I have an award winning blog!!!

I totally just won an award!!!!!!

Oh crap... it was an award for the biggest pity party EVER!! If you don't believe me look at this link http://thelowefamilynews.blogspot.com/2009/06/award-for-me.html I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to not post the whole address. So seriously check her blog out, and forget all the rules for the award. I am just going to accept mine with a smile and thank you!!!

Did I mean to throw a pity party?

No, not really, but we all have crappy days... and that was one of mine. Although I am a little embarrassed about being called out, I really really appreciate the sentiment. Not everyday is a good day, and it is really nice to remember how wonderful the people in your life are. So thank you Jessica L.! Thank you to the people who commented on that blog, I can't even tell you how happy it made me... yeah... tears were shed, but really I cry easy. It made me happy! Thank you to the Jessica with the coolest last name EVER... no... I'm sorry Lowe does not even compare to HOFFMASTER!!!! Thanks to Amber and Queen Mama... really everyone made my day. ( I would link to your pages, but I really don't know how)

GREAT NEWS!!!

YES!! that says "not pregnant"!!! I don't think I have ever been so happy in my life :)

***** Warning TMI*********

I started having periods again like 8 weeks after my baby Katherine was born. They have been very irregular, for a while they were coming every 2 weeks. Then it slowed down to once a month. Then gone for the last two months. So I got a little worried. I haven't felt pregnant, and I really didn't think I was. I just wanted to make sure before I had a couple beers... and I am NOT pregnant!!!! whoo hoo :)

If I had the name Hoffmaster...

I would defiantly start brewing beer, I mean how could you not??? The name Hoffmaster increases your beer credibility ten fold! Seriously Jess, think about it.

About coming to visit, it really depends on Dan's schedule that is changing every 5 min since he has been in the Marines. His deployment has been cancelled, but I think someone knows something that they are not telling us. They are still doing their workups to leave. You know how it is I'm sure. Why don't you guys come drive down and visit us! Come spend the week at the beach!

Dan's gone!

So I am having a bunco night, I would love if you would come

(yes everyone who reads my blog!)

Send me a message if you want info. I am having some of the girls from my work come over and I am really hoping to have enough people to play.

work

My new job has been so much fun! I have loved doing hair in the salon setting. I am still doing hair out of my house, but it is really nice to have the energy of a salon again.

I have dreaded working for the company I work for, because it is a corporation that has a lot of corporate BS to go along with it. But I have enjoyed it so much I can't even tell you. I work with such a diverse group of stylists, and they are really good! I actually have a Ton of respect for them.

One of my favorite parts of my job is just to listen to peoples stories. Everyone has a story. If I ever wrote a book I would just take random pictures of people and tell their stories. I think on occasion I will start anonymous writing the stories on here.

My favorite customer I ever had was this little lady who was retired, who traveled around the world trying to find the single best piece of chocolate. She amused be for probably 2 years with the stories of her travels. She would go to Switzerland, china, Italy, England and everywhere. Was it true or not? I don't know. But she came in to me faithfully and told me of the wonderful places she had been. Even if the stories weren't true, I think the time it took me to cut her hair was really a great vacation for both of us. She was one of the sweetest people I have ever met, I really miss her a lot. I hope as I age I can age as gracefully as her.

Blogger Constipation

So I feel like blogging, I really do... I just have nothing to say.

-We went to the park today, it turned into a real hassle and I don't want to talk about it
- I am getting ready for Dan to leave for 45 days, I have mixed feelings and don't want to talk about that either
- My kids are all doing well.
- I've been playing tetris online at night instead of sleeping

So that's pretty much it. I guess you will just have to wait for blogger diarrhea to hit :) I was going to upload a picture, but thats not even working! Oh well, just wait untill I haven't spoken to an adult in a few days. That always gets the blog going.

trip to the aquarium and a snack

Today I was in the mood to drive and get away from the house for a few hours, so we went to the aquarium. It was a nice aquarium, but poor Georgia was not in the mood for it. So my first picture is of the incredibly rude woman who had no idea of her surroundings. She walked in front of my camera SO many times as I was trying to take pictures of my kids! So finally I figured if she wanted me to have a picture of her SO darn bad I would just take one... SHE wins... SHE now has a picture of her butt on the Internet... SO THERE!!

