Biology

Remember how I had a Biology test last Friday? Well, I got my test results back and my grade is definitely not what I want it to be. 

70%. 

I will say that he is one of those teachers that really gets his kicks by trying to trick us with tricky questions.

For  instance, 
In science, what gets tested?

A) a theory
B) a hypothesis
C) a prediction

What do you think?

In the meantime, I will be reading my textbook thoroughly from here on out.

Homemade Rolls

When I first made these rolls, they reminded me of those Hawaiian sweet rolls that come in the orange package in the grocery store. They were my favorite when I was a kid. 

A while ago I found this roll recipe on another blog I was on called $5 Dinners (btw, that potato chowder soup is really good too). 

I have since changed the recipe a little bit. For instance, I use honey instead of sugar and I use my mixer instead of a bread machine to do the kneading. If you want the original recipe go here. If not, here is the new recipe for the rolls:

Buttery Rolls

1 Cup warm milk 

1/2 Cup butter, melted but not hot

1/4 cup Honey

2 Eggs

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

4 Cups Flour

2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast, or one package

1. Put warm milk, honey, and yeast into mixer bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. 

2. Add butter, flour, eggs, and salt. 

3. Mix with mixer according to manufacturer's directions. 

4. When dough is slick and not sticky, it is done.(you might need to add a little more flour if the dough is to sticky. Start with a tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.)

5. Grease a big bowl. (I spray the bowl with Pam)

6. Put the dough into the big bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth. (It usually helps to spray the top of the dough lightly with Pam.)

7. Place inside the oven with a small pot of hot water. (The hot water will help the yeast to grow.)

8. Let rise for an hour to an hour and a half, until the dough is doubled in size. 

9. Divide dough into 24 pieces and shape into balls. 

10. Place into a 9x13 size pan. You want the balls touching. 

11. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 more minutes. 

12. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. When you tap the top of a roll, it will sound hollow when finished baking. 

Debt.

Debt sucks. 

When we first got those credit cards, it was with the idea that we would rotate them and pay them off each month. This way, we would build our credit and never really be in debt. We had never had credit cards before and this seemed like such a good idea. 

Then, Hubby started bringing in a lot less money than he had been. We would have to buy food or pay some bills and there were those damned cards. The kids needed clothes for school and school supplies, there they were again. We would need supplies for work or we would need to hire a hand for the day, and surprise-they were there again. The list goes on and on. 

Very quickly, those credit cards were maxed out. 

The phone now rings off the hook and I feel very shitty about it all. I am of the opinion that I don't ever want another credit card ever again. I think that if I can't pay cash for it, then we don't need it or we will have to make do until we can afford it. No more credit for this girl. 

Now, I have to try and figure out the best way to handle the debt we do have. Most days I feel so hopeless about it. 

Boosting Another Blog

There is a give a way going on at another blog. It's for a pretty cool coffee maker. For those of you that know me, you know I have to enter.

Here is the link to the give a way for those of you that may want to enter: The Grocery Cart Challenge

It is for this coffee maker here:

Alzheimer's

I work in an Assisted Living facility. This means I assist people in daily living activities. I help them go to the bathroom (they usually can bear some weight on their legs), get ready for bed, help them get up and ready for the day, shower, etc. There are many reasons people end up in an assisted living facility. It is usually an accumulations of many things and the families get frightened for there elders. These people are forgetting to wipe, take their medications, are at a risk for falling, etc. So, they end up in an assisted living facility.

There is one lady that has Alzheimer's Disease. She has finally reached a point where she has forgotten how to get up. She has spent the last 3 days in bed. She is slowly forgetting how to eat. We have been trying to feed her easy food like yogurt or ensure. She now where's diapers because she can't go to the bathroom any longer. We change her in bed.

It is this type of person that makes it hard for me to do what I do. I look at this lady and hope to God that this never happens to me or to any of my loved ones. It is hard to watch someone totally forget how to do something as simple and as natural as eating. I mean, we are born knowing how to suck to eat.

I knew that Alzheimer's was bad. I knew that people with it forget a lot of important things like who their family is. (This women told me she doesn't have any kids~she has two sons). I had NO idea that people forgot how to eat.

I hope that this woman is able to pass away quickly.

