Camp

It's camp week. We're off doing camp things. I'll check in later!

Crazy week

I know I've been absent - it's been one of those crazy weeks. Tuesday night, Hubby and I went over to our vacant rental (it's an hour away) and did some work. We'll be spending Saturday there trying to get a lot more done. I filled up an entire sheet of paper with stuff we need to do over there. It's depressing.

Wednesday my oldest son turned 12. Wow. How could he be 12 already? He scored lots of money which he has already spent on Lego Bionicles.

Thursday I took all four boys to the dentist and discovered three cavities in two boys. The other two were, thankfully, cavity-free, because I think we'll need a second mortgage to pay off the dentist as it is.

And today? Well, today I've got more work to do. I've been cleaning the boys' room a little at a time, removing anything that's not a Lego or part of a train set. If they can keep those two items cleaned up, they can slowly have some of their other toys back. Personally, I'm not holding my breath. But we'll see.

Grr...

We have a busy two weeks ahead of us. One of our rental houses is vacant and we need to get it in shape to either rent or sell. That means painting, new carpet, new flooring in the kitchen, major cleaning, and a bunch of minor fixes.

I've found that if I do much physical labor, my incision sites get very sore. So I will not be the one doing most of the work. We will probably end up hiring someone to do the painting since it's very time-consuming as well as physically demanding. I hate to do that when normally I'd be perfectly capable of painting, but time is of the essence and there's just no way I'll be physically able to paint a whole house within the next two weeks.

The thing that actually bothers me about all this is that the tenant gave us less than a week's notice before she moved out, so now we're without that income. And laws in this state favor the tenant, so even if we took her to court and we won a judgment, we'd probably never get a penny out of her.

I think I'm going to write a letter to my state representative and state senator. After eight years of being a landlord, I know whereof I speak. The laws have got to change - landlords should not have to give out free rent to deadbeats with no legal recourse.

Yep - I'm gonna write a letter.

To be continued

Today would normally be Movie Monday, and I might still do that later today, but right now I'm still feeling a bit under the weather and just want to sit back and relax. I had a really nice visit with a good friend on Saturday, and just hope none of them ended up with my cold!

Blah

I got sick anyway. I spent yesterday feeling okay, and then at bedtime I suddenly started with the runny nose and sneezing. So I'm going to try to take it easy today, once we get back from meeting with a Realtor about selling one of our rental houses an hour from here.

Just the way it goes

Now that I've pretty much recovered from the gall bladder surgery (it'll be 3 weeks tomorrow), and two of my five bandages have come off, I'm trying to add a little more activity into my routine. Not too much, though. I tried vacuuming the other day - big mistake! But you should see my house - I couldn't just sit around and leave it that way.

So naturally, now I've got a scratchy throat and feel like I'm coming down with a cold or something. And I'm supposed to be singing in church on Sunday morning.

Does anybody have a good cold remedy? I've got a shortage of the things I usually take and I'm willing to try anything reasonable. I think I'll try and get some extra rest this afternoon, too.

I've got too much to do to get sick!

In case you're looking

Perhaps you've seen this ad on television during one of your favorite Fox reality shows, or elsewhere:

It occurred to me when I saw this ad that there are probably people out there who have tried Amway/Quixtar products in the past and liked them, but don't know an IBO (that's Independent Business Owner) to buy from. And there are probably people who have seen the ad and wanted to try the products, but didn't know where to get them.

So I'm here to tell you that I have been an IBO for 13 years now and if you're looking for the products, I'm happy to direct you to my personal web page. I have used these products since 1995 and they are fantastic.

Here's the best part: 100% money back if you're not happy. They even pay the return shipping! So if you've never tried the products, but are curious, it's a risk-free situation. And to sweeten the deal, now through the end of August any order of $75 or more gets free shipping!

And don't worry - I'm not going to try to make you sign up, see "the plan", or give me a list of people you know. I just figured I'd share the shopping link if anyone was interested! If you have any questions about any of the products, I'd be happy to answer them. Have fun shopping!

Delusions of grandeur

What a shame we can't all retain the knowledge we have when we're three years old. Because all three year olds know everything. At least all of mine have known everything at age three. And I can't tell them any different.

My current three year old not only thinks he knows everything, he thinks he MADE everything. That DVD we're watching? "I made that." The kitchen table? "I made it." What a truly amazing child, no?

Movie Monday

Welcome to Movie Monday, when I randomly select a DVD I own and review it for you. This week, I've chosen a movie I watched while I was recovering last week, because I enjoyed it just as much this time as I did the first time I saw it.

She's the Man stars Amanda Bynes. The movie is roughly based on Twelfth Night, which happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play, and that's why I bought it. Bynes plays Viola, who masquerades as her twin brother Sebastian so she can play on the boys' soccer team. Of course, it's a boarding school, and she has to room with the gorgeous Duke (played by Channing Tatum), and ends up with a crush on him.

Meanwhile, Duke has a crush on Olivia, who likes Sebastian, who is really Viola! Confused yet? It sounds confusing, but what it adds up to is comic hilarity at its best. When Viola's roommate sees tampons in her bag, she is stuck coming up for an explanation. "I get nosebleeds," she says in her boy voice. Then she proceeds to demonstrate how to use them. One of the funniest scenes ever!

My favorite line in the movie is, well, anytime Viola tries to say things she thinks guys would say. "Suck it up! Be a man! Rub some dirt in it!" She just plays the part to perfection. I highly recommend this movie for lots of laughs.

If you'd like to join in, choose a movie you own and tell me three things: why you bought it, what's it about, and what's your favorite line. Happy Monday!

Of course I am

Wimp

One of my bandage thingies is trying to come off. I'm not touching it. I nearly passed out just taking the band-aids off that were covering the bandages. To actually yank the bandage off the wound and possibly watch my guts spill out through that little hole, well, no thank you.

And if they're still there when I'm 97, so be it. I ain't touchin' 'em.

Summer is NOT for vacation here, folks!

Somehow, summer is half gone and I seem to have missed it. I guess the two weeks of recovery time cut into my recreation a little. Anyway, two weeks from Monday is our annual stint at summer day camp, with Hubby and I teaching and the boys all participating. After that it will be August - August already!

Here are the things I've been meaning to do this summer that I still haven't done:

• Fill up the pool
• Spread out the new slip 'n' slide and test it (not myself)
• Finish landscaping at least one area of the yard (many areas in states of partial completion, no one area yet actually complete)
• Purchase all materials needed for next school year
• Begin planning of next school year
• Start an indoor herb garden
• Finish spring cleaning (most of first floor done, part of it now needs redone)

Today I'm feeling somewhat okay, so I might actually get the vacuum out and see how I feel pushing it around. Or maybe I'll offer to pay one of the boys to do it.

{{Sigh}} Summer always ends too soon.

Beck - book, blog and beyond

One of my favorite things to do in the car is listen to talk radio. I would say it's one of my favorite things to do, period, but have you ever tried to listen to talk radio in a house full of boys? Trust me, it doesn't work. Anyway, a few years ago my hubby introduced me to Glenn Beck's show. At first he was "that guy who's on after Rush", but over the years I have come to really appreciate and enjoy his unique style and sense of humor.

For those of you with CNN (I'm not one of those "lucky" people), you might already be familiar with Glenn Beck. Or maybe you've caught his radio show once or twice. I just recently discovered the blogs on his website, one by Glenn and one by his Executive Producer "Stu" (whose real name is Steve). Absolutely hilarious.

In case you hadn't guessed, yes, I agree with a large majority of what Glenn says. I am ultra-ultra-conservative and make no bones about it. I recently read Glenn's book, "An Inconvenient Book," which covers everything from oil prices to video rentals with his usual wit and logic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I might even buy a copy instead of getting it from the library next time.

If you've never checked out Glenn Beck's media empire, this election year is a great time to do so. Let's face it, any year when we've got two candidates like we've got is a year when we all need a good dose of humor!

Some have said I'm full of hot air...

When I tried to go to bed that first night, my entire right side suddenly cramped up and caused such agonizing pain that I couldn't breathe. Hubby quickly helped me up out of bed and called my mom (a nurse), who came over from the RV.

