So… after I posted on Friday about how good things are.. things became… worse.  Isn’t that funny how that happens?  But I really felt AWFUL.  I mean… AWFUL.  And I had felt awful for days and was getting so tired of feeling awful when I really should be feeling much better.  I mean, the antibiotics were supposed to to help, right?  Why did I feel AWFUL?

So, I did what any sane person would have done days ago and googled the antibiotics I was taking.  DING DING DING!

Yeah… turns out that if you’re throat swells up and is painful and you feel weak and tired… those are BAD things to experience while on these antibiotics.  HUH!  Who knew?  So I sorta worried.  I told Kile and he didn’t seem terribly concerned.  I went to take a nap after I laid the kids down and honestly wondered if I’d even wake up from the nap at all.  I was feeling a little dramatic, I guess.

Anyhow, I DID wake up.  And Kile brought me home a new prescription for amoxicillin so I could stop take the demon antibiotics (cephalexin, for those of you who are keeping score).  He also got me a bumped up extraction appointment with a different dentist for 11am Saturday morning.

GULP.

He found me an oral surgeon, in hopes that this might increase my chances of getting more than just Novocaine in the way of anesthetic.  He needn’t have bothered.  Because Novocaine was all I got.  And yeah, it went about as well as you’d expect.  For example: I nearly passed out as they were trying to extract my tooth.  I had to gargle something about “feeling woozy” (though I’m sure it came out more like “sfelseelingh fwshooosssie” or somesuch).  The assistant tole me later that I scared her, how white I was.  They laid me back right away and gave me a few minutes to collect myself.  I think it was because I forgot to breathe.  I was so nervous and tense and on edge that I was holding it all in, including air.  So yeah, that would make a person feel a little lightheaded, don’t you think?

They went at the tooth again, and this time I made a point to focus on breathing.  When I wasn’t manually timing my breaths, I was willing the tooth to come out.  Because if it didn’t, the dentist was threatening to send me downtown to get it surgically removed.  Which, I figure, would mean general anesthesia which YAY but that’s something that I could have used a half hour ago.  Now that I was in the middle of it, I just wanted the stupid thing over with.  It was a nightmare.  So that tooth had to come out.  IT JUST HAD TO.

And it did.  The dentist cracked a joke about how it nearly broke her wrist.  We won’t say how my jaw feels now, DAYS later.  Because even hopped up on ibuprofen, I can still tell my jaw is a wreck.  Sore doesn’t quite begin to describe it.  As she pulled the tooth out, I could feel it on the other side of my face.  That can’t be good, right?  At the very least, we’re talking some good bruising.

But whatever.  The tooth came out.  I laid back in the chair until Kile came to fetch me.  Then I beat a hasty retreat out of there, hopefully to never return.  Oh, I will be going to a dentist.  Just not THAT one.  I already have an appointment in with Kile’s dentist for a week from today for a follow-up appointment and a care plan for all the other trainwrecks waiting to happen in my mouth.  Believe you me, I decided in that chair Saturday afternoon that I NEVER, EVER wanted to have to go through that again.  So help me God.

So Saturday was pretty much a wash.  I took a nap, I packed my mouth with tea bags (they totally help, yo), I watched movies and ate a Wendy’s frosty.  And somewhere in there it started to snow.  I wasn’t really expecting that.  I don’t think anyone was expecting that.  It was 60 degrees out just a few days ago.  Now snow?  What the heck? By the time we went to bed, it was getting seriously deep.

By the time we woke up, it was deeper.  Kile figures we must have gotten about 2 feet of snow out of it.  So much for any plans of leaving the house on Sunday!  Which was probably okay because if we stopped anywhere to eat, it’s not like I could EAT anything.  And that would just be depressing.  But being cooped up in the house sucks too.  All in all, I will say, it was a rather lame weekend.  For a month as awesome as February has been, I expected a little more.  Boo.

But hey, at least I got some purty snow pictures, right?  Yay.

