Word of the Year 2015

Hello?
Blogging was a dismal failure last year.
So was my word of the year.
But...
I am trying again!

BE: This is the word that seems to fit this year! I like it!

"Try a little harder to BE a little better"

~Gordon B. Hinckley

4 Squared

A long, long, long, long, long, long, long time ago...
Lesa tagged me on her blog...
And I'm just barely getting around to getting it done...
'Cause we were sick, and all...
We're better now (thank you very much)...
And I'm tired of whining about that anyway...
Because there's lots of other stuff that is more important to whine about...
Kidding...
But I do have other stuff to blog...
But it will have to wait because...
MY LIFE IS CRAZY RIGHT NOW!!!

Now...to the "4's"...

1.  Four Places I Go

*  The school
*  The grocery store :(
*  Church
*  Crazy (that counts, right?)

2.  Four Favorite Smells

*  Freshly cut hay
*  Lilacs, hyacinths, roses
*  Baking...anything
*  Autumn

3.  Four Favorite TV Shows/Movies

*  "24" (Only have 2 more seasons to watch!)
*  "American Idol"
*  "Sabrina" (1995 w/ Harrison Ford & Julia Ormond)
*  "Beauty & The Beast" (Disney)

4.  Four Recommendations

*  Be kind to yourself!
*  Be "fully present" in your life
*  Netflix. Seriously~ it's awesome
*  This Lotion Bar.  I LOVE this stuff

Wasn't that just the most fascinating thing you've read lately?
Gripping, really.

I'm supposed to tag 4 others...
So I choose... (again, with the ...'s?)
Jenny
Monica
Rachelle (Private Blog)
Shae

Happy Weekend~

Making a Good First Impression

No pictures for this one.
You can thank me later.
You will thank me...And uh, proceed at your own risk!

Shane had his first basketball game last week.
There I was, sitting on the bleachers, minding my own business when I noticed a cute, little, dark-haired girl, maybe about 4 years old, staring at me. She watched me for a minute, I smiled, she wandered off.

Pretty soon, she was back. She sat down by her mom in front of me. Next thing I know, she has turned around and slid really close to me. She leans in and in a whispery voice asks me...

"Do you have a baby growing in your tummy?" (Gulp, really? I look pregnant to this little girl? What the heck???)

*I make a mental note to add a girdle body shaper to my shopping list.

Swallowing  hard, I hesitantly answer;

"No".

Then, she reaches up, touches my...um..."chest" and quickly quips back;

"Then why are your boobs so big?"

I'll wait until you finish laughing.

Good news, I guess I don't look pregnant...?

And now I know what kind of first impression I make on people. I mean, 4 year olds pretty much call it like it is, right?

The little cutie's brother is on Shane's team.
You'll understand what I mean when I say I am not looking forward to attending Shane's games for the next 8 weeks.
I'm just thankful no one else overheard our conversation.
I think I am scarred for life!

By the way~ my answer was;

"I don't know".

I thought it was a pretty good comeback!
This week, I think I'll just send Rick to the game...I'll be busy trying to find a plastic surgeon.

Labyrinthitis!!! (Longest, Most Boring Post Ever)

Huh?
Perhaps you've never heard of labyrinthitis...to which I would reply; Good!
I'm sure it sounds all mysterious and exotic, but I am here to tell you, it is neither!!!
What it is however, is miserable and annoying. Yeah, that.

Basically, labyrinthitis is inflammation of the deep inner ear, called the (wait for it...wait for it...)
Labyrinth.  With me so far? 
Here is a fascinating (albeit blurry) picture from the www:

Inflammation of the inner ear can be caused by a variety of different things;

Allergies

A bacterial or viral ear infection that has spread

Head trauma

Or, as in my case...

Viral infection and/or No Known Cause

Symptoms usually resolve in 1-3 weeks, but can linger for months or be recurrent.  Most people recover with no further problems. (That's the one I'm going for). 

Symptoms can include:

Hearing loss and or ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

Other than some strange sounds in my ears, I've had neither of this symptoms, so let's move on, shall we?

Vertigo (I have both subjective, feel like I'm moving or falling; and objective, seems that my surroundings are moving/tilting/swaying/spinning)

Nausea,Vomiting (you're welcome)

Difficulty Standing & Walking

Headache

Disequilibrium

Nystagmus (when the eyes rapidly jerk to one side & then slowly find their way back to the original position, yeah that was a bundle of fun & freaked my kids out!)

