Stitches...**Warning:Contains kinda graphic wound pics**

       So we had a little drama around here the other night. I had this brilliant idea that Madison could take the dog in the shower with her so that they could both get clean together. While in there The Princess was kneeling down, rinsing the soap off the dog and she slipped and fell backwards. Her elbow came crashing down onto the drain. We laughed about it at first (her and I) not knowing there were any injuries sustained...then the pain (and blood and tears) hit. I took a look and my first thought was stitches. It wasn't very big, but it was kinda deep and wide open. I helped her get out and dry off then settled her on the bed and called The Hubster who was on his way home. He was close so I decided to wait. He took a look and we both hoped that some butterfly bandages might remedy the situation. He ran to the store, I dished out sympathy and an ice pack. Upon his return we set up shop in the kitchen and then took another look. Conclusion: The cut looked worse than at first and was right on the elbow. Yep. Right where it would stretch and twist every time Miss Madison so much as bent her arm. I looked at Matt, he looked at me and I broke the news to The Princess who promptly dissolved into a puddle of tears. You see, her last experience with stitches was not pleasant, albeit 6 yrs. ago, and the memories were coming back with a vengeance! That time she got 16 stitches inside and 12 outside and had to be put under conscious sedation up at Primary Children's. It was horrible!

Luckily this time the cut was much smaller....Anyway, by this time it was about 9:45pm and the InstaCare closes at 10:00 so I loaded my sobbing princess into the car and we made the trip in record time. When we got there they put some gel on the wound that was supposed to numb it while we waited (didn't work) and she worried herself almost to hyperventilation. I tried everything to calm her down, including downloading new games on my fancy new iPhone (more about that later), but she was so anxious there was no reasoning with her. By the time they called us back she was complaining that her stomach hurt and she felt light headed. The nurse that came in to see if she was numb was a bit strict with her trying to get her to calm down, which she didn't like, but it worked....for a minute. Upon realizing she was not numb, Nurse Grouchy left to get the Doc. (Dr. Valentine) who we've seen before and really liked. She came in and broke the news to The Princess that they would have to numb her with a few injections to the wound itself (OUCH!). Drama, drama, drama. However, after some sudden loud cries the injection was done and it was smooth sailing from there! The stitches themselves were a piece of cake! While the Dr. stitched we all tried to make up dramatic stories that Madison could tell her school friends about what happened. After her elbow was sufficiently sewn (four stitches in all) we thanked the good doctor and walked out into the night, with The Princess in a much more chipper mood. We breezed through the McDonald's drive-thru, having earned a couple of hot fudge sundaes with nuts (me for sanity maintained, her for no fainting spells and bravery in the end) then headed home to bed, both completely exhausted!
                                                      

Honestly, I just have to say that though I did maintain calm through the whole "ordeal" it really was hard to watch my poor girl go through all of that! I can't imagine how much those injections must have hurt and I am so proud of her for bouncing back so fast once the numbness descended. What a trooper!

Much less muchy...

I saw the new "Alice and Wonderland" last week. Have you seen it? There's a part where the Mad Hatter tells Alice that she is the right Alice, she's just not as much 'Alice' as she used to be. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asks. "Just that you are much less muchy than you used to be," he answers. In that moment, in that theater, that resonated with me. I frequently feel like I am much less muchy than the "real" Misty (although The Hubster might tell you I'm a bit too much sometimes!:). I feel like there are so many things I used to be and so many things I want to be and the person I am now is just not enough. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I don't really recognize the person I see and I wonder how I became this person. I used to feel pretty and smart and fun. I used to have energy and enthusiasm. I used to be more creative and more motivated to accomplish things. Sometimes I feel like a lost cause. I want to change so many things about me and the way I do things and I get so overwhelmed and discouraged and I do nothing. I get so frustrated that things don't get done around here but I can't find the energy or uninterrupted time to get anything done. I know as mothers we all feel discouraged at times doing the same chores and saying the same things over and over but I've reached a whole new level of discouragement lately. I don't want to do any of it--ever again! How do you overcome that discouragement and be productive?  Some days I feel like if I have to do one more load of laundry, or one more batch of dishes, or read the same lift-the-flap book for the 10th time again, I am going to have a nervous breakdown!


