(no subject)
Happy New Year!
Been a busy month. I keep meaning to update, but it's been crazy. December always is.
Toby took a long time recovering from tonsil surgery. I think part of it was we waited too long. I guess the older you are, the more your tonsils are embedded in muscle. The weekend after, he was having truly intense pain. We called the ENT and took him to the emergency room, where they gave him and IV with fluids and steroids. That was what he needed, and he turned a massive corner almost immediately. It was amazing, actually, the sudden reversal. I think he needed to be on the steroids they initially gave him longer. He's now snoring a lot less. Time will tell on throat infections.
Then, of course, there were birthdays. If you plan on having children and have not done so yet, do not have two in December. Seriously. I know I say this every year, but that should be an indication that I mean it. Anyway, Toby turned 10 and Trevor turned 8. (And if that makes you feel old now, wait until a little further on in this post!) Toby wanted a slumber party. This is the first time he's wanted one, and the first time I've been willing to do it. He invited six boys, most of whom I know. One couldn't make it because his aunt and uncle had plans with him, and one was supposed to come but got the stomach bug, so it was just four. That was enough :) They are all very nice boys, but put them together and they get rowdy. They had a good time, though, although it was very clear that two of them don't always get along. I delighted them by calling one (who was a HUGE Captain America fan) Steve Rogers and the other Tony Stark, and it fit. The one is more of a stickler for rules and what's right, and the other is definitely a showman. They ran around, they played Ticket to Ride, and they took an HOUR to decide on a movie. Finally, they told me to choose a movie they had not yet discussed (after discussing almost EVERY movie in our collection) and they'd all accept it without arguing. Fortunately, A Knight's Tale had been downstairs by the exercise area, so I went and got that and they all seemed to enjoy it.
Naturally, since Toby had a slumber party, Trevor wanted one too. No go, kiddo. For one, I'm willing to do it with 9/10 year olds, but not 7/8. But also, Trevor's best friend in the world is named Kaleigh. I'm not into the slumber party with girls idea, and I do think his best friend should be able to come to his party. I wanted to take him and a few friends to one of those painting places, but he didn't like that idea. So he asked what Toby did for his eighth birthday, and we resurrected the treasure hunt. I'd learned a lot from doing Toby's, and kept this one a bit smaller and the clues... not easier, but less writing. Howard had to take Toby to Klondike Derby practice for Scouts so technically I was on my own, but I hired my den chief to help me corral kids, and one of the dads stayed as well. Trevor had a very mixed group in terms of gender- he gets along really well with a lot of girls- and again, seems to have a lot of very, very nice friends. Honestly, it makes me feel a lot of confidence for the future when I meet my kids' friends- there really are a lot of great kids out there. The kids all had a really good time, and I hope they enjoyed their treasure- I found a bunch of books on Amazon for under $5 each, and wrapped them up in gold wrapping paper and stuck on jewels.
The one issue we had with parties was that Toby had 5 kids (the one who got sick gave him his present anyway), and Trevor had 12. Which means Trevor got more presents than Toby. Toby was definitely seeing green when he realized that :P So much fun. He got over it though, as he should. And Trevor got a LOT of gift cards, all of which he wants to spend on Pokemon cards. :P
The other thing we did before Christmas was visit the eye doctor. It was a nightmare. I had no problems with the doctor- she was friendly, very good with kids, and seemed very professional. We knew Toby needed glasses- he'd gotten the paper from the school and he's been complaining about not being able to see the board. Trevor's vision seems okay, but I really wanted it checked out well. Trevor gets occasional migraines. They don't happen very often (maybe one every 2 months) or stay very long (~2 hours), so I haven't asked the doctor about them yet. But I know that the first thing he will ask is have we had Trevor's vision checked. So I wanted a good exam for him, too. The exam was going well, although Trevor was freaking out about the eye pressure test. Toby did his chart reading stuff first, and then the doctor mentioned eyedrops. And the room exploded.
