"I'm hungry for ice-cream."
"Let's go to Grandma and Grandpa's!"
Why, you may ask, is the text multicolored? Well I stepped away from the computer for a moment without shutting this window. Sam decided to add his own touches. I left it. It seemed appropriate.
November 23, 2014
Rats?! Really?!
My house has become infested. I have just over a thousand square feet. There are six people sharing our house plus two dogs. I do not need rats. I don't.
Unfortunately, my kids did not agree. They decided they wanted a pet of their own. They vacillated between buying a tarantula, a lizard, parakeets, or rats. They started saving their money and hatching plans to buy their very own pet. They looked on Craigslist and at Zamzows. They started comparing animals and costs. In a hazy moment I said that they could buy a pet if they paid for it themselves, it stayed in a cage, and they did all of the animal care. Why did I say that? I could have just said no. But I didn't.
After a trip to Zamzows the kids had narrowed their choices down to rats. They are sociable, don't bite, can be handled and petted, and can even learn tricks. These reasons combined convinced the kids rats were the way to go. I was just relieved to see their average life span is only 2-4 years. The birds could live twenty years and the turtle I loved could live upwards of 80 years. I'm not going to let the kids adopt a pet that will still be around when they go to college. That cute turtle was probably going to outlive me. I may not want rats but at least they won't come with me into retirement.
The rats were about $15 each and even buying a used cage and supplies it was going to cost the kids about $50. They had $15 saved up. I figured I was safe for awhile. Secretly I hoped they would get bored with saving their money, blow it on candy, and I would never have to welcome rats into my home.
Their dad (who loves rats and has supremely fond memories of his childhood rats) helped the kids do some Craigslist searching. While I was out grocery shopping he found someone selling two well mannered rats, with cage, accessories, and food for $10. The posting was a month old so the kids called with trepidation in their hearts. They quickly found out the critters were still available and amazingly enough the family wanted them gone bad enough to offer them for free. I came home from grocery shopping to kids waiting on the front lawn. I barely had time to turn off the car before the kids announced the fantastic news. We were getting rats today! I could barely contain my glee.
So with no further ado, may I present the newest (and definitely last addition to our household):
I believe their names are Bolt and Clever. The names have been much debated all day today.
They are kind of cute, as long as you don't acknowledge the long, scaly, disgusting tail trailing behind each one.
Unfortunately, my kids did not agree. They decided they wanted a pet of their own. They vacillated between buying a tarantula, a lizard, parakeets, or rats. They started saving their money and hatching plans to buy their very own pet. They looked on Craigslist and at Zamzows. They started comparing animals and costs. In a hazy moment I said that they could buy a pet if they paid for it themselves, it stayed in a cage, and they did all of the animal care. Why did I say that? I could have just said no. But I didn't.
After a trip to Zamzows the kids had narrowed their choices down to rats. They are sociable, don't bite, can be handled and petted, and can even learn tricks. These reasons combined convinced the kids rats were the way to go. I was just relieved to see their average life span is only 2-4 years. The birds could live twenty years and the turtle I loved could live upwards of 80 years. I'm not going to let the kids adopt a pet that will still be around when they go to college. That cute turtle was probably going to outlive me. I may not want rats but at least they won't come with me into retirement.
The rats were about $15 each and even buying a used cage and supplies it was going to cost the kids about $50. They had $15 saved up. I figured I was safe for awhile. Secretly I hoped they would get bored with saving their money, blow it on candy, and I would never have to welcome rats into my home.
Their dad (who loves rats and has supremely fond memories of his childhood rats) helped the kids do some Craigslist searching. While I was out grocery shopping he found someone selling two well mannered rats, with cage, accessories, and food for $10. The posting was a month old so the kids called with trepidation in their hearts. They quickly found out the critters were still available and amazingly enough the family wanted them gone bad enough to offer them for free. I came home from grocery shopping to kids waiting on the front lawn. I barely had time to turn off the car before the kids announced the fantastic news. We were getting rats today! I could barely contain my glee.
So with no further ado, may I present the newest (and definitely last addition to our household):
 |
| Excuse the blurry picture. Fast moving, light colored rats are exceedingly difficult to photograph. |
I believe their names are Bolt and Clever. The names have been much debated all day today.
They are kind of cute, as long as you don't acknowledge the long, scaly, disgusting tail trailing behind each one.
Tooth Troubles
It was time for the kids dental check up. Easy peasy. Ethan and Libby got an appointment time together and Grace and Sam were scheduled for a week later.
At Libby's appointment we were reminded she had a tooth that needed pulled. One of her front baby teeth had something blocking her adult tooth from coming up.
