26-50 things that annoy me

26.  When someone owes you money and they give you tour share down to the penny.  For example, lets say I went in on a gift with several people for someone and my share was $22.39.  I would have over $25 and that would be the end of it.  I dont really want your nickels and dimes.  I like to give a little extra for the trouble the person went through to buy the present

27. When you are in a construction zone and the lane is ending and everyone must merge.  I hate when people merge at the last minute.  Especially when you have been warned for a good mile.  So you know what I do?  I straddle the lane inbetween the lane I am currently in and the one ending.  That way, no one, I mean NO ONE gets by me.

28. I get annoyed when men watch TV with their hands on their balls. I often wonder if they think the roof is going to collapse and they need to keep a hand on top of their nuts just in case. (not mentioning any men in particular)

29. I dont like close talkers.  If I keep backing away - take the hint

30. I dont like to be hugged every time I see you.  If I am not going to see you for a year- maybe more- a hug might be in order.  Other than that- back off

31. I dont like when I go to the pediatricians office and someone puts a "sick" kid on the "well" side.  I usually practice sounding out words with my kids on that day.  See Billy- we - we -we well.  w-e-l-l- spells well

32. Story time at the library bothers me.  I know toddler can be naughty but I cant stand when the moms just let poor behavior go on.  When my kid stands up in front of all the kids sitting- I yank em down

33. People who park in handicapped spaces and then hop out of the car and jump around getting into the store.  And they are all alone.

34.  Heavy people at disney world who use those electric wheel chairs to get around. And they get preference for rides becuase they eat to much

35. I dont like when I go to mcdonalds drive through and they tell me to "pull forward"  it is supposed to be fast food.

36. i dont like when people squeeze a plastic water bottle when they are drinking.  Squeezing it doesnt help the water come out faster.  It just makes an annoying crackle and irritates me.  A woman I used to work with did this every day.

37. People who pump their gas and then go in the little store and shop without moving their vehicle.  HELLO?  Do you not see us all waiting here?

38. People who do the speed limit or under in the left lane on a highway

39.  People who put stuffed animals on the back windshield of their car.

40. Little boys with long hair that I cant tell if they are a girl or a boy

41. Huge people that wear a bikini.  I know all people get hot and have a right to the pool but a bikini?

42. i get annoyed that I am the last stop the UPS truck makes.  Every time I have a package I am super excited and I have to wait until 7 pm

43. I hate when kids are late for the bus in the morning.  It comes at the same time every day.  And when the same dang kids are late every day, it holds things up.  It is teaching your kids bad habits

44. adults that wear disney shirts....oh wait..I do this now

45. when people dont brush their tounge.  FYI- that is where the bad breath lives. 

46. When people waste water and electricity. do we really need the air conditioning cranked to freezing in the summer?  And if you want it so cold, why is the heat so hot in the winter?

47. Women who engage in the stay at home mom/working mom debate.  or breast/ bottle debate.  There really is no winner.

48. When people go in the express line with more than the alloted items on the sign.  And yes, I do say something

49. the fact that kids these days always have to have a snack.  every where we go kids are eating a snack.  And then my 3 kids go stand in front of them and stare like they havent eaten in a week.  What happened to 3 square meals a day?

50. dust annoys me.  DUST.  I fell that I can dust an entire room and really take my time and I come back one day later and there is dust everywhere...looks like I did nothing!   :-(

050 things that annoy me

1. people on any type of public assistance that do extra stuff.  For example- have pets, smoke, drink, go to the movies or other events I cannot afford, buy toys I would never buy for my kids, enter 5 k races, etc.  If you cant pay for your own preschool or school lunch, the extras shouldnt happen either.  Put it in a savings account or something

2. obama.  Why anyone would re-elect him is beyond me

3. kites.  They never work.  I even bought an expensive one one time and it sucked and my kids cried

4. atheists.  Have you heard the expression "there is never an athiest in a foxhole?"  what does an athiest do when they are told their child has cancer? A tornado is bearing down on them?  I dont get it

5. People who post what day it is on facebook.  Yep....I know it is monday. 

6. Thin people that eat a lot. (no explanation necessary)

7. The fact that I dont think my oven temperature is calibrated.  We bought the house brand new and it has never been right and now I am out of waranty.

