Im THAT mom....

Im THAT mom, you know, the one that is a germ freak. The one that screens people before entering my house when they come to visit asking them of their last known sickness and what the symptoms were. I don’t usually go as far as taking their temperature before entering my home, but now that ebola is on the rise I might start making that mandatory. Speaking of ebola we will get to that in a different post, I have a whole story to write about my thoughts on that topic. Ok, where were we? Oh yes, germs. Im the mom that washes the pacifier every.single.time it falls out of the babies mouth. I know you are thinking “Aw this must be her first.” Wrong. This is my second baby and I might would argue that im worse with my second than I was with my first. It could be that im older and more knowledgeable or it could just be that im a nurse. I like to think im knowledgeable so we will go with that. I was looking through Landon’s baby book the other night reminiscing and apparently I took him to walmart when he was a week old, when I read that I judged myself. I was embarrassed and thought for a moment I was the worst mother EVER, then I reminded myself he is alive and healthy, but walmart? As soon as I walk into walmart I feel the germs crawling on me, I sanitize the buggy, no joke. Speaking of, here is a funny little story. I went to walmart yesterday, babyless, and I began wiping down my buggy. An older woman came in and was watching me with a look on her face that said “she is so strange”, after watching me for a couple of minutes she walked over to the wipes, grabbed a few and began wiping down HER buggy. I smiled and took off with my sanitized buggy while thinking I made a difference in one persons life today. I giggle at the moms that have hand made signs on their baby’s carseat that says “No touching please” or “Look don’t touch”. I must admit it’s a little sad that we even have to go as far as making a sign that says don’t touch my kid, but there is something about little baby’s that tend to make people want to grab their cute little hand or squeeze their precious little cheeks. While you are sitting there admiring my child and grabbing that cute little hand while talking to her in that ridiculous little voice (which im so guilty of… Landon once told my mother in law that Larson couldn’t understand her because she wasn’t talking in baby talk) all im thinking is thank you for passing on 1000 germs to my child who puts her hands in her mouth ALL the time. She now has germs circulating in her system that are building up viruses and/or bacteria in her very small, weakened immune system. But what do you say without offending someone? I don’t know either, that’s why I tend to steer clear of people when I have a newborn. Now before you go thinking im crazy, im definitely not to the point where I feel as if we should live in a bubble. Some germs are good and baby’s eventually need to be exposed to germs in order to build immunity. I’m a nurse and us nurses tend to have a lot of things in common when it comes to well just about everything, but as with anything there are some things that nurses do that most people wouldn’t understand. The nurse that says “My child has been running 104 fever for a week now, I guess I need to go ahead and take her to the doctor”, yeah that’s what I don’t understand. If my child is running 104 fever for more than a couple hours, im calling the doctor to schedule an appointment and by the time we get to the dr’s office I will be convinced that its meningitis or maybe even ebola because lets face it a high temperature isn’t normal. Its your bodies way of saying hey something isn’t right and im trying to work overtime to fix it. Nurses hold such a tremendous amount of knowledge that it’s scary, SCARY I tell ya. I make the joke often that being a nurse is a curse because it makes you look at the world differently. Obviously its not a curse, its actually one of the greatest blessings, but it does make you look at the world differently. Rashes are no longer just a rash and chigger bites are no longer just chigger bites. We think of a million and one other things that it could possibly be. Now with all that being said, I would like to point out that just because you take your newborn baby to walmart or don’t wash the pacifier every time its dropped or don’t screen people for sickness or don’t automatically take your child to the doctor for a fever, doesn’t make you a bad mom in my eyes. We all have our silly little quirks and mine just so happens to be that im extremely over protective of my children. I do know that God has a hand on my children and ultimately he is their greatest protector, but do you blame me for being over protective of such precious little beings?

 

Now excuse me while i go santize bottles and bleach the counter tops. :-) 

If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It

After 62 years of business, Caye Home Furnishings will be closing their doors. 700 people will be out of a job in New Albany, MS. That is so heart wrenching for me to type. I'm sad. Very sad. This place has been my home for 4 years. These people have been there for me through my wedding and having a baby, their my family. Friday we were told that we would be closing and Tuesday morning 20 of my co-workers were layed off. Watching these people that i have come to love packing up their personal items was so hard. I hate walking through the halls, the quietness and reminiscing about the good times is too much...seeing the empty desks breaks my heart. This is definitely one of the hardest things i have ever been through.

I have learned so much from this experience. I have met people that have truly changed my life. Please pray for everyone that has/will lose thier jobs. Im trying to stay positive, so for now i will concentrate on the fact that God has a plan.

"If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it"

Quote of the Day

"We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."

Author: Unknown

I have to be honest with myself

I don't mean to be all poor poor pitiful me, but i need to vent...release some of my thoughts or maybe just have a reality check. You are being warned, so if you want to exit now....i sure don't blame you! Here lately i have been so pessimistic. Of course, going to work every day waiting to hear if we are going to close or have a layoff will do that to someone. I am trying to see the brighter side of things and be optimistic, but I just seem to keep questioning my life in a sense. Don't get me wrong, i am truly blessed in a million different ways...i have more at 23 than most people have in a lifetime, but the thing i hate the most about myself is the fact that i question everything in my life. I can't make up mind. I want and have always wanted people to make decisions for me. I have regrets...nothing major, just little things that add up to be a lot. I regret not taking more pictures of friends that have came in and out of my life, of my high school years, of my college years. I regret dropping out of Middleton High School and transferring to Gateway Christian School because i didn't get to experience my senior year, or MY senior prom (thankfully i was asked to go by a great friend, but it wasn't the same),I didn't get to walk at my graduation with all of my friends that i literally grew up with. I have made a lot of bad decisions/wrong decisions in my life and i am sure i will make many more, but i have to quit concentrating on the past and look forward to my future. I am semi-thankful for all the mistakes i have made in my past because they have shaped me into the person i am today...i have literally lived and learned, but unfortunately i don't know who i am. A woman that i love and admire told me a few months ago to "just be yourself"and my response was "I don't know how to be". That conversation plays over and over in my head. Who doesn't know how to be themselves?

