Four Against Two

Summer Here I Come

A Mom's Job, It's all about me!, Stuff, Summer Fun No Responses »

May 182012

Source: maxwanger.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I won’t go into detail, but the last couple of years have been a struggle at times. At the end of the summer I felt like I had survived rather than enjoyed them. Sure, we had some great vacations and wonderful times, but my stress and anxiety levels were way to high.

This summer I am not only looking forward to, I am planning. Planning beyond the normal camps, activities and how to keep your kiddos reading throughout the summer. I want to make it EPIC. Okay. So maybe I am setting myself up for disappointment, but I have this yearning inside of me to breakout from the normal, go beyond the stress, ignore the anxiety.

So what does EPIC mean to me? It means me having fun as well as the kids. The kids always have an EPIC summer (though they don’t always see it that way). That is why I am going to fall in love with my camera a little more. Learn how to actually use more of the settings? I also want to do some fun shots with the kids with the inspiration of Pinterest.

I am also going to start running again. My post-op no exercise rule was up a long time ago. It’s time to take my new, improved and smaller bust to the track and she how they do!

So my EPIC may not be as EPIC as some, but it is mine, and I am going to do it.

What are your summer plans?

BlogHer Book Club Review: Where She Went

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May 172012

As always, I was delighted to get a new book to review. When I received Where She Went by Gayle Forman from BlogHer Book Clubs, I read the back cover and realized it was a sequel. I was ready to read though and had no time to hit the library. This is when I really love having a Kindle! I bought, read, absorbed and adored If I Stay. I didn’t want it to be over, and was so intensely happy to have the sequel ready to be devoured.

I cannot review Where She Went without reviewing If I Stay. So I will do a double review here and try not to give out any spoilers. I loved this book set so much I want everyone to read them for themselves and not hear it secondhand.

If I Stay Tells the story of seventeen year old Mia. She is a talented, young musician who plays the cello, has a wonderful, yet quirky family and a boyfriend, Adam, who literally rocks. The story has a unique way of backtracking through her memories seamlessly, so that you really get to know the family, their history and how much Mia loves them and loves Adam. After a terrible accident, Mia, has an out-of-body experience that shows her world from a different perspective. As a nurse, I especially loved how Forman portrayed the nurses and hospital staff. She nailed it, from caring to cranky – nurses do make the hospital experience what it is!

Where She Went continues on three years later with Adam being the storyteller. I have to say I missed Mia’s narrative at first, but gradually settled into hearing Adam’s voice. Adam is so vulnerable after his experiences with Mia, but to the world he is a rock star. He is not allowed to show his feelings of loss and therefore his anxiety is sky-high and he is very skittish, and appears arrogant and standofish to those who try to get to know him. Spoiler alert here in that Mia does show up again in the story, though not exactly how I wanted her to. It all makes perfect sense in the end and it doesn’t leave you hanging. Along with the rock and roll theme throughout the book, there are lyrics at the end of the book that are great to read and tell more of the story which is awesome.

I will stop there. It’s hard, but I will stop. Go read this book series! It is rated 14 and up. High schoolers will like it and I think if you read it first and talk about a few things, seventh and eighth graders would like it as well. Check out the BlogHer Book Club discussion page and find out what others are saying about this amazing book!

The book trailers can be found here and I predict a movie to be made. It’s that good of story and what is so great about it, is that it is realistic, it could happen. I’m off to mourn now that I have finished these books.

Any suggestions for a good read?

(Disclosure: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.)

Mother’s Day Spoils

A Mom's Job, Family, holidays No Responses »

May 142012

I have to show off my Mother’s Day spoils here! No breakfast in bed, as I got up before the kids (hahaha) but I did get to watch the morning news while eating this:

I also got and acrostic poem written in my honor:

And the cutest set of hands that have ever made a heart:

Meg, Enu and Elle accompanied me and my mom to a fun mom and me event at The Wilds. The Wilds is an amazing conservation park where you can see animals in a natural way, no fences for most of them! We had a great time and got to pet a few animals that we normally wouldn’t pet: a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, a possum, a gray fox and a corn snake.

Top my day off with homemade lasagna from Meg and my Dad and I had quite the nice day ;) I hope yours was blessed as well.

The Girls Keep Growing!

Family Pictures, Moments with Elle, Moments with Enu, Moments With Meg, Moments with Mita, School Issues, Summer Fun 1 Response »

May 112012

As it is mid-May and summer is upon us. My girls are revved up and ready to start the long summer days full of camps, swimming and a lot of nothing! The fact that they are growing up slaps me in the face almost everyday.

Ella bridged from being a Daisy Girl Scout to a Brownie Girl Scout. She is extremely proud of this and the fact that her first overnight camp will be this summer.

Meg went to sixth grade camp. She climbed the Alpine tower and is planning on zip-lining this summer. Adventure awaits her for sure.

Mita is furiously making plans for becoming a sixth grader that include playing soccer and the cello. She will have to be at school at 7:30am next year, and while she thinks it is no big deal, I am dreading getting her up that early!

Enu, in Fourth grade, hit the jackpot for field trip years and has been busy running around the state visiting Amish Country (not a real country mind you), the high school FFA ( a different world) and has plans to visit the State House soon. She is ready to rule the intermediate school next year in the fifth grade with NO other sisters to bug her.

Goodbye 2011-2012 school year. May we have a long, long summer full of fun times, empty afternoons reading in the shade and popsicles. Lots of popsicles.

Sunburned from camp!

Shhhh, Don’t Tell The Kids

A Mom's Job, All you need is love!, holidays No Responses »

May 102012

I’ll be very candid right now. Candid, not ungrateful, so please don’t think I am ungrateful.

I don’t like breakfast in bed. I hate eating in bed, even late night snacks, so breakfast foods are just impossible for me to enjoy. I don’t want crumbs on my pillow or syrup on my sheets. I just don’t like anything about it.

Except for the look on the kids’ faces when they bring it up. I do adore those faces. They are so happy and so proud, giggling and arguing bursting into the room to awaken me.

Bless them. If I am treated to this custom once again on Sunday, I’ll be sure to ahh it up and let them know how awesome they are. Then I’ll eat my carrots with a side of ketchup (okay, I’ll quietly skip the ketchup) and try not to mess up the bed too much. This may be my last year of my surprise, you never know, I may miss it someday. I probably will miss it someday, but I cannot help but hope they choose an everything bagel over cereal this year!

