Car Jumper

Donovan jumped out of the front van window yesterday on the way home from taking the kids to school. I've been afraid he might fall out, so I keep him on his leash, hanging onto one end of it, while he sticks his head out the window.

One moment he was there, the next he was gone. I slammed on the brakes, scared to death I would run over him. I'm certain I drug him at least a little way.

I ran around to the other side of the van and he was up and running in circles. I'm pretty certain he knew he was in trouble, because he tried real hard to kiss up to me. I put him back in the van, rolled up the window, and gave him a stern talking-to. Daelyn was really concerned about his puppy, but he seemed fine.

When we got home, I noticed blood all over the front seat and some on the back seat where Donovan had jumped in time to get out of the van when we got home. When we got him inside, I checked him over good. He broke off a claw all the way down at the foot and had four bad scrapes where all the fur had been rubbed off and he was bleeding, but he seemed alright otherwise.

Just to be on the safe side, I took him to the Vet this morning. He laughed and said, "I'd love to tell you he's learned his lesson, but the truth is, he'd probably do it again." I don't know. He's pretty smart, but I'm certainly not going to give him a chance.

He's on antibiotics to protect him from an infection and the Vet gave him some medicine for his itching, but he's fine. It was a close call. He could easily have broken a body part or his neck or been run over by the van before I could stop.

I've thought it was going to be wonderful having a pet that never seemed to grow up. The children have grown up so fast, I thought it would be nice to have a little creature who always wanted to sit in my lap and love on Mommy.

I'm rethinking this "baby forever" thing.

Confuse the Boy

Daelyn: "Why doesn't Mrs. Routhier teach Sissy anymore?"

Me: "Because Mrs. Routhier teaches third grade."

Daelyn: "What grade is Sissy in?"

Me: "Fourth grade."

Daelyn: "Next year, will Mrs. Routhier teach her again?"

Me: "No, Daelyn, Mrs. Routhier already taught Sissy. Next year, she'll have a new teacher."

Daelyn: "Why is it called Fourth grade?"

Me: "Fourth for Four. What number does Third stand for?"

Daelyn: "I dunno."

Me: "Well, think, son. If Fourth grade is Grade Four, then Third grade is Grade what?"

D: "Four? No, two."

M: "Son, Third grade is Grade Three."

D, dully: "Oh."

M: "What comes after Fourth Grade?"

D, triumphantly: "Fifth!!"

M: "No! SUMMER!"

Welsh Mythology

Daelyn was acting up this morning at the breakfast table.

"Go to your room, son," I said, sternly. He didn't move.

"Go to your room - now!" (more menacingly)

Finally, he got up from the table and began to walk slowly out of the kitchen.

"GO!" I spoke rather loudly.

Suddenly, Daelyn turned around, squinted his eyes at me, and said,

"You're NOT MY MOTHER!" He turned his back and stomped out of the room.

"I wonder who he thinks his mother is?" Deanna asked, innocently.

No one. He was a test tube baby. Or perhaps he sprung fully grown out of his father's head. In armor. With a spear.

No wonder labor was so hard.

Date Night

Don and I went on a date last night. We seem to manage these about twice a year, if we're lucky. Occasionally, we can eek out a third date, if we plan in advance.

We had our babysitter arrive at 4:45, so we could get an early start. We don't like to stay out late. We both turn into pumpkins by 11:00 and prefer to be home in jammies by then. We went to a rib place we'd never visited before (it was GREAT!), then went to a sports store to find a bathing suit for Deanna (I wanted to try a Speedo for her), then hit a movie. I had printed out the synopses, titles and ratings of 6-8 movies for Don to look over and he chose one of them, saying it was the only one on the list that looked decent to him. (Not too sure what "decent" means - apparently not what it means to me.)

The movie was terrible.There was, essentially, no ACTING in it, just people running around screaming and being mutilated (it said nothing about that in the synopsis). It was about a virus that attacks England and, 28 weeks after all the infected have died, it shows back up again. It was more like a "Night of the Living Dead" than a "Deadly Virus" movie. Gross, boring, bloody, no dialogue to speak of . . . I suggested, when I had to cover my eyes for the third time to keep from seeing people being decapitated by the blade of a helicopter, that a Chick Flick would have been way better. Don almost agreed. Shrek the Third or Spiderman 3 would have been a huge improvement over our choice.

This always seems to happen to us. If we rent movies to watch at home, we hit homeruns every time. But if we go to a theatre, we bomb. Our criteria for choosing movies seems to be the problem. We've sat through some real squirrels. In thinking about it, it seems to be the times Don chose the movies. When we bring ones home from the video store, I've always chosen them. I always let Don choose the theatre movies.

Next date, if I remember after 6 - 8 months, I'll let Don pick the restaurant and I'll pick the movie. I think I could have done better, but I'm not certain. I might have chosen just as bad a stinker, but we might give it a try, anyway. If I remember.

At least we found a suit for Deanna. We seem to do our best shopping when out on dates. Hmh! Maybe we should scrap the movies and spend our dates SHOPPING!!

Don would never be able to show his face around the guys again.

Prayer Request

This cold has turned into a sinus infection and, now, bronchitis. My breathing has worsened significantly and I'm coughing so frequently that my throat really hurts. I've lost my voice and coughed so much during naptime that I woke Daelyn.

My doctor gave me a prescription for Zithromax on Tuesday to fill if I needed it. I got it filled and started the antibiotics yesterday. I took my second dose today, but Zithromax doesn't always work well for me, and it's Friday. If it doesn't kick in and I have to wait for something different until Monday, I'll be in rough shape.

I need a little relief from the coughing. Last night, I had a Kahlua and Cream (my cure from last year's bronchitis attack) and it helped get me through the night, but I can't nurse liquor all day to help me with the coughing. And my throat hurts so bad!

Please pray for healing - quick healing - and for the Z-Pak to kick in. I'll update you next week.

Thanks.

Patti

Furniture Shopping

I'm looking for new furniture - for the master bedroom, the living room, the den, the dining room, Deanna's room . . . essentially, I want to refurnish the entire house. But Don and I refuse to go into debt, so we have to buy s-l-o-w-l-y, s--l--o--w--l--y, s---l---o---w---l---y - you get the picture.

For two years now, I've been saving money out of my allowance every month and putting it away to buy furniture. (Yes, I get an allowance. But, unlike with the kids, Don's very reasonable about raising it when I ask. It's my "mad money", to go out to lunch with friends, take the kids to Pizza Hut, etc. Last month, some of it went for the Choir Director's end-of-year gift, gifts for this person and that person, anything where I needed ready cash on-hand - that's what my allowance is for. And, by the way, getting an "allowance" was my idea, not my husband's. He gets an allowance each month, too. That way we have a limit on loose spending and untrackable cash expenses so our budget doesn't get out of hand. Several of my friends have taken the idea to their husbands and now get an allowance, too. One of my close friends was talking with me about her allowance several months ago and mentioned an amount which was a good bit higher than mine, along with some reference to "our" allowance. When I told her that her allowance was much higher, she cracked up. "I asked my husband for that much each month because I told him that's how much YOU got. I guess I got the amount wrong. I thought that's what you had told me." We giggled together, struck by how funny the situation was - she was pleading her case, using me as an example. Now I had to go back to Don and ask for a raise, using HER as an example. The main thing is, we are both happy with our amounts.)

Anyway, getting back to my main thought - I've been taking money out of my allowance. But I USE my allowance, so some months no money goes into savings, others, it's only $5 or so. At this rate, furniture buying will come sometime over the next 50 years.

When we got home from England, in frustration with my meager savings, I asked Don if we could start putting away some REAL money every month, at least once he bought a new car for him. His car has over 250,000 miles and has been puttering along on its last leg for 2 years now. Don loves his car, I'm scared of it. It's a 2-door, so everyone has to crawl over top of each other to get in. It's small, low to the ground, the windows don't work anymore, and the wrap around seatbelts no longer wrap. It's held together with glue and duct tape, but it just keeps running, which is why Don loves it. It gets low gas mileage and it works great for him to run the 50 miles each way to work. But God forbid we ever have to go anywhere in it as a family. What we want for him is a small, gas-saving sedan that the whole family can easily fit in. We'd use that around town - going to dinner, to church on Sunday, etc., and only use the van for trips or when Daddy's at work, since my van is such a gas-guzzler.

