DDA Chapter 12

[my3princes]

Poor Hunter is still not feeling well. Thankfully the meds are helping his ear, or at least keeping it numb. Unfortunately he has a bad headache and is out of bed again. I've given him advil and a hot compress so hopefully he'll get enough relief to get some sleep. I had one heck of a sinus headache myself at the end of work tonight. I took Tylenol PM, ibuprophen and a hot compress before soaking in a hot bath and the pressure has finally subsided for me. I swear this cold thing is hanging around forever.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will hold. I need to run errands as it is my only day off until Saturday, but with Hunter still up I have to wonder if he'll make it to school in the morning. I may be playing nurse tomorrow.

Hunter stayed home today. I knew that he would when he was still awake after 11 last night. His ear seems to feel better and I haven't given him the numbing drops or pain meds this morning. So far no headache either. Though I did just give him a dose of the Augmenten. I have to wonder if the headache might be a reaction? I guess I'll know by this afternoon. Hopefully the worst is over. I still have a head cold and I have a cold sore in my nose. I did take some horse pills for that yesterday so hopefully it will begin to clear soon. Other than the fact that my face is uber sore around my nose I guess I'm no worse for wear. I really need to get items in from the camper in hopes of having that completely cleaned and winterized by the end of the weekend. I also need to buy hydrolic cement to seal the holes around the new pipes. We need to get that done before it rains or we will have a lot of mud in the basement. Where does our time go?

Oh yeah, I need to update all the prices on the menu for work. They hope to print them this week as foliage is coming and our prices were way too low to cover costs these days. Thankfully my notebook computer came back today (for a second time) and it appears to be working properly

Leighanna's "problem" seems to have cleared up for now.

I know that we have done everything in our power to control it.

I am sending a note to school that Leighanna is NOT to wear the headphones that are required to use the classroom computer. That is just a bigger problem waiting to happen. If this becomes a problem, I will make sure Leighanna has her own set to use.

Hopefully with all the explaining to Leighanna that we did this weekend, she will remember some key points.
No piling coats together outside during recess, No dumping of backpacks in a pile before school starts, No laying on the bean bag chair during reading time.
No wonder this kid got this problem!

I did order some organic shampoo and conditioner that is suppose to repel the critters. Hopefully with all the prevention, we won't have this problem again!

I'm glad that her problem seems to be gone. Did you notifiy any other parents that you know from the class? I would want them treated too, just to make sure my kid didn't bring it home again.

Morning DDA!

I went to Target, Walmart and Payless Shoes on Saturday and Sunday - hopefully we have everything needed for the honeymoon now, from Bonine to our waterproof camera to toothpaste and lint rollers... I also have my dress hanging up in the closet, so that's good to go too. Tonight I *HAVE TO* do the seating chart. If you see me online, tell me to do the seating chart. No ifs ands or buts about it. Must. Get. Done. Tonight.

Then I can start packing.

It sounds like things are falling into place. I hope you can get it all done and have time to relax and actually enjoy the wedding.

I'm glad your power is back on and you had no damage, other than the loss of everything in the fridge/freezer. I hope Watty feels better soon!

Beth and Becky -- Great trip reports and pictures.

Kristine -- Have a MAGICAL trip with a smooth sailing. Can't wait to see pics of the changes on the Magic.

Go Cowboys!




I'm so sorry that Hunter still is feeling bad. I hope today brings relief for him and you get lots done!



Oh my -- I hope she stays free of her problem. What a supreme hassle that was.

We might hit 90 today, but I can't complain as we've been in the 80s since Ike hit last weekend.

We had lots of soccer this weekend. I swear that the U14 team that Andrew's team played had kids driving on it -- they were huge! The way the rules are on ages, I think that team had mostly 14 year-olds and ours has mostly 11 and 12... We lost that game, but won the game that night. Not too bad for our first games in an older division. Jake's team lost 4-1, also not bad for a U12 team with several 9-year-olds on it. They play again tonight. I better get back to work. Have a great day everyone!

Marci the boys played a team in Lacrosse that was a U13 team. We had some 8 and 9 year olds on our team and our oldest was 12. There was one boy that was 6 foot something and shaving on the other team. It seems so far fetched to go up against these larger teams, but we just chocked it up to a learning experience. Our boys did not give up.

Peter and the Starcatcher (?) fans.... I've never really been interested in the books, but I know many of you have. This article says it's going to be a stage production!

