Caleb's Dentist Appointment

Caleb has an up and coming appointment with his dentist on Monday.  It's not that he hates to go but he doesn't enjoy it unless he gets something out of it, like a juice at Maverick or a toy that he always gets when he is done at the dentist, which I always end up losing at one point or another.

Caleb, I think, has had 3 or 4 dentist appointments so far with his current dentist. I know that because we've kept all of the floss, toothbrushes, and toothpaste that you get in a little bag when your done at the dentist. We've also bought a couple electric toothbrushes over the last few months, because you are supposed to switch out toothbrushes every 3 months. I guess that's why they give you one every time, right before you leave. If your lucky, you also get to pick out a couple stickers, on which I have put on his box in the cabinet that holds his toothbrush, toothpaste, ear drops, and other medicines that he takes, but I am not gonna talk about that.

I had Caleb switch dentists when he was two or three years old because the other dentist kept sending me emails about a girl named Becky.  I mean, they couldn't even get his name right and they said we missed more than 4 appointments but we only missed one, so instead of going to Bountiful every time, we now go to Layton every 3 months.  It used to be every 6 months, but I guess Caleb's Medicaid pays for him to go to the dentist every 3 months and I'm not complaining.

Now, at the dentist, we go in, I say we are there, we have to wait about 10 - 20 minutes, in the meantime Caleb gets chalk all over his clothes and hands. Before we get called back,  I try my best to rub as much as the chalk off as I can. He gets x-rays taken of his teeth every time and then we are moved to one of the seats where he gets his teeth cleaned.

While he gets his teeth cleaned, my mom has to hold him down, that and taking pictures of the x-rays too, he won't let me hold him. Here is where it gets good. We have to take two buses to the dentist and if Caleb is good on the way there, he gets his teeth cleaned with red velvet cookie dough flavor and if he is bad on the way there, he gets grape flavor, which he hates with a purple passion. Get it? Grapes are purple? They're also green, but I was just making a joke.

Then after all of that is done, the dentist comes in, checks out his teeth with a mirror and something else I don't recognize the name of, and then, he says Caleb does NOT have ANY cavities.  Even though sometimes I forget to brush his teeth, he still has perfect teeth.  I'm hoping he won't have any cavities on Monday. I'm gonna cross my fingers.

Thank you for reading another post. I won't be posting again until next Saturday...so until next time my friends.  Have a great day!!!!

Mom Life

The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children. 
 - Jessica Lange

That's right.  I don't open my eyes on my own. I have my son to wake me up by jumping on my stomach or pulling the blanket off of me,  by now, I  should already have an internal alarm clock so that doesn't keep happening.  

One early morning, he woke up at the crack of dawn, WET, he let me change him and he went back to sleep for another two and a half hours. Thank you sleep gods. I needed you.

If only I could sleep the whole day, I would,  but that little inside feeling you get when you know you have to get up to feed your child or you know you  have  to get up to change their diaper, whatever it is, it is always worth it, because at the end of the day, your little one wants story time, and snuggles up right next to you and I wake up the next morning with only a quarter of the queen sized bed to myself, but again, it is SO worth it.

To always know that you have someone that will always look up to you, you will always have their back, and they will always LOVE you.

30 Ways to Focus on Self - Care

Guten Morgen

This is going to be a long one, I'm warning you beforehand. If you still want to read, good job! I'm proud of you and thank you for reading another one of my blogs.

Self-care is a very active and powerful choice to engage in the activities that are required to gain or maintain an optimal level of overall health. And in this case, overall health includes not just the physical, but the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of an individual's well being.

When you’re running low on energy, carrying too many burdens or just not feeling very resilient, it’s vital that you nurture yourself in order to replenish your resources. If you need some inspiration, look to any one (or more) of these 30 quick and effective ways to practice self care.

1. Read a new book
2. Diffuse
3. Take a walk
4. Take an epsom salt bath
5. Light a candle
6. Make a homemade body care item
7. Write in a journal
8. Practice yoga
9. Listen to your favorite music album
10. Drink a green smoothie
11. Make and apply a face mask
12. Go to bed early
13. Make a homemade meal
14. Organize your closet
15. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee
16. Doodle or color in a coloring book
17. Walk somewhere new
18. Cozy up in a blanket
19. Buy yourself flowers
20. Listen to your favorite podcast
21. Take pictures in nature
22. Turn your phone off for a few hours
23. Declutter your workspace
24. Go through a stretching routine
25. Give yourself a manicure
26. Scroll through Pinterest
27. Try a new way to break a sweat
28. Lay in the sunshine
29. Have a solo dance party
30. Pray

If you do any or all of these things by this coming Saturday, when I post my next post, I want to hear about your experience with self-care. Some "me" time.  Maybe you tried something that wasn't on my list, you can still tell me about it. Don't be afraid to message me, email me or comment below. Today and this whole week is all about loving yourself through self-care.  I know I need it at times, who else... 

