Try This

I recently read about this website, www.thebirthdayregister.com, where you register your birthday and then, about 2 weeks before the Big Day, different vendors in your area send you coupons for free stuff. Sounded like something that had my name written all over it, so I signed up. Since my birthday is more than 2 weeks away, I don't know yet if it works, but I thought I'd share the site with my friends (and anyone who stumbles upon my blog while looking for fashion tips).

All you do is go to the site, enter your birthday and your personal information, and then you're asked to select 5 categories (out of about a billion) that you'd like to receive gifts from. The catch is you can only choose each one once (as far as I could tell). And they don't tell you what you'll be getting, so if you choose "restaurant" you might get a free napkin at Burger King.

If anyone has a birthday coming up soon, try it and let me know. Otherwise, I will keep everyone posted on how this plays out in my personal life. Yes, I live a very exciting life, indeed.

The Countdown is On

Only 61 more days until I'm as old as Scott.

(I am pointing this out because he's at camp this week, which means he'll probably miss this post entirely).

For Non-Seacoasters Only

This particular post is for my friends and family who don't attend Seacoast. For all the Seacoasters who are still reading (and I know you are, because Seacoasters don't follow directions very well), seriously, you don't have to read further.

This past weekend, Pastor Greg gave an awesome message. It was called "A Lion, a Crocodile and a Herd of Water Buffalos." While this ain't your typical Baptist message title, it's pretty normal around Seacoast. And it was really great.

There's a link on our website (www.seacoast.org) that will take you to Pastor Greg's blog, which will then show a YouTube video about - you guessed it - some water buffalo, some lions and a crocodile. Oh my. It's really an amazing video, and I think everyone should see it.

After you view the video, I urge you to listen to the message online. It's one that has incredible imagary and application that you'll never forget.

Becky - this is mainly for you right now - simply because with Larry & Ann gone, you may be the only non-Seacoaster reading my blog. However, I'm hoping a lot of people will tune in, both to the video and the message, because it really is just that cool.

Professor Buttmunch - Part Deux

If you haven't read the previous Professor Buttmunch post, you need to go back and do that now. I'll wait.

Okay - so since my buttheaded brother made me rethink my entire daytimer philosophy, I have purchased 2 more daytimers. These are both 16 month dealies, which is really cool, because I can start using them in August. They are also both specifically designed for moms, which is one thing I remain consistent about - for now.

Anyway - that means I'm going to have to devote some time to filling out the new daytimers. But that's okay. Because my buttmunch brother was at camp all last week - with Spanky in tow - and he left yesterday for Rome (for 2 weeks). So, if you refer to my post several years ago when he went on a summer RV trip, you know that I am desperately bored when he is out of town. It's not that we talk that often (several times a week), it's just that he's one of the few people I can say "Dad's being Dad again" and he doesn't (1) wonder what I mean (2) get upset or (3) care. It's just a statement.

All that said, I love the big buttmunch, so please pray for their safety traveling (as well as keeping up with a bunch a highschoolers). The great news is that my sis-in-law got offered 2 jobs, one of which she accepted right before they left on their trip, so that particular prayer request has been answered in spades.

Now, I just have to get through until July 6th without anyone to talk family trash talk with. Any takers?

Our God Is An AWESOME God

Several of my friends have come across the website for Ethan Powell, the 6-month-old little boy who is fighting cancer. His parents have established a blog to keep people updated on his progress (www.ethanpowell.com). Today was a BIG DAY for them, as they needed him to test 0% for leukemia so he could go to transplant. Well...wait for it...GOD SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OFF! I just read their most recent post from a couple of hours ago, and Ethan has 0% luekemia and they are prepping for the transplant. This little guy still needs a lot of prayers but in case anyone was wondering, here's an update on him and proof yet again that God answers our prayers.

