1.   I’ve almost blown the Disney surprise a few times this week; clearly keeping a secret is hard for me!   This week I’ve made some final details for the trip and got a better deal on the hotel.  It pays to stay on top of things when planning a Disney vacation.

Also, did I tell you that Mini is going to be at Pops and Nana’s that week?  We decided that she was a bit young for all the Magic so we’ll wait until she would be wide-eyed over Princesses to take her along.  This time, it’s all about thrill-seeking in the eyes of a 7 year-old boy from open ’til close.  Oh, and of course, me, since we’ll be having my birthday breakfast at the Crystal Palace with all the characters from Winnie the Pooh.   Fun, fun, fun!

2.  It looks like it’s going to work out for the painting to be done while we’re away.  We had a walk-thru the other day and all the paint colors have been submitted.  For the kitchen, I stayed with my first choice, Biltmore Buff.  Part of me wanted to go spicier in the kitchen but I also wanted the living room and kitchen to be the same color since our house is so open.  Can’t really complain about the open floor plan; it’s the reason the insurance is paying for all the walls to be painted since the smoke went everywhere.  I’m so glad to be done with the decision-making.

3.  My eyes are feeling so much better!

4.  School is going well but I had to change up the reward system to keep Max engaged.  Or to keep him from falling off his stool, draping his body over the kitchen table, knocking over the pencil case onto the floor, etc., etc., if he got bored.  This stuff comes in waves and when it comes, I need to be ready with construction paper and creative thinking.

I’m trying out a ticket-like system where he can earn 5 minutes of computer time per subject and bonus 5 minute-tickets too.  He can also have tickets taken away.  He hates that but I think it’s equally effective.  Especially when he truly understands the reason and says “Can I have a do-over?”

Do-overs are awesome.

I had him draw a computer so that we could put the 5-minute tickets he earned on it.

(he imagined himself looking at Lego’s website.  I thought it was hysterical that he wrote “The 8962 Crystal King” {happy to translate} on the screen, which is a Lego set that’s on the top of his Christmas list.  I think he has a future in marketing.)

It’s a very simple reward system and he got the point of it right away.  He can earn up to 60 minutes of computer time per day.  He hasn’t yet made it to 60 but I hope that day will come soon.

5.  Finally, I’m going to leave you with pictures of Mini and her growing affection for shoes.  She doesn’t want to have a thing to do with frilly dresses or hair bows, but when it comes to shoes she is a girly girl.  Recently my sister in law sent a big box of clothes from my niece and there were so many cute shoes inside!  Here are what Mini gets to choose from each day.

And it’s so hard to decide.

If I could find these quilted velvet shoes in my size, I’d order them on the spot.

Of course, I feel that way about wearing a velour sweatsuit, too, like she did last Sunday.  This outfit took her from dressed-up at church…

…to practicing Kung Fu moves later on at home.

Max’s latest idea:

“It’s so the pillow won’t get wet,” he told us.  He hates to dry his hair with a towel (because it makes his hair spiky and not flat, the way he likes it).

Max and his ideas.  This one was pretty funny but sometimes his ideas get him into trouble.

This morning I ran downstairs to pull out clothes from the dryer and heard the welcome sound of music from the DVD and nothing else.  No little voice whining from the kitchen because she missed me or big boy calls beckoning my presence for whatever reason.  Max was perfectly capable to keep an eye on his little sister while they ate breakfast and watched TV.  Or so I thought.

How long does it take to fold an entire basket of clothes?  Usually it takes me all day, but this morning it took me about 5 minutes.

Now, let me ask you.  How long does it take for Max to get an idea in his head and just go for it, without hesitation?  And how long does it take to wrap a patch of your baby sister’s hair from the back of her crown around and around a comb, just to see what would happen?  Would the comb really get stuck?   Would Mommy think that was as funny as he did?

The answer is, about point 2 seconds for the idea and about 5 minutes for the execution.  And, YES.  The comb would really get stuck.  And, no, poor Mommy would not think it was funny and she would lecture non-stop and make the one responsible for executing bad ideas stand right next to her and witness the pitiful cries of helpless, abused Baby Sister in order to teach a lesson (after appropriate discipline) because that’s all Mommy could think to do at the moment.

Except, Baby Sister never cried.  Not once.  I don’t know how she tolerated it (maybe because Max said he prayed six times!) but she was just happy as can be and content to be watching Baby Einstein.  La la la.  Still!  Not a single tear to prove my point??

