haircuts and Olive Garden

Saturday morning began with hair styling. I braided both girls hair in little tiny braids all over their head so when it dried and we took it down it would be wavy. First I did Ana's, then Shandi's. I also french braided their mom's hair.

Then my sis came out with her kids for me to cut 12 year old Hannah's hair. Hannah's hair was long and extremely thick and curly. I cut it in layers, and shortened it. She looked a lot better when it was finished and I believe she will take better care of her hair.

Then we watered everything. As I watered, Terry came and motioned for me to come look. Ana had fallen asleep with her head down on my desk. I figured she was emotionally worn out, having been so thoroughly disappointed by her father on Thursday, then he called on Saturday and only wished her a Happy Birthday. He didn't offer to come go out with her for her birthday meal.

After we had all gotten dressed, we gave Ana her gifts. I had gotten her a High School Musical outfit, and between her mom, two aunts and grandmother, she got 35.00. She was a happy camper then, so we loaded up and headed to Hattiesburg.

There we dined on various entree's from the menu at Olive Garden. I got chicken marsala, Ana got a combo dish with lasagna, and a couple other things. Terry got the same thing I did, Brenda got seafood pasta, Shan got pizza and Beth got some sort of stuffed chicken dish. We all enjoyed what we got, and could have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so cold in there. Brrrr.

Then we stopped by WalMart on the way home and Ana took some of her money and bought herself a pink leapord pants and jacket. She calls it her cheetah outfit. She also spent 3 dollars on her sister a necklace, which I thought was really nice of her.

Because we deserve it

I received this from a friend of mine. I didn't write it, but I sure liked the idea behind it.Some person named Birk, supposedly thought this up.

Subject: How about this idea?

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in
a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000
bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman
and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals
$425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a
We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college - it'll be there
Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car - create jobs
Invest in the market - capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks
who lost their jobs at Lehmann Brothers and every other company
that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed
Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of
trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive

that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult
U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion
We Deserve It Dividend more than do the geniuses at AIG or in
Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because
$25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Shandi Sage

The ongoing Shandi Saga continues. Today there was a note in her folder from the teacher. She refused to do any of her work, except for writing 6 of her spelling words. She claimed she had a headache, but refused to go to the office and get something for it.
I reminded her that not doing her work would cause her to fail the second grade. Failing the second grade means she wouldn't be in the same class as her best friend. I reminded her that we expect her to do the work in school as best she can.

When we took her sister and her friends to cheer practice, Shandi had to do the work she refused to do in class. As soon as I finish this, I am emailing her counselor.

Their dad called their mom today and asked if he get the girls this weekend. Stacie said no because we have plans for Ana's birthday. He said ok , tell them I love them and hung up. When Stacie told Ana, she cried and cried because he didn't say Happy Birthday or even ask if he could come eat out with us for her birthday. Shandi also cried and said she was mad with her dad.

After her bath, Ana brought a balloon in to me. On the balloon she had drawn different faces: happy face, an ok face, a sad, crying face, an upset face and an angry face. She said earlier she was sad and crying, but now she's just mad because Dad didn't say Happy Birthday or want to be with her on her birthday.

I pointed out to her that when we cry it's because we are hurt. When we are angry, it's because of what we think concerning what has happened that made us cry.
She asked for a picture of her dad so she could burn it. I promised her we would find one tomorrow. I asked if she loved her dad. She said that she loved him, but right now she was mad at him. She also wants her mom to call him tomorrow and tell him that Ana is mad at him.

Direct TV

A few weeks ago we switched from Dish Network to Direct TV because the offered more channels Terry wanted to watch than did Dish.
Fine. They came and set it up and things are just super, TV wise.

Tonight, at 8:30 my phone rings. I rush to answer it and it's Direct TV. But it's not Direct TV checking on how I like my service. It's Direct TV wanting me to upgrade to the next package which will only be a measly 12 dollars more a month.

