Drama Queen - It's a Vivas Thing!

Jan 10 2010

Sear’s Repairmen and Golfish

After the week that I'd had, I decided to rise to the occasion on Saturday and make it a great one. I was hoping the repairman would come early so that I could accomplish my mounds of laundry. I was ready for my day! I'd made an omelet for the bowler, a waffle sandwich for the karate boy and was working on turkey bacon for the others.

We managed to get them where they needed to be in the morning and came back to tackle the house. The three little ones and I would clean, clean, clean and have fun doing it We dusted, we vacuumed, we straightened shoes, we mopped.

And of course, there was drama. Chicken Noodle Butt has been on a roll of tantrums whenever he's asked to do something. Not hard things, just normal things; like taking a shower, picking up your toys, putting your plate in the sink…you know, normal things. And while this was going on, Mr. Goldfish had been found floating around on his side. Then upside down. With his little mouth trying to suck up air. The Drama Queen was sobbing uncontrollably because *this was the first pet that she'd ever had that she didn't have to share that was dying." Now understand that we've had hamsters, rats, fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and dogs. The only thing that is remaining today is the snake and the dogs! (Ok, we had to give the birds away because the dog wanted to eat them, but still! And no, they didn't all die, some we shared with others, but still!) And we were crying over a goldfish??? I was nice and I held her and told her how sorry I was. I asked hubby to take her out of the house with him when he left so I could flush it down the toilet give it a proper burial. Meanwhile, little Goldie was still trying to decide whether he wanted to float or swim.

And then, the repairman calls to let me know he's on his way. I ask if he's got the rubber seal. He doesn't know what I'm talking about. No, the nice lady from Friday didn't put it in the notes. I tell him what is needed, he states he'll get it and I'll have my washing machine today. I do have serious doubts, especially after my last Sear's fiasco, but I am determined to stay positive! He comes on over, with the part needed and we discuss the washing machine. We talk about previous fiascoes with the washer and repairmen and my growing dislike of this particular machine. He guarantees me that he will be able to fix it and fix it correctly the first time.I almost believe him. I'm elated when he tells me it's fixed and I can do laundry! I'm so happy, I can do anything! I can put up with temper tantrums and dead goldfish because I can wash clothes again. Wow, this was easy. I can't believe it! Life is good again in the Vivas household!

I manage to get a load in and even sit for a whole 30 minutes! The kids are happy playing outside now, the goldfish has decided to live after all, and it's not so bad.

For about 30 minutes.

We head out to run an errand and do what we need to do while the clothes wash. I get back and start cleaning again, and ask the Smart One to please put the clothes in the dryer, then put the jeans from the other day back in the washer so that they can be rinsed out properly. He wonders if the reason why he was itching the other day was due to soap in his jeans, I say it might be. I finally finish and head downstairs to relax.

And I walk into the garage.

And there is water every where.

But I need to get ready for church, so I guess there's a part three to this saga.

Other Sear's Fiascoes:

Appliances and Repairmen

A New Day

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish, Part 2

DMV

Sear's Part 3

Jan 07 2010

Cuddling & Homeschooling

You know what's great about homeschooling?

Yes, I get to spend more time with my Drama Queen.

Yes, I get to teach her multiplication and division and subtraction.

Yes, I get to teacher her about helping verbs and grammar.

I get to listen to music and sing my heart out with her.

And drink hot tea.

And read books together.

And cuddle.

That's the best part of homeschooling!

Dec 13 2009

Makes a Mama Proud

I just love those proud mama moments! Tonight was one of those times! We've been planning our Children's Christmas concert for a few months now. Not only do we have a fabulous director and amazing helpers to go with it, but my whole family ended up pitching in tonight. It was so cool!

Earlier today, the Smart One was asking if he could miss youth to attend the concert and what was everyone else going to do. I told him we were all going to be doing something in the concert and we'd love to have him come and support us by watching. He went a step further. He took it upon himself to gather some friends and pass out the programs. He didn't seem to think much of it, but I did.

