Mice

Most of you already know that I have had a mouse problem in my car. About 4 weeks ago, I saw the first signs....a mouse had chewed through a plastic food container that had some peanut butter in it. He'd also left behind poop. I immediately cleaned everything out of my car, but found no other real food source. Then, I took it to be cleaned.

A bit later, a mouse had chewed up Leah's carseat cover......right where the crumbs are dropped. Some other things happened that made me wonder. Then, I met some friends for lunch 2 Sunday's ago and came out from the restaurant to find styrofoam everywhere. The kids' carseats have some styrofoam in the bottom. I knew then that they were traveling with me.

Butch bought some old school traps. (I should mention we'd already bought poison traps, but had no luck with those.) He set 2 traps on Monday evening -- both on the floor of the car -- one in front & one in back. Within an hour, the front trap had "caught" (broken the leg of) a mouse. Butch was playing volleyball, so I was on my own. We'd put down trashbags under the traps. So, I picked up the bag and carried the mouse (who was not running from me) to the woods and set the little disabled thing free to fend for himself against predators.

By the morning, the other trap had caught another...this time really caught him.

We forgot to set the traps on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day and a Leprechaun had visited Miss Lisa's while the girls were napping. He left little baskets of chocolate coins for them. Apparently, I forgot to bring one of those in on Tuesday.

When I got in my car Wednesday morning, the little basket was there....the EMPTY little basket. But, I thought "maybe I dumped the chocolates in Lacey's dance bag".....because certainly SOMEthing would be left behind. The gold foil, some chocolate. SOMEthing. About 2-3 miles from my house, the car was heated good....and I could smell the chocolate. I looked down at my feet and saw a very small amount of gold foil.

I turned around and went home since it HAD to be dealt with. I couldn't handle it anymore.

I ended up calling GEICO and found that this issue is covered by our policy. I took the car to the adjuster at 1:30. They agreed to replace the carseat and have the dash removed to check for damage. When that appointment finished, Butch called to say Leah had thrown up. So, the mouse problem waited another few days.

Well, except making the car smell like candy canes. I was told my a mechanic that mice hate peppermint. So, we bought peppermint oil & soaked cotton balls...which we placed all over the floor near the dash and on top of the dash. Hopefully, that chased them away.

I finally got the car to the shop on Tuesday evening. There was some damage - just one part that needs replaced. It was due to come in on Friday & they hope to have the car ready for me on Monday.

We ended up having to rent a car, though. Butch went to DE this weekend for a volleyball tournament and I need something to get to the airport tomorrow since I'm going to NY for a 2 day trip.

I really hope the stupid mice are gone. The mechanic didn't find any nest or see any mice (alive or dead).

Next up: having a tune up done to check for more damage and getting it detailed to get rid of all those mouse germs.

Stomach Bug, Part 2

Leah's stomach bug was last Wednesday. By Friday night, we thought we were in the clear for the rest of us. We were wrong.

Lacey kept complaining that her tummy hurt, which is somewhat normal, given her constipation issues. But, it seemed different....and the stomach virus was still on my mind. At 11:30, she threw up....pink yogurt all over the family room floor. I didn't feel great either....was cold even though it wasn't cold in the house. By 5:00, I knew I had it....the chills had started badly and lasted for 5 hours. I never vomited, but had other not-so-pleasant digestive issues.

Butch slept in the guest room. Lacey slept with me....but neither of us really slept. We still felt bad on Sunday, but at least the vomiting had stopped. I had a fever off & on all day.

The girls went to daycare on Monday and I headed to the office. At noon, I'd already decided to take sick time, but kept doing "1 last thing" and finally made it out at 1:30. It was Wednesday before I could eat without feeling nauseous.

What a week.

Stomach Bug

Through Facebook on Tuesday, I learned that 2 of the daycare kids (siblings) were home sick. In fact, their whole family had it. When I picked up Lacey on Tuesday, Miss Lisa said that MK had been at daycare on Monday...and I guess it started Monday night. MK's sister came to daycare on Tuesday, but started with vomiting and diarrhea. Lots of exposure for all the kids. Miss Lisa ended up having taking M home because neither parent could come pick her up since the whole family was vomiting.

