My World. Again.-Potty Training

Dear God,

        It's that time again. Next to treating head lice, probably one of the most stressful times for me to be a parent.Though my children all do well in school, pick up after themselves when asked, say their please and thank you's, there just aren't a lot of other parents running to me for advise on this subject. I just need a little help that's all.
   
      Remember that little accident she had on Monday while she was at the table coloring? Well it happened again.....this time at the mall. What can I say? I guess she likes those juice boxes and I guess I like my house work so much that I just, well, I forget. Please help me to remember before I realize my negligence at the time she decides to sit on my lap.
       
    Lord, I feel sometimes that I am going insane when we are running late for church, brushing hair, tying shoes, changing clothes that are not appropriate for church, some of us....then, that other little something happens that wasn't planned. Keep me, oh God, in your loving arms during these times and free from the talent scouts for the Lysol commercials.
 
    I can only dream about where I'll be a year from now, (though I pray it will be sooner). There will be diaper freedom, replaced garbage cans, and a phone call to the carpet cleaners. But for now, I just need a little strength, perseverance, and provision for a little more laundry detergent than usual. And maybe, just maybe, a few more days like today when we go to the dentist without a change of clothes and come home with dry pants. Thank you, God.

In your name we pray,
Amen


Written on  9.17.14. We've progressed since.

10 Reasons Why I Take Bubble Baths by Candle Light, Listen to Mozart, and Drink Merlot on Fridays

1. I walked past the laundry room.
2. The episode that involved a walk through the house carrying a plunger.
3. The puddle in the kitchen I stepped with socks on.
4. Laurel did her homework at the last minutes and left for school without her folder.
5. My student scheduled tennis lessons on Tuesdays which is also when
    she happens to have piano  lessons.
6. The fight we all got into in the car over Taco Bell.
7. Deidre found an old sandwich that was left over in someone's lunchbox and offered me a piece.   
    How sweet.
8. The cranberry juice spill on the carpet that was steam cleaned two weeks ago.
9. I opened the power bill.
10. The now thawed and useless carton of ice cream that ended up in the bathroom 
     for some apparent  reason.

Alas....it's only Tuesday..sigh.

.James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters,^a when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

Dental Check-up Appointment-A Memoire

I remember it was a Monday. Not just a Monday, but a morning on a Monday. The dimly lit kitchen was even more so as dark clouds appeared in the sky. It was raining. Monday. Morning. Raining...and wasn't Laurel's dental appointment today?  "Ok. This is bad." I thought. "But.....I..got..this."

I thought about the advantage of having fewer kids to get ready for school that morning. Then, step by step, continued to work my way  through the early hours to that which I dread most. I prayed that there would be no cavities.

With an eighth of a tank of gas in my car, I was optimistic that the dentist would still see us even if we were 15 minutes late. With no umbrellas left, I had hoped that there would be a break in the rain as we made our way to the car. There was.

I did not notice the hole in Laurel's pants before we left home. Maybe no one would notice once we would arrive at the office. If so, I secretly hoped the other parents in the waiting room would think: "Been there." rather that stone cold stares of critique.

While Peter Pan played from the outdated VCR tv monitor, the kids were entertained by toy trains with magnetic connectors and wooden train tracks. They were not interested in the books or the puppet that was missing an eye. The magazines were useless....I forgot my glasses.

I remember the endless wait. I thought about the many chores that had to be done before leaving for work that afternoon. I thought about all the fruit snacks eaten, followed by the nights when she fell asleep with her clothes on before brushing her teeth. And I just knew I was going to get yelled at for not scheduling that follow up after she had that tooth pulled. Finally it was time.

It was only a check-up. Somehow Laurel had her doubts. The x-rays were a no-go.  She was not convinced when I told her the dental instruments were just toys that the dentist use when they clean your teeth.
You could not have pried that mouth open with a crow bar. Even the strawberry flavored flouride paste applied with a soft toothbrush caused her pain. I think I saw tissue being handed around in the waiting room. "It's gonna be fine. We're just cleaning your teeth. It's gonna be fine. Tell her, mom!" The doctor said sternly. I securly held her hands through it all. Then it was over. "She will need sealants but I'm not going to do that today." said the doctor.

No cavities.

Cheap Glasses, Pantyhose, and Music Lessons

                                    

When I was  kid I wanted to be the kid who wore glasses. I even went as far as buying a pair of sunglasses, breaking the lenses out and just wearing the frames to school one day. Well, I had my classmates for a little while, but eventually, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was just going to have to accept the fact that I had 20/20 vision.

Later, as I got older, life without glasses was not as much of an issue when I saw how much trouble it was for my friends to care for their contact lenses while taking them out at night and the hopelessness if one of them got lost down the sink. I simply forgot about it and enjoyed the fact that I had good vision.

Well, apparently the joke is now on me that I, too, at this stage in my life know what it is like to open my Bible or my email without seeing something that looks similar to the letters on someones t-shirt on a reality show. Yes, after baby number 5, my good vision was a thing of the past.

Everyone warned me and I have much to look forward to as I have been told that the problem does not go away on it's own.

It hasn't been all that bad really. I managed to find some pretty decent reading glasses for about 5 dollars that I can purchase at Kroger. However, it does make for somewhat of a lifestyle change. I have to make sure I have them with me at all times when I leave for work, keep them away from Deidre and take every measure I can to prevent that sinking feeling when I cannot find them.

The only downside to cheap grocery store glasses is that I can usually get about two months wear out of them before the screw falls out and sides fall off. Sadly, today was that day for me.

Though I won't make it to the grocery store before work, it's nothing a little duct tape and a sharpie cannot fix. No one will notice a thing..... well, almost no one.

I teach music for a living and work with school-aged children one on one. Back in the day when I taught in a classroom, every hand in the class would ascend into the air simply due to a run in my pantyhose. When I would address the issue telling them that I was already aware of the problem, the hands would disappear.

Today, Norah asked "Why is there tape on you glasses?"

I no longer wear pantyhose. Additionally, maybe it's time for contacts.

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