Yay!! Summer is here!! Summer is here!!!
Wha? Whaddayamean summer is almost OVER!?!?
Today was our last day of therapy for a MONTH...our last swim class for a month and now I get to spend lazy mornings with my kids, NOT driving all over town strapping and unstrapping kids to car seats and I now feel like the summer has started...
We weren't (read: couldn't afford) going to take a vacation but we were in luck as my mother in law had two extra free holiday tickets which are provided by the government to those with a low income every other year... So for very, very, very little money (ridiculously little) we will be going away for a whole week at the end of the month.
I am really looking forward to that although I am looking at a mountain of work to finish before I am able to go away for a week.
In other news, John got a virus and on Sunday he was running a 101 fever with no other symptoms. It lasted 24hrs and it was gone... then on Tuesday some time in the am, *I* was running a 101 fever only I felt like a truck had hit me.
I was incapacitated on Wednesday (can I get a "thank God for mother in laws who live next block!?) but I feel much better today.
And tonight John rushed to the toilet right after I had given him his bath and he had blowout diarrhea all over my bathroom floor. Niiiiice.. (not!)
Then I had the same over the last couple of days so... VIRUS... AGAIN!!
Seriously!! STOP IT!!!
I hate being sick and I am too busy to be sick!! So QUIT IT ALREADY!!
Geez....
So uhm... yeah... that's pretty much it for now..
I am looking forward to a quiet weekend!!!
Until next time!
T.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Ben & Jerry's not TOM & Jerry!!!
Saturday morning is usually the day I do the main grocery shopping which includes detergents and edibles for most of the week.
I am a little geeky when it comes to meat and veggies; I want to buy them on the day or the next tops so I do a lot of meat and veggie shopping during the week. Oh! And Milk too… I get milk 2-3 times a week.
So yesterday, in the heat wave (43 Celsius! Yikes!) I was very comfy in my all new, A/C Car while I drove with John in his car seat behind me, to the super market. I found quite a few bargains including trainers for the boys (leather!!) for only 3 Euros!! Last few pieces and I managed to get a size up for each boy in hopes they will wear these in the Fall and Winter at school.
I also picked up a few accessories for the car because yes, I am THAT geeky… I got a new car and naturally I need the bells and whistles… I got a flashlight and a phone charger for my Nokia since the car comes with an outlet especially for charging your phone. Of course since I don’t smoke, the lighter in the car is useless for me so I could charge the phone there but imagine if I DID smoke… oh the horror of not having the lighter because the f’ing phone was charging! But I digress… so we got to do our shopping and just as I was dreading the mile long queue at the checkout I see it… a freezer filled with Ben and Jerry’s, with a beam of heavenly light shinning right on it and angels singing and playing their little harps. And then I heard God’s voice as he instructed me get me a tub of Chunky Monkey!
Having lived abroad I know B&J’s… my husband (and about 90% of the Greek population) have NO idea…
Which is why when I got home and told hubby: “Honey! Guess what? I got shoes for the boys for next to nothing!! They had awesome sales and Oh! I picked us up some Ben and Jerry’s!!”
And my husband naturally replied “Great honey. Just pop it in the DVD..”
I stood there and blinked a few times in confusion… then it hit me!
“No honey! Not TOM and Jerry!!” naturally my husband thought I had found a bargain Tom and Jerry DVD for the boys…
After lunch, I made ice cream cones… Hubby eyed it warily… Then took a small lick of the banana goodness and grimaced… “What IS this?” he asked smacking his lips in disbelief.
I felt hurt!!! It’s Ben and Jerry’s!!! Only THE best ice cream EVER!!!
Two minutes later and while I was preparing my own cone I heard him say… “Make me another one! This stuff is GOOD!!”
Ha! Another convert… Looking forward to the other 99 flavors to come to Greece (we are limited to 5 right now!!)
I am a little geeky when it comes to meat and veggies; I want to buy them on the day or the next tops so I do a lot of meat and veggie shopping during the week. Oh! And Milk too… I get milk 2-3 times a week.
So yesterday, in the heat wave (43 Celsius! Yikes!) I was very comfy in my all new, A/C Car while I drove with John in his car seat behind me, to the super market. I found quite a few bargains including trainers for the boys (leather!!) for only 3 Euros!! Last few pieces and I managed to get a size up for each boy in hopes they will wear these in the Fall and Winter at school.
I also picked up a few accessories for the car because yes, I am THAT geeky… I got a new car and naturally I need the bells and whistles… I got a flashlight and a phone charger for my Nokia since the car comes with an outlet especially for charging your phone. Of course since I don’t smoke, the lighter in the car is useless for me so I could charge the phone there but imagine if I DID smoke… oh the horror of not having the lighter because the f’ing phone was charging! But I digress… so we got to do our shopping and just as I was dreading the mile long queue at the checkout I see it… a freezer filled with Ben and Jerry’s, with a beam of heavenly light shinning right on it and angels singing and playing their little harps. And then I heard God’s voice as he instructed me get me a tub of Chunky Monkey!
Having lived abroad I know B&J’s… my husband (and about 90% of the Greek population) have NO idea…
Which is why when I got home and told hubby: “Honey! Guess what? I got shoes for the boys for next to nothing!! They had awesome sales and Oh! I picked us up some Ben and Jerry’s!!”
And my husband naturally replied “Great honey. Just pop it in the DVD..”
I stood there and blinked a few times in confusion… then it hit me!
“No honey! Not TOM and Jerry!!” naturally my husband thought I had found a bargain Tom and Jerry DVD for the boys…
After lunch, I made ice cream cones… Hubby eyed it warily… Then took a small lick of the banana goodness and grimaced… “What IS this?” he asked smacking his lips in disbelief.
I felt hurt!!! It’s Ben and Jerry’s!!! Only THE best ice cream EVER!!!
Two minutes later and while I was preparing my own cone I heard him say… “Make me another one! This stuff is GOOD!!”
Ha! Another convert… Looking forward to the other 99 flavors to come to Greece (we are limited to 5 right now!!)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Gearing up for baby!
I want another baby... we want another baby.
The reaction to these news is usually one of eye wide disbelief...
What do you mean you want another baby? You have two of them already!
Or, you can't even handle the two you have, why would you want another?
Or, you had the pregnancy from Hell and the recovery from the Abyss, why would you go through that again?
And you are all right... it's difficult, it's painful but... my family feels incomplete. Ever since I got the boys all I could think of was how one day they will be big brothers.
I didn't feel ready before but now I do... For a long time I tried t convince myself I did not in fact want another baby... I didn't need another baby, I had enough on my plate. I am raising twins and it has been extra hard with the boys' speacial needs etc.
But I am now 100% sure I do in fact want and need just one more baby... is this greed?
When I was struggling with my infertility, I prayed and asked for ONE baby... and God being all gracious took pity on me and He gave me TWO... and now here I am again, on my knees asking for one MORE baby... and I am not sure what the answer will be :(
I do know I don't want to go through the medicated route again so I will take the "prayer and hope for the best" route... God showed me the way last time by (literally) guiding me to my RE and I prayer He will show me the way again, hopefully this time circumventing the RE ;)
So yeah... we will see. Wish us luck!!!
If it's meant to be... it will be...
The reaction to these news is usually one of eye wide disbelief...
What do you mean you want another baby? You have two of them already!
Or, you can't even handle the two you have, why would you want another?
Or, you had the pregnancy from Hell and the recovery from the Abyss, why would you go through that again?
And you are all right... it's difficult, it's painful but... my family feels incomplete. Ever since I got the boys all I could think of was how one day they will be big brothers.
I didn't feel ready before but now I do... For a long time I tried t convince myself I did not in fact want another baby... I didn't need another baby, I had enough on my plate. I am raising twins and it has been extra hard with the boys' speacial needs etc.
But I am now 100% sure I do in fact want and need just one more baby... is this greed?
When I was struggling with my infertility, I prayed and asked for ONE baby... and God being all gracious took pity on me and He gave me TWO... and now here I am again, on my knees asking for one MORE baby... and I am not sure what the answer will be :(
I do know I don't want to go through the medicated route again so I will take the "prayer and hope for the best" route... God showed me the way last time by (literally) guiding me to my RE and I prayer He will show me the way again, hopefully this time circumventing the RE ;)
So yeah... we will see. Wish us luck!!!
If it's meant to be... it will be...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Universe is against me!
Today it was my special day!!
Today was the day when I would get to go out WITH A GIRLFRIEND, just the TWO of us, no kids, no hubbies to a MOVIE... a M O V I E!!! Just US... no.kids!!
I also had to ship a doll...
I also had to go down town in the searing heat with my sister in law to buy some supplies so we can make some favors since I am now helping her with her wedding/christening organizing/business thingie...
So she came in late... and it took us about 3 hours from the time we left until we got. During that time G called me 3 times to scream at me, because how dare I leave him for THREE HOURS with the kids?? And where was food? The kids were hungry...
I assured him I was bringing food and then hang up and cried..
My life sucks.. I can't go anywhere without the kids and when I do, my husband calls 45 times, screaming at me...
We got home, fed the family and quickly went out the door to ship my package and catch my movie...
My feet hurt so much from the trek I considered not going for a moment... but then I did go.
Of course, problems started from the get-go.
Traffic to the mall was TERRIBLE!! I barely made it in time to ship the package!
We couldn't find a place to park because of all the days, we had picked today and today was the first day of sales.. the place was packed to the brim. Who said people have no money!?!?!? All I saw was HORDES of people carrying a DOZEN bags each... Do you know what I will buy during the sales? NOTHING!! Why? Because I trully have NO money... except maybe a pair of summer sandals for John because he needs a pair...
Anyway, we managed to park and send the package, then went to buy tickets only to find the movie we wanted wasn't available until 21.15 (My Sister's Keeper).
So we saw The Proposal instead. Nice film but one you would see in a theater. Nice for pizza and pop corn at home with the girls but otherwise ... blah. Sandra Bullock, you are too old for this and we can tell ;)
(we can also tell you had "work" done) and anyway GET OFF RYAN!!! ;)
Right... but that wasn't the bad part... the bad part was that the movied ended at around 21:00 pm... when the stores were closing... and everyone wanted to leave...
And the queue to pay for the parking was 45 people long... IN EVERY TELLER...
And when MY turn almost came, the person in front of me broke the machine...and then we had to wait another 10 minutes for the fat man with the brown belt and the BLACK shoes to come fix it.. total waiting time: 30 minutes.
Then there was a queue of cars this time trying to leave the parking... another 15 minutes... and then there was a queue of cars on the street... and the highway that takes me home? PACKED!! Like... cars were STOPPED for minutes at a time... for no reason...
And I hit my toe when I was trying to get into the bathtub... and I saw my movie with my friend... but apparently my husband was sending me negative vibes all the time because did I enjoy my evening? I did not :(
I suppose in another 3.5 years when my husband keeps the boys while I go out again, I might have better luck...
I had 4 hours out to myself.. I should be grateful and I am... I am also a bit pissed because he gets 10 hrs a day to himself... and he goes out twice a week with his mates... God why did you make me a woman?
Today was the day when I would get to go out WITH A GIRLFRIEND, just the TWO of us, no kids, no hubbies to a MOVIE... a M O V I E!!! Just US... no.kids!!
