That song is great Neak. I played it over and over as I did the washing and the kitchen cleaning.

I'm home nursing mum as she got the flu on the weekend and really needed to sleep in for the day to recover.
Hot drinks, immune building herbs and she shall be right as rain as long as she rests ..... and I threatened to give her an injection if she didn't

I'm supposed to be studying congenital contraction of the fingers today however Mikey is rather a distraction .... he keeps wanting to 'bomb' me with his toy planes

How do you mumma's keep it all going is what I want to know?

Mrs vdK

Back from VACA!

All the kids rode horses and caught fish. DS4 caught the only keepers, tho!

My sister gave DD5 a HUGE boxful of Polly Pocket stuff.

To get even, I'm going to buy her kids a drum set and fingerpaints.

Both littles went off the diving board for the first time. I'll have them doing reverses by next summer, I swear!

All my love,
Kimmy

Kimmy, don't forget that little Lego pieces can be very painful when stepped upon.

Mrs. vdK!!!! How wonderful that you were able to stop in for a visit, and come again any time! After you get done sticking needles in that naughty mother of yours, what would you like to drink? Mint tea? Hot choccy?

So glad you liked the song - I haven't been able to stop singing it. My small Dervish is learning it quickly, too, and is so cute cuz he doesn't carry a tune anywhere near as well as his brother or sister.

The truthful answer to how mothers do it is....we don't. Sure, there may be a few superwomen out there, but I for one wouldn't be able to study congenital digital contractions and have the kids too.

So how is your mum? She is fortunate to be in good hands. And how are you? Probably keeping too busy and trying to stuff as much emotion as possible is my guess, covering everything with a brave face so no one knows. Am I close? You can admit it here - nobody around but you and me, and a few score internet friends. Seriously though, look out for yourself also. I wish I was there to nag I mean encourage you in person.

Hi Kimmy and Rella, you made me want to go swimming but it's far too late. That reminds me though, I left the sprinkler on. Now I have to go out and get all wet to turn it off. Thanks for making sure I didn't forget and leave it on all night, right on the edge of a drought as we are.

Hi Neak!!
I would love the hot choccy but I should have the mint tea or ginger twist . Choccy sits on my hips and widens the thighs, but how it does comfort!!!
Mum is just about better, had to have another day off in bed and I had an energetic day with Mikey, it was play group today. Everyone was asking " Where's mum?" She's been adopting daughters again!!

There's an ember deep within me .. dummm deeemm ummm see you got me doing it again lol
Dervish and I in a duet lol - with a new drum set!!!

When the morning was over it was back to the xray's and scans for the little girls hand we're working on this Friday. The medial and proximal phalanges of the small & ring fingers on her left hand need to reconstructed and of course that means nerve and tendon work as well. I won't get to do much but assist however the surgeon is a real expert and its a real learning privilege.

Close? What do you win I wonder? A week with a bunch of neurotic wives? lol
But you will need to stand in line for the nagging I mean encouragement ( ***snort*** ) after Uncle John, my Aunts, and Nanna. Oh and maybe Nan could also stop knitting baby clothes - not happening Nan not for a while at least.

Mr vdK is recovering very well and on light duties, I struggled to not ask what that means, and he is extremely bored. That SO reassures me. NOT. There's nothing wrong with me, there's nothing wrong with me, there's nothing wrong with me - you're looking at me just like the psychologist in the family support unit does.
I do self denial very well.

However I am happy as one can be I suppose and enjoying my music and still a bit excited after doing the tour. I understand AJ being lonely though. Make sure you ring him each day and the kids email and IM him as often as possible. You just have to think 'It will all be worth it in the end!" See just like there's nothing wrong with me isn't it.

wave to all the other aisle walkers - Kimbers how could you go on hols and not take me huh?

I am supposed to be getting dinner together, a nice curry and rice would be nice. Mikey wants chips. He always wants chips.
I wonder if I'm supposed to say no to him? oh well.

It'd just be more of the same for you...

My mother is your mum on steriods.

Throw in the guilt, and she could be a yenta.

I wanna go on hols......me.....me.....me.....me!!! I need to get out of this joint. I need a vacation. I have the time (if bossy guy would let me take it). I just need the money!!!

Well, Kimmy is taking vacations, and that is good. Now if we can get the rest of you on a vacation. I bet t&L could tell us that missing work (in and of itself) is NOT a vacation.

We are still planning on Yellowstone in July. I hope we make it.

SS

My daughter just got back from Germany - today. 3 weeks. I paid for it. My boss grouches about me taking leave to go to the dentist. There is something SO wrong with this picture.

My boss grouches about me taking leave to go to the dentist. There is something SO wrong with this picture.

Yes, there is. If you have vacation time, but the boss won't approve you to take it, then you really don't have vacation time. Is there a HR department you can talk to? Or, would that just make it worse?

SS

LOL!!!!! I work for the HR department!!!!!

Rella now THAT is funny!!!

Unlike my daughters & Kimmy's comments which I shall gracefully ignore. ... even through my coughing and other flu sufferings.

I mean how can a little encouragement every day about marrying my adopted son be called nagging? I mean look what happened ... she married him so obviously it was true love wasn't it?
And just because I encourage her to think about having a family ... every day ... that can't be called nagging. I'm just saying she should think about it.
And am I saying anything like "You're killing me, your own mother... how could you" ........ well not on week days anyway.

waving to SS

If you knew how much I love my mom, and how wonderful she is (even with the guilt), you'd be content, I think.

I want your dau to give you grandchildren too. But I think she should wait till Mr. VanDK comes back, don't you?

And then there's school.

But after school, I expect to be an Auntie Kim asap!

And AW, my dad make a soup that kills nearly every ailment.

It starts with chicken stock, then about 20 cloves of garlic, sliced, as much red pepper flakes as you can stand, mint, and cayenne pepper.

He gave some to Nio last time we were there. I'm not sure if he was trying to cure his sniffles or kill the poor man.

We never fear vampires in my parent's neighborhood.

Honestly tho, dad drinks it any time a cold comes on. He swears it cuts down the time he's sick.

Personally, I think the germs get disgusted with him and give up.

But hey, whatever works.

I have a cute story. The beginning isn't cute, but the end is.

2 weekends ago, VD had the children. She picked them up at daycare where OCDS had stuck a bit of playground pea gravel in his ear.

She discovered it on Saturday. In come the texts and calls. She had tossed the kid's insurance cards because she thought she didn't need them anymore, then she says she doesn't know if she'll take him for med. help because it "interferes with her plans." (yes, those are her EXACT words) We offered to pick him up and take him ourselves. She refused. We offered to fax over the insurance info and pay for the visit ourselves. She refused. Finally, she took the kids to her mom's house. She said her mom said it's wax and that they were going to irrigate his ear. I gave Nio detailed instructions on how to do it and what to use for him to relay to her.

No word for the rest of the weekend.

I pick the kids up at day care on Monday and the first thing I did was check his ear. There was the rock, whom we have since named Jorge, waving at me from his snug spot in the boy's ear.

So I took them to the Med Clinic (after hours doc) and after many tries at irrigation and lots of saying, "C'mon JOR-GE!" at every flush, Jorge gives up his new home and falls into the bowl.

Jorge now resides in a specimen cup on our formal dining room table.

That's not the cute part.

The cute part is that when we were at my parent's house, the first night as we were eating dinner, we say grace and get to the "Amen" part when a little voice pipes in very loudly, "AND THANK YOU FOR GETTING JORGE OUTTA MY EAR."

I could'a wet myself it was so funny.

But wait! There's more cuteness...

The other day when I picked the kids up from day care again, I hear a voice from the back seat, "MAMA!" I say, "yes, dear one."

"Mama, when I get tired of Jorge, can we set him free to be with his family again on the playground?"

I swear. My headstone is gonna say, "She died laughing."



On the side: We called CPS and they ACTUALLY opened a case on VD for NOT getting baby boy medical attention. Nio was called into CPS earlier this week and Jorge's mug shot was taken, the medical records were requested, the texts were produced and copied down, and the children were questioned.

POSTED THIS HERE AND I'VILLE SO ALL MY DEAR ONES WILL SEE.

Maybe it's true, what "they" say, Kimmy..."It's an ill wind that blows no good." What hath Jorge wrought!

Kinda like the seed/rock in A Bug's Life?

HI T&L HI KIMMY!!!!!

Hope you two are doing great ... I'm a bit up cause of the flu tabs ....
Well yes Mrs vdK has to wait until our missing darling idiot of a hero is back home safe before baby making ... then we can belt him for making us worry so much as well !!!
Its just to get the idea running through her head ... I'm not nagging .. honest ... you dont look convinced

Just before I go to bed thought I'd make that clear ... well ordered to go to bed ... cripes she is a bossy doctor ... wonder where she got the nag gene from ?????

Anyway I have been forced ... I mean prescribed ... Natralia bug fighter cra... oh yeah sorry can't used that word anymore ... anyway its this drink made up of herbs and Echinacea, vitamen C, Zinc, Tea Tree oil & other foul tasting sh... oh can't use that word either ... anyway it horrible. And then these tabs which taste worse. And then antibiotics ... yuck.

And you know what REALLY SUCKS????? It works .. Flu down to 4 sick days .... BUGGER!!!

And to add insult to injury Mrs vdK wrote ME a note for work!!! Ironic or what???? Well everyone at work thought it was so funny.
I told them that they were just a bunch of basta.. oh can't use that word either .... its not fair .... How did Neak get me to not use swear words as often ... she is just a so bad good influence . .. well then ... BOTHER!!!

SS hope you doing all ok, and the rest of isle visitors too. I won't put the curser near your names or I might give you the flu

well bed time ... again ... 14 hrs of sleep .... ni ni

Poor AW.

I wonder if Neak could clean up the Wookie's talk?

Cops are almost as bad as an Aussie soldier.

And don't forget to eat some yougurt with live cultures.

AuntieB's (antibiotics) are terrible on the good bacteria in your gut.

Or take dem acidoofalous pills (I know, I spell it wrong...but I SAY it wrong-er, so that's what we call it here).

I can sure try with Wookie, but I haven't had any luck at all with Aussie yet, so no promises.


All this means is she should have started already.

Hola Jorge!