Here we are at the time of year when children (and adults) expect presents. In light of my financial strain of travelling, I told my son he could pick three presents that would be really important to him.
First thing he tells me is he wants to have another gameboy advance and the cord to connect the old one and the new one together. Then he wants the pokemon game Leaf Green. I say okay simply because I intend to go to game stop and get them used.
Second he tells me he wants an mp3 player that will play the radio. I am not sure about this one, but I say okay thinking I can probably get a used one somewhere.
Then, he tells me his last choice. I couldn't help it, I had to laugh. He wants a laptop with internet access and games on it. I did have to tell him to pick something different as I cannot afford that. We talked about the different kinds of games that you can play with a dvd player and perhaps that would be okay. He does agree that some of the games sound fun. Especially the pokemon game (do you see a theme with the games going on??). So I relay this info to my family members that want to get my son a little something for christmas.
Then I ask my son what he wants to ask Santa for. He starts to tell me that maybe Santa can bring the laptop. I do some quick thinking and tell him even if Santa brings him a laptop, I cannot afford the games and internet access, so it would be useless. Perhaps he would like to think about it and decide what else he would like. Then he goes back to his dad's and I have not been able to really talk to him too much, and have not had any opportunity to influence the Santa wish list.
Well, last night my son told me that he had decided. I wait with bated breath as he leads up to it. He wants a nintendo ds. With the pokemon game diamond and pearl. We talk about if he gets that from Santa does he really need the additional gameboy. The way he says his response of yes tells me he thinks that was a dumb question. I try to talk him out of one or the other, but to no avail. I then tell him that pokemon diamond and pearl are two separate games. He argues with me at first until I tell him that I can see it in a sale ad and they are two different games. That's when he tells me that he will ask Santa for the ds and one of the games and my sister can just buy the other one. I laugh and ask him if he thinks his aunt really wants to buy it for him. Yes he tells me. So I did end up calling my sister to see if she is up for buying it.
Now on Wednesday I am going to go to Meijer to get the nintendo ds because they have a deal right now where you can get a $10 gift card when you buy a ds. So the gift card will go to my sister so she can buy the extra game. Talk about an overload of electronics at christmas.
I would normally have told my son no way for all of these electronic type presents or just let him pick one. However, since he is stuck at his dad's I have decided to go ahead and get them. Last year for christmas he asked Santa to come home, so I had to pick randomly to get something from Santa. Then I find out that no one at his dad's or grandma's bothered to get him anything from Santa. In fact if I understood him correctly, his dad did not get him anything and his grandma did not get him anything that he asked for. She just got random presents. My son was really bothered by the "fact that Santa did not bring him a present" at his dad's so that I had to come up with the story that Santa knew that was not his "real home" and so he brought the present to me to give to him. I am sure that this year will be the same, so I am making sure to get him what he asks for from Santa. Thank goodness for my food stockpile so I do not have to worry about groceries while I pay for the nintendo ds and game.
I also have to find a bell. It has to be a special bell. Just like in the Polar Express, if you can hear the bell, you still believe. I have gotten him a bell from Santa for the last three years and will have to find a bell that is just right. Because of course we can still hear it.
I am also going to dig out my little christmas tree and some decorations because my son wants to have a tree. Since we will be at the hotel, my plan is to put it together and decorate it, then just wrap it up in a big bag and transport it all put up. One less thing to worry about trying to get done in the few hours that we have. We can concentrate on the christmas shopping with my mom and playing when we get done with that. I am looking forward to the weekend. I will update when I get back about the trip. Maybe we will even see Santa while we are down there!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
"Hound Friends"
This post has nothing to do with My Story. Well actually it does a little....
I would like to thank my hound friends. A lot, and bunches and even more thanks.
Back in May I think is when I found the MSN Grocery Challenge site. I stopped in hoping to get some good ideas for saving money whether on groceries or HBA, it did not matter I just needed to save some money. The gas prices were making it hard to even buy food for me to eat let alone HBA, cat food and litter and the outside critters. I was having a hard time even paying the power and water bill so they would not shut me off. I had already stopped feeding the outside critters and was getting worried on how to feed myself something besides beans and rice and still feed my inside cats. I obviously would not be able to save on gas because that is what I need to get to my son. It was costing somewhere in the vicinity of $450-$550 a trip, every other weekend, and some occasional holidays. That is about three-quarters of my paycheck. That did not leave alot to pay for neccessities, like required car insurance, power, water, food and my cell phone.