Don agreed to putting money away for furniture once he had his new, used car. However, here we still sit, trying to cram our family of 5 into his little sports car and pray it will get us home. He doesn't really seem to be interested in buying another car. I think buying the van threw him over the top. He can gear himself up for one car purchase every 5-7 years, and buying the van drew out all his car shopping savvy, although, truth be told, I did EVERY bit of that, and just showed him the finished product. But he had to spend money, which he HATES, and then there's the tag, tax, title, insurance, etc. It all drives Don crazy. So, he's drug his feet so bad, the used car salemen don't even call him anymore. And I have no new furniture.

I mentioned this sequence of events to him recently and he laughed. He recognized that my frustration with our home is directly tied to his inability to purchase a car. In the meanwhile, I've been trying to get a vision for what I want to do in each room, prioritizing each one, so I don't waste valuable time and money when I'm ready to purchase. I want to redo the living room and make it a classy room that I'd be happy taking visitors into, instead of a junky room, like everywhere else in the house. A new couch is a definite, since the old one now has a slipcover over it (there's a reason why they call them "slip" covers). And we inherited an old recliner from my parents that my Grandmother gave my father and my mother was throwing out. He begged me to rescue it for him, but someone else's sentimentality can only clutter MY house for SO-O-O-O long. The time is up for the blue recliner. It needs to find a home at my parent's or someone else's house. I really want a sectional because our living room is such a strange size - long and narrow (15' X 30'), and I think a sectional would be more versatile. I've always wanted a fireplace in the living room, but Don is hot-natured and refused to put one in when we rebuilt. I've recently discovered electric fireplaces that plug into an outlet, and I'm going to invest in one for our living room. Then I'll have a mantle, as well, which I've always wanted.

At first I thought I wanted to go with a dark color in there and do more of a designer look. But I've recently been thinking about keeping my slightly off-white walls, natural woodwork and beautiful eggshell lace curtains, and building a "white linen Southern look" around them with magnolias, attractive furniture, an oriental screen, and less clutter. I'm finally beginning to get a vision and ideas. I'm really excited about the living room.

I've begun to turn my focus to the Den (which is REALLY sad). The room is very small, WAY too cramped, and has a lot of wasted space due to the lay-out. One of my close friends, who has a wonderful eye for decorating, suggested that I get the TV out of it and make it into a Study instead of a Den, because of the size. I don't know. I really want a family room. If the children are watching TV in the living room, it won't be nice for long. We have lots of options, none of which are great plans. One would be to make the spare bedroom into a Den or Study (but then we wouldn't have a spare bedroom, which has been my plan for quite some time.)

The problem is that we have the computer and all its "stuff" (file cabinets, printer, scanner, etc.) in there as well as the TV, movies, and seating. But Don doesn't usually just sit with the family. He's not a TV watcher. If he's in the den with us on weekends, it's because he's working on the computer and, at least, we're in the same room together. If I move the TV OR the computer, we won't have that option for family time.

I don't know. Needs lots more thought and prayer. One thing that would help is a larger couch. We only have a loveseat, which we can cram three people onto, if we try, but the people are getting larger, not smaller, and it's getting harder and harder to fit into this room.

More thought and prayer. That's what I need. And a car for Don so we can start saving for furniture.

I'm sure the list could go on and on, but we'll stop there for today. NEEDS LIST: 1. Car for Don; 2. Thought; 3. Prayer.

Endorphin Junkie

My ankle that collided with the leg of the kneeler at church last week is still swollen. Most of the bruising has receded, but the swelling and pain don't give me any hope of going away anytime soon. On Mother's Day, after being on my ankle all day, I was complaining to Don about how much it hurt.

"You just need to stay off of it for a few days," he suggested. Right. And exactly how do you do that with a 5-yr. old?

I started to day Monday with so much swelling, I knew I had to do something. So Daelyn and I took his siblings to school, came home and I switched loads of laundry, then we put a movie on the computer, piled up on the loveseat with my foot elevated, and settled in. Don bought, "Night at the Museum" for the boys the night I went camping with Deanna and I hadn't seen it yet. Daelyn and I had a very peaceful morning. Then we ate lunch, I switched loads again, and we laid down for a 2 1/2 hour nap.

I've had a cold setting in, which turned quite wicked Sunday night - runny nose, coughing, unable to sleep. My Monday morning, it was all I could do to get the kids to school before I collapsed, so it was the perfect opportunity to "rest the ankle". By Tuesday morning, the swelling was significantly down. However, I called my doctor Monday afternoon and asked to be seen, very concerned that this amount of swelling over this period of time was more than just a popped blood vessel.

I got into the doctor yesterday. He sent me for an X-ray, concerned that I might have broken or cracked a bone. I have a re-check on Friday. In the meantime, my cold has settled in my chest and seems to be turning into bronchitis. Seems to me this happened around this same time last year (not the ankle, but the bronchitis). Billy (my doctor) gave me a prescription for antibiotics in case I need them later this week and told me to take Ibuprofen for the ankle swelling. It does seem to be better. Something about injuries - mention going to the doctor and - voila - they're better.

I finally got back to the gym today. My friend, Rachel, talks about endorphins and how wonderful they are. I guess I've never really experienced them - - until recently. Suddenly, I can identify with all those endorphin remarks. When I work out, my general state of mind is better and I'm much happier and more content. Endorphins. At least, it seems that way. I needed a dose of endorphins today. Another close friend, Anne, raised her eyebrow when she heard me talking and I mentioned working out.

"Are you SURE you feel well enough to tackle the gym today?" she asked, carefully. I laughed.

"I'll take it easy - a short, light work-out, but I need them endorphins."

I can barely talk, my chest is hurting and I'm coughing, and my ankle is swollen. But I feel GREAT!! Gotta get more gym time soon - my cure-all.

Highlights of the Week

Dane caught a large bullfrog tonight in the yard - his first. He's thrilled. He had to show it to all the members of the family. He rubbed the bumpy skin and felt the fingers on the little short front legs. He wanted to keep it, but I convinced him to let it go - just in case it had a wife and children who needed it for Mother's Day.

Deanna asked to go to the Prayer Meeting last night so she could share about me. Her teacher's husband was leading the meeting and the kids were told there'd be a chance for them to share about their mothers. She was very pleased, even though I wasn't there. I can't wait to go the Video.

I talked with my friend, Kim, today. England is so far away, yet we had an hour-long chat and it felt like we were right next door to each other again.

A good amount of the "dealing" is dealt with and things are improving already.

Daelyn got to go to school for his "come-and-see" day. He's convinced that the purpose of the hour and a half was for him to decide if he liked it or not, and since he does, he gets to go NOW.

I worked out several times this week at the Y and took my children on a nice bikeride one evening this week. Love those endorphins.

The kids only have 3 more weeks of school - YAY! Not only that, but I've been thinking a lot about the summer . . . lazy days swimming at the lake, grilling out, using the water park at the Y, visiting my sister-in-law in Colorado, spending a week at the beach, visiting my in-laws. I've asked for a fire kettle for Mother's Day so we can have fires in the backyard. There are few things I love more than a fire. I like fireplaces, bonfires, just about any kind of fire. Sitting around the warmth, having family time, eating s'mores, singing, drinking tea or hot chocolate. Can life get any better?

Tonight we had a late dinner on the deck, then sat around visiting with my father while he told war stories. Deanna and her spend-the-night guest even sat spellbound, listening. I love listening to my father's stories. Everytime he tells one I've heard before, he gives a little more detail and I understand the story a little better. It was so pleasant - warm spring evening, my family all together. These years are so precious.

Deanna had her Choir Concert this week, which was wonderful. Mom and Dad came with us so they could stay after and hear Dane play the handbells at our Rehearsal. He's really very good, which is pretty amazing for a 7-yr. old.

All-in-all, a full, good week, despite hard times.

Thanks for your prayers. Have a good weekend.

And, Monika, if you read this, I MISS YOU. Write soon.

Dealing, dealing, dealing . . .

. . . with issues, not cards.

What I'd give to be dealing out a hand of cards today instead of dealing with all the issues my children are struggling with.

Please pray for our family as we deal with some very difficult, painful situations. We need wisdom and courage, unity and strength.

And mercy - lots of mercy.

As I Limp Along ...

I understand that there are some children who have difficulty orienting themselves in space. These children have difficulty knowing where their body parts are located when their eyes are closed. For example, touching your nose or your ear with closed eyes sometimes is not possible children with spacial struggles.

