Shower, Teeth and Urgent Care

I wonder what reading the title makes you think? What your first thoughts are? For me it is not a good combination of words. Well this was my reality this evening. These words were front and center in my world.

I asked Kendall to get in the shower before dinner. Usually not a problem, but tonight for some reason she wanted to shower in her own bathroom. I didn't feel like a fight so said sure. Got her all set up. Stuck the non slip froggy shaped pads in the bottom and she started showering. I was running around getting the babies dinner ready, the kids dinner cooked, Kope ready for his bath. I went into the bathroom, gave her the shampoo for her hair. Turned around to get Kopelan ready to get in for his bath and before I knew it I heard the thunk and then the cry. It took me 2seconds to open the curtain and she was already standing rubbing the shampoo in her hair, but with blood pouring out her mouth. Umm hello, trying not to freak out as I help my dripping wet, naked child out of the shower as blood pours out her mouth. Head and mouth wounds are so ridiculous with the amount they bleed. I grabbed the first towel I saw and put it to her mouth, then another for her body. Ushered her downstairs where I knew my phone was, all the while telling my other child to get all his clothes back on.

Staying calm for the sake of Kendall who is starting to notice the amount of blood on the towel, and panic is rising in her.

"Mom, I am never gonna be able to talk again."

" I think you will be okay you are talking now, lol"

I got her to move the towel long enough for me to see 2 good size teeth marks on her outer lower lip, and her front teeth looking very pushed back.

Called KC told him to meet me at Urgent care as Kendall may need stitches. So I pulled dinner out of the oven, helped Kope get dressed, quickly made a bottle for the baby who was not so patiently waiting for her dinner, and threw them all in the car for the 2min drive to the Urgent Care.

Got all checked in, fed the baby and tried to keep my wild monkey under control aka Kopelan. KC finally arrived to take the little ones home and Kendall and I went back to see the Dr. He checked her out and said he could put a stitch in her outer lip if I wanted, but thought with neosporin and an antibiotic she would heal up nicely. As for her teeth he could not give me any info so I have left a message with her dentist who of course is not open tomorrow. I do think I will have her seen though as one of her teeth looks like it has been shoved up in to the gum. I went and looked at photos of her prior to the accident and it looks different. Her two front teeth are very loose and I think the tooth fairy will be visiting very soon.

So she is all good, but has some nasty marks on her mouth and a fat lip. Kendall is not a stranger to mouth injuries though. It seems if she has something happen, it always happens to her mouth. She has had an ER visit with stitches in the lip and a previous Urgent Care visit where she also narrowly escaped stitches. I am praying this will be the last of these mouth incidents, at least for a while. Kendall has informed me that she will no longer ask to take a shower in her room. I think it is a great plan since I always discouraged it, but just didn't feel like the fight tonight. Sometimes our kids have to learn the hard way on things we are constantly telling them. This just ended up being the hard way and I am sure a very expensive way. Blah

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I never thought I could make anything that required the use of Yeast and rising and setting and all these terms I am soooo unfamiliar with, but I did it!!! Today I took the plunge into the home made world. Took myself back to a way of baking that was an everyday event back in the day. The best part, they turned out yummy and edible, lol! Kendall and I split a warm roll right out of the oven. WE both agreed that it was delicious even with out the sugary drizzle.

Why you ask did I decide to make cinnamon rolls? Well, we are starting a tradition here in the Lee house. We have started making it a routine on Saturday mornings that momma (ME) gets up and makes the family cinnamon rolls, before waking them up. It makes the house smell yummy and makes everybody happy to wake up for a special treat. This tradition though is starting to get expensive. Cause with out a good sale refrigerated rolls are over $2, and that is the generic/store brands. So this cheapy momma, I mean frugal, lol, whatever I am, decided to try something new. Make my own cinnamon rolls. How hard could it be, lol!

I headed to my trusty netbook to find a recipe. There are a lot out there and I took what looked like to be an easy one. As I continue to make the rolls I may start tweaking it to make it a little more healthy. I did some tweaking as we drink Almond milk so that is the milk I used and I use splenda brown sugar. Eventually I will try to use Whole Wheat Flour and see how that tastes.