Now some people would say that a cell phone is not neccessary, but in my case it is. That is how I talk to my son. I could drive over to my mom's house and call, but when they don't answer and I have to wait for a call back, I would have to sit there and wait all evening until my son's father decided that my little man could call back. That would make it hard to get things done at home, not to mention would get really old sitting at my mom's house every evening, and the gas most likely would cost more than the cell phone. I also have my dad on my cell plan (with the family plan) because he has several health issues. I want to be able to check on him (he can't afford a home phone) and make sure he is okay. His car is not in the greatest of shape either and I do not want him to get stranded and have to walk, as he has heart troubles and the doctor told him not to do anything that would raise his heart rate too much. He needs to be mostly sedentary. I want him to be able to call for help if he needs it.
So back to the "pound"... as the grocery challenge thread is called. I just lurked a little to start with as I suspect most folks do, trying to get ideas. I did not do anywhere near as well as the girls on the pound did but I was learning. I do not have the double q's (as coupons are called over there) available at grocery stores like some gals do over there either. I have however noticed a big difference in what I was spending on food and HBA. I know have the beginnings of a stockpile. I learned how to do this effectively at the pound. I learned the sales cycles from the pound. I learned the benefits of stacking a rock bottom sale price with a Q. And I learned the difference between phantom sales and rock bottom prices at the pound. I also learned how to utilize CVS and more recently Walgreens to get free or close to free items. I used to look at those stores and their prices and would walk back out. Now I have learned from those great Hounds how to deal and finagle to get the most for my money. I now have HBA stockpiles to use for christmas gifts-and the best part is most of it was free!
Back in August when I got my bad news about the appeal, I was crushed. I posted on the pound that due to my bad news I was going to step out of the pound for a while and not post anymore. I did not have the heart to post or follow the deals. This is where my real thanks come in. I have never met any of the hounds in person; I have never talked to them on the phone; Most of the hounds have blogs but no pics of themselves, so I don't even know what most of the hounds look like. But when I gave a summary of what happened and why I was not planning on posting, they supported me. (I think I am going to make myself cry right now!!!) I got encouragement, I got you-tube links with songs and motivational clips (Thanks Jmo!!!)
In short, I got a response of friends. I did not give up on the pound and am super thankful for that. Those hounds have been there for me. I just hope that they have no need for me to be there for them. We are all experiencing hard times right now with loss of family and friends, loss of jobs, family moving in due to loss of jobs and homes. I hope that I have passed on some encouraging words to my hound friends in these recent times with so much bad news. And mostly I wish that good news and luck would find its way to all my hound friends. They could all use some right now with the economy the way it is, and all the bad/sad news that seems to be going around.
Hound Friends-I thank you very much, and I wish you all the best, and I wish for all the best to happen soon. You all have such caring and giving hearts, you deserve the best out of life.
Thank you for all you have done and helped me with!
I would like to thank my hound friends. A lot, and bunches and even more thanks.
Back in May I think is when I found the MSN Grocery Challenge site. I stopped in hoping to get some good ideas for saving money whether on groceries or HBA, it did not matter I just needed to save some money. The gas prices were making it hard to even buy food for me to eat let alone HBA, cat food and litter and the outside critters. I was having a hard time even paying the power and water bill so they would not shut me off. I had already stopped feeding the outside critters and was getting worried on how to feed myself something besides beans and rice and still feed my inside cats. I obviously would not be able to save on gas because that is what I need to get to my son. It was costing somewhere in the vicinity of $450-$550 a trip, every other weekend, and some occasional holidays. That is about three-quarters of my paycheck. That did not leave alot to pay for neccessities, like required car insurance, power, water, food and my cell phone.
