Bob

Meet Bob. He's on the right.

He's our foster dog from the Brookings Regional Humane Society.
He's a puggle, just like Stewie. But since Bob is 1/4 the size of Stewie, we question what Stewie's mix really is.

Bob is really fun to have around and our family really loves him. In fact, we love him so much, that if his adoption fee wasn't so expensive, we would likely adopt him as well.

Bob is awesome with kids and loves to play with other dogs. He has some cute little quirks, like kicking out his back leg if Stewie is getting annoying. Bob slept in our bed last night, along with Stewie. And Bob has had no accidents. We love Bob.

peace and quiet

My plate is full and it's making me crabby trying to figure out how to do everything. I probably wouldn't have such a hard time with everything if I wasn't so tired all the time. By the time I get home from work, I am so famished I can't even get on the treadmill, or gather laundry, or barely cook supper. I'm sleeping by 9:30. And ready to sleep now.

This week has been crazy busy at work. The worst part about it is that I can't get my job done in 40 hours, so I end up working over 40 hours, but I don't get paid for it. That's the crappy part. I'm such a perfectionist and I want to do a good job because that's how I roll.

The housework is never ending and I seem to get no help with the laundry. Boo hoo, right? Well having 8 people in the house creates a lot of laundry. Last weekend I washed over 12 loads of clothes and then started on the bedding. Well here we are again at Thursday night and nobody has put their dirty clothes in the laundry room. I think I'm on strike. At some point, somebody is going to run out of clean clothes and complain, I assume.

Girls are still busy with basketball and now Shaylee is doing club volleyball along with the basketball. All the kids seem to have homework, or projects, or books to read, or rooms to pick up, or toys all over the place. I'm just so tired and want some quiet. For once....peace and quiet with nothing to do would be awesome.

stitches out

Devin got her stitches out while I was working today. Mike said she just giggled and giggled and showed no signs of pain, once again. Seems to be a constant thing with her. It's still wrapped and protected by the finger guard.

I also learned a little more about Devin's reaction to when this all happened. I was giving her a bad time tonight because she won't look at her finger. Today she still wouldn't look at her finger. So I asked her if she looked at it when it happened and she said she did just to see if it was bleeding. She said it was and said there was a big drop of blood hanging on the bottom. Mike failed to tell me the rest of the story.

Devin was going into shock. She looked at her finger and then started to shake, so the teachers had to keep talking to her to keep her alert. They asked her questions constantly and asked her about Christmas. Then, one of the teachers even rode with Mike in the truck to keep talking to her on the way to Brookings. I guess the teacher later got a ride with one of her roommates.

Sure would have been nice to know the whole story, but I guess that's what I get for not asking questions.

Devin's finger is still white on the side. The tip is still pink. That is good. The stuff on the side will likely fall off yet. As will her nail.

Devin's doctor visit for finger

Devin had a doctor visit yesterday for her finger, so I picked her up from school and the 4 of us headed to the clinic. Jayden was pretty excited to see the scale. I'm glad simple things can entertain him! There will be a link at the bottom of this post you can click on to see Devin's finger uncovered if you are interested in that type of stuff. These pictures that follow are safe. :)

Devin wasn't nervous at all, as you can see. The only thing she said is she didn't want to see her finger. She hasn't even complained that it hurts. She's one tough cookie that's for sure!I think the kids thought I was silly for bringing my camera along to the doctor, so they had to pose for some silly pictures too. I hadn't seen Devin's finger until they unwrapped it at the clinic, which was a big deal to begin with because the gauze they used was supposed to stay wet and not dry so it doesn't stick to the finger. Well, this gauze did the opposite and dried tightly to her finger. She had to soak her finger in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide, which I would have thought it would hurt. However, Devin said it didn't. The peroxide sure fizzed a lot though.Devin said she would probably have to lay on the table, so she popped right up there to wait. She still didn't want to see her nail.This is how she stayed the entire time. Facing the wall, making sure not to get a glimpse of her finger. This is the portion of the gauze that glued to her finger that had to be soaked. As she lounged on the table, she laughed and giggled. Sometimes she would have one eye open, but just ONE. :)The doctor was happy with how her finger is healing. He showed me how the nail had been pulled upright and why they had to stitch through the nail. He tapped on the tip of the finger and it was pink, so he was very happy to see that as well. There must have been a concern with how bad the cut was that she may lose the tip of her finger or the feeling in it, but he never told us that initially. Devin's finger is wrapped up again and has a plastic finger guard to help protect it. It's very important she doesn't bump her finger as it would cause intense pain.

The doctor said Devin will certainly lose her finger nail. And based on how the finger looks, she will have a pretty good scar. The finger was cut all the way around the tip and really chewed up on the one side. She will go back on Tuesday to have the stitches out and continue healing from there.

If you are interested in seeing pictures of her finger, uncovered and in all it's gory, click here. It will take you to a different spot that will contain those pictures. I didn't want to post them directly into this post because not everyone wants to see gruesome photos.

Devin's cut finger

Mike called me at work this afternoon and asked when I was done working because he had received a call that Devin got her finger stuck in a hole and got cut and they think she needs stitches. I couldn't get away from work at that moment, so he arranged to get her picked up and took her to the clinic. In the meantime, I called the teacher to ask how bad it was, to which she said it was pretty bad.

Mike got her picked up and took her in. He told me it was bad. She had stuck her finger in a small hole on a basketball hoop pole and then someone turned the hoop which caused her finger to be cut in a perfect circle. There should have been a bolt or a screw or something inside that hole, but it was open, so when the hoop turns, the hole essentially gets blocked off by the inside pole. Except this time, Devin's finger was in the hole and got pretty mangled.

Devin ended up getting 6 stitches in her finger. Even after being bandaged up it still continued to bleed. It has stopped at this point, so that's good. She's been in quite a bit of pain and didn't eat her supper. I will be taking her back to the doctor on Friday morning because he wants to see her again.

We went back to the school after Mike was done at the clinic to see what exactly happened. We were told that the janitor was going to find something to go in that hole right away, whether it be a bolt or screw or something. The director of the after school program talked to the principal about insurance because I had questioned who would be paying for the medical bills? My theory is it happened during the after school program, which we pay for, so they should have some type of insurance to cover accidents and liabilities like this. Well she didn't know the answer either, so now the Superintendent has been emailed.

I understand that sporting events are not covered when accidents happen, but when something happens to my child when I am paying for them to keep them safe, I would expect them to cover the bill. It will be a battle to get the answer we want, I suspect, but I do plan to investigate further and not back down. I questioned why that old basketball hoop is even there. And then to hear other people say that they have seen that very hole before and didn't do anything about it really strikes me as odd.

In the meantime, we will continue to take care of Devin and get her finger healed. Hopefully the pain and long term effects are minimal.

Sunday

Not much to write about. Mike has been sick with a headache all day. Puking sick. He's in bed sleeping now, so I'm hoping he will feel better tomorrow. That's typically how this works for him. He gets a headache every few months and spends an entire day puking and then he's fine.

Shaylee is at a birthday party tonight. I thought it was last night, however, I am glad it's tonight instead because she didn't get home from her basketball tournament until almost 5pm. She would have been too tired to have fun at a party. I dropped her off at 3:30 today at the motel. It should be fun. There were a lot of squealing, giggling girls in bikini's! I'm sure there won't be much sleep tonight.

Back to work for me tomorrow. I'm taking my holiday on Friday instead. Keeps my work schedule much easier to keep straight and since my job allows us to use our holidays as floaters, I thought why not!

The other kids come home tomorrow. We'll have to go to Watertown to meet them and do the switch. I think there's also snow on the way tomorrow.

should be

I should be dressed.

I should be on my way to Clear Lake.

I should be anticipating the day watching my oldest in her basketball tournament.

I should be enjoying some time away. Just me. Watching her.

I should be getting bleacher butt (aka...sore butt from bleachers).

I should be happy that it snowed.

I should be doing laundry.

I should be letting the dog out.

I should be picking up the house.

But alas, I am sitting under a warm blanket, watching two boys play the Wii, listening to the dryer sing, the washer clean, the dog snore, the cats hiss, the floors creek, the furnace hum, and the wind blow because it snowed. And when it snows, even just a small amount, it means my husband works and my motherly duties of watching the younger two kicks in. Therefore, I stay home, until my husband comes home, and if there is still time, I will then head to the tournament. In the meantime, I stay warm under my blanket, typing to you.

tidbits

Yesterday I did the same workout, with a combination of walking and jogging. It wasn't as easy as the day before. I'm guessing it's because my body was still tired from pushing it the day before. Today and tonight I have been too busy to get any activity in. Not good.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Clear Lake for Shaylee's basketball tournament. I guess it's just an 8th grade tournament, so Shawndra won't be going. She can't anyhow since she went to her mom's house for the weekend.

Mike will be hanging out at home with the boys. Dalton and Jayden that is. Dalton ended up staying home this weekend and it had nothing to do with his choice. He wanted to go see his mom, but since grandpa is the one who meets us in Watertown and he only drives a single cab pickup, there isn't enough room for all four kids and grandpa. He was pretty bummed and we felt bad that he couldn't go. Shawndra doesn't usually go to her mom's because she has practice or games going on, so since she decided to go this time that meant one of the other had to stay home. It sucks that their mom can't get her act together, but that's a whole nother story that I'm not getting into now.

Sunday we get to meet Jayden's preschool teacher for his last semester in preschool. It's hard to believe he will be starting Kindergarten in the fall.

I'm hoping to get some decent pictures at the tournament tomorrow. It seems lately the pictures I am taking aren't turning out great. Really hoping tomorrow is different.

me jogging

Yep you read that title correctly. Me jogging. I always dreamed I would get to that point, but never thought I would actually be able to do it. When I've tried in years past, I have started to fast and almost been at a sprint. Not tonight though. While walking on the treadmill, I wanted to see what I could do. I actually pushed myself into jogging mode. 2 minutes without walking. I actually did it. That may not seem like much to you who read this blog, but to me it's a huge monument. To make it even better, I actually jogged 2 minutes 4 different times tonight.

I'm so proud of myself! It wasn't fast, but it wasn't at a speed where I could walk. This is my year! This is the year I will do this!!

a great day

Today was an awesome day. The weather was beautiful, even though I am bothered by the lack of snow. I took the dog on a long walk while wearing no coat. It's just not right that it's January and it's this warm and there is no snow. By this time of year it should be cold and the ground should be white. I'm really hoping the snow comes soon because it is my favorite season. However, with it being my favorite season, I can't complain that I'm outside in the fresh air getting my activity it.

Tonight Mike and I went to Shawndra and Shaylee's basketball games. We didn't win. But it's OK because my parents were there and it's always fun to sit and chat during these times. Poor Shaylee took off towards the other teams court and just about crossed over, but everybody screamed and she stopped. She felt so embarrassed and bad. It happens though and that's what we told her. Life goes on.

fitness challenge thoughts

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new eight week fitness challenge we are starting at work. I'm excited and anxious about it because we've never done anything like this at work and I feel like it will be an extra boost to what I am already doing at home.

After taking a month long hiatus after Thanksgiving and through Christmas, I find myself re-losing a few pounds I had already lost. I was bummed to see I had gained some weight back, but in reality, I knew I would gain over Christmas because of all the good food. I also knew that I would be getting back on track to how well I was doing after New Year's Day, so for me there was always a light at then end of the tunnel. Or a guide for me.

The first few days after New Year's were definitely hard for me. I have such an addiction to food that after I binge like I did over Christmas my body starts reacting with signs of withdrawal to the junk food I used to feed it. I feel a sense of panic when I crave a food and don't let myself have it. I make my willpower kick in and get me through the moment. Food thoughts consume my thoughts a majority of the day.

I'm an emotional eater and I eat more so when I am bored. The minute I start wanting to eat, I take the time to figure out how I am feeling. I am physically full, but my body is reacting with hunger signs which make feel like I want to eat, or chew, should I say. It's not that my body is hungry or needing fuel, it's my mind playing tricks on me making me feel like that's the normal thing to do. Eat.

Now that the accountability will follow me at work as well as home, I am excited about what the future holds. My mind is on track. I'm getting in activity every day, drinking lots of water, and focusing on my good healthy guidelines. Sometimes those guidelines are hard, especially getting 5 fruits or veggies in every day. Today when I was walking the dog, we even jogged three different times. It's not far or long, but it really gets my heart rate up. I have a goal of completing a 5K by this summer.

Wish me good thoughts and luck! I know I can do this.

name writing

I am so proud of my baby right now. OK, so he's not my baby so to speak, but he is the youngest and he is mine. Anyhow, he has always had troubles with fine motor skills due to low muscle tone in his hands and arms. Tonight we worked hard on counting and using his fingers in the positions to represent numbers, then progressed to name writing since he was still interested. This was the end result. I am one proud mama.

computer

My new laptop finally arrived yesterday. I'm so thankful for my husband because he is a computer whiz and he knows how to set everything up. The best thing he did was to transfer everything from the old laptop to the new one. It took 25 hours! But it was all done through the network, so he didn't have to do it manually. I talk like I know what I'm talking about. :)

The funnest part of tonight was when I finally got to put my hands on it and Skype with my sister in Florida! We had tried on my old computer, but the microphone didn't work. The kids got to see her and talk to her and she got to see them and talk to them. It was great.

After 5 years, I think it was time for a new one!

volleyball

Somebody must have informed the person in charge of the calendars....finally.....because the link finally works! The calendar is up and practices are coming soon.

club volleyball

Club Volleyball is stressing me out. Considering I have to pay a big chunk of money for this program, I would expect a better support system when asking questions and getting information out. It all started when there were tryouts, but I learned that day that they aren't really tryouts that it's more of a "if you choose to pay the fees, you are in", so then I was faced with the decision of if we could afford to do it or not.

After we sent in our registration papers once we decided we would do it, we were told we would receive a phone call from the coach letting us know what team she would be on. We didn't receive a phone call, but rather an email, and a day late from when we should know.

The next irritating factor was that I had specific questions to ask the director, which I had done a week prior to the forms being due. I forwarded the same email to the same person the day the forms were due. After all, I had questions on how volleyball practices and basketball practices and games work together. I never received any replies until 5 days after the forms were sent in.

After we were told what team she was on, we were told we would receive the practice schedule before Christmas. Today is January 3rd and we still haven't received it. However, today they sent out an email saying the Academy calendar is up on the website. So I go to the site and click on the link that says "click here" (haha) for the volleyball schedule and all it does is takes me to the homepage (again), but in a new window. Frustrated, I replied to the email from the director about the calendar. I have still received no replies and I continue to check the site, which still has the incorrect hyperlink.

I fished around on the site trying to find someone who I could email my questions to, but of course that is the same person that sent the original email that hasn't replied to my email.

I am so frustrated with this process so far. It's like waiting for nothing when everything is on the line. Did that make sense? Ha, probably not. All I know is practice starts in two weeks, but I don't know anything more than that. So trying to put together volleyball and basketball will be a last minute arrangement, I guess.

Or maybe I just need to turn to dog bones to destress myself. :)

another year...this and that

Happy New Year! We welcome yet another year into our lives, with new hopeful resolutions. Each year it seems the same things get started, the same dreams and resolutions. To lose weight. To save money. To be a better parent. To spend more time with the kids. And the list goes on and on.

Last year I made a typical resolution to lose weight, but the most exciting resolution was to stay on top of developing pictures and put them into albums. I made huge progress on this one. I have gotten all of the pictures (all 13,000) sorted, prints ordered, and albums started. I did run out of empty photo albums, so until I can purchase more, I have lots of prints sorted by date in a box waiting to be put into an album. The albums I do have done have been flipped through many times by the kids. Why didn't I do this sooner?!

We have also ordered a new computer which should be here in 1-2 weeks (hopefully sooner). I have never backed up my pictures, so I finally got that done this week with many thanks to my husband. I bought an external hard drive and transferred everything over. It was a little trickier than I expected, but with Mike being such a whiz at computers, I let him do the work.

The first resolution about losing weight, I made some progress on this fall, but went on hiatus at Thanksgiving. I plan on getting back on track this week. I would like to make a ticker to put on the blog to show the progress I make towards this, but haven't got around to it yet. Plus, it's still a hard subject to be so publicly honest about. We'll see how I sort out these feelings and how I choose to project them or not.

Over the last 5-6 months I have often thought of ending my writing and sharing in this blog. However, something keeps me coming back. I think it has something to do with the fact I have been blogging for almost 4 years now and I hate to end something that is fun to go back and look at. My goal this year is to continue blogging and update more regularly. Initially it may be daily, but I honestly can't foresee staying that on top of it as time passes!

I have opened up comments on here again to anonymous people, so feel free to leave your comments. If the spam starts up again, I may have to stop, but for now, let me know what you think...if you want.

Happy New Year! Let's bring on 2012!