The next house we buy will NOT, I repeat, NOT have a single knee wall. While I love them for their decorating possibilities, they become, at least in our house, clutter magnets. We have one just as you come in the house from the garage. It invites keys, cell phones, lunchboxes, coats, or whatever you happen to have in your hands to be set upon it and remain.
We have two by the front door and the steps to the upstairs. The one closest to the front door stays mostly clear, but the one near the stairs is the perfect place to drop all the stuff you need to take upstairs but don't want to right now.
There are two more between the living room and the dining room - those stay pretty cleared off and decluttered. The last one is between the kitchen and the family room. That one is my least favorite.
At Christmas time, it is a lovely place for decorations - except for the fact that the small fry in our house decide to jump on the loveseat bordering it and play with said decorations. During the rest of the year, it is THE dumping place for anything I don't want on the counter any longer. I can't seem to break that habit and will continue to work on it.
The other reason I despise knee walls is their height. Small children and knee walls just don't mix. About 5 weeks ago, William hit his head, just above the eyebrow on the knee wall near the kitchen. Head wounds bleed like there is no tomorrow, as I discovered first hand that day.
Today, was the icing on the cake for that knee wall.
Sarah was napping and William had chosen a DVD to pass away some of the afternoon. He was skipping/bouncing/being 4 back into the family room with me close behind. He hit the corner of the knee wall and instantly collapsed to the floor. I scooped him up, realized that he was beginning to bleed and grabbed a wet paper towel.
After calming him and slowing the bleeding, I called for Kevin. Praise the Lord he was working at home today. We quickly confirmed my initial suspicion that he would need stitches or glue on his ear. Leaving Sarah at home with Kevin, I made arrangements for Rachel after school and William and I headed for the ER.
We waited for about 20 minutes and then were brought back into Triage. The nurse did not either read well or understand what I said happened, because she was convinced he had a ruptured ear drum due to an ear infection. Therefore, despite William's complete refusal to allow a thermometer in his mouth, she tried to insist, telling me she would take it rectally if necessary. I've never taken his temperature under the tongue, so he had no idea what was going on. She finally understood that his ear was cut and an accurate temperature was not completely necessary.
We got settled in our room and began the wait for treatment. The physicians assistant came in, took a look and said, yep - stitches. Sigh.... She came back about 5 minutes later with the doctor who confirmed this diagnosis. The doctor told us she would try to put some pre-numbing on the ear, but was unable to due to the location of the injury.
All this means that William is going to be getting multiple stitches without anything to numb the pain (or settle him down). Hmmmm....can *I* have a sedative?
William initially flipped out at the swaddling the doctor, p.a., and nurse proposed. After they left to gather reinforcements, William and I had a little chat. I calmly explained to him what was going to happen and that yes, it was going to hurt a little. I asked him whether he would want a new monster truck or a transformer for being good. His answer, "can I have both?" That's my boy! I told him he could have both, but he would have to be super, extra-special, good.
The next time the team came in, William allowed me to lay him on the bed. We wrapped him up tight and I held his hand from under the sheets. He cried a little, said he was scared a couple times. The team and I all talked to him and told him how good he was being and how brave. He grinned through his tears when the nurse teased him a little about wanting the toys. The doctor was able to take her time and make neat stitches and it looks like everything will heal nicely.
I will never have another knee wall in my house.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Nothing Like a Fire Drill
to get your day going.
I came out to my van after delivering William to school to a ringing cell phone. It was Kevin, telling me that there was an emergency. Hmmm....what could that be? He didn't sound panicked - but then he's the one that actually remains calm in a real emergency. Thankfully, rather than make me guess - at which I am terrible - he told me. Seems that an agent wanted to show our house to her clients at 10:30 a.m.
It was 9:05 a.m.
The house was a wreck.
The kitchen floor still bore the spots from beef stew making (last week).
The bathrooms were all in need of cleaning (which was my project when I got home anyway).
I can't remember when I vacuumed the stairs last.
Trick-or-treat pumpkins still graced my kitchen counter.
Okay, deep breath. At least I already made the beds this morning - and the kids put away their clean laundry yesterday. With two of us working, we might actually make it.
I was home by 9:20 and seriously sweating by 10:00. I was completely out of breath by 10:30.
We got the showing pushed back until 11:30 a.m. (Thank you, Lord!)
Thankfully, Sarah no longer cries when the vacuum is running - she just finds a seat on a bed or couch and asks "Done?" whenever we turn it off.
11:15 a.m. - I am flying out the door to get William from school, barely able to speak clearly as I call our agent. But, the house looks REALLY good. I need to go back and re-wash the kitchen floor. In my haste, I missed some spots, but the majority of it is cleaned.
None of it would have been possible if Kevin had not been working from home. He cleaned bathrooms while on a conference call.
As for the showing, it went well. The feedback was good - some of the first positive feedback we've received. So, we shall see.
I came out to my van after delivering William to school to a ringing cell phone. It was Kevin, telling me that there was an emergency. Hmmm....what could that be? He didn't sound panicked - but then he's the one that actually remains calm in a real emergency. Thankfully, rather than make me guess - at which I am terrible - he told me. Seems that an agent wanted to show our house to her clients at 10:30 a.m.
It was 9:05 a.m.
The house was a wreck.
The kitchen floor still bore the spots from beef stew making (last week).
The bathrooms were all in need of cleaning (which was my project when I got home anyway).
I can't remember when I vacuumed the stairs last.
Trick-or-treat pumpkins still graced my kitchen counter.
Okay, deep breath. At least I already made the beds this morning - and the kids put away their clean laundry yesterday. With two of us working, we might actually make it.
I was home by 9:20 and seriously sweating by 10:00. I was completely out of breath by 10:30.
We got the showing pushed back until 11:30 a.m. (Thank you, Lord!)
Thankfully, Sarah no longer cries when the vacuum is running - she just finds a seat on a bed or couch and asks "Done?" whenever we turn it off.
11:15 a.m. - I am flying out the door to get William from school, barely able to speak clearly as I call our agent. But, the house looks REALLY good. I need to go back and re-wash the kitchen floor. In my haste, I missed some spots, but the majority of it is cleaned.
None of it would have been possible if Kevin had not been working from home. He cleaned bathrooms while on a conference call.
As for the showing, it went well. The feedback was good - some of the first positive feedback we've received. So, we shall see.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
There is a reason I never liked Biology
An apology to Mr. McFaden, my Biology teacher from high school, but I *still* don't enjoy dissecting. Not even with my first grader sitting in front of me, helping. It's gross and definitely not something I am interested in.
But, I sat there today, owl pellet in front of me, toothpicks in hand, searching for tiny rodent bones. We did find an intact rodent skull. We also found what appeared to be a beak from a small bird. All I can say is that I am thankful that we did not find the complete rodent's tail, skin and all, as did one of Rachel's classmates. Nor did we find three skulls - as did another of Rachel's classmates.
The most entertaining part of the process was the clean-up afterwards. The majority of the parents helping with this project were moms. The conversations enroute to and in the girls restroom were hilarious. They ranged from "that was the most disgusting thing I have ever done" to "I need to earn some serious Mom points for this" and the one that made me chuckle the most "when my next child is in first grade, my husband is getting this job."
I think each child in the girls room was made to wash their hands twice, if not three times, by the moms who were also washing their hands multiple times. I shudder to think of the supervision (or lack thereof) in the hand washing process in the boy's room. There were only three dads in the room at the time.
Guess what we did right after dissection? Yes, you guessed it - we ate lunch.
When Rebecca dissected the pellet, Kevin helped and I stood, well, somewhere else. This year, he had to be on a conference call, so I got duty. Next time around, it is his turn. I'm done.
But, I sat there today, owl pellet in front of me, toothpicks in hand, searching for tiny rodent bones. We did find an intact rodent skull. We also found what appeared to be a beak from a small bird. All I can say is that I am thankful that we did not find the complete rodent's tail, skin and all, as did one of Rachel's classmates. Nor did we find three skulls - as did another of Rachel's classmates.
The most entertaining part of the process was the clean-up afterwards. The majority of the parents helping with this project were moms. The conversations enroute to and in the girls restroom were hilarious. They ranged from "that was the most disgusting thing I have ever done" to "I need to earn some serious Mom points for this" and the one that made me chuckle the most "when my next child is in first grade, my husband is getting this job."
I think each child in the girls room was made to wash their hands twice, if not three times, by the moms who were also washing their hands multiple times. I shudder to think of the supervision (or lack thereof) in the hand washing process in the boy's room. There were only three dads in the room at the time.
Guess what we did right after dissection? Yes, you guessed it - we ate lunch.
When Rebecca dissected the pellet, Kevin helped and I stood, well, somewhere else. This year, he had to be on a conference call, so I got duty. Next time around, it is his turn. I'm done.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Owls
Let me begin by saying that I love Rachel's teacher. Mrs. Neely is, by far, one of the most amazing teachers I have encountered. She brings the children into her classroom, meets them on their level and then, magically grows readers and writers. She expects the world of the children, and somehow, manages to get the majority of them to reach and exceed her expectations.
An example of her capabilities is in the "Nature Conferences" that take place every 6 weeks or so. The first one, held close to Halloween, was about Spiders. The children listened to many non-fiction stories and wrote what they could remember in their journals. Over time, many of their journal entries grew quite lengthy. Mrs. Neely had each child read their writing to her and she typed. The children practiced reading what they had written. Finally, during the Conference, each child came to the podium on stage. They introduced themselves as Spiderologist Rachel McFadden and read their writing. The audience consisted of their parents and the 3rd graders (their classroom reading buddies). I am always amazed at how willingly most of the children get onto the stage and speak clearly and loudly into the microphone. Stage fright - not them.
Tomorrow is the second Nature Conference. This one is about Owls. They will introduce themselves as Ornithologists - which is impressive enough, but the children have obviously learned a great deal about owls. Do you know what an owl pellet is? How about a nictitating membrane? My first grader does.
This is Rachel's writing:
Good morning, I am Ornithologist Rachel McFadden.