A few more prayer requests:

1. A group from our church left this morning for a missions trip to Kenya. I am particularly fond of a couple of people on this trip, so please lift them up.
2. Another group is going to Scotland for a missions trip. Yes, I know, sounds terrible, right? Anyway, pray for them as well.
3. My brother and sis-in-law leave in a couple of days for Rome. Again, we feel for them, but please keep them in your prayers. Please also pray for their 3 kids - no anxiety for them.
4. I have a cousin who has terminal cancer. His entire family needs prayer. His father just died in March, and his mom isn't doing well at all with his situation.
5. A little boy in FrogBoy's class at church is in the hospital. I have no idea specifically what's going on, but please pray for him.
6. SuperHubby continues to get a little better and then regress. He did manage to celebrate Father's Day in style, dining at Miyabi and downing every last bit. I thought he was cured; alas, this morning he was super nasty and ended up staying home.
7. My sis-in-law is looking for a job. She's a teacher, but ran into some certification issues because of dumb SC rules - however, she has 3 interviews this week, so please pray for her to find something. If you really feel led, you can pray that she gets offered the school of her choice. :-)
8. Small tidbit: We're having some car issues - please pray for them to be inexpensive.

Other than that - the praises keep flooding in - so THANK YOU LORD!

Now THAT'S What I'm Talking About!

A few days ago, I mentioned some specific prayer requests, and we have already had some answers, so I thought I'd share the news.

1. Both boys are now done with school - hallelujah! This wasn't a prayer request, but Spanky was questionable because of his math grades. He needed a 77 for the last 9 weeks to pass for the year; he managed an 85 and passed with a 74! I am now the mom of a 4th grader and a 7th grader.
2. Coleman came home from the hospital and seems to be doing very well. They had an appointment with the cardiologist today and I haven't heard/read how that went, but you can keep getting updates on their blog.
3. Biggie for our family: Spanky is in at Moultrie! The vote was supposed to be June 13, but they approved the request the day after I dropped the paperwork off, so I must have written a pretty good letter this time around. We were prepared for a battle, but this is actually the smoothest this has ever gone (of course, it should have been the most complicated, but God was working on it long before I was, so that helped!)

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Thanks for your continued prayers. Please remember us as the boys are away next week, and please keep praying for SuperHubby. He takes 2 steps forward and 1 step back (the ENT said this was normal) but the step-back days are horrible (and today is a step-back day).

Be blessed!

Never Say I Can't Laugh at Myself

Okay, so I wasn't going to post this, but my officemates said I should, so I'm going to open up and be completely transparent with all my friends out there in blogland.

The other night, I got up from sleeping and had to pee. Nothing new there, I do that all the time. When I took my seat on the pot, I realized the bowl wasn't as cold as it normally is. The thought was very brief (it was the middle of the night) and I just figured one of the boys I live with had recently been sitting in the same spot. It didn't occur to me that they don't usually sit, and I generally find this out because it's wet. But I digress.

So anyway, all this didn't make any sense until I got up. Then it dawned on me...I hadn't gotten my shorts down far enough and I had peed on my shorts. How embarrassing is that? I'm almost 37 years old and I wet my pants.

Then I did what anyone else would have done if they had peed on themselves in the middle of the night. I kicked the shorts to the corner of the bathroom floor and went back to bed.

Back Home

SuperHubby is finally back home. He is still feeling the nastiness from the surgery, but the doctor told him that was partly due to him being very aggressive in repairing the holes in the inner ear. He should be feeling a little better every day. He asked me to stop for coffee on the way home, so he's getting there.

I realized when I picked him up that FrogBoy was born at that same hospital 9 years ago this Tuesday. I got a little misty.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. Keep it up for Coleman and Ethan.

