Kids Bedroom Makeover Slideshow.....cool stuff.

Follow this link and view the slideshow. This has some of the coolest kids bedrooms I've seen, with new ideas (some over the top, of course)...but note 7, 9 and 15 are really cool. I'm sure all could be done as a basic idea and made into a boys or girls bedroom. There's another that takes a room with a pillar/support in it and they used toule to make it a big tree and jungle theme...kinda interesting spin. Look at 15 closely. It's not as obvious until you read the description.

;o)
http://home.ivillage.com/decorating/kidroom/0,,84f0p6mz,00.html

Trying to upload image for profile?

Still workin on it...
I think I'm there...

Fingers crossed!! I'm sick of lookin at myself already.

And, for some hilarity to lighten the rainy day

I especially love the public mourning comment. How true of us!

Do we intend to add "New Contributors" sometime?

Or is that our goal to even do so? We should be open and free about what we expect and hope this becomes, and over time, we can then work toward whatever goal it is that we come up with. We can speak openly and freely while there are only 3 of us here and even delete the blog/post/thread before we fire off other invitations if we want to do that, but I was figuring this is as good a venue for having the ideas kicked around.

Also, I haven't investigated deeplu enough, but wondered if it is possible to make it viewable by members only? I'm not super nervous about having stuff "online", but at some point it becomes easier to "share" when you know you are in a semi-private situation, rather than a world-wide free-for-all. Do either of you have any opinions on this??

Just curious... ~L

Health care proxys, wills, wishes and scattered thoughts?

I'm spending some time today researching, investigating, and soul-searching, in the event that either Chris or I were incapacitated, or (God-forbid) killed.

The idea of having to make those choices and have the wisdom and foresight to project that I can fully grasp the enormity exhausts me before I even begin. All seems so "unnecessary" to complete today, doesn't it? Not everyone has "tomorrow" to get it done and signed. Do I? Does Chris? Probably... but... I won't always, and the day before isn't flagged with a black dot on the calendar I am using, so alas it would be wise to plan like it's sooner rather than later, and hope to be over-zealous and re-do it every few years.

Part of me feels this is a deeply (almost as deep as it gets) personal, private, difficult thing. Another part rationalizes why it's pretty cut and dry...I think I already HAVE most of the opinions which I would choose to put in a formal and direct way to assure that the things I hold very valuable and are as much the "fingerprint" of my core as my fingerprint is to my body. Why would I hesitate then? I know I will die, someday, when it's time...that doesn't freak me out in the slightest.

Almost contradicting this, however, is a strange desire to do some of this "with" other people. To sit and learn about it, open up and discuss opinions that may contradict what I *think* I would want, or believe, so as to assure myself that they ARE in fact my beliefs, when I hear the "other side", and determine that I still am unwavering - or better yet, possibly re-educated and hear the potential flaws that I might have missed in my current thinking. As in, "Hhmmm... damn...hadn't thought of it that way". I also feel like tackling some of it with others who are thinking aloud too, and don't judge me, but respect me as I do them would make the job less difficult, and more "normal". (That's a reach still, but it SHOULD be) I think I understand reality pretty well. I think I have a good grasp that while this may be extremely preliminary in the actual outcome, it's better to have than not. I'll also feel wiser and better prepared, and relaxed once I have gotten it done and filed it away for ten years from now, when Maddie is an adult (23, gasp, I had BRYAN at 23).

Maddie and I discussed alot of this today. The "how"s and "why"s you should make your wishes known. Why understanding that we are mortal isn't a bad thing. That it is important for her to have her own fingerprint, separate, but linked with Chris' and mine. She's never thought about her wishes, but I had no idea her first thoughts would be so intelligent, provoking, and more-over that her questions encouraged me to evaluate how much I really feel I know, vs how much I guess I have to learn. She wanted to know if a "Do Not Recussitate" would still be used if you had a heart attack rather than something terminal, or an irreversible state. We looked online (yeah, we Google'd it) and learned alot. A lot of it I knew, but couldn't explain well. We talked about Terri Schaivo and the unanimous heartache that everyone involved went through. WHY her husband may have made the choices he fought for, and why he was accused of having ulterior motives, and why her parents would want to prolong that for her, or why they felt they were justified in doing what they did in trying to save Terri, until God chose to bring her back with him. It was really cool. And deep. And kinda silly, just to keep us sane...after all, laughing feels SO good and we are still alive ;o)

She said she only wanted me to tell her if I wanted to be cremated. The idea "freaks her out big-time", so we talked about it. It isn't what I want, so that helped but I also wanted her to feel more "at-ease" for when the time comes that someone she is close to IS cremated. It's all very personal, and there are no wrong answers....but better yet, we know there are no wrong QUESTIONS. Great lesson.

