Just a quick post..

I really don't have much to say today, but since it has been a week since my last post I thought I'd add a little one today. School is going well for the kids so far. Maggie is having fun playing volleyball for South Middle School. Grant had a good time at the Homecoming dance last week. Patrick is having fun seeing his friends everyday at school, the learning part of his day is not his priority, but he is doing fine. I got one of Tom's felted clog slippers done and am working on the second. Patrick saw the first one and said, "Mom, I think that is a bit big for dad!" After I explained the felting process, it made more sense to him. Okay, that's all. Sorry, this hasn't been the most exciting blog lately, but that's my life right now. Happy knitting!

MHS Homecoming.....

I just dropped Grant off at his first high school dance. Doesn't he look handsome? Okay, I know I'm his mom, but still....I think he looks great. This was weird for me! The first of many new and exciting experiences with a high school child. I hope he has a good time. He asked a girl to go, but she already had a date. Some of his friends are going with dates, and others are just meeting him there.

I had a nasty cold earlier this week, so I was in bed for two days. I'm feeling a lot better now. I purchased some yummy yarn this week...ready...it is qiviut. It is red and so very soft. I'm going to make a lacy scarf for myself. It was just the right thing after the crazy few weeks I've had.

Today I started some felted clog slippers for Tom. He went to the UW Badger game in Madison with some friends and then they are going to the Packer game in Green Bay tomorrow. I hope to finish them before he gets home tomorrow night. I went to the apple orchard today and I'm going to make apple bars with some of the apples I got. The weather today was just beautiful. I love fall. Also, Desperate Housewives begins tomorrow!! I'm so excited for all my shows to start up again. I'll be watching Grey's on Thursday night.

I forgot to mention that I got my Ravelry invite. I'm having fun exploring. It is a lot to take in. I'm Packerfan in there, so come find me sometime. Well, I'm going to go watch a movie and work on the slippers. Happy knitting!!

Back to the doctor......

This time with the boys. They both have strep throat!!! Ugh! It's only the second week of school!! Help me!! They were complaining last night of sore throats and I told them to see how they felt this morning before deciding if they should go to school or not. Well, they both woke up and said that their throats hurt quite a bit. I kept them home from school and we went to the doctor this afternoon and now they are both on Amoxicillin. Patrick seems to be doing better than Grant. Grant has been whining all day long. I'm sorry he is sick, but oh my goodness. I don't need to hear the whining for hours and hours. It's not like he is two or three years old!! Yikes!

I have no knitting news at all:( I'm not quite sure where this week has gone, but I haven't done much knitting at all. Hopefully tomorrow the boys will be better and won't need quite so much attention and I can get some knitting time in. I will not be going back to school now or in the future. Tom really doesn't want me to. My job is taking care of the family and that's just the way it is. The time from now and when Patrick graduates from High school will just fly by. I will have to see how I feel in eight years, whether I want to pursue a new career or not.

I hope the sun shines tomorrow, I really don't like cloudy days. I'm going to get into bed and snuggle with the dogs. Happy knitting!

Interesting news......

One of Maggie's friends is in the hospital with cryptosporidium. She has lost 10 pounds and is very dehydrated. She is in the same hospital that we first went to last Monday. The hospital called us tonight to tell us about this friend and also to say they knew Maggie had some of the same symptoms. Well, let me tell you, I was not very nice and told the woman who called that we were sent home with instructions to take Advil and Imodium. She told me that she wanted us to get a stool culture done. I then told her that we went to Luther Hospital and had better care and the first thing they did was to order the culture. Maggie's tests came back negative, but I called my doctor right after I got off the phone with Sacred Heart, and she told me that sometimes you can get false negatives. It would explain all of Maggie's symptoms and she felt that if they would have listened to me and taken the stool sample right away it may have been positive and, we may have saved a lot of time and money without doing the stupid ultrasound. The doctor can't say for sure that Maggie has/had cryptosporidium or not, but it seems likely. The girls were at the same pool party a week ago on Wednesday. Maggie did a great job of trying to drink a lot of water and Gatorade. That's what saved her from becoming severely dehydrated. So far Maggie hasn't had any diarrhea for 24 hours, so we may be on the up side of all of this. Maggie ate some cereal tonight, so we'll see how that goes. She has lost 5 pounds in the last week. She looks much better today and is happier. I hope she continues to be able to eat more foods and get stronger. She is anxious to get back to school and a normal routine.