We’re back from our last-minute trip to San Jose.  It was actually a rather pleasant trip, despite our reason for going being such a downer.  It was nice to see my BFF and her daughter (who I had not met yet, if you can believe it).   It was a nice visit with my parents, even though the chaos that the kids (and by kids, I mean LIAM) created.  And the kids did have a great time there.  Harry was constantly out back, either swimming in the non-heated pool (brr!) or riding his scooter around and around and around.  Liam slept in a big boy bed, just as he had on our Disney trip and did just fine (though having a hard time being put down at night, but that was mostly because of being in a strange place and wanting to stay up and par-tay).  Evie had a great time cruising around, trying to get in kitchen cabinets and banging her head on various unforgiving surfaces (she has the bruise on her forehead to prove it).

It was nice to come back home too, though.  It usually is, though our fondness was strictly limited to it being our home and our things and our routines and had NOTHING to do with being happy to see Reno.  Which we weren’t.  Our state of disgruntlement is growing.  I can only hope this means our time here is short.   I mean, Reno doesn’t even have an IKEA and that is just not right on so many levels.

But at least we have an In n’ Out.  So it’s not like we’re totally living in the dark ages or anything.

In other news…

Over the weekend I noticed my stomach would start to hurt every time I ate something.  I have no idea why this is, but I’m not happy about it either way.  Lets hope this is something that a) resolves itself quickly and b) doesn’t get worse.  Amen and thank you.

Noggin changed their name to Nick Jr. today and officially freaked me way out.  They can’t just make a change like that!  I need to be consulted!  My mind was officially blown when TWO WHOLE HOURS LATER I finally noticed.   Cough.

My fifteen year high school reunion was on Saturday.  I didn’t go because of a confluence of issues, not at all limited to the fact that I didn’t remember until the last minute and had no information on where it actually was being held and all that.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t look at myself in the mirror in utter disbelief that it has been fifteen whole years.  Where have I been?

Also: Evie is cute.  I just thought I should put that out there.

Okay, Monday is coming to a close so I should probably go ahead and post this before it becomes TUESDAY and my own blog post outdates itself.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a beer.

Even when there’s plenty to complain about (and let’s face it: in blogland, there is always something to complain about), I still know just how lucky I am.  In fact, I think I could be luckier than most.

I’m lucky that all of my kids like to sleep.  On the weekends, we usually don’t see any of them before 9 am.  On weekdays, Liam usually wakes up earlier because Harry gets up earlier to get ready for school.  And since Harry is incapable of being quiet while getting ready, Liam wakes up and is ready to go!  But Evie almost always sleeps until after 9 am on weekdays too.  Bless her heart.

I’m lucky that the little ones are so good with their naps!  Liam doesn’t always sleep but he likes to be up in his room, playing with the toys up there.  Harry isn’t there to rain on his parade and Evie isn’t there to steal his things from under his nose.  And I’m not there to get on his case!  Sometimes he snoozes too, sometimes he doesn’t.  And Evie takes a good 2 hour (sometimes more!) nap too. This gives me some great time in the afternoon to get things done and have a little “me” time!

I’m lucky that my husband has such a steady and secure job.  Working for the state isn’t perfect, but all things considered, it’s pretty darn good.  He has wonderful job security, even when the state is having troubles.  He has wonderful health insurance, at least compared to some peoples’ plans.  He gets plenty of sick and vacation days even if he doesn’t usually spend all of them.  At least we know that if something ever comes up (like when I broke my ankle or when Jackson died) he can easily take time off without worrying about it.

I’m lucky that Kile likes to cook as much as he does and that he doesn’t mind fixing dinner for us every night.  In fact, there are some meals he makes that are on my list of favorite things to eat!  Like cowboy spaghetti or the mustard grilled hamburgers.  And he can blend a mean margarita too.  This man is a jack of all trades.

Speaking of him, I’m lucky that he is such a wonderful father.  There is little more important to Kile than his family.  His kids are his pride and joy and it shows.  He loves spending time with them on the weekends, riding bikes with Harry or playing in the backyard with Liam or swinging Evie around until she squeals with delight.  And these kids love him too.  It’s the most genuine and pure thing and it is just wonderful to be able to witness.  I love that I never have to question leaving the kids with him and that he doesn’t even flinch when it comes time to change a dirty diaper.

I’m lucky that we have a good house to live in and that is belongs to us.  Sure, the housing market has gone kablooie, but we have a nice place to live and it’s filled with nice furniture and things to make our everyday life simpler and nicer.

