Our Family Table

New Understanding

2009-06-24T10:32:00.003-05:00

Throughout my course studies thus far, I've learned many new and important concepts in the world of business and accounting. It has definitely been an exciting and informative ride. The preciseness of it all, the laws, how ethics play such an important role, the numbers (oh, how I love the numbers!), and the basic fundamentals of how every step has a counter step. There are no sidesteps, no room for error, and certainly no room for goofing around. My studies have definitely become a second full time job for me!

Throughout all of this I am coming to realize that a good portion of the accounting principles I've been taught in the 'real world' thus far are wrong, or seriously outdated and don't necessarily follow GAAP procedures. Not that they aren't accepted practices for a good portion of the small business community, they just aren't generally accepted throughout Corporate America.

Someday, I hope to leave this small company I have called home for the last 17 years and discover me in a different world. A world were family ties don't affect business. A world where things can and MUST be done by the book. A world where I have an education and the knowledge and understanding that come with that. A world where I am heard.

I see now that not only have I been taught against most commonly accepted practices, but my voice has been squelched for much too long. I am a prisoner of my family ties. I am held captive by my fears of 'rocking the boat'. I am suppressed against calling out and forcing right to have it's say. I have trekked on for too many years just accepting and never making a difference. I see now how I and my family have suffered personally for all of this. I have found a new determination within me to somehow someway change all these circumstances. I don't know how yet but I know the path that will lead me there is through my continued education.

I WILL persevere. I WILL find the light at the end of the tunnel. And damn it I WILL come out the other side better off for it!

Random Thoughts...

2009-06-18T13:53:00.004-05:00

... from my first day on these 'wonderful' diet pills ....

Gosh I hope these work this time
It's really hot in here
I think I could burn calories while sleeping right now
Wish someone would bid on some of my eBay items
I think my insides are gonna switch places with my outsides
wonder if my ramblings are coherent
would they let me leave work to go run circles around the building?
is it 5 o'clock yet?
my children are strange ... hey ... I'm just sayin'
I think I could pick up my car and spin it like a baton.
I know if I were home my house would be clean ...
why couldn't I have started these on a day I was gonna be at home?
it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm STILL not hungry
depression hurts. who does depression hurt? everyone. where does depression hurt? everywhere.
I think it's the little blue specks that do it.
bet hubby's glad I'm blogging instead of rambling on and on to him like I have most of the day!
feels like a good day to WALK home ....
haha, anyone want to guess how far my house is from work?
I'm a little afraid of these wearing off ...
It might hurt when I fall over wherever I'm standing.
Is it time to go yet?
Hope the boys win the tournaments
Oh no! ... that's tonight.
Why do I always crave cigarettes when I'm taking diet pills?
How can I not be hungry and my sugar hasn't dropped all day?
That guys motorcycle is really loud and annoying.
Wish we could leave here already.
Anybody got a jump rope?
running in place ... can't beat it
Is it 5 o'clock yet? ... yes I know I asked that one already.
Wish we could take a vacation this year.
sure is pretty (and hot) outside
visited all my usual online spots and still nothing to do
this would be a good time to clean the office wouldn't it?

Okay, okay, I'll stop already! Sorry for boring you all with my randomness today but it feels like a random kind of day for me.

Taking a break ... priceless

2009-06-17T09:22:00.004-05:00

You know, I've realized something about myself. It has come to my attention, that I love being busy. This is probably a fact well known to those close to me but for some reason has eluded me. Right now for instance, I'm working full time, going to school 'half' time, (attempting) to keep up with a blog, am an eBay seller, trying my skills at homemade bath product production, closing the softball season with two boys in different leagues .... (deep breath) ... and all of this while handling the daily 3 kids and the hubby, household chores, meal prep, 3 dogs, illnesses and ailments (of the children and hubby nature because we all know MOM doesn't have time to be sick), and daily trying to remember where I left everything and what needs to be done next to it.

Which of course brings me to another subject, my memory, or lack there of really. It seems that the more I have on my plate the less I can remember where I left the damn plate in the first place. Just today for instance I left the house saying to myself and hubby, "I know I'm forgetting something. What is it?" (deep sigh) Of course ... my phone ... didn't realize that until we were half way into town. Then forgot to give Little Tyke his seizure medicine before school, had to go back for that. Got all the way to work only to realize, 'duh', breakfast .. left that at home too.