But Mommy would cry as she had to give up and reach in the cabinet for the scissors.

Not a good idea, Max.

Thankfully, you can’t even see where the missing chunk of hair was taken.  Ya might be able to tell in a few weeks, though.

Trick or Treating was quick and fast this year at our house due to the rain.  We started the big weekend off at Pops and Nana’s house and got dressed in costumes before we left on Saturday to make it home before dark.  Max was totally psyched to be a Special Forces Officer and put on all the gear and gadgets.

Mini, well, was less enthusiastic about dressing up.  When she got sight of me holding the ladybug costume she ran away from me!  But Mommy knows the power of the Dum-Dum lollipop!  Mini is weak to the “pop-pop” and she was nicely distracted while I got her dressed.  Except it became a certainty that she was NOT wearing tights or shoes.

And, while the wings got attached without too much fuss, they didn’t stay on for long.

We made it home for a quick walk around the neighborhood in the drizzly rain and Mini put on a cute pair of sparkly silver shoes for the outing.  She loved every minute of saying hi (or “hell-wo”) to all the neighbors and getting lots of chocolate (chocky) in her bucket.

Speaking of buckets, I forgot to tell you that the cleaning crew left Halloween treats, coloring books, crayons, and toys for my kids on the kitchen table.  How thoughtful was that?

Trick or treating ended early for us.  Surprisingly Max was out of his costume and onto the next thing for the night – pizza and watching Kung Fu Panda with Dad.  We only saw about 20 visitors and heard the last doorbell ring at 8:30.  I guess the rain dampened the Halloween mood around here a bit but it was still a fun night for us!

So I scratched my eyeball again.  Can you believe that?  Twice in the same month?

I’m sure it has to do with the smoke lingering above my head at night.  And possibly the harsh cleaning chemicals that wiped it away.

The cleaners were here for five days.  They said it would take 2-3 days.  Every day I got the kids ready in record speed so that we could get out of their way.  They brought ladders, machines, buckets, and gallons of solution, not to mention their strong ciggy smell on their breath and clothes, plus a talkative (but nice) gal in charge.  We had to get out and stay out.  It was stressful.  Every morning my eyes were giving me fits.

On the upside, my house has never been cleaner.  On the downside, my eyes did not know what to do with a clean house.

The scratch happened yesterday.  I went to the doctor today and, by chance by answered prayer, got in to see one of the corneal specialists.  This was the 5th doctor I’ve seen.  It’s getting so confusing following the different recommendations of every doctor when nothing is working, and I let him know my frustration.  I was more blunt than my usual passive, agreeable self (another answer to prayer).

We had a good conversation and I really liked him.  He seems to have expertise but admitted that it’s a frustrating diagnosis to treat (recurrent corneal erosion) and there’s no magic bullet.

He recommended inserting punctal plugs into my tear ducts today – a 5 minute procedure that he would do then and there.  The last doctor I saw said this was a “possible” thing we could try 4-6 months down the road.  See?  Confusing.

I went ahead and had the plugs inserted.  It was an easy procedure and I’m hopeful about the benefits.  The plugs keep my own tears from draining or evaporating, therefore keeping my cornea nice and un-sticky.  But he thinks I have a corneal defect rather than just a severe case of dry eye.  He saw three small scratches, two in the right eye and one in the left.

Tonight, I feel great.  This is the fastest I’ve ever bounced back.  I’ll go back in a couple of weeks to talk about the next possible step, which is the needle procedure.  Yikes.  The first doctor told me about that so it didn’t come as a surprise.  But I don’t want that.

Meanwhile, I need to use preservative-free artificial tear drops every 1-2 hours and Muro 128 ointment at night and once during the day.  This stuff isn’t cheap, either.

But at least now I have some hope.

P.S.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for the paint advice.  I can’t wait to show pictures.  I have no idea when the job will be done — I’m waiting to hear back whether or not they can do it while we are out of town.

The phone rang at 7:25 this morning and it was the fire restoration company.  They asked if today would be a good day to send the cleaning crew and they could be here at 8 a.m.

Well, that got me up in a hurry!  I quickly took a shower and got the kids ready and when the crew arrived to clean my house top to bottom, we left for Krispy Kreme.  I can’t say I’m enjoying this as much as you’d think, but Krispy Kreme does help.

Plus, since we don’t have donuts too often, I love watching my kids eat ‘em.  They both have a unique style.

