The ice storm

I couldn't even tell you what I really ended up watching on tv last night but I went up to bed somewhere after midnight. Since the kids went to bed early last night they were up early this morning. Nick first and then Ellie and they went down to play and watch some tv. I took advantage and took a quick shower before going down. Ellie had already fixed them french toast for breakfast and I sliced them up some fruit. The rain last night froze and was treacherous this morning. The car had a thick layer of ice on it and when you looked outside the trees had ice drops that glistened in the sun and really looked beautiful. I watched as Ellie carefully walked to the bus stop and got on the bus. I warmed the car up in hopes that some of the ice would melt - it did. I took Nick to school and then came back home and finished my felting project up - so neat.
I was able to sit and put my feet up for a bit before heading back to pick up Nick. Mom and I had made plans to go grocery shopping when I picked up Nick but Nick said he didn't want to go. Turned out that the new play kitchen/retro diner was due to arrive today - so it worked out to stay at Mom's house. A little bit after we got to Mom's the UPS truck pulled up - Nick jumped up and held the door open so the driver could bring it into the house.
We took the pieces out and I assembled while Mom applied all the decal stickers. Nick was sooo excited. So we spent the afternoon out on the porch putting it all together and making room for it. Nick got to play for a while - Mom and I changed Scarlett out. Once again, not a happy camper and for the first time the wax stuck and I ended up scratching it off which broke down the skin. Nick played in the box from the new kitchen until it was time to get Ellie - amazing how a big box can entertain.
Nick and I waited in the car to get Ellie from the bus but the minutes went by and the bus didn't come. Our neighbor, Russell, was told by a passing car that the bus was in an accident so I said I would drive and get Ellie and Rustine from the bus. The bus was right on the corner by school and Ellie said she wasn't sure if the bus got hit or the bus hit the other car but it was a fender bender. I got the kids from the bus and took Rustine home and then we were off to Affy Tapple to pick up some treats to take with to my appointment tomorrow. We went up the bus route and let the other families know the bus info because the bus and car were waiting for the police to come and file a report.
I was able to pick up the decedent chocolate covered caramels and gourmet pretzel rods at Affy Tapple for tomorrow. On the way home we stopped off at the market to pick up some basics for the week - so nice when the months go by and the produce we love comes into season. Ellie and Nick helped me pick out fruit and veggies and we got some meat and cheese for sandwiches. We came home and rob had just pulled in. The kids played downstairs while I put away groceries and flipped loads of laundry. Rob and Nick were heading out to do garbage and recycling while Ellie and I headed out to pottery.
Ellie found a few pieces that were fired that she needed to glaze - I agreed to glaze her big piece so she could work on a new piece today. Ellie was excited that all her pieces from last class were fired and looked beautiful. Sometimes glazing is trial and error because there is no color sample and you just have to try it out. Ellie and I came home and Rob had given Nick a bath - the kids had some yogurt and fruit and then we went up to bed.
Rob and I have been sitting on the couch watching Eat, Pray, Love - long movie - 2 hours and its still not over. I realized something today about the importance of fingerprints - they provide friction so you can actually do things - like open plastic bags or flip pages in the newspaper. I got a blister right in the center of my palm putting together the kitchen today - just adds to the hand syndrome. My bottom gum from where the teeth meet the gum to all the under my tongue are throbbing. Tomorrow is it - last infusion. Visualising my healthy and my healed body and the new normal - almost here, Tree

Blah Sunday

I know it was a re-run but I watched SNL last night and Florence and the Machine was the band - I love Dog Days are Over - that is one of our favorite dance party songs. I had a goal of cutting back my ativan from 1.5 mg to 1 mg per night on March 1st, chemo infusions usually make sleep pretty easy so I thought it was a good goal but I started last night and didn't have too much trouble going to sleep when I went up a bit after 1AM.
Rob and Ellie were up early - Nick and I got out of bed a bit before 8AM. Rob's plan was to take the kiddos with him to church this morning - I didn't want to chance picking up any other germs so I was staying home. Nick didn't want to get dressed and then said he wanted to stay home and we know better than to push that one. Rob and Ellie went to church and Nick and I stayed here. Ellie looked real cute today in one of the new dresses we picked up last weekend - Nick wasn't so bad himself in a hand-me-down sweater that Nana made for Ellie.
Nick wanted to watch a movie and he hadn't watched Country Bears yet so I put that into watch and got him a snack. I worked on my St. Patrick's day felt project because my hands won't be able to do the sewing this coming week and then it will be too late. Rob and Ellie came home and they all decided they would go into the "attic hole" (Nick's name for the attic) and put some rubbermaids up there. Nick has been dying to go into the attic hole for months now but as soon as his head met the opening he freaked out - very short lived trip into the attic hole. Ellie went up and just sat for a couple minutes.
We had lunch and then the kids played downstairs for a bit. It was laundry day so I was able to do a few loads and put away a few. I straightened the linen closet up and weeded out a few sets of sheets we have had since we first got married and no longer really fit our mattress. I continued my crafting and put Country Bear back on for the kids. Ellie tried her hand at a sewing project but kept getting her thread tangled up and was frustrated. Ellie and Rob spent some time doing math prep for the i-sat testing this week at school.
We went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom was just plating up a chicken appetizer she made and had the menu out for Grecian Delight. Mom had been painting some of Nick's dollhouse furniture for him and she made him the most darling throw pillows for the couch and chairs for the living room set. I drove with Dad to pick up dinner and I was amazed that gas jumped almost 10 cents a gallon overnight. We had a nice dinner on the porch - Ellie had lit a bunch of candles and it looked nice. I had a spinach pie and it had way too much oregano in it - kind of gross. We had some cookies for dessert and were on our way home.
We got vitamins, teeth brushed, PJs on and it was bedtime for the kiddos. I got Nick to sleep and Rob did some flash cards with Ellie before she went to sleep. It is really raining here right now, along with thunder and lightening so it probably won't be a great sleep night if this keeps up. Rob and I have had the Oscars on - although, they seem pretty boring this year. I have been able to finish about 3/4 of my project - hopefully I will be able to finish them up tomorrow. Rob just went up to bed and if you know the "old" Rob your mouth would be wide open in shock right now. When I first met Rob Oscar night was sacred. Rob would hang out in his bathrobe and drink and watch the entire red carpet shindig - I guess he has lost interest over the years.
My hands are ultra dry and still peeling. My feet are tingly but not as bad as yesterday. My gums are still throbby - can't wait to see Dr. Gallai and get my teeth cleaned. I am both excited and sad that March 1st is this week - so excited to be done with infusions and all the side effects but sad because it has been a pretty big part of my life for the last 5 months with every other week visits that will cease. My lip really hurts right now because I accidentally stuck it (twice) with the sewing needle. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Much better day

So I lucked out and it was a 24 hour tummy bug. I stayed on the couch after Rob went up and I did fall asleep down here but I went up eventually. I slept in until a bit after 8:00 this morning and then came downstairs. I wasn't brave enough to try coffee or breakfast so tea it was. We got the kids dressed and Rob took them to the bank for bank buckets. Ellie got all 6 buckets today and Nick got 3 - gold dollars, silly bandz, piggy light key chain, book light, insulated water cup and donuts.
Rob brought Nick home and then he and Ellie were off to Lowes for the build workshop. Together they made a Lowes pullback race car that was pretty darn cute. Ellie was so excited when she came home - she got an apron and badges to attach to it. Needless to say we signed up for the next two workshops - basketball hoop and fortune teller.
The kids played for a while and then Rob went in the garage to work and the kids and I went over to Mom and Dad's for a visit. Mom had the tummy bug today and I can honestly say - I know how she feels. Jo, Ole and Tony were there and the kids played for a bit and then they went crazy for a bit. Highlights of the visit - I painted Jo's toenails and then Tony wanted to match Mommy's toes - so I painted his too. He wanted more so we painted "man polish" (clear) on his fingernails. I showed Tony all the good hiding spots in the house and he loved to hide and when he knew he was close to being found he would giggle in delight. Ellie and Dad took a walk to get the paper. Nick and Dad played with the new dollhouse. Mom and I passed out in the living room. Mom helped me change out Scarlett, I thought she would be terrible today because of all the output but was surprised to find her pretty healed up. Dad picked up lunch from Little Wok - the kids ate a good lunch - I tried some rice and Mom tried some soup.
Major complaints when I said it was time to leave but we were finally able to get the kids in the car and drive home. Rob gave Nick a bath and then Ellie took a shower. I found Space Jam was just starting on tv so we watched that together - super funny to watch that about 20 years after it was made. We had a whatever you want out of the fridge dinner - I cut the kids up some fruit and made some popcorn then they moved onto yogurt and more fruit. I had some toast and Rob had some re-heats.
I will probably regret that I attacked my cuticles with the trimmer but they were so hard and thick. It did cause my skin to peel some more - I never really had the hand peeling with xeloda however this time around all my fingertips are peeling. My feet are super sensitive but my hands are feeling better. My gums are throbby right now. I lost 5 pounds in 24 hours with the tummy bug. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Not bad - it has taken 5 months but I am finally sick

