Slow Down, Gym Shoe!

Rafael's Disappearing Act

One day recently, Rafael was explaining to me how he lost the small "UglyDoll" I had bought for him at the toy store a few days earlier. "One minute I was holding it, and then, whoosh! It was gone!" he complained.

I told him, I sure knew that feeling! I guess it goes with the ADHD territory. You let your attention wander for one second, and suddenly you've lost something! (Remember my infamous money clip?)

So. Yesterday I actually lost Rafael!

I took them to the mall (which just happens to be the biggest mall in the state of Illinois, and one of the biggest malls in the USA!) for a kids club event they were having there. The event involved a woman playing a guitar and singing silly songs while the children danced. Most of the kids there were preschoolers, but Little Bear and Rafael had the day off of school, so they were among the oldest of the audience members. Little Bear obediently took Pufferfish by the hand and went to join the other kids while I signed us into the club and got our gift bags, but Rafael hung back. He was either too cool for this type of thing, or too shy to go dance and have fun with Little Bear and Pufferfish.

"You can sit down over there on the steps if you want," I said, offering Rafael a way to watch the musician without having to sit on the floor with all of the other kids.

I got my camera out of my jacket, and snapped a picture of Little Bear and Pufferfish dancing. Although now they weren't really dancing... Little Bear had realized she was the oldest one there, and was starting to put on a sulky face, while Pufferfish was realizing that I wasn't right next to her, and was looking around for me.

I snapped the picture just as Little Bear spotted me. She grabbed Pufferfish and came marching towards me, whining, "Pufferfish wants you!"

"Pufferfish, I'm right here! I can't go in front with the kids, because I'm a grown up and I'm too tall," I told the clinging Pufferfish. "Go dance with your sister and make it fun for her," I implored the pouting Little Bear.

"But where's Rafael?" asked Little Bear.

"He's right... uh..." Okay, where was Rafael? I scanned the crowds frantically, but I didn't see him. "Hmmm, I dunno. Can you just take the baby and dance with her while I look?" I asked.

I walked around the room over and over, searching for Rafael with one eye while keeping another eye on the girls. I couldn't find him. I darted over to the play area a few yards away, and looked for him among the slides and tunnels. No Rafael.

I tried to stay calm. I had lost children before. I had never lost one of these children before, but I had once lost an eleven-year-old boy with Bipolar Disorder and developmental delays who I was caring for. That had been at a smaller mall, and it was a little different because the boy had gotten angry with me and actually ran away, jumping onto an elevator before I could stop him. That time, I had hurried into a cell phone store and asked them to call security. The security guards had fanned out across the mall, and broadcast descriptions of the boy to all mall employees, and within minutes my frustrated little dude had been found talking to a janitor. I was sure, in a mall this huge, the security guards would have an expert way of finding a little kid quickly.

So I went and grabbed the girls, and went to the near by customer service desk to ask them to call security. After a while a sleepy security guard joined us, and "helped" by walking around and around the play area with us, half-heartedly looking for Rafael.

If you've ever lost a kid for even a few minutes in a store, you know the feeling. Your heart stops, and your brain flies ahead of you, imagining every possible scenario that could be happening. He had been right there with me one minute, and then, whoosh, he was gone! How could he have just disappeared? He was not a toddler... it would have been hard for someone to have grabbed him and ran off, without being noticed. And he knew better than to go willingly with a stranger... didn't he? I had talked to the kids about that. He would remember that, right? Right? Where was he? I was carrying Pufferfish in one arm now, holding Little Bear's hand in the other, afraid to let either one of them out of my sight now that the world was such an uncertain place.

"He's seven years old! He's old enough to know not to wander off," I kept saying. "I just don't think he would have gone off without us!"

Finally I thought to ask one of the people running the children's event, "Have you seen that little boy who was with me when I signed in?"

The ladies hadn't seen him, but they quickly started walking around and helping me look for him.

Within minutes, one of the ladies came over to me, a grinning Rafael in tow.

And then it was over, just as quickly as it had started. Rafael was safe! We were all laughing! I wanted to hug him and shake him all at once! "Rafael, where were you?" I demanded.

"I was sitting right over there by the wall," he told me. He showed me where he'd been sitting, on the floor against the wall, behind a group of parents with strollers. "I wasn't lost! I could see you!"