Fridays

Friday's used to be our day of rest and relaxation. I would pick up the kids from school early, 12:15, because Fridays are our early days. We would then go home, eat or pack a lunch, change clothes and head to the park where we would meet a bunch of friends. We would then sit there for hours and let the kids play and we would all talk. Sometimes, we wouldn't leave until dark.

Lately, though, Friday's haven't been as much fun. For instance, last Friday we couldn't go to the park at all because I had to work. Yesterday, I had a mandatory staff meeting so I had to be late. I also had to work last night. Which means, we only got to stay for about an hour. I sure miss hanging out with my friends with no where to go and nothing to do.

There are things in my life that have changed so much in the last four months since I started working. I know that going to school and working is something I have to do for my family and someday, I will have time for friends again. For now though, it just sucks.

Test

Tomorrow I have my first biology test. I wasn't nervous until our teacher gave us a 15 question practice exam today. Let's just say that I thought I was understanding what I was hearing from him.

The first day of class Mr. M said that we shouldn't worry about reading the book thoroughly. We should "look at the book as a resource" and only go to it when we needed questions answered. I was willing to believe him on this because it is a BIG SCARY book!



See how thick it is? Ok, so maybe the picture doesn't quite do it justice, but take my work for it.

So, when he had us take the quiz today, I found out that Mr. M lied! Half of the questions were directly out of the book and stuff he barely talked about in his lectures.

Can you guess what I will be doing half the night? Yep, reading my new friend - The Big Scary Book.

Sick Cont...

Today started at around 1:00 am with L, the seven year old, sobbing in the night. I am not talking about a little cry. I am talking about heart wrenching sobs. His ear hurt. Great. I stumbled through the house to the medicine cabinet. I was in desperate need of Children's Tylenol. I gave him some and told him that I know his ear hurt but please stop crying, everyone else is sleeping. I even offered to let him sleep in my room. He said that he could "handle" it in his bed.

So, now I had to keep him home from school because we needed to go see the doctor. I was able to get an appointment for 3:30 pm.

In the meantime, B had to see the dentist at 8:30 am. Hubby took the other two kids to school and then raced B to the dentist so she wouldn't be late. Her tooth had been hurting her for a couple of weeks, but I kept forgetting to make an appointment, of course. The dentist had to pull the tooth in question, poor girl. It was a molar that wasn't loose and was blocking the grown up one from growing in. Let's just say that the plan was to take her to school, I kept her home the rest of the day instead.

L's doctor appointment went fast, Thank God. He has a blister on his ear drum that may rupture. Sounds great, doesn't it? Sigh. No wonder it hurts! and I ask him not to cry. What a shitty mom. Hopefully I am just making him stronger, or something like that.

Sick

The baby (who is two and a half years old) got really sick this weekend. Since she was born, she has always been susceptible to croup, the cough that sounds like a seals bark. She gets it 3 to 4 times a year. We own a nebulizer (a machine you put medicine into to help her breath) and all the equipment that goes with it. Usually, I can control the croup with a whole lot of steam at about three in the morning.

This weekend was different. She had started a cough on Thursday. By Saturday morning she was wheezing with each breath. I took her to the emergency center called Instacare at 10am. We got to sit in the wonderful waiting room (note sarcasm) for 2 hours. WooHoo. Anyway, when they finally called us back, the oxygen in her blood was measuring at 91% (this is quite low, not horrible, but not good) and her pulse was pretty high at 140 beats per minute. The doc decided to take chest x-rays to see if there was anything in her lungs. There was quite a bit of stuff in her lungs and she was flaring her nostrils with each breath. The doc gave us a liquid steroid to give her orally, Albuterol (which is the inhalant steroid), and an antibiotic.

After being in Instacare for 3 hours, we finally got to leave and get the prescriptions filled. We headed over to Target. I had to call Hubby to tell him to meet me there because I was going to be late to work and I couldn't get anyone to cover my shift. Leaving her with Hubby (yes, her dad) was really hard. I have never EVER had to leave her or any of the other kids when they were that sick. EVER. For the first time since I started working 3 1/2 months ago, I wished I could quit.

She is doing great now. The antibiotics are knocking out whatever she had and we have only had to use the breathing machine 4 times. Daddy did a good job but it still wasn't me.

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