Last Day Of February

As you may have noticed, we are looking forward to March and the season change it brings. In theory. We usually still have snow through April, but we can hope. The daylight is already around MUCH later than it was, and that makes me so very happy. I planted daffodils last fall and I can't wait to see if they pop up and if they do, if they flower.

Speaking of flowers, after Christmas I bought an amarylis on sale for 97 cents and subsequently forgot all about it. I just found the box tonight and when I opened it, it had not only grown, it had FLOWERED. In the box. Without light. Without soil. Without water. Isn't that amazing?

Speaking of flowers some MORE, yesterday Jake dropped me off at work because he needed to go grocery shopping. He had the boys with him. To my surprise just before lunch they stopped by and Jake had a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me! I wasn't able to bring them to my desk because we have a no-scent policy and there's at least one woman who's very allergic to flowers especially. But woo hoo he certainly got tons of brownie points with me (and with my friends at work).

Happy March tomorrow!

happy birthday to me
happy birthday to me
happy birthday to meeee
happy birthday to me

Hayden - adenoid-free for 12 hours and counting

So here's the thing. Hayden and I went to North Bay to see the Ear Nose Throat specialist and have his tubes put in and adenoids removed. We stayed at Carol and BJ's house overnight last night, got up at 6am this morning, and were at the hospital for 7am. He got to wear a really cute little pair of scrub-like pj's and was super cute! Jake and I had explained to him about his operation over the past few days, but of course he didn't really get it. He said he did though. After we waited and read a bunch of books from Anya's library and he weighed himself about 20 times on the large scale next to his crib/bed, the anesthesiologist and two nurses came to get him. I wasn't allowed to go with him into the prep area, so I said goodbye and they wheeled him away in a little green wagon. He looked a little nervous, but he had his Dragon Tails toy that Jake had given him for Valentine's day, and a little monkey that Anya lent him. About 30 minutes later Dr Prinja came out and said he was done and it had gone perfectly. Hayden was just coming out of the anesthetic and I'd probably be allowed to go see him once he was more coherent. Another half hour later instead of being called in, I saw two nurses pushing Hayden's crib/bed/gourney through the big double doors, and Hayden sitting up in bed with blankets and his little stuffed friends still watching him protectively. He had an IV, which the nurse had told be they put in after he was asleep. Smart thinking! I'd wondered about that. We settled back into the ward, and I told him how brave he was. He stared into space. He had bloody crusty nostrils and some blood on his lips. The nurse brought him some water and wanted him to drink a bunch of it to induce vomiting, but he only managed one swallow. Later he managed one swallow of apple juice. Later again she brought him a freezie and it prompted him to want more water and more juice, so he drank a bunch. When the nurse came back to take out his IV, she thought it had stopped bleeding and a minute after she took the pressure off to take out the tweety bird bandaid SPLOOP blood squirted from his hand. She quickly covered it from Hayden's view and reapplied pressure, but he turned ghost white. She told him to lie down while she finished up with the bandaid. A couple minutes after she left, he puked. The nurses had told me that during the surgery some of the blood and other stuff goes down the back of the throat and is swallowed, so that is why it's good he threw it up. It helps them feel better faster. And there it was. I rang for the nurse because it was going everywhere (is this too gross?) and she came with a nursy friend and they were both soo happy he'd thrown up! She cleaned him up with a few warm wet cloths and towels, he put on his regular clothes and 10 minutes later we were in the parking lot! The difference in him was amazing after the puke. He went from dopey drowzy zoned-out Hayden to the regular inquisitive happy Hayden in no time flat! While he was recovering he had told me several times "I just want to get out of here" in his super quiet little Hayden way. Poor baby. ("I'm not a baby, I'm a big boy!") We went back to Carol's house and he played quietly and drank some juice slowly and I made jello (which I just remembered I forgot in her freezer and am calling her right now to inform of such) and he ate a few animal crackers. Carol went to the store and picked up his four (!) prescriptions for me, because I was super tired. She also (smart girl) picked up some ready-made jello and some yummy sandwiches and salads for our lunch. Then we packed up and headed home. Sage and Jake and Tilly all greeted us with kisses and jumping up on us and squeals of happiness. Hayden played and seemed his chipper little self. He'd dozed off and on during the 1 1/2 hour ride home. He has tylenol with codine for pain, ear drops, nose spray, and antibiotics. So far (knock on wood) he's not protesting any of these treatments. We have him booked off daycare and school this week, but I predict he will be able to attend by the end of the week. We will see :)

My blog makes me feel guilty

I've been sick lately.
I work full time.
I have two kids?

I'm feeling really guilty about the neglect I've been amounting on my blog. I had previously explained why I wouldn't apologize for not writing. But now I feel so overwhelmingly guilty about not keeping updates going here.. I think one is going to slip out.

imsosorry!!!!

yep. There it is.

