Christmas

Christmas around here sucked this year.  Not just for us but for a lot of families around here.  One week ago today on Saturday December 21st Matthew woke up with a fever.  There was an ice storm heading our way and all our Tylenol and Ibuprofen we had on hand was expired.  I took off for the drug store.  After giving him meds he was acting normal and the day went on.

Later after dark the ice storm made it's way to us.  During the night I was woke by the sound of branches all our the neighborhood falling.  I have never been so scared to be in my own house as I was that night.  Early Sunday morning I woke up and was literally to scared to go back to sleep.  We have a very wooded lot with big trees.  I was sure one was going to come through our ceiling and pin me to the bed.  I was sitting on the edge of the bed looking out the living room window and the sky turned bright blue, not once or twice but three times.  Transformers blowing.  Panic stricken I just sat there staring wondering when our power would go out.  There is a transformer right out front of our house.

Six o'clock... the furnace had just kicked on.  Then the house goes dark, power came back on for a split second then off again.  Just as the damn furnace was kicking on.  The sound of falling branches was deafening, more so now that there isn't any power.  How I managed to fall back asleep I have no idea.

Daylight... about 8am.  The boys are awake.  David is sick.  101.3 fever.  Awesome... sick kid and no power.  I go to the garage and see daylight.  Tree branch came through the garage roof with so much force is punctured a door we had laying across the rafters and took it back up to the ceiling with it.  Dumping everything on the door on the hood of my car.  Luckily only one small dent.

Our yard is a mess...

So I come back in and make Paul get out of bed.  He sticks his head up in the attic to make sure there is no holes, none thank GOD.  As the morning goes on Paul heads outside to check out the house.  The boys and I snuggle in my bed.  Matthew falls asleep.  When he wakes up I notice he is warm again.  Both boys have a fever of 101.  Awesome... two sick kids and no power.

We wound up taking the boys to Urgent Care where one tested positive for the flu.  Even though they had the flu shot a week before.  Apparently it takes two weeks for it to get into the system.  I will not wait that long ever again.  Since half the city is without power we had to make quite a trek to find meds and wind up at my parents house who have power.  Matthew says "This is the worst day ever" and he's right.  I can't keep sick kids in a house with no heat.  David throws up his meds and refused to take anything.  I wound up taking him to the ER.  His fever was 103.

Monday I went into work late, they had power.  After work I got my cat and took him to my parents.  We wound up spending two nights at my parents then on Christmas eve we went to my in-laws for two nights.  I did take the small Santa stuff and a couple gifts to open.

Then Thrusday mornig around 9am ish our neighbor across the street who stuck it out through the four whole days of now power text me and said the juice was back on.  THANK YOU LORD.

So now, the cat is back home and happy.  I am happy.  The boys are feeling much better, now just acting like they have a cold.  We finally had Christmas here Thursday night.  Santa left the big gifts here so the boys would have a surprise when we got home.

Kitty got some catnip mice... He LOVES them

Matthew got the uno dice game he wanted.

More dinosaurs for David.

And Captain Underpants book for Matthew

 Books are awesome

And Toys!

Yesterday and today it's warm enough to melt the ice off all the trees.  I think we are safe now but there are still tons of people in the city with no power.  Our city is LYING to us about this issue.  The power company only has 15 linemen and turned down outside help.  The city is trying to cover their ass and there are tons of people pissed.  It's now been a week and there are still people with no power.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day was pretty uneventful.  The next day however, everything went to hell.  Paul woke up not feeling so well.  I went off to Meijer to hit some black friday sales, I don't go early.  I go late and see what's left.  I'm not crazy enough to go early.

I thought Paul would be better by the time I got home.  He wans't and I started feeling crappy.  Turns out both of us had a tummy bug.  I wound up being worse then him.  I had it *TMI* coming out of both ends.  Paul just had the back end.  Saturday we sent the boys to Grandma Anne's because we were so weak.  They came home last Sunday.  Monday night when we picked the boys up from after school David was sick.  He went right to bed when he got home.  Woke up to go potty and get sick once then was out again.  Woke up after 8am Tuesday morning MAD he was late for school.  He slept for 14 hours and was fine Tuesday.

It took Paul and I all week to really get back to normal.  My anxiety is starting to bother me again.  It always does this time of year.  I'm trying to deal with it and get over it.  Stupid anxiety.

The boys have been good.  They are doing good in school.  Our tree is up, stockings are up and we are ready for Christmas!

Teeth & Kid free Disney!

Loose teeth.  Missing teeth.  Either way it's gross.  Paul does NOT handle that kind of stuff.  I do.  I don't like it but someone has to do it right?

David lost his front right tooth a few weeks ago. It was barely hanging on and Mommy yanked it.  Then tonight Matthew's front left was really loose and he wanted me to yank it... so I did.

Toothless David

Toothless Matthew

 

So that's that.  If you look you can see Matthew has one missing on the bottom.  We noticed it a few weeks ago that it was just... gone.  No idea what happened.  No bleeding, nothing.  He had no clue it was gone.  Must have swallowed it.  Now... if only the adult teeth would hurry up and show.

In other news... A month ago Paul and I took a kid free trip to Disney World.  We had so much fun.  I advise every couple to take a kid free trip.  It's AWESOME!

Paul got to meet Lou Mongello... Google him.

Butters

Meet Butters... my fur baby.

His name is Butters

I just call him Kitty.

He is six.  Born June 1, 2007

He is a male orange tabby and I love him.

He's about 12-14lbs and LONG.

His tail is long and when it walks it's straight up.  The boys and I refer to him as a remote control kitty.

I have never had a pet that was attached to me like this cat is.  He is like a dog in some ways.  He will actually follow me around the house under my feet.  I trip over him and have even stepped on him.  He can usually be found in my lap.  At night he's by my side until I fall asleep then he usually at my feet.

I recently came across some interesting cat info.

10 Signs Your Kitty Actually Loves you.

1. Head butting. If a person were to do it to you, then you’d have a pretty good idea of what they were trying to tell you, but with a cat it’s a whole different story. To be on the receiving end of what is actually known in the cat world as ‘head bunting‘ is a very special privilege indeed. During this exchange your cat deposits facial pheromones that represent their feelings of trust and safety they have with you.

Now he doesn't actually head but me but he sniffs my forehead and then licks me right between the eye brows.  I always kiss him on his forehead.

2. Powerful purrs. Cats purr for all sorts of reasons, but there is one unique full bodied rumble that your kitty saves exclusively for their true love. Purring also lowers your kitty’s heart rate and helps them to relax and exhibit feelings of contentment.

Yes my baby does this.  Sometimes it's so loud when I'm betting him in bed that Paul can hear it and it annoys him.

3. Love bites. If your cat is a chronic nibbler, then chances are they’ve got a thing for you. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between a love bite and a regular cat bite, one hurts and the other tickles! Nibbling isn’t a common sign of love, but when a cat employs it, they’re trying to say “you’re awesome.”

Kitty never bites.  He did on accident once and it freaked him out.

4. Tail twitching. You can tell a lot by looking at a cat’s tail. Just as their tails puff out when they get scared or agitated, their tail will twitch at the very tip when they are feeling bliss. If you notice this action when your cat approaches you, then you can be sure that they think you rock their world.

He dies this all the time.  I cannot go potty by myself.  Kitty is with me and he'll twitch is tail not not just the very tip.  It's like his tail is vibrating.  It's very funny and I've never seen another cat do it before.  It's almost like he's saying... Hey I'm here... pet me.

5. Tummy up. When your cat throws itself on the floor and starts rolling around, they are trying to get your attention. Cats only show their tummies voluntarily to those they can trust. Feeling safe means a lot to a cat, so when they sprawl out in front of you, this is a sign that they feel loved and protected.

He does this mostly for Paul because he knows Paul will give him a good scratch, like the deep down hard scratch that kitty loves.  I don't scratch as hard and Paul so he doesn't do it much for me.

6. Licking your hair or ears. It’s not often that humans are deemed worthy of these very special grooming sessions, but if your cat has chosen to bestow you with hair or ear licking, rest assured you have been welcomed into the inner circle. Grooming is one of the most obvious signs of the friendship and trust you have with your furry companion.

Nah, he's not one for licking hair or ears.  Just giving me a kiss on my forehead.

7. Kneading. Kittens knead against their mothers to stimulate milk production, which is why experts believe that kneading behavior in cats is nostalgic of kittenhood and acts as a way of reliving the happy moments they experienced as little ones. So next time your kitty starts moving its paws up and down on you, remember that they are not just trying to soften you up before taking a nap, but that they’re expressing their adoration for you.

He doesn't really do the type of kneading they describe here.  He kinda does it in his own "I'm a big lazy 13lb cat" way.  He kinda does it one paw ish and will do it toward my hand when he's in my lap.

8. Slow blinking. It is said that cats kiss with their eyes, so don’t expect to share this sign of affection with any old cat. Cats save eye contact for people they know and trust. If that eye contact is coupled with slow blinking then you’ve just received a kitty kiss. Return the love by mimicking the behavior.

 

 He makes LOTS of eye contact with me when he's in my lap... well all the time.

9. Nap time. Kitties crave warm safe places to sleep, so if your fluffy feline decides to snuggle down beside you or better yet, on your lap, then you should feel especially honored. Cats are most vulnerable when they are sleeping, and there is no greater compliment than when they choose you as their snooze spot.

 

ALWAYS... unless the boys are really annoying him then he naps under their bed.  Go figure

10. Gifting. There is no denying that a small dead something is not at the top of our wishlist, but a kitty that presents you with this bounty deserves to be praised. Despite our domestication, cats still have the inner hunter and sharing their prizes with you is a sign of true friendship.

 

NEVER.  Luckily we don't have rodents in our house and he doesn't go outside.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/10-signs-your-kitty-actually-loves-you.html#ixzz2ht3wwhdy

I love my kitty and I know he loves me.  We've bonded.  He acutally helps my mood and helps my anxiety.

The worse part... litter and cat puke.

Weight Loss & Me

I had a doctors appointment a week or so ago for my normal every six months med check.  I was NOT happy with my weight.  I didn't realize I had gained that much.  My eating habits had not changed in fact they had gotten better.  The doctor gave me an appetite suppressant, and sent me for blood work to check my thyroid and sugar levels.  I've been on this medication a full week now and don't see much difference.  The only difference I do see is I don't snack as much and I start to feel full sooner so I guess that's something.  I havne't heard about my blood work yet.  I'm going to call on Monday and check on that. 

I wanted something to help me loose weight because I have a hard time exercising.  I can't even walk a half mile without my hips and lower back hurting so bad I can hardly stand it, and I'm not even that big.  I think it's more of where my weight is.  It's not like I am lazy because honestly... I want to work out and exercise but I have no desire to be in pain.  But I've got to do it for myself and for my family.  I want to be the skinny me that I was before I got pregnant.  I'm a skinny girl trapped in a fat girls body and I HATE IT.

In other news...

The boys are doing GREAT!  David is fighting a cold which is acting more like allergies.  It's only a runny nose that comes and goes.  They have started 2nd grade.  Two weeks ago. They are enjoying it so far.  David has a male teacher.  He taught the all boys class in previous years so he is used to the wiggly ADD in boys so I am hoping he will be a great match for David.  Matthew has a new teacher.  I'm still a little eh.. about it. Well see.

Exciting (for me and Paul) news.

Paul and I are taking a 2nd honeymoon the first week of October.  We are going to Disney World without the boys.  We enjoyed ourselves so much on David's wish trip so we decided to take a trip without them and do all the things we couldn't do with them.  Today we are 36 days away from our trip!

Well that's about it.  Hope all is well with everyone else.