Most of my family members work on holidays - myself included (when I worked outside the home). My mother (who works at a hospital) was scheduled to work today as well.
At 5:45 this morning she was walking from her car to the hospital to start her shift. The guy running the snowplow didn't see her in time, and backed up into her, striking her right side. The impact lifted her off the ground and she landed hard on her left side, skidding several feet across the pavement. The landing broke the upper bone in her left arm.
My mother being who she is, her recitation of the accident was full of humorous observations and macabre jokes. But I could still hear the pain in her voice, and I knew she had taken meds that just weren't making a dent in the pain. Her Christmas this year isn't going to be very joyous.
After I got off the phone, I realized that I could have very easily lost my mother today. If that guy had been driving the plow slower, the impact wouldn't have sent her flying - rather, it would have knocked her down, right in front of the tires - and probably killed her.
I know the driver is probably a good guy - Mom said he was very concerned and helpful - but why didn't he have the beeper on when he was backing up? Mom heard no noise to let her know the plow was backing up in her direction - just a split second where she saw it coming before it struck her.
But as Mom pointed out, he probably feels horrible for not turning on the beeper - and even worse that he struck her in the first place. On top of that, he's probably terrified that he's going to be fired - and in this economy, wouldn't be able to find another job right away. Trust my mother to think about this guy, and worry more about him than about herself! But that's the kind of woman my mother is.
This is one of those times when I sincerely wish I lived closer to my family. I don't work, and normally would be in the perfect position to come over and help her out. But my hometown is a five hour drive away, and I don't own a car...and even if I did, I don't have the money for such a trip.
My only wish this Christmas is that I could go see my mother with my own eyes, and know that she is truly okay.
25 December 2010
17 December 2010
Eggnog
Got a new foster animal today. This time it's a little puppy, just eight weeks old. He's been given the name "Eggnog" (which I honestly think is a horrible name for a pet, but that's just me). His mother was a German Shepherd. His papers say that he is a Shepherd/terrier mix, but he looks more like he has some hound in him to me. Sean thinks he has some golden Labrador as well (he's got that color coat).
I managed to get a couple pics...the flash on our camera sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, so some of the pictures are bright and others are dark.
Now, this is interesting for me, as I haven't trained a dog in over 20 years! So if anyone has words of wisdom or just advice, I'll take all I can get! Thanks for any and all help.
I managed to get a couple pics...the flash on our camera sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, so some of the pictures are bright and others are dark.
Now, this is interesting for me, as I haven't trained a dog in over 20 years! So if anyone has words of wisdom or just advice, I'll take all I can get! Thanks for any and all help.
13 December 2010
The weather has been bad all weekend. It started out raining on Friday, which froze when the sun went down. Saturday started with more rain, which turned to sleet and then snow by evening. Temps began to fall Sunday night, and I warned the boys that they would have to dress warmly for school the next day.
Monday morning arrives, and Jacob comes to the table in shorts and a tank top. And James had a tee-shirt on.
Seriously?
I made them march back into their room to put on appropriate clothing for the weather. It ended up being one of the few days I had to pick out the younger kids clothing. I stilled their complaints by explaining how cold it was outside, but they didn't really comprehend how cold it was until I opened the window. One blast of arctic air and they changed their minds in a hurry!
As they dressed, I explained to them that the school has been closed all weekend and that the heater was off. The school is going to be VERY chilly this morning, and they are going to want to have layers on. As I explained this, I remembered my mother explaining the very same thing to me as a child. I also remembered how grateful I was to her when I got to school and discovered she was right - the school was only about 40 degrees inside. It warmed up over the day, but thanks to her dressing me in layers, I remained comfortable the whole day through.
Great...now I feel like I'm turning into my mother.
Monday morning arrives, and Jacob comes to the table in shorts and a tank top. And James had a tee-shirt on.
Seriously?
I made them march back into their room to put on appropriate clothing for the weather. It ended up being one of the few days I had to pick out the younger kids clothing. I stilled their complaints by explaining how cold it was outside, but they didn't really comprehend how cold it was until I opened the window. One blast of arctic air and they changed their minds in a hurry!
As they dressed, I explained to them that the school has been closed all weekend and that the heater was off. The school is going to be VERY chilly this morning, and they are going to want to have layers on. As I explained this, I remembered my mother explaining the very same thing to me as a child. I also remembered how grateful I was to her when I got to school and discovered she was right - the school was only about 40 degrees inside. It warmed up over the day, but thanks to her dressing me in layers, I remained comfortable the whole day through.
Great...now I feel like I'm turning into my mother.
04 December 2010
The Mysterious Ticking Noise
I've heard a lot about "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" and decided to look it up on youtube. The video was so funny, I called the kids out to see it. They were laughing so hard I'm suprised they could actually hear the song! They asked to watch it twice more...and now they are in their room singing:
James: "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape"
Jacob: "Dumbledore!"
And they insist on singing the ending line with Voldemort together. It's too cute!
Click here to see the video that started it all.
James: "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape"
Jacob: "Dumbledore!"
And they insist on singing the ending line with Voldemort together. It's too cute!
Click here to see the video that started it all.
22 November 2010
I will NEVER again tempt fate by complaining that I am bored
Well, I asked for it.
I said we were bored.
I wished for something exciting.
I should have known better.
I was watching TV while the kids played in their rooms, when a weather bulletin interrupted my show. There was a tornado warning that included Kane County (which is where we live). I went outside and looked around - it was still light, rather bright - we had some cloud cover but not a lot. Nothing to worry about, right? I went back to my show.
Before I even hit the second commercial break, another weather bulletin interrupted the show. Again I looked out the window, as was my habit...and was stunned by what I saw. It was almost jet black outside, trees were blowing every which way, and what little light there was had a strange greenish tinge.
Just then, our cat Ayla jumped into my lap, let out this horrified howl/screech/moaning sound, and started running in circles.
Holy shit!
I got the kids into the hallway, which is in the center of the house. I pulled a mattress off the bed and tilted it against the wall, available to be pulled on top of us at a moments notice.
I then went outside a few feet to see if I could see or hear anything. The sky was this horrid greenish color, and I could hear a faint roaring far in the distance. I looked in all directions, not seeing anything, but just in the few moments I was outside, the roaring grew slightly louder. I ran back inside.
The kids and I spent a tense half hour sitting in the hallway, listening to the wind, rain, and that faint roaring which went away after a couple of minutes. The wind died down, the rain clouds parted, and the sun shone through again. We came out, and put the mattress back on the bed.
Now, at this point I was feeling kinda silly. Obviously I had over-reacted - nothing had happened. That roaring I had heard in the distance was probably a plane landing at O'Hare.
Then I checked my phone...and saw a tweet from a news service that said "Likely twister damages homes in Illinois".
I went online and discovered that a tornado had indeed touched down, fifty miles away in Rock Cut State Park (northwest of us). Well, that was obviously too far away for me to have heard it. But then as I listened to the news reports, I discovered that the tornado had been last sighted at Elburn (south of us). The tornado had passed within twenty miles of our location.
Then I discovered that O'Hare had canceled all flights during that time period...so it hadn't been a plane that I heard. It was a tornado!
Here's some links to info on the tornado - and someone even got footage (and of course he immediately put it on youtube.com). Some schools in different districts were still in session, and a school bus was knocked on its side, injuring five children and the driver.
http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=1355130
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Minor_Injuries_as_School_Bus_Falls_on_Side_109980779.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEgbm-t0_As
I said we were bored.
I wished for something exciting.
I should have known better.
I was watching TV while the kids played in their rooms, when a weather bulletin interrupted my show. There was a tornado warning that included Kane County (which is where we live). I went outside and looked around - it was still light, rather bright - we had some cloud cover but not a lot. Nothing to worry about, right? I went back to my show.
Before I even hit the second commercial break, another weather bulletin interrupted the show. Again I looked out the window, as was my habit...and was stunned by what I saw. It was almost jet black outside, trees were blowing every which way, and what little light there was had a strange greenish tinge.
Just then, our cat Ayla jumped into my lap, let out this horrified howl/screech/moaning sound, and started running in circles.
Holy shit!
I got the kids into the hallway, which is in the center of the house. I pulled a mattress off the bed and tilted it against the wall, available to be pulled on top of us at a moments notice.
I then went outside a few feet to see if I could see or hear anything. The sky was this horrid greenish color, and I could hear a faint roaring far in the distance. I looked in all directions, not seeing anything, but just in the few moments I was outside, the roaring grew slightly louder. I ran back inside.
The kids and I spent a tense half hour sitting in the hallway, listening to the wind, rain, and that faint roaring which went away after a couple of minutes. The wind died down, the rain clouds parted, and the sun shone through again. We came out, and put the mattress back on the bed.
Now, at this point I was feeling kinda silly. Obviously I had over-reacted - nothing had happened. That roaring I had heard in the distance was probably a plane landing at O'Hare.
Then I checked my phone...and saw a tweet from a news service that said "Likely twister damages homes in Illinois".
I went online and discovered that a tornado had indeed touched down, fifty miles away in Rock Cut State Park (northwest of us). Well, that was obviously too far away for me to have heard it. But then as I listened to the news reports, I discovered that the tornado had been last sighted at Elburn (south of us). The tornado had passed within twenty miles of our location.
Then I discovered that O'Hare had canceled all flights during that time period...so it hadn't been a plane that I heard. It was a tornado!