I'm not the only working mother out there. Why can't I find time to blog? Have I lost interest? I think mostly it's that I'm very interested (not addicted) to an online role playing game City of Villains/City of Heroes. Most of the interest is because it's social time with my sister and/or her DH. They play too. We run around as Heroes beating up bad guys (or good guys if we're Villains that night) getting experience points and picking new cool powers when we level up. It's fun even when they're NOT online, but having daily fun playing games with my family is really rewarding.

I have to cut this short as we are going shopping for

Originally on Facebook - Opinion Poll

Okay here's a poll I want to take. How do YOU say COTTON CANDY? do you say COTTON candy? or cotton CANDY? (the caps word has the emphasis) Let me know. I have been trying to show my friend Mindi the error of her ways (she erroniously says cotton CANDY) for 13 years.

Mindi Funk at 10:42pm February 5
I would like to vote for cotton CANDY.

Jennifer Huss at 11:08pm February 5
You don't get a vote.

Mindi Funk at 11:16pm February 5
Oh. :(

Rhiannon Pollino at 12:46am February 6
I find myself saying both ways or should i say all 3 ways with the emphasis on both words, when talking to the kids and we are really excited. but who am i, just someone from the dumb ol states. lol I guess i wasnt any help!

Sassy Chris Nerpin at 7:17am February 6
Sorry Jen I am with Mindi... I always have the emphasis on the CANDY part

Doreen Hicks at 7:53am February 6
Oh its got to be cotton CANDY because the CANDY is the exciting part. Not appealing to be eating cotton.

Mindi Funk at 12:22pm February 6
Hahaha! The woman makes a good point. Go mama. :P LOL

Jennifer Huss at 8:20pm February 6
Doreen I'm not surprised you also say cotton CANDY because you are Mindi's mother and she could only have learned the wrongness from you. Blame blame blame. Nature vs nurture again proves nurture wins. And I take your vote away because of it. *yoink* Sabrina you are from a tiny little town about the size of the one Mindi grew up in (and Doreen still lives in) and therefore your vote doesn't count either. Rhiannon, only 2/3rds of your vote counts. And the states aren't dumb. And you were a help! well, 2/3rds of help anyway. Seriously people, COTTON candy, to describe what kind of candy! Say it to yourselves a few times, the RIGHT way. COTTON candy. COTTON candy. COTTON candy. Why would you have to emphasize the candy part? Emphasizing the candy part suggests you thought people mistakenly thought you were eating cotton UNDERWEAR or cotton T-SHIRTS. What kind of candy are you eating? COTTON candy. What kind of sandwich are you eating? TUNA fish. not tuna FISH. See?

Tanya Borsuk at 9:23pm February 6
hmm...actually I think I say COTTON CANDY. No preferential emphasis. Am I broken?

Jennifer Huss at 12:15am February 7
nope. Cotton Candy with no particular emphasis counts towards the COTTON candy vote. :)

Iris Hollander at 8:26am February 7
I think i say it like your friend Mindi. I've never heard anyone say it any other way actually. Emphasis always on the Candy.

Tanya Borsuk at 4:48pm February 7
now I think you're just making up rules......

Jennifer Huss at 11:31pm February 7
Tanya, now whatever gave you that idea ? *flutters bambi eyelashes*

I think I give up trying to convert you guys. But *I* will never convert. Never. I'll be like Picard in that episode where he gets kidnapped by the rogue Romulan who then tortures him and tries to make him say he sees five lights when there are only four. And Picard never says there are five, even though he's beaten and tortured for so long, they never get his spirit. But one of the last shots of the torture chamber scenes the camera shows you that Picard ended up really seeing five lights, even though he didn't admit it. Except I don't see five lights. I don't pronounce it cotton CANDY. Me and Picard = the same. I miss Star Trek.

Rhiannon Pollino at 1:19am February 8
this is funny to read up on. so where did my 2/3 come in? ok so the states arent dumb...i know its just me lol it seems to run in my family a bit. dont worry jake doesnt have that dumb gene. but any who i am loving this debate! love ya

Jennifer Huss at 9:53am February 8
Well, as you so intelligently noticed, there are in fact THREE ways of saying Cotton Candy. The right way, the wrong way, and the OMGIGOTTAHAVESOMENOW excited way. Therefore if you, Rhiannon, say it all THREE ways then you are right 2/3 of the time. As stipulated above, saying it in the uber-excited way counts towards the right way.I'm glad you're enjoying the debate! I am too. I think I'll put this whole thing on my blog: www.hussicots.blogspot.com[Any objections to me posting this are too late as I am going to do it now.]

Jennifer Huss at 9:55am February 8
PS Jake's got a little bit of dumb in him :P relating to the nature vs nurture topic also discussed above.

February already?

Well it's February and I've hardly blogged this year at all. Sorry about that. Days are short and computer time is being spent playing City of Heroes/Villains.

Hayden started school yesterday! We decided in January that French Emersion would be a great idea, and then took it a step further to start him now so he wouldn't be behind in the fall. Regular kindergarten is 100% French all day every day.

We went to meet Madam Monique on Monday after school was finished and she showed Hayden where to keep his shoes, coat, and everything else. He was SUPER excited and didn't want to leave. He goes for the full day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday.