Will it never end? Today the new wrinkle in our scheduled to the moment lives--PDQs babysitter needs to have surgery and will be out for nearly a month. "Lucky" for us that one of those weeks is Spring Break and she can go to daycare with Boobah. After that, the assignment for Super Mom is to coordinate daycare before and after school.
Boobah's babysitter (BB) doesn't live on a bus route for PDQs school, she can watch her after school but getting her to BB creates some scheduling issues for Super Mom. BB might be able to pick her up at school but will need Super Mom's van to do so and needs cooperation of another child's parents as he arrives from preschool at the same time school ends.
PDQs babysitter (PB) has asked two neighbors to help out during that time. Its up to Super Mom to negotiate times and rates with these neighbors. PDQ knows one of the women marginally and dislikes her son, she doesn't know the other woman at all.
Grandma & Grandpa live 5 hours away, Grandma works Tuesday and Wednesday every week but maybe they could come provide some relief.
Boobah's school (BS) has an enrichment program one afternoon per week that Boobah attends as well as one of PDQs classmates. Can Super Mom negotiate a car pool with said classmate and get BS to allow her to attend for 2 afternoons?
Just considering the possibilities has given me a headache. I have a whole month to get everything negotiated and in place--thank goodness for small favors. I manage big projects for a living and sometimes I think arranging our lives is far, far more difficult!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
And the winner is....
Mold. I took Boobah to the allergist today where she was a total trooper! She winced a little but didn't cry at all when they did a scratch test of the 14 or 16 most common allergens and Purell (that's her arm with all the dots). The only thing that she tested positive for...mold. So, we can assume that is the culprit--the party was in the basement of the building and they'd been playing with a parachute, running around and rolling on the floor. The doctor did say that it is possible that it was something else and if she has another reaction we can look into other possibilities. G-man followed up with the people at the gym today and they went and looked at all the dispensers to make sure it was Purell.We'll be carrying around Benadryl from now on, just in case. She also seems to be suffering from the after effects with a runny nose and now runny eye (which the allergist assured me wasn't pink eye, because what we need around here right now is another reason for one of us to stay home from work!).
Monday, February 26, 2007
Oh Yeah! Another Craptastic Day! Lice!
First it was the fever. Then it was the allergic reaction. Today its lice.
I can't tell ya how grossed out I am. Poor kid has long, very thick hair. She hates to have her hair brushed let alone me pick through it for hours looking for bugs. I admit, I am having a hard time trying to get over my stereotypes from growing up that only poor, dirty kids get lice. I remember the boy from elementary school that we all stayed away from because he had lice. Oh how I hope that no one in her class finds out it is her who has it.
UPDATE...
She's been shampooed, NIXed and gone over with the nit & egg combs. Ick, ick, ick! I went through her hair again and can't find anything else. She has to be checked out by the nurse tomorrow before they'll let her back in school. After Boobah's ER trip this weekend there was no way I was putting chemicals on her head. She spent 2 hours with mayo in her head and a plastic bag wrapped around it (yes, she could breathe)--after much internet research this was one of the home remedies. I went through her hair and couldn't find any evidence of bugs but I feel better for having done something.
The silver lining, there was a 2-hour delay this morning and no AM Kindergarten so PDQ didn't miss any school. Also, the allergist is seeing Boobah tomorrow, our ped was amazed, said it usually took 4-6 months to get in!
I can't tell ya how grossed out I am. Poor kid has long, very thick hair. She hates to have her hair brushed let alone me pick through it for hours looking for bugs. I admit, I am having a hard time trying to get over my stereotypes from growing up that only poor, dirty kids get lice. I remember the boy from elementary school that we all stayed away from because he had lice. Oh how I hope that no one in her class finds out it is her who has it.
UPDATE...
She's been shampooed, NIXed and gone over with the nit & egg combs. Ick, ick, ick! I went through her hair again and can't find anything else. She has to be checked out by the nurse tomorrow before they'll let her back in school. After Boobah's ER trip this weekend there was no way I was putting chemicals on her head. She spent 2 hours with mayo in her head and a plastic bag wrapped around it (yes, she could breathe)--after much internet research this was one of the home remedies. I went through her hair and couldn't find any evidence of bugs but I feel better for having done something.