Balance Problems,Light Headedness

(Shall I keep going?)

Vision Problems

Difficulty Speaking,Lowered level of Consciousness & Difficulty Concentrating

Alrighty then, I think that about sums it up for my symptoms!!!

So, here's my story...

I began having mild symptoms (which is unusual, onset is typically rapid) on Mother's Day.  Just had a couple of times during the day when I felt lightheaded, but it quickly passed.

On Monday, the incidents became more frequent and lasted a bit longer, and seemed to be brought on my sudden movement of my head (bending over, turning my head while driving).

By Monday evening, I had experienced enough strangeness, that I decided something might be wrong and I should tell Rick...:)  We all went to dinner and a movie (for Mother's Day, not because I was sick) and as long as I wasn't moving my head, I was okay.  By next morning, I was dizzy all the time...so decided I better see the doctor.

A brief exam later (in which I failed my tracking test, which was weird because I really thought I did fine!)

I was diagnosed with (say it with me) Labyrinthitis.  There basically is no treatment, (unless complications occur), other than Rest and motion sickness pills that can help alleviate symptoms...or not.  In my case it was the "or not".

*Note to drug manufacturers:

Chewables? Really?

And...I don't know what raspberries you've been eating, but the ones I have tasted DO NOT taste like a mixture of rubber and ear wax.  Please do not try to fool me by promising a pleasant raspberry flavor.  And while I realize that rubbery earwax flavor is not a viable marketing option...perhaps you could just say "mild medicinal flavor"...I'm just sayin'!!!

Moving on...

By Wednesday, I was sick, sick, sick...and spent the better part of a week on bed rest.  Any movement resulted in extreme nausea (which resulted in, well...extreme vomiting, sorry!) and meant I had to haul myself out of bed and lurch my way to the bathroom. This Was. Not. Fun. 

Thankfully the worst of it only lasted about 3 days. I couldn't even watch TV!  Or read!  (sorry Eclipse, I know you are waiting for me.) Or even (gasp) blog!!!  (or read blogs, it was terrible I tell ya!)

Once I could watch TV, I spent a lot of time watching Food Network (Deep Fried Network, according to Spencer), and "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC...oh and "Toddlers and Tiaras"...and of course

SERIES FINALE OF 24!!!

(Good thing I was able to get up a bit by then!)

I am currently making a (much slower than I would like) recovery.  Still have some mild dizziness, as well as a few other mild to moderate symptoms... and I can't drive yet...which is a total pain! At least I can ride in the car now with only mild car sickness...:) I'm hoping I'll be 100% better in a few days.  Gonna try reading (more than just a little at a time) again tomorrow! Wish me luck. 

And, just for clarification, if you have seen me, spoken to me, or if I have emailed you or commented on your blog...I do not have a drinking or drug problem, just a bad case of vertigo!!!  I'm sorry if I caused alarm.  I do realize I may have seemed a little "off" and/or not very coherent...my apologies! :)

One funny story:

I went Visiting Teaching this week.  I love my neighbor that I go teaching with.  She is sweet and compassionate, also very prim and proper. When the sister we were visiting opened the door, my neighbor quickly proclaimed that I had not been drinking.  It was hilarious!  I busted up laughing (and so did everyone else) and thanked her for clearing that up.  She is such a delightful lady, but I think that's the first time I've ever heard her tell a joke!

And a tender story:

My kids (and husband) have been a little worried and stressed about me being down sick for so long.  Shane has been having trouble sleeping.  The first week when I was the sickest, he came in and stood by my bed and quietly asked me, "Mom, is your hair going to fall out too?"  (Amy lost her hair a few weeks ago, because of her radiation treatments).  Dang it! Sometimes life is just hard.

With that, I am done...and off to see if there are any ice cream bars left in the freezer, I've been craving them since I got sick!  :)

ABC's of Me!

A is for age: 44

B is for burger of choice: Patty Melt (Barry's in Spanish Fork is my fave!)

