Strawberry Picking

I had been dying to go.  I never picked anything when I was a kid but the hubs used to always go with his mom.  It has been so rainy here in Buffalo it has been hard to find a nice day.  It rained all morning so after lunch and baby nap we packed up and headed to Clarence.  The boys were awesome in the car and it took us about a half hour.  The fields were a little wet (to say the least) and the stroller wasn't the best idea.  I should have worn the baby but this bump I'm sporting these days is getting in the way!  I didn't realize how difficult putting the baby down in the crib was going to be with the big belly. But that's what happens when you get pregnant 7 months after giving birth.  I got a little over excited when I saw all the berries!  Brady was obsessed with the mud, I swear he wanted to get stuck in it.  Brady was a help though, he loved filling up his own carton.  And Pierce was content as long as you gave him a berry once in a while to taste.  Sshhhh don't tell.  He's teething again so he has been a little fussy.  He brought the stink face for this pic. 

 

Afterwards, mommy was craving a veggie quesadilla from Tully's real bad! 

After dinner we headed home for dessert.  Wegman's supplied the biscuits and we had strawberry shortcake.  Here's a pic of our haul!

I was going to make the husband's favorite strawberry cream pie.  But he has been on this health kick.  If you ask me, I think it sucks he working out and eating all healthy while I am pregnant and eating cupcakes.  Who am I kidding, I eat cupcakes when I am not pregnant but still!  Maybe I will make the pie for my co-workers.  This pie is SO good, not good for your waistline.  But here's the recipe anyway:

1 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash of nutmeg (I skip it)
1 c. mashed strawberries
Store bought graham cracker crust
Strawberries to garnish

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar till peaks form and set aside.  Combine softened cream cheese with sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.  Mash strawberries and stir into cream cheese mixture.  Fold in the heavy cream mixture.  Pour into crust and top with sliced strawberries.  I usually put one sliced strawberry on each piece just so it's pretty. Chill overnight or several hours.  Enjoy!! 

 

Tips if you are having surgery from an RN

Now I have only been in the PACU for 3 months.  But I have noticed people seem to be incredibly under prepared.  Which I don't understand because their surgery is planned!  So I will be giving you guys the heads up in case you or a loved one is having surgery soon.  Hopefully, you will find the humor in it.  Disclaimer: some of this info may be gross.

1.  Do not eat anything or your surgery will be cancelled.

2.  I would not wear jeans.  Especially jeans with a belt.  You will not want to wear jeans after surgery. You will be begging to wear sweatpants, gym shorts heck even pajama bottoms.  Jeans and a belt don't mesh well with abdominal incisions. 

3.  I would wear underwear.  Not the sexy v-string from Victoria's but some nice cotton hiphuggers.  Especially after a gyn or urology case.  Kind of hard to put a pad in a v-string. This goes for the guys too who show up with no undies of any sort.  They ooze stuff too. 

4.  Bra.  I think everyone needs one.  But then again I have been pregnant for 2 years so I don't remember what it is like to go sans bra.  However, after biopsies, node removals, lumpectomies, etc. the patient needs a bra.   A comfy one! too like a sports bra or bralette.  Now is not the time to increase your cup size times 2. 

5.  Shower please.  And a little maintenance with a razor would be nice!  Men and women. 

6.  I don't think your ENTIRE family needs to show up to say goodbye to your gallbladder but maybe that's just me. 

7.  Don't take drugs before surgery.  And if you do, fess up.  Cocaine and anesthesia can kill you. 

8.  When the nurse asks "Is there a chance you could be pregnant?"  Think hard.  If you are having unprotected sex that means you!

9.  Do not wear jewelry.  Earrings, rings, bracelets, body jewelry, etc.  Please take out your piercings, yes even the naughty ones. 

On a serious note, surgery is not fun.  The nurses will try and make you feel as comfortable as possible.  If you have questions, ask!     

