Techie geek?

I've never considered myself to be at the "cutting edge of technology." In fact, typically, I run so far behind the pack it's not even funny. But working with computers, as I'm prone to do daily, I have apparently became one of those weird people who knows something ...

I can change an IP address, I understand some things about computers. As for technology ... I use a broadband Internet card, (which shockingly ... is one of those "newer things"), and I just installed windows 7 on my computer. (Hey, students get it for cheap! .. and working on campus, I qualify close enough to count)

Am I even close to the cutting edge? Not really. But I enjoy where I am. I'm in a position I can watch what's coming out with curiosity, and do what's best for my family, and my computer.

Every day ... (see, I am a geek), I check the news through Google news, I am on facebook, twitter and I have a family blog. I also have multiple Email addresses. (Work, Friend, and junk)

Then there is even a handful of sites I like to check daily. From my favorite blogs, to a couple online comics, and zooborns, cakewrecks, and horriblelicense plates. These are all my daily smiles, and help keep me updated.

Part of being updated, I know was for my job. When I know what is going on in the world, it helps my spelling ... because I have seen the words before. (Plus, when governor Schwarzenegger or somebody with schizophrenia makes the news, I like a heads up before the teachers start to throw these around in casual conversation).

I like sending occasional words to the Typewell folks, simply because in my computer classes I type, I see some of the newer words, the one's that haven't quite made it to websters dictionary yet. (Did you know Blog is even a newer word for some folks?)

So overall ... I guess I'm no longer in the tech illiterate group, but not quite at the top of the mountain yet. I doubt I ever will be. But I'm close enough to get a good view!

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans day, 2009.

Yesterday was the fort hood memorial service, and I have a wonderful Twitter friend who actually lives on fort Hood, and wrote a firsthand account of the events of that day, and the service.

Even if I bore you ... read it! http://thisfabulousarmylife.blogspot.com/ It's amazing!

Anyway, today I was thinking about my life as an air force brat, which seems so far behind me sometimes. On the radio this morning, there was a song (this Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2EW3yBqSk ) and it made me cry.

I hardly remember dad not being there as a child, because mom was an awesome mother, and made up for it somehow. When we were in Panama, she made sure we made little audio tapes of our voices for Christmas for grandparents, so we could tell them merry Christmas, and in a way, not seem so far from them.

I remember dad telling me a touching story about the brother I almost had. When he was in Korea, he spent his spare time with the Chaplain, and quite a bit of time at a nearby orphanage. There was a cute little boy there. He'd been on the streets for a while, his mom had given him some money before vanishing, and he knew to take it and ask for his favorite treat from the vendors when he was hungry.

They brought him in, and he wouldn't really talk. He was scared, and alone. Dad grew to love this boy, and was planning on adopting him and bringing him home. However, another family fell in love with the boy, an Air Force translator, and his Korean wife. They ended up adopting him, but hearing dad tell the story, he still has a soft spot for the child that I was never able to meet.

Daddy missed the births of two of my siblings. He was in Korea for one, and new jersey for the other. He met President Bush (the first one), back when he was vice president. (And didn't recognize him until they announced him as the next speaker).

I remember that when we went to a movie theater, the star spangled banner would play before every movie.

I was only eleven when dad left the military, and sentenced us to civilian life, but deep inside, that will always be a portion of who I am, and my past. I miss those years, and I admit I have Military issued "gypsy feet", I always want to be going somewhere, but I'm grateful for the way life panned out.

My children will never know military life. They will never experience the pain of having a father overseas, or the joy of having them come home. But I will do my best to make sure my children have the same love for their country that I do. I am an American, and have always been. But true Americans don't just live here, they understand what their country means. More than just on the fourth of July.

Those friends I met during those years, have never left my heart, and some I will probably never see again. (Usually because I don't remember their last names, children have that problem).

A thank you to all those who have fought for our country, who have served our country, and the families who love them, support them, and grieve for them.

Halloween

We've come to that dreaded time of year. The time when people with masks come out, leading to months of terrified children.

This year, we did remarkably well. Not only did the kids go to the trunk or treat, but they all did remarkably well, and only had a few people they wouldn't go near because they were terrifying.

All in all, I was greatly impressed with halloween. It was lots of fun. Jacob was a fireman, Brandon was a farmer (and we actually got the hat on him), and megan was a cute little dinosaur.

Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration disorder, OCD, vs ... my sanity.

Score: not very pretty.

Let me explain something about my son here ... he's not spoiled. He's not the way he is because he's special or because I have let him act like this.

He's ... just Jacob. If everybody would accept that he is the way he is, life would be easier.

Jacob has sensory integration disorder. You know how when you run your fingernails on a chalkboard, it bothers you? Imagine that ... except worse, and you don't know how to deal with it.