It was a rather fun and simple process. The majority of the time is waiting for the bread to rise. Mix all the ingredients, roll into a ball, let it rise. A very cool process for kids to see. The dough goes from a small ball to a big ball. Then you divide and punch, that is a fun part. Save this step for when you need to get some frustration out, lol! Then you let the two seperate parts sit and grow. Then once again when you have actually made the rolls you let them sit and they grow again. Just a cool process. The kids loved painting on the melted butter and sprinkling the cinnamon.

All in all this was a fun and yummy activity for me and the kids. I will post the recipe at the bottom for all you brave souls who would like to take the leap also. They freeze and that is what I plan on doing. I can make 2 or 3 weeks worth, and it is way cheaper. I can not wait to keep this tradition going and now we will get to make the rolls together creating even more memories.

HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS

4 1/4 to 4 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 1/4 c. milk 1/4 c. granulated sugar 1/4 c. butter 1 tsp. salt 2 eggs 6 tbsp. butter, softened 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 recipe Maple Nut Glaze or Powdered Sugar Glaze Step 1: In a large mixer bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and yeast. Heat the milk, granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup butter and salt just until mixture is warm (120 to 130 degrees) and the butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. Step 2: Add milk mixture to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds; scrape sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. (Dough will be soft.) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Step 3: Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). (The dough is ready for shaping when you can lightly and quickly press two fingers 1/2 inch into dough and indentation remains.) Step 4: Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half; shape each half into a smooth ball. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Step 5: On lightly floured surface roll half the dough to 12x8 inches. Spread with 3 tablespoons softened butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half over rectangle. Roll up from a short side. Seal edges. Make a second roll with remaining dough, butter and sugar mixture. Step 6: Slice each dough roll into 8 pieces. Arrange slices, cut side down, in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Cover; let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes). Step 7: Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Invert at once onto a wire rack. Cool slightly. Drizzle rolls with Maple Nut Glaze or Powdered Sugar Glaze. Serve warm. Makes 16 rolls. MAPLE NUT GLAZE: In small bowl combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 1/2 teaspoon maple extract and enough water or milk (2 to 3 teaspoons) for drizzling consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans. POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE: Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk (about 3 to 4 teaspoons) for drizzling consistency. FREEZING AND REHEATING: Bake and cool rolls as directed, do not glaze. Wrap in moisture and vapor proof wrap. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat in a conventional oven, wrap frozen rolls in foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until warm. Drizzle with your choice of glaze. To reheat in a microwave oven, wrap 2 of the frozen rolls in microwave-safe paper towels. Micro-cook on 100% power (high) for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until warm. Drizzle with glaze.

YES

As I was singing in the shower, (yes I sing in the shower) these lyrics came to me and I started singing away

" I'll say yes, Lord Yes, to your will and to your way, I'll say yes, Lord yes, I will trust you and obey. When your spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I'll agree, and my answer will be yes, Lord Yes."

Yesterday on mother's day I was basking in the love from my children and my husband I feel so blessed. I was also sad at the same time. There is a little girl on the other side of the world that has captured my heart. As these lyrics were being sung, I was saying yes Lord yes, I hear you Lord, but I have to have patience. Because the decision can not be my own. I need my partner, my friend, my husband singing the same lyrics at the same time. For now I sing these lyrics and I wait. She has waited 4 years for a mom and dad, she has been so patient. If this truly is what God is asking then she will be there waiting as I do. In the meantime I will continue to pray and say yes Lord yes and show patience.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there. Whether you are a birth mother, an adoptive mother or a foster mother. We all play a very special role in raising children day in and day out. Helping them learn and grow. Teaching them how to be the parents that someday we hope they will be when they grow up. I have so many happy memories with my mom and still make them when we get to be together, she still is teaching me how to be a better mother and parent. The job of a mother never goes away no matter how old your children are today.

