Bookworm

My Monday morning started with a root canal on a front tooth. Yay for me right? Actually it wasn't so bad. About the same as getting a filling. The worst part is always getting the novicane. I had so much of it that my nose is even numb right now. Of course I may be in a fetal position later holding my head in pain but for now I feel pretty ok. My best advice is to not be shy about speaking up if anything hurts while they are working on you. They WILL give you more novicane, and at that point even that doesn't hurt. (Ok you also might not want to look at the drill. It could freak you out.)

OK I have made the leap to a new blog space. Go here for my new blog:

http://mysocalledlifeinmaine.blogspot.com/

 Hopefully I will figure it all out quickly so I can share pics again.

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OK I can no longer avoid the reality of the numbers on my bathroom scale. I managed to for quite some time but that ship has finally sailed. I am at my heaviest weight ever. EVER!! (well not being pregnant that is) I am 5 '1 " and 140 lbs. Not good. At my height and age I should be around 112 lbs. (I know, I didn't believe that at first either) I haven't been that size since pre-baby birthing days. I am not posting my waist size just yet. Maybe after I reach my target. (or get close)

SOOOOO I am on a health kick yet again. (NOT a diet-which means you deny yourself everything yummy. To hard to maintain long term.) I know it's not rocket science, eat healthier, not so much night snacking, and exercise more. Food is supposed to fuel for your body, not entertainment after all. Not snacking at night is going to be the tough one for me. I love to snack after the kids are in bed. Hubby said he'd buy me a gym membership though so that is cool. I will be doing alot of swimming as exercise. I wish we had room for a treadmill here.

I do also have the book YOU! On a diet (the owners manual for waist management) by Dr. Oz. Plus the exercise DVD. I guess I need to dust them off. His stuff is simple, easy to understand and makes sense. It's all about putting it into practice. My goal is to be lighter by July when hubby and I head to Vegas. (he has a conference there I will be tagging along on) My other long term goal is to be the healthiest (and look hot) I have ever been for my upcoming 40th birthday. Sound good? I will certainly keep you posted. Wish me luck, I'm sure I will need some. :-)

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 OK my sister was right. "Good Omens" is a VERY funny book. If you like The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books then this is right up your alley. British humor and all. We are reading it simultaneously so we can discuss it as we go along. (which is also alot of fun)

I also read a book hubby got for DD called "Boys will put you on a pedestal (so they can look up your skirt)" A dad's advice for daughters by Philip Van Munching. (OK so I saw the book and DH paid for it and handed it to her) It is EXCELLENT! I wish I had read it years ago myself. It covers everything you could possibly imagine you might want your teen age daughter to know. DD is only 11 at present but in this day and age it is never to soon for some of the big conversations. (better guidance comes from us than their misguided friends or the TV) We are good about talking to her anyhow but this just gives her another edge up.

Today is a "snow day" and the kids are very happy. My big plan for the day is a nice long cozy nap. :-)

Check out the video of my dogs playing. The black dog is the foster frenchie named Dash. The big fuzzy guy is my longcoat akita Jack, and the other small dog is our frenchie Missy. Enjoy!

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Why is it that you always run into old boyfriends (or people you want to impress) when you look like crap? That about sums up my trip to the grocery store. Note to self, take that extra few minutes to fix the hair next time.

We skipped tacos to try the new Codys Roadhouse restaurant instead. It was excellent. We had enough leftovers to bring home for another whole meal.

I forgot to say in my last post (a mere hours ago how pitiful am I) that my sister and I went to the Strand last night and saw Pans Labyrinth. It is subtitled but still very excellent. Dark sad story with great cinematography.

I finished the Alda book and now have to go to the library to find "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman. My sister called raving how good it is and she wants us to read them at the same time.

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I have no idea why the site looks odd. Maybe aol is changing some things.

Today the kids went back to school. I miss them but am relieved at the same time. We had a good week together. It is one of the benefits to making your own schedule. Kendra had a cheer competion that her team came in first at. (Yay!) It was 3 squads from area schools and it was fun (and slightly stressful) to watch. I had to miss Logans basketball game to see it though. I was told he did very well. (he went with a friend from the team he was playing against) His skills have improved alot this year. He is quite aggressive (but in that good sport way) and has his own particular "style" to his plays. It is fun to watch.

 I even got to spend time with my best friend. Her kids went to Florida with their dad so she had lots of free time. She is a teacher so this is rare. We managed to do lunch and saw TWO movies together! (Because I said so and Music and Lyrics) Both were excellent. I got to see her future new house and help with fixing up ideas. It was so much fun to catch up and do "grown up" stuff together.

Today my cough is almost gone. Of course since I have an appointment at the ear nose and throat doc next month. (I did ask to get put on the cancelation list to hopefully get in sooner.) It will be my luck to not have the cough by the time I see him and he will have no idea what is going on until the next "bout".

