Roundup

I thought I would do a general catch-up type of post today.

We have all been passing around a really nasty cold. Remarkably, I was the last to get it this time. Luke has avoided all the sicknesses this year until this one and I got it after him. Nathan got it first and then Julia. We think Lauren has it but it is hard to tell.

So - other than the bad cold thing what has been going on?

Well - feeding and playing with Lauren take up like 80% of my time it seems - especially when she doesn't nap - which is most of the time. I have been working on travel plans to New York in June for Nathan's scans. I have also spent some time on the phone with our insurance company and New York Presbyterian Hospital. This hospital is actually in-network for us, but of course it wasn't that simple. Nathan stayed in their PICU after his surgery since Memorial Sloan Kettering doesn not have a PICU. The attending physician in the PICU is out-of network. Well - it is not like we could pick and choose who attended to Nathan. I don't know how a hospital can be in network and then have it's inpatient doctors not be. So - the insurance company is resubmitting it. It might not seem like a big deal - having to pay 80% of this physician's fee. However - the insurance company has their "reasonable" charge amounts and will pay 80% of those. There is a big gulf between what this doctor charged and the amount the insurance company is willing to pay. So.... I guess we will see what happens. They are trying to collect from us and they have put it on hold for 30 days. If I have to appeal again there might be a choice of a negative mark on our credit or paying more than we owe. This is not the first time this has happened. Ugh.

What else? We have some friends moving back in town after moving to Florida a year and a half ago. The husband was here working this week and we had him over to dinner. It was a good excuse to cook and clean.

I have been playing my guitar and the piano lately. We moved our keyboard to the living room from the basement so I could use it more. When I pick up the guitar, often Nathan joins me on his ukelele ad Julia on the keyboard. I can stand that for about 2 minutes.

Fun task for today....steam cleaning strawberry milk out of the van.

This has gotten long enough I will save updates on everyone else for another entry.

April in Colorado

Yesterday the kids were in shorts. It's kind of hard to see but there is snow in that picture.

Pictures

Kate thought I should share some recent pics of the kids. There are some cute ones of Lauren I can't post because she is naked... Darn perverted internet people. These are mostly of Lauren since she is the most interesting person in the family to take pictures of currently.

She blinded me with....

Science......Channel that is.

I have recently caught a few of the offerings on the Science Channel. I am not sure how well-subscribed it is. We get it on D*TV as one of the extra channels in a package that gives us lots of kids channels.

If you are thirty-something like me you may have watched Mr. Roger's Neighborhood on PBS as a child. Well - I'll take that back because my kids used to watch it on PBS kids channel. But anyway...I loved when he would go to a factory and film how crayons (for example) are made. The Science Channel has a half hour program devoted just to this: How It's Made I never get tired of watching those specialized machines perform their unique tasks and then see hundred drones of the finished product roll off.

Tonight I watched Survivorman for the third time. This guy goes out in the "wilderness" for a week with limited supplies and a bunch of cameras and batteries and survives off the land. In tonight's episode he was set adrift on the ocean in a emergency raft. He is alone, but is monitored in some way for safety. I love to see the "McGuyver" types of things he come up with to survive.

I saw many ads for an upcoming show I am very interested in seeing called Cool Fuel. Here is a blurb:

Shaun Murphy and the Coolfuel Crew set off on an incredible journey to conquer the American Road without gasoline. Can they make it across the country on custom built machines, running on fuels such as corn whiskey ethanol, garbage and wind?

So - if any of you are actually looking for more TV to watch (hah!) You have my recommendations for a channel to surf to

The survey says....

Normally I don't answer telephone surveys. For some reason I decided to participate in a radio survey a few months back. I was asked about my listening habits and stations.

They called back a few weeks ago and I begged off and now I know they are in Ohio and so I ignored them using caller ID a few times. Tonight I answered the phone almost before I really registered who was calling and it was the radio survey people.

Well, this time I was asked to listen to clips of songs (ended up being 35 of them) and rate them as follows:

unfamiliar with
never liked
tired of
no opinion
like
favorite

They are building playlists for stations using these surveys. It hadn't occurred to me that they do this - though it makes sense.

So - I felt good about my musical tastes influencing (in a very small way) what people are hearing on the radio.

I had several "never liked". They were either Shania Twain or Faith Hill crossover adult contemporary types. Also - there were two Aerosmith songs. I like most everything Aerosmith but these were the worst two songs - once again - almost as if written to be adult contemporary. I was pleased to be able to rate a Depeche Mode song as a favorite, among some others.

My Easter treats

Those of you who know me know I am not overly "girly" but I admit I was excited to be able to buy matching dresses for my little girls for the first time. Nathan picked out his new tie.

I have been a singing fool these past two weeks. I attending 12 hours of rehearsals and sang in seven services. I even missed 4 hours of rehearsals and 4 services. I woke up at 3:30 am this morning to nurse Lauren and get ready to go to church by 5:00 am. I sang in an outdoor sunrise service at a nearby park. It was a very cool experience (leterally and figuratively) and definately worth the lack of sleep. Afterwards we all rushed to busses and I sang in the 7:00 am and 8:30 am services as well. Luke brought the kids at 8:00 so I could quickly nurse Lauren in the cry room between services and then we all went home after the 8:30 service.

We just got back from a family walk. The weather is absolutely perfect. It is 70 degrees, sunny and 13% humidity.

Luke is putting Lauren down for a nap and Nathan and Julia are sequestered in the basement for maximum quietness. The sun is streaming in the window and there is a gentle breeze blowing through the room. Ahh....

Ok - well that was a nice moment - but the kids are upstairs again. Lauren is still sleeping at least...for the moment...

Baby toes

Well - I sat down to blog but instead I have a baby on my lap and am eating some yummy baby toes. I will try to catch up on the blogging later.

Note to teachers

Dear school or Sunday school teacher

Please don't send something that needs to be kept alive home with my 3, 4 or 5 year old. I already need to keep a 5 year old, 4 year old, 4 month old and dog fed and watered. Besides, we have plenty of grass in our yard. We really don't need to have more growing on our window sill.

p.s. oh - and Sunday school teacher, please do not give a whole donut to my 5 year old as he leaves class. One sticky donut + 2 kids = crying + mess.

The subconscious mind

So - I set my alarm for 5:50 am before bed last night. I checked the time and turned it right to the setting to the radio alarm. It goes past "on" when I do this. This fact becomes important later. I went to sleep.

Around midnight, mostly asleep, for some reason I turned off my alarm. As soon as I did it I was awake and knew what I had done. I reached over to turn it back on and when I did I noticed I heard nothing as I slid it past the "on" setting. The radio volume was down all the way. I turned it up.

The alarm would not have made a peep this morning. My subconscious mind must have taken note when I set it and alerted me in the night.

I love it when things like that happen.

Ahhh....time for me

So - when this weekend ends I will have spent some nice blocks of time (mostly) kid-free. Since Lauren has been born there have been very few such moments.

Yesterday I had choir rehearsal from 9 - 12. I brought Lauren with me and left her in the nursery so I could sneak out and nurse her half-way through. After I can home and nursed Lauren again I went out for about an hour and a half searching for an outfit to wear to an upcoming event. I usually like to shop but my choices are so limited. I need something dressy I can wear and be able to use my breast pump - so two pieces. Yet - I don't want it to look to much like a business suit or be suited mostly for a 60 year old woman. Anyway - I had no luck but I did enjoy my time out.

Today I ran off to church at 7:00. Luke brought the kids in and met me in the cry room where I quickly nursed Lauren between services. I sang all three services this morning and need to be back in 4 hours for this evening special service. I will be going off by myself again. Lauren takes a bottle at 6:00 so I am free! I enjoy simply being in the car by myself. No little voices asking inane question from the back. Just my thoughts and music. Ahhhhhh.

The little amount of family time we have had this weekend has been good. Luke's aunt is in town and we went to visit her and then out to dinner at Chili's. I had a strawberry margarita that cost as much as my entree but was worth it. The whole bottle at 6:00 thing also allows me to have a drink with dinner. Yay!

Anyway - back the alone thing. I am not one of those women who want to be with their kids 24/7. I can't fathom that. I have always had the need for alone time. I just recently realized it was wearing on me and even though I only got a few hours of sleep last night I feel refreshed from having my own time and doing something I love (singing).

Who looks like who?

Nathan
Julia
Lauren 

Palm Sunday

I have been remiss in writing about choir. We are getting ready for Palm Sunday and Easter. This has meant lots of extra rehearsals and also lots of cool music.

The choir director (Minister of Music as well) has composed three original pieces for Palm Sunday. Every year the Palm Sunday evening concert has a theme based on events from the previous year. This year it is hurricane Katrina. The writing is reminiscent of John Rutter and very evocative. In the song titled "Thank you Lord for the Storms in Our Lives" the music ebbs and flows like the surf. We are singing acapella.

We rehearsed a little of our Easter music last night and we are singing the Hallelujah Chorus. Very fun!

Baby Sitting

She's getting big too fast!

Three too many

I subscribe to a listserv for neuroblastoma. This listserv has literally been a lifesaver for us. Without it I would not have known about the uniquely talented surgeon who has removed tumors from Nathan that other doctors could not. I would also not have known aout the antibody therapy that I also believe is one of the reasons Nathan is still here with us.

This listserv also serves as emotional support for the family members. In the last 24 hours, three children have died. One of these kids was a walking miracle. He was in treatment for 84 months before achieving remission. He had been cancer free for three years. Normally a child who does not reach remission in the first 7 months or so will die. Well - he died, not from cancer, but from a perferated bowel. Most likely his abdominal surgeries and cancer treatments were a contributing factor.

It is all just so sobering.

There is a member of the listserv whose 40 year old husband has been battling this children's cancer for 3 years. She writes in prose, mostly and never in caps. She wrote something today I would like to share:

i do not think I shall ever understand
how real life is opposite
to what seems right

strength comes out of weakness

love is forged in the fires of battle

patience comes through trials

wisdom comes through loss

grace comes through pain

kindness and compassion come through having been wounded

such things
all the money in the world cannot buy

and if

we are lucky enough to possess any of them

even for a moment

it shall come through real trial

and we cannot ever

close our hand over it and keep it as our own


it is given

to share and to be given away freely


because

crazily enough

the more you give away

the more you have


how strange life is

carrie

Interesting Tidbit

This was forwarded to me....

On Wednesday at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.......[1,2.3.4.5.6]

That will never happen again.

You may now return to your (normal?) life.

Hot men

So - Luke's most recent blog entry is of women with guitars. He likes Lisa Loeb in particular. He mentions her in his entry title "if I were single"

Ha!

I thought I should reciprocate with two of my favorite leading men.