Nah, 12 more a month for 12 months, then it goes up to the regular price.

Well, the dude did say he was with Direct. So I tell him I want to ask a question. Oh, he's not with customer service.
Oh, so you're not with Customer Service? Yet you call my home at 8:30 at night? You not only call my home at 8:30 at night but I answer the telephone and you don't have to go through hours of Voice Recognition failure before you actually get to speak to a person. Hmmm.

He replied that he didn't actually dial the number? Now what did that have to do with what I said? Did that mean he wasn't responsible for calling me at this late hour?

Who knows, but tomorrow, I will go through the long, drawn out process of getting to an actual person to voice my complaint.

Deflux/Reflux, it all runs backwards

All these years I've called Shandi's kidney problem kidney reflux. It isn't reflux, it's deflux.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Today we say Dr. Charles, a pediatrician in McComb. Wow is all I can say. We are so totally blessed, I believe.

When I called I made sure the receptionist knew why we were coming--to discus Shandi's ADD/ADHD and her medication and learning problems. She assured me there was sufficient time set aside to do all this.

Wrong! Pat, the nurse was a totally frustrated, chicken with her head cut off.
What's the problem, she asked. We start to tell her about the UTI. She cuts us off saying, "So, you're here for a follow up."
"Yes, but also to discuss her ADD/ADHD medication," her mom says.
"Did you tell them that when you made the appointment?", Pat asked.
"Yes." Stacie replied.

Hurriedly she grabs a slip a paper and makes the order for a urine sample. Shan and I head out to the lab while Stacie waits in the room. In the lab, we meet up with a very bubbly nurse, who gets us in and cheerily tells us what to do.

After waiting a bit, Shan is able to produce the required specimen. Back to the doc's office we go to wait.

Shan lays down on the exam table and closes her eyes. Doc walks in and announces that he believes we have a possum in the room. Shan doesn't blink. Looking at us, doc asks again, don't ya'll think we have a possum in the room? We agree with him and he walks over to Shan and starts to pick on her, at which point she breaks out in a giggle.

He begins to exam her all the while making noises as though he's passing gas. Shan gets tickled. Then he needs to examine her bottom, but, he warns her to not pee on him. She giggles. He pulls down her pants and as he's checking her, he makes the sound of peeing.....then he says to her, "Now sweetheart, you promised to not pee on me". She is laughing so hard she can't talk.

Then he sits down at his little deskette and says to us....."I'm concerned about these kidneys. If the balloon procedure was successful, she should have NO infections. Did they do a culture?"

I tell him I'm not sure, so he checks, returning with the news that there was no culture done. So he orders one, tells us that now they know to do a certain test at least 9 months following the procedure. He says that if the culture grows anything, then definitely we will have this test done--they insert a catheter and dye into her kidney and then they do a sonogram. Then he says even if the urine doesn't grow a culture, he would like to have one done to find out why she still has UTI's.

He asks questions about testing for dsylexia....saying the psycholigist should have done that. When I tell him that they were only in the room for less than an hour, he concludes that Jolly didn't do the dsylexia test. He asked why I changed doctors. I told him that I felt the other doctor would prescribe whatever I requested. When I told him her name, he agreed with me. I told him I wanted a doctor who was concerned, who would work with us and Shan in finding the best possible helps for her situation.
He asked about special ed and we briefly touched on that problem. He understood the hoops we jump through.

Then he said that first of all we needed to get the kidney problem cleared up. We needed to come back in 10 and he then left and went and personally made our appointment....including sufficient time to sit down and discuss Shan and what is going on with her. He told us that we would finish up his day.

God has truly blessed us, I believe with finding this doctor; actually finally listening to Sylvia's advice and making the appointment. She has encouraged us to try him for months now.

Yes, Sylvia, I hear you.

And so are the days of our lives

Tonight as I was leaving for my meeting, son texted me. Seems he was having to make some difficult choices and didn't want to hurt anyone in the process of making them.

