Train

I have written 208 entries since I started posting in this journal almost two years ago. If I am doing the math right, that means I have written an average of about 2 entries per week. Kind of a bad average but better than not writing at all I guess.

The train came through at 11:00 last night...and then again at 12:30. It has never come through at night...the latest has been maybe 1:00 in the afternoon. I damn near had a heart attack. I jumped out of bed, yelled at Ryun to go check and make sure Katie was ok(Em too but Katie is sort of afraid of the train) , and my heart was racing. The train is only about 20 feet from the back of my house...maybe a bit more. I can see it perfectly from my bedroom window. There's a crossing too...because out behind the tracks are bogs so trucks drive through in order to access them.. So, all the bells and whistles, plus just the sound of the train itself...it's a bit loud.

The kids bedrooms upstairs are the full width of the house...back to front so it goes right by their windows as well. Neither of them woke up.

I seriously was beginning to wonder if I had imagined it.

When Ryun came down and said that they were both still asleep, I said to him, "The train did just go by, didn't it?" He looked at me oddly and said, "Umm...yeah, I think so."

Mystery Man Revealed...sort of.

Katie and I went to lunch today at Friendly's...and she didn't want icecream. Isn't there some kind of a law against that? If not, there should be.

I think she may be coming down with something...not just because she didn't want icecream. Well that too, but also because she has the sniffles and a cough. She went to school this morning though...I am a firm beleiever in going unless you are really, really sick. Routine is good for children.

The mystery man of Rte. 28 has been revealed...well kind of anyway. I have a friend that lives a little further north on 28 so I finally asked him about it. The guy has been walking on 28 for years...in fact two other people that were in on the convo said as much. No one knows much about him...just that he does actually reside in a house in Middleboro and that he is a Vietnam Vet. Weird that I had probably driven down 28 a number of times before I moved here and I never noticed him.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the TV show Will and Grace? OMG that show just makes me laugh and laugh...and laugh some more. Season One came out on DVD a few weeks ago and guess who was first in line to buy it? Yup. Season premiere next week. Can't wait.

Speaking of...got to go shower so I will be done in time for the Survivor season premiere.

Chow.

More on Em

As it turns out, my fears weren't unfounded. Emily woke up this morning, said she had a stomachache and did not want to go to school. I explained to her that if she stayed home, that it would mean that she would be spending the day on the couch, or in her bed...not playing and going outside. I told her that since Katie and I weren't sick that we would be able to play etc. I knew that she wasn't really sick and I wanted to make her understand that if you stay home from school it's becuase you are so sick that you can't even imagine doing anything else aside from just lying around. She admitted to me that she really wasn't sick, that she just wanted to stay home. She said she wanted to stay home because her day is too long and that she wanted to spend time with me. She once said that she thought school was boring. I told her that when she came home we could spend some time together. Her response, "No we can't because you have to cook dinner and go to work." Which, of course is true. And I feel horribly guilty about that. This is so hard. I explained to her that I understood how her day was long and that I missed her while she was gone too...but that school was very important. I told her that Mama and Daddy went to school everyday when they were little and that's how we got so smart(it's true you know!). I told her that we would do something special together on Saturday...just her and I. I wasn't using it as a bribe, I just wanted her to know that I was interested in spending time with her too. I left the decision up to her...go to school and learn or sit home and do nothing. Wisely, she chose school and I told her that I was very proud of her for making that decision.

This is just so...weird. I know that preschool and kindergarten are a completely different story than 1st grade, but Emily has always been so enthusiastic about school. She loved going. She told me with a little sadness and anger in her voice that recess was the only time that she got to play in 1st grade. I don't think she likes the structure involved with sitting in a classroom all day. I just don't know what to do about it.

I have often wondered if she may have attention deficit disorder. She is not hyperactive but I sometimes think that she feels trapped when she is put in a situation where she has to stay still, pay attention etc. She is also brilliant...seriously smart beyond her years. She retains just about anything that she is shown or told and remembers virtually everything. I wonder if she gets bored with what is going on at school. Even trying to picture her sitting down at a desk and paying attention for longer than an hour is hard to imagine.

I am going to give it a little more time, then I might think about calling her teacher or the school adjustment counselor to get their opinion. I won't wait too much longer though...it's important to get this straightened out as soon as possible.

