Mommin' It Up!

June 22, 2011

Just call me killer.

It was a Wednesday, much like today. Two weeks ago today, in fact. It was Joshua’s first full day of summer break, and we were headed to the crazy pool to celebrate. We had my niece Murrin, who is 13, with us, so that she could help me with the kids, because as I have mentioned, the pool is CRAZY.

But anyhoo, it was REALLY hot. And my new van wasn’t shifting right. It’s an automatic transmission, and it was having a lot of trouble shifting. This wasn’t too surprising, because it had been giving me a wee bit of trouble previously, but my hubby the mechanic did a transmission flush and ran some conditioner through it or some crap like that, and it had been a bit better. (Though not totally.)

We went to the pool, Murrin was a huge help, we went home, and then we took Murrin home. She lives about 20 minutes away, and the van actually ran a bit better on the way to her house.

But on the way home? It hardly ran at all. I barely made it. I had to put my flashers on a couple times. Every time I hit a stoplight, I was afraid it wouldn’t go again when the light turned green. The last block to my house, the transmission was making both a really loud revving “I won’t shift” noise and a terrible high-pitched squeal. AND it smelled AWFUL.

Did I mention this was the FIRST DAY of summer break? And I had been dying to get a van before summer break? And was so excited that I got it 8 weeks before? Plenty of time!

Oh, the irony. (Makes me want to slit my wrists.)

Luckily, we still had my old car, so I was able to get the kids to meet my mother-in-law for dinner before Sophie’s gymnastics class. Bobby met us also, and was going to drive his mom and the boys over to watch Sophie – she and I planned to leave a few minutes early while they finished up dinner.

So, Sophie and I headed out to get in my old car. Which I had just driven there.

Which WOULD NOT EVEN TURN OVER when I put the key in.

Clearly, I am the problem. I killed two cars in one day! One that we’d only had for 8 weeks and one that I’d happily driven for 8 years.

It’s a good thing I’m married to a mechanic! Maybe not so good for him, though!

The problem with my old car was merely the battery, sadly my van needs a new transmission – which is on order. I’ve been hauling the kids around in Bobby’s station wagon for our two weeks of summer, and I haven’t killed it yet! We’ll see what I can accomplish before I get my van back next week. Watch out, Camry Station Wagon! I’m a KILLA!

June 21, 2011

On Account of the EYE…

Many moons ago, an unknown bug bit Joshua on the eye whilst we were playing at the park. The resulting swelling was horrifying and caused me to immediately dial the pediatrician and take Joshua directly there from the park. I even posted about it way back then. (Go ahead, click it, you know you want to see the horrifying picture!)

I had a little swollen-eye deja vu yesterday, only this time the victim was Sophie, and the perpetrator wasn’t a bug, but an infection. Shortly after noon, girlfriend’s eye started oozing goo like c-c-c-crazy – first yellow, then mostly white, but constant! So, like any good mommy would do, I first asked Facebook what to do, and then Twitter. Fortunately my cousin Mackenzie, M.D. gave me some sage advice on my FB status (and she really is a doctor, I’m not just being cute! Well, I mean I’m always being cute, but you know…)

When I received sage advice, Sophie was asleep. Sign #1 that she is actually sick: the child took a NAP, and she stopped taking naps in November. Sign #2: the nap was 4 HOURS long. Sign #3: When she woke up, my adorable daughter, who normally looks like this:

sophieTP — although not usually wrapped in toilet paper

Looked like THIS:

I texted the above picture to Cousin Mackenzie, M.D. (I’m glad at least ONE of my cousins is useful, SHEESH) and said “Urgent Care?” (because by now it was 6:30 pm) and Mack texted back and said “Yuppers! Have fun there!” (sadistic, cold, unfeeling DOCTOR!) Since I called “nursing baby”, Bobby got to pack up Eyezilla and take her to Urgent Care. Fortunately she was very cheerful about the whole thing! The doc said ” $50 copay, infection, antibiotic drops ASAP” and sent them on their merry way.

Of course now Sophie has to miss speech therapy and another appointment today! Which I am really bummed about. But it could be worse, and I’m glad the remedy was so simple. (Although, really, can the children please get sick during NORMAL Doctor’s hours next time!? $50 kinda stings!)

Let’s just pray none of the rest of us get this eye thing. I have a feeling I am going to be screeching “Don’t touch the baby!!” just a few times today. Blargh.

June 21, 2011June 21, 2011

Happy Father’s Day from Seiko

One of the best things about doing product reviews on this ol’ blog is having the opportunity to share our finds with people we love – it is so fun to give gifts that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to give. We were excited when Seiko asked us to take part in a Father’s Day promotion by giving one of these to one of our favorite dads.

Isn’t it pretty?

I gave it (the Seiko Men’s Coutura watch, to be exact) to my dad on Father’s Day. It was the perfect gift for him – he’s a person who doesn’t like “stuff” to clutter up his home (he has a standing “no books, no clothes” rule) but he does happen to like watches. And this is a really nice watch.

Here’s the official spiel:
Seiko Coutura. This masculine Big Date Chronograph has a brushed and polished two-tone. stainless steel case and bracelet. The polished bezel is accented with diamond cuts that perfectly catch the light. The white dial has LumiBrite hands and markers can measure up to 60 minutes in 1/5th second increments as well as split time measurement. Sapphire crystal is virtually scratch resistant and the cabochon crown adds that finishing touch.

I asked my dad what he particularly liked about the watch, and here’s what he said:
It has a substantial weight. The date is easy to read and the clasp is secure. The gold-accented stainless steel finish has a nice appearance. It has a functional chronograph. It also comes with a strong warranty, and the battery life is predicted to be long.

I have to say, the weight is what struck me about it when I first opened the box. It just feels like a fancy watch! And it looks very sharp.

Thanks to Seiko for helping me out with a wonderful Father’s Day gift that I’m sure my dad will have around for years.

P.S. In case you were wondering (I had to google it) – it appears that “chronograph” means “a watch with a stopwatch.” There, you learned something today.