Ultra short, early blog tonight - anther "might be too much info for the fair stomach person". I have some sort of stomach bug and let me be the first to tell you it sucks. It started this morning with stomach pain similar to gas pain except for the fact that I cannot really have actual gas pain. It lingered all through the day and I noticed that Scarlett's output had changed to total liquid - what would be diarrhea. Luckily, Nick and I were at Mom's house and I was able to spend the day on the couch.
Anyhow, since coming home this afternoon the pain hasn't gone away, Scarlett is emptying at record speed and I began to vomit, too. I fell asleep on the couch around 4 and slept until 6 and feel like I could sleep the next 24 hours. I am hoping this all is finished in the morning - some 24 hour bug. I am just trying to keep up with hydration because I don't want anything to jeopardize my last infusion.
Rob is upstairs trying to get the kids to sleep - I didn't think I could put Nick to bed to effectively tonight. I am sad, I had to postpone my coffee date with Christi for tomorrow morning but I don't think I will be up to it yet. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Too long Thursday

I need to get to bed at a more normal time tonight because the 5-6 hours of sleep is not doing me any good. I went up a bit after 2AM last night and didn't realize until I got up off the couch how cold I was. Nick was in bed next to Rob and he was so warm I decided to just leave him there are scoot in next to him. We were up early this morning - we got dressed (and re-dressed because Ellie didn't like what I picked out for her) and went down for breakfast. I got new breakfast stuff yesterday while grocery shopping and it was a hit this morning - chocolate chip pancakes. I helped Ellie bundle up for the bus stop and I made a pot of coffee.
I had a quick phone call with Christi and made plans for an afternoon play date. Nick and I bundled up and drove to school. Nick thought it was funny that chucks of snow were flying off the hood of the car and hitting the windshield. I went to Mom's house after I dropped Nick off. I arrived just in time to feed T his breakfast - pancakes. They flew into his mouth as trains, planes and automobiles. Mom gave him some raisins and he was making them into snowmen - the boy cracks me up. We changed out Scarlett - not bleeding today but still not happy. We visited and played for a bit before it was time to pick Nick up from school.
Nick got into the car complaining about his lip - a friend somehow collided with a kitchen tool into Nick's bottom lip and he said it was bleeding at school. We came home and I noticed both of Nick's eyes were sparkling with green glitter - it was like he had eye make-up on. I tried to get it off just so it wouldn't get into his eyes but glitter is not the easiest thing to remove. Nick helped me make cinnamon rolls and when I went to frost them after they came out I stupidly tried to push the pan back onto the counter and burned my hand. Not a big deal to some people but for me, who is cold sensitive - I couldn't run my hand under cold water or apply ice because it would have sent my hand into shock. I applied some calmoseptine to the burn but the deep throbby pain was incredible.
I got a call from Christi that they wouldn't be bale to join us this afternoon but we made plans to get coffee on Saturday. Nick was so sad that his girlfriend wasn't coming over and he cried and pouted for almost an hour. I finally convinced him to eat some lunch with me and we went downstairs to stream Wallace & Gromit. Here was our funny conversation: N,"want to sit on the couch with me?" Me, "I would love to sit on the couch with you - where can I sit?" N, "No, stay where you are."
We watched a couple episodes before coming upstairs to refill our drinks and play up here. Before long it was time to get Ellie off the bus and we came home and she did her homework. Nick found the bag of fortune cookies and he sat beside me eating one and I asked him where his fortune was and he told me he ate it - I really don't understand why he is teething at almost 4. My girl friend, Julie and I texted back and forth for a while - catching up a bit. Rob was going to be coming home a bit later and the kids and I were trying to decide what to do for dinner. We opted for movie night and we made sandwiches and watched High School Musical 3.
The kids were engrossed in the movie so I headed upstairs to take a quick shower and get things ready for bed. My feet continue to peel - I think I am going to start taking pictures of things - my red hands, my gross feet, Scarlett, Plum because pretty soon they will be memories. A bit before 7 the kids were flipping out and we went up to bed. Ellie read in bed while I tried to get Nick to sleep - one of the quickest nightimes ever. I let Ellie come back down to watch Wipeout and Rob came home while she was watching.
We finished Wipeout and Rob took Ellie up to bed. I have been playing on the computer and listening to my shows. My hand is very throbby right now - I cannot believe I burned it. Usual aches and pains today - hands and feet tinglies, sore gums and a bit of upper back pain. Waiting for the "storm" to move in and hoping we won't wake up to anything too deep. Visualising me healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Mid week Wednesday (again)

I think I have a title and then realize its been used - might have to just start using the date. I think I went up to bed sometime after 1AM. We were all up this morning and got dressed and had breakfast. I cut up kiwi for Ellie for snack and bundles her up to go to the bus stop. I warmed up the car and then Nick and I were off to preschool.
I did a quick run to Glenview Community to check out their new offerings - I found a felted ball necklace that I can take apart to make my pins and a couple other things. I did grocery shopping - we had little produce and we needed milk and other basics. I picked up fixings for dinner tonight - pasta bake, meatballs, broccoli and cauliflower, honeydew and strawberries. I still had time so I ran into Wings - nothing good today and it seems like the prices have really gone up there. I ran through to pick up a coffee on my way to pick up Nick from school.
I picked Nick up from school where he was learning a bit of German today from the German teacher at the high school. We came home and had lunch and I began my felting project. In case you didn't know this trick - I will share - instead of using a sweater shaver or lint remover thing just take a cheap razor and shave the sweater. I had an entire sandwich size ziploc of shavings by the time I was done - which I can re-use in paper making - bonus. I cut the sweaters apart and I am excited to start my new project. This took the entire afternoon and while I was sitting at the dining room table doing this Nick took nail clippers and clipped the edge of our tv cabinet, ate the rubber stopper off his cup and took out about 2 dozen toys.
We got Ellie from the bus stop and she got to work doing her homework. I cleaned off the table for dinner and started prep for dinner. Rob came home to relieve me for a little bit before he needed to go tape the basketball game tonight. I switched loads of laundry and Ellie did recycling while Rob and Nick did garbage. I asked Rob if he would give the kids their bath before he left and I vacuumed the first floor - it was covered in salt from outside. Mom came over and started the fruit salad with the kids - Nick was trying to macerate the fruit - I coined the word/nickname lunanick tonight.
Dad came over and we had dinner - it was good, although, the chicken meatballs were pretty spicy. Dad and Nick took our timer apart to try to fix it - no luck. Ellie and Mom did a couple seek and finds from her new library book. We finished the evening with the kids showing their newly cleaned rooms to Mom and Dad. Dad read Nick a few books and Mom and Ellie hung out and then they tucked them into bed and kissed them before heading home. I got the kiddos to bed and came down and I have been playing on the computer. Rob came home not too long ago - the girls won the game!
Hands have been terribly sensitive today - my feet are just numb. My gums still hurt. I know Scarlett is un-happy because when I bend over I have sudden pain. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Tuesday (I am running out of titles)

