I know I know, I'm terrible about updating. We've been busy living life around here.
It's been the month of doctors' appointments: Eden had a regular check up (she's great, in the 50th percentile for height and weight), I had a regular dental cleaning that revealed me needing another crown, which is automatically two more visits, Austin had an eye exam where he was diagnosed with almost-terrible eye stuff going on, and I have an annual eye exam on Thursday. Plus stuff at church and regular life stuff, like friends' birthday parties and MOPS and FKO and of course bulk cooking. We've been comfortably busy.
There's really nothing new to report. Austin and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary today. We went out to dinner without kids on Friday and had Arrowhead deliver dinner tonight. Eden ate some of my green beans (she usually inhales them, but Austin's quinoa was far tastier to her tonight) and Elijah ate probably a good fourth of Austin's salmon. Sometimes I look at these kids and see myself in their faces or mannerisms or expressions or attitudes or preferences....and then they do crazy stuff like gobble down vegetables and salmon and I wonder where they came from. If you want to see a sappy post about Austin, you'll have to look here. Or check out some old notes on my facebook page. We're not sappy people, so I try to limit myself to once or twice a year so it doesn't lose it's potency.
On the family front, Asher is now registered for next fall at TLCA, the charter school a few blocks from the house. The first time he saw the school, he commented that the playground looked good. So....there's that. We bought a board game at a garage sale that involves flying and the person who flew most recently goes first. That's always Austin and Asher has decided he wants to fly in a plane just so he can go first in the game. Priorities.
Elijah is doing pretty great all around. He always wants to go where we're going and tag along with anything happening, so we usually let him. Gives him some one-on-one time that he's never really gotten, at least not like Asher and Eden have. Poor middle kid.
Eden is fabulous. Growing and walking and talking and trying to keep up with her brothers. She has opinions and preferences and attitude and its great. She's constantly got a runny nose from the seasonal junk floating around. Her next appointment is with the cardiologist in June, then she'll see her regular ped for her 18 month check up in July and the pediatric ophthalmologist in July for an annual eye exam to check how her eyes are developing with the ptosis. Fingers crossed that it's still fine.
Austin is still loving his job. He recently had to go out of town for a weekend for stuff with BEST and the kids didn't really have time to miss him, which was nice. He missed us since he had to suffer the silence and solitude of a hotel room in the evenings. Poor him.
I'm doing well, too, other than the crown. At least it didn't turn into a root canal like last time.
The boys like to play outside every day, even if it ends up being for five minutes. They ride their bikes on the patio and play on the seesaw and if they can find it, they write with chalk on the concrete. Eden decided to join them today. She did ok, wandering around with chalk in her fist.
So yes, we're all doing fine. Living, working, playing, growing. If this space isn't updated, it's because there's not much to report, or nothing that gets my writer juices flowing or that I think people are interested to read or comment about. It's nice being a little bit boring. It seems like we don't get much of that around here.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
We didn't disappear!
Lawdy it's been a while. We've had stuff going on the past month and for a couple weeks there, I didn't have a computer, so that's my excuse. Here's a quick update:
Austin is doing great at his new job. He enjoys it most of the time and has already had to travel for a few days for it. He's still not home until about 6, but he's actually working in town until 6 so it's not too bad. He's met us for lunch a couple of times and that was fun. He also gets to sleep a little later in the mornings, which I'm sure he enjoys.
Asher is doing great in general. He's so smart and silly and yesterday was in such a goofy great mood it was hard not to laugh. He was making up rhymes about everyone that were mostly funny to him. He's a lot like his dad in that. He loves riding his bike and whenever the weather is nice, he and Elijah go outside and ride for a while after school or in the morning on a non-school day. I stay inside but sit by the door to the backyard that's in our bedroom so I can hear the laughing and shouting and inevitable tears. They come in, tell me what happened, then go back out tear free. All I have to say is "Are you going to survive?" and they figure out they're ok. It's nice having independent kids.
The registration for TLCA, the charter school a few blocks from Mom's house, opened today. I went to pick up paperwork to get a jump on it last week and was told I couldn't get it until today. I asked how many students are in the kindergarten class and she told me 23-24 but that 17-18 spots were already taken. Siblings, I'm assuming. So we have to compete with I don't know how many people for a possible 7 spots. I sent Austin up to the school this morning to be in line around 6. There wasn't a line, so he was able to get in and fill out the form pretty quick. They didn't need the batch of paperwork we'd pulled together (birth certificate, social security number, etc) that I'd been told we'd need (I think they need to get their information straight) but that was ok. We're also not registered, just...applied? We'll find out in a couple weeks if we're accepted or not.
I have no idea what the criteria are, but if it's anything like most government assistance programs, we probably won't qualify. We make too much money, he's a white male child who isn't at risk in any way. Still, we're hopeful we'll get in. It would be so nice to not have to drive past three other schools to take him to school next year (besides the charter school, there's a great private school we can't afford three blocks from our house and a public elementary school a few blocks north of the charter school. Our elementary is like 3 miles away.) Asher is interested in math and science and can do some basic math (addition and subtraction with small numbers) in his head if we help him break it down and on paper nearly always. He's reading on probably a second grade level and wants to learn more about everything. Then the next minute he wants to just sit around all day and watch dvds. He's a really funny mix of me and Austin in that way....lol
Elijah is potty trained! At least during the day. He prefers to wear his underwear backwards so if he bends over and you get a sight of some baby butt crack, that's why. He's pretty smart and funny and sweet 99% of the time. Anytime Austin or I go anywhere, he wants to go, too. We usually take him, just so he can have some alone time with a parent. He's at that age where he wants to have control in his life but he just can't for whatever reason. I'm hoping that next year with Asher at school is good for him.
Eden is doing fabulously. She's walking like a pro and even has some recognizable words. She's sweet and adorable but has that streak of sass that I'm probably going to hate in about 13 years. She's my little shadow at home, following me around the house to see what I'm doing and settling nearby whenever I sit down. I was doing bulk cooking last week and every day she would go to the same drawer and pull out everything in it. It's where I keep measuring cups, so I didn't fuss at her too much. When she opened it then proceeded to sneeze all over everything inside, I fussed a little as I loaded everything into the dishwasher.
We've been taking her pulse ox twice a week and the numbers are great for her. The doctors were all concerned that once she started walking, she'd get bluer, or have more difficulty with her oxygen levels. In contrast, her numbers have been a little higher than they were before. Her feet are also warmer on a regular basis (which could be because we usually have shoes on her to protect her feet, but even without shoes her feet stay warm). Her cyanosis (the blood spring back when you press on her foot) is even better. It's crazy. Her next specialist appointment is in June for her eye and two weeks later will be a cardio appointment. I'm interested to see how all that is going and what the doctors will have to say.
As for me, I've been keeping things running as best I can. We took dinner to a friend who lost a family member one week, then to the friend that had the baby in my last post we took dinner once a week for four weeks. If the excited texts are any indication, the food was a hit with their family. The boys had a playdate with them a couple of times and I got to snuggle the new baby a couple of times. She even smiled at me once (shut up, she totally did). Eden was a little curious why I was holding a baby but it didn't seem to bother her that much. I spent a week bulk cooking to restock our freezer. I spent two weeks without a computer (which was interesting). I cross stitched a couple of pieces and framed a couple...not necessarily the same ones. I have five pieces needing frames and four in "temporary" frames (which they've been in for about 5 years). I finished up some photo books for the past couple of years in our family life. I started planning our summer and looking forward to next fall and getting things ready for Asher at school. I did a couple little "making it a home" projects around the house that the boys had to point out to Austin. We had our front porch replaced and a pipe under the house repaired. We attempted to buy a car for Austin but by the time we got financing, the car was gone so now we're looking for another one.
In other words, it's been life as usual around here. Children growing and learning and playing and adults.....adulting. We have a couple projects in mind for this summer that we'll see how far we actually get on. Everything around here is pretty good. Let's hope it stays that way for a while. We're due a quiet year.
Austin is doing great at his new job. He enjoys it most of the time and has already had to travel for a few days for it. He's still not home until about 6, but he's actually working in town until 6 so it's not too bad. He's met us for lunch a couple of times and that was fun. He also gets to sleep a little later in the mornings, which I'm sure he enjoys.
Asher is doing great in general. He's so smart and silly and yesterday was in such a goofy great mood it was hard not to laugh. He was making up rhymes about everyone that were mostly funny to him. He's a lot like his dad in that. He loves riding his bike and whenever the weather is nice, he and Elijah go outside and ride for a while after school or in the morning on a non-school day. I stay inside but sit by the door to the backyard that's in our bedroom so I can hear the laughing and shouting and inevitable tears. They come in, tell me what happened, then go back out tear free. All I have to say is "Are you going to survive?" and they figure out they're ok. It's nice having independent kids.
The registration for TLCA, the charter school a few blocks from Mom's house, opened today. I went to pick up paperwork to get a jump on it last week and was told I couldn't get it until today. I asked how many students are in the kindergarten class and she told me 23-24 but that 17-18 spots were already taken. Siblings, I'm assuming. So we have to compete with I don't know how many people for a possible 7 spots. I sent Austin up to the school this morning to be in line around 6. There wasn't a line, so he was able to get in and fill out the form pretty quick. They didn't need the batch of paperwork we'd pulled together (birth certificate, social security number, etc) that I'd been told we'd need (I think they need to get their information straight) but that was ok. We're also not registered, just...applied? We'll find out in a couple weeks if we're accepted or not.
I have no idea what the criteria are, but if it's anything like most government assistance programs, we probably won't qualify. We make too much money, he's a white male child who isn't at risk in any way. Still, we're hopeful we'll get in. It would be so nice to not have to drive past three other schools to take him to school next year (besides the charter school, there's a great private school we can't afford three blocks from our house and a public elementary school a few blocks north of the charter school. Our elementary is like 3 miles away.) Asher is interested in math and science and can do some basic math (addition and subtraction with small numbers) in his head if we help him break it down and on paper nearly always. He's reading on probably a second grade level and wants to learn more about everything. Then the next minute he wants to just sit around all day and watch dvds. He's a really funny mix of me and Austin in that way....lol
Elijah is potty trained! At least during the day. He prefers to wear his underwear backwards so if he bends over and you get a sight of some baby butt crack, that's why. He's pretty smart and funny and sweet 99% of the time. Anytime Austin or I go anywhere, he wants to go, too. We usually take him, just so he can have some alone time with a parent. He's at that age where he wants to have control in his life but he just can't for whatever reason. I'm hoping that next year with Asher at school is good for him.