I also had to ship a doll...
I also had to go down town in the searing heat with my sister in law to buy some supplies so we can make some favors since I am now helping her with her wedding/christening organizing/business thingie...
So she came in late... and it took us about 3 hours from the time we left until we got. During that time G called me 3 times to scream at me, because how dare I leave him for THREE HOURS with the kids?? And where was food? The kids were hungry...
I assured him I was bringing food and then hang up and cried..
My life sucks.. I can't go anywhere without the kids and when I do, my husband calls 45 times, screaming at me...
We got home, fed the family and quickly went out the door to ship my package and catch my movie...
My feet hurt so much from the trek I considered not going for a moment... but then I did go.
Of course, problems started from the get-go.
Traffic to the mall was TERRIBLE!! I barely made it in time to ship the package!
We couldn't find a place to park because of all the days, we had picked today and today was the first day of sales.. the place was packed to the brim. Who said people have no money!?!?!? All I saw was HORDES of people carrying a DOZEN bags each... Do you know what I will buy during the sales? NOTHING!! Why? Because I trully have NO money... except maybe a pair of summer sandals for John because he needs a pair...
Anyway, we managed to park and send the package, then went to buy tickets only to find the movie we wanted wasn't available until 21.15 (My Sister's Keeper).
So we saw The Proposal instead. Nice film but one you would see in a theater. Nice for pizza and pop corn at home with the girls but otherwise ... blah. Sandra Bullock, you are too old for this and we can tell ;)
(we can also tell you had "work" done) and anyway GET OFF RYAN!!! ;)
Right... but that wasn't the bad part... the bad part was that the movied ended at around 21:00 pm... when the stores were closing... and everyone wanted to leave...
And the queue to pay for the parking was 45 people long... IN EVERY TELLER...
And when MY turn almost came, the person in front of me broke the machine...and then we had to wait another 10 minutes for the fat man with the brown belt and the BLACK shoes to come fix it.. total waiting time: 30 minutes.
Then there was a queue of cars this time trying to leave the parking... another 15 minutes... and then there was a queue of cars on the street... and the highway that takes me home? PACKED!! Like... cars were STOPPED for minutes at a time... for no reason...
And I hit my toe when I was trying to get into the bathtub... and I saw my movie with my friend... but apparently my husband was sending me negative vibes all the time because did I enjoy my evening? I did not :(
I suppose in another 3.5 years when my husband keeps the boys while I go out again, I might have better luck...
I had 4 hours out to myself.. I should be grateful and I am... I am also a bit pissed because he gets 10 hrs a day to himself... and he goes out twice a week with his mates... God why did you make me a woman?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Saturday morning...
Saturday morning and I wake up from a relatively good night's sleep, to find both boys sitting on my bed, next to my head, talking about Transformers. I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep, when G's booming voice comes from the next room, ordering me up because it's 10 am (!!) and they are hungry!
God Forbid the man pours some cereal in the bowls followed by, oh the arduous task, of pouring milk on top...
I shouldn't complain really (and yes I saw the eye rolling, you!) because getting out of bed at 10am when you have two kids under the age of 12 (when I think I will be fairly ok letting them get up before me, relatively secure in my knowledge that they won't blow up the house while I catch some extra zzzzzzz's) is a very rare treat indeed and I totally let G grab my boobs while I was making breakfast more than once today, to thank him for this gift of extra sleep. (and for those new to my blog, G is my husband!!)(just in case you were wondering...)(and Yes I talk in parentheses ... I also air quote a lot when I talk..and I wave my arms.. at the same time)
So I woke up on this (hot) Saturday morning after a dream in which a) I had gotten my new car which was bigger than I remembered and everyone wanted to take it from me and b) I had somehow gotten pregnant, this time with a little girl... hmmmmmm, bizzare!
Oh and today I got the Mother Of All Migraines... and I can't get rid of it.. .and I will certainly die because OH.MY.GOSH.THE.PAIN...THE.AGONY...
Off to take my Excedrin...and crossing fingers it doesn't make me nauseous this time...
Cheers,
T.
God Forbid the man pours some cereal in the bowls followed by, oh the arduous task, of pouring milk on top...
I shouldn't complain really (and yes I saw the eye rolling, you!) because getting out of bed at 10am when you have two kids under the age of 12 (when I think I will be fairly ok letting them get up before me, relatively secure in my knowledge that they won't blow up the house while I catch some extra zzzzzzz's) is a very rare treat indeed and I totally let G grab my boobs while I was making breakfast more than once today, to thank him for this gift of extra sleep. (and for those new to my blog, G is my husband!!)(just in case you were wondering...)(and Yes I talk in parentheses ... I also air quote a lot when I talk..and I wave my arms.. at the same time)
So I woke up on this (hot) Saturday morning after a dream in which a) I had gotten my new car which was bigger than I remembered and everyone wanted to take it from me and b) I had somehow gotten pregnant, this time with a little girl... hmmmmmm, bizzare!
Oh and today I got the Mother Of All Migraines... and I can't get rid of it.. .and I will certainly die because OH.MY.GOSH.THE.PAIN...THE.AGONY...
Off to take my Excedrin...and crossing fingers it doesn't make me nauseous this time...
Cheers,
T.
Friday, July 10, 2009
And there we go again...and again... and yet again!
I am starting to realize I have been spoiled rotten by the hired help.. the nanny, who I couldn't afford anymore and had to let go of. I had been spoiled by opening the kids' closet and actually finding laundered and ironed clothes (and because I know you will ask, this is Greece, we iron, period ;)). I had been spoiled the luxury of working until late, yet not worrying about waking up early the next day because all I had to do was to open the door at 8am and someone else would look after the boys while I caught up on much needed sleep.
So yeah... at the end she cut corners and was way too expensive but I miss the nanny.. there, I've said it.
Somehow I suck at being a housewife/working mom. I am definitely doing something wrong because my apartment is in terrible shape, I fed the kids take out 3 times this week alone and the pile of clothes that need ironing is touching the ceiling, yet I haven't really sat down at all.
Granted I am the only one doing any kind of cooking or cleaning, G doesn't even take his dirty dish to the sink...forget loading the dish washer but still... I bow down to those women who can keep a fairly decent level of tidiness and cleanliness and still work... although the way I see it, once they are in school (away from the house 7 hrs a day) I should be able to plan/clean/work/cook with much better ease... you know... without two 3.5 year old F5 tornadoes under my feet..
Oh and yeah I did break my big toe 2 weeks ago by dropping the iron on it at 8am on a Monday morning while trying to press G's uniform...
And today I made it bleed twice once by rolling a 28lbs watermelon on it and Cody just stepped on it (and he weighs wayyyyyy more than 28lbs!) an hour ago...
Crappity, crap crap!
I am so ready for that black cloud of bad luck to leave me, I tell you!!!
Sigh...
Until next time,
T.
So yeah... at the end she cut corners and was way too expensive but I miss the nanny.. there, I've said it.
Somehow I suck at being a housewife/working mom. I am definitely doing something wrong because my apartment is in terrible shape, I fed the kids take out 3 times this week alone and the pile of clothes that need ironing is touching the ceiling, yet I haven't really sat down at all.
Granted I am the only one doing any kind of cooking or cleaning, G doesn't even take his dirty dish to the sink...forget loading the dish washer but still... I bow down to those women who can keep a fairly decent level of tidiness and cleanliness and still work... although the way I see it, once they are in school (away from the house 7 hrs a day) I should be able to plan/clean/work/cook with much better ease... you know... without two 3.5 year old F5 tornadoes under my feet..
Oh and yeah I did break my big toe 2 weeks ago by dropping the iron on it at 8am on a Monday morning while trying to press G's uniform...
And today I made it bleed twice once by rolling a 28lbs watermelon on it and Cody just stepped on it (and he weighs wayyyyyy more than 28lbs!) an hour ago...
Crappity, crap crap!
I am so ready for that black cloud of bad luck to leave me, I tell you!!!
Sigh...
Until next time,
T.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
What was I thinking?
So you've read my previous post and you know I got the boys a new bed, and a table for us, hoping to start turning a new page in our family life... I've been folloring FLYLADY and trying very hard to get CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) under control.
In the last 3.5 years, since the boys were born, I've assimilated a lot of junk... Since the boys are first children in the family, there are showered with presents... times two! You know what that means right?
So today I got up determined to wrestle their room... and it's now been 5 1/2 hours since I started and I am *almost* done. I took a picture before I started and I will take a picture when I am done...
I am very proud of me and I bet the boys will love their new room too... more room to play in, no more broken toys and things are more easily accecible now.
Of course I now have to do the rest of the house... eeeek! And we live in a small apartment. I can't imagine what we would do if we owned a larger one ... hmmmm. Nope I do know.. I would just throw everything in the spare room and call it "storage" ;)
My feet are burning.... I need a coffee... and I still need to go to the super market.
Stay tuned for pics!!
T.
In the last 3.5 years, since the boys were born, I've assimilated a lot of junk... Since the boys are first children in the family, there are showered with presents... times two! You know what that means right?
So today I got up determined to wrestle their room... and it's now been 5 1/2 hours since I started and I am *almost* done. I took a picture before I started and I will take a picture when I am done...
I am very proud of me and I bet the boys will love their new room too... more room to play in, no more broken toys and things are more easily accecible now.
Of course I now have to do the rest of the house... eeeek! And we live in a small apartment. I can't imagine what we would do if we owned a larger one ... hmmmm. Nope I do know.. I would just throw everything in the spare room and call it "storage" ;)
My feet are burning.... I need a coffee... and I still need to go to the super market.
Stay tuned for pics!!
T.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
What a day!!!
It's 8:50 PM as I write and I can tell you one thing... MY FEET ARE KILLING ME!!!
Why? Because I've been using them (mostly to stand) all day long!!! I've had a loooong but fruitful day which included (but wasn't limited to) shopping, having coffee with dad, finding a bargain, taking apart a bunk bed and a toddler bed, putting together said bunk bed while trying to keeps the toddlers off it at the same time and then discovering my house if a mess and I have no energy left to clean it (sorry Flylady, the only thing I will do tonight is the dishes!).
So today I was supposed to go to IKEA to get a table .. we have a table. George picked it... it is big and clumsy and stuffed in a corner. It is a dinning table... for 10... my husband thought we NEEDED a dinning table, you know, because we are such big party throweres, God forbid we did not have a big table for all of them... Our apartment is small... 70 sq. meters small. The table barely fit. Then we had the twins and we now eat on the coffee table..
My husband has often accused me that I am neglecting the house and the kids and all I do is work. So now that we have no nanny anymore and I *can't* work, I decided to prove him wrong.
So I went to IKEA to get a table that will fit in the apartment (with the twins still occupying it) and my bestest store didn't let me down... I got a Norden table for four that folds down into a teeny tiny thing. Thank you oh magnificent Swedish designer, you have saved my family...
So no more eating on the coffee table. Starting tomorrow when G will put said table together, we eat properly in real chairs like a family ought to do...
To go with our new table, I got two chairs for the boys... the kind without the white cushions that do not cost an and a leg, and if they spill spaghetti sauce on, I will just merrily laugh and wipe clean with a Wettex.