The J-O-B = stress

After I graduated in May of 2008, I took the summer off to be with my newborn son Brady.  A nameless company paid for my schooling so I knew I had a job with them when I was ready.  Everyone tells you to work on med/surg for 2 years before working anywhere else and that's where I was headed.  The nurse recruiter told me about the part-time job on Orthopedics.  Huh? Orthopedics.  I think I remember learning something about traction at some point in nursing school.  She reassured me it was a med/surg floor so I would get other experience as well and that I would be trained for orthopedics.  I agreed to take the position because it was only 2 days per week.  Well, I am so glad I did!  I loved the people on the ortho floor and even though the work was HEAVY it was fun.  And I even met my bestie Tracey.  It is nice to take care of pts. that were medically cleared for an elective surgery.  Basically that means very, very few codes.  Four and a half years later, with our 3rd son on the way I decided I needed something new.  Partially because my father-in-law watches the boys.  He was getting to our house at 6am and working until the hubs picked up the boys at 3pm.  And let me tell you he was exhausted.  Steve said the house would be a wreck, nothing packed, boys didn't sleep, papa all disheveled.  It was getting to be too much.  And then papa asked out of the blue if I was going to be a SAHM when the next bundle gets here.  So I think he was ready for a break too.  I could be a SAHM but I don't think we would be able to save for college and do all the things we do.  And disclaimer: I have a little shopping habit.  Anyhoo, After only looking for a few weeks something popped up for 19 hours a week in the PACU.  I was working 24 so less hours was great.  And it was evenings which would mean shorter shifts for papa.  I applied for it thinking they will never call.  I didn't even have 5 years of seniority,  But they did call and I interviewed.  And scared as hell, I took it.  If you asked me before baby #3 was coming, I would have told you I had 0 career aspirations, yup Zero.  I wanted to do my 2 days a week, not learn anything new and not have any challenges.  Nursing is my side gig.  I turned down ever being the charge nurse or training new nurses.  I just wanted to do my time and come home.  So this PACU thing was something I never saw coming.  My preceptor Patty was great, super laid back and very, very nice.  And the people, meaning the older nurses who everyone warned me about were ok too.  There's a saying in nursing that they "eat their young" and the PACU was going to be a shark tank.  And with the exception of 1 nurse it was untrue.  I also think its how the new/young nurse handles herself and I made it clear I was there to learn.  Teach me everything! because these nurses are so incredibly knowledgeable.  There is something that needs to be said about experience.  Experienced nurses are the ones that you want taking care of your critical loved one.  So when companies try and kick the old ones out it makes me angry.  Even the company I work for doesn't offer any step raises after 20 years to nurses.  Stupid if you ask me.  And most of these women have been nurses since before I was born. 

The PACU so far has been great. Am I terrified every time they tell me I am getting a pt.? Yes.  Am I constantly asking myself if I forgot anything? Yes. I have work dreams now where I miss the subtle changes in pt. condition and the pt. turns serious.  Because these pts. in the PACU turn bad quick.  I don't know when I will be comfortable down there.  Taking 3 months off after the next baby is not going to help the comfort factor either.  And then there was the bump.  And not the one I am sporting these days.  Bumping is something that sucks but happens.  It happens for a variety of reasons but has a trickle down effect throughout the hospital.  A nurse was displaced, took someone's job, who then took someone else's job who then took mine and now I had to take someone else's.  You still with me? My 2 day a week job with 10 hour shifts now belonged to someone else.  My option was to take the only person below me in the dept. who worked the same number of hours but over 5 days a paycheck, instead of 4.  The job is 8 hour shifts, 2 days 1 week (yay) and 3 days the next (boo).  I promised my family I would never work more than 2 days a week.  But to go back to a floor almost 7 months pregnant didn't seem appealing at all.  I am not killing myself in the PACU like I was on ortho.  No more support hose and motrin after a long day.  Which was nice and besides I can't even take Motrin now anyway.  It was accept her job or get laid off.  So I accepted.  The 8 hour shifts seem nice and short but that 3rd day yuck!  I have to remind myself that working ortho I would miss entire days of my boys lives.  They would be asleep when I left for work and when I got home.  And those every 3rd weekend shifts I would say goodbye to them Friday nights and not see their faces till Monday morning.  So this is better I tell myself.  I am home every single day when they wake up with bed head, crusty eyes but are so darn happy my heart smiles.  And now I only work every 10th Saturday so we have been having some seriously fun weekends.  I want my 2 days a week back so bad but until I can get it I am going to stay where I am.  The weeks I work 3 days I will try not to be bitter.  I will remind myself that I see their faces everyday now.  I will tell the mom guilt to go away, take a hike.  I will suck it up.  I will carry on!        

To Tubal or not?

That is the question.  The hubs brought up a very good point: How do you know if you want 4 kids if you don't have 3 yet? As soon as I got pregnant with #3, the Dr. mentioned the tubal.  At first, I was a little offended.  I got over it.  Which was good because he kept bringing it up!  I love being a mommy and a day at home with the boys beats work every single time.  They are awesome, cute, fun and hilarious.  And who doesn't love having a cupboard full of fruit roll-ups, goldfish crackers and frosted animal cookies? 

