In the last few days I discovered I had not posted since the end of May. So I am going to attempt to catch up over the next few posts. Since the Memorial Day Holiday life spun out of control. Besides my involvement with Levine Cardiac Kids (LCK) and Family Advisory Council (FAC) at Levine Children's Hospital and the required meetings, I feeling like I have been chasing the bus I missed.
I attended a meeting at the hospital where we invited families who had recently joined LCK. We met some amazing families. I met the Jackson family whose son is in the hospital now and earlier last week had his third open heart surgery and reached the 100 day mark in the hospital. I am not going to lie I felt incredibly blessed Madelynn was only in the hospital just under 30 days all together. The strength it requires to be a parent of a heart patient or any other chronically ill child is almost unbearable.
In talking to some of these families and my heart family friends, I discovered something I am not sure I ever did until recently. At some point in life you have to grieve the loss of the perfect baby with all 10 fingers and toes. You have to let go of the normal life you dreamed about and accept the massive curve in the road during a rainstorm that is now your life.
For us personally, we had to accept all the 'ologists', the revolving door medical bills and most important find the new "normal"; what ever the he** that is. I used to shelter Madelynn and I believe in some cases hold her back. But I have discovered when given the chance to fly she will soar with the best of them.
Don't get me wrong there will always be that reality check when we walk through the pediatric cardiologist door and I mentally hold my breath until we walk out. Most parents just get an annual physical for their child, Madelynn also has to get a heart and lung check too. Because of the way Madelynn was diagnosed, I am always leery walking into the appointments. I will never assume everything will be fine again.
On a day to day basis, I let go of that stomach twisting chaos and focus on the fact that Madelynn will be four at the end of the summer, can write her name, log-on the computer and play games and asks a plethora of questions everyday. The amount of questions she wants answered is absolutely exhausting. However, I just remind myself it is how she learns.
Every heart family has a different but similar journey and are also at different mile markers on that road. Knowing we are all traveling together and there are certain things you never have to explain to them is a huge comfort. I am grateful to them and hope I can always return the favor to new families.
TTFN~
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Monday, June 18, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Fresh Perspective
Recently I have been volunteering for many things. I am not sure why but opportunities have arisen and I have a hard time saying no. With my job and the hours I work the only time I don't see my children is when they are in school.
Don't get me wrong most people would kill to have a job like mine. I take them to school I am there every day to greet them off the bus and help with homework. I am ALWAYS there. At some point in life, I hope that I see the fruit of that labor.
Some days it truly is a labor. Over the last 4-6 months I have felt just pure exhaustion. Finally one day I just looked at Phil and said I need to get out I will be back in a few hours. I had no idea where I would go or what I would do I just grabbed my purse, keys and left.
I didn't go far.....just the consignment stores.....my favorite places. One day I discovered 7 of them within a 5 mile radius from my home. Suddenly, with the help of Pinterest, the consignment shops and some creative juices I have found a new energy.
One corner of my home has been bare since I bought it 13 years ago. Everything I have tried to place there just never works. But then I found a very cool table for $18.00, made a photo display for $5.00, basket and boxes for $18.00, a wooden plaque for $9.00 and rod iron candlesticks from another part of the house and came up with this......
The store I bought the table from has quickly become my favorite place to browse for ideas. The same day I bought the table I also bought a piece of wrought iron. When the lady rang me up she asked what I would do with it. I told her I wasn't quite sure yet. She asked me to post a picture once I decided. She said sometimes it is hard to sell because people aren't sure what to do with it.
With my existing 'fantle' (faux mantle), the wrought iron I bought for $21.00, a basket from my collection, left over mason jars from canned green beans and some bulbed plants I accidentally pulled with the weeds I put this together.....
Still stewing about whether to put something in the basket but for now I was pleased with the result.
We also discovered that our roof had sustained some hail damage over the last year and was needing replaced. Once the insurance paperwork was complete, one Saturday we watched the house get a new 'do'.
We were very pleased with the result. Still waiting for a nice clear day similar to the day it was installed to get a completed picture. But it looks a hundred times better.
Sometimes we get into such a rut of the daily grind we need a fresh perspective to continue the drive. I have about three more projects in the works. I will post once they are completed and placed.
Every year about this time we find something about the house that needs a new beginning. It's funny how it always happens around Easter. Good Luck finding a fresh perspective.
TTFN~
Don't get me wrong most people would kill to have a job like mine. I take them to school I am there every day to greet them off the bus and help with homework. I am ALWAYS there. At some point in life, I hope that I see the fruit of that labor.
Some days it truly is a labor. Over the last 4-6 months I have felt just pure exhaustion. Finally one day I just looked at Phil and said I need to get out I will be back in a few hours. I had no idea where I would go or what I would do I just grabbed my purse, keys and left.
I didn't go far.....just the consignment stores.....my favorite places. One day I discovered 7 of them within a 5 mile radius from my home. Suddenly, with the help of Pinterest, the consignment shops and some creative juices I have found a new energy.
One corner of my home has been bare since I bought it 13 years ago. Everything I have tried to place there just never works. But then I found a very cool table for $18.00, made a photo display for $5.00, basket and boxes for $18.00, a wooden plaque for $9.00 and rod iron candlesticks from another part of the house and came up with this......
The store I bought the table from has quickly become my favorite place to browse for ideas. The same day I bought the table I also bought a piece of wrought iron. When the lady rang me up she asked what I would do with it. I told her I wasn't quite sure yet. She asked me to post a picture once I decided. She said sometimes it is hard to sell because people aren't sure what to do with it.
With my existing 'fantle' (faux mantle), the wrought iron I bought for $21.00, a basket from my collection, left over mason jars from canned green beans and some bulbed plants I accidentally pulled with the weeds I put this together.....
Still stewing about whether to put something in the basket but for now I was pleased with the result.
We also discovered that our roof had sustained some hail damage over the last year and was needing replaced. Once the insurance paperwork was complete, one Saturday we watched the house get a new 'do'.
We were very pleased with the result. Still waiting for a nice clear day similar to the day it was installed to get a completed picture. But it looks a hundred times better.
Sometimes we get into such a rut of the daily grind we need a fresh perspective to continue the drive. I have about three more projects in the works. I will post once they are completed and placed.
Every year about this time we find something about the house that needs a new beginning. It's funny how it always happens around Easter. Good Luck finding a fresh perspective.
TTFN~
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Success....
Everyone grades success with a different scale. With all the roller coaster rides this family has been on the last 24 hours has been a good smooth ride. We were due for a BIG grocery run. I mean big. You name it we were out of it. In the last 24 hours I have been to 5 different stores to get all the necessary items to keep this household running. Crazy I know but we like particular foods and they are only sold in certain stores.
Since returning from the last store earlier this afternoon I have gotten it all put away, cleaned up the kitchen after making homemade dish washing soap found here, and Homemade Granola found here. I have run the dishwasher hoping my homemade dish washing soap would work. I was AMAZINGLY very surprised. It works GREAT. It cost me less than $15.00 and will probably last me 6 months or more.
While I was anxiously awaiting the dishwasher to get done I was surfing Pinterest. I discovered a new way to cook hard boiled eggs. This was sooooo stinkin' simple I would have NEVER believed it had I not tried it for myself. Ready for this.....take an egg out of the refrigerator (or as many as you want to cook), place each egg in your muffin pan (open per hole), preheat your oven to 325 degrees (yes your oven), place the muffin pan in the oven for 30 minutes. When you pull the pan back out of the oven, spoon each egg out and place it in cold water for about a minute, then peel.
When I cut the peeled egg open I was speechless. I found a perfectly cooked bright yellow centered egg. Katie was so excited it was gone before I could take a picture. In 40 years I have never figured out how to not overcook a hard boiled egg until TODAY!!
Right now I am finishing a glass of wine and my whole house smells of the homemade granola. I can't wait try it out in the morning. Between meals, stopping home between stores and the things I made today I think I cleaned my kitchen 6 times today. But it was well worth the success of today.
TTFN~
Since returning from the last store earlier this afternoon I have gotten it all put away, cleaned up the kitchen after making homemade dish washing soap found here, and Homemade Granola found here. I have run the dishwasher hoping my homemade dish washing soap would work. I was AMAZINGLY very surprised. It works GREAT. It cost me less than $15.00 and will probably last me 6 months or more.
While I was anxiously awaiting the dishwasher to get done I was surfing Pinterest. I discovered a new way to cook hard boiled eggs. This was sooooo stinkin' simple I would have NEVER believed it had I not tried it for myself. Ready for this.....take an egg out of the refrigerator (or as many as you want to cook), place each egg in your muffin pan (open per hole), preheat your oven to 325 degrees (yes your oven), place the muffin pan in the oven for 30 minutes. When you pull the pan back out of the oven, spoon each egg out and place it in cold water for about a minute, then peel.
When I cut the peeled egg open I was speechless. I found a perfectly cooked bright yellow centered egg. Katie was so excited it was gone before I could take a picture. In 40 years I have never figured out how to not overcook a hard boiled egg until TODAY!!
Right now I am finishing a glass of wine and my whole house smells of the homemade granola. I can't wait try it out in the morning. Between meals, stopping home between stores and the things I made today I think I cleaned my kitchen 6 times today. But it was well worth the success of today.
