Pearls of Wisdom

Sunday was my 29th birthday- yay me! I didn't have a party like I'd originally planned, but there is just entirely too much going on right now! No party is better than a half-baked attempt at a party.

My sis was teasing me about being old and asked what pearls of wisdom I could share with her thanks to my vast knowledge gained in my old age . . . did I mention she's a smart-ass?!

But maybe what I shared with her can be helpful to some other young 20-something. So, here are Stephanie's Tricks to Living Happy:

1. Don't rush through college in 3 years like I did. 4-6 years is perfectly acceptable. Just don't take 7-8 (for a 4 year degree) or then you're the creepy old person trying to hang out with young kids. There is no such thing as a real life Van Wilder, promise.

2. A "big girl" job isn't all its cracked up to be. Yes, its awesome to have a career and exciting to have an adult life at last, but I have three words for you- No Spring Break. No little mini breaks thrown in throughout the year. Vacation days are just not the same.

3. When you do finally get a "big girl" job, make it something that you love.

4. Live within your means. Credit cards can be your friend as long as you don't abuse them.

5. It's easier to stay in shape than it is to get back into shape. Just because you don't have to run 4 miles a day anymore doesn't mean you shouldn't. You'll regret it later when you promise a friend to run a 2K with her in a few months and you're still trying desperately to figure out how to run more than a mile without passing out . . . .

6. Tampon boxes are the best hiding places if there's something you don't want your boyfriend/husband to find. Most won't even go there, but if they do they'll have a tough time explaining why they were looking through your tampons in the first place.

7. Being a mommy is the hardest job in the world. But its also the best.

8. Being a working mommy is not easy. Those people that make it look super easy all the time are probably popping a few happy pills.

9. Surround yourself with people that you love and who love you. Let go of any friendships or relationships that are hurtful or bad. Those people are not worth your time or energy.

10. And most important of all- Trust and believe in God. Put your joys and concerns in His hands. I'm a worrier by nature and giving my problems to God is still something I struggle with everyday. But I'm working on it!

I have the following scripture in my office that I read whenever I find myself overwhelmed and it always helps:

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 29-31

So there you have it! My tips to living a happy life. Pay particular attention to number 10 folks, I saved the best for last for a reason!

XOXO

Well, we had a good run . . .

Poor little Emma! Her asthma has been doing fairly well lately and it gave the hubs and I this false sense of security- that "maybe she's starting to grow out of it and maybe things will be better for her now" mentality.

WRONG!

Last Monday she woke up and her breathing was a little funny. Her "emergency" inhaler helped a little so I just continued to monitor her throughout the day (I was off work) and give her extra breathing treatments. Sometimes it will just flare up like that and can be managed. By 5 that evening she refused to let go of me for even one tiny second and the inhaler wasn't giving her any relief so off to the pediatrician's office we go. And an hour later were admitted to the hospital. Yikes.

This brings our total asthma related hospital stays to 4, poor little girl. This time was sooo much harder than any of the previous stays. She felt terrible and is at the age where she understands more and realizes that when nurses come in with needles its gonna hurt. 4 liters of oxygen, 3 attempts at an IV, and around a million tears later we were finally settled down for the night. The only way she would sleep was sitting on my lap in the bed.

It just breaks my heart to see her struggling to breathe, tubes and cords connected to her little body, and not understanding why she keeps getting poked with needles and has to wear the little oxygen thingy in her nose, which she absolutely hates. Some of the worst mommy moments ever.

By day 4 she was able to remove the oxygen for a little while during the day but her oxygen levels were still dropping dangerously low at night. We were able to walk through the pediatric unit for brief periods using a portable oxygen tank and dragging her IV tower with us. My little girl is a charmer and she made tons of friends on these daily walks. My boss sent her a present which she had to carry with her on our walks. Tissue paper, balloons, and all. Since the frog is almost as big as she is I wound up carrying it most of the time but Em wouldn't hear of leaving "Dora" behind. It was so sweet and funny watching her try to carry that giant frog around that I wound up laughing and crying at the same time.

She kept the nurses laughing too. One of the maintenance guys was riding around on a floor buffer and she started yelling "Mommy! Look out for the lawnmower! It's coming this way! Don't let it get me and Dora!"

Finally after 6 LONG days we were able to come home. Praise the Lord! It took an act of congress to get all of her get well soon gifts loaded into my SUV but we finally managed. She was so happy to be home she literally played with every single toy she owns that afternoon, no small feat I promise. Now that she's home we are still doing some extra breathing treatments and she tires out easily. Hopefully in a few days she'll be my happy, silly, little chatterbox girl again!

While I was staying at the hospital with Emma, Jeremy was playing Mommy for Seeley who had RSV. Double whammy right? Since he had RSV he was essentially quarantied for 7 days and this mommy didn't get to see him at all. Super tough. Jeremy and I had talked about trading off some but Emma is such a mommy's girl she would have only gotten more upset and we didn't want that when she was already sick. So, my mom would come to the hospital each day so I could shower (if that's what you can call it) and the in-laws would sit with Seeley each night after work so Jeremy could spend a few hours at the hospital with me and Em.

