The Bingham Diaries

Day to day to day

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:31:00 +0000

It's only 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm DONE.

My day started out at the crack of dawn, because I had an appointment, and since it's at a new location, I didn't want to be late. (Parking is always crazy with my giant SUV.)

However, traffic was light, the route was easy, and parking was a breeze. I was early to my appointment, and I got to read a little from my book. I'm reading the A Song of Fire and Ice series, aka the Game of Thrones books. I like them, but it took me a couple hundred pages to get into the first one.

The imaging was annoying, but quick, and I was back home before nine.

Then we went on an errand to return Daniel's mp3 player. The danged thing won't turn ON, and we tried all the troubleshooting stuff, then I decided to just take it back and trade it for a different kind. And now, we're trying to load it up with music, but it's not going as smoothly as I would like. It's because I don't have an iPad or iTouch or iAnything. If I HAD one, then, according to the website, it would be easy peasy to sync everything. LAME-O. But it's okay, a few extra steps won't kill me, unless you can be annoyed to death, in which case, I already died.

And now, since I've been running around all day with the kids in tow, the house is a disaster. And I would start cleaning, but I've already hit my limit for the day, and I am really feeling it in my bones. As soon as Troy gets home, I am loading myself up with muscle relaxers and narcotics and climbing into bed.

Run It's Course

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:30:00 +0000

I get to go hang out at the hospital tomorrow morning. Blood work and imaging, YAY LIFE!

As usual, I need to fast before hand. I always make my appointments as early in the morning as possible for this very reason. And I also always think about sneaking a sip of something, because really, what harm can it do? But then I don't, because ultimately, I want my tests to be as accurate as possible, whatever they are.

I'm crossing my fingers that I have gallstones or something. You know, because I like to have REASONS for things to not feel good. It's why I hate viruses so much. I feel like, if I am sick, I would like to take an antibiotic or a magic pill, or something. I very much do NOT want to wait for anything to "run it's course" Those are three words I hate to hear, because it takes me so long to recoup from anything. Currently, I have a itchy, scratchy throat, and a super sexy voice to match. But there's nothing WRONG with me. It's just a cold. That has to run it's course. That has already blessed me for the last three weeks of my life.

In other news, we started our Summer Schedule today. Well, as much as we could. We had to do a Wal-Mart run, and that always takes a long time, because it's a long ways away. Plus, when we go into town, we tend to stay awhile and go lots of places, because we already drove all the way out there.

Anyways, we needed composition books because my kids have to write in their journal every day. And we got paracord to make some cool jewelry. And we got a new pond pump, because our pump is half dead and keeps shorting out the breaker. We also got new swimsuits because someone "accidentally" threw hers away. For the record, there was no accident about it. Both girls were convinced their suits were too small, because they were tight. I said, it's a swimsuit, and it's supposed to fit like that, because when it gets wet, it stretches. I didn't know that Taylor had tossed her suit until AFTER we were back from the dump and Troy asked me why there was a swimsuit in the garbage. Of course, this is the kind of question one must ask before one throws garbage into the huge bins at the dump. Oh well. Everyone got a new suit, because I was feeling generous, and they were cheap. But they had to try them on so I could see how they fit first. It's hard to find a good swimsuit for little girls, especially when they have long legs and short torsos. A V-Neck suit on my daughter is QUITE revealing.

Plus, we got the girls tankini's because it makes going to the bathroom so much easier. It's hard to pull a wet swimsuit back up!

Lastly, my sister will be here in less than a week! We're super excited to see her!

Good times in Tappahannock

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:38:00 +0000

We forgot to take garbage out to the street on garbage day, so we had to go to the dump today. Most of the people that were there (okay, both the people that were there) were tossing their regular garbage, and I though, MAN, I'm glad that we make enough money to pay the garbage man because this stinks.

Then we went off to clean the church. In the branch, we have cleaning teams, and they were trying to coordinate with us, but all the suggestions were making my head spin. I told our team leader that there were six of us, and that we are good cleaners, and to not worry about it, because we got it. This made her very happy. (I get the feeling that maybe some people say they will be at the church at such and such a time to help clean the building, and then don't show up... she was very relieved to hear my offer.) It only took us about two hours to get the entire building cleaned up, which I think is pretty danged good.

Then since we were already in Tappahannock, we decided to check out RivahFest. We'd never been before, because we just moved to the area, so we wanted to check it all out. It was good, except for the fact that everything to DO cost money. Which is lame. Especially because it wasn't advertised anywhere as needing wristbands or tickets or anything like that. So we walked around and looked at all the booths. (My kids saw a huge booth selling paracord bracelets and necklaces. Daniel really, really wants a boy necklace, and I said we could totally make them this summer.)

At any rate, we headed out early, but told the kids we'd go out to lunch.

They've been begging to eat at Bella's Pizza, because it's the restaurant that our neighbor owns. We figured, hey, we're right here in Tappahannock, and hey also, we're starving, so we finally got to try it out. The kids were thrilled to see their friends, and Taylor, our little chef, kept sneaking peeks inside the kitchen. She solemnly told me that when she is a teenager, she is going to work in the kitchen there. Anyways, I don't know what I was expecting the food to be like, but my sandwich was SO DANG GOOD. It had fried onions and hot peppers and green peppers and some delicious sauce. I was a happy girl.

Two of the kids ordered hot dogs, and when they came out, they were hot dogs, wrapped in a soft pretzel. My kids gobbled those things up... for REALS.

Then we came home and set about getting ready for Sunday. No matter how much planning and preparing I think I've done during the week, Saturday afternoon hits, and I have some project that I needed to finish up for singing time. Most of my preparations have been going into singing time, because I'm the branch Music Leader, and I think it should be FUN.

Plus, the first few times, before I was the official leader but was standing in every week, I noticed that the kids didn't know some songs that *I* thought they should know. So I've been really working on teaching them new primary songs and church hymns, but also still reviewing the songs they do know. I just wish I had more time! It's my favorite part of church, not gonna lie. I have always wanted to be the primary Music Leader, and now I AM and it's MAGICAL.

And on that note, I am going to get my stuff together!

Summer Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:31:00 +0000

Summer is officially here and I am READY.

I have a plan, and it might not be fancy, but it will work for us, which is the most important part.

Every day, the kids will have to read, write, do something physical, and do their chores. If they got up and just DID IT, they would be done with their to-do's by 10 o'clock, easy.

Then, Mondays are going to be our making and baking day, Tuesday will be a take a day trip, Wednesdays will be our swim days, Thursday is the library and other errands, and Friday is movie night.

I also have printed out a list of Mom-Approved Activities, aka the I'm bored list. These are the things that I am totally fine with people doing, and also, they do not require any help on my part. This is especially important because I am not the entertainment committee. So far, on the list of Mom-Approved activities, I have:

play a board game
read a book
play in the front yard
put on a play or skit
read your scriptures
make a FHE lesson
play-dough
coloring
dance party
watch the clouds
build a fort
play hopscotch
play badminton
bird watching
bug watching
frisbee
have a nap
do an extra chore

I'm sure I'll add more things to the list as the summer progresses, but it's a good starting point.

School's almost out

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:55:00 +0000

I'm feeling better now. Not great, but definitely better.

My MRI showed "chronic multiple sclerosis related changes". I have no idea what that means.

I DID get an exciting package today. My tecfidera came, and I'm going to take my first dose tonight! I expect that I'll have some pretty awesome side effects for the next couple of weeks, but I'm mostly excited to not have to give myself shots. I was trying to explain to someone that it's not that taking shots hurts, it's that it gets old really fast, especially when you blow out an injection site, or you're bruised all over the place and you try to find the least bruised and sensitive spot to shoot up your meds. It just gets OLD. But I'll do it, because it makes a huge difference in how my body functions.

In non-my health blows related news, the kids get out of school this week. Tomorrow is their last day and then it's SUMMER.

We don't have many plans beyond typical summer activities. I think I'm going to try to go on one outing a week though... just to get out of the house and so we can get to know the area better.

We're also going to deep clean the house. I figure we can do one room/area a week, and then eventually all the baseboards and walls will be clean again. The baseboards in this house aren't angled at the top, so it's just a shelf to catch dirt and dust and crap and they bug me. THEY SHALL BE WIPED.

So I'm Having a Relapse...

