All Work (And Being Sick) And No Play

I finally succumbed to getting sick. It started with Natalie, and then Jadon, Vanessa, and Fiona (she's still sick). I thought that if I just kept popping Vitamin Cs and taking Zicam that I could beat it. It was not to be though. I felt a little tickle on Sunday and Monday night was when it hit me. Yesterday was just brutal on me and last night was agonizing. The sinus headache/pressure mixed in with nasal congestion was tortuous. During the worse periods when Fiona was sick, I would end up sleeping on the couch because she'd be making sounds in her sleep. That has yield me little sleep. Lastnight was no different. For the first half of the night, I slept in bed but then I ended up on the couch. Unfortunately this is a bad week to take sick time. Yesterday (as well as this Thursday) I have to work out in the field up in Los Angeles. And today I'm working in the office but no one to cover me.

I do hope that I get over this quickly. When I get sick, it tends to last for a good week or so. There's so many things that I have planned over the next two weeks. I am preparing to repaint the garage floor. So that means clearing and cleaning out the garage. I figured I would spread it out over the week but I'm not sure if that it will occur that way. Then I plan to have some garage organizers installed (preferably by the end of next week if the dang garage organizer people call me back). Next Monday, I plan to take the day off and take the family to Disneyland. Fiona's got her annual passport (via Ebay) and Jadon and I will need to get one. The girls will be free! And of course, we need to buy a Christmas tree and decorate that.

Black Friday Madness.

So I ventured out in the wee hours of the morning last Friday and boy did I bite off almost more then I can chew. I decided to not wear my boot, thinking that I could be quicker if I just got out of my car and go. That was a mistake. My ankle was sore in the aftermath.

5:00am - I woke up.

5:35am - I arrived at Best Buy. No hassle getting in but there were huge lines to pay. I grabbed 'Click' and 'Mission Impossible 3' dvds and head into a line that spanned from one end of the building, zigzagging across to the other end of the building. The movies were only 7.99 each but later, after I paid, I looked on my receipt and the cashier only charged me for one. Oops, oh well. Sweet deal for me. So I was in line for what was well over an hour.

7:00am (or so) - I arrive at Circuit City since it was nearby. I picked up the dvds I wanted (Monk: Season 1, and X-Men 3) and I went into a line that wasn't long but the wait was. It only went to one register (as did all the others). I have to say that Circuit City sucks when it comes to lines. They need to have one location for all their registers and they need to cut down on the length of their receipts. Waste of paper and it takes too long to print out. So I was there for over 2 hours.

9:30am (or so) - I stop by at Target to get some more dvds (The Notebook, and National Treasure). I was there for less then 10 minutes. On the way home I picked up some breakfast for Fiona and the kids.

I love the deals that I got on dvds but I'm not sure I will want to venture out and do that again.

Thanksgiving Reunion.

We didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, stuffing, or pumpkin pie but it was definitely special one. For those readers who don't know, I had a falling out with my parents and I haven't seen them for almost 4 years. They have never met there grandkids. My in-laws have always pressured me but it was Fiona's encouragement to reconcile that did it. It was an emotional yet happy reunion. It was great to see my parents and for the kids to see them too. Now hopefully we can put things in the past and just let the healing process begin.

Jadon warmed up to my parents really fast. I prepped him up on how to greet his grandparents in Thai. I showed him to put his hands together and to say "swat-de-krup a-gong (or a-mah)." He said it but forgot the hand gestures. And he gave them a hug and a kiss. Unfortunately he got a little freaked out when their grandfather clock chimed. My dad had to stop the clock. My little scaredy cat. The girls, on the otherhand, took a little time to warm up. Natalie wouldn't let any of her grandparents hold her but Vanessa let grandpa hold her after a while.

Black Friday Giddiness.

I wasn't planning to torture myself with waking up in the wee hours of this upcoming Friday-after-Thanksgiving-sales but I looked at some ads online this morning and I started to get really giddy. I was looking at the Bestbuy ads and Target ads and boy-oh-boy they have some nice prices on dvds that I want (X-Men 3, Mission Impossible 3, etc). There's also a 17" lcd monitor that I will look into that's a really, really nice price.