June Prayer Focus

A couple of things I'd like to ask for prayer for in June:

1. Spanky is going to camp with my brother and his family June 10-17. He normally goes with our church group, but this year he's going with them. He will be gone almost twice as long as normal. He will also be in an area where they don't get cell service and I don't have Mr. Scott checking in with me almost daily to keep me from getting my knickers in a knot.
2. While Spanky is at camp, FrogBoy is going to Camp Aunt Linda. He'll be spending a week with my aunt and uncle in Ravenel. Pray for them.
3. On June 13 the school board is meeting and on their agenda is our request to keep Spanky at Moultrie next year.
4. On June 21 my brother and his wife are chaperoning a school trip - to Rome. They are in charge of 18 or so middle school kids - and did I mention they're going to Rome? So please pray for safe travel for them - and that they bring me back something good.
5. Continued prayer for the recovery of Coleman Kinney.
6. Also check out www.ethanpowell.com. This little guy is fighting for his life and if you read his parent's blog, I'm sure you'll be touched.

I think that's about it for now. Thanks for always praying faithfully.

Professor Buttmunch

SuperHubby is still in the hospital, there's so much rain I need an ark, my hair is nasty and frankly, I'm a little menstrual. And then it happens. My brother, The Professor, changes from Nice Older Brother to Professor Buttmunch. Quick. It happened so fast, I almost missed it. Almost.

Me: "What's up?"
Him: "Not much. I'm so glad you called."
Me (suspicious): "Why?"
Him: "Because you're the best sister in the world. You're awesome; perfect really. I can't believe how blessed I am to have you for a sister. You are really wonderful."
Me: "Really?"
Him: "Oh yeah. I mean, I don't know how you do it. You have great hair, you're super funny, smart, cute, I could go on and on..."
Me: "Aw, shucks..."
Him: "You're the only one I can really talk to. See, I'm having this issue with my daytimer..."

Okay, the conversation may not have gone completely like that, but it was close, and he did move it toward the daytimer problem. At which point I started telling him the intricate details about my 2 favorite daytimer systems: the Go Mom! (www.gomom.com) and the WhoMi (www.mywhomi.com). Both are specifically designed for moms, which I explained probably wouldn't work for his needs, but they are awesome daytimers.

So I spent several minutes discussing the things I like in a daytimer (vertical days rather than boxes that cause my eyes to flit all around the page), weekly layout, room to write. I started to explain that I'm using the WhoMi right now, in a wallet size, because it has different areas for each member of my family and it's color-coded. However, I have to shrink my fat bubbly handwriting to make it fit and there's no space for notes or lists or to-do items. So maybe I should go back to the Go Mom! daytimer. I have 2 in my desk drawer (please, no comments on that...it's just sad).

Here's my problem: I was completely satisfied with my daytimer status until The Professor brought it up. Now I am rethinking the whole thing. What a conundrum.

As of 8:00 last night, my brother will be officially known as Professor Buttmunch. At least for today.

More of the Same

SuperHubby remains at St. Francis. This is getting frustrating. He looks and feels great, but his fluid intake is poor, and he can't meet the walking-around-the-pod-in-a-fanny-freezer goals they set for him. He has started eating (somewhat - although that might go better if they wouldn't bring him grits) but he's still very dizzy and has the blurred vision. What's up with that? We don't know.

The doctor will talk to him whenever he makes rounds. Since it's Saturday, we have no idea when that will be. Nothing can happen until they talk though.

And Mother Nature isn't cooperating. We're getting massive amounts of rain because of some stupid tropical system from Florida (which just verifies my belief that Florida serves no purpose whatsoever) - which means I'm having to drag the boys out several times a day - in nasty weather - and traipse to West Ashley (a 45-minute trip on a good day) just so we can see Daddy. I am beginning to like MUSC more and more. At least there I can park in the parking garage and have my head covered - plus, they know me there.

So no update for now. SH is hanging out at St F - but he's feeling somewhat better, because today is the first day he's had the TV on.

Meanwhile, baby Coleman is doing very well (check out the updates on her blog).

