Tell me again, how many teeth do kids have?

Tara lost her first tooth yesterday.Well, she had one pulled before so it isn't technically her first tooth. Anyway, we have been watching this loose tooth like the Apollo Moon Landing. It was the topic of I'd say 98% of my latest discussions with Tara.


Bath finished and warm in her bed, I thought the Tara tooth stand-off 2007 was done for the night. Nope. Out she ran, itty bitty tooth in hand. Jay was at work but the rest of the street and part of Akron heard her shouts of delight.


Emily immediately took over the Tooth Fairy part of this equation. She, knowing that Tara can't spell very well yet, took it upon herself to write to the Tooth Fairy. In my day, there was no need to write to her. You got what you got. But the thing that made me laugh is that Em asked for another 5 bucks! She then signed it "Yours truly, Tara." Such schemers!


Then we put this mini tooth in a Ziploc so that the Tooth Fairy could find it better under her pillow.** wink wink.** Tara went happily to bed. Then she just couldn't resist opening it and thought she lost the tooth in her bed. We looked for it (I can't even do its size justice; it is that dang small)for a few frenzied minutes before realizing it was still in the bag! Crisis averted. No wonder I have eye problems. Stress, thy name is child with loose teeth!

(Oh, and yes she got the five bucks.) Somewhere in cyber space I just heard a few people say "sucker" under their breath. :)

zoo and eye

Tara went to the Akron Zoo yesterday with her school. Today she came home with a disc of pictures that her parent leader took of her group. I have to say I don't know this mom but I love her! What a very sweet thing to do for us.

They all wore the same neon t'shirts so they wouldn't get lost. It was a kind of -if lost return to the-kindergarten-group kind of thing. They all looked so cute.

It was just the nice thing I needed. Between yesterday and today, I have been to three doctors and had lots of tests. The short of it is that I have central serous chorioretinopathy. It's an eye disorder that causes fluid to leak through a small break in the retina. It causes me to see a black circle in my left eye. It is no fun. The good news is that it will probably go away over a few months. The bad news is that it may not go away. I was told this mostly happens to men with Type A personalities. I am neither. The exact cause of this is unknown but it is linked to stress. It is also quite a case of it I am told. I was in a room with a retina specialist and an ophthalmologist today who were having a go at my fluorescein angiography results. I felt like I was in a surreal episode of ER. I never thought I'd see the inside of my eyeball. The problem was clearly visible on the computer screen, even to my untrained eye. No puns intended. The doctor, who was very competent but had breath like a donkey's backside, told me to reduce stress. How exactly does one do that? It's not like we wake up and go- Gee today I am going to stress myself into an eye disorder!

field trips and lunch

Both the girls have field trips tomorrow. They both need packed lunches. The lunches must be completely able to be thrown away at the end warns Tara 600,000 times. I GOT IT! "Oh, and Mom?"
Yes Tara
"It has to be so that I can throw it away."
Sigh...
Field trips make school worthwhile don't you think? All the class work is made up for those couple times a year when you get to go somewhere. You can see this excitement in their eyes.

You know about noon on this field trip, when everyone sits down to eat and inspects each other's lunch? When I was a kid, the lunches were the thing that could make or break you socially. There were all kinds of lunches. There were those kids whose lunch looked like it was catered. Then there were the kids that had every kind of snack cake, treat, and sugary something. I wanted to sit next to those kids. :) In my school it was Laura H. who had that kind of lunch. She had lots of friends at lunch time. Then there was the kid that had all the health food. He had celery and tofu and nuts and boiled eggs and a container just for a dip for his apple slices. No one wanted to trade with him. But as a parent, I can't help but be a bit impressed now thinking back on it. He is probably all grown up now with no cholesterol and running marathons.

I had all this in mind as I packed Em and Tara's lunches a few minutes ago. Intellectually, I know it doesn't really matter. Just give them something to eat. But I want them to open their lunch and smile. So.. I totally over packed for both of them. Their lunches weigh about 10 pounds each. kidding....sorta. They have a sandwich, of course, since this is a staple. Then they have cheese curls for the trade factor, and a snack cake so they'll be popular. ( I do realize that I am being shallow ), string cheese and raisins for health and a drink.

I just know I am going to forget to give it to them tomorrow and they will be that one sad kid whose parent didn't give them a lunch. :(

Of course, I may be over thinking this a tad.

Fun day

This was the best mother's day ever for me. I loved my day from start to finish. I feel really grateful. I woke up and immediately got McDonald's, which has really tasty egg sandwiches. I also got a huge bouquet of roses with a vase and a sign and hand made cards.

Then we took a sign over to my mom's house for her to see when they get home from Pennsylvania tonight.


We went to Michael's craft store and just looked around. We also went to Berean, a Christian store. I got a devotional book that we can do as a family every day. We'll see if I can be disciplined enough to actually do that every day. :)


The girls wanted to go to Seiberling Nature Realm so we went and walked a trail. Tara was carried by both of us at some point. Boy, she was heavy. She declared that she had walked enough for a five-year old. She won't be able to say that for much longer. Her sixth birthday is May 24th.

Then we drove through the valley and ate at Rocco's pizza in the Falls.


Right now the girls are playing outside. Jay is watching Mad Money. Sopranos tonight-can't wait. My laundry is actually caught up and put away. You can't ask for anything more.

Happy Mother's Day Mom.

You are an inspiration to everyone who knows you.


You are intelligent, dignified, beautiful and unique.



I love you.

Mother's Day early

Tara came home with her Mother's Day presents and immediately gave them to me. I asked her if she wanted to wait until Sunday, but she wanted me to have it now now now. The bag it came in had her family, or famriey as she wrote it, pictured and named: Dad, Mom, Tara, Emily, God, dog - in that order. That just cracks me up.
She gave me a picture of herself in dress up clothes with a hand made picture of herself all in a frame. There was also a book with all the kids in her class responding to questions. The spellings and answers were, um creative. Here is what she wrote about me.

• I love my mother. My name is Tara
• My mother's name is Joan ( backwards J)
• My mother is 30 (backwards 3) years old. That's exactly right Tara. :) One kid wrote that his mother was 3 and another wrote hers was 514. hee hee
• My mother's favorite food is BSkadey (spaghetti)
• My mother likes to Play wif my dog
• My favorite food that my mother makes for me is makawoney and caes (macaroni and cheese). Yes, I am the chef of the century.

Ahhh. Tis fun to be the mama sometimes.

We just got back from a thrift store where I got the girls clothes and dolls for very cheap and they are happy as clams. Thrift stores rock.

Milifred and stuff

Millie ,or Millifred when she's bad, is doing about the same. My dad doesn't think she is hurt too badly. I would like her to have an MRI and CAT scan immediately. Ha ha. Animal health care should be free. Who's with me? Let's lobby Congress. That aside, she is limping but does manage to get where she wants albeit slowly. Millie looks at me with this pitiful, do something, kind of look. Jay doesn't see the look. ha ha

Jay's job starting was delayed a few days because the trainer wasn't ready.

My first class starts soon. It is an accelerated class between Spring and Summer sessions. I have five classes this summer. I hope I don't get the professor who says, "Well since you probably are only taking this course this summer let's go ahead and have you write 10 papers and read these 16 books for next week. mmmkay?"