Eden is doing fabulously. She's walking like a pro and even has some recognizable words. She's sweet and adorable but has that streak of sass that I'm probably going to hate in about 13 years. She's my little shadow at home, following me around the house to see what I'm doing and settling nearby whenever I sit down. I was doing bulk cooking last week and every day she would go to the same drawer and pull out everything in it. It's where I keep measuring cups, so I didn't fuss at her too much. When she opened it then proceeded to sneeze all over everything inside, I fussed a little as I loaded everything into the dishwasher.
We've been taking her pulse ox twice a week and the numbers are great for her. The doctors were all concerned that once she started walking, she'd get bluer, or have more difficulty with her oxygen levels. In contrast, her numbers have been a little higher than they were before. Her feet are also warmer on a regular basis (which could be because we usually have shoes on her to protect her feet, but even without shoes her feet stay warm). Her cyanosis (the blood spring back when you press on her foot) is even better. It's crazy. Her next specialist appointment is in June for her eye and two weeks later will be a cardio appointment. I'm interested to see how all that is going and what the doctors will have to say.
As for me, I've been keeping things running as best I can. We took dinner to a friend who lost a family member one week, then to the friend that had the baby in my last post we took dinner once a week for four weeks. If the excited texts are any indication, the food was a hit with their family. The boys had a playdate with them a couple of times and I got to snuggle the new baby a couple of times. She even smiled at me once (shut up, she totally did). Eden was a little curious why I was holding a baby but it didn't seem to bother her that much. I spent a week bulk cooking to restock our freezer. I spent two weeks without a computer (which was interesting). I cross stitched a couple of pieces and framed a couple...not necessarily the same ones. I have five pieces needing frames and four in "temporary" frames (which they've been in for about 5 years). I finished up some photo books for the past couple of years in our family life. I started planning our summer and looking forward to next fall and getting things ready for Asher at school. I did a couple little "making it a home" projects around the house that the boys had to point out to Austin. We had our front porch replaced and a pipe under the house repaired. We attempted to buy a car for Austin but by the time we got financing, the car was gone so now we're looking for another one.
In other words, it's been life as usual around here. Children growing and learning and playing and adults.....adulting. We have a couple projects in mind for this summer that we'll see how far we actually get on. Everything around here is pretty good. Let's hope it stays that way for a while. We're due a quiet year.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Tali’s Table Freezer Cooking
Tali’s Table Freezer
Cooking
Sides
Perini’s Hominy
Casserole – Small: $7.50 Large: $10.00
Cheesy hominy casserole with green chilies and bacon.
Breads
Sour Cream Cornbread
- $5/$7.50
Yummy cornbread. Pairs perfectly with the beef chili
Garlic Bread $5
Loaf of grocery store French bread cut lengthwise and spread
generously with butter then sprinkled with seasonings and cheese
Assorted Bread - $5
I can make a variety of breads from scratch. The most
popular ones are Garlic Parmesan, Peasant, Italian, French Honey, and English
Muffin.
Dessert
Apple Pie Filling -
$5/$7.50
My grandmother’s recipe. So delicious. Lower price is for
filling only, higher price is full pie
Texas Sheet Cake -
$7.50/$10
Delicious chocolate cake topped with chocolate icing (all
homemade) that’s kind of a cross between brownies and cake.
Crumb Cake -
$7.50/$10
Yummy white cake with a cinnamon crumb topping. Similar in
texture to a dense coffee cake.
Breakfast
Cinnamon Bread Souffle – $12.50/$10
Very similar in taste and texture to bread pudding. Cinnamon
bread with a cream cheese topping.
Bacon and Egg Strata
– $10/$7.50
Bacon, eggs, cheese, milk, and bread.
Drinks
Lemonade Concentrate
- $5/quart
Homemade lemonade without all the squeezing
Chicken
Cheesy Chicken
Spaghetti – $15/$10
The classic favorite with all real ingredients. No Velveeta,
no cream soups.
White Chicken Chili -
$5/quart
Made with home cooked, seasoned chicken, beans, chilies, and
seasonings, delicious.
Chicken Tetrazzini -
$12.50/$20
Creamy pasta dish made with home cooked, seasoned chicken,
peas, and lots of cheese and cream.
Chicken Bacon Alfredo
- $12.50/$20
Rich creamy dish made with artichokes, bacon, home cooked,
seasoned chicken, and Alfredo sauce (Please note: Alfredo does have a tendency
to separate a little when frozen. It still tastes good.)
Sour Cream Chicken
Enchiladas - $7.50/$10
Home cooked seasoned chicken, chilies, lots of cheese, sour
cream, flour tortillas
Garlic Bread Chicken
Nuggets - $7.50/$10
Crunchy chicken nuggets in a yummy garlic breading. Frozen
raw for cooking at time of serving.
Parmesan Garlic
Chicken - $10/$12.50
Chicken with parmesan, garlic, and Italian herbs and spices.
Frozen raw for cooking at time of serving.
Baked Lemon Garlic
Chicken - $7.50/$10
Chicken with lots of garlic and pepper and a subtle tang of
lemon. Frozen raw for cooking at time of serving.
Rosemary Garlic
Chicken - $7.50/$10
Rosemary and garlic are a great combo with this chicken.
Frozen raw for cooking at time of serving.
Kick’n Chicken -
$7.50/$10
Special seasoning blend from Sam’s. Frozen raw for cooking
at time of serving.