Ethan still had a couple small cavities we hadn't fixed after his last checkup. They hadn't grown, but they still needed to be filled. The dentist also discovered that both of Ethan's six year molars, for mysterious reasons, had huge cavities. These teeth were perfect at his last checkup. They just decided to fall apart, quickly. We were sent us to another dentist because the cavities were so huge. He ended up needing one root canal complete with crown (that can't be finished until his roots finish growing; he is sporting a temporary filling for the next six months) and an almost root canal on the other molar. I asked both dentists what we could do to prevent this in the future. They basically shrugged. Ethan, apparently, has old man teeth.
Meanwhile I took Libby to the oral surgeon to get her tooth extracted. They decided she needed to be completely sedated to have her tooth removed. After she was sedated the rest was a piece of cake. Libby had one baby tooth, five baby tooth buds, and an adult tooth all trying to share the same spot. Libby didn't get to take the buds home but the tooth fairy still gave her two dollars and five quarters. The tooth fairy was just glad everyone survived.
They both still have a couple small cavities that need filled and follow ups with the specialists. I truly hope they can make it to adulthood with all their original teeth at this point.
Grace and Sam's appointments went much smoother. Sam drove me nuts by playing with the buttons on the dentist chair but he got his teeth cleaned and was pronounced cavity free. Grace cried, and hid behind the chair, and sat on my lap, and in the end she didn't even show the dentist her teeth. Next time she swears she will open her mouth so I will take her to the dollar store after. Only time will tell. Two days later she announced her tooth hurt. Dreading the reason why, I asked her to open her mouth. I was able to quickly diagnose the problem. She is losing her first tooth.
Who knew teeth could cause so many problems?
At Libby's appointment we were reminded she had a tooth that needed pulled. One of her front baby teeth had something blocking her adult tooth from coming up.
Ethan still had a couple small cavities we hadn't fixed after his last checkup. They hadn't grown, but they still needed to be filled. The dentist also discovered that both of Ethan's six year molars, for mysterious reasons, had huge cavities. These teeth were perfect at his last checkup. They just decided to fall apart, quickly. We were sent us to another dentist because the cavities were so huge. He ended up needing one root canal complete with crown (that can't be finished until his roots finish growing; he is sporting a temporary filling for the next six months) and an almost root canal on the other molar. I asked both dentists what we could do to prevent this in the future. They basically shrugged. Ethan, apparently, has old man teeth.
Meanwhile I took Libby to the oral surgeon to get her tooth extracted. They decided she needed to be completely sedated to have her tooth removed. After she was sedated the rest was a piece of cake. Libby had one baby tooth, five baby tooth buds, and an adult tooth all trying to share the same spot. Libby didn't get to take the buds home but the tooth fairy still gave her two dollars and five quarters. The tooth fairy was just glad everyone survived.
They both still have a couple small cavities that need filled and follow ups with the specialists. I truly hope they can make it to adulthood with all their original teeth at this point.
Grace and Sam's appointments went much smoother. Sam drove me nuts by playing with the buttons on the dentist chair but he got his teeth cleaned and was pronounced cavity free. Grace cried, and hid behind the chair, and sat on my lap, and in the end she didn't even show the dentist her teeth. Next time she swears she will open her mouth so I will take her to the dollar store after. Only time will tell. Two days later she announced her tooth hurt. Dreading the reason why, I asked her to open her mouth. I was able to quickly diagnose the problem. She is losing her first tooth.
Who knew teeth could cause so many problems?
November 15, 2014
Hello, Blogger.
For eight years I have been mostly faithful. You have been with me through ups and
downs.
Then things got crazy busy and I left you behind. I am sorry. I plan to renew our friendship.
Then things got crazy busy and I left you behind. I am sorry. I plan to renew our friendship.
My days are crazy and I dropped you. I didn’t realize how quickly my time would
start to fill as the kids got older. I
remember going stir crazy when they were little. We went to the park daily and my house was clean. Now we manage the park monthly, my
house is a disaster, and I LOVE the days we don’t have outside activities. Ethan has Cub Scouts, Libby has girls' activity
day through church, they both have violin lessons (When does the squealing stop?!
When?!) and Grace has piano (her playing doesn’t sound like music but at least
it doesn’t cause my fillings to vibrate).
The three older kids have classes with other homeschool families on
Wednesday. They also spend one afternoon
a week cleaning for a woman in our ward who has limited mobility. Add in the occasional doctor and dentist
appointment (lots of dentists lately) and my days are overflowing.
A year ago I decided I was not busy enough. I decided it was time to finish my
degree; into my crazy schedule I decided
to add two classes a semester.
Thankfully I am able to attend BYU-I online, otherwise it would not even be possible. My classes all seem to require a lot of
writing and I’ve been running out of words.
Hopefully I can get back in the habit of sparing some for you.
Thank you for being here, even when I've neglected you. I will seek to be more committed to our relationship.
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