Enough about You, Let's Talk about Me

I never get to talk about myself on my blog (ha!), so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with others a few nuggets - pearls, really - about myself that you may not know. Sure, everyone knows of my purse obsession, my fascination with daytimers and rubbermaid and all things organizing... but...

My birthday is August 25. Every year. Keep this in mind; it will be important later (in about 2 months, actually).

I am a Nervous Nelly when it comes to my children.

Once, in high school, I worked for a gourmet ice cream shop. They had a nifty machine that combined ice cream and candy bars - just like the Dairy Queen Blizzard, but it wasn't called that. It was a rip-off of the original. Directly across the mall from us was the only place we could get something to mix with the ice cream...Chick-Fil-A. They had just come out with a new-fangled item called Chicken Nuggets. Yes, we mixed them, and yes, they were pretty tasty.

I am double-jointed in my thumbs. I can bend them backwards behind the knuckles of my hand. I have very recently discovered that this makes Shawn weak in the knees. I will be displaying this talent more frequently at work now.

I bless people daily with my flowing mane of gorgeous hair.

I am extremely humble.

If I had been a boy, my parents were going to name me William Andrew. My initials would have been WAS.

I have really cool handwriting. SH says it's "bubbly" but people comment on it all the time. Mostly high school girls working the checkout at the grocery store, but at least they comment.

My dream car is still a Jeep Cherokee or a Range Rover, but I am tending to notice station wagons more and more. Heaven help me.

Now, hopefully, everyone can sleep a little sounder tonight, getting a slight glimpse into the lushishness that is ME.

It's Always Something

I thought about calling this blog "If it's not one thing, it's your mother" because...funny story...I had to call the hospital switchboard last night because I couldn't get SH on the phone. Long story short, the operator asked who the patient was, I told her his name, she asked "Is this Lori?" - and it turned out my mother volunteers at St. Francis and was answering the phones. Odd.

Anyway - SuperHubby remains in the hospital. Bummer. He is still having severe dizziness and nausea - and now he has blurred vision to accompany all the other junk. He hasn't eaten much since the surgery either. The doctor came in this morning and told him he could leave whenever he wanted, but the nurses, who as we all know are really the ones in control, told SH he would NOT be leaving until he could get rid of some of the yuck stuff - mainly the dizziness. They had him attempt to sit in a chair - which lasted all of about 10 minutes - so we're in a holding pattern now.

When I talked to SH from the carpool line earlier, he told me they asked him what he wants for dinner. Sounds to me like they don't anticipate him going anywhere this evening. I personally think the nurses just have the hots for my Super Cute SuperHubby and are keeping him around for his outstanding good looks and charm.

So, as usual, a "routine" procedure is anything but routine in our house. He was supposed to stay 23 hours...he's been there 3 days - so far. I'm tired, I'm hot and my hair looks like crap. Just wanted everyone to be updated.

This Is Fun...

Since I made fun of myself in an earlier post (okay, EVERY earlier post), I thought it would be fun to pick on my family with the "needs" game. So without further ado...

Adam (a.k.a. SuperHubby) needs...

1. To shower (how rude!)
2. Books for class
3. Serious help before he snaps
4. A sidekick (um, hello, that's me)
5. Someone to move into his apartment and become his new roommate (oops - I THOUGHT the sidekick was me...)
6. Very firm rules, expectations, limits and consequences (rule # 1 - don't be getting a new roommate)
7. Help with his dinner (doubtful, he's a chef)
8. To eat his carrots (actually, true, he hates carrots)
9. An Eve (me again)
10. Extensive counseling for his anger, frustration and depression (I think this made my list too. I sense a pattern...)

Sean (a.k.a. Spanky) needs...

1. A bigger cannon (scary)
2. To shave (scarier)
3. A bigger wind machine to blow his hair about (like mother, like son)
4. Five cakes
5. Some quiet time
6. To quit feeling sorry for himself
7. That there is no crying in baseball
8. His beauty sleep
9. Privacy
10. To thank his dudes

Michael (a.k.a. FrogBoy) needs...