I’m lucky that we don’t have very much debt.  Debt always makes me worry, even if there isn’t any trouble paying it back.  You never know what will happen and if a source of income were to suddenly disappear, I would feel awful knowing I had debt that would be difficult to pay back.  Besides the house, virtually everything we own is paid for.  Even our cars!  Which is probably why we’re so reluctant to get a new one.   We’re talking about getting an LED or LCD TV after Christmas.  And I know that if and when we do, we will pay for it with cash.  This is so much easier on my peace of mind!

I’m lucky that I don’t have to work. We don’t necessarily NEED a second income.  Sure there are a few things we have to sacrifice.  But when it comes down to it, we don’t mind missing out on the things we have to sacrifice.  And being able to stay at home with the children, while frustrating at times, is worth it.

I’m lucky for all my friends. Yes, even though they’re online or otherwise so far away.  Maybe it’s not as convenient as having someone a couple blocks away, but knowing that I can get support, someone to chat with and someone to laugh with at a moment’s notice is a wonderful thing indeed. No drama needed here.  Just good old fashioned friendship.

I’m lucky to have three of the most adorable and sweet children on the planet.  Harry is fun to hang out with and very loving to his family members.  Liam is always good for a giggle and is getting smarter by the day.  Evie is so good natured and loves to have a good snuggle first thing in the morning.  There isn’t a single thing I would change about any of them.  They make everything in this world worth living.

And lastly, I’m lucky that I had such a great weekend with my family.  I enjoyed every moment, even though there was that whole thing on Sunday where my social anxiety reared it’s ugly head and made my stomach hurt with the mere thought of spending the day with some fun people.  I’d do it all again and again and again just to get to spend the time with the family.  Lunch at Texas Roadhouse, browsing sidewalk sales at Legends, watching parades in Virginia City… just awesome!

Now that I’ve bragged on myself and my family, what are the things and people that make you lucky?

So it’s Monday.  Again.  The bright side is that it’s the last day of August.  Don’t let the door hit you in the rear on your way out, August.  I’m onto to bigger and better (and cooler) things.

Still, as happy as I am to see August end, I wouldn’t have minded another day or two of weekend.  It was a busy one around here and busy weekends always seem to be over way too soon.

Kile got paid on Friday night and since he gets paid once a month (the joys of being a state employee), we do the bulk of our shopping for the month when he gets paid.  Unfortunately, this stresses Kile out since he doesn’t like to spend money, no matter how necessary, and when he gets stressed he gets crabby.  And when he gets crabby, it rubs off on me.   Still, I did a pretty good job of deflecting his crabbiness all weekend.  And if I had remembered to take my thyroid pills yesterday, I probably would have been able to deflect it yesterday as well.

Alas, I did not take my pill and alas, I did not deflect.  By the end of the day, I was tired and I just absorbed it.  And when I absorb a bad mood off of someone… well it ain’t pretty.  And it’s not fun.  But the upshot is that I took my pill FIRST THING this morning.  I wasn’t interested in having another down day today.  It’s a Monday and I need all the help I can get!

ANYHOW… Saturday was our monthly B.O.O.S.T. (Big Ol’ Obnoxious Shopping Trip) at Walmart.  We actually went to Kohl’s first to look for shoes for Harry.  That child’s feet are growing at alarming rates.  He’s almost out of kid sizes!  We weren’t able to find anything though and as Kile was crabby, we decided it was best to just move on.  We had lunch at Chili’s before heading over to Walmart and that was nice.  We don’t eat out at sit down restaurants that much anymore.

The grocery shopping went pretty well and I think we remembered almost everything on our list.  Which is impressive because we had a LOT of stuff on our list.  We chinzed on our shopping last month because of the trip to Florida, so we were pretty much out of pretty much everything.  It was not a small trip and it was not cheap.  But at least now we have everything we need for the month, for the most part.  Perhaps maybe now lunchtime won’t be a source of stress around here!  It’s hard to find food to give the little ones when you have just graham crackers and granola bars.  Even moreso when one of your wee ones is as picky as Liam is.

Believe it or not, this all took up the better part of the day on Saturday.  We were wiped out come Saturday night!

