It's been a pretty eventful couple of days!

To say the least! And after this, I think I really could sleep for 24 hours!!

Let's begin on Monday, shall we? Sarah coughed a few times...sounded really silly but she was acting even sillier so I didn't think anything of it. We went to Jocelyn's birthday party that night and the kids had the time of their lives!! Running around the hall like maniacs and not sitting for more than a minute or two. Tuesday morning the kids woke up and Sarah coughed a few more times and didn't really want to eat her breakfast...weird for her because she can clean me out of a box of pancakes in one sitting!! She had a low grade fever and I could hear her breathing in the other room! Now that freaked me out!! So I called her pediatrician for an appointment. Sarah was diagnosed with croup. No big deal and pretty common in younger children, I guess, but to hear your child coughing and wheezing to the point that you think she will throw up, turn blue or both, is terrifying!! She has this raspy breathing and any kind of activity leaves her with a coughing fit to the point that she can't breathe. Ugh...poor baby.

So, we get home from the doctor and I tell Sarah to rest on the couch while I get lunch ready. Zack does the same but then he doesn't want lunch. Hmmm.... Then he starts whining about everything...Uhh ohh! You guessed it. Fever of over 101!! Kid! You couldn't have told me that you didn't feel well WHILE we were at the doctor?? So he's sick too. Nice day...on and off back and forth between each kid. So, I prepared myself for a late night being up with kids who can't breath and are sick. I get ready for bed and let the dogs out for the last time of the night. Hayle comes in with her face round and swollen!! Her lips were sticking out and the bridge of her nose was swollen. I called the emergency vets and they said that the prednisone I gave her should help some and that I should give her Benedryl as well. Well, I don't have that in my house and I can not drag 2 sick kids out to the drug store to get it. UGH!!!! This is one of those times when it really sucks being here alone. If I weren't alone, someone could stay with the kids while the other ran to the store. Even though the kids and the dog slept relatively well that night, I was up most of the night listening to all three of their breathing. Every time Sarah coughed I jumped. Every time Hayle moved I checked her to make sure her breathing wasn't compromised. Again, if I wasn't alone...yeah, you get it. It just sucked.

So, Hayle went to the vet this morning and is on her way back to having a normal face. The kids are on the mend as well...slowly but Shirley. And I'm looking forward to a great night sleep tonight!! One can only hope!

Had to add that I still have yet to figure out how to post pictures here but I better soon because tonight is trick-or-treating!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I feel like I'm 16 again!!

Just wanted to brag...I woke up this morning at 11:50am!!! I can't believe it! I got up with the dogs to let them out at 8:30am but decided to lay back down...after all, what do I have to get up for?? Next thing I know I roll over, look at the clock and it's practically lunch time!! Wow! Nice to have a day without my kids! (One morning a week, at least) Guess I needed it...now I'm absolutely rejuvenated for another fun week!

Oh to be a 4 year old...

Thought I would share a few new favorite words and phrases from my kids:

Let's start with Zack:

"Poop"
"Poopies"
"Stupy" (this is his version of "stupid" because he knows this is a bad word. Guess he figures I'd be ok with this...um, no!)
"Bum, butt..." (or any version thereof)
"Penis"
"Pee-pee"
"Toilet"
"Aaahhhhhh...." (this is him screaming...constantly!)
"Roarrrrrr..." (this is him as a lion, monster...depends on the minute, and I'm never correct in guessing)
"Meow..."
"Woof! Woof!" (This is when he decides that human words aren't good enough and will only answer in animal)
"Here's my booger mom!"
"You need to wipe my bum!"

Do you notice a theme here? If it's not about bodily functions and body parts it's animals sounds and nonsense words. Tries a mother's patience.

Now onto Sarah:

"Look at big baby."
"Doesn't big baby look pretty?"
"Big baby is crying."
"I have to feed big baby."
"I have to hold big baby."
"Big baby is crying."
"I need to change big baby's clothes."
"I have to change her clothes again."
"Do you want to hold big baby?"
"Big baby needs her diaper changed."

This is Sarah's theme...BIG BABY!!! It's cute because she really dotes on this doll and believes she is her real baby, but after hearing it all day, babysitting for her, helping her change diapers, snap buttons...I feel like I now have another real baby in the house! :)

Zack wants nothing to do with big baby unless it's to throw her around or run her over with the vacuum or lawn mower. Thankfully Sarah still likes to play kittys or puppies with Zack...I don't know what I'll do when that time ends!

What a great day!!

The kids and I had a fantastic day today!!! They both slept in (prayers answered for mom) and had a silly morning. This afternoon they had a playdate with their new friend, Becca (who's dad is a member of the meetup group I belong to). More new friends were supposed to come...not sure why they didn't, but Zack and Sarah had so much fun with Becca!!! They jumped in leaves, played games, colored, painted pumpkins and had so much fun! After the playdate I took them to the local fairgrounds to buy a large pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern and unknowingly where they had pony rides, a petting zoo and gigantic sand box. I sat in the sun and watched them smile and laugh...great memories! Of course they picked the largest (tallest) pumpkin they could find and how could I resist?? A nice young kid helped me carry this monster to my car, but you should have seen the spectacle I made of myself trying to get this thing into the house! I put it on a mat on the kitchen floor, cut off the top and let the kids have at it! They were so excited to clean out the pumpkin of all the seeds so I could roast them that we ran out of time to carve it into the scary face the kids were hoping for. Leaves us something to do tomorrow! I took a lot of pictures, but now need to figure out how to post it here...

