Sam's Valentines Flowers

Sam received flowers from her mom for Valentine's Day!

It's great when children receive presents that they do not expect - especially presents that are better appreciated by adults. 

Not knowing what to do, Sam took them out of the box, kept the paper on them, and place them in a vase.  With no water.

Sigh.

Paper removed, water added, flowers appreciated.

Deep Impact

Poor TJ is constipated to the point where he has a major blockage in his bowels.  He was starting to soil his underwear and could never predict when he needed to poop.  We finally realized that we were dealing with a matter larger than adding more fiber to his diet and took him to the doctor yesterday.

TJ has long suffered from poops that rival a grown mans, or a small horse.  No, seriously.  If there was a website to post pictures of bowel movements TJ's would be winners.  Often.  And while we used to marvel at their size, we failed to realize that this wasn't healthy.  TJ would strain until he finally got the point where he was holding it in and became impacted.

The doctor confirmed what we suspected and sealed it with an X-ray showing the blockage.  There is only one way to clear that blockage and TJ received not one, but two Fleet enemas within 12 hours of one another.

Because he hasn't learned any of the hang-ups of having things put in your butt he took his medicine with ease.  Within five minutes there was a wince on his face and loud "Ker-Sploosh".  Lisa and I helped him through the process with words of encouragement, back rubs, and helping clean up.

The good news is that with a few months of additional medicine he will get back to normal bowl movements without medicine or enemas.  The doctor thanked us for addressing this as early as we did which shocked us because we thought we waited too long.  I imagine all those families thinking that their kids were pooping their pants by accident for reasons other than a medical one.   

I am so glad that we didn't blame the child for a problem that was beyond his control.

I am so glad that TJ is getting back on schedule.

 

Report from HR

Well. . . . the underlings have been growling. . . . not happy with the HR department. Apparently, the division is not communicating enough with the outside world. . . or chronicling the chaotic happenings of a household with two children under the age of 5 and one child a full blown teenager. Oh, and not to mention that the HR department has also experienced inordinate amount of stress in the professional arena. But alas, I digress. HR must listen to the rest of the house (isn't that what HR is supposed to do?)

As HR does, we work to develop and grow future talent. A good amount of time this past hear has been spent making sure children are doing their homework, following up on school assignments and making sure that little ones know their site words. Yes, TJ has started kindergarten; and yes, he has homework that needs to be done every school night. Its not too hard. Just time consuming. Something that helps to reinforce what TJ is learning in school. And he is not quite old enough to do homework unsupervised. So someone usually needs to be there with him, and that someone is usually HR.

Grant is also one that needs some supervision. He loves to get into EVERYTHING that he shouldn't. Forget all the toys in the corner of the living room. He wants to play with the toaster, the blender, the mixer, the whisk, the scissors and he really enjoys opening up the refrigerator and helping himself to whatever catches his eye. Following him around the house is a full time job in and of itself!

And then there is Samantha. The teen that needs love and attention but doesn't want to accept any of it. Thinks she is better at doing homework on her own. Thinks she is better studying on her own. And so I give her some space, but appropriately hover during the times that i think I can influence a change in a run on sentence or remind her that studying should take priority over watching "Stick It" for the 154,845 time. She requires a bit more finesse and strategy.

As HR does, we also help counsel and support the members of the team that need direction. My brother Bob has turned a corner with his health and mental state, but that too requires upkeep. From making sure his rent is payed, to visiting him when he is lonely, to giving him gift cards so he can eat, having him committed when he is off the deep end, and then working to keep his progress moving forward is a lot of work. Of course, the operations director has been helpful in this area too. HR would never be able to do this alone. Speaking of which. . . .

As HR does, we are all about putting the right people in the right positions at the right time. And, not to brag, but I think the right person (our operations exec) is also the best person to be our communications and marketing director. Our voice to the outside world and our blogger extraordinaire. Thanks, oh great one for being so GREAT! HR will do better to report things from our perspective, but remember a lot of times HR is not able to report the details in such confidential cases.