So I wrote down the numbers of all items, picked out an awesome shower curtain (since the glass shower cabin didn't survive the twins) thinking how I should have spent the 12 Euros and gotten the shower curtain to begin with instead of the 500 Euros for the glass cabin, my excuse being that was 8 years ago and we were newlyweds and plans for kids were in the very distant future...
Then we headed for the cashiers when I turned my gaze towards the bargain section, not really interested to buy anything else... and then I saw it and my heart skipped a beat and I dragged my dad towards said section to take a closer look...
You must know that I am never lucky with bargains... I have never gotten a bargain, a real one... I have also never won anything in a lottery/drawing/raffle. I am THAT unlucky... but today the IKEA god smiled upon me because there it was, right before my eyes and nobody had bought it... Cody's bunk bed FIFTY F'ING PERCENT OFF!!!!
I literary climbed on top of it while I sent my dad scurrying off to get two carts to load said bed... a couple were interested in the bed but my eyes shooting darts must have detered them because they went the other way...
Pause here while I explain the story behind "Cody's bunk".
Before I had the boys we got them the Levsik cribs that turn into beds for up to 5 years old and we were pretty happy with the quality and the price of them.
However, Cody at 3 1/2 is the size of a 6 year old... he is tall... too tall for his bed... his feet hang outside of it.
SO when we saw that Cody needed a bigger bed, we went back to IKEA in search of one. When I saw the Kura, I knew it was the one... it was christened "Cody's Bunk" and ever since that fateful day, whenever I was in IKEA, I HAD to go and see it on display saying how the day was coming when I was going to buy it... and by now every single member of my family and most of my friends who had accepted my invitation to come to IKEA with me, KNEW about Cody's bunk... in fact I think they were organizing donations to raise the money so I would get the bed sooner AND STOP PESTERING THEM ABOUT IT!!!
The Kura, is the perfect young child bunk bed because it is very low and has wood all around it so no way to roll off while you sleep and no openings that you child can "catch" on if he indeed falls off.
It also flips so it's not really a bunk bed or you can use the top for toy storage which is what we do.
And it only cost 170 Euros without a mattress.
And I got ours for 84 today... and I am SO happy :)
The "day"
So here is how it goes: you take the item you want from Bargains, pay for it, then take it apart yourself.
It tooks us 45 minutes to undo it and an hour to re-do it at home...
And then I had to do a little magic... I fit This (the table):
And This (the bed):
And two of these:
Into this:
This is my car. It's a Renault Clio model of 1992. No the car in the picture isn't MY car but MY car is exactly LIKE the car in the picture including the color.
And yes we desperately need another car, even though this runs fine (mostly), it's a furnace in the summer for the kids because it has no A/C and you must have heard how hot Greece is in the summer.
On the other hand, hey, free sauna!!
So we got home and I put the bunk together after apart the toddler bed... and then I dashed (literally) to the super market half an hour before closing... and here I am now... Elephant ankles and all...but I HAD to tell you about how awesome I did!!!
And now...back to your scheduled program!!
Byeeeeeeee I am off to put my feet up and pray I can wear my shoes again tomorrow!!!
xx
T.
Why? Because I've been using them (mostly to stand) all day long!!! I've had a loooong but fruitful day which included (but wasn't limited to) shopping, having coffee with dad, finding a bargain, taking apart a bunk bed and a toddler bed, putting together said bunk bed while trying to keeps the toddlers off it at the same time and then discovering my house if a mess and I have no energy left to clean it (sorry Flylady, the only thing I will do tonight is the dishes!).
So today I was supposed to go to IKEA to get a table .. we have a table. George picked it... it is big and clumsy and stuffed in a corner. It is a dinning table... for 10... my husband thought we NEEDED a dinning table, you know, because we are such big party throweres, God forbid we did not have a big table for all of them... Our apartment is small... 70 sq. meters small. The table barely fit. Then we had the twins and we now eat on the coffee table..
My husband has often accused me that I am neglecting the house and the kids and all I do is work. So now that we have no nanny anymore and I *can't* work, I decided to prove him wrong.
So I went to IKEA to get a table that will fit in the apartment (with the twins still occupying it) and my bestest store didn't let me down... I got a Norden table for four that folds down into a teeny tiny thing. Thank you oh magnificent Swedish designer, you have saved my family...
So no more eating on the coffee table. Starting tomorrow when G will put said table together, we eat properly in real chairs like a family ought to do...
To go with our new table, I got two chairs for the boys... the kind without the white cushions that do not cost an and a leg, and if they spill spaghetti sauce on, I will just merrily laugh and wipe clean with a Wettex.
So I wrote down the numbers of all items, picked out an awesome shower curtain (since the glass shower cabin didn't survive the twins) thinking how I should have spent the 12 Euros and gotten the shower curtain to begin with instead of the 500 Euros for the glass cabin, my excuse being that was 8 years ago and we were newlyweds and plans for kids were in the very distant future...
Then we headed for the cashiers when I turned my gaze towards the bargain section, not really interested to buy anything else... and then I saw it and my heart skipped a beat and I dragged my dad towards said section to take a closer look...
You must know that I am never lucky with bargains... I have never gotten a bargain, a real one... I have also never won anything in a lottery/drawing/raffle. I am THAT unlucky... but today the IKEA god smiled upon me because there it was, right before my eyes and nobody had bought it... Cody's bunk bed FIFTY F'ING PERCENT OFF!!!!
I literary climbed on top of it while I sent my dad scurrying off to get two carts to load said bed... a couple were interested in the bed but my eyes shooting darts must have detered them because they went the other way...
Pause here while I explain the story behind "Cody's bunk".
Before I had the boys we got them the Levsik cribs that turn into beds for up to 5 years old and we were pretty happy with the quality and the price of them.
However, Cody at 3 1/2 is the size of a 6 year old... he is tall... too tall for his bed... his feet hang outside of it.
SO when we saw that Cody needed a bigger bed, we went back to IKEA in search of one. When I saw the Kura, I knew it was the one... it was christened "Cody's Bunk" and ever since that fateful day, whenever I was in IKEA, I HAD to go and see it on display saying how the day was coming when I was going to buy it... and by now every single member of my family and most of my friends who had accepted my invitation to come to IKEA with me, KNEW about Cody's bunk... in fact I think they were organizing donations to raise the money so I would get the bed sooner AND STOP PESTERING THEM ABOUT IT!!!
The Kura, is the perfect young child bunk bed because it is very low and has wood all around it so no way to roll off while you sleep and no openings that you child can "catch" on if he indeed falls off.
It also flips so it's not really a bunk bed or you can use the top for toy storage which is what we do.
And it only cost 170 Euros without a mattress.
And I got ours for 84 today... and I am SO happy :)
The "day"
So here is how it goes: you take the item you want from Bargains, pay for it, then take it apart yourself.
It tooks us 45 minutes to undo it and an hour to re-do it at home...
And then I had to do a little magic... I fit This (the table):
And This (the bed):
And two of these:
Into this:
This is my car. It's a Renault Clio model of 1992. No the car in the picture isn't MY car but MY car is exactly LIKE the car in the picture including the color.
And yes we desperately need another car, even though this runs fine (mostly), it's a furnace in the summer for the kids because it has no A/C and you must have heard how hot Greece is in the summer.
On the other hand, hey, free sauna!!
So we got home and I put the bunk together after apart the toddler bed... and then I dashed (literally) to the super market half an hour before closing... and here I am now... Elephant ankles and all...but I HAD to tell you about how awesome I did!!!
And now...back to your scheduled program!!
Byeeeeeeee I am off to put my feet up and pray I can wear my shoes again tomorrow!!!
xx
T.
Friday, May 22, 2009
The big comeback!
Wow!!!
It's been more than a YEAR since I last updated this blog... no wonder some of you are e-mailing looking for an update!!
It's kinda hard to remember exactly what happened this past year, but I can sum it easily for you. The boys grew 4 inches taller (with Cody being steadily in the 99% percentile and John at the 75%!), George's belly grew 10 inches since last year and I grew 500 new gray hairs and lost about 1,000,000 brain cells in the process.
Other than that, I am happy to report that besides being CRAZY (and I do mean C R A Z Y) busy, we are happy for the most part...
After a few dozen therapy sessions, George and I have found our balance and boundaries again.
John's Cerebral Palsy seems almost undetectable as his gait has improved tenfold.
Cody's speech is now recognizable by 70% of people IF he speaks slowly... and they are both enrolled to swim class and pre-school for next Fall.
In the course of a year I have sculpted and produced loads of new dolls (which you can view in my other blog http://sculptorsdiaries.blogspot.com) and by general consensus I have somewhat improved which WAS the point anyway thank-you-very-much, I have written a book and I am in the middle of writing 4 more on the subject of sculpting.
Cody's love for swimming and his open hearted eagerness as well as his beyond his age built and height (the ped estimates his adult height to somewhere between 6' 6" and 6' 9"!!) have made him the target of several coaches who would love to add him to their water Polo team which accepts kids from age 6; however we were "assured" that Cody will fit in nicely starting NEXT YEAR!!! (age 4)
John has been crazily in love with HOT WHEELS and he goes around merily announcing to the world that once grown, he will become an F-1 Driver... hmmmmm wonder where he got that from? ;)
Why, I have no idea... it's like like MY ENTIRE FAMILY ARE CAR FREAKS!!! No, no... what gave you that idea? ;)
John has made remarkable progress this past year. He went from "obviously special needs" to "he looks normal". He has tried so hard and he is my hero.
And this sums up my year... which brings up to today.
For which I will write about... tomorrow.
Hey! I just got back to personal blogging!! I don't want to overdo it on my first day back ;)
Until next time,
Tina
It's been more than a YEAR since I last updated this blog... no wonder some of you are e-mailing looking for an update!!
It's kinda hard to remember exactly what happened this past year, but I can sum it easily for you. The boys grew 4 inches taller (with Cody being steadily in the 99% percentile and John at the 75%!), George's belly grew 10 inches since last year and I grew 500 new gray hairs and lost about 1,000,000 brain cells in the process.
Other than that, I am happy to report that besides being CRAZY (and I do mean C R A Z Y) busy, we are happy for the most part...
After a few dozen therapy sessions, George and I have found our balance and boundaries again.
John's Cerebral Palsy seems almost undetectable as his gait has improved tenfold.
Cody's speech is now recognizable by 70% of people IF he speaks slowly... and they are both enrolled to swim class and pre-school for next Fall.
In the course of a year I have sculpted and produced loads of new dolls (which you can view in my other blog http://sculptorsdiaries.blogspot.com) and by general consensus I have somewhat improved which WAS the point anyway thank-you-very-much, I have written a book and I am in the middle of writing 4 more on the subject of sculpting.
Cody's love for swimming and his open hearted eagerness as well as his beyond his age built and height (the ped estimates his adult height to somewhere between 6' 6" and 6' 9"!!) have made him the target of several coaches who would love to add him to their water Polo team which accepts kids from age 6; however we were "assured" that Cody will fit in nicely starting NEXT YEAR!!! (age 4)
John has been crazily in love with HOT WHEELS and he goes around merily announcing to the world that once grown, he will become an F-1 Driver... hmmmmm wonder where he got that from? ;)
Why, I have no idea... it's like like MY ENTIRE FAMILY ARE CAR FREAKS!!! No, no... what gave you that idea? ;)
John has made remarkable progress this past year. He went from "obviously special needs" to "he looks normal". He has tried so hard and he is my hero.
