejected all things purple)

Prizes!

Paper Animals!

The Gardens During the Day

Art!

More Art!

Musical Expression

Archery!

Lion Dance!

Bubbles!

Knights!

Fairies, Harp Music, Bubbles!

The Wishing Tree (lots of fun)

Part of the Night Scene with the luminaries.