Now some people would say that a cell phone is not neccessary, but in my case it is. That is how I talk to my son. I could drive over to my mom's house and call, but when they don't answer and I have to wait for a call back, I would have to sit there and wait all evening until my son's father decided that my little man could call back. That would make it hard to get things done at home, not to mention would get really old sitting at my mom's house every evening, and the gas most likely would cost more than the cell phone. I also have my dad on my cell plan (with the family plan) because he has several health issues. I want to be able to check on him (he can't afford a home phone) and make sure he is okay. His car is not in the greatest of shape either and I do not want him to get stranded and have to walk, as he has heart troubles and the doctor told him not to do anything that would raise his heart rate too much. He needs to be mostly sedentary. I want him to be able to call for help if he needs it.
So back to the "pound"... as the grocery challenge thread is called. I just lurked a little to start with as I suspect most folks do, trying to get ideas. I did not do anywhere near as well as the girls on the pound did but I was learning. I do not have the double q's (as coupons are called over there) available at grocery stores like some gals do over there either. I have however noticed a big difference in what I was spending on food and HBA. I know have the beginnings of a stockpile. I learned how to do this effectively at the pound. I learned the sales cycles from the pound. I learned the benefits of stacking a rock bottom sale price with a Q. And I learned the difference between phantom sales and rock bottom prices at the pound. I also learned how to utilize CVS and more recently Walgreens to get free or close to free items. I used to look at those stores and their prices and would walk back out. Now I have learned from those great Hounds how to deal and finagle to get the most for my money. I now have HBA stockpiles to use for christmas gifts-and the best part is most of it was free!
Back in August when I got my bad news about the appeal, I was crushed. I posted on the pound that due to my bad news I was going to step out of the pound for a while and not post anymore. I did not have the heart to post or follow the deals. This is where my real thanks come in. I have never met any of the hounds in person; I have never talked to them on the phone; Most of the hounds have blogs but no pics of themselves, so I don't even know what most of the hounds look like. But when I gave a summary of what happened and why I was not planning on posting, they supported me. (I think I am going to make myself cry right now!!!) I got encouragement, I got you-tube links with songs and motivational clips (Thanks Jmo!!!)
In short, I got a response of friends. I did not give up on the pound and am super thankful for that. Those hounds have been there for me. I just hope that they have no need for me to be there for them. We are all experiencing hard times right now with loss of family and friends, loss of jobs, family moving in due to loss of jobs and homes. I hope that I have passed on some encouraging words to my hound friends in these recent times with so much bad news. And mostly I wish that good news and luck would find its way to all my hound friends. They could all use some right now with the economy the way it is, and all the bad/sad news that seems to be going around.
Hound Friends-I thank you very much, and I wish you all the best, and I wish for all the best to happen soon. You all have such caring and giving hearts, you deserve the best out of life.
Thank you for all you have done and helped me with!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Just a regular old weekend
I had my weekend visit with my son. It went fairly well, no major hitches. We stayed at a hotel again. I really don't like all the dragging in and out but what's a girl to do? Especially when your little boy is looking up at you with those eyes saying how much better that is....
I did try to pack better. I had one tub that had all of our food, and everything we would need to hold it, heat it and eat it. I had one tub with all of the toys in it. I had one smallish bag with my clothes and some clothes for my son. Then I brought a bag for a magazine, my coupons and the dvd player. We are not going to take the tv/vcr into the room anymore as it is just too much to drag in. Little man did not ask for it either. And of course our pillows. I cannot sleep without my own pillow.
We went christmas shopping on Saturday. We had a good time picking out something for all of the family. I told him one present for each person which is my mom and dad, and my sis, her husband and their two kids. And of course he had to pick out something for the cats. He always wants to get something for the cats. So far he has picked really well and the cats like the toys. Which means they totally destroy it and tear it into shreds! And I am okay with that as it means that my shoes and shoestrings are left alone, at least sometimes.
Anyway the visit. We had fun and played cars, watched the movie Open Season, which is a really funny movie, and played a couple of board and card games. I took him home on Saturday night and went back to the hotel to wait for Sunday morning. Sunday morning I pick him up and we go back to the hotel. We had another day of lots of fun. The only thing we did different at the hotel was he took a bath to play with his bath toys. He has this ship that has removeable pieces so that you can put it together however you want and it will break down to make about five different ships. It also came with a diver figure, a captain figure, an oyster (although we call it the clam), and the best part according to my son-the shark. The shark actually has a fin that you depress and it opens his mouth so you can shove the diver, captain and clam in and it falls down to the shark stomach. The stomach opens so you can dig them back out when you want to. He will play in the water with the shark and ship set until I make him get out. So I guess that makes it worth the dragging all the stuff in just to watch him really enjoy the shark eating everything.
After we had to check out of the hotel, we went to walmart because little man told me he wanted to pick out some ideas for us to get him for christmas. I said okay simply because I did not have any idea of what we should go do. Instead of picking out toys he heads straight to the electronics section and starts telling me how he wishes he could have the Nintendo DS, and some of the games. Then he starts playing the different games they have out for folks to "test drive". I don't know what game station it was, but he found a game where you raced a motorcycle, monster truck, or regular car or truck. When you crash or run the boost to long it actually shows the explosion. And if you get too close to the edge and slide off, it shows you falling down into the ravine. He thought that was really funny and played the game for a long time. It was fun just watching his facial expressions when he crashed or actually finished the race. Finally I told him that we were there for him to pick out toys which of course means that he will find something he can't live without, can he please please please have it now. No you cannot have it now, these are christmas ideas. It makes him mad but I tell him he will get over it. When we are just about out of time, I tell little man it is time to go so we can grab a happy meal for him. He eats his happy meal and watches a movie on the way back to his dad's, all the while telling me how much he misses me and how much he loves me and how much he wants to come home. It just makes me want to cry, but I cannot do that cuz it will make little man cry and I certainly don't want to do that. I will just give him lots of hugs and kisses and wait for the next time. And keep hoping and wishing that he will get to come home soon so I can hug and kiss him every day. Tuck him in every day. Just see him every day. What a wonderful time that will be.
I did try to pack better. I had one tub that had all of our food, and everything we would need to hold it, heat it and eat it. I had one tub with all of the toys in it. I had one smallish bag with my clothes and some clothes for my son. Then I brought a bag for a magazine, my coupons and the dvd player. We are not going to take the tv/vcr into the room anymore as it is just too much to drag in. Little man did not ask for it either. And of course our pillows. I cannot sleep without my own pillow.
We went christmas shopping on Saturday. We had a good time picking out something for all of the family. I told him one present for each person which is my mom and dad, and my sis, her husband and their two kids. And of course he had to pick out something for the cats. He always wants to get something for the cats. So far he has picked really well and the cats like the toys. Which means they totally destroy it and tear it into shreds! And I am okay with that as it means that my shoes and shoestrings are left alone, at least sometimes.
Anyway the visit. We had fun and played cars, watched the movie Open Season, which is a really funny movie, and played a couple of board and card games. I took him home on Saturday night and went back to the hotel to wait for Sunday morning. Sunday morning I pick him up and we go back to the hotel. We had another day of lots of fun. The only thing we did different at the hotel was he took a bath to play with his bath toys. He has this ship that has removeable pieces so that you can put it together however you want and it will break down to make about five different ships. It also came with a diver figure, a captain figure, an oyster (although we call it the clam), and the best part according to my son-the shark. The shark actually has a fin that you depress and it opens his mouth so you can shove the diver, captain and clam in and it falls down to the shark stomach. The stomach opens so you can dig them back out when you want to. He will play in the water with the shark and ship set until I make him get out. So I guess that makes it worth the dragging all the stuff in just to watch him really enjoy the shark eating everything.
