Freedom on two wheels!

Madi learned to ride her bike without training wheels this weekend. I was so proud, because Frank was the one who patiently taught her how to ride it. They were so excited.

Now she wants to practice every day. I got out in the street and took pictures of them yesterday. Libby wanted me to take a picture of her doing "tricks" and then Carlie had to show me her "tricks" too.







She wants her training wheels off now too. I told her we'd do that this weekend.

Busy Weekend

We went to the home El Dorado football game on Friday night. JB's grandpa (Ken) met us at Pizza Hut before the game and bought us pizza, then went to the game with us.

Frank's last home game was on Saturday at 10:30am. I didn't know it but Frank and Libby's Birth Dad had called and talked to Bob earlier in the week and told him they were coming to the game. Bob forgot to tell me!!!

So I get to the game, and we walk by this guy and he reaches out and pulls Libby's hair and grabs her. This Momma Bear had her karate chop out and was ready to do battle until I realized who it was!!! Mr. Robey brought his Mom with him and his grandson who is four. Frank and Libby think it's really cool that they are an Aunt and Uncle.

Saturday night we headed to Madison. My Grandma Obie is there visiting, and we spent the day with them on Sunday.

We got lots of family time in.

JB's Make-A-Wish Dog

JB was diagnosed with AML Leukemia when he was a Freshman in High School. He spent a month on a ventilator in the hospital. They gave him a 40% chance of living five years.

After JB got out of the hospital, the Make-A-Wish program offered him a Wish. Of all the things he could have asked for, what he requested was a dog. They went to the local animal shelter and he picked out Bo, a Black Lab mix.

I think he’d had his dog about six months when he found out that his Mom was moving to Pennsylvania. JB stayed in El Dorado and was living with friends. His Mom took Bo with her when she moved.

As we got to know JB and he told us his story, he said one of the most painful things that had happened was losing his Make-A-Wish dog.

His grandpa called me shortly before JB’s 18th birthday and asked if there was anything special JB would like for his birthday. I told his grandpa that the best gift he could get him would be to get his dog back for him. By that time, his Mom had been living in another state for two years. We weren’t even sure she still had his dog.

But his grandpa made a call, and his Mom said she’d be willing to bring Bo back to him when she came to visit at Christmas time.

So now JB has his Make-A-Wish dog back.

Wise Mr. Sock

I tried something out this morning with Carlie when she has her fits that my counselor suggested. I made a wise Mr Sock puppet.

She threw a fit because I pulled her hair back out of her face today and she wanted it down. So I got wise Mr Sock puppet out and made him tell her that her hair was beautiful and made him try to eat the sausage she was having for breakfast. She laughed so hard she forgot about her fit. She told me the next time I threw a fit she was going to use it on me. LOL.


Last night the other kids were at a neighbor's house, so I took Carlie with me to the store to buy some bread. She wanted to buy some candy, and I told her No. She said “I think you need to let me win this argument because you are big, and I am little!!!"

Halloween Decorations

I sent this picture of our Halloween Decorations to Granny, and she replied "PLEASE tell me that isn't where you buried the Hamster!!!!"

LOL.

More on the Death of Hannah

Bob's Niece, Arlena watches our kids for us when they get out of school. And as I've mentioned before our house always seems to be full of kids.

It turns out that when they found Hannah dead, Madolyn got hysterical. She went screaming up the stairs "Hannah's dead. She's been stabbed!!! She's been stabbed!!! She's DEEEEAAAAD!!!"

Well poor Lena, didn't know that Hannah was the HAMSTER. She thought there was a neighbor kid named Hannah down there who'd been stabbed and was dead. She said she nearly broke her neck running down the stairs to see who was hurt. It scared her to death!!!!

The craziness never ends at our house. Madi was playing with the remaining hamster, Angel, yesterday. I wake up to hysterical screaming. Apparently she set the hamster down for a second and Hunter, our cat, picked it up and took off running with it. Bob had to chase the cat down and get the hamster back. Luckily she was not hurt. Whew!!

Rest in Peace, Hannah.

The kids discovered today that one of their hamsters was dead. It was the one who was the escape artist. Libby had taken one of her friends downstairs to see the hamsters. Hannah wouldn't come out of her little house. When Libby lifted the house up, she was lying underneath it with her feet in the air.

Libby thought at first that she was dead because it was Frank's turn to feed them last night, and he hadn't done so. I explained to her that it wasn't anyone's fault, that the hamsters were just old.

Then she told me that the hamster's teeth were sticking out about three inches, and Frank had said that we were supposed to take the hamster to the vet to have its teeth trimmed regularly and that's why it was dead. I told her that the hamster's teeth were always like that, they were just normally covered up.

Then poor Libby told me that she'd been online all afternoon looking for Pet Cemeteries where we could bury her. I guess I'm lucky that I nipped that in the bud before I got a bill for a $600 hamster plot somewhere in California.

Lena (Bob's niece who watches the kids after school) tried to get them to throw it in the trash, but the kids wouldn't hear of it. They told her "How would you like if we just threw YOU in the trash after you died!!!!"

So I guess we have to have some kind of hamster funeral this weekend. Sigh!!!

Thrown out of Preschool

When we moved to Cleveland, Ok to both be teachers, it was 2002. The school system had a Non-For-Profit daycare that was available for teacher’s kids. It was cheap and convenient. The daycare was run by a board of teachers (all of them elementary teachers who had kids in the daycare).

We’d been in school for a few months when Bob and I were “called before the board”. By then, I was several months pregnant with Carlie and EXTREMELY irritable. We met with “the board” in one of the elementary classrooms, and I remember perching on one of the tiny little grade school chairs while these old biddies proceeded to tell me how awful my children were.

The more I listened to all the petty offenses, the angrier I became. They went on to tell me how their daycare was just not set up to handle “those kinds of children”. Finally, I blew I gasket. I stood and looked the snottiest one in the eye and began to speak

“You’re worried about MY son throwing a shoe at your daughter right now. What you SHOULD be worrying about is that no one is willing to take the time to help “Those kinds of children”. What you SHOULD be worrying about is whether or not my son will grow up and AXE MURDER your daughter in 20 years, because no one would take the time to help him when he was LITTLE.”

You could have heard a pin drop, and then the woman burst into tears and ran out of the room. The whole time I’m talking, Bob has me by my shirt tale saying “Julie….Julie….calm down Julie”. LOL. Poor Bob.

What’s even funnier is that this woman had twin girls who were Frank’s age. When they were in first grade, one of her twins was in Frank’s class and fell head over heads in love with him!!! We’d run into them in the store and the little girl would be hollering “FRANK!!! Frank!!! I love you Frankie!!!” And you could hear her Mother hissing at her to be quiet.

Until we moved away, I’d secretly hoped they’d get married some day. Hehehe. Karma gets you every time.

P.S. They still threw them out of the daycare, despite my speech!!! But we found a much better one!

Cinderella with a 'Tude

Carlie loves to play with her figurines on the landing of the stairs. Bob and I were sitting in the living room watching TV the other day when we hear her loudly declare "Prince Charming!!! You take me to the TOP of the castle. Capesh?!?!?!?"

Oh, some poor boy is going to have his hands full some day!!!

I love the sound of Screamin’ in the Mornin’

All I could think of this morning as I drove to work was Robert Duval’s character in Apocalypses Now yelling “I LOVE the smell of Napalm in the mornin’”

Normally Bob drops the kids off at school on his way to work, but he had to go early today for a faculty meeting. It shouldn’t be a hard thing to do. I have four able bodied children that are able to carry their own bags to the car and buckle themselves in. Should be a simple thing…..but not in the Pooligan household.

I told them as they gathered their stuff that they needed a jacket because it was cold outside. I got a chorus of “We don’t need a jacket…it’s not cold.” And out the door they went.