"If you could see me looking for you, why didn't you come get me?" I pointed out.

Rafael shrugged. "I didn't know you were looking for me. I just thought, `Who is Nicki looking for?`"

Ugh, of course!

Here is a picture I snapped of Rafael afterwards, showing me where he'd been sitting against a wall, blocked from my view.

And here are a few pics of Pufferfish, who finally managed to go and dance and have fun!

 

When the kids were younger, and when Tigerlily used to come with us places, I would write my cellphone number on strips of bright blue painter's tape and stick it to their backs. I haven't done that in a long time, because these days its usually just me and Pufferfish out in the world. and its a lot easier to keep track of one kid than four... and because I thought Little Bear and Rafael were too big to need my phone number on their backs! But I've threatened to go back to doing that... and it may be a good idea!

  
 
 
 
 

Guess Who Met Dora?

The other day I read that Dora The Explorer was going to be visiting kids at the local children's museum today. I thought Pufferfish would have loved that, but I definitely didn't have enough money for the children's museum! So, when I found out that Dora would also be at the mall, for free, I was so excited!

I didn't even tell Pufferfish about it until we got to the mall and I saw the signs. Knowing my track record, I was afraid I'd somehow mess up the date or something! But sure enough, Dora was at the mall! She read a story to her little fans, and then posed for pictures with them.

I had pictured her being one of those big, costumed Dora that looks just like a blown up version of the cartoon. But this one as an actual person-sized person, dressed up in Dora's clothes and backpack! She definitely didn't look like the tiny little girl from the cartoon. Maybe that was why Pufferfish was a little nervous about sitting on her lap!

Here she is clinging to Jimmy, who came along for the fun of it.

We got her to sit on Dora's lap, but only for a few seconds! (Do you see what I mean about Dora not really looking like herself?)

Afterwards, we went into the Too Cool store and Jimmy bought Pufferfish a sheet of sparkly Dora stickers, so it was all good! And the interesting thing was, later on Pufferfish remembered the day as if she'd had an awesome time! She danced around the house, telling everyone who came over that she'd gotten to meet Dora at the mall! Little kids are funny that way, aren't they!!!

We Love Gymboree!

Pufferfish and I have been going to Gymboree for a few weeks now. I started taking her there because I felt like she needed to be in some sort of weekly class to start getting used to the concept, because this coming fall she is hopefully going to start three-year-old preschool!

We first tried out the Play And Learn class,which is all about climbing around on the special mats and equipment while also following teacher directions and using imagination. For instance, the day we sampled it, the theme was camping, so the kids had to gather wood (balls) to make a fire, and go on a "hike" around the equipment, and stuff like that. I thought for sure I would sign Pufferfish up for that one, but I also decided to try out the Music class. I ended up loving that one! Well, I mean, I love the way Pufferfish interacts in that class. The kids get to play lots of musical instruments and do little kid dances and rhymes. He first time we went, Pufferfish was very shy and stuck to my leg, but I could still tell that she liked the songs and the musical instruments. And now, every time we go, she opens up a little more!

Its crazy because there are certain parts of the class that she always refuses to participate in. For instance, if we have to dance, she usually wants me to hold her and she doesn't want to dance. But then afterwards, we'll be at home and she'll start singing the songs and asking me to show her the dances!  And there's one part of the class where the teacher talks about crescendo and decrescendo, and the kids have to play their bells or maracas soft soft soft louder LOUD LOUD LOUD!!! Every week, the teacher asks the kids if they remember what it is called. There is one little girl who sometimes says the word, but most of the other toddlers still don't, including Pufferfish. Anyway, today in the car on the way home Pufferfish suddenly started yelling, "Crescendo! Crescendo!" And when we got home we practiced doing a crescendo by poundiing on the kitchen table! I figure by the time Pufferfish gets to first grade, she'll be the only kid in the class who already knows what crescendo and decrescendo mean!

It is kind of hard to take pictures of Pufferfish in Gymboree because she is generally on top of me, but I manged to snap a few to show you.

The class usually starts and ends with the kids banging on this big drum!

One of Pufferfish's favorite times is when Miss Kim drags out the big box of musical instruments, and the kids get to choose whatever they want and just jam! Pufferfish looks a little somber here, because I had just been trying to explain to her that she had to back up a few steps in order for me to take a picture!

She also likes painting the walls to the rhythm of rock music!

