Beeb Logic: Bunions

Today the kiddo's and I joined AH in teaching his scout troop how to ski (all of them for the very first time).  It was an interesting day on the mountain as far as the weather was concerned.  Within a few hours time we had rain, sleet, snow, glorious sunshine, rain, hail, rain and fog.  Truly it was strange and after a few hours of having said weather beat down upon us our snow gear did get a bit soggy and we were all getting chilled. 

Toward the of our day, while riding the ski lift with Beeb, she complained that her pinky was cold and that her "bunion" was wet and cold too.  Looking at her I said, "Your bunion?" Giggling she replies, "That's what I call my bottom." 

That girl is so goofy! 



On a sad note, one of our new baby chicks died today.  Not sure why as we followed all instructions exactly, but alas she passed away this evening.  Beeb is very very sad.  She cried for a long time and kept wailing "I want my chicken back." As a parent that was heartbreaking in and of itself.  She included the little chick in her prayers tonight and I hope that brings her some solace. 

Beeb's Valentine Class Party

This year I attended Beeb's Valentine's Day class party.  The teacher had many fun activities for the kids that included making a secret valentine for another student in class (using lots of cool stickers, etc. to decorate), a custom placemat that had little notes on it from each classmate about that individual student, fun treats and a contest for homemade valentines boxes. 

 

 

Beeb made this cute green heart antenna headband before school on Valentine's Day. 

 

All the parent volunteers were asked to judge the valentines boxes and give out category awards.  All the boxes were really cute and creative which made the judging very hard.  Parents were not allowed to vote for their own child's box and I knew Beeb would be crushed if she didn't win an award for her Valentine Mailbox that she worked so hard to create.  Thankfully Beeb's teacher noticed that her mailbox was made from recycled cereal boxes and she thought it was very clever.  The other parents agreed and then decided it was definitely deserving of the "Most Valentined Themed" award due to all the hearts (heart antenna, painted hearts and the heart flag) and kind messages on it.  Little did they know that when Beeb designed her mailbox it was in hopes of winning that specific award.  She was thrilled!

 

She had a great time and felt very loved.

Peaceful Saturday

Our little family is getting back into a Saturday routine that I have missed.  Here is today's agenda thus far: 

• Me:  nice long run (today it was 7 miles) with a great group of friends.
• Family:  Came home to AH, Mr. B and Beeb actively playing Monopoly - everyone is still in their jammies (unheard of for AH).  Mr. B is trouncing everyone.
• Me:  Leisurely soak in the tub.
• Me:  High protein breakfast (scrambled eggs with mushrooms, spinach and avocado).
• Morning chores for everyone.
• AH & Mr. B:  Designing and cutting out Mr. B's pinewood derby car.
• Beeb:  Having a friend come over to play.
• Me:  Making snack bars for lunches this coming week.
• Family:  A nice leisurely day at home.

This relaxed schedule has been going on for a few weeks and I quite like it; it keeps us balanced.  Also, for months I have missed starting off my day running and so I love getting that good feeling going so early once again.

Beeb Logic: Sick

We haven't had too many Beeb Logic moments lately, well it's more likely she says the stuff but I forget before I can post it.  Today Beeb has a bit of a sore throat that came on this afternoon.  Tonight she came to me all lethargic and pitiful looking. 

Me:  "You okay?"

Beeb shakes her head "no".

Me:  "Does your throat still hurt?"

Beeb nods and says, "My throat feels all thick."

Me: "Is it soar?"

Beeb:  "Yes, it feels thick."

Poor Beeb.  I'm not sure what "thick" is but let's hope it goes away quickly.

Calcaneal Apophysitis

Poor Beeb has been limping around the house for a while complaining of heal pain.  Thinking she had bruised her foot somehow I have been reluctant to take her to the doctor since there was no "incident" to pinpoint what might have cause her foot pain in the first place (i.e. it's not broken).  However, recently the level of discomfort has increased to the point that at times she is in tears, so off to the doctor we went. 

Can I just say how much we love our pediatrician!  He is really the most kind, thorough doctor; perfect for our family.  He spent a few minutes talking to her and examining her foot and came to the diagnosis of Calcaneal Apophysitis, otherwise known as Sever's Disease.  It's a common enough injury for young athletes as it is centered around a growth plate in the foot.  Our excessively active Beeb can hardly ever sit still.  She crawls, jumps, runs and leaps about the house non-stop and combined with her sport activities it was simply a matter of time before she befell an injury.

