Black Friday

I'm debating going shopping on Black Fri this year. I usually don't. I don't like getting up early, and I don't like crowds. Plus, we are always out of town for Thanksgiving. I am thinking of getting up and going while at the in laws this week. There are a few things that are good deals that I want to buy. But is it worth the hassle to get a good deal?? On my list so far are DVD's for everyone in the family, razor scooters for the kids (I think my kids are the only ones that don't have one of these and they are going to be $18 at Target), board games, new PJ's for the kids, and clothes for some family gifts. I also was looking at some other things for myself of course! I can't decide the best places to go, and what time I should get up. I am NOT getting up at 3am to be at the stores that open by 4am. I would be willing to get up at 6am. Should I go?

Other than that, I have a test tonight, and plan to study a lot today. I really have to do well to keep my possibility of an A alive. I also have not packed at all for leaving early tomorrow. I am hoping my husband will do some of that today (he has the day off work). I hate the packing part of traveling. I do like that the kids are getting old enough to travel well in the car for 5 hr.

Have a great thanksgiving!

Lucky jeans?

OK, I know the younger crowd likes Lucky brand jeans. We got a new Lucky outlet store at the huge outlet mall 10 min away so I decided to try it out. Still searching, you know, for those great jeans. Anyway, I had heard you could get a $100 pair for $30. Sounded great to me. I first found out that they are by waist size but also have a regular size inside. I started trying some on and found that depending on the type, wore anything from a 4/27 to an 8/29. Why would the same brand have such a big difference??? Maybe that is why these were at the outlet store, but I didn't find anything I was overly impressed with. I then saw some colored jean type pants for $19 and ended up getting a pair of those. Again, they are low cut. Probably lower than I like. I like the look of low cut jeans, don't get me wrong, but some are just TOO low. But I had to get the 8's in those. I know it is just a number, but still. They are an army green color. I will try to take a picture soon. They are pretty cute I think. But not the perfect pair. They are something different than the usual blue jeans I buy so I feel good about that. Now if they just stay up when I sit down or bend over. I will have to wear a long shirt with them.

Other news, I am done with clinical this semester!!! I had my last one yesterday. I feel stressed an tired out. I have a BIG test Wed, really great since the kids are off all week and I want to plan for thanksgiving. We are traveling out of town Thur. I want to enjoy the week and relax but that won't happen until after my test. I really want to do well. My clinical rotation went great. I was on a cardiac floor. I now do so many things that used to totally freak me out. I give injections all the time. I give insulin all the time. I hang IV meds, and I give IV push meds (this used to really scare me, some of the meds are pretty strong/scary). I juggle 2-3 patients at a time. I did an admission all alone yesterday. I really am starting to feel like a real RN, like I can really do this.

I am going to bed, I am exhausted. Good night!

Last day

Today is my last clinical of fall semester. We still have a few weeks left of regular class but no more weekends. YAY! I am excited. The weekend is ending on a good note I hope, as I am leader and will get to oversee everyone else. Yesterday I had a crazy shift, my patient was in really critical condition and eventually got transferred to the ICU. I had another patient who, thank goodness, didn't need much. I spent most of the shift in one room draining and attempting to stop bleeding that wouldn't stop. I hope he is doing ok. He was only 54 and didn't speak English. Really tough.

We are having a potluck for the nurses, I have my meatballs in the crockpot. We gave our instructor a nice card and small gift last night. We have our last care plans of the semester to write by Wed, and a test Wed night. I am really nervous about the test. Plus, the kids are home all week so I have to try to get lots of studying in while also keeping them busy and happy. Then we are off to the in-laws for Thanksgiving on Thur-Sat.

Can't believe it is already the holidays!

DH went to J's conferences yesterday and she is doing GREAT. She is above average in everything she needs to know. I was a little worried as she is so young but so far she is doing wonderful. I am so proud of her. I have B's conferences on Tuesday.

I am off to spend a few min with the family before my shift.

Mineral Foundations?