So Proud Of My Girl

A Mom's Job, Moments With Meg 1 Response »

May 092012

Meg has been working very hard on her Girl Scout Silver Award these past few months. The Silver Award is the highest award a Caddette Girl Scout can earn. It is 50 hours of learning, planning, and teaching a sustainable project that is targeted towards your community, not just Girl Scouting.

She choose recycling as her topic. She learned about recycling jeans into insulation for homes and part of her project is to collect denim to send to the Cotton From Blue To Green program. She almost has 100 pairs. She has gone to several Girl Scout meetings to teach the girls about her project, and to do a craft with them using old jeans (cup cozyies). Working on her speaking skills she presented her project and asked for sponsorship money to two groups of adults and her own troop. She toured a local recycling plant to learn how plastic is recycled, and also planned a “Fashionable Recycling” event for the our community. Meg has taken this very seriously and knows that earning her Silver Award and eventually her Gold Award will help her get college scholarships. She does think this far ahead on her own. It’s genetic she is a mini-hubby.

She held her event today. A very busy day for our community with baseball, prom,and a local festival. Her turnout was not what she had hoped for. My heart ached for her. She held her chin up, taught the kids (mostly her helpers) and the adults about her project, played games, made bracelets and then came home and went to her room for a while.

She didn’t cry, complain or whine, but she wouldn’t talk to me either. I told her that today was a success. She planned, organized, brought together volunteers, got door prizes and hosted a wonderful learning event. Today was a success. I hope through her disappointment that she can see what she has accomplished and take some learning lessons from it and move on.

Her project is not quite done, she has a few more hours to go and more jeans to collect. She will finish though. She will probably also turn a lot of today’s work into a fair project so the work will not be in vain.

I cannot be more proud of my girl. Living the disappointment and successes of your children is a roller coaster ride. I want to jump in. I want to fix things. I want it all to be rainbows and unicorn farts (a favorite saying of my girls). I also am glad to know that while disappointment is rough, that learning how to deal with the disappointments in life when you are young makes you a tougher more tenacious person.

My Meg is going to set the world on fire, just wait and see.

Keep Your Children Reading This Summer!

A Mom's Job, Education, Parenting, Reading Challenge, Summer Fun No Responses »

May 022012

If you ever look at my blog, you know that I am a reader. I love to read. I could read all day. I have to stop myself from reading to actively participate in the real world. My mom used to make me put down my books and play outside. I’m addicted, it’s just a legal drug and is generally a good thing to be addicted to!

Seeing a parent read is the best way to raise readers. I truly believe that. I also accept that not everyone is going to be as crazy about books as I am. But I will try to convert you I promise.

Summer time at our house is a great time. We are either crazy-busy or crazy-lazy. For the crazy-lazy times it can be challenging to keep the media to a low-roar. In our house media is TV, computer or non-active Wii games. For the last two years I have used media-bucks to keep the kids on limited screen time and to keep them reading. Last year I had yard sales at the end of the month where the girls could buy fun stuff with media bucks if they saved them. This is great because they are earning the media bucks, but not using them on TV! I also had a read-so-many-minutes over the summer you get a book series. All the girls earned great book series. Meg got the entire 39 Clues series, Mita got The Hunger Games Trilogy, Enu got a huge Junie B. Jones series and Elle got… I cannot remember, I thinks she just chose a few books instead of a series.

While I was happy with last year’s success, I am ramping it up a bit. This year I am doing a stamp card. This way they hopefully don’t loose it the way they could the media bucks. Here is how it goes:

1 Media Stamp = 30 minutes of media time

Level 1 books = 1 media stamp for 30 minutes of reading

(age level books the kids like to read)

Level 2 books = 2 media stamps for 30 minutes of reading

(Book that push them to read at a higher level)

Level 3 books= 3 media stamps for 30 minutes of reading

(any non-fiction reading, classic or a book that Mom would like you to read)

Learning Lab = 3 media stamps

( A workbook or experiment.)

Active outdoor play for 30 minutes= 1 media stamp

You can see where I am going with Level 3. Meg doesn’t want to read the classics right now, but I am bound and determined to get some Little Women in her this summer! This should all equal to plenty of TV time as well as great reading time and some fun prizes. This year I am doing gift cards to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes instead of a yard sale. The kids are stoked!

This may seem like a lot of work, but for my family it is how we function. We have to have clear, set guidelines or it is chaos around here.

We also do the Summer Reading at our local library. This is a family favorite, but as the kids get older I really push content over how many books are read. I try to get the girls to set a content goal over a number goal, like “I will read 20 books this summer, 10 of them chapter books, 2 of them classics and 8 off them non-fiction.”

Scholastic has a great summer reading site that you should check out. We did this last summer and the kids had a lot of fun on it. It is a fun way for them to keep track of how much they read. It also lead to a great discussion on honestly and integrity when one of my girls cooked the numbers a bit! Click here for a video tutorial on how it works. They also have great book lists for all ages.

If you want to keep your kids reading this summer the first thing you should do is pick up a book and read it yourself, let the kids see you read and talk about what a great book it is. Then take them to the library!

Getting Her Ready For Social Media

A Mom's Job, Family, Frustrated Mommy Moments, Moments With Meg, My Soap Box, Parenting, Safety, Teendom No Responses »

Apr 252012

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have an almost 13-year-old that is bringing the whole social media thing and her use of it to my forefront. I have several ideas running through my head on how to approach this, but I still have time. I don’t think I am in denial, I just like to procrastinate. Ask Hubby if you don’t believe me.

Meg (said almost thirteen year old) has a blog. She started it not quite a year ago and reviews books, movies and a few random posts. She is an obsessive reader, likes to write and is currently writing her first novel, which I find amazing, I know I am a her mom, but it is amazing. From time to time though she gets writers block and for some reason thinks it is my responsibility to help her through it. This conversation just happened this morning:

Meg: Mom, I don’t know what to write for my next blog. Tell me what to write. (Read in a whiny voice).

Mom: Write about Earth Day, write about your Silver Award project.

Meg: I’ve tried and I cannot. I’ve tried and tried.

Mom: Just start writing and throw out your first paragraph, a lot of writers do that.

Meg: I can’t, tell me what to write! (whiney voice is louder and more annoying)

Mom: (Watching a TV commercial about cars) Write about how you feel when you start daddy’s car in the morning. It could be a good father’s day gift for him.

