Ten on Tuesday

1. Tonight for supper: Eggplant Parmesan.  I didn't even get to sit down and eat it with the fam.  But it smells awesome.

2. After months of suffering from stomach aches triggered by certain foods & other digestive dilemmas that shall remain nameless, I've decided that maybe what my system needs is to reboot.  I'm starting a four week probiotic regimen.  So far I think it's working; I started last night.

3. We have great neighbors.  Yes, in Fairborn.  I love them.  Just sayin'.

4. The girls weren't even awake for two minutes this morning before they found something insignificant to fight about.  Please tell me it's just a phase.

5. I'm so used to nasty dog farts that even when I'm not home I still think I smell them at times Lizzie would ordinarily be stinking up the house.  This has gotten worse with age.  Hers, not mine.  And I don't care what they tell you, once a poop-eater, always a poop-eater.  The Nasty Habit pills flavored with cayenne pepper that are supposed to make them unappetizing only get her more fired up for her meal.

6. If I had to pick a favorite dessert it would definitely be my mom's ice box cake.  Mom, you're not planning a visit anytime soon, are you?!

7. Who doesn't like Tom Selleck?  I've never heard anyone say they weren't a fan.  He's a true class act, stand up, all-American guy.

8. I'm completely engrossed in Killing Lincoln.  Who knew the Civil War could be so engaging.

9. I love the people I work with.  I love the girls at the age they're at.  Of all the details I would tweak about my life if I could, the truth is I couldn't be happier.  What a gift!

10. I was given a rude awakening tonight the things recent college grads have been facing.... mounting debt, the inability to get enough loans to pay for school, no access to credit cards even when you have a degree and are using it to earn a living.  It's going to be a tough road for these babes of mine.  *sigh*

Germ Squirm

Thursday evening I spent three hours sitting on the floor of one of our rooms at school for a class our staff was taking on communicable disease.  Our instructor was a seasoned nurse who delivered the material in such an informative & enjoyable way that not only did we walk out of that class ready to conquer the world's germs, we were entertained beyond belief with side-splitting laugh after laugh.

I took a lot away from that class.  So much so that I thought it was worth compiling a list of fun facts & helpful tips....

• Whatever you breathe in goes into your blood stream.  Consequently, whatever the person next to you breathes in will also be in your lungs.
• For immunizations, visit the immunization clinic instead of your family practitioner.  Immunization clinics are required to follow federal guidelines.  They give out more immunizations and the cost is usually always lower.
• When traveling out of the country, visit a Travel Immunization Clinic.  They know exactly what to immunize you for depending on your travel destination.
• People with poor oral hygiene are 63% more likely to get pancreatic cancer. Floss, floss, floss!
• Doctors don't test for viral infections, only bacterial.  Bacterial infections are larger, easier to test and are treated with antibiotics.  Bacterial infections are localized to a specific area, whereas viral infections can be felt throughout the body.  A cold or the flu would be examples of viral infections.
• People can exchange infections easily with birds, pigs & cats.
• Many of a child's birth defects can be traced to illnesses the mother was exposed to early in her pregnancy.  This is why they tell pregnant women not to change a cat's litter box: we can exchange illnesses with cats and they can easily be passed onto the fetus.
• Check a preschooler's armpits for swollen lymph nodes.  Leukemia can be detected by doing so and is easier to treat if detected early.
• Normal axillary temperature {the temp you get when you take the temperature in the armpit} is 97.6°.
• Baby Tylenol is five times stronger than liquid Tylenol for older children.  This is because the baby's tongue naturally thrusts and they push the liquid out.  A helpful hint: the smaller the bottle, the smaller the dose.
• The reason allergies like those to peanuts are on the rise is because we're over medicating our children with over the counter drugs.  Their T-cells have histidines on high alert, making them over sensitive.
• Cincinnati is the bed bug capital of world.  Bed bugs are increasing in population because of our move to "Go Green"; we're using less harsh chemicals that would normally kill them.  It isn't a matter of if everyone will get bed bugs, but when.
• To check a hotel for bed bugs, look for a sweet, musty odor upon entering.  Once inside your room, rest your bags on hard surfaces and check the cord of the mattress for their little black bodies; they tend to hide out there since that's an area that doesn't get washed.
• Baking soda is a disinfectant.  It's an easy, cost-effective way to wash fruit: place fruit in cloudy mixture of baking soda & water then rinse with water.
• Vomiting + Headache + Fever = 911!  The three are a deadly combination that can lead to Meningitis.

