Pink Swords

Just so you know, pink arrows sometimes play with trucks and tractors. The big truck is the mommy truck and the little one is the baby truck. They need a house to live in, and a daddy truck is a bonus.

Pink arrows can also play Marvel Superheroes Heroscape (one of J's board games). However, Abomination and Spiderman are more likely to be paired up to dance than to duel.

And Daddy, if a pink arrow engages you in a sword fight, using plastic hangers as swords, enjoy the moment while you can. It won't be long before you learn that one of the swords is pink polka-dotted and the other is zebra-striped. You got the zebra-stripes, by the way. En garde!

Rough Night

Deep breath...last night was a rough one. It took A almost two hours to fall asleep without sucking her thumb. Criminey! She got out of bed at least five times with a million different excuses, but we knew it was because she just couldn't settle down without her thumb. She had a tough time at nap time yesterday and today, too. I let her lay down in my bed next to me and I put my arm over to keep her still. Today I had to tell her that we wouldn't watch any more movies if she couldn't be still and quiet. That did the trick, even though we've already gone through all the princess movies. Which is another reason that last night was rough. Every time I tried to fall asleep, I had a nagging Disney medley running through my head starting with "this provencal life" and "no one fights like Gaston, takes cheap shots like Gaston," then of course, Tale as Old as Time. Throw in a little "honor to us all" from Mulan and "you ain't never had a friend, never had a friend, no you ain't never had a friend like me!" Some friends you'd like to throw out the window.

At any rate, as I was going to bed around ten, I heard C cough a little and wondered if she was getting congested. No, she was throwing up in her bed. We didn't realize that until J went to check on her before he came to bed at midnight. Gross. I could write so much more, but I think gross pretty much sums it up. She continued to get sick every time I tried to lay her down flat, so after three bed changes, I finally wised up and took her to the recliner for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only an hour. I laid her back down on her back and she was fine until morning. No repeat episodes today; that's God's grace to a tired mommy.

So while I was laying in bed singing Disney songs and praying C wouldn't throw up any more, I also asked God to please intervene in our day so that we could somehow be kind to each other after a night like that. I'm so grateful that I'm not alone in the endeavor to be nice when I'm sleep deprived. The same supernatural power that raised Christ from the dead can help me demonstrate self-control and not yell at my preschooler or give me the presence of mind to be creative in my discipline if it is needed. Yes, it was a rough night. But we've had a pretty good day and I give God all the credit for that because that is not something I could ever do on my own.

All Done

We're home from A's surgery. All went well according to the surgeon. She was definitely nervous as they took her away from us and I was, too. I don't know how long she was awake in that operating room before the anesthesia kicked in, but she made a quick study of it. She was keen enough to notice what color hats the team members were wearing and remembered the mint-flavored air they gave her to breathe. Of all the flavors it could have been, they found the one that she doesn't like!

She was quite upset when she came to. I'm sure it was very scary to be so groggy and disoriented. They let me hold her and even rolled in a rocking chair so we could sit and rock and calm down. That still didn't work very well, so they had to give her some medicine to calm her down. I was grateful for that, because my bag of tricks wasn't working. Truly the thing that is most upsetting to her is the bandages. Each of her thumbs are wrapped to the tip with an extra wrap around her palm. This means no thumb-sucking for comfort for the next 48 hours. I was under the impression that the bandage would be much lower and she would still be able to suck her thumb. So none of us were prepared to be without that coping mechanism.

She keeps the bandages on for 48 hours, then we can take them off and her thumbs can get wet again, but just twice a day to wash them. The dissolvable stitches are covered with a tissue glue and that has to stay on as long as possible. Hopefully, she won't want to pick at it. We go back in 2 weeks for a follow-up appointment.

J went searching for Beauty and the Beast yesterday, only to learn that it is locked in the Disney vault and no rental or retail stores have it available. What a marketing crock! In the process of his hunt, he picked up Mulan, the Incredibles, 101 Dalmatians, and the Neverending Story. Then he got a tweet from a friend who was offering to loan Beauty and the Beast and Alladin. Success at last!! So we are stocked up on movies for the next few days. She's watching Mulan now and it's so sad listening to her as she realizes each time that she can't suck her thumb or rub her little fingers on her meatsy blanket. Maybe this will break the bad habit. But I'm not going to force the issue when the bandages come off in two days.