Again, thank you for reading my blog posts, and I will keep them coming. Sorry this one is late, the next one will be on time, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. Seriously though, my blog means so much to me so I am very thankful that I have so many readers. Until next time.

Auf Wiedersehen

To my son, As a parent

I know this is my second blog this week but I couldn't help it. I have so many things to write about and I want to write about some poems and prayers that I found that could or can be useful to someone  with a little boy, baby, toddler, teenager, you name it, this one is for the boys.  Especially the main man in my life, Caleb.

A Parent's Prayer:

Help Me give my children the best...

not of trappings or toys, but of myself, cherishing them

on good days and bad, theirs and mine.

Teach Me to accept them for who they are,

not for what they do;

To listen to what they say,

if only so they will listen to me;

To encourage their goals, not mine;

and please, let me laugh with them and be silly.

Let Me give them a home where

respect is the cornerstone,

integrity is the foundation,

and there is enough happiness to raise the roof.

May I give them the courage to be true to themselves;

the independence to take care of themselves

and the faith to believe in a power

much greater than their own.

See That I discipline my children

without demeaning them,

demand good manners without forgetting my own

and let them know they have limitless love,

no matter what they do.

Let Me feed them properly, clothe them adequately

and have enough to give them small allowances...

not for the work they do but the

pleasure they bring.

And let me be moderate in all these things,

so the joy of getting will help them discover

the joy of giving.

See That their responsibilities are real

but not burdensome, that my expectations are high

but not overwhelming and that my thanks and praise

are thoughtful and given when they're due.

Help Me teach them that excellence

is work's real reward, and not the glory it brings.

But when it comes...and it will...let me revel in each honor,

however small, without once pretending that it's mine;

My Children are glories enough.

Above all, let me ground these children so well

that I can dare to let them go.

I Love You:

I am your PARENT, you are my CHILD

I am your QUIET PLACE, you are my WILD

I am your CALM FACE, you are my GIGGLE

I am your WAIT, you are my WIGGLE

I am your DINNER, you are my CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am your BEDTIME, you are my WIDE AWAKE

I am your LULLABY, you are my PEEKABOO

I am your GOODNIGHT KISS, you are my I LOVE YOU

To: My Son, I Sometimes Wish:

I sometimes wish you were still small,

Not yet so big and strong and tall.

For when I think of yesterday,

I close my eyes and see you play.

I often miss that little boy

Who pestered me to buy a toy,

Who filled my days with pure delight,

From early morn to late at night.

We watch our children change and grow

As  seasons come, then quickly go,

But our God has a perfect plan

To shape a boy into a man.

Today, my son, I'm proud of you

for all the thoughtful things you do.

I'll love you till my days are done,

And I'm so grateful you're my son.

Children Are...

AMAZING, acknowledge them

BELIEVABLE, trust them

CHILDLIKE, allow them

DIVINE, honor them

ENERGETIC, nourish them

FALLIBLE, embrace them

GIFTS, treasure them

HERE NOW, be with them

INNOCENT, delight with them

JOYFUL, appreciate them

KINDHEARTED, learn from them

LOVABLE, cherish them

MAGICAL, fly with them

NOBLE, esteem them

OPEN MINDED, respect them

PRECIOUS, value them

QUESTIONERS, encourage them

RESOURCEFUL, support them

SPONTANEOUS, enjoy them

TALENTED, believe in them

UNIQUE, affirm them

VULNERABLE, protect them

WHOLE, recognize them

XTRASPECIAL, celebrate them

YEARNING, notice them

ZANY, laugh with them

I hope you enjoyed today's blog. i won't post again until next Saturday but stay tuned.  I have lots of more great ideas to share with you guys that you won't want to miss.