BOTH of the boys completely freaked out. They've never had eye drops, because they've never had pinkeye. I totally forgot that they ever do that, so I'd never mentioned it. (I don't get myself to the eye doctor that often.) But they both went into full meltdown mode. And I'm sorry, but it was EMBARRASSING. They're 10 and 8. Toby was fine after 5 minutes (partly because the drops got done), but Trevor had a 15 minute tantrum. I took him into another room to calm down, and the doctor had to come in and tell me that she could not finish the exam, as there were other patients after us. Which I do not blame her for AT ALL. We did finally get to the point where Trevor got the eyedrops done- I was NOT letting him walk out without doing them. He was not going to win that. But we have to go back for the exam.
I really don't know what to do about my kids freaking out about the tiniest bit of discomfort. Trevor especially. He also did this when we went for flu shots. He cried for 15 minutes and gave himself a bloody nose because he was scared of the flu shot. I've explained why we need these things, but logic does not seem to be getting through to him. I did have to punish him for this- he lost use of his Kindle, and he will have to do chores to cover the cost of the co-pay. (I don't know that we have to pay one, but it's the principle.) Toby had a similar but lesser punishment, since he freaked out as well, but not for as long. But I don't know what to do to get them through this. I hope this will pass, but it's really not good. (Toby utterly freaked out about the IV as well, and I've tried to drive home since how much of a huge difference it made.) I worry our kids are just too coddled, and I'm trying to work on that as well, but I don't know that it will help at the doctor's office.
So Toby did need glasses, and he picked them out. And just because it makes me feel old, and I like to inflict it on others....
Doesn't he look so much older???????? Howard wasn't thrilled about the glasses, given that he had a similar pair in the 70s and got made fun of. But the retro look is very in, and the shape of these are more modern. I let him pick them out entirely himself, but I think they look very handsome.
We went up to my sister's for Christmas, which was a blast. For one, I was ready just to have some time off. But I love seeing my sister, her husband, and their daughters. My mom also came up, and there were several of my sister's relatives. We left on Christmas Eve with a car loaded with gifts. The drive wasn't too bad, especially once we got past a big mall in New Jersey. We always stay at a hotel when we stay with my sister- her house doesn't have a lot of space, and there's a Residence Inn 3 miles from her place. Howard always stays at the Residence on business, so we usually have enough points to stay for free. We checked into our hotel and then went over to her place, which was a very happy chaos. In addition to our family, her husband's family (which is huge and largely local) kept stopping in. There were a TON of them, and most were adults. The kids all had a blast playing together. But the star of Christmas Eve was the baby- my brother in law's sister and her wife (who aren't local) were there with their nine-month-old baby boy. And he was SO CUTE. Such cheeks! Such giggles! He was absolutely adorable, and a very good-tempered baby. I don't think I heard him cry the entire time. Of course, because there were so many relatives and he was the star, he was getting constant attention. But still. I got to hold him, play with him, and hand him back to let someone else deal with the night :) It was great. It was also nice to see my BIL's sister again and get to know her wife a bit better- the last time I saw them was... either 4 years ago or 7 years ago. I don't remember which. My sister put out a ton of very, very tasty food, and we were STUFFED.
Christmas Day was INSANE. The number of presents under the tree was overwhelming. It was crazy. A lot of it had to do with the number of people there- there were 11 people at Christmas morning. My nieces also have a very extended family that has three children total, so they get a big Christmas. They essentially have four grandmothers- my mom, my BIL's mom, my BIL's step-mother, and the aunt that largely raised my BIL. So they have a big Christmas. The boys were happy with their gifts, though. They got a Disney Infinity along with the general books, clothes, and a few toys, mostly STEM based. Toby got a couple of those VEX robotics kits and Trevor got a lot of drawing stuff. They each got a board game, and of course, Pokemon cards.
I had a good Christmas myself. My main gift was a Garmin, which has been on my list for a couple of years. It wasn't a big priority for me, but this year my watch broke and I've been running without, so it was a good thing for me. It's not a super fancy one, which is good. I really just want to track my pace and some idea of my mileage. I also got the Firefly Yatzee set, a set of Firefly fridge poetry magnets (I might have to get the BSG ones for work), some shirts, a gift card to Penney's which I spent on a new winter coat, and a few cookbooks. But I really just enjoyed being with my family :) Howard's big present this year was a solar charger, which he seemed to like, along with some books, CDs, and a lightweight sleeping bag.
The day after Christmas we took the kids all over to the hotel and went swimming, which was a big hit. We went bowling after. Three of the four had a great time, but Trevor had a massive meltdown. I think part of it was that he was just exhausted, but it was still... not acceptable. My mom yelled at him and I didn't stop her, because I was hoping that someone besides me and Howard letting him know this wasn't good would get through to him. He was too far gone at the time for it to make a difference, but we'll see later. Anyway, he did recover, and we watched Minions later that night. Still not my favorite, but I still love the Nelson crime family so much. They are the best part of the movie by far.
A few pictures from Christmas:
Like I said, someone was tired. :)
Toby reading.
This has to be one of my favorites. Trevor and Ciara have such a nice relationship- I hope it continues developing.
Since we've been back, I've had to work. And my FIL was in the hospital again, although it wasn't too major. But we had New Year's Eve off, so we FINALLY saw Star Wars!
Trevor wasn't too into it, but the rest of us really enjoyed it. What struck me about this episode was that it was FUN. Star Wars finally remembered its humor is best when it comes from wisecrackers, not comic relief characters. The movie was funny, and light, and people were happy to see each other! For some reason that felt like a relief- maybe I've been watching too much dystopia where no one trusts anyone.
I loved the main three characters- Finn and Rey especially. (Poe wasn't on enough.) Finn and Rey are adorable, and while I think Finn could have gone in a more serious direction, I really just enjoyed him. And Rey was darling. I have a hard time believing she's not a Solo- she looks more like Leia than Ben did like either of his parents, that's for sure. And her relationship with Han was so sweet. But I assume she's a Skywalker, and would love it if she was a Kenobi. Any Kylo Ren was kind of hysterical- OMG, the EMO. But the movie seemed to recognize that and have fun with it, rather than treating it like serious business like the prequels. Han's death was kind of devastating (right in my childhood, OUCH), but at least it made me take Mr. Emo-child-Snape seriously as a villain, even if he's still a whiny goth child.
I did totally get chills when Leia came on the screen, and I'm hoping Han's death means that there will be more dramatic weight between Leia and Ben/Kylo. I definitely want to see more of Leia. And while on the one hand I don't want to discuss her appearance, on the other, I thought she looked great. She looked her age, yes, but she IS her age. And honestly? I never thought Princess Leia was that pretty anyway. I mean, I did when I was younger because that was the only reason you liked princesses, but that wasn't the real reason I loved her and I couldn't put words to it. I loved Princess Leia because she was AWESOME. Carrie Fisher was, at most, a moderately attractive woman (by conventional standards) that men have largely fetishized because of the slave bikini. And now she looks like a moderately attractive woman (by conventional standards) that's whatever age she is, but it's clear that Leia Organa still gets shit done. And she can still put Han in his place :)
Also, the Dark Side really needs to off the idea of Death Stars. Just saying.
One thing it DID make me decide is what I want to do with my Pinewood Derby car this year. Our Pack's theme is Heroes, and I knew I wanted to do something with a woman. I was waffling between my grandmother and Princess Leia. I think I'm going the Leia route. I might have it cut in an hourglass shape, paint it mostly white with a silver belt, and then paint the top brown and put two buns on either side. Haven't decided for sure how to do it yet, but Princess Leia it is. She was my hero when I was a kid, and the kids will get a kick out of it.
The rest of New Year's Eve went well. We were supposed to go to a party, but unfortunately it got cancelled due to the hostess's father taking a very bad spill. He'll be okay, but it was nasty. So we stayed home and introduced the kids to fondue.
One of my cookbooks was from The Melting Pot, so we had Garlic and Herb Cheddar fondue (very tasty), then meat, and then the yin yang (sort of) with chocolate chip blondies and strawberries to dip. It was a good way to see out the year.
Now it's the new year. No real resolutions, but I do need to plan out my running calender and all that. I should probably also get myself in gear- a lot I want to get done today. Happy New Year, and hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
Been a busy month. I keep meaning to update, but it's been crazy. December always is.
