Some things you can plan on the fly. Camping in the UP is not one of them. After reading several books and going thru several sites, apparently the UP is THE place to be in July. Reservations need to be made in advance. Good to know. So instead of Apostle Islands, we are in Green Bay--at a hotel--with a huge indoor water park. Because, another lesson is that while our children are excellent car travelers, staying remoely still once out of the car is really asking too much. To say that they are monsters would be overstating, but since we are already stressed about plans and not a little concerned about money, there somewhat innocuous questions can really send us over the edge. Since they have no concept of what we are spending and are just being themselves, means that we have to adjust our thinking and plans to suit their needs--hitting a national park every 2 days just isn't going to cut it. Someday we will be able to do so. So tomorrow we will log hopefully our last longinsh day in the car on our way to Pictured Rock. Where I plan on staying until Thursday morning. Macinaw Island Thursday with camping that night and then hopefully we can stay with Jeanette in Livonia before heading home. I absolutely am not going on an extended multi stop car trip with them for a long time. Too stressful. We will go to one spot and park. Greg isn't happy because the kids are being the version of themselves that is not on a schedule and spending much time in the car. All they want is a playground and or pool. Our national park visits will be limited to day trips for a bit.
On a happy note, I am astonished at the amount of nature/historical stuff all over Michigan. We could come here for years and still not see all of it.
Today we were still in Minnesota. We took a few hours to visit the Science Museum there and it was really a gem.
On our way to Green Bay, we stopped for a geocache. While out walking around, someone tried to break into the car. A dose of cold hard reality. We called he police, they came and made a report. The kids were very excited (not all in a good way) about that event.
Ryan has cried at least twice today after being admonished and Charlotte is at turns happy and defiant. Not the happy family bonding we were hoping for. I think we are both on the verge of tossing in the towel and heading home.
I am hopeful that a few days in one place with hiking trails, beach, dunes and yes, water will help.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday July 24
Well, it is here, the much awaited day where my family can watch as I walk across the stage in a gown to be recognized for my achievements in obtaining my masters degree. Greg keeps asking if i am excited. I will be:) More preoccupied with not tripping. It would also be different if I was going home to a different job in a different place. But no moaning today!
The trip up was a test of endurance--we did really well. We left at 8 am and pulled in a little after midnight--CST so it ended up being about 13 hours! the kids slept the last two. The hotel is great--a hot breakfast! We have decided that Charlotte will be a cruise director when she grows up--the perky happy morning one. She was up at 5:30 and telling me about how pretty the skyline was and how she wished she could paint it. And as I made my way to brush my teeth, I was given a tour of the room including the closet we can all share!
Yesterday we stopped in Chicago for lunch--ended up going downtown to avoid the expressway. Downtown is just beautiful. The library took most of the city block and it was funny to see the names of places that I usually just hear about on TV. Like the Marshall School of Law(West Wing!). Deinitely worth a trip or two back. We drove through a bit of Wisconsin, mostly rolling hills nd farms. Stopped for dinner at the Wisconsil Dells wich Greg tells me is something like a playground of the Midwest. We had dinner at Denny's--don't have to do that again:) The Dells had at least two huge indoor water parks. Then I rememebr that the winters here must be quite long. Hard to imagine gobs and gobs of snow when everything is green and warm.
So Commencment is this afternoon after which we will be left to our own devices. The Mallof America is calling!
The trip up was a test of endurance--we did really well. We left at 8 am and pulled in a little after midnight--CST so it ended up being about 13 hours! the kids slept the last two. The hotel is great--a hot breakfast! We have decided that Charlotte will be a cruise director when she grows up--the perky happy morning one. She was up at 5:30 and telling me about how pretty the skyline was and how she wished she could paint it. And as I made my way to brush my teeth, I was given a tour of the room including the closet we can all share!
Yesterday we stopped in Chicago for lunch--ended up going downtown to avoid the expressway. Downtown is just beautiful. The library took most of the city block and it was funny to see the names of places that I usually just hear about on TV. Like the Marshall School of Law(West Wing!). Deinitely worth a trip or two back. We drove through a bit of Wisconsin, mostly rolling hills nd farms. Stopped for dinner at the Wisconsil Dells wich Greg tells me is something like a playground of the Midwest. We had dinner at Denny's--don't have to do that again:) The Dells had at least two huge indoor water parks. Then I rememebr that the winters here must be quite long. Hard to imagine gobs and gobs of snow when everything is green and warm.
