So, can I go home now?

Maybe I am still in Yonkers.. maybe this past week is just one big, crazy road trip.. so can I go home now?!
Nope, no Yonkers, I am home, this is the same crazy road trip I have been on for some time now.. reality bites!
The up side is that I now know the source of my monster headaches and some other problems I have been having..( note the optimism..) The headaches have been much worse and more frequent the past few months. Especially when I do alot of lifting or strenuous activity, you know.. like moving.. twice.
I have a ruptured and herniated disc in my neck.. C4 to be exact. He believes it is from the car accident I was in last year. I also have degeneration at C3-C4, C5-C6, & C6-C7, but that is not a concern at the moment. They found a sinus problem on my right side, no suprise there.. no surgery planned, just meds and wait & see. Oh, and of course, there are limitations and lifestyle modifications to go along with all that..
*No Kayaking..( for now, I am fighting that one!)
*No, changed to limited, horse back riding.. walk only, no running or jumping.. yada yada yada.
*No lifting more than 20 lbs.. at all.. haha.. Tristan & Alexa are at 30 lbs EACH.
*No rollercoasters or jarring amusement park rides. Why go?! That's the best part.
*No activities that involve repetitive motion. hmm.. do packing & unpacking count?
*Sleep on only one pillow, preferrably an orthopedic pillow. (hate this one so far, have always slept on 2 pillows!)
*When I get a monster headache.. this is a good one.. get ready to laugh.. I am supposed to stay laying down until the pressure is relieved, which could take hours if it's really bad. I am sure the kids will be willing to cooperate with that one!
*Limit my driving.. another huge chuckle.
I am trying, really I am, but reality isn't as cooperative as my Dr. would like it to be. And it is sooo frustrating.
Soo, can I go home now??

Lost In Yawwnkas...

That is Nancy's version of Yonkers! Many moons ago I convinced Brian to let me drive when we were on our way back from some trip we had taken. We lived in Plattsburgh, upstate, New York. I only had to catch one exit to get us home safe & sound.. well I woke Brian up when I saw bright lights and a sign that said "Welcome to Yonkers". Which is also in New York, but in the opposite direction we needed to go! It has been a running joke with Brian since then that I got us lost in Yonkers. I agree I am directionally challenged, but sometimes getting lost is not such a bad thing.
I found our new house by getting lost and taking the raod to do a u-turn. This past weekend Nancy, Brenda, & I went up to the horse ranch. (more about my horse babies later!) We got bad directions from Blane, and well, my natural instinct to go the wrong way took over from there. I was trying to go into town to go to the coffee shop. Many wrong turns later we ended up finding an old abandoned house and some cool old shacks hidden in trees and vines. We tooka quick peek in the windows and continued our search for downtown Madison. Wer finally made it and grabbed a quick coffee to go and got back to the ranch in time for dinner. After dinner we decided to go back to the old house so Nancy could get some pictures. Nancy was our common sense about breaking, I mean..entering, into the house. Brenda and I tried every door & window. We found 2 windows that would open, but they were too high up and we couldn't find anything to stand on. We were contemplating going to walmart to get a step stool or ladder as we headed back to the truck.. just in time for a sherrif to drive by checking us out. All I could imagine was one of our rearends hanging out the window and getting busted! Good thing we behaved. It was a fun and interesting adventure. One we would not have had if we had not gotten lost..

Playing Fair..

Okay, to be fair.. my sister, Cricket is selling Avon.. check her stuff out at:
AVON Representative ALISON RAB serving the Bement, IL area

Boosting Bootie Business..

Terri's cousin, Lisa, is an exceptional artist & illustrator. She has a new business that is just too cute.. check it out..
BOOTIESHOES.COM Heirloom quality keepsakes

The littlest thing..

