Water

Yup.  Our life seems to revolve around water whether we want it to or not.  They shut off our water tonight as the City lift stations could not keep up here in Horace.  I find myself creatively getting teeth brushed, monitoring toilet usage and REALLY wanting to wash my face hoping they turn the water back on soon.

On the other hand, many are saying no water.  It has been pouring since about 5:00 this evening which is doing nothing positive for the flood efforts.  We are not really sure what to expect out here as we did not live here in 1997 and there was not a development here in 1997.  We are hoping that the Sheyenne Diversion will protect us as it is supposed to and this worry will all be over in a few days.

I didn't really realize the magnitude of the situation until I was coming home from the grocery store yesterday.  They had shut one side of 52nd Avenue down to use for dump trucks.  They were hauling dirt into the middle of a field to build a dike.  Knowing this dike is half way between us and West Fargo made it seem real and serious.  Not living on a river we don't see levels rise.  The Sheyenne River is a few blocks from us but is supposed to be regulated by the Diversion.  

Last night Ben went to help fill sandbags.  They had approximately 300,000 of the 2,000,000 needed sand bags filled.  Inmates are helping.  Concordia College cancelled classes tomorrow so the students could help.  I am so proud of my Cobbers!!!  

Ben is working on packing up his important papers in his office - just in case.  He thinks we will be fine and I certainly hope so.  But just in case, we are trying to save what can't be replaced.  We have his office, a guest/play room, an unfinished office, the game area, tv area, kitchen, two bathrooms and maintenance room down there.  He did such a great job finishing it that I really hope we don't have to do it again.  It would be a major set back in our hopes of putting our home on the market this spring.  

This brings back a lot of memories that I didn't remember I had.  In 1997 our house flooded and I remember much of the same anxiety.  Of course it is magnified now as we are the ones paying the bills.  I think the worst is just not knowing.  Not knowing how much more rain we will get.  Not knowing if the Red River will crest above or below 40 feet.  Not knowing if the Sheyenne Diversion will do it's job.  Not sure if these railroad tracks in out backyard will actually do some good.  Not knowing a lot.  I guess we'll just take it one day at a time and be thankful because there are people we know who already need help badly as they flood forecast worsens and their homes are in trouble.  I would have thought that the City of Fargo would have gotten it's act together after 1997 instead of going through this again.    I guess we are the ones who live in the bottom of an ancient lake.  Where else is the water to go?  If it's not our problem, it's someone else's problem.  

But all that aside, we'll watch Mother Nature the next few days to see what the future will hold...

Julie's School of Medicine

So, I'm not a doctor.  Never have been, never will be.  But as a mom there are certain things you learn that are really not rocket science but must be to some people in the medical profession.  Let me explain....

Our little Mr. Reagan has had a cold for a few weeks.  Nothing major, mostly runny nose and a little coughing.  However this past week it has gotten worse.  After he coughed through three or four nights, had a fever for a few days and got sick twice on Saturday from coughing, I had had enough and decided to take him to the pediatric walk-in clinic on Sunday morning.  I had no idea what was wrong.  

To my surprise the dr looked in his ears, told me one of his tubes had come out and he had an ear infection in that ear.  Thus explaining the irritability and the high temperature.  So becomes my dilemma....do I fill this prescription that he just gave me or do I keep giving him Motrin and take him to the chiropractor on Monday.  In the past an ear infection went away with an adjustment and some Motrin.  But being a weekend and being he was so miserable, I decided to fill the prescription.  First mistake. 

We made it home and I gave Reagan the first "taste" of his medication.  Not even close to a full dose.  What did he do?  Threw it up because he coughed so hard from the awful taste.  Lovely.  $37 for a medication which he won't take.  So comes my question that I think is not rocket science...when you have a two year old needing medication, why in the world would you prescribe something that tastes so terrible and is three times as much as what this child has had in the past?  Perhaps it was a punishment for the mother of this child as the child was quite fussy during the entire exam.  I don't know but I was ticked, my child was still not better and I just threw $37 in the garbage.  One would think that a doctor who is the head of the CHILDRENS hospital and who has been with this hospital for over 30 years would have a better idea of what medications kids will take.  

Is part of this my fault?  Sure.  I should have remembered what the last medication Reagan had for an ear infection was.  The problem was that we had been treating the ear infections for so long without medications that I didn't remember and I didn't think to ask.  So the moral of the story is, keep a note in your purse of not only your child's medication allergies (because after the first child, you can't keep them straight) but also keep a list of what meds work for your kids and what ones don't.  

My problem is that we try so hard to avoid the medications and antibiotics that when they do need them it is few and far between.  Which I suppose is a good thing until this mommy needs to remember one of them.  

End of the story - Reagan got a chiropractor adjustment today and I called his normal doctor and got a better prescription which was a third of the cost.  

Special Requests

I like to think that I am not needy.  However, tonight I must be because I have a few requests.

1.  If you are talking to my husband on the phone and hear one or both of my children screaming bloody murder in the background for more than 30 seconds, please excuse yourself and insist that he help with the screaming, tired chillins to prevent a frustrated mommy from having another panic attack.  

2.  If you are driving behind me during our North Dakota winters and I can't see your headlights in my rear view mirror, please back off.   Getting hit again by a stupid or uninsured driver does not sound that appealing.  

3.  If you drink the last of the milk in the house, please remind me before I am driving home with wet socks/shoes in a blizzard.  

4.  Since school is closed, please also close the office so I don't have to use vacation time.  

5.  If you are considering moving into the house next door, please no unleashed dogs, don't drive on our lawn and please finish your yard this summer so my kids don't get muddy every time it rains.  Please don't cut my daughter's hair either.  

6.  If you are going on vacation in the next few days...somewhere warm...please take me with you.  

7.  If you work for XBox, please stop inventing new games for awhile.  Or else invent ones that a certain adult male in my house does not like.  

Can you tell it's been a stressful day?  Thanks for listening.  Tune in later this week for a much more upbeat post!

Another week down

I am thinking I should disconnect the internet at our house.  I am now addicted to Ebay as well as Facebook.  I have sent a week looking for a Scooby Doo comforter for Reagan and found a handmade Scooby Doo quilt and matching personalized pillow for 29.99!  How great is that considering everything else I found was between $60 and $100.  I happened to ask her if she had any High School Musical and she had one piece left so Madison will be getting one as well, although she doesn't know it yet.  I am very excited for them to arrive.  I can not believe all of the things you can find on Ebay and how nice this seller has been.  

We did get our groceries last week although both children joined me.  It went better than expected but it is certainly easier and cheaper shopping without children.  Perhaps I will start online grocery shopping again.  

Madison brought home a pink slip this week...for spitting on a boy.  I still haven't heard the whole story but she went to bed early with no snack or tv.  So I'm letting it go assuming she learned her lesson and will not do it again.  He must have done something to really tick her off because she is not a spitter.  

Reagan's teacher at daycare is gone for two weeks so I am hoping the mornings go smoothly.  He is very attached to his Miss Tricia and doesn't do so well when she is gone.  

I am hoping to get some new pictures of the kids up soon.  Ben bought me a new camera today so I'll have to try it out.  Madison is thrilled as she gets the one I used to have.  

Well back to cleaning the house.  We are having Ben's parents over for dinner tonight and my mom tomorrow.