Here she is, caught dancing in an unguarded moment!

She also loves it when the teacher reads (or, sings, rather) a story to the kids!

Towards the end, Miss Kim pulls out the bubbles and the kids get to catch them and pop them! They're weird bubbles because they don't pop right away when you touch them, so you can actually catch them and hold them!

At the very end, all the kids line up to get stamps on their hands,,, 

... or wherever else they want them!

Another nice part of this class is that, afterwards, Pufferfish and the other kids can play for fifteen minutes or so in the play and learn part! Pufferfish definitely loves getting her energy out there!

Here is Pufferfish "surfing." One of the teachers complimented her on her sense of balance today!

As we were leaving, today, Pufferfish asked me at least three times, "Can we come back here next week?"And of course, I told her, YES!

Pictures From Little Bird's Birthday Trip To The City

 So, here are the pics from last weekend! I guess I didn't actually take many pictures at the American Girl Place... I took more at the John Hancock Building!

Here is Little Bird at my mom's house, all excited as we got ready to head to the city!

Little Bird at McDonalds in the city. This used to be Rock 'n' Roll McDonalds, which is part of the reason we went there... but it turns out that now its just a huge,  regular McDonalds! Little Bird still enjoyed being in a huge McDonalds!

Me and Little Bird at McDonalds!

Little Bird listens to the audio tour at the John Hancock Building. The audio tour is so cool!

 

There was a cool photo-opp thing where you could pretend to be  window washer! Here is Little Bird washing the windows!

My Aunt Betsy tries her hand at washing the pretend window! 

Me and Little Bird let this dude hail us a cab outside of some ritzy hotel!

Little Bird at the American Girl restaurant, where Kit got her own seat of honor at the table!
 

Me with my aunt, my mom, and Little Bird! (and Kit!)

They served us this whole platter of tea sandwiches!

 It was a great time! I love the city... I hope we can go more often as the weather gets nicer!
 

 
 

 
 

 

 

We Are American Girls!

 Do you remember when American Girls first came out? There were only three of them, and tou could only buy them through the mail. Each one came from a different time period in history. There were also books about each doll. I was about 9 when some of my friends started getting American Girl dolls... but my mom said I couldn't have one because they were too expensive! I would get the books out of the library, though.

The company who made those cool dolls sure has changed, since then! I think because they were taken over by Mattel. Now you can buy hundreds of different dolls, complete with houses and accessories and anything you can imagine! Of course Mattel has to take a great thing and make it explode pink fluff all over the place!

I live near Chicago, home of the original American Girl store, but I have never been there. But this past Christmas, my cousin Little Bird, who is turning eight at the end of this month, got an American Girl doll! She got Kit Kettridge, who is one of the historical dolls. As an early birthday present for her, my mom made reservations for Little Bird, my aunt, my mom and I to go to the American Girl restaurant for tea!

I took a bunch of pictures, but I am at my mom's so I don't have my camera connector. You'll have to wait a few days to see for yourself all the fun we had! ;)

We went to a few other places, but the American Girl store was definitely the high point for Little Bird! At tea, her Kit doll got to sit in a little booster seat at the table, and had her own plate and cup. And afterwards, we spent about an hour browsing in the giant store, for the perfect new outfit for Kit!

Little Bear also got an American Girl doll for Christmas from her grandparents. She got the kind where you choose a doll that looks just like you. Those ones don't come with books or stories or anything. Little Bear likes it, but she's definitely not as into the whole American Girl theme as Little Bird is... which I guess, in a way, is good, because those dolls and all of their accessories are expensive! For us, going to the American Girl store, having tea there, and letting Little Bird get a new outfit for her doll, was a big deal. But, dude. There were people there who were just handing their kids giant shopping bags and letting the kids fill them up! There were little girls there with three or four dolls in their arms! And people were all decked out, with fur coats and big fur hats and jewels and everything.

On our way out, we saw a man with a little boy about 8 or 9 years old, asking passerbyers for money for a bus ride to a homeless shelter.

It seems so weird to me that, in the same city, there can be people who are able to pile a several hundreds of dollars worth of toys into their kids arms on a regular day... while other people are struggling to even put a roof over their kids' heads!

But I guess that is a whole 'nother topic!

Stay tuned, because I'll post some pics of our trip to the city, once I get my connector!

The New Klub In Town!