All owls have heads that turn very nicely because they have lots of bones in their neck. How do owls hook on a tree? An owl has four toes and an owl has a toe that can go to the front of the back of the foot. Owls are birds of prey. An owl is at the top of the food chain because he eats meat and hunts. Owls hunt at night. Owls eat field mice and snakes. Owls kill their prey by wrapping their claws around their prey's neck. They the owl takes their prey back to the nest. The owl swallows its food whole and coughs the things that its body cannot digest up and the stuff the owl cannot digest is called an owl pellet.
A baby owl is called an owlet. When the owlet comes out of its egg it cannot see. An owl has three eyelids and one of the eyelids is called a nictitating membrane. The nititating membrane acts like a windshield wiper.
Pretty impressive for a first grader, I think. Once the children have made their presentations, they will get to dissect an owl pellet. Yes, you read that correctly, an owl pellet. Blech. Rachel's comment - COOL! Kids.
So, in honor of the Owl Conference tomorrow, I am making Night Owl Cookies for the children after lunch.
I thought they were cute.
An example of her capabilities is in the "Nature Conferences" that take place every 6 weeks or so. The first one, held close to Halloween, was about Spiders. The children listened to many non-fiction stories and wrote what they could remember in their journals. Over time, many of their journal entries grew quite lengthy. Mrs. Neely had each child read their writing to her and she typed. The children practiced reading what they had written. Finally, during the Conference, each child came to the podium on stage. They introduced themselves as Spiderologist Rachel McFadden and read their writing. The audience consisted of their parents and the 3rd graders (their classroom reading buddies). I am always amazed at how willingly most of the children get onto the stage and speak clearly and loudly into the microphone. Stage fright - not them.
Tomorrow is the second Nature Conference. This one is about Owls. They will introduce themselves as Ornithologists - which is impressive enough, but the children have obviously learned a great deal about owls. Do you know what an owl pellet is? How about a nictitating membrane? My first grader does.
This is Rachel's writing:
Good morning, I am Ornithologist Rachel McFadden.
All owls have heads that turn very nicely because they have lots of bones in their neck. How do owls hook on a tree? An owl has four toes and an owl has a toe that can go to the front of the back of the foot. Owls are birds of prey. An owl is at the top of the food chain because he eats meat and hunts. Owls hunt at night. Owls eat field mice and snakes. Owls kill their prey by wrapping their claws around their prey's neck. They the owl takes their prey back to the nest. The owl swallows its food whole and coughs the things that its body cannot digest up and the stuff the owl cannot digest is called an owl pellet.
A baby owl is called an owlet. When the owlet comes out of its egg it cannot see. An owl has three eyelids and one of the eyelids is called a nictitating membrane. The nititating membrane acts like a windshield wiper.
Pretty impressive for a first grader, I think. Once the children have made their presentations, they will get to dissect an owl pellet. Yes, you read that correctly, an owl pellet. Blech. Rachel's comment - COOL! Kids.
So, in honor of the Owl Conference tomorrow, I am making Night Owl Cookies for the children after lunch.
I thought they were cute.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday Night
It's Sunday night, I should be sleeping. We have a busy week ahead of us and I know I am not the least bit prepared for the chaos that will be our life.
I am trying (and failing miserably) to stay on top of the schedule and allow myself the luxury of being proactive. It seems that I spend my day reacting to what is happening. When I am actually able to be proactive, I get so much more accomplished. I end up with time during the day to read with the little ones, or build a Lego truck for William, or stack blocks with Sarah. When I am reactive, it seems I get all the way to dinner and find I haven't read a single story to anyone.
So, looking ahead (and trying to be proactive) - I don't have a single day where I get to stay home in the morning. Tuesday and Thursday are my usual days at home, but there are school activities for both girls. That means that I will have to really make the effort to stay on top of the laundry and basic cleaning - otherwise, we'll get to Saturday in complete and utter disarray.
Oh, well, at least the meals are planned for the week. I can't find my list right now - but I do know I planned them out. I know I have most of the ingredients on hand. I know nothing is terribly complicated on our really busy days.
And, on that note - time to go make sure everything is prepped to hit the ground running first thing tomorrow.
I am trying (and failing miserably) to stay on top of the schedule and allow myself the luxury of being proactive. It seems that I spend my day reacting to what is happening. When I am actually able to be proactive, I get so much more accomplished. I end up with time during the day to read with the little ones, or build a Lego truck for William, or stack blocks with Sarah. When I am reactive, it seems I get all the way to dinner and find I haven't read a single story to anyone.
So, looking ahead (and trying to be proactive) - I don't have a single day where I get to stay home in the morning. Tuesday and Thursday are my usual days at home, but there are school activities for both girls. That means that I will have to really make the effort to stay on top of the laundry and basic cleaning - otherwise, we'll get to Saturday in complete and utter disarray.
Oh, well, at least the meals are planned for the week. I can't find my list right now - but I do know I planned them out. I know I have most of the ingredients on hand. I know nothing is terribly complicated on our really busy days.
And, on that note - time to go make sure everything is prepped to hit the ground running first thing tomorrow.
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