Happy Halloween

Moe bought me this costume last year, back when I wasn't feeling very good. I told her that I would wear it this year and I really have. I wore it to Fiona's party and then I wore it last night to our church party. I have to say, I kept getting a lot of looks from the under 6 girlie set.

I wonder why?

Crunch Time

We got some sad news this past month. Our normally great health insurance benefits are changing. I really feel that TD's company is using the idea that, while they don't think the national health care plan is going to pass, they can use it to scare us into being happy with whatever they shove at us. This is especially scary for our family because between Fiona and myself, any year could be fairly catastrophic in the money department for health issues. Instead of a straight forward HMO, we now have deductibles, percentages paid, higher co-pays, etc. I have never wanted to have the percentages thing because I worry that it will come down to suffering versus shelling out the major cash to fix something. That's really for me or TD, we would never do something like that with the girls.
So, I am going through our current bills and filtering out things we don't really need, just in case. I am not expecting anything to happen, but our health care is going up (with less coverage, nice, huh?) and Buttercup is starting a long teeth straightening process (don't let your kids suck their thumbs!). One place we can cut is our home phone. We hardly ever use it, plus I have an extra cell line and over 3,000 rollover minutes. This way, TD, the girls and I all have a phone we can use. But I am on the fence. Also, we could switch from Comcast to satellite and save.
Do you have ideas or comments on this? Any concerns or things that have happened to you? I just want to make things easier on our family and not lose our current standard of living in case something else happens.

YMCA Results

I know some of you are thinking, dear gracious, if she waxes on any more about the Y, I might have to learn her true identity, hunt her down and beat her over the head with some sort of workout equipment. (You won't have to bring anything, I do have dumbbells at my house, LOL!)
I decided earlier this year that I was going to do more classes, instead of working out on the cardio machines all of the time. This turned out to be a good idea because the teacher pushes me more than I would ever push myself.
I have been doing 2 Zumba classes a week, which is really fun, especially when it's Friday mornings and not the Wednesday classes with the boys. I also do a couple of step classes, which also really work my legs. I would NEVER do some of the stuff that they make us do in step class, squats, lunges, intervals, ugh! But I like doing it when someone else makes me do it.
And now, I have confirmed results. I bought a pair of jeans, online, at Eddie Bauer, in my usual size, but not the usual cut, right before we went to Portland in February. When I got them, I couldn't wear them comfortably without some sort of shapewear underneath. Which still wouldn't be considered comfortable. I was so bummed because they were expensive (for me). Last night, I grabbed some jeans to put on so the family could make a Target run. It turned out that I grabbed those jeans and slid them right on, with some room to spare. I haven't really changed my eating habits, especially for the better, so I can only credit the Y classes. Let's just hope I can continue wearing those jeans through the holiday season!

Making A Mark

While downloading the photos from my camera from Fiona's party, I came across photos from a reception that we attended at Texas Childrens. During the year, the Periwinkle Foundation, located here in Texas, collects artwork from children at the hospital and selects some art as worthy of recognition. Then they have one of their receptions and make some of the art available for purchase as a way to raise money and recognize the children. Then they send part of the collection, around the nation, for exhibition in different places, Childrens' Museums, airports, schools, etc. This year, one of Fiona's art pieces was selected and we got an invitation to the reception. We always try to go to things like this to support those people that raise money for our sick kids.

So, Fiona got a special tag to wear and we started cruising the area. I have to got to say, Texas Childrens' knows how to do things right. They had all sorts of goodies to eat, several different face painting stations and many crafts for the kids to do. Buttercup loves to come along with her sister and do this stuff. I also love how they get people to volunteer, in this case, there were tons of teenagers running the crafts booths. It really makes me happy to see these kids out helping less fortunate kids. There were even teenage boys who wanted us to judge their versions of the crafts that were set up in their booths. The girls had a great time. I love to bring Fiona along to these things so that people don't always hear about the kids that die. It would be disheartening to support a cause and only come into contact with the horribly sick and dying kids. They need to know, and see, that with their support, the kids get better and live great lives! Just like my sweet little Fiona.

Revelations

So I was at the Y, on the stairmill and reading my O magazine. I'm not the biggest fan of Oprah, but the magazine is interesting and it was a cheap subscription. I was reading an article termed, "How to become the person you were meant to be". There was the main article which was lined by personal excerpts in which people announced when they realized that they wanted to do.
I read one that made me see red.

" The revelation came with the washing machine. My mother was a supertalented woman who could do anything- paint, build, cook, make costumes. One day when I was about 11, my father gave her a washing machine, and she was so thrilled. I thought What? Here's this woman with all of this incredible talent, and she's excited because she was given a washing machine? That's when I said, " I want a career".
Take this in before I type what I thought when I read this.
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Seriously? What an ungrateful kid and now woman. This admittedly talented woman chose, CHOSE! to stay home and raise you and share her talents to make your childhood the best it could be. Then, your dad gives your mom something that would make her life so much easier and give her more time to spend helping you and you think she should've done something else with her life. If this had been my daughter writing this, especially when she's old enough to know how to spare my feelings, I would be crushed! To know that my entire life's work, all of the love I put into helping my daughters have the best childhood merely made my child think someone needed to get a life.
I do have to say that my indignation helped me go faster on the machine. Of course, the person next to me might not have appreciated all of the grumbling under my breath.