Sunday brought more shopping through.  We headed over to Legends to do some more shopping for shoes.  On the way, Kile stopped at In n’ Out and we grabbed some burgers and fries to go.  We ate at one of the picnic tables at Legends which was really a fabulous idea.   Or it would have been fabulous if it hadn’t been so windy.  Until Subway opens up over there, there just aren’t a lot of options for quick, cheap dining.  That would be my only complaint about it.   Otherwise, Legends is awesome.

We finally found Harry some shoes at the Sketchers store there.  We also got the little ones some croc-style shoes that were on a fantastic sale.  After that we checked out the Carter’s outlet store.  We were hoping to find some clothes for Liam since we never seem to have enough clothes for the poor kid these days.  But we did get him and Evie their Christmas jammies.  So one present down, many to go!

But our shopping was not done there!  We headed over to Michael’s where I had some specific things to look for: a container for my cloth diaper laundry detergent, some knitting notions, and a scrapbook for our Disney vacation memorabilia.  Sam’s Club was next and we had some very specific things to get there.  Including chips and snacks for Harry’s lunches, frozen stuff for the deep freeze, etc and so forth.  Luckily, we thought ahead and had a cooler in the back of the van.  We packed the frozen stuff in there before heading over to Whole Foods.

Yep, we weren’t done yet.  We ALWAYS have to go to Whole Foods!   We got some fruit, some cheese, some laundry stuff for me… and we got a pizza for dinner!  Which meant:  it was time to go home.  At last.

The pizza was awesome.  But of course it was!  And it was the perfect dinner because were all beyond tired.

Like I said, last night was kind of hard emotionally for me and I entirely blame the lack of thyroid medication yesterday.  I really do need to stay on top of taking those pills.  At the very least.

And now I feel like I need another weekend to recover from my weekend.  OY.

So what did you do this weekend? Did you spend as much money as we did?  Because I’m starting to see why Kile was so crabby about it.  UGH.

I love a good, long weekend. And this weekend was good. And long. Productive, yet enjoyable. Yes, we had a great time despite NOT seeing fireworks yesterday. Can you believe it?? Turns out you can celebrate our nation’s independence WITHOUT fireworks. I know, I was shocked too.

See, I love fireworks just as much as the next fella. What I DON’T love are insane crowds of people. I don’t love these crowds even more when I’ve got two small children in tow who are generally zombies after 9pm. Rancho San Rafael generally puts on an awesome show. It’s a bit closer to home and we have ways of enjoying the show without having to get hip deep in people. And then we can make a quick escape and get home without having to fight traffic. But, thanks to the shit economy (which I blame BUSH for cuz it’s so much fun), there was no Rancho fireworks this year.

We’ve tried the fireworks show over in Sparks in the past. And while we had a good time, the mere NOTION of trying to duplicate that event makes my blood run cold. And not just the mad throng of people watching the show… But the fighting traffic to get home. It was a nightmare. So if that’s what it takes to see fireworks in this town? Sorry, but I’ll pass.

I must be getting old. Once upon a time, mad throngs of people and horrendous traffic were part of the fun! It was exciting to be a part of the crowd! To be where the action was at! I remember, years and years and YEARS ago going to downtown San Jose to watch fireworks and afterward, driving over to Ls Gatos where the Brazillian socvor teams was ripping it up every nughr. That was the summer the World Cup was in the Bay Area and Brazil’s parties night after night had become the stuff of legend and news stories.

It was great.

I remember the streets being PACKED, shoulder to shoulder wth people laughing, drinkng, singing and having a great time. It was a lot of fun.

But the thought of doing that now? Sorta makes me want to scream. I like spending time with family and friends, barbecuing, telling stories, laughing and setting off little fireworks in the backyard. That sure beats having to fight traffic, if you ask me.

And it’s not like we won’t be seeing any fireworks this year. It’s officially one month until our big Disney Extravaganza and I have it on good authority that there will be fireworks every night. Yes, even on the cruise. So it’s not like us (or the kids) will be deprived or anything.

Cough. Where was I?

Oh yeah! The weekend. I had fun. It was long. Now it’s over. That makes me sad.

Next up: Liam turns 3. GAH.