Puke, passing out, and the 'mumps'

OMG, y'all. It's gotten so ridiculous that I almost didn't say anything. Almost... I had just gotten done with my jog this afternoon (I ran for 30 straight minutes - 2 1/2 miles!!) and Mr. Fix-It was off to the gym. Big Sister had been in bed for about 20 min when she started crying. I marched upstairs, alreading yelling to her to pipe down and take a nap. But what I saw made me feel bad for yelling....

Big Sister. Sitting up in her bed. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you have a weak stomach, and especially if you don't have kids or pets........ are you gone yet? ;)...... A pile of puke (if any of you have ever seen a pile of dog vomit, you get the picture). More down her arm. Big Sister is bawling, super afraid because this has never happened to her.... poor thing.

As I load her bedding in the washer and get her into the tub, I'm trying to get ahold of my youngest sis who had called me crying at 8:30am. My mom was down visiting and had gotten a serious stomach bug in the night (this time I'll spare you the details.) When she got up for her 14th trip to the bathroom and didn't come back, my sister got worried. Long story short, she was passed out in the bathroom, laying on the floor against the door.... eyes wide open but nobody home and totally unresponsive. When my sister asked my mom if she should call 911 and my mom STILL didn't respond.... she called 911. By the time my sister grabbed her next door neighbor and they came back over, my mom had come to and insisted she was fine and just got too hot. My sister was still on the phone with 911 and told them all was well. Then my mom preceded to get on a 5pm flight (totally against my wishes) from Harlingen to Dallas to Tulsa. Then has over an hour drive home. She's still sick to her stomach and I'm still worried she hit her head when she fainted this morning.

~~~~~~~~~~My mom just called! She's made it on the first 2 legs and actually does sound much better, I have to admit. I'm still not happy that she didn't stay another day.... ~~~~~~

Just another chaotic day in the Semi-homemade family. Big Sister and I were actually going to do some semi-homemade Easter cookies today, but it didn't happen after the pukefest. The more I thought about it.... her (croup) cough got worse over the weekend and she'd been coughing.... I think she coughed so hard she gagged. But I knew she was fine when she ate an entire fajita for dinner. And then asked for a mumps (Thin Mint!) :)

OMG - I'm going to do a 5k!

It's my first one, y'all, and I'm a little freaked out.... I have 3 wks left to "train" - eek! I'm jogging 2+ miles without stopping, so I only need to work up another mile, but.... I don't run in front of people!

Mr. Everything and I are going to participate in the Bunny Hop 5k in my neighborhood, while Mrs. Everything and Mr. Fix-It wrangle the kiddos. Afterwards is an Easter Egg Hunt, and the Easter Bunny himself will be there. There's also a petting zoo, face painting, bounce house (Big Sister will love that part), and train rides. That day is also Mr. Fix-It's birthday (he may or may not be turning 33!!) and we're going out for dinner with the Everythings without kids!!

"The 5k is challenging and certified." I don't like the sounds of that. Not one bit.

So, check in c25k'ers! Where are you in the process?

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, y'all know my whole thing is semi-homemade. As in, my pretty standing mixer has only seen use a few times. Sorry, that's true. I love it, but I don't have time to use it. Until now. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Especially if it involves chocolate.
So... if you find yourself on a dairy-free diet OR if you're simply breastfeeding and want something yummy that promotes this, try these yummy cookies! Even if they ARE homemade. As in, from scratch.


OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 cup shortening - or use 1 stick, it's much easier!
1 cup white sugar
1 cupe brown sugar
(I can't even believe I eat this - it's so against my normal, fairly healthy eating habits! Before this, I'd never in my life used shortening. And all this sugar? Eeek!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together shortening and sugars in super cute, under-utilized mixer. Add eggs and vanilla - mix well.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 CUPS oats
1 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet choc chips (they're yummy & dairy free!)

Fold the above into creamed mixture. Roll into small balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork. (Hmmm, I've never noticed that part of the directions... but I don't make mine much of a ball anyway.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 min.



I somehow got here without the pic of the finished product, but I'll put that up later.... OMG, it's so YUMMY! I've had to get away from making a batch of these every. single. wk. It's ridiculous!

Now, if you're wanting to go the semi-homemade route for a chocolate fix, follow these easy instructions: Go to the grocery store and get some oreos. Okay, you're done! (I know, it's weird that oreos are dairy free... don't think about it for very long!)

Semi-Homemade Nursery makes the news!

Isn't this exciting? G-man's nursery has been reviewed and is now online at Creative Baby Nursery Rooms for moms who are looking for inspiration and ideas - or just to comment on and give feedback. Click on the picture above of g-man's room to see his gallery!

And click here to be inspired by other mom's and their beautiful nurseries.

Starbucks, are you hiring?

Because I have experience. And because, after calling in with a sick child again today, I might need a new job soon. Yes, this time it's Big Sister.... who yesterday was diagnosed with an ear infection (it appears her tubes are now NOT working), the croup, and possibly the flu. Awesome. She's medicated, so as soon as she loses the fever, she's good to go. But at our 3am party in her room, it was apparent that has not yet happened.