Pufferfish and I tried out a new place that just opened up near where we live, called Kiddie Klub Lane. We spent the whole day inside yesterday, and the day before that we only went to the library, so I felt like we needed something special to brighten our week! This place, Kiddie Klub Lane, is owned by a couple with four kids of their own. They wanted to create a fun place for toddlers and preschoolers. The little village of playhouse structures (which, by the way, were built by the same company who built the backyard playhouses for Jon And Kate)are the perfect sizes for little munchkins! Pufferfish absolutely loved this place! She didn't want to leave!

The people who own it are really cool, and they are full of plans for their new business, including adding lights to the insides of the playhouses, having art and music days, and running a mom and toddler playgroup. They are open to suggestions, too, so it sort of feels like, if you go there now, you're sort of on the cusp of something great!

I took a few pictures of Pufferfish while we were there. Wanna see? Sure you do!

Me: "Look, Pufferfish, a puppet show!"

Pufferfish: "Where's the remote?"

Pufferfish is off to fight a fire!

Pufferfish loved this huge dalmation! (We dressed him in the firefighter's outfit!)

Pufferfish fixes a meal in the diner!

Pufferfish plays with the cash register at the general store.
 
 

Pufferfish takes a ride in her pink cadillac!  

This is not a sponsored post in any way... but I really do appreciate a family that has found a way to start their own business doing something they truly enjoy, while also spreading joy to other families! They are living the dream. So, if you are ever in the western suburbs of Chicago, make sure you check this place out! (You can see their website here!)

 

Sleep Out Saturday!

Some of you may know that i spent several years being homeless. So did Little Bear's dad. In fact, thats how we all became a family... Anthony and I were both eighteen years old when we met, as two homeless teenagers staying in an adult shelter. We were the youngest people in the shelter by a decade, and we stuck together like glue. We called each other brother and sister. Later that year, Anthony went to jail for supposedly helping to steal a car. (I don't really think he did it, since he never even learned how to drive well enough to get down the driveway until many years later!) While Anthony was in jail, I became friends with Diana. Anthony got out of jail, and Diana often drove me to visit him where he was staying in the city. Eventually, the two of them fell in love, got married, Anthony adopted Monkeyboy, and Little Bear was born!

Anyway, every year on the first Saturday in November, the county where I live has this event called Sleep Out Saturday, where a lot of people agree to sleep outside for one night and experience a little bit of what homeless people experience. Monkeyboy, Marcus, Sarah and I did it last year. This year Monkeyboy and Sarah didn't want to do it, and Marcus lives in the city now... but Little Bear really wanted to try it! So I brought her with me.

We do Sleep Out Saturday through a church near our house, where Little Bear and I also sometmes attend services. (I actually discovered this church through last year's Sleep Out Saturday, and once we moved to this town, we were only a few blocks from it, so I decided to start attending.) At this church, the high school youth group does Sleep Out Saturday, but they invite the entire church community to participate too. Except usually nobody ever does. So it was just the youth group, plus me and Little Bear! It was very cool though. The youth group leaders and kids made Little Bear feel very special, and it really was a great experience.

When we first got there, we had to set up our spot to sleep, out in the front yard of the church, using cardboard boxes. Here are some pictures of the dwelling we pulled together. I used three boxes to make a sort of two-room box, where Little Bear and I could lay next to each other, and see each other through a window, but have our own space. Little Bear also had a "living room", the big blue box that the high school kids had decorated.

Next we watched a movie called My Own Four Walls, which is a documentary where kids who are or have been homeless talk about their experiences. Did you know that the average age of a homeless person is nine? And in the county where I live, its eight? Most people think of homeless people as being adults, especially with addictions and mental illnesses and what-not. There are many homeless adults, including people with mental illness or addiction, but the number of homeless children greatly outweigh them.

After that, we did a project where each person got two dollars, and we had to go to the grocery store and try to buy enough food for a meal. Little Bear and I teamed up with some others in the group, pooled our money, and had a feast of PBJ sandwiches, chips, carrots, and chocolate milk. The object of that project was for the kids to realize that healthy food actually costs more than junk food. A lot of the kids wanted to get something from the dollar menu at McDonalds, but they had to realize that a person can't live for very long on the Dollar Menu alone! They also had to realize that, for a homeless person, actually having two dollars to spend on a meal might be a rare luxury!

