Grab a drink, here's our long over-due update.

I feel like I have been neglecting my readers. I apologize, but life has gotten a little out of control. Why is it that just when things seem to be falling into place, all hell seems to break loose? So here's my best attempt to update you on our past week or two.

Last Saturday morning (as in a week and a half ago) Chelsea woke up with a bunch of bug bites all over; or so we though. Turns out it was the beginning of some nasty rash. Later that day we noticed it had gotten worse, and it continued to spread through Monday. Her ped. said it was contact dermatitis, so we were given a prescription cream to apply to her skin. It took a few days to begin working, but this weekend it finally started to improve. It looks much better today, but her bottom is still red, and pimpley. I guess she's got the diaper rash of the century. I think we're going on 6 or 7 weeks now. With every pediatrician and oncology clinic visit we have had in the past two months, nobody has been overly concerned about it, and we're told time and time again it's a "diaper rash". Her next clinic appointment is October 15, so we'll be revisiting this diaper rash. Until then we're just lathering her up after every change!

Here's her rash last Sunday.


Besides her rash, she is doing beautifully. She is healthy, happy ... well, most of the time, and playful. She is going through a bit of an independence stage and I'm not sure if I'm thrilled with it. You can ask her for a kiss and she'll roll her eyes and give you this look and a little grunt as if she's going to hold out on you. Fortunately mommy has out smarted her on this, and all I have to do is stick out my lip, give her a little fake cry, and it never fails she's instantly on me giving me a great big kiss and hug to make me feel better. A little bit manipulative? Yes. But totally worth it!

As for our big kindergartener, well, he's not so easy to out-smart. In fact I think I've figured out why we're having so many struggles with him lately. I think it's official. He's smarter than his mom and dad. Last week during dinner, out of nowhere, he said, "the rotation of the Earth makes the change of seasons." Then as if our eyeballs weren't widened enough he continues with, "and the tilt of the Earth makes day and night." Really?! Seriously?! And how many of you are out there criticizing our public schools? And that's not the best of it. While I'm teaching Chelsea silly things like, what sounds a cow makes, or what a dog says, Logan chimes in with, "that's an anamanapia!" A WHAT?! Again with precise pronunciation he declares, "that's an anamanapia!" So I google it, and sure enough, an anamanapia, according to WikiAnswers, is "a word describing the sound something makes when in action." (And yes, I spelled it correctly the first time.) Last night we were talking about our little smartie pants and Ryan thought he'd throw him a curve ball. He asked Logan, "do you know what the sun is?" Logan replies, "a bunch of different gases." Hooray for public schools! I'm guessing by first grade Ryan and I will no longer be able to help him with his homework. Too bad he doesn't hang on my every word like he does Ms. Jacob. Here's the latest picture of my little genius. He's into decorating balloons with his markers. Yesterday he put the freshly decorated ballon up to his face.


Since Ryan began school this weekend, I'm on mommy duty 24/7 with very little down time. I have a new found appreciation for my husband AND for all of those single moms out there (including military wives). By the time Ryan gets off work or home from school, it's time to eat, bathe the kids and get them to bed. On another note, Ryan is really struggling with his new class. The CNA (certified nursing assistant) course is only 6 weeks long (Sat/Sun only) and it's through a community college. It's merely a requirement, or prerequisite to get into nursing school. He's there for the grade and to learn what he can to better equip him for nursing school. He's not there to meet friends and he's definitely the odd man out, ... literally. He's the only man in the class!

He came home yesterday and was visibly upset. I was worried he wasn't going to make it through the class, but I didn't realize why. I knew it couldn't be too difficult, he is by far smart enough to make it through these six weeks. Knowing I would be infuriated, he waited until I sat down to tell me about his new teacher. In only two days of class, the RN teaching his class has used the word retarded more than a half dozen times. She did not use it in casual conversation, nor was it in the context of explaining medical diagnosis. It was in the dreaded context of, "what are you? retarded?" He said mostly it was used while she was explaining something a CNA had done in the past that was inappropriate, or wrong. Ryan also was upset b/c the language tended to spread to his classmates and he heard it time and time again through conversations other students were having with one another.

Yesterday was a very sad day for me. I am embarrassed to be an educator. I don't understand how a person who is teaching future nurses and medical staff can use such profane language during her lectures. Does she have no code of ethics by which to abide? We are disheartened and offended. Her behavior is irresponsible and rude, and her language has no place in the classroom. I don't want to preachy or as if I am an example of perfection. I am not. I am guilty of using this offensive word on many occasions, but NEVER in the classroom, NEVER in front of a child, a parent or any other person in my professional arena.

Now we are faced with making some tough decisions. My initial reaction was to call the community college first thing this morning and report the instructor. In my opinion she has no business teaching. Ryan clearly doesn't want her fired, he feels that everyone deserves a second chance. He is also torn about whether to sit and listen to this nonsense for the next 5 weeks, or to maybe approach the instructor and point out the fact that her language is offensive. Of course the other option is to report to the community college anonymously. He is convinced she will know it is him reporting her though as he is quiet and laid back unlike the women in the class. There seems to be a comradarie between the female students and the teacher. They speak out freely in class and 'hang out' together during break and smoke. Ryan smokes alone in his truck. (just kidding!) So his fear is that the teacher will hold it against him and he may not pass the class. The thought of him sitting in class and listening to this for the next five weeks is unbearable to me. We are going to talk more tonight and hopefully make a decision on what action to take. At the very minimum we will be documenting each time this inappropriate language is used.

In addition to all of this craziness, we attempted another garage sale this week. My sister lives in town, a much better location for a sale and invited us to join her in the multi-family sale. Since everyone else works during the day, I was on sale duty all day Thursday and Friday with my brother in law. Of course Chelsea was helping every chance she got. Ha! The best news is we were able to make over $90 by throwing together a quick bake sale as a fundraiser for our leukemia/lymphoma Light the Night Walk! Thank you mom for baking for us! (Her loaves of apple bread sold for $7 each!)

I'll leave you with this picture, but let me give you some background first. Because I am a single mom for the next few weeks, I had to take the kids to the grocery store by myself. Yes, both kids, to the dreaded supermarket, I was asking for it. We made it through the entire store without breaking anything or offending anyone (I think) and I was frantically trying to pay before both children had a complete meltdown. Logan had talked me into getting them a drink of water at the fountain because he was soooo thirsty (and I of course felt guilty b/c I forgot to give them a drink before we left.) While I'm signing my receipt, I hear a shrilling gasp come from Chelsea. Did I mention it was extremely cold water they were drinking. And now it was all over her. So right there in line, I stripped her clothes. It wasn't just a little bit of water, she was sopping wet. The weather was nice, so she was riding home in her diaper. But that's as far as she would have it. After I took in the first load of groceries, this is what I found: