Great Things Are Coming Up

     Things have just been N.U.T.S. around the Aleman household.  On top of interviews for Hubs, we've had dr. appointments, car servicing, and cleaning.  Oh.The.Cleaning.  We have been talking about getting our garage organized for a while now.  It had been something in the plans to "be done by July."  Then, with everything, we found ourselves putting it off.  Well, Friday, we started on the garage.  I feel so accomplished!  All three shelving units are put together, and the pile that once was everywhere is now only in the very middle and is very small. 
     The trash went out last night, so that was awesome.  Our trashcan was overflowing.  And we had stuff beside the can.  I'm anxious for the recycling to go out.  That would be Thursday night though.  Our bin is full, and we have a box full of broken down boxes, plus 5 huge boxes from the shelves and some of the boxes we have emptied.  And I have two boxes in the living room that are going out with the recycling.  One may go out the next week because I am using it to empty my shred stuff in as well.  Needless to say-I am so pumped about the progress that we have made.  We have a goodwill box started again, so I can start going through our clothes.  I took picture of the train wreck that was our garage, and once we get it completely organized, I will take pictures again to share.
     There was yarn hidden all over the garage.  Not purposely hidden.  Like, I didn't buy it, and then go and stash it somewhere so Hubs wouldn't know.  No.  It was in "project"  bags, and when we had cleared out our guest room earlier in the year when we had company, it all got shoved where it would fit...and then was covered and got forgotten.  Poor, poor yarn.  LOL.  I promise.  I won't need to buy yarn for a good long time. 
     I found pictures everywhere.  My plan is to get all of my candid shots scanned into the computer and saved on disks, and then use the original copies to make scrapbooks.  (No worries-I have most of the supplies already.  I'll just have to buy the actual scrapbook with each one that I do.  And since it will probably be a long term project, I can buy one, work on it until it is finished, and then work on the next one.  Then I won't have a bin with only pictures in it.  Yes, that person is me.  Anyone that scrapbooks wanna come and show me how?  I've only done one, but I feel like I need someone to show me how to scrapbook to get the full use of my supplies.)
     I also found a ton of wallet sized pictures of different family members and friends.  I plan to do some sort of project to get them framed and hung on the wall.  We are finally getting pictures hung, and that makes me very happy!
     When the garage is finished, the next room I plan to tackle is JJ's.  I need to pull everything out and dust from top to bottom...go through the toys and clothes (which is a never ending process!)  Mostly, I just make sure that the toys are not broken...if they are, into the garbage they go.  If the clothes don't fit, out of his room they go.  I was getting him ready for school yesterday, and he told me his underwear were too tight.  I was telling Hubs that we needed to buy him new underwear, and he asked if they were the right size.  I didn't realize we had kept some of his old underwear when we bought his new underwear at the beginning of the school year.  I promptly went through his underwear, got out THREE pairs that were too small, and made JJ put on a pair that fit.  Then the small undies went into the garbage.  That was easy. 
     I know we have a long way to go to be completely clutter-free and organized, but we are definitely on our way.  And it helps that we are both on board.  And we set our shredder up next to the desk instead of in a back bedroom or a corner that we never see.  Now we can shred every day and empty it when needed instead of having a pile of shred stuff that we rarely take the time to sit down and shred.  One less thing to take over our lives.  And it is such a small thing-you would think we would have done this years ago instead of letting things pile up.  Well, it's been started now :)
     I will most likely take before and after pictures of each section (except the dining room since I didn't take before pictures before we put the shelves up.)
     We are waiting on a phone call for Hubs (sometime this week) about a job;  as of right now, we don't know how that will change our spring break plans.  We still have to make a trip to SC to pick up the bed we are getting for JJ, so it may be just a super quick trip for that.  We will see. 
     Yesterday was six weeks postpartum.  It was a sad day, just because.  Nothing out of the ordinary happened.  It was just hard not to think about.  Hubs and I had several talks throughout the day, and we made it through.  Thank you for the continued prayers.  Thank you for the kind words.  Thank you for the offers to talk.  Ya'll are wonderful.  I am doing better.  I do still cry sometimes when Hubs and I talk.  I do wish things had been different.  I do wish that people would sometimes think before they open their mouth, but I would wish that even if this hadn't happened.
