The Mother's Garden message board. I created it for Natural Mothers. For those that birth naturally (homebirths, UC, etc), parent "naturally" (ie more attatchment parenting), etc etc etc. It's in it's infancy right now and if we grow big enough then I may have to expand but for now I am just testing the waters.
So if you visit here and are a natural mother come on over and check us out!
October 24, 2006
Maggie Louise
I am happy to announce that Wendy has finally had her baby! We were starting to wonder if she would ever have her baby, LOL but sure enough they always come out sooner or LATER! ;)
October 24, 2006 - An extra week of cooking needed for this one!
10:30ish AM,
7lbs 6oz, 19in long
No reported name as of yet. Once I get pictures I will post them.
Congratulations Wendy and Jonathan on your 4th daughter! Hope everything went well!
October 16, 2006
I am moving the Video Clips and Slideshows to You Tube and revamping the Video Page for easier viewing pleasure.
When it is done you will be able to view the clips right on the page with no downloading so check the Video Section soon for when it's done.
October 12, 2006
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It did accumulate on the cars and on some of the grass and trees and kind of melted and it's supposed to snow the rest of the night too, LOL
I had to go and get more socks for the kids today and we were pelted with snow.
Upside and Downside of today is that I got my van back! Yeah!! LOL The downside is that the weather was horrible and the wind was nasty, it kept pushing the van on the ride up.
It is currently 33º out with a wind chill of 25º can you say Brrrrrrrrrrrr
Taken at about 5pm
Taken at about 9pm and it's still snowing!
October 8, 2006
I bet your FIRST dinner party was NEVER like this!!
So today was Kaden's birthday. I was excited to be able to finally entertain quests and not have to worry about where to seat them or how to keep the house picked up. But the day started off on a wrong foot and it went down hill from there.
So we woke up a little late but nothing out the ordinary. I took a shower but noticed the water wasn't draining like it should. Just rather slowly but not too slow. It was only about an inch or so. Didn't think much of it since I figured it was just my hair so I cleaned it out of the drain and went on about my day. Got dressed and what not. Then Joe went to take his shower. This time the water was barely draining at all.
Then he noticed the toilet wasn't flushing either. We decided to just leave it and take care of things when we got back hoping that the water would recede by the time we got back.
I was busy helping the kids with breakfast. I had made cinnamon rolls the night before for them, and I started dinner since I wanted a crock pot meal of Pot Roast to serve. We get kids dressed, Joe struggled with the toilet more, changed diapers etc etc etc, until we finally left for church.
3 hours later when we get home from church the waters had receeded so decided to try and flush the toilet, and things just got ugly from there. He turned around and realized everything was going straight into the tub. He plunged the hell out of the toilet and nothing was working. I busied myself with getting the house picked up, dinner finished, kids dressed, Jaylen fed and what not. I just kept hearing Joe get more and more mad at the bathroom itself and the kids in general for flushing a stupid toy down the "hole".
We've only been in this house 8 days and they've managed to stop up one toilet and now ours too! We had my dad and step mom on their way with no working bathroom.
When they finally arrived Joe was still plunging away at the toilet. My dad tried to help some but first we took pictures and said our hellos. Then they decided to go and get a new and different plunger thinking that would work better. When they got backa nd tried it, it seemed like it had better suction.
Soon it was time to eat so we sat down to dinner and left the toilet to stew in it's own "juices". (ewww) After dinner my dad and Jan took over the fixing of the bathroom. Jan had suggestions but my dad didn't want to try them "just yet". They plunged more and more started to get water everywhere. I went down to get something from the pantry and Joe noticed the water dripping. At first he thought they burst a pipe but then realized it was just seepage from the water on the floor in the bathroom! (double ewww) so we found a plastic bin I was going to get rid of anyways and placed it under the drips and went back upstairs.
Soon it was birthday cake time, so again the toilet work stopped for the cake and ice cream. All the while the conversation revolved around wht the problem might be and what they could try next. My dad decided to try and see what flushing the upstairs bathroom would do. Well it just added to the problem downstairs, roflol. So he thought that maybe if we just plug up every drain with towels.
I had been cleaning up the kitchen and decided to wait on doing the dishes and took Jaylen from Joe. Joe went upstairs to "man" the upstairs toilet while I played with Jaylen. But soon I was recruited into theplumbin ranks. I was told to make sure the sink drain was firmly closed and stuffed with a wash cloth. So I stood there holding it closed, Joe was upstairs holding the toilet closed, the bathroom I was in with Jan and dad was closed with Jan being directed to keep the tub drain closed, and my dad tried to plunge the tub drain to try and get "things going".