Emily...again

So, I am worried about Emily. Probably over nothing but I am worried just the same. She just doesn't seem like her usual self. She has been completely out of sorts lately and only once in a while do we catch a glimmer of the "old" Emily. She has gone to the school nurse twice(could be more but I only know because she tells me) saying that she had a stomachache and yesterday at dance she had the headache behind the eyes again. The thing is I don't think she is really "sick." I think it is all in her head. That may sound like a terrible thing to say but it's just a feeling I get. Now I am freaking out about what could be causing her such stress. Maybe it's just the adjustment going from summer to school, to a full day of school no less. I also have a feeling that me going to work Sun-Wed nights might be a bad thing. Ryun and Emily tend to clash when they are not tired...at 5:00 in the afternoon, when Emily has recently gotten off of the bus and Ryun is pulling in the driveway they are both beyond tired. Ryun is working in Weymouth right now so his commute won't be too bad, but he may be going to Lowell next which is at least a two hour commute. Not to sound like the perfect wife and mother, but generally, when I am around, things tend to run a little bit smoother. Tired or not, I am a much more patient person than either Emily or Ryun.

My paycheck goes directly into savings. None of it is used to pay bills. And, even if I didn't work, Ryun makes more than enough money to cover bills and save. Right now, with my check being deposited into savings, the extra money in Ryun's check just goes to whatever. If I did stop working, in order to maintain a healthy savings, we would have to be a lot more "rigid" about what we spend. I think the lifestyle change would be more than worth it ...giving up my job though(despite my constant dislike of it) is just a difficult decision to make. I of course feel guilty for not just quitting immediately if I think it would help with Emily. Guilt I think is an inherent trait that comes along with being a mom.

Emily has to be up at 6:30am every morning. They eat breakfast and chill from 6:30-7, then we spend the next 1/2 hour to 45 minutes getting ready to get the bus. She gets on the bus at about 7:50 and doesn't get home until 4:10. That is a long day for a six year old child. I barely have any time Mon-Wed to chat with her about her day and give her the attention she so deserves. It's rush rush rush...get her off of the bus, cook dinner, eat dinner, give Ryun the rundown on what the kids need to do for the night(bathe, clean, homework etc) and then leave. It's insane.

Completely insane.

Decisions, decisions. Any ideas?

Incidentally, I am thinking that I may shut down the Emily/Katie journal and just continue to update here. Too much work maintaining two sites. I have basically been updating Em/Kate news here anyway. Just an fyi.

Seafood, School, CM

We had a wonderful weekend...very relaxing and the weather was nice. We saw the movie "The Italian Job" which was pretty good and we went mini-golfing at Pirate's Cove. We at dinner at a place called "Christopher's Ribs and Seafood" and it was delicious. I had a special called, "Scallops Parmesan." It was to die for.

I love seafood. I have decided, that since Ryun's seafood liking includes only fish and chips that I need to go out with my brother in law John. He loves seafood...at least as much as I do if not more. He can't go out with my sister for seafood though, because she is highly allergic. So, Suz and Ry can go to a non-seafood type place and John and I will go for seafood. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Katie started pre-school today. She loved it and I am so glad. She was very nervous about the prospect, but once she got there, she was fine. She is going to the same preschool I went to when I was little. How cute is that?

I am working on my first ever Creative Memories scrapbook. My models(Emily and Katie) have been working tirelessly smiling and posing and playing while i photograph them. If I am making a scrapbook for show, why not have it be of the two cutest kids on the planet?

Medical

It appears as though I spoke to soon as far as Emily is concerned. Although the fever is in fact gone, she threw up last night, just after getting all cleaned up in the bath tub. Not that she could help that, but timing is everything isn't it? She hasn't been herself since this whole thing started so, if she has any other symptoms, or just isn't back to normal by tomorrow, back to the doctor's we go.

Speaking of doctor's...Katie had her followup with the allergist yesterday. He thinks that she has mild asthma so now, in addition to the nasonex, she is going to be taking Singulair. Between her allergy medications and her hypoglycemic testing paraphanelia it sure is a good thing we have a excellent prescription plan. Not that I wouldn't pay an arm and a leg regardless, but you know what I mean.

Apparently, this entry will be all about medical concerns because, yes, I have just one more piece of info to share.