While I was MIA for a week Mr. Big learned all sorts of new tricks. He's no longer "kinda" crawling, he's a full on force to be reckoned with. As hubs so eloquently put it "he just won't stay where I put him anymore". (This was said in a very exhausted voice one evening over the phone.) And, he supposedly said his first word- dada. I say supposedly b/c I have not heard him say it yet and I'm holding out until I hear it for myself. I personally think it's a little unfair since Jeremy had the advantage of coaching him for a full 6 days.

Emma doesn't know what to think about Seeley's new mobility, especially since he's now getting into all of her stuff. I feel some sibling fights coming up in the near future. It's also funny to watch Seeley try to use Emma to pull himself up to stand. He's only a few pounds lighter than she is and everytime he tries it they both wind up falling onto the floor; Emma tries to help him but she just can't manage to do it without losing her balance!

Here's hoping everyone stays healthy and we can enjoy the pretty weather this weekend!

Love is a Battlefield

Preach on Pat Benatar!

Most husbands and wives argue about money or parenting techniques or even household chores. While hubs and I have our occasional "discussions" on these topics, our battles of late have revloved around two things:

That's right folks. Gauntlets get thrown when it comes to Dr. Pepper and Cadbury Eggs, two of the best culinary delights in the world. Our history with Cadbury Eggs is well noted, the Dr. Pepper is a recent addition to the list due to my desperate (and unwanted) need for caffeine.

See, the hubs suffers from gluttony. He just can't help himself. Or so he claims when I find him in a chocolate and caffeine induced coma.

I've recently made a big push to be healthier. Eat better, focus on getting into a good exercise routine. And I've had moderate success. I'm making it to the gym around 4 times a week (not great but good), I'm eating better meals, and my junk food and caffeine intake is at a minimum.

But for those moments when chocolate and caffeine are a must I have my "emergency stash". I can make a 4 pack of Cadbury eggs and a 6 pack of the mini Dr. Peppers last 2-3 months. Or I could, if hubs would stop stealing them. See when I need them, I NEED them and I've almost resorted to violence upon finding my last Cadbury Egg or Dr. Pepper missing. The only thing stopping the violence is potential jail time. I couldn't make it in jail. Too many germs.

I've managed to find hiding places for my Cadbury Eggs, but the Dr. Pepper is a little harder. So, if the next time you're at my house you find some Cadbury Eggs in a random place, say hanging out inside a box of tampons, just put them back and whatever you do, don't tell Jeremy!

How you doin?

Mama's better lock up their daughters cause I've got a ladies man on my hands!

Last Friday Seeley had tubes placed in his ears. Poor little guy has had 6 ear infections since November and the ENT said his ears looked terrible. The ENT saw him on Tuesday and scheduled the surgery for Friday, that's how bad his ears were. Long story short-he did fantastic! Emma had tubes at 1 and she totally freaked out in recovery so I was kind of dreading this surgery. They brought Mr. Big out to me once he was awake and he fussed a little bit because he was hungry but as soon as he finished his bottle he was laughing and playing. Unbelievable!! All of the nurses were super impressed and very charmed by our little guy.

Which brings me to the ladies man portion of this story. When the surgery was scheduled from the ENT's office I had to go straight to the hospital to fill out the admissions paperwork so all would be ready on Friday. Seeley was pretty tired so he slept until I was almost finished with the paperwork. The admissions office was full of women and plenty of them poked their heads in throughout the admissions process to peek at Seeley. At one point there were 6 women in the office cooing over him while he was sleeping, and while they were there Cassanova decided to wake up. He sat up and looked around until he noticed his audience. They were all gushing over him "Awww." "He's so cute" etc.

I died out laughing because it was like all of a sudden he was wide awake. He sat up straight, spit his paci out onto the desk, smiled his biggest smile, and started waving at them. I kid you not. He has NEVER waved at anyone before without being prompted. Of course the ladies ate it up which just encouraged him to wave harder and start jabbering. I swear it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

But who can blame the ladies? He is quite the stud-muffin. I mean look at those big beautiful blue eyes! Couldn't you just die?!

I guess you've got to start working the ladies at a young age. Daddy was super proud.

What happened to January?

I know I say this a lot, but I swear just yesterday it was the middle of January. I can't keep up!

A brief review of the last month:

Stil waiting to celebrate our 8 year wedding anniversary. That's right,almost 2 months later and still no date night. Don't judge. Come and talk to me when you have two kiddos and a billion dogs.

Speaking of which, we've added a new face to the Johnson Zoo. Meet Bella (short for Isabella of Phineas and Ferb fame).

A girl I went to high school with had 6 month old Bella but could no longer keep her in their apartment so we took her for Emma. It's difficult for Emma to be around animals because of her allergies and asthma. Chihuahuas are one of the few dogs that she can be around. I'm slightly concerned because she's been having to use her inhaler more frequently, but I'm giving it a little time to see if its just a coincidence. I do not want to be the one to take her puppy away from her. It was a little touch and go at first, but now they are fast buddies. According to Emma Bella is "just my right size". Perfect and too cute together! This dog needs serious attention though; its almost like having a third child. Seriously.

Gymnastics Expo! (Excuse the poor photo quality. I was using my el cheapo point and click Kodak. Lesson learned.)

More snow!

Yay Me!!

Thanks to my boss being in town and the plague that has settled at my household, I've been MIA for a few weeks. I'm thinking maybe I should do this more often because what do I find upon my return to blog land? An award! Yay me! Much thanks to Mrs. Eyecansee at The Juice is Worth the Squeeze for the nod. It's always nice to know that someone other than your mom reads your blog . . . :)

The rules:

1) Link back and thank the fabulous person who awarded you.

2) Share 7 things about yourself

3) Award 15 other deserving bloggers

I have very few scandelous or remarkable secrets, so I'm warning you in advance that this might be a little boring.

1) I can't sleep if the hubs and I are facing each other in the bed. If his face is too close to mine I start panicking and feel like I can't breathe, like he's stealing my breath. Weird I know. And a constant source of amusement to him.

2) I have only one ticklish spot on my body. The only person that knows said spot is my best friend from high school. (Don't be perverted, it's nothing racy!) Even hubs doesn't know about the spot- he would only use if for evil.

3) I still watch the Disney channel and it has nothing to do with my 3 year old. I sometimes watch it when she's not even in the room.

4) I have never used the china I received as wedding gifts. Not. One. Single. Time.

5) I have an unnatural hatred of chickens. Not the kind wrapped in plastic at the grocery store- the live kind that like to peck at your shins. Traumatic experiences in childhood have scarred me for life.

6) If my younger brother Leo had not passed away he would be 25 years old this year. I think a lot about what kind of man he would have turned out to be.

7) I own 17 pairs of pajamas. I discovered my love of pj's after having Emma. Pj's were one of the few clothing items I could shop for that were cute and also sported the necessary elastic waist. A must while losing those pesky baby pounds!

Since I'm not in the business of blogging full time I don't think I could come up with 15 deserving bloggers if my life depended on it. Sooooo, I'm going to break rule #3 and not pass the award along. Dum dum dummmm. Blogging police please don't come after me! In my defense, most of the other bloggers I could nominate have already received this award! Yes, I'm a blogging loser.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

Still debating the pros/cons of a birthday party in March. I would prefer to have the party at my house , but since we've still got some construction (aka drama) going on with some rehab stuff I'm hesitant to have a bunch of people over. Gonna check into alternatives next week.

Big man will be 7 months old in a few weeks. And yes, I'm already debating birthday party themes for June. Seeley is defeating all of my efforts to clothe him by continuing to grow way too quickly-we're wearing 12 month clothing now. At his 6 month wellness visit a few weeks ago he weighed 20 lbs and 8 oz. I can't even wrap my hand all the way around his calves, much less his thighs. I'll have to take a picture to prove it. He now weights only 9 lbs less than Emma.

Hubs and I still have not officially celebrated our anniversary, which was on the 4th. First, babysitter was sick. Then Seeley was sick. Then it was my bro-in-law's birthday. Now we've got a gymnastics expo for Em and a cousin's birthday p
arty for her little boy . . . I'm holding firm that NEXT weekend we're going to go out for our special day. I hope. Geez.

Emma had her first snow this week. I'm not sure who was more excited-her or Jeremy. Definitely not the dogs. All but 2 of them were super pissed and highly suspicious of the white stuff.

I still can't manage to get into bed before 11:30 or 12am, which means that I have way too much quiet time on my hands after the rest of the house is asleep and I'm finishing up my "to-do" list. I catch myself eyeballing projects that need to be done around the house. Hubs is going to strangle me if I even hint at more projects at the moment. I think I'm safe though- funds are necessary to begin these projects and since putting the kids back into daycare full time our disposable income is in seriously short supply.

Just after the holidays I discovered someone apparently backed into the passenger side of my car, near the rear fender. Super. Why do I park out in the back 40 of the parking lot if someone can STILL manage to hit me? By the time I get this fixed I will almost have replaced or repaired the entire exterior of my SUV. And I only wish I was exaggerating.

Since owning my car it has been

• backed into a building courtesy of hubs (new driver side rear fender)
• backed into father-in-law's truck-hubs again
• rear-ended 3 times (only 1 new rear fender though)
• friend at work backed into driver side door (brand new now)
• flying object crushed front fender/grill on interstate (all new/replaced)
• the above mentioned hit and run on passenger side rear fender/panel

Since I'm pretty sure this latest mishap will require a replacement part that leaves the passenger door as the only original exterior part on my car. Awesome right? If I had caused some of the damage maybe I wouldn't be so bitter about it.

I overheard Emma and Jeremy talking about a baby sister last night. Shouldn't I be in the loop somewhere on this decision?

Plans for this weekend include:

• Emma's gymnastics expo
• Bowling birthday party
• Phase 1 of Project Organization- bathroom storage revamp