Some things in his life .. just ... bother him. And he doesn't know how to deal with it.

Toe socks, Buttons, Snaps, Zippers ... these are all in this category. They just bother him to an extreme that he doesn't know how to process.

We've come such a long way.

Mom: Jacob, it's time to go.

Jacob: alright.

[Snapping seatbelt on]

Jacob: {breathing deep} it's not in order!!!!

This used to confuse me, now it doesn't. He's not hysterical, Yet. But he's close. His problem is simple, his seat belt is twisted, not straight. If I fix it, we can go on, and life is great.

If I am in a hurry, and leave it alone, his mental process overloads and we have a meltdown ... and it will continue until either his seatbelt is off, or "in order."

We can't all work around him, there are plenty of times I can't work with it. But when its' something that takes two minutes to fix, its' quicker are fix it then deal with it.

This morning, I put Jacob's blanket on him as I left for work. He immediately started getting upset. The blanket was bunched up in places and folded in places. So I pulled it tight, straight, and he drifted to sleep again, because his world is once again, in order.

We don't like mud on our hands, or anything gross like that. Or our feet for that matter. Socks don't work on occasion ... and we can completely forget overalls.

Costumes ... another that doesn't go well. Random guy in a bear, or dog, or anything else suit .... we have a meltdown. This includes Santa. In fact, he's terrified of Santa. Last Christmas I had to promise him Santa would not come in his room before he'd go to sleep.

Yet sometimes, it's hard, because all I hear is .. "you just need to be strict with him", "you spoil him" ....

It's hard wired. It's not parenting, it's not me. It's not him. Its' just ... his brain. He's learned so much. Two years ago he just broke down. Now even when he's upset, he can explain the problem, and I can fix it. sometimes we still have problems. But we survive.

Babysitters: ick. Ick. Ick. Ick.

believe it or not ... I have had two good friends tell me, "I'm sorry, but I can't babysit your kids at my place anymore."

Really? No way! Apparently, my kids have problems with people they don't know and meltdowns over things. Especially Jacob. Yes, especially Jacob.

So when I get lucky, like now, to find a friend who likes babysitting my children ... worth more than gold!!!

Anyway, that's my random diatribe on my child. Who by the way, is not spoiled, or a bad child. He just has problems with sensory.

Grandma Power

Here is Grandma Reading the little old lady who swallowed a fly

There she takes them to the park

Then she reasons with them.

And we know the lego's weren't for the children

But when all is said and done, we have happy, well adjusted, superheroes.

The end.

Dream Jobs 101

Alright, here I'm listing a few jobs that are rewarding, entertaining, and wonderful in their own right .... ready? Although I'm a mom and a transcriber, the rest are just cool.

Transcriber: woohoo! Dream job! I get paid to go to class, NOT do homework or tests, learn awesome stuff!

Pro: go to classes I never would have taken, and learn really awesome stuff.

Con: I don't get to play with the cool toys, like transistors, resistors, and computers!

Think Geek Product Tester:

Hey, I'm a transcriber! I should wear their "I void warrantees" shirt, I am rough on everything. I love looking through the totally awesome stuff on their website (www.thinkgeek.com), and there are some stuff I would have so much fun playing ... err.... working with ......

Now if only they had something really cool as a laptop case that stays on when it opens, you know what I mean? Holes in the back for cords to go in where they belong, and little pockets so you can put flash drives and other stuff you need in little pockets. Cause I hate searching in my bag for a flash drive, or where the heck does my Internet card go when it's in use? (Attached to computer with a short cord. It ends up on my lap or keyboard)

Pros: find cool problems and play with cool stuff. get to give feedback that people read.

Con: trying to think of nice ways to Say, "yeah, this product is awful," or "somehow I broke your two hundred dollar toy, and I don't know how to fix it!"

Ok, this isn't even a job that people need to get paid for, it's fun it it's own right! The paycheck is a bonus!

Mom: yeah, it's awesome. Get to play with the kids, and their "I love you" is the best reward a woman can ask for!

Pro: you can't get fired, and rewards are endless.

Con: you can't get fired, and never get breaks, but we love it anyway.

Blogger:

Wouldn't it be cool for people to care about what you write?

Pro: people pay attention to you!

Con: what happens when you get writers block?

and times up, gotta head to work!

Sand Dunes

We took the kids to the sand dunes earlier this week. It's the last week before school starts up. Tuesday I start school, Wednesday for Jacob. So we had to have a little fun this past week. :-)

And I played apples to apples the other day with a couple friends. You know how the green cards y

ou win are supposed to say something about you? (Well, not really, but its' funny to read them all). I finished with these cards:

Hello. My name is inigo montoya, you kill my father. Prepare to die.

So my computer and me have been fighting. When I'm here, I either have no time to write, nothing to say, or the only place I have to write stuff is the "entry title" line, because my computer has decided the entry box shouldn't be allowed to be viewed. Go figure.

Jacob has been officially diagnosed with tourettes. I knew he had it, but the diagnosis makes it more final I guess. And honestly, I don't intend to do anything with the diagnosis unless he has problems in school and needs a service plan. lets hope that never happens, but should it happen, at least we have that there to get him the help he needs.

And the fall semester, it appears I'll have lots of hours, 20-30 a week! That means I'll have to buy a bus pass, because I'm not driving one hour drive, five days a week, each direction. Yeah, not gonna happen.

As for me ... well, I've been exhausted, cramping, and pretty miserable for months on end. Finally, with my monthly two months late, I went in. Cysts. Lots of them ... the right ovary has one as big as the ovary itself. which explains a lot, but doesn't make the cramping go away! Pity. (good that that anybody that reads this knows me ... cause now you get to listen to me whining!)

I love work. I love my kids. It's amazing how the two feed each other. As long as I have a chance to work, to prove to myself I'm capable of working, to give my mind time to stretch, I enjoy every second with the kids. I enjoy life. It's good for me. When I don't work, I have kids 24/7 ... I almost have a harder time.

I know being a stay at home mom is noble and all, but I can't do it. I don't have it in me to NOT work. It's too hard. I need to be out, and not just for the money. Its' for my sanity. honestly, you guys that stay at home 24/7, I admire you. I really do, because I've learned that emotionally, I'm a wreck when I'm home all the time.

The cysts ... hurt! I'm sorry for whining, but freak, they hurt!

So that's the short of things, Jacob's ticcing, I have cysts - and am definitely totally NOT pregnant, and the IUD is also definitely not in there. Remember a few months back when they couldn't find the IUD? Well, last week the Dr. did a complete evaluation of my insides to search for the pain. They found the cysts ... and between the external and internal ultrasounds ... yeah, there is SO not a baby in there, and the IUD is not there either. So who knows what is going on. My biggest worry now, with the cysts, can I get pregnant again?

My family is not complete. I feel deep inside, I am missing somebody. One more child. But can I get them here?

Got a new Internet card ... for work I need Internet access, I can't live without it. So I finally had to replace the lost one. And honestly, I like this one better. It hooks up differently, and is a lot less likely to break. (A good thing when I have three kids).

what am I forgetting? Oh yeah ... the reunion! Lets talk about cool ... the westover reunion was last week, and I honestly enjoyed it. So did the kids. But putting them inside now? They don't like that idea so much. They have enjoyed being free to run. Brandon has grown up a lot though, today he told me he was ready for a nap. So I laid him down, and he went to sleep. I was shocked!

Well, that's all the news there isn't. Love you!

Just pictures

Cat vs mouse. The season finale

cat and mouse.  Me against him. 

I have a mouse problem.  I’ve had it for weeks.  He’s little, mousy brown and gray, with a little white spot just above his right ear.  We’ve been arguing for weeks.  He lives in my van.

I first noticed when my horseradish was chewed on in my glove compartment.  Just a nibble out of each package.  But enough that I would never use them. 

Then there was a roll of nested toilet paper.  That was gross to clean up.  I wondered how he got in, but mice are bad this year, and I live on a farm.  He probably crawled in my warm engine after I pulled up home sometime, and fell in love with it. 

So I clean up the van.  I found a few remnants, and no mouse.  As I finished, he ran in front of me, I shrieked, and he jumped on the ground.  I assumed this meant the game was over, set, match.  This was my first good look at him, and he was kind of cute.  And fat. 

The next day, the remnants of a hamburger from the day before …. Chewed on.  The mouse is still around.  I set a trap with peanut butter on it, and it’s undisturbed, but there is a paper chewed right next to it. 

I set the trap, he leaves a mark that he was there, but he isn’t going to be caught.  Me and this guy have been going the rounds for ages.  The packages of peanuts in my glove compartment chewed open and took forever to clean out.  A slight nibble on a seatbelt.  The drawer under the passenger seat carries an emergency supply of sugar for me, and my caramels all had one little corner missing from them, in mouse sized nibbles. 

This was war.  Cleaning the van doesn’t work.  Because …. Well, I have three kids, I am not a clean vehicle person to begin with, and I live in the van practically. 

If it’s left there, he chews on it, and he’s driving me nuts.  Megan drops her bottle, its’ too late to go back for it, and the next day the nipples chewed through. 

I leave garbage bags there to clean out the van during my break, and there is a hole nibbled in them before I get back to the van. 

I pull up to Winco and the stupid thing jumps out of MY door when I open it, and stares and me, then scurries under the van.  Its’ the same creature, I know it.  He didn’t leave!  And it’s not a new one, it’s the same thing. 

Obviously he is getting back in.  If I was smart, I would have gotten back in the van, and pulled out right there.  But I didn’t and he stays. 