A resource with a variety of website links can be found at RN Instruction Co.  If you are in southern Ohio and looking for an instructor for your school or company on any of the topics she provides, I HIGHLY recommend Shelia Claycraft, RN!  You can contact her through the above link provided.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Am I the only one who races the lady in the self check-out lane at the grocery store?  It's a success if I can get each item into my bag before she blares out that nagging reminder.

2. Why is it that when I pick up the pump at the gas station all of the prices clear before I can make my selection?  Hmmmmm.

3. This afternoon Abby told me she didn't care if she crushed my soul, she doesn't care if she gets kidnapped because she wants to get away from me, she is going to tell everyone at my school what I did to her so they get mad at me and I lose my job, and that she put the toilet paper roll on backwards just to make me mad.  On one hand I commend her wit.  On the other I wonder, when did her heart grow two sizes too small?

4. Three words: Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  She bugs me.  One, her hair is atrocious.  Two, and most importantly, she drinks more Kool-Aid than anyone I've ever met through the TV.  Three, I giggled when I saw her shivering in New Hampshire this morning.  What, your Florida blood can't handle the cold?!  Okay, that last one might be jealousy.  I'm still waiting for winter.

5. The girls' Barbie house is set up and oddly enough it looks more like the morning after a frat party than it does a child's play toy.  The only thing missing is a Barbie hunched over the toilet.  Yep, there's even a toilet in the Barbie Glam House.

6. I'm the latest fan of Pintrest.  I've been looking for a clever idea for magnet boards.  The wheels are turning!

7. I just signed up to follow a blog I can't read.  I truly have no idea what any of it is saying, I have no idea what it is even called, but the pictures are awesome.  And clever.  Wheels still turning.

8. Word on the local forecast is that snow is in the works for Thursday.  I hope so, because right now the only song I have in my head is the one I reworked the lyrics to, "Waiting for a Winter Wonderland".

9. Great.  Apparently there is another song waiting for that one to make its exit and replace my thoughts with its annoyance.... "Red Solo Cup".  Stupidest song on the radio, hands down.

10. I bought Solo cups today for a party I'm hosting next Thursday.  As I stood in the commissary weighing my options there was "Red Solo Cup" infiltrating my head.  Ughhh.  I went with the blue.

Seventh Heaven

Abby woke up Friday morning to find the house completely decorated in honor of her seventh birthday.  Needless-to-say, she was in heaven!  Banners, balloons, presents & party hats.  And of course a surprise visit from her favorite Elf on a Shelf, Jase.

She fielded an early morning phone call from her grandma, assembled around the little table for homemade waffles with strawberries, whipped cream AND sprinkles, then it was off to first grade for the very first time as a seven-year-old.

I came to school in the afternoon with ice cream cups in hand to celebrate with her class.

Abby wanted to go out for Chinese for supper, so up to Huber Heights we went to our favorite Chinese buffet, then came home for a birthday bath and finally opening presents and chatting with Grandma & Grandpa Phillips.  We capped off our night the way we conclude every birthday, snuggled together reading On the Day You Were Born.

Daddy planned a Saturday outing in honor of the birthday girl, so off to EnterTRAINment Junction it was for an afternoon at the world's largest indoor train display.  Not only was it an impressive collection of model trains throughout the history of railroads in America, but it is also home to amusement mazes and a kiddie play land.  The girls loved it.  And we all loved being together.