And this sums up my year... which brings up to today.
For which I will write about... tomorrow.
Hey! I just got back to personal blogging!! I don't want to overdo it on my first day back ;)
Until next time,
Tina
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Black out
It's been a few days now that our power company has gone on strike to force the goverment's hand for something or other.
That means we are experiencing rolling black outs. Today, just as I had put the boys to bed and I was getting ready to work, out goes our power.
With a sigh, I got up and got my flash light, then fished out the candles and lamps I had gotten in the last few days "just in case", said to those who said "but the strike will be over tomorrow". Today they decided to go until Sunday.
I put a lamp (battery operated, no flame) in the boys' room so they wouldn't panic in case they woke up in total darkness, and I lit candles all over the living room after failing miserably to get my other lamp to work. Just as well because as soon as the power was back on I saw it had an oil leak and we would have gone up in flames if I had managed to light it! (always trust your nose! it was the smell after I had capped the bottle that made suspect something was off and stopped trying to light it!)
I sat on the balcony looking at the street below, pitch black and all and waiting for George to come home.
There is a strange feeling of liberation coming from the knowledge that even though you have a ton of work to do, you just can't do it. It's not because you are lazy... it's because it's impossible.
This is a feeling that only those who work from home can relate to. When you are an employee, you leave work and that's it. You can really get home and relax because your work is back there, at the office... once you open the door to your house after work that's it...
But not in my case. Work is always there... everywhere. And there is always work to be done, mails to be answered, photos to be taken, sculpting to be done, orders filled. And it has taken it's toll... but on the other hand, as much as I would to rest, I can't. The financial demands are enormous for us right now.. the mortgage, the nanny's salary, John's medical bills; the cost of living in Athens, Greece alone is enormous... so I work day in day out... I work when I am well and I work when I am sick... I work when my wrists hurt and I work when I feel fine. I really wish I got a big lump of money all at once at some point just so I could take a break for a month... I wish!
But for those three hours the black out lasted, I was really FREE...
So I sat on the balcony looking at the dark street below and listening to the muted conversations of the people around me, in the same situation, as they sat in their balconies discussing this and that. Some smoked. I could see the tiny orange balls of flames that were seen from their cigarates in the dark. The night was pleasantly chilly but not cold.
I live downtown in one of the poorer neighborhoods that just now is trying to upgrade itself. Our building is new, built just 5 years ago, modern and pearly white, it sits amongst older, run buildings that will await their turn to be demolished and re-built. There are a lot of emigrants in this part of town because rent used to be so cheap but the introduction of the metro and its close proximity to my place, really shot the prices up.
If you are in the US, imagine my neighborhood like Brooklyn... or Chicago maybe.
When George did arrive, carrying take out, I tied a flashlight onto a string and lowered it to him so he could see to climb the stairs. Just we were getting ready to eat though, the power came back on and my romantic idea of just the two of us sipping wine and chatting in the semi-dark went bye bye... with a resigned sigh, I got to work... but it was fun while it lasted!
That means we are experiencing rolling black outs. Today, just as I had put the boys to bed and I was getting ready to work, out goes our power.
With a sigh, I got up and got my flash light, then fished out the candles and lamps I had gotten in the last few days "just in case", said to those who said "but the strike will be over tomorrow". Today they decided to go until Sunday.
I put a lamp (battery operated, no flame) in the boys' room so they wouldn't panic in case they woke up in total darkness, and I lit candles all over the living room after failing miserably to get my other lamp to work. Just as well because as soon as the power was back on I saw it had an oil leak and we would have gone up in flames if I had managed to light it! (always trust your nose! it was the smell after I had capped the bottle that made suspect something was off and stopped trying to light it!)
I sat on the balcony looking at the street below, pitch black and all and waiting for George to come home.
There is a strange feeling of liberation coming from the knowledge that even though you have a ton of work to do, you just can't do it. It's not because you are lazy... it's because it's impossible.
This is a feeling that only those who work from home can relate to. When you are an employee, you leave work and that's it. You can really get home and relax because your work is back there, at the office... once you open the door to your house after work that's it...
But not in my case. Work is always there... everywhere. And there is always work to be done, mails to be answered, photos to be taken, sculpting to be done, orders filled. And it has taken it's toll... but on the other hand, as much as I would to rest, I can't. The financial demands are enormous for us right now.. the mortgage, the nanny's salary, John's medical bills; the cost of living in Athens, Greece alone is enormous... so I work day in day out... I work when I am well and I work when I am sick... I work when my wrists hurt and I work when I feel fine. I really wish I got a big lump of money all at once at some point just so I could take a break for a month... I wish!
But for those three hours the black out lasted, I was really FREE...
So I sat on the balcony looking at the dark street below and listening to the muted conversations of the people around me, in the same situation, as they sat in their balconies discussing this and that. Some smoked. I could see the tiny orange balls of flames that were seen from their cigarates in the dark. The night was pleasantly chilly but not cold.
I live downtown in one of the poorer neighborhoods that just now is trying to upgrade itself. Our building is new, built just 5 years ago, modern and pearly white, it sits amongst older, run buildings that will await their turn to be demolished and re-built. There are a lot of emigrants in this part of town because rent used to be so cheap but the introduction of the metro and its close proximity to my place, really shot the prices up.
If you are in the US, imagine my neighborhood like Brooklyn... or Chicago maybe.
When George did arrive, carrying take out, I tied a flashlight onto a string and lowered it to him so he could see to climb the stairs. Just we were getting ready to eat though, the power came back on and my romantic idea of just the two of us sipping wine and chatting in the semi-dark went bye bye... with a resigned sigh, I got to work... but it was fun while it lasted!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Poor neglected blog and some thoughts
Lol I have been neglecting this blog so much, all the while forgetting that some people actually still read it! Sorry Dian :)
Well with all that's been happening lately I haven't had the time or energy. First of all I have been almost non stop ill since Christmas... apparently the rest of Europe is suffering right along with me.
The boys give me everything they get which is so odd. I was never a sickly adult (but I was a sickly child).
Cody and John are both on antibiotics at the moment. After 3 months of continuous infections, their tonsils decided to call it quits and now they are on antibiotics.
Yes, this means I broke down and took them to the ped's. I am not a mom that takes them in for nothing but a 104 fever really warranted a trip (and no this is their first high fever in 3 months).
I feel like cr@p myself but I am hanging in there.
I don't mind being sick so much as long as the brain is working and right now it's not. Ugh! A long weekend is coming up and I can't even compose the shopping list that will sustain us through it.
On another note, Cody will be getting evaluated for Speech Therapy as apparently his speech is not normal for his age and we can no longer say "uhm he is young, a boy and he will outgrow it".
They will call me with an appointment.
I am desperate for a moment's peace but one thing leads to another it seems and peace is elusive. Like time. Who decided the days only has to have 24 hours? Or better, WHY do we need sleep? Can you give me something so I don't need sleep? That way I will get everything done and everybody will be happy with me and quit nagging and yelling at me.
Ok off my soap box now and back to work...
T.
Well with all that's been happening lately I haven't had the time or energy. First of all I have been almost non stop ill since Christmas... apparently the rest of Europe is suffering right along with me.
The boys give me everything they get which is so odd. I was never a sickly adult (but I was a sickly child).
Cody and John are both on antibiotics at the moment. After 3 months of continuous infections, their tonsils decided to call it quits and now they are on antibiotics.
Yes, this means I broke down and took them to the ped's. I am not a mom that takes them in for nothing but a 104 fever really warranted a trip (and no this is their first high fever in 3 months).
I feel like cr@p myself but I am hanging in there.
I don't mind being sick so much as long as the brain is working and right now it's not. Ugh! A long weekend is coming up and I can't even compose the shopping list that will sustain us through it.
On another note, Cody will be getting evaluated for Speech Therapy as apparently his speech is not normal for his age and we can no longer say "uhm he is young, a boy and he will outgrow it".
They will call me with an appointment.
I am desperate for a moment's peace but one thing leads to another it seems and peace is elusive. Like time. Who decided the days only has to have 24 hours? Or better, WHY do we need sleep? Can you give me something so I don't need sleep? That way I will get everything done and everybody will be happy with me and quit nagging and yelling at me.
Ok off my soap box now and back to work...
T.
Monday, October 29, 2007
John
We had our neuro consult last Wednesday and as we suspected, there might be cause for alarm for our John.
We even got the "Angelman syndrome" speech.
Regardless of if he has it or not, he will need therapy to correct his walking and fix his expressive skills.
As you can imagine I started reading about Angelman's Syndrome and all I can think about every day is, "please don't let him have it". Its become my little mantra as if I say it enough times, somehow it won't happen.
We are going to get him a brain MRI under sedation, an EEG and a karyotype study. God please don't let my little guy have AS!!
I can handle anything as long as he is not retarded. If his brain is alright I can handle anything else. I don't want my child to be special needs, not in this idiotic, discriminative country!!!
Just please... let my little guy be alright.
I will keep you posted as we move along on this journey.
Please keep him in your prayers..
T.
We even got the "Angelman syndrome" speech.
Regardless of if he has it or not, he will need therapy to correct his walking and fix his expressive skills.
As you can imagine I started reading about Angelman's Syndrome and all I can think about every day is, "please don't let him have it". Its become my little mantra as if I say it enough times, somehow it won't happen.
We are going to get him a brain MRI under sedation, an EEG and a karyotype study. God please don't let my little guy have AS!!
I can handle anything as long as he is not retarded. If his brain is alright I can handle anything else. I don't want my child to be special needs, not in this idiotic, discriminative country!!!
Just please... let my little guy be alright.
I will keep you posted as we move along on this journey.
Please keep him in your prayers..
T.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
A long time no see... uhm heard...
Wow! Didn't realize I hadn't posted in so long. I am pretty regular updating my Sculpting blog which is probably why I haven't updated this one.
Well my faithful (one) reader, I have made a few decisions and I am embarking on a new adventure.
First of all I won't talk about my marriage problems any more. You see I used to be this fun person... I was well liked! Now, I am a tired, graying, overweight person who whines about her husband (to my defense not without reason mind you) to anyone who is willing to hear.
I was oblivious at first but one day I LISTENED to myself. *I* didn't want to be near me... how could anyone else? So no more hubby-talk. He is who he is, I have my plan in motion and one day I will break free of this prison and bring the kids with me...or he will change. Which is unlikely. But no more hubby talk.
Instead I will talk about the kids :)
Dear Lord I am SO amazed at them!!
They will be two in just under a month. I knew that around the age of 2 to 2 1/2 they make a gigantic mental leap and they turn from .. babies into miniature people.
First of all, let me say we still have a few problems with John... well not problems per se but he is behind in his development. We are seeing a neurologist next week for an evaluation. She is specializing in preemies and we made the appointment 2 months ago. Can you believe it?
But hopefully we will get some answers about John and lay a plan in order to help him.
John is my wild child. Nothing "frightens" him. I mean, I put him on time out and he laughs. He can't be coaxed or threatened or anything. He will do what he wants, when he wants it and he couldn't care less.
