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So I gave the twins some spaghetti tonight for dinner and clearly, Justus had no idea what he was supposed to do with it.

I’ll never understand why schools out here have a winter recess because I personally think it’s better to be in school when it’s wet and cold and dreary rather than when it’s sunshiney and warm and there’s so much playing to be done outside. But the longer I live the more I find that my opinion really doesn’t matter much and what I think is best most certainly isn’t what the Public School System thinks is best. So the kids stayed home from school all of last week and Mark and I scrambled to keep up with them and the trail of destruction they left behind them. Mostly we lazed around in our pajamas all day and spent too much time watching TV and playing Nintendo. Rich people go on vacation to places like Florida and Cancun for the week, but people like us, we just stick around with nothing much to do. That said, we did manage a little bit of fun and entertainment during the week. Here’s our top ten list:

This week is definitely much more difficult than the last time Mark went away. The kids are crazier and I’m much more tired and I’m having a really hard time staying on top of things. Last night when Mark called to see how my day went I fell asleep with him still on the phone. I’m that tired. And I’m frustrated and exhausted and I just want him to come home. Anyway if you’ve noticed the time, it’s one in the morning. Not my usual blogging time. I woke up to what sounded like Hunter having a seizure. Nothing pulls you out of your sleep faster than a sound like that. Luckily, it wasn’t Hunter. Just someone coughing or snoring. But I was awake at that point and decided I’d better go check his blood since I was too tired to do it earlier. So as I stood there getting ready to stab his little finger, Hunter smiled. In his sleep. The sweetest, most dreamiest little smile I think I’ve ever seen. And right at that very moment it seemed like the rest of the week’s crud evaporated. I’m still tired. I’m still dreading the next three days of flying solo. I’m still debating keeping the kids home from school and curling up in a ball in my bed and denying that the sun is up and I’m in charge. But somehow that little smile of Hunter’s makes me feel like despite the terrible job I think I might be doing manning this ship alone, I’m not doing everything wrong. And that’s a real good thing to know.

Justus is in the red and Jericho is in the stripes. . . just in case you were wondering.

Last week when I was out shoveling snow I mentioned to our neighbor that I’d like it if it would just snow once, a good snow. The kind you can build a snowman with. Seems like all we’ve had this year is snow followed by rain which equals a nice big sheet of ice. You can’t do anything with ice. We tried sledding on it once but all I kept seeing was my kids’ lives flashing before my eyes as they sped down the hill straight for the trees. Today, however, my wish came true and we got six inches of the most perfect snow. Here’s a a little video clip of the twins’ first dip in the stuff.

Now I’m just tired. I think I shoveled three different times today. And just bundleing up six kids exhausted me. Plus I’m sick. And the kids have been home all week and I haven’t had a single minute for myself. And Mark’s going away again next week and just the thought makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. So I pretty much spent the rest of the day being good for nothing. But nevermind it all. A little sleep should fix things up quite nice.

Last night as I was giving Noah a bedtime kiss, I felt something fall onto my foot. Noah immediately sat up and dived for the floor, exclaiming, “My finger diaper!” I thought the exact same thing too–your what? His finger diaper. . . you know, just in case his pointer decides to take a whiz in the middle of the night. Sometimes my kids are just plain weird. What can I say?

So Hunter and I went to Diabetes Clinic today and we were both anxious to see what his A1c would be. For those of you wondering what the heck an A1c is–it’s a number that tells what Hunter’s blood sugar has been over the past three months. It’s kind of like a 1-10 scale only normal people are a 5 and when Hunter was diagnosed with Diabetes (so his blood sugar was seriously out-of-control) he was an 11. Lately we’ve been struggling to keep Hunter at an 8 as he’s inched closer and closer to a 9. We’d love to have him at a 6 but the best we’ve ever had was a 7 point 1. Three months ago Hunter was an 8 point 7 and we decided on our drive home that we would do our darndest to get him in the sevens for his next clinic. Thus the anxiety.

So, first off our beloved Katie wasn’t there. Some other chick was sitting behind the reception desk and she was all about the paperwork and not at all about Hunter. But Katie was always about Hunter. I don’t know if she is like this to all of the Pediatric Diabetics that wander through their clinic but whenever we walk in that itty-bitty office up at Yale she makes it feel like Hunter is her very own child and she’s lost him and finally found him. I’m totally convinced she loves Hunter and our entire family for that matter. So we were both a little disappointed she wasn’t there. And the other chick was so business-y. It was almost like she was there to replace our Katie and get rid of the celebrating and reuniting and get down to the important stuff like collecting the co-payment and making sure his records were updated with Yale’s records office.

Then some other chick took Hunter away and did all his weighing and measuring and testing. And while he was away the head doctor, “the Man”, the Dr. T of the Yale Pediatric Diabetes Program wandered in and said something about how he was so happy to see all of his diabetic families working so hard to keep their kids’ diabetes under good control. And then he wandered over to me and introduced himself and asked if we were keeping Hunter’s diabetes under good control and I said something about we’re trying really hard. And then he said, “Everybody thinks they’re working hard.” And I wanted to give him the finger right then but I just smiled because that’s when I heard them tell Hunter his A1c was a 7.3, down from an 8.7 and I didn’t care about Dr. T anymore. I could hear Hunter telling the nurses how he’d met his goal and he was so proud of himself and I just wanted to hug the little man. We’d done it, dog gone it, and where was our Katie to jump around and scream and shout with Hunter?

Then we met with the third chick, some new doctor that was there to review Hunter’s numbers and it was a matter of minutes before she’d shot me down, saying something about his A1c was just a result of low blood sugar at night and not a product of any changes or efforts we had made in the past three months. Yeah, maybe. I get it. But just could she keep it to herself and let us, for the next three months or so, pretend that we do have some control over Hunter’s diabetes. That we can make a difference. That our efforts aren’t in vain. Would it hurt that much? Fortunately Hunter didn’t seem to hear her and we’ve already made it a goal to get his A1c below a seven by next clinic. But I was bummed at that point and I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible and maybe never go back. I needed Katie there to make me laugh with another one of her stories about getting stuck under a bridge while tubing or some other silly thing that has happened to her lately. But she wasn’t there and I was depressed.

We’ve always been pleased with Yale’s Diabetic program. But today it was clear that they were making some changes in the way they were running things that I’m not sure were for the best. Sure, they were getting down to business making sure paperwork was complete and that all their T’s were crossed. But in the process they made us feel like crap. And as a result I left thinking maybe it was time to find a new endocrinologist. I know doctors are busy and they have all sorts of things to worry about like lawsuits and insurance and paperwork but I always thought their first priority was supposed to be their patients. I don’t feel like that so much anymore. I feel more like something on an assembly line. The quicker they process us the better. Except that it’s not better for me. It’s only better for them and since when did medicine become more about the doctor than the patient? Maybe Katie is silly and maybe she doesn’t always collect the copay upfront, but I think everyone up there at Yale could learn a lesson or two from her. And I really hope she’s there next time because if she’s not I don’t think we’ll go back. Come back Katie! We need you and so does the Yale Pediatric Diabetes Team!

Okay. . . so that gum spot on Caleb’s quilt. It’s not really gone. I found it again when I made his bed. So gum is still a problem. However, I’m going to give Elmer’s Sticky Out another try, because I don’t know what else to try. So hopefully, if I keep washing it with Sticky Out, it will eventually disappear.

But don’t despair. I’ve solved two other problems to make life easier for you. First, if you have a sick, sniffly baby at home that can’t keep a pacifier (or a thumb or a bottle) in their mouth because they would suffocate if they did because their nose is so stuffy, then this solution is for you. It comes from my sister Melanie, who got it from my mother, who got it from I don’t know where but who cares because it really works. Rub Vick’s VapoRub on their feet and put some socks on. That’s it. The other night Caleb was all stuffy and he couldn’t suck his thumb and he was miserable and so was I because I wanted to be sleeping so I tried it and within minutes he was sucking his thumb again without having to come up for air and shortly after he was sleeping. Now if that’s not a great thing I don’t know what is. Happy breathing easy!

And then there’s the age old dilemna, what’s for dinner? Here’s the best recipe for Roast Chicken. . . ever! Sometimes when I need Caleb to go to sleep quick I force him to lay down with me and watch Food Network. Work’s like a charm everytime. Anyway, last week we watched Ina Garten tell a Chicken Story and her Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken looked really easy to make and really yummy. So Sunday we gave it a go and holy crow! It was easy and it was yummy. And I can hardly wait to use the remains to make some of her Chicken Stock for later. The only catch is Food Network is only going to post these particular recipes til February 26th. So if you only want the best Roast Chicken dinner ever, you’d better hurry on over to Food Network and print yourselves a copy of these recipes, quick! And don’t forget, chicken soup is the best remedy for the common cold. . . that and Vick’s VapoRub on your feet.

Not long after the twins were born my mom bought bedding for the babies’ room. For Caleb’s big boy bed she bought this really great comforter called a mattress hugger which of course wasn’t cheap. So this summer when Caleb fell asleep on it with gum still in his mouth you can imagine my horror when I found the grey sticky mess a few days later. It’s been there ever since, making me feel guilty every time I look at it, but I’m not so good at getting gum out of anything and I didn’t know what else to do. Anyway while we were at Walmart one day I came across this stuff called Elmer’s Sticky Out. Gum is sticky, I thought, maybe it will work! The fact that the gum was no longer sticky didn’t concern me. It used to be sticky and that was the critical part. So last week I poured the stuff on and let it sit for an hour while I got everyone dressed. Then I went to throw it in the wash and whoa! It was totally gone. Totally! So now you know–gum is no longer a problem.

Then the other day while I was watching some cooking show I saw this really great idea. See I love, love, love spiced cider. I just get some cider from the grocery store and throw in some cloves and cinnamon sticks and a little O.J. and wah-lah! Heaven in a mug. It’s especially good on a day like today when we’re drowning in slush and rain and gook. Anyway, the problem is, when it’s time to put the leftovers away, the cloves are always lost in the bottom of the pan and if you leave them in there it makes the cider a little too spicy. That’s why when I saw this, I thought Pure Genius! So, next time you get a hankering for some not-too-spicy cider just stab a few cloves in an orange peel with a few cinnamon sticks and some cider, warm it up and happy sipping!

And you probably already do great things like this but when you lack creativity like me, any handy little creative idea I come up with is monumental. We all know cookie cutters can be used for cutting crusts off of sandwiches but did you know you can also use them to cut apples. Yeah, I know, Pure Genius! Anyway, tomorrow when you’re lookin’ to fancy up your kids’ sack lunches you’ll thank me. I know you will. Just don’t forget to squirt them with lemon juice, which by the way is another great idea I came across in Homemaking (thanks to Jodi Clay). I keep my lemon juice in a squirt bottle in the fridge and whenever the boys take fruit in their lunch I give it a little squirt of lemon juice and it keeps it from turning brown. And that’s one more problem solved!