Meg: (Silence)

Mom: (….ah silence)

This is what she came up with When I Start The Car. I think she did a great job sharing her emotions and I am very happy that I was able to help her out for once. Maybe now she’ll listen to me sooner, but I doubt it.

It is times like these that make me think she may be ready to dip her toe in the tumultuous ocean of social media. Not because writing a good blog makes you savvy to the ways of Facebook, but because she has demonstrated that she can share her feelings effectively to the world (or me). She writes, she proofreads, she edits.

She recently sent a text that hurt her friend’s feelings. We were able to talk about how texting and emails don’t show the emotions that your voice does. You cannot say somethings with a text. It’s just not done. A painful lesson, but on a smaller scale thankfully. I cannot help but mourn for the girls who have texted much worse to people such as inappropriate pictures. Our children have the whole world in their hands, literally. The power they have is daunting, yet we seem to let them treat it way too lightly.

To many I may be over thinking the social media thing. I may seem obsessive or over-protective with my kids. I cannot help but be careful with my girls though. Social media is the way of the world. Bosses are checking your Facebook page. Colleges are tracking your movements. Your social media footprint follows you much like your credit score, and you have to protect it. On top of that you have crazy people trying to meet with your children in hotel rooms (we have one of those down the street).

I hope when Meg clicks post on Facebook she looks at her post not as a brief update on what she is doing after school, but as a little piece of her that she is sharing with the world. I hope she can look at it objectively and think “Does the world need to know this about me?” “Is this a safe thing to share?” “Would I share this with a stadium full of people?” “Is this fair to other people?” “Will it hurt someone’s feelings?” That is a lot of questions to go through someone’s mind, but with time and practice I think we can learn to take a double look at our contributions to the world. Even if they are only 140 characters or a pin.

DVD Review- Flicka: Country Pride Plus A Giveaway!

movies, Reviews, Stuff 3 Responses »

Apr 232012

THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE BELOVED FAMILY CLASSIC ARRIVES JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER’S DAY
Country Music Superstar Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman Black shine in the Heartwarming Family Adventure Arriving on Blu-ray and DVD May 1
Exclusively at Walmart, Sam’s Club® and Walmart.com

Does anyone in your house like horses? It seems the horse rage hits around age five at my house and never quite goes away. So, needless to say, we were very excited to have the opportunity to pre-view the Flicka: Country Pride movie starring Clint Black and Lisa Hartman-Black.

The movie tells the story of a young teen, Kelly, who is struggling with the loss of her dad and the passion of riding horses that she shared with him. With a new Mustang (Flicka) at the stables, however, and some stubborn determination Kelly is able to again fall in love with riding and competing. The movie features a mean girl antagonist that is so popular with movies at this time and gives parents the opportunity to talk about how to handle the stressors of high school. Overall a great movie that I think most girls ages 8-13 will especially love. I am well over thirteen, though and I enjoyed it ;)

Be sure to check-out the end of this post to see a checklist of what young riders should know about taking care of horses. This is a great list for Girl Scouts earning an animal badge!

I have two copies of Flicka: Country Pride to give away! YEAH :)

How to Enter:

1) Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite animal movie of all time.

2) Like Four Against Two on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did so.

Contest runs from April 23rd to April 29th at noon EST. Two winners will be chosen from random.org.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of the above mentioned DVD to view and give my honest opinion.)

I’m High From Book Giving!

Books I Have Read, Stuff 1 Response »

Apr 232012

Earlier this year I saw World Book Night on Facebook and had to check it out. I quickly liked what I saw and applied to be a giver, not thinking I had a chance.

Then I was picked! I had 30 books to choose from to give out and my number one pick was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, not thinking I had a chance with my first pick.

Then I got The Hunger Games! Whooo-ooo. Did I feel lucky!

So today, Monday, April 23rd, I got to giveaway twenty copies of The Hunger Games with special covers to my local high school students! I worked with the librarian to pick the twenty lucky kids. I really wanted kids who may not like to read, but liked the movie enough to maybe want to try to read the book . She helped me find 20 kids who are reluctant readers.

Now I did deliver the book at to-darn-early-in-the-morning instead of at night, due to the fact I had a young adult book and my target population is held captive during school hours! I do think I stayed in the bounds of the World Book Night theme though.

I love to read. I want others to love to read. Reading makes us smarter, gives us levity and takes our imaginations to amazing places. April 23 is UNESCO’s World Book Day, chosen due to the anniversary of Cervantes’ death, as well as Shakespeare’s birth and death. World Book Night started and is celebrated in the UK. This is the first year for the US and I hope it catches on and I get another chance next year to pass along some more books!

If this sounds like fun to you, check out the World Book Night website and make a note to apply next year to be a giver. I am so happy and pleased that I was apart of this!

Earth Day 2012 – It Rained. We Picked Up Trash Anyway

A Mom's Job, Earth Friendly Ideas, girl scouts, Moments with Mita No Responses »

Apr 222012

Our Team's Zone Of Clean Up

Yesterday our local community organization had a pick up some trash day. Of course it was 40 degrees and raining! We had 11 braved souls, kids and adults, show up from a few local Girl Scout troops. They were indeed troopers and we had a lot of fun in the wet and cold!

Here is a short video we did for a contest: Girl Scouts Earth Day 2012 Check it out!

Mita wrote up a little something for this special day:

Earth day is not just another day. It’s a day that we think about the earth and how fragile the earth is and how we can make it better or improve more. Here are some ways you could make the environment better below:

* Recycle cans, papers, plastic, glass,
* Reduce the amount of water you use like taking, shorter showers take a shower instead of a bath.
* Reuse paper on the back instead of throwing it away and getting a new one. * Conserve the amount of light you use ( turn off the lights you have on when you leave your home or room.
* Turn off your car when you’re in a long line at a fast food place.
* Turn off your TV when you’re not watching
* unplug a cord when you’re not using it

DVD Review: Loves Everlasting Courage

movies, Reviews, Stuff No Responses »

Apr 202012

Get out your hankies. There is a new installation in the Love Comes Softly series. On May 8th, Hallmark will release Loves Everlasting Courage, based on the Janette Oke books. I read these books years ago (decades maybe?) Now daughter number two, Mita, is in love with the film series. I need to get her the books, she would read them up for sure.

