Hi its me Eli I bet you missed me!!! If not... why are you reading this then. Anyways, I got my PSP my DSlite and my DS games and DS stuff and also, my PSP stuff my memory stick and my PSP game. I also got two GAMECUBE games plus a Wii game. So anyways I got all this stuff together to go to GAMESTOP to trade all that stuff for a DSi. But... My mom does NOT want to go today. So another day, another wait. So to another topic! One fine evening me and my sister went to my friends house. So it was hot out like 100 F. But then,... me and my friend Brady went outside right about to play, then BANG!!!!!!!! Wind blew everywhere! Then mother nature threw some rain in there. My sister was crying and so was her friend. Soon it was over and we went home and I went to write a blog about it.PS: I protected my sister.

All over the place

It went from being freezing and snowy to 80 something overnight. Seriously. You have to love Michigan weather. The kids are out roaming the neighborhood, Monte is golfing and Wilson is going from window to window sniffing the fresh air. I have ALLLL the windows open and fans on and am clicking through tastespotting, my favorite place on the Internet.

Life is beautiful.

Lately I feel like I have the treadmill going faster than normal and I just can't quite stay on it. Buried at work, busy at home and the kids have me running around crazy. I love my life. I love that the kids have such NORMALCY, something I didn't know if I could provide for them back in the days of sitting in synagogue all weekend or my single days of back and forth weekends. I love that they can take off on bikes and scooters and hang with the kids they go to school with and play soccer with and hang with their cousins who live in the connecting subdivision. I love soccer and dance and dinners together every single night. I love all of it. Exhausting as it all is, I love it. HOWEVER, there is really only so much one person can do (two people as Monte would like to remind stubborn me) and learning how to "not miss good for perfection" (to quote my fabulous boss) is a hard one for me.

So what else is new? We're busy and I'm tired. HA. This has been a running theme for as many years as I can remember. What IS news is that Zech got himself a job. Well, kind of. He is delivering fliers and coupons for Lucky Duck pizza door to door and holding the sign out on the street. That's right, that's my son. At least he isn't dressed like the State of Liberty! Honk and wave and tell me if he looks like he's got a good attitude! Now we are in negotiation about how much money to spend and how much to save. I don't think I have to tell you that we don't see eye to eye on the issue. Or any issue for that matter, oh teenagers, you are so much fun.

Mommies of babies listen up-enjoy those middle of the night feedings, diapers and those helpless little bundles of love because seriously you are living the EASY YEARS! That's right, it doesn't ever get any easier. You're welcome. Now, bring me one of your little non-verbal, non-mobile babies and I will give you a fiercely independent and stubborn teenager. I am running a two for the price of one! They are really cute and take out trash (if you nag them enough).

OK, I'm off. I have to park my cars on Facebook so I can win parking lot wars and then go find something to feed my crew who will undoubtedly come home eventually looking to be fed.

Enjoy this beautiful weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interview with Baila and Eli, ages 8 and 10

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

Eli- a dancer, a caring little girl, weird hair
Baila- my mom was a ballerina, a loving child, awesome, sweet and funny

Why did your mom marry Monte?

Baila- because he was a loving man and he was very nice and funny and you loved him a lot
Eli- you married him because you love him and he’s kind of weird but in a good way and we like him like that

Who's the boss at your house?

Baila- You and Monte are both the boss. You are older than us and you remind us and tell us all the rules around the house and when we get in trouble, we listen to you sometimes and if we don’t, we get grounded.
Eli- Monte is the boss because he has better rules and he does what he says and sometimes you change your mind. If Monte says you’re grounded, you’re grounded.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

Eli- dads are different because they are more fun than moms
Baila- moms are less strict than dads and moms are more fun to shop with. Dads think of fun things like getting slurpees and playing kickball.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

Baila- she is either on the computer, cleans or takes pictures
Eli- she is usually watching tv, playing with Wilson or taking pictures

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

Baila- no one is perfect. But to make you even better, you would take us out to do fun things more
Eli- she would say yes to everything

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

Eli- be more fun
Baila- take me out shopping more

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

Eli- God picked you to be my mom because you loved me even before I was born and because you are a nice caring mom
Baila- God gave you to us because you are a loving and caring kind woman and you are the best mom a girl could ever have and you make a good match for all our family and I love you.

HEY!

Hello! i haven't blogged in a LONG time! i just watched american idol.We have people we picked for a contest. i only have Adam Lambert left people think he is good!
i spent the night at my friends house two nights in a row! my mom thought it was the end of the world! she BEGGED me to come home! i miss bloging.i PROMISSS i will blog more. bye!

The Funk

My best girls and I talk about the Funk. When one of us refers to it, we don't have to define it, we know. It's that black cloud that hangs over your head, the feeling you can't shake no matter how much chocolate you eat, the fly in your...ok, you get the point.

So the Funk is hanging around me today and I am trying to do my usual and figure out WHY the Funk is here. Here are my thoughts:

Perhaps it's because it snowed again just when I thought spring had arrived and I was getting excited about linen and sandals and manicured toes and sundresses...

Perhaps it's because my husband (and very best friend)is working late and not sitting next to me at the dinner table tonight...

Perhaps it's because it's a normal work week but not really because the kids are on spring break...

Perhaps it's because I am completely unprepared for upcoming events and gatherings and I have no time or motivation to rectify this...