This weekend, I found myself wondering if Daelyn has spacial challenges. Cool weather set in, so Daelyn wore his hiking boots to church on Sunday. They're clodhoppers and he couldn't seem to get within 3 feet of me without stepping on my toes, which were poking out of the end of my heeled white sandals. This happened no less than 6 times.

Then, while standing peacefully, singing a hymn (peacefully because Daelyn was at the other end of the pew with Don, giving Deanna and I a little break from wild child), the kneeler came crashing down on my already-sore foot. The leg of the kneeler hit my outside left ankle. I couldn't exactly scream with pain in the middle of church, so I gritted my teeth, sat down and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to subside. It never did. Within minutes, a huge blue lump appeared on my ankle. Don suggested I sneal out and put ice on it. After 20 minutes of ice, the lump had gone down significantly, only to reappear once the ice was removed for a few minutes. I rejoined my family and the congregation, Daelyn asked my forgiveness, and we took Communion.

I have a bruise that covers half my foot now. And lying on my left side is almost impossible, because it requires my foot to lay on the outside and the bruising is so bad, I can't stand the pain when it's touched. Yesterday, I went to the Y right after dropping the kids off at school and stayed in my tennis shoes all day. By last night, my foot was so sore, it was hard to step on it. I'm going to try and stay in slippers as much as possible today to give my foot a break.

In an effort yesterday to justify the pain in my foot, I had Daelyn close his eyes.

"Touch your nose, please," I requested. Dead on. Daelyn opened one eye and glanced at me. No spacial challenges here, except when in proximity to Mom.

Brilliant Conversationalists

Deanna came home from school this afternoon and asked for her after-school snack.

"Mom, I'm going to go change clothes. When I come out, will you have my snack ready?"

I responded, "Please put your clean clothes from the laundry room away before you come back up to the front of the house - hanging AND folded clothes, please."

A few minutes later, Deanna returned to the kitchen.

"Clothes?" I asked, with one eyebrow raised (a brilliant tactic I taught myself as a young teenager.)

"Snack!" Deanna responded.

I lowered my chin, raised both eyebrows, looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Clothes!"

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. In a defiant tone, she responded, "Snack".

"Clothes" I spoke in a slightly raised tone, still trying to keep it level.

"Snack!" she snipped back.

Menacingly, I lowered my tone, set my teeth, and said, "Clothes."

Deanna grinned. "Snack!"

I slapped the counter and yelled, "Clothes!!!!"

Deanna walked from the room, yelling over her shoulder, "Snack".

When she returned 5 minutes later, her snack was on the table waiting for her.

Not within the next 10 years!

Dane: "Will I be able to do all the cooking for the family when I'm 17?"

Me: "Well, you'd be able to, but not many 17 year olds cook for their family. Mommy's usually do that."

Dane: "Well, I mean, when you're old and decrepid."

Daddy and Pup

Don is so quiet, he appears to not care about things. His basic demeanor makes people think that he's nonchalant. The truth is, he feels things VERY deeply, he just doesn't express his feelings.

When we arrived in England, a little less than 2 weeks after Don, all his co-workers knew all our names and pieces of information about every family member. I was shocked, but apparently he talks about us quite a bit.

Since Donovan joined our family a little over a year ago, Don has kept up an appearance of nonchalance towards the dog . . . with a couple of notable exceptions. Like the night he was going to bed and got frustrated because Donovan wouldn't join him. He claimed he wanted Donovan to come to bed so he'd settle down and wouldn't come in later and wake Don up. I skeptically nodded.

There've been other incidents like this, but this morning's took the cake. I was just finishing my bath (Donovan always sits outside the tub and waits for me to get out) when Don came in to start his shower. He shaved, then started the water to warm it up before getting in. When he opened the shower door, Donovan stuck his nose in, checking out the inside of the shower stall.

"You want to come in, Little Boy?" asked Don. "You can take a shower with Daddy."

Don opened and closed the door several times, giving Donovan WAY more chances than he needed. Donovan stood with his nose poking in, seemingly unable to make up his mind. I finally gave him a push, and he jumped in. Don closed the door and Donovan showered with Dad.

I don't know if the dog will ever approach the shower again, but he didn't seem to mind. At one point, I checked on him, and he was sitting on the floor of the stall, scratching some itch.

Daddy and puppy - a bond almost as strong as father and son - or so it seems.

Family Time

I camped out Friday night with Deanna's Little Sister's Group. The Leader's husband went out to the lake early in the day and set up their pop-up camper. He had decided we needed to use the pop-up instead of tents for a variety of reasons. But the camper wasn't large enough for all the girls and the 3 female chaperones, so the Leader borrowed our family tent, as well.

I was assigned to sleep in the tent with 4 of the girls, Deanna and three others slept in the camper. We had a wonderful time. I really do love camping.

Upon our arrival home, I received a phone call from one of the Moms.

"My daughter left her glasses in the tent last night," she told me. I laid the tent out in the backyard, opened the door, and climbed in to fish out the offending glasses. As I stood there looking at the tent, the thought occurred to me that the boys hadn't gotten to partake of this great adventure. And they love to camp as much as Deanna and me. So, I hatched a plan. It took Don a little while to agree to it, but we camped out as a family in the backyard Saturday night.

I took the kids to Wal-Mart in the afternoon to buy blow-up camp mattresses for the boys and get them out of the house so Don could nap (he's not sleeping well at night these days - he could use a lot of prayer), and I thought about how much I wanted a campfire. The kids and I decided to try and borrow a fire kettle from friends and I bought two bundles of wood and the fixin's for S'mores at Wal-Mart. On the way home, we stopped and invited Grandma and Grandpa to join us for dinner on the deck and S'mores around the campfire after.

I quickly finished preparing the tent (blowing up air mattresses with the compressor and digging out sleeping bags for everyone from the toy room), made a nice dinner or pan-fried chicken, boiled parsley potatoes, and corn with lemon, built and started the fire so the coals would be ready for marshmallow roasting, and we ate on the deck.

After dinner and clean-up (which was WAY easier in the house than at a campsite), we all sat around the fire, threw a few more logs on, and ate S'mores to our heart's content. We invited the sons of a neighbor to join us, then sent one of them back home for their mom. God forbid she miss out on this great time. It was getting dark and the kids wanted to play tag. They sprawled out across the backyard while the adults sat around and sang camp songs. The neighbors went home and a single friend of ours came by to visit. Grandma and Grandpa left, Don went in, the kids got ready for bed, and my friend and I sat around the campfire and visited.

It was an amazing night. The weather was cool, the moon was full, and we were comfortable in our little family tent. We had great fellowship with family and friends, which wouldn't have happened anywhere but the backyard. And we had a family adventure that ranks up there with our favorite pastimes.

I gotta get me one of those fire kettles.

Camping and Countries

Deanna's class did a Country Day today. Their Country reports have been graded and they were to dress in a costume of their country today for school. They were presented to the entire school at Opening Assembly and told who they were and the country they chose and why.

The parents were invited to the Assembly and to the classroom afterwards to view the reports. They were excellent. Amazing that these little 4th graders could do such good, thorough work. They hand-drew country maps showing major cities and rivers and another with goods and natural resources show by key across the country. They also hand-drew pictures of the country's costume. There were pages on Location, People, History, and Climate and they included pictures of the country at the end.

Then, at 11:00, we were to bring a food dish from our child's country - enough for 16 small portions. Don and I rushed home after viewing the reports and I started fish and chips with malt vinegar for Deanna. I tried to make it as authentic as possible (Deanna did England), but you just can't get 14" long battered cod here, nor chips like they make in England. But I cut a plastic cookie container from Kroger open , washed it out, and used it for the fish and chips. I had a roll of brown paper, which I wrapped the food in, just like in England. So, while the look may not have been strictly authentic, and the fish was nowhere near as buttery and crisp, the outside package looked and smelled just like the stuff we brought home from the Chip Shop in Culcheth. And I poured Lemon-Lime soda into a pitcher with ice and took it along as well - English Lemonade.

The kids must have had a sumptuous feast. The food smelled amazing. There was paella from Spain, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate from guess where, a Mexican dish with potatoes, another with potatoes, chicken and rice from Togo, Irish Soda Bread, and lots of others I didn't get to see. When I arrived with my food, music class was going on and the 4th graders were dancing around their classroom, having a wonderful time.

Now we're packing to go camping. Deanna's little girl's group, Little Sisters, which is like Brownies or Campfire Girls, is going to the lake tonight camping and I'm one of the chaperones. We're leaving at 4:15. We try and do a camping trip every year with this group, and I usually do the cooking, but I'm not the head leader this year, so we'll see if I get enlisted or not. In any case, you could feel the excitement in the air when I got to the school to pick the kids up. Dane was nowhere to be found. I finally left Deanna and Daelyn in the car and walked into the Courtyard where the Elementary dismissed to, looking for him. I caught sight of his teacher walking towards the school building. Apparently, they had JUST returned from an all-day field trip and the kids were running into the building to get their bookbags.

Too much fun for one day. And another night's worth for my kids - Deanna camping at the Lake, Dane and Daelyn camping at home with Dad.

Was life this much fun when I was growing up? I'm either too old to remember or too busy keeping up with my children's schedules.

Scavenger

Don and I were sitting in the den the other night when Donovan wandered in. He was chewing something and Don wrestled it out of his mouth.

"It's a toy soldier!" he yelled. "Where did he get this from?"

Then, to Donovan, "This is not YOURS, little boy." He looked sternly over his glasses at Donovan, who sat remorsefully pleading up at him.

A few minutes later, Donovan disappeared from the den, only to reappear a few minutes later, chomping on another item. Don pried it from him - one of the children's stuffed animals. Don lectured the puppy yet again, and Donovan appeared contrite. Until ...

This continued through several different items. Don was absolutely fit to be tied. I gave Donovan a chew bone. He quickly hid it in the den then ran off to find another toy, this time a wooden stand from a sign from the boys' train set.

Don nearly lost his cool. I gave Donovan a second bone, which he also managed to hide in the den. Finally, he curled up for his evening nap on the loveseat next to me.

"You know, I caught him up on the kitchen table earlier, eating Daelyn's lunch that he left behind," Don informed me.

"Did you?" I asked. "I caught him on the table this evening, stealing the remains of Dane's cookie."

Donovan has learned to run under the table and knock the bench with his shoulder, forcing it out from under the table. Then he uses it as his own private stepstool and scampers up onto the table, devouring anything and everything left behind. I've warned the children over and over again, but Daelyn grazes all day and will leave food items on the table several times a day, just beggin Donovan to climb up and eat them.

"It's a miracle he's EVER well," Don commented. Unfortunately, despite Donovan's appetite, he has a sensitive stomach and most people food makes him sick. He runs outside and stops to eat grass on the way to the van.

I guess if we're going to have a dog that's a scavenger, we'll need to keep the grass longer.

He's almost as good as owning a goat.

Sick Days

Dane has tonsilitis, so he's home again. Apparently, that's why he felt so bad on Tuesday when I kept him home.

I've been housebound all week with sick children. It's been GREAT!! I haven't been able to go anywhere so I've gotten the sheets and comforters washed, all the laundry done, and lots of house-cleaning done.

I remember telling Don once when we had our car in the shop for servicing that I loved being housebound - no distractions, no errands to run, just time to rest and clean. He jokingly responded that maybe we should get rid of our van. While I don't think I want to go quite that far (we pretty-much had that experience in England), it's wonderful to have almost a solid week with no running necessary. If there ever is a perfect time for the children to be sick, it was this week.

I'm finally getting the house cleaned up. It's looked like a tornado went through ever since we returned from England but this week has helped tremendously.

So I say, "Hip, hip, hooray!" for sick days and days of rest. They're far too few.

Illness & the Grumpies

Deanna's still home sick and Dane stayed home today, too. He was feeling very sick to his stomach last night. Thinking he might just be overheated (he suffered from a mild version of heat exhaustion a year ago and now is very over-sensitive to heat) after baseball practice and cub scouts back-to-back last night, I snuggled him for a while, then sent him off to bed.

This morning when I woke him for school, he said he felt like he was going to throw up and his throat hurt. Last year he had an incident at school where he complained about his stomach hurting, then threw up in the classroom. I picked him up and, while we were sitting on the loveseat in the den together, he began breaking out in a rash. I took him to the pediatrician who did a throat culture and confirmed that he had strept throat and scarlet fever. He never ran a temp, never complained of his throat hurting - just his stomach. Yesterday while Deanna was home, a friend called and mentioned that strept is going around the school, so I decided it was best to keep Dane home.

Mid-morning, I checked on Deanna. She said she feels better than she's felt in a week. She's going back to school tomorrow. And Dane seems to be pretty perky, eating just fine.

Having all three children together in the house, though, is like caging a lion, a hyena, and an alligator together. During the summer, they have lots of distractions, but when they're sick, they just need to stay quiet and stay in. So they're AT each other. There's been yelling, crying, fighting, and that's just from me.

I'm sending Deanna and Dane off to different bedrooms for a nap and Daelyn's gone to a friend's house to play. Hopefully, I can get something done while they're quietly locked away.

Here's to summer. I better start planning now to keep them occupied - for my own sanity's sake.

Jedi Moms

Deanna's home sick from school today. Apparently, she had a sore throat all weekend, but didn't want to tell me because she knew how busy I was. She mentioned it to her Daddy, who also thought better of telling me. By yesterday, she was feeling pretty rough and rougher still this morning. Her tonsils are swollen and her body aches. I gave her a dose of DayQuil, made her a cup of hot lemonade, and she's propped up on the loveseat watching Star Wars.

It's interesting how the Jedi Knights can manipulate others by suggestion. Obi-Wan comments that it only works on the weak-minded. While I certainly don't want weak-minded children, wouldn't it be nice if we could parent by suggestion?

"You want to clean your room until it's spotless," I whisper under my breath.

"Mom," Deanna would respond, "I don't think I want to go outside and play today. I'd rather stay in my room and clean it until it's spotless."

"You want to straighten up the toyroom and get rid of 2 bagsful of toys you don't use anymore."

"Gee, Mom," Daelyn would say, "it's amazing how many toys we have that I don't really need. I'm going to clean up the toyroom and get rid of a few things."

After a few more whispers, Dane would volunteer, "I'm going to take the puppy for a long walk. Then I think I'll clean all the piles up out of the yard so it's all clean and neat. Do you have any chores YOU need me to do, Mom?"

Jedi Moms. That's what we all need to be.

The Stuff of Dreams

The woman that Ken married yesterday has a 6-yr. old son by a previous marriage. The new couple left today for a Honeymoon Trip to Puerto Rico. But they are returning in a week, picking up Ryan, and going camping in the mountains for 3 days so Karen's son will feel a part of this marriage from the very beginning.

This morning, Daelyn and I were snuggling in my bed.

"Mama," he asked, "where are Uncle Ken and Aunt Karen?"

I explained that they're on their honeymoon now and have gone away on an airplane but that they'll be back in a week to pick up Ryan for the second part of it.

"I'm mad at you and Daddy!" he commented when I finished with my explanation.

"Whatever for, son? Why are you mad with us?"

"Because you didn't take me, Brother, or Sissy on YOUR honeymoon."

I tried to explain that none of them were born yet. He looked at me skeptically. He seems to think I'm trying to pull a fast-one on him to get away with the solitary honeymoon.

I'm sure it seems to him like he's been a part of our family from the very beginning. And, in some ways, they WERE along with us on our honeymoon - at least in all our more pleasant dreams.

Wedded Bliss

Well, we got our friend, Ken, married off. He made a slide presentation and set it to music for the Rehearsal Dinner last night. It chronicled his Courtship. Yesterday afternoon, while we were setting up, decorating, and cooking, he came by the Hall to check on things. He stood for a minute and watched his slide show and got choked up. I was standing with him and turned to look at his face - his eyes were damp and he had an incredible look on his face.

After 52 years of singleness, the Lord has brought him the love of his life. His faithfulness has been rewarded.

The Rehearsal Dinner was beautiful, as was the wedding. As Ken's new bride was asking her father-in-law to dance with her today, I turned to look at Ken's mother and she was wiping her eyes. Their oldest son has finally married and they are privileged to be a part of the happiest time in his life.

It's hard to even express the peace and joy in my spirit. A good friend, someone I even dated once, that we were instrumental in moving towards marriage, finally has begun a new season in his life. And he's more deeply in love than he could have ever imagined was possible.

It was a lot of work and effort, a lot of planning and hours and hours on the phone, but it's over and it was wonderful. And worth every second.

God Bless Ken and Karen Wells as they begin the rest of their lives TOGETHER.

Quote of the Day

My nephew - "It's pretty bad when you're so busy you don't even have time to clean your house . . . and you WANT to!"

Nephews and Cousins

Wow, has life ever gotten busy!