As I am gathering MY bags and trying to get out the door, I am nearly run over by a herd of children stampeding back into the house to get their jackets because it IS cold out there. Three of the four children go stampeding back out to the car. Carlie is in her room screaming to beat a banshee because she does not like the only jacket she can find. “Well TOUGH.” I wrestle the jacket on to her and herd her out the door…still bawling.

We get to the mini-van, and there are two car seats. One has padding and one does not. Because Carlie wouldn’t put her jacket on, Madi beat her to the van and got the “good” car seat. Carlie again starts bawling because she has the “Cold” car seat. I stop the van and refuse to go anywhere until she gets in the seat and puts her seat belt on.

In the mean time, Frank and Libby have gotten into it over something in the back seat. It escalates to Frank throwing a water bottle at Libby. I get that stopped and we proceed on to school.

Once at school, Libby does something else to Frank and he goes off on her screaming at her and throwing things at her. I told Frank that I’m not going to let him go into the school until he’s got control over himself. Our mini-van has self closing doors. He tries to dodge me and jump out the mini-van door. I push the button and shut it in his face. He opens it again, and it remains open just long enough for him to throw his trumpet case out before I get it closed again. Keep in mind; we are in the loading zone in front of the school with millions of people watching. He tries to open it again, and this time manages to throw his book bag out the door before I get it shut again. By this time I’m got him by the coat tale.

He sits down and I drive into a parking place to let him cool down before I let him go. He’s sitting their scowling, pouting and cursing. I inform him that some kid has picked up his trumpet case and is walking off with it. Frank proceeds to scream “I hate my trumpet anyway. And I hate school….and I’m not going. And I hate you too!!!”

So we sit there. Finally, I decide that I am driving him over to his school build WITHOUT his book bag and trumpet. When I put the car in gear, he decides he doesn’t want me to drive off and leave them there. So he says he’ll get out and get them. But by this time they are gone. So he goes into the school to see if someone took them inside. As he goes in the front door, the Principal comes out a side door with Frank’s book bag and trumpet. I wave the principal down and he looks at me kind of funny. I explain WHY Frank’s book bag and trumpet were lying on the side of the road. He finds Frank and gives him his stuff and sends him on his way to his building.

Oh YEAH!!!. I LOVE the sound of Screamin' in the Mornin'!!!!"

September Quotes

Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery. - Anne Frank
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Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. - Dali Lama
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You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu
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Family .... A little world created by love.
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When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers
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I Know Where Babies Come Out At

Last summer, Carlie had just turned four years old. Out of the blue one day she came up to me and blurted out “I know where babies come out at!!!” Always interested in what’s going to come out of her mouth, I say “Oh, really, where’s that?” She replies in a sing-song voice “They come out your WEEEEN-NEEER!!!”

After I got my voice back, I said “Carlie, girls don’t have wieners (not a word we use anyway), only boys have wieners.”

She thinks about it a second and goes “Oh, I already know that. Because girls have vaginas and they are THIS small (and she rolls her index finger against her thumb to indicate a small opening) and boys have a Penis and they are THIS big (and she spreads her hands about 12 inches apart!!!!

Now, I haven’t even really had the birds and bees talk with my 9 and 10 year old yet, so I demand “WHO told you that????” And she goes “Well, my Daddy did!!!”

Boy did I have some questions for my husband when he came in that night!! At first he vehemently denied it. Then he decided that she MIGHT have been listening a few weeks before when he was talking to Frank about some birds and bees stuff.

THANKS, Bob!!!

I tried to explain to Carlie that this was very big girl stuff and was not to be discussed in Pre-school. I didn’t want her giving her version of sex Ed to the whole preschool class!!

What Your Car Says About You

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0932396.html

According to the article above, since I own a Navy Blue colored car, it means that I'm "Credible, confident, dependable". And that might be true. But the other day I was looking at my car and realized it says even more about me.

I drive a 2006 Pontiac Solstice. It's a sporty two seater, and that definitely shows my "go-get-em" personality. But I noticed a few other things about my car that were also telling. For one thing, the top of my black convertible roof was covered in long white cat hair. Hmmmmm.