Tommy and Georgia got bored with all the fish and sea creatures, but they never got bored of the ones they could climb on. As we were leaving I asked Tommy what his favorite part was and he said when we took a break and got smoothies. Darn it... next time skip the aquarium and just get the smoothies! Then he said his other favorite part was digging for sharks teeth.

(he found 3!)

These are albino frogs... weird huh?

So this is the snack... not beautiful but OH SO YUMMY! you take a package of oreos and crunch them up with a package of cream cheese roll them in balls and dip them in chocolate (the white chocolate ones are WAY better). Then throw them in the freezer to cool off.

The trick is to figure out how to stop eating them before you have downed a package of oreos, a package of cream cheese and a package of chocolate chips. I don't even want to think about the amount of calories I ate!

Stay at home dad...

I recently got a job! I only work for 3 days a week, but that means all three kids are home alone with dad for two days. Of course that means they are with a babysitter for one, but I found an incredible babysitter.

Stay at home dad challenge #1- get your daughter ready to go

Pink leopard print pj top with her brothers red shorts, one knee high sock and one ankle sock, and black shoes. I give him an B+ she was wearing clean clothes with nothing on her face and her shoes matched.... good job honey!

stay at home dad challenge # 2- get the baby to sleep

I give him an A+ for multi-tasking, not only did he rock the baby to sleep, he did it while he was spending time with Tommy playing video games AND he got the perk of playing video games... Well done my love!

Stay at home dad challenge #3 get the girl to sleep-

Interesting method, if they are tired enough they will pretty much put themselves to sleep. But he made sure to leave her there a few min so she was in a good deep sleep before trying to transfer her into bed. You wouldn't want to have to put her to sleep twice wouldya?

So really Dan did awesome! He helped me out with the dishes when I got home, and he really made my life easier. He also got a lot of time with the kids I know the kids really have loved that. I may have done things a little different, but I had 3 happy healthy children when I got home so who would I be to complain.

disrespected

Today, I was supposed to do hair for a girls high school graduation. She was supposed to come over right after her rehearsal ended at 10 am. Right now it is 12:16... I knew the rehearsal could go long, not a big deal. He much older sister had arranged all of this with me, and I told her if it is going to be after 11am you need to call me so I can make my plans for the day.

12:10 rolls around, and still no one shows up. I call the older sister and she says "well between you and my mother calling I have not had time to get ready to pick her up, so she had to walk home"

So first of all, she was blaming ME?? for making her late? for calling her because SHE is running like 2 hours late?

So then I don't say anything about that and she says she will be here with in an hour. I have stayed at home waiting for her, I am supposed to go somewhere and fill out paperwork for a job, I am supposed to be meeting a friend today. But instead I am sitting here waiting for her, and she doesn't even apologize? Why was I the one who had to call her?

If it wasn't for the fact that it is this girls high school graduation today, I would have left and not called. My annoyance is really with the older sister, and it sounds like this poor girls day has been crappy enough.

I just wish she would understand that my time is just as valuable as hers.

pictures pictures pictures

This is what the new hair cut looks like when it is all dolled up with a bow...

It usually looks like this for about a min--- THENThen It looks like this for the rest of the time.

The face is a special touch for the picture

Tommy wanted to get in on some of the face making action too.

SO then I just HAD to include the baby... She was making a face too, she is just not as good at it as Tommy and Georgia

UPDATE*** dinner at the CO's house

1. The CO and his wife asked Avery why she cut Georgias hair. The answer "we didn't like the bow in her hair"

2. The shirt was NEVER to be found. The CO and his wife turned the house upside down. Georgias shirt completely disapeared.

3. I ended up cutting Georgia's hair short... It was looking pretty funky. It looks pretty funky short too, but at least it is not a mullet.

Who wants to be Batman for me?

Dr. phil Training advice, I will try it.. monday?


Step 1: Teach a Doll That WetsYour child will learn by teaching the doll how to go potty. Have your child name the doll and give it something to drink. Then walk the doll to the potty chair with your child. Pull the doll's "big kid" underwear down and watch the doll go potty together.

