Short Report...

This is a report on Erin.

We went back for our Pediatric GI appointment yesterday.  Erin was doing great around Christmas and January but has recently been regressing to her old ways.  She holds stuff in and backs up her little system.  No amount of bribing, cajoling, punishing or pleading gets her to go.

We went back to the Specialist at Texas Children's and he said this sometimes happens.  He upped the dosage of Miralax we give her every day and told me to do a system flush.  (I'll leave that to your imagination.)  Needless to say, Erin wasn't really on board for the flush.  But who could blame her.  I wasn't really on board administering the flush.

She was great at the doctor's office, but when we got home she fought me like a tiger on the flush, but I won.  She would still hold in the saline and we had several accidents.  I think when it was all over she felt better.  I asked her if her tummy still hurt and she said it didn't.

Tommy did some research and found a couple of books on the subject.  They both got good reviews.  He read one of them to her last night, but the other was more like a pamphlet.  Not sure why it got good reviews.  So, stay way from "Super Pooper" book/pamphlet if you need a book like this.  It's going back to Amazon today.  We are now experts on the subject.

I feel better after the appointment knowing that this is not abnormal.  I pray that she stops doing this soon because it makes her hurt and nothing is worse than watching your kid hurt.  The fact that there are reviewed books on the subject makes me feel better too.  Other parents are going thru this too.

With all that being said...have to give a shout out to Texas Children's again.  That place is incredible.  Our appointment was for 11:15.  We got there at 11:00 and sat in the waiting room about 10 minutes.  From there they called us back and weighed her and took her height. (39.6 lbs in the 89th percentile, and 3 ft 3.6 inches in the 73rd percentile)  We were in the room with the nurse at exactly 11:15.  We waited for the doctor about 5 minutes and he spent time answering my questions.  He seemed a little more rushed this time, but I think it was because there really wasn't much else to do.  We were back in the car by 11:45 and on our way.  What an outstanding operation they run.

I thought Erin was taller as far as the percentile goes.  She's not the tallest in her class but she's taller then most of the kids. Hmmm.  She's in the 92nd percentile as far as BMI goes so I'm thinking she's a little out of proportion, but I would rather have her a little thicker for when she hits a growing spurt.  Neither doctor seems too concerned about this.  She certainly isn't overweight, and I don't need a skinny skinny baby!  I would be too worried about her if she was super skinny.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts.  Keep them coming.

Got Stress...

I know that any Full-time working mom feels stressed, but this week is especially bad at the Mize house.  I've learned to let go of some of my OCD ways and to just roll with things.  I think it's the only way to keep your sanity with a 3 year old.

But....

Yesterday started off crappy and never got better.  Erin woke up 30 minutes early screaming for me.  She had a bad dream and it took forever to calm her down.  I was upset that she was upset, and I was upset that it all happened in the only time of the day I get for myself!!  Selfish I know, but that's why I get up at 4:15.  From 5:30 to 6:15 is me time!!!

I brought her downstairs and we layed in our bed and watched ipads.  When it was time for breakfast the tears and the drama were amped up.  I couldn't get her to calm down to eat.  She didn't want any of my suggestions and just cried the whole time.  I think the menu was finally agreed upon as a cottage cheese breakfast!  Yum.

Tommy was upstairs working on the toilet that had broken and a discovered about the same time Erin started screaming.  It as supposed to be a simple job and he knew exactly how to fix it.  45 minutes later, it still wasn't fixed and Erin was still crying and pitching fits.  Tommy was frustrated and I was in serious need of a drink at 6:30 in the morning.

Tommy ended up cutting a hose and trying to get the hose loose.  A call to my Daddy ensured he was doing it right.  (Woke Daddy up too!)  Daddy offered to come over later and help Tommy fix it after work.  Tom was desperate.  It still wasn't fix.  (A plumber was called to the scene of the crime yesterday afternoon.  Turns out it takes a special tool to undo it and it's cheap crap that the builder installed.)

We managed to call get ready and get to school/work.

My day didn't improve.  We started a "new and improved" work flow that clearly wasn't designed by anyone who did our job.  It's very confusing and very redundant.  I guess it's one of the pitfalls of working for a Fortune 100 company.  They hire people to tell us how to do things more efficiently and they have no clue.

