Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha........ WIPEOUT!

Rose had a slight incident with a curb, some asphalt and panicking.... therefore not being able to apply the brakes on her bike on a ride home from Aunt Karen's house. That was at the end of March and she hasn't been back on the bike since. And that was WITH training wheels! But hey, every kid needs some great scars on their knees! It's almost a rite of passage at this age. Perhaps I should invest in some Mederma.

Crime Scene

There wasn't enough police tape to outline them..........

Teacher, Teacher....We Love You!!

Week before last was Teacher Appreciation Week. One of the moms in Rose's class is really good and coordinated the week of total thoughtful awesomeness for Mrs. Garcia. I took her ideas and did a few of the same things for David's teacher, Mrs. Martin. Here are a few pictures from the week.......... (the roses are from my garden)

Ok, we didn't really give her Bird-O..... I just really love this picture!

(She Can't) Do the Hippy Hippy Shake

So here is the LONG OVERDUE story of my Mom. In early April, my Mom set off on a 30 day cruise to Peru. I took her down to the ship only to find the longest line in the history of long lines. The ship started boarding at 1 PM and I dropped her off in the mega line at 1:20. They were set to leave port at 5 PM. At 4:20 PM, I got a call from her that she had JUST gotten on ship and to her room. The poor old broad had to wait (alone) in line for 3 hours in the hot sun with no food or water. (and it was uphill both ways in the snow) After we chatted briefly about how miserable that was, I wished her happy sailing and we hung up. The next day I got a call from the ship's doctor saying: "your Mom is fine, but she fell and broke her pelvis." Well now, that's not really fine, now is it? Poor Mommy Dearest made it about 17 hours into her trip, went into the theater to hear a presentation on something, didn't see a step, stumbled, landed on her hip and ended her vacation.


The medical staff on the ship took very good care of her. She was x-rayed and it was determined she fractured her pelvis, not her hip. They weren't sure how bad it was, so they made a makeshift brace for her pelvic area, put in a catheter and put her in bed. She was travelling with a friend who kept her company till they could get her off the ship. That happened 2 days later in Puerto Vallarta. (He went on to do the rest of the cruise alone.) Mommy Dearest was smart and bought trip insurance. They took care of chartering a plane to fly her home after they got her off the ship. Once in SD they transferred her to Kaiser Hospital's ER. That afternoon I went down to find her after a few hours of not knowing where she was. (It was all pretty confusing that day with lots of phone calls trying to figure out where she was.) She ended up being in the ER for about 10 hours. They x-rayed her and found she had a good break as far as pelvis fractures go, no surgery needed, as well as no brace. The fracture was (is) weight bearing, so basically, she was told she pretty much just needed to heal, which included getting up and walking on it. From there they were sending her to a convalescent care facility, not their hospital, so we were able to request she be moved a rehab hospital here in Poway. The place is actually connected to the hospital where the kids were born so each day when we went to see Granna, we would talk about which window on the top floor was the room they were born in. Rose, Owen and Madeline had fun making artwork for Granna's walls. David and Joey loved playing with the room divider curtain, wheel chairs and handicap toilet seat. They also loved to check out the parakeets in the lobby. Loads of bunnies live around the place too, so they were fun to find. The first time we walked in to see Granna, David remarked how pretty the place was. What a sweet and sensitive boy he is!


Mom rehabbed at the hospital for about 2 1/2 weeks. They had her up and walking after a day or two with the help of a walker. She is now back at her house. Her sister, Carolyn, drove out from Missouri with her dog Annie to stay with her for a few weeks while she gets her land legs back. She has done a really good job of taking care of Mom, disciplining her with a whip as needed when Mom misbehaves. Mom has been home for a week and a half and is really getting on pretty well. She can get up and walk around with the walker. And although she is still on pain meds, she is doing great compared to where she was. From the start of all of this she has been a real trooper and always in good spirits. That was one of the first comments from the nurse who was caring for her on the ship.


So, now the race is on for Mom to get back in shape for her next trip in July.....another cruise, this time to Alaska, so DRESS WARM..... with a few family members, us included. Maybe I will get her a headlamp to wear so she can spot those menacing steps.

Players of the Week

Ok, so their interest might be waning a little for soccer (well, not for Rose).....and I know every kid gets it at some point..... but Rose and David were both recently PLAYER of the WEEK!!! David got a game ball along with his certificate and free scoop of ice cream, and Rose got a certificate. I think it all depends on the coach.....some like to make it more special than others. But I have to say, Rose didn't seem to mind, and she actually has a good coach who is really trying to teach her skills. I don't know if they will continue in the future, but for now, I'm being the nurturing parent who FORCES their child to try things....even if they don't like it! Hurray for the Stitzer Kids! (friend Alex is in the picture with Rose.) I'll of course post about Joey when he gets his turn.

Every Picture Tells a Story, Don't It?

I am SO overdue for a blog entry, so I thought I would just post some recent photos. Perhaps a real post later!

Going Green

So I'm at the counter at Office Depot with my glue sticks, itching to get back and see bird-o. (see last post) The man in front of me has 1 small box of something. After he is done paying, the cashier asks: "Do you want a bag for that?" Man: "No." Cashier: "Ah, you're going green today?" I had to stop myself from laughing.

Is anyone else tired of everyone jumping on the GREEN bandwagon? Hey....let's all toot our own horns about our VERDE AWESOMENESS..... Can't we all just do our part and not advertise it at all times? On that note, I'm off to throw out a disposable diaper wrapped in plastic Wal*Mart bag.

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear, Every Time You Are Near?

When was the last time you were so startled and scared that your stomach lurches up into your throat?

So I get out of the van to head into Office Depot yesterday. I'm walking towards the store and look down to my feet to steer clear of a curb. Not more that a foot away was this super creepy guy.... and it scared the BA-JEEZES out of me! Good thing there were no cars coming or I probably would have jumped right in front of one trying to get the hell away from that thing. After I grab my glue sticks and check out, I passed old Bird-O again, but this time thought it was pretty damn funny.....enough to get the camera from the car and snap a picture.

Wonder what killed him, poison or something? You don't often see dead birds with eyes wide open and rigamortis. Hmmm, perhaps I'll drive by today and see if he is still there. I could poke him with a stick or something.........