But, off we went to dance class and I tried not to think about it.

Wednesday, I was supposed to go to the office and was on my way in, when I had to turn around for a car issue (which I'll blog about later). I got home and came in to make some calls on my car. That's when I realized Lisa had left a message the night before...I guess while we were all in Leah's room...it said that she had started with diarrhea, but she was hoping it was something she eaten. While I was calling on something about my car, she called again. Still no vomiting, but making sure I'd gotten the message since I usually keep them home to avoid exposure when she's ill.

Because of my car issue, I had Butch turn around & pick up the girls to bring them home. He stayed home, too, so I had some flexibility with the car problem. I ran out for a 1:30 appt. on the car and Butch called at 1:45....saying Leah had vomited in her crib. Lovely. She'd probably done it awhile before since he'd laid her down for a nap at 1:00 and she was fussing off and on....probably saying "hello....I'm laying in puke".....

So, between that time & 3:40, it happened a total of 3x. She ended up eating crackers and drinking water through the evening...after a very short, 1 hour nap. She was so hungry & seemed fine for so long...we let her have a few bites of oatmeal later. Then, when I was rocking her at 8:00ish....everything came up. Yikes.

I changed her, thinking we were good. But, it happened again. We were out of clean sleepers, so I put her in some of Lacey's PJs that she'd outgrown. I told Leah she was getting big girl jammies and she smiled really big. Even after her rotton day and just throwing up, she still had a big smile. So sweet. She finally fell asleep in my arms and ended up sleeping through the night.

So far today, she's eaten yogurt, cheerios, bread and even had a little milk. I'm afraid to have high hopes, yet. But, I know from the others that it doesn't last more than 24 hours, so maybe we are done. Maybe. Send us some healthy vibes, okay?

Lacey hasn't had it...yet. I'm not keeping my hopes up there either. I heard from Lisa this morning and the only daycare kid that hasn't had it is Lacey. She is 1 of 7. Lisa said her husband even got a mild version. Lisa had it rough until 7:30 last night, but is only sore today.

Well, if everyone manages to stay healthy today....and if Lisa is open (and she's hoping to be), the girls will be back tomorrow. Lisa promised to scrub and disinfect everything again later today. I half-way want to keep them home just to keep Lacey away from it a bit longer. We'll see. I might end up doing that.

Random

Butch is working this afternoon an open house at Ryken. He'll be back around dinner. The girls are in great moods today...thankfully. It's too muddy out, thanks to the snow, but we played on the deck for a long time. It's so warm. I am so ready for spring!

Yesterday we went to the library for a birthday celebration for Dr. Seuss. There were tons of kids. Lacey had no interest in the party & just wanted to go find the books and DVDs, so off we went. I'm looking forward to the little Amish market opening for the season. They set up at the library, so our Saturday morning tradition is to go to the library & market with the kids.

Other than that, yesterday was no fun. I don't know if it was mostly me (stressed and grumpy) or the kids misbehaving...or a combination of the two. I feel like all I did was yell at Lacey. She wasn't listening at all. Today, I made a decision to stay calm the entire day and it's worked well so far. She responds best when I'm calm. If she isn't listening, a count to 5 and a loss of a "point" usually does the trick. I need to remember that. Sometimes, it's just hard to do when they are pushing my buttons all day.

I went through our local events calendar yesterday to find upcoming events and wrote several things down on the calendar. I love this time of year!

My local HIP Momma's meetup group hasn't done much to include the working moms in a while. Most (probably 80-90%) are stay at home moms, so there has been lots on the calendar, but mostly weekday things. Anyway, our fearless leader has moved into her new house and is setting up new things. I'm looking forward to some time with the girls. Of course, the day they have scheduled our first Mom's Morning Out (breakfast) since November....is next Saturday....when Butch has to administer SATs. Oh well. I'm considering a sitter, but not sure it's worth it.