My cousin from Canada came for a visit just before Easter. Since we were out of town for Holy Week visiting Don's parents, we had to make up for lost time when we got home. So, in addition to preparing Easter baskets for half the country, buying presents for our children, pressing trousers and dresses, and making Ukranian food and dying eggs, we had to fit in visiting. We tried to spend every free moment for a couple of days with them. This cousin is the middle son of my mother's older sister, now deceased, and we haven't seen him since my parent's 50th wedding anniversary five years ago.

Randy left and, within a few days, my nephew from Alabama showed up. Daddy called down one morning and said that he had arrived during the night and his truck appeared to be packed with all his possessions. Daddy said, "I'm assuming he's planning on staying for a while." They talked over breakfast, and my nephew has moved in with them.

Again, I'm trying to spend as much free time as possible with Claude. We seldom get to see him and now, with him right up the road, I'm soaking him up like a sponge. He's always lived away from us and we've had precious little time to build a relationship. Now, at 20, he's realized he may not always have the opportunity to get to know his grandparents and has come to live with them for a season. I'm scared to death something's going to happen and he'll pack up and go back to Alabama, so I want to take every advantage of this chance to spend time with him. It can't be very fun for him - playing cards and doing yardwork all day long. He told me last night that Grandpa told him he hasn't eaten this well in years. Claude loved that. Grandma's feeding Grandpa 3 squares now that she has to feed Claude, too.

Then, Saturday, one of my nephews from California, his wife, 2-yr. old and 4-month old, arrived for a visit. When it rains, it pours!!! I haven't seen them since they married 3 years ago and I've never seen the children. His daughter looks very much like my sister (my father calls her "Apple Dumpling"), her grandmother, and it cracks me up to hear this little tidbit referring to my sister as Grandma. I have a 5-yr. old (just turned) and my sister's a grandmother, 4 times over.

My great-niece (the 2-yr. old) is bored stiff at my parent's house. Although they have a few toys they've kept around, she tried very hard yesterday to entertain herself with my mother's wooden Ukranian eggs, baskets, and keys. Not exactly a smorgasbord of toys for children. We invited her down to play with Daelyn, who has gotten quite attached to her. We didn't see her for quite some time - swallowed up by the void we like to call our playroom. It's wonderful having them here. Children grow up SO -O-O-O-O fast - if you blink, they're grown. And being that they live in California, we almost never get to see them. This is a rare treat.

Add to the mix the wedding of our good friend. 52 years old, never married, waiting for God to provide his perfect woman. God did, and the wedding is this Saturday. I'm in charge of the Rehearsal Dinner and several other aspects of the wedding. We had a shower that I helped with on Sunday afternoon, another last night, and the lingerie shower is Wednesday evening, sandwiched in with Dane's baseball practice at 6:00 and choir for Deanna and Handbell Practice for me, Dane and Don from 6 - 7:30. The shower's at 7. How to bilocate seems to be the question of the hour.

Then, yesterday, I got a call from my father. One of my niece's had been in a serious car accident and had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. A truck in the oncoming lane had swerved unexpectedly and hit her head-on. The fire department was called, along with 4 police squad cars that answered the call, and she had to be removed from the vehicle with the "jaws of life" because her doors were so bent-in, they couldn't be opened. Mama and Claude took off for the hospital leaving my blind father and the California nephew and family to fend for themselves for lunch. Daddy called down here and asked if I'd come up and make lunch. When I arrived, my mother had left several things simmering on the stove - carrots, cabbage, and asparagus. My nephew's wife is nursing and can't have any gassy foods! I brought them down to my house and made ham sandwiches. My niece is alright but they think she has a broken ankle and lots of cuts and bruises. She's pretty shaken up and sore - she'll be traumatized from this accident for quite awhile.

Deanna has a huge, country report due tomorrow. She's been working on it for 6 weeks now. They have to talk about the history, geography, climate and people of their country. They have to hand-draw a map showing topography and pictures of typical dress. They had to show their teacher their library books, turn in their notes and rough draft, and the final draft is due tomorrow. Next week, they are to come to school in costume and each parent is to provide an ethnic dish to serve 16. Quite a big deal. Today, in addition to visiting with my two nephews and family, and making phone calls for the wedding to make sure my ducks are in a row, I have to return some clothes we bought for Easter that didn't work and type Deanna's report.

I keep hoping things will slow down after the wedding, but experience has taught me that April and May just keep getting busier until summer hits at the peak of exhaustion.

My Blog sits gathering dust while I deal with life. But occasionally I need the release of sitting and writing. It helps me with the stress.

Maybe that's why I tackled de-greasing the filter in the vent over the stove yesterday.

Peeled Kumquats

On the way home from the grocery store today, we decided we're going to start our own comic strip for the daily paper. We'll entitle it "Mr. Nasty and Little Miss Surly" in which we'll chronicle real-life stories of how children mistreat their siblings.

The first one will be a picture of an older sister cramming a peeled kumquat into her younger brother's mouth and shrieking, "It doesn't matter if I DID suck all the juice out of it!! I peeled this for you and you're GONNA EAT IT!!"

The children came up with several more ideas between their laughter.

Ah, families.

Yin and Yang

A friend of mine has two sons, similar in personality to my two. Yesterday she told me a story that I could see happening in our home. She said, "If I had a Blog, I'd write about this one." So I asked her permission to use it.

While we were still in England, a dear friend of ours died after a battle with cancer. She left behind a high school daughter. My friend's son, the one with a temperament very much like Dane's - thoughtful, sensitive, sweet, gentle - was very impacted by her death. One evening soon after the funeral, as the family sat around eating, he was very quiet. His younger brother, very much like Daelyn, is more boisterous, fun-loving, and lives life to the fullest. The more pensive brother looked at the more boisterous one and said, "What would we do if our parents ever died?"

The younger brother didn't miss a beat.

"Anything we wanted!"

Lots More to Come

More pictures. The first is from a candy store, Thornton's, in the Trafford Center. They have this luscious chocolate fountain going (you can also buy them for about $100) and you can buy a stick of marshmallows to dip in it. As you can see, there's lots of dipping going on.

The second picture is Trafalgar Square in London - most prominent in the picture is the fountain.

#3 is Daelyn with a character from Lazy Town. In Warrington, there was a big Christmas celebration in Town Centre the beginning of December (or was it the end of November - I can't remember). Two of the characters from Lazy Town were featured, as well as a Billy Idol look-alike performing and lots of other fun stuff. The Lazy Town folks came around for pictures after the show. We almost missed it because Don had to run back to the hotel for the camera.

The fourth picture is of Clifford Tower in York. This was a huge tower that was built next to the palace and, at various times during its history, served as a palace, due to its heavy fortification and heighth. From the top, you can see almost all of York.

The last picture is our dear friend, Anne, and her daughter, Christine. We miss them terribly.

The Test Kitchen

During my career in Human Resources, I worked at a manufacturing facility where we made over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. When R&D came up with a new drug, we would test the production in a test kitchen. This meant making small batches of the product on the actual equipment that would be used for full-scale production to write the SOP's and determine if the drug could really be made with our existing equipment. If it was successful, and we received FDA approval, we would go into production, which always required some minor tweeking, but which, generally, yielded the same results as in the test kitchen. Although the minor tweeking could be frustrating to the employees, supervisors and managers working on the new line, it was rarely an unsolvable problem and frequently was something very minor, such us turning up the temp 2 degrees or cooking for longer.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if raising children was this easy? We have no test kitchen, no SOP. We go right into full-scale production from the moment of conception. The other day, I remembered a time I got pregnant and worried myself sick because I had taken some aspirin and a sleep-aide very early on before I knew I was pregnant. In the meanderings of my mind, I thought, "What are we, as women, supposed to do? Do nothing from ovulation until our periods start that may possibly harm a baby, month after month, just in case we're pregnant?" The answer came quickly, "Of course not. Life still has to be lived. " It cannot stop for "just in case" every single month for years on end. However, parenting begins in the womb. Caring for that progeny can be a daunting task - no hot tub baths, no medicines (unless approved by the doctor), strange cravings, the persistent nausea and the feeling that something has overtaken your body. With every pregnancy, I found myself driving so much more carefully and always making sure my seatbelt was snug against that little life inside me. Your mind even begins to work differently, and the baby hasn't even been born yet.

This morning, I was dealing with a child who is going through a rather selfish season. I asked for the box of cereal so I could pour a bowl for a breakfast late-comer, who was sitting patiently waiting, but the sibling continued reading the back of the cereal box and ignored my request. I asked a second time, and was snarled at because they "were reading the back of the box!"