What Are Little Boys Made Of -- Parts 1 & 2

Today I am going to have fun and like to get dirty pretty much, which in fact, I think I have pretty much avoided Caleb from getting too dirty in the snow, mud, dirt, sand, etc, because frankly I don't want to clean up the mess.  The poem "What are little boys made of?" dates back to the early 19th century.  Let's get this thing started, shall we?


                                                                           Part 1:
                                                        What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails,

That's what little boys are made of. 

Part 2:

A wee bit of dirt

and a devilish grin...

Curious eyes and

Spaghetti sauce

chin.

A dollop of mud

behind his right ear,

And a handful

of worms in his

pocket I fear.

You see his knees

through the

holes in his jeans

He likes ice cream

but won't eat his

beans.

He's made of

mudpies and

bubble gum kisses

and wonder at

Christmas and

birthday wishes.

And a heap of

giggles and

wiggles and love,

These are the things

little boys are

made of.

I hope you enjoyed my poems for today. See you next week for my next blog.

Caleb's Ear Surgery

First, it all started when Caleb's preschool sent me a letter saying that he failed his hearing test that was on January 22nd. So, I took him in to his ENT doctor, Dr. Wilcox.  He laid Caleb down and got some earwax out but there was so much earwax that the doctor wanted to do surgery to get it all out and put another set of tubes in his ears, without putting a hole in his eardrums.

He had his ear surgery on Monday, February 19th. It took about 45 minutes to an hour then he was put in a room where he woke up one minute and fell asleep the next. The nurse taking care of him said he should be ready to go home in 20 minutes, so I tried to call a few people until I got ahold of someone, a friend at church, gave us a ride home because it was snowing again and I didn't want to take Caleb home on the bus.  He came home, took a nap from 11:30 am until 4:15 pm.  Stayed awake until 7:30 pm and went back to sleep. I was worried about him all night, I think he was still wearing off the anesthetic the doctor gave him.

On Tuesday, February 20th, Caleb still wasn't feeling well so I kept him home from school.  He woke up at 10 after 6 am in the morning.  We then went into the living room to watch television and he laid on my lap for 3 1/2 hours, drifting on and off to sleep until he finally fell asleep at around 9:45 am. I carried him to my bed, covered him up in my blanket, gave him a hug and told him that he fell asleep on me so I put him on bed so he can take a nap. I almost cried when I put him down for his nap because I was still SO worried about him. He then napped for about 2 1/2 hours. The rest of the day went okay and he was a happy little boy again.

I kept him home from school on Wednesday and Thursday also because he has had a fever and a runny nose almost all day.  I think he caught a bug at the hospital. I hope he doesn't get sick again. Also, with the ear drops, I am supposed to put 4 drops in each ear for four days and it is the second day. Today is Wednesday.  I hope he feels better by tomorrow.

That's the end of today's blog. I hope you enjoy reading it and I will post again next week. Keeping up the fun and my ideas to come.

Relationships: Part 2

It's been a while since I've posted my last blog post but I am here to talk more about my exes. Prepare to be overwhelmed a little bit. It's okay.  If you don't want to read past the first or first few paragraphs, fine with me too. These guys are not in order in the order I dated them. Let's begin.

First, there is Brandon West. I met him on a bus with my mom going towards SLC to the donation plasma center.  He asked me if he could borrow my phone and little did I know, he put his phone number in my phone. I fell for the oldest trick in the book. This was back in 2013.  He came back and wanted back in my life, so I dated him again for awhile. He cheated on me with some woman that he was babysitting her daughter for. He didn't come home and tell me until four days later and then I kicked him out. Once again, he comes crawling back wanting back in my life because he thinks that my four year old son Caleb is his. I can tell you for certain that he is not. We date for a little bit, he buys Caleb a coat, some socks, shoes, and some outfits. I didn't ask for them. One month later, we are engaged but he wants to end it because paternity comes back and says that he is not Caleb's dad. He gets pissed at me, says he can't do this anymore, and moves back to California with his mom.

Second, there is Kevin Stark. I dated him when I was 17 and he was 23 and my dad hated him. I don't remember for how long I dated him, but he forced me down to his bed and tied my hands up. My mom called it rape. I didn't press any charges. Later, he broke up with me through my dad and I wanted to know why so I had my Aunt Robin drive with my mom in the car too and go to his house and ask him myself.  He came outside with a shotgun, got in his truck and started following us home. Luckily, there were two pathways that led home so he got lost because it was dark. I still talked to him every winter so we could go hot tubbing in his backyard.  I haven't done that in three years.

