Stich in Time...

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010... a day I will never forget. Had a typical day at work, Ted's friend Paul was coming in to town and I was going home to cook dinner. I was going to make Turkey Stuffed Burgers. It was going to be a good but low-key night. Or so I thought....

Hollin had a immediate fondness for Paul and they played from the moment he walked in the door. It was crazy and she was getting all worn out... I put Johnny to bed and decided to go make Paul's bed and get ready to go to bed myself. I gave the Hollin the two minute until bedtime warning and proceeded to make the bed in the basement.

All of the sudden while I was on my last corner of the fitted sheet I heard Hollin's cry. I thought, she will go to her daddy and he's got it. I continued... she continued crying... I stood for a minute to listen and tried to hear what she was saying... crying continued and so I decided to check it out for myself. I get upstairs and she is on daddy and still crying. Now she cries even harder because I am there. Nothing like seeing your mommy right? Ted says she I think she is cut pretty bad and needs a bandaid. I take a look and immediately spit out and say, "SHE NEEDS STITCHES!!!!!!" Ted says, "What?" and Hollin wants to show me what cut her. I carry her upstairs face down (the cut is on the back of her thigh) and the second I get in my bathroom, where she directed me and I am in good light I don't even have time for her to tell me what cut her. She has fillet herself! I grab a towel, wrap it around her leg, call Annie, get Hollin in the car and tell Ted to stay home with Johnny. We were off...

The ER staff was great! Hollin got numbing cream on before I had even told them who she was and where we lived. I think it helped that one of my student's parents was at the reception desk! Hollin was not fazed at all! She was her perky, playful self and did not get the fact that she had to sit still. This of course was while we waited for the numbing cream to work before the "PROCEDURE."

She did great during the procedure though. The doctor was quite impressed with her cut and the staff loved her. While stitching her up we got the whole story...

Paul and Hollin were playing and he fell of the couch and hurt his shoulder. She was upset he was hurt so she decided to get him a bandaid-- she is four after all! In the process of getting the bandaid she slipped and cut her leg. At this time I thought it was the edge of the tile counter.

The ER staff thought that was the sweetest thing ever and gave her a BILLION bandaids to go home with. By this time the stitches were in (all 8 of them) and we were on our way with bandaids in hand, a pillow they gave her, and all the cool medical stuff she could keep. The whole way home she told me she needed to see Paul and give him a bandaid. Even after getting cut she was determined to make him feel better.

She slept with me that night, and I didn't sleep... I just kept replaying the night in my head.

The next morning (I took the day off to make sure she was OK) Paul woke up and asked me to take him to Urgent Care- he was really hurt. I took him and dropped him off and later found out that he had a broken collar bone.

So this turned into a HORRIBLE accident that I am sure is one of many...

Not Single Mom Material

This past weekend (yes, just weekend) I was flying solo. Ted and his two brothers, Kevin and Chris took their dad to the CU vs Cal football game for John's birthday. It was a great idea and wonderful that they were able to embrace in such a wonderful bonding moment. However, this meant that I was home... alone... with the kids... after working all week... and with a HUGE list of things that needed to be completed here at home. Ted only left Friday morning but here it is Sunday night, I am exhausted and can barely move!

Don't get me wrong... my kids were great! Everything went really well. It is just a lot of work doing all the "tag-teaming" alone. It takes Ted going out of town for me to realize how much he really does. I do a lot of the "kid" stuff because quite honestly I am a control freak. But he does WAY more than I give him credit for or acknowledge until he is gone. How do I thank him for all that he does? Words are not enough...

I have two easy kids. I know I am not "single-mom material." I think that all single moms deserve more recognition for all the hardwork they do more often! They are amazing and strong! I guess I am just not that strong....

I am a chef... well close

I have been back at work for the last month and managed to get kids up, to daycare (with breakfast in hand-- I am not that good), been to school on time, prepared to teach, teach all day (could not be the best year of teaching for me-- tough one), come home get kids, and COOK dinner! The latter half is the big one! COOK! For those of you that know me I am no cook, never have been, never claimed to be, and the FEW attempts that I did previously were D I S A S T E R S!!! I actually made cheese enchilidas without cheese. So I was not a cook. And quite honestly I never thought I would be.

Until this past summer... I took the summer to "learn." I needed to! My hubby works late and my kids are hungry early. I had no choice... and so I ventured into the grocery store with a menu in hand and a list categorized by locations in the grocery store. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do this on my own, I did it with help--- Thanks Annie! I had a menu, a list, and a credit card. What have I got to lose?

The grocery store was VERY overwhelming! VERY! I came out with a headache and I was exhausted. No I did not take my kids with me. I had bags full of stuff, half of which I didn't know existed until my little trip. I mean what is Nam Pla? Fish sauce in case you didn't know and need to know. I was proud. I was one step closer to my domesticated godess that I longed for. I pushed a cart full of groceries for meals, not snacks, like in the past. Most importantly I had a week's worth of groceries for $70.00! Impressed? You should be! :)

My first week of cooking was a success. Ted, Hollin and Johnny (of course, Johnny- my little eating champ) loved my meals. I was happy, and again, one step closer to a domesticated godess.

I attempted it again, another week, another menu, and another grocery store trip under $70.00. It was another success. Week after week I had mainly success. Don't get me wrong I had a few meals that were utter disasters! Even Johnny didn't eat those few meals but overall I have done well.

I made it through the summer cooking. I was headed back to work and I was... let's be honest... worried. How can I work all day and cook? I know other woman do it but I am an "newbie" and not quite a domestic Godess.

I am proud to say.. I have done it! For FOUR WEEKS! I am cooking and my kids are eating, we are well fed. I am now a chef... domestic Godess, not quite (I am writing this with my laundry room full of clothes-- a prerequisite for the Godess title). Who knew? I am proud, and happy! It is great. I feel like I am true mom!

I have to admit that people at school are still having a hard time grasping the fact that I am cooking and I can talk about cooking "stuff." It is fun to see their faces and hear them tell me how proud they are of me.

One other side note, I got my hot little hands on a Pampered Chef catalog and I picked many things I want... again, who knew? (A few years ago I went to a Pampered Chef party and had NO idea what ANY thing was, let alone used for).