I'm a people pleaser which is good in some aspects of life, but i admire people who could careless what people think of them. It must be so liberating, so exhilarating.

Some things that i do know about myself are that I'm afraid of change, actually i hate it-every aspect of it, i absolutely cant stand to wear the same outfit twice, i hate drinking soft drinks without a straw, i prefer sweets over meat, i love to laugh even if its at myself, i love to travel and go on vacation, i want to take a photography class, i want to learn how to make professional cakes, i heart whales, i lurrrrvvve high heels, I hate politics, but i admire the president..not just our current president, but all of them, i love to read books about real life people and their stories and i am a sucker for romantic movies, I believe in the Lord and i pray every night, but I don't think going to church every time the doors are open gets you to heaven, I usually like people that other people tend to hate, im 98% sure that every person that has ever meant anything to me has made me cry at least once, whether it was a sad cry or a happy cry, I love to brush my teeth, i worry about EVERYTHING and at times i am selfish.

I have a beautiful family, a roof over my head, food to eat, water to drink, and as of right now a job that I love-I have to be honest with myself and im sure i will eventually figure out how to do that, but for now im going to focus on my career, or should i say, what i want to be when i grow up...haha just kidding. Sort of. Surely i will get out of this funk sooner or later!

CoCo Graduated Kindergarten (And I Only Cried Once)

Christopher Coden Bass, my sweet little nephew, graduated Kindergarten yesterday! I am so proud of this little booger, you just cant even begin to know how proud of him i am. You see my friends, Coden wasn't aware that his Aunt Roo Roo would be attending his graduation; what he also didn't know was that his Aunt Roo Roo wasn't going to miss it for the world! I was seated (ok i was standing while everyone else was sitting, so i could take a picture, i know you are probably thinking im crazy, but that's how i roll) with my family as the kindergartners proudly walked out to take the stage. Coden was making his way down the isle skimming through the audience for some familiar faces and the first face he recognized was his Aunt Roo Roo's. Let me just tell you, this kids face lit up like the fourth of July, he had a smile from ear to ear and he immediately starting waving at me. Of course this is when i sobbed and looked like a complete fool crying my eyes out, but I was steadily taking pictures dang it! He did, however, gain his composure (unfortunately it took Roo Roo a little longer) and went straight back to his serious march! But that didn't keep him from glancing over at us every so often and flashing a smirky little grin! Back to the serious face...I mean after all he has a reputation to maintain. Kindergartners Class of 2010The program was so darn cute, they sang songs, and danced, and some kids forgot when they were supposed to get up and do their part and it was so irresistibly sweet! Coden was a flag holder and i swear im not bias or anything, but he was the cutest little flag holder that i have ever layed my eyes on and he sang his little heart out which made it even cuter!Then they sang this song and for the life of me i can't remember the words, but it involved alot of dancing :-) Now let me just say this...I can not BELIEVE all the stuff that kindergartners learn these days. I don't really remember much from when i was in kindergarten except maybe nap time and the fact that i was in a split class of kindergartners and first graders and i was in class with my older cousin...talk about weird...but im pretty sure we weren't learning the things that these little youngsters are learning. They sang their abc's...in sign language...and made the sounds of each letter...all at the same time! HOLY COW, now that is freakin talent!

This picture totally cracks me up! :-) Whoever thought it was a great idea to put a big bush/plant on the stage in front of KINDERGARTNERS aka short people was a complete moron. Just sayin!

At the end of the program they sang a song about stars while they were facing the front and when the song ended they turned around and had these star sunglasses on. So cute!The proud graduate!

We are so proud of you CoCo! God willing, i will be at your 6th grade, 12th grade, and college graduation and yes i will probably still be the crazy one standing while everyone is sitting. It seems like just yesterday i was barging through the hospital doors to meet you, and staying there every single night just so i could hold you! I love the little boy that you have become! I love you to pieces, kiddo ;-)

My sister called me last night and told me Coden said "I am just so glad my Aunt Roo Roo came to my graduation!" Oh my good grief, it made my ever loving day.

No seriously, It. Made. My. Day!!!

Wordless Wednesday....

Russell's Graduation Weekend Part III

Sunday we visited with Mawmaw Duff. We just love her so much. Unfortunately, alzheimer's have taken over and she wasn't really sure who we were. We think she recognized Jason, but she couldn't remember his name. She was so happy that we came to visit, but i think we might have overwhelmed her a little since so many of us piled into her room. She is an incredible woman with a huge heart. I'm thankful that Landon and I have both had the privilege of meeting her :-) Landon and Mawmaw Duff sharing a moment with a snickers bar ;-) I love this picture!Landon being the little entertainer (and almost kicking Kelsey in the face) lol~This picture is so darn sweet...brings tears to my eyes~After our visit with Mawmaw Duff we took Landon to the park.Andagood time was hadby all!!!