I Don’t Know How You Big City People Do It January 27, 2008

Yesterday my MIL, Squeaks, and I made the drive to Tulsa to visit a family member in the hospital.  We were on our way back home from the visit when we had an experience that reminded me why I hate driving in the city.  And it’s just Tulsa!  I can’t imagine driving in larger cities!

An older couple were merging into the lane next to me, when they decided to come on over into my lane — right where I was.  I tapped my horn to let them know I was there (I’m sure I was in their blind spot).  The poor old man overcorrected, which caused him to lose control completely.  His car shot in front of me, spinning wildly.  Thankfully I was in the new truck with great brakes and I was able to stop before I hit them (I couldn’t get into any other lanes at the time).  The car then spun itself back into the median, but as I looked in the rearview mirror, the car behind me couldn’t stop and was about to smash into me.  I gunned the gas and was able to get out of his way before he hit me.  I then pulled over to check on the older couple.  Somehow, we were all okay.  They missed hitting the guardrail by inches, instead landing in some grass.  I don’t know how their car didn’t flip and I’m so glad I didn’t hit them because I’m sure I would have killed someone.  We all just kind of sat there, shaking, trying to settle down before we continued on our way.

But after all of that, I just felt thankful.  I’m not an overly religious person, but that incident almost made me want to church and “get right”!  I just couldn’t believe that everyone was fine.  I’m so glad that my Squeaks was fine (she never woke up from her nap in the carseat).  I’m also glad I wasn’t in my truck.  The brakes need some work and it’s a standard transmission, which means there is no way I could have gotten out of the other car’s way in time.  So I guess I just feel a little surreal right now.  I had a friend killed in a car accident just last week, so it made me overly gracious to whoever was watching out for me that day.

Alive and (almost) Well January 24, 2008

It’s been quite a week around our house.  I’m just now starting to not feel dizzy every moment of every day from the vertigo.  Last weekend Squeaks came down with a stomach virus that I caught a few days back.  The Hubby is now starting to feel like he’s gotten it.  So it’s been a week of dizziness and vomit and I’m just ready to return to normal.  Posting will resume soon, when we’re all a little better!

Not Just a Hitchcock Movie January 19, 2008

Earlier this week, I was sitting on the couch doing some reading for school when a wave of dizziness came over me.  I commented on it to The Hubby, who was concerned when it didn’t go away very quickly.  Once it was gone, I was fine.  Over the next few days I experienced more dizziness in passing episodes — putting laundry away, in the shower, reaching up high to get something.  On Wednesday night when my right ear started hurting I was sure that I had a way to explain my dizziness.  A simple ear infection.

I woke up Thursday morning completely unable to walk.  The dizziness was horrible.  I had to crawl to Squeaks’ room to get her out of bed, then I spent the better part of an hour laying on the rug in the living room, trying to get my bearings.  Realizing things weren’t getting better, I called the doctor.  I managed to drive myself there just so I could possibly get some relief.  After an examination by the doc, I found out that an ear infection was not the case.  Instead?  Vertigo.

I always thought vertigo was just the medical word for dizziness.  Boy was I wrong.  I found out it’s a problem in your ear that causes your brain and your eyes to be sending out two different signals, causing your body to hallucinate and think it’s moving.  According to my doctor, there is not way to fix this except with time.  He gave me some medicine to treat the symptoms, as well as something for the vomiting that started when I was in the office.  He told me to expect to be plagued with this for 2 weeks, at least, and to not work or go anywhere during that time.  Yeah right, I have a 2 year old.

So now I’m fully drugged, which knocks me out cold.  I can’t take it unless The Hubby is around the help with Squeaks, as I have no control over where I might pass out.  The dizziness is still bad, but the medicine helps me to sleep through it.  I’ve since had problems with tingling in my face and hands, so there is a possibility I will be going in for a head CT scan, but I’m sure I’ll be fine before it comes to that.  Sitting still is really the only relief I can get from this, so I’ve been spending a lot of time online, reading blogs.  Expect to see me lurking around a log in the next week or so!

Does She Know Something I Don’t? January 17, 2008

I was just viewing a celebrity bashing website, reading about Britney Spears’ latest stunts when Squeaks crawled into my lap.  She looked at the picture of Britney in a brunette wig and said, “That’s Mama!”. 

Thanks, honey.

TMI…Trust Me January 16, 2008

There is a phenomenon in our house that I’ve noticed that’s entirely gross and that’s why I feel the need to share it with you.

When we bought this house, it was 1.5 bath.  We tore out the half bath and made one huge master bathroom.  We are also in the process of putting in another full bath by Squeaks’ room (because there’s no way in hell I’m sharing a bathroom with a teenage girl when that time comes!).  But as of right now, we only have one toilet.  Does anyone see where this is going?

When The Hubby feels the need to “drop the kids off at the pool”, he always takes forever.  I mean, it blows my mind how anyone can stay on the toilet so long.  It makes me wonder what he does in there, but then I decide I really don’t want to know.  He’s even joked about putting a desk in there so he can write his memoirs while he’s on the crapper.  So here’s where the problem comes in:  apparantly we are so hard-wired into each other that anytime he drops a deuce, I feel the urge as well (yes, women poop….sorry Ster).  But I never feel it until he’s been in there 3 minutes or so.  And when I have to go….I have to GO.  This means that I’m stuck waiting half an hour while The Hubby leisurely takes his time.  At this point I’m usually dancing around the house and yelling at him through the door to HURRY!!!  It’s horrible.  And I’m sure he takes his time even more just to spite me.  Usually Squeaks thinks I’m dancing for fun and she sings at the top of her lungs and spins circles outside the bathroom door.  It’s a freaking 3 ring circus at our house at poop time.