What a great day!!!

Reconnecting with family

I just wanted to say how thankful I am that I have reconnected with 3rd cousin Aaron. After a short time we have become closer than we ever have, and the fact that we are "real" family is unique to me. For those of you who don't know me well, I barely have any "real" family. My family consist of special life-long friends.

Aaron has really reached out to me since moving back to RI, which I truly appreciate, and has become a name that is said just about daily around here. Zack and Sarah can't get enough of him!! And I'm lucky to get spoiled once in a while by Aaron's parents...gotta love those calls..."My parents are in for the weekend and want to know if you and the kids want to come out for dinner with us?" Hell yeah!! Like tonight! :) It's wonderful and we always have a great time! Not to mention our Monday night date-nights! Prison Break (to watch my boyfriend) and Monday Night Football during the commercials (for Aaron). And don't forget about dinner, too!

I just wanted to send a shout out to 3rd cousin Aaron and say thank you for being such a great cousin to Zack, Sarah and I!!

Lady bug, lady bug...fly away home!

Well...we have lady bugs! My house is absolutely infested! It began 2 days ago where they would plaster themselves all over the outside of the house, covering the siding. It actually made the house look a different color! Well, they have since moved themselves inside. I got home from work last night and just the top of the fireplace was covered with probably 200-300 ladybugs! Gross!! I've been vacuuming every single one I can get my hands on since. Zack and Sarah actually helped me this morning by picking up any lady bug they could find and putting them on their shirts. They were making families...telling me that this one crawling over here is the mommy, this one on my arm is the daddy, this one on my cheek is one baby...ewwww..... My bug-phobic little girl had lady bugs crawling all over her this morning and thought it was the best thing since ice cream! Now they say that the bugs are here because they are having a sleepover party. Great...party somewhere else! I'm just hoping the flying squirrels get them!!
The cats are sure trying hard! :)

Please say this day can't get worse...

Ok, I'm being a bit dramatic, but it hasn't been the best start of my day...so far. I was helping Zack get dressed this morning and as I stood up, my sweatpants stuck to the tacks between the living room carpet and kitchen floor and...yup! You guess it! RIP!!! There goes my sweatpants! Zack thought it was the funniest thing that's happened in a long time and chased me around the house telling me that he could see my bum! Thanks Zack! :) Then as I was shivering, I went to put the heat on to get the chill out of the house...hmmm...why is the thermostat set to heat/auto, yet it's still 62 degrees in the house??? Same thing upstairs. No heat. So I called around and preferred to call the neighbors rather than pay the $400 to have the gas company come out. Niki, thank g-d for Niki, asked if the filter has been changed? I had no idea, figuring that Keith had taken care of it. Called him...his response? "I didn't know there even was a filter!" Shit. So, after dropping the kids off at school, I plopped myself down on the concrete basement floor to read the manual to the furnace. I figured out how to get the filter out (who knew??) and thankfully the manual says the filter can be washed. I washed it and now it's drying...please keep your fingers crossed!!!! Finally I got to sit down and relax with my cereal and a cup of coffee. Something spooked the cat and yup! My coffee goes flying across the room, all over Daisy, the end table, carpet, wall and couch. And this wasn't a small cup of coffee...it was a large travel mug!! Of course! So I spent the last half hour sopping up coffee out of the rug, washing the carpet, couch, scrubbing the wall, and the dog...just what I wanted to do!! Let's see...do I even want to risk taking a shower? I'll probably fall and break something! Oye...

One thing I wanted to add about the problem with the furnace...I thought I was going to have an absolute panic attack! I was on the verge of either crying or screaming. I consider myself to be a very optimist and rational person, but not having heat this morning threw me for a loop. It was like a smack in the face that I had to handle this all alone. Not that Keith was really any help before, but at least it wasn't all my responsibility. Now it is. He offered to help, but honestly, what could he do that I couldn't do. So, is that my pride getting in my way again? My point is, even when this house sells and I buy a new house...I'm all on my own. If something breaks, it's my responsibility to fix it, take care of it, clean it...all of it. Granted I have already been doing that for years, but this morning it was very real. Don't get me wrong, I have faith in myself that I'll be just fine and figure it all out myself. And if I can't, I'll ask for help! After all, I've been doing it all so far...and if I can catch a wild flying squirrel in my laundry room, I can do anything, right?! :)

First post

Thank you for coming to officially welcome me to the world of blogging! I can honestly say that I am a blog-virgin, so please bear with me as I manouver through this new universe I am trying to create. I thought this was a good avenue to update all on the goings on in my new life; my life as a single mom of four year old twins. So, welcome, and check back often...although I can not guarantee that I will be back for a few days, weeks...whenever I think of it! :) Or when exciting things happen in our lives! I promise...however long it takes...I will be back!