C is for the car you drive: A white, 2008 GMC Envoy

D is for your dog's name: Sorry, no pets at our house.  I had a 3 legged dog named Tuffy-nutnut when I was a kid

E is for essential item you use every day:  Dr. Pepper,  Lotion & Burt's Bees lip balm

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: 24! And it's the last season!!!  The good news is, last season
was the first one we watched, so now we can go back and watch seasons 1-6! Yahoo

G is for favorite game: Skip-bo, Toss Up. I like most games except I don't really care for Monopoly (probably because I always lose!)

H is for home state: Utah

I is for instruments you play: Piano, but not very well!

J is for job title: Domestic Engineer & Chauffeur

K is for kids: 4~ Curtis (22) Emily (19), Spencer (15 going on 21), Shane (9 in one week)

L is for last restaurant at which you ate: La Carreta Peruvian Restaurant, for Spencer's English project. I found the food rather bland

M is for your favorite Muppet: Kermit, Grover, Elmo

N is for nicknames: I've never had a nickname, and I go by Valerie, not Val

O is for overnight hospital stays: 4~ 1 for each of my kiddos being born

P is for people you were with today: The family

Q is for what you do with your quiet time: I am unfamiliar with this term! Sleep? Clean?

R is for biggest regret: Don't really have any. I do wish I had saved a piece of the quilt Rick's grandma gave him for graduation. It wore out and I tossed it! Most of my "regrets" are things like that.

S is for status: Tired. Actually, very tired!

T is for time you woke up today: 7:15

U is for what you consider unique about yourself: I'm a good listener & can keep confidences.

V is for vegetable you love: Zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower

W is for your worst habit: Sleeping in & spending too much time on the computer

X is for x-rays you've had: Hmmm…dental, also my back, my foot, and my ankle (not at the same time)

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Left-over barbecued ribs and this yummy pasta salad. I think the feta cheese is what really takes it over the top. My kids won't eat the feta. They refuse to eat anything that smells and looks like baby spit-up. Pansies!!!  So I serve it on the side. 

Z is for zodiac: Aquarius

I meant to post this yesterday, when it seemed like a much better idea...but we were visiting the doctor's office.
Shane's been sick all week, with a mild virus.  He thinks our doctor is the coolest because after listening to Shane's stomach and bowel sounds, he predicted mild diarrhea would be next.  Later, Shane informed me that "Mr. P" (the doctor) was right!  So, now you know!  And, Shane has pink-eye! 
March totally kicked my butt, however April seems to be starting out much better. Sore throat, stomach ache, diarrhea, pink-eye...and that's just the beginning of yesterday's adventures! It doesn't get much better than this folks!  Whatever. 

What I've Been Up To

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Un.Pack.Ing.

Need I say more?

Haven't we lived here for 6 months already? (Yes)

Then why are there so many boxes still left to unpack? Why? Why? Why?

Last week I made pretty good progress. 20+ boxes unpacked!

I am getting to the home stretch now (I've no idea what that means, exactly).

My current project is the office. I thought I could easily get most of it done today...NOT! I was way over confident on that one. :)

Really, I did get a lot done...now I just have to finish up with the "to be filed" boxes, which can't be unpacked until I get the file drawers cleaned and organized (all the stuff that's been accumulating the past 6 months).

Once the office is done, I have about 6 "odds and ends" boxes that need unpacking (there are probably more...but "6" doesn't cause me to hyperventilate and run around crying for my mommy!)

Then we'll (by we I mean me) be on to the project of unpacking the boxes in "storage". (Fancy word for basement and garage). Not looking forward to that part either...Maybe I'll put a section on my side bar showing how many boxes I've unpacked and how many I have left? Yeah, or not. Wonder how long it would take me to count all the remaining boxes...should I round up or down for the ones that are partially unpacked? Either way, would the resulting number finally push me over the edge?

Have I mentioned I hate moving?

If my husband mentions moving to me again, you will find me huddled in the corner in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and crying...Just sayin'.

What I've learned today:

We have too much stuff.

I am quickly running out of room to put all the stuff.

(Note to self: Summer project: Building shelves in the storage room and the garage).

I thought we had purged most of the junk already...today I found a box full of papers from when I was serving in the Relief Society presidency. Really? Do I really need to keep minutes from Presidency Meeting 5+ years ago? Really???

Did I mention we are running out of room?

Perhaps you missed the part where I said I hate moving/unpacking/blah/blah/blah?