Toby took a long time recovering from tonsil surgery. I think part of it was we waited too long. I guess the older you are, the more your tonsils are embedded in muscle. The weekend after, he was having truly intense pain. We called the ENT and took him to the emergency room, where they gave him and IV with fluids and steroids. That was what he needed, and he turned a massive corner almost immediately. It was amazing, actually, the sudden reversal. I think he needed to be on the steroids they initially gave him longer. He's now snoring a lot less. Time will tell on throat infections.
Then, of course, there were birthdays. If you plan on having children and have not done so yet, do not have two in December. Seriously. I know I say this every year, but that should be an indication that I mean it. Anyway, Toby turned 10 and Trevor turned 8. (And if that makes you feel old now, wait until a little further on in this post!) Toby wanted a slumber party. This is the first time he's wanted one, and the first time I've been willing to do it. He invited six boys, most of whom I know. One couldn't make it because his aunt and uncle had plans with him, and one was supposed to come but got the stomach bug, so it was just four. That was enough :) They are all very nice boys, but put them together and they get rowdy. They had a good time, though, although it was very clear that two of them don't always get along. I delighted them by calling one (who was a HUGE Captain America fan) Steve Rogers and the other Tony Stark, and it fit. The one is more of a stickler for rules and what's right, and the other is definitely a showman. They ran around, they played Ticket to Ride, and they took an HOUR to decide on a movie. Finally, they told me to choose a movie they had not yet discussed (after discussing almost EVERY movie in our collection) and they'd all accept it without arguing. Fortunately, A Knight's Tale had been downstairs by the exercise area, so I went and got that and they all seemed to enjoy it.
Naturally, since Toby had a slumber party, Trevor wanted one too. No go, kiddo. For one, I'm willing to do it with 9/10 year olds, but not 7/8. But also, Trevor's best friend in the world is named Kaleigh. I'm not into the slumber party with girls idea, and I do think his best friend should be able to come to his party. I wanted to take him and a few friends to one of those painting places, but he didn't like that idea. So he asked what Toby did for his eighth birthday, and we resurrected the treasure hunt. I'd learned a lot from doing Toby's, and kept this one a bit smaller and the clues... not easier, but less writing. Howard had to take Toby to Klondike Derby practice for Scouts so technically I was on my own, but I hired my den chief to help me corral kids, and one of the dads stayed as well. Trevor had a very mixed group in terms of gender- he gets along really well with a lot of girls- and again, seems to have a lot of very, very nice friends. Honestly, it makes me feel a lot of confidence for the future when I meet my kids' friends- there really are a lot of great kids out there. The kids all had a really good time, and I hope they enjoyed their treasure- I found a bunch of books on Amazon for under $5 each, and wrapped them up in gold wrapping paper and stuck on jewels.
The one issue we had with parties was that Toby had 5 kids (the one who got sick gave him his present anyway), and Trevor had 12. Which means Trevor got more presents than Toby. Toby was definitely seeing green when he realized that :P So much fun. He got over it though, as he should. And Trevor got a LOT of gift cards, all of which he wants to spend on Pokemon cards. :P
The other thing we did before Christmas was visit the eye doctor. It was a nightmare. I had no problems with the doctor- she was friendly, very good with kids, and seemed very professional. We knew Toby needed glasses- he'd gotten the paper from the school and he's been complaining about not being able to see the board. Trevor's vision seems okay, but I really wanted it checked out well. Trevor gets occasional migraines. They don't happen very often (maybe one every 2 months) or stay very long (~2 hours), so I haven't asked the doctor about them yet. But I know that the first thing he will ask is have we had Trevor's vision checked. So I wanted a good exam for him, too. The exam was going well, although Trevor was freaking out about the eye pressure test. Toby did his chart reading stuff first, and then the doctor mentioned eyedrops. And the room exploded.
