if you can't find any other reason.................

I don't often post opinion blogs, because frankly, I have VERY strong opinions and I don't really want to put anybody off. I usually try to post cute pictures of my boys for the grandmas and leave the opinion blogs to others.

But something happened to me today that I can't pass up!! Seriously - what has happened to the medical profession. Now, don't write me off just yet. I know there are great surgeons and Dr's out there. My father-in-law is a surgeon, we have trusted every specialist we've seen, I LOVE my OB and we LOVE our pediatrician. But we don't have a family Dr that we love.

So last week when I was dealing with a wierd taste/dryness in my mouth, I went to a Dr at a local clinic that people have referred us to (the clinic, not this particular Dr - but he had a last minute opening). This was a BIG mistake.

The Dr walks in, asks me what's going on. I tell him I have a metal taste in my mouth and dryness and he looks at me and asks, in all seriousness (I thought he must be joking, but he wasn't) "Do you know of anybody who might be trying to slowly poison you with lead?" I laughed, but he didn't even crack a smile. So I quickly wiped the smile off my face and said, "um, no."

As if I wasn't already to just run out the door, then he pulls out his handy little palm pilot thing (I know they have a new name, but I'm still caught in the early 2000's technology-wise) and types in dry mouth and metal taste to some symptom checker, turns around so I can see the results (as if I should be impressed that he is SO technologically savvy) and says - do any of these other symptoms fit?

NO, I told you that these were my ONLY symptoms!! Then, after a short, LAME physical that would produce NOTHING, he says, "Well, we can do some blood work labs and see what we find and then I'll see you back here in 2 weeks." I say "Ok" partly because I'm completely dumbfounded that he thinks what he has just doe is OK and partly because I just want to get out of there.

SERIOUSLY!! Is this what the profession has come to? Have they not heard of the internet? Do they not know that before I walked into their office, I had already visited the Symptom Checker on WebMd as well as every holistic medicine site out there? I was going to him for his "medical expertise", to find out something I couldn't find online and he pulls out his handy, dandy palm pilot!!

Jump to 1 week later, I'm feeling a lot better. After a rough last week, symptoms are almost gone and I think they'll go away on their own completely.

So I call to cancel all appointments, and they won't let me without talking to a nurse and the Dr. Whatever - that's not going to change my decision. The nurse called me back this morning because of course the Dr isn't in on Mondays, and here's the kicker..............................

"We'd like you to come back in for some depression and anxiety tests."

Oh No You Didn't!! Since I'm a WOMAN and you can't figure out what's wrong with me - it must be depression or anxiety, right?!

Needless to say, I told them very nicely where to put their tests and hung up the phone!! End of story. Thoughts?!

Disclaimer: I have many friends and family who deal with depression/anxiety/etc and I believe it can be a very real thing and is a big trial in their lives. I have my own issues (can anybody say OCD), just not depression. And when a Dr uses depression as a general diagnoses, it's not fair to those with the disease and those without it!!

Chuck-E-Cheese

Just like we did for the boy's 2nd birthday - we took the kiddos to Chuck-E-Cheese for some games and fun (armed to the hilt with anti-bacterial hand sanitizer - YUCK!!)

They had an absolute blast!!!

Really - Zach did LOVE every second of it............except when I tried to take his picture! The boys were happy to pose!





And knock-on-wood, we didn't even get sick................yet!

Happy Birthday, Zachy!!

Can you believe it? I can't!! My baby boy is 2!!

We celebrated his b-day Thomas-style - because he LOVES choo-choos!!

Here's his b-day cake!! I know I'm no Alison (Kloft - my amazing baker friend!) - but my boys LOVE this little cake.

Zachy was thrilled with his presents!! He got a puppet set and puppet theater from Grandma Sheen, a fun musical guitar from Grandma and Grandpa Wilde, a truck and tractor from M&J (although it took quite a bit of convincing for them to understand that this was ZACH'S b-day) and he got a Sit-n-spin and little tool bench from mom and dad!



I can hardly believe that it was 2 years ago that this sweet little boy came into our lives!! He LOVES his big brothers and they LOVE him!! He has a strong personality - he has to with twin older brothers!! He can definitely hold his own!! He is our little comedian - I don't know where he gets his crazy, animated expressions from - must be his dad!! And boy does this kid know how to manipulate his parents!! He has us both wrapped around his tiny, little pinky finger - and we LOVE it!! Even though he's growing up - and too fast I might add - he's still my baby boy!!

Did that girl just hit my car?!

So I was sitting waiting for my half-priced drinks at Sonic today when I heard a big THUD and my car moved a bit. I looked back to see if the kids were out of their seats and as I turned around - I saw one of the food delivery girls walking past my window. She didn't stop but the timing was too perfect - so I said out loud "Did that girl just hit my car?" I don't know who I was talking to - maybe to her, maybe to myself, maybe to the boys - it was just my natural reaction! But she heard me, turned to look at me and then walked quickly inside the Sonic doors.

I was still trying to figure out what had happened - so I got out of my car to make sure I didn't imagine it - and sure enough, on my rear tail light - there were 2 long scrapes from her tray!! She had clearly run into my car - and by the sound of the THUD - she hit is pretty hard!!

Now this wasn't a huge deal. The tail lights still work. You can see the scrapes but they're not hugely obvious.

But this chick clearly hit my car - HARD - and ran away. As I was looking at it, my server came out and asked if something was wrong and I said, "I think one of the girls hit my car." And the girl who did it was walking out to another delivery and came over to look and said "Did I do that?" and kept on moving - as did my server. No apology, no comped drinks - nothing!! I was kind of shocked!! I took the drinks and sat back inside my car right outside the windows where all of the delivery girls were standing - and I can see them all looking at me and laughing.

In most cases, I would have said, "Whatever, it's no big deal" and would have gone on with my day. But they were laughing. So..............................no more nice girl!! I pushed the little red button that you push to order and said "Can you please send your manager out?!" I asked him what he could do (at this point, I could see all of the girls inside nervously watching). I got his card and and an insurance claim report. (Oh - and by the way - his card was a FREE MEDIUM DRINK card with his name and number scribbled on the back! A medium, not a large, not a meal, a medium drink!)

Now seriously - am I really going to file an insurance report? I don't think so - depending on my mood of course!! But had this girl just stopped when she did it, and owned up to it - oh and possibly apologized...............I would have driven away with my drinks!! Maybe next time she'll do the right thing!

If this had happened to you, what would you have done?!

Kids are SO literal!!

So we're driving home from the Rock'n River water park near our house and Matthew suddenly has to pee. The following ensues...................

Matthew - "Mommy - I have to pee"

Jessica - "We're almost home - can you hold it?"

Troy - "Hold it buddy - squeeze your legs!"

We look back and Matthew has one hand on each of his legs - and he's "squeezing his legs" with his hands - just like we told him! At that point, I start cracking up!! Troy maintained his composure as usual!

Troy - "No Matthew, squeeze them together!"

So we look back and Matthew has moved both of his hands to one leg - hands "together" - and is squeezing!

Kids take things SO literal!

Tweezers - a tool no mother should live without!

A few of you may remember one of my first posts to this blog. I gave all of you moms out there a few tips on how to get your kids to clean up - and one of them was "give them some tweezers!!" Do you remember?

Well today - I found yet another reason that tweezers are essential in my home!!



Does everybody know what these are?

Pom poms - those cute little puffy balls that you let your kids use on art projects!! Right? I bought them a few weeks ago - trying to do some crafts to keep my kids entertained indoors during the summer heat until Jacob healed up from his surgery (and his second ear infection!)

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my boys would find another use for them!!

But - oh they did - and it wasn't a good one!!



So I'm sitting at my desk on the phone with my insurance company - and I had JUST gotten through to speak to the right person about replacing my roof (I LOVE TEXAS HAIL!) - and my boys come downstairs SCREAMING!! And I'm thinking - seriously?! Right when I get on the phone - this better be something serious! So I look for blood - no blood. I ask why they are crying and they just keep crying.

Then Jacob points to his nose!! And says "ball"! So I'm freaking out - I can't imagine what is up there! If I use tweezers, am I just going to stick it deeper? At least I can still kind of see Jacob's - so I go for his first. After much screaming (both me and Jacob) - my trusty tweezers come out along with a POM POM!! Yup - they both stuck one of those stinking Pom Pom things up their nose - WAY UP THEIR NOSE!! Matthew's was a little tougher - but it came out too!

Can I just say I LOVE TWEEZERS? Had I not had tweezers - I would have had to go to the Dr. or Urgent Care or the ER to get these things out of my boys nose!!

Are you taking pictures of my kids?

Last night, we took in our second baseball game at Dell Stadium. Last time, we sat in seats and let the boys play at the playscape for most of the game. This time we decided to do Berm seats (lawn seats just beyond the outfield, for all of you who haven't been!).

BERM IS THE WAY TO GO!! It's all families out there and the kiddos can run around without bugging anybody! Not to mention, we sat right behind where the pitchers warm-up - so we got to watch that.

So all was going well. People were watching my kids and laughing - and I was getting the normal questions (triplets? how far apart? etc). Until.........................I swore I saw a girl take a picture of Zachy!! Wierd huh? I thought, ok she must have just taken a picture of something BEHIND Zachy and Zachy just got in the way. Right?! So I let it go.

Then like an hour later - Troy asks me if it's wierd that that girl is taking pictures of our kids!!

Now, she seems pretty normal. I think she was pregnant and she was there with her husband and some friends. She was a cute little blonde girl wearing a UT hat - probably in her mid-twenties. Maybe she just didn't know better? Maybe she was practicing for when she had kids? Maybe she was trying out a new camera?

But it made me just a little uncomfortable! This is wierd right? Have you ever had people you don't know take pictures of your kids?