Krispy Kreme Challenge '13

Imagine running 5 miles with 8,000 complete strangers and your friend.  Most races are like that, lots of anonymous people all bent on beating their own personal records, in various forms of physical ability, where you might know only a couple of runners.  However, typical road races are most always fun; lots of camaraderie, running stories both pre and post race, and for whatever the distance is - a sense of community from start to finish. 

Ben and I Before The Race

The Krispy Kreme Challenge is not a typical road race.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  And while I have been chased for three miles by zombies, and plan on a 5k "challenge" run in the summer, and ran the Army Ten Miler, this particular themed race is different.  Quoting the back of the T-shirt, "5 Miles, 12 Doughnuts, 2400 Calories, 1 Hour."  That's right, at the half way mark for the KKC you stop and eat a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and then finish then next 2.5 miles with them churning in your belly until the finish.  All in under an hour.

My friend and running partner is Ben Jackson, one of the few adult friendships I really appreciate since I have moved to North Carolina.  Ben has kids close to my kids age, we go to the same church, drink the same beer, and generally share the same socio-political views.  Ben taunted me into entering this race and then started trash talking me on Facebook almost immediately after I signed up; just like any good friend would.

Starting on North Carolina State University the run goes down through Raleigh with it's halfway mark at the local Krispy Kreme.   We arrived an hour early and soon the crowd swelled to 8,000 runner and another 2,000 to 3,000 supporters.  Added to the early morning mayhem was that many participant - most NCSU students entered the costume event in the race.  Pac Man, Elvis, and UPS Delivery Guys all showed up as well as half a dozen college men in as little clothing and as much body paint as allowed by law.   It soon got so crowded that no one knew the race had started until the front cheered and the rest of us slowly began to  surge forward. 

I immediately lost Ben and began to tear through the jogging crowd by slipping to the outside and running on the sidewalk.  The first part of the run was going to be the easiest and fastest and I decided to get to the 2.5 mile point in a hurry.  A mile or so into the race I cut a corner and rolled my ankle bad enough to know that I'd need ice and ibuprofen later but not bad enough to slow down.

 

Born in Winston-Salem, NC, Krispy Kreme doughnuts are glazed culinary perfection - especially when they come right out of the oven.  The practically melt in your mouth.  When they are like that you can easily eat one and look to sneak that second one if no one is looking.

Coming around the corner there were tables lined for half a block with doughnut boxes stacked four or five high.  You grabbed a box and went to the parking lot of the Krispy Kreme and began to eat.  Of course to eat twelve doughnuts and still meet the hour time manners and etiquette go out the window.  You squish three or four together and either dip them in, or eat them with water to wash them down.  Only the most dedicated to "The Challenge" do it.

It took me a lot longer to eat my twelve than I expected.  I went with a mash of three, four times (instead of four, three time like Ben did) and it cost me time. 

The last 2.5 miles is not as hard as you might think.  All that sugar hits your system and you jolt back onto the course.

Until about half a mile from the finish.

And then you notice the weighty feeling in your gut and the sloshy motions it is doing.  God forbid you burp because it is the nastiest, vilest sweet smelling/tasting thing you can imagine.  So you slow down - even though you can see the finish line so you can finish without hurling. 

Crossing the finish line is like running into a mine field.  I never knew what a dozen doughnuts looked like after they had been eaten and then puked back up but now that I do I am good for life without ever having to see that again. 

But as I crossed I did look at the clock and it did read 59:17 (with time taken off at the start thanks to timing chip technology).  Challenge complete!

As I told Ben, "never again," he told me I might feel different about it in a few weeks and by next year will be ready to do it again. 

Probably not.  Before the race Ben and I joked that the Krispy Kreme Challenge was a dumb thing to do but probably not the dumbest thing we've ever done.  And although I didn't puke I wanted to.  I met the challenge, beat it, and am content to giving my spot to someone else next year.

Probably.