After we had to check out of the hotel, we went to walmart because little man told me he wanted to pick out some ideas for us to get him for christmas. I said okay simply because I did not have any idea of what we should go do. Instead of picking out toys he heads straight to the electronics section and starts telling me how he wishes he could have the Nintendo DS, and some of the games. Then he starts playing the different games they have out for folks to "test drive". I don't know what game station it was, but he found a game where you raced a motorcycle, monster truck, or regular car or truck. When you crash or run the boost to long it actually shows the explosion. And if you get too close to the edge and slide off, it shows you falling down into the ravine. He thought that was really funny and played the game for a long time. It was fun just watching his facial expressions when he crashed or actually finished the race. Finally I told him that we were there for him to pick out toys which of course means that he will find something he can't live without, can he please please please have it now. No you cannot have it now, these are christmas ideas. It makes him mad but I tell him he will get over it. When we are just about out of time, I tell little man it is time to go so we can grab a happy meal for him. He eats his happy meal and watches a movie on the way back to his dad's, all the while telling me how much he misses me and how much he loves me and how much he wants to come home. It just makes me want to cry, but I cannot do that cuz it will make little man cry and I certainly don't want to do that. I will just give him lots of hugs and kisses and wait for the next time. And keep hoping and wishing that he will get to come home soon so I can hug and kiss him every day. Tuck him in every day. Just see him every day. What a wonderful time that will be.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I know that I do not post too much about deals really, but I have to mention to anyone reading this that there is a $500 walmart gift card give away over at deal seeking mom. Get over there and try for your chance. Just think how wonderful that would be to win and just in time for christmas!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Here is my Mother Letter
Dear Mother,
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' smile, I wish I had done so more.
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' laugh, I wish I had done so more.
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' giggle, chatter, frown, cry, scream and tantrum. I wish I had done so more.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son with me. I no longer get to wake him up each morning, I no longer get to tuck him in at night.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son to nag to hurry up and get ready for school, finish your homework, get in the tub and get ready for bed.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son give a kiss to when he falls and hurts his knee, or is just walking by within reach to give a hug. My son is no longer in reach.
As I contemplated writing this letter, I saw many moms claiming their children were sucking the life out of them. These mothers had lost their patience in dealing with their little ones,
and I tell them be thankful for every minute, no matter what that minute contains. These mothers were ignoring their children's cry for help, for a tantrum, for just a little attention. I tell them,
do not ignore, enjoy every minute. You never know when it will be your last.
Please enjoy every possible second, you never know when it will be your last.
As I write this letter my heart goes out to all mothers who have lost their children, in whatever manner it may be. Perhaps you lost your child before birth, perhaps you lost an infant. Perhaps
you lost your child, not in death, but in kidnapping, or child custody or moving out. In whatever manner you have lost your child my heart bleeds with you. For whatever reason, if you have lost
your child from reach, you have not, and will never, lose your child from your heart. Your child is a part of you, Mother, and will always be. Cherish what memories you have, Mother. They will be
with you for the rest of your life. Enjoy every memory you have. I know that I will.
Love,
Michelle
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' smile, I wish I had done so more.
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' laugh, I wish I had done so more.
As I write this I hope you are enjoying your little ones' giggle, chatter, frown, cry, scream and tantrum. I wish I had done so more.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son with me. I no longer get to wake him up each morning, I no longer get to tuck him in at night.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son to nag to hurry up and get ready for school, finish your homework, get in the tub and get ready for bed.
As I write this letter, I no longer have my son give a kiss to when he falls and hurts his knee, or is just walking by within reach to give a hug. My son is no longer in reach.
As I contemplated writing this letter, I saw many moms claiming their children were sucking the life out of them. These mothers had lost their patience in dealing with their little ones,
and I tell them be thankful for every minute, no matter what that minute contains. These mothers were ignoring their children's cry for help, for a tantrum, for just a little attention. I tell them,
do not ignore, enjoy every minute. You never know when it will be your last.
Please enjoy every possible second, you never know when it will be your last.
As I write this letter my heart goes out to all mothers who have lost their children, in whatever manner it may be. Perhaps you lost your child before birth, perhaps you lost an infant. Perhaps
you lost your child, not in death, but in kidnapping, or child custody or moving out. In whatever manner you have lost your child my heart bleeds with you. For whatever reason, if you have lost
your child from reach, you have not, and will never, lose your child from your heart. Your child is a part of you, Mother, and will always be. Cherish what memories you have, Mother. They will be
with you for the rest of your life. Enjoy every memory you have. I know that I will.