After a stern lecture and slumped shoulders by the offender, I tried to return the kitchen to the pre-incident lightness, with cheerful banter and laughter. A few minutes later, the offender appeared in front of me, wrapped their arms around me, and laid their head against me, snuggling me. No "Please forgive me, Mama", but the change of heart was obvious.

We never know from one moment to the next if we're doing the right thing by our children. Unfortunately, we're human and frail, as well, and dealing with our own emotions and shortcomings while we try to raise these little people to be who God wants them to be. Perhaps that's His mercy for them. If we were perfect, how could they ever live up? Knowing parents are fallible gives them examples of how to gracefully (at least, we hope) pick themselves up after mistakes. It gives them something to aspire to. Aspiring to perfection is a little too much for most people, especially children, but aspiring to this person who sometimes loses their temper and cries with frustration occasionally may be do-able.

The thing I struggle with is the not knowing. I do my best, of course, but sometimes I wish for that test kitchen. It would be great to know that my children, as adults, will only have tweeking to do on their lives, instead of major overhauling because I failed somehow as a parent.

I often find myself standing on God's promise in this area - "Raise up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old, they will not turn from it." It doesn't say they will never turn from it - only that as they age, they'll see the wisdom of their parents and that formation we worked so hard to build will become their foundation.

So I keep chugging along at the foundation, trying to do more things right than wrong. Trying to be that example of graceful repentence, holding fast to God's promise. From my fingers to God's e-mail.

A Great Loss

Last night, I jumped on the computer to check out the weather predictions for West Virginia over the next week so I'd know how to pack. From our home page, Don has the weather report to Warrington, UK, as well.

After I looked up the temps at my in-law's, I scrolled down to Warrington and looked at a 7-day forecast. It's going to be getting down to 34. Don walked into the den and I looked at him with weepy eyes.

"I miss England so much, honey. It's going to be 34 there - cool weather. I miss my friends and the smells and the rain, and everything about it."

"I know," he responded. "I've been watching the weather there myself."

It's just this - everything there for us was good. I'm sure, if we lived there, we'd have some bad times and may even find we didn't like England if we lived there long-term. But we didn't live there long-term and our 3 months filled us with nothing but good things. Our family grew closer, we fell in love with the people and the land, and we made deep friendships. We had a mountaintop experience for 3 months, and it's hard to give that up.

As I sit here now, remembering, I'm choked up. I miss the church bells. I miss Kim, Anne, and Monika. For dinner tonight, Dane did the cooking as one of his requirements for Cub Scouts. We planned tortellini with creamed marinara sauce and a vegetable. He chose brussel sprouts. As we ate, we remembered England - Miss Jane at Salinger's Restaurant at the Village Hotel in Warrington (where we first ate tortellini with a cream marinara sauce, and loved it so much it's a regular addition to our menu), the hardware store in Culcheth by the Butcher's where there were baskets out front filled with stalks full of brussel sprouts ( we'd never seen sprouts on the stalk before; apparently, that's how they grow and we never tired of seeing them), and Lee at the grocery store who was the one who always got stuck helping us Americans find what we needed - we got to know him very well. Deanna misses Lucy and Meg and the cool weather and the cul-de-sac, and the bus drivers who were so kind to us, and the daily walks. Dane misses George, Lewis, and Lucy and the grocery store, Sainsbury's. He loved walking to the grocery store and home again and misses the time with his family. Daelyn's memory is already starting to fade. We tried hard to help him remember Jane and the other things we missed, but they're already fuzzy to him.

Monika, if you read this, tell Jane how much we miss her. And you and Chris, how about coming to visit. Kim and Kevin are planning a trip next March. I don't know how I can wait that long. We've only been home a little over a month and I ache for my friends and the land we came to love.

As we go into Holy Week, I'm trying to remember to lift this all up to the Lord - to thank Him for the tremendous gift He gave us and to recognize that the emptiness I feel sometimes is a poignant reminder of His sacrifice for us.

I keep expecting life to get back to normal, but it doesn't seem to happen. We long for England, long for all the things we remember the most. When we talk about it, it gets very quiet around the dinner table, each of us lost in our own deep thoughts.

A somber, grey Post today - just how I'm feeling right now.

The REALLY important things

Daelyn's 5th birthday is Sunday. However, we never thought about that when we planned the trip to visit Don's parents while the kids are out of school for Easter break.

We had intended to spend a week with them at Christmas, but the trip to England made that impossible. So we promised to bring their grandchildren in the Spring. We didn't realize until plans were well underway that Daelyn would be in West Virginia for his birthday and away from his daddy.

Don can't leave because this is a popular week for vacations at work, so he planned on working this week and giving the others guys the chance to be off. Plus, it's the last handbell practice before Easter, and he can't miss it. He gave Dane and I permission to miss if we practice REAL hard this week and take our music home with us. I gladly agreed. We're not playing anything very difficult.

Last night, I began to get a little overwhelmed. Dane's teacher sent a sign-up sheet home for their Easter party the day following Easter, when the kids return to school. I just couldn't deal with it. Overload. In addition to lots of things to do for the wedding of our dear friend, Ken, which is the middle of April, I also have Easter to prepare for before we leave and Daelyn's birthday. He's having a Chuck E. Cheese party with his friends on Friday morning, then the family party with Daddy Friday evening, and we leave Friday night. Somewhere inbetween, I have to fill and tape 18 eggs for Dane's party, buy several shower gifts for Ken's fiance, get Easter outfits and shoes for the whole family, pull together everything for the Easter baskets I do for all my family and a cousin who'll be spending Easter with us, buy gifts for the children from me and Don (we try to make Easter equally as important as Christmas and always give presents to stress the theological importance of this Holy day), get a gift for Don, do the laundry, the packing, and leave food for Don to eat while we're gone and a grocery list for what I'll need when we return.

Can you see why I'm on overload? Yesterday, I ran all day, from the time I left to take the children to school until 5:20, as we pulled in the driveway after school. I told the children that they had 15 minutes before we needed to leave again to pick up our pizza to take to our Support Group pizza dinner. Deanna said, "Mom, I've got a lot of homework."

"Why are you just now telling me this?" I asked her. But she got it all done and the evening got all done. Don and I fell into bed and I began to talk - a stress-reliever for me at bedtime. I told him about how I had let my brother-in-law down because I was supposed to take him to pick up my niece's car, but had to leave to get the kids from school before he arrived. When we came home to get him, he had already left. I told him about the busyness and how much more I had left to do. I told him that I longed for England and not having a car. I told him that I love our life but it sure is tiring. He fell asleep. I guess his life is tiring, too.

Now, I'm taking the time to post - another stress-reliever - before I jump into making dinner. I finished Dane's eggs for school and put them in his backpack. The children are hosing down my parent's car to wash off some of the pollen and playing in the water, being sure to squirt each other liberally. (It's okay. They all put on their bathing suits first.) Their laughter outside reminds me of what's really important in life.

Take time to smell the beautiful spring flowers, or hose down the pollen. Even if it's just a 5-minute Post in a very busy week, it's the little things that build the quality of our lives. Five minutes of fun and laughter can make a difficult day seem bearable and can make a fun day an absolute blast.

And pray for mercy - that only our Lord can give - in great big drops like rain falling from Heaven. Mercy for your busy people, Lord. Mercy.

The Family that's Sick Together

At least we can hold each other's head as we take turns throwing up.

It hit Daelyn first, during the night Thursday. Saturday morning, Dane started complaining and carrying a throw-up bucket around with him. Saturday evening, Deanna and Don started throwing up (on my birthday, while I was out celebrating at Olive Garden), and it hit me during the night Saturday.

Dane climbed in bed next to me yesterday. "I'm sorry your birthday was so terrible, Mama."

"It wasn't terrible, son. I got breakfast in bed, we got to go to the parade. It was a fun birthday."

Your criteria changes as you get older. We were all sick together - family time!!

Dog Scare

Over the last week, Donovan's increased his drinking considerably. Two to three times a day he licks his water bowl dry. I mentioned it to Don, a little concerned. He commented that drinking water was a good thing.

I began to notice throughout the week other changes in Donovan. Along with the increased thirst was frequent urination, which often resulted in accidents in the house (pretty unusual for him). He seemed disinterested in us and it was like pulling teeth to get lovin' out of him, even for Dane, the dog-magnet. He seemed listless, was starving all the time (beggin for food - another first for him), and would whimper for no apparent reason. Then, Friday night, he climbed up on the loveseat next to me in the den, his evening place, and started whimpering, then panting. He was just lying there, panting. I got really concerned.