WARNING: I attempted to spell check this and it came up with no errors - hard to believe - so if this is loaded with spelling errors its not my total fault. I was not tired last night and found myself looking at the clock at 2AM thinking I should go up to bed. The kids were up early and played in their rooms for a bit before we got dressed and got breakfast. I can't believe it was snowing again this morning but Ellie did not want to wear snow pants to the bus stop. Nick and I got ready for preschool after the bus picked Ellie up. I dropped Nick off at school and did a quick Salvation run to try to find another green sweater or two to felt. I did luck out but I am not too happy with the way they felted up. I came home and was able to cath up with my girlfriend, Lee, on the phone before having to pick Nick up at school.
Nick and I went over to Mom's to have lunch and play with Tony. Nick brought Holly Hobbie dvds with him but Tony was not so interested in them. We ended up streaming off of netflix for some new choices. Mom made us delicious egg salad for lunch and fixed the boys ham roll ups and fruit and veggies. Nick ate about a dozen or so mini peppers. Mom helped me change out Scarlett and not only was she not happy for the first time she was actually bleeding - one more treatment.
The boys played with trains, the dollhouse and watched tv. I left Nick with Mom so I could pick Ellie up and take her to her appointment with Trish at Cancer Wellness. We had a nice drive up - we even got to see a couple deer. I got to read an entire magazine front to back while Ellie and Trish had their session. I got the 10 second review - they practiced a relaxation breathing exercise that Ellie can use when she is nervous or anxious, they played a game and they continued to work on their art project. We drove home and got to see another couple deer and had another nice drive.
We picked Nick up from Mom's house - they were watching Wallace and Grommit. Jo had dropped off a ear muff she had made for Ellie -it is very cute - white band with a green shamrock and sequins. We thanked Mom and were on our way home. Ellie did her homework while I got dinner in and Nick helped me do laundry. Rob ended up not having to work tonight- so he was home for dinner. We ate dinner and got the kiddos ready for bed. Nick liked reading through some of the new books to his room and Ellie and Rob did some flashcards before bed.
I cannot believe they interrupted one of my favorite shows to do election coverage for 20 minutes - could it not wait until 10PM - how rude. I just read an article off Yahoo links about what your feet can tell you - they actually address peripheral neuropathy and chemo - ha. So my feet were sensitive today but hands seemed a bit better but they are so very dry. Gums are about the same but I changed out toothbrushes when I cleaned the bathroom yesterday and the bristles are a bit harder and that might be helping? Little bit of lower back pain. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

We don't need no stinkin' maids

Rob did pass out at 8:00 last night but I was up until a bit after midnight watching tv and playing on the computer. Rob, Nick and I slept until almost 8:00 this morning - Ellie was up early. I convinced Nick to go downstairs and let me sleep a bit longer by telling him he could have a breakfast party and watch Eloise on netflix stream. I woke up and had my first cup of coffee in a week - ahhh caffeine, well more than tea.
What started out as an innocent teaching of how to clean the bathroom (one of the things Ellie has agreed to learn to help me out) turned into a early Spring cleaning. Ellie and I worked in our half bath and I taught her which cleaners clean what and she was an excellent helper. Nick wanted to be involved in the cleaning action so I initially gave him a Mr. Clean magic eraser to work on some icky wall spots but he wanted to clean with cleaner too. I put him in charge of dusting - I sprayed each surface and he went to work cleaning it up - real good job.
We moved upstairs to the other bathroom but Ellie quickly got distracted and I got inspired to deep clean. I asked Rob for a razor blade scrapper and went to town removing old caulk so Rob could re-caulk with new stuff. I washed the floor, cleaned out the cabinet under the sink, bleached the toilet and sink. Rob nicely did the final caulk removal because my fingers kept on cramping up. Rob also glued down some of the tiles that have come up over the years - the bathroom looks sparkly clean. I still need to work on the tub and shower but I can only do so many chemicals a day and I had my limit.
I sat on my bedroom floor and sorted laundry and realized the bedrooms really needed a deep clean too. I asked Ellie to start in her room and Nick to do specific things in his room. When I went into Ellie's room she had already organized her bookcase and was working on her American Girl clothes. I sat and helped Ellie organize some of her bins and we donated 2 bags from her room to Salvation today. Ellie asked if she could try to change her own sheets and I said yes but she couldn't get her mattress out of the plastic lip that it sits in. Ellie's room looks awesome.
Rob and Nick had been working in his room and had organized the train table and had got tall his books out to go through - we changed out some of his books so that some baby books were put away and some new big boy books were brought out. I was able to re-organize some drawers so that I was able to get rid of a giant rubbermaid and storage box in his room. I also was able to re-arrange some toys so they are more accessible for him. I still need to go through Nick's dresser and weed out the clothing that is too small but I might just wait for the season change.
I moved onto our bedroom - which is the dumping ground wither by the kids bringing things in there are leaving them, toys being hidden for safety issues or just general laziness. I pulled out a bin of shoes from under our bed and was able to quickly able to pile about half for donation. I asked Nick to help get all the shoes from under the dresser and now all my shoes are nicely organized and I officially think Rob has more shoes than me now. I then worked on my dresser which usually is piled with towels to be put away, land of the lost socks (I have an entire bag filled with un-matched socks), hair accessories - mine and Ellie's, re-possessed candy and toys and sometimes some books or clothes to go to the cleaner. I was able to put things in the proper places and now I can see the wood on the dresser again. Rob even cleaned his dresser and closet today. The final cleaning of the day was a huge vacuum of the entire upstairs - I cannot believe how much of my hair littered the floor - kinds gross.
I got the kids into the bathtub for a bath because honestly we all smelled after a day of cleaning. I was able to finish putting laundry away and get our bedding changed out while they were in the tub. They got dressed in their PJs and went downstairs to have movie night - Holly Hobbie was the movie du jour. I changed loads of laundry, made a new pot of tea, washed the dishes and then hopped in the shower myself. I noticed as I was putting on my socks that my feet have began the peeling stage - toes and side calluses right now. I lotioned them up and just plan to leave them alone. Rob jumped in the shower and I sat with the kids watching the movie.
I asked Rob if he would run out and grab us dinner before he went out tonight - he is helping a friend with a video project. We had Wing Stop and the kids picnicked in the back room while watching the movie - they must have been hungry because they both finished their plates. Rob went to meet his friend and the kids and I finished up the movie. We went up to brush teeth and get to bed - we need to get Nick a big boy bed but he doesn't want to give up his Thomas bed but he is clearly too big for it. Anyhow, he ends up getting bored and scratching the plastic on the bed or kicking the end of the bed and it makes bedtime a bit longer than I would like it to take. I got Nick to sleep and went to tuck Ellie in - we switched out her night music to the Kit Kittridge soundtrack - we will see how she likes it. We had a nice couple minutes talking about all our accomplishments today - I am proud of her and she said she looks forward to being able to put her finger right on things she might want.
I have been listening to tv and playing on the computer since I came down - occasionally going downstairs to switch laundry loads (bed changing weeks stink - between sheets and mattress covers and blankets - it adds about 4 extra loads). I listened to a very disturbing new show on tlc - kids birthday extravaganzas - holy cow, this Mom just spend $32,000 on her 6 year old birthday party and by the end of this gala the little girl was in tears because the cake was not what she envisioned. This world we live in is crazy because this is a tv series meaning this isn't the only nuking futs family.
I just really tried to push past my hands and feet today. I wore gloves when I used chemicals because my hands can't really get any more dry and chapped. My gums are still a constant pain but Mom asked a pharmacist about biotene mouthwash today and the pharmacist told her it is common with chemo and my doctor could prescribe me a mouthwash with lidocaine in it - I will have to email Margaret and find out about this. A bit of lower back pain and some lower abdominal pain. Now I almost on month 10 without a period and I am ok with that - I have heard 12 qualifies you as active menopause and I really am ok with that - I really don't know if I want my period back but that is the pain I am feeling right now. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Sunday...