8. People who over baby their kids.  I can take "tiger moms" but I cannot take 9 year olds who are babied and coddled.

9. People who always talk like they are saying a question.  Like their voice always goes up at the end of the sentence

10 . People who always post pictures of their dog/cat/animal on facebook.  If I defriended you , that is probably way

11. The guy at the gym who changes the channel on all FIVE tv's in front of the treadmills.  He does this every day.  And I know he hates foxnews so I purposely watch it every day and make a big deal that he cannot change the channel

12 . kids that have no bed time

13. People who call Buffalo anything but WESTERN, NY.  It is NOT northern NY or "upstate"  Look at a map genius.

14. I dont like when people say "do what" instead of "what" when they cannot hear you.  Either say just WHAT or excuse me.  (I think "do what" is a southern thing)

15. Women that dont like short men.  Trust me, height is over rated

16. Letter grades in 1st grade.  Dont these poor kids have enough stress?  what happened to S and U?

17. The fact that all kids get a trophy.  When I was a kid, only the best kids got one.  My son has a million tropheys and wasnt exactly stellar his first few years.  Makes me wonder if he would try harder if he knew only the best got a trophy.

18. Peanuts at the ball field.  I know, I know. Peanuts go with baseball.  But it can still annoy me

19. Kids that tattle. I prefer kids fight it out.  It helps with problem solving and survival of the fittest

20. fake boobs.  I just dont get it.  Running sucks with big boobs.  why would one make it more difficult?

21. People who do not wear a sports bra to the gym.  I am envisioning your boobs dragging on the ground some day with all that bounce and flounce.  Bind those suckers up

22.  Bullying on facebook.  It still happens and I am in my 30s

23.  People who brag on facebook about their kids accomplishment when it isnt an accomplishment.  (Johnny walked at 16 months!  so proud...we know he will be an athlete!)

24. Johnny depp.  I dont get him and I dont like him.  George Clooney too

25. People who are late all the time.  that is a selfish quality....all you are doing is telling me that I am not important to you.

Give me some time to work on my next 25.  Husband said I cant offend anyone so this is hard

advice to new moms

Here is my top 3 pieces of advice for new moms:

1. teach your child how to fall asleep on their own.  It is one of the best gifts you can give a child.  The security and self confidence to roll over, fluff their pillow and go back to sleep.  This can be done as early as 6 months.  I have countless friends who still sleep with their kids.  For those that dont mind it- fine...I am not speaking to you.  But most really want to reclaim their night.  Sleep with their spouse- or not on the couch with a kid.  Sleeping with your kid doesnt mean you love them more. None of my children have an attachment disorder.  Not yet at least.  A little crying for a night or two didnt do any harm.  Put down the Dr Sears book (who I disagree with) and pick up the Ferber book.  No one bothers us in the middle of the night.  Ever.  We have one bad dream a year- maybe.  It is a beautiful thing.

2. Feeding.  why would anyone feed their baby fruit first?  I have always wondered this and kept my mouth shut.  You feed the CRAPPY tasting stuff first.  Start with green vegetables.  Peas, green beans.  I still think peas taste like garbage.  I would much rather something sweet.  If you start the palate bland, they dont know the difference.  I swear my kids eat vegetables because I made them eat vegetables for 2 months straight before giving any fruit.  If you can afford- fresh is best.  I always gave my kids canned vegetables and now that is all they will eat.  Sure they are contaiminated by aluminum or bpa.....mistake made and acknowledged.

3. Dont let your kid hit you.  When they do it in public it looks bad.  Really bad.  Take all measures to nip that in the bud.  I dont even find a cute slap in the face at 9 months funny.  