I spent yesterday running between children and bathrooms. I was sooo sick. Chad relented and watched the horde while I took a long hot bath and crashed to sleep for almost 3 hours. Tuesday I tore the ligaments in my right arm/elbow. That was before I had to empty out the storage unit.. Thank You Chad for doing the majority of the loading & unloading. Nothing but fun! I am determined to make it to the horse ranch this weekend with Nancy & Brenda. It has been 6 weeks since I have been able to get there, I am so overdue! Terri, Dwight & Savannah are managing the munchkins. (Thank You, Thank You!)
I have been so maxed out with the moves and getting things organized. I have been beyond stressed. Being sick didn't help. Then Brian brought me something I got in the mail today. It was a simple brown envelope, with just one item in it. There was no need for a note. It was miniature magnetic clothespins from Diane Panek in Nebraska. I laughed so hard I almost fell off the couch. It reminded me of something she gave me at Brianne's wedding reception. It was chuckle therapy then and was again now. It was the littlest thing, yet it brought the biggest burst of laughter. It was the littlest thing, yet it brought back the best of memories. A beautiful day, despite some minor drama, a beautiful day with all my children happy and bright. It was the littlest thing...

Hmmm, good or bad?

I took this little quiz, http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=13060 about which phylosophy are you? and this is what it told me..

You scored as Hedonism.

Your life is guided by the principles of Hedonism: You believe that pleasure is a great, or the greatest, good; and you try to enjoy life’s pleasures as much as you can. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”

Hedonism 95%
Existentialism 90%
Justice (Fairness) 80%
Utilitarianism 70%
Strong Egoism 30%
Apathy 30%
Kantianism 25%
Divine Command 10%
Nihilism 10%

Kids after playing in the rain 4 14 07

Kids after playing in the rain 4 14 07
Originally uploaded by mommanana.

Pouring out the rain..

Terry Moore & I had a chance to do whatever we wanted yesterday afternoon..we couldn't think of a thing! It was too hot to really do much outside, we didn't know what half the movies out were about, and we just couldn't pin down what we wanted to do. So we got an ice cream, then went to Target to pick up a few things, then picked up the kids early from daycare. We took them home, set up the new wacky wigglin sprinkler we got at Target, and were going to let them get wet in the yard. Just as we all went outside it started to rain. I checked for lightening, and when I saw it was safe, I figured what the heck, so they played in the rain. Hunter remembered that Kierra liked to play in the rain too. Terry told him Kierra must be making the rain just for them to play in. He thought that was great, and asked Terry about her being able to see us and watch over us. Tristan got brave and played in the rain a little, but Alexa was not at all interested. She wrapped up in her towel and watched the boys. When we told her to go play, she would say "no way, it rainin". It was fun to watch them laugh and play, and the best way to spend the evening.
As a footnote..we went out this morning and ran into a heavy rainstorm. Hunter looked out the car window and said "Mom, Kierra must really be in a bad mood this morning!" I told him she wasn't the only one who helped pour out the rain. He told me I should tell her to stop it. I told him I didn't think that would work, his reply was.. "you are still her Mom, she has to listen to you!". I told him she rarely listened to me when she was alive, I didn't think it would work now!

Free at Last!

Okay, that may seem a little dramatic, but trust me.. it was a major crunch on Friday to finish emptying the rental and get it all cleaned before the sign out at 2:30. Terry Moore came for a visit to get away from work and stress in Miami .. and I put her to work cleaning walls and loading and unloading the van! She was a huge help, I couldn't have gotten it done wihtout her. We went non-stop til 3 pm. I have a thing about leaving a place in better shape than when we moved in. It doesn't matter to me what shape it was in before, it matters to me that our name is on it, and I can't leave it a mess. My arm is still sore from scrubbing walls..dog slobber and kid marks.. and cleaning tile floors on my hands and knees because it had a "film" on it from where someone used mop and glo or something on it. The next hurdle is getting out of the rent on the lease for the next couple months. If they don't rent it, we are on the hook for the rent even though we aren't in it anymore, so we are free of the house, but not the lease. We will see what happens with that. It is in pristine, move in condition, and we are done with it. Now, on to getting the old house ready to go on the market..

Cadbury Moo-Cow Some-Bunny Shore

Cadbury Moo-Cow Some-Bunny Shore
Originally uploaded by mommanana.