I think though seriously, I'd go absolutely out of my mind crazy if I didn't have something to keep me busy with all the time. Some days though I do wish it was just a tiny little bit less.

All that said, I would like now to throw in a few updates since last time I rambled here.

Last Monday was supposed to be Baby Girl's specialist appointment in Atlanta. Unfortunately, there came about a snafu with our insurance and we had to reschedule. It took us 3 months to get the first appointment so I guess waiting another 2 months for the second one won't seem like so long. (the last statement of course is DRIPPING in sarcasm) I wish we could get answers for her and make her better. It's so frustrating as a mother to not be able to help your child. A mother (at least THIS mother) feels like she should be able to wave that magic wand and all the aches and pains would dissolve from her child's body. Why isn't it that way? Why can't a mother have magical powers like that? I mean after all we have 3 hands and eyes in the back of our heads, why not a magic wand too?

Yesterday ended the first week of our new term. College Composition I and Accounting II are proving to be more intense than last semester. Of course I'd already suspected and prepared myself mentally for that to be the case, so I guess I should be glad not to be disappointed. It's interesting though how your mind (or at least mine) fails and falters during study time with 3 kids running and screaming about. Just the other day for example I was trying to study the SOX act (the laws that came about after the Enron and other like scandals of the early 2000's) and apply it's principle's to a 'fake' company and write about it .... WOW ... legal jargon is difficult in and of itself ... but try to translate while a 4 year old is pulling on your sleeve repeating, "Mom, can you fix me a drink? Mom. mom. MOM, can you fix me a drink?"

"Not right now son, Mommy's busy. Ask Dad."

"WWWWAAAAHHHHHHH. I hate you. You don't love me anymore. You KNOW I just want a drink. You KNOW I want YOU to fix it for me! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Yeah, that's right, trying studying through that and see how the work turns out!

I suppose I should report too that hubby is finally over the allergic rash that he's had for 2+ months now. We finally found a high enough dose of steroids to counter the allergy and the rash is subsiding. We're still waiting on more labs to come back, hopefully with answers as to the cause. Also on the subject of dear hubby, he's back to normal activities after breaking a bone in his foot. We were beginning to think it never would heal. Of course, kicking and dropping items, and having children step and fall on it, probably didn't help much either. But thankfully, he's back up and going.

Well that about wraps up my rambling for now ... see you again next time.

Water Dangers

2009-06-02T15:03:00.007-05:00

Today I received an email from a blog I subscribe to .... http://www.amberalertgps.com/blog/ ... it caused me to pause a moment and thank God for Little Tyke (well, for all my children to be honest). You see it was a reminder of the dangers of the water as we enter the summer swimming months. About 2 1/2 years ago, my baby slipped away from my parents at their home, he was 21 months old. After a frantic search my daughter (then 7) found him floating face down in their pool. He was lifeless and unresponsive. She screamed for my dad to come and help. Dad dove in, pulled him from the water, and performed CPR on him until he again took his first short struggled breath. They rushed him to the Emergency Room where he was worked on for what seemed like hours. He miraculously only spent one night in the hospital before coming back home to us. The doctor talked to me that night, parent to parent, and said simply that it was nothing short of a miracle that brought my baby through this ordeal. He had medical reasons but each on their own weren't enough to have saved him. All the circumstances had worked together in our favor that night. It was God's Hand that saved him. The water was the right temperature to cause him slight hypothermia which in turn slowed his breathing and heart rate, a few degrees warmer and the outcome would have been very different. He was pulled from the water at the 'right' time. My Dad had learned CPR back in college but had never used it. Somehow he remembered exactly what to do. They didn't wait for an ambulance but rather drove him to the hospital themselves. The doctor's said that the wait for an ambulance would have been to long to have saved him. All of these factor's and more happening together in just the right way at the right time was the miracle that saved my son.

For me, there has been no greater pain or heartache on this earth than for my child to have nearly been taken from me. The daily remembrances of that experience still haunt me and likely always will. His memories of it however, thank God, are much better than mine. Yes, even at 21 months, he has memories of that day. I am so thankful that he can tell his story and witness to others through it. You see, on that day, when his breathing stopped and his body began to shut down he saw the Angels swimming with him. They played and swam and helped him until his Poppy got there. He is very proud of the fact that God sent His Angels to help him and swim with him that day.

Please take our story and remember to use caution this summer and always around water. Here are a few tips (from amberalertgps blog) that you should take to heart.

Never leave a child unsupervised around water. This includes bathtubs, pools, hot tubs, shallow wading pools, and lakes. Children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.

Never rely on water wings or bathtub seats to keep children from drowning.

Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside-down and out of the reach of children.

Keep toilet lids shut.

Small children should be accompanied by an adult when swimming. The adult should always be in arm's reach of the child.

Take the time to get your child in swim lessons. Swimming is not just for fun, it's a life-long, life-saving skill.

Always swim with a buddy. Swimming alone is very dangerous.

Adults and kids over age 13 should learn infant and child CPR.

First Term is OVER!

2009-06-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

Well, okay, not officially ... not 'til tomorrow. But I've completed all of my course work for the term and completed my finals. It'll still be a bit before the final grades are revealed, but I've gotten the first term behind me anyway. Now it's the waiting game. The new term begins on the 10th, so I've got a week to relax at least before beginning all over again for the next term. I'm so excited (and nervous) to move on to the next step. These next classes, Accounting 2 and College Composition, sound much more daunting than the classes I've just finished.

Monday will be our appointment with Sis at the neurologist down in Atlanta. We're hoping to go down on Sunday and catch the Braves game then stay the night and be up and ready for our early morning appointment. Hopefully we'll finally have some answers to her muscle and joint pains, weakness, fatigue, and the host of other symptoms and complaints that we've dealt with for the last year or so. We know already that she'll have to undergo Muscle/Nerve conductivity testing for starters. What else they'll do in diagnosing we don't know yet. Please keep us in your prayers during our travels and her testing.

I'll be sure to post again when I can (hopefully) brag on my grades as well as offer a post-neurology report with (again, hopefully) a diagnosis.

Birthday Time Again!

2009-05-27T19:21:00.006-05:00

Well, it's official ... Big Brother is 12. Today is his birthday! Happy Birthday Bubba!! As I've mentioned before, birthday's are a big deal here around our family table. It's a time to celebrate, sing, joke, socialize, and most importantly ... to eat! Today has been pretty low key but we plan to make up for it over the course of the next few days. Tomorrow we'll be going out to dinner with LOTS of extended family in honor of his birthday. (That's a given tradition around here). Then Friday after work we'll pick up several of his friends and take them to eat at our local CiCi's Pizza before heading home for an all night movie and fun night. This year is a little different for us because he's getting big enough to not care about the traditional 'little kid family party' anymore and instead wants to spend the time with his friends. I'm sure that will only get worse as time goes on! So for now I'm holding onto 12 for all it's worth. One day we'll look back on these times and wish we could have them back I'm sure.

The last twelve years have been interesting to say the least. Big Brother is our first born. We've been through so many ups and downs with him to get to where we are today. We've been through a tough pregnancy, terrible delivery where we both were nearly lost, ADHD, night terrors, asthma, sleep walking, you name it and we've probably been through it with him! We've also been in the front seat for all his many accomplishments as well. Academically being an honor roll student, being extended the honor of attending the Extend Program, helping the less fortunate at Christmas time through the angel tree program, and much much more. He is so very loving and caring .... yet strong and opinionated all at the same time. He is stubborn and hard headed but with the biggest heart you'll ever find. He wants so much to please others. He is a wonderful son, student, brother, and friend. We are so proud of him.

'This is for you baby! Your Dad and I love you very much and wanted to wish you this special Happy Birthday and many more to come!'

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

2009-05-26T16:22:00.004-05:00

I am posting this blog entry to ask for prayers for our little cousin, Tater-Bug. She is 4 years old and has been sick for several weeks. It all began with a virus causing pneumonia. Within days of the pneumonia being diagnosed, she became very tearful and complained of pain especially when walking or standing. Upon closer examination her mother found what appeared to be large bruises rapidly developing over her body. They began on her buttocks, legs, and arms, quickly spreading to the rest of her body as well. She looked, and still looks, like a child severely beaten. She has already and is still suffering with painful arthritic symptoms, bursting blood vessels, swelling, vomiting, etc. This condition is causing her little body to, in a manner of speaking, attack itself. What began only a few weeks ago as a simple illness has now raged through her body and has now reached her kidneys. Please keep her in your prayers and spread this humble request through your prayer chains and circles.

For more information on HSP, please visit the link enclosed in the title.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T20:42:00.006-05:00

This has turned out to be a very nice long weekend for us! Despite me beginning it sick! (Yuck!) But thanks to an arsenal of cold med's and a hefty dose of steroids I made it alive. Friday night Sis stayed with a friend for an end of school year party. So, Saturday morning began bright and early picking her up for our trip to the kid's schools to get their report cards. For the most part we spent the weekend at home being lazy, except for the necessary household chores. Then, today I treked out with all three kids to the city park for swimming and exploring the walking trail (which they are currently adding on to). We had so much fun! The weather was so iffy throughout it all though, but it really worked out well. It rained hard on us all the way into town, the whole time I'm thinking, "This is not good ....", and even said to the kids, "Well, you said you wanted to get wet today. I think you're getting your wish." But the clouds parted for them to swim and hour or so before heading off on the walking trail. We came back for another hour or so of swimming after. I figured we might as well since the rain returned during our walk and soaked us again! It was so nice to relax and spend that quality time with the kids. I think they really enjoyed it as well. It's days like this, that are few and far between, where I really step back and wish that I could slow down more often and enjoy these times with them. It seems we are constantly on the go with something. I really wish it weren't about to end. But all good things must as they say, so tomorrow we'll hit the grind stone. Meanwhile we'll remember days like today and look forward to the next.

Happy Memorial Day! Hope yours was the best in your own way. And remember to say a prayer for those heroes who've fallen to give us freedom, after all, that's what this day is really all about!

And the winner is ....

2009-05-22T08:38:00.012-05:00

Sorry guys, I guess it's been a while since my last post. Life always seems to have a way of catching me up in it and not allowing me time for the things I want to do. Anyways ... like I said ...

And the winner is ....

!SUPERIOR!

That's right ... Little Tyke's team, in his first year of playing softball, has finished the regular season UNDEFEATED!! Of course this victory hasn't come without (you guessed it) plenty of playing in the dirt, looking the other way, being hit in the head with a bat (thank God for helmets), yelling, screaming, jumping up and down, whining, and of course the wonderful world of disappearing children in a crowd of onlookers (nothing like loosing your 4 year old in a crowd to stop your heart). So with this very proud Mama moment comes a sigh of relief that at least for now ... IT'S OVER! We still have Big Brother playing and tourney's are coming up but at least our world can slow down a tiny bit anyway and in that slow down we can celebrate with Little Tyke his first sports victory!

More updates to follow soon as I finish up my first term with Kaplan (and take my first set of finals!), Sis has her specialist appointment down in GA, Big Brother starts playing football, and Little Tyke slowly increases the anti-seizure med's. Hopefully as we get all of this behind us things will fall back into a pace that I can handle. In the mean time be sure to check out some of my favorite blogs from bloggers who have the time to keep it rollin'....

Frugal Front Porch

Almost Frugal- a frugal blog

Freebies 4 Mom

The Papa Bear Memoirs - A Dad, Parenting Blog

Knot on the Noggin

2009-05-05T12:53:00.003-05:00

Well, I've about decided that my daughter is more accident prone that even I am. I really didn't think it was possible but apparently it is. Growing up I was always getting hurt in some way or another. Mom spent more time in the doctor's office or at the ER with me it seemed than she did with either of my sisters put together. (Sorry Mom) Well, now it looks like I'm getting paid back. Aside from the muscle/nerve issues that we're in constant visits over, she seems to always have a sprained ankle, wrist, elbow, knee, or some other knot, bang, bump, cut, or bruise. Last night was her most recent trip down 'oowie' lane. It seems that my dear darling daughter needed to reach something that was behind the chair she was sitting in. Instead of behaving like a normal person and getting out of the chair and walking around behind it to pick up the item ... (I know, novel concept isn't it!) ... she thought it would be best to climb and perch on the back of the chair and precariously reach over the back to reach the object. We are assuming at this point that she lost her balance and fell hitting her head, not once, but twice on the hearth as well as bruising and scraping her back. I say that we are assuming this scenario, because all she remembers is reaching for the object and then hearing herself screaming because she was in pain. I think I'm just going to have to lock her in a padded room. Of course then I fear she'll suffocate somehow against one of the padded walls ..... 'sigh' ..... oh, what's a mother to do to keep her children safe and unhurt?! Especially when one of them seems to have accidents find her!

Do you have an accident prone child at home? Please take a minute to share your latest accident story with us. And remember, some days you've just got to laugh, cause crying won't make it any better.

New Week

2009-04-27T10:19:00.003-05:00

It's a new week everyone (in case anyone didn't realize, lol). The weekly activities list is ever growing as well. It seems that it never ends. Big Brother and Little Tyke each have softball games this week as well as practices to fit in. I've got 2 classes, one of which falls during Big Brothers' game. And a hair appointment is scheduled as well ... yippee!

For me it's the end/beginning of Units 5 /6 in Accounting 1 and Career Strategies. The course load is getting harder and I'm not quite as far ahead as I have been able to be thus far. I'm back to being somewhere even with the rest of the class. I've got to find some time this week to pull back up so that I can enjoy ball games and movie night with the family instead of having my head crammed in a book somewhere alone. I'm still managing a perfect score in both classes ... and praying that I can keep it up.

I just realized this weekend that the kids have only 19 days left of school and then out for the summer. I know they are happy and excited ... just wish I could muster up the same enthusiasm for them. It just means more work for me ... since they come to work with me when school is out ... I'm thankful that they can though, don't get me wrong. But I don't look forward to the exclamations of, "I'm bored!", "What is there to do?", "Can't you leave work and take us to the park?" And so on and so forth as I'm sure any parent can imagine.

And now on to my excitement for the week ahead ... yes, it is the little things in life that I find so very exciting and fulfilling ... (like the fact that the mower is fixed and the yard is freshly mowed!). My excitement comes this week in the form of a trip to the hairdresser's! I'm going tomorrow afternoon to have a cut and style! It's been a while and my ole mop has been looking quite untamed and frazzled for a long time now. Hopefully a new style will emerge that will be so much better suited for me. It's so nice to get to sit and be taken care of ... and this is about the only time that happens! So, I look forward to a relaxing afternoon tomorrow.

Yesterday was my mom's 50th birthday! My sisters and I held a luncheon party for her and it went over great! Great food ... great family time ... kids running around ... what more could a person ask for? The kids even did a balloon release on mom's behalf ...

What things are going on in your life that are keeping you hopping?and What little things in life are you excited about or relishing in right now?

Worries

2009-04-24T13:25:00.005-05:00

A mother has so many natural, inbred, instinctual worries about her children. Are they healthy? Will they remain so? Are they happy? Am I providing everything they need? Will they be injured participating in this activity or that? Are they full? Are they well rested? Are they doing well in school? Are they being challenged enough? Are they being picked on or bullied? Do they have the right friends and/or influences in their lives? ... and the list goes on and on and on. It's exhausting really trying to keep up and continue to check ourselves as parents and answer to ourselves each and every day over these concerns.

It never seems to fail though, once you've found a niche and a routine for keeping your sanity and maintaining all these worries ... something happens (like Little Tyke being diagnosed with Epilepsy) that is all consuming and adds more to your plate. It's during those times that I feel so completely lost and helpless. It's in those moments that I remember that 'Mom is human too', even when my instincts tell me that isn't allowed.

I have a thought for the day, as you might call it, that really feels appropriate for me and my family this week, that I'd like to share with you. 'God won't give me more that I can handle. I just wish He didn't know how strong I really am.'

What has happened in your parental life that has made you feel this way?

Telemarketers

2009-04-24T10:43:00.006-05:00

Do you despise telemarketing calls as much as I do? Do you just 'love' getting calls from computers? Do you just wait for all those calls where there is dead air, a dial tone, or better yet, a recording someone made of themselves, played over and over again? What about calls from unknown numbers, 800 or 888 numbers? Or what about that elusive 10000000000 number? Well, join the club! These harassing, time consuming, wastes of my day drive me nuts as well!

Finally someone is attempting to empower us. Please check out this invaluable website for tips, ideas, and things you can do to stop these calls from happening!

Use this sites free services to:

Find out who is calling you

Leave comments to others about the calls you received

Make call reports against companies about these calls

Help prevent telemarketing fraud

Blog about telemarketing calls, fraud, do not call lists, and more

I found this site because of a blog posting on The Mom Blogs at http://themomblogs.com. Please check out this great web site and collective blogs. And be sure to check out the enclosed link to the everycall site found in this blog article's title.

Epilepsy

2009-04-22T11:07:00.003-05:00

So, a couple of post's ago I eluded to an EEG that we were having done on Little Tyke. Well, that appointment was yesterday. We took him in to the hospital for the test, sleep deprived, yes that was as much fun as it sounds ... he LOVES his sleepy time. We really had no expectations going in. The doctor had really prepped us for "nothing is wrong, this is to rule out only". We really looked at it as not much more than a day out together with our son ... interrupted by a stop at the doctor's office. When the test was over, an hour and a half after it began, and we'd all gotten a chance during to catch a nap ... we headed across the hospital to the neurologists' office to get the results ... "nothing found, all is well, go home." Unfortunately that was not to be the case. What came next was so unexpected that it completely caught this mother off guard, which is something mom's just don't do. You never drop your guard when it comes to your children!

When the doctor came in with papers in her hand, presumably the EEG results, her first words were, "Mom, we found something". She showed us the EEG printout and pointed to 3 different sections of time where he'd in fact had seizures right there during the test. With me sitting next to him! I never even knew! How can your child have a seizure and you not even know it??? I was so shocked. I was devastated. How can I fix something I can't even see??? She went on to explain that he has a seizure disorder (epilepsy). She also included that the type of seizures he's having are generalized absence seizures (formerly known as "petit mal" seizures). He's also had before febrile seizures which I brought up before and was the basis for the specialist and EEG. I am very much still in the educational phase of all of this and still VERY overwhelmed.

If there are other parents out there that have a child with these issues, I would very much like to hear your stories and find a place to communicate and share. I understand that education is the key.

Mom's and Sickness

2009-04-20T10:00:00.006-05:00

As the unspoken rule goes, "Mom's can't be sick. It's not allowed. There is no time for it." So what about when Mother Nature decides otherwise? Well that's been the case in our household for the last 4 or 5 days or so. I felt the beginnings of illness last Tuesday night ... you know, low-grade fever, chills, body aches, the 'I don't feel goods', and such. Well, Wednesday, off to work it was, feeling bad or not. Come Thursday though, I could barely stand much less get the kids ready, travel to school and work or any of the other equally important mom tasks. So it was Daddy's turn. But grumbles and all, he managed to round them up, bathe them, cloth them, and get them to school on time! Miracle of all miracles! (lol) Surely, I don't give him enough credit for all he does ... but mom's, you know what I mean by this, Dad just doesn't 'do it right'.

Now here's where it gets good.... Friday morning comes and I get a call that regardless of my health I must report to work. Around mid-day, I'm finally able to drag to the doctor's office, much against my will. Because again, as we all know ... Mom's aren't allowed the privilege of a doctor's visit. Those are reserved for Dad and the children.

Now here's the part I'm still trying to wrap my brain around, it went a little like this ....

Nurse: You're next. Come stand on the scale and we'll get you into a room.

Me: Do I have too? Scales are not my friend! (lol)

Nurse: So what's the trouble today?

Me: Well, you know, hurt here, hurt there, fever, etc, etc, etc...

Nurse: Doc will be with you in a moment

Doc: (Looking in throat, ears, nose, etc.) Ever had mouth or throat surgery?

Me: No ... well except I had my tonsils out when I was like 4.

Doc: Umm... strange, cause you have tonsillitis. (lol, along with pharyngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, and a lymph node infection)

And let me tell you folks ... for those of you like me that had their tonsils removed at an early age and don't remember what tonsillitis feels like ... OUCH. Believe me, if your kids doctor ever says "Mom, it's tonsillitis", your child is in pain!

So the next time reason tells you that you don't have time, money, or whatever you are lacking to go see your doctor ... please think twice and go. A sick mom can't care for her children the way she wants too. But a well mom can yell twice as loud at the boys ball game! And for a child that makes all the difference in the world!

Life and Stuff....

2009-04-15T16:07:00.003-05:00

So I woke up this morning sick, GREAT .... just what we need, Mom sick. It seems like the house falls in around me when I'm under the weather. And I've just got to much going on for that to happen. Between Kids, Husband, House, Work, and School ... well my schedule is just too full. Someone please tell this illness that I don't have any available appointments for months ... years maybe. (Wish it was that simple)

So, big brother's game was cancelled last night ... for the second week in a row! I was (I hate to admit this) a little relieved though. I had so much to get done last night. Now we're looking forward to make up games on Saturday ... for both Big Brother and Little Tyke ... but once again the weather man is expecting rain then too. I know they say April Showers bring May Flowers ... but really...

Another week of school is behind me. All went well I suppose. Turns out I had a cyber stalker of sorts in one of my classes. She copied my posts for the week as her own and then sought me out in conversations for comments to me like, "Wish you were my teacher, lol" and "Keep up the good work". I'm not sure if she thought I wasn't smart enough to realize that she'd copied my work verbatim or if she was trying to pay me a complement. Either way, it unnerved me a little, so I had to get the professor involved to get it stopped. Found out that this sort of thing happens from time to time in online classes .. so I wasn't the first to have reported it.

We've finally gotten Baby Girl an appointment with a specialist. (She has hypotonia, is hypersensitive, and has a host of other complaints that appear to all be related and need a diagnosis.) Of course as it is with specialists, the appointment doesn't come up until June. So we're back to the hurry up and wait game. At least we have some tips, tools, and ideas to implement and work with until then.

Little Tyke goes for a sleep deprived EEG next week. He's started having Febrile Seizures so the Neurologist wants to rule out any undetected Epilepsy. And that's only a concern because of his near drowning episode when he was a baby.... but that's a painful story for another time. We're just thankful that it was a 'near' drowning instead of the alternative.

God Bless!

The Big Game

2009-04-10T15:56:00.003-05:00

So, Little Tyke did get to play last night ... and his team WON! Go team Go! The final score was 18 to 0 and the game was finally called on the run rule. The game got off to a rocky start with us taking the outfield and no one really knowing where to go. Little Tyke was chosen for hind catcher, which turned out to be a very good position for him because the activity involved kept his attention better than say left field would have. He did manage however to enjoy much dirt play and drew many laughs from the crowd when a pitch would roll right past because his face was pointed down and he was trying to see just how much dirt he could hold in his glove. Over all for a 4 year old that's never played, he did well. Next we took to running down our batting line up. And when I say running down it, boy did we ever! We went all the way through it on our first at bat. Little Tyke, like most of the others got a base hit and one of his teammates even managed a home run! YIPPE! Of course the moment that stopped my heart, unnecessarily I might add, was when a player from the opposing team threw his bat after making contact with the ball. The bat flew up and hit Little Tyke right on the top of the helmet! Apparently the helmet did it's job ... or he was too engrossed in the dirt to notice, because he never even flinched. Mom did though! And they called that little boy out for throwing his bat. I know it was an accident, but none the less dangerous. Overall, a GREAT time at the ball field and we're excited for many more to come!

Ball Season Comes Again

2009-04-09T14:24:00.007-05:00

Well folks, it's that time again, Ball Season. YIPEE! We love ball (it was actually Little Tyke's first word) here at Our Family Table. (Go Braves!) Both of our boys are playing softball this season for the FSA here in our hometown. Our oldest is in the all boys league and the youngest is just getting started in the Wee-Tots division. Of course that makes our daughter and I cheerleaders I suppose, while Dad helps coach. With two boys playing and practicing in different divisions on different days, it can get a little crazy. Ball ends up consuming at least 4 nights out of our week. And we find that our family table ends up being wherever and whenever we can all cross paths at the same time, which is rarely these days. This hectic season is so busy while it's upon us but it passes so quickly that we usually find ourselves anxious for it to come around again. Looks like tonight will be the night that Little Tyke gets to play his first season game. (Finally!) He's had the first 2 rained out so far. Of course my biggest fear is that he'll find the dirt more interesting than the ball playing. Which he's already been known to do in practices. With so many on our team that have never played before, this ought to prove to be great entertainment!

Only a man ....

2009-04-09T08:41:00.004-05:00

You know I get forwards all the time in my email. Some of them good but mostly just the same-ole-same-ole stuff. There are spiritual ones, funny ones, ones that'll make you cry, ones that take your breath away, ones that make you stop and reflect, and then there are the ones that threaten death or dismemberment if you don't forward them onto the next unsuspecting fool. I admit that in the past I've been a forwarding demon. I've really gotten away from all of that. I don't like my inbox full of crap, so why would anyone else want theirs full of crap? I try now to only forward the ones that really grab me in some way or another. So, please bear with me, I've got one that I just have to share. I wish I could meet the individual who wrote this, because it doesn't matter if it's a true story or not, he/she is a wonderful story teller! Oh, to be able to write and captivate my audience the way this author captivated me with this silly, simple story. Hope you find it as hilarious and well written as I have.

ONLY A MAN WOULD ATTEMPT THIS

Just try reading this without laughing till you cry!!!

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife, Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety....?? WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) but thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best..? I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, 'don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE CRAP!!! I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room. Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative? IT HURT LIKE HELL!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling. Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my gonads and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!! P.S. My wife loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it! 'If you think education is difficult, try being stupid.

Customer Service Surveys with Tiger Direct

2009-04-06T10:34:00.003-05:00

I've often found myself in situations where I've received some sort of bad service from one company or another. My usual is to do no more than possibly to make a simple phone call where I'm usually given some sort of blow off response. My issue usually does not ever get resolved and I go on about my normal "head in the sand" routine.

Since beginning school and having to communicate so much with people -- that has changed!

Recently, I made an online purchase through Tiger Direct. My order was (as always with them) received as expected, ahead of time, and perfect in every way. It wasn't until almost a week later that I found out there had been and still was a serious problem stemming from that order. Somehow, instead of obtaining the payment for it through my paypal as I had instructed, they funded that payment through someone else's paypal. Luckily for me and them the other person was my mother. (How in the world they managed to cross our two SEPARATE accounts is still a mystery to me) Anyway, this caused her account to overdraft and was charged a $30 fee. I was able to give this money back to her right away luckily and fix the situation on our end. I called customer service and was given the same old run around. They responded with, "It must be because the same work phone number was used on both accounts," and offered no help or real explaination. I mean come on people ... REALLY.

Then the next day I received in my email a request from Tiger Direct to fill out a customer service satisfaction survey. (This is not something I usually waste my time on) However, since discovering my new found communication skills ... and enjoying using them ... I decided to respond. They included a specific place to explain any concerns or circumstances not covered in the survey, so I also filled that out. I explained my entire experience all the way through to the dissatisfying phone call.

This morning I received an email response from them including a written apology, what they plan to do to prevent this from happening again, and suggestions for me to look into as far as my account. It was very informative and helpful and really made me feel better about the experience. I really felt like they were trying to rectify this situation. Then to follow was a $30 CREDIT towards my account for the trouble caused.

AMAZING! A company that really cares about it's customers and wants to make sure they return! Of course, I plan to pass this store credit onto my mother because after all she's really the one that was inconvenienced by this whole scenario.

So, please, take my advice, don't drag your feet when customer service issues arise with any company you deal with. Find your voice and speak up. You never know, there might be someone on the other end actually listening.

First Grades

2009-04-05T15:42:00.003-05:00

Well, the first week is over and grades are finally in! Turns out my severe anxieties ... especially over communication skills ... were for nought. I made perfect scores on every assignment! I'm not sure now if I should be surprised or proud of myself, but I think my emotions contain a little of both. Getting good marks certainly makes it all feel worth while. It also is pushing me to continue the good work even though the course study is getting more difficult each week. So cross your fingers for me that my efforts will continue to show and pay off through my grades.

Birthday Time

2009-04-03T08:37:00.004-05:00

So today is a special day for our family. We LOVE birthdays! Mostly because, as tradition calls for around our family table, we get to eat ... and eat good! It's my 'lil sis who gets to be celebrated today, enjoying her first birthday after joining the ranks of motherhood. You know for some reason as you have kids it seems that mom's birthday means less and baby's birthday means more. I love how that works but am happy that we still make a fuss over a birthday no matter who it is!

My sister is a very special person to me. She's my bff, advisor, confidant, and all around support and roll model. I love her very much. She has so often been that soft still voice whispering in my ear as I was making decisions between good and bad. I so admire her for that. She has saved me more times that she knows. I cherish her for that. We don't always agree and have had many spats in the past but it's only made us stronger people for it. I've pulled some really bad pranks at her expense ... one's we still tease about today ... but she's loved me despite them.

So to her I take this moment in time to say, "Happy Birthday, Sis, I love you!"

Introduction

2009-04-02T13:22:00.001-05:00

Well, I've thought about doing a blog now for quite some time. But overall, with new people, I'm really a shy person. Once I know ya, I don't shut up, but it's hard for me to talk about myself when it's to people I don't really know.

This year is bringing some firsts for me. I've entered into college in an attempt to earn my BA in Accounting. This course is solely online and requires A LOT of chatting among classmates (whom I've never met), discussion and answers with said classmates, and interactive online class. This has prompted my renewed interest in blogging to help me to explore my writing and communication skills, and to let go of my shyness.

I fully intend for this, Our Family Table, to be a hodge podge of "stuff". Discussions on anything that comes to mind, I find interesting at the moment, or just want to let go of, much like you might imagine dinner time around YOUR family table. Please feel free to join in or just tag along, what ever suits you!

God Bless!