He is like a cat... you just cannot "train" him. He has a total disregard of rules or how things work. He is not retarded you can tell that right away. He either hasn't made the connection yet or he is extremely defiant.
And I am a pretty stable person. No is no today and tomorrow and the day after.
He is saying a few more words now. He says "Nene" for Winnie, grandpa, grandma, bye, mom, dad, Beau (the cat), Bob (the sponge one) and poop. Before he goes. But every time I've tried to get him to go to the potty he just sits there shivering and points to his diaper. Not ready yet apparently but soon... very soon..
Now Cody, is my child of wonders. (Well they BOTH are but lately Cody is the one who blows my mind off).
I am SO fascinated to see him bloom and its happening before my very eyes!!
His pattern of speech changed. He says many words and makes two word sentences and signs so we can understand him and cut tantrums to a minimum.
My best tip on cutting tantrums: toddlers want to help. Keep that in mind. So lets say I am cooking. Cody wants to "help" too. So I give him an empty pot, put a couple of raw veggies inside (like washed onion or potato) hand him a wooden spoon and let him cook away.
No tantrum!
Or he wants to help me clean. So I give him a sponge and tell him to clean the coffee table or the wall or something and then praise him.
Yes it takes me longer to do chores but its all done in peace and quiet ;)
So Cody has taken the leap and turned into a miniature person. He understands even complex commands and is a pretty compliant kid if go ask nicely.
Yesterday he kissed his brother and hugged him for the first time! It was SO sweet I cried :)
John giggled :)
They are interacting more now and they "chat" in their own language. They also seem to miss each other too. Not that they don't fight because they do... kicking and punching matches (done for fun not for vengeance) is a daily thing around here. What can I say? Boys!!
Its been a few days since I've had a good night's sleep though.
Plus I am sick these day with a sore throat. I am also pushed to my limit work-wise with no end in sight. Except of course my deadline.
I couldn't work Saturday night, I was falling asleep sitting... so I took half a day off and went to bed at 11pm (early for me). Then Sunday George was on duty. The kids went absolutely berserk! Long story short I didn't work until 11pm when they finally decided they want to sleep (their normal bedtime is 8pm).
I worked until 3am and passed out until 8am.
Then yesterday I got sick. I had a rotten day, absolutely horrid. George was at his worst with me and that made things worse.
I went to bed at 10pm. Woke up at 1am because Cody was screaming. Took him in the living room with me and I snoozed (while he was drinking his milk) until around 3am.
Then I took him back to his bed and then 10 minutes later John woke up.
I didn't want another puking like Sunday (he pukes when he cries due to his reflux) so I quickly gathered him which then left Cody crying.
Mind you I was sick too... I cried for George a few times with no result. He just mumbled something and went to sleep again.
I gave Cody a book and left him there. He whined a little but eventually slept at around 4 or 5am.
John seemed to sleep while laying on me but around 5 I couldn't take it anymore and handed him to George. Somehow I went back to sleep (in the living room couch).
John was returned to his bed wide awake by George who then evicted me back to our bed because he wanted to get up at that point and turned all the lights on.
And then I overslept. I have so many things to do today but instead I slept until, get this, 10am!!
I opened the door for the nanny at 8am and thats all I remember.
But I am sick so... just for today I will forgive myself :)
And I've had my coffee while writing this so I will go work now :)
Wish me luck!!
At least I will have use of my car this afternoon as George will be going to meet with his friends and talk like an adult. I will take the kids and my MIL to visit a church near by. Its supposed to be miraculous and Dear Lord I need to pray for a miracle right now so badly. Plus I want my boys blessed as an assortment of weird things are happening lately... and Greek believe in the "Evil Eye" :)
And so does the Orthodox Church btw.
Hugs
Tina
Well my faithful (one) reader, I have made a few decisions and I am embarking on a new adventure.
First of all I won't talk about my marriage problems any more. You see I used to be this fun person... I was well liked! Now, I am a tired, graying, overweight person who whines about her husband (to my defense not without reason mind you) to anyone who is willing to hear.
I was oblivious at first but one day I LISTENED to myself. *I* didn't want to be near me... how could anyone else? So no more hubby-talk. He is who he is, I have my plan in motion and one day I will break free of this prison and bring the kids with me...or he will change. Which is unlikely. But no more hubby talk.
Instead I will talk about the kids :)
Dear Lord I am SO amazed at them!!
They will be two in just under a month. I knew that around the age of 2 to 2 1/2 they make a gigantic mental leap and they turn from .. babies into miniature people.
First of all, let me say we still have a few problems with John... well not problems per se but he is behind in his development. We are seeing a neurologist next week for an evaluation. She is specializing in preemies and we made the appointment 2 months ago. Can you believe it?
But hopefully we will get some answers about John and lay a plan in order to help him.
John is my wild child. Nothing "frightens" him. I mean, I put him on time out and he laughs. He can't be coaxed or threatened or anything. He will do what he wants, when he wants it and he couldn't care less.
He is like a cat... you just cannot "train" him. He has a total disregard of rules or how things work. He is not retarded you can tell that right away. He either hasn't made the connection yet or he is extremely defiant.
And I am a pretty stable person. No is no today and tomorrow and the day after.
He is saying a few more words now. He says "Nene" for Winnie, grandpa, grandma, bye, mom, dad, Beau (the cat), Bob (the sponge one) and poop. Before he goes. But every time I've tried to get him to go to the potty he just sits there shivering and points to his diaper. Not ready yet apparently but soon... very soon..
Now Cody, is my child of wonders. (Well they BOTH are but lately Cody is the one who blows my mind off).
I am SO fascinated to see him bloom and its happening before my very eyes!!
His pattern of speech changed. He says many words and makes two word sentences and signs so we can understand him and cut tantrums to a minimum.
My best tip on cutting tantrums: toddlers want to help. Keep that in mind. So lets say I am cooking. Cody wants to "help" too. So I give him an empty pot, put a couple of raw veggies inside (like washed onion or potato) hand him a wooden spoon and let him cook away.
No tantrum!
Or he wants to help me clean. So I give him a sponge and tell him to clean the coffee table or the wall or something and then praise him.
Yes it takes me longer to do chores but its all done in peace and quiet ;)
So Cody has taken the leap and turned into a miniature person. He understands even complex commands and is a pretty compliant kid if go ask nicely.
Yesterday he kissed his brother and hugged him for the first time! It was SO sweet I cried :)
John giggled :)
They are interacting more now and they "chat" in their own language. They also seem to miss each other too. Not that they don't fight because they do... kicking and punching matches (done for fun not for vengeance) is a daily thing around here. What can I say? Boys!!
Its been a few days since I've had a good night's sleep though.
Plus I am sick these day with a sore throat. I am also pushed to my limit work-wise with no end in sight. Except of course my deadline.
I couldn't work Saturday night, I was falling asleep sitting... so I took half a day off and went to bed at 11pm (early for me). Then Sunday George was on duty. The kids went absolutely berserk! Long story short I didn't work until 11pm when they finally decided they want to sleep (their normal bedtime is 8pm).
I worked until 3am and passed out until 8am.
Then yesterday I got sick. I had a rotten day, absolutely horrid. George was at his worst with me and that made things worse.
I went to bed at 10pm. Woke up at 1am because Cody was screaming. Took him in the living room with me and I snoozed (while he was drinking his milk) until around 3am.
Then I took him back to his bed and then 10 minutes later John woke up.
I didn't want another puking like Sunday (he pukes when he cries due to his reflux) so I quickly gathered him which then left Cody crying.
Mind you I was sick too... I cried for George a few times with no result. He just mumbled something and went to sleep again.
I gave Cody a book and left him there. He whined a little but eventually slept at around 4 or 5am.
John seemed to sleep while laying on me but around 5 I couldn't take it anymore and handed him to George. Somehow I went back to sleep (in the living room couch).
John was returned to his bed wide awake by George who then evicted me back to our bed because he wanted to get up at that point and turned all the lights on.
And then I overslept. I have so many things to do today but instead I slept until, get this, 10am!!
I opened the door for the nanny at 8am and thats all I remember.
But I am sick so... just for today I will forgive myself :)
And I've had my coffee while writing this so I will go work now :)
Wish me luck!!
At least I will have use of my car this afternoon as George will be going to meet with his friends and talk like an adult. I will take the kids and my MIL to visit a church near by. Its supposed to be miraculous and Dear Lord I need to pray for a miracle right now so badly. Plus I want my boys blessed as an assortment of weird things are happening lately... and Greek believe in the "Evil Eye" :)
And so does the Orthodox Church btw.
Hugs
Tina
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I remember when...
Its really funny as you grow older, how much you forget.. or rather you shove at the very back of your brain, where no light of recognition shines on them...
And there they stay, hidden, until something happens to bring them up again.
The things I have "forgotten" have played a huge part in who I am today. Now that I think of it, I didn't have a very nice childhood after all.
I was always somehow "different" from all the other kinds at school.. just like I remain "different" now.
I wasn't accepted back then... I am accepted now but only because I have learned to wear a shroud of normalcy about me.
I have learned to keep my mouth shut at all costs. If I am (or not) clever, remains something to be figured out by those who meet me.
If I have a sense of humor (or not) is a thing of mystery.
I dare say, even my husband doesn't know who I really am...
Strange thing the human brain.
And there they stay, hidden, until something happens to bring them up again.
The things I have "forgotten" have played a huge part in who I am today. Now that I think of it, I didn't have a very nice childhood after all.
I was always somehow "different" from all the other kinds at school.. just like I remain "different" now.
I wasn't accepted back then... I am accepted now but only because I have learned to wear a shroud of normalcy about me.
I have learned to keep my mouth shut at all costs. If I am (or not) clever, remains something to be figured out by those who meet me.
If I have a sense of humor (or not) is a thing of mystery.
I dare say, even my husband doesn't know who I really am...
Strange thing the human brain.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
To Full Term
I have been reading the book "To Full Term" by Darci Klein and I have been in tears over her losses many times. I am roughly in the middle of it.
However I am also filled with extreme anger at what I read.
Look, I do not mean to sound offensive. I do not mean to play the game "my country is better than yours" or whatever.. but I DO come from a different culture with different practices and views... and what I read about Mrs. Klein's OB care is simply... horrendous!
I cannot believe women in the US are offered ONE U/S at 20 weeks. ONE!
In their whole pregnancy... only one.
I cannot believe the things she writes. I mean, apparently they are quite true... just not for Greece.
I wonder this: if she had paid a doctor to do ultrasounds, would they?
My friends from the US and the UK tell me you have to get some kind of referral or permission to be seen... This is just silly! Over here we just call and make an appointment. Yes we pay for it but its not much.
Sersiously I cannot wrap my mind around what this woman went through.
I had dozens of ultrasounds and after my 20th week when things got tough with John, I had one a week, sometimes two a week.
I was under CONSTANT care. I chose my doctors carefully. I paid them $10,000 in the end, yes (and insurance paid back $6000 in cash) but I have BOTH my boys here, nice and healthy and John only spend a short while in the NICU mostly because of his IUGR.
And she lost her twins... they refused to test her!
