Lysol, Airborne & Hibicleanse, OH MY!!!

I guess some would say I'm going overboard. I like to think I'm just being proactive. A little birdie told me about a hand soap called "Hibicleanse". It's supposed to be some supersonic hand soap that protects the hands for up to 6 hours. So, I hunted it down (near the band aids at the local drug store) and bought a bottle. I've set a regimen here - in the morning before school, after school and before bedtime. The kids are very good at washing their hands here at home and at school, but I figure anything I can do to try and prevent the flu (swine or otherwise) from entering my house, I'm game. The kids take a half tablet of Airborne every morning before school and I've Lysoled just about every surface in our house. Purell accompanies the kids to school and hopefully they're using it. I'm sure there is such a thing as too much, but I'm paranoid, what can I say. Aidan's got immunity issues, so the flu (swine or otherwise) is not good for him. In years past, I've always gotten the boys' flu shots about mid October so I can get Aidan through late spring, but this year I feel like I'm behind because the flu has started so early. Ugh. Now he's got a little bit of a cold, so I'm having to wait that out before he can have the flu shot. I'm still undecided on the swine flu vaccine...I need to see and do more research on it before I make a decision.

I'm starting to feel kind of puny, but I'm hoping it just my allergies acting up or maybe the virus the boys have had over the last week. I've been amping up my vitamin C just to be sure. We all know Mom's can't be sick...

I hope everyone stays well and enjoys the rest of their week!

Update...

Well, after spending the better part of the morning at the doctor's office with Aidan, we found out he has an upper respiratory infection and a bum finger. They couldn't tell if it was broken without doing x-rays, so they just splinted it and have him taking it easy with that hand for at least a week.

Aidan's more than happy to spend the day resting his finger in front of the couch watching tv and playing Wii...

Back to Reality...

I know it's been a while since I've posted...almost a week to be exact. I spent most of last week coming down off the Ironman high. Like I said before, we've spent over a year planning that race and it's still hard to believe Elliot won't be spending every spare minute he has training for that. He kept himself busy last week getting back into the swing of working. His second job at the AAC started up heavy last week - with something 5 out of the last 6 days. Yesterday was the first day we had him home.

Soccer started up (finally) for the boys on Saturday. Liam's team had a win and it was nice to see him enjoying playing again. He did manage to step in a rather large ant bed and has gazillions of ant bites on his legs. Poor baby. Aidan had to miss his game because he woke up "snotty". He hasn't gotten any better, so we'll be making a visit to the doctor today. (Our first sick visit with the new doctor - I'm hoping it goes well) This will end up being a dual purpose visit...It seems Aidan may have broken a finger last night. Well, technically Liam broke Aidan's finger. It was total accident. They were throwing the football and Aidan went to catch it and I guess the ball hit his finger wrong. It's crooked - kind of sticking out to the side and swollen below the knuckle. He says it hurts - which with his freakishly abnormal pain tolerance must be quite painful. So...wish us luck.

Today is D day around here. I'm starting back on the dreaded DIET. Ugh. I've been back and forth and all but gave up on getting healthy until Elliot's race was over because I knew there would be carb loading, celebratory meals, etc. So...now I've got to get back on the diet wagon and start getting healthy again. This should be an interesting week...

IRONMAN

I don't really have much to say. Our weekend was awesome. My husband is amazing and I don't have enough words to say how proud I am of him for accomplishing something that he's worked so hard for over the last year. He set out a little over a year ago to do this race and he did it. I complained about it almost the entire time. It took him away from our family, interfered with countless things, etc. But, in the end, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. To see him do this was one of the best things I've ever been a part of in my life. I can't wait for him to do it again - yes I said it. If I only had an ounce of his dedication and his drive, I would be a happy woman. I'm so blessed to have him as my best friend, my life partner and the love of my life. I love you honey...YOU'RE AWESOME! Congratulations on becoming an IRONMAN!

5 Days and Counting...

Well, my kitchen table has been transformed from a closet (errrr...laundry folding station) to a triathlon transition/staging area. I guess I should be happy Elliot gave me a little tiny corner to keep for folding laundry...I love how I'm sitting here complaining about things being in disarray in our house while my husband is getting ready to do something few people will ever accomplish in their lifetime. Hohum...it is all about me after all...

Oh boy...the Big Brother finale is tonight! I can't wait. I wish there was a chance for Jeff to win, but seeing how he's been evicted - that won't be happening. Anyone but Natalie, anyone but Natalie...