Don looked up excessive thirst on the Internet and told me it was pretty bleak. I decided to make an emergency trip to the Vet on Saturday morning, just 8 days after his annual check-up. Apparently, the most common reasons for excessive thirst are diabetes, liver and renal failure. It was my birthday, and we had planned to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade as a family. We were going to take along camp chairs, a picnic lunch, and a cooler, and planned on arriving early and staking out our spot along the parade route. Then we'd feed the children so they could imbibe in the tons of candy thrown out by the riders on the parade floats. We were going to meet some family members at Olive Garden at 5:00 for dinner, then come home for ice cream cake (which my sweet husband made for me) and open presents.

I called the Vet Saturday morning and they told me all the appointment slots were filled, but I could be a walk-in, however, the walk-in wait time was 1 hr. I dressed, made our picnic lunch and the kids helped load up the van, then I headed with the pup and the boys for the Vet.

I was so worried. All week long, I had noticed every little thing Donovan did that was out of the ordinary. One night, when he didn't come to bed with me, I got really concerned and went through the house, looking for him. He's my baby. Truth be told, he's my constant companion, and I dearly love him. He's not one of my children, he doesn't rank quite up there, but there is a sense of responsibility that you have for a loyal animal that you've had since they were a puppy. I was really afraid there was something seriously wrong.

Turns out, ALL the symptoms, every single one, is a possible side-effect of the prednisone shot the Vet gave him the week before for his allergies and excessive itching. He gave me a print-out and there they were - all of them - listed on this sheet. I laughed when I realized it wasn't anything serious and my puppy was fine.

The Vet said he hadn't mentioned them because Donovan had never experienced any side-effects before. And they only last for 2 weeks, so we're half-way through the problems.

I'm so thankful to the Lord. The thought of getting into a serious illness at this young age was almost more than I could deal with. Turns out, our pup is healthy and has even begun to act more like himself since yesterday.

I complained to Don when we got home. "Not only did it screw up our whole day, but I had to pay $30 to find out there's nothing wrong with Donovan."

"Honey," he responded, "it's a small price to pay for your piece of mind."

Ain't that the truth.

Teaching a Young Dog New Tricks

I'm trying to teach Donovan to run beside my bike while I ride. In the catalog from the store I use for his chews, they have a spring that you can mount on your bike to hold a dog's leash, so it doesn't jerk your bike this way or that when the dog stops to sniff, tinkle, or any of the other million reasons dogs seem to need to stop while walking.

Before purchasing the spring, I thought I'd try Donovan out to see if it was even a remote possibility. Yesterday, after dropping the kids off at school, we got on the highway and headed to my sister's house (she lives out in the country) to pick up my niece and take her to work. Her car wouldn't start yesterday morning and my sister was in quite a predicament, needing to get to school for a test she was having. She called her husband at work, but he was on a 4-way conference call and couldn't talk with her. So, when she called me, I told her to head on our for school and I'd pick up my niece and take her to work.

After that, Daelyn and I stopped at the store for a few groceries. On the way home, I suggested the bikeride idea to him. He was thrilled - the thought of riding together, just him and Mom, was too good to believe. We unloaded the groceries, I donned my helmet and wrestled my bike out of the shed, we put Donovan on his leash, and started out.

It took him a little while to understand what we were doing. At first, he ran from side to side, nearly getting hit by my front tire. I finally convinced him that he needed to stay on my right. He got drug a few times when he stopped to smell the ground, the neighbor's mailbox, and to visit with the dogs on the corner. But he quickly learned that he had to keep up. He ran next to me at a fast trot.

Everything seemed to be going quite well, once he understood the ground rules. Until - - - we turned a corner. The problem was that I needed him on my right side. Holding his leash, braking with my hand, holding the handlebars, and pushing the lock button on his leash when he got too far ahead was just too much for my left hand to do all at once. I could handle all of that on the right, but not the left. We turned to the right, and Donovan, afraid I was going to run into him, accelerated to get in front of the bike and switched sides. I had to stop to get him back over to the right side again.

The next time we turned, I was better prepared. I made it slow and gradual, and Donovan followed suit. It was a short ride, only about 4 blocks, but he had to run the entire time and I was just testing the waters. He did well enough, I'll definately try again. And if next time is easier, we may be purchasing a leash spring for my bike.

All the reading I've done on border terriers says they're extremely smart dogs. I guess we'll see just how smart the next few bike rides.

Friends, flowers and Castles

The first picture is my children and the head of their snowman. The next is our friends, Monika and Chris, with the children at their house. There's one of our family on our last Sunday at New Parish Church, Culcheth and another of the beautiful irises that grow in the church garden. Then we have our neighbor, Sam, the morning we left - very stylish p.j.'s. The last three are Conwy Castle in North Wales.

War Wounds

Most of my children have always been good nappers. Dane will still take naps if I lay down with him. Often, of weekends, we get him down for a nap.

Daelyn still takes naps, but I've been trying to break him, because he starts school in September, and naps will become a thing of the past. So, about every other day or so, I skip his naptime. Most days, he gets very grumpy, but at least he settles down to bed with his siblings at 7:00.

Sunday, we were shopping for my bike, and he didn't get a nap. On Monday, despite our busyness, I got him down. He was falling asleep in the van. Yesterday, we met my sisters for lunch to celebrate one of their birthdays. By the time we got home, we needed to pick up the other two from school - no afternoon nap for him.

I got the children's dinner on the table last night, then began to do some cleaning. I wasn't going to eat since I had such a late lunch, so I started on some much-needed projects in the living room. All of a sudden, I heard Daelyn shriek. I ran to the table and found him lying on the floor.

He had fallen off the bench and hit his eye on the corner of it. He cut his cheekbone and had a black and blue mark, swelling as I watched it. It took some time to calm him down. Showing him the boo-boo in the bathroom mirror seemed to help stop the crying.

Today, he's got a nice shiner - the war wounds of a 4-yr. old. But I may need to reassess the nap situation. When he's so tired he can't even sit at the table without falling off his seat, a good hard look at his rest patterns is in order.

Biker Family

I got my birthday present on Sunday, really a belated Christmas present. My birthday is this coming Saturday, St. Patrick's Day. Last year, I asked for a bike as a gift. Don was planning on getting it for me for Christmas, but England nipped that in the bud. So, Friday, we're sitting at the table talking and Don says,

"Well, I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but I don't think there's any chance of that happening, since I can't find what I want to get you and you're going to have to pick it out."

"Yay!" I yelled. "I'm finally getting my bike?"

"That all depends on if we can find one for you that you like," he responded. "I looked at Wal-Mart, and you ought to go look the selection over and see if you like any of them."

"Wal-mart? Why Wal-Mart? I picked out one I liked at Target. Can't we go there and look?"

"I don't do Target. Too many people I know have been hit in the Target Shopping Center and I don't want another car accident."

I looked at Wal-Mart. No luck. So I talked Don into stopping at Target on the way home from Church on Sunday. We parked way out in the middle of the parking lot, away from all the other cars. That made Don a little less uncomfortable.

No success. I found two that would have worked, but Don insisted that I look at "the 'other' Wal-Mart", the not-so-good, not-so-large one on the other side of town. So we went there from Target. I found a 21-speed that had been marked down. Although it's steel and not aluminum, I don't think that will matter any to me. I don't ride that often or that well. I just need something of my own to ride when Don takes the kids for his weekend bikerides.

We added an extra water bottle and a nicer water bottle cage (from Dane), a helmet (from Deanna), gel-padded gloves and a wider, gel-filled seat (from Daelyn) and checked out. When we got home, I changed clothes and took the kids, along with half the neighborhood, around the block a few times. We had fun and I got the feel for my bike.

While in Wal-Mart, I looked at bike racks. Last summer, on the way to Don's parent's house in West Virginia, we were discussing how to more efficiently load the van. We had a rooftop rack and could purchase or borrow a rooftop carrier, but our bike rack fit overtop our rooftop rack, precluding us from using both. I commented to Don that someone had to have invented a way to do both. We watched the cars on the other side of the Interstate and, sure enough, someone HAD invented a way to do both. You put the bikes on a rear-end bike rack and then put your rooftop carrier on the top of the van. Very efficient, and lots of storage.