So Commencment is this afternoon after which we will be left to our own devices. The Mallof America is calling!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Once again
I keep composing my blogs in my head and then make excuses not to write them! Since Greg is taking some online courses, he has the computer in the evening and since I just finished, I have no great urge to get on the laptop! Lots to blog about though.
We are almost done with June and already we have hit the 90s on several days, been to the pool and Boomerang Bay with the kids. I really love the heat! Charlotte has turned 6 and lost her first tooth. The tomaotes have their yellow buds and Charlotte's wildflower garden is starting to bloom. We went canoeing with friends in hocking Hills, Ryan tried a kayak! We have had several nights with a fire in the firepit complete with smores and just the other night, all four if us tried to see how many bubbles we could get to connect. We have bumped into old Antioch friends and reconnected. Many trips to the library. Ryan is inhaling books. I've been sunburned twice.
It has been a fun summer so far.
So many images to carry along. Perhaps the most memorable so far was waking up in the late evening in Hocking Hills because Charlie was growling at a beastie outside. It scampered off but my eyes were caught by the hundreds of lightning bugs. The sky was clear--so many stars--and near the ground and all through the trees--hundreds of lightening bugs. It looked like Pixie Hollow at nighttime.
We are almost done with June and already we have hit the 90s on several days, been to the pool and Boomerang Bay with the kids. I really love the heat! Charlotte has turned 6 and lost her first tooth. The tomaotes have their yellow buds and Charlotte's wildflower garden is starting to bloom. We went canoeing with friends in hocking Hills, Ryan tried a kayak! We have had several nights with a fire in the firepit complete with smores and just the other night, all four if us tried to see how many bubbles we could get to connect. We have bumped into old Antioch friends and reconnected. Many trips to the library. Ryan is inhaling books. I've been sunburned twice.
It has been a fun summer so far.
So many images to carry along. Perhaps the most memorable so far was waking up in the late evening in Hocking Hills because Charlie was growling at a beastie outside. It scampered off but my eyes were caught by the hundreds of lightning bugs. The sky was clear--so many stars--and near the ground and all through the trees--hundreds of lightening bugs. It looked like Pixie Hollow at nighttime.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Hello Sun
The long awaited promise of Spring is here. After rains and cold days and nights and wonder if we would ever put away the down comforters, it is here. It is here in the jubilant colors that overflow flower beds, in many seen digging in the dirt and the intermittent hum of gas powered machines cutting, trimming and shaping. Bright screaming pinks, cheerful happy daisies, garden centers popping up at the market. The magnolia blooms have come and gone. The corn is in the ground. Wildflowers are growing and the black-eyed susans are well on their way to making their July showcase. There is green everywhere, the leaves whooshing as the wind blows. Hello Sun.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Hat
Charlotte was telling me tonight after her bath that a girl made fun of her hat at school today. A cute, funky pink cowboy hat. I was so reminded about Ella the Elephant story! So we had a talk about how people can feel however they want, but hurting another person's feelings is not okay. She teared up a bit and said that she didnt tell her teacher and that she walked away before she started to cry. In the end though, she said she'll wear the hat tomorrow.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Anatomy of a crash
A friend at work Facebooked that they saved a life today. I'll find out more details when I get back to work this week, but it made me consider that part of my job--one folks may not nomrally associate with being a labor and delivery nurse. The job is often coaching, giving pain medication and teaching. It is reassurance, explanation, hand holding, leg holding and breathing. And sometimes it is panic, and running and praying.
