Braces...good times

So, it's no secret that I am not a teenager.  GASP!  In fact I am a 37 year old mother of 2.  This is important because I never thought that at this age I would be getting braces.  I had braces when I was in middle school and part of high school.  Not a huge deal at that time because I look at braces in ones teens as a rite of passage.  Look at any group of pre-teens or teens and someone in that group will have braces, guaranteed.  But in my peer group, well that is WAY less likely.

So this whole thing started in August.  It was a typical night at the Moore house and we decided to run out for some quick dinner.  Instead of spending money on dessert at the restaurant I had the brilliant idea of just stopping at the local grocery store and getting something sweet.  We would be able to get more for the money and it would last longer than one sitting.  So we headed there and the boys chose a huge thing of cookies from the bakery.  It was like $5.00 for 50 chocolate chip cookies.  How could we go wrong???  So we get home, I take out one cookie and ask my hubby if he's like to split it with me.  So I broke said cookie in half, handed him the larger half and took the smaller for myself.  Took one bite and CRACK.  That's right people....there was something in that half of the cookie that didn't belong and it cracked my left front tooth, vertically.  Needless to say, I FREAKED!!!!  I was in full on panic mode, hysterical, running through the house like a moron and cussing.  Not one of my finer moments.  I was sure that from now on I would be hideous.  That I would end up with fake teeth and my life was pretty much over.  So after and emergency call to my dentist (who is wonderful BTW) I was told it was fine to wait until the morning.

Next day, went in and he was able to bond the crack.  Said that it was vertical, but far enough to the left that it shouldn't spread or go into the root.  I was in pain people.  PAIN!  So much so that he did refer me to an Endodontist  (who is also great).  She agreed with him that it was bonded well, but she did also find another vertical crack in the center of the tooth, but it's not surface so she said she saw no reason for any root canals at this time OR to get fake teeth.  Her recommendation though, as was my dentist's, was that I get braces.  This is because the tooth is now weakened and any further hitting or damage could cause major issues.

I saw the Orthodontist, and he also agreed.  After I wore my braces all those years ago, I wasn't great about wearing my retainer.  As a result, my bottom teeth re-crowded.  They sometimes will hit my upper teeth when talking or eating and so now that the upper tooth has been damaged...the goal is to correct this.  Sigh.  And all because I wanted a freaking cookie!!!

So, 2 weeks ago this Friday I got my upper braces.  We went with metal because the porcelain ones are harder to remove and might damage the cracked tooth.  So, I am once again a "brace face".  My older son thinks it's funny because it wasn't too long ago that he got his off.  My younger one just looked at them and said to me, "Mom.  You are still the most beautiful Mom in the world and I love you."  (he's sucking up for something I am sure, but I'll take it)

I will say that most people tell me that they make me look younger.  I'm not sure if that is true or they are just being polite, but I'll take that one too.  I should be getting my bottom set in December I believe.  Wasn't on my Christmas list but ah well.  And in 18 months to 2 years I will have a great smile and hopefully it will help to preserve my damaged tooth.

(I cannot tell you where I got the cookie, as we are still dealing with them and their insurance.  And they are stalling.  Nice)

I'm so much cooler on Pinterest

If you haven't heard of "pinning", well you my friend are behind the times.  It's the latest and greatest social media site. IMO.  You can find it at www.pinterest.com, but I must warn you that it's EASY to get in and really hard to leave.  You will lose hours upon hours in there.  You have been warned.

Basically Pinterest is on online filing system where you can create "boards" and "pin" ideas to them.  These ideas are pictures and links to other websites where you see something you like and want to reference later.  So let's say you are looking for cute fall boots, who isn't, and you find a few killer pair that you just have to have BUT you don't have the money at the moment or what have you.  You can then "pin" said boots to a board that you might entitle Cute Shoes.  This way when you have the time to order them or the money, you can quick link back and buy them.  Sounds great right?!?  I'm pretty sure that is what the site was intended for, but there is a darker side.  The dark side is that you can get lost in pinning and be there ALL day.  Seriously, I have killed several hours there just pinning away.

So now you might ask, "Shannon.  How many things have you pinned that you have actually baked or bought or styled after?"  And the answer is, sadly few.  I have made a few recipes that I have seen, sure, but those $2500 Louboutin shoes, yeah, that isn't happening.  Facts are that I am WAY cooler on Pinterest that in my real life.

If you were to look at my boards you will see so many gorgeous shoes and rooms and makeup tips and ideas that I will never, ever, execute or buy.  But that is kind of the fun of it too.  And what is also fun is that you can follow friends, or businesses or celebs and see what they are pinning.  And then you can re-pin their pins OR perhaps someone will re-pin your pin.  Then my friend, you have arrived.  I get so excited when I get an email that something I have pinned has been re-pinned.  And I don't want to brag, but I have one pin alone that has been re-pinned by others 226 times.  That's right people 226 times!!!!  It's like I am Pinterest royalty!  And I haven't even mentioned that I have 266 followers and I only know a handful of them in real life. It's the little things.  And that is why I am cooler online, because in real life I haven't even bought the shirt that 226 others love so much. And the fitness and beauty boards...well I never exercise, ever and my beauty regimen is pretty basic.  I have yet to even attempt a real smokey eye, but I can sure pin the crap out of one! And my home will never be at stylish as my For The Home board and any cleaning tips I have pinned, I probably haven't tried.  I mean I do the mad 5:00pm dash around here trying to make it look like I did something.  And why didn't I do something?  Well I was too busy pinning clean houses to clean mine, silly. ;)

So feel free to check me out on Pinterest Shannon's Pinterest I'm always open to new followers.  And feel free to disregard all that was said above and truly believe and buy into that I am just as cool as my Pinterest boards say I am.