Today I get in the van, and a smell assaults my nostrils.  The mouse died in there yesterday.  And it reeks!  So I was thinking, and the win is bittersweet.  I didn’t catch it with a trap, although I’ve tried.  It just… died, probably of heat yesterday.  So my opponent fell to the ground, and I caught the snitch. 

So I won, or did I?  Now I get to clean the van, and search for the dead mouse, at which time I get to dispose of him.  I think in dying, he got the last word, game set, match, I lose.  

I have been replaced, by a caffeinated drink!  

Ben is working today!  Yeah!  [Insert lots of applause and joy.]  and I'm working, so we have to insert the dreaded event .... the babysitter.  Last semester the kids were just fine with Leatha, and had no problem.  Now they've had mom or dad for weeks, and so they are getting clingier .....

Today I went to drop off Brandon and megan.  (Jacob is dropped off at the bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can go to preschool.).  Brandon was crying and saying "mommy stay, mommy stay!"  

Leatha, knowing my children as well as she does, picked up my crying boy and soothed Him "Brandon, if you let mommy go to work, I'll share a mountain dew with you."  He smiled, and waved, "bye mommy!  Have fun at work!"  

Great!  He's ok with me leaving if we give him a dew?  Oh well, it worked.  Guess it's my fault, I have an addiction to dew, and I have been known to give sips to my children at times.  (It doesn't hyper them up, it seems to calm them down.)  

We really have to hide them with megan, because if she sees a mountain dew, she will settle for nothing else.  Not even juice!  I think she's an addict in the making.  

So I got to work, Ben got to work, and Brandon got his dew (and I suspect megan did too).  Good thing the kids are with somebody who knows them well!  :-)  Life's good.  

Morning all!

We're going to do a quick pictureless update, because it was brought to my attention that I have neglected to do that!  

Jacob: Yeah, Jacob is  doing much better!  (unlike my spelling, which is atrocious today).  For his wednesday appt, he'd gained a full pound, and actually walked in under his own power.  He's still a little grouchy, but he's nearly himself again, and we're out of the water.  The school year is almost over, which we are not so happy about, because he adores preschool, even though he only goes two days a week.  He's a typical older brother, and likes to be in charge of all the games, but he's very loving and adores spending time with his brother and sister.

Brandon, doing great!  He's two and a half, active, happy, and always willing to try to help.  He loves unloading the dishwasher, into the sink, and trying to help his sister.  

Megan had her fifteen month apointment yesterday, which was of course, a lot of fun, she really hates shots.  She's cruising, but not walking yet.  She is giggly, although she doesn't talk yet.  We've learned from experience that she will NOT sign "more" if an adult is trying to get her to sign, but if one of her brothers is coaching her, it's perfectly acceptable.

Ben is sort of working, there's not as many hours as we'd like right now, the economy tends to effect cabinetmakers.  But he was still able to turn out a gorgeous dresser for emily's wedding.  (of course, i am not biased.)

As for me, i'm still working for ISU, my hours haven't been cut, thankfully.  I have next week off for finals, but summer semester starts the next week and then life will return to normal.  Well, normal being relative, Emily is up visiting from Provo this weekend, and Andrea is up from Ohio this week!  so I intend to spend as much time as possible enjoying my sisters!  

And that's all folks!

Somebody's getting Mawwied!!!!!!!

 My sister is getting Married today!  I am so excited for her!  

So Emily is marrying Jon .... 

Yay!  We're in Utah for the wedding, so I'm out of town and took today off work.  It was actually kind of nice taking the day off.  

So... here comes the bride!

Jacob Update

So, Jacob spent the weekend with a nasty fever, (up to 104.5 underarm), and sleeping life away.  He would wake up to drink a little, and go back to sleep.  

I took him in yesterday, and they found he had a UTI, and gave him some antibiotics.  So he's been throwing them up instantly.  So he had to go back today.  

Turns out, he's lost two pounds since yesterday.  He was actually alert today, which is the only reason they didn't instantly hospitalize him.  They gave him a nice shot in the butt.  

So if he loses more, it's the hospital.  If he doesn't .... we get to keep him home.  Hopefully he'll start feeling better.  

He actually ate two bites of a hamburger today, half a slice of apple, and half a strawberry.  This may not seem like a lot, but that was more than everything he's eaten all together since Friday morning!  

So here's hoping!  We'll see how things are looking tomorrow at two thirty in the afternoon!

Jacob

Jacob hasn't been feeling well lately.  He spent the weekend sleeping.  On the left we have a picture of Jacob in the doctors office.  Sound asleep.  

Below, we get another shot of Jacob, this is in the store waiting to pick up his prescription.  As you can see, he didn't do much this weekend.  Poor kid.  

Running late

picture 101!