Then I noticed that if was very dirty. Because when you have FIFTEEN MILLION (well okay only FIVE, but it seems like FIFTEEN MILLION sometimes) kids, you seldom have time to wash your sports car.

And then in the thick layer of dirt on my car, I noticed that four little fingers had trailed in the dust in a curly-que pattern all the way entirely around my car. And I just smiled!!!

Honk, Honk, Honk, Hooooonnk!!!

I think I've mentioned before that my husband is an optimist.....while I am what I call a "REALIST".

When the kids were really little, Bob would often leave them in the car with it running. I was constantly griping at him about this "Don't you know what could happen? They could get out of their car seats and put the car in gear. Someone could get in it and drive off." Yadda, yadda, Yadda.

Bob would always blow me off. That would NEVER happen, etc, etc.

Well one summer when Frank was 4 and Libby was 3, he had to go move the sprinklers on the football practice fields. There were a couple of them which mean he had to walk about 200 yards away from the mini-van. Because it was hot, he left it running with the kids in the car.

He got about 200 yrds away from the car, on the back side of one of the practice fields when he hears "Honk, honk, honk, Hooooooonk!!!!" Frank and Libby had unbuckled from their car seats and were honking out a tune on the mini-van horn. And Bob was 200 yards away.

The practice field was full of people, and they are all watching as Bob (who weighed about 400lbs at the time) is running back to the mini-van at a dead sprint in the heat. The whole way back they are merrily honking out tunes. He didn't leave them in the car by themselves any more after that!

A Moment In Time

Yesterday morning, the kids didn't have school. It was so nice to be able to get ready for work at a leisurely pace instead of having to get four kids ready in addition to myself.

I was in the bathroom and I see a flash of pink heading towards my bed. I couldn't resist climbing back into bed with Carlie for a moment. We cuddled up under the covers and were tickling and giggling. Just a few minutes later Madi joined us. I laid there in bed with their warm little bodies pressed up against me...whispering and giggling. I could have stayed there all day.

But it was a glorious Moment in Time. One that I want to remember.

It's In The Kiss

This weekend, lipstick "kisses" began appearing on the walls of our house. The first one I found was down low on the wall and no one knew a THING about how it got there.

However, the next one I found was kid height. Again, NO ONE, knew how it got there. It was too low for Libby unless she was leaning down. That one was TOO BIG. So next I lined Carlie up next to the kiss. It COULD have been her, if she got up on her tip toes. That one was TOO SMALL. Then I lined up Madi....Hmmm....that one was JUST RIGHT.

So she got to spend the afternoon cleaning lip stick marks off the walls.

Bob's Weight Loss Site

http://www.solutionsforlifewichita.com/testimonials_bob_pool.php

Bob Pool
Address: Towanda, KS
Surgical Procedure: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Total pounds lost: 150

Body Mass Index before surgery: 53
Body Mass Index after surgery: 33
Percentage of excess body weight lost: 70%
Physical activity before surgery:
Physical activity after surgery:
Triglycerides before surgery:
Triglycerides after surgery:
Blood pressure before surgery: 130/84
Blood pressure after surgery: 120/80



Since I have started planning for having the gastric bypass surgery I have lost over 150 lbs. I have lost large amounts of weight previous to this, but I have always put the weight right back on plus another 25 lbs."

"I am probably different than most people that have this surgery, as I was in pretty good shape for the shape I was in (round). I worked out pretty regularly walking and coaching football. I lifted weights and ate like a horse. I would say that I was a stress eater and would gain 50-60 lbs every football season. Most years I would lose it all, but it was getting more difficult to lose the weight as I got older. I have 4 small children and it seemed to me that keeping up with them was getting tougher."