Happy Pinning!

Shannon

I'm ALIVE!!

I am, it's true.  I feel that this blog is full of "I'm so bad at this, I'll get better" posts.  I want to get better about posting, honest.  I often think of witty or touching things to post about, but instead I turn it into a Facebook status and call it a day.

So, this is the "I'll get better" post of 2012 and I *think* this time that I will post more here.  I have some ideas and I need an outlet so you, my 3 followers, sit back and enjoy.

Ta-ta!

CeeCee Honeycutt and me

I just love a good book, only problem is that I rarely take the time to read one. When I do find one I love though, I just cannot put it down! I get so immersed in the world, and the characters become like friends so when it's over I feel as though I am missing them. It's like I want to go back into their world and check up on them from time to time. Know what I mean?

My latest read is "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. I actually found this little gem at Half Price Books while waiting for a friend. It was in the clearance section, always my first stop in that store, but it's worth SO much more than the $2 I paid for it.

It takes place mainly in the South in the late 1960's. The title character is 12 years old and goes to live in Savannah, GA with her great Aunt after her mother's passing. Her new world is rich with large homes, large gardens, large southern accents and even larger characters. It reminds me a lot of "The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood" meets "The Secret Life of Bees". (Also both great reads.)

Even though I didn't grow up in what some consider the "true South", much of this book speaks to me. Growing up in Texas, some of these characters remind me of the older people from my past.

Growing up, I spent a majority of my time at my grandmother's home. She lived there with her mother, my great grandmother. My Nanny and Granny respectively. My Granny was born in 1896 and from the stories she told me of her life, it was a rough one. But she was full of love. Love for life, love for family and not afraid of hard work. She reminds me so much of Oletta in this book. Just a fountain of wisdom and able to tell just the right story at the right time to really speak to me about something. She was a God of sorts to me as a child. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her. I often hear her words of wisdom in my head.

My grandmother was born in 1922. She was the only girl of 6 kids. She quit school in the 8th grade and was married by 15. She is my Aunt Tootie. She loved to drive fast, paint her nails, and get her hair done...and she was great to me. She could be tough, tough as nails, but tender too. My sister and I loved to spend time at her house. We were there every morning for a full breakfast, every day after school and all day during the summer. Our mother worked full time, so Nanny was our caretaker. I remember sitting at the vanity in her room playing with all her costume jewelry, makeup, lotions and powders. I think her bed was the most comfortable one I've still ever slept in. She used to say to me after school, "Do you hear that, Shannon? My bed is calling for you." And I'd go lay down for a quick power nap. I've never slept that well before or since. I sure do miss her, but I feel as though she is watching over me. Watching over her whole "little family" as she liked to say.

I think what strikes me most in this book, as it relates to me, is that CeeCee really enjoys her time with Oletta and Aunt Tootie and the other elder characters in this book. She admires theses older people, learns from them, leans on them, loves them.

When my sister and I were young, I remember many a time sitting on the front porch or in the living room of my grandmother's home, shelling peas with Granny. We would reach into the old sack my Great Uncle Gene had brought from his farm, and shell them into an old pot. I never ate any of these peas mind you, as I was a picky child, but the fun was in the spending time with Granny and listening to her stories and just basking in the glory of who she was. I learned a lot during those shelling sessions. A lot about her, a lot about me, a lot about life.

And then there were the the late nights of dominoes. My Nanny and Granny and other extended family, Great Uncles and Aunts, would sit up and play late at night. My sister and I would sneak out of our room at her house and listen to them from the hallway. All of them crowded around the table, Rangers baseball game on the radio, fans running to cool the air in the TX summer heat. I just loved to hear them talk and watch how they related to one another. Oh how I wanted to be at that table. I still have that table as a matter of fact. It now sits in my dining room. We sit under it only at big family gatherings like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but when we do, I feel like Nanny and Granny are there with us. I finally made it to dominoes.

I think this is why this book speaks to me. CeeCee respects her elder generation. They are her friends. She listens to them, wants to be with them, wants to please them. I grew up that way, as did many of us from my generation and those before us. I think it's lost today. You don't see the big extended families as much. My boys don't really have that, and it makes me sad. I often think that they won't have the great memories that I do. That my sister does, that my husband does. But I guess too, that they won't know what they are missing. They won't shell peas, or long to sit with the older people and play dominoes or hear the Rangers on the radio. They won't know what it's like to sit on a porch swing and drink sweet tea. But I guess they will have their own memories and I am sure they will hold them just as dear.