Does anyone know anything about mineral foundation/makeup? I have been thinking about this since I saw a Bare Essentials starter kit at Cost*co the other day. I am thinking about having my mom buy it for me (she has a membership). I have been reading up on the different brands and some people love it, some don't. I tend to break out and have oily/normal skin. I would love something that would cover my skin flaws and not be greasy/shiny looking. I found a website
http://www.everydayminerals.com/
that gets good reveiws also. I ordered the free sample kit (you have to pay shipping of $3.75). So, does anyone out there use these?? Let me know what you think??

Is there such thing as the perfect pair of jeans?

Now that the cold weather is here to stay, I am back wearing jeans every day (well sometimes sweats if I am feeling unmotivated). I have been searching my whole life for a perfect pair of jeans. Ones that are comfortable #1, but also look great. It may help if I had even paid more than $20 on a pair. But I am willing to go above that limit a little bit if I could get a great pair that I love. Currently I do not have a lot of jeans that fit me. Current weight loss has made most of my jeans too loose. I am not ready to get rid of them, as they still kind of fit they are just a little baggy. I have 2 pairs that I got at G*A*P outlet for $14.99 each a couple months back. For one, what is the thing with stores putting smaller sizes on jeans. Does it really make people feel skinnier? I know that the size I bought are not the size they say. It is like they are moving the sizes up (what once was a 9 is now labled a 7). Anyway, that is besides the point I guess. I rarely go to malls, but I am willing to try. I mainly shop at the outlet mall or K*ohls. I am not big on Tar*get clothes. Many times I buy a pair of jeans and after wearing them I realized they are too low cut and I am hiking them up all day. I also tend to buy really boring jeans. I mean plain pockets and nothing interesting about them. I am totally not into jewels or anything on them, but maybe a little something on the pocket or just something with a little more sex appeal?? I am bored of my boring wardrobe and want to spice things up without breaking the bank. Any suggestions?

Halloween already???

This is really unlike me but I just got out the halloween stuff yesterday! So, today was a frantic, get in the halloween mood day for me and the kids. Tomorrow we have halloween parties at school and then trick or treating at night. B is gone so I have to skip school to take the kids out. Not a huge deal (I hope, we'll see on the next test). I have never skipped class, EVER, since going back to college. I am such a goody-goody! I am feeling really guilty about it but I would feel more guilty not being with my kids on a holiday they love so much.

Today we decorated the house a little bit, made BOO bags for 4 neighbors, carved pumpkins, and roasted pumpkin seeds. I made cupcakes this past weekend to frost and decorate, but those aren't going as fast as I thought. We will probably give some away to neighbors.

I finished my paper from hell and am now looking forward to a busy clinical weekend. They aren't that bad when I am there but the anticipation and the time away from home is hard. And the paperwork, can't forget that. I usually have 3 patients so that means 3 careplans due the Wed after. Lots of typing, but I have to admit I am getting faster at putting the careplans together. Last year I couldn't imagine taking care of 3 patients and doing all the paperwork. Now I know it is do-able and I am doing ok with it. I got an A on my last test but I am still going to have to work really hard to get an A in the class since I got a low B on my first test. I will work my hardest and if I end up with a B I end up with a B. I will be ok. It will be ok. Right?

I am off to exercise then to bed, without studying tonight. Bad girl that I am!

One day at a time

That is how I try to do it, take it one day at a time and eventually you get where you need to go. I hate to wish time away but I really look forward to school being done. I really want to NOT study anymore!! I want to be able to work part time and come home and not do any extra reading or homework. Sounds so nice! But things are going well. I feel I do pretty good at keeping a balance. I spend quality time with my family. It isn't always enough quantity for me, but we have to get by. I miss B the most as he is in school every day and 2-3 of those days I leave for my school by 5pm. So, I see him about 1.5 hr those days. I have been going in to volunteer at his school just to see him more and for him to know that I think school is important. This weekend I am home all weekend and plan to spend a lot of time with both kids. B is also really into friends so some days after school he wants to play with friends, rather than spend time with me. And I totally understand that, but still I miss the days when I had them to myself all day every day (even though I went crazy many of those days!) I have realized when they go to school, it opens up a whole new door for them. It is a good thing, but it still is a big change. They find a social life and friends and other interests. They are no longer just YOURS they have their own little life outside of the home. Crazy how fast they grow.