My boss decided to put me in charge of the new work flow for our team.  I was volunteered!  So, I worked on composing an easier step by step guide for the team.  I was then put on a committee for all of our Section to field questions.  Yay! We're flying completely blind because the Unit that is now taking over and making our life easier is located in Colorado!!!  Enough about that except to say I was still getting new claims thru all of this and having to answer my phone and take care of my customers.  Geez!

I was also stressed because today is Erin's follow up with the Pediatric GI specialist.  We were making progress with our problems but they're now back and we're regressing.  Ugh!
So, we see him today and I'm a little on the anxious side.

I know things will all work out, but man, its been a rough week already and it's only part way over.

If you need me this weekend, I'll be some where far off in the corner of a nice padded cell rocking back and forth and eating crayons.

Happy Birthday...

You all know I'm not a sappy sentimental person, but this post shows you that I do have a marshmallow side too... sometimes.

Today is Tommy's 40th birthday.

I don't say it nearly enough, but he is absolutely perfect... for me.  He has his faults don't get me wrong.  But, I want the world to know that I married the kindest most thoughtful man alive.

He makes me laugh which is probably what attracted me to him in the first place.  He has the best sense of humor, and we have the best time together laughing.  I absolutely hate it and love it at the same time.  He can make me laugh when I'm super ticked at him.  Nothing like being on a rant and cracking up in the middle of it!

I also love him because he is the most thoughtful guy when it comes to me.  He puts so much thought into presents and treats for me.  He really does treat me like a queen.  Tommy actually listens to things I say.  He provides for our family and would go without food, water and shelter just so Erin and I could have something that we probably didn't need anyway.

Speaking of Erin... I think I fell deeper in love with him when he fell head over heels for Erin Grace Mize.  He is the best Daddy that a girl could ask for.  He dotes on her and cherishes her.  I truly feel that Erin and I are his whole world.  I know the three of us have an unbreakable bond and we make up the happiest little family in the world.

So Happy Birthday man of my dreams.  "I love you this much!"

A Pirate Looks at 40...As Jimmy Buffett would say

Today was Tommy's 40th birthday party.  We had a small family party at Guadalajara and then back to our house for cake and ice cream.

Tommy wanted some professional corn hole boards.  He found a man that makes them and he lives pretty close to the house.  The man customizes them to whatever theme you want.  Of course, Tommy wanted Texans/Oilers!

The kids were terrific.  No major dust ups.  It was a beautiful day so they were outside most of the time.  They ran from one thing to another.  Tommy has a set of old tailgating corn hole boards that he got out for the kids.  They thought they were playing like the big people.  It was great.

Jake wanted some action shots of him on the trampoline.  I got a good one of him up in the air.  I tried to get some action shots of all of the players at corn hole too.  Luke did a ninja cartwheel for me and Erin was doing flips on the trampoline.  The one of William I got just shows him checking out the other kids.  He eventually got up there and played.  Maybe he just couldn't think of a special trick to do while I was shooting...

Reese Cup Lovin'

Tommy's cousin Roy has a daughter named Reese.  That makes her Tommy's 2nd cousin and Erin's 3rd cousin.  Reese just turned 3 so there is about a 6 month age difference between her and Erin.  She is totally into Minnie and Sophia the First so she and Erin have lots in common.  She is the closest girl cousin to Erin's age.  The rest of the 3rd cousins are teenagers and there's Jake, Luke and William.  You know - BOYS - Heaven forbid.

The times we've been around Reese there are usually older kids there too.  At the Mize Christmas party Reese was just getting over the flu so she couldn't play outside with the other kids. Erin tends to think she's a big kid when she's around bigger kids and wants to go with them.  When Jake is around, Erin follows him like a puppy dog.

We decided to invite the Wisemans over this weekend so the girls could play.  It was a major success.  They came over mid-afternoon yesterday and Erin immediately started asking Reese what she wanted to play with.  I had set up the tee pee and the Princess tent.  We also had the little expandable floor tunnel out.  Erin had brought down all of her Minnie Mouse dolls, so there were about 20 of those downstairs.  Reese was a little overwhelmed and shy when they first got here.  But, she warmed up almost immediately.  They took off and played like they were best friends.

Tommy was cooking fajitas so he went inside and outside a lot. Erin never misses a chance to go outside and she had Reese in tow.  They ran outside as soon as the boys opened the door.  Nanette and I were in the kitchen talking and decided to go outside to watch them.  They were both on the see saw swing.  Tommy was on Erin's end and Roy was on Reese's end pushing them.  The girls were squealing with delight.  It was super cute.

