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Monday, March 29, 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Woohoo!!!

Done Done Done Done Done!

Now on to Pesach...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

School Strikes Again

While most of you are stressing about Pesach, I'm stressing about school.

I had/have THREE exams this week.

Anatomy Lab Exam this past Monday (rocked it)

Microbiology Exam tomorrow morning (expect to hopefully pull off a B. I despise memorizing algae and protozoa. So I'm not and hoping for the best...it's multiple choice)

Anatomy Exam on Thursday morning. Do not have enough time to study. Am freaking out. Will be nowhere near as prepared as the previous exam. Also hope for a B.

But I will be done with all the exams just in time to turn over my kitchen for Pesach...fun fun!

Thank G-d I have a LIST...

as a sidebar, Dovi is just fine. know that that blood pressure was insane and not good. But it's all part of the fun with FD and it went away just as quickly as it came. We know his blood pressure is high when he's all red and kinda puffy looking. Like he was again tonight, but I opted not to take his blood pressure. Gave him his meds and put him to bed...

Oh and by the way, everyone...nursing program acceptance letters go on on or before APRIL 1...which is NEXT WEEK! We all know that my letter will arrive on the first day of Pesach so as to maximize my stress.

Monday, March 22, 2010

You know you have a kid with FD when...

You take his blood pressure and it's 159/121 and your response is "hmm...interesting"

Friday, March 19, 2010

OK I've seriously, totally, 100% lost my mind

I don't even know why I am humiliating myself this way.

I guess because I think it's kinda funny. When you spend your days doing online tutorials of the bones and muscles of the torso and skull, you get kind of insane. (What's the muscle that allows you to raise and lower your yeah? It runs from the mastoid process to the sternum...)

So my upstairs bathroom sink was draining slowly for the past week or so. I'm sure there's some big ole nasty hairball in there. On Tuesday it stopped draining altogether. Well you all know that I'm cheap thrifty. I'd seen an "As Seen on TV" ad.


I figured...it has to work, right? So I headed out to CVS and bought one With my Extra Care Bucks, have no fear. You don't think I'd actually pay, did you? As I was driving home, I realized that this was a historic moment:

The first time I've bought an As Seen on TV item. Although I've heard that the onion chopper does work really well and I'm contemplating buying it for Pesach.

So I decided to video the inaugural use of an As Seen on TV item.

Seriously. I've lost my mind. I think I should ask everyone to just close their browser, or better yet, I should have some self respect and stop this post altogether. But it seems that I am like a car crash that I can't walk away from so I feel compelled to share this experience with all you, my little bloggy-friends.





And the car crash continues.




I just watched the videos. Seriously? What on earth is my problem? I'm clearly insane.


Oh. And Jacob's really funny. Check out his Bananagrams.


The plumber is currently upstairs fixing my sink.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

And the End of the Skunk Saga

Animal Control picked it up last night.

All's safe again in the backyard.

Steph-there is no chance in the universe that Benjie would pick up a dead skunk. He doesn't like to take out the garbage at night due to skunk phobia! :)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Skunk Status Report

(I know you all need to know, otherwise you won't be able to sleep tonight)

I called Animal Control again this morning:

Me: "I need to have a dead skunk removed from my yard"

Her: "I have in the computer that you called about a live skunk yesterday"

Me: "Well yesterday, it was alive. Today, it is dead"

She laughed.

The skunk is STILL here.

Animal Control called me back. They'll hopefully come either tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks a lot.

He's everywhere!

Click HERE

Maybe I should explain...watch the top banner-wait for a Chai Lifeline ad :)

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Garbage Will Not be Taken Out

Until minimally tomorrow morning.


Why, you inquire?

Well, I'll tell you. (Like you have a choice. This is my blog and I'm tellin' ya)

This afternoon, I was innocently making dinner (cottage cheese pancakes, french onion soup, and vegetable casserole bake thingy which is yum and will be good for Pesach) and there was a knock on my front door.

All the kids were playing in front so I wondered why they were knocking to come in.

Well it wasn't my kids, it was a neighbor's kid.

It seems that there is a half dead skunk in my backyard.

Initially they thought it was dead, but they changed their opinion. I didn't argue with them about it. Dead or half dead, it has to leave. my. yard.

So I called Animal Control and my neighbor who works at the alderman's office.

Then I threatened all the children who were in front (most of whom were not mine) that if they went anywhere near, even close to the backyard, they would be sent home. Immediately. No second chances.

Animal Control has not yet come. Deep, cleansing breaths.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Pesach is Coming...We're so Happy!

Well kinda.

Why are we so happy you ask?

It certainly cannot be all the cooking and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning .

Nope, it's the company that's coming!

Benjie's sister and her family are coming in from Israel! We haven't seen them in over 5 years!

We haven't met half of their kids, and the ones we did were 2 years old and a baby the last time they were here!

So we are rather excited. Shana is over the moon to have three more girl cousins here to play with! It should be fun and hectic-just the way we like it.

But I still do have to cook and clean, all the while studying for my microbiology midterm, my anatomy lab exam, and my anatomy midterm, which will all be taken the week before Pesach.

So drastic measures need to be taken. The week(s) before Pesach will require surgeon-like precision and organization.

This calls for another Excel spreadsheet. Many of you know of my great love for (a) excel and (b) lists. In my opinion, there is nothing in life that cannot be accomplished with a good list in excel. I've made one every year, and I just updated it for this year.

So then I got to thinking...most of my little bloggy's readers are people who might benefit from this list I was specifically thinking of all my deal counselor boys whom I know are slaving away cleaning for Pesach even as I type!

So I figured, what the heck...or "what the hecky heck" as my lovely children have taken to saying. Where on earth they learned that I cannot imagine..Must. nip. such. language. in. the. bud.

But I digress (as usual). I figured...what the hecky heck? I might as well share said spreadsheet with all you lovely readers.

A few notes:
I do NOT spring clean.
I do not clean most of my second floor-my kids never eat upstairs and my cleaning lady cleans upstairs every week.
I do NOT wash all my toys. My kids are not 2 years old and gnawing on teether biscuits while building with Duplos.
I do NOT go crazy.

So here you go.... Pesach in a spreadsheet. It has about 5 years on it, with various menus and shopping lists. Feel free to make my exact menus. They were tasty. Click here to download.

And try not to hyperventilate.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I'm still alive, I promise!

Dovi had a great trip to New York.

As did I...I slept until 9:30 am 2 out of 3 mornings I was away, and 10 am the 3rd...

Played with my nieces and one nephew who was present...

Went to Daffy's and Century 21 (OMG. Favorite. New. Store. Ever). All I can say is that it's a good thing I don't live in New Jersey because we'd honestly be broke from those two stores...

Went out to pizza with my sisters in law...why can't we have reasonable pizza in the Midwest?...

Spent Sunday morning writing my paper for Anatomy class (which needs to be proofed and then turned in. A month early)...

Flew home Sunday night-got on a flight 3 hours early...

DVD player battery died...Laptop battery died...Dovi entertained himself by stacking plastic and paper United Airlines cups...

I actually DO have a good story from the flight home...

Pesach is coming!...

I have THREE tests the week before, so I might be a little scarce...

I love you all bloggy readers!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Off to New York!

Tomorrow night, Dovi and I are off to New York...

he's going to a Camp Simcha Special Reunion-up at camp! He's so excited.

So am I. For him. But frankly I could do without an unnecessary trip to New York. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to be seeing my brothers/sisters in law/nieces/nephew. (sister? brother in law? nephews? Rebecca, will I be seeing you guys? Not sure how we'd pull that off)

But I really have zero, zip, zilch, NADA interest in the whole packing/shelpping/unpacking/repacking/more shlepping rigmarole that is entailed to transport Dovi anywhere.

Slight panic yesterday when we thought there might be an issue getting Dovi's portable oxygen concentrator, the Sequal Eclipse, the love of my life. I wish beyond belief that I had the $4,000 laying around to buy one of those suckers just to have. It's so difficult every time we travel to order it from home health. It's never simple and always a headache. At least it arrived today!

Basically, I'm flying Dovi to New York tomorrow night, we're sleeping at my brother's in New Jersey, and then I'm driving him to the bus up to camp on Friday morning. Chai Lifeline will bring him to the airport to me on Sunday.

Which means that I am my-child-free from Friday morning until Sunday night! Don't worry, it's not going to be so exciting. I'm planning on using that time to write my Anatomy/Physiology paper. Yes, I have to write a paper for A/P. Let's not even go there. I printed all my sources (guess what my topic is...) and will bring my laptop and hopefully pound out 8 pages on Sunday. It shouldn't be too hard. I...ahem...know the topic pretty well.

I'm sure I'll squeeeeeze a little trip to Daffy's in there (how's about Saturday night, Tams?), but all in all it will be a rather bizarre weekend for me.

But an awesome one for Dovi!

So it's all worth it.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Happy Purim a few days late!

So....Sunday was Purim. It was busy!!

Last night I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 8:30 pm!

First, let's start with our Mishloach Manos.


One fine Purim day
A pretty geisha, two pirates, and a baseball guy
Went out to play

At a picnic they decided to meet
But first they needed to decide what to eat.

Sushi, chose the geisha without delay
For sushi was her favorite food every day

The baseball guy chose peanuts and beer
For when you see that pair you know baseball is near

The pirates, they were very bold
Instead of food they wanted to bring their gold.

Well sushi and peanuts didn’t go so well together
So regular picnic food they decided to eat in the picnic weather

Brownies and lemonade, watermelon they did pack
This was surely a better picnic snack

But those sneaky little pirates, they did not care
They snuck in some gold coins for you to share

A Freilichin Purim from the P crew
A Happy Day from Us to You.

Happy Purim from the P Family
Benjie, Sara,
Baseball Guy Dovi,
Pirate Elisha, Geisha Shana, and Pirate Jakie











Now...moving on to the Mishloach Manos that we gave to the kids' teachers! Pretty cute, huh?



The most special part of the day for Dovi was when he got a visit from the Kids Of Courage guys. Every year, groups of guys come to Chicago on Purim to collect for various charitable causes. A group of boys came out to collect for the next Kids of Courage trip. They came to our house and really added to our day!