Than we totaled our van and bought a new one - one with a significantly smaller trunk. We've had MANY discussions about how to fit the bikes and all our "stuff" into such a small trunk for our trips. I told Don we had no choice but to go with the rear bike rack and the rooftop carrier.

The salesman helping us with the bike told me that you can buy different size racks for the rear of car that hold one, two, or three bikes. If we bought one that holds three bikes, we can put Don's, mine, and Deanna's on the back rack, put Dane's and Daelyn's in the trunk, and all our luggage in the rooftop carrier. Sounds do-able to me! Don refused to even look at the rear racks, which frustrated me no end.

Last night, a huge box arrived after dinner by UPS. Don stepped outside and announced that the box was for me. "For me?" I thought. I couldn't imagine who it was from. I walked around the dining room table and glanced at the address label. All I saw was the brand name "Thule". Within seconds, I realized that my sweet husband had bought me not only a bike and all the luxury accessories, but a large rear bike rack for my birthday.

What a guy!! No wonder I married him. He thinks of everything.

A Tiny Spot in the Birthday

When I picked Dane up from school today, he told me that he's been invited to the birthday party of a friend, and it's Saturday.

"Did you get an invitation?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered, "but I forgot it and left it in my desk at school."

"You'll need to remember to bring it home tomorrow. We'll need to know what time the party is."

"We don't need the invitation, Mom," he assured me. "I read it. The party's from 2:50 to 3:00."

Wow!! Has that Mom ever learned to streamline.

The Whittler

Took Donovan to the Vet this morning for his annual check-up and because he's scratching like mad again. Our friends that kept him while we were in England had to take him once while we were gone.

He loves going to the Vet. So many smells, so many animals, so much to do!!! He gets excited as soon as he sees the sign from the road.

This morning, as usual, he ran wildly around the Vet's office, taxing me as much as possible to keep a 19-lb. dog under control. They quickly put us in a room. When the doc walked in, Donovan got so excited, he ran over to me, cocked his leg, and whizzed on my pantleg. I was floored. He's never acted like that before. Dr. Walker laughed and said that happens quite often.

Upon returning home, I told Don (who took the day off) and Daelyn about my experience on my way to the bathroom to change pants and socks. Don laughed and Daelyn acted shocked (no more shocked than I was to feel wet on my pantsleg.)

Just a few minutes ago, I was doing a computer inventory of the children's savings bonds, just in case our house burns down or we have a break-in. The Treasury Department has a nice little savings bond calculator that prints up a great little reference for you. Daelyn was getting impatient with me, because we're supposed to go to the grocery store, but I wanted to finish this task before leaving. It's something I always make a mental note to do some day, but have never gotten around to. It was high time to get this job done.

To ward off my son's frustration just a little, I explained what I was doing. He gets a savings bond from his grandparents every year for Christmas, so he knows what they are. I told him I was making a record of them in case someone broke into our house and tried to steal them.

Daelyn looked at me very matter-of-fact. "Mama," he said, "if anyone tries to break into OUR house, Donovan will either pee on their leg or jump up and bite them."

Mercy like raindrops, not tinkle, Lord.

My Friend, Kim

I called my friend, Kim, this morning. She lives two doors down from the house we leased in Culcheth. She was at her mother's house with her Mother's Day present, having her mother try it on. I asked when Mother's Day is celebrated in England. It's my birthday weekend, March 18. I told Kim my birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, thus the name, and she told me that her birthday is in April.

The day I met Kim, I casually asked if anyone was living in the house next to us, inbetween us and Kim, the other half of our duplex or, as the English call it, a semi-detached home (which means two houses in one building or a duplex!!).

Kim responded, "No. She died. And the wife of the man who lives on the other side of me died. And the people who live behind me died."

A little startled, I commented that she was a scary person to live near. She laughingly told me that's what her husband, Kevin, says.

So today, we're talking about birthdays. Kim tells me hers is in April - "the day the Titanic sunk!"

She really is a little frightening to be around. It's a good thing she has such a winning personality and such a fabulous sense of humor!!

Love you, Kim. Hope you read this soon. I miss you terribly, my friend, and our conversation this morning made my whole week.

Daelyn Strikes Again

Daelyn, upon waking from his nap yesterday and running, wide-eyed (and bed-headed) through the house:

"Have those people come home from school yet?"

Chester Photos

These are some pictures from Chester which we visited the weekend following Thanksgiving. It's a lovely city (one of my favorites) and is surrounded by a wall built by the Romans. It was used as a fortress for hundreds of years, and you'll see the plaque on the wall where one of the kings watched his demise.

There was a European Market in downtown Chester, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The wreaths are fresh floral and fruit wreaths that were being sold in the Market. The winding staircase is the Town Hall of Chester sand I think everything else is self-explanatory.

Old "What's Her Name"

Deanna has a Science test at school today. True to form, she forgot about it until bedtime last night. She studied furiously for about 15 minutes while her brothers bathed and got ready for bed. Then I tucked her in, with promises that I'd wake her up early for studying.

This morning, I reminded her to hurry and dress so she'd have studytime. She sat at the breakfast table, trying to remember the difference between herring and mackerel. Her brothers were busy eating while Deanna's food sat getting cold. I finally glanced at the clock and began fussing at her.

"Sis, put your schoolwork away and eat your breakfast. It's already 7:35. You're going to be late for school."

As she reached for her food, Daelyn asked,

"Mama, does that mean we'll need to get a tardy slip for Dane and that other person?"

I glanced at Deanna. She frowned and looked back over the top of her glasses. "I guess I'm the "other person"?

"Sorry, Sissy," Daelyn responded. "I forgot your name."

Sissy is so hard to remember, after all.

The Mall to Die For

Above are pictures from the Trafford Center, a high-end mall in Machester, about 20 minutes from our house in Culcheth. Two are of the Christmas Decorations (people come from all over England just to see the decorations) and one is of the Picnic Area, complete with an on-deck pool and lifeboats. It was really amazing, and we spent lots of time just walking around looking at everything.

Door-warmer

I've tried to Post a few short things. I know it gets tiring reading books everytime someone finds their way to my Blog. There are some that I used to read religiously that I simply don't anymore, because they just took up too much time.

Donovan is thrilled to have his family home again. Don was struggling with jet lag earlier this week, so I attended a meeting without him. When I came home 1 1/2 hours later, the entire house was dark. I opened the door and was greeted by a very vivacious pooch who jumped straight in the air as high as my waist.

"Don," I asked, when I finally found him, "did Donovan sit in front of the door waiting for me to come home the whole time I was gone?"

"No," he replied in his quiet manner. "I took him out to tinkle. THEN he sat in front of the door and waited for you to come home."

I'm not going to be able to leave this puppy for a while. Separation anxiety can do nasty things to pets.

Liverpool

Below (or above, depending on how this Post saves) are some pictures from Liverpool. The children are enjoying Fish and Chips (notice the size of the fish in this picture!!) on the street in Liverpool that we bought at a Take-Away Chip Shop. A man leaned over just after I took this picture and asked me where we found the Chip Shop. He said it so fast, I had no idea what he said. I smiled and offerred him some of my fish. Finally, after a fair amount of effort, we realized he was saying "Chip Shop" and I told him where we had purchased our lunch. Chip Shop is now a part of our vocabulary.

The next one is the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London. Don't know how this got with the Liverpool photos, but - ah, well. Interestingly, while we were in England, there was a long article in the newspaper about an animal rights group that is trying to get the Queen's Guards to substitute fake bearskin for the real bearskin hats the guards wear. Their first three attempts didn't pass muster, apparently because the fake fur wasn't soft enough. But the animal rights group has prevailed by encouraging the guards to recycle their hats and extend the wear. They really are beautiful but, according to the article, extremely costly.

The last is of the children with Queen Victoria. She was the longest reigning queen in all of England's history. This memorial to her is on the site of the Liverpool Palace, which was demolished sometime ago. Queen Victoria seems to have been quite portly, but the likeness to her is quite remarkable. I'm Posting in the new Beta Blogger and I can't get Queen Victoria's picture to turn the right way. I'll have to work on it a bit more later. In the meantime, hope you can turn your heads sufficiently to see it.

Enjoy!! We sure did.

Pizza on Wheels

As Daelyn and I were getting in the van yesterday afternoon to pick up Dane and Deanna from school, a black sedan passed by us with a Domino's dome sign on the top.

"Look, Mom," Daelyn remarked, "there goes a Domino's Taxi."

I guess he got used to taxi signs while in England.