Both of their backs are towards me and they are squabbling over the tub drain being closed enough, I'm watching my dad's butt rub against the disgusting watery toilet, and Jan's butt is staring back at me to, and I just started to laugh, HARD, quietly to myself. So hard I started to cry and so hard I turned around so they wouldn't see me or catch me. I was trying so hard not to get caught and so hard to gain composure. All the while I was thinking to myself. "THIS IS SO NOT HOW I IMAGINED THE DAY GOING"
My first "real" dinner party and my guests (albeit family but still) are wading, working, in basically raw sewage, for me and my family. I am still laughing about this! They've had 11 kids between them so this is nothing new for them. I'm not embarassed since they are family, I am just absolutely overly amused!
The plunging went on for about 10 minutes. My dad switched between teh tub plunging and the toilet plunging and nothing was working. So we all gave up. By this time the kids are starting to have to need the bathroom and so were my guests. We discuss options and first tried calling the new ward to see if anyone was a plumber (JIC). No luck but we were offered a snake. My dad decided this was too "big" for a snake and that we should just go ahead and call the plumber. We look one up and place that emergency call. My dad and Jan and the 3 kids that use the bathroom leave to go and raid McD's bathrooms.
My husband at this point still can't find the humor, but me I am still laughing about it. They all get back and we start settling in waiting for the plumber. He finally arrives, I finally get Jaylen down to sleep, and now the fun begins. Yeah you got that right there is FREAKING MORE!!!
So the plumber assesses the situation, tries some simple things first and nothing. Decides he needs to remove the toilet, the bathroom sink door and the contents from under the sink (which were my 3 drawers and feminine hygein products - yeah me). We leave him be until we get the request for more towels, preferrably used so Joe and I head down stairs and gather more towels. The guys said he expected a bit of a gush so he wanted to be prepared. --another YEAH ME-- This time I decided to stay downstairs to keep an eye on the "leak". So they get situated and I hear the "pop" and soon there is a mini rain storm - shit storm coming through the floor! It's pouring down and I am screaming and running arround trying to find more plastic things to catch the water in that I don't care about. I find a lid and throw it down I run into the paint can room and find a wallpaper roll dipping tray and place that down, still not enough, I run back and find the paint tray, still not enough and I am screaming enough that Joe finally comes down and we had the same idea at the same time we dumped out one of the bins we hadn't gone through and put that under a bigger portion of the drips and STILL not enough and soon someone throws down tha kitchen garbage bin (emptied) down the stairs beans Kaden in the head since he found his way down to the basement, we tell him he's all right and rush to get the bin under the flowing water and that finally was "enough" to catch the dripping water.
I relax for a moment and now I am annoyed. Washable floors are one thing but carpeted basement is a whole other deal. EWWWW!!! Joe and I stand there watching the water fall from the ceiling/floor as we listen to the roter rooter do it's job. We hear it finally push whatever it was down through the pipes and the water finally drain out of everything and into the sewar. I go and lay down in the playroom and just stare at the ceiling thinking that this will be a birthday never to be forgotten. It will be one of those family memories that all the while is disgusting, it will never be forgettable!
So now that the drains are working toilets and tubs drains are draining we hear Dad and Jan say that it is time for them to leave. It's close to 8pm at this point. they arrived at about 3:30pm. They spent 4 hours with us, dinning, plunging, dinning, plunging, opening presents, and plunging some more.
Soon after they left, the plumber was done with putting the toilet back together and ready to leave too. We pay him and we are left with the after math. Poop or grim we can't tell anymore. It's all over the tub inside and out. The floor it covered in this too, the inside of the cabinets are sprayed with this "sludge", the toilet is a dripping mess all of the towels everyone used are still soaking wet and laying everywhere bathtub inside and out, all over the floor and even on top of the toilet. I soon get ready to leave to go and get a big bottle of bleach. Joe stays to get kids in bed.
I come back and am so tired from the day I decided to stay in the car and try napping before entering to that mess. I don't know how long I was out but soon my husband was knocking on the window so I knew it was time to face the music - I mean poop that had hit the bathroom!
Looking at the time and looking at the mess I convince Joe to watch Desperate Housewives with me first before we tackle the mess. He agrees because he's a fan too and of course neither of us want to clean the mess up anyways. But we are both so tired that we ended up falling alseep for most of it. But we are up at 11pm and are starting to gather our cleaning supplies and our courage to tackle the sludge mess.
It was disgusting but we did it. We cleaning out every nook and cranny with bleach water. Our freaking bathroom smells like an over chlorinated pool, but it's clean enough to use again and I am not worying about kids being on the floor or the toilet anymore. Another shower that is actually working properly and a blog later and life is back to normal(ish).
SO I doubt anyone reading this has every celebrated a birthday like this before. I laughed, I cried, I sopped up poop! All during a dinner party!
If you read all of this you have to be laughing and you have to be grateful that you weren't me.
Some pictures of Kaden.
October 4, 2006
Mason somehow split his perfect little face!
He says he got hurt by the bed. But can't explain how. We can't figure it out either. His bed isn't put together. It's wooden framed and the fram is still up against the wall while the fabric covered base part is on the floor under his mattress.
At one point he told Joe he was going upstairs to take a nap. Next thing we knew he was crying and had a huge split lip that made him look like he had a cleft lip! It wasn't through and through but it was significant.
My husband at first figured it was "ok" and that the bleeding was under control. It was close to the time in which Joe had to leave for work, but I knew better. He needed stitches.
Bad thing about moving, you aren't sure where many things are, including the hospitals. We looked up which hospitals were close and which ones were in our network (not that that internet book works well, so with my luck it isn't in the network). Hurley Medical center was first on the list so we got directions and I took off with Mason.
Yeah well now comes the "adventure". I am following the directions and the one street I need is completely closed off for construction. SOL now I have no clue where I am, very little gas and no idea how to "get around" the construction. So now I am aimlessly driving in the main direction of the hospital. I finally see a hospital sign and follow it. It was the Hurley hospital. good! WRONG!!
I don't normally like using the term ghetto but this was the ghetto hospital! The emergency parking is monitored by some chick who was on the phone when I pulled up. It said Emergency parking, and she asked me "What do you want." literally. I was stunned, I was like "um I have a kid and an emergency!" so she lifted the gate, didn't bother telling m the lot was full! Sign said there was parking across the street, so I went there and there was another "bar" but it needed to be raised as well. I had to get out push a button and again with the "What?" I need to park, I need to take my kid to the emergency room. - Well you're going to have to park in the parking garage." - 'ok Where?' - "In the parking garage." - 'Um yeah WHERE?' (dumbass) "You gonna pull out and go around the building and follow the signs."
Ugh fine whatever. I am now F'ing mad thinking Thank God my child isn't dying here! So I go around the building and see the garage but it says it costs $2. I don't have money on me so I see a parking lot across the street to some other building. So I park there and read the sign that said violators will be towed at owners expense. Ok well I need to park here anyways.
Got out walked across the street, back around the hospital to the oppotsite side and finally entered. There was a metal detector (first bad sign right there) and an x-ray machine. The security guard is behind the glass and just waves me through without even screening me. I even set off the detector and he just waved me through - all while on the phone! (starting to get the picture?!) Oooook go into this over crowded standing room only sign in room signed in and was directed to wait in the Big waiting room. So we did.
I had brought the Nintendo for Mason to play while we waited but I was afraid to take it out and get mugged! There was an olderblack lady in some new fangled wheel chair they have now, spitting up and moaning. We waited for about 20-30 minutes and nothing. The old lady at one point tracked a nurse down and through her pain asked when she was going to be seen next since she had been there for over and hour and other people were going before her. yadda yadda yadda. Long story short (or at least hers) they finally called her back FOR TRIAGE!!! She wasn't registared or anything yet! And not only they they called her back and no one came to get her and she asked ME to help roll her to the triage. Um ok so I did, taking Mason with me. 2 feet from the door a nurse finally takes over the wheel chair. Ugh!
We go back and sit down, and another 10 minutes passes by, and it's after noon at this point and I knew if I stayed there I would be there for at least 5 hours just waiting for stitches!! So I left. I thought well maybe Joe was right it wasn't that bad. I had butterfly bandages and superglue. LOL
So now I have no idea how I got to the hospital and ow I have to try and find my way back home without getting lost. Thankfully my car was still in the parking lot too. I drove in the general direction of where I thought I should go and came across a street name I recognized. I turned on it and a little while later came across one of the other hospitals that was on the list. Thought for a moment and decided to try it instead.
Much easier time parking, entering, and finding the ER. We sat down next to people who were previously waiting with us at the other hospital too, LOL Apparently we weren't the only ones to leave and find another hosptial! We were triaged within 10 minutes of arriving and signing in. Another 5-10 mins after that to be registered. The nurse appologized for being so slow because the computers were down and they were having to fill out paper work BY HAND!!! During registration I told the lady that they were doing a much better job of seeing people than the previous hospital we just left. She said thank you! I was impressed!