But I know that my elders are what made me. They helped to mold me into who I am today as a person, a wife and a mother. I learned more in an afternoon with them then I think I did all of school. Life lessons. And I think it's what "saves" CeeCee Honeycutt in this book. The wisdom and love of her elders. We really should cherish them more.

See that "superhero" up there? That is me. No, really it is. I am a worrier. I panic. I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop, as they say. I think I have always been that way. I'm pretty sure my mother never had to warn me to look both ways when crossing a street, stay in the shallow end, not talk to strangers or any of that. I always found myself telling those things to my friends who would look at me like I was crazy as if to say "Gah! You are not our mom. Where is your sense of adventure?" I like adventure, as long as it's indoors and well supervised. That's fun too, right?

Now that I am the mom, my worrying tends to limit my kids in their lives. I don't enjoy being outside for long. I'm scared to death of bugs (wasps mainly...or bees...or hornets...or anything with a stinger) and God forbid a dog be running loose. Just typing that makes me squirm. Summer is pretty boring around here because of that. I like my boys in my sights, because then I know they are safe. It wasn't until last year that I let my oldest start playing outside with friends, on their streets or in their homes. And sometimes when he rides off on his bike to go to his friends houses, I still get a little voice in my head saying "Gosh, I hope he comes back home safe to me." Insane? Perhaps a tad. Medicated? Not yet, but might be a good idea.

But, I think the time that my anxiety is at it's worst, is when one of my boys is sick. About 4 years ago now, my oldest came down with strep that turned into pneumonia. He was on antibiotics and steroids as well as breathing treatments. It was a scary time, but nothing we couldn't handle. That all changed on an August morning near the end of his course of medicine. He came into our room saying his mouth hurt. One look and we knew that something was horribly, horribly wrong. His entire mouth was so swollen and full of grape sized blisters, that his lips were turning outward. Well of course, we rushed him to his pediatrician. She took one look and said, "It's SJS. He has to get to the hospital, now!" So an ambulance was called. My husband rode with him, while I took our younger son to stay with a friend. I have never cried so hard as I did that day. I was terrified. I didn't even know what SJS was yet, or what caused it. All I knew was that my baby was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance and I wasn't sure exactly when I would get to him.

That was a scary two weeks. He was in Children's of Dallas that long, and while they were wonderful to us, I hope to never see that place ever again. If you aren't familiar with SJS (Steven Johnson Syndrome) I encourage you to educate yourself. I won't go into details here, but for to say that my son's was actually caused my the antibiotic he was on for the strep/pneumonia.

The aftermath of that illness,though, has been tough. I am thankful every single day that physically my son came out unscathed, but I think mentally that I did not. This only fed into my anxiety and ever since then when one of my boys is sick, I think about that morning in August. It doesn't help that since that time, my oldest has also had allergic reactions to several other antibiotics. We are now down to one more antibiotic choice for him. He's taken it once, and thankfully did okay.

And that brings us to current. My youngest was diagnosed yesterday with strep and a strep rash. His whole upper body and face is covered with red itchy bumps that make him look pitiful and send my mind lurching back 4 years. And while I know that he's not having an allergy, I am having to treat him with an antibiotic. That alone makes me stressed.

I'm a mother, and mother's worry. But some think that I worry too much, and I think they are right. But, this is just an insight into one of the reasons I always jump from bad to worse where my kids are concerned. You just never know. And I like to be in control, and in this case I cannot be.

December 2009

Wow, it's been awhile! I am so bad about updating this blog, but I will try and get better about it.

Christmas is upon us! Hard to believe. Seems like the older I get, the faster the years fly by. Ben will be 10 in a couple of weeks and that just blows my mind. He told me that he is "halfway to 20". I told him to slow down and relish these times, because being a kid at Christmas is the best thing ever.

We did our traditional visit with Santa this week. We heard that Bass Pro shops had a pretty neat setup and it's all free. That word really spoke to Michael. lol So we loaded up after school on Friday and went. It was pretty cool and the boys got their Christmas wishes straight to Santa's ear. I think the outlook is good that they will get what they asked for. Then last night, we all made a gingerbread house as a family. I have been wanting to do one of these every year but I just never get around to buying one in time. The kids did a great job!

Tonight we are taking the boys to see "A Christmas Carol" on stage by the Dallas Theater Center. Michael and I used to go every year, but this is the first time that we are taking the boys. They don't know...it's a surprise. It's Will's favorite Christmas story (he calls is Scrooge) so I think he will be extra excited.

Merry Christmas all!

I think I have a New Kids addiction...

Found out they are coming back to Dallas in July!!! Tickets don't go on sale until Saturday, unless you are an American Express cardholder. Well...I am not, but I have a friend who is. :) She entrusted me with her CC info and at 10am today, I purchased 6 tickets!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am!! They are not the "best" seats because those are reserved for the big spenders and I just don't have cash to throw around. But July 17th me and 5 of my good friends will be seeing the ultimate boy band yet again! They were here in October and we had the BEST time at the concert.....I think we will have an even better time the 2nd time around. Can you feel the excitement! The countdown has begun.