BOTH of the boys completely freaked out. They've never had eye drops, because they've never had pinkeye. I totally forgot that they ever do that, so I'd never mentioned it. (I don't get myself to the eye doctor that often.) But they both went into full meltdown mode. And I'm sorry, but it was EMBARRASSING. They're 10 and 8. Toby was fine after 5 minutes (partly because the drops got done), but Trevor had a 15 minute tantrum. I took him into another room to calm down, and the doctor had to come in and tell me that she could not finish the exam, as there were other patients after us. Which I do not blame her for AT ALL. We did finally get to the point where Trevor got the eyedrops done- I was NOT letting him walk out without doing them. He was not going to win that. But we have to go back for the exam.
I really don't know what to do about my kids freaking out about the tiniest bit of discomfort. Trevor especially. He also did this when we went for flu shots. He cried for 15 minutes and gave himself a bloody nose because he was scared of the flu shot. I've explained why we need these things, but logic does not seem to be getting through to him. I did have to punish him for this- he lost use of his Kindle, and he will have to do chores to cover the cost of the co-pay. (I don't know that we have to pay one, but it's the principle.) Toby had a similar but lesser punishment, since he freaked out as well, but not for as long. But I don't know what to do to get them through this. I hope this will pass, but it's really not good. (Toby utterly freaked out about the IV as well, and I've tried to drive home since how much of a huge difference it made.) I worry our kids are just too coddled, and I'm trying to work on that as well, but I don't know that it will help at the doctor's office.
So Toby did need glasses, and he picked them out. And just because it makes me feel old, and I like to inflict it on others....
Doesn't he look so much older???????? Howard wasn't thrilled about the glasses, given that he had a similar pair in the 70s and got made fun of. But the retro look is very in, and the shape of these are more modern. I let him pick them out entirely himself, but I think they look very handsome.
We went up to my sister's for Christmas, which was a blast. For one, I was ready just to have some time off. But I love seeing my sister, her husband, and their daughters. My mom also came up, and there were several of my sister's relatives. We left on Christmas Eve with a car loaded with gifts. The drive wasn't too bad, especially once we got past a big mall in New Jersey. We always stay at a hotel when we stay with my sister- her house doesn't have a lot of space, and there's a Residence Inn 3 miles from her place. Howard always stays at the Residence on business, so we usually have enough points to stay for free. We checked into our hotel and then went over to her place, which was a very happy chaos. In addition to our family, her husband's family (which is huge and largely local) kept stopping in. There were a TON of them, and most were adults. The kids all had a blast playing together. But the star of Christmas Eve was the baby- my brother in law's sister and her wife (who aren't local) were there with their nine-month-old baby boy. And he was SO CUTE. Such cheeks! Such giggles! He was absolutely adorable, and a very good-tempered baby. I don't think I heard him cry the entire time. Of course, because there were so many relatives and he was the star, he was getting constant attention. But still. I got to hold him, play with him, and hand him back to let someone else deal with the night :) It was great. It was also nice to see my BIL's sister again and get to know her wife a bit better- the last time I saw them was... either 4 years ago or 7 years ago. I don't remember which. My sister put out a ton of very, very tasty food, and we were STUFFED.
Christmas Day was INSANE. The number of presents under the tree was overwhelming. It was crazy. A lot of it had to do with the number of people there- there were 11 people at Christmas morning. My nieces also have a very extended family that has three children total, so they get a big Christmas. They essentially have four grandmothers- my mom, my BIL's mom, my BIL's step-mother, and the aunt that largely raised my BIL. So they have a big Christmas. The boys were happy with their gifts, though. They got a Disney Infinity along with the general books, clothes, and a few toys, mostly STEM based. Toby got a couple of those VEX robotics kits and Trevor got a lot of drawing stuff. They each got a board game, and of course, Pokemon cards.
I had a good Christmas myself. My main gift was a Garmin, which has been on my list for a couple of years. It wasn't a big priority for me, but this year my watch broke and I've been running without, so it was a good thing for me. It's not a super fancy one, which is good. I really just want to track my pace and some idea of my mileage. I also got the Firefly Yatzee set, a set of Firefly fridge poetry magnets (I might have to get the BSG ones for work), some shirts, a gift card to Penney's which I spent on a new winter coat, and a few cookbooks. But I really just enjoyed being with my family :) Howard's big present this year was a solar charger, which he seemed to like, along with some books, CDs, and a lightweight sleeping bag.