We love that series. One of the 5th, 6th grade teachers has been using that series as a read aloud for her classroom for the last 2 years. The kids love it.

 

[Glynis]

So I finished Kingdom Keepers 2 today. It is definitely set up so there could be a sequel. It was very good.

Good to know. I just ordered 2 copies, one for me and one for my niece's Christmas present.

 

[Glynis]

after 8 1/2 days without power we have it back. thanks to Ike we lost power last Saturday morning. our house didn't get damaged thank god but our street looked like a tornado went through it. some neighbors lost trees, cars, had trees in their houses or have to move out to get house fixed. watty did well except mow he is sick with something.

Nice to see you back, Karen! And I'm glad to hear that Ike left you guys alone, damage wise!

Pixie dust for Watty!

 

[Glynis]

Leighanna's "problem" seems to have cleared up for now.

I know that we have done everything in our power to control it.

I am sending a note to school that Leighanna is NOT to wear the headphones that are required to use the classroom computer. That is just a bigger problem waiting to happen. If this becomes a problem, I will make sure Leighanna has her own set to use.

Hopefully with all the explaining to Leighanna that we did this weekend, she will remember some key points.
No piling coats together outside during recess, No dumping of backpacks in a pile before school starts, No laying on the bean bag chair during reading time.
No wonder this kid got this problem!

I did order some organic shampoo and conditioner that is suppose to repel the critters. Hopefully with all the prevention, we won't have this problem again!

Good tips for Leighanna! I went over a lot of the same rules with my kids. Katie, Mary and Leslie always have product in their hair, so I guess it's less likely they'll ever get the critters, but Jacob could. Thanks for going through this and taking one for the parent team so that I could remember to talk about this with all my kids.

 

[Glynis]

Peter and the Starcatcher (?) fans.... I've never really been interested in the books, but I know many of you have. This article says it's going to be a stage production!

Wow! That sounds really cool. Good article, too!

 

[Glynis]

Well, it's a true autumn day here! Gray, rainy, windy, etc. Luckily, it will be gone by tomorrow (or so the weatherman says), and we should have more summer like weather for Theresa's visit! Hooray!!!!!

I do not know what my problem was last night, but I did not sleep well at all! My back ached, my legs were jumpy, my head hurt, etc. It was horrible. When I finally did manage to fall asleep, Alan began snoring.....LOUDLY! I finally kicked him out of bed, and then fell into a fitful sleep. The longest stretch I had was from 3:00 to 5:40 this morning. I foresee a nap in my future! The thing is, I know that I could have taken Tylenol, and a lot of those symptoms would go away, but when I'm pregnant, I'm really paranoid, and just don't take any medication except those prescribed by the doctor. I know, I'm weird! Anyway, the headache is gone, now, so hopefully today will be better!

I wanted to tell you all about a really yummy dessert I made last night. Totally easy, and the kids loved it. Here's what I did:

Open a tube of sugar cookie dough and crumble it into a bowl. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to soften. Add 1/2 cup oatmeal and a couple of shakes of cinnamon and mix it well with your clean fingers. In a greased 9 X 13 baking dish empty 2 cans of pie filling. I used one peach and one raspberry. Crumble the cookie mixture on top of the pie filling. Put it in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cookie topping is deep golden brown. We served this with vanilla ice cream, and it was wonderful!!!

Ok, now I'm off to the library! Woohoo! The things I look forward to! Talk to y'all later!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am sorry Hunter still feels icky...I hope that he woke up feeling better.

I'm sorry he still isn't feeling well! Hopefully he will be better tomorrow!

Because he is a band director. Seriously, I have found (other than 1 or 2) that the band directors are less likely to give us all of the information needed.

It just boggles my mind that a man who is so irritated by the lack of participation makes it so HARD to participate! I want to have DS where he needs to be, when he needs to be there, but even my amazing psychic abilities don't help with Band stuff. Maybe I should request that he e-mail any communications to me for proofreading before he prints and distributes them.

Glynis - I hope you are able to grab a nap later!

Our weather is still just like summer. I knew it was going to be sunny, I did NOT know it was going to be sticky. Yuck. I just went to the grocery store and it was hard to miss the humidity.

 

[my3princes]

So far so good, my computer hasn't crashed yet Maybe HP finally got it right.

Colby is home from school and 2 loads of laundry are finishing up. I'll probably get blankets out of the camper next. Hunter says that he feels better though he is holding his ear still. He hasn't gotten off the couch all morning. I think it's almost nap time for us all. I'm still really tired even though I got lots of sleep last night. Of course I did wake up several times with this darned cold.

We have a pretty fall day going here. The skies are bright blue and the temps are high 60s. Fall is certainly here with no hint of summer in our future.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Sounds like here. I love fall, but hate that winter is just around the corner.

Fall is certainly here with no hint of summer in our future.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Glynis, or anyone who bakes. I was over on the cooking board going through the recipes and came across a recipe that calls for icing sugar? Now I bake, but what the heck is icing sugar?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Hmm.
I just got an e-mail from the school that they are FINALLY getting around to leveling the classes to ease overcrowding. I can not imagine why they are just now getting around to it. This is the 5th week of school! DS is not going to respond well to changing teachers now! But with a $64 million budget shortfall there would probably be changes anyway. By declaring a budget "emergency" they can fire teachers and other staff who are under contract.

Our miles transfer is complete, so I can go ahead and finish the transaction for DH's ticket for August.

 

[bethbuchall]

Day 5: Colorado Springs, CO to Casper, WY (Lions and Tigers and Giraffes, Oh My!)

In her trip report, 4300 Miles of Love: Yellowstone Tetons Style with LOTS of Photos, estherhead wrote, “There comes a point in every vacation where things start to blend together and you completely lose track of time. That point came yesterday. It is a lovely point in a vacation. But often it is things going wrong that force you to enter that mode. The point where the plan must be adjusted, where you finally give up the control that makes your life at home work and go with flow of vacation.” She hit it on Day 7, and we hit it on Day 5.

This is a day that I had really been looking forward to. Not only was I going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, I was also going to meet my DIS board friend, babytrees! I didn’t give the rest of my family the information that I should have, though, and looking back, it was pretty stupid of me. To me, I was meeting someone that I had already “known” for a couple of years. To my family, we were meeting a group of strangers. My family doesn’t like surprises. Dh can be uncomfortable around new people. Most importantly, Girl never really outgrew stranger anxiety. I should have “introduced” my family to babytrees and her family before we even left home. But my family doesn’t really understand this whole DIS board thing, so maybe they wouldn’t have been any better anyway. Also, I’m much better in writing than I am in person. I’m not sure exactly how to say that, but I do have a little social anxiety myself, so it’s sometimes hard for me to say everything that I am thinking when I’m actually talking to someone. This is getting to be rambling, so I’ll wrap it up. I’m going to gloss over the parts where my daughter was much ruder than she meant to be. I know, she knows, and babytrees knows, but overall it didn’t spoil our day. Thank goodness, babytrees is intuitive and sensitive. I think we did a pretty good job of balancing my place between wanting to get to know her and her family better and helping Girl feel comfortable. We had a great day! I really hope she feels the same way.

One of my other mistakes that morning was thinking that I didn’t need Daniel (our GPS). It was a pretty straight shot to the zoo from our hotel, so I decided to navigate and drive. The only problem was that the road was closed. So, trusty Daniel was pulled from the glove box and came to our rescue.

This is Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. We didn’t drive up there (lack of time), but I am sure that the views are phenomenal. Look at that blue, blue sky!

If anyone is going near Colorado Springs, definitely carve out some time for the Cheyenne Mountain zoo. It was spectacular! We had spent the past month watching the giraffes and meerkats via the webcam at the zoo’s website (www.cmzoo.org). We had already fallen in love with those giraffes. What is even better is that you can feed them! They are right there next to you and have such sweet faces, and it definitely was an experience that we will cherish.

I could have spent the entire day with the giraffes, but there was so much more to the zoo, that I eventually tore myself away.

The chipmunks were so much larger than any we had at home!

Ironically, the squirrels were much smaller, though I don't have a photo of those for you.

We wandered through the rest of "Africa"...

The elephants were inside that day, so we didn’t get any really good photos of them. Girl loves elephants, though, and she was happy to get to see them.

This zoo is absolutely beautiful, and the views are stunning.

We continued to walk around the zoo and marvel at the exhibits, the scenery, and the animals. Girl continued to warm up to the “strangers,” and I was able to talk to babytrees more.

The wallabies were great. They were just hopping around out in the open. We were able to pet a baby wallaby that one of the docents was holding, too.