In order to do a laparoscopic procedure, gas is pumped into the abdomen to lift and separate the organs so the doctor can see what he's doing. The problem is, that gas stays in there. Over the next few hours, it begins to coalesce into one large bubble. And the only way to get rid of it is, well, the ways that you usually get rid of gas.

Mom told me the best thing to do was walk. So here I am, six hours out of surgery, walking back and forth across my bedroom. I looked six months pregnant - no kidding - and felt very much like that girl in Willy Wonka who turns into a blueberry. I kept asking Hubby if he'd pop me with a pin, but he didn't seem to think that would work.

I could not lie down, or I'd cramp up again. So I paced. Actually it was more like shuffling. Shuffling and moaning. Very much like a zombie movie. Eventually, around 2 a.m., I felt like I could try going to bed. Have you ever tried getting into a water bed without using your right side? And then, I was up to the bathroom every hour, so I had to go through the whole uncomfortable procedure again. The next day, more shuffling and moaning. All day. And here I thought I'd be resting in bed!

Honestly, I would WAY rather go through labor again than another surgery involving gas in the abdomen. I didn't feel normal again until six days post-surgery, and at that point I started noticing the pain from the incisions. Yes, that's right, the gas pain was so bad I didn't even notice the incisions until day 6.

So now, I'm finally feeling pretty good. I have twinges of pain throughout the day, but not too bad. And I still have gas trapped in my right shoulder, but WebMD assures me this is perfectly normal. So I'm just waiting on my energy to make a comeback.

SOOO glad I only had one gall bladder!

The labor pains

You know that old saying, "Don't tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby?" Well, I'm not about to show you my gall bladder (sorry, TKW), so you'll just have to hear about the surgery. Actually, I was asleep for that, so I'll just tell you what I remember.

The hospital was ridiculously cold. Of course, I had to strip down and put on one of those hospital gowns, but even with the blanket they gave me, I was cold. No one seemed to care until the nurse noticed my fingernails were blue! Then they brought me a heated blanket.

Every person who talked to me asked me what the doctor would be doing for me today. I know they have to, but honestly, by the fifth person I felt like giving them a totally off-the-wall answer. "Oh, I'm here for a tummy tuck and butt lift." Just to see what they'd do.

When I woke up afterward, I was in really severe pain. And I had one of those nurses - you know, the ones that know how you feel better than you do? I told her my pain was a 9 out of 1o. She gave me morphine. A few minutes later it was still a 9. SHE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME. "Oh, that's not possible. I gave you medicine." When it was time, she gave me more. I still hurt, but I was willing to drop it to an 8.

Then she says to me, "Well, you're not staying overnight." Like it's her decision. The doctor already told me that if I felt I needed to, I could stay. Oh, that woman made me mad! Finally she had given me the most she was allowed to and I actually did feel a bit better, so she wheeled me to recovery 2.

Hubby came back and we got all the instructions for the week. I got dressed, noticing that I had five holes and lots of bandages. And I slept most of the rest of the day. So far, so good, right? Oh, no. The worst was yet to come...

Marriage Monday

Want this button?
This month's topic is wide open. Boy, if you want to give someone writer's block, tell them they can write about anything they want. I have thought about this since Friday and I have so many ideas swirling around in my head, it's crazy. I look forward to seeing what other participants come up with.

Marriage is one of God's love letters to us, perhaps His greatest. From the very first man and woman, God recognized our human need for companionship, and He created marriage. The woman is not only a helper for the man, she is part of him. And right after her creation, God sets the standard for all future marriages: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Gen. 2:24)

In the New Testament, the purpose of marriage is further expanded upon. Marriage is a living example of Christ's love for the church (the body of believers). A successful marriage is a beautiful foreshadowing of what our future in Heaven will be like. Knowing how much my husband loves me, and how much I love him, that just blows my mind, for it's only a pale imitation of how much Christ loves us.

Is any marriage perfect? Of course not. We're all human. But when we give control of our marriage to God, He will show us the most wonderful things about His love for us. Are you eagerly anticipating our Wedding Day? I know I am!

Update

I am alive. Still in a lot of pain, but better than it was. I can feel a hole where the gall bladder used to be, which is just weird.

More later - thanks for checking in, everybody!