My flute practice went SO good today! I am improving, I can feel it. My fingers seem to be "getting it". I'm still not quite up to where my lessons left off before I got my mystery mung though. As soon as I do I can go back to seeing my tutor. My goal is to get good enough for the local community band. An online friend sent me some duets I can play with Kendra. I need to learn a few more notes before I can tackle them.

I was asked to write a few articles this week. One for Just Frenchies magazine and another for the Downeast Dog News. Funny enough they were both the same topic. Training for deaf and blind dogs. It was nice to be asked. :-) I have an article in the latest Just Frenchies too. (and I think the editor mentioned it might also run in Just Terriers as well)

Check out the site www.whatsthatbook.com You can type in info you remember about a book you once read (even as a kid) and they can find out what the title is. It is pretty cool.

I bought a couple of books this week. (like I need any more-I swear I am a bookoholic) A widow for a year by John Irving, Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio, and The piano by Jane Campion. I also almost bought While I was gone by Sue Miller but it turns out it was already on my book shelf. (is it a problem if you don't even know what books you own because you have so many?) I think I need a 12 step program. I am currently reading Never have your dog stuffed by Alan Alda. Yeah the guy from Mash. It is an autobiography. It is a very interesting read. I've always liked biographies.

The kids and I overslept this morning. First day back in the swing of things and we screw it up. I thought it was funny. The kids panicd at first but got over it when I said I would drive them to school. (they prefer that to the bus) They even managed to not be late which helped.

Off to buy taco fixings for dinner. I also need to do some laundry before hubby gets back. I don't want to go because there is a cool old Richard Dreyfuss movie on right now I haven't seen before. I think he is sexy. I'm also pretty sure that makes me some kind of nutcase. :-) 

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Today is my son Logan's tenth birthday. He arrived in at about 3am after a very painful labor. (but gratefully not to lengthy) It is true, time really does fly. It just doesn't seem like it has been that long ago.

He was a c-section due to the fact he tried to come out ear and chin first. Not a comfortable position for either of us. Then when they got him out he wasn't breathing. The cord was around his neck and they had to stimulate him with drugs to get him to come around. A tense few seconds in the operating room for sure. Then he worried us abit at first with limp "tone". That means he was very floppy for a newborn. They sent us to a brain specialist thinking he might have a defect. They were very thankfully wrong. He was just all loosened up from his weird womb position. It is amazing he had any room in there at all considering he was 9 lbs and 9 ounces and I am only 5 feet 1 inch tall. (kinda grateful we went c-section with that one!) He is very happy today since he is now in double digits. We took cupcakes and some fruit punch to school so he could share his special day with the whole class. His teacher is home with a sick child so he has a substitute. His sub was my second grade teacher. (this fact makes me feel young for some reason) Tonight we will go out for supper to celebrate. His party is on Saturday at the local YMCA rock climbing wall. He is very excited. :-)

Next thing I know he will be driving and planning on leaving home. Not sure I am ready for that. That's how it happens though. One day you see them entering double digits, the next they are old enough for the draft. Scary stuff for a mom.

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First order of business. My step-dad is doing well. I visited him today and he is coming home tomorrow. No driving for a few days and no working for a couple of weeks. Hopefully mom won't drive him nuts. They are quitting smoking so nuts is closer than normal this week.

Now on to the funny stuff. (funny you've got to be kidding not funny ha ha)

The asthma/allergy specialist thinks I might not have asthma at all. Actually he was a little stumped by everything. Not a good sign if you ask me. And he wasn't a youngster so the assumption is he has been around and seen some stuff. (yeah yeah I know, assume and you make an a** out of u and me) First he listened to my lungs and throat. That's when the head scratching began. It didn't sound like my lungs were asthma-ish. (ok I made that word up) He did a lung function test which showed low air but nothing drastic. Then they gave me a nebulized albuterol treatment and we repeated the lung test. There was no improvement. Hmmm not a normal reaction for someone with asthma. (according to him and he IS the specialist)

They also did allergy testing (to cover all the bases) and the good news is that I am not allergic to animals. Which was a good thing or shots would have been on the order pad. I have my priorities after all. VBG :-) They did find that I am slightly allergic to dust mites. But who isn't?

Sooo the doc said he thinks I have something going on with my vocal cords. Malfunction problem if you will. It had a fancy name which of course I can't remember. Commonly caused by stress. (I swear I'm not stressed. That's hubbys job.) How can I have a problem with my vocal cords and still talk? Good question. Hopefully to be addressed by the ear nose and throat doc I will see next. Yup it causes the coughing. Nope I have no idea why it wasn't picked up sooner that it might NOT be asthma. (and they wonder why I seem skeptical of doctors)

Here is something I found on a website about it: Vocal cord dysfunction is characterized by a closing or tightening of the vocal cords during inspiration. This condition may produce mild shortness of breath to severe spasms of choking and an inability to breathe. This condition may mimic an asthma episode to the casual observer. However, VCD is characteristically different than asthma and requires different treatment. 

It is commonly misdiagnosed.