Another place that I could have spent the whole day was “Rocky Mountain Wild.” The grizzly bears had a terrific exhibit, and they were busy playing in their pool. They came right up to the windows and were so much fun to watch.

I didn’t get any pictures of the river otters, but they were great fun to watch, too.

The mountain lions were easy to see.

The porcupine was so close that you could probably touch him if you didn’t have any common sense.

We passed by the pony rides that Girl insisted that she wanted to do, but they weren’t operating. I think she was only half-joking. She never would have done the pony rides, but I know that there was part of her that wanted to.

It was nearing 11:30 am (MT), which was the time I was originally planning to leave. We just couldn’t go without seeing the rest of the zoo, though. I realized that we didn’t really need to see the Olympic Training center or the Air Force Academy. (If you ever go to Colorado Springs, please give yourself more than 30 hours!) I did need to find some food and shade for my rapidly melting family, though. It was way past their standard lunchtime, and it was hot that day. The heat wasn’t as bad as it could have been, because the humidity was so low. I love low humidity! It was still taking its toll, and a quick break was in order. Babytrees and her family were also ready for a little break, so we went to the little restaurant and had some lunch/snacks. Girl really wanted ice cream, but she was too full after eating lunch. We told her that we’d get some later.

To be continued (since I hit my image limit)...

 

[bethbuchall]

The zoo has an area called My Big Backyard (or something like that) that is an interactive area mostly for younger children. SmallBoy really wanted to go play in there for a while. Being child-like ourselves, we had a good time there. You can see that Girl is starting to warm up by this point, too.

We passed the hippo pool on the way to the primate house. The hippos were just chillin' in the water that day.

The primate house was terrific! We loved all the primates, especially the gorillas (though I didn't get any good photos). And also this mother and her baby.

After enjoying the rest of the zoo, it was time to say goodbye to babytrees and her family. We headed to the gift shop as they headed home. Girl and Smallboy picked out stuffed giraffes, since the giraffes were such a big part of our experience. Girl was also set to get some ice cream. Her luck was holding about the same, though, because the ice cream machines at the gift shop were out of order. No one wanted to hike back up to the other restaurant to get ice cream, so once again she did without. (Don’t feel too bad for her, though, she was able to have plenty of ice cream while we were Yellowstone.)

On the road again! We were heading to Denver and the famous Casa Bonita and then on to Casper, WY.

We made it through Denver traffic, which was a little at times, and arrived at Casa Bonita only to find ourselves really not in the mood to be there. No one was really hungry or wanting to eat. No one was really up for all the noise and confusion. Everyone was tired and pretty much hit the wall at the same time. We made it in the front doors and stood there trying to decide what to do. Another thing about my family is that we really aren’t great decision makers. I think everyone is too afraid of disappointing someone to just say what is on their mind and make a decision. Dh’s wallet had caught sight of the prices and was starting to tremble. Girl was ok with staying but really didn’t want anything to eat. SmallBoy felt the same as Girl. I was trying to get Boy to say what he wanted to do. He was the one who was looking forward to trying Casa Bonita the most. He also is the one who is most sensitive to what others want, and he inherited (or learned well) his father’s thriftiness. It really wasn’t all about the money. We would have gladly dropped the $70-$80 if it would have been a good experience. Boy was overwhelmed by this time and didn’t want to be the one to make the decision. It wasn’t looking like good time for this particular adventure, so we decided to leave. I still don’t know if that was the right decision. It wasn’t the best moment in our trip as I am driving out of Denver sobbing, because I’m not sure if I’ve completely disappointed Boy or not. Boy was in the back seat looking very sullen and as if he were ready to cry himself. Dh was telling me that I should just turn the car around and head back if I thought that we should go there. I think it was just too many late nights and early mornings catching up with us. Too many emotions, even good ones, also left us a little more sensitive. In the end, I just kept driving. Boy told me later that he wasn’t upset that we didn’t stay at Casa Bonita. He said that he was just overwhelmed and overtired. I don’t know if that is entirely true, but I can’t go back and change it. In the grand scheme of things, it was a blip.

Here is our first jackalope sighting.

We did finally get hungry and stopped at a truck stop with an A&W. We broke the rule about not eating where we could eat at home. It was a big mistake, too. It was not a particularly clean, inviting A&W. We took our food and ate in the car.