They moved from trampoline, to swings, to slide and to the playhouse too.  I tried to snap some pictures of them in motion as they moved from one toy to the next.  I forgot to get any pics on the trampoline.  It would have been good ones too.  The static on the trampoline was making their hair stand on end.

I had told Erin on Wednesday that her cousin Reese was coming over.  From then on she kept asking me when Reese was coming.  (Next time I won't tell her so far in advance!)  I told her yesterday that when she got up from her nap Reese would be coming.  I laid down with her to take a nap and the minute she woke up she asked me where Reese was!

We only had one minor incident of "Only Child" syndrome.  They are both only children so sharing is something we have to work on.  The binoculars that go with the swing set came off years ago.  We haven't attached them back because the kids still play with them anyway.  Erin got them and Reese wanted them and Erin was running all over the yard to keep them from her.  I made Erin share and then Reese didn't want to give them back.  So, I split the baby and took the binoculars and put them up!

Very, very successful play date.  We will be doing it again since the Wiseman's live so close.  They live about 10 miles away and we NEVER see them.  We're going to change that! It was just so darn sweet watching them have such a good time with each other.  It was some serious Reese Cup Lovin'.

Destin for Greatness...

We're going to Destin, FL again this summer.  Our trip will be in mid-August before Jake goes back to school.  This year is another family trip.  We're going with Mark & Steph and the boys along with Bonnie and David.  None of the Wistners could make it happen.

Here are some pics of our house in Destin.  We opted for the community pool this year instead of a private pool.  We can get more house for the money and we're thinking it won't be crowded since it's after peak season.

Sandprints, Dunes of Destin

Front of the house - Sandprints

Super small kitchen for such a big house

Community pool

Deck on the back of the house

2nd floor master

Beach view 

3rd floor loft

3rd floor master

2nd floor queen

view from the loft on the 3rd floor

bunk room on the 2nd floor

view from the 2nd floor balcony

Gone Viral...

I'm not on Pinterest a lot.  I go there when I'm looking for inspiration or for a recipe.  I have posted thing on the site that I've made or done, and I have a board of things my Daddy has made.  I have about 10 boards on there nothing fancy.  I know people who spend hours on there.  More power to them, not for me.

But...I posted a picture of our Minnie Mouse bathroom and it's gone viral.  Almost everyday I get an email telling me someone else re-pinned my post.  I'll open the email and it's always our Minnie Mouse bathroom.

I don't have Pinterest connected to this blog because I don't take the time to explain step by step how I built things so I'm very surprised it went viral.  I have like 80 something re-pins.  Crazy!

I'm a celebrity!  But I promise to take level headed and not act like the total snob I could be...

Checking One, Two...

On of my friends at work has an 8 year old and a 4 year old.  The little boy is a handful like Erin.  Sharon and I share stories all the time.  I harbor no illusions that Erin is perfect.  Overall she is a good girl, but she has her moments so we need a punishment and reward system.

Sharon was telling me she bought a spiral notebook and came up with a check mark system for her kids.  Not sure where she got the idea, but I thought it was pure genius.  Like any good thief, I stole the idea and made it my own.

I took to the computer because I wanted something I could post on the fridge in the kitchen.  I wanted it visible to Erin at all times.  I sat her down and explained it to her.  She had a hard time understanding it at first, but now she's on board.  Tommy was the one that took a little convincing.  He picked on me about how "hard to hold" it was but now I think he sees how it's working.  I've even heard him tell her he was going to take away a check mark.

It's working like a charm.  She has about about 9 "chores" and tasks on her list.  They range from going poop on the potty with no accidents to giving the dogs a treat every day.  There is also a misc column.  I added it in the second week so we could reward her good behavior.  She also has to be on green at school and she has to say please and thank you to get a check.  I can tell her I'll give her a check or that I'm going to take a check away and she pops into line.  She gets so worried that I'll take one away.

At the end of the week we'll give her a treat of some kind.  Last Friday Tommy got her a little something from the dollar bin and you would have thought it was a diamond.  This week I think she'll get a shake from Sonic.  She loves them.  (Like mother like daughter)

Of course when I made the list I had to add a little bling to it so it has a chain of flowers at the bottom.  I wanted her to like it and get on board.  I'm always willing to try new things with Erin.  It's all part of the Jedi Mind Tricks we use on her.

Grating on My Nerves...

Okay, I can admit it...my plan to have Scooby slap some sense into Mae may not be going completely as planned.  While they play non-stop and he has calmed her down a lot, she has converted him to the dark side with more than one bad habit.

Mae loves to get food off the kitchen counter.  I once caught her eating a loaf of bread she had snagged.  She was eating it plastic wrap and all and I had to practically wrestle it away from her.  Well, Scooby doesn't get things off the counter (yet), but I have noticed that occasionally he'll pop his head up there to see what looks good.

She has also taught him to stand on Erin's little table outside.  They can stand on the table and see into the living room because I have the blinds at half mast.  They scope things out all the time.  They aren't hurting the table so I really don't mind.  But, it is a little weird to have one of them looking at me thru the door and the other standing on the table eyeballing me.

The fireplace, the fireplace, the fireplace...I cannot keep them out of the fireplace.  They both love to eat the lava rock that we have in the bottom of the gas fireplace!!  It's crazy.  I'll be sitting here on the computer at the kitchen island in the mornings and I'll hear the loudest crunching.  Both of them will be standing there munching on lava rock.  It's the craziest thing I've ever seen.  Tommy gets so mad.  It happens before he gets up but they are messy eaters.  We'll find little pieces of lava all over the living room and bottom of the stairs. (Mainly you find them with your feet.)  So, Tom complains that they are tearing the house up.  Just one more strike against poor Mae in Tommy's eyes.

We had been meaning to buy a fireplace screen for a while but just haven't gotten around to it.  I didn't want one when Erin was little because I was afraid she would pull up on it and it would fall over on her.  Now that she's bigger and the dogs are eating us out of rock and home, I bought one.  They were surprisingly hard to find and pretty expensive.  Amazon had a bunch of them but none that I liked.  On a whim I checked Home Depot and liked one of them immediately.  I was worried about the shipping cost but I ended up spending more than $50 so I got it shipped for free.

This morning is the first morning with the grate, so I'm sure the dogs will be ticked.  I wanted to see it with the fire going, so I've got it blazing now.  I think it looks good.

Here's a pic... now my little scoundrels will have to eat dog food and Milk Bones instead!

Another Collaboration...

I was talking to a friend at work about bookshelves in our kid's rooms.  The ones we have are built in to her dresser and don't allow Erin to see the front of the books, only the spines.  The Little Golden books that she loves don't have writing on the spine.  So, every night we dig through a pile of books looking for the prefect one.

My friend Sharon found an idea on Pinterest and I was interested.  It was rain gutter book shelves.  You cut off the rain gutters, put on the end caps and hang them on the wall.  From there you put the books in so the front faces out.  The kids can see the front and you have no more digging.  Sharon said they did the project but didn't hang them on a stud so they sagged and came off the wall.  It would have been a easy fix, but I wanted to see if there was something I liked better...

I took to Pinterest and no shock at all...I found the perfect ones.  These are made of wood, so I had to recruit Pawpaw for the project.  It was on a blog written by a girl who makes all her own things.  The blog gave step by step instructions and I could have done it by myself if I had the time.  I could have had the people at Home Depot cut the wood for me and I already know how to use the nail gun but I know how Pawpaw loves a good project.

Pawpaw has been laying low this winter.  He's like a groundhog.  He will only come out to work on projects when the sun is out and it's over 60 degrees!  It was "too cold" on Friday so he waited until yesterday to make the shelves.  He brought them over yesterday afternoon and told me it took him like 45 minutes to build and sand the entire project!!!  Pawpaw rocks!

I bought the paint and last night at 9:00 pm I was in the garage painting boards!  I think they came out fabulous!  I'm putting one set in her playroom and the other set upstairs in her room.  The shorter ones will go behind the door in her playroom and there are only going to be 2 of those.  He built 3 longer ones to go in her room upstairs.  We do most of our reading at night in bed, so we needed more and bigger shelves in there.

Poor Men...

Never put a link to a news story on my blog before but I heard this on the news and looked it up.

Women whose husbands work 50 hours a week are happy and healthier then those that have husbands that don't.  But... women who work OT have less happy and healthy husbands.  Duh!  I could have told them that w/o the 30 year study.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=9409763

Common sense around here tells me that when Momma ain't home as much the wheels fall off the wagon!