Seriously, we just can't catch a break this winter. Mr. Fix-It and I have both missed more work than we can believe. We're totally stressed. At least I have my old barista days to lean on. Mr. Fix-It..... we'll have to work on what his next career will be.

Is it my fault?

Seriously. Project: Make Sleep a Priority is NOT going so well.... Let me explain (I originally forgot to include this! Damn sleep deprivation, I'm not even making sense!) Last wk, I prayed/begged/pleaded to have just ONE WEEK with no illnesses, no one feeling bad, no parents missing work. And I got that. Last week. So this week? All bets are off....

11pm - The evening is not going quite as planned.... I had a hair cut and had brought home a huge pile of work to do before all my meetings today. Got to bed later than planned.

2am - Get a lovely wake up call at 2am from Big Sister. Big Sister never wakes up at night unless something is wrong. And it was. She was hot and running a fever. Wonderful. So, at 2am, Mr. Fix-It and I have a conversation about today and how I absolutely CANNOT miss my big mtgs, etc.... He has an important training thing, etc. Mr. Fix-It nods back off. I lay there and stress.

4am - Big Texas storms blow through and wake up both kids. But not at the same time. They spend the next hour and a half taking turns being awake until I finally get up.

7am - I leave to take G-man to daycare while Big Sister stays home with Mr. Fix-It. The nurses are going to wonder if he has a crush on one of them, since he was just there for G-man's 6 month shots yesterday and will likely return with Big Sister today.

8am - I arrive at work and a coworker tells me I look rested. While that's probably supposed to be a compliment, I want to smack him.

I'm so jealous of Big Sister and Mr. Fix-It, at home in their PJs on this rainy day.... while I'm in meetings 9-11:30 and then 2-5.... love that. ;) That picture at the top? It's Big Sister - her first Easter - and it makes me laugh.... which I could use today! Have a good one, y'all!

Who wants it?

Y'all. It's a sad day in the Semi-Homemade house (don't worry, I'm over it), but it's a good day for you! I have a 25% off coupon to Coach up for grabs! It's good in stores until 3/15. So.... be the first to leave a comment (and show/tell us what you're going to buy!) and I'll send it to you. I'll need some way of getting your address so I can mail it out TODAY....

Personally, I'd want to look at the bag above or this one. Aren't they both super cute?!

Weekend Family Fun

Doesn't this just say SPRING to you? Ahhhh, it was so nice in TX this weekend. Here's Big Sister chasing bubbles. My mom and sister were here for some shopping for my sister's upcoming new arrival! Here's Big Sister with that baby belly:

Here's a rare sighting of baby g sans helmet! Don't they look like an old couple, sitting on the porch, just chatting as the world passes them by?

A super, super rare picture of ME!! It's kinda dark.... but truth be told, that's probably a good thing! ;)

Oh, what a weekend! I did some Easter shopping, too.... time to start thinking of semi-homemade Easter ideas!

A different kind of anniversary

March 9, 2006 --- That was my first day back to work after my 10 wk maternity leave with Big Sister (that's her in a Hawaiian dress for Mr. Fix-It's 30th bday party!) Definitely one of the saddest days in my life... I'd had an amazing time at home with her and was loving being a mom more than I'd ever imagined! (I wasn't one of those girls that went into motherhood thinking it was all baby showers and cute clothes.... I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved being a mom!)

Wow, 3 years have gone by.... It's also been 5 whole months since I came back to work after maternity leave with G-man (I came back on Oct 9 - and that marks 5 months of pumping at work!) Going back to work the 2nd time was tougher in some ways because I knew what was coming. That heartache, that true, physical pain of dropping off your precious baby for the first time. With Big Sister, I held out until I got in my car and then sobbed the whole way to work. With G-man, I was crying before I even handed him off to the teacher. I told Mr. Fix-It that I wouldn't do it again.... that if we have a #3, I'm staying home with her/him longer than just a few months.

Whew, sorry for that crazy Monday moment! I've got big meetings this wk on Wed, so I'll try to pop in as much as I can. I've got some pics of my cute preggo sister to share from the weekend! (But for now, one more of our favorites from Mar 2006!)

Semi-homemade Organization System

For this last Christmas, I begged the grandmothers to buy the kids a few things that weren't toys. (I know, mom is a bummer, but...) I found these great canvas organizers at One Step Ahead, and they're only $20 when you buy 2 or more! I dropped them off at Mrs. Everything's house and she monogrammed the kids' names on them!


Then I photoshopped some quick "Days of the Week" pictures to insert into each pocket (pictured at top of post). G-man's have cute pics of him with little sayings, and Big Sister's have the day of the week in English, Spanish (duh, we live in TX), and French (because it was easiest to find online).

A must have for all you busy mommas! On Sunday night, I check the weather forecast (because in March in TX... it could snow one day and be 80 degrees the next!), and set out everything the kiddos will need for the week - tops, bottoms, socks, underwear, shoes, hair bows! It all goes into the pocket for that day of the wk!

(Okay, the pics are smaller than I wanted.... and I don't have them here at work, so I'll replace them this weekend, so you can actually see them! Just a perfect ending to this wk, don't ya think? I added the pics at the top, so you could get a better idea...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and remember my mom-tuition from yesterday? It was $hit, totally wrong... baby G was being a cranky teether, had a little fluid in one ear, but nothing to worry about. That's a FIRST, since having kiddos! So, yea for being wrong! I actually worked an ENTIRE work week. And that's amazing... Happy weekend, y'all!