The cleaning crew was here until the afternoon and they only got the basement completed.  They cleaned everything – every last Lego – and they worked hard!  Tomorrow they’ll do the main floor and the next day the upstairs.  Then our ducts will be cleaned and I suppose painting will happen soon after that.  So I have a few more days to fret over wall colors.

The new oven came today and I love it!  I sent back the over-the-range microwave because we didn’t have the right electrical outlet.  Oh brother.  For a lot of reasons we decided just to forget this upgrade, get our money back, and go with a plain ol’ hood.  We can always purchase and install a microwave later.  But after finding out how low it would be over the stove, I kinda like the idea of not having something in my face when I’m cooking, so maybe not.

Okay, I’m sorry; I have to bug you.  What color paint would you choose in this kitchen?  I’m listening.  Would somebody hold my hand?  I know this should be fun but it’s driving me crazy.

The oven/range will be delivered on Tuesday.  Still deciding on paint colors. Hope to hear from the fire restoration company Monday – a project manager is supposed to call.

Max jumps when he hears the toaster oven timer (beep) go off.  I think I smell smoke about ten times a day.  It’s psychosomatic I know, but it’s weird because it seems very real.

Max talked about the fire more on Thursday and Friday than previous days…lots of good questions and discussions. I’m so glad he’s verbally processing and I’m thankful that I’m the one who is reassuring him that everything will be all right.

I’m still walking that line of knowing this didn’t turn out so bad so stop making a big deal of everything, and oh-my-gosh I caused a trauma in my son’s life and in mine, too.  Plus, all this great stuff is happening as a result.  It doesn’t make sense but I know that being thankful is the right response.

And it will make a great object lesson for Jr. High one day.

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:3

Looked in my rear view mirror as I drove up the street out of our neighborhood.  10 years we’ve lived here.  A lot of memories.  I love Maryland, especially in Fall.

Mini noticed this before I did.  ”Goggie! Goggie!”  I couldn’t stop laughing.

On our way to the country for our annual youth group hayride and campfire.  The colors take my breath away.  Life is good.

Walked over with Mini and Bunny to see the horses.

“COW! COW!” she insisted.

Well, sure.  In Maryland, doggies drive SUVs, horses are cows, and the colorful trees make you forget the high cost of living and traffic jams.  Sounds like a perfect state to me.

Nice try.

How I wish these decisions came easily.  How I wish I wasn’t a chronic overthinker.  Oh, how I wish I didn’t change my mind everyday.  Poor Mike.

Tentatively, as of Saturday October 24, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. my choices are:

Everywhere plus Kitchen: 7691 Biltmore Buff (the smaller fan deck over there on the left, second from right, top)  (Maybe I should learn how to write on my photos?)

Trim/Doors: 7001 Marshmallow

Max’s room: 7728 Green Sprout (far right)

Mini’s room: 6815 Awesome Violet

Kids bathroom: 6521 Notable Hue (current color in Mini’s room, not the blue sample shown)

Master bedroom:  6106 Kilim Beige (second from far right, second from top)

Master bathroom: 7728 Green Sprout (jury still out on this one)

Have I forgotten something?

The hayride was one of the highlights of the day and I love this candid picture.  Even with the weird lighting (it was a really sunny day) it’s a cool shot, dontcha think?

See?  Very sunny.

Mini seemed to like the hayride – she was very still and quiet but said “woah” on the bumps.

Max was the Big Kid on this playdate and he lived up to that title – being extra helpful and sweet to the babies.  He was always looking for the next job to do.  Makes me wish we lived on a farm.  Well, for a minute anyway.

This picture makes me laugh because my friend, Christine, and I thought this would be such a cute thing to do with our toddlers and we went to some degree of effort to set it up just so. Yeah, um, that didn’t work.

She did much better sitting on her big brother’s lap.  She loves him so much and the feeling is mutual!

Who wants to enter a staring contest?

After the intense staring was over, Mini made her way over to these curious things.

She found herself at home here for the next 15 minutes.  I’m telling you, the girl is going to pitch no-hitters someday. (Hi Kara!)

When we couldn’t take much more of the hot sun (in late October?), we walked up the hill and watched Max go down the big slide as promised then we tried to pose for a picture of all three of us.  It didn’t work out so well.

I think the fact that Max was trying to sneak the hat on Mini’s head had something to do with it.

Whew.  What a fun day.  We were all tuckered out so we headed for home.

Mommy loves it when we’re all tuckered out.  What a fun day!