Perhaps it's because my baby girl, who is never too far away from me, is spending the night at a friend's house (two nights in a row) and I miss her...

Perhaphs it's because I am tired and stayed up WAY too late last night...

Perhaps it's because I miss my parents...

Perhaps it's because I am worried about the orthodontist bill...

Perhaps it's those awful wicked hormones...

I think I just need to have a glass of wine, curl up on the couch and hope tomorrow is a much sunnier day. I hope the Funk goes somewhere else for spring break!

Rough week

This has been quite a week. Last week, I really wasn't feeling well so I went to the dr. She tested me for mono and strep and ordered blood work to check my thyroid and some other things. I waited for the results of the mono and strep tests. Negative. So off to work I went. I rested quite a bit over the weekend and started the week off feeling better. Not fabulous but much better.

Last week I also had my first mammogram. I had been given orders three times over the last couple of years and never followed through. A conversation with my friend and co-worker Aubrey convinced me to finally follow through (actually I believe she said she would be relentless until I scheduled so I did it to get her off of my back). That's what friends are for, right? I scheduled for early morning and it was done and over with and I was at my desk before I normally would be. Easy as pie. Check it off my list of things to do.

That was until, they called me a couple of days later and said they needed me to come back to follow up on some areas on the right side. Great. I took the first available appointment the follow Tuesday afternoon.

I wasn't really too worried about it. I know it's fairly standard. I was very busy Monday and Tuesday so I planned to just drive across the street from my office, get a quick ultrasound, rule out any problems and get on with my day. Now you know that if that is how things actually transpired, I would not be wasting my time telling you about it right?

I arrived about noon and was told they needed to take additional images of my right side. So, I went in and saw my films from last week hanging there with some areas circled. I did not like that. I was tortured for about 20 minutes and she was able to obtain about 5 more images. She told me that the films would be given to the doctor to review and then they would either send me on my merry way or do an ultrasound.

Well, I wasn't lucky enough to get sent on my merry way. An ultrasound was ordered. That took forever. I was laying there thinking about all the ultrasounds I had when I was having babies. The first one when I was barely pregnant with Zech and couldn't tell what I was looking at except for that beating heart. I won't bore you with the depth of my thoughts and memories but I was thinking about how each time I was filled with such emotion and hopes and dreams and expectation and how life has often presented me with things much differently that what was expected and certainly didn't line up with my feelings but turned out to be so much more than I ever imagined and then I feel asleep. Yes, the ultrasound was THAT LONG. Finally, she stopped, I woke up and she said she would be right back.

I waited and waited and only then did I start to worry. I had been there much longer than anticipated. Things weren't going as I expected and I really just wanted to get back to work. After waiting a few more minutes, the doctor arrived with the ultrasound tech. I have never met this dr before. I am laying on the table, topless when he introduces himself. I don't get up. I ask him if I should be concerned about anything. He tells me that there are a couple of areas he has viewed on both the mammogram images and the ultrasound that he would like to take a better look at. So, he is going to take a look at the ultrasound himself. He takes another forever and finally says that I do have cysts. Nothing to be concerned with at all. However, there is one area of tissue that isn't consistent with the area around it and isn't a cyst. He wants to biopsy this tissue.

I felt like things are happening too fast. I didn't expect all of this. I am there alone, I want to call Monte and talk to him. But I realize that the only thing I need to do at this point is move along with the procedure. He gave me the option of rescheduling but I figured now was the time to get results. They left the room to prep and I quickly text messaged Monte and Aubrey at work to let them know I was going to need a biopsy.

Things happened quickly. Next thing I know I was laying on my side, being cut into. It was all very uncomfortable, very overwhelming and I just wanted it to be over. It didn't really take very long but it felt like forever. When they were done, they put a tiny titanium marker in the area the shape of the breast cancer ribbon. That will make the spot where the tissue was removed for future mammograms or, if it's cancer, to guide the surgeon. Guide the surgeon to do WHAT, I thought but didn't ask.

After the dr was done, the nurse came in and cleaned me up, closed up the incision and gave me instructions. I carefully got dressed and went back to work feeling very strange and wondering what and how all of that just happened. That night, I came home and there was a message from my regular doctor stating that she was calling to follow up with my on bloodwork. Of course the office was closed and then I started imagining the worst. Ugh.

The next morning I decided to trust and believe that everything is going to be fine. A call to my dr revealed that my bloodwork all came back in the normal range. Now I just have to wait to get a good report of the biopsy and it will all be behind me.

There were other parts of my week that were hard as well. The kids read this blog (I think) so I will refrain from discussing my difficult and frustrating appointment in Toledo but that was the very next day and it was not a trip I wanted to take.

However, it's all behind me now. Monte was the world's best husband all week and I have pretty much recovered from the experience. I am looking forward to Monday when they call to tell me the good news.

Either way, I am glad that I made the call to schedule. As a mom, I always take care of myself last. I work full time, I drag the kids to dentist, eye drs, checkups, dance, soccer, conferences, etc and so on. I work hard to meet the needs of my husband and keep up with the house and there is little time left to take care of anything else. I am trying to do better at making sure I take care of myself so I can keep meeting the needs of my family. It's not easy but important.

And that is something we are struggle with as women. From now on, let's work harder at taking care of ourselves and each other. I'm in, are you?