Sick Little Boy=Exhausted Mom

 So as an ADD mom with an ADHD little boy I am still surprised that it took someone else to point out that my son was not himself. Ordinarily if he sits still for 15 minutes without the T.V. on or a video game in his hand I think something is wrong. It all started when I asked him to do something at 4:00 Friday afternoon and he said "Mom I'm reading, can I do it after?"-that should have been my first clue.  This boy does not read books without prompting - ever! And when he was in the same place when dinner was ready at 6:30 I should have known.  But it took a friend to mention it to me and when she asked he said his tummy hurt. So three of us (I had 2 girlfriends over: Eve who is also a mom and Rebecca Lynn) took turns feeling his head & the back of his neck and all agreed he was warm, we brought out "The bucket"  (a big plastic mixing bowl twice the size of his head...yet I'm still changing sheets & cleaning carpets) and put it right next to him on the couch,  made him some "Tummy Tea" (made by Traditional Medicinals it is a lifesaver) and finally continued with our dinner.  Within a few moments he was calling "Rebecca Lynn, will you please empty my bucket?"  Now Rebecca Lynn is an amazing woman, a real trooper, the best auntie ever and the one I call on when I need support for a  Love & Logic training session but still, needless to say, it was not her idea of a fun dinner time activity. So enter Mommy to save the day.
Today is day four of "The stomach bug" I don't have to describe the symptoms or the activities of the previous 3- you all know them well, suffice it to say that I didn't have to clean vomit off of anything my son didn't touch, but everything else... Oh and I am out of clean sheets for my bed and his! So my biggest question; Why does it take so much energy to sit on a bed watching movies and fetching ginger ale? Today he was better, there was nothing new to clean except a little spilled soda.  So Why am I so exhausted?  Is it the three days of subsisting on fruit and protein bars (nothing he could smell)?  Too much emotional release watching Lassie? Overworked gag reflex? Maybe it's the overload of motherly concern. All I know for certain is -he is going to School tomorrow or there will be a crazy woman on the loose and it wont be Rebecca Lynn.

Small Business Saturday

 Well here it is Black Friday and I am so not going anywhere.  Not that I don't love to shop in crowded craft stores and jam packed department stores in search of great deals.  I even spent the night at WalMart once to get a big screen TV at a great price.  But today I am doing all my shopping online.  Many of my favorite stores have online coupons today that rival their in-store deals.  Not to mention that I have a cold, and don't want to share it with anyone let alone a few thousand shoppers.  And my favorite place to shop online this year is ETSY.com.  The variety of handmade items is mind boggling.  They have jewelry, clothes, pet beds, craft items...everything you can think of that can be handmade and vintage items too.  I bought some yummy yarn last year and made this gorgeous scarf last week.

Villainess Scarf

Flowered scarf band

I would like to try to sell it, but it is soo soft and yummy that I kinda want to keep it for myself.  I got the yarn from Dragonfly Fiber design and it is a silk/cashmere blend in a color called Villainess. Unfortunately this particular yarn is discontinued, but they have so many more. I think I am going to make a headband to go with it or maybe a hat...  Anyhow check out ETSY.com especially tomorrow on small business Saturday, and if you want to check my shop and let me know what you think I will give one random commenter a crocheted bookmark like this one, in any color you wish.  Just comment by Friday December 3rd and tell me your favorite thing in my shop, and you will be entered to win.

Exploring My World

For the last 3 weeks I have been taking a really great class from Big Picture Scrapbooking  (www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com) I love this website and the great classes and workshops.  I try to take one or 2 a year, sometimes more if I have time LOL.  This most recent one is called Everyday Adventures: Becoming an Explorer of Your World. So every weekday since April 19 I have been given an Exploration to do.  My Field Journal is getting filled with lovely little pieces of my life.  So Today's adventure is a survey and I need to "Create a Simple Survey of at least five questions.  Give it to a sampling of people. Document the answers in a way that is interesting and readable (For instance, as a graph, spreadsheet, or pictogram)."  from "How to be an Explorer of the World" By Keri Smith.


So I am asking you, my readers, to answer the following:


1. What is your favorite color?
2. What is your current favorite book?
3. What kind of Music is your favourite?
4. What specific T.V. show do you most like to watch?
5. Who is your Hero?
6. What is your favorite scent?


And to be fair I will answer them so you can know me a little better:
1. Purple-Any shade or hue thereof
2. I'm working my way through the Trixie Belden series, currently on #11
3. Right now probably Country, but I also like Pop, Swing and Many others
4. Really loving Castle but can't wait for Burn Notice to start again!!
5. Jehovah God-It may sound corny but I know he has gotten me through life's hardest times.
6. It's a tie between the beautiful tree blossoms out right now and fresh baked brownies.


So please respond so I can fill in my latest page. And there just might be a giveaway in it for you.

1980's TV Shows they should make movies of, but probably won't

1980- I was... well... under 10.  The Greatest American Hero debuted.  I mainly remember a few vague scenes (something about baldness?), the 2 main characters and crying when I wanted to watch it but the show was canceled. 

2010 Hurrah for NetFlix!! They have it on DVD.  I wasn't sure I should revisit such a treasured memory lest it be disappointing or even raunchy (Like when I saw a certain Pirate Movie as an adult-Still can't believe my parents let me watch that-Thank heaven I didn't understand when I was younger).  But no it is still a good, clean, funny show, maybe a little corny in parts but still very funny.  Even better, My son loves it as much as I did.  Maybe it's the super hero stuff, or maybe it's the slapstick comedy crashes and super powers not quite figured out, but he loves it!  So when Chowder or Johnny Test are getting on my nerves I can just put in the most recent Netflix DVD and he's not complaining!   I am seeing my younger self through his eyes. He even knows every word of the theme song.    How great is that. In a world where Bakugan Brawls rule the waves, we have bonded over a high school teacher in long johns and a cape. The only problem is...I may never return them to Netflix. Or maybe I need to check Amazon or Ebay. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Young Boys and Bathrooms

I had dinner this evening with a friend, her husband and their 2 children.  We really had a nice time. I love it when there is a man there to take my son to the bathroom with him.  My friend (whose son is 4) commented that having a boy is great because she can hand off the potty job to her husband.  But what's a single mom to do? Now Ryan is big enough that I don't worry about him falling in, and young enough that I'm not worried about him vandalizing the place (except from playing around and splashing sink water, does that count?) so that means my main worry is from the outside.  I am worried about pedophiles, kidnappers, and (because of a story told to me by a mother when I was a teen) people who cut little boys privates off in bathrooms while their mothers wait outside.  You might think this would make me an overprotective mother who would still take her teen aged son into the ladies room with her.  Not so, rather, I do usually allow my 7 year old son to go into the mens room by himself.  This is only because I have no qualms about invading the mens room .  I am perfectly willing to barge in there if necessary, and have done so on (rare) occasions.  So far there have not been any men in there when I did so, but I am aware that it is a possibility that I may one day feel the need to barge in on some poor man, convinced he is a sicko, because he happened to go in while my son was going #2 and taking for-ever.  But the safety of my child is at stake, and since he has reached the age where he is embarrassed to go in the Ladies room, I reserve that right.  None the less, I am relieved when a male aquaintance (usually a friends husband) takes him with them and saves me the 5 minutes of  pacing, standing guard outside the door, (You won't believe the looks I get) preceded by "Is there anyone in there?", oh and then my favorite-"I didn't hear a flush." Followed by "Oh I forgot!" and another 20 seconds of pacing, usually ending with "Go back and wash your hands-With Soap!"

Which reminds me-What does it take to get a boy to remember to flush?  Ever since he was potty trained, I have found myself flushing for him at least daily.  I have tried charging for it, (we're up to 75 cents a flush- the boy owes me about 2 years allowance) reminders, notes on the mirror and the door, I cannot think of another thing to do.  Are all young boys this way? If it was just urine I could handle that but no, it never is in fact it usually starts because I can smell it from downstairs.  And just when you think it can't get any worse-there's never any evidence of toilet paper usage.  Doesn't that get irritating to the skin?  Or itchy or something?  You wouldn't know from him.  I have bought the special "Kandoo" wipes, (Dried out and thrown away, barely touched) I've even asked him about it, and warned him that it could get itchy or painful, that he could wind up with a rash or an infection-I swear he does not care! Being a boy he doesn't worry about hand washing either.  Well at least he knows for sure there's no BM on his hands.  And don't get me started about not closing the door...even with company in the house!
I think little girls may have it right-"Boys are Yucky"

The Leather Jacket

As this is my first blog I will start by introducing myself. I am Katrina, also occasionally known as Kate and since my last name is Forman I thought it would be cute to spell it with numbers. I think my late husband would laugh, at least I like to think so. Sometimes I think I only remember what I want to about him. He has been gone for nearly 7 years now and sometimes days, even weeks go by with only a passing thought of him. Recently though, as certain incidents have triggered certain things, he has come to mind more and more often and the pain I sometimes shut away in the dark recesses of the dungeon of my brain has too. I am told that this is good for me. That I need to "deal with it" I don't want to "deal with it! It hurts!! But since I have started to clean house and de-clutter my literal dwelling, maybe my mind wants to clean out some of the cobwebs too.

Today my trigger was his old Leather Jacket. He wore it for our first date. He was wearing it for our first kiss, and he wore it a lot the first couple years of our marriage. I remember hugging him and resting my cheek on his chest and smelling that wonderful leather smell that is so masculine and somehow compelling to me.

Yesterday I picked it up from the dry cleaners and left it in the bag on the couch. So today when I got home I took it, along with my other dry cleaning upstairs and hung it in my closet. (by the way I swear the jacket alone weighs a hundred pounds, okay maybe 50..30? well it's really heavy okay!) So I lugged the thing upstairs and I wonder...does it still have the smell? So I removed the plastic and I leaned in real close. Pretty soon I was resting my cheek against it & suddenly I was back in time, and he was hugging me. (I tried to figure out how to wrap the sleeves around myself, but decided that was silly... and hopeless). It felt so good, I didn't want to move. So I didn't... for a few minutes anyway. But pretty soon I convinced myself that I couldn't stay there forever and so I pulled myself away. Just knowing it is there, that I could do that again is so tempting... It kind of scared me.
He has been gone for 7 years and I really have come a long way. Was I reverting? Would I suddenly obsess about this jacket and allow my progress to crumble until I am once again an emotional basket case, wearing his old shirt and sweatpants all the time? Or is it allowing me to process and feel things I should allow myself to feel so I can "deal with" my emotions? How can I find out? Viewing my tears as a good sign, I have decided for now that it is the latter, however I am going to limit my exposure. Just in case.

Two Hours Later (can't you just hear the narrator from SpongeBob?) I have just finished watching a wonderful movie about two amazing women and their husbands were so wonderful I couldn't help but miss mine. So I touched "The Box" on my bookcase, and looked at the cold shiny varnished oak with his name on it. And I went to my closet and wrapped myself in the leather jacket, and rested my cheek on the leather. So now I'm not so sure how this is going to work out, I guess time will tell. And by the way the smell-it's faint but still there!!