I told her I'd like to be buried. I told her I would prefer to be buried with things that are valuable to my soul, and definately not with things that are valuable to my heirs (um, my husband and my lil'babies), such as my wedding rings, and my grandmothers ring that she got for graduation from HS, that I got when I graduated. Those are my earthly treasures. And should remain so. All I want to bring into the ground with me are my spiritual treasures, and all the love I have given and received, and the symbols of those. I was glad we had that talk as well...was really cool. I guess it's time to do the dirty work of making it formal and complete, so that I can go about my LIVING with a more relaxed and peaceful feeling. Actually, I'll do it after the kids go to bed...I'm going to go outside to play first. We can put on too much makeup and throw a football around. It's sunny. And I'm here.

Only thing remianing is....is it POSSIBLE that "spiritual treasures" can argue over which shade of green the grass is in the side yard??

Summer days and Sidewalk Chalk...

I went outside last summer, one lovely day, headed to my car. I had bought sidewalk chalk the week before (seems harmless right?) and I found this on the sidewalk outside our house, one of the busiest residential sidewalks in town...and everyone knows we live here...

Yes, there is NO explanation...just this "stick" figure lying on the sidewalk. Including the arrow.

:|

Had to lighten things up a bit.....good time for it.

About Linda

What can I say about myself? Right now I am scattered, forgetful, and quite at my worst. I know that's not what I am supposed to say, but it is honest. I am lucky that I have lots of loving people around me, I am healthy and have my sense of humor ready to blast most situations to smithereens. It's the best and most well-worn coping tool in the rack!!

However I feel like I should be able to resolve most of my "trying" by trying harder. Household bedlam, disorganization, paper chaos, a figure I am not happy with, and postponed ambitions are all in the "fixable" department, unlike the people who are in situations that are beyond their control... unemployment, injury, handicaps...all hard to "fix. I see myself as the reluctant kid before a bowl of brussels sprouts, being lectured about the starving kids in India. Only I am a white, middle class, well educated American woman for whom almost anything is possible, if I just actually try hard enough, and the women in the middle-east are the ones without my brussels sprouts.

So Women Trying will hopefully be a tale of my renewed effort to be better at the things I say I want.

Proper Perspective returns:

My friends were having a party tomorrow night. He had invited us over for his wife's birthday which is today...50 wonderful years old, but kinda stressing about it...ya know, turning the big "5-0". I saw her last week and she said at first she didn't want ANYONE to know she was turning 50...then decided that it wasn't embarrassing, but something that she's accomplished and achieved, and is lucky to be doing...but still, hadn't fully stopped stressing about it...we laughed about it.

He just called to cancel the party. Their daughter was admitted to the hospital on Monday with an "unknown illness". Various symptoms, lots of tests, but yesterday they found an enlarged lymph node behind her breast plate. They can not operate immediately, as her white blood cell count is so far off that it will risk an equally dangerous infection. Instead, today they will try and get the white cell count back to more reasonable...or reasonable enough to have open-heart surgery at 23 years old (it's considered open heart because it is on the inside of the breast bone) and instead, on her mom's 50th birthday, will undergo a biopsy of her bone marrow....to see if it may have gone that far. . If the white cells remain a problem, they will still go in pretty soon (next few days?) and deal with an infection after, if need be.

I'm kind of speechless, and kind of sick, and kind of terrified...and morbidly relieved that it isn't my child...any of them...and I even feel a little guilty about that too, but I know they would understand. After all, they are parents of 4 children themselves. This kind of thing sure puts all the "stresses of life" into perspective again...

Turning the big "5-0"...not such a big deal now, really, is it....I guess I know what I am going to do for her for her birthday today. A prayer for her daughter is all that's on her wish list now.

Last Sunday.....Cranium vs 5 iron.

Experiment: Cranium vs 5 iron golf club.