Garlic Herb Chicken -
$7.50/$10
Special seasoning blend from Sam’s. Frozen raw for cooking
at time of serving.
Ranch Chicken Fingers
- $7.50/$10
Crunchy chicken fingers with a nice ranch flavoring. Frozen
raw for cooking at time of serving.
Beef
Beef Stew – $7.50/quart
Yummy stew meat cooked long and slow. You add veggies upon
serving.
Beef Chili - $5/quart
Beefy chili with lots of tomatoes and seasonings. Mild so
you can make it as spicy as you can handle.
Telluride Black Bean
Bake - $7.50/$10
Slightly spicy beef and tomato sauce over tortillas spread
with chilies and cream cheese.
Spaghetti Sauce -
$7.50/quart
The Tucker-Walke-Mullins spaghetti meat sauce. It’s never
the same twice but it’s always good.
Meatballs in Sour
Cream Sauce - $7.50/$10
Swedish meatballs crossed with beef stroganoff. Cooks in the
crock pot. Homemade meatballs.
Baked Spaghetti -
$35/$20
Think the love child of spaghetti carbonara, lasagna, and
spaghetti with meat sauce.
Daddy’s Favorite
Meatloaf - $7.50/$10
Kind of like a hamburger with the fries inside. It’s delicious and will have you
coming back for seconds.
Parmesan Meatballs -
$7.50/$10
Homemade meatballs with cheese and Italian seasonings.
Beef Stroganoff -
$15/$20
Delicious stroganoff made with sour cream. Mushrooms
optional.
Pork
Stromboli - $12.50
Typically made with Italian sausage and pepperoni, but you
can pick other fillings if you’d like.
Ham and Cheese
Sandwiches – $2/each
Ham and Cheese poppy seed sandwiches. Perfect for a lunch on
the go. Individually wrapped and sold.
Muffalettas – $3.50/each
Ciabatta bun layered with olive salad, salami, turkey,
provolone, and Swiss and topped with honey mustard.
Slow Cooker Parmesan Pork Loin -
$12.50/$15
Pork loin in
a marinade of soy, honey, herbs, and Parmesan to be cooked in a crock-pot.
Frozen raw.
Meat Free
Marinara - $5/quart
Homemade marinara. Onions, tomatoes, garlic, lots of spices.
Pesto - $5/pint
Fresh basil, lots of garlic and Parmesan. No pine nuts.
Stuffed Shells -
$7.50/$10
Ricotta and Parmesan filling. Typically I use manicotti
shells. Topped with some of the homemade marinara.
A small serving will typically feed 2-4, depending on
appetite (it feeds our family just fine with very few leftovers). A large will
serve a minimum of 6, up to 10 on some dishes. I cook with whole fat
ingredients (real cream, regular cream cheese and sour cream and cheeses, etc)
and I buy meats and cheeses in bulk whenever possible. All of the above have
been tried and approved by my family. If there’s something you’d like to see,
let me know and I’ll find a recipe and give it a shot! If you want me to pick
up the extras to make a complete meal (pasta for sauces, bag of frozen broccoli
or some rice, etc) I’m happy to do so at cost.
I know the prices seem a little high for some things, but
nearly everything is homemade. I used canned tomatoes and canned beans, but I
buy all raw meats and they’re expensive these days. I do it all myself in my
home kitchen and keep it in one of my three home freezers, two which are part
of a refrigerator. If you want to provide some of the ingredients, I’ll definitely
give you a discount (I know some people who prefer venison to beef as its
essentially free, and others who have their own bountiful amounts of veggies
and fresh herbs). If you have any questions or have any food allergies or
dietary restrictions, let me know and I’ll see if I can make something work for
you. I have lots more recipes that I haven’t tried but am definitely willing to
give a shot for anyone who’s interested. I’ve got two cookbooks full of recipes
and if you’d like to look through them, just let me know. I’ll have to price
ingredients, but that shouldn’t take very long.
Freezer cooking has been a tremendous thing for my family. I
hate cooking and never would think ahead to make sure I had all the ingredients
I needed, so we frequently ate fast food or sandwiches (when we had the right
fixings) or lots of frozen mass produced entrees. Freezer cooking means I just
have to sit down on Saturday or Sunday and plan out about four meals for the
coming week (the other days are leftovers or someone else cooking) and get
those dishes out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw. Then figure
out a side for each meal and put that on my grocery list, if needed. Day of,
everything is there and ready to go. I know so many people who are so busy with
their daily lives because of work and children and this is something I’d
recommend to everyone. And if you don’t have the time, I’m happy to do it for
you.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Birth and Death
Today was an interesting day. One of my friends had a baby who was much anticipated and eagerly awaited and one friend said goodbye to her twins that were born and died too soon. I empathize strongly with people so there was excited glee and running to tell Austin when I read about the birth and an embarrassing amount of crying at the memorial service in the afternoon.
On the way home, I got to thinking about how we as outsiders behave in both situations. When a birth or death is posted about on facebook, we like and comment. We bring food and offer help in those first few weeks where everything is so upside down. The offers taper off, though, and we leave the new parents/newly bereaved to adjust to their new world, expecting them to have it all figured out by the time the first monthly anniversary of the event has passed.
The thing is, they don't always have it figured out.
I've had both experiences in my life: birthing three children and losing my dad. And all the experiences were different.
After Dad died, we had a ton of offers from people we hadn't seen or heard from in years, people we typically see at baby and wedding showers and at weddings and funerals. I remember one man who I hadn't seen in I can't remember how long standing in Mom's kitchen with a bag of sausage McMuffins and just being almost overwhelmed to tears that he brought us breakfast. NO ONE thinks about breakfast. They always think about dinners and maybe some snacks. We got plants and donations to Dad's favorite charitable organizations. We got emails and cards and letters and text messages for weeks. We were allowed to grieve in our own time and in our own way.
Once I got home to Carrollton, though, I felt very alone. I've never been great at meeting and making friends and it was very apparent to me that I hadn't done that in Carrollton, even though we'd been living there for about 6 or 7 months by then. We'd been going to church in Arlington and I honestly don't remember a single person from there offering help or condolences once I got home. They did come to the service and sent things to my mom, don't think they're terrible people, but I felt alone and adrift once I was home and supposed to be "better" or something. I wasn't. It took a long time to be better.
With each of my babies, I was so disappointed by the lack of help my "community" offered us. We had a few people from our church and close friends bring food the first time. Two families brought food the second time and one person took Asher for an afternoon. And when Eden was born, the insanity of her diagnoses kind of changed what people might have done. One person outside of my family brought us something, a woman I met in MOPS and she was awesome and brought us dinner every week for three weeks.
Normally, people want to come and ooh and aah over the baby, they bring presents if there wasn't a shower for the baby, they want to help, they want to be there for the new mom, if there's an older sibling they want to give them some attention so they don't feel completely left out. But then after about two weeks or so, people look confused when mom is still at home adjusting.
Grief is exhausting. Not as much as a newborn, but still. Both situations leave you tired and raw and emotional and fumbling through a new reality. It's even harder when you feel like you have no support.
I'm so glad to read about my mommy friends who have a new baby and are just SHOWERED with help immediately after: so much food they can't even store it all, people loving on their older kids so they won't feel left out, an offer to sit with the baby so mom can shower or pee alone.
I'm relieved to hear that my friend who is grieving is being loved on by her friends and family. I can't imagine what she's going through and I hope I never have to experience it myself. But I'm so thankful she has such a strong community to surround her and lift her up.
Life is hard enough, y'all. We shouldn't have to go through the really tough times alone. We need to extend grace to each other in these situations and give each other time to adjust. We're here to take care of each other. That's the meaning of life.
On the way home, I got to thinking about how we as outsiders behave in both situations. When a birth or death is posted about on facebook, we like and comment. We bring food and offer help in those first few weeks where everything is so upside down. The offers taper off, though, and we leave the new parents/newly bereaved to adjust to their new world, expecting them to have it all figured out by the time the first monthly anniversary of the event has passed.
The thing is, they don't always have it figured out.
I've had both experiences in my life: birthing three children and losing my dad. And all the experiences were different.
After Dad died, we had a ton of offers from people we hadn't seen or heard from in years, people we typically see at baby and wedding showers and at weddings and funerals. I remember one man who I hadn't seen in I can't remember how long standing in Mom's kitchen with a bag of sausage McMuffins and just being almost overwhelmed to tears that he brought us breakfast. NO ONE thinks about breakfast. They always think about dinners and maybe some snacks. We got plants and donations to Dad's favorite charitable organizations. We got emails and cards and letters and text messages for weeks. We were allowed to grieve in our own time and in our own way.
Once I got home to Carrollton, though, I felt very alone. I've never been great at meeting and making friends and it was very apparent to me that I hadn't done that in Carrollton, even though we'd been living there for about 6 or 7 months by then. We'd been going to church in Arlington and I honestly don't remember a single person from there offering help or condolences once I got home. They did come to the service and sent things to my mom, don't think they're terrible people, but I felt alone and adrift once I was home and supposed to be "better" or something. I wasn't. It took a long time to be better.
With each of my babies, I was so disappointed by the lack of help my "community" offered us. We had a few people from our church and close friends bring food the first time. Two families brought food the second time and one person took Asher for an afternoon. And when Eden was born, the insanity of her diagnoses kind of changed what people might have done. One person outside of my family brought us something, a woman I met in MOPS and she was awesome and brought us dinner every week for three weeks.
Normally, people want to come and ooh and aah over the baby, they bring presents if there wasn't a shower for the baby, they want to help, they want to be there for the new mom, if there's an older sibling they want to give them some attention so they don't feel completely left out. But then after about two weeks or so, people look confused when mom is still at home adjusting.
Grief is exhausting. Not as much as a newborn, but still. Both situations leave you tired and raw and emotional and fumbling through a new reality. It's even harder when you feel like you have no support.
I'm so glad to read about my mommy friends who have a new baby and are just SHOWERED with help immediately after: so much food they can't even store it all, people loving on their older kids so they won't feel left out, an offer to sit with the baby so mom can shower or pee alone.
I'm relieved to hear that my friend who is grieving is being loved on by her friends and family. I can't imagine what she's going through and I hope I never have to experience it myself. But I'm so thankful she has such a strong community to surround her and lift her up.
Life is hard enough, y'all. We shouldn't have to go through the really tough times alone. We need to extend grace to each other in these situations and give each other time to adjust. We're here to take care of each other. That's the meaning of life.
Friday, February 12, 2016
One Day More!
About an hour ago, Austin began the drive to Sweetwater like he has most weekday mornings for the past 5.5 years. FOR. THE. LAST. TIME!
We're excited.
A few weeks ago, a friend of Austin's who works at a company here in town, Milsoft, encouraged him to apply for a position that had opened. In true Austin form, he put it off for a while before applying. They called him in fairly quickly for an interview, including another open position in the interview process. The kids and I met up with Austin and his friend for lunch after to talk about how things went.
He knew immediately they weren't going to hire him for one of the positions and seemed a little discouraged they'd consider him for the other since the entire interview was about 15 minutes long. That rarely turns out well in my experience.
So we went about our weekend, shrugging our shoulders and saying "oh well, it would have been nice."
The next week (I want to say Wednesday?) they called and asked him to come in for another interview, so he took off Friday to stay in town and do that. He was a little late to his 2pm interview and later figured that probably hurt him. He proceeded to have a 2.5 interview process with several different people, one the husband of another friend of ours. He was asked point blank what kind of compensation he was asking for and he told them he'd like to make what he's making at Ludlums since simply losing that commute will give him a pay raise of around $2000. They said he'd hear from them by Monday.
Saturday, the next day, was the final session of Eden's lullaby photo shoot and she was, of course, adorable. We got a great three generations shot of me, Eden, and Mom and everyone went out for donuts after.
Monday afternoon, Austin got a call offering him a job! For 25% MORE than he asked! It wasn't even a position they had, they sort of created one for him that's almost exactly what he likes and wants to do. We couldn't believe our luck. They will pay for him to get an additional masters degree and he'll have some time at work to work on it. They eventually want him to become a Professional Engineer, which involves a really long test given only like twice a year (it's seriously like an 8-hour test). The compensation package of insurance and tuition reimbursement is on top of the salary, so the whole package is SO much more than what he was getting at Ludlums.
Let me tell you, that is a HUGE relief after a year full of anxiety over finances.
So today is his last day at Ludlums and Monday he starts at Milsoft. He'll be working IN TOWN. He won't have to drive 45 minutes to get to work, something he's done our entire marriage. He can come to stuff the kids have going on, like doctor's appointments and school programs. If I'm sick and he needs to get home to help out, he can very easily.
I'm not sure who's more excited about this, him or me.
In other news, Eden had her latest cardio appointment last Thursday and impressed everyone. Her oxygen levels were a little lower, upper 80's, but she'd been congested for a while so it wasn't unusual. Everything else looked great and she won't go back to see a cardiologist until June unless we feel like something's wrong. We're also doing her at home oxygen checks only twice a week now. AND she's been cleared for daycare so she can go to FKO! She's still not walking, though she's thinking REAL HARD about it. Sometimes.
Asher is doing great, too. He's reading over my shoulder and asking me to let everyone know we're going to the Grace Museum later today. He's doing great with his bowel issues and went an entire day with no accidents yesterday. Yay!
Elijah is also doing great. He was sick on Wednesday so had to miss the Valentine's Party at FKO yesterday, to his dismay. He cried when he had to stay in the car when we dropped off Asher and Eden but he recovered and came home to watch Little Einsteins and My Little Pony, which became one show called My Little Einsteins when he was telling Austin about it.
I'm happy my kids are doing well and Austin's got this fabulous new job. I've sold several of the freezer meals I made to the point that I'm thinking I'll have to cook some more. That's a problem I'm ok with. I'm happy to help families in my circle with ready to go dinners that are a little healthier than fast food or a mass produced frozen entree (I do use full fat everything, so they're not exactly healthy).
And now, some pictures!
We're excited.
A few weeks ago, a friend of Austin's who works at a company here in town, Milsoft, encouraged him to apply for a position that had opened. In true Austin form, he put it off for a while before applying. They called him in fairly quickly for an interview, including another open position in the interview process. The kids and I met up with Austin and his friend for lunch after to talk about how things went.
He knew immediately they weren't going to hire him for one of the positions and seemed a little discouraged they'd consider him for the other since the entire interview was about 15 minutes long. That rarely turns out well in my experience.
So we went about our weekend, shrugging our shoulders and saying "oh well, it would have been nice."
The next week (I want to say Wednesday?) they called and asked him to come in for another interview, so he took off Friday to stay in town and do that. He was a little late to his 2pm interview and later figured that probably hurt him. He proceeded to have a 2.5 interview process with several different people, one the husband of another friend of ours. He was asked point blank what kind of compensation he was asking for and he told them he'd like to make what he's making at Ludlums since simply losing that commute will give him a pay raise of around $2000. They said he'd hear from them by Monday.
Saturday, the next day, was the final session of Eden's lullaby photo shoot and she was, of course, adorable. We got a great three generations shot of me, Eden, and Mom and everyone went out for donuts after.
Monday afternoon, Austin got a call offering him a job! For 25% MORE than he asked! It wasn't even a position they had, they sort of created one for him that's almost exactly what he likes and wants to do. We couldn't believe our luck. They will pay for him to get an additional masters degree and he'll have some time at work to work on it. They eventually want him to become a Professional Engineer, which involves a really long test given only like twice a year (it's seriously like an 8-hour test). The compensation package of insurance and tuition reimbursement is on top of the salary, so the whole package is SO much more than what he was getting at Ludlums.
Let me tell you, that is a HUGE relief after a year full of anxiety over finances.
So today is his last day at Ludlums and Monday he starts at Milsoft. He'll be working IN TOWN. He won't have to drive 45 minutes to get to work, something he's done our entire marriage. He can come to stuff the kids have going on, like doctor's appointments and school programs. If I'm sick and he needs to get home to help out, he can very easily.
I'm not sure who's more excited about this, him or me.
In other news, Eden had her latest cardio appointment last Thursday and impressed everyone. Her oxygen levels were a little lower, upper 80's, but she'd been congested for a while so it wasn't unusual. Everything else looked great and she won't go back to see a cardiologist until June unless we feel like something's wrong. We're also doing her at home oxygen checks only twice a week now. AND she's been cleared for daycare so she can go to FKO! She's still not walking, though she's thinking REAL HARD about it. Sometimes.
Asher is doing great, too. He's reading over my shoulder and asking me to let everyone know we're going to the Grace Museum later today. He's doing great with his bowel issues and went an entire day with no accidents yesterday. Yay!
Elijah is also doing great. He was sick on Wednesday so had to miss the Valentine's Party at FKO yesterday, to his dismay. He cried when he had to stay in the car when we dropped off Asher and Eden but he recovered and came home to watch Little Einsteins and My Little Pony, which became one show called My Little Einsteins when he was telling Austin about it.
I'm happy my kids are doing well and Austin's got this fabulous new job. I've sold several of the freezer meals I made to the point that I'm thinking I'll have to cook some more. That's a problem I'm ok with. I'm happy to help families in my circle with ready to go dinners that are a little healthier than fast food or a mass produced frozen entree (I do use full fat everything, so they're not exactly healthy).
And now, some pictures!
When Austin's gone for some reason, we take pictures and videos and send them to him. This was Asher's picture, bragging about his pizza while Austin was at a wedding and eating gourmet food. I think Austin won on that one.
Baby girl getting comfy at MOPS on Monday.
The picture Eden and In took for Austin.
She's over the big poofy dresses that she can't crawl in and she's over Daddy being gone for three days.
We spent that weekend at Aunt Cari and Uncle Dennis's house and the boys made themselves at home.
Elijah's picture to Daddy, showing off his new-to-him pjs (I LOVE Kid-to-Kid).
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Birthday Girl!
It's Eden's birthday! We're all pretty excited. Birthdays aren't a huge deal around here, but they are noted.
I did something a little different with this post and we'll see how it works. I'm not entirely sure I've got it figure out, but here's a little video.
A couple things: the crinkling at the beginning is Mom trying to get a bulb syringe open. The first one was had was too stiff and we couldn't squeeze it so she as opening a second one to clear out Eden's nose and throat. We mention that it's about the same time I was born and that's interesting (to me anyway) because Eden's pregnancy and delivery were very similar to mine: We were both the first daughter after two sons (my sister is adopted), we were both born at home, we were both extended labors after short intense ones, we were born about the same time of day. She was supposed to have a room full of family and close friends welcoming her into the world like I did but she as too fast so no one made it into the room but Mom and Austin.
And here is our beautiful girl today, all decked out in her Wonder Woman tutu, onesie, and headband, because she is our Wonder Girl, our Amazon Princess. She's not terribly interested in smiling because she bumped her head a little while before this was taken.
Eden's Medical Fund
I did something a little different with this post and we'll see how it works. I'm not entirely sure I've got it figure out, but here's a little video.
A couple things: the crinkling at the beginning is Mom trying to get a bulb syringe open. The first one was had was too stiff and we couldn't squeeze it so she as opening a second one to clear out Eden's nose and throat. We mention that it's about the same time I was born and that's interesting (to me anyway) because Eden's pregnancy and delivery were very similar to mine: We were both the first daughter after two sons (my sister is adopted), we were both born at home, we were both extended labors after short intense ones, we were born about the same time of day. She was supposed to have a room full of family and close friends welcoming her into the world like I did but she as too fast so no one made it into the room but Mom and Austin.
And here is our beautiful girl today, all decked out in her Wonder Woman tutu, onesie, and headband, because she is our Wonder Girl, our Amazon Princess. She's not terribly interested in smiling because she bumped her head a little while before this was taken.
Eden's Medical Fund
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Mullins Update
I just finished up a week of bulk cooking and it was exhausting. I worked for about eight hours a day for three days and six hours the other two. I dealt with insane amounts of ingredients and washed my pots and bowls so much I kind of wished I had twice as many pots and a second stove. I almost went to my mom's house to borrow hers and next time I just might. lol
This time it's a little different than the last time. I was making food for other people. Who were PAYING me. That's awesome. The only issue with that was I used my two year old pricing information so undercharged them...but that's ok. lol Both overpaid me. :-)
The kids all felt the lack of attention for the week, which is a bit of a bummer for them. Asher and Elijah bounced between Netflix and trains and books and Minecraft and Eden spent a lot of time alternately in the pack-n-play set up in the kitchen so she could see me and in her bed napping. I listened to Anna Karenina, which is something like 34 hours long. We would have eaten out every night if I hadn't had freezer meals from the last time I did this. And they were the LAST freezer meals we had. I waited a bit longer than I usually do. lol
I didn't take any pictures but both refrigerator freezers and the standalone freezer are PACKED. I debated taking some stuff to my mom's but with a bit of repacking and shifting, I got it all in. And now that the orders of meals have been picked up, there's that much more space in my freezers. I just need to do an inventory now so I know what exactly I have. Or maybe we could not and just have a potluck every once in a while.