Now as a mother myself I see how hard this job called MOTHER really is. You become responsible for these little people. Protecting them and teaching them and loving them. From the minute they arrive in your arms, no matter how they got there, they become a part of you. It's like a piece of your heart is now on the outside of your body and you would do anything for it. I love my children so much. Sometimes I look at them doing something and just want to cry happy tears. Just the other day Kopelan had a little program at his school where they sang a few songs. I got teary eyed (yes I am a emotional mess, lol) I just could not believe he was big enough, old enough to be finishing his 1st year of preschool. I swear he was just born not that long ago. And Kendall, Tuesday we went and picked up all the forms to register her for Kindergarten. Kindergarten, seriously is she already old enough to go? I remember the day we brought her home from the hospital so clearly, the day the judge let her pound the gavel and say that she was forever my daughter. She made me a mother. It has all gone by so fast yet I do not want to go back, because everyday we are embarking on new journeys in our life. I learn something from my kids everyday about being a mother, they are helping and teaching me new ways to be a good mother. Teaching me new levels of love that I never knew existed until they came around.

My kids and I are so lucky to have the bond of mother and child. On this day though it is so hard for me not to think about the 100's to 1000's of children that do not have a mother to share that bond with, that have never known the love of a mother even for 1 second of their little lives. It breaks my heart to know today as my kids and I enjoy our time together barbecuing and loving each other, some of these kids will lay in their beds all day with no interaction except being handed a bottle. As a mother I want to go love on them all. To show them a mother's love even if for a minute. To show them they are lovable and worthy of a mother despite their difference's or the way they were born. I know we can not save them all, or even help them all. We can all pray though and donate when you can. We can give hope to children who have none. Our hearts as mother's would do anything to help a child in need. Visit Reecesrainbow.com to donate or choose a child to pray over for a day or week, a month. See how your prayer can make a difference in the life of a child.

To all the women, mother's who have played a role in helping me to become the mother that I am today and continue to become,(there is a lot of you. They say it takes a village right.) I love you with my whole heart and hope that today you feel special. The word Mother is a special role and never ends. Happy Mother's Day!

Saved and Safe

Yesterday we came home from the kids gym to find Kendall's beloved flamingo Pinkie surrounded by white fluff. Not sure what got in to the guilty party or parties, but it was a mess. Needless to say there was some tears over this flamingo that I do not think Build- A-Bear hospital will be able to fix.

The point of this blog though was to share a sweet act of kindness from Kopelan. He was down having breakfast this morning and saw that Pinkie was still sitting on the table. I told him we needed to head out the door to get him to school. He promptly said, " I got to take Kendall's flamingo upstairs so the dogs won't get it again". I did not think that was necessary, but was not in the mood to argue so off he went.

Fast forward a few hours as I am running around packing the kids and I to head to Ft. Lauderdale to meet my aunt. I head into the kids room to see the bed sheets cubby had exploded all over there room. I was a little confused as the last time I was up there this morning the room was clean. So I start gathering the sheets and open the sheet cubby and who do I find tucked safe and sound where no dog would ever think to look, Pinkie. Kopelan had took all the sheets and thrown them around the room, lol, to hide the flamingo safely in the cubby. What a sweet and kind little brother to save his sisters flamingo from a second chomping on. He really does love his sissy and little things like this are proof. Love me kids.

Back to Basics

So we are headed back to the basics of potty training. My very stubborn, sometimes I think just lazy son has reverted to peeing his pants quite often again. This is not acceptable especially at a school where they have to be potty trained. He had made it a routine thing to wet his pants during recess everyday. Now to me that is just laziness and the fact that he does not want to stop playing. So the teachers are being extra vigilant in taking him potty before the go outside. At home he was also wetting his pants a lot more. He never really seemed to care and plus there was always a clean supply of underwear and shorts, so why not lol! So we have gone back to basics with the positive reinforcement. 1 jelly bean for a pee, a chocolate for a poo and if he can stay dry all day at school then he gets to pick out of the treasure box. I am hoping this will be some what of an incentive to again start using the toilet on a regular basis. Only time will tell. All fingers are crossed.

Boat Day!

We had a great day out on our friends boat! We have truly made some great friends down here. Adults get along great, kids get along great what more do you need! The kids are always so excited when we tell them we are going out on the boat with friends. It is always just a layed back day of sun, water, food and laughs. Great friends are great to have ! Thank you again Webster family for always being so GREAT!