The silver lining, there was a 2-hour delay this morning and no AM Kindergarten so PDQ didn't miss any school. Also, the allergist is seeing Boobah tomorrow, our ped was amazed, said it usually took 4-6 months to get in!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Of Mommy Guilt and Stupid People
Yesterday both girls had a birthday party to attend, on opposite sides of town at basically the same time. Since I took the party at the dreaded Chuck E. Cheese last time, G-man took it this time. I took Boobah to the party at the gym. She parties, I work out, all is good. So, trying to get my bingo card filled out I pick swim for 30 minutes. It was so hard. When I was done my legs were like jello and I was dizzy. I wasn't sure which was stronger, the sense of accomplishment or the desire to puke. I took a quick shower, did a few nautilus machines, chatted with Es and went to pick up Boobah and that's when the fun began!
I am waiting and waiting with the other Moms and Dads when a woman comes up and asks if I am Boobah's Mom and says she is all red. I go with her, a bit confused because the party should have been over 10 minutes before and we've been waiting for her and suddenly it seems as if I've done something wrong. I get downstairs and Boobah's face is red--nothing I haven't seen before when she was really hot. Then I look at her hands that are nearly purple and her ears as well. There are people talking all over each other...She didn't eat anything...Should we call 911...It just happened...We tried calling you...You *have* to take her somewhere you have to figure out what its from...Benadryl, anybody got Benadryl...it was all I could to check her over and try to figure out what was going on. The father of the birthday girl is a physician. He was very quiet so I expected it wasn't so bad or he'd have had them call an ambulance. So I asked him if he thought it was okay for me to take her to the ER, he looked me in the eye and told me yes--she didn't show any signs of respiratory distress. So I wisked her away feeling like I'd done something wrong. I could see all of those faces screaming at me and hear the voices reverberating in my had. Should I have stayed at the party? I never left the building. She goes there 2-3 times a week. She has an emergency form on file.
I drove to the ER with the rear view mirror trained on her. Her cheeks were red and puffy with welts, and her ears were bright red. We got to the ER and the admitting clerk had me fill out a form. The volunteer that came to take us to the pediatric ER wasn't nearly as slow moving, he showed us right back, they immediately put us in a room and the nurses descended upon us. They asked questions, checked out all of her vitals and were obviously in charge. Then in came a resident, Dr. Lipschitz just like from Rugrats except this one was female looked to be about 12. It was obvious from the way she came in and started doing things around the nurses that she was just in their way. If I'd had to choose one of them, it would have been one of the nurses.
They assured me that she would be fine. We discussed her fever earlier in the week but it seemed to be far enough in the past and never high enough to be a viral rash flushing itself out. They gave her some Benadryl, explained to me that it was considered a major allergic reaction, she was red from head to toe with welts on her face and a rash on her body and that we needed to figure out what caused it. The last thing she ate was grilled cheese and yogurt hours before the party. Things she's eaten a million times before.
The attending physician (I think the same one that sowed up her head 2 years ago) gave me a sheet on anaphylaxis and said we were lucky, her reaction didn't involve her respiratory system. He also assured me that we'd done the right thing bringing her in. He suggested a second reaction could be more severe and we should follow-up with an allergist. So, less than an hour later we were headed home. My head was spinning and I was finally coming down off my Mommy crisis reaction.
I called the Mom from the party when I got home to let her know that everything was okay. She gave me the low-down on what had happened prior to the redness. It seems that they used hand cleaner on all the kids hands so they could have pizza. Then Boobah said she had to go to the bathroom so the Mom took her. That's when she noticed she started turning red. My suspicion at this point is the hand cleaner. They said it was Purell which she's used a thousand times but more than once someone mentioned a new cleaner.