Step 2: Throw the Doll a Potty Party!When the doll successfully goes potty, throw a potty party! Make it a big blowout with party hats, horns and celebrate. Give lots of attention to the doll so that your child understands that going potty is a good thing. Let your child know that when he goes potty, he will have a potty party too. Not only that, your child gets to call his favorite superhero to report the good news!

Step 3: Get Rid of the DiapersAt the beginning of the process you placed underwear on your child's doll. Now it's time to take away the diapers and put underwear on your child.Step 4: Drink Lots of FluidsGive your child plenty of fluids to drink. The sooner he has to go potty, the sooner you can begin potty training.

Step 5: Ten Trips to Potty When AccidentAsk your child if he needs to go potty. Your child might say no and that's OK. Because you've given your child plenty of fluids, he will soon need to go. If your child has an accident in his underwear, don't scold him. You want this to be a positive experience. Instead, take your child to the potty, pull his underwear down, and have your child sit down. Do this 10 times. This builds muscle memory and your child will eventually go.

Step 6: Let the Celebration Begin! When your child successfully goes potty, throw him a potty party. Most importantly, your child can now call his favorite superhero and tell the hero about what he just did! Enlist the help of a friend or relative to play the hero and take the phone call. When your child has an accident, simply take him/her to the bathroom ten times in a row as you did before. This will continue to build muscle memory. And don't forget to keep up the positive reinforcement.

I've given up

I can't potty train my daughter!

Seriously I can't do it. I don't know what the heck is going on. My theory is she is just too darn stubborn. You know, she didn't walk untill she was 19 months old? She was perfectly able to walk, she would climb things. But no, she just decided not to walk and she was fine with it. BUT, one day she walked.

She knows exactly what the potty is for, she just doesn't want to do it. She will sit on the potty, but wait untill you put a diaper back on to do anything. She also has no problem just peeing on the floor. So I have completely given up, I am going back to walmart to stock up on diapers. When she decides she is going to do it she knows what to do. Untill then I am going to look like the worst mother EVER with my 3 year old in diapers having to listen to the other women tell me that their 18 month old is potty trained!!!!!

I feel like the only think I blog about lately is Georgia, she is really trying my patience. Tommy has been so good lately that their really is not a whole lot to say. My little Kat is just a baby, she still really doesn't do much. Oh but my Georgia, my precious Georgia makes me want to pull my hair out!!

Dinner at the CO 's house

this is a picture of Georgia on her birthday

we will call it the "before" picture

Last night we were invited to a BBQ at the CO' s house. The food was fabulous, there was wives to chat with, and a bunch of kids running around. It was a really nice evening.

The kids really were doing a great job playing together, there was no fighting at all. Then the moment came, one of the older kids came down stairs and said something about someones hair being cut. All the mothers stood up and started running up stairs. Who did what to who??

So what happened is my daughter was wearing a little pony tail on the top of her head with a cute little bow on it. The CO's daughter simply cut the pony tail and bow off. Then my daughters shirt was dirty so I think little Avery thought Georgia should change her clothes.

This is what her hair looks like now, notice the little spikeys on top.

(yes I know she has egg on her face from breakfast)

We get up stairs and see hair all over the bed and on the floor, and my little Georgia sitting on the bed with her new haircut. And Georgia was wearing a different shirt. Now this added a whole new awkward element to the evening. I went to the bathroom for a min, because I admit it, I cried about it. Then we started trying to find Georgia's shirt, we asked the helpful little 3 year olds they said "it was dirty" and would not tell us where it was. We looked everywhere, it simply disappeared.

So that was pretty much how the night ended. Avery's parents were HORRIBLY embarrassed, and I felt really bad for them. That's what 3 year olds do though... really I know it is to be expected. If it didn't happen now, it would have happened later. So we took our daughter home wearing Avery's shirt, with the promise of the husbands switching shirts back at work.

I have waited for 3 years to be able to do ANYTHING with Georgia's hair. There still isn't enough to do much with it. I know there is a good possibility of people thinking I am being melodramatic... but I'm a hairstylist!! All I want is a daughter with hair!

So what am I going to do with with my daughters now mullet? Dan thinks I should cut all her hair off and let it grow in. I think I am not going to do anything and just gradually get it back into a style. I think she will be wearing a lot of bows and headbands.

guess who turns 3 tomorrow!