Love,
Michelle
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Mother Letter
I like to check in with my hound friends and their blogs as often as I can. I am not able to check in daily, but hopefully I can stop by at least once a week. This week as I stopped by Living Easy I saw that she had a post about The Mother Letter Project. I followed her links, and found this wonderful idea. I will post my letter with all the other letters. Thanks, Lisa for leading me to a terrific idea and something that I can participate in that will mean something wonderful to someone else and that can hopefully heal my heart some as I read stories from other women whose hearts have been touched by this thing we call motherhood. I will post my letter here when I am finished with it.
Thanksgiving Visit
Well, I had my Thanksgiving visit with my son this past weekend. My mom went with me. I still have not found a camper/motor home yet, so I planned to stay in my van again. I knew that it would be a bit crowded with all three of us in there, but we would just make it work. I packed everything we would need and tried hard to leave any extras home. We of course were taking food for a proper Thanskgiving meal. I had a whole chicken that I hounded from Meijer for just a couple of dollars, potatoes purchased on sale for only 99 cents, carrots purchased on sale for only 79 cents. That would be the bulk of our meal as it could be prepared in the nesco cooker all together with minimal fuss. My mom made some homemade chicken and noodles to go with our chicken that we would heat in the crock pot. We also took some things like applesauce, canned green beans (did you know that you could get the little cans and they have the pop tops so no can opener is needed!?!), and of course some puumpkin pie with spray whip which is really fun for my son who loves to spray it on his pie and in his mouth! So we got the cooler loaded and we were off.
It got to be time for me to call my son and as we are talking I ask how was school. He tells me he was sick again. He did not go. He is trying to tell me what he has but in the end just puts his dad on the phone. Now it really is not funny that my son is sick, but my conversation with his dad is really amusing. I say he tells me he is sick. He says yeah its just a virus, I took him to the doctor today and he said that it is just a virus. I ask what kind of virus. He tells me I don't remember what he called it, just a .....viral virus. A "viral virus" I ask. Yes is the answer, he does not remember what it is called but it is highly contagious and they gave him and antibiotic. An antibiotic for a virus? Yep they gave him this medicine. I ask is it a respiratory infection, and he tells me he does not know what the doctor called it. Then he asks me if I have heat in my van. At this point what I really wanted to do was say something that would probably end up starting a fight and him not allowing my son to have the phone back so we could talk. I wanted to say Nope, no heat in the van it is really fun to drive around in Illinois in the winter time with no heat whatsoever, and even more fun to sleep in it with no heat at all. And wouldn't that be great to drive around in with my son who has a "viral virus" with an antibiotic? What kind of fool are you? But in the interest of being able to talk to my son for our phone call I merely say, Well yes I have heat. Good because the doctor said that "son" should not be out in the cold air. That is fine I say, it is cold out and we did not plan on playing outside anyway. So my son gets back on the phone and we get to finish our conversation. What did you do with your day off I ask. I went shopping with grandma. You went shopping, like just to pick up your medicine and a few groceries. Noooo, we went shopping, like to kmart and walmart and sears. We went christmas shopping. Now I am unsure if our conversations are still being recorded so I let this go and changed the subject. I do not want to get my son in trouble again for telling what is going on at his dad's house. I figure I will have all day to ask tomorrow. I get off the phone and ask my mom if she is up for staying in a hotel as I did not want to stay in the van if my son was sick. Mom was totally up for it as she was dreading staying in the van all weekend anyway. So we either have to stop for me to get a visa gift card to use to pay so I can write a check at walmart to pay for the hotel which of course does not take checks, or my mom has to pay and I will pay her back. She says she will pay and I can give her the money when we get home.
We pick my son up the next morning, and he is sick, with some sort of respiratory "viral virus", and his antibiotic? It's a cough syrup. We go to the hotel which my son is really excited about. He like to go to the hotels, cuz he likes jumping back and forth across the beds. And hiding behind one bed on one side and us hiding on the other side and we fight aliens. The creepy outer space kinds, not the illegal human kinds! We also gave him a vapor bath with the johnson's vapor bath. The whole room smelled like menthol! He seemed fine after that, he said he could breathe, he blew his nose and got a lot out, and hardly coughed at all. I gave him some Tylenol just to see if it helped him. He said it did not, but I could tell a difference in his behavior after it would have kicked in. He was a little more pleasant.
But dinner did not go as planned to start with. We got the chicken out of the cooler and opened it up, and it was smelly and no good(so much for my hounded chicken!). So my mom made a quick (read-not so quick, but my mom cannot go in get what she needs and get out) trip to the store. She brought back all sorts of things, like triscuits, wheat thins, cheese ball, two loaves of bread, a bag of apples and a whole chicken. Except the chicken she bought was much larger than the one I had bought. So the potatoes did not fit into the roaster with the chicken, but I was at least able to squash the carrots in. We did get the food cooked and we ate, but not all at the same time because we had been snacking all morning and the food did not get done at the same time. But it was all tasty. And my son ate really well. Which is always a concern as his diet at his dad's is dismal at best. From what my son tells me the only veggies he gets are if he eats a can of veggie soup or the tomato sauce on pizza. And of course french fries, if they can still be considered a veggie after deep frying. So we try to take home made veggie soup, canned veggies, can fruit, applesauce cups, apples and bananas, and even yogurt. I usually sneak in a lot of different types of veggies in the soup so he gets a good variety every other weekend. At least he gets some is my attitude right now. It is better than none. When it was time to take him back he was sad but not distraught and was really looking forward to the next day. So we go back to the hotel room, pick up the toys, take showers and go to bed. We pick him up the next day and proceed to have another day of alien fighting, chicken and noodle and apple eating, and playing board games. We watch a movie, or rather we put a movie in the dvd player and it plays in the background while we play. We "waller" (as my son says) on the bed, and of course he jumps on the beds. Then it was time to pack up. So we packed and loaded the van and headed for the walmart parking lot. We went there so my son would not think he had to play outside, which he would have wanted to do if we had gone to the park. I figured we would just hang out and watch him play his gameboy Pokemon game. Nope he wanted to play more board games. So we did. Course we did not play any games according to the rules and ended up using the cards to play an entirely different game, but we had fun. It is always sad to leave, but my son did not cry this time, which really makes it hard for me to leave him. He did keep telling me that he wanted to come home. I tell him I know and that I am still working on it. I will not give up trying until he gets home. Then I also call him a couple of hours after I drop him off to make sure that he is okay and to tell him I love him. He was pretty much okay as he was cleaning his room, "but this sure is hard work" he tells me. He is coughing again which I assume is from dust, but seems fine other wise. He does get in his "want to go home" comment. Which he tries to get in fairly frequently. I am sad that I do not get Thanksgiving with him on the holiday, but that is not in the order this year. I will just take everything I do get and be thankful everyday that he still loves me and I still love him.
It got to be time for me to call my son and as we are talking I ask how was school. He tells me he was sick again. He did not go. He is trying to tell me what he has but in the end just puts his dad on the phone. Now it really is not funny that my son is sick, but my conversation with his dad is really amusing. I say he tells me he is sick. He says yeah its just a virus, I took him to the doctor today and he said that it is just a virus. I ask what kind of virus. He tells me I don't remember what he called it, just a .....viral virus. A "viral virus" I ask. Yes is the answer, he does not remember what it is called but it is highly contagious and they gave him and antibiotic. An antibiotic for a virus? Yep they gave him this medicine. I ask is it a respiratory infection, and he tells me he does not know what the doctor called it. Then he asks me if I have heat in my van. At this point what I really wanted to do was say something that would probably end up starting a fight and him not allowing my son to have the phone back so we could talk. I wanted to say Nope, no heat in the van it is really fun to drive around in Illinois in the winter time with no heat whatsoever, and even more fun to sleep in it with no heat at all. And wouldn't that be great to drive around in with my son who has a "viral virus" with an antibiotic? What kind of fool are you? But in the interest of being able to talk to my son for our phone call I merely say, Well yes I have heat. Good because the doctor said that "son" should not be out in the cold air. That is fine I say, it is cold out and we did not plan on playing outside anyway. So my son gets back on the phone and we get to finish our conversation. What did you do with your day off I ask. I went shopping with grandma. You went shopping, like just to pick up your medicine and a few groceries. Noooo, we went shopping, like to kmart and walmart and sears. We went christmas shopping. Now I am unsure if our conversations are still being recorded so I let this go and changed the subject. I do not want to get my son in trouble again for telling what is going on at his dad's house. I figure I will have all day to ask tomorrow. I get off the phone and ask my mom if she is up for staying in a hotel as I did not want to stay in the van if my son was sick. Mom was totally up for it as she was dreading staying in the van all weekend anyway. So we either have to stop for me to get a visa gift card to use to pay so I can write a check at walmart to pay for the hotel which of course does not take checks, or my mom has to pay and I will pay her back. She says she will pay and I can give her the money when we get home.