Aidan's home from school today...shocking I know. He's actually not really sick, but he woke up this morning with a suspicious cough that came from nowhere. I decided to keep him home so I could keep an eye on it. I didn't want him coming home from school at 3:30 in full blown asthma attack mode and it be too late for me to ward it off. This is where my hyper vigilance comes into play. Most normal parents would let their child go to school and have the asthma attack, but not me. I try to prevent them - if that's even possible. In my defense, there is stuff going around the school and he has recently been exposed to strep. Let's just hope this is me overreacting and not anything illness related.

The weather over the last 5 days has been AWESOME!!! I know that alot of people are sick of the rain, but not me. I love it and as I've said before, I could live with this weather every day for the rest of my life. Today is the first day that it hasn't rained in about 5 days and I have to say, I'm a little sad about it. Although, I have to admit, it's nice to be able to let the dogs outside without them getting soaked. Speaking of dogs...

Rizzo, my diva miniature dachshund has an obsession with my pink snuggy. I'm not joking. Anytime the snuggy is out, she buries herself in it. I of course can understand the obsession - I'm obsessed with the snuggy too. It's just funny to see my dog bury herself inside of it and freak out when she gets stuck. My bulldog Rocco decided to get in on the snuggy action with Rizzo Sunday night while we were watching TV...check this out...









See...the snuggy makes everyone happy! Alright...that's all I've got for today. I've got to get some laundry done so I can start labeling stuff for the race. Have a good day everyone!!!

Let The Countdown Begin....

Well, 1 week from today I will hopefully be able to call my husband an "IRONMAN". We spent some time last night and today running errands so he can have everything he needs for his race. We've got cases of Powerade, a box full of protein bars and tons of salt tabs, electrolyte replacements, etc. Geez...this race is costing us a fortune!!

Anyone that knows me knows that I love t-shirts. I know they're not the most fashionable thing to wear, but I don't care. I love them. I buy t-shirts from everywhere. I like to call my t-shirts my "collection". I love adding to my collection anytime I can. So...there are going to be lots of us at the race supporting Elliot, my uncle Gene and Elliot's college roommate Pat. I thought it would be a good idea for all of us to wear matching t-shirts. I spent about 3 hours on the computer a couple of weeks ago coming up with a design for each one of the guys and their supporters...They came out so good - I'm so proud. I think I may have found my calling...



It says "OKC REDMAN...140.6...SEPTEMBER 19, 2009




Notice the "gig 'em" at the bottom in maroon?


Pat's has his name, bib number and "gig 'em" at the bottom. Uncle Gene's has his name, bib number and "hook 'em" in orange at the bottom. I think there are a total of 10 of wearing the t-shirts. I can't wait to get a picture of all of us on the sidelines cheering the guys on.

Now, if those aren't awesome, I don't know what is. Once I saw how cute they came out, I decided to start making my own customized t-shirts...I've got 3 made up sitting in my save box at customink.com...I know...I'm strange.

Well, that's about all I've got for today. I think I'm going to go enjoy the awesome rainy weather and watch some TV with the family. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!!!

Ahem...Coffin???

So, I have a kind of weird story. Just chalk it up to some of the strange stuff that happens to me I guess.

My next door neighbors, let's call them "Lim & Jinda" are great people. They've always been really good neighbors and I can honestly say I don't have any complaints with them - well, other than their kids' dogs that bark incessantly when my dogs come outside - but besides that, they're awesome. They have 2 grown children who are married and have families of their own. Their son, daughter in law and 2 grandkids had to move into their house about a month ago because they were putting their house up for sale and they didn't want to actually live in the house while it was selling. So...now I have lots of new neighbors. Still no complaints though.

2 weeks ago, I was coming home from soccer practice and they were all outside busy moving yet more stuff into their garage from their son's house. When I got out of the car, "Jinda" said, and I quote, "hey Lorrie! Do you need a coffin?" I can't imagine what the look on my face must have been, because I wasn't quite sure if I heard her correctly until I actually saw a coffin! I quickly answered "well, I hope I don't need one any time soon". "Jinda" then explained to me that her son had built a coffin out of plywood as Halloween decoration for his wife and now they didn't have room for it. She wanted to know if we wanted it...Hmmm...thanks but no thanks. I cleverly said that since Halloween was also Aidan's birthday that we tried not to overshadow his special day by focusing too much on Halloween. Phew.

They have no room for the coffin in their garage right now because it's crammed full of all of their son and daughter in laws other more important furnishings, so guess where the coffin is? Yep, in between our houses. Here's a pic...








Let me also add that "Jinda" informed me that the coffin would hold an adult male - they had tried it with "Uncle Mickey". No joke.

Happy Labor Day...

So, apparently the two blogs I did in one day last week tapped me out. Sorry about that. Not really. I've actually been really busy and had lots going on and figured I'd hold off on the blogging. Now I feel like I have too much to talk about. Oh well.

So, I'm not the proud owner of an iPhone! I love it! It seems so stupid to love a phone, but I do and I'm not ashamed to say it. However, this was not a planned purchase and Elliot was not too happy with the situation. Here's how it went down.

I was at the boys' soccer practice on Wednesday night. First, let me preface this entire story by saying I had not been feeling good at all all day Wednesday and came "this close" to not even going to soccer practice. But, I sucked it up for the kids and went any way. Anyway, as I was standing there watching practice and talking to the other moms, I had my arms folded across my ever expanding chest. It was hot out and I was a bit sweaty. I had carefully placed my big cup of water on the ground between my feet, so as to protect it from getting knocked over by anyone walking by. I had my phone in my hand and all of a sudden, my arms must have gotten a little too sweaty and voila...the phone landed perfectly into the glass of water. I couldn't have done it again if I had tried. It even made the "kerplunk" sound. Hmpf...I panicked. Needless to say, the phone was dead. So, the next night Elliot took me to get my early birthday present - the iPhone. I highly recommend getting one, but would suggest going about it without first angering your significant other. I think the dust has settled though and he's not so mad at me any more. I've even caught him playing sudoku on it a few times over the last couple of days. Sorry babe...Love you!

I spent the next couple days playing with my new phone and getting it all set up. I'm a total tech junkie/geek and love getting new gadgets. It's totally worth the money and I'm amazed at all the fun stuff you can do on a PHONE!!!

We spent Sunday at my Aunt Debbie's and Uncle Gene's on Cedar Creek Lake. We had an awesome family gathering and we were able to keep Elliot & Gene's training down to a minimum. They only swam for 45 minutes...trust me - that's nothing. We usually don't see them at all when we go down there, so it was nice to have them there for our visit! Elliot got to practice swimming in his wetsuit some more for his race. That was only the second time he had swam in it and he seems to be pretty comfortable with it. Elliot played catch with the boys in the water for a little bit and the kids of course had a blast. We also had our ritual trivia game around the table. We all had so much fun and it was nice to see everyone. There were lots of family that couldn't be there, but here's some pics of Elliot & the boys having fun in the water...














My Aunt Debbie has an awesome embroidery machine. I love it so much. I don't actually "use" the machine, but I've got lots of ideas for things that Debbie can use the machine for! Anyway, when I found out we were going down to the lake for Labor Day, I asked Debbie if she would embroider my name on my pink snuggy. If you don't know what a snuggy is, you MUST check them out. It's a blanket with sleeves and they come in several colors and now even patterns. Anyway, I bought myself a pink one at Target a couple of months ago and I love it. It's quite possibly the best blanket invention ever. I can't tell you how many times I find the boys in my house wrapped up in my snuggy, so I wanted my name on it just so there was no confusion. Yes, I know the pink should've been the big hint, but I wanted it personalized. Just so any time anyone was ever "using" it, they would know they were using "Lorrie"'s snuggy. Yes, I'm a dork...




TV, TV, TV...Don't get me started on Big Brother. I'm so upset with how this season is turning out. I can't stand "Nastalie" or "NataLIE". If you don't watch, you have no idea what I'm talking about. But, if you do, then you know exactly what I mean. If she wins I may never watch again. Guess what's starting up again this week? Yep...SYTYCD!!! (That's "So You Think You Can Dance" for all you lame-o's that aren't hip with the lingo) I'm so excited that they've decided to put it on in the fall in addition to the summer. That is another one of those shows that could be on all year and I would be a happy camper. Survivor, The Amazing Race, Dancing With The Stars (the second best dance show on TV) and all my favorite sitcoms are about to start too. OMG...I've got to get the DVR ready!

Well, it's late and I've got to get everyone's lunches ready for tomorrow and get in some TV for myself. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and please enjoy the short week!