The kids are doing great. Asher just turned 5 and likes to remind us that "Well, now I'm 5 so..." or "I did that when I was 4." Because 4 was SO long ago. Incidentally, when he can't/doesn't want to do something, he'll say "I'm not 5, I'm only 4!" as if being 4 gets him out of having to be a contributing member of our family. On the flipside of that, we've told him that now that he's 5, he can do some simple chores and we'll pay him. So he gets excited about setting and clearing the table and running around and checking the playroom and their room to see if they need to be picked up.
Elijah is alternately angelic and devilish. He still has these crazy raging fits that just come out of nowhere but then ten seconds later he's the sweetest boy you've ever met. I just don't get it. I'm hoping it's the hole "half" thing I read about once that said kids kind of have a six month cycle where they're alternately problematic and angelic. He's been having a rough time the last couple of weeks. It's not like it was last year, and I really think it's just frustration with life in general and his frustration at his inability to communicate as well as he'd like. He also feels powerless a lot of the time because Asher is older and thus more in control...which is weird because frequently Elijah bests Asher in fights. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing and he'll grow out of it. He's just a kid and very much 3.
Eden is wonderful, as usual. She's growing and learning. Her most recent trick is standing up and she's not a huge fan of it. Well, standing's not so bad. It's sitting back down that's problematic. She's been on regular milk for most of the month of January and seems ok with it. We ran out of formula so one day I just put milk in with the little bit of breast milk she's still getting and handed her the bottle. She was hungry enough that she didn't even seem to notice and just gulped it all down in one go. Before, she was getting 24 calories per ounce and taking 24 ounces a day, so about 576 calories from bottles. Now she's taking 32 ounces a day that are about 20 calories an ounce, so around 640 calories from bottles, plus she'll eat a handful of cereal for breakfast and as much of our dinner food as we'll give her. And if I put her on the floor in the kitchen, she'll clean up whatever got dropped. She's got nice chunky thighs and a round little body...but still only the two teeth. It's amazing some of the stuff she eats with just two teeth.
Anyway, the kids are good, my freezer is full, the weather is thinking about warming up a little in the future, those are all things that make me happy. Check in next week for a special post about Eden on her birthday.
This time it's a little different than the last time. I was making food for other people. Who were PAYING me. That's awesome. The only issue with that was I used my two year old pricing information so undercharged them...but that's ok. lol Both overpaid me. :-)
The kids all felt the lack of attention for the week, which is a bit of a bummer for them. Asher and Elijah bounced between Netflix and trains and books and Minecraft and Eden spent a lot of time alternately in the pack-n-play set up in the kitchen so she could see me and in her bed napping. I listened to Anna Karenina, which is something like 34 hours long. We would have eaten out every night if I hadn't had freezer meals from the last time I did this. And they were the LAST freezer meals we had. I waited a bit longer than I usually do. lol
I didn't take any pictures but both refrigerator freezers and the standalone freezer are PACKED. I debated taking some stuff to my mom's but with a bit of repacking and shifting, I got it all in. And now that the orders of meals have been picked up, there's that much more space in my freezers. I just need to do an inventory now so I know what exactly I have. Or maybe we could not and just have a potluck every once in a while.
The kids are doing great. Asher just turned 5 and likes to remind us that "Well, now I'm 5 so..." or "I did that when I was 4." Because 4 was SO long ago. Incidentally, when he can't/doesn't want to do something, he'll say "I'm not 5, I'm only 4!" as if being 4 gets him out of having to be a contributing member of our family. On the flipside of that, we've told him that now that he's 5, he can do some simple chores and we'll pay him. So he gets excited about setting and clearing the table and running around and checking the playroom and their room to see if they need to be picked up.
Elijah is alternately angelic and devilish. He still has these crazy raging fits that just come out of nowhere but then ten seconds later he's the sweetest boy you've ever met. I just don't get it. I'm hoping it's the hole "half" thing I read about once that said kids kind of have a six month cycle where they're alternately problematic and angelic. He's been having a rough time the last couple of weeks. It's not like it was last year, and I really think it's just frustration with life in general and his frustration at his inability to communicate as well as he'd like. He also feels powerless a lot of the time because Asher is older and thus more in control...which is weird because frequently Elijah bests Asher in fights. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing and he'll grow out of it. He's just a kid and very much 3.
Eden is wonderful, as usual. She's growing and learning. Her most recent trick is standing up and she's not a huge fan of it. Well, standing's not so bad. It's sitting back down that's problematic. She's been on regular milk for most of the month of January and seems ok with it. We ran out of formula so one day I just put milk in with the little bit of breast milk she's still getting and handed her the bottle. She was hungry enough that she didn't even seem to notice and just gulped it all down in one go. Before, she was getting 24 calories per ounce and taking 24 ounces a day, so about 576 calories from bottles. Now she's taking 32 ounces a day that are about 20 calories an ounce, so around 640 calories from bottles, plus she'll eat a handful of cereal for breakfast and as much of our dinner food as we'll give her. And if I put her on the floor in the kitchen, she'll clean up whatever got dropped. She's got nice chunky thighs and a round little body...but still only the two teeth. It's amazing some of the stuff she eats with just two teeth.
Anyway, the kids are good, my freezer is full, the weather is thinking about warming up a little in the future, those are all things that make me happy. Check in next week for a special post about Eden on her birthday.
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