Feb.5, 1996-April 11, 2007
The kids named him when I brought him home from the flea market 11 years ago! I neutered him when he was young and the Vet said it might extend his life a couple years..go figure. He was litter box trained and you could walk him outside in the grass with a ferret harness & leash. Recently he developed a tumor on his right leg at the knee joint and the vet discovered probable other growths internally. There really wasn't much they could do and we didn't want him to suffer. As much as I griped about him living so long, I didn't want him to die in pain. And yes, I cried.

Couch Sleepers

This is how we found them all yesterday morning when Brian & I got up. They started out the night before in their own rooms, in their own beds!

couch sleepers
Originally uploaded by mommanana.

Lots of new pix to see!

Kids Easter 4 8 07
Originally uploaded by mommanana.

There are lots of new pix on the photo gallery pages. Be sure to go back to page 1 and see them all! Park pictures, Easter, their new rooms all decorated...go take a look..click on this picture, then when it gets you to the gallery, click on the "browse" button on the right and enjoy!

Happy Easter to all..

I just finished doing the Easter Bunny thing. I didn't get our Easter stuff out of the attic at the old house, so I bought bright colored gift bags and tissue paper at Publix. They are all getting a monkey, which was a conservation type thing, and some select pieces of candy.. very little!
It's not supposed to be all about the candy. (Tell that to a 6 year old & two 3 year olds.)
I cheated and bought pre-dyed eggs. There just haven't been enough hours in my days this week! I saw the marshmallow "peeps" at the store. Those were one of Kierra's favorites. I could not bring myself to buy them, so I got some other marshmallow ducks instead.
The little things can really get to me sometimes. I know I didn't get the stuff out of the attic on purpose, and I can say that I am too busy to let myself get upset. Most of the time that is true, but not today. Today I dropped and broke a small glass measuring cup that had been given to me by my grandmother many years ago. It had great sentimental value to me. I cried over it. And of course it triggered thoughts of Kierra and how will I preserve things so when the twin's get older they will still have something left of their mother?
Sorry for the down side of the day... Happy Easter to all!

Just one time..

When I picked the kids up from Terri's on Tuesday I asked Hunter if he had been good.. he said "yes Mom, Auntie Terri only had to talk through her teeth just one time!"

The Nap Recipe..

Brian called Terri's the other day to check on the kids, they were napping. We almost never get them to take naps. He asked her how she did it. I don't know the exact quote, but the part that stuck was.. "You boil 'em first". I had visions of the world's largest lobster pot! Which isn't far off.. she lets them play in the hot tub she has connectd to her pool. Then they get dry clothes, a comfy blanket.. and voila'..baked babies in a blanket. They nap for three hours!!
I tried my own version of her recipe tonight to help them settle for bed.. I set up my jacuzzi tub, got them naked.. and... they screamed their heads off and got out. I'm not sure what went wrong.. maybe tomorrow I will try it with their suits on..

Alexa, Hunter, & Tristan 4/1/07

Alexa, Hunter, & Tristan 4/1/07
Originally uploaded by mommanana.

Greta took this Sunday morning while they waited for Brianne & Justin to pick them up for church. Aren't they just too cute?!

Day 4

I know this is dated Wednesday, but it is still Tuesday for me because I haven't been to bed yet. This is the end of day 4 in the "great big move". We are about 90% moved in. I fixed our first dinner here tonight. (Thanks for being part of it Nance!) Nothing fancy or planned, but it was cool to cook in my new kitchen! The kids are all asleep in their own rooms, so far, so good! Big thanks to Terri, who helped pack, load, and unload most of Sunday. Then Dwight helped (did most of it!) load & unload all the big heavy stuff on Monday. They really kept us going and we got so much more done than we would have on our own. Greta, Randy, Terri, & Dwight have also pitched in & kept the kids for us too. Thank You, Thank You all. Tomorrow is another busy day, I'll tell you all about it later!

Thanks Baby Mine..

Last Thursday night my baby girl invited me out to dinner, just the 2 of us. It was great. We haven't really done that in way too long. We talked, we laughed, we cried.. for hours. I think we should do that at least once a month! Thanks baby.