     Today, JJ had an appointment with his asthma/allergy specialist.  We usually see the partner, but this time, we saw the main dr.  We didn't care for him very much.  First, at each appointment (and with his pediatrician), we have asked if we needed to worry about his weight.  He is tall and obviously weighs more than most kids his age.  We were told that as long as he was still getting taller, not to be concerned about his weight because his height and weight were proportional.  If we started having weight gain and no height change, then we needed to monitor diet and exercise.  In six months, JJ has gained about four pounds and has grown approximately three inches.  With the allergy season coming earlier and being a little heavier this year, we have been battling congestion majorly and coughing...oh the coughing.  Well, this dr (Mr. Main Guy) looked and listened and told us that we were not doing everything we should be doing to keep his symptoms under control.  He said before he prescribed more medicine, we were to increase the daily inhaler from  two times a day to four times a day.  So I told him "The other dr only prescribed him to take two puffs once daily, in the morning because he takes the Singulair at night."  Mr. Main Guy looked  skyward (can't decide if he was asking for patience or rolling his eyes, either way he was exasperated) and then basically told us that it was no wonder that JJ was sick and congested because we weren't even giving him the right doseage of medication.  He repeated his instructions of 4 puffs, 4 times a day for 4 days...and then after that, we were to begin the correct dose of 2 puffs 2 times a day (in the morning and in the evening.)  Then he said "Now, we've taken care of  that.  On to the next thing that concerns me.  This."  And he doesn't point.  No, he takes both hands and grabs JJ's belly and jiggles it.  Now, I don't know how many of you have seen JJ lately.  He is by no means a fat kid.  Mr. Main Guy then proceeded to blast Hubs and I and tell us that were to COMPLETELY cut out milk and cheese from JJ's diet and give him a citrical vitamin daily.   "Because he will then get all of the calcium and cut the calories.  And don't let him buy school lunch.  Pack his lunch every day.  If you let him get lunch from school, you are only half helping him."     So we finish the appointment (we're to go back in three weeks so the dr can monitor his weight and see how his congestion is), we take JJ to school, and then I blow up.  First, I understand the weight is an issue.  That is NOT what upset me.  What upset me is the completely unprofessional way that Mr. Main Guy went about telling us.  You don't grab a kid's belly and jiggle it around, and then say "Your son is 6 years old and weighs XX."  You then do NOT lecture us on the eating habits of Americans in general.  I don't care about the rest of America and their eating habits.  I care about my husband and my kid.  How is cutting milk from your diet completely help a growing kid?  I understand cutting back or cutting out cheese.  But completely cutting out milk and telling me to give him a medication that is usually taken by women who are in danger of osteoporosis?  He takes a multivitamin every day.  I checked at walmart.  It doesn't contain any calcium, but it does contain the vitamin d needed to process the calcium.  (Because kids usually drink milk, eat cheese and yogurt, so they don't need extra calcium.)  I looked at the citrical (and every other calcium supplement), and ALL of them contain calcium and vitamin D, but no other vitamin or mineral.  So up to the pharmacy I go to question the pharmacist if it is ok to give him both.  She tells me no because while the multivitamin that he takes has no calcium, it has 400 mg of vitamin D...and the citrical has 500mg of vitamin D, and it is a vitamin that your body stores, and it can be toxic if given too much.  For three weeks, we are going to do as the dr asked.  No cheese or milk.  Citrical.  (And no multivitamin).  Once we have that appointment at the end of the month, we will most likely eliminate the citrical and go back to the daily multivitamin and give JJ a glass of milk in the morning and at night.  I do agree that school lunches are NOT the most nutritious and do not aid in keeping a child in their correct weight range, but I do not think he should skip the milk.  I can cut back on the cheese.  Heck, **I** need to cut back on the cheese.  But he should get his dairy from foods, not from a supplement (unless he had a food allergy, which he doesn't!)  Parents get blasted because they watch what their kids eat and get upset when they gain weight. "This is how eating disorders are started."  But it's ok for the dr to grab a belly and jiggle it?  I.Don't.Think.So.
     We are now hanging out.  JJ spent most of the afternoon/early evening outside playing with his friend across the street.  He broke his shoe (and it snaps back together, but one of the pieces came off, and he couldn't find it)...he was very sad about that.  I don't know if I can fix it without the piece, and JJ won't make a stink about it.  He's funny that way.  He KNOWS the piece is missing, so he will say "but my shoe is still broken" even if it's back together.  OCD much?  Yes, yes he is.  But this is the JJ that I love with all of my heart.
     Oh.  And Julie?  JJ is eating some feet chips (leftover from his Subway friend yesterday.)  Let me tell you how spoiled this kid is.  We go to Subway every Monday because of karate, and the last few weeks he has asked for spicy nacho Doritos, which they do not carry.  He gets nacho cheese instead.  Well, last week, his Subway friend (the one that writes him notes on napkins) told him she would have a surprise for him this week.  He forgot all about it until we got there, and another guy (his friend wasn't there) told him that his friend left him something.  He went and brought him a bag of chips. 

He was excited :)  Even left him a message to have a nice day.  Then after we had ordered and were about to sit down, the phone rang, and the guy answered...and then he laughed and said "JJ, the phone is for you!"  HAHA....we were at Subway, and JJ is getting phone calls!  He was able to talk to his friend after all.  They are so funny!    Fun stuff.  Fun stuff.