All Hallow's Eve Eve

Well, tomorrow is Halloween. And as my cousin pointed out on her blog recently, she doesn't like the scary stuff. I totally agree! I don't like all that junk either. I have a hard time putting together the fun dress-up-and -get-candy holiday and the evil, weird creatures, demons and witches. I grew up enjoying the holiday and even having a skeleton with a mustache on the door when we came in. I don't remember feeling yucky about it until I learned more about horror movies (which I've never been able to stomach nor desired to endure) and the disappearances of young women and occultic rituals. Today I read this great article by Hank Hanegraaff that really put in perspective for me. I loved his thoughts on it...and I was expecting it to be way one side or the other, but it really was cool.

Wooooosh!

The week with Roger home flew by! I'm bummed that he won't be here tomorrow morning. I am very thankful for his job, however.

So, I had Wednesday off. I went shopping. I really don't like to shop...and I don't like to do it alone, but it was nice to have a longer amount of time to do it. That night Roger and I went to see One Night with the King. I really like it. We came home afterwards and read the book of Esther. They did a good job with the main details and even some small ones.

Thursday, despite the snow storm, I drove to the hospital to observe a lactation consultant. It was really cool. Then the kids had a Halloween party at Gramma Deanie's house, so I made it in time for them to go.

Lots of busy and fun stuff for us this weekend, but it didn't look like we thought because Alex ended up with a cold, and he's popped 2 of his 4 one year molars. Sadly, that means he still has 2 left to go.

Less than 4 weeks until Thanksgiving!

What do these have in common?

A pear, 18th Century Wigmaking, and a map of the Civil War


All 3 are school projects I did in Jr High and which I just now put in the trash.


A stack of wedding invitations, poems I memorized in Spanish, and 100+ pictures of Kirk Cameron


Things I still haven't had the heart to get rid of.

I've come to the conclusion...

that nostalgia is a disease. As I looked through boxes and boxes of stuff I've saved over the years, I realize that I still didn't get rid of enough. *sigh* Its a good thing Roger is here to help me stay on track...so I don't get too lost in the past. But he is a saver too...though not as bad as me. No wonder our basement is full.

He's only 15 months

but he's already preparing for college. This week Alex got out a bowl and put a package of ramen in it. Later in the week, I found him putting underwear on his head. I'm glad he's already college bound, but NO FRATS, Alex!

On another Alex note, we had our first snow of the season this week, and I hadn't bought him any snow boots. He loves to be outside, so I found Katrina's old boots from that size (pink and purple Pooh boots) and put him in them. Now I'm praying I haven't scarred him for life. Yesterday I paid almost $20 for Thomas the Tank Engine boots...maybe it was me who was scarred.

Anybody seen...

Facing the Giants or One Night with the King? What about the Illusionist? I'm interested in all 3, but most of all the One Night with the King. Let me know...good or bad.

Missing my prolactin

I've been feeling more stressed in the last few months. I've had a lot of changes which I think contribute...close friends moving away, taking on leadership responsibilities in Marriage Matters, starting my first job since having my kiddos, studying to become a lactation educator. Add in that Alex is moving toward only 1 nap a day, and everything seems busier and crazier. I feel like I am less patient, and sadly, I raise my voice more than I used to...

Interestingly, my studies of lactation have shown me yet another change since July. I weaned Alex, and I am no longer experiencing the wonderful affects of prolactin in the same amounts as before. This change in my hormones can actually be contributing to my stress. If I had been aware of this back in July I would have waited to wean Alex...despite the 5am feeding...just to help me get through the rest of the stress.

If you are a woman, breastfeed your kids if at all possible. If you are a man, encourage your wife to breastfeed. The benefits are pretty amazing...to both baby and mom. God made the perfect food, and it wasn't a banana. It was the milk that a woman's body makes to feed her child.

POTR

Well, here's a picture of Roger playing Baritone with the Pride of the Rockies Marching Band Alumni at homecoming this year.

He had a great time! Yay! I met some new friends, but the rest of the weekend wasn't as great for me. Part of this is because I'm a Pride Alum, but its even harder to get up and twirl flag without much practice than it is to play. If you play an instrument, you can fake it in a band with such tremendous power as the Pride. If you twirl a flag, you pretty much are a give away that you don't know the routine.

I hadn't really expected to be involved as I figured I'd be watching my kids during the game. But this weekend, Roger's folks offered to drive up and meet us, and then take the kids. Such a blessing! I'm not sure how I would have managed the game with them there, but since the game was so horrible, it made it a long day for me.