And after all of that, if you ask Abby the best thing about her birthday she'll tell you, "Being seven."

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Just Shoot Me

The older she gets, the more Abby's been upping the pressure to get her ears pierced.  After some thought and coaxing her father to go along with the idea, we finally decided she was old enough to handle the responsibility of taking care of pierced ears.  Today was the day Abby took another baby step toward being a big girl.

We laid out the rules: getting your ears pierced means you're a big girl; it means not only taking care of them, but knowing that you don't brag about things you have that others do not.  In other words, stop making your sister feel like garbage because you have one up on her.  She has no idea how much this works in my favor!  She also has no idea that after Lauren saw how painful it is, that was enough to turn her off to the idea of getting holes in her own ears any time soon.  Another plus in my column.

Abby hopped up in the chair at our favorite hometown beauty salon for a quick hair cut and the moment she'd been waiting for.  She knew three things: she would get to pick out the earring she wanted, it would hurt, and there would be a gun involved.  She had only question, "Will it be loud?"


It was truly hard to do anything but smile.  As soon as Sue pulled out the box that encased the gun, I knew it was the same one she'd used decades earlier to pierce my ears.  I also knew my little miss sensitive would be in pain, and for that I was partially grateful.  If she knows how much it hurts, I hope she knows well enough to keep the rest of her body free of piercings and tats.  I can tell you so far, it's worked.

{Just Shoot Me}

{Lauren Pushes Her Buttons}

{A Closer Look at Her Piercings}

{Big Girls Celebrate with Dairy Queen}

There were tears.  Lots of tears.  But all-in-all she was brave.  She only sees two types of people now: those who have their ears pieced and those who don't.  She's so grateful to finally be part of the club.  And as much as I hate seeing her grow up so fast, I'm glad she's part of our club, too.

Bar Superstar

Christmas in Ohio has found its own unconventional tradition in our family.  Typically we open gifts the Sunday before we leave for Minnesota; usually packages sent by our family in Washington, and other misc. gifts that may be too big to cart back & forth.

However, this year the girls got one of their gifts (and might I add, the very best one!) a little earlier than the norm.  We stumbled upon a great deal on a gymnastics bar, and because keeping them out of the basement is nearly impossible it became an early, early gift.

Geoff was amazed when he saw what Abby can do now on the bars.  I can only imagine what having her own at home now will do to beef up her skill level.

Our bar superstar....

Thank you, Grandma & Papa, for the gym mats.  They make for a softer landing and a tumbling dream!

Flashback Friday

Tonight we treated ourselves to supper at Pizza Hut.  We've never been to Pizza Hut as a family of four, but the girls wanted to cash in on their Book It! coupons and I was grateful for a culinary vacation.

Consuming nearly half of the dining area was a birthday celebration for one lucky girl's sweet sixteen.  Of course the girls wanted to attend.  As we sat in our booth watching the party unfold around us, it brought back giggles & belly laughs as we recalled another birthday party crash from days gone by....

It was about two years ago.  Geoff took the girls on one of their Daddy Days Out for an afternoon of play at The Magic Castle.  A popular birthday destination for young ones, it's common to get mixed up with party-goes on weekend trips to the MC.  On this particular trip, Abby was feeling especially celebratory and doing as Abby does, she quickly made friends.  Having lost track of his oldest daughter, Geoff scanned the giant play land only to find her smack in the middle of a birthday party photo op.  The crowd of picture-takers had no problem with the stand-out snuggling up with her arm around her new BFF and, in fact, insisted it was fine that she be in the picture.

I'm sorry I don't have a copy of that photograph, although the story itself is probably just as good without it.  And yet I wonder.... somewhere, in some Indian family's collection of pictures is a birthday party picture of their daughter and all of her friends.  And Abby, the token white kid.  I can just imagine the look on her face.  I'm sure she had no idea.