Busy Thursday - kinda

Rob and the kids got up around 7AM but I went back to bed and slept until 8AM. We had breakfast and I did some laundry and sorted one basket before we decided to get dressed. We went down to the pier this morning and went to the children's museum and build-a-bear (the kids got gift cards for their birthdays). We got to the pier just after the museum opened and I have never seen it that crowded. We were able to do the kids favorite exhibits and then we had to take a break and come back to do the rest. Nick loves the water area and Ellie loves the climbing ropes. We went to build-a-bear and Nick chose a puppy and Ellie a pink bear with a ipod speaker in it. Nick got a Hop song inserted that sings I want candy. Nick named his Fluffy puppy (better than Doggie Beef from last year) and Ellie Rocky the Rock Star. We decided to eat lunch and chose the Italian restaurant at the pier. It wasn't bad food - we had to play games with Nick's food to make him eat. After lunch we went back to the museum to visit the exhibits we weren't able to get into during the morning. We departed and tried to find parking at Lincoln park zoo but that didn't happen - we circled a couple times and nothing was available and I wasn't paying for parking. Nick fell asleep during our circling and stayed asleep a bit after we got home. We just sort of hung out this afternoon. Rob started to trim out the basement cabinet - just installing the luan to the back made the piece come together. Ellie played on the computer and Nick played with Thomas. We decided to get ice cream for a late afternoon snack at our favorite place. We were the only people there and the guy behind the counter just kept giving us samples - love it. I have so much ice cream eating to make up for and I am doing a wonderful job at it this spring break. We stopped into Target to pick up Tangled and some milk. We came home and had bath time and then PJs went on. Ellie and Rob watched Wipeout while Nick and I watched Tangled. We first had to look for Tangled because Nick couldn't recall where he put the dvd when we came inside - 20 minutes later we found it tucked in next to the tv. We re-heated some pizza and watched the first half of the movie. Bedtime was a bit longer this evening because of the afternoon nap. Rob is going to opening day at Wrigley tomorrow afternoon and I have appointments for the kids to have their physicals and Nick to get a haircut - we might squeeze Hop into our day too. My hands are still thirsty for moisture and seem to easily get scrapes and cuts. My feet are really not happy with me right now. I think it is time for a new pair of gym shoes. Wondering if it is so bad that I have been able to not take an ativan in exchange for a glass of wine at bedtime? Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Spring break Wednesday

Okay, so I never got tired last night. Somewhere around 1AM I gave into an ativan in hopes that it might bring on the sleepies. I went up to bed around 2:30AM and was able to fall asleep by 3AM. Sometime during the night Nick climbed in our bed and he crawled in on the side instead of in the middle - made for weird sleep. We were all up around 7AM - Rob left for a job and the kids and I had breakfast. I gave the kids their bath and got them dressed. I did some laundry - all vacation clothes are now clean. We got our change together and made out way to the kids bank - they had to get their birthday treats. We deposited their birthday money and change and they got to pick something from the treasure chest and got a free scoop of ice cream from our favorite ice cream store. We went over to Mom's house to play with Tony and Mom. Nick and Tony played and shared so well. Ellie did some new craft thingy Mom had picked up and then decided to play with the boys. We snacked on some cheese from the farm yesterday and fruit. We went in to have some lunch and Ellie watched Princess Protection while the boys played with Easter egg blow ups and trains. Nick got to watch an episode of Oswald and then we were on our way home - T needed to take a nap. Rob was back when we got home. I switched laundry loads and Ellie played with Barbies while Rob played trains with Nick. We made our way to Red Robin for Ellie's birthday re-do. I have to say, they totally made amends tonight and are back on our favorite list again. Our meal was free tonight as part of the re-do. Our waitress was awesome and assured us we would never have an experience like we did again at their location. Dinner came and the food was possibly tastier than normal. Dessert time was the icing on the cake - literally. I think the entire staff came out to sing to Ellie as well as Red Robin himself. They had a cake for Ellie and sundaes for Nick and Ellie and a handful of balloons. Ellie couldn't stop smiling. Here is the plug - Red Robin Skokie is awesome! We came home and Nick lost his balloon to the wind and freaked out - total meltdown on the front lawn. We came in and got PJs on and watched the kids play with all of Ellie's balloons. We watched the Middle and then we got the kids upstairs for bed. Another not to long night - Nick isn't quite himself not sure if he is getting molars or is getting sick. Rob and I watched our nighttime tv and he just went up to bed. I have been slathering lotion on my hands all day and they still look and feel extremely dry. My feet don't seem to be so actively peeling anymore - one or two spots but not too bad. We are toying with going downtown tomorrow to the children's museum and possibly the zoo - looks like it might be the best day of the reaming days of break. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy 4th Birthday Nick

So I went to get into the bed at the hotel last night (Rob decided to sleep with Nick) and I was feeling for the bed and found hair. Ellie's head was at the foot of the bed and her legs were hanging off the side - I truly cannot believe how much either of the kids can move in their sleep. I adjusted her back to the pillow and got her the glass of water she asked for - I noticed Nick was sideways in bed so I re-positioned him too. I didn't take an ativan last night and it took me about an hour to fall asleep but I was able to stay asleep. We shall see tonight - I haven't taken one yet and its past 11PM and I am still not really tired. Nick and Rob were up first and went into the living room to watch tv - Ellie and I slept about another 10 minutes after they got up. We got dressed and brushed teeth and hair and went down for breakfast. We sang to Nick - he covered his face in shame. I forgot to mention when Nick was telling all the hotel guests about my alcohol consumption last night he also was entertaining them with Steve Miller, repeatedly singing, I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker. I am quite sure the people around us contemplated calling DCFS - Mom who drinks 'alcohol' everyday, little boy singing Joker - oh it was great to see all the looks. I guess this would be the problem with ipods and random play. We ate breakfast and went back up to then room to let the kids run off some steam and pack up. I did some research on things to do on our way home today and looked up directions to do a loop of downtown Indy. We packed up and loaded the car. We traveled to downtown and I showed the kids the things that always stuck in my head as Indy memories - the huge war memorial roundabout, union station, the stadium. We got on the road and the kids were about done with the whole we've been in the car a bunch in the past 5 days - lots of bickering and yelling today. We stopped about 90 miles from Indy to get gas and coffee. Next stop was Fair Oaks Farm - we decided not to do the birthing adventure (yes, apparently you can watch calves being born) but we did go to the cheese store and got to watch the packaging and try some samples. Ellie and I did like a couple of the cheeses and we picked up a few to go. We got back in the car and ventured about 30 minutes more to Albanese Candy. They are apparently known for their true to taste gummy bears. They offer a factory tour but not during Easter or Christmas months. We did get to see the factory through some large windows and see a packaging machine and a shaker machine going. They had gummy everything - bears, snakes (about 2' long), army men, butterflies, bunnies. We got some gummy bears, snakes and sweet-tart legos - yes, they actually connect to each other. We headed home after the candy factory and got home mid-afternoon. The kids helped us un-load the car and clean up all the stuff we have accumulated. We couldn't throw anything out because they were all treasures - tickets from the museums, brochures from the places we went - all treasures. I got the laundry separated and started a load - amazing how much clothing we went through in 5 days. We gave Nick his present - the ultra discounted Thomas Misty Island set - he was thrilled and told us how much he really wanted it. Ellie helped Nick take all the pieces out and build the set - Rob helped with track placement. We didn't have lunch so we were all hungry and decided it was going to be an early dinner night. Nick didn't want to go out for his birthday - totally different kids than Ellie. I think Ellie was disappointed that Nick didn't want to go out for his day. We ordered pizza and Nick to a ride to pick it up with me. We stopped in and picked Nick up a hot dog and a strawberry milkshake because even though he has promised us when he turned 4 he would try pizza again he didn't feel like trying it today. We ate dinner and talked about plans for the rest of the week. We had some realizing couch time after dinner and then headed off to Mom and Dad's - Mom had made Nick an orange cake for his birthday. The kids showed off all their treasures and pictures and then we sang and had cake. We changed out Scarlett - she is looking pretty good. We packed up and headed home for bedtime. Nick went to sleep pretty quickly and Ellie wasn't far behind. I talked with our friend, Katie, at Red Robin about our experience for Ellie's birthday and she listened to me vent and then asked us to come in again and let them do a birthday re-do and if we come in tomorrow night she will have Red make an appearance. I got to see the elimination on DWTS and then we watched Parenthood - I am sad because there was an article in the paper this morning about how the show might not make it. It was wonderful to get away but it is nice to be home and still have 5 days left to do whatever we want. My hands are still drinking up lotion very quickly - they are similar to what happens when I clean with bleach. My feet are so happy to have other options than gym shoes. I did finally try my Easy Feet - the slipper that suctions to the tub and has 1,000 bristles and a pumice stone. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite suction securely to our shower but the bristles did feel good. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Mammoth disappointment

I stayed up until around 2 before attempting sleep. Nick had woke up crying a couple times and I just decided to give in and go to bed. We were up early and we had picked up bagels from Panera for breakfast plus we had yogurt and fruit. We packed everything up and were on our way to Mammoth Caves. The drive down was nice - it was bright and sunny out. The flat land quickly turned to rolling hills - it was nice. We stopped at a rest stop to dump garbage and use the restrooms and we found a brochure for the caves. I didn't realize there were only scheduled tour times and we estimated we would be there by 10AM but the family tour wasn't until noon. We continued on and finally got to the park and it was a bit shy of 10AM. The noon tour was a 1.5 hour tour and was "easy" terrain. There isn't a whole bunch to do in the park to waste 2 hours. The caves can only be accessed through tours and the other trails are all above ground. We looked into going to another cave but decided against it. We went to the gift shop and the kids got to see postcards and pictures of the caves. We then ventured North. We stopped in Elizabethtown to take a couple picture of Ellie by the sign. We waved to Julie as we passed the airport. We made our way to Columbus, IN where the owner of Schimpff Candy told us if we had time we should stop in for ice cream. The ice cream parlor, Zaharakos, is a fully re-stored Victorian era parlor - absolutely beautiful. nick had fallen asleep on the ride and I wasn't sure how he was going to wake up but he did fine waking to ice cream. We all had sundaes and they came with extra hot fudge on the side - yummy! We looked at their museum after our treat and the kids got a few trinkets from the gift shop. We stopped at an outlet mall outside Indy but found no bargains. We were going to take the kids downtown Indy to see the building but we were approaching rush hour so we decided to make our way to the hotel instead. We checked in just as 5:30 kickback was starting. We are in the same room as we were in Friday night - -how funny. We went down for drinks and appetizers (which turned out to be dinner because of the amount the kids ate). Funny conversation of the day with Nick: N - Mom, can I have a sip of your drink? Me - No, it has alcohol in it. N- You always have alcohol. You like alcohol. You drink alcohol like everyday. When sharing the conversation with Mom tonight she said it was my mistake to call it alcohol and not an adult beverage. We came back up to the room and then Rob took the kiddos down to the pool. They stayed down there for almost 2 hours - the kids had a bunch of fun. We got PJs on and then watched Dancing with the Stars - Ellie went into the other room to watch Cake Boss. We tucked the kids in but because of Nick's nap it took a bit of time to get him to go to sleep. Rob and I watched some pawn shop show - funny what people think their 'treasures' are worth. Rob went to bed a bit ago and here I sit blogging. It seems like we have been on vacation forever - I guess that is a good thing?!? It will be nice to sleep in our own bed tomorrow night, though. On the agenda tomorrow, to head home and possibly stop in a candy factory along the way. It is Nick's 4th birthday tomorrow and he is super excited - reminding us all day about it. My hands are still just very dry. My feet are really craving to be in shoes other than gym shoes. My gums started to hurt today and currently I am tasting that metal taste and i think they might be bleeding. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Might actually go to bed early

Last night, well early morning, the infamous Ellie cough began (the one where we instantly need to locate a garbage can for her). Ellie woke up early vomiting with a headache - I really thought we had this ibuprofen thing down. Needless to say, we spent the first part of the morning in the hotel room. Rob went down to get coffee with Nick and I made Ellie some mint tea. I finally persuaded her to have a bath and she stayed in the tub for quite some time. We all got dressed and we were off to the science center. Nick was a hot mess most of the day today - I think the lack of sleep has caught up with both of the kids. We got to the museum and they are part of the reciprocal membership program so admission was free. It was interesting, lots of exhibits on the human body and nutrition, fun interactive exhibits and lots of buttons and levers for Nick to play with. When we left the center we went to have lunch. We ate at The Ice Cream and Pie restaurant. Ellie tried a tuna sandwich, Rob had some sort of beef sandwich, I had a cup of soup and Nick had blue raspberry sorbet. We finished lunch and we all got dessert. Ellie tried rocky road for the first time and thinks its her new fave (with birthday party ice cream), Rob tried their Snickers pie and I had the chocolate covered cherry pie - delish. We drove to meet Julie and Karlton (and got a bonus of seeing Julie's sister, Sarah). Karlton is a pilot and he was going to take us to the airport and let the kids sit in his plane and helicopter. Nick was the one who was so excited about this plan all last night and this morning but when we got to the hangar Nick wouldn't leave my side or arms. Ellie and Rob sat in the helicopter and we got some pictures. Karlton showed us how the camera works and tried so hard to get Nick to get involved. We watched a few planes take off and then we separated for a little while. Rob and Karlton went to the woodworking store and Jules, Sarah, the kids and I went to a few consignment stores. Nick was like a bull in a china shop so we went outside to wait and Nick did something funky and immediately began crying about his ankle. We re-grouped and Sarah said goodbye to us and we went to get a drink before heading back to Karlton's house to meet up with the boys. The kids got to run around the yard and enjoy the sunlight for a bit. Julie helped the kids make paper airplanes and nick made a few rolled up findy rolls and then we said goodbye to Julie and Karlton. We came back to the hotel and we went down to the pool. We basically had the entire pool to ourselves for the majority of time. The kids had a great time and they truly didn't want to leave to go to dinner. We came back up to the room and changed and dried hair and tried to find where we wanted to go to eat. I found an area with a bunch of restaurants so we went in that direction and found California Pizza Kitchen had no line and tables available so that is where we went. We had a nice meal together - different food choices. Rob had a really yummy drink and mine wasn't so bad either. We came back to the hotel and got our PJs on and we got ready for bed - the kids really need to make up on sleep tonight. I read some books before we all got into bed and I sang some songs. Rob and I adjourned to the other room and have been listening to tv as we play on the computer. Rob went to sleep a bit ago and I am feeling groggy and might try to go to bed early - its a long driving day tomorrow. Our plan is to head SW to Mammoth Caves and stop in Elizabethtown on the way to take some pics and then back up to Indianapolis - close to 400 miles for the day. I have been feeling pretty good today - my hands are just still very dry and peeling and my feet are a bit sore but manageable. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Saturday in the 'Ville