My favorite line from the trip "You can call me Al at the quarter break" OK, so it should be "You can call me Al at the quarter break", but I really wanted to just walk up to him and say, "I didn't know your name was Al!" Funny how I still think of Chevy Chase when I hear that song.

I was frustrated by the lack of organization for the Alumni band for the weekend until I realized that this was former band alum just getting a bit of help from the Alumni association instead of the other way around. We need more details next year. Maybe Roger and I will help organize it.

We were blessed to stay with Roger's sister and her family in Ft. Fun, so we didn't have too bad of a drive. The kids enjoyed the part of the parade that we saw...

Anyway, I realized that I've romanticized college life a lot. As I stood in line for the portapotties with a bunch of drunk college students and had my hair messed up by one guy while being egged on to see if I could "win" by being in and out of the potty the fastest, I realized that I'm GLAD I'm not in college anymore. REALLY glad!

House cleaning

I guess I've gotten behind...I didn't realize that I should have kicked some of my fellow bloggers to the list of shame for not posting for over a month. ;)

Balance

I have a flag. I asked for it for Christmas a few years ago. First I got the pole....next the silk....but now I need weights to make it just right.

Its been 13 years since I last marched. I miss it. Every fall, the air gets crisp and the band calls to me. It rains...marching band weather...it snows...marching band weather...it hails...yes, I've even marched in that kind of weather.

Even though I'm a little older, I still love the feel of a drop spin in my hand, a butterfly and even a toss. But it just isn't quite right without the right weights. Roger says he'll pick me up a few at the hardware store. Then, maybe, I'll be ready...to teach the neighbor kids. If I can convince Morgan to skip trying out for cheerleading and go for color guard, then I'll be really happy.

BTW--Regionals was tonight, and so that's why I'm really waxing nostalgic. Seeing the A-West letter jackets made me smile. I enjoyed watching DC, even though they didn't place where they wanted to, and Pooles can now understand why the metronome at Arapahoe just kept going...2nd place is just like first since we all ignore Pomona anyway. Nice to see you, Opie. Maybe next year, my kids will even make it to retreat.

Guilty until proven innocent???

If you haven't read Geek in a while, you might have missed this post I've bookmarked. (Its kind of old...he needs to update)

Well, I went to the store on Sunday to buy Motrin Children's Cold. Alex cleaned it out last time he had a cold, and I like to have it on hand in case I need it. Maybe at his age I should still be checking with the doctor before I give him anything...but when its a cold, going in to the Dr. office seems pointless. From now on, however, I think I'll at least call in to talk to a nurse. Not because I think I need to, but because getting the medicine was such a headache.

Anything that contains the traditional decongestant (aka sudafed) is now in the pharmacy. When I went to buy Motrin Cold last time, I found that out...and of course the pharmacy was closed. So, I figured I'd just pick some up since it was open. The pharmacist had to take my driver's license to his computer and input a bunch of stuff. Then he came back and I had to fill out the same information on a sheet of paper (while he still held my license). I asked about how I was supposed to get the medicine and if there were any children's alternatives to sudafed type stuff. He didn't have any for me. Then he gives me the medicine. Frustrating...but then I went and finished my shopping.

I went to self-checkout. When I rang it up, it refused to sell it to me. The computer put up a block and the cashier couldn't clear it. I finished my transaction and tried to buy it separately. Nope. Basically, you can't buy it anywhere but in the pharmacy. There's nothing like them refusing to sell you something...and making you look wrong for trying. I'm not making meth, people...I just want my kid to be able to breathe at night when he has a cold! Turns out the pharmacist knew he was supposed to have me buy it there, but didn't know that I couldn't buy it elsewhere. I wasted 15 minutes on the process.

In my opinion, they might as well make it prescription only for all the problem it was just to get some. I hate being treated like a criminal to get it...so if I can get the dr office to call it in for me, I might as well avoid the stares wondering if I'm a sicko making drugs in my basement or just a MOM!

GNO

There's nothing like a girls' night out to relieve stress. Last night we just sat and had dinner out, and I can tell I feel better already.

God made you special and He loves you very much!

Check this out. I'm famous...at least for now!

Do you speak Klingon?

'Cause if you do, you might be able to explain the meaning of the names of Katrina's dolls. Krangerlingy or Prawpla...these are just two examples. I used to watch TNG when I was in high school, but I never really got Klingon, so let me know if you figure it out.