Here is a quick plot line snippet from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Clark Davis (Wes Brown, “True Blood”) struggles to maintain his land and support his family during a long drought. With a bank loan to repay, his wife, Ellen (Julie Mond, “General Hospital”) takes a job in town as a seamstress, but soon becomes ill with scarlet fever. Devastated to lose his beloved wife, Clark and his young daughter turn to his parents for support. Clark must find a way to save his farm and survive Ellen’s death without losing the person he loves most: his daughter.

I am a sucker for prequels and this is the story of Clark and Missy before “Love Comes Softly”. I cried, laughed and my stress level went up and down along with Clark’s. Love the pioneer time period and this movie was just perfect for me on a day alone at home doing the laundry. Mita watched it before me and loved it and now I will pass it on to my niece who also loves the series!

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the above DVD to review and give my honest opinion about it. No other compensation was received.”

Countdown To Earth Day: Thanks To A Greener Product And Company

Domestic Goddess, Earth Friendly Ideas, Reviews, Stuff No Responses »

Apr 202012

I don’t pretend to know all about everything. Okay, to my kids I pretend to know all about everything, but here I just like to write about things I care about. As a blogger, even a small one, I get contacted by companies and sometimes get freebies to check out products and to write about them. This is a fun part of being a blogger I assure you, who doesn’t like to try free stuff? Oh course I am honest. I have received a few products that just weren’t my time, energy or integrity to blog about.

However, on this countdown to Earth Day series, I did recently get contacted by 3M. You know3M the company that gives us all the neat little tools to make our life easier. Think post-it notes, stickies, scotch tape and more. They have graciously donated several rolls of their new Sustainable Scotch® Greener Masking Tapes to my local school district.

Masking tape is a must around children. Think labels, repairing game board or boxes, painting over stained and messy walls. Not to mention the crafty side of masking tape. Now we have the opportunity to buy it made from recycled and renewable resources. An Easy-Peasy choice if I do say so myself.

I know that many a environmentalist curses at big business and big companies, but as consumers we have told said companies that we want a better, more responsible product. We vote with our dollars. This product is evidence that 3M is listening.

Here is a quote with the stats that are interesting:

SAINT PAUL, MN – April 16, 2012 – Today, 3M announced the introduction of Scotch Greener Masking Tapes which are designed to provide the same great performance as other Scotch Masking Tapes, while creating less waste and conserving paper resources. The new tapes are made with 56% renewable resources*, including paper backing made with 30% post consumer recycled content and adhesive made with natural, regenerating latex harvested from rubber trees. The tapes are manufactured using solvent-free and water-based processes. The tape core contains 87% post-consumer recycled fiber and the shipping cartons are made with 100% recycled fiber.

The tapes can be found just about anywhere, including Wal-Mart, Target, K-mart and Sears for about $5.

(Disclosure: I received several rolls of the about mentioned masking tape to donate to my local school district. I think the art teachers and maintenance people will be happy!)

Countdown to Earth Day: Better Shopping Practices

A Mom's Job, Earth Friendly Ideas, Stuff No Responses »

Apr 192012

I like a bargain. I like to use a coupon and get something for less. I am all for a generic brands as long as they work or taste as well as what I am used to.

With all of that it can be hard for me to spend a little more money on a product that is Earth Friendly. I do buy things that are better for the planet, but I want them to be competitive in price and quality.

So how can you tell a product is environmentally friendly? A lot of times the packaging advertises the fact to give consumers the heads up but here are a few other ways to tell:

Less is better. Does it have a huge box for a little product? Remember when CD’s came in the long cardboard box…they thankfully stopped that wastefulness.
Is the packaging made of recycled materials? Post-consumer waste is best.
Is the packaging itself able to be recycled locally? A lot of smaller towns (that would be my town) don’t recycle #3,4, 5,6 plastics.
Is the product locally grown/produced? Buying local not only helps out your neighbors, but it takes less gas to get it to the store. You can sometimes talk to the grower/maker and ask questions about chemicals and fertilizers.
Is it organic? This is what I seem to struggle the most with. I have a list of the dirty dozen, which are the 12 foods you should buy organic as they tend to have the most pesticides and chemicals. Organic can be pricey and it goes bad quickly (chemicals are there for a reason – to stop bugs and rotting.) I hate it when I let produce go bad, but I also don’t go to the store more than once a week. Having four growing girls that eat a lot and eat all the time can be expensive. I want to feed them healthy and organic, but I also don’t want to go into debt trying to accomplish that.

My goal is to become a bit less of a penny-pincher when it comes to healthier products for my kids. I go in and out of making my own cleaners, it depends on my busy level but when I do buy cleaning products I try to make them the “greener” ones. I need to focus more on my long-term goal.

I must also concentrate on the fact that where and how I spend my money makes an impact on the Earth not only by helping the natural state of the Earth, but telling businesses and corporations what I as a consumer care about.

Do you shop towards Earth-Friendly or Pocketbook-Friendly?

Countdown To Earth Day: A Billion Acts Of Green

Earth Friendly Ideas, Education, Family, girl scouts, Stuff No Responses »

Apr 182012

While it can sometimes be annoying to have certain days, weeks and months named for something (National Ice Cream Day is great and all, but what about National Taco Day?), it really does serve a purpose to have time set aside to think more deeply on a subject. Black History Month gives our schools the perfect chance add some colorful history to the normal curriculum (yeah, I know the curriculum should already have it…) and World Breastfeeding Week is great at bringing the amazing thing that is breast milk to the forefront of people’s thoughts. Earth Day is a great time to step back and evaluate our daily practices in helping sustain our Earth for the future generations.

This week I want to write about simple and more in-depth ways that I, as a mom, wife, nurse and Girl Scout leader am trying to put a dent in my wasteful ways. This is my Earth Day Pledge, or act, at least a part of it. We are also cleaning up our local reservoir with Girl Scouts on Saturday.