Another 10 mins later we were taken to the room.When all was said and done. I got to the first hospital around 11am and left at 12:30 without being seen ONCE. Arrived at the other hospital at 12:40 and was in a room at about1:20. Mason was given numbing cream which took about 30 minutes to work, they came in stitched him up and we were out of there by 2:30. Asked teh nurse how to . . . well basically get home, LOL and felt stupid doing so but I was closer to home than I thought, and I of course made it home! That's the important thing right?!
I honestly don't think I would have been out of the first hospital by the time Mason was discharged from the 2nd hospital if we had stayed. I am so glad we went to a different hospital. I even felt more comfortable letting Mason play with the Nintendo.
Mason walked away with 5 stitches so I am glad I did take him and even more glad I switched.
Downside is that I think I am getting a plugged duct. :( My right boob hurts like hell. I checked and it's not red so no infection (yet) and I will be pumping to try and get it out, but geeze why can't I have a nice simple week soon?
Oh and this was Mason's VERY FIRST time in seeing a doctor of any kind! He did very well, and even said he liked the doctor. :)
October 3, 2006
All thumbnails can be opened for bigger pictures.
The first picture is of the front of the old house and the second is a pic of the front of the new house. Then the driveay and garage and then the side fence entrance.
The back of the house, The living room
The living room and more of the back yard
The deck area, my new dining set that I LOVE in the kitchen (slightly big for the area but it fits all of us!), more of the kitchen.
The built in cabinet taht has pull out drawers, and more of the kitchen.
The fridge and the doorway leading to the basement. It's got a pocket door which I love too. Broom closet and an old milk cabinet for when they used to deliver milk door to door. It's boarded up on the outside but the doors on the inside work and we store the paper towel and extra grocery bags.
The back door, stairs leading to the basement, the laundry/freezer area with mostly clothes that need to be sorted and put away, start of the shelves.
My next biggest love the storage shelves. (that's my belly mask that didn't travel well.), this is our food storage with grocery store qualities, LOL Welcome to the Morales Market.
The door in the back is the unfinished bathroom which the owners are using as storage so we can't finish the bathroom bummer, the playroom, which is messy with the kisd toys but at least they aren't in my livingroom or kitchen or office. Last one shows the bar area which still has boxes of books still and the TV for the kids, so now they can watch their shows on their own TV in their playroom if they want. But usually they are in the backyard.
More toys more basement, Liam watching Blues' Clues with Kaden
This is behind the bar, which needs shelves still, where the chairs are is where their table should be but they drug the table upstairs to their room. That is the entrance to the upstairs.
The boy's room, and their closet. The doorway from the boys room to the girls area.
From the back wall looking into the girls room, their built in book shelves, built in dresser, their bathroom entrance.
2 closets for the girls, their bathroom and their beds.
There is the table that should be in the basement. From their window looking to the other side of the room and the other corner of the room. Main floor Hall linen closet.
The office, my desk and Joe's desk with his 2 monitors and his bookshelf of "toys" (oh I mean collectibles, lol), the TV is in the closet with other stuff for now. We still need to unpack this room the most.
Final office picture. Main FULL bathroom, you can see here how they covered the window up with the tub surround. That window is full length not a sliver of glass as shown. Wish is was done better because it could use more light. Toilet and sink.
Medicine cabinet and towel rack, across the bathroom is the master bedroom, our bed, Jaylen's new crib and she's sleeping in it too, so I had to be quiet.
Our closet small still but WAY more than what we used to have. A make shift TV stand with the shelves, and the extra clothes I didn't have hangers for. More of the master bedroom
The ceiling fan that we and the girls have in their rooms.
And that's the house!
October 2, 2006
Here are some VDO's of the houses.
Some area's are pitch black so you can't se well so I'll take pictures of the place soon but they are walk throughs of the old house and 2 of the new house.
Apparently I didn't finish with the old house because Dh was pressuring me to leave and then the one older guys started talking to me, which annoyed me because he saw what I was doing.
Also it was a darker rainy day so lighting was not the best.
bummer, the playroom, which is messy with the kisd toys but at least they aren't in my livingroom or kitchen or office. Last one shows the bar area which still has boxes of books still and the TV for the kids, so now they can watch their shows on their own TV in their playroom if they want. But usually they are in the backyard.