Third, there is Chad Hatch. He was 39 and I was 19. My dad said "age doesn't matter," so we dated for a while. He lived about 10 minutes away from me and my family. We eventually broke up because he got back with his girlfriend that he said he knew for 10+ years.  I just let it go.

Fourth, there is Ray Lofthouse. He was 37 and I was 24. Again,  age doesn't matter. He was living with me, sleeping with me in my bed, until after a while it got boring dating him. There was nothing interesting about him. So I dumped him by text saying,"I am going to my ex's(Kevin Stark's) to go hot tubbing."  I'm guessing he did not take that well since the next time I saw him he said he never wanted to see my face again, but right after I dumped him. My middle sister, Shantel, started dated him and I will never know why. She also tried to date Chad Hatch and Brandon West after they dumped me.

Fifth, there is Christopher Bowers.  I decided to make a phone call one night. That night happened to be the same night as my youngest sister, Kimberli's, birthday. It was a phone chat line to talk to single men. I ended up talking to somebody and meeting up with Christopher.  My sister Shantel tagged along with one of Christopher's friend's, we went to a hotel on 7200 South in SLC and we all did Ecstasy. I don't remember him even driving me and my sister home but it was about 4 am and I went right back to bed. Two days later, Christopher tells me to lose his number because he is getting back with his girlfriend.

Sixth, there is Adam McKinney. My VERY FIRST boyfriend and the reason why I HATE Valentine's Day(that is why there will not be a blog post about Valentine's Day...sorry). I started dating him when we were both Sophomores at Viewmont High School.  He really swept me off my feet. He was the good guy for a while in all of this madness that you can call my life. When Valentine's Day came around, he gave me a white teddy bear and a chocolate rose. It was SO sweet until he crushed my dreams by breaking up with me the next day. So I got revenge. I got some gummy candy rats, and delivered them to his house, with a note that said, "A rat for a rat,"  but he obviously didn't get the joke, he just said thanks for the candy. What a jerk. After he finished his Sophomore year at Viewmont High School, he transferred to Davis High School for Junior and Senior High. I wonder why. Now that man works at the Walmart here in Layton.  I don't know which department but whenever he sees me, he avoids me at all costs. Here's one thing.  I tried to date him again, after I've had Caleb, he has his own apartment and everything,  but the minute he calls me a prostitute and a whore for having two kids without getting married first is outrageous, to me at least. If that's what you call a man, I'm glad I am a woman.

Seventh, there is Spencer Tatton. I met him in Seminary in High School.  He was a Senior and I was a  Junior.  We would listen to our iPods together behind the piano in Seminary class and we would text and talk for hours and hours until I had to put my phone on the charger, then we would still talk.  We started dated after a while, and it was great until he graduated High School, then he left me behind. He didn't dump me, we just didn't talk as much. He got a summer job at Lagoon and one day he said "why don't you come with me to work?" I would have loved to but I got the assumption that something was up, because after all, his mother didn't like me.  I caved in, went to Lagoon, met Spencer and he told me that he was breaking up with me. I asked him who he was leaving me for and he said somebody named Ashley, but wouldn't say her last name. I don't know why. It's not like I was gonna track her down and tell her not to date you. I wouldn't do that.

Eighth, there is Joshua Cerka / Slayd. Not much to say about him. I dated him for a while. We texted each other while we were in the same room to make Lewis Carter jealous, because he wanted to date me, but I didn't want to date him. I sat on his bed while he played video games because I didn't want to go home to all of the drama. In the end, he ended up getting married, having two kids, getting divorced, then trying to date me again, but I am not going to get all up in that drama. I already have enough stuff to deal with on my own. This was about a month ago.

Ninth, there is Josh Bowcutt. I was 25 when I started dating him and he was 42. I know, age doesn't matter, again, but this time it does. First off, he lives with his ex, his ex's fiancé, and their two kids. I don't know if I can handle that much drama.  Secondly, he has taken me to Wendover three times.  Don't worry, I've agreed to go to. It was so much fun. You should really try Vodka mixed with Red Bull. It's like super high energy. In the end, I've changed my phone number a few times so he can't get ahold of me, but now, I gave him my number again thinking we could be fwb's. Not yet anyways.  I gave him my number almost two months ago. Oh well, what was I thinking?

After the ONE good guy, I kept falling for all of the bad guys. Just my luck.