Wow. What a month!

I have to say that November is ending much better than it started.  I feel the need to make a pros/cons list so I can remind myself why it is ok.

Cons:

• Aedan started on medication for ADHD and anxiety which made me feel like the world's worst mother who has failed her child day in and day out and every day he has to take it.  
• Nathan was gone most of the month.  Through all of the following "fun" stuff.  
• Aedan had a nasty cold and a stomach virus that kept him home from school and resulted in me having to restart meds all over again.
• Ariana had a stomach virus.  When a 2 year old has the stomach flu, it is virtually impossible to keep up on the cleaning and laundry.  Something I am not good at anyway.
• Ariana had an ear infection immediately following the stomach bug which meant days on end of cranky and crabby attitude.  These things combined meant I slept on the hide-a-bed for several nights running.
• The furnace went out on the coldest day of the month.  Yep.  It was a Lennox for those who want to know.  The furnace is 12 years old and relay switches are built into the circuit boards.  If the board goes bad, you can possibly replace it for roughly 1/2 the cost of a new furnace IF and only IF you can find the replacement part.  After it has been discontinued 2 times and before it blows out the other electrical in the furnace.  Which it did the morning after I called to have it looked at.  The circuit board was $1000 installed and the 2 fans were $650 each or I could get a brand new Carrier (easier to find replacement parts and had a 15 year warranty) for $1940.

Pros:

• Aedan started on ADHD meds.  I had more anxiety over this than anything else.  I didn't want a zombie for a child.  I didn't want his personality to change.  I didn't want to deal with the side effects and weight loss and overall hazards of medicating a 6 year old.  Now I am wondering why we didn't start it sooner.  
• Within the 1st day, his teacher noticed a drastic improvement in focus and ability to maintain tasking and complete projects. 
•  I noticed that he is able to string together coherent sentences and maintain a level of conversation well above the average 6 year old.  
• I also noticed a lack of impulsive behavior.  I have never really considered him an impulsive child until I saw the difference in him.  
• He is able to play with his sister productively
• He is able to complete daily tasks without redirection such as dressing for the day.  (Prior to this he would put one leg through his underwear and wander off to do something else.  No exaggeration.)
• He doesn't worry constantly over the most menial things
• He is able to complete homework in 5-15 minutes as opposed to 45-50.
• He has an interest in his toys and playing outside again.
• He plays appropriately inside and outside
• He is not doing things that are hurtful to himself and others without knowledge of why he is doing them
• I do not have to rely on the TV to calm him down. 
• He can eat a meal without bouncing in his chair, kicking something, banging on the table, or getting up 10 times.
• He is not a zombie child.
• Nathan was able to return home for the week of Thanksgiving.  On his previous schedule, he was going to miss every holiday except Christmas.  Now, he has been home for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and although he will miss Christmas, he will be home for New Year's and Ariana's birthday.  
• Thanksgiving was FANTASTIC!  My brother hosted Thanksgiving this year at his house in Boise.  My sister was able to fly out from New York and we had an awesome time.  We spent 4 days in Boise enjoying each other's company, watching my kids jump on the trampoline, visiting with his kids, and generally hanging out.  
• My sister came back to Idaho Falls with my parents and spent another 5 days here with us.  Mom and Doris and I were able to catch a movie on Monday evening and we had a riot of a time (although my mom is doubting ever taking my sister and I in public ever again.)
• My father's health is improving, slowly but surely.  
• I got a new furnace.  
• I was able to get it for $1940 which was $300 less than the quote, and I got a $25 off coupon for using Angie's List.  Awesome.  
• They were able to install it within a day and my house is much warmer.  I never realized how much the old furnace sucked until I got the new one.  I have to keep the thermostat lower now and that will probably save us money in the long run.
• My kids are all better and back to their normal.  They say silly things, do silly things, sing silly songs, and generally are a joy to have and be around.  They lift my spirits and each other's spirits.  They are amazing.
• My birthday is tomorrow and I am excited to celebrate another year of life.  

All in all, while it was a jam packed and crazy month that blew by me, it has ended much better than it started.  

New Dentist

The kids' new dentist is awesome.  His office knows children very well.  Poor John had to suffer through Disney/Pixar movies, toys, posters, and music playing over the intercom.  As an (almost) adult, he was a REALLY good sport and a huge help with the kids when he was done with his cleaning.  Dr. Higham's (hi-um) office is the coolest thing for kids.  They have a train station and princess castle...

 arcade games with multiple games on each machine...

 a race track, complete with Cars characters to race and...

 a mini movie theater complete with theater seating, surround sound, and popcorn (after your cleaning, of course!)

My kiddos did NOT want to leave.  Except John, who was patient but completely over the High School Musical and Chipmunks soundtracks playing overhead.  (In all fairness, I was done with that as well.)