Tonight we went to the fall festival at church, where B won bingo and J won at the cakewalk. Made their day. We then went out to family dinner and I ate way too much. Tomorrow we have a halloween party at a good friend's house, and J has cheerleading camp in the morning. Hopefully it will go better than dance. She claims she really wants to to go and being in the morning with no school before "should" help a lot. We will see. It is 2 Saturdays in a row for 2 hr each. Her little friend down the road is going also. Wish us luck.

I have a big paper due Monday but I'm not too stressed about it. It is an OB teaching guide so I really know most of what I'm reading already. It is more fun for me than work, although tedious. I still really love OB nursing even thought I will probably gravitate towards something more along the lines of critical care. I may pursue OB nursing someday. I would love to get my lactation consultant certification someday. But my heart really lies in the fast paced environments such as ER or ICU. I started out my journey wanting to be an OB nurse/midwife, funny how life changes as you are on the path you started. And possibly my path will still end up there. Who knows. I am so open to whatever comes my way and we will see.

I applied for a preceptorship through school, so we'll see if I get one. I'd really like to do one, for the experience and to get more hands on time in the hospital.

I am going to get a little more of my paper done before bed!

Head exploding

I just have this lingering cold thing I can't shake. It isn't so bad that I'm not functional, but it sure isn't fun. I have the sinuse pressure and itchy eyes. Just really congested feeling. It is only October and I had a stomach thing-y ing in Sept and this now. It isn't even cold/flu season. I guess my good health last year is not going to be my luck this year. I called to get an appointment for a flu shot next week. I usually get one and it is even more important now that I'm in the hospital frequently for school. I also am taking the kids in to get one. They are not going to be happy with me, but they need to have it. I know B will be brave but J will start crying as soon as we pull in the parking lot. She already cried once just asking me if she was getting one. That child. She walked home today from school, and came in and said "I'm exhausted". Too funny, that girl. I had a really boring night at school. Cost me $25 for a sitter since my husband is gone for work until tomorrow. I am burned out with school. I know I am. I do not want to spend time studying and writing papers and doing projects. I want to sit and watch TV for just one night. I want to rent a movie and just sit there for 3 hours doing nothing. I want to go to bed at 9pm without feeling guilty. I know I can do this, but I just don't want to!!! On that note, I better study a bit for my test before bed...... goodnight!

what would you do?

J has been in dance for like a month. She seemed to like it ok at first. Nothing she would talk about a lot or anything but she went and didn't complain. Well, the last few times she has had crying spells at dance. I am outside and she can see me and she will just start crying when she looks at me. Last time she would not stop (could not stop). And we had to stay because I had driven the neighbor girl. It was terrible (for me, her, her brother, everyone) she was saying "I can't stop crying" She tried to go back in twice and disrupted the class. It is not anything she can explain. So, I am debating even going back. It is $40/month and truthfully I am not a big fan of the whole dance thing anyway. She says she doesn't want to be in dance. Her reason is that she likes it but she can't stop crying and doesn't want to go anymore. She wants to play basketball when she is 6. She says she does not want to play sports this year. One thing that I am thinking is that 6.5 hr of school and then dance almost immediately after is just too much for her little body/mind to handle in one day. And she wants down time, not dance time. Another thing is maybe dance isn't for her. I don't want to be a quitter but I don't want to pay for something she does not like. It isn't a short term dance, it is the whole year with a recital at the end, with costs for costumes, pictures, recital fees, tickets etc. It is a lot of money. If it was a 6 week class I would make her finish but it isn't something that has an end in sight. I really thought she would love dance, but I guess I was wrong.

update

Of course he made it through his day just fine. I know that if he wasn't fine, I'd get a call from the nurse at the school but still I worry. I can remember a few times as a kid when I would feel sick all day at school, not telling anyone (of course I never said a word to my teachers at school, I was a TAD bit shy, unlike my kids!) and I would be miserable all day. I have told my kids if they feel sick at all to tell someone. But he was running home from school, and I had gone up in the truck because it was raining and he didn't even want a ride from me.

Tonight J told me that she doesn't like it when it is "crowded" at school. She is talking about when they have to wash up for lunch and there are a few classes there at once. It does get a little crazy. I hope she doesn't get too bent out of shape about it. She has been doing so good, and likes school for the most part. The poor kindergarteners sometimes get overwhelmed by all the kids at lunch and recess. The lunchroom gets really loud and J is really sensory sensitive.
Her good friends got separated from their class after lunch on the way to recess and now cries every day going to school. Just a little thing can really traumatize a 5 year old. I pray nothing happens to make J not want to go.

I am studying and studying this week. I have a big test next Wed and since I have clinical this weekend I will not have any time to study all weekend. I have to do it this week. I got a "gasp" B on the last test so I'm really trying to get a better grade. It would not be the end of the world if I did get a B in this class but I want to keep my record. I put too much pressure on the score and should just focus on getting through. I also have a head cold so I do not want to stay up late and study, I want to sleep. I really want to exercise tonight also since I didn't have time today (had to sit for J's friend) but if I do it now I will be up really late.

I better make sure my kids are asleep. B is gone again this week :( but just until Thursday.

Do you ever have this problem

Kid sick with low grade fever and headache. Keep him home from school. Wakes up saying he feels ok, send to school. Feel guilty/weird all day wondering if he is ok. I hate this. I hate having to send a kid to school a day after he was sick, but I know I can't just keep him home with no symptoms. I just hate winter and all the yucky sickness.

What I am thinking????

I am having one of those weeks where I ask myself what the heck am I trying to do here? Why do I get myself into nursing school? Why am I working my behind off day and night to be a nurse??? I sometimes think I am CRAZY!!! What kind of person does this to themself? I had a decent job before. I made good money. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I talked myself into this nursing thing and now I'm just in over my head with work and reading and studying and doing careplans. I never even heard of careplans before last year. I know deep down that I will love my job when I am done. I will be so proud but dang, this is really hard. I have SO much to do. I am SO tired all the time.

I am trying to be a good mom, wife, and student all at once and it is really hard. The person who gets the least amount of attention is myself.

I have a lot to do but I am going to bed. It is 11pm and I was up until 1AM last night doing homework. I need some sleep. Here is my brief update.....

Dance tonight = not good. I won't go into details but I think school for 6.5 hr + dance = not a good situation. We might be dance drop outs very soon.

Football tonight = VERY cold. Hubby is gone so I had to stay the whole game with J, who does not like to be cold. We spent part of the game in the truck. It was so cold we had winter coats, hats, gloves, 3 layers plus blankets and we were still freezing. The wind was terrible. It was the last game whooo hooo!

Housework = terrible. The house is a mess. I have to do laundry, dishes, beds, floors, bathrooms, you name it. I hate being behind.

Weight loss and exercise = great. I am exercising most days except when I have clinicals (I'm on my feet those days anyway). I fit in all my skinny jeans and feel great.

Kids = cute but demanding. Fighting too much. Not always listening. Going to bed too late. But lovely as usual.

Husband = gone. anniversary coming up soon!

Me = extremely tired --- good night!

The fun continues

Having 2 kids in school is really a lot of work. I know next year will be more since I'll have 2 kids in school full time. Part of the challenge is that my kids rarely will eat hot lunch. So, I continually packing lunches that I "hope" they will eat and trying new things that they might like, as they seem to tire of things easily. B is much more picky and will only eat hot lunch on days they have pancakes or french toast sticks. That happens maybe once a month. That is a lot of home lunches. J has eaten hot lunch 3 times already, more than B did his whole first year of school. She has a wider variety of things she likes and also will vary from routine a little more willingly than her brother. She actually LIKES to try new things. Unknown things. B does NOT like new things, he loves routine and likes to know exactly what he is supposed to do, in what order, every day. Once he is in the routine he is fine, but a little change, like getting hot lunch rather than bring a cold lunch, can be really stressful for him. He prefers me to come IF he happens to have hot lunch. Even thought he knows how to do it, he likes me there. Which is fine by me because in a couple years he will probably be embarassed if I come (not that it will stop me).

Anyway, other than the lunch packing, there is the clothes decision every day. Here in MN, at this time of year, the weather is really unpredictable. So, I can't really get their clothes out until it is morning and I can "test" the weather. Do they need pants? Long sleeves? Short sleeves with a jacket over, heavy or light jacket, even gloves on some days. Winter will be even worse because they have to wear: warm clothes, snowpants, winter jacket, boots, gloves, hat and scarf. Then they have to bring shoes and change in and out of winter gear about 4 times during the day. Talk about craziness! I love it really, though. I love seeing them grow and become so independent. They are SUCH good kids, and they are just so much fun.

Not much else is new. I am busy busy with school. Had my first test tonight. It was really hard. I had a psych clinical this past weekend. Wow, is all I can say. What an experience. I have so much to do it isn't even funny.

I am off to bed, after I get that load of laundry out of the dryer.

"my mom the ners"

B brought home a paper he was doing in school, about me, and under job he wrote "ners". Is that the cutest??? And even moreso, in less than 9 months I hope to be able to have that RN after my name. I am still alive, for anyone still even checking this blog. I am buried in homework, clincals every other weekend, school 2 nights a week, volunteering for each kid in school (it is hard to get 2 kids off to school!) once a week, going to dance class, and going to football games. That doesn't count housework, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, making lunches, and fitting in 30-40 minutes of exercise per day. I thought I'd have free time with every other day to myself for 6 hr. I can't say I've had any "down" time. I seem to have so much to do, that I never do anything really fun or relaxing for myself. Maybe next week after my first test I will actually get a haircut (badly needed) or something else "fun". I did buy like 4 pairs of shoes in the past 2 weeks, so I guess I can't say I haven't had ANY fun. I am feeling like my kids are growing SO fast. J is in kindergarten and she is such a big girl. She is an old pro at the school thing watching her brother go the past 2 years. B is in 2nd grade and reading like a pro. He is so smart and such a perfectionist. Anyway, I have a LONG weekend ahead of me. I am working in a locked psych unit at one of the biggest trauma units of the twin cities. I will be there fri evening for a few hours and during the day both Sat and Sun. I also have a test coming up on Wed next week, along with all my clinical paperwork. I will have time for nothing other than school work and trying to spend a little time with my family. After Wed, I will have the next weekend off and plan to do something really fun with the kids. Maybe do an apple orchard if the weather permits. I just love fall. Anyway, I am off to bed. Gotta get that sleep while ya can!

Bret

Since I wrote about J, I really have to be fair and write about my sweet boy. My 7 year old, that makes me sound so old. He is going into 2nd grade and shortly after this picture was taken lost both of his front top teeth. He looks so different. I just love his smile and when he tells me he is having a "laugh attack". He had one tonight playing games with J and I. He is more like me, more serious and reserved. He isn't a big risk taker, but will do anything with guidance. He likes to know what is expected and what will happen and then he is game to try new things. He also loves to swim and can swim the length of a medium sized pool. He is a wrestler and baseball player. He is starting football tomorrow. Can you believe, football for 2nd graders? He looks so cute in all his pads. He thinks his "nut cup" is hilarious. He has a love/hate relationship with his sister. They get along great at times and she bugs him at times. I would like to see more love and less hate but in time I think that will come. I let them sleep together tonight in J's new big kid bed (full size). I haven't let them do that before so we will see how that goes. DH is out of town and they only have a couple weeks left of summer so I thought "what the heck". I better go check to see if they are sleeping. My boy is growing up so fast!!!!

Jenna

My daughter is a very big personality inside a little bitty body. I sometimes look at her and wonder how lucky I got, and sometimes I wonder what God saw in me that made him think I could handle her! I am challenged by this child daily. She has such a wild spirit, and is so unlike me that I sometimes do not know what to do. She just turned 5 years old and is ready to take on the world. She does not like anyone to help her do anything. She is fiercely independent but still wants me close by. She has emotions that run wild. Sometimes she will react in a way that is so unexpected that I am clueless. There are times that I can barely hold it together but I truly love this wild child more than I can imagine. I am a very introverted, shy and reserved person. As I child I rarely spoke unless spoken to. I was not very physical and I definately did not do anything risky. Jenna will do anything. She would do anything by herself. She gets downright mad when she is too short to ride on a carnival ride. She loves everything fast and scary. Loves rollercoasters, go carts, you name it she will try it. One thing she also loves is water. She has no fear of water whatsoever. She has had swimming lessons a number of times but still cannot really float or swim at all. She, however, has no problem jumping into water over her head and hoping someone will rescue her. This scares me to death. I fear that she will do this when someone is not around. We have told her countless times that she must be with an adult at all times. She must never just jump in a pool, even if we are there, unless she tells us she is jumping in. I don't know what to do about this problem. If we are in the boat, she has a life jacket on and has never jumped in alone. In pools she jumps in all over but we are always in the water. It only takes one time for her to choose to do something she shouldn't and with her personality it makes me scared that she could do this. We have also worked on her with her swimming and floating but she is far from knowing how to swim at all. I just pray we will always keep her safe from herself because she is my little firecracker. I have heard of 2 child drowings lately and so it makes me think about my little girl and how I don't know what I would do without her. Keep your babies close to you and hold them tight!

quickie

The 2 kids are in the bath together so this will be random and quick. I am done working, and gearing up for school. I start next weekend. The kids start after labor day. I got J's class list and the one kid who I would NOT want to be in her class is. Out of 4 classes, he is in hers, which sucks but what can ya do. I sure hope he is not going to cause problems. The nice thing about school is that they can send him to the office. In preschool, they didn't have that option. There are 2 girls she knows from preschool and I'm sure she will meet many new friends. We will get B's class assignment at open house next week. B starts football this week and DH is out of town. I don't have any big plans other than let the kids have some playdates here before school starts, got to football practice, and go to open lab at my school (make sure I know all my skills before the weekend when we do them in lab). I also have to buy a lab coat for our prep days, buy my books, look over my math conversions for our test next monday, and study up on my skills. I have to remember how to do a catheter, NG, IV, meds, injections, and vital signs. I did some of these during my internship but not all. I am kind of ready for the kids to be back at school. I probably should get J some new shoes (B's still fit from last year and look pretty good). I also need to get lunch stuff when it gets closer. Neither kid will eat hot lunch much so I will be busy making those darn lunches every morning. I think we got all the school supplies and backpacks. Kids are yelling for me, so gotta run!

Twin Cities Nightmare

I am still in shock about the terrible bridge collapse we had here in my home state. I do not live or drive that far into the city very often, but I have driven over this bridge and it is so scary just because it is one of those things that you never believe will happen. It is something you would never even think while you are driving over a bridge. Something I will think every time I drive over a bridge in the future. We have had 24 hr coverage here today, and I found out that even the TODAY show was in Minneapolis covering their story. I hope you all hug your loved ones a little bit longer today. 20-30 people are still missing, and many cars are in the river. Recovery efforts are going on right now, and my heart is with the families of the missing and those who are hurt or who have died due to this disaster.
http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/08/02/730092.html

HELLO!

I am alive. Yes, I am supposed to be having a relaxing summer but with work, kids, house, travelling, and trying to fit in summer fun at the beach we are out an about much of the day. We are busy this week with VBS and football camp. Signed J up for dance this fall, and we are busy shopping for school supplies for both kids. Very busy! Hope to get an update up soon.

So sorry.

Boy, I'm a great blogger huh? No wonder I don't have many readers! Ha! I am waking up right now at 2:30 pm, why you might ask? I worked the last 2 nights, overnight 12 hours, and I due to work again tonight. It is really tiring but I'm making it. This internship has changed our lives this summer and I'm learning a lot. It is hard to adjust and working again has it's ups and downs but overall, I really am learning so much and enjoying the patients and hospital. I am getting to do a lot of stuff and it will really help in clinicals next year. Plus, I am getting paid. I am actually making money, something I haven't done in almost 5 years. It feels good. I like contributing to our family. The kids are adjusting fine to daycare a couple days a week. They haven't complained once. I think they were actually ready to do something like this. It keeps things interesting and they have kids to play with their. Even my J, who is attached to my hip most days, is doing great and I'm so proud of both of them. I have 6 weeks left then I will be back to being a student rather than an employee, but this time next year I will probably be starting a new job (unless I take the summer off first - very tempting!)

Other than that, our summer is going fast and has been fun. We have been spending quality family time together and loving it. My kids are at such a great age. I love it. They are my little companions and my best buds. We have our moments but I really am so lucky.

I am off to get something to eat upstairs and wait for the rest of my family to get home. Sorry about the no posting lately!!