"I dropped 50 lbs during football season I have more stamina and am able to do more things. I am currently coaching my son's little league basketball team and I am able to buy clothes in a regular store (no more big and tall shops for me, thank you). I really do not miss food; I was not a big sweet eater so I have not had many cravings. I try really hard to stay on schedule with my diet (it is not as easy as I thought it would be). It seemed easier when I was preparing for surgery. I do not eat sweets at all and I keep my water bottle with me all the time. I find it difficult to avoid salty crunchy foods unless I just make a concentrated effort."

"The biggest change I see is that I am satisfied after a few bites of just about anything. I do not like some things that I just loved before. I really pay attention to fat and sugar content. I have been ill from things I have eaten that were not supposed to be bad. I have dumped [dumping syndrome] once or twice it is a great motivator for me (I hate being ill)."

"My wife and I [both had gastric bypass surgery] are both very pleased with the results. I am thankful my wife decided to have the procedure. I would have never had it until I saw the energy it gave her. We have gone from being a basically sedentary couple to an active fit family."

Granny is Retiring

She's spent many years in the school system helping the kids who struggle the most. And now she is retiring.

Posted is this year's school picture. She's lost about 40lbs and is looking great!

They don't pay paraeducators much. Granny always did it because she enjoyed it. When she told her grandkids she was retiring almost everyone them said "But Granny, what will you do for money??? How will you pay your bills???" I guess they don't think Papaw makes enough money to support them!!!

Julie's Weight Loss Anniversary

Today is the two year anniversary of my weight loss surgery. Below is my testimonial from the Solutions for Life Website. The link below contains my commerical I made for them, if you'd like to see it.

http://www.solutionsforlifewichita.com/testimonials_julie_pool.php

Success Stories
Julie Pool
Address: Towanda, KS
Surgical Procedure: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Total pounds lost: 104

Body Mass Index before surgery: 44
Body Mass Index after surgery: 27
Percentage of excess body weight lost: 80%
Physical activity before surgery: 0
Physical activity after surgery: 3 miles, 3 times a week
Triglycerides before surgery: 357
Triglycerides after surgery:
Blood pressure before surgery: 118/86
Blood pressure after surgery: 102/60

"I did not become overweight until my late 20s. Over the course of several years, I put on a large amount of weight. Every year, I’d put on another 10-20 lbs. I’m a Type A personality... a successful career woman and mom to five kids. On the inside I was driven, aggressive, busy, successful... but on the outside I was overweight, tired, slow and dumpy. The way I looked and felt was impacting my life. Since I had surgery a year ago, my life has changed drastically. I have lost 104 lbs. I now jog 3 miles at a time 3 or more times a week. My outsides now match my insides. "

"Because I was so overweight, I had stopped caring completely how I looked. I selected clothing that was comfortable and baggy. I did not bother keeping my hair done or wearing makeup. I was so overweight, I felt like fixing myself up wouldn’t make a difference. After I lost the weight, I had a makeover. I got a stylish hair cut and started wearing make up again. Of course, I had to go shopping, and updated my wardrobe. I remember how exciting it was to be able to shop in the regular section of a store instead of having to shop on the Plus side."

"My husband also had gastric bypass surgery about six months after I had it. Together we have lost 250lbs!!! Our five children also share in the benefits. We are now an active and fit family. We eat healthier food in more appropriate portion sizes. We no longer eat out all the time. My older kids jog with me, and we frequently take walks as a family. People frequently tell me that I look ten years younger, and I definitely FEEL ten years younger."

"Before I had surgery, I was pre-diabetic and was having trouble with high cholesterol and high triglycerides. My resting heart rate was in the 100-120 beats per minute range. All of those issues have now resolved. My resting heart rate is now in the 60s, and my blood pressure was 102/60 the last time I had it checked. I recently went to my endocrinologist whom I hadn’t seen since right before surgery. His comment was “Wow, you look so... so NORMAL."

"I tell my friends that some people look back at their wedding pictures and say “Wow, look how skinny we were. “ My husband and I look back at our wedding picture and say “Wow, look how overweight we were!!!"

"A big “thank you” to Dr. Jonathan Dort and Solutions for Life / Via-Christi."

Football Pictures

Just wanted to post some of my football pictures.