We went to a rally where Sleep Out Saturday participants from all over the county gathered. It was pretty boring for Little Bear... a lot of listening to speakers and just walking around... but one cool thing was, they taught us how to do the dance to that Black Eyed Peas song, "I Got A Feeling." Remember how on Oprah the Black Eyed Peas played that song and everyone started dancing? That was the dance we learned! Little Bear loved that. Plus. at least she got a free T-Shirt!

When it got late at night, we made S'mores outside. Well, probably most homeless people don't make S'mores on a regular basis, but... it was fun!
 
 

Little Bear adored this one group leader, "Z" (thats her actual nickname) who spent a ton of time with us.

Little Bear stayed up pretty late!

Here she is in front of the Sleep Out Saturday sign...

--- running around the tents trying to hide from me...

---and just sitting around.

Eventually she got tired and wanted to crawl into her cardboard box. I gave her about four hundred blankets and tried to make her as snuggly as possible, and she fell asleep quickly. Here's Little Bear tucked into her box!

In the middle of the night, though, Little Bear got cold, so we went inside and slept in the sanctuary with a few other people. We slept well for the rest of the night. Here is Little Bear when we first woke up in the sanctuary! It was cool because we woke up to the sunlight streaming through the colorful stained glass windows. Little Bear said she wished there were stickers that you could put on regular windows to make them look like stained glass. Do you think that kind of thing exists?

We went downstairs and ate breakfast with everyone...

Then we did one more group activity.

The minister was there to talk to the kids, and he talked about how all of the kids in the group had a built-in safety net. He said that no matter what happened to them, they would always have an entire crew of adults they could call to ask for help... the youth group leaders, and others around the church. He promised them that, no matter what sort of dark, terrible, sludgy, gross, icky experience they were going through, there was nothing that could happen to them, or nothing they could do, that would be so terrible that the adults around the church would turn their backs on them. He gave all of the kids his personal cell phone number, and encouraged them to program his number and other adults' numbers into their own cell phones or write them down on cards to put in their backpacks, so they would always be able to call someone for help if they needed it.

Then he explained that a lot of times homelessness occurs when people do not have a safety net.

The kids got rolls of toilet paper, and on each ply they had to write the name of someone they could go to for help if they needed it. They had to try to think of lots of different people, so they would realize that if one person couldn't help, the next person on the list would, and so on.

Earlier in the week, when we were first talking about Sleep Out Saturday, Little Bear had asked lots of questions about how I had become homeless and about what happened to children if their parents couldn't take care of them. I told her that some kids went to foster homes if their parents couldn't keep them safe at home. But I told Little Bear that that would not happen to her, because she has many, many people who would quickly step up if something were to happen to Diana. I reminded her of her three grandmas and two grandpas, her multiple aunts and uncles, and family friends. I assured her that someone would always be there to care for her.

This must have sunk in for Little Bear. Because at Sleep Out Saturday, she suddenly put her arms around me and said, "You'll never be alone again, Nicki! You have so many people who love you, including me!"

Does that not make you want to cry???

Anyway. Sleep Out Saturday ended when church began. At our church the little kids go into the service with the adults for the first fifteen minutes, and then get released to their Sunday School classes. In church we sat with Z, who is now Little Bear's bestest friend on Earth. After Little Bear went off to Sunday School, I started thinking about the idea of home, and the idea of church. In the video we had watched about kids who were homeless, a lot of the kids had talked about how they loved school because it was the most secure place in their lives. And I started thinking how church could be like that too. I was so happy that we did Sleep Out Saturday because I thought it was good for Little Bear to learn about homelessness and to just have the experience. But I was also happy because, even though Little Bear and I have been attending that church on and off for a few months, actually spending nearly twenty-four hours at the church and sleeping and eating there and everything seemed to introduce Little Bear to the church itself. I feel like now there are a lot of people there who know us, and who already adore Little Bear. When Little Bear ran off to class, I was thinking how now she could walk around the church on her own with the other kids, and I could ask people, "Have you seen Little Bear?" and they would know who I was talking about and they would have seen her. 

I kept remembering how the minister had promised the youth group kids that they had that built in safety net of people they could trust. And I want that, I want that for Little Bear and Pufferfish. And myself, too, you know?

 So this is sort of a rambling post. And I don't exactly know how to end it. So I'll just end it like this... THE END!
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Pumpkin Patch, Part Deux

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch that first day, that, the next day, when Little Bear and Rafael had a half day, we headed back for some more fun! I was just going to buy a few tickets and stay for an hour, but it turned out to be Wristband Day, where unlimited rides were offered! So we stayed quite a while, and blew a ton of $$$$, but it was worth it!

We rode the ponies again! Here is Little Bear on her pony!

Pufferfish really wanted to go on the swing ride!  Little Bear and Rafael are both scared of most rides, but Rafael really wanted to go on this too, so I figured if it was tame enough for Rafael, it was probably tame enough for Pufferfish! The lady running the ride said it was fine, too. So I put Pufferfish in a swing, much to the chagrin of Little Bear, who started crying and wanting Pufferfish to get out.

So, as we're waiting for the ride to start, this lady next to me starts commenting on another small child who was being put on the ride. She said, "If that lady puts that little one on this ride, I'm going to freak out!"

"Well, she's on it," I said, pointing out Pufferfish. "The lady said its really okay."

I guess I wasn't clear enough that Pufferfish was with me, because the lady rolled her eyes and said, "I know, that is insane! She could slip out so easily! And this ride is really scary!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, and tried to change the subject.

The ride started, and both Rafael and Pufferfish were having a good time and smiling and laughing! I waved to them, but I guess the lady next to me assumed I was just waving to Rafael! Was she surprised when, after the ride stopped, I immediately went to Pufferfish and took her off the swing!  

Everyone loves the bouncy house!

Me and Pufferfish on the glider ride!

I was really impressed because, after Pufferfish and I got off the glider ride, Little Bear wanted to go on! She said she'd bring her little sister too. I could tell she was scared, and before it started I told her that she could still change her mind and get off. But she said she wanted to stay on... and as you can see, she had a great time!

afael chose to go on the glider as a solo rider

They also loved the elephant ride! 
 

After all the excitement, the big kids were kind of bored with the choo-choo train!
  
 
 When it was almost time to go, we split another elephant ear and drank some sodas, to make sure our blood sugar was plenty high for the long ride home! Then, as our final event, we rode the hayride! The ride is a haunted hayride at night. During the day, they take you through the woods, and everything from the haunted hayride is hanging up but not moving or anything. There were tons of witches, ghosts, monsters, trolls, bats, etc, and a few oddballs such as Big Bird and Mickey Mouse mixed in! The kids loved riding along and trying to spot everything they could. Here's an odd self-portrait I took of me and the girls on the hayride!
 

 
 I've always thought that summer is my favorite season, but now I think maybe its fall! Its so colorful, the weather is perfect (except for rainy days like this) and there are tons of festivals and hayrides and stuff to go to!
What is your favorite season?

By the way, only one person has entered my giveaway so far. It ends on Sunday, so if you want to get it on it, act now! Otherwise, I have a feeling I know who is gonna win the circus playset! ;)

The Last Few Days

Pufferfish and I have been very busy the last couple of days! We had some events with our playgroup. Yesterday, for instance, we went to the zoo! (Thanks to Shari from Two Times The Fun for tipping me off about the Museum Adventure Pass... I was able to "check out" a zoo pass from the library, so I just had to pay for parking!) Before I left the house to go, I remembered to run inside and grab my camera... but I didn't notice, until I got to the zoo, that the batteries were dead. So, no zoo pictures. You'll just have to take my word for it! But it was the perfect zoo day! It was not too chilly at all, just sunny and cool, there were no crowds, and the animals were totally active! We only stayed for a few hours. Pufferfish was happy as a clam!

Then today, we went to a pumpkin farm with the same playgroup! I do have pictures of that. Pufferfish is actually starting to get to know the other little kids in the group (most of whom are little girls between one and three years old) and she looks for them and says their names. She doesn't really play with them, though. She gets really clingy when there are new adults around. One of the moms has mentioned that Pufferfish and I should go to her house for a playdate with her daughter, who is about a month older than Pufferfish. I think that would be cool for Pufferfish to have a playdate with just one other kid and one other adult... maybe she'd feel more comfortable and not be so clingy and overwhelmed!
The other people at the playgroup probably think I have a disease or something because I am always hacking my lungs out. I've got another sinus infection. Last night my sinuses were so bad, my nose filled completely up and I couldn't breathe at all. When I tried to breathe, I gagged, and I had to run to the bathroom and puke! That happened about three times. My muscles have been so sore, too. Part of it may be from lugging Pufferfish around all day, although I doubt it... I carry her around so much, it doesn't make sense that it would suddenly start causing me pain! My back hurts a lot, too. Am I getting old, or what???

Part of it may be anxiety and lack of sleep... Lily (the puppy) has been refusing to get completely house trained, so now she's not allowed to sleep upstairs with me anymore and she's supposed to stay in the cage except for when she's eating or going to the bathroom. Since she yelps when she's in the cage all alone, Clover (the mama dog) has to go in the cage with her too. The dogs have a really calming effect on me and I always have a lot of trouble sleeping without animals... in fact there is probably only a handful of nights, in the past ten years, that I have not slept with a dog or cat in my bed! I do a lot of tossing and turning and mind-spinning without them there! I'm going to start working double time at housetraining Lily so maybe hopefully in a few weeks she can sleep with me again! Any tips on housetraining a five-month-old puppy who doesn't want to be housetrained? She is okay with peeing, but not with pooping. She will poop outside okay, but then, as soon as she comes in, she poops again inside! I think I may have figured out a trick... if I get up earlier in the morning, I can stay outside with them longer, and she will poop twice out there. She did this morning. In the mean time, I'm just gonna try Tylenol PM before bed, to help me with my muscle aches and my anxiety about the dogs!

Okay, enough about that... Do you want to see the pictures of the pumpkin farm?

While we were waiting for the others in our playgroup, Pufferfish saw a woman take a picture of her toddler in this spot. Once the mother and toddler were gone, Pufferfish turned to me and said, "I stand there and you take a picture of me!" So, here is the picture!

Here is another pose Pufferfish copied off of another little kid! She always looks so glum in her pictures!

Pufferfish in a pumpkin train! 
 

Look at Pufferfish driving the tractor!

Pufferfish went on a pony ride! I was excited that she actually wanted to do it, since last year at about this time I tried to take her on a pony ride and she freaked out!

Another kid's mom took these pictures of me and Pufferfish on the pony ride!

Pufferfish went on a train ride! Can you see her on the left?

There was a little country store there, with a loft that had lots of Halloween stuff to buy. Pufferfish and I went up to explore the loft, and on our way down, we encountered this little cutie! Do you think we'll have bad luck now?

After the other kids and mamas went home, Pufferfish and I stayed and got an elephant ear to share! It was so good! Here is Pufferfish in front of the elephant sign!

It was a really awesome place... so awesome, I'm thinking of going back tomorrow! Little Bear and Rafael have an early release day from school tomorrow. They don't get off until 1:45, which means I won't even pick up Little Bear until nearly two, but we could still go out there for an hour or so!

Anyway, I love ya, I miss ya, bye! Don't forget to check out my giveaway!

Hanging With Sarah

Things are getting somewhat back to normal around here... although we're still all a little shellshocked! Sarah has been my Godsend this week. Her school is under construction and doesn't start up until next week, so she's been hanging out with me all week. She's good company and keeps me from retreating to the corner in a trembling heap! She also helped me with the picking up of the older kids. Little Bear and Rafael go to different schools that get out at the same time, so getting them both is pretty hard! So I would drop Sarah off at Little Bear's school early to wait for Little Bear, then go pick up Rafael, and then go back for Sarah and Little Bear. Then we'd all go to Monkeyboy's school and wait for him to get out, and thhen wwe'd all go back home. (By then, my car would be bursting with kids!)

On Monday, Jimmy had Pufferfish for the day, so Sarah and I had some kidless time1 We went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. Its one of Sarah's favorite restaurants, because she's a vegetarian. (Being a salad bar, Sweet Tomatoes offers a ton of vegetarian options!) Sarah and I barely ever have the chance to do something without a mess of little kids with us, so our lunch out was really cool!

On Tuesday, Sarah went with me and Pufferfish to a farm, which I will tell you more about in a few days when I finish up my Tot School entry. (Our theme for the week was farms!)

And on Wednesday, we went to the Children's Garden at the Arboretum! Check out these pics!

Today was the best day ever... I got to go to Six Flags! But I'll write more about that when I get the pictures!!!

The bottom line is, we're all struggling, but at least trying to keep things somewhat normal... it just seems to be taking a while!