5.31.2007

Curbside Shopping

Can you believe someone put this on the curb for trash pick-up?!
Fine by us, Jeff simply knocked on the door, told them we were picking it up, said thank you, went & got a new tank, made several delicious dinners since then.
They upgraded.
So did we.
Thank goodness for upgrades.

5.29.2007

Gabe's Profile

GABE Loves his binky
Hates having his diaper changed

5.25.2007

Bubby Could Be a Big Brother

I just heard several of you read that & gasp.

No, I'm not pregnant, nor will I be (less the vans deferans tubes decide to play a cruel joke on us & fuse back together)....


But today is May 25th.

3 days ago Gabe turned 21 mos.


This is the exact age Flynn was when I gave birth to her baby brother.


Can you imagine? Knowing Gabe, can you see him as a big-anything?

It kinda puts it in perspective, just how old (or young rather) Flynn was when she was no longer the baby.


It's scary too. But if you asked Flynn she wouldn't have it any other way.


And neither would Bubs.

5.24.2007

Flynn's Profile

LOVES her soy milk
HATES spending time at home

5.23.2007

Cuteness

It's a very busy day today.... the usual, dishes, laundry, dirty behinds....
But, I always have a few minutes to jot down some cute things about the kids...

  • Gabe's new thing is kisses on the cheek. I'm so glad he's inclined to go for the cheek, as she sometimes forgets & plants smooches on loved one's lips (icky). This used to be random, but now at request, he takes a long lean over & strategically lands a love on our jaw. I'd pay $100 for one of those.
  • Flynn has taken to being chummy with friends on playdates & such. Yesterday, at a church playgroup, she took a liking to our friend Savanah, who she fondly called SABANA, the whole time. SaBana took her down the slide, swung her, and followed her around like a Mother Hen. When we were leaving, Flynn said, "Maybe I could go over to Sabana's & play today." yeah right.
  • Gabe hit his head REALLY hard today, while we were out playing. I actually heard his skull hit the wood. And while I expected to see lots & lots of blood, I scooped him up & ran inside to get ice. What was he most upset about? He screamed & bucked & swung at me & swung at Sissy, cuz by golly, HE WAS TICKED OFF THAT HE HAD TO COME INSIDE.
  • Flynn learned Sunday, about God's everlasting presence; their lesson was in the book of Joshua. She's never talked so much about what she's learned at church... and the whole ride home Sunday evening (from Aunt G's house), she told me, "Mommy, God's with us. We don't have to be scared. He's always here. He never leaves us." She fell asleep talking about it. Isn't that a great way to nod off?....talking about the Lord's presence?

5.22.2007

Shave & a Haircut...

Get Lost.

I was not completely satisfied with the hairdresser I'd been going to for the last couple of years. So, I started looking at some local friends' hairdos, and asking who they saw. So, a girl in my MOPS group has great hair, lives here in town, & I figured she probably wasn't the unreasonable type to spend too much money.
So, I got the salon name, the hairdresser's name, and called asap to make an appointment.
Since I don't get to get pampered in that manner, once every 4-6 months, I always plan it around a date or wedding or some other occasion where I'd like to look decent.
So, I scheduled it before E's brother's wedding & started counting the days to having straight hair for a night.

Two months later, when I arrange to leave the kids & go get 'perty', I drive up to the salon to see it dark inside & a note on the door. My heart sank. The shop had been closed.
Do I listen to reason?....do I drive away & accept that perhaps it was best for me?

No. I get out of my car to read the paper, and I see that "Barb" (name NOT changed) is now at Infinity, which was described to be a block away.

When I pulled into the parking lot, and saw it sitting RIGHT NEXT to a tattoo parlor, I should've just kept going. But I was desperate. I needed some glam. So I parked & went inside. Even despite my detour, I was still exactly on time. So I walked in, explained that I actually had an appointment at the "closed" place, and could Barb fit me in?

Miraculously, Barb had kept my appointment. But didn't emerge from the perm she was doing, until 5:20. My hatred for tardiness just makes me a better teacher, so I don't excuse it. Especially when I am a patron.

So she finally brings me back. I had two pictures.... not a lot shorter than my current hairstyle, but more layers, as I was hoping to have the option of fixing my hair like Farah Fawcett (I know, I know). But TWO PICTURES. So how hard could it be? Really, it just required of her, that she cut more layers, then fix it right.

Some background on her. She looked to be in her 60s. She looked good for her age. And looked like she worked out, ate well. But still, lady, you're in your 60s. And if my mom ever dresses like this, I will barf. And the whole time I talked to her, and showed her things about my hair, she only looked at her OWN reflection. It was bizarre. And it was love. (her love for herself).

So, she winds me through the smokey smelling "salon" to a couple of sinks in the back cozies up RIGHT NEXT to a nail station. PS She never put a cape on my to wash my hair. And no towel under my neck, etc. She spent the whole time she was shampooing, chatting with the nail tech. She wasn't even looking at me, and was spraying the side of my face. And, at one point she said, "Oops, that was the third time I shampooed you." So clearly, I was not the object of her focus.

Next (& after seeing how ditzy she was I should've retracted my appointment for the wax), she waxes my brows (which later showed to be COMPLETELY UNEVEN). Then led me back to her station for the haircut (by this time it was 6, remember, my appointment was 5). And as soon as she start combing out my hair, her next appointment came in. She acknowledged them, just as she had acknowledged EVERY SINGLE person who walked through the door. She even turned her direction away from me (when I was mid-sentence) to talk to a person who came in.

Next, she begins scissorhands....she cuts...and cuts...and even though I told her less than 1/2" (I somehow have decently healthy hair), I see strands of 3-4" falling into the floor. I told her that altho I wanted to be glam for the day, the next 90 days I'd be wearing a ponytail, so please make sure that the shortest layer will stay back in a ponytail (yet today, 2.5 wks later, I have a strand tucked behind my ear).

Then, she's done cutting & gets out a blow dryer. She's talking to other people, looking at herself, and half hazardly blowing & using her FINGERS to pull on my hair...when I reminded her that I'd need the hair to be smooth for the style. I told her that I use a large paddle brush & a chi iron to smooth my hair. She said, "Using your fingers is just as good." But I don't need my cosmo cert to know that makes separeted & curly hair.

So, after she'd pulled out 1/2 my hair w/ her fingers, and greeted everyone who entered, she looked at my reflection & said, "So, what do you think?" I couldn't believe it. It was frizzy & she hadn't even tried to fix it. And the whole back was still wet (which meant spiral curls when it would dry, on its own).

I said, "I'm sure I'll like it once it's been fixed."

So then she takes out a curling iron & he ho hems around about hating that particular iron. And it starts to stink, she comments on the smell, then takes a section of my hair & "attempts" to curl it. She acted like she was either paralyzed, or had never used an iron before. It was awful. Then she leaned over & peered at the picture & made a comment at how it looked like my hair.
Remember the Friends episode where Monica's hair is frizzy?...well, imagine that toned down a bit, with a curling iron curl on the side.

It looked STUPID.

And I could see it on her face. She knew the next appointment was getting impatient (because by this time it was 6:30), and that she'd have to wrap it up with me EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T EVEN CLOSE TO GETTING MY HAIR TO LOOK LIKE THE PHOTOS.

So she says, "Well, I'd fix it for you, but then I'd have to charge you for a hairdo.... and that's a lot."

I just wanted out of there. Otherwise, I would've argued with her that I wanted one, and that I hated my hair, etc.

When I got home, I realized that she'd charged me for a blow dry (an extra $3), even though my hair was sopping wet in the back.

Lessons learned: Don't get your hair cut next to a tattoo parlor. If you show up for your appointment, and the place is closed, don't persue it, Just accept God's advice & go home.

5.21.2007

My Mantra

Can mantra be synonym to excuse?
Either way, here's a cute poem...

Some houses try to hide that fact
That children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly--
The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors.
I should apologize, I guess,
For toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read.
And if the bathtub doesn't shine
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when, at times,
I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other,
I want to have a lovely house,
But first I'll be a mother.

--Author Unknown

5.20.2007

FOOD ALLERGY WEEK

Last week was food allergy week.

So I figured I'd lift some facts from another blog & post them, for all to see.

Here goes...

13 Facts about Food Allergies:
1. Scientists are reporting an increase in food allergies over the past decade. In particular, peanut allergies among young children doubled between 1997 and 2002.
2. Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.
3. Food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) outside the hospital setting.
4. Eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.
5. There is no cure for food allergy. Strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food is the only way to prevent a reaction.
6. Food allergic reactions result in over 30,000 emergency room visits each year.
7. It is estimated that between 150 and 200 people die annually from anaphylaxis to food; including children and young adults.
8. Approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergy.
9. One in every 17 children under the age of 3 has food allergy.
10. Milk allergy is one of the most common in young infants, with 2-3% of children under three years of age allergic to cow's milk proteins.
11. Trace amounts of a food allergen can cause a reaction. Patients should be on guard for hidden ingredients (such as milk or peanuts) in unsuspected places such as candy, baked goods, trail mixes, sauces, desserts, and gravies, just to name a few.
12. Medications can even contain dairy (Prevacid Solutabs is one example).
13. Virtually all infants who develop cow's milk allergy do so in the first year of life, with about 80% ‘outgrowing' their milk allergy by their fifth birthday. Nearly 25% of these milk-allergic infants retain their sensitivity into the second decade of life, and 35% go on to develop other food allergies.

5.17.2007

Putting You out of Your Misery

Oh for crying out loud people...

Here's my quizzie poo & the answers (since no one seems to know me very well except Hannah & Linda)...

Question #1
What day did Jeff propose to me?
May 1st
March 22nd
January 4th
April 1st


Question #2
What's my favorite color?
orange
pink
blue
periwinkle


Question #3
What was the name of the boyfriend I had at 16?
Matt
Jack
Scott
Jason


Question #4
What was my first college major?
nursing
teaching
advertising management
macro economics


Question #5
What boy band autographed my pregnant stomach?
hanson
jars of clay
n'sync
barenaked ladies


Question #6
What did I surprise Jeff with at our wedding?
a song
an engraved ring
his long lost aunt nancy from japan
a tattoo bearing his name, across my bosom


Question #7
If I could change anything, what would I change?
the war
flynn's allergy
the size of our humble abode
my breasts


Question #8
My favorite book in the bible...
Matthew
Jeremiah
Daniel
Proverbs


Question #9
One surgery that I'd have in a heartbeat...
breast
lyposuction
eye
facelift


Question #10
Number of kids I always wanted?
4
1
3
2


There. Now, I feel all better.

BFF & other people

We recently went to a wedding of BFF Elizabeth's baby brother. When we were in third grade, her mom had her baby brother, which seemed so cool. I wanted a baby brother. But that wasn't an option. So I thought she was even cooler.

Anyway, here are some of the photos from the reception...

Could my husband be ANY HOTTER? My gosh.

This Charlie's Angels pose was long overdue.... after 20-something years of friendship, why hadn't we thought of it sooner? Too bad my egg-shaped dress makes me look pregnant... NO!, I'm not pregnant (I'd have some "serious 'splainin to do to Jeff." Altho -- look at him! -- I'd love to have another one of his babies.

In third grade, E invited me to her b'day party, that's when we started becoming good friends, but she moved in 5th grade to Arkansas.

Heather & I became BFF in 4th grade, while in girl scouts together.

E moved back from AR our sophomore year. Things were a little rocky, we got a little competitive, a little like the Heathers movie.

But here it is 15+ years later...

I think we've worked out our differences.

5.16.2007

My Wishes are Granted

The other day when I was looking at old posts, to confirm that I had indeed been vomitted upon last year, I ran across a post including my wishlist. For whatever reason.





Anyway, I read it & chucked, as God has answered nearly all of those wishes, here they are...





5.12.2006

My Wishlist
1. A level backyard, perfect to play in this is partially answered, as we had a 20x20 spot cleared, and are in the process of getting a super cool playset finished up



2. A year of good health (well, a lifetime of health would be great) Yay! For the most part, my ailments were gone, too bad it was Jeff that opted for weird stuff last year


3. My babies to LOVE sleep Well, they don't LOVE it, but do usually sleep the nite thru


4. A self-cleaning house with a couple more bedrooms & a FULL basement not this year at least


5. A work-from-home job CHECK! My new gig at church allows me to work about 1/2 of my 20 hours from here


6. A better ear for hearing God's voice God would have to comment on this one


7. A good working back On my way to that... maybe the shots will help


8. A good working lawn mower CHECK! Thanks to the IL's


9. Energy & desire to clean the house DESIRE?, no. ENERGY?, a little more this year, since I'm not the Perry Dairy, having every ounce of nutrients sucked from my body


10. A smaller butt Um, no, & that's all I'll say about that

This was March...You can ALMOST see the rainbow thru the trees, it was a full rainbow (which I'm sure they all are, but you typically can't see the whole thing), but I could only get the one side on the camera.

5.15.2007

Good Day for Ducks

Got more shots. What a pain in the butt (literally). But sometimes the things that we need kinda hurt at first.

And Turdburg again. This time poopy footprints down the hall. Seriously.




And here's some pics from the Mom's Day breakfast at church...

5.14.2007

Keeping With Tradition

We here at the Perry household, have lots of traditions...



  • making muffins on weekends

  • church on Sundays

  • praying every night

  • puking on Mom on Mother's Day

Keeping up with our annual Mother's Day PukeFest, Flynn vommitted twice yesterday. Just like last year.


But we still managed to squeeze in MY GIFT, looky-looky at my prides & joys...



5.12.2007

You've Outclassed Them All!

Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!

Proverbs 31:25-31 (The MESSAGE)

5.11.2007

Mommy Dearest




Again this year, I'm excited to be a mommy & have a special day for us.

And to also celebrate the Mom I have... all she did & sacrificed for us growing up....and all she continues to do.

And to my MIL, who raised her little boy, to become an incredible man, who became a fabulous husband & unbelievable daddy.

And to them both, for being the most awesome grandmothers that my kids could have ever asked for. God hand chose you to be role models & guardian angels for my babies.

And another opportunity for me to thank God for my beautiful kiddos.
I do get somewhat sentimental this time of year as it is when the baby we lost would've been born. I have to give thanks for that life too -- the short time I knew about the baby growing inside of me, lent me the insight once again on the preciousness of having children. And reminded me of the shortness of life, and miracle of birth, the blessing of health.

We should be so thankful everyday...

Happy Mother's Day!

5.09.2007

Deep Thoughts 5

Flynn: Mommy, Remember last day (yesterday), when Grammy came over?

Mommy: Yes

Flynn: That was really fun.

Let's Hear it for 'Roids!

No, I don't mean hemorrhoids...
I mean steroids.

I've been having some hip/leg issues, which I assumed stemmed from the horrid back pain I've lived with most of my life (which had manifested itself once again, the past few weeks).

Finally, forcing itself to be seen, my leg had started doing this fabulous, as well as entertaining, trick.
I would be walking (or hobbling) across the floor, when suddenly, my leg would give out; sending me plummeting toward the ground. Painful?, yes. Stupid?, yes. Pretty darn funny?, yes.
Usually when this would happen, Jeff would yell, "SNIPER!"

The pain I had been in was awful. My back, my hip and my leg, were all keeping me from dancing with the kids (well, okay, it didn't keep me from dancing all the time), but sometimes it was so bad, all I could do was collapse in the recliner. Well, that, and watch the first series of GILMORE GIRLS on dvd (thank you Kim!).

So, I went to the doctor. After a lovely & head-pounding MRI. The good news is that the MRI showed NO bulging discs, no degenerative discs, no tiny people living in my back.
However, I have bursitis (not as bad as it sounds) in my hip.
The doctor's diagnosis was a cortisone shot in my hip, some good strong drugs (YES!), more shots next week in my back (pinched sciatica), then some manly stretching at therapy (YES!).
Did the shots hurt bad? Yes. But I did pass 2 kidney stones (one the size of Utah) 10 days before pushing Gabe's giant noggin from my loins. So, a large, long needle being stabbed into my hip bone was really nothin'. Not to mention, knowing it was going to rid me of some of my pain was all the inspiration I needed.

So, I had a horrible night. So the drugs did nothing but make me want to puke up the raw cookie dough that Jeff & I shared at 10:00 while watching MILLIONAIRE.

But when I woke up feeling like an 80-year old who had just undergone a hip replacement!!! It made me want to run outdoors, jump on my rascal, & challenge my young friends Ethel, Norman, & Helen to a rousing game of shuffleboard!

I want to shout it in the streets! I can walk across the floor with no pain! Woohoo! Bring on the salsa lessons! (can we Jeff??) Sign me up for a marathon! (okay, so first I'd have to be on Dr Phil's obesity show to shed these extra 45 lbs).

I said all that to say, "Friends & family, I'm feeling much better. I can only imagine after next week's shots. I'll be 100%!"

Disclaimer: last night's meds are probably still in effect, hence my lack of coherence & sense.

5.08.2007

TOP TEN TUESDAY



TEN THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM GABE...


10. Bald is beautiful

9. Weight is not necessarily a measure of health

8. There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking like an olive atop a toothpic

7. The nickname, Bubby, really does stick

6. It really IS funny to throw your food on the floor

5. The high chair is a really relaxing place to nod off

4. Papa is #1

3. So is Daddy

2. The nursery at church is no fun at all


And...the #1 thing I've learned from Gabe is....


1. Talking is overrated! (& for girls)


5.04.2007

You Are Now Entering Turdburg

Some people have their morning coffee.... they can't function til they've had a cup.

I have

my computer.

There are some days where I don't talk to anyone taller than 3 feet. So, my outlet is my computer. Spending five minutes here & there makes me feel like the walls surrounding my little abode, are a wee bit bigger than they actually are.

So, this morning, I stumbled into the livingroom, eyes still crusty, back still stiff, and I plunked down into the office chair.
Gabe was wide awake, he had been playing for a while when I 'rescued' him from his bed. So he had no interest in cuddling.

So, I engrossed myself in the computer. Finding out a bit about the world, the newest on Anna Nicole's baby-daddy-saga (not really), checking my favorite blogs....
when here comes Gabe, barreling down the hall, eyes twinkling like he's won a prize.

I just smiled at him & returned my focus to the monitor.

When then, I felt him drop it on my bare leg.

IT

was

a

turd.

Yep, a small ball of poop.

Now, I'm legally blind, so sometimes my eyes don't focus correctly.
But yep, after giving them a good rubbing, I concurred that indeed, my eyes were focused enough to see that I did have feces on my leg.

A good mom would think nothing of a little poopoo on her leg. She'd reach down & take it to the toilet. But not me. I stared at it. And I screamed. And then I started barking orders,
"Get me a kleenex!!"
"No, get me a wet wipe!!"

Then what followed was similar to a circus. You could call it Cirque de BM. Flynn trying to find the wipes, then taking the boxes of tissue off the box of wipes. Then trying to get the box open. All while I'm screaming, "WHERE IS THIS POOP FROM???"

After the doodoo had been removed from leg, I went into detective mode.
Just where did this mysterious turd come from?
You would assume it was Gabe who blessed me with the gift of brown...but he had footed pjs on.

So, I went on a hunt. No poo or hint of it anywhere. Flynn offered that she thought the turd was from "the hallway." Gabe just looked at me when I asked where he got it.
I was in a panic.

We never did find out for sure. Flynn still sleeps in a diaper as I have not even begun to work with her on staying dry all night...and part of her wake up routine is for her to take off her diaper & put on underwear. So, this poo mystery could've been best solved had I witnessed her diaper.

So, for now, I'll just spray the entire wall-to-wall carpet with Lysol.

5.03.2007

Driver's License



I'd imagine that I'll be a little more nervous when she strarts driving a 'real' car.


But I'm not sure she'll be.

Aren't hand-me-downs so much fun?

Flynn's cousin Conner has passed this down to her, as he's now a big kindergartener & his long legs are needing taller things to ride on, like 4-wheelers & stuff.

5.02.2007

Clouds

Deuteronomy 33:26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.

(these were taken from the backyard)


This is called 'God's Hands', someone sent this one to me.

5.01.2007

TOP TEN TUES.: Ten Things I've Learned from Flynn

10. Being THREE instead of TWO really is better for all parties involved.
9. Potty training really does take over a year.
8. Daddy's girls are best.
7. You can be both a tomboy AND a princess.
6. Brown eyes are best.
5. Itsy-Bitsy Spider is a vital part of dance class.
4. Tackling life with zest, is the funnest way.
3. No one is a stranger (so much for "stranger danger").
2. Braids are all the rage.
And the #1 thing I've learned from Flynn...

1. Bubby is cute, cuz he's sooooooooooooooo cute.