The kids were up way early this morning - well I guess it was their normal time but we are on EST so it seemed earlier. We got dressed and went down for breakfast - the kids were delighted to find Lucky Charms and donuts at the buffet. We ate and went back to the room to pack up - I had done almost all of it the night before but I needed to pack toiletries and PJs. I checked our route on mapquest and then we were ready to go.
The ride down was pretty - because it is a bit warmer down state some of the trees were already in bloom. We found some things along the way that we might stop in on the way back to Indy. We arrived in Jeffersonville around 11AM and found Schimpff Candy. It was two old store fronts and the front window had a couple of women hand dipping chocolates. When we walked in the smell of cinnamon was in the air - Rob started talking to an older man and it was the owner and he grew up just a few blocks away from us. The kids and I looked around while Rob was talking. They're the makers of cinnamon red hots and gummy products as well as all the chocolates. We ended up getting some bourbon chocolates, some Easter chocolates and one of their signature chocolates - a marshmallow covered in caramel and chocolate.
I called Julie to find out if she was ready for our invasion - she said no quite ready so we went to the Visitor center and the kids posed with the Col (KFC) for a picture. We found some brochures of things/places to visit. We were off to Louisville Slugger factory. Julie and Karlton (we approve) met us there. We had about 40 minutes until our tour began so we looked around the museum and the kids played in the kids area. Nick was pretty good batting left on t-ball. We took the tour - incredible that this all was done by hand not too long ago. We got to see the production from trees being cut down through the logo being placed on the bat - pretty neat.
We all got Louisville Slugger mini bats at the end of the tour.
After the tour we stopped in the gallery which had a Norman Rockwell museum and we discussed food options - we had found a brochure for a place called Lynn's Paradise. The brochure coined it as if Dolly Parton and Salvador Dali were to own a restaurant together Lynn's might be it. We decided to go there and it is the finniest thing - you are going down the street and would never know it is there until you pull up to it. Outside was a whole bunch of playful art and statues and inside was a gift shop with crazy things.
We got seated and the table was not a disappointment - Find Its and mini dinosaurs and crayons. The menu was full of choices - breakfast and lunch items but the Throwndown with Bobby Flay french toast jumped off the menu at me. French toast with chocolate and vanilla bourbon sauce and strawberries - yummy. We had a delightful lunch and a great time catching up and getting to know Karlton. After lunch Julie gave us a scenic tour of her work - amazing how huge the facilities are. We then checked into the hotel and Julie and Karlton went home to get some rest before we met up later this evening for appetizers and drinks.
The hotel is amazing - we inquired when we checked in if they had any suites available because it is nice to have the separate sleeping area and living area and they did have one available and the lady nicely upgraded us. The living room section of our room is its own room - very spacious and nice. Rob told the kids he would take them swimming and I checked to see where the closest grocery store was. Rob and the kids went to swim in the very large pool while I went to the store to pick up appetizers for this evening.
I got back just as they got back from the pool. The kids were going stir crazy waiting for Julie to arrive. We had the most excellent visit - so many laughs and stories. This is the reason Louisville was out spring break destination - to hang out with our awesome friends. Of course, it is a whatever happens in Vegas moment and I cannot disclose what actually was said...
Julie and Karlton left a short time ago - we will meet up with them again tomorrow for a trip to see the helicopter Karlton flies and I am sure some other great things. We are planning on hitting the science museum in the morning and then meet up around lunch time.
I was a bit too busy to notice aches and pains today. My feet reminded me they were attached to my body a few times but my hands were all right. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Quick post

I only have a bit of battery life left - so a quicky tonight. We made it to Indianapolis a bit before lunch today. We got lunch and then headed to the Children's museum - crowded! The kids had a major fun time though. They had a Barbie exhibit, Dora and Diego exhibit, costumes from tv/film exhibit plus many more.
We left the museum and checked into our hotel. We got our bags up to our room and then we went down for the hotels 5:30 kickback - drinks and food. The kids had Sherry Temples and Rob and I had a glass of wine. The line for food was massive - the kids were able to sneak in before the crowds and get a hot dog and chips. We decided to venture out and have ice cream for dinner. We found a mall and was able to get ice cream for dinner. We also found Crazy 8s - a spin off of Gymboree and the saleslady handed me a friends and family coupon for 25% off - so we of course found stuff.
We came back to the hotel and Rob took the kids down to the pool while I got clothes ready for tomorrow and PJs ready for tonight. They weren't gone too long before I heard the key in the door. We got them into PJs and then watched some of Ghost Busters II. We brushed teeth and got into bed - I read Nick a couple book and Ellie brought Ramona the Pest with so we read some of that. The kids made a quick call to Mom and Dad to tell them about the day and then off to bed they went.
I am not really tired - my body is. My feet are absolutely not thrilled with me right now. My knee is gross to look at and extremely sore when I do something dumb and forget that it is bruised. My hands are pretty sore today - the dryness has caused cracks and small cuts and lotions doesn't seem to be helping. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Bargain Thursday

I went up to bed around 1AM - slept pretty well. Rob didn't reset the alarm because Ellie didn't have school today - so I woke up a bit before 8AM. Nick was still sleeping, I quietly walked to the bathroom except trying to climb over the gate I wasn't watching and I bumped my knee right into the moulding on the door instead of clearing it - ouch! While I was getting Ellie her clothes and I was getting dressed Nick woke up.
I got Nick's clothes on and then we went down to have breakfast. I got Nick's goodies bags and party hats into his backpack and the popsicles out of the freezer and then we drove Nick to school. He was so excited about celebrating at school today. Ellie and I went to do some retail therapy. We went to Target - forgot to return Gordon! We didn't really find anything good there but then we went to Kohl's. Boy oh boy did we ever have a good 45 minutes at Kohl's. Ellie and I had our arms full of clothes - it is Murphy's law when you don't take a cart you will find tons of things. I got a bunch of new sweaters and shirts - some at 90% off - $1.60 each. Ellie and I looked through girls and found her a very chic Chaps puffy vest and some skinny jeans. Ellie wanted to look through toys - I wasn't so into that but that is where the real bargains came into play. Nick really wants the Misty Island shaky bridge set from Thomas - it is almost $80.00 so I have pretty much said absolutely no. Well, I found it on clearance for $13.99 plus my 15% off coupon. Ellie found a Barbie VW beetle car with a barbie inside for $9.99 -plus coupon. I love shopping at Kohl's - I love seeing how much I saved on the bottom of the receipt. Today, we spent $122.00 and we saving $600.00 - awesome!
Ellie and I stopped at Panera to pick up an after school treat and a cup of coffee and then we picked Nick up from school. All the kids were wearing their hats - they were Thomas conductor paper hats and they looked so cute. Nick said he had a great day at school and everyone was extra nice to him. We went home to unload our car and the kids had a little bit of time to play before we needed to go for Ellie's portfolio conference.
Ellie's conference went well - she shared all her work and then her young authors book. I got to see her timeline and we had fun looking at her classmates time lines - interesting what 5 events the kids chose. Mrs. Bart did let me know that Ellie has vastly improved since chemo has ended for me - she said the old Ellie is back and she is very happy. We stopped at Steak n Shake to pick up lunch before heading to Mom's house. I am so excited - I had a kids size shake and only had to stop drinking it once because it was too cold. We ate lunch and then Ellie went through her portfolio with Mom - very proud kid.
Mom and I changed Scarlett and I knew ahead of time she wasn't such a happy camper and I knew I had some breakdown - so we built her up. I have been pretty liberal on my food choices this past week or so - I had avoided definite no-no foods - nuts, popcorn and such but I have been on the fresh produce train. We all went into the living room to watch some Ponyo spin-off movie. I fell asleep on the couch next to Nick - that kinda day. We headed home after the movie ended and got to work on trip prep.
I took all the laundry upstairs and Ellie carried our suitcases up and I went to work packing for all of us. I thought we would all fit into one bag but that didn't work because of all the bulky sweaters and sweatshirts I had to pack - stinking cold weather. I think I have everything packed except shoes. I got the kiddos into their baths and then into PJs. Rob came home as we were coming downstairs. We had dinner - a bunch of leftovers from the fridge. The kids watched Wipeout while eating their popsicles and then about halfway through we went up to bed. While I was helping Nick brush his teeth I tried to remove what I thought was stuck on food but it wasn't it was a big blood blister - have no idea when that happened.
Ellie brought her portfolio up to show Rob and I got Nick to bed. We came down and watched Thursday night drama - Grays - seriously too predictable. I am feeling pretty good today. Yes, I needed gloves outside and yes, I have taken to wearing closed shoes outside instead of holey crocs. My knee hurts and you can actually see and indentation where I hit the wall - mental note, don't kneel on left knee. Looking forward to getting away. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Wacky Wednesday II

