parenting woes & triumphs

today:

amelia said please in sign language more than once, without being prompted more than once.

adeline's school let parents know they will be starting an additional 5 minutes early, at 8:25, which is 15 minutes earlier than the original time. this earlier time also marks when otterbein college (i must drive through the campus to get to addy's school) seems to start a morning class b/c the pedestrian crosswalk is flooded with arrogant colleged age fools who just walk across the street without looking up to see if anyone, oh say *someone* in a white aztec, is driving madly--speeding at 30 mph--down the road to get to school on time. 

my mom was here to help me with the kids today! beautiful. amazing. luxurious.
 

my mom *accidentally* didn't pull into our garage far enough & the garage door scratched her bumper up pretty good. & it made a very loud noise but didn't damage our garage door. just her car! (sorry mom, it was too good to keep to myself).

for dinner, amelia ate two bowls of chili, a handful of fries, & then used her cornbread to make cornbread balls. 2 out of 3 really is a good thing.

adeline fished a year-old granola bar out from under the back seat in the car today. then she opened it & took a few bites...it had *PECANS* on it, a tree nut she is highly allergic to...an allergy that can close her esophagus! & give her terrible blisters. & worsen her eczema in a matter of minutes. &  make her vomit. yes, she ate it. 

my mom & i studied up on how to use an epi-pen in a few short minutes. thankfully, we didn't have to use it b/c i was quick to drown the poor girl in benedryl immediately after she ate the detested tree nut. so, now we know how to use an epi pen...i mean, i kind of sort of already knew. i guess it's pretty terrible for a mom of a tree-nut-allergy-kid to say 'i didn't really know how to use the epi-pen, a lifesaving device'. hhmm...

while trying our hardest to get adeline to brush her teeth, then spit out the tree-nut containing saliva, we inadvertently taught quick-study amelia how to spit. but not adeline.

adeline recovered from her tree nut ingestion enough to somehow push a stool over to the fridge, nab a permanent marker--all while we weren't paying attention--& then proceed to color the carpet, tv hutch, tv screen, & a mixture of plastic dishes. she also did a nice scribble drawing on a piece of paper, but that is soooo not the point. i know we have mentioned we have some old, scraggly carpet... but this was not in the plans. maybe she's an artist & just wanted her work to be seen in public?

my mom did nearly 4 loads of laundry for me today. & i think she vacuumed, but that fact may be trumped by the drawing on the carpet (which did *not* happen on her watch, btw).

amelia took a great nap & was so beautifully happy this evening. she was giggly, playful, & positively curious. once she gets beyond an illness (most recently a painful, blistery, & *large* diaper rash), amelia really is quite the adorable toddler. (i'm taking into consideration how all toddlers are prone to be in destroy mode. so factor that out & she's a gem compared to our picasso today).

i have 3 cold sores on my lip. ouch.

i have plans to hang out with some ladies tomorrow night!

i went out with some other ladies tuesday night! we watched an amazing, gripping, heart & gut wrenching & intense movie (the brothers). i just cried & cried, then sobbed on the drive home. BUT, i think it was good for me to see, so good pick carol & erin. 

as i type, wes is trying with all his strength, mind, & probably also using some jedi-the-force-mind-control to get the marker out of the carpet. poor guy, he's trying so hard & i just keep telling him: lost cause, don't waste your time (a lesson learned the hard way from me trying to scrub permanent marker off the table, clothes, etc...not worth the effort. it is permanent.)

yesterday i finally figured out how to make a 6 point paper-cut-out snowflake. (also today i really like to use the hyphen -- --).

i finally made it to the post office today w/ all 4 boxes of stuff to send. i remembered to bring addresses!

i was in the post office for an entire hour. they didn't have a box to fit the odd shape of a few things i was sending to a friend. i realized i didn't have gift bags or plastic bags to cover some clothes i was sending. the dude at the coutner watched me try to fit these odd-shaped things into all their assorted boxes, didn't offer to help. when i finally freakin get to the counter, he blandly asks me '& how is your day going?' hardy har har. so now i have to find a box somewhere & go back to the stupid post office.

adeline knows how to use the dvr box to play recorded dora & diego shows. the kid is 3 years old! i didn't even have a clue that you could control the dvr from the box next to the tv.

amelia learned how to turn the upstairs tv on & off. & how to change the channel from the tv...which also taught her how to really piss off her tv-watching sister, much to amelia's delight.

i finally got around to get some together for dinner at 5:20. chili. cornbread. ortega frozen fries. browned the beef, onion chunks in, then canned diced tomatoes, chili beans (all gf)...go to put spices in. chili seasoning packets are gone b/c they have gluten. look for chili powder & remember it was shattered on the floor when a child got ahold of it a few months back. wes runs to the grocery store (i had just gone today!). & here i thought we would have a dinner that took less than 90 minutes to make, finally. not so. (the i discovered the permanent marker situation while wes & amelia were at the store.)

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& what will tomorrow bring?