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:22:00 +0000

My migraine went away today for a few hours. Just enough that I was able to finish up the laundry. I even bragged about it finally going away on Facebook, just to have it come back a few hours later. (stupid, stupid Caroline)

And it's come back with the awful metallic taste in the back of my mouth, plus some fun new symptoms, which officially makes this an MS relapse. And since I don't tolerate steroid treatments, I just get to sit back and ride this out. The last time I had these MS symptoms, it took me more than a month to recover. I am not at all looking forward to feeling like this for the next however long.

SO. Current symptoms include:

metallic taste in mouth (so gross)
migraine (sometimes accompanied with blurred vision)
weakness in hands (thank goodness for plastic dishes)
balance problems (so nice to not live in a three story townhouse anymore)
numb toes (meh, least of my worries)
fatigue, yet also: insomnia
nausea
dizziness
hot flashes
serious brain fog
insatiable thirst

And all this in time to have an MRI on Thursday. Good times just keep on coming around here.

Migraine Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:42:00 +0000

I am on day three of a spectacular migraine. It's been super fun.

We're out of milk and eggs and apples and clean underwear, and my day has consisted of laying in bed, trying not to throw up, or open my eyes.

All in all, it's been a delightful weekend.

PFT

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 31 May 2013 02:45:00 +0000

Daniel had his pulmonary function tests today. We'll have the results sometime next week, and then we'll see what happens from there. It was really interesting to see how much he can breathe, and how much air he uses. Poor kid can barely hold his breath, because he doesn't get enough of a breath to bother to hold.

Plus, while we were between tests, Daniel told me his ear was hurting. I looked at it, and it was full of crap, so I got a bobby pin out of my purse to scoop out the crud. His ear drum had burst, his ear tube was OUT, and infected crap started pouring out of his ear. It was exciting. And really stinky. But his ear feels much better now.

I also have spent the last few hours combing through my blog and printing out health-related posts because I am visiting another new doctor tomorrow, and, you know, I like to be over prepared for everything. Especially when I'm meeting new doctors. At any rate, I now have a BOOK to take with me, and I feel really good about it.

Meanwhile, Taylor had a nap after school today, so now she's WIDE AWAKE at ten forty five. This bodes well for our morning routine.

planning

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 29 May 2013 23:13:00 +0000

Daniel will be getting his Pulmonary Function Tests tomorrow. Hallelujah. He's mostly excited about getting out of school early. I'm excited that it's getting done so quickly after last week's snafu.

I also realized that we will have visitors at our house in less than a month! My sister Berit and her boys are going to come out and stay with us for a few weeks. She's going to fly in with my dad, who will be in town for a conference, and then she's going to stay. Plus, my dad will be here for a while! It's fun to have family in town, and my kids can't wait to see their cousins.

Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 28 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000

I've decided that I'm going to blog every day. Because I've gotten out of the habit, and I'm mad at myself about it.

Today I'm dealing with scheduling mishaps en masse. Daniel was supposed to have his pulmonary function tests today, except that the hospital that he was supposed to go to isn't really set up for pediatric testing. So we're supposed to go to St. Mary's, except that they won't set up the appointment without the actual order from the doctor. So now instead of having the test today, we're waiting for someone to call us back so that we can make an appointment.

THEN, I called to set up my appointment for an MRI. Except that the hospital I'm supposed to go to also doesn't have an order, and what is my date of birth again? It's super annoying because now I had to call the doctor, and then I'll have to do more waiting, which pushes back the start date on the new MS meds and I'm just really frustrated with hospitals at this point.

I do for SURE have an appointment on Friday though. It's verified, and confirmed, and I will be there with bells on! (not really. that would be weird)

Yesterday was Memorial Day. We had a great day off from school and work, and we spent it playing in the sprinklers and going on bike rides and eating watermelon.

We also talked about Grandpa-Great, because my children idolize him. They love talking about him. They each have a copy of his life story, and look at his pictures all the time. Their favorite picture is from when he was in the Army Air Corp. They make up stories, and Grandpa-Great always saves the day. (He is quite proficient in nerf gun battles.)

I also reminded the kids that their Uncle Josh is in the army, and that he's in Afghanistan right now.

All in all, it was a good day, and we're grateful to live in this country where we get to live as we choose.

Birthday Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:51:00 +0000

Taylor turned SIX today. She was very excited and also very nice, mostly because she's a nice kid in general. She has been asking for a BIG teddy bear for months, so she was absolutely enthralled to get a gigantic bear for her present. It's almost as big as she is, and it's super soft, and machine washable, and the bear has already gone on a bike ride.

She also had a strawberry cake. She really wanted a strawberry cake, because it's more exciting than vanilla or chocolate. Unfortunately, she did not like the way the strawberry cake tasted, but since it was pretty, she was happy anyways. She has also requested that we make a pumpkin cake as soon as people finish eating her birthday cake.

While the birthday girl was at school, I got to take Daniel to a doctor appointment. He's getting checked out for asthma and allergies, because he's always stuffy and coughing and such. He was put on two new medicines, a nose spray and an allergy med, and we also got an inhaler. Daniel also got a chest x-ray, and he's going to have a pulmonary function test next week, so that we can see how his breathing's doing. Daniel was our "bronchitis baby" and he did have RSV once, so, you know.... test away.

We also got Thaddeus' CT scan results back. It's not an infected cyst, but it is a definite soft tissue lump. The doctor said that if we want, we can get a referral to an ENT, but that there's nothing really "wrong". Of course, it's Thaddeus, so we will go to the ENT, and we will do a follow up, and we WILL get the mystery lump removed... we'll just wait until after July 1 to go, because, you know, insurance roll-over. (Once, I thought that our flex benefits account was silly. Now I'm annoyed that we don't put more into it.)

Also, did I tell you that Daniel bought an MP3 player? Because he did, and now it's my job to load it up with all the songs he likes. Of course, since he's MY child, he like all the music I like. This is a problem because now he has a really awesome soundtrack for life that fits in his pocket and *I* am super jealous.

Also, also: since it's our birthday month, I measured people, because I like to remember how tall people are, and guess what? My kids are pretty much the same size.

Thaddeus is 51 inches. Blayne is 51 inches. Daniel is 50 inches. Taylor: is 41.75 inches.

No lie, people have been asking me about my triplets lately. It's hilarious to me and Daniel, and absolutely infuriating to Blayne and Thaddeus. Then, I think about my brother and sister who were in a battle over who was the tallest/oldest for YEARS and I laugh. Sometimes, it's good to be short.

and more waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Thaddeus had his CT scan, we're still waiting on the results. I guess the radiologist left out some information on the summary, so we're waiting for it to be RE-read. It's super fun to call the doctor every day and ask the same questions.

Also in life, I'm still waiting for an answer from VCU. I know I'll be going to school in the fall, I just don't know which one. That's also fun.

Meanwhile, I had a neurology appointment this week with a new doctor. He's closer, and they have an infusion center at their office, so that's awesome. We went over my history, and I'm going to be starting new meds. They're PILLS, so no more shots. I still have pretty bad injection site reactions with the shots, and I still have other side effects. (I've had the "flu" every Wednesday and Friday for the last 2 years.... so awesome) The neurologist said that's CRAZY TALK, and then we talked about different medication options. So, I'm going to be starting the new and just-approved by the FDA pill called Tecfidera. I got some blood work done, and I'm going to be having an MRI (to establish a new baseline), and then as long as my insurance approves, I'm good to go!

Beyond that, life is same the old, same old. I'm ready for summer to get here, though... just so people can ride their bikes a little bit longer. I love letting the kids ride around the neighborhood until the sun starts to go down. It's tough to have to be in bed when there's still light outside.

FTW

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

Sometimes I look at my old blog and think about how cute and funny it used to be, and I want to be back there again. Then I remember that it's a lot of work to be cute and funny at the same time, and I just don't have time for all that nonsense.

Meanwhile, I am in the middle of a bedtime fight with Daniel. He keeps coming down the stairs, and I keep sending him back up. Of course there's a lot more fighting and jumping up and down involved. You know in the cartoons when people jump up and down when they're mad? He's doing that. Plus screaming. And then the other kids come down and tell me that they can't sleep because Daniel is crying too loud, and then Daniel has to scream that he's not crying, and then they have to scream back, and it's a WHOLE THING PEOPLE. A whole thing that I plan to win, because I WIN AT EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:19:00 +0000

Thaddeus gets to have a CT scan tomorrow. He has a weird growth behind his ear, and it hurts really bad. I think this it's related to all his ear problems, and is an infected cyst or something, but the doctor wants to do some imaging. At any rate, he doesn't feel too good.

The other kids are doing fine. I think Taylor is about to grow a couple of inches (or one) because she's been sleeping and eating A LOT.

Also: I still haven't heard back from VCU about admissions. Troy thinks it's good, and they're just waiting to see if they need me to fill a spot. "If they didn't want you, it would just be a no." All I know is that waiting is stinky.

Birthdays and Church Callings

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:54:00 +0000

Oh my life, I have not been keeping up with this blog like I used to. I need to be better about that, because I use my blog to remember important things in life. How else would I remember who had their tonsils out and when?

Daniel turned seven yesterday and he was super excited. In April, he started counting down the days to his birthday. Then when we got to his Birthday Eve, he was so excited he could hardly stand it. He got a nerf gun and a new bike, and I made a a double chocolate fudge cake. He couldn't decide what his favorite dinner should be, so we just had pot roast. But anything you eat on your birthday is delicious because you get to use THE RED PLATE. We only use it on birthdays, and it's kindof a big deal.

Also, Troy was called to be the Elder's quorum president in church yesterday. I don't know if I ever mentioned it or not, but I'm the Primary secretary, and I get to be the primary music leader too. It's pretty much the most fun calling ever. We've been practicing a song for Mother's Day, and we're learning sign language to go with it. I had been practicing at home so that I know the song backwards and forwards, but yesterday, I was so "off" at church. I couldn't remember the words, and I was messing up the rhythm, and it was pretty embarrassing. The good thing about messing up in front of a room full of kids is that they see that it's OKAY to mess up, and they see me laugh about it... even grown ups aren't perfect. (I think kids need to know that.) At any rate, I kept messing up, then when I got home, my head started hurting and my eyes went all wonky, and it was definitely MS related. I'm just glad that it waited until after church to really show up.

Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:56:00 +0000

All of the original fish died because our pond water was too clean. That's a thing, I guess. Luckily, when I went back to the pet store (yeah, there's a two week warranty on fish lives) I got to talk to a guy who actually knows about fish instead of the random teenage employee. We got some healthy bacteria something or other, put it in the pond and let it circulate for a week, then we got more fish. But just the cheap goldfish, because that's what the guy TOLD us to do, and so far, so good. Also: we have a lot of goldfish, because I told Troy to get $2 worth of fish, and at ten cents a pop, we have our very own habitat.

In other news, on one of those late nights when I could sleep because my back was hurting so bad, I made a purchase. The problem with late night television is that it's all informercials, and they just make everything look so danged appealing. Add in to that the brain fog that accompanies sleeplessness, and you have a captivated audience that will buy just about anything. At any rate, I now own the Zumba Exhilarate fitness DVD's. I have not tried them or anything, I just wanted to let you know.

I also finally got my office cleaned out, and the mystery pictures put away. I feel very good about not hanging more pictures. I am going to eventually print out some photos of the kids and hang those up, but that day is not today, or possibly even this month. I'm so good at making plans.

Meanwhile, I have a new favorite TV show. Vikings on History Channel. If I have to explain to you why a show about Vikings would be good, then we can't be friends.

MS Relapse

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:41:00 +0000

So my whole lower back pain issue? Was an MS relapse.

Which I guess is nice to know, because I didn't realize that that could be an MS thing.

Which means that if it ever happens again, I'll go to the doctor right away and get on some steroids instead of trying to talk myself out of going to the doctor because "I think I just pulled something."

I am also realizing how little I know about Multiple Sclerosis, and I should probably should do a little more research.

The good thing is that magically, yesterday afternoon, my back just stopped hurting. After a week of wanting to die, it stopped hurting, and I could walk again, and I could lay down, and I didn't feel like I was going to wet my pants anymore. (Yeah, that's a thing too. GO MS!) And I had done NOTHING that would explain why the back pain started, or why it suddenly stopped. And I mean suddenly, and completely STOPPED.

Sunday night, I couldn't even lay in my bed, because it hurt so much. Instead, I fixed myself a spot on the love seat and put pillows behind my back, and under my bottom, and under my knees, and I took a lot of pain pills and anti-inflammatory's, and I just sat there, unable to sleep because my body hurt so bad. The kids were totally on their own for breakfast and getting off to school Monday morning, while I continued to hurt. And then, it just stopped. Which is when I knew that it wasn't a typical back problem, because that's not how things heal. You don't just go from a 10 on a pain scale to a 0 with no intervention. Typically, you get a little better, every day, over time.

It just blows my mind, the way this disease can mimic other health problems. I seriously thought I had a herniated disc or something. I have not felt that kind of pain and pressure since childbirth. It was excruciating, and today, it's just gone.

SO. MS Relapse. I had one. It sucked, big time.

On the plus side, I now have really good pain pills in my medicine cabinet.

Life and Death and Cash

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:09:00 +0000

I'm thinking my self-diagnosis of a pinched nerve is wrong. This is because despite my best efforts, my back (and the pain in my back) is getting progressively worse.

I'm going to actually go to the actual doctor tomorrow, and actually take care of actual business. This is kinda a big deal, because for a person who has quite a few things "wrong" with her, I avoid the doctor like the plague. I see an MRI in the near future.

Even still, I was 100% planning on going to church today, then I woke up with pink eye. This is how God tells me to do things. He was all, "Girl, you know if you try to go to church today you will die," and I was all, "Yeah, but I can do it," and he was all, "PINK EYE - YOU'RE CONTAGIOUS AND CAN'T BE AROUND CHILDREN," and I'm all "Well played, God, well played."

And now I'm going to consume vast amount of over-the-counter meds and wait for 8am to call the doctor.

OH ALSO: We have implemented a new system in our house. The kids get "Bingham Bucks" They're like real dollars, and the kids can earn them like real dollars, and then trade them in for stuff. Except that they also have to pay for their own stuff. And I don't reimburse lost bucks. And everyone only gets 30 minutes of "tech time" a week, and it costs $1 for each additional 15 minutes, with a maximum purchase of an hour.

So far, so good. To earn extra bucks, the front planting beds got weeded. I pay $1/bag. And the grocery bag has to be FULL of weeds. I also bought back toys. Depending on the toy, I only gave 25 cents or so, so people got rid of some stuff too. Like I said, so far so good with this whole thing.

The kids only get $3 a week, and they have to do their chores and household responsibilities every day. I don't pay people to do things they should be doing anyways. I do pay for extra jobs, like weeding, and cleaning walls and baseboards.

Anyways, the kids got their Bingham Bucks, and we have been working on the yard lately. In the front of our house, we have a little pond feature, and we decided that we wanted to put some fish in there, because that would be fun.

We went to the pet store and everyone got their own fish (the super cheap ones... you know, the eleven cent version?) but they had to pay their Dad and I $2 for the fish, AND the fish food.

Unfortunately, those crappy fish died already, so we've had four fish burials. Daniel's fish was the first to go, and he was very upset. But then when everyone else's fish died, he felt much better, because then NOBODY had special pet. We like to be fair in all things, you know.

At any rate, tomorrow for family home evening, we're going BACK to the pet store, and we're taking a water sample, and then we'll try to keep our new fish alive for more than a day. (Don't hold your breath)

In a Pinch

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Three days later, and I'm almost done with the laundry. Hallelujah.

I also decided that instead of trying to hang up the remaining pictures in this house, I'll pack them back up and when we move again, I'll worry about it. It gets rid of all sorts of stupid stress and mess.

I also was not sick... MS or otherwise. I have a pinched nerve in my back, which is making life delightful, and it's getting a little better every day, but really, there's not a whole lot to be done about it. So joyous to have things that can't be fixed immediately. At least I don't have to go up and down stairs at this house. I can be on one floor the whole day. It's like MAGIC.

April 8, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:55:00 +0000

The most annoying thing about having MS is that sometimes when I don't feel good, I don't know if it's because I just don't feel good, or if it's because I'm having a relapse. Also, I hate the word relapse, but I think calling it an exacerbation is worse.

At any rate, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to see if I'm just normal sick, or MS sick, because FRANKLY, I can't tell the difference. It's super obnoxious.

I've been trying to catch up on laundry all day too. I celebrated spring break by boycotting laundry, and now I'm in laundry hell, and life would be better if everyone was a nudist.

(What's the most annoying thing about blogging? Coming up with post titles. Sometimes posts have obvious titles, and the rest of the time, meh.)

The Koala

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 01:43:00 +0000

I have a problem. Her name is Taylor, and she is five, and she sneaks into my bed every night.... Every stinking one.

I take her back to bed, to no avail. Last night, I took her back to her own bed three times. Finally, I made a nest for her on the floor so she could be next to me, but not touching me, but it wasn't good enough. We call her "Koala girl" because of the way she hugs me. It is uncomfortable, and it is hot and sweaty, and I have no idea what to do with her. All I know is that today, my body is killing me because I am tired, and my lower back hurts from being kicked all night.

In other news, the kids go back to school tomorrow, and we are all sorts of excited. My kids like school, and I like that it gives them something to do. Easter to Spring Break to General Conference has led to too much togetherness. I'm all for family time, but I'm also for alone time. And I get to enjoy some much needed alone time tomorrow morning at 7:28 am. Hallelujah.

Pressure

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:16:00 +0000

I like not having any plans for Spring Break. It takes a lot of pressure off of me, and it makes the kids interact with each other more. It's interesting to see who likes who best any given hour.

Also: we got the house all cleaned up. It looks and smells awesome, which is the predominant factor in how I decided if the house is clean. It can be messy, but still clean. Clean means that there's not layers of filth and gunk built up and breeding. Messy means that people live here. Plus, if it's messy clean, it can all be "picked up" really quickly, which is good because sometimes in life you get surprise visitors. (I actually am not a general fan of surprise visitors. I prefer a two minute heads up text or phone call. That way, I can make sure that everyone has on pants.... Pants are our arch nemesis.)

I still haven't heard back from VCU. I think I'm going to register at the local community college, and then if I get in, I'll unregister, but if I don't, then I'm golden.

Also: I have a wicked headache, and it is no fun.

Clear

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:59:00 +0000

Everything went great today at my appointment. The surgeon said that everything looked great, and I had no growths, and since this makes 5 years without any further intestinal problems, I'm officially off the watch list and don't have to have anything else done or monitored until I'm 50. Unless of course, I have more problems, but let's all cross our fingers and hope that I don't.

The kids got to spend the night at their friends house, and they had a really good time. They're dog tired though, because it's exhausting to fit a week of spring break fun into one overnight visit.

AND tomorrow we're spring cleaning the house. Dinner is already planned (I love my crock pot) and if the house gets all the way clean, then we'll go somewhere on Friday. I WAS thinking about getting season passes to one of the theme parks around here (we're between Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens) but holy expensive Batman! I am not spending that much money when half of us are still too short to go on half the rides. Also: I am a cheapskate.

Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:59:00 +0000

Today is my birthday.

I have to be honest, I'm a low key kind of girl. Which is funny, because I make super awesome birthday decorations and stuff for everyone else. It's just that when it comes to OUR birthdays and OUR holidays, I'm a no muss, no fuss kind of gal.

At any rate, we celebrated by going out to lunch. Which means that I didn't have to make lunch, or do dishes, which is pretty much the best birthday gift ever. Plus, I got to take a nap today. If you don't understand why that's amazing, we can't be friends.

In other news, I have a small outpatient procedure happening next week... it's a colonoscopy. Because everyone should get those all the time. Okay, probably not, but it's not my first rodeo, so I'm not worried about it. And the children are going to spend the night with friends, so I'll have all three bathrooms all to myself, for "prep" the day before. It's the little things that make a difference.

And now, I have to go hide Easter eggs, because we believe in magic at our house.

Good Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:51:00 +0000

My kids are at school today. Which is weird, because I always thought that school was automatically closed on this day. But it's not. The kids all have spring parties today, which is the politically correct way to celebrate Easter.

Plus also: tomorrow is my birthday, and then Easter is on Sunday, which leads into our spring break, so basically, today is the first day of a week of partying.

Tonight we have a branch talent show, and the kids are going to be singing Ye Elders of Israel aka the babylon song. I'm going to try and record it, but no promises, because I might forget. Because that's the kind of person I am.

In other news, I still haven't heard back from VCU about whether or not I've been accepted into the arts program, and it's freaking me out. Am I in? Or am I out? I change my mind every five seconds, and I just want an answer, dangit.

And now I'm off to bake a lemon cake.