I went upstairs around 2AM when I heard a noise and thought it was one of the kids crying out but it turned out to have been the creaky bathroom door. Another dark morning but that didn't keep the kids in bed any longer. Nick and I got up and got dressed taking Ellie's clothes downstairs with us. I got the kiddos breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen a bit. I made myself some coffee and checked email. I got Ellie a snack for school and helped her get ready for the cold walk to the bus stop - we needed to pull out mittens and hats again.
I took Nick to school and then I went to Fresh Farms to pick up stuff for dinner tonight. I stopped into Babies R Us afterwards to check out their clearance racks but there was nothing good there. I had about an hour until I needed to get Nick - not a ton of time so I went over to Half Price Books and browsed the shelves. I found a Kentucky and Indiana travel book but didn't really read anything new or different in them. After I left there I stopped into Tuesday Morning - I had a poncho in my cart but then decided against it.
I had about 25 minutes left and I walked through Michaels but once again didn't find anything we needed. I picked up a cup of coffee and went to wait for Nick to get out of school. Nick came out of school with a new flower pot with seeds he planted but didn't know what type they were. He told me about Jelly Bean, the bunny that came to visit at school today. He got to hold it and pet it and showed me how he did both of those things. We drove to the grocery store so Nick could pick out what type of popsicles he wanted for his birthday celebration at school tomorrow.
We came home and I cleaned up while Nick had some quiet time playing with Thomas. I was able to read the newspaper and have some down time too. We walked to get Ellie from the bus - man it is cold out - I heard it described as raw and I think that is an accurate description. We came home and the kids had a snack and got ready for their play date with Catherine and Su'nana (and Christi).
They came over and the big girls went downstairs to play with Barbie and Nick brought up the roller coasters for Su'nana and him. They were entertained for a long time. Ellie and Catherine came up and they rode for a bit. We turned to arts and crafts after the coasters - the girls made Shrinky Dinks and Nick played with play doh. Rob came home and then Mom came over. Christi and Su'nana left and Mom and I got moving on dinner - so much to chose from tonight. We had chicken burgers, hot dogs, asparagus, mashed potatoes, noodles with broccoli and chicken and a huge fruit salad.
Nick began to melt down a bit before dinner but was in full meltdown during dinner. Dad came over and we had a lovely dinner together minus Nick. After dinner the girls and Mom watched the Middle and had dessert while Dad and Nick played with trains. Mom drove Catherine home and I got Nick ready for bed - he was so ready. Rob got Ellie to bed and then we sat on the couch for Wednesday night tv.
My hands are good just so completely dry and chapped. My feet - well they are there and they let me know they are un-happy. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Totally Tuesday

So, without realizing it I have cleared my 300th post. I fell asleep on the couch last night and went up to bed somewhere around 2AM. It was so dark this morning that Nick slept in. We got up and dressed and brought Ellie down her clothes - she did not sleep in and was up early. We had breakfast and I washed some dishes and got Ellie a snack for school. I found her umbrella in the closet and she was off to the bus. Nick watched Fireman Same and then we were on our way to school.
I dropped Nick off and then went to the library to pay for 'Oh Snow' a book Nick checked out that we sadly could not find anywhere to return. I was able to find exactly 1 book on Kentucky travel and 1 book on midwest travel. I came home and started laundry - I want to be able to pack tomorrow or Thursday and needed clothing washed to do so. Mom picked me up and then we were on our way to pick up Nick. Nick absolutely loves it when Grams picks him up and he runs out and jumps into her arms when he sees her coming - too cute.
We went to Toys R Us because they had a buy one get one free on the Thomas trackmaster trains and we needed to replace the broken Gordon. Nick chose Dash and Bash and Emily and Arthur. We found some good deals on clearance clothes - also buy one get one free. We were going to stop at Wendy's for lunch but Nick told us his tummy was telling him he was hungry for ham - the boy cracks me up. We did a drive thru at Arby's instead to get Nick a ham sandwich. We went back to our house to have lunch. Nick ate his entire sandwich and told us his tummy was hungry for more. We opened his trains and he went to work quickly playing with them all.
Mom and I changed out Scarlett before she left - just a tiny bit red. Mom left and Nick and I had some cuddle time before we needed to pick Ellie up from the bus stop. Even though we took Nick's umbrella with us we got soaking wet on the walk. I had my crocs on - such a big mistake. Note to self - when it is cold and raining out crocs have holes that let all the cold rain in and make feet feel not at all good. When we got home we quickly got Ellie a snack and picked up our cinnamon rolls and we were on our way to Cancer Wellness. I turned the heat up in the car and had my butt heater on - I could not warm up.
Nick fell asleep about 1/2 way there - amazing but also trouble because that immediately turns bedtime back minute for minute that he sleeps. We got to CW and Ellie helped me take stuff in - Nick remained asleep. I read my travel guides and found out a couple more things to do on our trip - we will need to stop in Elizabethtown to take a picture of Ellie by a sign. Nick slept until Ellie woke him up at the end of her session. Hour and 20 minute nap - no good. We drove home in the rain - it isn't even April showers time -this could be a long spring.
We decided we were going to have breakfast for dinner - banana chocolate chip pancakes, strawberries and eggs. While I made dinner Ellie took her bath, Nick set the table, Rob got batteries in Nick's engines. We had a nice dinner - everything tasted so good - I must have been hungry. After dinner I got Nick into a bath and flipped loads of laundry. We let the kids stay up a bit later because Nick had the nap but they started not being very nice to each other around 7:45 so we went up to bed. Flash forward...after about 30 renditions of ABCs and twinkle twinkle, it was about 9:15 before Nick finally fell asleep.
I have been sitting here blogging - I was feeling nostalgic and read a few past blog entries - sobbing to myself. Honestly, I cannot believe we are almost at the 1 year mark - while it seems like just yesterday some days it also feels like a lifetime ago. My feet are still annoyed with my bad footwear choice and have been constantly tingly since we picked up Ellie. My hands are ok today - I wore gloves - they just look old to me. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Monday Monday

I went up to bed early (midnight-ish) last night - my eyes were closing as I was playing games on the computer. Rob had a switched shift at work today so he worked 2-10 - so we all woke up around the same time and went downstairs. I got the kids clothes ready for them and got breakfast ready. Rob was taking Nick to school and picking him up - such a thrill for Nick. Rob walked Ellie to the bus stop and then he got ready to get Nick to school.
I went to Mom's house and we got to visit for a whole 2 hours un-interrupted. I tried to help Mom with her taxes but we weren't able to find all the papers we needed and Mom wasn't really motivated to take on that project today. We caught up over coffee and then I needed to head home to take over Nick duty. When I got home Rob and Nick were playing outside with the Jeep - I gotta tell you, I think Nick could probably drive the car if we needed him to. He can totally maneuver that jeep like he has been driving for decades - Ellie still doesn't have that skill down. Mental note: never leave Nick in the car un-attended with keys in it...
Nick and I did a bit of this and a bit of that this afternoon. We watched some tv, we read some books, we played with trains, he rode his roller coaster, we played keep the balloons up in the air. I told Nick he could drive his jeep to get Ellie and he once again showed his great driving ability. Everyday, Nick tries to race the bus to the bus stop - he starts back at the alley and runs full speed to the corner. Today he tried to race the bus in his jeep - the bus won. We came home and worked on thank you notes and the kids played on their roller coasters while eating their ginormous lollipops from last weekend.
We decided to head out, Mom was watching Nick while Ellie and I were at pottery. We stopped at Target and checked out clearance racks. We picked up a couple dvds for the road trip this weekend and some clementines. Ellie picked out mini cinnamon rolls to take with for her appointment with Trish tomorrow - they are celebrating both of their birthdays (Trish's was yesterday). Oh, I forgot - I had a very good day scheduling appointments. I have an appointment with Dr. Muldoon, an appointment with Carole from the Life program (survivor ship program - the final chapter of my Kellogg care), appointments for both of the kids for their annual physical - plus an email to their doctor briefly highlighting the past 10 months. Much success in the scheduling department today - need to schedule Dr. Gallai appointments still - maybe tomorrow.
We went to Mom's and Jo, Ole and Tony were there. Jo had bad food last night and was still not looking too good sprawled out on the couch. The kids all played nice - Nick was a bit bummed out, he used some of his birthday money at Target to buy Gordon (from Thomas) and when we un-wrapped it we found out that even though Gordon talked he didn't move - need to return that. Ellie and I went to pottery - Ellie had a bunch of things to glaze, my tile from last week wasn't fired yet and our glazed pieces from last week weren't fired either. I worked on a platter but what I envisioned in my head didn't look so great when I put it all together so I re-rolled the clay and made a different platter.
We went back to pick Nick up and Mom told us just to stay for dinner - Dad was picking up pizza. We all watched Dancing with the Stars - should be a good season. Nick and Tony battled for seating next to Gramps. We ate and then left to come home. We had vitamins and got PJs on and I tucked the kids in. I have been doing some more searches on things to do on our road trip. Rob got home a bit earlier than he planned and he stayed up a bit later with me talking - thus the later post tonight.
My hands are pretty good except for my fingertips which are still tingly. My feet didn't bother me too much today - I think the Croc nubbies are helping somewhat. I have bad chemo brain - I say a sentence and I pick up the first letter of a word but say a totally different word - I told Nick he was going to poke his ear out - I meant eye. I told Ellie to put her clothes in the garbage instead of the closet. The right things just aren't coming out of my mouth the way they are supposed to. Looking forward to getting away this weekend - we all need it. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Lazy Sunday