Over here after a 2nd loss you are tested. Period... for everything. Including thrombophillias.
Over here there is no guessing and arguing over research. You don't see a different doctor every time. You have ONE doctor. And he is not "on call" and if you are lucky you get him to deliver. You call, he comes. Night or day. Whoever was your doctor will deliver you. Period.
I read about what she says, and I know this to be true from other ladies in the US I know, and it makes my skin crawl. I love the US, I just can't wrap my brain around the health system.
And she writes with a certainty and finality that this is how it is... and it needs to change and it doesn't. And I feel like I have to mail her to let her know that its not like that everywhere. Babies are saved daily over here.
To give you an example: when I was 23 weeks along, it was August. My doctor had told me he was going away for a few days with his wife and son. I was stable (I was his most high risk case) and he left an able doctor familiar with my case behind.
I wake up one morning and I am in terrible pain. I freak out. My cervix is pinching I have BH contractions.
I call my doc on his cell, during his vacation. He finds the other doctors (my own is miles and miles away in Cyprus) and they are delivering.
So he gets me another doctor in another hospital and my SIL drives me there and he does an ultrasound to make sure I am ok.
I mean a whole operation was set just to make sure I was ok. And I was. Cody had pushed John against my intestines and he had lodged his elbow in my cervix...
I delivered a baby alive and mostly well... had I been in the US I would have lost him.
I wouldn't have had my ultrasounds to check on his dying placenta or my expert doctors who knew what to do...
Do you know that we have 4 IVF centers in Athens alone? And that women from all over Europe and Australia (and other parts of the world I imagine) come here to get IVF?
And the cost... I hear about waiting lists and huge costs... seriously its not that expensive over here.
I just wanted to get this off my chest. I feel so frustrated when I read about her losses and her idiot doctors. She says they weren't measuring her cervix. I was at no risk for IC and I got a measurement EVERY SIGNLE TIME for the duration.
So sad... really... so sad.
However I am also filled with extreme anger at what I read.
Look, I do not mean to sound offensive. I do not mean to play the game "my country is better than yours" or whatever.. but I DO come from a different culture with different practices and views... and what I read about Mrs. Klein's OB care is simply... horrendous!
I cannot believe women in the US are offered ONE U/S at 20 weeks. ONE!
In their whole pregnancy... only one.
I cannot believe the things she writes. I mean, apparently they are quite true... just not for Greece.
I wonder this: if she had paid a doctor to do ultrasounds, would they?
My friends from the US and the UK tell me you have to get some kind of referral or permission to be seen... This is just silly! Over here we just call and make an appointment. Yes we pay for it but its not much.
Sersiously I cannot wrap my mind around what this woman went through.
I had dozens of ultrasounds and after my 20th week when things got tough with John, I had one a week, sometimes two a week.
I was under CONSTANT care. I chose my doctors carefully. I paid them $10,000 in the end, yes (and insurance paid back $6000 in cash) but I have BOTH my boys here, nice and healthy and John only spend a short while in the NICU mostly because of his IUGR.
And she lost her twins... they refused to test her!
Over here after a 2nd loss you are tested. Period... for everything. Including thrombophillias.
Over here there is no guessing and arguing over research. You don't see a different doctor every time. You have ONE doctor. And he is not "on call" and if you are lucky you get him to deliver. You call, he comes. Night or day. Whoever was your doctor will deliver you. Period.
I read about what she says, and I know this to be true from other ladies in the US I know, and it makes my skin crawl. I love the US, I just can't wrap my brain around the health system.
And she writes with a certainty and finality that this is how it is... and it needs to change and it doesn't. And I feel like I have to mail her to let her know that its not like that everywhere. Babies are saved daily over here.
To give you an example: when I was 23 weeks along, it was August. My doctor had told me he was going away for a few days with his wife and son. I was stable (I was his most high risk case) and he left an able doctor familiar with my case behind.
I wake up one morning and I am in terrible pain. I freak out. My cervix is pinching I have BH contractions.
I call my doc on his cell, during his vacation. He finds the other doctors (my own is miles and miles away in Cyprus) and they are delivering.
So he gets me another doctor in another hospital and my SIL drives me there and he does an ultrasound to make sure I am ok.
I mean a whole operation was set just to make sure I was ok. And I was. Cody had pushed John against my intestines and he had lodged his elbow in my cervix...
I delivered a baby alive and mostly well... had I been in the US I would have lost him.
I wouldn't have had my ultrasounds to check on his dying placenta or my expert doctors who knew what to do...
Do you know that we have 4 IVF centers in Athens alone? And that women from all over Europe and Australia (and other parts of the world I imagine) come here to get IVF?
And the cost... I hear about waiting lists and huge costs... seriously its not that expensive over here.
I just wanted to get this off my chest. I feel so frustrated when I read about her losses and her idiot doctors. She says they weren't measuring her cervix. I was at no risk for IC and I got a measurement EVERY SIGNLE TIME for the duration.
So sad... really... so sad.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Lord of the dance
We went to see Lord of the Dance today since they are now in Greece... We got 2nd row seats... but unfortunately we were too close to the stage :(
We thought it would be great to spend the $100 a person to see the show up close but heck we were so close, part of the magic was taken away :(
You could see things you werent' supposed to see, like how the dancers tied their shoes and secured them to their feet or that the lead dancer's trousers were torn and worn at the end... you know, little tiny things that make the dancers seem human... which is something you probably don't want when you are watching this show... of course being me doesn't help as sometimes I am too observant.
Anyway, the show was amazing! At first I was feeling apprehensive that Flatley was not dancing himself but the dancer doing the Lord won us over. He was just a tiny notch below Flatley in terms of dancing (amazing nevertheless though) but he was so.... love-able. I don't know how else to put it. He was very, very tall and well build (the opposite of Flatley) and the evil Lord was short(er) and thin(ner).
It kind of made the whole scene feel like David and Golliath... but that dancer too was really really good.
It was a nice 2 hour break from reality and if I could afford it, I would watch it again. This time from a row further back ;)
I am getting tickets to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast in November though... (and yes this time I won't get front row).
The row we got felt like we were the band underneath the stage... literally. We were just too close to the stage to get a panoramic view and man those firecrackers were loud!!
All in all an enjoyable evening.
I am off to bed now to drem of dancing... something I can't do in my current weight.. but man I was something when I was younger (and thinner) .. I got the tapes to prove it ;)
T.
We thought it would be great to spend the $100 a person to see the show up close but heck we were so close, part of the magic was taken away :(
You could see things you werent' supposed to see, like how the dancers tied their shoes and secured them to their feet or that the lead dancer's trousers were torn and worn at the end... you know, little tiny things that make the dancers seem human... which is something you probably don't want when you are watching this show... of course being me doesn't help as sometimes I am too observant.
Anyway, the show was amazing! At first I was feeling apprehensive that Flatley was not dancing himself but the dancer doing the Lord won us over. He was just a tiny notch below Flatley in terms of dancing (amazing nevertheless though) but he was so.... love-able. I don't know how else to put it. He was very, very tall and well build (the opposite of Flatley) and the evil Lord was short(er) and thin(ner).
It kind of made the whole scene feel like David and Golliath... but that dancer too was really really good.
It was a nice 2 hour break from reality and if I could afford it, I would watch it again. This time from a row further back ;)
I am getting tickets to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast in November though... (and yes this time I won't get front row).
The row we got felt like we were the band underneath the stage... literally. We were just too close to the stage to get a panoramic view and man those firecrackers were loud!!
All in all an enjoyable evening.
I am off to bed now to drem of dancing... something I can't do in my current weight.. but man I was something when I was younger (and thinner) .. I got the tapes to prove it ;)
T.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The perfection of two pairs of brown eyes
It took me a while to get them to bed tonight but it was expected. They always loose their rhythm when their dad is away on duty for the day.
I can seriously loose myself in those dark brown eyes Cody has, and the lighter, HUGE hazel colored eyes John has.
Every day, every SINGLE day, they amaze me with something new. Today Cody talked on the phone... he said new things and he has a mouth full of teeth.
John hugged me really tight and danced for me. He almost has a mouth full of teeth and he ate very little today, probably because it hurts.
Oh! Cody also said "Chocolate" for (cocolat) for the first time today.
God, THANK YOU for picking these two out for me... You couldn't have sent me better babies... I love them so much I don't think this much emotion fits in my heart. I think it has spill and now its all over me and them...
Thank You God...
I can seriously loose myself in those dark brown eyes Cody has, and the lighter, HUGE hazel colored eyes John has.
Every day, every SINGLE day, they amaze me with something new. Today Cody talked on the phone... he said new things and he has a mouth full of teeth.
John hugged me really tight and danced for me. He almost has a mouth full of teeth and he ate very little today, probably because it hurts.
Oh! Cody also said "Chocolate" for (cocolat) for the first time today.
God, THANK YOU for picking these two out for me... You couldn't have sent me better babies... I love them so much I don't think this much emotion fits in my heart. I think it has spill and now its all over me and them...
Thank You God...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Longing for another baby...
Looking at my life right now, its near impossible to even think I would want another child.
My house is chaotic, my life even more so, I am running low on everything from money to patience... and yet every time I close my eyes all I can dream of is another baby.
Its a good thing I sculpt, because I wake up with such a powerful urge to create, even if its from my hands this time... I call it my instant (vs. waiting 40 wks) gratification.
Yet my heart aches for another baby to grow in me... I look at my little ones here with me and I am so proud... I love them so much! But seriously, I feel someone is missing from our gang.
Yet at the same time my "insane" dream has me in my later 30's with the boys a little more grown and me getting pregnant again...
Why is that?
When I got pregnant with the twins I couldn't be happier.. and I still am. But the practicality of the whole twin thing is my limited one on one time... my shared resources. The "I need to compromise and not buy the buggy I wanted because I need two cheaper ones"... silly huh?
Those "Norman Rockwell" moments as they say...
So I am secretly hoping against all hope that I will one day have another baby... when things are cooler around here and calmer and that I will get to do baby wearing all the time and breastfeeding for as long as I want to (Hormones allowing of course). I will get to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get exactly what I wanted for him (or her) and my boys will be old enough to not feel threatened by the baby... maybe when they are 7 or so, and see him (or her) like a little living doll perhaps and be happy and trully grasp the meaning of "big brother" ...
I don't know. I can certainly NOT afford a baby right now not just monetary but time-wise as well, but try telling that to my heart.
Last night I had an incredible dream. I had adopted a little (blind from birth, yes you read that right) toddler. I called her "Catherine". She had brown hair in a top knot and she was smiling... all through my dream she was smilling and she was really mine!!
I woke up with an insane desire for that little girl... I could smell her and feel her in my arms still.
In my dream I was older, a lot older and my boys where so proud and protective of their little sister... and as you would expect George was nowhere to be seen.
He is totally opposed to adoption, but don't judge him harshly. Its the way ALL Greek men are raised. Having biological children is the ONLY way for them to have children which is why we have so many orphans (and of course our crappy wait-for-ever adoption system).
Greek men are programmed from birth to love their offspring... I think we women are programmed to simply love all children... no matter whose uterus carried them.
At least a good thing came out of my dream... I am now obsessed with "Catherine" and I need to sculpt her... a life size 2 year old. I have too many orders to finish right now but maybe next week I can start.
Yup... I really do want another baby... even if its a clay one :)
My house is chaotic, my life even more so, I am running low on everything from money to patience... and yet every time I close my eyes all I can dream of is another baby.
Its a good thing I sculpt, because I wake up with such a powerful urge to create, even if its from my hands this time... I call it my instant (vs. waiting 40 wks) gratification.
Yet my heart aches for another baby to grow in me... I look at my little ones here with me and I am so proud... I love them so much! But seriously, I feel someone is missing from our gang.
Yet at the same time my "insane" dream has me in my later 30's with the boys a little more grown and me getting pregnant again...
Why is that?
When I got pregnant with the twins I couldn't be happier.. and I still am. But the practicality of the whole twin thing is my limited one on one time... my shared resources. The "I need to compromise and not buy the buggy I wanted because I need two cheaper ones"... silly huh?
Those "Norman Rockwell" moments as they say...
So I am secretly hoping against all hope that I will one day have another baby... when things are cooler around here and calmer and that I will get to do baby wearing all the time and breastfeeding for as long as I want to (Hormones allowing of course). I will get to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get exactly what I wanted for him (or her) and my boys will be old enough to not feel threatened by the baby... maybe when they are 7 or so, and see him (or her) like a little living doll perhaps and be happy and trully grasp the meaning of "big brother" ...
I don't know. I can certainly NOT afford a baby right now not just monetary but time-wise as well, but try telling that to my heart.
Last night I had an incredible dream. I had adopted a little (blind from birth, yes you read that right) toddler. I called her "Catherine". She had brown hair in a top knot and she was smiling... all through my dream she was smilling and she was really mine!!
I woke up with an insane desire for that little girl... I could smell her and feel her in my arms still.
In my dream I was older, a lot older and my boys where so proud and protective of their little sister... and as you would expect George was nowhere to be seen.
He is totally opposed to adoption, but don't judge him harshly. Its the way ALL Greek men are raised. Having biological children is the ONLY way for them to have children which is why we have so many orphans (and of course our crappy wait-for-ever adoption system).
Greek men are programmed from birth to love their offspring... I think we women are programmed to simply love all children... no matter whose uterus carried them.
At least a good thing came out of my dream... I am now obsessed with "Catherine" and I need to sculpt her... a life size 2 year old. I have too many orders to finish right now but maybe next week I can start.
Yup... I really do want another baby... even if its a clay one :)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The show went well
I had a very tough month. It seems like when you are planning something, it never quite comes out exactly as you want it. But when this happens over and over again you are maybe starting to question the sanity or fairness of the Universe.
Preparing for a show is a strain on your time and your resources... preparing for a show when you have two toddlers is harder.
I simply fail to see how other people do it... Seriously!
I am on my feet most of my waking time, I work every single day, sculpting for hours on end and yet here I am still requiring a boat load of help from our nanny to cope. She tidies the house and takes care of the boys, irons the clothes etc. And yet I find myself never earning quite enough each month or never having enough energy by the end of the day.
The boys are wonderful and gorgeous but just so time consuming its mind bloggling. Do other 19 month olds play alone at all by this age? Because ours don't. They cling to us constantly and never give us a moment's peace. They wreck the house, openings cup-boards and throwing everything out, breaking things etc.
Its not that our kids aren't normal... its probably that I am just too tired to set limits at this point. I just can't hear them crying.
Its not that I don't say no, but I do try to allow them to explore as much as I can... I can't say no to everything they want... not everything should be out of reach or forbidden.
So when our nanny left us for a week and asked for some money in advance due to a family emergency, George stepped up... he took a week off work so that I could prepare for the show.
Things went well and thought I missed my kids terribly, I didn't stop talking about them through my stay. Everyone got an earful of Cody's and John's accomplishements and by the end of the weekend, their photos had been passed around enough times for all my friends to see their amazing cuteness.
I found myself immersed in adult conversations and my work being admired and thought I was shaking inside, because I am so shy naturally and so not used to attention, I found myself actually enjoying my stay eventually.
But I couldn't be happier when I boarded the plane home... my heart was counting down the minutes and the hours until I saw my kids.
When I arrived they were already asleep but at some point both woke up and I had the chance to cuddle with them. Even in their half-asleep state they both managed to smile at me and look happy I was there.
In all my life and with all my experiences and no matter what happens to me in the future, I will never ever find an experience or moment more thrilling, loving and bursting with love than this: its the moment I pick a boy up and hold him close, and he drapes his body across mine, his slim little arms holding me around the neck, his head resting on my shoulder... their body goes limp feeling secure and he lets out a sigh of relief... he feels complete and so do I. Its the moment he melts into my arms... I will never feel more complete than this...
Even though I was absolutely exhausted after a string of sleepless and worried nights and working for 14 hours a day... even though my eyes were so heavy I just couldn't get comfortable in my own bed. I twisted and turned until 3 am last night... but eventually sleep came and the boys were so kind as to not request their 5am bottle but instead sleep through to 8am.
I mentioned earlier that our nanny had requested some advance money to buy her plane ticket. Today she was acting strange. Having paid her half a month's salary, I thought I didn't have to pay her for a few more days so when she requested to be paid for those 10 days I hadn't paid her and then some, I told her that ok but I would have to keep $5 a day from her salary to make up for the earlier money advance.
She told me that she didn't owe me any money and that I owed her instead. She said that she was getting paid peanuts ($900 cash every month) and that I never paid her for summer vacation or Easter bonus.
Now if you are from another country you are probably saying that I do in fact pay her peanuts but in Greece this is a LOT of money. Its more than the basic salary, she works 7 hours a day not 8 and from those 7, the boys are sleeping for 2 and she watches TV.
True she does an amazing job but I just can't pay her any more.
To give you an analogy of her salary, my husband is a Navy officer with the rank of Warrant Officer. After 18 years in the Force his salary is $1600 a month. She gets $900... cash.
I felt the house gutted. I couldn't possibly afford to pay her more... She made it sound as if she was working for free. A salary for a lady doing her job in Greece is around $600 a month so already I am paying more than my friends are paying their nanny.
Plus she comes and goes as she pleases, I never say anything when she is late or has to leave early or when she takes the boys out for hours on end in order to run her own errants.
On top she is not really teaching them anything. She lets them run around the house or confinds them to their playpen while she does things. At 19 months old I find my children are now falling behind their peers because I simply must work and the hours I do spend with them are not enough apparently to teach them or be creative with them. Plus I do recognize I lack the energy or will power with everything weighing down on me to be more strict with them or deal with Cody's temper tantrums.
Yes, I am gutted but what can I possibly do? We cannot survive without me working. I just simply have to work... and to do that I need a nanny...
So it is with a very heavy heart that I now let og of our nanny and enroll the boys to school.
The cons are huge: they will get sick so often and miss days and I will miss days off work. Our money will go down exponentially since I will be missing days... my stress level and work load will go up...
But I am adamant that I will not succumb to blackmail from this woman.
I have no doubt in my mind she loves them dearly but a disgruntled employee will not perform well. She will start cutting corners like she did in the beginning of the year; not cleaning the house or cooking for them because "I wasn't paying her what she is worth".
Again I must stress that I am actually paying her a lot more than everyone else... and when I can I give her bonuses. This past Christmas a company deal I had went sour and I had no money, absolutely no money to get by. I didn't get my boys anything or my husband... but I paid her what I could as a bonus $350.
She is not happy, she can go.
I know it will be a huge change in our family routine but eventually I am sure the boys will adapt and they will do well in school. They will meet friends and be put on a schedule and be "creatively taught". I am not sure how ready I am for change.
I loathe change but its so funny because with kids change is the only sure thing.... but I so like our routine right now.
Kiss it goodbye Tina because what can you do? I will not get another nanny... I just can't. Took me a long time to trust this one I simply cannot change nannies.
Putting the boys in school is the best thing I think right now...
So tomorrow I am on the prowl again to see yet another school nearby.
So wish me luck...
Preparing for a show is a strain on your time and your resources... preparing for a show when you have two toddlers is harder.
I simply fail to see how other people do it... Seriously!
I am on my feet most of my waking time, I work every single day, sculpting for hours on end and yet here I am still requiring a boat load of help from our nanny to cope. She tidies the house and takes care of the boys, irons the clothes etc. And yet I find myself never earning quite enough each month or never having enough energy by the end of the day.
The boys are wonderful and gorgeous but just so time consuming its mind bloggling. Do other 19 month olds play alone at all by this age? Because ours don't. They cling to us constantly and never give us a moment's peace. They wreck the house, openings cup-boards and throwing everything out, breaking things etc.
Its not that our kids aren't normal... its probably that I am just too tired to set limits at this point. I just can't hear them crying.
Its not that I don't say no, but I do try to allow them to explore as much as I can... I can't say no to everything they want... not everything should be out of reach or forbidden.
So when our nanny left us for a week and asked for some money in advance due to a family emergency, George stepped up... he took a week off work so that I could prepare for the show.
Things went well and thought I missed my kids terribly, I didn't stop talking about them through my stay. Everyone got an earful of Cody's and John's accomplishements and by the end of the weekend, their photos had been passed around enough times for all my friends to see their amazing cuteness.
I found myself immersed in adult conversations and my work being admired and thought I was shaking inside, because I am so shy naturally and so not used to attention, I found myself actually enjoying my stay eventually.
But I couldn't be happier when I boarded the plane home... my heart was counting down the minutes and the hours until I saw my kids.
When I arrived they were already asleep but at some point both woke up and I had the chance to cuddle with them. Even in their half-asleep state they both managed to smile at me and look happy I was there.
In all my life and with all my experiences and no matter what happens to me in the future, I will never ever find an experience or moment more thrilling, loving and bursting with love than this: its the moment I pick a boy up and hold him close, and he drapes his body across mine, his slim little arms holding me around the neck, his head resting on my shoulder... their body goes limp feeling secure and he lets out a sigh of relief... he feels complete and so do I. Its the moment he melts into my arms... I will never feel more complete than this...
Even though I was absolutely exhausted after a string of sleepless and worried nights and working for 14 hours a day... even though my eyes were so heavy I just couldn't get comfortable in my own bed. I twisted and turned until 3 am last night... but eventually sleep came and the boys were so kind as to not request their 5am bottle but instead sleep through to 8am.
I mentioned earlier that our nanny had requested some advance money to buy her plane ticket. Today she was acting strange. Having paid her half a month's salary, I thought I didn't have to pay her for a few more days so when she requested to be paid for those 10 days I hadn't paid her and then some, I told her that ok but I would have to keep $5 a day from her salary to make up for the earlier money advance.
She told me that she didn't owe me any money and that I owed her instead. She said that she was getting paid peanuts ($900 cash every month) and that I never paid her for summer vacation or Easter bonus.
Now if you are from another country you are probably saying that I do in fact pay her peanuts but in Greece this is a LOT of money. Its more than the basic salary, she works 7 hours a day not 8 and from those 7, the boys are sleeping for 2 and she watches TV.
True she does an amazing job but I just can't pay her any more.
To give you an analogy of her salary, my husband is a Navy officer with the rank of Warrant Officer. After 18 years in the Force his salary is $1600 a month. She gets $900... cash.