Today I will congratulate myself on what I have accomplished:

As a household we have been recycling (by carting to a local center or curbside pick up) our trash for five years.
I have been reusing my favorite two water bottles for over two years now. I rarely drink from a disposable water bottle and when I do it is normally because it is at someone elses place.
I don’t forget my reusable bags anymore when I grocery shop! I forgot them for a very long time and it has finally become habit now. I also carry bags in my purse and use them for everyday purchases or clothes shopping. It is amazing what you can get in a little bag!
I recently bought the cutest re-usable containers for my girls’ lunch drinks to replace the chocolate milk/apple juice cartoons. This saves me money (buying a gallon is more cost-effective than buying six individual boxes) and waste. You have to get good ones or the leaking frustrates you!
I have been using re-usable sandwich and snack bags for about four years now. I still do use some plastic baggies when I am not caught up on laundry but give myself a B+ in ditching the plastic baggies.
I keep the heat down lower in the winter months. I admit that I used to crank it up a bit high at times, but now I am better at just putting socks or a sweatshirt on to stay warm. I also did this when I heard that families stay healthier when the heat isn’t used as much. I think this is true as it keeps the dust down and the rotation of germs!
We talk about recycling and being Earth Friendly a lot in Girl Scouts. It is so much easier for this generation as they are growing up knowing that it is important to not be wasteful. As an eighties child, it seemed all about more and what was convenient than anything else.
I love to shop consignment or second-hand stores. You never know what a good deal you may get. I scored a beautiful, like new dress for Enu the other day for $1.09! She looks great in it, it saved me money and it didn’t end up in a landfill. Win, Win, Win I say.
I also congratulate myself on nursing my two bio babies and am pleased that my other girls were most likely breastfed as well. Great for the Earth not to have formula containers or plastic liners :)

So now that I am full of myself I will focus on my goals to improve my efforts and become more natural with using less, re-using more and in general being a better steward of my Earth.

That, my friend, is for tomorrow! Check out this site and make your own pledge.

Wordless Wednesday: Natural Curls…Love ‘em

Moments with Enu, Moments with Mita, Wordless Wednesday No Responses »

Apr 182012

AAAAALLLLLVVVVVIIIIINNNNN!!!!!

Reviews, Stuff No Responses »

Apr 122012

TY and Fox Home Entertainment sent me this little guy for posting about the Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked DVD! Very cute!

How To Save Your Dr. Seuss

A Mom's Job, Books I Have Read, Education, Moments with Elle, Parenting, Stuff 1 Response »

Apr 102012

If you have young children in elementary or pre-school most likely you know that the celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday was a couple of weeks ago.

Which means right about now your child’s backpack is full of the cutest art projects you have ever seen! Projects that you don’t want to toss but cannot realistically keep on your fridge or in a scrapbook either. Unless this is your first child. Then you will keep everything for years until your basement or garage is full and realize that something has to hit the recycling bin or you have to buy a bigger home.

After having Meg fill 5+ bins I started to realize that with four kids, the bin thing wasn’t happening. So three years ago I started making school project photo books on Shutterfly (tons of other sites, but Shutterfly is my fav). I take the pictures of the projects and save them for the next book. This makes it so much easier to toss the projects. I don’t enjoy junking them, but it is a necessary evil of motherhood. I have also made thank you cards and notecards out of some of the projects.

So back to Dr. Seuss. Elle came home with a few really cute things that I cannot throw away. Maybe it is because she is my baby and I’m realizing that this may be my last Dr. Seuss birthday bonanza, maybe it’s because I’m tired of taking out the recycling. Who knows? What I do know is that an idea popped into my head that I am happy with and thought I would share.

As a reading family there are some books that will never be donated or passed on. Dr. Seuss books are those sorts of books. Elle has fallen hard for the rhyme master and has even read me Green Eggs and Ham backwards before (a realllllly loooonnnggg story btw!). So I merged the two and have not lost any space.

I simply added her art work to the insides of the books and now the books mean even more to me than before. I can imagine Elle’s kids opening the book and seeing mommy’s artwork from when she was a girl….ahhhh. Tears. Sniff. Sniff.

Awesome.

They better appreciate this stuff!

Book Review: If Only

A Mom's Job, Books I Have Read, Reviews No Responses »

Apr 012012

I was goofing off on Facebook the other day. Yes, I know I shouldn’t admit that, but I was. I am so very over TV and still kinda building up my stamina so I do have lots of sit down time. Anyway, I was looking at a post from one of my favorite places, Scholastic. They were talking about a book named If Only by Carole Geithner. The cover showed a girl looking out a window. It was simple, pretty and immediately drew my attention. Then I read the plot and was most definitely engaged.

If only is about the first year a thirteen year old, Corinna Burdette, goes through after her mother dies. It is told from her character, and is aimed at tween/teen girls, but will keep adults interested as well. Corinna has to go to school and be surrounded by her friends who don’t know what they should say or do. Who sometimes say or do the wrong things. The book goes through the seasons and focuses on her feelings and her relationship with her grieving dad as well.

It has all the normal developmental things such as body changes, boy crushes and drama over the little things plus is a great way for young people to learn about grief. Most of us don’t know what to say or do when someone looses someone. It’s tough. I’m not very good at it really, but I am learning. I wish I would have learned earlier in my life and having a book such as this one could have been a big help.

I am encouraging Meg to read it and review it on her blog from her point of view. I hope Mita will read it as it may help her know that the feelings she has about loosing her mother in Ethiopia are normal, that loss is a messy, nasty thing that never goes away. It does change though, into something that softens and doesn’t sear all the time. Someday Enu will be ready to read it as well and I think she will respond to the character well. Though our situation is different, there is still grief to be dealt with.

I must mention that Geithner has worked as a clinical social worker who has worked with children and adults who have lost a parent while they were growing up. She is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at George Washington University School of Medicine. This is her first book and frankly I think she did a spectacular job. As a mom of two girls who have done counseling, I know when someone gets it. Geithner does.

The book If Only definitely has a niche in the grief community to give girls who have lost a parent a tool to work through thier loss. It also belongs in the mainstream middle school library as a tool to help students learn about grief in an non-stressful way and how to treat those who are grieving.

(Disclosure: Scholastic sent me a copy of the above book at my request to read and review on my blog. No other compensation was given.)

DVD Review: We Bought A Zoo

movies, Reviews No Responses »

Mar 292012

Over Christmas break last year I took the kids to see We Bought A Zoo. Loosly based on the true story, a book of the same name by Benjamine Mee and directed by Cameron Crowe this is a heartwarming story that is great for a family movie night. It is well-written with great acting, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.

A short synopsis of the movie: A recent widower with two children, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is looking for a new home and a fresh start. He finds the perfect house – that comes in a zoo and takes on the challenge of reviving the zoo and bringing it back to life. In the process his son is finding his talent (and a girl!) and dealing with being a young teen boy and his daughter is incredibly sweet and totally in love with living in a zoo. The family struggles, but in the end finds that they are still a family, even though their mom/wife is no longer with them.

This can be a sensitive plot line with the mom of the family having recently died. With two of my girls having lost a mom, I was acutely aware of this and a bit worried. However, we are very open in talking about our situation and plot lines such as this one can help bridge the conversation. We did not have any problems at all. I recommend if you have a similar issue that you think might want to watch the movie before your kids do to sure it is appropriate for your family.

The process of re-building a zoo and the ins and outs of animal care make the movie something different to watch and there is a young teen romance that is cute and not to much for the ages involved. I had a lot of fun with the girls watching this. While there was some name calling at the end, my girls are ages 7-12 and this PG movie was appropriate for our family.

A great quote from Benjamin Mee -

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

Hits the stores April 3rd in DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download!

(Disclosure: I received a copy of the above movie from Fox Home Entertainment for my honest opinion.)

Wordless Wednesday: Proud Of My 5K Girl

Moments With Meg, Wordless Wednesday 1 Response »

Mar 282012

Movie Review And Rant: The Hunger Games

A Mom's Job, Books I Have Read, Moments With Meg, Moments with Mita, Reviews, Teendom 1 Response »

Mar 262012

Okay. So I wrote that this is a movie review and a rant. I will rant first. I know I am not the coolest mom ever. Or the coolest mom. Or a cool mom. But I am a mom and I did fork over close to $50 yesterday to take my two oldest darlings to see The Hunger Games. Nevermind that I would have seen it anyway if they hadn’t wanted to watch it because I am in love with this book series. Gas, tickets, popcorn aren’t cheap. You would think I would get one lousy picture of my girls having fun at the movies…..noooooo. Not one picture of them in front of the movie poster, in the theater, posing with tickets. Nothing. I took a picture of my lonely little ticket to remember the day. Maybe when Catching Fire comes out I’ll not take them unless they sign a contract saying they will pose for one picture. Don’t they know that these events are the memories of their childhood? Don’t they know that they need to have them documented in photos so they will have hundreds of Shutterfly books to look through with their own children, my grandchildren, to show what an awesome ~~mom~~ childhood they had? Enough of the rant and on to the review.

I’ve read enough book series turned movie franchises to know that it is impossible to put everything from the book on the screen. The movies would be five hours long. I would still pay to see it, but apparently the movie people don’t know how die-hard readers can be! The Hunger Games the movie was close enough to the book to please me. I can excuse the few missing characters, though I miss them.

If you have not read the books and only seen the movie the way Katniss gets her Mockingjay pin is not correct, and it loses some of its value I think in how she obtained it. In the books Cinna is one of my favorite characters, he is very flamboyant, yet supportive. The movie Cinna is certainly supportive, kind and him and Katniss work well together, but he was lacking in some of his charm. Except for his eyeshadow, he wasn’t that WOW as he was in the book.

What I loved about the movie. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was great, I enjoyed his portrayal. Katniss was the Katniss from the books, I think she nailed it. Peeta was perfect, Gale had a small part in this first film, but I feel he is going to be perfect in this role. I hate the whole Team Gale/Team Peeta thing. This is about Katniss! She is not a prize to be won, she is a stand alone person. Trying to tell this to my giggly girls is aggravating.

The violence in the movie was PG-13 for sure. It was really hard to watch children kill children. The books can be hard to read, but as I am a visual person, it was hard to watch. I questioned letting Mita and Meg see it on the screen. They had read the books, I’ve tried to discuss the issues with them as they read them. I still don’t know if they get the entire picture, but I feel they are on the right track. I would be hesitant to allow a young tween/teen see this film if they hadn’t read the books and started digesting the whole fight to the death theme of the books. I don’t think murder should be glorified.

The theme of The Hunger Games being a reality TV show is very important for this upcoming generation especially. It shows how real live human beings can be turned into mearly characters to play with. Watching the behind the scenes people come up with dogs, fires and darkness to add to the games appeal is reprehensible and yet it rings a bit to close to home. Reality TV is not reality. We see people turn into diva monsters all the time for a few minutes of cheap fame. A great discussion starter with the kids about the realities of reality TV and how human lives should not be treated lightly.

I encourage parents to read this series if they have kids reading or watching them! If you want to learn more about them Scholastic has a great site to check out. Have you read the books and seen the movie? Did you allow your tweens or teens to see the movie? What are your thoughts.

Here is Meg’s blog about the movie. Notice how much time she spends on Peet and Gale! Arghh!

DVD Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks ChipWrecked

movies, Reviews, Stuff No Responses »

Mar 252012

I have a confession. I don’t like Alvin and the chipmunks. I loved them as a kid, but I have matured since then and while I may laugh here and there I have not sat through a whole movie.

My children on the other hand think these movies are the greatest things since cheese pizza and were thrilled when I got a copy of the third chipmunks movie to review. Elle has watched it at least three times in as many days, I got three of them dancing on video the night we opened it up. The special features part shows you the dance moves to a few of the songs. Even my girl who insists she doesn’t want to watch the movie is laughing from the other room at the jokes. A hit for the kids I tell you!

Out on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download on March 27th, you’ll be seeing this in stores very soon. The tunes are catching remakes of current hits and fun to dance to. Go ahead and buy it, it will get the kids moving and give you some dinner-making time!

I’ll put a few coloring pages and an activity page on my Facebook for you to print off if you have a fan in your house.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of the above mentioned DVD from Fox Home Entertainment for my honest review on my blog. No other compensation was given.)

Talking Body To Tweens

A Mom's Job, Health and Hygiene, Parenting, Teendom No Responses »

Mar 222012

Racing towards adult-hood :(

I have an amazing power that was only recently discovered. I don’t twitch when the word puberty is said. I not only don’t twitch, I get happy and love to talk about it with parents and girls. Girls only. I have no idea about the boys.

Armed with this new super power I recently worked with a teen counselor and we put on a program for some local Girl Scouts. We held it around Valentines Day and called it Loving Your Growing Body. It was complete with snacks and door prizes and I have to say it was a huge success. I was elated afterwards that twenty girls ages 9-16 knew how and why their bodies were changing, that it was healthy and normal. Also that ten of them attended with their moms and the continuing conversation was started that day for some of them.

Remember that I always encourage parents that there is no “The Talk” if you want to have healthy communication with your kids. There needs to be several small conversations over several years that make parents and kids comfortable with each other so that when and if a big topic or issue pops up, the scene is set for loving and supportive communication.

I am excited to be working on a similar program at the hospital where I work. I want to develope a program for girls to attend with their mom/grandmas. I believe that knowledge is power. Girls (and boys of course, though I know nothing about them and frankly they scare me sometimes!) armed with the knowledge that they are healthy and normal are going to make better decisions. I hope they will delay having sex, will feel better about themselves and not take abuse, have open communication with parents. I feel that the current programs that are in place for this age group are very lacking in that they do not encourage communication with family and when it comes down to it the family is responsible for passing on their values and those values are what is going to form the child. If you are secretive about bodies with no communication your child will most likely have a lot of unanswered questions or obtain incorrect answers from other sources, this may lead to very bad choices.

At the end of the program the evaluations were all positive, I had one mom who wished I hadn’t talked so much about menstruation, but others were asking for more. They want a class on sex, a 16-year-old was asking good questions about her cycle. Kids want to know, they just need a trusting place to ask. Hopefully that place is at home.

To clarify here, there was no talk about sex or birth control. Girl Scouts don’t go there as they are about empowering girls through fun and educational program activities and building self-esteem. This program was simply about feeling good about yourself and knowing the changes that happen to our bodies are normal. The moms who stayed really loved it and learned things they needed to know about helping their daughters prepare for what is to come.

All of this said. Only one of my own daughters came and she admitted it was just for the great goodie bag (several places and people donated beauty and hygiene items). The older two helped me put together the packets and said that they had seen it all. I am mom. They don’t want to watch me talk about boobs and pads to other kids. I get that. Frustration was felt, but I get that. My baby at age seven is not ready for a class like this and I am happy about that. I want kids to be kids as long as they can.

Just today my almost ten-year-old was asking why her butt was so big when she was only a kid. My answer was truthful. “Your butt isn’t big, it’s a woman’s butt. Your body is going on 16 while your mind is about 8 or 9. One day your mind and body will even out, but until then the process can be trying.” No easy answers, but compassion and understanding and hopefully we will get through this one-day!

My Sci-Fi Experience

It's all about me! No Responses »

Mar 152012

As most of you know I had breast-reduction surgery February 28th. It seems like a very long time ago in some ways, and yet I am still recovering! Ahhh. I know it was an elective surgery, so I feel like I cannot complain, but I may just a bit anyway. I guess complain isn’t the right word, maybe I should say express my thoughts.

My first thought is WOW. Surgical pain is very different. I have a whole new respect and empathy for moms recovering from a Cesarean section. It was hard recovering on my own, let alone throw a newborn baby in the mix. Granted most c/s’s are not done under general anesthesia, but still the surgical incision itself is hard to recover from. For women having breast surgery for cancer and having to have cancer treatments on top of the surgery..I cannot express how sorry I am. It is unfathomable to me the struggle you go through, but I have an inkling now of your process.

Speaking of anesthesia. I had no idea how long it lingers in your body for a long time. Five days post-op, I turned yellow, had sweats and horrible bowel issues. I felt like my body was purging poisons. After talking to others who have had surgery, this is normal and is blamed on the anesthesia.

I have had a couple of people ask me if I can tell a difference or if I am happy I had the procedure. I honestly have to say that it is to early for me to say it was worth it. I know that in just a few weeks I will be happy, but right now I’m just trying to heal and dance the line of pushing myself to get better and rest enough as to not wear myself out.

So where does the sci-fi come in? Imagine Frankenstein walking like C3PO. That is a picture of me my first post-op week. Thankfully the stitches are hidden so you will just have to believe me on the Frankenstein thing!

Slowly I’m turning into a human again. If you see me driving please don’t be offended if I don’t wave, I am conserving my strength for driving and cannot lift my arm up to high at this point.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, support and errands you have done for me!

Trying To Figure Out The Social Media Thing For My Kids

A Mom's Job, Entertainment, Family, Moments With Meg, My Soap Box, Parenting, Safety, Teendom 1 Response »

Mar 092012

I must tell you that the knee-jerk reaction I have when I think of my kids joining social media is no, absolutely not, never and lets just not even go there. Why do I feel this way? Well, it is just one more thing to monitor for one, and I just don’t need anything else to my list to check on. My daughters also see their friends five days a week if not more, so they are not lacking socialization.

My oldest daughter, Meg, does think it is somwhere she needs to go. Hmm. Now I have to do that parenting thing and not the dictatorship thing that comes to naturally and makes my life that much more easy. Meg will be the magic 13 this October and is already being strategic about getting onto Facebook as 13 is the legal age to have a Facebook account. I will repeat, Facebook allows you to have an account when you are 13. I repeated that because many parents don’t know this or don’t care about this rule. I recently learned that everyday Facebook kicks off around 100,000 underage kids. It irritates me that parents allow and encourage their kids to break the rules. Go ahead, teach your kids that rules don’t apply to them, we need more entitled kids in this world (sarcasm).

I have noticed that many of Meg’s friends are on Facebook (underage) and even have open to the public accounts. Not even the basics of safety have been undertaken. That scares me. Are we just ignorant as a society or in total denial that bad things can happen to our children?

Okay, back to my own house. I know my kids will be exposed to social media at some point, Actually they are already on Yoursphere network. I love Yoursphere and have tried to get Meg’s friends on it so they can talk and be social online together in a safe place, but it didn’t take. The kids were already on Facebook. I even recommended it to the middle school principle and PTO as a fundraiser and a solution to the social media problem at the school. No go. This at a school that at the orientation spent the majority of the time talking about “mean girls” and social media problems that they were having with behavior.

At a recent Girl Scout event they offered a Hip Pop session for parents/leaders covering social media basics. The one thing I really took away is that we want our kids to be innovators of social media/computer not just consumers. Meaning we want our kids to learn and create things not just stare at a screen. He suggested that we get our kids blogging, making movies, even writing apps. I was pleased that Meg already fits in this category with her blog.

To sum up this all over the place post, I am working towards a plan to raise media savy kids who are productive in our techy climate. I will share my plans and ask many questions on this quest.

I have a headache already. Why can’t they just stay little and be happy with a few places?