I am having a C-section so it makes sense that I would be the one.  And Steve is a HUGE baby.  When he gets "the cold" the earth stops rotating.  Or the earache, the pneumonia, the GERD.  I think you get the point.  I also don't want to hear him whine.  I like the suffer in silence type. 

The Worries:

I am afraid of the tubal ligation causing increased pain.  I only took toradol and motrin after my last C-section.  I don't want to take anything stronger.  I was also afraid it would add length of stay.  Some women like to stay in the hospital after they have a couple of kids and enjoy the meals they deliver.  However, I am not one of them.  Although that carrot cake is pretty amazing!  I hate being a patient.  And when the boys come to visit, they leave and I feel all sad :(  I want to leave as soon as possible.  Actually, if they let me leave post-op day #1, I would.  I know what I'm in for and I really just want to be together as a family.  Back to the pain.  I work in a recovery room and have seen women literally crawling out of the carts in pain from tubal ligations with rings.  So there is no way I am signing up for the crap.  And I am not going to listen to my male Dr. tell me it won't hurt because last I checked he doesn't have fallopian tubes.  I met with a female Dr. in the practice and she reassured me it would not add any pain or length of stay.  Apparently, they don't do rings after a section they use cauterization.  So after all my concerns were taken care of: How come I am still on the fence??  Does that mean I do long for a 4th?  I don't like odd numbers.  Will 4 be crazy? Yes, but after 1 there are times you are a walking shit show.  In case you don't know that, it will happen.  Oldest having a meltdown while the youngest has poop coming out the top of his shirt, all while trying to navigate a very heavy shopping cart towards your car when you realize you really should have peed before the trip to Wegmans even started.  I do want to start taking family vacations (a la Griswold's) and that is hard to do being pregnant or breastfeeding.  But the thought of "being done" makes me all kinds of sad.  I can't decide.  Or have I???     

Bye Big Ugly Oak Desk

I hate Oak.  Now this may have something to do with the ex but I really hate it.  And I was seriously hating this desk. 

Anyway, I bought this desk 7 years ago when I started nursing school from Frey's Old Time Furniture.  It was made by the Amish and they did a very good job.  So instead of buying a new piece I did research and found I could transform it.  I found this kit on Pinterest and decided to try it.  I went to Home Depot and purchased Rust-oleum Furniture Transormations kit. I think it was like $38? 

You have to remember to get the bond coat tinted at the store.  I completely overlooked this step. I did think it was a tad odd that it could make 23 different colors but what do I know.  There are 4 steps.  The first step eliminates all sanding!  You put it on with a green scrubby.  I scrubbed with the grain and against it.  After you were done the desk appeared dull and a little rough to the touch.  2nd step was the color coat.  We picked black.  I tend to like dark or white furniture now.  The 3rd step they said was optional, it was a glaze coat that would bring out the wood grain.  I could see the grain after I applied the bond/color coat so I skipped it.  It also said it had to be wiped off and I was losing steam.  2 coats of topcoat which was included in the kit and I was done.  Wish I had pictures of me painting the desk.  However, the clothes I was wearing are not socially acceptable, either was my pregnant belly hanging out the bottom of those non-maternity painting shirts.  So ta da! 

Toronto Zoo Getaway

Our son loves animals.  He has all sorts of useless facts about them stored in his rain.  He will tell people these strange facts at grocery stores or the mall.  So we decided to plan a little getaway to the Toronto Zoo.  Toronto is about an hour and a half away from Buffalo.  I figured a Phineus and Ferb DVD for the truck ride would keep at least the 5 year old quiet.  Snacks, pack-n-play, pool bag complete with life preserver and a raft for the lil one and we were set!  We headed out about 9am with our first stop being a Tim Horton's.  Timbits, bagels, and some tea and we were ready. 

Pierce got a little restless the last 15 minutes.  So mommy took off her Chewbeads necklace and it made him happy.  Have you heard of Chewbeads?  They are necklaces and bracelets designed for mommies with teething babies.  We love them!  I have 2 necklaces and (confession) I wear them even when I'm not with the baby.  He loves to chew on them and I can see it working with the next baby when nursing, keeping him interested.  We got to our hotel around 11am, checked in and went  straight to the zoo.  The weather was gorgeous!  75 and sunny with a little breeze was perfect.  All those people that said it was a lot of walking sure were right.  It was a lot of walking.  We had the sit-n-stand and man that thing was heavy with a 20 lb. baby, 40 lb. kid a very weighed down Petunia.  First stop was to see some Polar bears.  They are my favorite animal!  They had 3 of them.  It was kind of weird to see them laying in grass.  The exhibit at The Buffalo Zoo is all rocks and cement.

They had teepees set up which fascinated Brady and he was able to get a little history lesson on Native Americans.  By this time we were hungry!  Steve lived in Canada a long time ago and loves Poutine.  For anyone who doesn't know what it is here is my own explanation.  Basically they are French fries with cheese curds (I hate the word curd too) and gravy.  It is served everywhere in Canada, even in the Burger Kings.  It made Steve very happy.

Next: More animals and walking! 

I grew up in Cheektowaga so yes a picture of pink flamingos were necessary.  And Brady still wants to know why they stand on 1 leg.  His parents have no idea.

 

 

 

I still had some gas in the tank at this point.  Penguins, Komodo dragons, jellyfish, giraffes, hippos, etc.  I almost forgot and white lions which were wicked cool.  And then we saw the following sign: 1 hour hike from this point with steep incline.  This was to see the bears.  I was tired and thought if I did the hike I might just have this baby in Canada delivered by zoologists.  SO, I tuckered out.  The good news is Brady sees 3 different types of bears in The Buffalo Zoo.  This helped with the mom guilt, a little.  Mommy promised him a camel ride to make it up to him. 

A little trip to the gift shop for the boys and we were off to the hotel.  Now I admit I am a hotel snob.  I appreciate a nice room.  I like a nice bed because I can never sleep in hotel rooms anyway.  So I like to lay there in comfort.  And I just spent 5 days in a pirate themed room for my son.  I was ready for a nice room, elevator, lobby, restaurant, pool, etc.  Brady was hoping for some more pirates.  I don't know why but where ever we go I feel compelled to take a picture of the room, before the boys mess it up. 

And then immediately rip off the comforters or quilts because you know they never get washed!  Next I check out the bathroom. 

I fell in love with the vanity and sink.  Must keep this in mind for our upcoming master bath remodel.  Oh and then I MUST put out a soap pump dispenser.  Bar soap for handwashing skeeves me out!!  It is $.99 well spent if you ask me.  Brady wanted to hit the pool before dinner and it sounded great to me.  The water was cold so Steve wouldn't go in.  He likes his pool water the temperature of bath water.  Hey we all have our things I guess and he puts up with all of mine.  He snapped some cute pics of us swimming though.  Bump warning***.

Now Steve got his poutine, it was time for me to have some East Side Mario's.  I have to go when ever we are in Canada.  It is like a Canadian Olive Garden.  Actually, the dressing is very similar. 

And the Bread!  I love carbs.  Pierce had his first meatball and not surprisingly loved it.  Brady got his favorite, spaghetti and everyone was happy.  Back to the hotel for some tv and relaxation and sleep.  The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel.  It was a buffet and I hate buffets but I made the best of it.  Fruit loops, pancakes and a bagel.  Did I mention I love carbs?  And we were off.  We made it back to Buffalo by 11am.  It was Father's Day so we spent the rest of the day doing whatever Daddy wanted.  Which included some yummy Mexican food at our favorite restaurant.  And Steve even got to ride his motorcycle for a couple hours.  It was fun and Brady already wants to know when we are going to another hotel. 

 