We pick my son up the next morning, and he is sick, with some sort of respiratory "viral virus", and his antibiotic? It's a cough syrup. We go to the hotel which my son is really excited about. He like to go to the hotels, cuz he likes jumping back and forth across the beds. And hiding behind one bed on one side and us hiding on the other side and we fight aliens. The creepy outer space kinds, not the illegal human kinds! We also gave him a vapor bath with the johnson's vapor bath. The whole room smelled like menthol! He seemed fine after that, he said he could breathe, he blew his nose and got a lot out, and hardly coughed at all. I gave him some Tylenol just to see if it helped him. He said it did not, but I could tell a difference in his behavior after it would have kicked in. He was a little more pleasant.
But dinner did not go as planned to start with. We got the chicken out of the cooler and opened it up, and it was smelly and no good(so much for my hounded chicken!). So my mom made a quick (read-not so quick, but my mom cannot go in get what she needs and get out) trip to the store. She brought back all sorts of things, like triscuits, wheat thins, cheese ball, two loaves of bread, a bag of apples and a whole chicken. Except the chicken she bought was much larger than the one I had bought. So the potatoes did not fit into the roaster with the chicken, but I was at least able to squash the carrots in. We did get the food cooked and we ate, but not all at the same time because we had been snacking all morning and the food did not get done at the same time. But it was all tasty. And my son ate really well. Which is always a concern as his diet at his dad's is dismal at best. From what my son tells me the only veggies he gets are if he eats a can of veggie soup or the tomato sauce on pizza. And of course french fries, if they can still be considered a veggie after deep frying. So we try to take home made veggie soup, canned veggies, can fruit, applesauce cups, apples and bananas, and even yogurt. I usually sneak in a lot of different types of veggies in the soup so he gets a good variety every other weekend. At least he gets some is my attitude right now. It is better than none. When it was time to take him back he was sad but not distraught and was really looking forward to the next day. So we go back to the hotel room, pick up the toys, take showers and go to bed. We pick him up the next day and proceed to have another day of alien fighting, chicken and noodle and apple eating, and playing board games. We watch a movie, or rather we put a movie in the dvd player and it plays in the background while we play. We "waller" (as my son says) on the bed, and of course he jumps on the beds. Then it was time to pack up. So we packed and loaded the van and headed for the walmart parking lot. We went there so my son would not think he had to play outside, which he would have wanted to do if we had gone to the park. I figured we would just hang out and watch him play his gameboy Pokemon game. Nope he wanted to play more board games. So we did. Course we did not play any games according to the rules and ended up using the cards to play an entirely different game, but we had fun. It is always sad to leave, but my son did not cry this time, which really makes it hard for me to leave him. He did keep telling me that he wanted to come home. I tell him I know and that I am still working on it. I will not give up trying until he gets home. Then I also call him a couple of hours after I drop him off to make sure that he is okay and to tell him I love him. He was pretty much okay as he was cleaning his room, "but this sure is hard work" he tells me. He is coughing again which I assume is from dust, but seems fine other wise. He does get in his "want to go home" comment. Which he tries to get in fairly frequently. I am sad that I do not get Thanksgiving with him on the holiday, but that is not in the order this year. I will just take everything I do get and be thankful everyday that he still loves me and I still love him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