A crash is a name used by nurses ( and others) to denote the emergent c-section of a patient. They happen at any stage of pregnancy after 24 weeks. In my experience, they are the reaction to the sudden and unresolving (lasting several minutes) decrease in fetal heart rate, below 100 (often much lower) that do not repond to position change, oxygen administration or IV fluids. I have been a part of two that were the result of a maternal seizure and one from a respiratory arrest of the mother. They happen in the delivery rooms when a patient is in labor and in the triage area where a patient might just come in for some vague pain. I have cut the clothes off of one patient to get an IV in. They involve a massive influx of staff into a patient room, each doing a single task--starting an IV, disconnecting plugs, putting in a foley catheter, explaining to family and patient and pulling the patient in there bed to the OR--all in less than a minute. The flurry extends to the nurses station where staff are tring to reach the attending, respiratory therapist, and most of all, anesthesia. In a true crash, the patient is put to sleep and intubated. There is no incision until the anesthesiologist says "Cut". The usual symphony of movement in surgery is replaced by a hastily splashed antimicrobial wash over the abdoemn, two disposable scalpals thrown on the field, a surgeon (usually the resident) and a tech helping as first assist. Cut, tear, cut, tear, cut, tear. One hand cuts, four hands pull tissue apart. Minutes count. Seconds count. The fastest crash was skin to baby out in a minute. The baby cries and someone in the room says "Okay folks, we can slow down." And the entire room (except the infant resuscitation team) releases its pent up breath. The rest of the crew dons hair covers and masks--items usually left in the hurry. The nurse and tech do a count--though an x-ray will be taken at the end to make sure nothing is left in the patient. The stitching begins and the circulating nurse goes to band the father of the baby and tell him about mom and baby. The pace comes down to normal.The staff will relive it through the night and it will be discussed as one of many "war stories" on slow nights at the nurses station.
I often wonder what patients think of this, if there is lasting trauma--like post traumatic stress. It is not the delivery women envision. It is so very fast. It helps if the baby is stabile enough for mom to see in recovery--then it's real. She's a mom. Her baby is safe.
A crash is a name used by nurses ( and others) to denote the emergent c-section of a patient. They happen at any stage of pregnancy after 24 weeks. In my experience, they are the reaction to the sudden and unresolving (lasting several minutes) decrease in fetal heart rate, below 100 (often much lower) that do not repond to position change, oxygen administration or IV fluids. I have been a part of two that were the result of a maternal seizure and one from a respiratory arrest of the mother. They happen in the delivery rooms when a patient is in labor and in the triage area where a patient might just come in for some vague pain. I have cut the clothes off of one patient to get an IV in. They involve a massive influx of staff into a patient room, each doing a single task--starting an IV, disconnecting plugs, putting in a foley catheter, explaining to family and patient and pulling the patient in there bed to the OR--all in less than a minute. The flurry extends to the nurses station where staff are tring to reach the attending, respiratory therapist, and most of all, anesthesia. In a true crash, the patient is put to sleep and intubated. There is no incision until the anesthesiologist says "Cut". The usual symphony of movement in surgery is replaced by a hastily splashed antimicrobial wash over the abdoemn, two disposable scalpals thrown on the field, a surgeon (usually the resident) and a tech helping as first assist. Cut, tear, cut, tear, cut, tear. One hand cuts, four hands pull tissue apart. Minutes count. Seconds count. The fastest crash was skin to baby out in a minute. The baby cries and someone in the room says "Okay folks, we can slow down." And the entire room (except the infant resuscitation team) releases its pent up breath. The rest of the crew dons hair covers and masks--items usually left in the hurry. The nurse and tech do a count--though an x-ray will be taken at the end to make sure nothing is left in the patient. The stitching begins and the circulating nurse goes to band the father of the baby and tell him about mom and baby. The pace comes down to normal.The staff will relive it through the night and it will be discussed as one of many "war stories" on slow nights at the nurses station.
I often wonder what patients think of this, if there is lasting trauma--like post traumatic stress. It is not the delivery women envision. It is so very fast. It helps if the baby is stabile enough for mom to see in recovery--then it's real. She's a mom. Her baby is safe.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Crafts
Two tubs of stuff, two tubs of material and three bags of trash have been removed from my craft area. I have no fewer than a dozen projects to finish--more if you count quilting. Unfinished sewing projects, unfinished cross-stitch and I found 4 different "teach yourself how to knit" books. Perhaps I will finally sit down and venture past straight knit and purl! However, i also came to the realization that I will not be able to take up another hobby for awhile--so most of my scrapbooking paper went to the garage sale. I bought a "Project 365" kit from Charlotte last year. That may just be my speed. I am eager to read about the possibilities. My Charlotte's cape is nearly finished. I may never work with satin again! Need to take another class and learn more about my machine, and sewing in general. I think more cards with different stitch decorations will be the next thing.
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