Well, curious, I asked what kind of choices he had to make.
Seems that Paula--a girlfriend from his late teen years, and Page, his current ex-wife and the mother of his daughter both want him.
Hmm.
I talk with Paula several times a week. She says she won't put up with bull from Robby. But I know how that goes. True, Paula is much more mature and settled in what she will put up with and what she won't--but she's in the process of a divorce. Her husband was cheating on her, so she's vulnerable. Robby is good at playing on vulnerabilty.
Page--she's had at least one lover since divorcing Robby. Seems she kicked that one to the curb for cheating on her. She had sent Robby a text saying she was lonely and he could come live with her.

Well, I am powerless over his returning to Ms. I don't have to be the one to go bring him into the state though, and more specifically into our county.

I can't make his choices for him, nor do I wish to make them. I can only put it in God's hands and let God take care of it.

Shandi went to school today and managed to stay the whole day, even though she admitted to laying her head on her desk and taking a nap.
Tomorrow we go see the new pediatrician.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Well, Shan has still be sick today, running fever and laying around sleeping. Hopefully she will begin to feel better by tomorrow. I've devised a way to get her medicine down her. I mix it with strawberry figs and put it in a medicine cup. She then shoots it down like a shot of tequilla. Works for her and definitely works for me!!!!!!!!

Got Ana's computer booted up to the desktop finally. It had been giving me the 'invalid diskette' insert boot diskette/a.
Well thanks to help from a computer group, I got into the bios and disabled the floppy drive from booting. When I saved my changes and exited, it booted right up to the desktop. I restarted and she booted up again. I shut it down to hook the modem back up, and she booted again. Yah-rah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sick Shandi

Now we have it. The reason for Shandi's headaches last week. She wasn't just figuring out a way to come home. She wasn't being manipulative.

The child was developing a UTI.
Friday evening late she told mom that it hurt when she urinated. Saturday, she didn't act like she felt well, even too a nap. She didn't say anything to me about the pain when urinating until later in the evening.

This morning mom brought her in around 7 running a temp of over 101. I dressed and took her to the ER in McComb. The doc decided maybe a shot of Rocephen would help knock it out, so he ordered that. After he left, I explained to Shan what was going to happen, how it would feel, but stressed that it would help her get better quicker.

Later the nurse came in to administer the shot. The nurse walked in with the needle behind her back. She backed up to the table at the foot of the bed and proceeded to explain to Shan about the shot. I grabbed an opportunity to tell the nurse that I had already prepared Shan for the shot.

Shan rolled over, the nurse prepared the spot and talked her through it. She only whimpered when the needle went in. The nurse explained that she had put some numbing medicine in it so it wouldn't hurt like it normally does. I thought that was a very nice touch. Hmm, why don't they do that for us adults?

After the nurse put the bandaid on, Shan continued to lie on the bed. As the nurse told me the instructions, what to watch for, how to take the medicine the doc prescribed orally, Shan interrupted and asked us to tell her when it was through.

We all laughed and told her the shot was long through and she could get up.

We left, ran by McDonald's and got her some breakfast, picking mom up some too as it was time for her break. Then we went to WalMart and took break with Stacie, got Shan's med filled and came home. She piled up on the couch and went to sleep.

Around 4 she got up for a sandwich and after she ate I gave her the oral antibiotic. It's a combo of sulfa-something and some other drug, and apparently is a lethal dose. The child almost threw up trying to get it down.

Why of why didn't I ask if the med came in a mild pill form? But I didn't. Apparently, or better yet hopefully, she swallowed air trying to get the dose down because she stopped and laid her hand on her heart. She says, "momo, my heart hurts". That scared me until she burped and then said she felt a bit better.

After washing the med down she laid back down and went back to sleep, so I got ready for church. Terry stayed with her until Stacie came in.

I really pray that God will heal her quickly. She doesn't usually get this sick, and it worries me.