As wonderful as Ryun's health plan through the union is, there is just one major gripe I have. They only pay for a physical for children once every otheryear. Isn't that crazy? I was wondering if there was some kind of a law regarding how often children had to visit the doctor, so I called the pediatrician and asked. He said that there wasn't a law, but, any doctor he has ever known or heard about schedules a well child visit once a year, and, more often when they are younger due to vaccinations. That coupled with the fact that in order to enter a Massachusetts Public School System, you must have a physical form filled out that is no less than a year old really makes the health plans rule stupid. Of course, I take the girls yearly regardless of what the insurance covers but it pisses me off.

So there.

West Nile and Dr. Phil

Emily's first day of school went well. She loved her new teacher and enjoyed meeting her new classmates. I will of course, be posting pictures as soon as I get the film developed.

She woke up this morning and her fever was only 99 so I sent her to school. When she got off of the bus though, it was 102.5 so I immediately called the doctor and took her in. Because she has had the fever since Monday, they were concerned enough to test her for strep, test her urine and draw blood. The only thing that came back a little off was that her white blood count was a little different from what is considered normal. Anyway, they said to give the fever another couple of days to go away and if it doesn't to bring her back in for further testing. They think it could just be a virus. But I am a little freaked out for a number of reasons. On Monday afternoon...at around 1:00 or so, she came in from outside and was covered with mosquito bites. Her arms looked like she had chicken pox it was that bad. I have never ever been concerned about the bugs being a problem until at least after 4:00. This was late morning, early afternoon. Maybe it is because we live near the bogs? I really don't know. Anyway, Katie had a few bites too but Emily was much worse off. So yeah, not to be an alarmist but I have West Nile/meningitis fears running through my mind. The other thing is is that the only complaints she has had are a severe headache and a stomach ache...both symptoms of mosquito-borne viruses. I did mention the bug bites to the doc and she didn't seem all that concerned so we shall see.

And, on a completely random note... on a whim, I sent an email to the Dr. Phil show discussing in detail the differences in parenting techniques that Ryun and I have. One of the upcoming shows will deal with parental discipline issues. I received an email from a production assistant today asking that I forward a family picture (for Paramount security purposes) to her, and that she would be contacting me within a few days regarding being on the show.

I don't know if I have mentioned before the obsession I have with anything Dr. Phil. Seriously he has the best ideas and advice on a myriad of topics. I have read every book he has ever written and yes, I record his show everyday.

Would the chance to meet him in person actually be worth the embarrassment of airing the dirty laundry on national television?

Hell freakin' yeah.

Creative Sick

So, now that I have all of these fancy tools, I think I am going to set up a new family website. I am just dreading the html part of it. Now that I know the code and am pretty comfortable with it, I can't bring myself to use the "premade" type websites that a lot of companies offer. When I write my own code, I can be guaranteed that I will like the finished product and it also offers more of a personal touch. I am proud of myself for taking the HTML class online and really learning the in and outs, but even knowing as much as I do now, it still has to be one of the most frustrating things ever. In any event, when I have it done, I will post a link here so you can check it out. And compliment me on my obvious skills. ;)

I am expecting my Creative Memories consultant start up kit any day now. I ordered my business cards yesterday so those should arrive shortly as well. I am really looking forward to this. I am not expecting to earn a ton of money...I just think this will be fun. My love of scrapbooking and enthusiasm in general will certainly help. My first show is at my sister's on September 20.

Emily starts first grade tomorrow. The poor kid has been sick for two days though. She seems to be on the mend now this afternoon so hopefully she will be fine for tomorrow. And yes, I am freaking a little about her starting first grade. I think I'm normal though. What Mom doesn't have a minor episode over her baby growing up?

Pirates and Nursing

Last night, my sister and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. Two enthusiastic thumbs up! It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Johnny Depp...I never even liked him before I saw this movie. He was just unbelievable. He sure has come a long way since 21 Jump Street.

My grandmother fell and broke her wrist. She had to have surgery on it yesterday. Because it is her right wrist and she is right handed, she is going to come stay at my parents house for the duration. My parents both work so I have volunteered to go over and help my grandmother get dressed and eat etc. On top of this, my mother is having back surgery on September 9, so she will be out of communion for a while too. I think that during that time, in addition to helping them dress etc, I will also cook a few meals and bring them over. I feel like a nurse.