One word of advice, if you choose to take it, if you aren't satisfied with a doctor or hospital, don't feel bad about seeking another opinion. I know that people are human and make mistakes, but when it comes to the health of my kids, I have learned to question things. Okay, I'll get off my soap box.

Tom and Grant had fun at the Packer game, but they left before the end of it!! I couldn't believe it when they called me and asked me to DVR the end of the game. Tom's brother wanted to leave so they did. Crazy! I wouldn't have left and Tom said he won't do to that again! I love it when my team wins. I have to admit, it was a boring game though. I wore my socks and they kept my feet nice and warm. I love this crisp fall weather. Well, I'm off to spend some time with my Chevron scarf and watch football with Tom. Happy knitting!!

What a difference a good night's sleep makes. I'm feeling less overwhelmed today. I know that the doctor's will figure out what is wrong with Maggie and she will start to feel better soon.
This first picture is of the boy's clothes that were laid out in the bathroom the other night. They have been trying to get prepared the night before school, so the mornings go a bit smoother for us all. I saw the post-it note on Grant's clothes and it touched me so much I just had to take pictures.

This is what Patrick had written for his big brother....
I thought that was so sweet. They fight like cats and dogs, and then it find something like this. After I took the picture, I went upstairs to bed and they were sleeping in Grant's bed. Crazy! If I made them share a room they would hate it. I'm glad for the good moments, it helps get through the rough ones.
This picture was taken on Wednesday, Patrick's first day of school. I'm happy to report that Grant is feeling much better about high school and enjoys the freedom of going off campus for lunch. I'm sure that when the snow starts to fly and the temperature drops it won't be as much fun, but for now if this helps him get through his day, then I'm fine with it.
Finally, my Packer socks/anklets. They are done just in time for the first game tomorrow. Tom and Grant will be going to GB for the game. I will be home with the other two. Maggie was suppose to start her fall softball season tomorrow, but under the circumstances she won't be. I'm hoping that she will be able to go to school on Monday for at least part of the day.

I requested her homework yesterday, and when I stopped in after school, there wasn't any! How can that be? She has missed the first week of school. I know her friends have had work, because I've talked to some parents. I'm a bit upset about them not getting me her work. I don't want her to get farther behind than she already is. She wants to get caught up too. I just don't understand when you have a parent and student willing to try to keep up and contact the school, why the teacher's couldn't follow through. Please don't send me any comments on how hard teacher's work. I know that, I used to be a teacher. My only thing is, is that if they have assigned homework for the whole class, how hard would it be to let the counselor's office know what those assignments were?

Well, I'm going to relax today and knit. The weather is beautiful, so I may even sit outside. (If the mosquitoes don't get me) Have a great weekend! Happy knitting!

Well, Maggie went to school yesterday for a few hours then came home to rest. She had another CT scan today, and we haven't heard anything. They took lots of blood to test yesterday, and we have some results that were normal, but no answers to explain her pain or bowel distress. I'm frustrated and worried about her. Today after the CT scan I had her come home and try to eat something. She had an English muffin and so far she is doing okay. She took a long nap and the pain is better. The doctor may want us to go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester to see a pediatric GI specialist. I'm waiting to hear from the clinic. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

My Packer socks are finished, but I haven't taken the time to take a picture. I'm currently working on finishing up my crocheted sweater and have been working on a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I may post again later tonight or tomorrow. I just need to go take a nap and recharge. Happy knitting.