That will conclude this topic for the night.

jealousy

So i read an article about jealousy the other day which I found rather interesting.  Jealousy is an emotion that most people will not admit to.  People have no problem stating that they are happy, sad, frustrated, annoyed, upset.  But very few people will actually cop to being jealous.  I frequently find myself writing on Facebook "I am so jealous!"  Sometimes I delete is before I post because I know it sounds obnoxious. I have always been a rather jealous person.  In more ways than one.  Definitely the jealous/overprotective/psycho girlfriend.  It is a good thing that cell phones werent around when I was dating. I would have been rifling through my boyfriends cell and accusing him of cheating.....and then to find out he was calling his grandma.  But as I have aged, I found I am better equipped to handle my jealousy.  Sometimes I am jealous of others accomplishments: someone ran a marathon, is very crafty and can decorate their house beautifully, has a successful home business, had a new baby, is super organized (we all know someone like that)


Sometimes I can turn the jealousy into a positive thing.  I was slightly jealous...ok rather jealous that a bunch of friends have been running half marathons.  So I have decided to train for one.  Or if someone did something charitable and I had wished I had been clever enough to think of that, I do something charitable.  I am insanely jealous when someone has a new baby but I am pretty sure the Sue Oven has been shut down for renovations so I just need to tell myself that I dont need a baby crying all night since I love my sleep.


Then there are the things I cannot control.  I will never be neat and tidy.  I will always agonize over that and glare at my neighbor who has everything perfect and tidy.  I wish I could be like that.  I can be happy for her and steal an idea or 2 but that is as far as I can go.  And the people that I am insanely jealous of- you know the type- perfect in each and every way?  Perfect husband, perfect kids, perfect house...........I blacklist them.  I guess it is my coping mechanism. If you have been blacklisted, now you know why.  I am insanely, over the edge jealous of you.  Or you are a democrat.  (lol)  


I think it is ok to wish you were like someone else.  But deep down, I like who I am, rather I like who I have become.  What you see here didnt happen over night people.  I am a total work in progress.  It is a good thing that I have calmed down over the years....  enough about me....more about kids or peanuts tomorrow.

I am also jealous of my neighbors.  I just went to get the mail and my mailbox and bird shit ALL OVER it.  Everyone else has a clean one.  grrrrrrr

dogs

so, we dont have a dog.  Three kids is more than enough aggravation for me, right?  It seems everyone and their brother has a darn dog.  As long as I dont have to see it, normally I wouldnt care if you had twenty dogs.  So some new people moved in behind us.  There was never a "sold" sign on the house and I heard through the neighborhood grapevine they are renters.  When they were moving in, I noticed a very small but very LOUD dog barking a lot at their back door.  I figured I would let it go because they were moving and unpacking and didnt want this annoying dog bothering them.  Now things have progressed.  They put the dog out at about 6pm and leave it in the backyard until after 10:00.  Well, my backyard butts up against theirs!  Our boys go to bed at 7 and (of course) their window faces the LOUD dog.  And it is constant barking.  by 9:00 I start losing my cool and yelling things out the window into the dark night.  Depending on my mood here are some of my shouts:

*LET YOUR DOG IN
*HEY YOUR DOG IS BARKING
*SHUT THE F---- UP
*I'M TRYING TO SLEEP OVER HERE


And seriously, I yell this out into the air.  Im sure my other neighbors hear me and think there is something seriously wrong with me.  But MY bedroom window also faces this dog.  I think tomorrow I am going to get up at 4:45 and just go ring their doorbell about 50 times.  Their dog keeps me up so why cant I wake them up?  I am debating putting an anonymous letter on their door.  I mean talking to them is futile.  Clearly they know the darn thing is barking.  I even dreamt last night about barking dogs.  This is taking over my life I am so irritated.  But writing this has been helpful.  bark bark!

5 years old!

I cant believe #2 is FIVE years old today.  He is so so different from me.  I think that is why I love him so much.  It is easier to love someone when it isnt like looking in the mirror.  When I had my 20 week ultrasound and the tech saw a penis, I can honestly say I cried for an entire week.  I had to mourn the fact that I would never have a daughter.  At the time, I wondered why God would give me 2 boys.  I couldnt dress them up cute or put pigtails in their hair.  I knew their had to be a reason 2 was sent into my life.  It didnt take long for everything to make sence.  He is different from the rest.  He is left handed, moody, funny, and super creative.  He loves to do art work and play with toys.  He can play legos for hours and we forget he is here!  In public, he is shy and timid. He gets extra anxiety playing sports.  But I know, as his mom, when he finds his confidence, he will be unstoppable.  At home, he is far from timid.  He is loud and when he is mad, complains the loudest and the most.  He is the best middle son I could have ever asked for.  He is like a chameleon.  He plays rough and crazy with #1 but can also play house and baby with #3 all day!  I love him and I am so glad he is in my life.  Im going to miss him when he goes to kindergarten!

the day everything changed

This is SO not chronological or orderly- but it is in order of importance. I plan to call my peanut allergic kid #1 for reference.  There is also a #2 and #3 in my blog but this has nothing to do with them right now.  Anywhooooo.....Recently, #1 was asked what was the mot important thing that ever happened to him.  His answer both shocked and saddened me. He said his anaphylaxis.  I guess I need to backtrack a little to bring us up to the anaphylaxis.  Every year, #1 goes to the allergist to have his allergies tested.  Most people get a skin test where they poke a hole in your skin, add the allergen to the skin and see if you get a hive.  When #1 was 3, he had a secondary reaction to the skin test.  He got hives and swelling on his face JUST FROM A DOT of peanut protein.  The doctor when running for benedryl and epi.  It was scary....he did not need the epi this time.  So the allergist does a RAST test.
A RAST test (short for radioallergosorbent test) is a blood test used to determine to what substances a person is allerergic.  Basically, they see  what the BLOOD will react to.  It is safer for someone who is allergic as he is.  The bad news was that each year, his peanut allergy became worse.  There are 6 categories on peanut allergy.  He is now over 100, which is a class 6.  Worst case scenario.  The good news was that he outgrew his allergy to cashews!!!!  He had outgtown the cashew nut by age 3.  We gave him almonds all the time.  I was able to find a big container of Sunkist almonds at Sams club that were manufactured without peanuts around.  (yay sunkist).  Throughout #1's life, we frequently went places without his epi pen.  We would go to the mall, out to eat, the baseball, hiking, etc.  I always left one in the van.  The scary part of that is, heat and cold can make the medicine ineffective.  I guess I never thought it would happen to us unless he actually ATE a nut.  And since I am over anal about what he eats, I figured we were safe. 
Lets fast forward to Sept 2011.  I had seen a brand of nuts, Wonderful Pistachios, at Target.  I called the company and spoke to a pleasant woman on the phone about their manufacturing facilities.  All they processed there were pistachios and almonds.  YAY.  So on Sunday, after church, #1 and I went to Target and I bought the pistachios.  He came home and I made him a lunch and gave him the pistachios.  Within seconds, he was up saying his throat itched.  My husband and I told him he was exaggerating.  I thought maybe a shell was in his throat.  I gave him some water but it didnt get better.  I gave him a banana.  By now I noticed he was acting VERY FRANTIC.  His lips were starting to swell.  I got the benedryl and gave him 2 teaspoons and called 911.  While talking to the operator, he was running in circles and clawing at himself.  He is a calm boy so this was totally out of character.  He was getting hives on his face and he was unable to speak.  I gave more benedryl and was screaming at 911 about what to do.  They asked if he was breathing and I said YES.  They said to hold off on the epi.  THIS WAS THE WRONG ADVICE.  Once his throat closes, it cannot be re opened.  In the state we live in, EMTs cannot do a treach.  Within minutes, a local EMT and the ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital.  To watch your child dying right before your eyes is something that I wish upon NO ONE.  I think of this every single minute or every single day.  We never leave home without the epi.  Not even to go to the pool or to the park.  Sometimes I bring 2. 
We found out that he DID NOT outgrow the tree nut allergy.  Pistachios are in the same family as cashews (surprise, surprise)  His blood didnt react because of strict avoidance.  Sometimes you may think you have outgrown when in fact you have not.  This was the case with #1. 
Everytime I put my boy on the bus, I wonder if this will be the last time I see him.  Do you know what that is like?  Can you imagine how I feel?  Apparently, I have a "reputation" at the school for being anal about my son.  Well maybe they need to walk a block in my shoes.  My son has woken up VOMITING in his sleep due to a delayed reaction.  This is a scary, God awful thing to deal with.  I know it can be much worse.  I know he could have cancer.  I know he could have more allergies.  I know he could be autistic.  I am just trying to shed some light on how we have to live.  Enough for now......