I say it again - chemo is like pregnancy. We placed a carry-out order at Outback at 10PM last night. If we were at home I would have been able to just get something salty but we had nothing at the hotel. I screwed up our order - I wanted a grilled cheese sandwich but order grilled chicken instead but Rob nicely traded his fries for my mashed potatoes. We ate and then I fell asleep when Rob was doing some research on tool prices online. I woke up and Rob had already gone to bed - so I joined him.
Even with the room darkening curtains and the overcast sky, Nick was up at 6:30AM. I was able to keep him quiet for about 45 minutes but then he started talking instead of whispering. We let Rob sleep in a bit longer and Ellie, Nick and I went into the other room to watch some tv. When Rob got up we got dressed and went down to breakfast. The kids eyes were bigger than their tummies but that was ok. We had our breakfast and the kids really like that about 2/3 of the breakfast is serve yourself so they could help themselves to what they wanted.
We went back to the room and the kids watched a bit more tv before we packed up and headed out. The freezing, snowy mess had begun and we got pelted on our way out to the car. We took our time and worked our way back home. We stopped off at Woodmans - a great grocery store if you are ever in the Kenosha area. I wanted to pick up some good Wisconsin cheese and ended up with some other things too. I got saturated just walking from the store back to the car - made my fingers and toes very tingly.
We were en route to Jelly Belly - Nick really wanted to go on the train ride tour - which we have done before but Nick doesn't remember it. We were 4th in line for the tour and had to wait about 10 minutes before the train loaded up and took us around the factory. The kids (and us) gladly accepted the 'thank you for touring Jelly Belly' packs of beans. The kids enjoyed some samples from the sample bar and then we picked up a few bags of flops (the irregular beans) before traveling home. The snowy mess had turned into a rainy mess.
We got home and un-packed the car in the rain. I started laundry because the piles never diminish. We got all our new stuff un-packed and put away. We packed up Valentines day and put our St. Patricks day decorations. Rob and I tried to crash on the couch for a bit but the kids might have had to much time together and were on each others nerves. We watched a bit of the Daytona 500 - trying to compare the cars to the cars from the movie Cars (don't know if this makes sense).
We went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner - El Famous $1 taco night. Mom had made soup and was making biscuits and had made a pineapple cake. We had bought back kringles from WI. The kids were delighted at the new toys Mom and Dad picked up over the weekend - a race car set and a new, sturdy dollhouse. We had dinner - Nick sat in a new kids folding chair at his own table - the boy is bizarre sometimes. The El Famous salsa didn't do its trick - it usually numbs my gums so I can't feel them and eases up some of the pain but no such luck tonight - I even drank some right from the container.
We had dessert - I think my kids might need a sugar moratorium for a couple weeks. Mom's cake was good, the kringles were good and the kids enjoyed some Belly flops. We changed out Scarlett - who went from looking pretty good to looking very bad in 48 hours. We came home and got the kiddos in PJs and I put Nick to bed and Rob read with Ellie and then she went to bed. Rob never came back downstairs so I guess he went to sleep too.
My feet are terrible and I need to find a pair of shoes that don't hurt because my gym shoes are not comfortable. My hands have not been great today because of the cold wetness outside. My gums are the same as they have been. I guess the good news is other than a lower back ache - I have no bone/joint pain. Ellie asked me the other day if I ever wish I could have a regular glass of water and I told her there wasn't a day I don't. I am sick of tea - never mind the endless flavor possibilities - I would love the ability to just have tap water. I froze my teeth out again this morning trying to eat some watermelon - it was too cold and sent shocks of throbby pain through my teeth. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

A day away

Chemo brain - can't recall anything about last night. I know Ellie and Rob were up first this morning and then Nick. I slept in a little bit and then went down - excitement was a brewin' in the house. I had a muffin and a cup of tea and then went into packing for our getaway. Nick and Ellie wanted their own bags even though we were only going for a night. I packed everyone up and we got snacks and drinks and we were on the road.
Our first stop was the outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie - huge Presidents Day sales. I got bags full of clothes at Gymboree plus gymbucks to use later. We got some cookies and goldfish at Peppridge Farm and then I got another boat load of bargains at Old Navy - the trunk was already overloaded.
We cruised to Milwaukee and spent the early afternoon at the Brinn Children's Museum - the kids liked having new exhibits to go through - a couple had been at other museums we had been at. We left the museum (which is right on the lakefront) and my nose froze on the way to the car. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, La Estacion. Had the best enchiladas.
Our plan was to see Gnomeo and Juliet after lunch but I was in need of some walking after lunch - my feet did not feel the same. We had about 2 hours before the movie time and thought we could easily burn through the time sitting on tractors at Farm and Fleet. As I have said before, this whole chemo thing is like being pregnant and I was met by the overwhelming smell of rubber as we walked through the door. I was able to manage through it for about 10 minutes before I found Rob and told him I would meet them in the car.
Ellie and I ran into Kohl's - I know, we have them in Illinois, but I don't have to pay Cook Co. tax up here - plus I had 30% off. I found Rob a replacement coat (his zipper broke last week) and a pair of jeans for me. We got lost - thank you GPS trying to find the movie theatre that was literally right behind the mall we were in. We got there and Rob ran ahead and got our tickets. It was the most bizarre theatre I have ever been in - people were bringing in whole pizzas and coffee drinks, ice cream - totally a full menu. Once again, the smell of the hot dog with all the fixings in the row ahead of us made my stomach turn. The movie was real cute and we all enjoyed in - I know a bunch of the humor went over the kids heads.
We raced to our hotel to check in because they have a managers reception nightly and the kids were looking forward to some snacks. They had some different stuff from the last time we were here - trail mix and marshmallow krispie treats. Rob was great and went to the bar (how ironic) to get me tea while I got him a vodka cranberry. We had our drinks and snacks and then the kids were jumping up and down to go to the pool. Thankfully, this time around the pool was warm - and crowded. Rob was a trooper and played with the kids - I watched for a bit until I felt a bit too tropical and needed to take some layers off.
I got the kids PJs ready for them when they got back up to the room and we sat in the living room area and watched Over the Hedge and waited for milk and cookie time. I walked down with the kids to get their evening milk and cookies - so fun. We watched about half the movie before we brushed teeth and tucked the kids in.
To say my feet hurt is an understatement - I am taken back to the 4th of July when I felt like I would like someone just to cut them off. Ultra touch sensitive - neuropathy issues and just plain gross. My fingerprints are still leaving, hands are peeling and my hands just don't look like my own. My gums are still bad - although, I brushed my teeth with regular toothpaste tonight and my mouth feels cleaner. Bits of nauseousness today - mostly smell or heat related. Apparently, we will be waking up to freezing rain and snow tomorrow - we will be driving home slowly. Nick grabbed the brochure for Jelly Belly outlet so we will most likely stop there on our ride home. Good to be away - visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Hope the ativan kicks in soon

I passed out on the couch for a while last night and then went up to bed sometime - chemo brain. Nick was up way too early and he woke Ellie up to join him. They went down for breakfast - I slept until the alarm went off. I got Ellie ready for school and off to the bus and then I checked in with Mom - we were going to head over there sometime today. I fell right back to sleep on the couch - so tired today.
I woke up around 9:45 and took a quick shower and nick and I got dressed and headed over to Mom's house. We went out to the sun porch which was like 110 degrees and found my way to the couch and proceeded to fall asleep again. I slept for a bit over 2 hours - we had the doors open a bit because the porch was so hot - good sleeping. I woke up and Mom had made me lunch - I have the best Mom ever. I ate my veggie and cheese wrap and then Nick and I helped finish up organizing the kitchen in the sun porch.
We can home to get Ellie off the bus and then we got ready for our evening. Uncle Bill was picking Ellie up and meeting up with Rob for an early dinner and then Rob and Ellie were going to the basketball game tonight. Ellie changes into her Viking purple clothes to support the team and I think she made some signs. Nick and I were heading to Northbrook Court for the 8' tall Buzz Lightyear Lego build.
Nick and I got to Northbrook Court (for our date night) and we found the Buzz display. They had him built up to about his knees and then the head was already done. Nick really wasn't interested and asked if we could go and walk around instead. I asked him if he wanted to eat at a restaurant or in the food court - restaurant it was. The Claim Jumper was were we ended up and we had a delightful dinner together. Nick asked me to sit next to him and our food came out quickly - he insists we must go back with Rob and Ellie.
We went to the tree house for a bit before checking to see how far Buzz had got (about thigh high) and we got a rice krispie treat from Starbucks and were on our way home. I secretly hoped Nick would fall out on the car ride home but that didn't happen. I have been so nauseous since dinner - I have the garbage can next to me and I broke out the queasy pops I bought about 4 months ago. Mom and I changed out Scarlett today and she is looking pretty good - hopefully that will be the trend but I somehow know otherwise. I have minor aches today - lower back, upper thighs and a bit of chest pain - neulasta. My gums are what are really irritating me - its just constant burning - cannot wait to get them cleaned. Looking forward to getting away for 24 hours or so - hopefully the weather will cooperate. I found it odd that my hand tingled as badly in the high winds today as they do in the extreme cold.
Last thought - I hope some of you were able to see the moon as is was rising up tonight - the biggest moon I think I have ever seen - it was big out of a movie big - pretty awesome sight. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

It has been a long week

I fell asleep on the couch sometime during George Lopez and woke up around 2AM and went up to bed. Usual morning around here except no need to bundle up today. Ellie got to the bus stop and I got Nick to school. I did a quick run to Salvation to try to find some green wool sweaters to felt - success. I went over to Mom's house for a bit to play with Tony and help get him in Mom's car because Mom and Tony were picking Nick up from school.
I went to my appointment and had an uneventful disconnect. I picked up lunch on the way back to Mom's and we ate out on the sun porch. I found the couch and passed out for the afternoon. The kids watched Toy Story 3 while I slept. Nick and I drove home to get Ellie off the bus and she began her home work right away. I took a couple minutes to finally pull our holiday decorations down outside (they have been turned off for over a month but the cold and snow made it impossible to get them all down).
Ellie had a play date with her girlfriend, Catherine this afternoon - very excited. Christi came to pick Ellie up for the play date and Nick and I played with Buzz Lightyear until he heard the door open and Rob come in. They went outside to get the higher up lights down and I think Nick just really wanted to be outside - cabin fever. I got a pizza into the oven for dinner and Rob helped me switch loads of laundry (but I learned something new today - rubber gloves make it so i cannot feel the cold switching loads of laundry).
Rob, Nick and I had dinner and then we waited to hear from Christi - King Julien from Madagascar was making a special appearance at the library tonight and we were going to meet there. Nick and Su'nana were a bit frightened by King Julien but Ellie and Catherine kinds dug it. He did him "I like to move it, move it" dance and then there were coloring pages and a photo op - pretty cool for a last minute thing. We said our goodbyes and thank yous and were on our way home - Ellie still had some homework to do.
Both of the kiddos took a bit longer to get to sleep tonight - I am sure because of the library event. I have major teeth pain today - gums really. My hands are very dry and red. I have minor aches from the neulasta shot - some arm, leg and lower back pain. Still have a few waves of nausea and I am just sleepy. I think by the next infusion my fingerprints will totally be gone - they have diminished on a few fingers already. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Sleepy

I watched my late night talk shows and went up to bed around 12:30. Nick came into bed with us sometime during the night and could not relax - teeth again plus the temperature change. Usual morning here - got dressed, had breakfast and got ready for school. I did find that the steri-strips did not stick through the night but it looks like it didn't slow the pump down too much. I stuck the sensor back on with some paper tape - hopefully I won't blister this time. Ellie got to the bus stop and I got Nick to preschool.
I went over to Mom's house after I dropped Nick off and played with Tony for a while but did end up falling asleep on her couch for about an hour. I woke up and went to get Nick from school - we came back here and had a quiet afternoon. We ate lunch together and Nick played while I relaxed on the couch. Nick eventually crawled up onto the couch with me and we had some cuddle time while we watched some tv.
We went to get Ellie off the bus and Nick was delighted to wear his rain boots and puddle jump. We walked home and Ellie started her homework and Nick played. Rob came home and we visited for a bit before the kids took over his attention. Mom called and said she was on her way over for dinner. Rob gave Nick a bath, Ellie helped me do laundry.
Mom came over and added to our fruit salad and started some pasta. Mom and Ellie finished her homework up. We changed out Scarlett - she is back to normal (for about the next day). Dad brought Chicken Inn for dinner. Nick ate up a storm and asked for more. Ellie and Mom played on the computer while Nick and Dad played downstairs before it was time to say goodnight. Dad tucked both of the kids in and then Rob and I got the kiddos to sleep.
We decided today that we are going up to Wisconsin for a night this weekend. We are going back to the hotel we stayed at for Fall trip because it was nice to have breakfast, the evening reception and bedtime milk and cookies included. We plan on seeing Gnome and Juliet and maybe the children's museum and outlet mall. Other than being sleepy, I have my waves of nausea, my throat feels a bit tight, Plum hurts (Deb didn't put the little pad under the needle so it is just kinds floating there). My hands have the normal tinglies and a touch of neuropathy. Oh well, one more. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Only one more infusion!

This will be a shorter post tonight - the waves of nausea are knocking around and I am tired. Usual morning around here - Ellie was off to school and I dropped Nick off at preschool. I came home and got ready for Kellogg - packed food, a book, some magazines and my blanket and pillow. I got to Kellogg and Deb got Plum started and drew my blood. I am amazed - it seems every other week when I go in the port package has changed - a new cap, a new dressing, a new way to hold the gloves - amazing. Also amazing to me was I was infused in the West pod today - never knew it existed and kind of made me sad because all in all I think about 50 people can be getting infused at the same time in one location - stupid cancer.
I met with Margaret and Dr. Marsh - nothing really new. I asked about CEA number (cancer marker) which is still way on the normal range but does vary draw to draw - normal. I officially have hand and foot syndrome - my hands are the color of a strawberry and the brown polka dot spots have started to pop up more. I found out that not only will I be getting regular CT scans post treatment - I can also look forward to pretty regular colonoscopies - of the fun. I asked if they could do the next colonoscopy while I still have Scarlett because then 'go litely' isn't in my near future - we are looking into that. Margaret also suggested another GI doctor for all the fun I will be having.
I forgot to take my ativan before my infusion and could not get my zen on and relax enough to sleep today. I read for a bit, played games on my i-touch - I ended up getting so nauseous I had to stop concentrating on anything and I just lounged in the chair. This infusion seemed slow to me today but hey - only one more.
Uncle Joe has been in the hospital since last week and I stopped in to see him on my way out today. On my way to the right elevator I ran into Mrs. B - pleasant surprise. We took a couple minutes to catch up before we went our own ways. I had a lovely visit with Uncle Joe and I think I just read on facebook that he finally got sprung tonight. I headed to Mom's house to pick up Nick and to chill out for a while. Oh, we tried steri-strips instead of tape today in hopes that I don't blister.
Mom and Nick had a nice afternoon together and he was cuddling when I got there. We stayed until about 5 and then headed home. Rob took a partial day off to help coordinate the afternoon (my appointment was about 2 hours later than normal) so I wasn't sure I would be on time to pick up Ellie and get her to her appointment with Trish. I guess it was another good appointment and they will meet again next week.
We got home and I had planned on making dinner but Rob told me to sit on the couch and he would take care of it. We had chicken sausage, pasta, bread and fruit. The kids each helped with various parts of the meal. We took the kids up to bed after dinner - it seemed to take forever to get nick to fall asleep. I think he might be working on some molars because he is putting everything in his mouth again and complains about them hurting.
I feel asleep for a little bit watching tv and now I am on the awake side of steroids but feel physically very tired. The tinglies began with just walking down the hall in the hospital today but have settled down and aren't so bad since. The waves of grossness are pretty constant. My teeth got that instant pain like when you bite into something very cold - I could really finish dinner when it began. For whatever reason I feel like I have about a mile of tubing connected to me - it is seriously about 1' longer than it normally is and I keep catching it on everything. I will rant some more tomorrow - I have a suggestion letter being formulated in my chemo brain mind to Kellogg about how they need to change things for people having folfox infusions - like having a sink with hot water instantly and having hot beverages more readily available without a nurse humphing that they have to go downstairs to get it. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Happy Valentine's Day

I watched 190 North and then turned on food network - I think I feel asleep on the couch for a while before heading upstairs to bed. We were all up before the alarm went off and got dressed in pink and red and went down for breakfast. I packed up Ellie's backpack with a snack and her Valentine's and she was on her way to the bus stop - instead of the need to avoid ice today she had to avoid puddles.
Nick and I went to Costco to try to find dinner for tonight but were un-inspired. We did get muffins for breakfast, fruit, chicken sausage and meatballs and pizzas. We stopped by Affy Taffy on the way home and found that the chocolate/caramel pretzels and candies were all on sale - we picked up a handful of things for dessert tonight. Nick helped me carry the groceries in and we put things away. We had lunch and then I got to the food prep for today's party. I dyed the milk pink and flavored in with vanilla extract and I made up the chocolate pudding cool whip frosting for the chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes.
Nick and I headed off to Ellie's school for the party. The party was chaotic - as all parties at school are. The kids loved decorating their own cupcakes. I had 3 crafts for the kids to do and once again, I was amazed at how different they all decorate. They made Valentine wreaths, tissue paper hearts and candy necklaces. They passed out their Valentine's and many of the kids gave Nick candy, too (very nice). When we left school, Nick ran ahead (he punched his chest and took off like Buzz Lightyear but didn't stop like Forrest Gump). Luckily, no cars were going through the intersection when he decided to keeping running and full speed right across the street and down the next street. We had a lengthy conversation about safety and the need to stop when the sidewalk ends and the street begins.
We came home and I un-packed all the party stuff and Ellie began her homework. I got stuff ready for our Valentine dinner - made a fruit salad, got a new tablecloth on the table and set out candles and decorations. Rob came home with chocolate covered strawberries and I had put the garbage and recycling out and he took it back to the cans for me. I suggested that Nick take a bath as a diversion so Ellie I could leave to go to pottery.
Ellie and I headed off with a stop in at Mom and Dad's to change out Scarlett - much happier than the other day. In pottery, Ellie finished her patchwork container and made a pinch pot change holder and I glazed Ellie's pieces from last week. I had no inspiration to work with clay tonight and I find when I don't have an idea in mind I never really like what I end up making. We picked up dinner on the way home and came home and Rob and Nick had set the table for us.
We had a very nice dinner, we dimmed the light and turned on the decorations and we had kid and adult champagne. The kids opened their cupid bags and were very happy with their new dvds and watches. We had dessert - the chocolate covered strawberries and the chocolate covered caramels. Mom and Dad got us a chocolate chip coffee cake but that will be good for breakfast. We took the kids up and brushed teeth and got ready for bed.
I have been listening to tv and blogging and playing on the computer. I am feeling about 99% better which means tomorrow must be infusion day. My tinglies are so liking the warm up and I look forward to this eek being warm - probably my first infusion that isn't dramatic weather. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Super Sunday

I watched SNL and then the 2 shows after and decided to fall asleep on the couch for a bit. I have had the wacky idea that Scarlett might get better if I am not lying down for a number of hours - I'll let you know if it works. Nick came down sometime during my time on the couch and I just pulled him under the quilt with me - sometime around 5:30AM we went upstairs. The kids and Rob were up a bit earlier than me but I got up a bit before 8AM and jumped in the shower. I got clothes ready for the kiddos and came down and have a bowl of coffee and breakfast.
We were off to church - we were the leaders for Sunday School today and needed to be there a bit ahead of time to prepare the project. The project involved my most hated thing ever -sand - rates right up there with glitter. By the end of the project there was yellow and green sand everywhere and pink, purple and red fish gravel everywhere - the only thing that makes sand a bit better than glitter is that it doesn't stay with you all day. We visited after the service with friends before heading home.
The kids played, I tried to get some more tax prep done - just waiting on one document and then we can file. Ellie got her doll, Kit, dressed for the big Dad and Daughter day out at American Girl and then did a bit of a fashion show to decide what she would wear. Ellie took a quick shower and got dressed in a stunning black and red hanna jumper - loved it. I pressed Rob's shirt and pants and he was ready. Rob and Ellie were on their way downtown and Nick and I were deciding where we should go on our "date". Rob and Ellie called to let us know they got there and then Nick and I were off to Red Robin. Nick found a puddle outside and decided to jump in it for about 3 minutes - I went back inside the house to wait. A bit of a meltdown happened because we needed to change Nick's pants, socks and shoes before we could try to leave again.
We had a table with a close view of the kitchen and Nick loved it. Nick got a treat and got freckled lemonade (strawberry lemonade) and we had a lovely dinner together. We got a balloon on our way out and headed to Mom and Dad's to visit for a bit. I told Rob to stop by on their way home. Nick and Tony were so funny - dancing and jumping and copying each other. Rob and Ellie arrived and were all smiles. They loved the tea in the cafe but liked their "swag" bags even more. They got a book, some hair accessories, a flower, a picture frame, a tea cup and saucer for Kit and then a photo session int he studio - a cute picture of Rob, Ellie and Kit.I think it was a great "date" night for both groups.
We came home and got the kiddo to bed. I've been playing on the computer while listening to Desperate and Brothers and Sisters - now the news. I have to get the kids Valentine's together for the morning still. Feeling pretty good today - the weather really has helped but the cold metal still sets my hands into tinglies. Looking forward to Ellie's school party tomorrow - I finished all the prep for that this afternoon - just need to pick up milk tomorrow. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

We did a bunch today

I listened to Jay Leno and then Craig Ferguson before going up last night. Ok night of sleep - I got to sleep in this morning because Rob woke up and took the kiddos down. Rob had my bowl of coffee ready for me when I came down and we talked while the kids played. I can't praise the bank we use for the kids enough - North Shore Community Bank - they continually have special things for the kids and so encourage kids saving (plus they have the best donut holes on Saturday mornings). Today, the bank was having saving buckets (Bozo buckets) and we had a jar full of change (thank you, GGs) to pour into the Coin King.
Rob stayed home to clean out his car and the kids and I went to the bank. The kids both made it to bucket 3 earning a piggy bank flash light key chain, a frisbee and a gold $1 coin. The kids had a couple donut holes and we made their deposit and we were off to Michael's. Michael's had kids crafts on a few weekends a month and today the kids could decorate a wooden frame. Both of the kids had such a wonderful time making their frames - they were the only kids there. We did a quick walk through the store and picked up a couple things before coming home.
The kids began to play and I decided to do some Valentine baking. Ellie and Nick helped at various times. We made cupcakes (devils food and vanilla cherry chip) and peanut butter cookie pops and chocolate chip cookie hearts. I made cream cheese cinnamon frosting for the cupcakes and then the kiddos were our delivery crew. We have some very nice neighbors who have been very nice to us during this cancer tour (some bringing us meals, some offering inspiration, some shoveling for us) and I viewed this as a way to sat thanks.
Rob wanted to go to Woodcraft to get some wood things that were buy one get one and we had nothing else to do so we decided to road trip. We had the most peaceful trip thanks to the dvd we picked up the other day at Half Price Books - Post Cards from Buster (an Arthur spin off). The kids were delighted to see that Buster had been to places they have been - Chicago, St. Louis and Florida. We found the newly re-located Woodcraft and Rob ran in to get his stuff. We decided to cruise up to our friend Geoff and Donna's to drop off some cupcakes and to give some hugs. We had an impromptu visit but it was wonderful to get some hugs and briefly catch up.
We had an early dinner at Cracker Barrel - the only place you can go on Valentine's Saturday - without crowds. We had a nice dinner fireside and the kids really liked their dinner - we decided to go home for dessert. I dropped Rob and the kids off and I went to Mom and Dad's for a Scarlett change. Scarlett is extremely un-happy and this could rank #1 in breakdown. I am so glad I only have about another month of the toxic chemicals because they really cause some havoc. I came home and the kids were ready for bed - so we went up for bedtime. I started with Nick, changed to Ellie and then back to Nick. I have been sitting with Rob talking, playing on the computer and blogging. Rob just went up to bed, I am listening to SNL - not as good as last week.
Minor tinglies today - really only when I came in contact with cold metal (the doorknobs, the faucet), some minor teeth pain. Just like it usually is, I feel almost better when it is time to go back in for another infusion - but only 2 more (technically, I should be done 2 weeks from Tuesday but we all know the side effects take time to wear off). We will all party when I get Dr. Marsh to provide me with that much earned word - remission. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Freaky Friday

I was watching Craig Ferguson when I heard Nick's footsteps on the stairs. I decided to just cuddle him down here and then carry him up to bed. Nick was up first and waited for Ellie to get out of bed to jump up and play with her. We had breakfast and got Ellie dressed in comfy clothes to jump rope today. Nick and I were planning a movie day today and we stayed in our PJs. I packed Ellie her lunch and snack and then helped her bundle up for the bus stop. Ellie was so excited to get to school that she went to the bus stop early.
Nick chose to watch the Indredibles first and I joined him on the couch and began to cut the hearts out of construction paper for Monday. We were about 30 minutes into the movie when I got a call from the school nurse that Ellie was in her office with a headache and feeling nauseous - oh no! Nick didn't want to get dressed but I threw on some clothes and brushed my teeth and we were on our way to pick Ellie up. We got back home and I got her some advil and a cup of tea. Ellie went up to her room to close her eyes for a bit and grabbed the garbage can on her way - just in time.
Ellie came down about an hour later - Nick and I were watching Herbie (Lindsey Lohan version) and he loved it. I was still cutting hearts out - I think the grand total was somewhere around 400. Ellie was feeling better and ate some food and I urged her to drink. I signed Ellie up on togetherville.com - think facebook for children and she played on the site today - finding new games and sending "goodies" to me. The kids ate Ellie's lunch and we added some leftovers to it.
Third movie in - Home on the Range. I was onto some personal Valentine crafts. The kids were growing tired of the couch and began to be a bit cabin fever crazy. We did a bit of a clean up - Ellie vacuumed and Nick helped me with laundry and we all helped clean up the basement from the Valentine crafts. We all worked together to make monkey bread for Mom and Dad's house tonight. We were celebrating Valentines Day tonight because Ellie and Rob will be at a Daddy/Daughter day out at American Girl Place on Sunday afternoon.
I finally persuaded Nick to get dressed - he really wanted to leave his PJs on all day and night. We packed up our stuff to go to Mom and Dad's house and were on our way there. Mom and Jo were making some appetizers when we arrived. We were trying to decide what to have Dad bring home for dinner - Paninos won. The boys helped get the table ready while Ellie lit all the candles in the sun porch and I got the fire going. Dad got home - all the kids were hiding for him to find.
We had a lovely dinner together and then dessert. Jo and Tony said goodnight and were on their way home but not before I could tickle Tony. We stayed for a while and the kids danced and kept us very entertained. Nick introduced us to Puta - his friend from space. We helped clean the table off and packed our stuff up and were on our way home. It was late so I got the kids right to bed.
Rob just came home from the basketball game and I sit here blogging. Tinglies still happening today - hands, feet and teeth. I am in need of some chill out time so I am going to say have a great weekend. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

I am shopped out

I watched my late night tv and then watched the last part of Craig Ferguson before going up to bed. I got to my side of the bed and realized Nick was in my spot - I carried him back to his bed and tucked him back in. In all fairness, Nick's room is the coldest bedroom in our house and it was freezing last night. We were all up around 6:30AM because Rob couldn't find his wallet and came up a couple times to look through his dresser. Ellie, Nick and I helped Rob look through clothing and piles - we weren't sure if Nick might have hidden it or if Rob had left it at a restaurant yesterday - turned out to be under the kids snow pants. We had breakfast and got dressed in our layers. The kids got under the quilt in the back room to watch Martha Speaks.
I helped Ellie bundle up for her walk to the bus stop - thankfully the bus came very soon after she arrived at the stop. I took Nick to school - he was excited for his Valentine's day party today. I started out at Constructive Playthings looking for some inspiration for the Valentine's day party in Ellie's classroom. I was hoping to find pre-cut hearts at an affordable cost but instead I ended up with construction paper to cut out my own. I did find Thomas silly bands for Nick's birthday and some St. Patrick's decorations and a couple little stuffers for Ellie's Valentine bags for her classrooms.
I had a couple things I needed at Target and headed there. I ended up with a cart so full I had to use the bottom piece of the cart. I got the detergent and snacks I went there for but also found that the stools that I have been waiting to go on sale were on sale. I picked up the snack for the part - ice cream cone cupcakes. The big buy section (like Costco size stuff) was all on clearance so I was able to pick up vitamins and snack at a better price. I was able to fit everything into the truck and still had about 30 minutes until I needed to pick up Nick.
I stopped into Michael's to see if I could find hearts their but no luck. I was able to find candy necklace kits on sale and picked them up for Ellie's party. I went to pick Nick up and was able to read through some old magazines in the car before Nick came out - he had a good party. We picked up lunch and went to Mom's house. I remember one of my funny Nick's moments from yesterday...we were on the sun porch and the solar heat was so intense that Nick got hot and stripped off his clothes. We helped Mom take down the Chinese New Year decorations and some of them were put up with the wall putty. Nick took the wall putty and attached it to his stomach and then stuck a marble to it and announced he had a Scarlett too. We seriously laughed until we cried and he had it stuck there until I pulled it off.
We had a lovely lunch on the sun porch and the boys played kitchen. We went inside to cool off because the porch was so warm and the boys wanted to watch Noddy - except they don't really watch Noddy. Mom and I changed out Scarlett - getting a bit more happy but still broken down skin and red. Nick went into meltdown mode when we needed to leave to get Ellie and didn't talk to me the entire ride home. Ellie got in the car and asked Nick about his party and then he wouldn't shut up.
The anticipation got the the best of me and we went to the new Tuesday Morning - if you are a fan of Tuesday Morning I would suggest you wait another week or two before going to the new one because it still isn't quite stocked. We did end up with a couple foodie items and then the kids asked if we could stop into Half Price Books - so we did. We scored on clearance dvds - we got about 6 movies for $1 or $2 a piece. We also found a couple books on clearance that we picked up.
We came home and we all worked to unload the car - I am glad Rob was home. While I unpacked bags and put stuff away, Ellie started her homework and Rob and Nick started to build the new stools. Little bit chaotic because Nick isn't all about listening to directions when involved in a project. We took a break from stool building to do laundry and the kids did garbage duty. Rob and Nick hung a bulletin board to the back of Nick's door - he wanted a place to hang things in his room and immediately hung a calendar and began to "mark" things on it. While Ellie worked on the stools with Rob, Nick and I planted our new edible flower garden. We switched and Nick helped Rob and Ellie helped me make dinner.
We had dinner and then we let Nick decide who he wanted to put him to bed - me! Ellie and Rob watched Wipeout and I got Nick to sleep. He made a request for the breaking the house song - hum? I asked him to sing a bit of it for me and he said, "you have a messy room." He wanted Bushel and a Peck - the line he was referring to is - you make the house a wreck, you make your room a mess - I did have a bit of a laugh when i finally figured out which song he was referencing.
Rob took Ellie up to bed and I watched Grays and played on the computer. I found a website today that is like facebook but specifically built for 6-12 year olds and I created an account for Ellie. Around 9PM Rob heard footsteps - it was Ellie coming down (an hour after rob tucked her in) to find her gym shoes and put them into her bag for Jump Rope for Hearts tomorrow - she is so excited. Rob walked her back up and tucked her in. We watched Private Practice and I started blogging - been typing forever. Rob and I have been talking in between so I've been distracted.
Hands, feet and nose tinglies today. Teeth still annoying - cannot wait to get a cleaning when this is all through. For whatever reason, my nails are bothering me. I cut them all off yesterday and now they are so sore. No headache tonight so that is a bonus. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Bargain day

I watched late night tv and fell asleep on the couch last night. I was actually dreaming about Nick waking me up when I was snapped awake by the sound of the upstairs gate and the footsteps down the stairs. He wanted to climb under the quilt with me but I told him we needed to go back upstairs to sleep. We went back up and went back to sleep. Nick slept in this morning, I brought Ellie down some clothes and she got dressed while I made her breakfast. Nick woke up after I got the dishes done and Ellie's backpack packed. Ellie bundled up with layers and was off to the bus stop.
Nick woke up and he got dressed and I made him breakfast and then we were off to school. Jo took the day off of work and joined me this morning for some bargain shopping. Jo met me at our house and we were off to Glenview Community Church - 90% off this week. We got there a bit after they opened and it was already packed with people. I did end up with 2 bags full of clothes and books for $13.00 - big finds were an American Girl wool dress coat and matching hat - $3.80, a wool dress coat for me, a few neck ties for Rob and some clothes in the next size for Nick. We still had some time and I talked Jo into VonMaur to check out shoe clearance. Unfortunately, we didn't find any shoes for either of us but we did luck out on some shoes for Tony and Nick. The best thing about VonMaur is their open ended return policy - as long as you have the receipt you could return something 5 years from now. This helps when you find awesome shoe deals but can't anticipate the size your kids will be next winter. I got Nick a pair of boots and gym shoes and T got a pair of boots and crocs.
We made a quick stop at the bakery for a treat and then we picked up Nick from school. We went back to Mom's and she made lunch for us - garlic noodles and an asparagus fritata - yummy. The boys ate their donuts and then we went out onto the sun porch to play. The boys entertained the way they always do - I can't recall what made us laugh but Nick made us really laugh a couple times. We got into the hot mess category shortly before we needed to leave to get Ellie.
The news of the day - the Skokie sidewalk plow came by today, yes 9 days after the blizzard of 2011. The bus was rather late today but came and then we went home. Ellie started her homework while Nick and I did some laundry. He is a becoming quite a good helper - he sorts the dirty laundry by color and then helps me take the washer load into the dryer and then separate the dryer by person - not so good on the folding yet. We got Nick's Valentine's ready for school tomorrow - he just wanted to eat the treats.
Rob got home as I was getting the kids into the bath - Ellie taught Nick how to blow bubbles under water - might be time for swimming lessons for him. The kids got their PJs on and we blow dried their hair and then it was time to get dinner in. I taught Ellie how to chat online with Mom when they are both on the computer and I handed the computer back to Ellie and told her she could now talk to Grams - Ellie thought it was skype and she started talking to Mom - we had a good laugh. We had pizza, fruit and veggies tonight. The kids watched Dino Dan while Rob and I caught up in the living room. We went up for bedtime and Rob was playing cards with Ellie when Nick decided he wasn't going to sleep for me - so Rob and I changed and we got the kids to sleep.
I have been listening to tv as I blog and play on the computer. The extreme cold was not good for the hands, feet or nose today. My head just started to hurt - I think another headache might be coming on. Teeth are still way annoying and my hands are still peeling. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Its been a long day

I watched my late night tv and then switched to foodtv for a bit before deciding to go up instead of falling asleep on the couch. Nick came into our bed early around 5AM and the boy did not go back to sleep. Nick had entire conversations with us while we tried to sleep - including that Rob needs to bring him home a box from work so that he can build a new car garage from it. Ellie got up at 7AM and Nick shot out of bed and went to play with Ellie - I slept for another 20 minutes.
We got dressed in layers and went downstairs to eat breakfast. We got Ellie bundled for the walk and wait at the bus stop - I let her wear my boots, she was very excited. The Skokie sidewalk plow still hasn't come by (and I am thinking its not going to) so the kiddos had to wait on the street again. I got the car warming up and Nick and I were off to preschool. I dropped him off and I stopped into Salvation Army - I got some St. Patrick's Day napkins and little beer mugs, a new folder organizer thingy from the Container Store, a spring coat, a cute little shirt for El, a darling little wedgewood dish (.66) and some Frank Lloyd Wright note cards.
I still had some time so I dropped into Wings and found Nick a pair of shoes and El a very cute summer hat. Still having about an hour I debated going home but decided to try the Hallmark that is closing (everything is 70% off). Interesting thing I noticed at Hallmark - there are tons of wife and Mom cards available but no husband or Dad cards. I was able to get some Valentine stuff, a couple miscellaneous cards and a couple other things. I really liked seeing the total ring up at $78 and then get widled down to $23 - very nice.
I headed to get Nick from school - he got into the car and couldn't recall really anything about his day at school. We picked up Wendy's and went to Mom's house for lunch and some play time. The sun porch was over 100 degrees and we had to put on the ceiling fan and I had to take off some of my layers. We ate lunch and then fed the animals outside with some hamburger buns and french fries - the nutty squirrels were very happy. I took a nap on the couch and Mom and Nick played because he kept asking me to close my eyes.
Mo helped me change Scarlett and she is very un-happy. The closest feeling I can associate with it is a paper cut but figure it has about an inch perimeter and is about 1/3" wide. We got bundled and headed to pick Ellie up from the bus stop. We stopped at home for Ellie to make a washroom stop, pick up some coloring books and snacks and then we were off to Ellie's appointment at CW. It was a fun drive up - we were just throwing out things to talk about - do deer sleep in the snow or do they gather leaves to sleep on? those kind of things.
We got to CW and met Trish, I filled out some paperwork and then Ellie and Trish went to do their thing. Nick feels very comfortable there for only being there one other time - he went to find Stuart and told me he had gone on a tour and he could show me where they do yoga and we should go find Ellie. The only problem with sitting with Nick for an hour there is they have candy dishes filled with candy and Nick thinks its an endless supply just for him. We managed to just end up with a box of nerds and that kept him busy for the hour. Ellie came back all smiles - she hasn't shared much with me about their visit other than they did a fair amount of art. Looks like we will have a weekly appointment with Trish.
Nick was beyond tired and cranky and Ellie wanted to go out for dinner - I had a hot mess of kiddos in the backseat. We ended up at Corner Bakery because everyone can find something to eat there. Nick fell asleep on the car ride home and I thought I had it made and I could just transfer him into bed but he woke up. Ellie did her homework while I got Nick settled into bed. I tucked Ellie in and I came down to chill out. I had a headache that began on the ride home and just was pounding by the time I got home so I took some tylenol and it is better now.
I don't think I need to go into how the extreme cold was not good for the hands or feet today. My body aches are gone now. Teeth still feel funky. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree

Help I am trapped in a snowglobe

I could not get sleepy last night - I watched tv and headed up to bed around 1AM. Ellie was up early and went downstairs to watch cartoons and eat breakfast. I got up at regular time but Nick was still sleeping. I got Ellie ready for school, backpack packed, snack and shoes and then got her bundled for the bus stop wait. Nick woke up around 8AM and had breakfast - he didn't want to get dressed for the day. I watched Ellie and the neighbors try to navigate in the snow - the sidewalk plow still hasn't gone through (I will not get on my soapbox tonight but Skokie sucks) so the pile of snow at the bus stop corner is about 5' tall - the kids had to stand in the street to wait for the bus.
Nick and I watched some of his favorite morning cartoons before getting dressed and arguing about why we couldn't bring his 3' tall wooden firehouse to Grams house. Nick and I headed over to Mom's house and he tried quite quickly to get me to go to sleep (apparently he has more fun with me asleep at Mom's house). Nick asked to play with the dollhouse this morning. Nick found the Chinese candy supply from yesterday and stuffed his mouth with rice candy.
We re-heated some of the food from yesterday for lunch today - still delish. We noticed that it was snowing outside and the flakes were huge. We eventually had to come home to pick up Ellie - the snow was still falling at a pretty good rate and the flakes were still the size of cotton balls. We got to the bus stop and I was talking to Nick and he wasn't answering - I turned around to find that he had fallen asleep. Ellie climbed in the car and we got home - I carried Nick in but in the process of un-dressing him he woke up. Ellie did her homework and Nick just kind of laid around. Rob got home from work and the snow was still falling. I gave Rob and Nick a list of things they could do to help out while Ellie and I were at pottery (Nick is usually fine but the past few weeks he has run to the window crying when we leave). Rob took Nick downstairs to empty the dryer while Ellie and I bundled up and left early to do grocery shopping before going to pottery.
Ellie was a great helper at the store - the carts had just come in from outside and were ice cold so she pushed the cart. She told me I could just tell her what we needed and she would get it and put it in the cart for me. We got the essentials and got out of there - we unfortunately picked the slow lane and were on the brisk of being late for pottery. Poor Ellie got about 4 steps out the door of the store and fell right on her bottom - just slipped on the slick snow. We loaded the car and went to pottery. I helped Ellie out tonight because the clay felt a bit too cold in my hands. I rolled the clay out for Ellie and she made two plates and started another project - not sure what she is turning it into yet.
We got home and unloaded groceries and Rob and Nick had the table set and Nick was putting applesauce on all our plates - very proud of himself. We had dinner and then some Valentine cookie for dessert and then headed up to bed. Nick took forever to fall asleep tonight - the power nap really set us back. I came down and turned the hot pad on and have been listening to 19 Kids and Counting while blogging.
Body aches were not so bad today - the claritin has started working again. My hands and feet really don't like the cold and are still quite tingly. The canker sores came overnight with the annoying one in the back of my throat. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree