The Bingham Diaries

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.

Absent

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:03:00 +0000

We've had a really fun two days. Our friend Cameron came down to visit us and spend the night, and he's like our honorary cousin. Of course, we didn't DO anything, we just hung out around the house, so I can't be sure that he had a good time, but it was nice for the kids to see someone from our old neighborhood. There were a lot of really good kids there.

They're making new friends here. It's just harder to get to know people because everyone is so spread out. In the townhouse, you walked outside and there were 30 kids. Here, well, we've met one set of kids in the neighborhood. On the one hand, it makes my own kids interact with each other more, but on the other hand, it would be nice to have a new face every now and again.

At any rate, Cameron came, and the kids got to miss 2 days of school. Everybody wins.

Snow Business Here

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:39:00 +0000

I fell of the blogging bandwagon. I have no reasons. I just did.

But I'm going to get back on, STARTING NOW.

We're all at home today, because Mother Nature is crazy and has sent us more snow. Not a lot of snow, but enough to make the roads icy, so school has been cancelled.

And the kids aren't going to school tomorrow or Wednesday, because we have a friend coming to visit, and we're going to hang out with our friend instead of going to school. Because, you know, people are important.

In other news, I'm now sporting dark hair. It's a lovely shade the color of cinnamon. The only downside is that now everyone in my family has noticed how much hair I lose, and they have become concerned. I told them it's the same amount as usual, just now they can see it, but they think I'm going bald.

And now I have to go break up a fight. I love snow days. (no I don't)

This week in life

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:12:00 +0000

The kids stayed home today, because we had another snow day. At least this time, there was actual snow. It was a little bit crazy. They went to school Wednesday morning same as usual, but then got sent home early because of the weather. Then our power went out.

And we huddled up in the front room putting together puzzles and playing charades until it got too dark to see.

I'm just glad that we had turned the fireplace on before the power went out, so at least we had one warm part of the house.

And now we have power, and heat, and internet, and school in the morning. Hallelujah.

In other news, our furniture finally came! We ordered a new couch and chair two months ago, and they were custom made just for us, and they are beautiful and glorious, and SO SO us. It makes me feel like a real grown up, because four kids and a mortgage isn't enough of a reality for me.

ALSO: tomorrow is my anniversary. 11 years, baby.

Sometimes I feel very strongly about things:

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 05:18:00 +0000

So whooping cough is at my kids school.

This means that we missed the super fun school party because I have enough issues going to a school full of germy little kids in the first place without the addition of a bacterial disease. See also: please give your kids their immunizations.

I seriously am considering asking people if they've had shots before I let them in my house. It's that bad. (You don't give your children shots? That's nice. Let's not talk about it.... Just kidding, let's do.)

So you don't immunize your kids: fantastic. I hope that works out for you, I really, truly, truly do.

But here's the thing, YOU'RE RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US.

No really, you are.

You know how you can get chicken pox, even if you had the vaccine? Same goes for all the other diseases. They're PREVENTATIVE.

And yes, you live in America, and you have the right to do (or not do) whatever you want, meanwhile, people on the other side of the world are dying, literally dying, from a disease that *could have been* prevented.

And you know how we sit in our houses and we say to ourselves "Gee, I really wish there was a cure for cancer.... Gee, I really wish we could find some way to prevent Multiple Sclerosis... Gee, I really wish we could figure out why people get lupus...."

But we DON'T say, "Gee, if only there was a way to avoid pertussis." Because THERE IS. Do you remember how people used to die from whooping cough all the time? No? THAT'S BECAUSE OF VACCINES.

At the end of the day, it's your choice... I'll just think you're really dumb and not let you in my house.

First World Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 07:02:00 +0000

I have a new church calling. I'm the Primary Secretary. It's the perfect job for me because it speaks to my over organized soul. Plus, the primary children appreciate me and my ever changing hair colors. (Current hair color: blue)

In other news: we are finally over our sickness. The household is not quite caught up from being ill, but that's okay, we won't tell anyone. Mostly, it just makes me wish I had house people. You know, like servants, but paid, but only minimally, and in a currency I have an abundance of... like sarcastic rebukes.

Now let's talk about first world problems called: I can't get the right part of my house the right temperature. This house has two heating & cooling units, which is ridiculous. So there's an upstairs unit, and a downstairs unit, but the vents are all wrong, and the pantry, where food is stored, has THE BEST heating vent, which is a downer because HELLO: IT'S THE PANTRY. Then the family room is ice cold. IT MAKES NO SENSE. I've tried opening and closing the different vents, but that's about the range of my expertise, so instead I wear socks and a jacket around the house while the kids are in school and hide under a blanket because I refuse to mess with the settings further and hike up my electricity bill more. I will be slightly uncomfortable if it saves me $100 a month, oh yes I will.

Speaking of slightly uncomfortable, I burnt my forearm on the oven door,because I didn't open it all the way. (I'm sure lots of you do this.) I just needed to grab dinner out of the oven, so I opened the door wide enough to stick my arm in and pull out the food, but I twitched or something and bumped my arm on the door, and now my skin is peeling off in a very attractive fashion.

Then, tonight, Thaddeus was hanging around by the fireplace trying to get warm, and HE got burnt. This is the third time he's burnt himself on the blasted fireplace, and it's always for the same reason. He gets WAY too close. And he's NINE. And I had to do cool compress and everything, and his burn tonight is a little bit gross, but maybe he'll finally learn to not touch the fireplace. (We can only hope)

And other than that, I am out of updates.

Unless you wanted to know that I rode my bike for three miles today. Because I totally did that.The end.

Sick and Sicker

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:36:00 +0000

We have strep throat going around our house. It’s quite delightful, because it has helped us to already reach our deductible for the year.

Also, there is a great difference in how people behave when they’re sick. With some of my kids, you KNOW they’re sick. They are lethargic, and feverish, and they don’t smell very good. Then the other ones, are the complete opposite. It’s no good. Plus, I’m totally the mom that makes her kids go to school, because I never quite believe anyone when they tell me they’re sick, because 95% of the time, THEY’RE NOT. I tell them if they get worse, to go to the nurse, and I will gladly pick them up. Of course, sometimes people need to stay home and have a mental health day, but that’s a whole other topic that I don’t need to go into right now.

At any rate: various people are sick and pathetic, and others are not, and I’m hoping that I don’t get it, and I won’t let anyone sit near me. (Because I’m nice. And overly cautious.)

Beyond that, I don’t have a lot going on. I finally got my MS meds refilled and in my house. I had my first injection in over a month on Sunday, and I felt lousy for about the next 19-20 hours. Which is not bad all things considered, but I WAS at the point when I only felt bad after my third injection of the week, and it only lasted about 15 hours. In my head, I’m giving myself a month to get re-used to the meds. I am probably totally wrong about it, but I’m just going to live in that happy little bubble.

I like schedules.

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:13:00 +0000

I'm trying a new thing where I work in the morning until lunch, then I do family stuff and house stuff in the afternoon. So far, it's going okay, but I'm only one day in, so I'm not ready to say this is permanent just yet.

Taylor has been at home the last two days, because she has strep throat. I am really liking the new family doctor that we have here, because he seems to really be on top of things. Plus, he has six kids under the age of 8, so when I had to bring all my kids with me to an appointment last week, he wasn't phased OR distracted. I appreciate that.

Plus, Blayne is getting glasses. Poor girl is extremely near sighted, which totally makes sense now that I think about it. It just took her teacher at school mentioning that she couldn't see the chalkboard to make things register with me. She's very excited about glasses, but I'm stocking up on Tylenol because getting USED to wearing glasses is not so fun. Apparently, headaches and nose and ear pain are guaranteed in the beginning.

Other than that, I've just been working like crazy. We reworked the Mormon Mommy Blogs site, and so far, so good. Plus, we introduced Mormon Mommy Printables, and it's stinking amazing. Then it's just the same old, same old for Peonies and Poppyseeds. When I put time limits on how much I work every day, I am a lot more productive. It helps that people are in school too, of course. Summer always sends my system spiraling into a pit of non-productivity. But I've spent the last week making a schedule, so my blog themes are pretty set for 2013, I just have to get working is all.

And on that note, I have work to do!

this week in life

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:26:00 +0000

I'm getting really bad at personal blogging. It's not like I don't mean to do it, I'm just at a weird place in my life. Plus, my kids are older, and they like to read the blog, and while *I* might be an oversharer, my kids aren't, so there's a delicate balance.

In other news, I cannot find the right wrist brace for my arm. I have the left one, but I need the right one, and I KNOW that I saw it recently, but I don't remember WHERE. I think that Thaddeus might have been using it last, because he likes to use the braces and shin guards to protect himself when he's outside doing cool boy stuff like archery and tracking, but he doesn't remember if he used it, so that's not helpful for anybody.

I once heard that carpal tunnel surgery was most common in moms, and today as I was scrubbing the bathtub, I decided that I'm going to believe that rumor wholeheartedly.

I still have to unpack the office, but I'm not motivated to do it. I think that next time I pack, I should tape candy to the bottom of the boxes, because then I might be excited to work... at the very least, I would feel rewarded.

Then I die some more

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:33:00 +0000

So I have to drive up to Woodbridge on Valentine's Day, so that I can see my neurologist.

Because he doesn't want to refill my prescription until he sees me again.

And I've been in contact with his office off and on for the last 4 weeks trying to get this stupid medication sorted out, and I am BEYOND frustrated that I now have to go back in, because it's a freaking long drive, because I MOVED, and why couldn't they have figured this out the LAST hundred times I called?

And I can't get into a new neurologist for at least 4 months, so it's my only option. Which means that I still won't have meds for at least two more weeks. Which means that life will continue to suck, and I will slowly feel worse and worse for at least two more weeks. And then, am I going to have to restart with the started pack again? And build up my tolerance to the injections again? Which means I won't be back to my original meds for at least 6 weeks, provided everything goes well?

Not to mention that I have two other doctor appointments next week, so I basically am spending my grocery budget for the month on doctors appointments and gas for my car. UGH. UGH. UGH.

So that's my life right now. Excuse me while I go die on the couch some more.

January 23, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:28:00 +0000

It snowed here last week, which is a big deal, because it doesn't snow here. School was cancelled for Friday, and since it was Martin Luther King Day the next Monday, the kids had a very long weekend.

It also froze the satellite, which interrupted the signal, which made it hard for my kids to play computer games. Not that I minded, I've severely limited their computer usage these days, because I am a horrible person that thinks kids should go outside, or read a book, or play a board game, or even with each other. It's perfectly barbaric.

I still haven't gotten a refill on my MS meds, and I for the life of me DO NOT UNDERSTAND what the problem is. My neurologist has pre-authorized the script through January of 2014. And the new prescription company is child company of the original pharmacy, so it should be an easy transfer. But it's not. Because the cow jumped over the moon or some such nonsense. AND THEN! THEN! the lady on the phone suggested that I get some samples from the doctor, at which point I began laughing hysterically. They don't give samples of this, are you kidding me? They wouldn't even fill my original prescription until a FIELD NURSE came to my house and TRAINED ME on the proper way to administer my injections. And she calls me... regularly. I HAVE MY OWN NURSE, so no, I don't think I can just swing by and pick up some samples. Not to mention that I have recently moved so it's quite a long drive to pick up these samples, and JUST REFILL MY MEDS ALREADY.

It's so frustrating.

AND my arms and hands have started going numb again, which is why it's sort of an emergency that I have my shots. Not that hands or arms are important. *scoffs*

Also, we bought furniture for our house. And I'm having a couch and a love seat made in the best fabric ever! The couch will be in a gorgeous paisley of grays, blacks, and a hint of brown. The love seat is a stripe, and we got rugs and another couch, and end tables, and YOU GUYS! It's like we're real grown-ups! (Never mind that it's taken over 30 years....)

And here's a totally random thought for you, mostly because I have the TV in the background, and dumb commercials keep popping up. There's a chocolate milk commercial where the kid comes home from school and is all, "Is there anything good in there?" and the mom is all, "Hmmm... how about this delicious milk?" and THEN it goes to a shot of the kid drinking a full glss of milk, and the gallon of milk is on the table next to him, UNOPENED.

GUYS: I can't tell you how much it annoys me. Where did the milk in his glass come from? Not from the container sitting next to him, it's still sealed. I know this is dumb, but it bugs me. Is he even drinking that milk? I DON'T THINK SO.

In other news, every day, I like the house we're in more and more. I would even consider buying it when our lease is up, provided the price isn't scandalous. (You never know these days.)

I'm also about to go to the grocery store, which means that I get to take myself out to lunch. Yeah, I treat myself. I DESERVE IT PEOPLE.