Home Sweet Home

A month later and my dad is finally home today. He is not at 100% yet and he is walking with a cane but hey....He's made it this far!

(And don't worry...he usually doesn't look all drugged up. Its just not a good picture of him)

Sugar And Spice Makes Everything Nice!

For the longest time I have said I was going to do. I thought about it and wanted to do it for a few months now. So finally I sat down and just...did it!

I started a food/cooking blog!

I have this obsession with collecting recipes and I am always trying new things. I tire of the same old thing and its a huge need for me to find new things to cook. Also I have found that if I know I have something interesting to cook, there is a smaller chance of me taking the kids out to eat. I am always on a tight budget but I refuse to cook boxed, cheap meals. So if I can do it you then anyone can do it!

http://sugarspicemakeseverythingnice.blogspot.com/

Thanks for visiting and also...if you have something you want to share, please let me know!

Happy Fathers Day

On this Father’s Day, I want Todd to know what an amazing dad he is every single day of the year. I want him to know he truly embodies everything fatherhood should be. I want him to know how lucky I feel for having him by my side, and how blessed his children are for having him as their daddy.

Anyone can be a father
But it takes someone special
To be a DADDY
Happy Fathers Day to all the Daddy's in the world!!

For The Love Of Kids

Every year on the last day of school, I am expected to take the kids somewhere fun to celebrate their freedom. This year Kyler was wanting a big party to celebrate his graduating from elementary school but I just didn't have the energy for all that. So instead we picked up some friends and headed to the pool. We had to drive all the way to Mountlake Terrace (about 25 miles away) because it's the only decent pool around for young kids

Unfortunately I had to unearth my bathing suit and try and squeeze into it. Fortunately there were no pictures taken of me!

After swimming we piled in the car and headed over to Chuck E Cheese. This place is always a mystery to me. Greasy pizza, overpriced games, screaming children, loud annoying music. And what is up with the whole ticket and prize concept? 300 tickets for a bag of skittles? It takes like $20 to get 300 tickets! Are you aware of how much this place is ripping us off? Needless to say I don't go there often. All for the love of our children right?

Kaden was out of his mind excited about the whole thing. I do like that I can just let him run and not have to worry about him leaving the premises. I made him come to me every time he wanted a "money" ( I was not about to let him run around with a cup full of tokens of his own) The best part of the evening was every time I gave him a token I got a "Thanks Ma" and a thumbs up! How cute is he? Well his cuteness quickly wore off when we had to leave. Meltdown Mania!!!

Kyler wanted to know what other things we will be doing this summer. Little does he know its going to be all about the free stuff. Because that bag of skittles you wanted?? Pretty much took all the money I had!

Schools Out For Summer!!!!

This is the look of freedom

School is out and this kid is officially out of elementary school. I always have mixed feelings about summer vacation. I like my own time and my own schedule. With Kyler home everything gets messed up. I am expected to keep him entertained all the time and his friends invade my home. Having both boys home means more noise and constant screaming. He doesn't have a bedtime which can put a damper on "some things" for Todd and I

But the good part is we have more time to do stuff as a family. I don't have to pack lunches (I hate doing that!) There is no constant reminders about the time in the morning. And Kyler will have more time with Todd since he will be home during the week.

I asked him a few questions about his year and here is his answers literally dragged out of him...

What did you like most about Mrs Almli?

She was the nicest teacher. She let us do fun things like draw and watch lots of movies. (Isn't he so descriptive??)

What was the best thing about being a 5th grader?

Being the oldest in the school

What was the worst?

All the work

What was your best memory?

The field trips to Science Center and Aquarium

What are you looking forward to most in Middle School?

Lockers

What are you plans for the summer?

I want to go golfing, bowling and have sleepovers. I am looking forward to no school and going to California.

So there you have it folks...straight from the horses mouth. Fifth grade was a success and summer is a much welcomed sight!

How does Kaden feel about Kyler being home all summer?
I think he couldn't be any happier!

This And That

These boots are made for walking

And that's just what they'll do
One of these days...
These boots are gonna walk all over you!

Another update on my dad....

He is doing really well! He as been moved to another hospital into the rehab part. He is basically learning how to swallow and talk again. He needs physical therapy to help his muscles work and get stronger. Being in bed for 3 1/2 weeks and in a coma for 9 days really takes a toll on the body. He lost 35 pounds in 3 weeks and yes...he needed to lose the weight but certainly didn't want to do it that way. He is very tired and very emotional because he is usually as strong as an ox but now can barely dress himself. But he is on the mend and starting to look like himself again. He may be able to come home in the next 7-8 days.

And another thing....

I am starting a food blog!!! I like/sometimes love to cook. I am constantly gathering recipes and trying to feed my family for under $300 a month. And that's using fresh food....no boxed, processed crap! But I need a name for my blog and would love some suggestions. I will let you know when I have the big debut!

Note To Self....

A lesson has been learned today.......

The peanut butter needs to be locked up along with all the medications in the house. Apparently it causes little boys to be messy and destructive!

Oh Lord...Help me!

What A Week!

We had a bit of a heat wave this past week. It got up to the mid 90's here and this is exactly how we all felt around here!

And again I have to ask myself...."Why am I even wasting all my money on toys and games? Apparently boys only need a hose and a garbage bag to keep them busy!"

All I can say is boys..boys..boys! If you have boys then you know what I mean!

Update.....

I know its been a week and you are probably wondering what is up with my dad. Well its been a slow week with nothing really happening. And when I say nothing really happening....I mean that! For days he was just being "maintained" on a ventilator and meds. The concern is that his heart is failing which is causing everything else not to work properly. His lungs, kidneys and liver. He has had bad days and we were told they we need to prepare ourselves for the worse. They wanted to do procedures on his heart but he's just not stable enough. Days and days of no progress is very frustrating! Numerous tests and minor procedures have been done but no concrete news. It seems like there is an infection but they can't find where it is. On Friday the doctors finally agreed that they needed to move forward on something so they decided to do some of the risky procedures even though he was not stable enough. They put a cath line straight into his heart and by doing that they where able to read that the meds they were giving him for his heart were wrong and to much. And he was too heavily sedated. So they made some adjustments and very quickly he seems to be turning a corner! His heart is more stable then it was, the oxygen they are giving him is at 35% as oppose to 80%, his vitals look much better and he is starting to wake up. Doctors said it will take a few days for him to wake up because he was sedated so strongly. Once he is fully awake and he is able to breathe on his own then the ventilator will be able to come out. I saw him today and he is starting to move around, trying to lift his arms (they are restrained so he won't mess with his tube) and his eyes will flutter briefly. It reminds me of a newborn baby trying to wake up. So we are not out of the woods yet but SOMETHING is finally happening! Progress is slowly being made. His heart is still bad so I still don't know how all this is going to end though. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers this week. And I want to also thank my Aunt Kathy for having the insight to send me money for gas since I had burned through my gas allowance for the next month. That truly blessed me!

Todd said this morning that it would be funny....cruel but funny....to tell my dad when he wakes up that he has been out for 8 years instead of 8 days. Make ourselves appear older, change all the calenders and dye Kylers hair blond and tell him that it was Kaden (at 11 yrs old) and that Kyler was off to college! Very cruel but you have to admit....kind of funny!