I couldn't get sleepy enough to fall asleep last night until around 3:00AM. Nick and I slept in until around 8:30AM when Rob came up to get clothes for church. Nick and I stayed at home while Ellie and Rob went to church. Nick and I played with play-doh and trains until Rob and Ellie came home.
The kids had their oil and vinegar moments this afternoon and then they had their loving siblings moments. Most of the afternoon they played with their roller coasters but did take breaks to watch tv and played with barbies and play-doh. We had left overs from last night and cupcakes from yesterday.
Rob watched tv downstairs and I did trip research on the computer. We went over to Mom and Dad's house for dinner - we ordered Chinese. We had dinner together and it was so nice that it stayed light outside the entire time and we didn't need to turn lights on. Ellie and Mom played on togetherville and Nick and Dad went down to play with trains.
We left to come home and we got the kids ready for bed. The kids went down easily - I think this weekend caught up with them. Rob and I watched Shark Tank and then House Hunters. Rb went up around 10 and here I sit blogging. It is going to be a busy week even though it is a short week. Ellie only had school 3 days and then conferences, Nick has school 4 days this week. We already have all our nights filled up between pottery, appointment with Trish and play date with Catherine. Looks like the weekend and early past of the next week are going to be cooler - well very similar to weather here even thought we are headed South.
My cuticles are all peeling and have led to some pain issues - well burning issues today. My feet feel like they are asleep and then feel like they might just throb off my body. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Party time Saturday

I went up to bed early last night and I am glad I did because today was crazy busy. The kids and Rob were up a bit earlier than me. I came down and Rob was ready to leave - he had a job to do today and needed to pick up some tools he ordered from the wood store. The kids and I got dressed and we took a drive to check out a rummage sale.
Not great finds but still a few finds. We filled up on gas on the way home - I am so glad we only have a 14 gallon tank. When we got home I went into party prep zone. Ellie helped me prep. We made Oreo whipped cream frosting, Chocolate cheesecake frosting and regular cream cheese frosting. We got the table decorated with a party table cloth and confetti and party steamers. We put up some other happy birthday banners - the house looked very festive.
Ellie's guests arrived and our first party began. Rob got home as Ellie's friends were arriving and Christi invited Nick to go for a nature walk at Emily Oaks with her and Su'nana. Rob and Nick walked over to meet them there. We started off making the cupcakes because those take the longest to bake and need to cool before we could frost them. The kids helped measure and crack the eggs and then stir the mix. As they waited for the cupcakes to bake they made their own pizzas. We had tomato and pesto sauce, veggies, meats and a variety of cheese. I always find it interesting how many variations a group of kids can make. While the pizzas baked the kids made fruit and veggie kabobs and fruit and veggie dips.
The pizza came out and I plated it up and the kids were all pretty happy with their end product. While I got the table cleaned up and the cupcakes ready to frost the kids went downstairs to play Cook wars on wii and Pizza Palace balancing game. I got all the frosting bagged and then the kids came up and frosted their cupcakes. Once again, very interesting how differently the cupcakes were frosted. Some had more frosting than cake, some used candies to decorate.
I had a tray of cupcakes ready as our "cake" and we sang to Ellie and had cupcakes. We handed out goodie bags and the kids were so pleased with their baking items, herbs to grow and personalized aprons. Parents came to pick up but the party continued outside. Our neighbors stayed out to play and Christi and Su'nana came to pick up Catherine and stay for a while.
When the party finally broke up we got the kids in a bath because after 90 minutes of playing they were a bit stinky.
I got ready for party #2. I made a salad and a fruit tray. Nick was dying to open a present so we decided to let them have our gift early. Rob built their roller coasters this morning. They are these very cool coaster scooter things that our church has and the kids absolutely love to play on. We moved the couch back and the rug out of the way and then moved the dining room table and they instantly had space to roll. They had a ball together.
Mom and Dad picked up our sandwiches on their way here. Dean arrived and soon the rest of the family was here, too. We visited for a bit before we had dinner and dessert - Ellie decorated all the remaining cupcakes for me. Nick couldn't wait any longer to open presents and coerced everyone to join us in the living room. It is always awesome to see the kids expressions when they open something they really wanted. For Nick it was the Tidmouth Station roundhouse for his train set and for Ellie is was probably a tie between a sewing machine and the play-doh ice cream factory.
Mom showed Ellie her sewing machine and what it could do while Dad, Nick and Tony built a ginormous train layout on the rug. Soon our family bid us farewell, Mom and Dad stayed a bit to play with the kids and helped up clean up a bit. Nick and Ellie were very busy with play-doh - Ellie making ice cream treats and Nick making us jewelry from play-doh extruders.
Mom and Dad left and we took the kids up to bed - we were all pretty tired. So, the supermoon is nowhere to be found - what was all the hype for? My feet are absolutely pounding in pain - I pretty much was standing most of the day and I guess they weren't so happy about that. My hands are ok today - just very dry and peeling again. It was a great day and the kids really had a wonderful time. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Party Prep Friday

I think I went up early last night but I really can't recall. Ellie was up early, Nick and I woke up with the alarm. I got dressed, Nick wanted to stay in PJs and we took Ellie down some clothes. Ellie was already eating her cereal when we came down and Nick joined her. Ellie walked to the bus and i watched her from the window. I had some coffee and then set to work finishing cleaning.
Nick was happy to have a veg out day. I worked in the basement and I think I got all visable sawdust vacuumed up, along with a whole bunch of dried play-doh balls. I baked the cupcakes for tomorrow - not as good as Mom's were last night. I was able to read my magazine while I waited for the cupcakes to finish baking. I got the goodie bags ready for the party and I was also able to get Nick's packed for school this week.
Nick and I walked down to pick up Ellie from the bus - the kids tried to talk me into playing outside but I talked them into playing inside - a bit cool this afternoon. Ellie went downstairs to play with her dollhouse and Nick played with play-doh. Rob came home and Ellie and I cruised off to the store to get the remaining things we needed for tomorrow. Ellie is very excited about her cooking party.
When we got home the neighbors were out playing and Ellie begged to go out so Rob went out to watch them while I did food prep for tomorrow. I was able to get most of the veggies washed and cut. I got all of the fruit washed and cut. I got dinner on the stove and called the kids in to wash up. We had dinner and Ellie shared her day with us. We got the kids into a bath to get their stink gone - funny how just an hour of outdoor play (in the cooler weather) will make the kiddos smell like a warm sunny day.
After they got the PJs on we came downstairs - Nick watched Leap Frog Alphabet Circus and Ellie played with her dollhouse some more. We worked out way upstairs to get the kids to sleep - didn't take too long tonight. Rob and I watched Dinner with Schmucks - weird and funny all at the same time. I am currently debating making frosting tonight or just waiting until the morning.
My hands weren't too thrilled cutting up all the refrigerated veggies and fruit this afternoon and started to tingle. My feet have been ok today - I wore my Crocs which have the little bumps on the bottom. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Not such a great night of sleep last night. I was so tired and fell asleep on the couch and got up to go to bed around 2AM - same time as Nick was coming to find me. We appear to be on the same sleep schedule - scary. We got up this morning and much to my surprise, Ellie was still sleeping. We all got up and got dressed in our green for the day. I got the kids breakfast and checked my email. I switched loads of laundry but my load in the dryer didn't quite dry. Ellie left for the bus stop and then I got Nick ready for school.
I dropped Nick off at school and then I shopped the morning away. I went for my produce run to Farm Fresh, simply amazing how quick a produce run can be when I don't have kids with me. I stopped in to the Touhy Target to check the clearance there - picked up some goodies for Nick's school goody bags next week. I found some other craft clearance and picked up some wipe and write math and writing boards. I left Target and ran into Costco - got my detergent and bagels and found my moisturizer was reduced, so I picked up a pack.
I still had some time left so I ran to Party City to pick up paper goods for the party - unfortunately nothing was on clearance so I found some spring plates that were cute. I picked Nick up from school and we stopped at home to put away our groceries. Nick was very happy to see that I had picked up a couple mangoes and insisted we take one over to Mom's house. We stopped to pick up lunch and then went over to Mom's. The house smelled good, Mom was busy baking cookies.
We changed out Scarlett, such an easy and quick task now that there isn't the need to build a barrier. We ate lunch and then I took the boys outside to enjoy another gorgeous day, a bit windy but so nice to be outside. We scanned the back yard for the keys that have been misplaced since the big snow storm - no luck. I ended up taking the boys down to the park, Mom suggested that I let them take the baby strollers with them to slow them down. We stayed at the park for a bit - the boys really had a good time and played well together. On the way home Tony pulled his Forrest Gump and was about 10 houses ahead of us, running with his baby stroller. I am calling for him, Tony, Tony, Anthony, he doesn't stop. I call Forrest and he turns just briefly to see how close I am before he continues to run.
Nick and I stayed for a bit longer before heading home to get Ellie. Ellie came home and did her homework and then both of the kiddos went downstairs to play. Rob came home and the kids begged him to take them out to play, I told him I needed to close my eyes for a bit. I was able to get about a half hour of sleep in before all the neighbors were in our yard screaming and playing. We headed over to Mom and Dad's around 6PM for our St. Pat dinner.
We had a lovely dinner, sauteed cabbage, pierogies (Ellie's request), fruit salad, pesto tortellini (my request) and corned beef and carrots for the meat eaters. Mom had made Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's frosting - yummy. We stayed a bit later so Ellie could watch some Wipeout with Mom. We came home and Ellie took a quick shower - she said her shoulder was hurting and Mom told her perhaps the hot water in the shower would help. Nick wanted to take a bath because he said he was stinky, too. We rubbed Ellie's shoulder in with some peppermint cream and then it was bedtime. Nick went to bed jiffy quick and Ellie was in bed but still awake when I went in to say goodnight.
Rob and I watched a new tv show - Pawn Queens, it is a pawn shop in Naperville - kind of funny. My hands are a bit better every passing day but still cracking and very dry. My feet seem to be getting worse every passing day. Rob nicely rubbed them in with peppermint tingly lotion tonight. I am tired and I think i will try to go up to bed soon instead of falling asleep on this ridiculously un-comfortable couch. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Got so much done today