Emergency Room Knitting....

Last night Maggie and I spent six hours in the ER. She has been having stomach issues since Saturday. After my post yesterday, she told me that her right side hurt more than anything in her life. We went to the ER where they proceeded to do an ultrasound to check for a cyst on her ovary. That was negative, so they had her drink this large glass of something so they could do a CAT scan. Her appendix looked okay, so they sent us home with instructions for taking Ibuprophin for pain. Well, this morning she woke up with the dry heaves and much more pain. I called another dr. who told us to go back to the ER. This time we chose another hospital in town, and I was very pleased. They gave her an IV with pain medication and something for her nausea. They ordered the tests from the other hospital, checked them out, and told us they did not think it was a burst cyst, but a nasty GI disorder. They are doing a culture for some parasites, and I would list them here, but my mind isn't working the best after only four hours of sleep. Maggie is taking Vicodin for the pain and some other thing for the nausea and seems to be resting comfortably now. It was awful seeing her in that much pain. She told me that she is going to adopt a child from Jamaica, because she can't imagine being in pain for many hours during labor. Isn't that cute? I bet she will change her mind in about 15 years.

My day of sipping tea and relaxing didn't happen. Oh well, that's life. I did get a lot of knitting done, but haven't taken pictures yet. Grant hated school today. He couldn't find the right bus after school, so walked to his dad's office. I didn't know he was going to do that, and freaked out when he didn't get off the bus. A friend called me to tell me she saw him walking down a street near the high school. I got in the car and drove around looking for him. I didn't see him, so I went to Tom's office and there he was. I was relieved and mad at the same time. He said to me,"I just remembered that I should have called you!" He was in tears tonight because he said that none of his friends from middle school are in his classes, and he doesn't know anyone. I tried to assure him that a lot of the freshman are feeling much the same way, but that didn't help. I agreed to pick him up tomorrow and figure out something about the bus situation in a few days. I know that he has a difficult time making friends, but I can't change his classes. He is in classes that are appropriate for his level, and that is just the way it is. We'll just have to take it one day at a time. Okay, I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I will have pictures tomorrow. Happy knitting.

Reflection.....


Most people reflect on the year at the beginning, in January. Well, I found myself doing this today. Last Labor Day I was in a lot of pain due to my back and I remember spending time reading knitting blogs. It was a wonderful way to spend my day. I was excited for the kids to start school, but was a bit sad because I knew I would miss them. Today, I read some blogs, worked on cleaning up my desk, did some paper crafting, listened to podcasts, knit, and did some laundry. I am not sad about the kids starting school. I really need a break from the fighting and constant mess in the kitchen. My back isn't really any better, I'm just getting used to the discomfort. I stopped working out regularly about a year ago because of my back issues, and now find myself heavier than I'd like to be. I love to eat and don't always want to make the best choices. Well, it is time to get serious again. I must start to write down everything I eat and exercise. With the start of a new school year I don't have the excuse of being home with the kids.

I find myself in awe that I have one of my kid's starting High School. I hope he has a good time during his years at Memorial. Can it really be 20+ years since I walked into my high school as a freshman? What a day that was. I know that I'll blink and the next four years will be history and he'll be going to college.

Maggie is excited about 8th grade(well the social part anyway). She will be playing fall softball as well as volleyball. I think that 8th grade was one of my favorites of all my years in school. She is growing up so fast and is becoming a beautiful young woman.

Patrick is entering his last year of elementary school. It seems like yesterday when I was taking him to kindergarten. I remember on the way to school him asking me, "Mom, who will you have tea with now?" It was so bittersweet. I find myself looking forward to a peaceful cup of tea on Wednesday morning when they are all in school.

The Packer socks are almost done, so I may have a picture on Wednesday. I forgot to mention in my post about the Fair, that Shelly gave me two skeins of her dyed yarn. They are beautiful! Thanks, Shelly. Well, I'm off to have dinner with my family and work on the socks. Happy knitting!