So, now instead of guilty I am a bit concerned about their ability to deal with an emergency. No one paged me, no one called my cell phone. Es confirmed for me that she never heard my name over the PA. I will put notes at school, daycare and the gym that she shouldn't use hand cleaner. We will follow-up with an allergist. The not knowing is the scary part, what if she encounters it again and no one notices? I've always been sympathetic to parents of kids with peanut & other food allergies but now I have an all new appreciation for the fear they must have every day.
I am waiting and waiting with the other Moms and Dads when a woman comes up and asks if I am Boobah's Mom and says she is all red. I go with her, a bit confused because the party should have been over 10 minutes before and we've been waiting for her and suddenly it seems as if I've done something wrong. I get downstairs and Boobah's face is red--nothing I haven't seen before when she was really hot. Then I look at her hands that are nearly purple and her ears as well. There are people talking all over each other...She didn't eat anything...Should we call 911...It just happened...We tried calling you...You *have* to take her somewhere you have to figure out what its from...Benadryl, anybody got Benadryl...it was all I could to check her over and try to figure out what was going on. The father of the birthday girl is a physician. He was very quiet so I expected it wasn't so bad or he'd have had them call an ambulance. So I asked him if he thought it was okay for me to take her to the ER, he looked me in the eye and told me yes--she didn't show any signs of respiratory distress. So I wisked her away feeling like I'd done something wrong. I could see all of those faces screaming at me and hear the voices reverberating in my had. Should I have stayed at the party? I never left the building. She goes there 2-3 times a week. She has an emergency form on file.
I drove to the ER with the rear view mirror trained on her. Her cheeks were red and puffy with welts, and her ears were bright red. We got to the ER and the admitting clerk had me fill out a form. The volunteer that came to take us to the pediatric ER wasn't nearly as slow moving, he showed us right back, they immediately put us in a room and the nurses descended upon us. They asked questions, checked out all of her vitals and were obviously in charge. Then in came a resident, Dr. Lipschitz just like from Rugrats except this one was female looked to be about 12. It was obvious from the way she came in and started doing things around the nurses that she was just in their way. If I'd had to choose one of them, it would have been one of the nurses.
They assured me that she would be fine. We discussed her fever earlier in the week but it seemed to be far enough in the past and never high enough to be a viral rash flushing itself out. They gave her some Benadryl, explained to me that it was considered a major allergic reaction, she was red from head to toe with welts on her face and a rash on her body and that we needed to figure out what caused it. The last thing she ate was grilled cheese and yogurt hours before the party. Things she's eaten a million times before.
The attending physician (I think the same one that sowed up her head 2 years ago) gave me a sheet on anaphylaxis and said we were lucky, her reaction didn't involve her respiratory system. He also assured me that we'd done the right thing bringing her in. He suggested a second reaction could be more severe and we should follow-up with an allergist. So, less than an hour later we were headed home. My head was spinning and I was finally coming down off my Mommy crisis reaction.
I called the Mom from the party when I got home to let her know that everything was okay. She gave me the low-down on what had happened prior to the redness. It seems that they used hand cleaner on all the kids hands so they could have pizza. Then Boobah said she had to go to the bathroom so the Mom took her. That's when she noticed she started turning red. My suspicion at this point is the hand cleaner. They said it was Purell which she's used a thousand times but more than once someone mentioned a new cleaner.
So, now instead of guilty I am a bit concerned about their ability to deal with an emergency. No one paged me, no one called my cell phone. Es confirmed for me that she never heard my name over the PA. I will put notes at school, daycare and the gym that she shouldn't use hand cleaner. We will follow-up with an allergist. The not knowing is the scary part, what if she encounters it again and no one notices? I've always been sympathetic to parents of kids with peanut & other food allergies but now I have an all new appreciation for the fear they must have every day.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Future MILF Weigh-In: New Commitment, Week 1
This week I decided I had been pretending for the last 6 weeks. Knowing I wanted to lose weight but make exceptions here and there, this doesn't count, that doesn't count, oh that's about a cup, etc. Obviously it wasn't working, I was was up and down like the stock market--as were my moods. So on Tuesday I decided it was time to make some changes around here.