The day after Christmas we took the kids all over to the hotel and went swimming, which was a big hit. We went bowling after. Three of the four had a great time, but Trevor had a massive meltdown. I think part of it was that he was just exhausted, but it was still... not acceptable. My mom yelled at him and I didn't stop her, because I was hoping that someone besides me and Howard letting him know this wasn't good would get through to him. He was too far gone at the time for it to make a difference, but we'll see later. Anyway, he did recover, and we watched Minions later that night. Still not my favorite, but I still love the Nelson crime family so much. They are the best part of the movie by far.
A few pictures from Christmas:
Like I said, someone was tired. :)
Toby reading.
This has to be one of my favorites. Trevor and Ciara have such a nice relationship- I hope it continues developing.
Since we've been back, I've had to work. And my FIL was in the hospital again, although it wasn't too major. But we had New Year's Eve off, so we FINALLY saw Star Wars!
Trevor wasn't too into it, but the rest of us really enjoyed it. What struck me about this episode was that it was FUN. Star Wars finally remembered its humor is best when it comes from wisecrackers, not comic relief characters. The movie was funny, and light, and people were happy to see each other! For some reason that felt like a relief- maybe I've been watching too much dystopia where no one trusts anyone.
I loved the main three characters- Finn and Rey especially. (Poe wasn't on enough.) Finn and Rey are adorable, and while I think Finn could have gone in a more serious direction, I really just enjoyed him. And Rey was darling. I have a hard time believing she's not a Solo- she looks more like Leia than Ben did like either of his parents, that's for sure. And her relationship with Han was so sweet. But I assume she's a Skywalker, and would love it if she was a Kenobi. Any Kylo Ren was kind of hysterical- OMG, the EMO. But the movie seemed to recognize that and have fun with it, rather than treating it like serious business like the prequels. Han's death was kind of devastating (right in my childhood, OUCH), but at least it made me take Mr. Emo-child-Snape seriously as a villain, even if he's still a whiny goth child.
I did totally get chills when Leia came on the screen, and I'm hoping Han's death means that there will be more dramatic weight between Leia and Ben/Kylo. I definitely want to see more of Leia. And while on the one hand I don't want to discuss her appearance, on the other, I thought she looked great. She looked her age, yes, but she IS her age. And honestly? I never thought Princess Leia was that pretty anyway. I mean, I did when I was younger because that was the only reason you liked princesses, but that wasn't the real reason I loved her and I couldn't put words to it. I loved Princess Leia because she was AWESOME. Carrie Fisher was, at most, a moderately attractive woman (by conventional standards) that men have largely fetishized because of the slave bikini. And now she looks like a moderately attractive woman (by conventional standards) that's whatever age she is, but it's clear that Leia Organa still gets shit done. And she can still put Han in his place :)
Also, the Dark Side really needs to off the idea of Death Stars. Just saying.
One thing it DID make me decide is what I want to do with my Pinewood Derby car this year. Our Pack's theme is Heroes, and I knew I wanted to do something with a woman. I was waffling between my grandmother and Princess Leia. I think I'm going the Leia route. I might have it cut in an hourglass shape, paint it mostly white with a silver belt, and then paint the top brown and put two buns on either side. Haven't decided for sure how to do it yet, but Princess Leia it is. She was my hero when I was a kid, and the kids will get a kick out of it.
The rest of New Year's Eve went well. We were supposed to go to a party, but unfortunately it got cancelled due to the hostess's father taking a very bad spill. He'll be okay, but it was nasty. So we stayed home and introduced the kids to fondue.
One of my cookbooks was from The Melting Pot, so we had Garlic and Herb Cheddar fondue (very tasty), then meat, and then the yin yang (sort of) with chocolate chip blondies and strawberries to dip. It was a good way to see out the year.
Now it's the new year. No real resolutions, but I do need to plan out my running calender and all that. I should probably also get myself in gear- a lot I want to get done today. Happy New Year, and hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!