I felt the house gutted. I couldn't possibly afford to pay her more... She made it sound as if she was working for free. A salary for a lady doing her job in Greece is around $600 a month so already I am paying more than my friends are paying their nanny.
Plus she comes and goes as she pleases, I never say anything when she is late or has to leave early or when she takes the boys out for hours on end in order to run her own errants.
On top she is not really teaching them anything. She lets them run around the house or confinds them to their playpen while she does things. At 19 months old I find my children are now falling behind their peers because I simply must work and the hours I do spend with them are not enough apparently to teach them or be creative with them. Plus I do recognize I lack the energy or will power with everything weighing down on me to be more strict with them or deal with Cody's temper tantrums.
Yes, I am gutted but what can I possibly do? We cannot survive without me working. I just simply have to work... and to do that I need a nanny...
So it is with a very heavy heart that I now let og of our nanny and enroll the boys to school.
The cons are huge: they will get sick so often and miss days and I will miss days off work. Our money will go down exponentially since I will be missing days... my stress level and work load will go up...
But I am adamant that I will not succumb to blackmail from this woman.
I have no doubt in my mind she loves them dearly but a disgruntled employee will not perform well. She will start cutting corners like she did in the beginning of the year; not cleaning the house or cooking for them because "I wasn't paying her what she is worth".
Again I must stress that I am actually paying her a lot more than everyone else... and when I can I give her bonuses. This past Christmas a company deal I had went sour and I had no money, absolutely no money to get by. I didn't get my boys anything or my husband... but I paid her what I could as a bonus $350.
She is not happy, she can go.
I know it will be a huge change in our family routine but eventually I am sure the boys will adapt and they will do well in school. They will meet friends and be put on a schedule and be "creatively taught". I am not sure how ready I am for change.
I loathe change but its so funny because with kids change is the only sure thing.... but I so like our routine right now.
Kiss it goodbye Tina because what can you do? I will not get another nanny... I just can't. Took me a long time to trust this one I simply cannot change nannies.
Putting the boys in school is the best thing I think right now...
So tomorrow I am on the prowl again to see yet another school nearby.
So wish me luck...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Cody's got roseola!!!
Some new updates on the boys:
Cody started having a mild fever last Monday but no other cold/virus symptoms so I attributed it to the fact he is cutting 6 (!!!) teeth at once. He is now 18 months old and he only has 8 teeth (4 upper, 4 lower). So he is cutting his canines on both sides, and 4 molars LSo he was a bit warm but acting and eating normally on Monday… but Tuesday at dawn he was burning up with a 104 temp so I realized my kid is sick… I gave him some paracetamol and his fever went right down. In the morning he was grumpy and needed constant holding… with a very heavy heart and his cries echoing in my ears I left him with his nanny as I simply could not miss work… again.
I came home early and held him the rest of the day… he had a rough night so I was up with him for most of it. The high fevers continued for days but he still showed no signs of a cold. Having had a bad (and totally unnecessary) hospital stay with John 6 weeks earlier, I was very hesitant to take Cody in. The paracetamol was very successful at keeping the fever down and when he was fever-less he was almost his normal self.
Still the nights were rough and I “exiled” George to the couch while I had Cody sleep in our bed so I could keep an eye on his fever. On Friday, the fever was barely broken so I took him to see his regular ped. He couldn’t find anything wrong other than a sore throat… the next morning Cody had a bad rash all over his body even between hi s toes… and then I knew what it was. Roseola!
John had it 6 weeks ago but apparently Cody (who has a normal immune system as opposed to his brother who is immune-compromised) did not really “get it” until he had a cold two weeks ago. His immune system went down and then the Roseola appeared. It is a harmless disease really…
Today is day 2 of the rash and he seems ok for the most part but he is VERY irritable and he always was the tantrum machine of the house, so imagine how he is acting now. The slightest “no” sends him spinning and his tantrum escalates before you can say “lime”. Cody also has the habit of hurting himself when he is frustrated by banging his head hard on the floor or wall (or wherever) so we have tried to keep him satisfied. My poor, poor angel L
In addition, as a reaction to the virus, his eye (which has a problem since he was born) is now swollen almost completely shut and is oozing puss L This happens every time Cody gets sick and we are treating it with eye drops. He looks terrible… but he feels great otherwise.I had to go buy shoes for him yesterday as all of a sudden his sneakers are too small for him. So I took him with me, as he has big feet and not only I need the size to be right for him but the form of the shoe as well. I got some pretty weird looks with my spotty, swollen eyed kid at the baby store. At Mothercare the sales lady asked what was wrong and I got to explain but at the shoe store nobody asked. God knows what they thought!!
In other news, George and I were very surprised that both the boys had a growth spurt this week. Cody now wears a size EU24 shoe which I think is a toddlers 7 ½ (John EU22). They both had gotten taller but Cody more than John so their size difference is pretty evident now.
Cody is 35.4” tall and weighs 28.6 lbs. John is an inch and a half shorter and weighs 24lbs. I know the difference doesn’t seem like much when you put it in numbers, but John has a different body type than Cody. He has very long limbs and fingers and is generally “delicate” featured where Cody has a long trunk and shorter legs (typical of his age whereas John kept his “post-mature worm-like” appearance he had at birth due to his placenta/growth problems). Cody also has a very, very full head of hair which adds to him “older child” appearance. John of course had a full head of hair too (except the front hairline) but his hair is shorter because it hasn’t grown yet so he looks more baby-ish. Yup! He is my baby and Cody is my big kid J lol
I was told the other day that John is too cute/ beautiful/dainty to be a boy. Both of them have extremely long doll-like eyelashes… they are just too cute lol
John has grown more attached to me, actually asking for me and preferring me and that makes me very happy as I felt rejected by his independent “I-can-do-it-myself” attitude. He now hugs me and kisses me and bit me the other day and drew blood. Ouch!I am so grateful for my angels!!
However Cody’s tantrum problems need to be addressed. All toddlers throw tantrums but Cody goes from zero to a meltdown in seconds. He is either spoiled or there is something wrong. He seems overly attached to me. He has a meltdown when I go and he is totally attached even missing play when I am home in fear he will loose me. I hope it’s a phase.. I will ask his ped in a few days when Cody recovers and we go in for his immunizations.
Mostly I want to address the self-hurt thing. I know his head must hurt from all the banging he does when he throws a tantrum and George is loosing patience with him saying he is just stubborn and spoiled (gee I wonder where he got that gene from … hmmm who else do I know who acts exactly like this in the more “adult” kind of way? Hmmm let me think….)
So, ok this was mostly a Cody update since things were wrong with him this week. I haven’t worked too much and my show in the UK is coming up in June FAST. I need to get organized but its SO hard. I really hope for a good, productive week!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
Cody started having a mild fever last Monday but no other cold/virus symptoms so I attributed it to the fact he is cutting 6 (!!!) teeth at once. He is now 18 months old and he only has 8 teeth (4 upper, 4 lower). So he is cutting his canines on both sides, and 4 molars LSo he was a bit warm but acting and eating normally on Monday… but Tuesday at dawn he was burning up with a 104 temp so I realized my kid is sick… I gave him some paracetamol and his fever went right down. In the morning he was grumpy and needed constant holding… with a very heavy heart and his cries echoing in my ears I left him with his nanny as I simply could not miss work… again.
I came home early and held him the rest of the day… he had a rough night so I was up with him for most of it. The high fevers continued for days but he still showed no signs of a cold. Having had a bad (and totally unnecessary) hospital stay with John 6 weeks earlier, I was very hesitant to take Cody in. The paracetamol was very successful at keeping the fever down and when he was fever-less he was almost his normal self.
Still the nights were rough and I “exiled” George to the couch while I had Cody sleep in our bed so I could keep an eye on his fever. On Friday, the fever was barely broken so I took him to see his regular ped. He couldn’t find anything wrong other than a sore throat… the next morning Cody had a bad rash all over his body even between hi s toes… and then I knew what it was. Roseola!
John had it 6 weeks ago but apparently Cody (who has a normal immune system as opposed to his brother who is immune-compromised) did not really “get it” until he had a cold two weeks ago. His immune system went down and then the Roseola appeared. It is a harmless disease really…
Today is day 2 of the rash and he seems ok for the most part but he is VERY irritable and he always was the tantrum machine of the house, so imagine how he is acting now. The slightest “no” sends him spinning and his tantrum escalates before you can say “lime”. Cody also has the habit of hurting himself when he is frustrated by banging his head hard on the floor or wall (or wherever) so we have tried to keep him satisfied. My poor, poor angel L
In addition, as a reaction to the virus, his eye (which has a problem since he was born) is now swollen almost completely shut and is oozing puss L This happens every time Cody gets sick and we are treating it with eye drops. He looks terrible… but he feels great otherwise.I had to go buy shoes for him yesterday as all of a sudden his sneakers are too small for him. So I took him with me, as he has big feet and not only I need the size to be right for him but the form of the shoe as well. I got some pretty weird looks with my spotty, swollen eyed kid at the baby store. At Mothercare the sales lady asked what was wrong and I got to explain but at the shoe store nobody asked. God knows what they thought!!
In other news, George and I were very surprised that both the boys had a growth spurt this week. Cody now wears a size EU24 shoe which I think is a toddlers 7 ½ (John EU22). They both had gotten taller but Cody more than John so their size difference is pretty evident now.
Cody is 35.4” tall and weighs 28.6 lbs. John is an inch and a half shorter and weighs 24lbs. I know the difference doesn’t seem like much when you put it in numbers, but John has a different body type than Cody. He has very long limbs and fingers and is generally “delicate” featured where Cody has a long trunk and shorter legs (typical of his age whereas John kept his “post-mature worm-like” appearance he had at birth due to his placenta/growth problems). Cody also has a very, very full head of hair which adds to him “older child” appearance. John of course had a full head of hair too (except the front hairline) but his hair is shorter because it hasn’t grown yet so he looks more baby-ish. Yup! He is my baby and Cody is my big kid J lol
I was told the other day that John is too cute/ beautiful/dainty to be a boy. Both of them have extremely long doll-like eyelashes… they are just too cute lol
John has grown more attached to me, actually asking for me and preferring me and that makes me very happy as I felt rejected by his independent “I-can-do-it-myself” attitude. He now hugs me and kisses me and bit me the other day and drew blood. Ouch!I am so grateful for my angels!!
However Cody’s tantrum problems need to be addressed. All toddlers throw tantrums but Cody goes from zero to a meltdown in seconds. He is either spoiled or there is something wrong. He seems overly attached to me. He has a meltdown when I go and he is totally attached even missing play when I am home in fear he will loose me. I hope it’s a phase.. I will ask his ped in a few days when Cody recovers and we go in for his immunizations.
Mostly I want to address the self-hurt thing. I know his head must hurt from all the banging he does when he throws a tantrum and George is loosing patience with him saying he is just stubborn and spoiled (gee I wonder where he got that gene from … hmmm who else do I know who acts exactly like this in the more “adult” kind of way? Hmmm let me think….)
So, ok this was mostly a Cody update since things were wrong with him this week. I haven’t worked too much and my show in the UK is coming up in June FAST. I need to get organized but its SO hard. I really hope for a good, productive week!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
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