Wasn't tired for the longest time last night but that led to me falling asleep on the couch eventually. I went up to bed around 3:00AM, just as Nick was coming down to find me. I don't know if he is getting new teeth or his allergies starting but this boy cannot sleep through the night lately. Nick slept in a little bit this morning. I got dressed and went down to bring Ellie her clothes and make her some breakfast. I switched loads of laundry and then I heard Nick calling that he was awake. Ellie got off to the bus - with her spring coat. I got Nick breakfast and got him dressed and then we were off to preschool.
After I dropped Nick off, I went over to Mom's house. I had some tickle time with Tony before we got ready to go grocery shopping. I was able to get most of things I need for Saturday except produce which I will pick up Friday. We went back to Mom's, I loaded my groceries into my car and helped Mom carry in her bags. I went to pick Nick up from school - he was funny, he had on his t-shirt, his fleece vest, his sweater and then his coat. We came home and I put away groceries and then began my cleaning adventure. I got the living room whipped into shape first. I swept up all the dust bunnies and cleaned all the glass and dusted the wood. I then went to work in the bathroom - there was a ton of hair on the floor and I don't think it was mine.
Nick and I had some lunch and then I went to work in the kitchen while Nick watched some cartoons. I got the counters cleaned off and then wiped down. I got all the groceries put into the cabinets. I swept the floor and vacuumed the floor mats. I then tried to work in the dining room - the table has been the place where all things seem to end up lately. I cleaned the glass in/on the cabinet and vacuumed the floor.
Nick and I walked down to pick up Ellie from the bus - Nick wore his Woody cowboy boots and his cowboy hat - he looked pretty cute. Ellie got off the bus and we went home. Ellie did her homework as I worked some more on putting away stuff from the table. When Rob got home from work he took the kids outside to play - it was gorgeous out today. I actually opened windows in the house to just air it out. With the kids out of my way I was able to clean the back room and bag up some toys for the the rummage sale. I organized the bookshelf and the top of the tv cabinet, dusted vacuumed and checked that room off my list. I finished up the kitchen by cleaning the stove and toaster oven.
I still have about 1/4 of the table to clean off but the 1st floor looks awesome. I took my time alone to try to finish up our taxes - I have to say I absolutely hate when stocks have name changes and I have to got though years of statements to find out what is what. With Rob's help I finally figured it all out - taxes done just need to double check everything before filing. We called the kids in around 6:00PM. They went downstairs to play but we quickly got them into the tub to clean up.
We had re-heat night and then we went downstairs to try to do a 10 minute clean down there. Everything down there is covered in sawdust and needs to have a super duper vacuum job. I think I might have done about 6 loads of laundry today because I got some comforters washed and all the throw rugs washed. We got the kids to bed and then Rob and I sat on the couch and played on our computers. I feel so good at all I accomplished today - love having a clean and organized house - doesn't happen all the time.
I have been able to slowly introduce room temperature food/drink back into my life - so nice to have something to drink besides tea. My hands are doing very good - I was able to clean our toilets today - a task I haven't been able to do since November (Ellie or Rob have done it the past few months). My feet, however, are about as bad as they have been. They are majorly peeling and shedding their skin and the neuropathy tinglies are incredible. Feels like I have my shoes on and they are tied way too tight. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and new normal, Tree

Happy Birthday Ellie

I went up to bed around 1AM only to find Nick and Rob snoring together in our bed. I moved Nick out of our bed and got into a warmed spot. Nick woke up cranky this morning. Ellie was playing on the computer when I came down - I made her some breakfast and Nick and I sang Happy Birthday to her. I helped her get all her things ready for school - forgot to remind her to take gym shoes - oh well. Ellie got off to the bus and we got Nick ready for school. I guess I really sprung the clocks ahead because we were about 10 minutes early to school this morning.
I was able to leisurely shop at Target this morning. I found tons of stationary and party clearance - I am always so excited when that final markdown occurs and I get to stock up. I picked up some of the food I need for Ellie's party on Saturday and other basic things we are running low on. I went over to Mom's to pick her up - her car was in the shop today. As Mom and I were ready to walk out the door my cousin, John rang the bell. He was out running and stopped by to say hi. We got to visit for a couple minutes before we needed to leave to pick-up Nick from school.
Mom and I picked Nick up from school - the cranky mood continued. We went to our house to have lunch and then I was off to my appointment with Dr. Mendoza-Temple. My appointment was not as fruitful as I had hoped - turns out I shouldn't worry about detoxing my liver from chemo. She did add alpha-lipoic acid to my supplement list for neuropathy. She also informed me the nerves are very slow to heal so I could figure anywhere between 6-12 months to fully be rid of the effects - how fun.
I stopped by the new cupcake store in the Glen to pick up some dessert for tonight. FYI - the cupcakes are very moist but nothing you couldn't do at home - the same chocolate cupcake for all the cake portion just different frosting on top for almost $3.00 a cupcake. I came home and Mom and Nick were cuddling on the couch finishing the movie - Hannah Montana - Nick just likes the Hoedown Throw down part. Nick and I walked down to get Ellie from the bus - the brownies were a hit at school.
Ellie and Mom looked through her book order - Grams can't say no to books. Mom helped Ellie with her spelling and then the kids showed off the new cabinet in the basement and Ellie's new dollhouse. I did some research on the dollhouse and it seems it might have been manufactured in the 1940s - pretty cool it has held up so well. Rob came home and did something magical for Ellie and Nick. Apparently Ellie and Rob talked about gold dollar coins last night and Rob thought it would be fun to set up a treasure hunt for Ellie's birthday. Somehow he managed to pick up 9 gold dollars at school today, as well as a few $2.00 bills for Nick. When he got home he quickly hid the coins around the living room and told Ellie to find them - she was so excited. He then hid the $2.00 bills for Nick to find.
I drove Mom home and then came back home. Rob said he was hungry and ready for dinner so we headed off to Red Robin for Ellie's birthday dinner. While I was dropping Mom off, I guess there was some pretty big noise in house. When I came home and heard the noise I knew what it was but Rob and the kids were sure an animal was in the house - it was the off center load of laundry in the washer leading the washer to 'walk' and make a bunch on noise. I have to say it might have been our last birthday at Red Robin. The restaurant was pretty empty and dinner was a bit less than typical, the waitress bought us our bill without asking about dessert. When I said we were interested in dessert and inquired about kids sundaes it was like I triggered her to recall we were there for a birthday and said she would bring our a sundae for Ellie. No one sang to Ellie - they usually call a group of servers over to sing and present the sundae. There were no balloons - we apologized to Ellie because it was a bit lackluster.
We came home and had our cupcakes and lit some birthday candles and sang to Ellie. We all liked a different cupcake - Rob and I liked the chocolate cheesecake, Nick liked the birthday cake and Ellie liked the mint. We took the kiddos up to have a bath and get ready for bed. We got the kids to bed and then Rob and I watched some tv - I so miss Parenthood on Tuesday nights. Late night tv is a rerun once again - bummer.
Hands and feet are still in the tingly phase that they might be in for a while, I guess. My mouth is in the same tingly stage. The good news is that Dr. Mendoza said she was not concerned about my liver enzyme levels and said they weren't as high as she thought they might be after chemo - that is good news because I now know I can have a glass of wine occasionally again. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Funday Monday

I actually went to bed early last night - around 1AM and had a really decent night of sleep - I must really have needed to get all that venting/ranting off my mind. Nick actually slept in the morning - 13 hours of blissful sleep. I got Ellie some clothes and fixed her some breakfast before she packed up her bag and headed to the bus. I called Mom and we talked a bit - I said we would head to her house after Nick got up and I took a shower.
Nick had breakfast and watched some Fireman Sam while I did laundry and attempted to clean the dining room table. We left for Mom's after I got Nick dressed. Nick had brought some tricks with and was playing with them and with blocks. We eventually went out onto the sun porch and the solar heat felt good. I noticed after my shower this morning that my heals have started to peel and not in the nice one layer at a time way. My feet constantly feel like they are asleep - the pins and needle tinglies - I have read that this can remain for months - I sure hope not. I put my feet up for a bit hoping the sun might shed some healing on them.
Mom and I changed Scarlett out - it is so nice she is back to her old self. It has seriously been months since we didn't have to change out every other day and not build a barrier each time. Miss Scarlett is looking (and feeling) pretty good - almost all the redness is gone! We had lunch and visited in the living room. Nick and I came home in time to pick up Ellie from the bus stop.
Ellie came home and started her homework and I started the over pre-heating so we could make brownies for her class treat tomorrow. Rob came home when I was working on cleaning up the basement a bit. He and Nick did recycling and garbage duty and then went out to the garage. Rob had the electrician come over to discuss the wiring in the garage. Both Nick and Ellie played outside while Rob and Rick were in the garage. It was great to hear the laughter and yelling outside - Spring is coming. We all worked a bit in the basement when they came in - there is sawdust all over everything. Rob worked on getting all the components and boxes re-connected to the tv while I worked on cleaning off the counter top. Ellie was trying to organize her things and Nick would take out whatever I just put away.
Ellie and I left for pottery and while we were gone Rob cleaned off the table for dinner and gave Nick a super-duper bubble bath. Ellie finished her giant cupcake today - looks real cute and I glazed my tile from last week and worked on a plate. There is this one lady who is in the class after ours who does things I wish I could do - she does beautiful florals - awesome. Ellie and I picked up Chinese on the way home and we all had dinner together. Nick was cracking us up during dinner - he was discussing how he wants to be an old man - he looked at Rob and told him he wanted to be just like him. Ellie told us about her day at school and it was just a nice time.
We got the kids ready for bed and off to sleep. I have been spoiled by 2 nights of less than 10 minutes to get Nick to sleep - he made up for it tonight - long process. Rob and I listened to tv as we played on our computers. I cut up and bagged all the brownies for Ellie to take to school tomorrow - one tray was done as done as the other - oh well. Feeling pretty good today. Of course, after I mention my mouth not bothering me yesterday it had to show me it still has potential today. My hands are ok - fingertips are still numb. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Road trip Sunday

I was up way too late again last night - with the time change it was 3:45AM when I went up to bed. The kids were up super early - I guess it was close to their regular time but it was only about 4 hours into my sleep. Rob took the kids down and I stayed in bed until 9:00. I woke up and had a bowl of coffee and some waffles and read the newspaper with Rob. Rob brought my laundry bins up for me to sort and put away - 2 bins, about 6 loads of laundry to put away.
Mom and Dad, Jo and Tony picked us up for our annual trip to the Milwaukee domes (sort of like botanic gardens) for the train show. The bonus was it was also Irish Fest today. We were all decked out in our green shirts and goods. It was a pretty uneventful trip up to the domes - we watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
When we got to the domes, as soon as we walked into the train dome Nick broke out into dancing. The train dome had an Irish duo singing and playing today and the music moved Nick. We got about half way through the dome before it was announced that the dancers were preforming in the lobby. We went to watch the dancers and I though Nick would be dancing right along with them instead he took it all in. When we went back into the dome, hands firmly to his sides, Nick broke out into his version of a jig. He actually was filmed for one of the Milwaukee news broadcasts. He did finally break into a half jig half break dancing move - I believe he entertained the masses today.
Tony was happy sitting by the fence and running his legs through the wood chips. Ellie was busy taking pictures with Dad's camera. We walked through the dessert and the tropical domes - stopping at the 'Ponyo' pond to make a penny wish. By the end of the third dome Nick was running ahead to benches and lying down. We let the kid do a few of the crafts at the craft table and then we left.
We went to Cracker Barrel for Lunch/dinner - something for everyone there. Jo bought the kids ginormous lollipops - the snack that keeps on giving. We made a quick stop at the outlet mall for Jo to run into a store. There was a line to get into the Coach store - probably about 30 people deep - and people say the economy is in trouble. We had Culver's custard for a dessert treat - my first frozen treat in months. I had my custard with hot fudge to warm it up a bit.
We got dropped off at home and I was pooped - I took a nap. Rob watched the kids for a bit and then it was time to get ready for bed. The kids pretty much were pooped too because it took only about 8 minutes for both of them to be asleep. I came down and made a pot of tea and Rob and I watched crappy tv because our normal tv was reruns. Busy upcoming week with Ellie's birthday and a doctor visit - a couple parties next weekend.
Something I need to vent about now...it has been bugging me for a while now. This gets filed under the, wow the stupid things people say to people with cancer files. I have been told I must not have had a "difficult" battle with cancer because I didn't lose my hair. I have been told I had it "easy" because chemo didn't cause me to vomit each day. I had cancer, my life has been drastically changed in the last 10 months. I have 3 tattoos that I didn't have previously, I went through 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy, I have collectively had more weeks that i have undergone chemo than not in the last 10 months. I have 6 abdominal incisions, an ileostomy, a port catheter with 2 incisions that will show for the rest of my life when I wear a v-neck shirt. I have had 2 surgeries and will still need two to close those chapters i this book. I have been to more doctor visits in the last 10 months than i was to my entire lifetime. So, no, I didn't lose my hair and I didn't become violently ill but guess what - I had cancer and maybe I need to sell some t-shirt designs to cafepress.com. Done venting, for now - until someone else says something stupid to me.
I am feeling better with each day - I can't believe it has not even been 2 weeks since the final infusion. My hands are pretty good, no longer peeling. My feet are still quasi-neuropathy-ville - still actively peeling and sensitive. Ironically, my mouth has been pretty good and I haven't needed to try the magic mouthwash. I have noticed that my area around my eyes is different - it appears I have lost my under eyelashes and the top ones have turned blonde. I don't look like the old me in recent pictures - it is definitely my eyes that don't look right. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Love the spring ...rummage sales