Dr. E told her that he'd have to cut her foot off and that she'd be fine.  Thankfully she knew he was joking and was a bit disappointed that she wasn't getting a cast or walking boot.  The treatment is ice, rest, stretching and less activity for a while - we may have to strap her down.  I've already had to tell her at least a dozen times to quit running, jumping, and leaping and we've only been home for an hour and a half!

Mommy Love

Today was one of those especially phenomenal days.  This morning the kids performed at their first piano recital.  Both of them played so beautifully; I sat in awe over growth of the last 10 months since starting lessons. 

This evening AH and I attended a family dinner in honor of his parents 45th wedding anniversary.  We all met at a waterfront seafood restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner and wonderful conversation.  AH's oldest brother surprised his parents by driving all the way from Montana, at the spur of the moment, to ensure that all of the children were there to pay tribute to their parents on this most special occasion.  AH's mom literally glows when surrounded by her family and tonight was no exception!  Congratulations to them!

The family dinner was for adults only so the kids attended our church Halloween party with the babysitter.  They had a really great time. As I put Beeb to bed she just kept talking and talking about the adventures she had and fun activities.  Mr. B offered me some of the candy he collected tonight.  Such a generous kid - too bad I am beyond full from my own dinner or else I would have taken him up on his offer.

After getting Beeb settled down I showed her a note pad and stapler that I got for her new desk.  A few minutes later she popped out of her room and deposited this on my desk:

Beeb quickly composed a book of "pomes" for me.  Here is what is literally written page by page:

Page 1

This is my mommy
Yes I love her
I do I do I do
I love you mommy

Page 2

My mommy is sweet
My mommy is nice
My mommy is loveable
My mommy rocks
I do love you mommy

Page 3

Mommy I love you
Mommy you are nice
Mommy you are hugeable
Mommy is awesom
I love you!

Page 4

I love you
Gill loves you
Mr. B loves you
Daddy loves you
I truely love (the most)

(Clarifiication:  Gill is her fish)

Page 5

WE ALL LOVE YOU!

This seems like a pretty perfect day to me! 
Ciao.

Stories

It is a very strange turn of events when, at bedtime, the kids stop asking to have bedtime stories read to them and instead want to read their bedtime stories to you. 

Zombie Apocalypse

On our drive home from Mr. B's piano lesson tonight he shared with me his strategy for handling a specific disaster when it strikes our area.

Mr. B:  Mom, do you know about the zombie apoco. . . apoco....

Me:  The zombie apocalypse?  Yes I've heard of it.

Mr. B:  When that happens you know you need to shoot them in the head to kill them?

Me:  Really? 

Mr. B:  Yah.  If you want to stop them you have to shoot them in the head.

Me:  You do realize there are no such thing as zombies?

Mr. B:  (pausing before slowly answering) I know, but if there were that's how you'd have to kill them. 

Me:  What happens to our bodies after we die?

Mr. B:  They turn to bone.

Me:  Yes, after a period of time only the bones remain and so zombies are not possible, right?

Mr. B (ignoring me):  The only monsters that we have are. . .

Me (interjecting):  We don't have any monsters.

Mr. B:  Yes there are.  There are mummies. . .

Me (interjecting again):  Which are ancient dead people who's bodies have been preserved. . .

Mr. B (ignoring me again):  There are mummies and there are skeletons.

Me:  You realize that both of those things are just dead bodies?

Mr. B simply ignores me and doesn't answer. 

Me:  By the way, where did you learn about the Zombie Apocalypse?

Mr. B:  Sons of Guns.

Me (thinking to myself):  I am really starting to hate the Discovery Channel.

It's fun having a son to constantly keep me on my toes. 

Miracle of Miracles!

Here is a game AH and I like to play.  It involves me spending hours trying to find him contemporary clothing that he might actually like (which he never does), and then I spend hours returning said clothing.  Doesn't that sound fun?  (Not!)  His closet is getting quite bare and I am getting desperate seeing him wear the same shirts over and over each week.  