That last time I went on one of these crazy excursions was about 3 years ago . I went to Kohls and Bestbuy mainly to buy some toys for Jadon's first Christmas. I woke up around 4:30 am and hit the lines by 5:00am. There was a decent crowd at Kohls but the line for Bestbuy was mind boggling.

Disneyland Boycott No More....

Right after high school, I got a job working at 'Dismal-land.' It lasted about six months there and I didn't really care for the job. When I gave my notice, I didn't bother giving my two weeks. I was on a ski trip with my brother and some friends. I called in to let them know that I wasn't going to make my shift the next day and that I decided I wanted to quit. I know, I know, it was a foolish and unprofessional thing to do. Plus I was a young 18 year old, immature kid who didn't realize the importance of responsibility. It's just that the the job was unmotivating. To hear of stories of people working there for several years and to be paid barely double minimum wage didn't inspire me at all. So I had quit but I still had to go in at some point and sign off on my resignation. They told me that because I didn't give my two weeks notice that I could no longer be employed by Disney in the future. Oh well. Then they asked me why I quit and I that I had told them that I was being overscheduled even though I was just part time seasonal hiree. Apparently they made a mistake and told me that I could still work for them. I declined. To this date, I don't know of anyone who has ever had a pleasant experience working for Disneyland. So anyways, I have not gone back to Disneyland since. In a word, I had boycotted going back there. (NOTE: I have not boycotted Disney products and I have gone to California Disney, just not Disneyland.)

Well this past few weeks, Fiona and I have been discussing the prospect of going to Disneyland. Then we discussed the finances that it would take to bring all three kiddies. Luckily the girls are free admission until the age of 3. But tickets for adults go for $63 and for children (3-11), $53! Ouch! So we are opting for the annual passport. They cost more but we figure we can go a few more times to both Disneyland & California Adventure throughout the year. Fiona went down to a children's store to sell off some of the kiddies' clothes, pack n' play, mega-saucer, stroller, and swing so the money from that covered a passport. We managed to find one on Ebay (to offset some cost), and plan to purchase another two when we get to the park. So I guess there goes my boycott.

Fastest Bather In The West....

Usually I give all three kids a bath with assistance from Fiona. This past Monday I had to do a solo act and tonight I will have to do it again. On Monday, Fiona picked up her dad from the airport in the late evening which meant she had to miss out on the fun. Tonight she's going out with some of her ex-coworkers/friends for a cocktail shindig. When it comes to bath time I am pretty efficient. Guess how long it takes for me to give all three kiddies a bath, brush their teeth, get them dressed and put them to sleep? I get them done within 20-25 minutes tops.

Physical Therapy.

Last Friday I went to the orthopedist to get checked out and he prescribed me the long awaited physical therapy. I start physical therapy today at 2:00pm. It'll last for approximately 4 weeks at 3 sessions per week. I do feel that my ankle is getting stronger everyday, literally. I can already put my whole weight (no cracking jokes) on my ankle and I can almost walk without a limp. Although when I walk for long periods of times, my ankle gets sore and starts to ache. I wear my boot for 4 more weeks and then I am completely free of it!

My Three Little Godzillas.

The other day, at the pleading of Jadon, I organized the Little People set to resemble anything remotely like a town. I had this set stored away for a few years and had just recently took it back out so the girls could play with it. Well now I know why I don't like this set anymore. Too many pieces scattered everywhere (I have accidently stepped on a few and it hasn't been friendly to my foot). It takes me a good amount of time to reassemble all the pieces, and place them with the correct set. Then after a short bit of time, it looks like the 'after' picture.

My Little Fart.

Yesterday, Natalie was the first one to wake up from her afternoon nap. I went to get her and brought her downstairs as to not disturb the other napping kiddies. I plopped her on the couch and we watched some t.v. As I was sitting there, I turn my head towards Natalie. She looks at me, adjusts her body, and lifts her leg and butt ever so slightly and gives out a fart. Then she gives me smile and giggles. What a little fart she is.

Deciphering Toddler Talk.