Time to go snuggle with my girls so J can get to work. Thanks for all the prayers!

Tomorrow's the Big Day

So A's thumb surgery is tomorrow morning. I talked to the pre-admissions nurse on Friday and got a few more details. We are to arrive at 6:45 am. We get to be in the room with her for just a short time, long enough to get her into a hospital gown and sign all the consent forms. They won't start anesthesia until they are in the OR. I'm a little anxious about that because I know she's going to be scared...strange place, strange people coming at her with a gas mask. She'll get enough gas to fall asleep and then they will start IV anesthesia. We will be back together when she wakes up. She should have full mobility in her thumbs when she wakes up. They estimate we'll be there about three hours.

I asked her what her favorite meal is and promised to make whatever she picked for supper. We'll be having mac and cheese with fish sticks, no fruits or veggies. Woo hoo! I also offered to rent a movie for her while she's recuperating on Monday. She's really been eager to watch the "Belle movie." Surgery's a big deal, so we're going to cave to yet another Disney princess. I'll be humming "Tale as Old as Time" for the next week.

We would be grateful for your prayers in the morning. We'll all need calm, quiet hearts and courage to face the unknown. Please pray for the surgeon and his team also. I will try to write up an update as soon as we get home. Thanks!

Finally!

Yesterday evening, right after J got home, while I was cooking supper, C took a few steps towards him. I grabbed the camera and we tried to get her to do it again, but this is all we got:

Maybe the maniacal laughter kept her from trying again. Or it could be the fun ear infection she's fighting. Either way, we disintegrated into this:

Then we took off for home group, so we didn't really have the opportunity to keep trying. Maybe she'll work more on it today.

Try It, You'll Like It

I've been cleaning my face with oil for about six weeks now and I loooove it!! Love, love, love, love, love it! (You have to sing that last sentence for maximum effect.) My skin feels great and I cannot say enough times how super cheap this solution is. My inner cheapskate does a little dance whenever I think about it. Like I said about the hair routine, I am definitely more satisfied with this solution because it is simple and cheap. The fact that it is natural is an added bonus.

So here's what I've been doing at night...I start with a dry face and squirt about a nickle-sized puddle of my oil blend onto my fingertips. I started with equal parts olive oil and castor oil and this is working well for me. You can tweak the ratio depending on your skin type, using more castor oil for oily skin and less for dry skin. I gently rub the oil all over my face for as long as it takes for the water to get hot in my sink. Then I get a washrag wet with hot water, wring it out and throw it on my face to steam all the gunk out of my pores. I leave the rag there until it cools off to room temperature. Rinse the rag, wipe oil off face. Done. I don't even need to dry my face. In the morning, I just splash some water on my face and go.

I expected my skin to feel really oily and greasy, but it doesn't. It feels like I just put on good moisturizer. A few times, I have grabbed my commercial face wash for convenience sake and regretted it every time because my face felt like it was going to crack. I remember this feeling and having to slather on moisturizer. Makes me wonder if the cleanser doesn't just strip my skin, then the moisturizer clogs it up in a vicious cycle. I have acne-prone skin and I have not noticed that cleaning with oil perpetuates this problem. I don't think it is going to solve the problem since it doesn't eliminate my hormones, but I have noticed that the blemishes I get seem to heal a little faster.

The beauty of all this is that I originally mixed about eight teaspoons of oil in my 97-cent ketchup squirt bottle. I didn't want to make too much in case I needed to fiddle with the ratio. Well, that eight teaspoons lasted about five weeks! I just recently had to mix up more. My 6-oz bottle of castor oil cost around $4.50 and a 25-oz bottle of EVOO costs $5.80. If my math is right, then I'm spending about $0.68 every month to keep my face clean and moisturized! Every month! Not every wash...every month! Dance, cheapskate, dance!!

You know you wanna try it. Go on...it's not hard. Can't hurt, right? If you don't have an inner cheapskate that thrills to the numbers, then think about all the chemicals you're keeping out of your body. And it really hasn't been a hassle to find the ingredients, mix them up, etc. because a little goes so far. Try it, you'll like it. And let me know all about it.

Growing Up

My babies are growing up really fast. I know that is so cliche to say, sorry. A has started sleeping on the top bunk and loves it. This time last year, we were fighting to get her out of her crib so her baby sister could have it. And she's going to have surgery in a few weeks! In my mind, for whatever reason, that takes away just a little bit of her childlike innocence. It's hard to maintain that the world is pure and unblemished once you've had surgery.

She's also really gotten interested in skirts and dresses. She picks one out to wear almost every day. They have to be tested for their swoosh-ability. Then they are showcased for Daddy. There have been a couple of occasions when I've pantomimed behind her back to help him notice whatever lovely thing she donned for his homecoming. He's learning quickly, though. She recently told me--after seeing her babysitter's pretty painted fingernails--that she wanted to paint her toenails either green or brown. I was surprised it wasn't pink or purple, but told her that I would need to talk to Daddy about whether or not she is old enough to paint her toenails. To which she replied with the biggest eye roll, "but Mo-om, I'm three and a half!" Yes, baby girl, that is my point exactly.

C is growing fast, too. Nothing like that first haircut to launch you out of babyhood. She's working on her fifth tooth and is starting to realize that she can stand independently. I never would have imagined it would take her this long to walk. But more significantly, she has dropped her morning nap. Almost spontaneously, she just flipped a switch and wasn't doing that any more. If I try to put her down for "quiet time" in the morning, she'll rest for about five minutes before she starts fussing. Then her afternoon nap is a total wash for having that pause in the morning. Crazy kid. She's giving the sweetest kisses now. You get a slow approach as your warning, then just a gentle rest on your cheek. That slow, gentle approach is how you know it's a kiss and not a head bonk.

Savor it, Sarah. Soak it in. Take note. Stop and stare. Thank you, Lord, thank you.

Shave more off the budget

I have yet another frugal revelation that I think should turn into a revolution! I think it's obscene how much those razor cartridge refills cost and how quickly we go through them. Even if I suffer the effects of trying to stretch their usefulness, they are still ridiculously expensive. I can say this with great confidence now because I have found a solution that works equally well for a fraction of the cost.

Years ago, J decided to try a double-edge safety razor and old-school shaving soap. He really liked the results, but I never thought to make the idea my own until he suggested it recently. I was timid at first because it really is a razor blade snapped into a steel handle. Surely, I'd bleed out on the shower floor. Nope! I got a really smooth shave, no agitation or razor bumps, and maybe two nicks in the month that I've been using it (pretty normal for me).

Here's how it works...the safety razor has a little screw at the bottom that you turn to open the butterfly closure that holds in the blade. Take the old blade out, set a new one in, twist the handle to make it close. We wrap the old blade up in a tissue before throwing it away just so we don't tear a hole in the bag or worse, have little fingers reach in the trash can and get cut. Between uses, I leave the razor open so it can dry thoroughly. I'm still using my can of shave gel because I've got it, but I've tried the shave soap and it seems to work well. As always, I slather up with lotion when I get out of the shower.

The only inconvenience is that I'm using J's razor handle since I haven't splurged on my own yet. So I toss the blades after each use so he doesn't have to deal with a dull blade. But I'm okay with that, because the blades cost less than $0.20 each!! That's right...10 blades for about $1.84 at the handy-dandy Wal-Mart. Eventually, I will need to invest in my own razor, like this one or maybe this one with a little extra bling to it. Aw, who am I kidding? I'm not paying extra for little blue stars.

So, rise up and revolt! Refuse to pay exorbitant prices for frilly razors in cute colors that promise airbrushed legs for real women! I will not pay extra for cucumber melon fragrance or a "lotion strip" that still leaves my legs requiring lotion, and I certainly don't need my disposable razor to require batteries! No ma'am, I will not buy into your ridiculous marketing. I can handle a real blade, thank you very much, and I'll keep the change. Who's with me?

Find Better Jobs, Faster

My brother-in-law is working on a book about the job search/hiring process. He has some really interesting ideas about why and how people get hired. He needs some help, though, with his research. Would you please take a few minutes to go click through a survey at www.TheHiringSurvey.com? He has different surveys for different situations, so even stay-at-home moms or folks without a job can contribute to his research. It took me less than five minutes to complete. He recently gave a short presentation about it at his job club if you want more info. Once you take a survey, please pass on the link to those in your circle so his data pool will grow. Thanks for helping!