Result: Iron wins, every time.

Lesson: Oh yeah, step back when your brother is practicing his putting.

Other Notes worth mentioning. Flesh glue is great stuff.

Warning: Flesh glue not only glues flesh, but also the glove. If it comes out to fast, the Dr's gloved hand will adhere quite well to, oh, say a forehead.

Joke: I wonder if anyone will ever yell "FOUR" during a swing and not have someone say "HEAD" right after it. :|

Say It Ain't So

Yesterday's chaos...

So, her husband wasn't feeling well at work...a coworker brought him
home (much to his chagrin) as they didn't think he should drive. Mr Coworker called J~ at work the second he got to her home and said "Get home NOW..." (uh, nice to meet you). She did...about 90 seconds thank God in the new job. He was sitting on the front steps just inside the door, looking just horrible...white, drained, and extremely weak. 911, ambulance ride to Milford Hosp, and he was still "responsive" and very weak, but alert. Then his heart stopped, as did his breathing, due to a diabetic complication. Shortly after barely getting his heart started again (only part of it was working, as I understand) he was LifeFlighted into Boston for better cardiac care. Mom and I were able to get into Boston in
fairly short time to await both his and her arrival .

He was stabilized and spent the night in Cardiac ICU and has since been extubated and brought out of sedation. He's clearly not "fine", but seems to be quite out of imminent danger as well, and conscious. Tired and uncomfy too tho. I'll tell ya....watching that helicopter with him in it land on the hospital was so surreal. Awful, and yet I really wanted to know that Judy saw him off on one end and we were there on the other
(like it freakin mattered one IOTA).

Anyway...everyone is spent, Judy is with him in town and things are looking up, but there's still more to know since they don't yet understand what caused the potassium and Blood sugar to soar to such dangerous levels. Really really scary. They said 2-3 minutes later, and there wouldn't have been anything to be done...an angel somewhere was watching out....no doubt.

Kindergarten Orientation

I took Jacob to kindergarten orientation today and felt like I was exposing him to a bureaucratic system I wish were different but I know never will be.

It's not that I'm opposed to public education, it's just that the little bit of orientation we had today is just the tip of the iceberg. I will disagree with policies, especially those that enable an entitlement attitude. The administrators said something like "apply for the free or low-cost whatever, you might as well if you can get away with it" at least three times. What kind of a society are we building when in KINDERGARTEN orientation the administrators are encouraging people to take advantage of the system?

That is what made me not afraid for Jacob, but weary for him. I know my sons will not grow up with a "you owe me because" attitude, but their friends will. And I have no control over their friends.

So, maybe my anxiety is really about me and my need to control my children's environment. When we paid for full-time daycare, I felt in control. When we paid for pre-school at St. Catherines in Manchester, I felt in control. So, what's different here?

I can only guess it's that the people with whom I sat with today in orientation do not hold similar beliefs as my family. When we paid for the environment, we knew other people cared enough to pay as well and would not try and take advantage wherever they could. Now, everything is "free."

I suppose I'll have to seek out those who believe as we believe. I know they exist. We'll find each other. I hope Jacob finds their children. I hope we can provide a solid path for him and he's not lured off of it.

Today, I felt, was the beginning of the end. Tomorrow, I pray, will be full of hope and courage. My mother always told me life wasn't easy (whose mother hasn't said that?), but I hope to at least cushion the falls and be there to hold hands.

Alas, it's just kindergarten. Lighten up, right? I will. Tomorrow is a new day.

Ahh Summer!

Douglas State Park. The kids are Joseph Palmatier, Jacob Schwartz and Kathryn Palmatier. What a great day we had at a beautiful lake. The kids had an awesome time.

Rocks

Our white German Shepherd, Loki, has a new run in the yard and it “runs” across the part where most of our rocks tend to be. He just threw up three pebbles. At least they take a while and give plenty of warning that something foreign is about to come up!

(I’m trying out the e-mail feature)

About Lynn

I live in Needham, MA and have 2 girls, 2 boys. Maddie is turning 13 this month, Bryan is 9, Kathryn is looming on 8 and Joe will be 7 right after that. Christian and I have been married 13 years.

Christian is currently traveling to Dallas, TX every other week.

We both graduated from NHS in '91 and were married in 93.