Don’t forget to enter my St. Patrick’s Day giveaway! Ends March 11, 2012

DVD Reviews: Strawberry Shortcake

movies, Reviews 1 Response »

Mar 072012

Taking me back to my childhood in the 80′s is the release of two new Strawberry Shortcake DVDs just in time for Spring! Bloomin’ Berry Garden and Berry Brick Road and both Family Approved movies that the younger set (4-8 years old I’d say) are sure to enjoy. Both DVD’s come with downloadable coloring pages, which are great for rainy days and Bloomin’ Berry also has a music video on it for the kids to dance to.

Berry Brick Road is as it sounds, a take of the Wizard of Oz, a story most kids are familiar with and enjoy different versions of. Bloomin’ Berry Garden tells a story of the characters being magically shrunken down and it features them running around a garden with huge (to them) plants. I think I may show this to my Girl Scout Daisy troop as we talk a lot about plants, flowers and gardens!

Two fun and age appropriate DVDs to keep your kids entertained while you clean the house!

Don’t forget to enter my St. Patrick’s Day giveaway! Ends March 11th.

(Disclosure: I received copies of the above mentioned DVDs in exchange for my time in reviewing them, no other compensation was received. Amazon links are not affiliate.)

St. Patty’s Day Giveaway! Cheryl’s Cookies and The Popcorn Factory *3 Winners

Giveaways, holidays, Reviews, Stuff 8 Responses »

Mar 072012

I love sugar cookies. I hate to make them, but I love to eat a fluffy, soft, melt in your mouth sugar cookie with the sweetest of frostings…. Cheryl’s Cookies anyone? If you have yet to try a Cheryl’s Cookie you have to find one right now and gobble it up. They are just that good!

This Cheryl’s Cookies Shamrock Treat is just $5 with shipping included. It also has a $5 rewards card included for future purchases. A sweet, inexpensive way to tell someone….what do you tell people on Patty’s day? Oh yeah to tell them: Kiss Me I’m Irish and I sent you a cookie.

Another fun St. Patrick’s Day gift is a tub of green pop corn from The Popcorn Factory! Green Butter Popcorn is sweet, salty and buttery so you cannot go wrong satisfying your cravings. This sells for $9.99.

I used to not do much for St. Patrick’s Day other than put green food coloring in the toilet (told the girls that the Leprechauns peed in it!) and when the girls are in Kindergarten they make Leprechaun traps. Years ago I started buying Hubby Guinness beer though and I think he likes this tradition! I may have to step it up a notch and start sending out these fun cookie cards and popcorn tubs to friends and family as well.

Or maybe I will just order them for me and eat them while the kids are at school. Baahaaahaaa!

Do you want to win a St. Patty’s Day Cookie Card and Green Butter Popcorn? Simply leave a comment telling me what you find attractive about Leprechauns. For an extra entry you can like Cheryl’s Cookies and Brownies on Facebook, please come back to this post and let me know you did.

Giveaway is for US and Canada addresses only and you most likely will not get your treats in time for the St. Patty’s Day Party you are planning. Three winners will be chosen random.org. Contest runs March 7th until March 11th at noon. Thanks!

(Disclosure: I received a sample of the above products and no other compensation for my time and opinion.)

TV Numbs My Brain

Stuff 1 Response »

Mar 062012

I don’t watch much TV. Hubby and I have a few shows we watch together, Blue Bloods, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory. I watch Parenthood during the day on Wednesday as a special me treat. Now that Meg and Mita are getting older we watch Survivor, The Firm and Downton Abbey with them, and of course the whole family watches American Idol together ( I tend to blog during the show or read). Reading that back, it seems like a lot, but not all of the shows are on the same viewing season. All in all, I can take it or leave it most of the time.

Today makes a week since I had my surgery. A very long week of being uncomfortable, in pain, wacky or just felling blah. I was able to shower today which is the highlight of the week. I sit in Hubby’s chair most of the day and slept in it until last night. Being in this chair leads me to watch TV, since it’s right in front of me. As I type right now I am watching Bonanza. That’s right, old Hoss Cartwright and Little Joe. My brain is numb. There is nothing on worth watching. I even watched a little reality TV, Cake Boss.

Watching it reminded me of why I hate reality TV shows for the most part. These shows typically do not have enough material for an entire time slot. So to fill things up a bit they re-hash the heck out of the material they do have. It is used as a teaser on the previous episode, then a teaser before the opening. Then at the start of the show after EVERY commercial break they show us what just happened.

Like after three minutes I’m going to forget? They show the same part so many times my kids know the words by heart and say it with the people on the show. Do they think we are dumb or am I right that they don’t have enough material? Are we so distracted that they keep showing us the same clips so that we won’t flip the channel, so nothing will surprise us? Do this drive anyone else nuts?

I keep trying to read a book, but my medication numbed brain just cannot concentrated. Please, oh please let me be able to read soon. I will go nuts with this TV crapola I’m stuck with! I did indulge in Pay Per View and watched Contagion today. LOVED it! It reminded me of the days when I wanted to work infections desease at the CDC. Oh the days of dreaming ;)

Photo Credit

The Other Side Of The Curtain

Health and Hygiene 2 Responses »

Mar 032012

As a nurse I have sent many patients off to surgery. Open heart, hernia, back surgery…surgery of all kinds. I have washed, prepped and educated people about upcoming happenings.

Last Tuesday I was the patient, and let me tell you it is very different. I felt flustered at times,surreal at other times (like, this didn’t just happen) and the pain. Well, surgical pain is different from other pain…hmm.

I had a great experience at the hospital and with my nurses and doctors. I firmly state that breast reduction should not be done on an outpatient basis, but that is an insurance argument not one with my doctor. My discharge nurse told me that penis surgery, such as rods or implants are not done outpatient. Bitterly she said this. Bitterly I took this. My hubby and my mom took over and did everything for me the first two days and I did well, but I feel for those without great support systems.

Ha. Support systems. Yeah, my surgical bra is quite the support system. I will be buying more for sure and it could be a few months before I actually spend money on a real, honest to goodness bra. The swelling is that crazy.

So coming from the other side of the curtain I have learned how to ask for help, and to make sure you have someone there to remember things, as I didn’t remember much.

I’m sore, but healing, tired by healthy. Thanks all for the prayers and good thoughts. I don’t know how often I will blog. At this point I cannot even read for long periods of time without drifting off to sleep!

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