I can’t wait until the other bathroom is done.

Back to School, Back to School…. January 15, 2008

School started yesterday and I’m a little nervous about it.  All the classes I’m taking are very interesting to me, but they all seem so damn hard!  I’m going into it with a better attitude than last semester, so maybe I’ll do better.  We’ll see how well this weight loss thing does when I’m up late nights studying!

I’ve got much more to tell everyone later, but for now I’m off to get ready for class.

The Fun of Raising a Toddler January 12, 2008

So this toddler thing….oh this toddler thing.  There are days that she’s so damn cute that I could just squeeze her ’till her head pops off.  And then there are days that I’m so mad I could just squeeze her ’till her head pops off!  Squeaks is so much fun these days, pretending when she plays and being so much more interactive.  She’s learning new phrases every day and they crack us up, especially when she farts and she yells “TOOT!”.  That’s always a riot at family gatherings.  But she’s also exploring that independant, defiant side.  And she whines.  Throughout this, we’ve learned that putting her in the corner is the best discipline for her, but it’s finally backfired.  Now she does something she’s not supposed to and then she says “Corner, Mama?”.  She knows she’s going to be sent to the corner, but apparantly it’s worth it to scream at me in return for a few minutes sitting in isolation.  I guess we need to find a new tactic.

She’s becoming more helpful (and by helpful I mean she’s making a lot more work for me).  When I’m folding laundry, she helps by trying to put the clothes away.  This ends in my re-folding them and putting them up myself.  After I sweep and mop, she tries to sweep while the floor is still wet, which means that all the dirt trapped in the broom gets put right back on the wet floor.  But I don’t want to hamper her helping me.  I’m proud that she wants to do what I’m doing and she really is trying to please me by helping out.

But she’s terrified of the vacuum.  Terr. i. fied.  It’s probably because we only have 2 carpeted rooms in the house (the rest is hardwood flooring) and we rarely vacuum those rooms when she’s awake.  But we recently purchased an area rug for the living room, which requires regular vacuuming.  When I bring it out, she gets in Daddy’s recliner and squeezes in as tightly as possible, closing her eyes and covering her ears.  I should feel bad about scaring her, but it’s really kind of funny.  Hmmm….maybe I can use that as punishment.  Instead of sitting in the corner alone, I’ll put her in the corner where the vacuum is!  That should do it…

Holy Crap! January 10, 2008

So I’ve kept myself off the scale for the last week while I started dieting.  I used to weigh daily, but it was frustrating because of how much weight can fluctuate.  So I’m only allowing myself to weigh once or twice a week.  Anyway, I stepped on the scale today and I’ve lost SEVEN pounds in a week!!  Aaaaagh!  I’m so excited that I’m dancing around.  It makes me feel like this 6 week goal is very attainable, as one week is down and I’ve seen such progress.  I know the weight loss will slow down now, as it usually comes off faster at first, but I really only want to lose about 10 more.  Surely I can do that in 5 weeks’ time.  So woohoo for me!

Bad Military Wife January 6, 2008

As many of you know, The Hubby is in the Air Force.  He has served for 9 years now, is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq, and has served numerous other deployments stateside.  I’ve always been so proud of him and the way he serves our country.  I’ve helped out with things on base, I’ve helped get the troops ready for deployments, I have made numerous friends through the military.  But I have a secret.

The Hubby is tired of it all.  There have been some issues with his captain that are preventing him from promoting any further and he’s fed up with it.  There are actually many reasons he’s ready to be done, but I don’t need to make them all public (I don’t need the Air Force on my ass, after all!).  So he has decided that he’s ready to get out of the military.  It’s been good to him and he’s so glad he did it.  He’s even talked about joining up again later in life, but for now he’s spent.  And I’m secretly glad.  I no longer have to worry about him getting shipped overseas, praying he’ll return home to us.  I won’t have to spend another pregnancy alone (no I’m not pregnant, but it’s the idea) while he serves in a war.  I don’t have to pretend it’s all okay, when I’m secretly scared. 

While it may sound like I’m a bad patriot, I’m okay with that.  It would be different if he hadn’t already done so much in the military.  As I told The Hubby, it’s time for the young pups to serve their time.  Sure the benefits were amazing, but many of them are still available to us, as he is a war veteran.  I will still always be proud of his time he served, but I’m glad it’s coming to an end. 

I think he’s made the correct decision for himself.  When he first got in, he was thrilled.  He was proud and accomplished and was carrying on the family tradition of serving his country.  He talked about it all the time and tried to recruit his friends.  Now he rarely talks about it.  He dreads going to the base.  I think it’s definitely time.  I admire the women and men (and their spouses) who deal with it for longer than 9 years.

So I guess we’ll see where this goes.  He may or may not actually go through with it and I’ll support him either way.  But now you all know my true feelings on the matter!

Girl Time January 5, 2008

Last night I met up with my 2 childhood best friends for some girl time.  We ate Mexican food, drank way too margaritas, then ate ice cream in an attempt to sober up (the diet I’m on allows for one cheater night a week, thank god!).  We talked and laughed, got incredibly too loud in the restaurant, and stumbled our way along the river walk in the windy cold night.  It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.  It is only the first step in finding my identity this year as something other than a mother.  Granted, I talked about Squeaks a lot, but they didn’t mind as they think she’s the coolest kid ever!  I can’t wait to do it again!  Sadly, we all forgot to take pictures, which is very unusual for us.