I run the youth football and cheerleading program in town and Chris has coached for several years, but can't this year due to the traveling for work.

Amidst the chaos, we find brief moments of quiet and enjoy our families enormously.

This year, collectively, we have had 4 play spring base/soft ball, 2 cheerleading, 1 playing football, and a little of everything else in between. The schedules are crazy but there's nothing like it.

This photo (right) was taken in Dec 2003. Posterchild for COAL in the STOCKING. Hey, 3 outta 4 is sometimes as good as it gets...

~L

About Kathy

I live in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and have two little boys, Jacob, 5, and William, 4. William was born about three-months premature. You can read his story here. And, if you want to see a miracle, check out this slideshow taken this July. Who would know William was in the hospital for four months on life-support and on oxygen for two years and lived with a feeding tube for almost four years!

Jacob is a lively little boy, emphasis on lively. He enjoys hitting his brother and chasing our dog Loki.

My husband Brian is a stay-at-home dad and an assistant football coach at Jim Thorpe High School. The team is called The Olympians and I'm not quite sure how to cheer for them (Go Olys?), but we'll figure it out.

We're still new to Pennsylvania. I've lived in a lot of different places but started out in Needham, Mass where I graduated from NHS (Go Rockets, much easier to say!) in, gulp, 1987. My maiden name is Keith and my parents are Bob and Peggy (now deceased). I lived in Needham all my teenage years.

I went to The American University in Washington, D.C. where I got my B.A. in American Literature and promptly joined the Navy to get some experience so I could actually get a job. I stayed in the Navy as a journalist for three years and was stationed in Millington, TN. When Clinton asked for volunteers to leave service early (probably the only thing that guy did that I agree with), I raised my hand and moved to Seattle WA to edit the newsletter of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.

Seattle is really far away from the East coast so in a bid to move closer to my mom, I accepted a position at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association as the new media director. I dabbled in new media stuff in Seattle, so the PNA job was a definite step up the ladder. It was at PNA that I met Andy Bickford, the president of Independent Publications, Inc. and the owners of the Nashua (NH) Telegraph. My mom wasn't getting any better, so in 1998 I moved to New Hampshire and stepped into the newly created position of New Media Manager for the Telegraph.

I stayed there for seven years, got married in 1999 to Brian who I met while I was at PNA in Harrisburg, PA. We had Jacob May 2, 2001. My mom passed away about two months later on June 28, 2001. William was born April 4, 2002 and we decided to move to Pennsylvania to be closer to Brian's family in 2005.

We moved into our new house three days before Christmas, 2005.

Needless to say, I've moved around a lot and I hope to stay put for a while and be a mom, a wife and a co-worker.

Introduce yourself!!!

Welcome to "Women Trying...", where we all are (not to be confused with "Trying Women...", which we may also all be, but that's a different blog ;o) Please do introduce yourself, and break in with a BANG!! We wanna know...... Please come enjoy the blog with us and share a little bit of whatever is left of you at the end of the day. I'm still trying to figure out what that is, but little by little, we'll all find out sometime! Again, WELCOME!!!

Outtakes

My boys went to their first wedding this weekend. We only had to leave the ceremony once -- so William could go to the bathroom. The only problem was that the bathroom was at the back of the church and the only way I knew how to get there was through the door on the left of the altar.

So, he peed on a tree in the parking lot and we called it an adventure. Who would know anyway, right?

The real reason for my post is that I found something that will keep a four and five-year old busy for HOURS at a wedding reception: Cameras.

And we were lucky, they had disposable cameras on every table! And when those were all done, I let them use my digital camera. Here's a link to an audio slideshow of the pictures my two little shutterbugs took at my cousin's wedding -- click here.

Welcome to "Woman Trying..."!! WTG, Kathy!

Hi all, Gotta find our way into bloggerhood....bear with us as I'm learning along with anyone else who is. ...Will be FUN!!! (Bear with me....tryin to figure out the image situation)

This is sort of a tribute to all of us who ARE trying, every day...

Share your day, your pictures, some ideas of fun things to do with kids or cool things that everybody should know. Bring a dilemma or a thinking-out-loud moment. This is a laidback place for friends or family, and was Kathy's brainchild. Again, welcome! Jump in!

(Image, a peone from Linda's garden this year)

~L