Random things...

We have had a busy week!
I've been taking a week off of school (except to do some St.Patrick's Day learning) and have been attempting to cross off some things on my to-do list.

Sunday & Monday:
Completely reorganized our play/computer/school room. I moved around all of our books and toys. I hauled off two bags of random toys that had no affection in this house. I also had four WalMart bags of books to pass on. I was going to donate them, but Candace suggested I take them to McKay's, our local used bookstore. I had plans that would have me right next door on Tuesday, so I thought, "What the heck?"
I got a late afternoon call that our dental office had a cancellation and Jacob & I could go Tuesday for our cleanings that were supposed to be in April. The date I had in April was not great, so I took the cancellation.

Tuesday:
Jacob and I went in for our teeth cleanings. This was Jacob's first appointment with the dentist, and I was quite nervous about how he would react. Our appointment had been scheduled for April, so I was planning on reading some books about it and preparing him a bit. No luck there! I told him Monday, "We're going to the dentist tomorrow and you're going to let him clean your teeth. If you're really brave you can have a lollipop, and we'll rent a movie on the way home!" For the first minute I was a bit nervous, but once we got him lying down in the chair, he did great!! (He did want to know what the poster above him meant..."Capture all the joys life has to offer." That surprised the tech a little bit.) Woohoo for Jacob, my brave little boy!!! He was sure to encourage me when it was my turn. And he told me to choose the strawberry toothpaste..."It's really yummy, Mommy! And just so you know, it doesn't hurt."

Well, I was pregnant with Jacob the last time I had my teeth cleaned, so I was well overdue. Keep in mind, I had braces on for 2 years of that time! Well, I did okay, though they worked my gums over pretty well. After getting found out that I'm not a flosser, (I just don't think about it, and I've always been told at appts that I'm doing great) I did learn that there are three important reasons for flossing.

In case you're curious...1) to get out food between your teeth. (This one I knew.) 2) To move your gums and stimulate blood flow. 3) To move your gums and get oxygen between your gums and teeth. The bacteria that cause gum disease will not survive with oxygen, so this helps kill them. (Now I'm a believer in flossing...) After getting seriously warned that "You must floss every day" and having my gums scraped like crazy, I have a new part of my nightly teeth cleaning regimen! I have to go back in three weeks to be sure that my gums are healing from their scraping/scrubbing.

So, with my very sore bleeding gums, I went next door to the used bookstore, and I got $46 in trade money!!! And proceeded to spend it all while we waited for the locksmith to come get my keys out of my car!!! (The best $6 per month I'll ever spend on our insurance plan!) So I came home with 8 books for the curriculum we're using (Five In A Row) and a bunch of other classics I've been wanting for quite some time. I was so psyched!!

Wednesday:
I had an 8 year old Mommy's helper here today, so I tried to be quite productive, even though I felt like the walking dead.. I have been exhausted all day today! But, I couldn't waste away my time with a helper for Mattie. I finished my sorting/boxing clothes project I started two or three weeks ago. I now have almost every article of clothing in a drawer, washer/dryer, or plastic box! Then I re-caulked our bathtub and did a few other random things.

Then while Jacob and Lydia (my helper) watched Stellaluna, I got on the computer and started looking for fast food ingredient lists. I discovered that Jacob and Mattie could both have something from Taco Bell and Burger King! (We couldn't do this every day, but there wasn't any glaring corn, so we could do it every now and then.) So, you know where I went for dinner!!!! I took Lydia, Jacob and Mattie to Taco Bell and the only food I provided was applesauce for enzymes! Jacob had a cheese quesadilla and pintos and cheese and Mattie had pintos and red sauce. It was very fun! Except for the fact that both of their highchairs had broken buckles...remember Mattie's highchair habits? Yeah, NOT a sitter by nature!!! So, it goes down as the most exhausting restaurant meal EVER! At least I worked off my Taco Bell as fast as I ate it!

So, I was ready for bed early! But before bed I had my kids-are-in-bed-and-I'm-done-mommying-celebration bowl of ice cream - with chocolate syrup, no less. (I don't deny being an emotional eater.) And here I sit, at 12:51 AM. I laid in bed for an hour and read the census in "Numbers" to no avail. I heard the other day that the glare from the computer screen inhibits your body from producing melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, so I suppose I'm not helping myself. Maybe the squinting because I took my contacts out when I went to bed the first time will tire me out enough...

I guess I'll nap with Mattie tomorrow.