how it all started

After much pushing from my husband I have decided to start a blog.  I am not sure how long this will last but I am super opinionated and I always seem to have a lot to say.  Also, this can decrease my constant facebook posts...... People can just come here and read and I can vent.  I guess I see it as a win/win situation!  My main rant is about my son's severe and life threatening peanut allergy.  It is the center of my life.  By nature I am an anxious person.  I worry constantly...to the point of paranoia.  I am not sure why on earth God gave me a son with a life threatening food allergy- BUT he did.  At least it keeps me busy.  The one thing people always want to know is- How did you know Isaac was allergic to peanuts?  Well now I can write it down and just send people to this blog.  It will save me some time speaking.....more time I can worry about something else I suppose!

I want to first state that prior to having kids, I thought this whole "food allergy" thing was a CROCK.  Really, who can be allergic to foods?  I never knew anyone allergic to anything you actually ate!  I remember some kid in 5th grade had hay fever really bad and had to go get allergy shots.  That was about extreme as it went.  I digress.......   In 2006, I had a beautiful and charming 13 month old son.  Whenever I ate anything, he would come running and want a sample.  It was really annoying and I began to hide when I ate since I am not a food sharer.  My husband was deployed to Iraq at the time and I was exhausted, mentally and physically.  I made my self a nice peanut butter sandwich on toast and settled in on the couch to watch some TV.  As soon as the sandwich touched my mouth, a certain someone woke up from his nap.  I went to get him and settled him down with some toys and started to eat this glorious sandwich.  Within seconds, there was Mr. Baby standing in front of me asking for "some".  In the back of my mind, I knew (based on the ridiculous amounts of baby books I had read) that peanuts were something kinds shouldnt eat until age 3.  But I figured, this kid wont be allergic to nuts, that is for other people....weird people.  I dipped my index finger into my sandwich and I put the peanut butter on his bottom lip.  He ate it and smiled but immediately I saw a hive where I had put the peanut butter.  I knew what this meant.  OH NO!  I gave him liquid benedryl and called the doctor.  They told me to call 911 and get him to the hospital.  We lived a block from the hospital at the time so I threw him in the car and drove like a bat out of hell to the ER.  I ran in like a lunatic carrying him like a loaf of bread and they rushed us back there.  He was given more benedryl and we had to stay there for several hours.  Good times with a 13 month old!  In my mind I thought this was a fluke, a coincidence.  I didnt really take it seriously.  I dutifully made an appointment with an allergist (rule follower that I am).  Several weeks later, they called me to tell me that he was allergic to peanuts (level 2 allergy)  and allergic to cashews (level 1).  I literally had to mourn the loss of a normal carefree childhood.  Our lives would be filled with benedryl and epi pens.....  I had no idea NO IDEA the journey this would take me on, the worry that I have.  My sweet boy will never eat cake at a party, cant participate in many activities, and lives with a mom who would do anything to make it better..........