B-boo worked hard helping us to not only make props, but make sure they were organized, working, etc. And then she went on to take photos, too! I don't know what we would have done without her these past few weeks!

The Talented One almost made me cry! He agreed to play the piano for us. Not one to play in public and certainly not in front of an audience, he played beautifully! Seriously, I wanted to cry. The compliments I received on his playing after the concert were too many to count. What a gift he has been given!

Then there was the Drama Queen and the Princess. They sang their hearts out! It was so good to see the Princess be able to manage herself on stage. What a moment! And she sang her trio so well. I was able to see how far she has come in the past nine months. Wow!

And the Drama Queen. Well, she is that. Another child with a God given talent; what a voice! Listening and watching her sing was so much fun! She really got into her songs and just let herself go tonight.

And then, there was my hunny bunny. He is the most amazing man! He has spent countless hours putting together the sound, lights, and staging for us. If I haven't ever said how much I appreciate him, I'm saying it now! I appreciate you, honey!

So, tonight I'm exhausted, but I'm going to bed with a smile on my face. I have a GREAT family. I do. I really do.

Aug 27 2009

The Drama Queen

Or, as we like to say, "And then there was…"

Yup, that's her. Our very on Drama Queen. A brilliant ray of light, full of energy that refuses to be told she can't do anything. Her name, roughly translated, means,

"A beautiful rainbow we don't deserve."

Yes, that about sums her up!

After a complicated pregnancy, the Drama Queen arrived two weeks early, on the only day that week that was not someone else's birthday. Within a couple of weeks, we knew something was wrong with her. For the next five months, we'd travel back and forth to the doctor over and over, trying to get them to figure out what was it was that was making her so sick. Finally, a diagnosis. She was suffering from severe food allergies. Severe enough to land her in the hospital on more than one occasion…and for me to get over my fear of needles since I was the one that was her main care giver.

As we began a whole new lifestyle of eating, I worked hard to educate myself on the in's and out's of food allergies and to try out new recipes. Not easy when you can only cook with a handful of ingredients: chicken, turkey, rice, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, apples, tapioca, salt and pepper. Yes, I'm serious.

When she was finally able to have soy, I was ecstatic! Adding in beef and beans later was awesome. And then, we could finally have melons…oh, how happy we were! Yes, we. Because of the severity of her food allergies, she could not have formula. This meant that I had to follow a strict diet, too. And so it went.

These days, she's allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, apples and dairy. Her brother, the Smart One, is on a gluten free, nut free diet, so sometimes cooking for the two of them together is hard; but we manage to have some pretty decent meals anyway!

So what is it about the Drama Queen anyway? Well, she has a pretty high tolerance for pain, kind of like her momma. Translated into English, this means that:

When she says a penny is stuck in her throat, yet doesn't act like it, you take her to the hospital anyway. And they don't believe you until an x-ray proves it and then they do surgery.

When a VCR lands on her feet and nearly slices off two of her toes, and she has to have them stitched back together, she can still go right outside and run around instead of sitting for the next week.

When she goes into anaphylaxis she will try and go about her play in spite of the swelling and hives.

When 300 pounds of plexi-glass land on her foot and she can walk anyway, you take her to the ER. Odds are, it's broke. And when they send you away anyway and tell you it can't possibly be broke because she's fine, you nod your head and drive away…and then come back again when they call you to tell you that the x-ray showed it was indeed broke, after all. It also means that she'll go through a boot thing once a week for three weeks, destroying them, until you finally give up and tell her to just wear her sneakers and try not to make it worse. Oh, and you beg her not to show people where it's broke by moving it around. That's just gross.

When she flies off of a swing that she wasn't supposed to be on anyway and lands on a two-by-four in an anthill, you take her to the ER. And even though the nurse says it can't possibly be that bad, you scream for a doctor anyway, because you've seen it, and you know. And then you take her home with 17, yes SEVENTEEN staples in the back of her head, and you're told to keep her down for the next 48 hours. Sure, OK.