I was going to post a picture of what I look like today...no makeup, hair flat and straight...(I hate my hair!)...It was to be titled, "Have I No Shame?"...and pretty well summed up how I'm feeling right about now...but after 20 minutes of taking self portraits that turned out with me looking either angry or stoned (of which I was neither). I gave up.

My work here is done.

Goodbye.

Honestly...

Connie at I Started Out As A Child, was kind enough to pass this award along to me. Supposedly, it is for blogs that are "Encouraging, Inspiring, or Brilliant". I'm pretty sure it was the Jell-O post that caught her attention! :)

Kidding aside, Thanks, Connie, I think you are Awesome (as well as Encouraging, Inspiring & Brilliant!)

I'm supposed to share 10 Honest things about myself...

So, without further ado...here are 10 wonderful, captivating, essential things you never knew you never knew...about me!

*1. I am not a “morning person”…Not. A. Morning. Person. Don’t get me wrong, I love morning, I just wish it came a lot little later in the day. It is not unusual for me to go back to bed after I get the kids off to school. A bad habit I am kinda trying to break. I also really like naps! I guess I just like to sleep!!!

*2. I love glazed doughnuts! Love them! I was having a little obsession with cupcakes (love those too), but once I bit into that lovely, gooey, sugary doughnut…oh baby! My absolute favorites are from Maceys Grocery store. I haven't had these for 4 years...I was so happy when I finally bit into one! Pretty sure there will be glazed doughnuts (from Maceys) in Heaven.

*3. I can’t swim. I can do a pathetic doggy paddle or a frog kick…but that’s it! I also hate water on my face (even in the shower!)

*4. I don’t really like to wear shoes. Not sure why. I prefer barefoot, or sandals or flipflops. I really don't like "tie" shoes, I prefer ones I can slip on and off easily.

*5. I am a bit of a germ-o-phobe. My middle name should be “use sanitizer!” The whole swine flu thing has been a little stressful for me! Enough so that I am just ready to find a nice family that is sick & go give them all a great big hug! Or get the shot…whichever comes first. I can get a little uptight when my kids are sick! I'm fine when they are little and need to be held and loved on...but when they are older, yeah~ they better not be breathing and coughing on me!!! :) My family loves to make fun of me about this...but when they get sick, suddenly the handwashing and sanitizing doesn't seem so silly!

*6. Speaking of which, when I was in 3rd grade, I kissed my friend’s little brother so I could get the chicken pox. Pretty sure I didn’t have a germ phobia then!

*7. I love magazines. I could buy a magazine every time I go to the store! I don’t read the “tabloid” type (except for People, once in a while). I do like cooking, crafting or decorating magazines. I have read Good Housekeeping since I was a teenager! Reader’s Digest, Prevention…I pretty much read them all…I have put a moratorium on cooking magazines, for the time being…I have way too many of those!

*8. When I was in Middle School (7th Grade) I won a Halloween Writing Contest. Everyone who wanted to, wrote a story and submitted it to our English teacher, Mr. Houghton. He read the stories in class and we all voted for our favorite. My story was the favorite! I think I won $20.00. I have no clue what happened to the story. I wish I knew what I had done with it! It would probably be hilarious to read. I still can remember a little bit about it. I remember working on it a lot! I wrote it in one of those old, brown school notebooks (the ones that came in all different sizes…anyone remember those?). The title of my story was “The House on the Hill”.

*9. I am a bit of a pessimist. Yes, I am a “glass half empty” kinda gal. My sil says I’m a “realist”. That’s a much better sounding term!

*10. I’ve already confessed my inability to make Jell-O…but in addition to that (as if that weren’t bad enough) I can’t make gravy. Yes, that’s right. I Cannot Make Gravy. Thankfully, Rick can…so we are good!

Now, I am supposed to pass this award on to 7 other awesome bloggers...and so far, all of the blogs I've read have recently been awarded too (this award is getting around!). So, as others have done, I'll just encourage you to take a look at some of the blogs I love (over on the right side) and maybe you'll find someone new!

P.S. Can anyone clue me in as to how the spacing works on blogger? It's driving me nuts! I always have problems when I am trying to leave a space between paragraphs/sections...Then I have to go through endless edits trying to get it right! GRRRR!