I can't really recall last night - I watched tv until pretty late and went up to bed somewhere around 3:00AM. Rob took Nick down to eat breakfast and I got to sleep in bit. I got dressed and brought clothes down for the kids. Ellie and Rob were off to Lowes to pick up the wood for the cabinet and to do the Saturday build it project - a lever basketball hoop. Nick and I were off to the first rummage sale of the year.
Nick and I scored big time - Bitty baby double stroller, a huge 3-story dollhouse, a bag full of brand new (still in packaging) games and puzzles and another bag full of used games and a spare booster seat for the car. Rob and Ellie pulled in just in time to help us carry stuff in. Ellie's basketball hoop was very nice - and they picked up an extra pair of goggles for Nick.
We pretty much went right to work framing out the new cabinet and putting it together. It took the better portion of the afternoon but we have the bottom half of the cabinet framed in and the middle 'top' piece in. I tried to clean up the main floor but pretty much as far as I got was vacuuming and dusting - every time I thought I had things put away the kids would come in and stuff would be out again.
We cleaned up - we did about a dozen loads of laundry today and we all worked together in building the new cabinet. I took the kids over to Mom and Dad's - they were nice and offered to watch the kiddos so we could go out for a belated anniversary celebration. I came home to shower and get ready, Rob got ready when I was dropping off the kids. We were un-successful at finding anyplace downtown Evanston that didn't have a huge wait so we ended up at Gulliver's.
We had a lovely dinner together sans kids - it was nice to visit without interruption. We went to pick up the kids who were creating with perler beads - Ellie used to love doing those in preschool and this was Nick's first time. After the kids finished their creations we got ready to go home. Ellie went around the house re-setting all the clocks before bed and then we went upstairs. Both kids were asleep pretty quickly - it was a busy, long day.
I am feeling pretty good today - my feet hurt but I think that was because I wore my dansko clogs all day and went up and down the stairs too many times. My fingertips are pretty numb today. I am tired and I am hoping and needing to sleep tonight. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Out of titles Friday

I went to title this and all the titles I put in were already taken and I have nothing. So, I went down to .5 mg of ativan last night and had a glass of wine and went up to bed around 12:45AM only to find myself looking at the clock at 2:00AM. Maybe it was the cuddling on the couch or maybe I just wasn't tired yet - don't know. The kids were up at normal time - we got dressed and got breakfast. Ellie was out the door and on the bus.
I got an email from a resale shop I go to occasionally that their bag sale started today so Nick and I headed to Evanston. I was able to get $124.00 worth of clothing into the $10.00 bag. Mostly pants for Ellie but a few tops for Nick, too. We stopped by another thrift store - another bag sale but not too much left there but I got Nick a few shirts and Ellie a couple - for $1.00. All in all, great deals on the bag sales today.
Nick and I went to Mom's house - we picked up a few pieces of specialty track at the one shop and Nick wanted to try them out. We had an appetizer lunch while Nick watched Fireman Sam. We ended up on the sun porch and it was a beautiful sunny day to be out there. We left to pick up Ellie - the bus was on time today. We walked home and the kids had a snack and we watched Arthur.
Rob came home and he and Nick took the remaining structure of the cabinet apart downstairs so we can start building the new one tomorrow. We were able to visit a bit while Ellie tried to help Nick put together a new track configuration on his train table. I ended up taking the kids to the dollar store and to pick up dinner and Rob showered and did final measurements for the cabinet.
We came home and had dinner and then got the kids to bed. I was asked to be one of the readers at the Family Reading Night at Ellie's school - totally cool. I am tired - need to get some sleep tonight. Hands and feet were not too bad today until about 2 hours ago - now my feet are in the can't warm up state. Mom and I changed Scarlett today and we didn't need to build up - yeah! I scheduled a few doctor visits today - a follow up visit with Dr. Mendoza-Temple to find out what I can do to detox my body (my liver enzymes are really quite high), an appointment with the medical genetics doctor to find out other possible hereditary risks. I am going to have to call Dr. Muldoon's office because the first appointment online was the middle of May. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Go away pesky cold

Shorter post tonight, I am so congested and don;t have a very long attention span. I decided to stay on the couch last night because I didn't want to pass along germs to Rob but around 3:00AM Nick came down to get me. I decided to not take my ativan last night and see how things were - I ended up having very short, choppy dreams about not taking my ativan - I guess I will need to ramp down to .5 mg and then eliminate. Nick didn't have a great night - he too, is fighting a cold and between the nasal congestion and cough it made for a long night.
Ellie was up early, I got up when the alarm went off - Nick slept until 8:30AM when I woke him up. Ellie got off to the bus and was off to school - I was able to watch "adult" morning tv for the first time in forever. When Nick woke up I got him changed and made him some waffles and then we were off to school - he was a bit confused at how quick we were moving. I dropped him off at school and then went to get an oil change on the car.
I didn't have an appointment and it took my entire morning to get the oil changed but they vacuumed and washed the car which made it so worth it. I picked Nick up and he was in a fowl mood because Grams wasn't the one picking him up. We went over to Mom's for lunch to play with Tony. Both the boys were in a fowl mood so we stayed for lunch and a bit of play but then came home.
We tried out our new apple tv box in the back room to stream netflix - success. We walked down to get Ellie from the bus and it was freezing outside and the bus was super late - apparently, the regular bus didn't show up and a new one was called in. Came home and Ellie did homework and we all cuddled up to get warm on the couch. I tried to take a nap but that wasn't too successful - it was nice to just have down time.
Rob came home and took Nick down to the workshop to play and then upstairs to play with trains. Ellie and I stayed warm on the couch. Rob gave Nick a bath and I started dinner. Ellie went up for a bath and dinner and the kids were done at about the same time. I took a shower in hopes that the steam would loosen my sinuses up - not really too successful. I called Nick up for bed - took him forever to fall asleep - perhaps because he slept in so late this morning. Ellie and Rob watched Wipeout and then came up to bed.
Crappy tv night - I thought Grays was supposed to be new tonight - wasn't. Hands are feet were both super cold today. Mouth not so bad. I feel a bit achy but I think it is the cold. I wish my nose would stop running. Visualising me healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Most wonderful time of the year

OMG - I am watching Conan and PeeWee Herman is on telling the story of Ash Wednesday - if you want a good laugh watch the clips on teamcoco.com.
It was a sleepy sort of morning but we all got up once the alarm went off. Ellie got her and Nick poptarts for breakfast but Nick wanted more. Ellie got ready for school and was out the door to the bus stop. I got Nick dressed and we were off to preschool, I had a play date to get to. I met Christi for coffee to catch up - we are going to try to make time once a week to do that. Although the time flew by much too quickly we had a delightful visit and I can't wait for it to happen more frequently. I got to school just as school was letting out.
Nick and I went to pick up our lenten favorite - pepper and egg sandwiches. Have to rant for a moment - there really is only one good place to get a pepper and egg in Chicago - it is Jay's Beef on Narragansett. Over the years we have tried many pepper and eggs - Portillos, Buona Beef, West of Edens, Grecian Kitchen, Al's - truly, none have come anywhere close to Jay's. It was a great thing that both of my kids were born in March because it was a pregnancy must. Done ranting. I was going to go to Jay's to pick up lunch but in light of the gas prices, I went to Al's today. Honestly, they have vastly improved their pepper and eggs - while still, nowhere near Jay's it is an acceptable second. I picked up McDonalds for Nick and Tony and then we went to Mom's to eat lunch. We had lunch and then the boys played.
We planted Mom's edible flowers today - the boys did all the work. They enjoyed watching the dirt pellets expand when they placed cup after cup of water in the bowl. They each sprinkled seeds in and then we covered it with dirt and soon they will bloom. We watched Little Mermaid today - we had hoped some wee little boys might cuddle and sleep - no such luck. Nick and I came home and I made some tea while Nick colored. We walked down to the bus stop to pick up Ellie - Nick brought his umbrella with - it wasn't raining.
Ellie did her homework while Nick watched Curious George and I got things ready for Millietime. Rob got home right before we left - Dad was going to come over after work for dinner and to help Rob install our anniversary present from Mom and Dad - apple.tv. We now can stream netflix and more upstairs in the back room -woohoo. We went over to Mom's to pick her up and we all went over to Kate's house for Millies.
We celebrated the kids birthdays, St. Patrick's Day and the end of Cancer! Good conversation, good food and great friends. Tony was funny - he had put a St. Pat's hat on and pulled it down to his shoulders and was walking around feeling with his hands - he looked like the little people in the parades. Nick and Ellie entertained us with piano music and dance. We dropped Mom back at her house and came home. We got the kids to sleep which took a bit of time for Nick to calm down.
I have picked up Ellie's cold - my nose hasn't stopped running today and my sinuses are starting to feel heavy. Hands are still in that hyper sensitive state today. My feet are still cold, although the Uggs are helping. Thrilled about the most wonderful time of the year - pepper and egg season. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree