Wonder of wonders....

miracles of miracles...(are you singing yet?) I love the soundtrack for Fiddler on the Roof but that's beside the point. The miracle is the basment guy is finally here. He said he would be here between 8-9 am so me, being the prompt person that I am, assumed he would be here between 8 and 9 am. I guess between 8 and 9 am in contractor time is "whenever I get there, lady." Although they are here, I have yet to hear a pound, or a saw, or any sort of noise besides voices. I will post pictures as they progress through the construction. It should be fun to see how fast it comes together.

I found a free program online for spelling words. It's for grades 1-5. Camille loves it. The children still have to write the words on paper, but there are games and tests as well. You can customize each lesson with your own words or use their lists. Check it out. I also use Enchanted Learning a lot for Grace and Josiah.

Cami has piano lessons today. Thankfully it is only 6 minutes from my house and the lesson is only half an hour. We do not own a piano but we do have a large keyboard that she practices on. She really doesn't like piano, but I am going to make her take lessons for at least two years to get the basics down. I want her to know how to read music just in case she ever wants to pick up another instrument in the future.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I had a big scare this morning. Every morning Olaf e-mails me from his pager to tell me he has arrived safely to work. Well, there was no e-mail this morning. So, I paged him but the page never arrived at his pager. (You can tell that online) So, I called his office. No answer. By now I am flipping out thinking he had an accident on the road. So, I call the only other Delta phone number I can remember which is his old shop that he was in before he made foreman. Thankfully a voice I recognized answered the phone and I asked him to go see if Olaf was in. Needless to say, when Olaf called me I was crying. I really thought the man was dead. It turns out his pager died and he hadn't even made it in his office yet when I called. He was out talking to one of his lead mechanics.

Monday...need I say more?

Well, the basement guy delievered the materials and that was it. He will start tomorrow morning. Of course, Olaf gets to go to work and I am the one that will hear all the pounding, drilling, sawing and other noises all day long. I do not know how I am supposed to homeschool in all of the noise. Speaking of homeschool...

I am having a hard time with Camille. I am frustrated with homeschooling and thisclose to putting her in public school next year. I think I may try the ABeka DVD's and see if it alleviates some of my frustration. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I have to do something.

I loathe our new healthcare plan. I know I should be thankful to have health insurance. Really, I am. However, we used to have an HMO which meant I didn't get the bill for anything. Now, I get bills from EVERYONE. Labs, hospitals, doctors, you name it... I cannot pay them until the insurance company pays them first which means I get NUMEROUS bills from each place all with different amounts. It is so frustrating.

Caleb went back to school today. He was excited about that and so was I!

The baby is still transverse in my tummy. I wonder if the little guy will ever flip to head down? It's fun carrying him this way though because he tickles me. I will be 30 weeks on Thursday. Slowly but surely I am getting there. I am so ready to meet him.

We went to the mall yesterday and bought the littles some new pj's. They love them. Aren't they cute?

Weekend Happenings

What is going on today? Well...

Ordered a plant for a friend's grandbaby that died of sids on Thursday. How completely sad. He was three months old. Don't click on the link if you are pregnant or have a newborn.

I am listening to Luther and cleaning the house.

Olaf is getting the rest of the "donate" stuff out of the basement and then will apply the radon sealant today.

Rick, the basement guy, was sick yesterday and so they didn't go get the materials. They will do that Monday morning. However, the family went to Lowe's yesterday and bought the door and windows for the basement.

Picked up Camille's friend, Molly. They are all playing outside.

ooooo...the CD just changed and now Barry is on:)

Look what my friend made?

My friend, Stacey, made this blanket and hat for Simon. Isn't is gorgeous? I love the colors. She is so talented.



Do you see the dots on one side of the blanket but not on the other? She has skills.




And look at this little hat! How precious...

Thank you so much, Stacey! What a blessing.

The "basement guy" aka Rick will start on Monday. He and Olaf are going to Lowe's tomorrow afternoon to purchase all the supplies. After much nagging and threatening on my part, Olaf has agreed to put in a separate heating and air unit down there. You see, I cannot stand the heat. At all. In the summer my thermostat is set on 72 degrees. I am not willing to compromise that by putting the burden of cooling another 750 square feet in the basement. As for the heat, I could really care less. In the winter our thermostat is no higher than 65. If you are cold, put on a coat:)

I have an appointment with my midwife this afternoon. It is a gorgeous day and the children are playing outside. It is supposed to reach 70 degrees. They are outside in their shorts. I am a bit worried about Josiah though. He cannot run or play very long before he says his legs are tired and he needs to rest. He has a well visit March 5th so I will ask the pediatrician about it then. Speaking of pediatricians, Camille had her tailbone x-rayed yesterday along with x-rays for scoliosis. Her tailbone has been hurting for over two months now.

I need to get going and do something productive. Have a great Thursday!

ENT

I went to the ear, nose, throat doctor yesterday and he did a nasoscope to look in my throat. I was a bit worried that I would vomit, but it wasn't that bad at all. He said my wheezing and hoarseness may be due to acid reflux and told me to take 150 mg Xantac twice a day for a month to see if it helps. He told me that everything else in my throat looked normal. That was good news. I really like my ENT doctor. He is fabulous. Anyone that goes to him really likes him. He is the rare doctor that takes time to listen, has a great bedside manner, and is genuinely kind. Three of my children have had tubes done by him and I completely trust him unlike most other doctors I see.

Everyone did school today. Even Josiah. He likes to color some worksheets that I have with nuumbers on them. Camille had a spelling test and missed four words. She also did all of her usual stuff. Gracie did some math, phonics, and writing. She is learning some new special sounds and she enjoys the flashcards that we do to memorize them. The weather is nice outside so they played for awhile out there as well. Fresh air is good for them:)

Olaf went to the dump yesterday. We are almost there. It shouldn't be too much longer before the guy can start framing the basement. YeeHaw! It will be so nice to have some place for all these toys. We have miles of Thomas tracks. All types too. Wood, plastic, take along...you name it.

Caleb only asked me to eat about 20 times today. Less than normal.

We went grocery shopping at WalMart as a family today. I don't like doing that as we spend more money that way. But everyone wanted to go, so we went.

Caleb is home from school all this week for mid-winter break. He is not happy about it either. He keeps asking if he can ride the bus tomorrow and I keep telling him no. Then he gets mad and cries. I wish school were year round for him. It sure would make my life much easier.

We found another contractor for the basement. He came recommended by a family on my homeschool group. He seems like a real nice guy and he is less expensive than the other contractor that we had. He does all the work except carpet and painting. He said it will take him about two weeks to finish it. How exciting is that? Olaf still has to remove some trash and then seal the walls and floor with radon sealant. After that, he can start. I am excited about having more room. Olaf is home tomorrow for President's Day. He will be hauling garbage out of the basement and taking it to the dump. (Provided the dump is open tomorrow)

Kevin Bacon

I found this site and thought it was a fabulous idea. Kevin Bacon started it to get people to give to different charities of their choice. I chose Fraxa because it funds research for Fragile X Syndrome. As you all know, my son has Fragile X. While I am not certain that there will ever be a "cure" there may eventually be medications that can help with the mental impairment. So, I put my link in the sidebar. Maybe when Simon is born you will consider giving a small gift to Fraxa instead of sending a card to me.

An Observation

If you can listen to the song "Dance With my Father" by Luther Vandross without crying, you are not human. I have heard it so many times and I still cry at the end when he says, "I pray for her even more than me." Gets me everytime!

On a lighter note, my husband is SO funny. Last night we stayed up late to watch LOST (yes, we are dumb) so it was about 11:30 when we were getting into bed. Olaf gets up at 5:00, so I knew he was going to be tired today. Anyway, as I turned off the lamp music started playing. I was thinking something was going wrong with the clock radio until I heard BARRY WHITE start singing "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe." I started laughing so, so, so hard. My husband bought me the CD for Valentine's but didn't say anything to me. He knew I would crack up if he played it as we were going to bed...you know the whole romantic Barry White love songs. Once in awhile that man really makes me laugh hard.

I just finished cleaning the bathroom listening to Luther and Barry. The fumes from the mildew spray that I spray the shower curtain with are really getting to me. I usually use X-14 for the curtain (and that stuff is potent as it is) but I bought Lysol Mold and Mildew this time and it is killing me.

I did school with the girls this morning and now they are watching Flicka on DVD. We are still behind as far as the "school year" is concerned. Oh well, I guess I'll just school them all year this time. That's the great thing about homeschooing, eh?

Alrighty then, have a great day!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

I love Valentine's Day! I don't know why, but it's one of my favorite holidays. I guess because not too much is expected and when you actually get a nice card or a gift, it is appreciated. My children and husband all made me Valentine's cards. They are very sweet. The children bought me Happy in Bloom which came with a free gift from Clinique. Gotta love free gifts! The free gift was a cosmetic bag filled with 2 shades of lipgloss, 2 shades of lipstick, eye make-up remover, and a moisurizer for the face. FAB! Olaf also bought me two POUNDS of See's Bordeaux and a Luther Vandross CD. Love me some Lutha! For the children we bought 10 mylar heart shaped balloons and tied them around See's chocolates. For Olaf we made a 12X12 photo memory book at Shutterfly.com. He loved it. He cried when he looked through it. I think you can see it online here. To all my friends who visit this blog everyday, thank you for caring about me and have a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day! Muah!

Getting old

Last night I had to use Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream on my face. I have a couple of dry patches on my face as well as lots of wrinkles. Heavy sigh. I am getting old people. I am also getting gray hair. It's happening fast too. They come out of nowhere!

I am taking Cami to the doctor this afternoon. Her tailbone has been hurting for 6-8 weeks now. I am sure it is just bruised, but since it has been so long I felt it was time for a doctor to tell me it's just bruised.

I went to Charity's baby shower yesterday. A lot of friends from her church went in together and bought her a glider and an ottoman. It was very nice. I ate a lot which is always fun.

Olaf got a call from his aunt in Germany yesterday. She has lung cancer and decided that she just cannot handle the chemo. She was very thin and frail to begin with and now she only weighs about 75 pounds and she is about 5'6". She is single, lives alone, and has no one to help her. I am assuming Germany has some sort of nurse or hospice that comes in daily, but I am not even certain of that. Her time here on earth is probably very short, so please pray for her. I am not sure if Olaf is planning a trip to see her, but it needs to be done soon if he is.

Did you know there is a magazine for breast cancer survivors? I think that is fabulous. You cannot subscribe to it, but you can still purchase it online.

No implant and bed rest

Olaf didn't have his dentist appointment yesterday. He has a cold with some sinus pressure and they didn't want to drill into his bone like that. It is rescheduled for March. And it's a good thing too...

Last night a contraction woke me up. My uterus felt hard all night long. Everytime I got out of bed this morning I had major braxton hicks contractions. So I called the labor and delivery nurse who told me to drink a lot of water and take it easy today. That is what I have been doing and I am feeling better now. I am not having contractions every time I stand up now. I am just thankful that Olaf has been able to take care of the children today. He wouldn't have been able to do that if he had his implant yesterday.

So, back to the bed I go watching all the fun stuff that I don't get to watch unless I'm by myself. Like E! True Hollywood Story and The Discovery Health Channel. Have a great weekend.

Gotta love Ben!

Ben has to be my favorite character in LOST. He is a fabulous actor. I don't like the new time slot though. It is too late for Olaf to be up. We will have to record it in the future. Survivor Fiji starts tonight. I think I will record that as well and watch The Office instead.

I think I am officially in my third trimester now. I am 27 weeks today. I love looking at my ticker and seeing less than a 100 days to go. He'll be here soon. I am really appreciating all the sleep right now. I wake up every morning and just thank the Lord because I know that in three more months I won't be sleeping at all. His name is still Simon. I think it's going to stick.

Olaf cleaned both of the bathrooms for me yesterday. I don't mind cleaning the bathrooms, but bending over the tub is hard for me now. I actually get in the tub and scrub it that way, but I get so winded. It's pathetic. I had to teach him how to clean the toilet my way though. I'm sure his way would have sufficed, but he gladly put on the rubber gloves and scrubbed it out by hand instead of with a brush. Yes, I scrub that thing by hand. Using Soft Scrub with Bleach. I love the smell of bleach. It makes me feel like my whole house is clean. I even use Dawn dishwashing soap with bleach.

Olaf gets his metal implant into his jaw bone tomorrow (for his tooth implant). Then it has to heal for several months before they can actually put the tooth on. I am sure he will be in major pain this weekend. I'm also sure the doctor will give him some good pain medication. I guess it will be a lazy weekend around our home. I am so ready for him to have a tooth in his head. His fake tooth looks... fake. It doesn't even sit straight with the other one. He also lisps really bad when it is in. I hope his implant looks natural when it's all said and done. It should for the thousands that we are spending.

School Shopping

Olaf took the day off today so we could visit two middle schools to see which one would best suit Caleb's needs next year. They were like night and day. Honestly. I am so thrilled with the school we have chosen for next year. The teacher was fantastic and the class will be a perfect fit for Caleb.

We also went out to eat at Cracker Barrel this morning. Josiah ate an entire pancake. I had two eggs over medium mixed up with hashbrowns. It was yummy.

The contractor that we hired for the basement decided he doesn't want to do it afterall. That's just fantastic. I am not sure if it will get finished now or not.

The children are making Valentine's at the kitchen table. They are having fun. Josiah loves glue sticks. Mama doesn't like cleaning gluestick off the table, but that's another story.

I picked up my records from the OB office today. I was thinking of switching OB's but I think I have decided against that. I am pretty certain that I will stay where I am and deliver here in our local podunk hospital. There are a lot of factors in that decision, but mostly because I really like my current midwife. Not to mention the proximity of the hospital.

LOST is back tonight. I am looking forard to seeing it again. Survivor Fiji starts tomorrow. It's time for television again. Amazing Race, American Idol, Lost, The Office, and Survivor. That's a show almost every night of the week. Crazy. I never used to watch much TV, but those reality shows get me everytime. Sucker.

I don't remember

I honestly do not remember feeling this worn out during my other pregnancies. I went to WalMart yesterday to do some grocery shopping and I honestly thought about just quitting and going home about halfway through. I am tired, out of breath, and feel run down. I'm not sure if it's because I am old, fat, or if I really am sick with some sort of terminal illness. (you knew I had to throw that in there)

My sinuses are still hurting. My upper teeth hurt now as well. YUCK!

My mother and I recently got into an arguement in which I hung up on her. It seems my Aunt visited my website and printed out a few pages for her to read. She was thinking that Mom may like to see how I was feeling and how the children were doing in school etc. Well, my mom could care less about that kind of stuff. She saw the post where I mentioned that I ran away the summer before my senior year in high school and called to REAM me a new butthole. You see, my mother has very selective memory. Only her memories are true and everyone else can just stick it where the sun don't shine. So, when the venom began spewing...I hung up. I cannot imagine having a normal relationship with her. I hope I can give my children something a thousand times better.

The children are watching "Open Season" behind me. I rented it from Blockbuster yesterday. I hope it is suitable. What a good mom I am letting them watch it without me previewing it first:)

I really cannot believe this

I am getting another cold/sinus infection. My left sinus cavity hurts, my upper teeth on my left side hurt, my left eyeball hurts, and when I blow my nose (or cough) the left side of my head feels like it is going to explode! Olaf bought Zicam for me and I am going to try that. I don't want to be sick again. I'm not over my bronchitis yet. When will it end? I just want to cry.

Olaf is going to work on the basement this weekend. He really wants to get it all cleaned out so he can start putting down the radon sealant. Hopefully the guys will start finishing it in the next month. He hired two men that work at Delta full time. They will work 3-7 pm a few nights a week and every other weekend. They estimate it will take about a month to finish the basement. I'm not looking forward to the noise and the construction, but it will be nice to have a family room down there. The noise level in this little house can get unbelievable!

I don't think I'll be on this weekend, so have a good one.

I love Thursdays

It is so sad when you look forward to a day of the week because of a television show. Tonight is The Office. I look forward to sitting down with Olaf and laughing for half an hour. I love that show.

On another baby note, I am currently high bidder on this. Love it! Yes, it is expensive, but it retails for $92. We'll see if I win it.

I am trying to get the school year finished before the baby comes, but I don't think that is going to happen. Olaf is going to have to help me. That is all there is to it. Grace is reading well though. She just learned how to read words that have two vowels in them. This is in her current reader:

Jane will make a cake.
Jane will bake the cake.
Jane will take the cake to Miss Dale.

I'm happy with that. She needs to learn a lot more before Kindergarten is finished like special sounds and such. I hoping I can rush through them as she catches on fast.

Camille needs to work on history. Olaf can do that with her though. Next year she will be in the 6th grade and I am going to put her in a co-op class one day a week. She needs some socialization. It will be fun for her to get away for a couple of hours and learn something at the same time.

Have a great weekend if I'm not on here before then:)