All was better when we arrived at our hotel, the C’mon Inn in Casper, WY. This hotel is gorgeous! It was so relaxing, too, and just what we needed at that point. We had a third floor room that had a king bed in a separate room and a queen-size pullout sofa bed. Instead of using the sofa bed, though, we inflated the air mattresses. We had two large TVs and a recliner, too. It was great to have a little extra space this night. All of the second floor rooms had private balconies overlooking the interior courtyard. The third floor had sitting areas outside the rooms overlooking the interior courtyard. They weren’t private, but there was enough seating that you never felt crowded. There were four hot tubs in the courtyard itself plus another in the pool area. The courtyard had an open, outdoorsy feel, and I think it would be a great place to spend a weekend in the winter when cabin fever sets in. This hotel was a little more expensive than the Fairfields and Country Inns and Suites that we had been staying in, but the extra space was worth it at that point in our trip. Actually, the double rooms with private balconies may not have been more expensive. We probably would have been fine in one of those rooms, too, because the balcony would have given us some extra space. It was nice to have a door to our bedroom and also to have the second TV, though we didn’t use it. SmallBoy, Girl, and I enjoyed the pool and hot tubs. Dh and Boy enjoyed having some space of their own for a little while. It really started to feel like vacation, and everyone was smiling again!

Babytrees, I’m sorry that you saw us at our (almost) worst, but we still wouldn’t trade that day away. We loved the zoo and meeting you and (most of) your family. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to meet your other dd.

Coming next: Day 6 Dinosaurs, Hot Springs, and Ice Cream (finally!)

 

[bethbuchall]

Glynis, or anyone who bakes. I was over on the cooking board going through the recipes and came across a recipe that calls for icing sugar? Now I bake, but what the heck is icing sugar?

I'm pretty sure it's just another name for confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar or 10X sugar.

 

[bethbuchall]

Sounds like here. I love fall, but hate that winter is just around the corner.

Me, too! I find it harder to enjoy Fall these days, though, knowing how much I have started hating winter.

 

[yellowfish78]

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=402895&pCatg=12517
Too cute!

 

[Glynis]

Glynis, or anyone who bakes. I was over on the cooking board going through the recipes and came across a recipe that calls for icing sugar? Now I bake, but what the heck is icing sugar?

I'm not sure, but could it be confectioner's sugar? I know that that is used in icing a lot. Maybe Amy knows. Sorry I can't be more help.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=402895&pCatg=12517
Too cute!

And which one of us were you thinking would fit into this?
It's much too big for Princess. Besides, she wants to be Ariel. I am not sure we can find a costume small enough for her. I think we may have to go on a road trip to the Disney Store. Maybe I will call first.

 

[babytrees]

[Babytrees, I’m sorry that you saw us at our (almost) worst, but we still wouldn’t trade that day away. We loved the zoo and meeting you and (most of) your family. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to meet your other dd.

Coming next: Day 6 Dinosaurs, Hot Springs, and Ice Cream (finally!)

Again...I know which A & W you ate at That is a beautiful C'Mon Inn!!

You so didn't miss anything with Casa Bonita. Remember velveeta is their main ingredient.

I think the kids started warming up to us when I asked what their favorite thing was so far on the trip. You wouldn't believe what an icebreaker that can be!!

I downloaded all of the pics off of my camera from that day and the weekend before when we (finally) went up to Will Rogers Shrine. If I get a chance I'll post some.

As for your family, they were all very nice and I understand...maybe sometime in the future they wouldn't mind coming back, then I wouldn't be a stranger. (only strange ) Like I said before, I bet Cassidy would have had everybody at ease sooner than me...if nothing else she could have gotten the two older kids talking about how weird their moms are!! Every once in awhile I forget that some people's way of dealing with their social anxiety is the opposite of me.

 

[bethbuchall]

Theresa, I'd love to see some of your photos! I can't believe that I didn't take a single picture of your family and almost none of mine. I have one or two more of Miles and Laura in addition to the one I posted. None of dh or Matthew. Crazy, huh?

I'm glad to know that we didn't miss anything at Casa Bonita. I remember that you did mention the Velveeta! I am glad that we made the decision to go to Colorado Springs. I wish that I had made it early enough to plan two nights there. It was great to see what we did, though, and I really liked meeting you!

Oh yeah...that A&W was scary! The flies disgusted me, and we just wanted to get out, but we didn't know where else we were going to find food. We definitely couldn't stay to eat, though.