The surprising reason why I use cloth

In case many of you don't know, I use cloth diapers.  I know, it blows some people's minds.  But honestly it isn't a big deal.  I do like the Earth, I recycle anything and everything I can.  I will scrape months old sour cream out of the tub just to rinse it out and put it in the recycle bin.  Which drives the hubs crazy.  And I did feel guilty every time I had to put the diaper genie sleeve of diapers in the garbage.  But the real reason I use cloth is because I like to spend money.  What girl doesn't like to shop?  Kate Spade, Hudson jeans, Tory Burch, to name a few.  You see I want to spend money on this stuff, not a $25 box of paper diapers that my child can poop in.  Was it an initial investment? Yes.  I originally spent about $400 to get the necessities: diaper pail, diaper sprayer!, wet bag, drying rack, detergent and of course the diapers themselves.  I originally used a brand call MotherEase but they are BULKY.  So bulky in fact my son had to have 2 sizes of pants.  That was just silly.  I now use BumGenius All-in-ones.  They are the most similar to disposables.  And I use the snaps, not Velcro.  They come in really cute shades for boys or girls.  Actually, my son wears the prettiest shade of lilac. I thought it was grey when I purchased them and then thought who really cares right?  (Daddy doesn't like the violet diapers.)  Now if you ask me the diaper sprayer is a must.  I'm not a dunk and swish kind of a girl.  Let me just say poop doesn't bother me in the slightest, hence why I am a nurse.  But really everyone is supposed to get the poop out of diapers.  Many people don't know that.  Yes that means every mom and dad are supposed to get the solids out of disposable diapers each time before putting them in the diaper genie.  I have 24 diapers in my stash and wash every other night.  This is the frequency I do laundry anyway so the diapers aren't a big deal at all.  I will be purchasing some more diapers before the next baby.  Having 2 in diapers I will need more and I don't want to wash everyday.  I use organic cloth diapers and they are SO soft and nice.  I have always felt the "cloth diapers experts" always seem to tell you the kind of diapers they use.  Well, I think people should use what ever works for them and their budget.  There are so many options and you have to do your research.  My father-in-law and husband didn't like the extra step of the cover.  With all-in-ones there is no cover.  And I didn't want to spend time stuffing pockets.  However, all-in-ones are the priciest and might not be for everyone's budget.  Here's a pic of my little guy in his cloth diaper.  And some of ours drying in the sun.  The sun is awesome for bleaching the stains and making them super soft.

     Happy Diapering with whatever you are using!

The 4. 5 of us!

Hi, I have been wanting to start a blog for quite some time and am finally doing it.  Let me introduce myself and the others.  I'm Kate, family and close friends call me Katie.  I am married and have 2 boys with another on the way.  That's right 3 boys!  Add a husband and I am seriously outnumbered.  I work 19 hours a week as a Registered Nurse. This blog was almost called "Full time mommy, Part time Nurse and Some Times crazy" but that's just too long. But nursing is just a side gig.  Or it was almost called "um are there hot dogs?"  because really at a cookout that's all I want.  Don't give me any fancy sausage or chicken, I want a hot dog.  Sahlen's preferably because those real beef ones aren't the right color or taste.  Anywho, I married the hubs, who I fondly refer to as Meatball after we had our second child.  A little out of order but whatevs!  I call him meatball because he's Italian.  Blue eyes and blonde hair Italian.  But really because at the Italian Festival very early on in our relationship, he lost a meatball from his sub and it went rolling down Hertel Avenue.  He chased it, scooped it up and kept on right on eating.  There's a couple more reasons but we will get into that later.  Steve is a hard worker and that term doesn't even do him justice.  He is in Local 210 and a laborer at Buffalo General Hospital.  He loves motorcycles, cleaning them, riding them and just looking at them, he's covered in tattoos and is very shy.  He is quiet until you give him a few drinks and then he has plenty to say.  Then there's Brady our 5 year old who never stops talking.  He started talking when he was 8 months old and has never stopped.  Full sentences at 1 1/2.  He even talks in his sleep!  Brady is into wrestling and animals.  He has sweet brown eyes like his mama and adores his father.  Yup everyone in this house is crazy for daddy.  It's kind of crap if you ask me, I breastfed these boys for a year each and he is the favorite?  Then there is Pierce who just turned 1.  He was all serious for the first 12 months.  So serious!  Like giving people the stink eye in Target and not smiling for anyone besides mom and dad.  My grandma remarked she had never met such a serious baby.  However, he turned 1 and all of a sudden found his smile and laugh.  He finds the dog hilarious and his bog brother.  He is the sweetest boy.  He will just come over and give you a big kiss.  Oh and the dog.  Her name is Buttercup and she is a handful.  She is a yellow Labrador.  I got her right when I met Steve because I was living alone.  She is a horrible guard dog and I always say she would sacrifice all of us for a piece of bologna.  I hired a dog trainer to try and deal with her shenanigans.  It helped somewhat.  She is turning 7 and we are still waiting for her to calm down.  Did I mention Steve is her favorite too?  And our next little noodle will be here in September right before I turn 34.  So that's all of us!  Middle class, union and proud, Christian, and Blessed!!!! But I should probably explain the title of the blog.  Well I hate awkwardness.  More than the average bear.  Seriously, when awkwardness happens around me I itch and get hives unless I can run far away before it gets real.  I can't take it! So I wish people would try and avoid this kind of stuff around me or ignore the hives when they come.  Maybe my life is too boring for me to have a blog but at least my family can read about what's going on in our house.  And I can keep it for the memories about how hectic and fun life with little ones can be.