Lacey's going for her well visit in a few weeks and I can't wait to talk to Dr. Jill about the ongoing constipation and diet issues. Leah gets to go to the dentist for the first time next month, too. Yippee. Hopefully she'll handle it better than Lacey did at this age!

Is all of that random enough for you?

Exercise!

I've been trying to get myself exercising (and eating well) for months now. I just can't seem to get myself motivated enough to lose the last 10 pounds from being pregnant with Leah. I think I've finally decided that exercise must come first....then the nutrition will follow. I bought a 10 visit pass to the gym that Dee goes to. I haven't joined before partly because of the kids and having to take time to go, but also because it's not really close. It's about 25 minutes from here. But, I need to do something.

They have a turbo kickboxing class that Dee & her friend love. I went on Thursday evening and love it, too. The instructor is really good and it's a HARD workout, which is what I need to get motivated. She teaches the same class on Tuesday mornings. Since I work from home on Tuesdays, that's going to be my lunch hour. Twice a week should get me moving more, right?

I had gotten into Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. It's a great 20 minute workout. I'm just not great at sticking with it. Hopefully I can do that once each weekend and maybe another time during the week.

Kid-Free Time

A few weeks ago we tried a teenage babysitter for the first time. Other than official daycare and family, no one had watched the kids for us before. Lacey's old daycare provider, Miss Kim, has 3 daughters. The oldest is in college, the next (Alex) is 16 and the youngest is 15, I think. So, both the youngest ones babysit and I know they helped Miss Kim with the kids (played with the kids) when she ran the daycare.

Rather than try to have a teenager who the kids don't know get them to bed, we planned an afternoon date. We went to lunch and then to see He's Just Not That Into You. Very cute and so nice to get out.

Alex worked out great - both kids seemed to like her. She got Leah down for a nap without any crying or fighting, too. We're planning on doing this every 6 weeks or so. I don't think we can afford to do it more often. Although, we might alternate having Dee or Kristina watch them (if they can) with paying Alex or her sister.

Last weekend, we'd made plans to go to Bonefish (yum-o) with some friends of Butch's in Northern VA. I love that place. (Did I already say YUM-O?) It was good to see Victor & Mary, too. I don't know them very well, but they're sweet. The only negative thing (to me) is that they both play volleyball....which means that with 3 volleyball players, the conversation sort of kept going back to it. :-) I don't really mind...no interest, but I know Butch had fun.

Now that we've had those couple of dates, I can't wait to get out again. It's nice being able to have a conversation without having kids interrupt. As Leah keeps getting older, it's going to get much easier.

Publish Post

March Snow Storm!

Well....we were thinking spring was just weeks away, but a snowstorm came our way from the south. If you don't live around here, you may not know....when the snowstorms come from the west, we (in Southern MD) typically don't get much. But when they come from the south...look out. It started around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and continued until around noon on Monday. We got somewhere around 10-12 inches, depending on where you measured.

Here is what we woke up to on Monday morning. The schools had actually decided to close the night before.
That was around 7:00 a.m. or so and it just kept coming.

Our neighborhood has a contract with someone that plows the main roads, but we live on a shared driveway. Luckily, one of the neighbors has a snow blower. In the past, it's usually clear before Butch can offer to help since he never has to leave for work. This time, he met Mike and they worked on it together. Then, Butch was able to use it for our driveway, too.

We have been horrible about keeping our bird feeders filled, but I asked Butch to fill them Sunday afternoon and I'm glad we did (so were the birds).

We eventually got the kids out to play. Lacey wasn't asking and Leah took a long nap that afternoon, so it was around 4:00 when we finally got out there. Butch wanted to take them sledding. Leah went for the first time & liked it okay, but didn't want to go a second time. Lacey liked it in January and was eager to go again. But, when she got snow in her face....all that changed. She hates to get water in her face (bath tub or pool) and has a fit about it. So, Butch ended up just taking her out front to play for a bit.