 The good news is no more crappy medicine. The advair alone was enough to make me gag. (and frequently did) Did you know without insurance it costs $300 per 1 month packet? I did manage to stay off the prednisone which he was thinking about giving me to see if it helped at all. I'd rather stay with the cough thank you very much. Actually my cough meds work great to stop it. Unfortunately it isa narcotic so I can't take it when I need to drive. (I should say it is frowned upon by the police, one of which I am married to, so I think it prudent to stick to the rules on this one.)

So once again I have a mystery illness that the doctors can't quite figure out. I should sell my body to science. Or apply to be on that show Medical Mysteries where they ask the viewers what THEY think is wrong. Talk about a fishing expedition!

I will keep you posted. Maybe I should retitle the blog: Marie's Medical Maladies. Just kidding. No one wants to read about mystery illnesses ALL the time. (Well maybe hypochondriacs. But just to take notes.)

On another topic I think that the movie Catch and Release with Jennifer Garner is excellent. Much better than the ads show and it has a few surprises. I saw it with my daughter when I had some time to kill recently.

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My step-dad had a heart attack on Saturday. They life flighted him to a (better) hospital 2 hours away. He is fine now, they put a stent in. He should be home on wednesday. He said he was surprised that he had a heart attack. He may be the only one. His eating habits aren't exactly healthy, (have some bread on that butter) he's abit heavy and he is a smoker. Hello? We are just surprised he didn't have one sooner. The good news is that he and mom are finally going to (try to) quit smoking. Hopefully this was enough of a scare for them to take it seriously. My sister is staying with  my mom and helping her clean out the house of all tobacco and ashtrays and teaching her some healthy recipes.

So there can be a silver lining in every cloud if you look hard enough. Keep those fingers crossed for their success.

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So no one dies from suspense here is the update on our new foster dog. (I wouldn't want to be responsible for that.) Normally all my dog posts can be found over on my Dogtalk blog but since I had mentioned him here I thought I should at least let eveyone know more so they aren't left hanging.

He is adorable. Sweet and trusting and a very happy dog. His new name is Dash. Missy seems quite smitten with him and warmed up to him faster than I have ever seen her do with a new dog before. That's not to say she isn't putting him in his place when needed. She isn't a TOTAL pushover.

He is 9 months old, has a cherry eye that needs surgery, needs to be neutered and is recovering from demodectic mange. He is all black, (not an AKC frenchie accepted color) a russian import (they are taller and look similar in body shape to Boston Terriers) with one floppy ear and a very cute face. He also has a longer tail than I have ever seen on a frenchie. I am told it is typical of an import.

He is a lovely pup that should have NO problem finding a home once he is all fixed up. He could go pretty much anywhere and fit right in. He has an amazing temperment. He seems to love everyone. He was a little imtimidated by Jack at first. I'm sure it was a size issue. He needs a little basic training but he is smart so I don't anticipate any problems.

He is a great example of all of the WONDERFUL dogs you can find in rescue or your local shelter available for adoption. I am a huge supporter of reputable breeders and rescue. I do NOT support back yard breeders, pet stores and internet puppy sellers. If you do your research and are PATIENT you can find the dog (pet) of your dreams with time invested. If you think buying a dog is like ordering french fries, you may get a rude awakening. Food for thought I hope.

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I am feeling MUCH more human these days. My doc appt went well. I got a flu shot (highly recommended for anyone with asthma) and some nasonex for sinus stuff which might be the cause of the cough. NO follow up appointment as long as I keep improving. If I don't, or plateau, then it's off to a specialist for me.

I am getting the rescue frenchie to foster on Saturday evening. I will be driving to Portland with my sister to pick him up. I have no idea what he looks like but he is a 9 month old intact male with demodex mange and a cherry eye. Poor little guy. He is definatly going to need some TLC. (Demodectic mange is not contagious to healthy dogs and all dogs are born with it. Poor immune systems are the cause of it presenting the symptoms when the mites overwhelm the dog and attack the skin.) I have called and set up his first vet visit for Monday.

I also have a home visit to do for the rescue group on Sunday in Augusta. It is an awesome group: www.frenchbulldogrescuenetwork.org They run better than some corporations! Check out their blog, it is very well done and quite funny. http://fbrnetworknews.blogspot.com/

Rudy goes home today. He is the young chow that is here for socialization and training. He is such a fabulous dog and I am going to miss him. He is very sweet and loves attention. I'm sure Jack will welcome the break from all the play. (short lived though it will be little does he know)

I did not get to knitting as planned last night. My son had his first basketball practice and Kendra had cheer practice. I was going to have hubby take them both but he had a class to teach. I took my knitting with me though and got a few rows done. I am finding that the cables don't show as well with the varigated yarn. Blocking the scarf might help though.

My reading has stalled. That happens sometimes when I am busy or am watching to much TV.  (Yes I am somewhat of a TV addict though I COULD live without it)

My new niece turns 7 months old today. (Kendra informed me this morning) Yay Emily!!!!

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