I don't know if you noticed but The Pirate and The Pea are about 6 years apart. No The Pea was not an accident, and I've actually quite enjoyed the gap. The other two are such huge helpers with Em that it's made things so much easier this time around. The problem is I forgot how frustrating it is to get anything done or made or cleaned with a toddler around. For years I counted down the days until Thomas started school so that a) I didn't have to play Play-Doh anymore and b) I could get something done in a timely, efficient manner. I know I probably sound like a terrible mother but this is how I feel. It is so frustrating to clean up one mess while The Pea unloads a cupboard across the room ya know? There are so many projects I would like to get done but every time I try she "helps" and it's just more trouble than it's worth. I am a creative person by nature and I miss having the time/energy/freedom to do anything. So lately I find myself completely discouraged and unmotivated and I just don't get anything but the bare minimum done...it's sucking the life out of me! Every night I lay in bed and think of all the things I would like to change about me and how our household runs and how I spend my time with my kids and how I eat and how often I (don't) exercise and blah blah blah....and the next morning it's all the same. I used to have dreams too. I dreamed of owning my own photography, or wedding planning or gift basket business. I was a Home Stager for about a year. It was so fun! People listened to what I had to say and I used my talents in interior decorating and I got paid to shop! The people who bought one of the houses I had decorated liked it so much they actually paid for everything I had put in the house just so they could keep it the way it was! I know that motherhood and homemaking is so much more important than decorating homes but it sure felt good to know that what I had done was appreciated, admired, worth paying for, and stayed done for an extended period of time....and that I was actually doing something I loved.

I know I'm rambling and I probably sound whiny too. I don't mean to. I know how blessed I am to get to stay home each day to manage our home and raise my kids. I just frequently feel like I am in a position that I am extremely under-qualified for and am hopelessly screwing up! *dramatic sigh* Anyway, now that you have been thoroughly uplifted by todays post I will wrap things up with a promise to The Hubster that I will be here when he gets home tonight, and I will not beat the children in his absence, and I will not be curled up in a fetal position in the corner sucking my thumb and twitching when he gets here.


That's all I have to say about that!

For your viewing pleasure...

Madison and Thomas made
a little video to make you smile today!

(It's a little dark...sorry! Don't forget to pause the music on the left before clicking play on the video.)

P.S. Mason got his new heart!!!! In Sept. his family was told there was no hope, that a transplant would not be an option, and they would have a few months left with him. Go read about the miraculous journey that took him from that day....to Stanford....to a heart transplant on Easter. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

My first born turns 10 today. Where has the time gone? Since the sunny spring day she entered this world she has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. 

She has always been beautiful but more importantly she has taught me to be kinder, to be more patient, to love more, to see the world with more enthusiasm and more wonder. She is the kindest person I know. She is a sensitive sweetheart who always considers others' feelings. 

She is so much fun to be with and she is funny too! Her teachers tell me how much they love it when they are sarcastic or make a joke and none of the other kids in the class laugh, but Madison gets it. 

I have to admit, The Hubster and I have fairly sarcastic senses of humor and I love knowing that The Princess hasn't fallen far from the tree. 

I love you sweet girl. I hope you have a fabulous birthday today. You are so smart and funny and beautiful and talented and I couldn't be more proud of you! You are a wonderful sister and daughter. Thank you for being such a good girl, for always trying to do what's right and thank you for being one of my best friends. Happy Birthday!    


Love, Mom

Betty Crocker I ain't!

 
I hate HATE cooking. I really enjoy baking, maybe because there is a delectable sweet treat at the end (my rear end really enjoys it too!), but cooking....UGH! Frequently, what I make just doesn't turn out very good. I also don't have the patience for it so I tend to cook it too hot to speed it up and I burn it, or I burn it because I have a toddler hanging on my leg while I am cooking it and I get distracted. Sometimes, when the smoke alarm goes off while Matt is testing it or something, the kids will holler from somewhere else in the house, "Mom! Are you cooking something?" Yeah. Anyway, I would much rather go out every night and let some restaurant chef cook for me, then clean up for me too! I know I sound lazy, maybe I am, but cooking is one aspect of homemaking that I could definitely live without. I've tried to change it, to think of it differently. So here's where you all come in. What do you do when it comes to cooking each day? Do you have a system? A schedule? Do you have chaos and meltdowns while you're cooking(either from you or around you) or do you have a secret I don't know about? Now all you lurkers better comment because I really need some help here (at this point, about an hour before dinner rolls around, I'm hatin' life)....and we're spending way too much on restaurants (although in my defense Cafe Rio tastes WAY better than anything I cook!).

Your Sister in Homemaking,
                           

P.S. While we're on the subject of cookin'... check out my friend Ashlee's new cooking blog. It's way cute and she has some darn good recipes on there!