Georgia!!

Holy cow, how time flies! My little monster is turning 3. I am actually sitting here dreading tomorrow. Honestly, I am a little superstitious about birthdays. I think if the actual day of the birthday is quite telling on how the rest of the year will go.

For Georgia's 2nd birthday, we had just gotten home from a really long trip and had no food in the house. I went to the grocery store and got caught in some really miserable weather. We got home and there was a tornado a mile away from us and we had to go to a neighbors house for shelter. That's pretty much how this year has gone with Georgia, very stormy.

Don't get me wrong, we have had our good times and she always makes us laugh, but oh my gosh. There are some things you do your best to laugh at, but really you want to scream! When we left our last apartment, every wall but 2 had her coloring on it. She is incredibly naughty, I have to hide toilet paper from her. I can't even tell you how many whole rolls of toilet paper she has wasted. It is so nasty pulling out wads of wet toilet paper out of the toilet.

We also hide toothpaste, because she has a very artistic way with toothpaste. If I could hide water from her, I would. Little miss Georgia loves to climb into sinks and turn on the water... even better when it floods. She loves to dump things, bowls of food, boxes, baskets of clothes, drawers of clothes... anything... its apparently better on the floor.

I feel like I could go on forever with the naughty things she does on a daily basis. I know that these are the things I am going to look back on and find really endearing when she is 16, but for now I am ready for my sweet girl back.

So I truly pray tomorrow goes well. I am preparing food and activities... I can't handle another year of this.

Don't worry, I am going to post another blog of good things of my Georgy :)

Dr. appt

Today we went to the ENT and we finally found out what was wrong with Georgias ears. So let me back up a bit. Georgia had ear infections constantly as a baby, she was on anti-biotics from the time she was 1 or 2 months old untill she got tubes put in at 9 or 10 months.

Tommy had really bad speech delays because of waiting to long to get tubes put in. So with Georgia I really pushed getting tubes put in as soon as possible. So she got her tubes and was doing really well, then all the sudden she gets a TON of nasty pussy drainage from her ear. I went back to the ENT- I was told it is really common to get ear infections even with the tubes. The drainage just comes out of the ear rather than staying behind the ear drums. Just use anti-biotic ear drops. So we would use the drops, and about once a month the goo would come back.

Sometimes I could tell she was in a lot of pain, and sometimes it didn't seem to bother her. So I would put off getting more medicine if it didn't really bother her. So this goes on for a LONG time, we have seen like 6 different pediatricians in this time and the all say the same thing. Finally I go to a dr. that is not a pediatrician and I told her the history, and basically, can you just give me the medicine... She looks at me and says "you know this isn't normal, right?"

I was thinking well, it's pretty normal for us... but I was glad she got sent to a new ENT. The first ENT visit they said, well she has a lot of discharge from the ear so give her the anti-biotic ear drops... I thought it was a HUGE waste for me to go in there. Then I had to make a new appointment. So that brings us to today.

There was no pus in her ear and the Doctor could see her eardrum, and said her body had a reaction to the tube in her left ear and basically built a layer of skin around it. That is what is causing all the pus and drainage. (think giant pimple on her ear drum). I looked at the doctor completely shocked and said "what?" and he said, its really rare.

They gave her more ear drops, and yet another appointment in 3 weeks. Because they can't see the tubes inside "pimple" they don't know if the tubes are still in the tympanic membrane, or if the "pimple" is just holding the tube there. They are hoping the steroids will get rid of the thing so they can see the tube and the rest of the ear drum.

I am not completely sold on this theory. You know when you hear something in a doctors office that shocks you, you don't always think to ask good questions. I mean how does someone have a reaction to that only in one ear and not the other? There is like a million questions floating around in my head... I can't believe this is even possible

**** OH MY GOSH*** I totally just googled it because I kinda thought the dr. was full of it. One of the risks of surgery is

Foreign body reaction to the tube itself - for example, an allergic reaction to the tube material (rare)

I am completely flabbergasted!! These tubes have been in her ear for 2 years and 3 months!!! WTF!!! I think i just earned another nomination for the mother of the year award