I thought this tree looked beautiful!
Butch was off work Monday & Tuesday since schools were closed in that county. And, he had a delay on Wednesday morning. Miss Lisa had all the kids - all day - on Wednesday since schools were closed in her county (scheduled closing...not because of the snow). She managed to get all of them bundled up for fun in the snow. I don't know how she does it.
By the end of the week, most of the snow was gone. The temperatures continued rising and it's 70 degrees as I'm typing this. It was the same yesterday - gorgeous! And, while I love the snow....a little anyway....it's nice to have it melt quickly. I couldn't live in a climate where it was on the ground for 2-3 months solid.

Snowstorm in January

We got our first snow/ice that we could actually play in at the end of January. I had just started to think I could return Lacey's snow suit. (The Children's Place has a 6 month return policy that I love.)

I think we only got about 3 inches, but it was still fun. Butch got his workout in.

We eventually bundled the girls' up and took them out to play. Leah is very unsure and refused to put on mittens, so we didn't keep her out for long. Lacey was really enjoying it, though.



I bought a sled at Target that morning so we could get them out for sledding. I think Butch had just as much fun as Lacey. Maybe more. Lots of fun...and it turned out not to be our only snowstorm of the year!

Lacey's 4th Birthday!

I can't believe that my little girl is 4!

Grandma & Poppy came for a visit. They arrived on Wednesday and Grandma gave Lacey her early birthday present....a new princess dress....Ariel as a human.
She wanted it on immediately & wore it to bed. I had to fight her the next morning to take it off and get dressed for Miss Lisa's. Then, she didn't wear it for the rest of Grandma's visit. Strange child. Now she's wearing it again.

On Saturday, Nancy and I took Lacey to the pottery painting place. Of all the things she could have picked...she picked a race car piggy bank. What? I tried (unsuccessfully) to change her mind. She is a true girlie girl. I can't imagine why she picked a race car. Whatever. It was for her birthday, so I just went with it. She did well initially with painting....pink and gray. Then, she just wanted to mix paints & not wait for it to dry, etc. Should be interesting what we pick up this week. (It's ready, but I haven't gotten there because of our crazy snowstorm.) I decided to paint a latte mug and get her hand print on it. Hopefully it turned out okay, too.

Sunday was her party. I thought about doing something to include some kids this year, but didn't feel like finding activities for them to do. Yes, I'm lazy. And, really....there are only 2 friends her age I probably would have invited. I'll wait until she asks to have friends over. We ended up just having family over for dinner (spaghetti with slow cooked sauce) and ice cream cake.

Yes, my girl is spoiled. I have a hard time stopping. I have a feeling it would be a little easier with a boy, but who knows? Anyway....she even asked "is this one mine, too?", because she was remembering Christmas & that some were for Leah and other people.


Of course, Leah wasn't neglected. :-) Miss Frankie (Dad's friend) got her a little Webkinz.
And, I had gotten Leah some new hair barrettes. (She is a bit obsessed with getting her hair done.) Uncle Buck was a bit obsessed as well...he put every single barrette in her hair.

In that picture, you can see Uncle Bucky's lovely attempt at Leah's hair. I think he may have missed his calling.
I didn't bother attempting to make a cake this year. The whole family loves ice cream cake from Carvel, anyway. The theme this year? Scooby Doo! Yes, he is still quite popular and Lacey loves him.
After everyone left, we worked on getting the girls to bed. Lacey was way over-tired since she didn't nap Saturday or Sunday. She had a big meltdown right before bed. I worked very hard at keeping my calm since my having a screaming meltdown with her would have just made it worse. She was overtired for much of that week, but finally got caught up on sleep and back to herself.

Chuck & Nancy left on Tuesday morning to head to Atlanta for a visit with Butch's brother's family. Lacey's cousin (Samantha) is 9 days younger, so a birthday party was held at their house this past weekend.