Daughter and I began cleaning her room this evening. And it was AWESOME. For the first time, without any extra effort on my part, Daughter and I connected. It was a mom holding up items and a daughter saying either "Yes, keep;" "For the children;" (donate box) or "Trash." We laughed a lot (Daughter has such a fun personality), and we cried a little (reading Daughter's late mother's will, where she wrote a personal note "I love [Daughter] so much. What would we have all done without her?").
Daughter, believing she is now "grown up" and "almost 17" is more willing than ever before to donate her gently used toys. At times, her "throw" attitude was a little disconcerting, and once or twice she expressed her sadness at giving some toys away. I reassured her that she didn't have to give anything away, but she said she was OK. I am really impressed with her maturity. She knows she is ready to part with "little kid" toys, she also knows she is a little sad, and she is willing to do it anyways. Wow.
And then, she told me she smelled popcorn. I can't smell anything because of my cold, but it made sense. It is now 10 p.m., so if Husband and Teenager were making popcorn, we deserved to be in on this! I sent her downstairs, while I rearranged a few more piles. I walked downstairs, and she was making microwave popcorn by herself. I stuck my head in the bedroom, where Husband was trying to ensure we entered 2011 with the checkbook balanced. I discovered there was no popcorn prior to Daughter's batch. That goofy girl. We had a quick chat about not lying to get popcorn, and then sat down to watch iCarly.
Happy New Year! To many more like memories!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Chemo #6
ChoirFriend had her sixth chemo treatment today, and it went wonderfully. It was fast, the side effects should be minimal, and the best part - there are only two left!
Things went well this time because ChoirFriend had an allergic reaction last time. The allergic reaction included a rash and a continual fever that evolved into a hospital stay where ChoirFriend was treated to a lumbar puncture. Ow. To add insult to injury, her tests came back negative.
Turns out, if you react poorly to this first prescribed chemo, insurance will then kick-in to give you the "Cadillac Chemo" treatment. The Cadillac Chemo took 30 minutes to administer, as opposed to three hours, and is supposed to have less side effects. It is sad that women with breast cancer are forced to endure crappy chemo for the sake of someone's profit margin.
I don't pretend to have the answer; but a lumbar puncture is a pretty big price to pay for preferred chemo.
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Things went well this time because ChoirFriend had an allergic reaction last time. The allergic reaction included a rash and a continual fever that evolved into a hospital stay where ChoirFriend was treated to a lumbar puncture. Ow. To add insult to injury, her tests came back negative.
Turns out, if you react poorly to this first prescribed chemo, insurance will then kick-in to give you the "Cadillac Chemo" treatment. The Cadillac Chemo took 30 minutes to administer, as opposed to three hours, and is supposed to have less side effects. It is sad that women with breast cancer are forced to endure crappy chemo for the sake of someone's profit margin.
I don't pretend to have the answer; but a lumbar puncture is a pretty big price to pay for preferred chemo.
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Not So Scary...
Before:
After:
Admittedly, much of the mess has migrated to my dining room - boxes to be donated, boxes to be broken down and recycled, and boxes to be put into storage - but I'm happy with my progress!
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After:
Admittedly, much of the mess has migrated to my dining room - boxes to be donated, boxes to be broken down and recycled, and boxes to be put into storage - but I'm happy with my progress!
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Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Out With The Old
Today was day one of my 2010 Clean Sweep. The living room is almost back to normal. I tried to convince Teenager we should put away Christmas decorations, but he resisted putting away Christmas before New Year's Day. Part of me agrees with him, so I let it go.
Most of my energy was focused on the kitchen. I threw out old food products (including some baking chocolate that expired in 2007) and rearranged the pantry. I made a shopping list for the Teenager, made the menu for the week, and even cooked supper. Ebunny, Husband's twin sister, stopped in and ate dinner with us. Husband joked that this was a very atypical evening, since I had actually cooked (Smart-aleck).
I like to create new systems for the year. So far, I have instituted the new pantry system. The new system consists of six bins, each on a separate shelf in the pantry, that are now labeled according to the Real Simple shopping list we utilize. Additionally, Daughter and Husband have a shared "Lunch Snack" drawer, with daughter's snacks in a smaller bin. All the snacks are taken out of their original packaging and mixed together. I'm curious to see if Husband and Daughter utilize the new system.
Most of my energy was focused on the kitchen. I threw out old food products (including some baking chocolate that expired in 2007) and rearranged the pantry. I made a shopping list for the Teenager, made the menu for the week, and even cooked supper. Ebunny, Husband's twin sister, stopped in and ate dinner with us. Husband joked that this was a very atypical evening, since I had actually cooked (Smart-aleck).
I like to create new systems for the year. So far, I have instituted the new pantry system. The new system consists of six bins, each on a separate shelf in the pantry, that are now labeled according to the Real Simple shopping list we utilize. Additionally, Daughter and Husband have a shared "Lunch Snack" drawer, with daughter's snacks in a smaller bin. All the snacks are taken out of their original packaging and mixed together. I'm curious to see if Husband and Daughter utilize the new system.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Fifth (and Final) Day of Christmas
The highlight of the weekend was the first Christmas with SweetNiece. She's so cute, especially when she smiles and tries to "talk" to her godmother. While I'm beginning to catch some baby-fever, watching FarmerBoy and SweetTalker reminded me that babies are pretty time-consuming in those first few years. The Teenager and Daughter, plus law school, keep me busy enough for now.
A sad note was the first Christmas without Grandma. It was odd not gathering at her house with aunts, uncles, cousins, and even some first-cousins-once-removed. I miss her.
While there are a few Christmas loose ends that need to be tied up this week (such as the annual Christmas card, a few gifts that need to be delivered, and a food reimbursement check to FamousDiva), Christmas in this house has come to a close. This week will be spend preparing for the transition to 2011!
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A sad note was the first Christmas without Grandma. It was odd not gathering at her house with aunts, uncles, cousins, and even some first-cousins-once-removed. I miss her.
While there are a few Christmas loose ends that need to be tied up this week (such as the annual Christmas card, a few gifts that need to be delivered, and a food reimbursement check to FamousDiva), Christmas in this house has come to a close. This week will be spend preparing for the transition to 2011!
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