And all she wants to know is when can she please go outside and play…and climb her favorite tree, the big Mulberry tree that she's been climbing since she was about a year old. The same one that her older brother had to climb up into and get her out over and over….until we finally got smart and taught her how to get down, too.

The Drama Queen is just that. She wants to try everything. She is all about living life to the fullest. The righter of wrongs. The sheriff of the house. The let's just have some fun child.

She loves to sing…and sing….and sing, especially if it's about her Lord.

She loves music…all of it. Celtic Women, Bocelli, Selah, Barlow Girl, Newsboys, Celine Dion, and Journey (cause Mom really likes Journey.)

She loves to dance. She started a new dance class this week, so I've had the pleasure of listening to her tap away on the kitchen floor…over and over and over again. Because it annoys her siblings, so she waits until it's just the two of us. Yup.

She's all about fashion. It has to be shiny, or glittery, and of course, noticeable…because she's also all about that. And honest. Sometimes too much. She's had to learn a thing or two about humbleness and just because it's true does not mean you should say it.

She loves babies and can't wait until she can babysit all by herself.

She can make friends with just about anyone…and usually does.

She loves to talk on the phone and can't possibly understand why we won't let her have a cell phone…because, well, she needs it.

She wants to live life!

This is our Drama Queen. The wannabe pop star, actress, and doctor. Because, yes, she can do it all!

If you'd like to listen to some of her singing, click here.

Apr 17 2009

Laughable Moment(s) #8

Sleep walking, Sleep talking. We have certain family members who have become quite good at this. Throughout the years, I've learned to tell when they are awake or asleep. I can even tell dear hubby, "You're asleep, lie down" and he'll say "OK" and lie down and never ever know we had just had a conversation!

One of the most memorable sleep talking times that involved hubby happened when I was eight months pregnant with B-Boo. I was hugely pregnant and sound asleep. I was awoken at 3 am one morning to my husband yanking the covers off of me, straddling my belly and urgently telling me not to move, that there was a spider on the baby. I was frightened to death! He then proceeded to *catch* the imaginary bug, smash it and then lay back down beside me and fall asleep. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to wake him up and clobber him a good one for giving me the scare of my life, but once I regained control of my breathing, I was able to laugh it off, realizing he was sound asleep, and try and get back to sleep myself.

Another famous sleepwalking moment happened when the Smart One was around four. We were coming home from some event and were bringing home pizza with us. He wanted pizza, but fell asleep on the way home, so we put it in the refrigerator and put him to bed. A while later, we were sitting at the kitchen counter talking, and sleepy head walked in and headed straight for the refrigerator.

We thought, "Wow, he really wants that pizza!"

He opened the refrigerator door and stepped up into it and proceeded to open up the pizza box. In the next second, we realized that he thought he was in the bathroom and was urinating in the pizza box, in the refrigerator! We still laugh about that one to this day!

The most recent sleepwalking case happened last night. We had finally gotten the kids to bed and I was attempting to fall asleep. I've been suffering with bronchitis for six weeks now and was finally given some strong cough syrup that was supposed to "knock me out"…not so. Anyway, I'd just started dozing around eleven, when I heard a bang from someone falling. The bathroom light was on in the hallway, so I asked out loud,

"Are you ok?"

A girl's voice replied, "Yeah."

I continued dozing for a few moments and then realized I hadn't heard a flush and the light was still on, so I got up to go check on the Drama Queen. She was sitting there with her pants around her ankles, staring into space with a glazed look in her eyes. The only problem was that she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her bare fanny hanging over the tub!

I asked her if she had fallen into the tub. "Yeah."

I asked her if she had gone potty. "Yeah."

I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't tell if she'd gone in the tub or not, but I put her on the toilet and proceeded to clean the tub. By now she was awake and realized her pants were wet. From the way they were wet, it looked like she'd fallen into the tub onto something wet. Hmmm. I retrieved some clean underwear and jammies for her, got her dressed, and promptly guided her back to bed.

…and these, are the nights, of our lives.