Trying to figure out what Jadon says at times can be quite a challenge and at times a little frustrating. Here's how one of our discussions went:

Jadon: Dadda?
Me: Yeah?
Jadon: What's an 'Arsids?'"
Me: What?
Jadon: 'Arsids.'
Me: Can you repeat that?
Jadon: 'Arsids.'
Me: I don't know.
Jadon: What's an 'Arsids?"
Me: I have never heard of it. Where did you learn that?
Jadon: I don't know.
Me: Did you learn that at school?
Jadon: No.
Me: At church?
Jadon: No.

When he asks questions that I have no clue about that he expects me to know. I can keep telling him I don't know but he'll keep asking anyways. So what I will do is ask him specific questions (i.e. "Is it a dog?" "Is it a person?"). So now (after probably putting it in his mind) he says that an "Arsids" is a dog. But I still think it's a mystery that hopefull will be uncovered as his vocabulary and annunciation become expanded and clear.

Another incident similar to this but was deciphered happened a few years back. Before Jadon could talk he would make up his own words based off sounds. Every now and then he would say "king-ga, king-ga, king-ga." For the longest time Fiona and I had no clue as to what he was referring to. As parents of a baby on a cusp of formulating sounds (that have purpose), we just thought it was cute. Then when Jadon was able to make full sentences, I was reminiscing on sounds that he'd make. It hit me what "king-ga" could stand for. So I asked him what that sound was. And he answered me "washer, dryer." Just what I had thought. That was pretty cool how he was able to translate his own baby talk.

Lobster Short Lived.

Over the weekend Fiona had an idea to buy some lobster and eat it after we put the kids to bed. There was a sale at Ralph's for $9.99 a pound. So on Saturday afternoon we stopped by the grocery store to inquire and purchase a few. Unfortunately the person servicing the seafood counter seemed incompetent. Fiona had asked the gentleman how to store them. He said to stick them in cold water. So we bought some and went home to store them just like he said. Well Fiona double checked storage procedures on the net and found out that that was a no-no. So we took them out of the bucket and followed online procedures. We put the lobsters in the bucket covered with damp newspapers and then in to the refrigerator. Later on that night when we were about to cook them up, they were unmoving. They were dead. Soaking them in unsalted water probably overloaded their bodies. Fiona went back online and it pretty much said to not eat them if they are not alive. The meat apparently deterioriates fast after they die. So Fiona returned them to Ralph's and got store credit for them.

Yesterday, Fiona went to a different store and bought a couple of lobsters. Apparently the seafood counter person there went to the same school as the other one. Lucky for the internet. We followed proper protocol and last night, about 40 minutes after the kiddies went to sleep, we feasted on some lobster. It was quite succulent and tasty (with melted butter and lemon). Mmmmm. Unfortunately it was short lived. That was our first time trying to cook up our own lobster but the mess and the clean up process probably won't merit us another try (at least in the near future).

Why?

So it's getting to that point where Jadon has been asking "why?" Just about everytime he asks a question and I answer him he'll follows it up with that question. Initially I would indulge him on his inquisitive mind but then he would continue to ask me "why" to the point where now I think he is doing it on purpose to annoy me. So now my response back to him is "because I said so." For the most part that seems to deter him. Yesterday I gave him his own dose of medicine. I asked him a question and he answered me and I asked "why?" He would answer my questions and I kept asking "why?" Eventually he told me to "shut up" (which I did not condone). I told him that asking "why" can be annoying and he seemed to understand the concept of bugging.

On a side note: Fiona was driving the other night on the freeway and Jadon all of a sudden says "Momma, don't crash ok?" I guess he doesn't have a whole lot of faith in her =).

Blogger's Block.

Over the past few days when I sit at my computer at work, I know that there are topics and experiences that I can blog about. Yet when I really think about it, I actually draw a blank. There were times when I was going through the experience that I think "I gotta blog about this," but now I can't seem to recall them.

Hey, at least it's Friday.

Knee High Sock Nerds.

Lastnight, after the girls' bath, I decided to dress the girls up a little different. I was able to put the socks nearly knee high on them. Both of them got a kick out of them, especially Natalie. She was giggling all goofy. They reminded me of Paul, because he wore knee high socks back in grade school. What a nerd! Anyways, Fiona spoiled all the fun. She didn't want to get the socks too stretched out so she was lowering the socks on each of the girls and they both were flipping out. I just busted up. I couldn't believe they were freaking out and that they enjoyed wearing the socks so high. What little nerds!