Volunteering

Way back when Buttercup was in 1st grade, I signed up to be a volunteer in her class. The teacher assigned me to come in every Thursday and read with Buttercup's reading group for an hour and a half. For me, listening to little kids read, including my own, is akin to nails on a chalkboard. Ugh, I am not sure what it is, but at the end of each session, I would want to put sharpened pencils into each ear. It was also rough because TD had to come home at a particular time for lunch so he could watch Fiona while I was gone.
It was the next year that Fiona was diagnosed and I had absolutely no time for anything else. Of course, it wouldn't have helped that Fiona didn't want to be watched, most of the time, by anyone but me. For the two years of her treatment, I wasn't willing to be locked into a specific time or activity because I never knew what could be happening on a specific day.
I told TD that I would be taking the 2008-2009 school year off from everything around the day of Fiona's diagnosis. I knew, from looking at the treatment schedule, that I would be exhausted, and rightly so.
This year came around and since we were in a different school district from the last time I volunteered, I started paying attention to what was available. I figured that I would have a much more enjoyable experience if I picked what I like to do and worked that into my time with the girls. That really has made it much more fun for me.
For Fiona's class, I signed up to read to them, NOT the other way around. I even told the teacher that I would read what she picked out to make it even less stressful. I absolutely love it. She has a really well behaved class and it makes me think, even more, about becoming a librarian somewhere.
At Buttercup's school, I signed up for the library (shocker!). I volunteer during the time that Buttercup's class is in there. I shelve books and also make recommendations for the kids picking out their reading books. I love that I get to see what books they are reading and check out ones that I think Buttercup would like.
No longer to I dread the days I volunteer. I really look forward to being in the girls' schools with them, interacting with their peers and getting my hands on books. I am glad I have these opportunities to combine what I love with hanging out with my girls.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I used to say that Winter was my favorite season. That is until I realized that the holiday season is basically all of Fall. Christmas falls only four short (or long if you are a kid) days after the beginning of Winter. Plus, when Christmas is finally over, I am pretty ready to move on.
I used to say Winter, until I moved to Eugene and Portland where Winter is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. The first winter we moved to Eugene, they had their highest rainfall on record. It normally rains about 36 inches there. That year, it rained 79! There was a park we took my little sisters to to feed ducks. I didn't realize that an entire part of the park, benches included, was submerged. In Portland, it can be 33 degrees and not snow, not even tease. It's just really, really cold water and my toes and fingers were basically numb from October to April.
But here in Houston? The beginning of Fall here is the start of amazing weather. I thought that Christmas would be harder to adjust to, without even the possibility of snow. However, an insignificant amount of snow would paralyze the Portland area, keeping the kids home and making it impossible to go anywhere, thus making everyone crazy. Then it would get dirty or melt quickly.
Today it was the mid-70s. I wore a light sweatshirt to the Y this morning and I had the sunroof open, soaking in the wonderful sunshine. The girls are going to be able to wear their Halloween costumes without a parka that would cover them up. This is the time I always enjoy the weather here and I am looking forward to many sunny days ahead.

I Still Love My Y, But....

So, our Y is getting renovated. I am okay with this. I mean, we were supposed to have the biggest Y in the state, which in Texas should be saying something. But apparently, it was time to upgrade. So, starting back in August, they started moving things around. I can be patient, especially when they promise bigger, fancier, and more parking.
But I have one problem. There is a big gym that can be split into 3 semi separate areas, a big canvas type curtain rolls down from the ceiling leaving about 10 feet on either side. The first area is taken up with the new temporary childwatch. Okay, great. On Fridays, our Zumba class takes up the other two areas, which is good because it's a pretty full house and we like to move around.
However, on Wednesdays we have to share with the guys, meaning they play basketball in the middle area and we get the end where the sound system is. We keep to our area, but the guys aren't as committed as we are. This is bad for me because I am always in the back right corner, right next to the door and next to the canvas curtain. Right where the guys like to hang out and watch us. And sometimes pretend to attempt the moves while really just mocking us.
I have never been self conscious, before, about doing the Zumba moves. Now I am intensely aware that I am shaking my booty in front of a bunch of men. Ugh! It just makes me feel diiirrrttyy. I wish the guys were a bit more mature, huh?
Ah well, around the first of the year, we will be in a bigger better facility and hopefully nowhere near the guys.
On a better note, all of the exercise has been better for my nausea and general malaise, yay!

Highs and Lows

So, Monday I felt awful, a night of stomach churning nausea will do that to you. So that night I took two Benadryls to make sure I slept solidly. I did and I when I woke up, I felt mostly okay. I was pretty excited about that. But... I didn't want to take those every night. Tuesday night I didn't take them and Wednesday was not good. Did you know that sometimes wet Cocoa puffs might make you dry heave over the sink? The girls have been instructed to rinse their own cereal bowls now.
After spending the day seasick, I took another couple of Benadryls that night. This time it didn't work, I was so sad. Now I wasn't just nauseous, I was limb numbingly tired. I was supposed to be decorating for Halloween on Thursday. Now, you already know my opinion of Halloween, so the exhaustion wasn't making me any more excited. I made sure to get the doughnuts and apple juice. I left the clings for the girls and they were excited to decorate themselves. Being a master spin doctor, the girls don't know how lazy I was, they were glad I saved some for them to do.
Today was okay. You know what really helps? Working out at the Y. For a while I am distracted long enough and then the endorphins start flowing. Unfortunately when I am done, I am back to feeling sick.
Fiona felt so sorry for me that she agreed to make a grocery run before school so that I didn't have to attempt the overwhelming amount of food and smells alone. She did a good job of distracting me. She is such a happy cheerful little person that it's a joy just to be around her.
The doctor said that it takes 3 months for my body to get used to it. One week down, 11 to go.