1. Some juice
2. A girlfriend (NEVER!)
3. More money for retirement
4. His brother (awwww)
5. A haircut (indeed)

It was funny, I could only find 5 for the FrogMan. Everything else had to do with Michael Jackson and wasn't something I would repeat.

Meanwhile, today is finally over and I can't say I'm not glad. It's been a little stressful at times (I broke down in tears this afternoon while driving because "Cats in the Cradle" came on the radio...pathetic. Of course, a couple of hours later, I took the boys to see Shrek the Third, same song played in the movie, and I laughed so hard I almost had to change my shorts. So...I'm going to bed.

Patient Update

I have about 10 minutes before I have to pick FrogBoy up from school...so I thought I'd take a minute to pass along the SuperHubby update.

The surgery went very well. It was rough at first, because of course they had difficulty getting an IV going. They ended up getting a very late start, so much so that SH sent a nurse out to make sure I wasn't in panic mode in the waiting area. Sadly, I just wanted breakfast.

The ENT said he couldn't have asked for the surgery to go any better and he believes he has repaired all the leaks in the inner ear. He was very fortunate to be able to go through the ear canal rather than having to slice the ear, fold it back and go in that way. Okay, I'll wait for everyone to recover from that last little tidbit.

Surgery was right at 2 hours, as planned. Saw SH after, he was complaining of nausea and pain, which are both normal after surgery of any sort for him. He wasn't acting like he normally does when he's complaining of nausea and pain though, so I think he may have still be under the influence. He wasn't making much sense. He did manage to squeeze out "What did he say" and "What are my vitals" about a gazillion times - so he's normal.

The biggest concern for SH now is that he may have to stay in the hospital an extra day, and that is stressing him in a big way. I have tried to calm him down but so far it hasn't worked. Of course, I left him sleeping so he may not remember it at this point.

Spanky did amazingly well with the whole surgery thing. He even went to the gift shop - with no money - and came back with a gift for me and change! He never ceases to amaze me!

Off to get FrogBoy from school. Thanks for all the prayers. Scott's daughter Coleman did well too - check out his blog for details on her recovery!

Stuff I Need (Apparently)

My sis-in-law had a fun post about googling yourself and coming up with a list of things you "need." The exercise sounded a little familiar, but I thought it might be fun to try again. I was quickly reminded why it sounded familiar - I participated in November 2005 when Geoff offered the same suggestion. What was really funny was that only 2 entries have found their way to Google since that time. So, without further ado, my list of "Lori needs" - dating back to November 2005 but updated to present day

1. Lori needs to vent.
2. Lori needs sunglasses for all those candles. (ok, that was just cruel)
3. Lori needs our help and support now more than ever.
4. Lori needs a change.
5. Lori needs to cut her mom some slack. (no comment from the peanut gallery)
6. Lori needs to let herself off the hook. If her house is fairly clean and organized, great. It doesn't need to be perfect. (Amen, sister!)
7. Lori needs help moving.
8. Lori needs ideas and volunteers. (she will, of course, ignore both)
9. Lori needs to be aware of her own anger and how it is affecting her. (for the last *^#* time, I'm not angry!)
10. Lori needs 1 more year to finish med school. (see, all those trips to MUSC are actually paying off!)
11. Lori needs to do a lot more shopping. (but seriously, don't we all?!)

This is a slightly stressful week. SH has surgery, I have to fight the good fight with Spanky and school, FrogBoy's birthday is in 1 week and I have to figure out how to make everything normal and great for everyone. My friends are going through surgery with their daughter. I cried at work last week. So this was a nice little break from reality.

Pray for Coleman

FYI - to everyone praying for Coleman's heart surgery - it has been moved to Wednesday instead of Thursday.

Power of Prayer

So I recently posted about friends of mine whose daughter is having heart surgery next week. Not really knowing much about computers or cell phones or anything more than turning on a light switch, I managed to include a link to a blog they started to keep everyone updated on her recovery. I logged on this morning and was so excited...they had 18 people comment that they were praying, and 3 came from my post! (I know this because 2 were related to me, and 1 was a blog I read from my sis-in-law's blog). Whew! It was so cool to see how we're all so connected.

Anyway - I realized that I could use this to my benefit. The Fitzgeralds are in need of a wee bit of prayer ourselves these days. SuperHubby is having surgery next week, and we of course would cherish prayers for an easy procedure, quick recovery, and no meltdowns from children or Mommy. We also have a request for Spanky and his school situation.

Here's the back story for anyone who doesn't know it: The first 6 years of Spanky's school career, he attended school in Mt. Pleasant because the school board had pity on us and agreed to let him cross zones due to hardship in our family (SH's medical condition being the best selling point there). It was a struggle each year to get the boys in the Mt P schools, but the school board finally decided that once you were approved, you could stay in your school until you completed the final grade that school had to offer. That would mean appealing to the school board 3 times in your child's life, tops.

This past year, Spanky started middle school. I tried to get him there with the letter writing campaign. Nothing. Then I learned that the school we were districted for in North Charleston was a No Child Left Behind School, which meant that the school was so bad, he didn't have to attend there if I didn't want him to. I had my choice of 3 schools (none were the school we wanted, but we decided to settle on the best of the Mt P schools). Long story - but we got into the school we originally wanted - even though it wasn't even on the list! Yeah God!

So Spanky has been happily attending the school of our choice this past year. But we moved to Mt P ... and we're not zoned for that school. So now I have to appeal to the school board again. And pray that they have pity on our situation. Or at least are incredibly impressed by my letter writing abilities. I have emailed the principal at the school we want to stay at, and she has agreed to sign off on letting him stay there; but technically, she has no power to grant that request, and it has to go before the school board. And they aren't the most sensitive.

So, I figured since at least 3 people read my blog and are praying for friends of mine, I can post this and ask that those same 3 people pray for the next 2 years of Spanky's school career.

Thanks, and I promise to blog about something fun soon.

What a Croc

Am I the only one who pays attention to the news? Someone else must have heard of this story.

Seems there was this 3rd grade class field trip in China, and they took the kids to the zoo. One of the little boys, 8 years old (same as FrogBoy, to keep it in perspective), thought taunting a crocodile would be a good idea. He was encouraged by his many friends. The taunting consisted of climbing into the enclosed croc area and throwing things at the animals. (Did he stop to even think about why it was fenced? I doubt it.) I believe the boy's name was Sum Dum Kid.

Long story short, a couple of his buddies go running to the teacher and a park guide because Sum Dum Kid was missing. Guess where he was last seen? Oh, yeah, he went missing from the croc display. And the crocs seemed incredibly happy. They lure them out of the water with a pork chop and the first one that falls for the trick gets sliced open. And lo and behold, they find Sum Dum Kid. Yuck.

Moral of the story? If you're going to throw things at crocodiles, do it from behind the fence. That's why it's there.

Special Request

I have a couple of really great friends, Scott and Meghan, who are about to go through what I would imagine to be the most difficult time in a parent's life: major surgery for their child. FrogBoy had semi-major surgery when he was 10 months old and I was a basket case...but their daughter is going to have heart surgery the day after she turns 6 months old.

I've passed along a lot of prayer requests for Coleman and her parents since she was born...and I thought that this would be a great way to get the word out to the 4 or 5 people who might be reading my blog. Please visit the family's blog at http://tacjcm.blogspot.com for a description of the surgery and specific prayer requests. They will also be posting updates on Coleman's surgery - which I think is super cool.

Her surgery is scheduled for May 31.
And if anyone thinks about it, SH is having ear surgery May 30 - so please add him to your list as well.