Welcome Cubbies….

Cub fans…thank you for coming by so regularly!  But I’ve moved…come visit the new site!

http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/?p=246

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4 Years ago today…

For the latest blog post….head to our new site!

http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/?p=239

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New Site Reminder!

Hi All~

Don’t forget, we’ve moved!  I would love for you to visit the new blog and tell me what you think.

www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog

Eventually, I’ll have to stop updating this page too 🙂

Look forward to hearing from you!

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I love you too….

Visit our new blog for the latest post: ” I love you too….” http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/?p=224

Can’t wait to hear what you think of our new site!

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Wordless Wednesday – Put me in Coach

We’ve moved….check out this post at http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/?p=222

Our new blog is www.ExtraordinaryMommy.com/blog.

Hope to see you there soon!

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Revera Inc. isn’t fit to run Nursing Homes

So….clearly, we are having problems with King Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.  They are owned by a company called Revera, Inc.

But we are not alone….small consolation.  On the front page of the Toronto Star (last Monday) was an article about another one of their facilites…..  an elderly woman passed away, but the funeral home couldn’t take her away until a doctor confirmed her death.  Despite being called..the on-call doctor didn’t show up for 14 HOURS.  The poor woman was so decomposed, her family could not perform their traditional rituals for death.

Here’s the link to the article:  http://www.thestar.com/article/447809

I am told Revera, Inc. also manages multiple nursing home/assisted care facilites in the U.S.  Lovely, no?

Hate them.

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Grammy Update

Without hitting every last detail….here’s the latest on my poor grammy’s terrible ordeal:

Grammy was seen in the emergency room on Friday (after a 5+ hour wait).  The good news:  they determined the distended tummy was not life threatening…she was blocked up by the pain killers.  The bad news: they didn’t check her back any further…so, now, after coming home for the weekend, she is heading back out tomorrow to have x-rays done.  I’m praying they take her to an x-ray facility and not back to the ER (if she only needs x-rays, she’ll be at the bottom of the priority list and will likely be there for 12+ hours waiting on a gurnery in the hallway)  And…they won’t medicate her while she waits.

Dad was there Thurs-Sun…she is in tremendous pain.  They are giving her pain medication, but it isn’t enough.  When I called her this evening…she answered the phone as though I had raised her from the dead…and then said, “Oh, Darlin’, I’ve fallen and am in a great deal of pain.  I can’t talk.”  I was concerned she had fallen again, but was able to determine she was sitting on the edge of the bed.  Getting up and down is extrememly painful for her.

As a result of her Alzheimers (which is now worse than ever) she can’t remember what is happening from one moment to the next.  She doesn’t remember that my dad was there. She actually thought my dad was her husband for quite a bit of the time he was there.  She didn’t know that her son was my dad.  She forgets to lay still until she is again reminded by serious pain.

I feel helpless.  My poor mom had to get off the phone with me tonight to cry.  We are all sick to our stomachs.

The facility has suspended the Executive Director and head nurse, but are now saying this has all been a ‘miscommunication issue’.  They claim Grams has a history of fallling (according to her chart, she fell ONE TIME IN 2005) and that they often find her sleeping on the floor. (outright lie)  They also now claim that maybe her back isn’t really broken…apparently their HEAD NURSE may have read the hospital report incorrectly (the head nurse doesn’t know how to read hospital reports????  and the ‘fracured L-2’ isn’t serious?)  I hate these people.

They offered to pay for my dad’s trip for his ‘trouble’.  Sounds like an itty-bitty admission of guilt, no?  Dad’s too smart to fall for that.  Told them there would be plenty of time to talk money.  PS…this facility is NOT FREE~!  How’s this for $3000/month care?

 Bottom line….Grammy is in bad shape.  She is in miserable pain, yet surrounded by people who aren’t paying enough attention to make sure she is cared for.  Mom is getting back on the phone tomorrow to get her pain medication increased…since we’re told it could be 6-8 weeks before her back is any better.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your prayer and love.  She needs it.  So do my parents.

www.ExtraordinaryMommy.com

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A Chance Encounter Made My Day

So….let me set the scene for you.

I’m in Linens N Things….scouting out a little home decor (we’ve only been in our house for 18 months…figure it is time for me to get on the ball).

I’m singing along to the music overhead as I approach the end of an aisle.  What do I see at the end of the aisle?  A fabulous woman in her 50’s shaking her booty…singing and dancing to the music.  She’s playing it up for a few friends and turns three shades of red when she realizes I’ve caught her.  We share a quick laugh.  When she is in line behind me a few minutes later, she jokes that she is following me b/c she heard I was going to pay for her items.  I honestly wish I could have…and I told her so.  I said, “wouldn’t that be fun?  To just take care of someone’s bill for them?” 

She responded…”yes, it is fun…I’ve done it.  A few weeks ago, my family and I were at a local restaurant and noticed a serviceman in uniform and his family eating at a nearby table.  I know how little they make, I’ve had three kids in the military…and if it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t be free.  So, we told our waiter we wanted to take care of their bill.  We stopped by their table to tell them how beautiful and well behaved their children were….and then we hid close by to hear their reaction when the waiter told them their meal was free.  It was the best feeling.”

I was actually JEALOUS as she was telling the story.  I got goosebumps.  I can’t wait to do it. 

Happy, Generous, Giving, ExtraordinaryMommy in Linens N Things…..I think you are the BEST!  Thank you for making my day!

www.ExtraordinaryMommy.com

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How can such a little toy…

Make me absolutely insane????

Have you seen this thing?  Better yet, have you heard it? 

 

Of course….you would have had to have decided that McDonald’s was acceptable dinner fare for your children sometime in the last week to have the pleasure of this Kung Fu Panda’s company.

 Any time you so much as walk by the damn thing it yells, “Ska-doosh” or a crazy kung fu sound like “Yaaaa Haaa”. 

Why do I know this?  Because Mini had it in the car with her….and when she got out…she left it in her car seat….JUST OUT OF MY REACH.  Every. Single. Time. I. Turned. A. Corner. Or. Breaked. It. Ska-dooshed. At. Me.

Haven’t even seen the movie…yet I feel compelled to say “Ska-Doosh” several times a day.

 

This would be funny if I was 6 years old.  Not so much in your mid 30’s.  I’m just sayin’.

www.ExtraordinaryMommy.com

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Note to Self

Children do not always behave.

They are often sassy.  Sometimes disrespectful. Occasionally very hard to be around.  Take today for example…or even yesterday.  The tantrums, the yelling…blah..blah….It helps me to focus on their sweeter sides when I’m feeling especially intolerant of this behavior (all fancy language for ‘My daughter is driving me nuts!’)  However,  to get through it, this is the face I’m going to conjure in my mind:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is remembering these images…these sweet moments that is helping me to focus as I deal with her terrible 3’s…or almost 4’s..or whatever is causing the whining, crabby, crying mess she has been been. (And no she isn’t sick!)

Focus. On. The. Sweetness.  OK…I almost have it….Got it!

Happy Monday.

 

www.ExtraordinaryMommy.com

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