New Year - Same Old Chaos

Well - Here we are - it's 2013. Glad that whole Mayan apocalypse thing didn't work out. Really don't have time to deal with the end of the world.

It was wonderful to have two weeks off for Christmas. We enjoyed being together and had relatively few meltdowns. DH got the flu - so, he was either asleep or drugged up with cold meds for a large percentage of the holiday. That being said, he still managed to sand and refinish the wood floor in our dining area. You rock, dear!

So - went back to school for one day. Wasn't feeling great, but thought it was just my non-seasonal, drive me crazy allergies. Got home and started to make dinner. Then things got crazy. Godzilla got bitten by our sweet, lovable hound dog. Don't really know why, but he comes to me with blood dripping down his face and a large cut over his eye. Immediately called DH and he came running in from the den. He thought, as did I, that our boy needed some stitches. We looked each other in the eye, did one of those split-second silent discussions and I grabbed the insurance cards and he took over dinner prep. Bug offered to go along and provide moral support to the now-screaming Godzilla. (That boy hates anything having to do with needles.) So, off we went to the urgent care facility for stitches. Got there, signed in, noticed the sign that said to notify the receptionist in case of bleeding, and did so. She looked at Godzilla and said, "It's under control. We'll be with you in a minute." Ok. The screaming was also under control at that point, so we sat down to wait.

Forty-five minutes later, the same receptionist called me back to process our paperwork. She was typing our insurance info into her computer when she said, "It's around his eye, isn't it? I need to get someone to look at that." She came back with a medical assistant who immediately said that they could not treat him as they didn't do any stitching around eyes or lips and that I would need to take him to the ER. (We couldn't have figured this out forty-five minutes ago?)

So, off we go to the ER - not the one fifteen minutes away - the one 50 minutes away but which has the area's pediatric ER. Long wait there. Finally, about 11:30, the doctor comes in and looks at my now-sleeping boy. She determines that stitches are not needed at this point as the cut has closed up. She sends us home with a scrip for antibiotics.

Now, here's the fun part - during the time waiting in the ER, it became abundantly clear that my problem wasn't just allergies. I completely lost my voice and started running a fever. So - after being back at school one day, I was home sick. Not exactly the way I wanted to start the year. After sleeping most of the weekend, I made it back to school Monday. Still don't feel great but I'm functional.

Oh, forgot to mention - Thursday night, while I was in the ER with Chris, Batboy hit a deer on the way home from work. Thank God, he was not injured. His car has a noticeable dent in the hood but is still driveable. The deer walked away from the encounter.

I'm counting my blessings. These were aggravations, but nothing serious. Life will go on. I may have a few more gray hairs - but those would have shown up anyway.

Duct Tape Days

Do you ever have the kind of day when lots of little things go wrong and it makes you crazy? Nothing major happens, just little stupid stuff that plucks your last nerve. This is the kind of day that makes me want to wrap my head in duct tape to keep it from exploding. I've had more than a week of these days. Days like when I get up and go in the kitchen in the morning to find three of my children's school lunches standing with the bags open and I look in the bags and find that the sandwich is gone from each one. Now I know I made the sandwiches and put them in the proper bags. After all, if T-man gets Godzilla's PB & J, it will ruin his whole day. As I'm standing there wondering what on earth happened, I happen to look under the kitchen table to find a pile of chewed up ziploc bags with sandwich residue inside. Then I see two dogs with guilty expressions on their faces. Now- I know that the dogs are capable of eating the sandwiches - that's not a surprise. The question is, how did they open the paper bags so neatly, rather than chewing them up like the ziploc bags? Also, why just the sandwiches - why not the cookies, potato chips and fruit? Are they limiting carbs? I strongly suspect the cat was also involved, however, being a cat, he is much too smart to hang around and get caught with the evidence. Get me some duct tape!

Since I had to remake everyone's sandwich - (a job I don't care for at night, let alone when I'm half awake in the morning) I decided I would stop at McDonalds on the way to work for a breakfast sandwich. I had a Monopoly piece for a free breakfast sandwich, so it sounded like a good idea. Until that is, I am waiting in line behind a man who is having a hissy fit over the apples he received in his bag. He kept protesting that, "I want the other apples." The young man behind the counter went to the refrigerator and got another bag of apples and said, "We have these apples or these apples (of course, both are identical)." The other man finally walked away grumbling to himself. I'm thinking, seriously . . . why would anyone go to McDonalds in search of the perfect apple slice? The perfect Egg McMuffin, maybe, but apple slices? Give me some more duct tape. (Thankfully, I made it to work on time despite Apple Man's theatrics. There isn't enough duct tape in the world that would help if I were late.)

Anyhow, have you ever had a duct tape moment - when some little thing that shouldn't bother you just about sends you over the edge?