For Ariana's 1st time at a dentist, she did amazing!  She allowed them to take x-rays, clean her teeth and put fluoride on them.  The hygienist and dentist were so impressed that she allowed that, especially because she is  only 2.  Aedan was a little more nervous, but followed all instructions without a hitch.  He unfortunately has some cavities between his molars, which we have to fix in a couple of weeks.  John also has some cavities that need to be fixed, but the dentist is old hat to him so he was slightly less than amused by his cleaning.  Not too shabby for a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon.

Chaos continues

There is a reason I named the blog "McClure Clan Chaos".  Chaos is the key word.  It is the word that seems to reign over my life some days.  Days like today when I am trying to clean my kitchen thoroughly and do laundry.  We "camped" in a cabin in the rain over the weekend and had to walk through mud to get to the bathrooms for Nate's family reunion.  I am trying still to clean up from that.  I am also just crazy enough to try to continue working with Ariana on potty training.  I have no idea what possessed me to do such a thing on a day when I have so much cleaning and laundry to catch up on.  Probably Loki, the Norse God of Chaos.  I will blame it on a false idol anyway.  Since 10:30 am, Ariana has been through 5 pairs of underwear.  It is now 3:30.  I have set the timer for every 30 minutes for her to sit on the potty.  Every 30 minutes we sit on the potty.  Approximately 15 minutes after we try the potty, and 15 minutes before the next potty break, once an hour, she pees all over.  Or poops.  Even better.  I made a potty chart today and potty stickers as a reward and less than 1 hour after I made them, she ruined them.  Partially my fault for leaving them on the newly cleaned kitchen table, and mostly hers.  I just finished cleaning up another accident and was taking the towels and panties downstairs to put in the washing machine on a sanitary cycle.  I left the disinfectant spray on the table.  While I was stuffing the washing machine, she was spraying disinfectant all over the newly printed stickers and potty chart.  Such is the chaotic life of potty training.  Tomorrow will be better.

Neglect of the Blog

I have been TERRIBLE about keeping up on this.  Since my last post, we have transitioned completely.  After some stress over moving to Colorado or Wyoming, we ended up not having to move at all.  Nate ended up working in Williston, ND.  He does 15 days on and 6 days home.  I have (mostly) transitioned back to being a stay-at-home (again mostly) mom.  I am not the best housekeeper, so sometimes that inhibits me.
Nate has transitioned to both night and day shifts, traveling, and being away from us.  He has made some friends with some of the guys who are on the same rotation as he is.  They all fly in and out of here on the same days and usually the same flights.
February: Ariana turned 2 and decided to really test out the terrible twos.  Nathan, Aedan, Ariana, and John were in a terrible car accident that totaled our Stratus.  Still counting our blessings because the car was damaged beyond recognition, the car seats showed spiderweb signs of strain where the latch system held them and everyone walked away.  No bruises, scratches, concussions or worse.  The airbags deployed, seat belts held, car seats held, and the car's accident system (including a solid steel band all the way around the vehicle) did their jobs.  Our guardian angel, (thanks, Daniel) had his work cut out and was there for us.
March:  Spring break wasn't really spring break but we made the best of it by car shopping and eventually found a 2012 Mazda 5 "used" and got it for a really great deal.
April:  Nate and I passed our 6th wedding anniversary.  I took our 2 children to New York for my sister's beautiful wedding, where Ariana was an absolute terror the entire time we were there.  The flight over was atrocious (thank you Delta for cancelling our flight, placing my parents on different flights and leaving me to travel across the country with 2 small children in 21 freaking hours instead of 14).
May:  My brother and sister-in-law celebrated their 3rd wedding anniversary (8? years together).  I am so grateful to have an awesome sister-in-law.
Nate's mom passed away after battling colon cancer for 15 months.  She was a tough and determined lady, but determination of our own will is not always in alignment with God's will.  She is missed terribly and we continue to grieve for her.  We made it through the month by the skin of our teeth and have been enjoying the beginnings of summer.
June:  After 7 strep infections and 1 rheumatic fever in 7 months, we had John's tonsils taken out.  He is recovering nicely and even went camping this weekend.  Aedan celebrated his 6th birthday and enjoyed every minute of it.  He got everything he wanted including Harry Potter and Transformers legos, Avengers and Spiderman action figures and clothing and a new swimming pool.  He also got books on science questions mostly for my own sanity.  My parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on the same day.  At the end of this month, Nate and I will have been together for 13 years.  Holy cow!  Now that I am mostly back on track and adjusted, I will be trying (again) to keep everyone more up to date.

Transitions

Well,  I have to say that the last couple of days have been difficult, but we made it through.  Nathan left to go to Rock Springs for training.  He will be gone until the 5th of February.  The kids were OK yesterday until it was time for bed.  Daddy makes cooler voices than mommy when reading bedtime stories.  However, we made it through the evening with only minor commentary.  

Today has been more difficult.  They expect their daddy to be around.  It is unusual for me to be home instead of Nate.  Aedan commented, "I miss my daddy.  You know, Nathan, your honey."  Which just made me chuckle.  As if I didn't know he was Aedan's dad or my honey.  Ariana hasn't really asked for him other than at nap-time.  She was crying and fussing and ultimately just cried, "Daddy, Daddy" and then went to sleep.  Since then, they have been able to speak to him and see him on Skype and they seem to be in better spirits.  

Nathan is a little bored.  His first day of training went well, but was slow moving.  He had to fill out a bunch of tax forms, employment forms, reimbursement forms, questionnaires, etc.  Tomorrow ought to be better for him.  The hotel isn't bad and is right across the street from where training is held and he has a hot tub and swimming pool readily available.  I wish I had a hot tub readily available.  I would sink right in and possibly warm up for the winter.  

We made it through Christmas

Holy cow!  Whew!  Humongous sigh of relief!  We made it through the Christmas season.  For all of you who don't work retail, the Christmas season starts the day after Halloween, accelerates on Black Friday, becomes manic the week before the big day, and culminates with returns and additional purchasing the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
I just worked my 4th Christmas at Barnes & Noble.  I am very grateful to work at a place like Barnes & Noble instead of a place like Wal-mart.  Call me crazy, but although we have a few eccentric people and a few crazies, we have a pretty decent customer base.  I only had a couple of angry people.  One lady came in on the 21st and wanted several children's books that we were sold out of.  2 of them were backordered at the publisher and she was angry because she couldn't have them before Christmas.  My advice (in my head only) was to not wait until the last minute to shop for Christmas.  "Lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine."  The other one called in and asked if we were open on Christmas Day and asked how late we were open on Christmas Eve.  I told her we were open until 6:00 on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.  She responded by telling me that Christmas was a religious holiday and religion had no place in businesses.  I responded out loud by saying, "Actually ma'am, it's a federal holiday and 1 of 3 we, as a business, observe.  In my head I responded by thinking "You're right it is a religious holiday celebrated long before our country was founded on Judeo-Christian morals, ethics, and principles.  Get over it."  She hung up on me.  I truly believe it was the same lady who called me last year and complained.  2 out of several thousand isn't bad.
Outside of work we had a pretty good holiday season.  We were able to spend 1 more Christmas party with Nathan's Grandpa Nixon on December 4th before he passed away on December 21st.  It was a huge blessing to be able to spend that time with him and also to say goodbye to him the day before he passed.  We spent Christmas Eve with the McClure clan and spent Christmas Day with the Piper crew.  On Christmas Eve we went to church where I played and sang in the service.  The 7:00 service had the Christmas pageant which was a huge and adorable success.  Those kids did a great job.  Aedan and Ariana laughed and enjoyed to service.  We came home and I went back for the 9:00 service which was a traditional candlelit service.  Beautiful and elegant.  We had a huge turkey dinner with all of Nathan's family.  His mom, dad and brother made a photo collage of his parents.  Baby pictures, their wedding photo, and more recent photos of both of them.  It is really cool.  The kids really enjoyed playing with his grandparents.  I will also add that my best friend, Diana was a godsend.  Not only did she bring additional food, but she helped me cook and clean up, helped organize the family and then came to church with all of us to help with our kids while I was singing.  She is amazing.
On Christmas Day our children were surprised by Santa and Ariana loves opening presents.  They are both more fun because they like to play with everything and try on everything before opening the next present.  Their excitement is tangible and contagious.  We went to my parents house and spent a peaceful day watching Christmas movies, playing pool, and playing cards.  My mom is an awesome cook and made a rack of ribs for Christmas dinner.  Yum.  Our only disappointment was that we were not able to see my brother and his family or my sister and hers.
On Tuesday the 27th, we buried Nathan's grandpa.  He was buried with full policeman's rites and honor guard after a 19 year battle with cancer.  While difficult, it is good to know that such a good man no longer has to suffer.  He was funny and courageous and that became more apparent during his life sketch and from both speakers.
Nathan's good news is that he has accepted a job.  He will be traveling with this job for a while and it may cause us to move later this summer, but he has found a job.  He leaves for training on January 15th and will be gone for 3 weeks.  He will come home for a week and then head out again.  He is still looking for a decent paying job here but so far, there isn't much.  After a long year of praying and searching, not to mention school, it looks like we are going to be blessed with a job in the new year.  John will head back to school and then start the process of transitioning to the regular high school at the semester.  Aedan will be heading back to school with stitches (he tripped in the kitchen and split his eyebrow open on the counter) and Ariana is going to have a hard time adjusting to Aedan and John being gone, but overall, I think we have had a blessed, if bittersweet, holiday season.  We are looking forward to the new year with enthusiasm and faith.

Mixed feelings about work

Today was a great day off.  I went to church, played in the praise band, saw my mom, came home and played with my children and baked a caramel apple pie from scratch with apples from our tree.  Tomorrow I have to go back to work.  Part of me wants to go because I know that I have several things to get done and I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from that.  The other part of me wants to stay home, pick up Aedan from school and play outside with the kids during this last bit of beautiful fall weather.  I enjoy working and the people I work with, but some days it is harder than others to be motivated to go to work.