Today I was near our local outlet mall and I decided to ventured into a trendy store that had a pretty good sale going on.  I found a bunch of shirts that *I* like but hemmed and hawed knowing most of them would be returned tomorrow.  When I showed AH the shirts tonight he actually liked them all.  Not a single one is going back! I can hardly believe it - I think it must be Christmas. 

The Deal

AH is a master deal finder when it comes to cars and motorcycles.  We have owned 13 cars in our 13 year marriage and each one was an incredible deal.  As an example, the first car AH bought for me after we were married was wrecked a year later (absolutely not my fault).  The insurance company paid us a few thousand more than what we ourselves paid for the vehicle just the year before. How often does that happened?  Not much, unless you're married to AH.

AH's skills extend to two wheeled vehicles as well.  I *think* we've owned 6 motorcycles but can't recall for sure because some only stayed around for a few days and I've forgotten that we even owned them in the first place.  Anywho, that brings me to AH's latest deal.  For years AH has been wanting a newer 250cc motorcycle.  He brings up this desire 4 or 5 times a year and I always give him the go ahead but he is reluctant to part with the funds... until a few weeks ago. 

One very recent Saturday morning AH saw an ad on our local Craig's List for not one, but two motorcycles; a 250cc and a 400cc.  AH is not interested in owning a 400cc but the price was just right for buying them both and the owner wanted to sell them as a pair.  This is where I should mention that AH called owner bright and early that Saturday morning. . . four times in a row because the guy didn't answer the first three times (since he was still sleeping) and so AH was the first person to see the bikes - though the guy had many calls and emails after AH scheduled the appointment.  This resulted in a 2 hour drive south (this drive was actually the hardest part for AH - he hates to drive any distance) and the purchase of two new-to-us bikes. 

Part two of this story concluded today as AH sold the 400cc bike.  When AH combines the money received at the sale today with the reward program check that we will get through our credit card company (we get reward dollars when we buy a vehicle) he will actually have made a few hundred dollars more than what we paid for both bikes originally.  This means his newer 250cc bike gained us a few extra hundred dollars when it is all said and done.   

This man is truly amazing at finding these deals!

 

 

On a side note (for our children when they are old enough to have credit cards), we use our credit card for most of our purchases and we pay it off every month and never pay the credit card company any interest for our purchases as a result.  This was a principal of money management that AH learned from his parents and grandparents.  As a result of our timely payments the money/rewards we earn from the credit card company is absolutely free. . . essentially they pay us to use their credit card.  Like many things in life if you use it properly it can bless you and if you use in irresponsibly it can cost you - the choice is yours.

Summer Evening Pastime

Summer = Termites

 

Termites = Spider Food

 

AH = Teaching Kids to Catch Termites and

Throwing Them Into Spider Webs Each Summer Evening

 

Summer + Termites + Kids Feeding Termites to Spiders = Grossed Out Mom

 

 

Our pediatrician assures me that it is essential for my childrens development that their dad teaches these kinds of thing.  Really????

Organic Beeb

There have been two incidents of Beeb making her mother beyond proud recently that must be documented.  The first happened last weekend while we were enjoying a delicious dinner at AH's brother's home.  During the meal Beeb came over to me at the adult table to quietly speak with me about her own dinner.

"Mom, I can't eat the salad." 

"Why not?" I replied thinking she was just trying to get out of eating her salad. "What's wrong with your salad?"

"The dressing on the salad tastes like CHEMICALS," she proclaimed dramatically. 

This got everyone's attention as they all stopped talking and looked at Beeb.  I barked out laughter and hugged her to me. 

"Beeb you are the best daughter ever," I said laughingly to her. 

*My children have ever only eaten organic dairy free ranch dressing so the taste of Hidden Valley Ranch is not what she was expecting.  Admittedly I hate the taste of organic dairy free ranch so I only use balsamic vinaigrette on my salads. 

The second incident happened today during church.  A speaker was describing our role in the after-life and it came across as hard work.  AH jokingly said that he had been looking forward to the next life but maybe now he'll want to wait.  Beeb, sitting next to him, quietly said, "Then you'd better stop eating Jiff."  He looked at her and asked, "What did you say?"  She looked at me and then back to him and said, "If you don't want to die soon you'd better stop eating Jiff."  I laughed again and hugged her to me.  I whispered in her ear, "Beeb I sure do love you."  Then I laughed for several minutes while AH gave me the stink-eye.

That is one cute girl and I'm super glad she's mine!