I joined Spark People which has a cool user interface, lots of resources, message boards, and good exercise and food trackers. I am putting everything I eat in there. I love that it gives a calorie range by day and it tracks things like fiber, fat, protein and calcium. I am a geek, I like numbers so the more the merrier.
I joined a program at the gym that introduces you to new equipment and work-outs. There are 35 squares on the bingo card, for each row you complete there is a prize and if you complete 20 you get a t-shirt. Good secondary motivation. So far this week I've completed 5, including a 20 minute stint on the stair climber yesterday that was excruciating. It feels good to mix it up.
I also read (and reviewed) Good Kids, Bad Habits and realized how much my choices impact everyone else in my house. Its hard to develop good habits in the kids if your own need serious work. Monkey see, monkey do is way more effective than do what the head monkey says. It was a little bit of a surprise that the kids eating habits aren't so bad, they eat a variety of foods including fruits and vegetables. It is the constant need for dessert we need to curb.
Last but not least, I gave up chocolate for Lent. I was eating a little here, a little there and lying to myself about how it adds up. I thought it was a good way to get the mind, body, spirit connection going as well.
So coming into Tuesday I had a -1.6 for the last six weeks. Since Tuesday I've lost 2.8 pounds. I don't expect to keep up that rate of weight loss. But I do expect to continue a downward path. I do expect there to be bumps in the road. I already feel better both mentally and physically.
Any other Future MILFs over at Spark People want to start our own little Spark Team? Thanks to everyone for your comments every week, knowing that I have a cheering section really helps! Hope that the rest of the crew had a great week!
I joined Spark People which has a cool user interface, lots of resources, message boards, and good exercise and food trackers. I am putting everything I eat in there. I love that it gives a calorie range by day and it tracks things like fiber, fat, protein and calcium. I am a geek, I like numbers so the more the merrier.
I joined a program at the gym that introduces you to new equipment and work-outs. There are 35 squares on the bingo card, for each row you complete there is a prize and if you complete 20 you get a t-shirt. Good secondary motivation. So far this week I've completed 5, including a 20 minute stint on the stair climber yesterday that was excruciating. It feels good to mix it up.
I also read (and reviewed) Good Kids, Bad Habits and realized how much my choices impact everyone else in my house. Its hard to develop good habits in the kids if your own need serious work. Monkey see, monkey do is way more effective than do what the head monkey says. It was a little bit of a surprise that the kids eating habits aren't so bad, they eat a variety of foods including fruits and vegetables. It is the constant need for dessert we need to curb.
Last but not least, I gave up chocolate for Lent. I was eating a little here, a little there and lying to myself about how it adds up. I thought it was a good way to get the mind, body, spirit connection going as well.
So coming into Tuesday I had a -1.6 for the last six weeks. Since Tuesday I've lost 2.8 pounds. I don't expect to keep up that rate of weight loss. But I do expect to continue a downward path. I do expect there to be bumps in the road. I already feel better both mentally and physically.
Any other Future MILFs over at Spark People want to start our own little Spark Team? Thanks to everyone for your comments every week, knowing that I have a cheering section really helps! Hope that the rest of the crew had a great week!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
My goal: De-funky the monkey
Well, first goal accomplished, the funky monkey bathrobe is off the child! Boobah has run a fever for the past two days. She has not wanted to take off said funky bathrobe. When forced to get dressed to take PDQ to the bus or to the doctor, she wore it over top. She's even worn it to bed instead of PJs. Last night when I went in to kiss her good night before I went to bed, I noticed a vague throw up smell. I patted her down, smelled the sheets and blankets and couldn't find anything. It was deja vu, just like those days with an infant and you can smell the invisible spit up all day long but you can't locate it anywhere! I was relieved to know G-man had smelled it as well.
So, hopefully I can keep her occupied long enough with Blue's Clues and Jo Jo's Circus to get the funky monkey robe clean before she realizes she's not wearing it!
P.S. This is my first picture with my new camera, thanks G-man!
UPDATE!
We managed to get the monkeys clean and dry! We did have a short stint in big sister's robe until hers was dry.
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