Here's some links to info on the tornado - and someone even got footage (and of course he immediately put it on youtube.com). Some schools in different districts were still in session, and a school bus was knocked on its side, injuring five children and the driver.
http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=1355130
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Minor_Injuries_as_School_Bus_Falls_on_Side_109980779.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEgbm-t0_As
Bored
The school district here in Carpentersville decided to combine Thanksgiving vacation with in-staff teacher days...which results in the kids getting a nine-day break from school. The kids are horribly excited by this.
I'm a little less excited. One of my ideas had been to plan weather appropriate activities during this week. If it was warm enough, I could give them a few more biking lessons before snow made that impossible. Other warm day activities were hiking and playing outside with friends.
If it was too cold for biking, I figured they could play outside in the snow. Build snowmen, go sledding (there's a nice hill a block away). Lots of winter-type activities.
But rather, the weather decided to laugh at me. It's cold outside - too cold to ride bikes or play. But not cold enough for snow. Just cold enough so that the precipitation falling from the sky is a chilly, miserable rain. Too cold to play outside, too wet to play outside. We're effectively limited to the house.
So how do you entertain three active boys in a house that is barely 1000 square feet? I know most people would count on TV and video games, and they are allowed more of those than they would get on school days. However, I don't want my kids sitting glued to the TV all day long. So I have had to get creative and find things for them to do this week.
The first thing they are going to do is make cute thank-you cards for the gifts they recently received. I might also have them draw cute thanksgiving pictures to send to various relatives and friends. Some crafts can be done as well - we are decently stocked on craft supplies.
Of course, playing with the kittens is always a hit. Simply drag a string or throw a ball of tinfoil at the felines, and you have hours of entertainment right there.
We have a large bookcase, and two shelves are completely dedicated to board games (this doesn't include the DnD stuff, which fills an entire bookcase of it's own, plus a duffel bag full of miniatures). We also have a LOT of books, and will be going to the library on Wednesday to pick up more.
However, I still am already hearing "Mom, I'm boooored!"
Anyone have any new ideas for activities to keep these active boys busy?
I'm a little less excited. One of my ideas had been to plan weather appropriate activities during this week. If it was warm enough, I could give them a few more biking lessons before snow made that impossible. Other warm day activities were hiking and playing outside with friends.
If it was too cold for biking, I figured they could play outside in the snow. Build snowmen, go sledding (there's a nice hill a block away). Lots of winter-type activities.
But rather, the weather decided to laugh at me. It's cold outside - too cold to ride bikes or play. But not cold enough for snow. Just cold enough so that the precipitation falling from the sky is a chilly, miserable rain. Too cold to play outside, too wet to play outside. We're effectively limited to the house.
So how do you entertain three active boys in a house that is barely 1000 square feet? I know most people would count on TV and video games, and they are allowed more of those than they would get on school days. However, I don't want my kids sitting glued to the TV all day long. So I have had to get creative and find things for them to do this week.
The first thing they are going to do is make cute thank-you cards for the gifts they recently received. I might also have them draw cute thanksgiving pictures to send to various relatives and friends. Some crafts can be done as well - we are decently stocked on craft supplies.
Of course, playing with the kittens is always a hit. Simply drag a string or throw a ball of tinfoil at the felines, and you have hours of entertainment right there.
We have a large bookcase, and two shelves are completely dedicated to board games (this doesn't include the DnD stuff, which fills an entire bookcase of it's own, plus a duffel bag full of miniatures). We also have a LOT of books, and will be going to the library on Wednesday to pick up more.
However, I still am already hearing "Mom, I'm boooored!"
Anyone have any new ideas for activities to keep these active boys busy?
19 November 2010
Courthouse wedding
A ton of pictures were taken yesterday at the courthouse where we got married. Sean's sister took most of the pics with her camera, and I don't have those yet. But I did take a few pictures of the kids with our own digital camera specifically for this blog.
Here's Jacob:
And James...
And Jonathan (who didn't want to smile for the camera)
I managed to get a few pics of the three of them together.
(Elroy bumped my arm when I took that last pic, so it was blurry and jostled. Oh well!)
More photos will be coming as soon as I get them. We got a couple pics during the actual ceremony, and there was so much laughter and practical joking that I think even the judge (who must do hundreds if not thousands of these ceremonies each year) will never forget our particular group!
Here's Jacob:
And James...
And Jonathan (who didn't want to smile for the camera)
I managed to get a few pics of the three of them together.
(Elroy bumped my arm when I took that last pic, so it was blurry and jostled. Oh well!)
More photos will be coming as soon as I get them. We got a couple pics during the actual ceremony, and there was so much laughter and practical joking that I think even the judge (who must do hundreds if not thousands of these ceremonies each year) will never forget our particular group!
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