Free Hotdogs - no more :(

The free hotdogs were great while they lasted - but - went to buy a package the other day and the coupon didn't double. I asked the cashier why, and he didn't know either and went to find out. Five minutes later, he came back and said, "It says don't double, so we can't double it." He then pulled out a magnifying glass (no-I'm not kidding) and showed me where, buried in the fine print at the bottom of the coupon, it says "coupon cannot be doubled." So - I paid my .34 for the hotdogs and moved on.

I make every effort to follow the rules. Thirty-four cents is still a great price for a package of hotdogs. I just think it is ridiculous to bury the "Do Not Double," in the fine print so that you need a magnifying glass to see it.

Free hotdogs!

I found a great deal on hotdogs. Not my favorite food, but good to keep around for fast meals without the drive-thru.

A couple of weeks ago, three Gwaltney coupons came out - .45 off Gwaltney hotdogs, .45 off bologna, and .75 off bacon.

While shopping at Martin's the other day, I found Gwaltney hotdogs on sale for .79 a package. Since Martin's will double coupons, that means some free hotdogs with the coupon. I have several coupons, but Martin's will only double one like coupon per visit. So, I'm just picking up a pack of hotdogs each time I go to the store. Since there is a Martin's basically across the street from my school, this is working out fine.

Now, if only I could find a coupon for boneless chicken breasts, or even better, steak! I know - I'm crazy :)

Random Update

It's been a few crazy weeks and I have lots of little updates, so here it goes.

Toby - Toby is well on the road to recovery. He is not quite up to his old energy level, but definitely on the mend.

Back to School - Even though my darling children tried to kill us during teacher week, we survived and have completed the first week of school. I don't know why, but it seems that every year during teacher week we experience dramatic meltdowns, medical emergencies, and other sorts of chaos. The Bug ended up in the emergency room after being sick for two days and then waking up with some serious chest pain. He is only 16, but I called the on-call doc and they said to take him in. Two hours and a copay later, we were sent home with the diagnosis of a stomach virus and a nasty case of reflux. He has improved greatly on meds and is back to his quirky self.

Had to call the ambulance for T-Rex, our 14 year old. He transitioned from a major meltdown right into hallucinations of aliens coming to kill him. We knew, when we adopted him, that he had a history of hallucinations, but he hasn't had one in the seven years he has been with us. It scared the daylights out of all of us. EMS came, and the paramedics were wonderful with him. They checked him over physically and in the process, talked him back to reality. We decided to not run to the hospital but to follow up with his doctor, which is in process.

The Princess happily started first grade and Godzilla started middle school, also in a good mood. Oh, and Batboy started classes at a nearby community college. Dropping him off for the first day was as bad as taking him to Kindergarten. At least I didn't cry until he was out of the car. After homeschooling through high school, he is adjusting to being back in the classroom.

With all that going on, I haven't done any bargain shopping lately. I'll get my act together - I hope:)

OOPs - He did it again :(

My first post on this blog was about our lab, Toby, jumping out of a Jeep and needing an emergency vet visit.

No, he didn't jump out of a Jeep this time - he ran in front of a car. In front of all of us. He got hit. The driver didn't even slow down.

Toby survived the accident and came limping back to our yard. Thank God, he will be ok. The vet stitched him up, treated him for shock, did x-rays and gave him a morphine drip. He has numerous cuts and bruises on his hind legs, his liver was bruised, and his boy parts are bruised and swollen to 3 times their normal size. (He's getting a lot of sympathy from DH and the boys.) He has pain meds, antibiotics, and a "cone of shame," which he chewed up within 24 hours.

 

 

 

He'll be ok. He's getting lots of love and attention - and chicken, too.

 

 

The vet bill was $900 - ouch!

 

The hardest thing - helping my children get over the trauma of seeing their beloved pet hit by a dog. No one has been sleeping well around here the past few nights.

 

Toby is  a wonderful pet - loyal, loveable, gentle with the kids. I just need to keep him away from anything with wheels.



Back to School - Part Two

Have you noticed that school supply lists are becoming ridiculous? For example, the first grade supply list for my Princess asks for things like 30 glue sticks, 6 boxes of crayons - and - send in all supplies right away - don't hold any back. I'm a teacher, as is DH, and I understand how budget cuts are affecting the classroom. However, I really feel like these lists are becoming excessive.

That said, I will do my best to fill the supply list while not blowing the budget. I ran across a great deal last week at Target that helped a lot. A coupon came out recently for $1 off of 3 RoseArt items. Target had the RoseArt markers and colored pencils for .49 each. Also, you could get a free box of crayons with a purchase of markers or colored pencils. So, I could get a marker, a colored pencil, and a box of crayons, use the $1 off of 3 coupon, and get them free. I did this deal several times - I usually get several papers, and my mom also sends me the coupons she doesn't want. Also, glue sticks were .25 for a pack of two - so I could buy 4 packs, use a coupon, and get them for free. I got a great start on filling the list for only the pennies I spent in tax.

Now I just have to worry about two middle schoolers, one high schooler, and one college freshman. Can't wait to see those lists - not!