TTFN~
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Savannah, GA
When I opened the gift I truly had no idea, complete surprise. For the first time in 9 years Phil and I were going on a trip WITHOUT kids. Phil, my family and Nana Patti were able to work out the logistics so we could be gone for 4 glorious days.
Friday March 16th we were off to Savannah, GA. Over the years, Phil and I had been there for our 1st Wedding Anniversary which was FABULOUS. Last November on our way to Florida we stopped there over night with the kids and they loved it. But together Phil and I had never experienced St. Paddy's Day down there. I was VERY excited.
We arrived about 4pm Friday afternoon parked the car and the rest of our travelling would be on foot. We walked most of Bay Street every day. Saturday morning we were up very early walked to mass at the Cathedral, watched the parade, went to eat, watched more parade. One of the things we tried to do was support only local restaurants and not the big franchises. We found terrific food. I tried so many new foods in those four days than I did in 40 years.
We stopped by the Mercer House (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), the first Girl Scouts House in the US, St. John the Baptist Cathedral (twice: once for Mass and and the other for pictures), admired the simple beauty of the squares, walked River St multiple times, a dueling piano bar and Savannah's Vietnam Memorial was really cool. One afternoon we walked through the Colonial Park Cemetery. There was something about this cemetery that just draws you in. The last time someone was buried there was 1853.......Yes I said 1853. One of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was buried there.
There was one thing I saw that took my breath away and just stopped me in my tracks. There was a family plot that had a headstone that was five feet by five feet. I had never seen a burial stone so big. If I remember correctly there were eleven names carved out on this GINORMOUS stone. That was a big family. After taking a closer read, Phil and I discovered they had 6 children buried in the plot. Not one of these children lived to their 3rd birthday. It was very sobering to think of the heartache that mother must have carried. I felt so fortunate to have such a beautiful family.
One afternoon we decide to take the car to Tybee Island. I heard about what a beautiful place it was but had never been. It would be fun to take the kids and stay there a few days. We also discovered a Civil War Fort. I never knew one was there. So we walked all of Fort Pulaski. This is a must see if you are ever in Savannah.
I posted several of my pictures on my pinterest page for viewing here's the link: http://pinterest.com/addler99/my-photographs/ I will be posting more. I think I took close to 300 pictures if not more.
This trip would have not been possible without so many of you. Thank you to Phil and my family for scheming to put it all together. Thank you to Patti for taking the time out of her schedule to fly in and take care of the kids (that was a gift in itself). Thank you to Ray and Linda (Kaitlynn's god-parents) for taking care of the kid logistics and getting Patti at the airport so Phil and I could get the heck out of dodge. Quite possibly this was the best birthday present ever.
Thank You.
TTFN~
Friday March 16th we were off to Savannah, GA. Over the years, Phil and I had been there for our 1st Wedding Anniversary which was FABULOUS. Last November on our way to Florida we stopped there over night with the kids and they loved it. But together Phil and I had never experienced St. Paddy's Day down there. I was VERY excited.
We arrived about 4pm Friday afternoon parked the car and the rest of our travelling would be on foot. We walked most of Bay Street every day. Saturday morning we were up very early walked to mass at the Cathedral, watched the parade, went to eat, watched more parade. One of the things we tried to do was support only local restaurants and not the big franchises. We found terrific food. I tried so many new foods in those four days than I did in 40 years.
We stopped by the Mercer House (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), the first Girl Scouts House in the US, St. John the Baptist Cathedral (twice: once for Mass and and the other for pictures), admired the simple beauty of the squares, walked River St multiple times, a dueling piano bar and Savannah's Vietnam Memorial was really cool. One afternoon we walked through the Colonial Park Cemetery. There was something about this cemetery that just draws you in. The last time someone was buried there was 1853.......Yes I said 1853. One of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was buried there.
There was one thing I saw that took my breath away and just stopped me in my tracks. There was a family plot that had a headstone that was five feet by five feet. I had never seen a burial stone so big. If I remember correctly there were eleven names carved out on this GINORMOUS stone. That was a big family. After taking a closer read, Phil and I discovered they had 6 children buried in the plot. Not one of these children lived to their 3rd birthday. It was very sobering to think of the heartache that mother must have carried. I felt so fortunate to have such a beautiful family.
One afternoon we decide to take the car to Tybee Island. I heard about what a beautiful place it was but had never been. It would be fun to take the kids and stay there a few days. We also discovered a Civil War Fort. I never knew one was there. So we walked all of Fort Pulaski. This is a must see if you are ever in Savannah.
I posted several of my pictures on my pinterest page for viewing here's the link: http://pinterest.com/addler99/my-photographs/ I will be posting more. I think I took close to 300 pictures if not more.
This trip would have not been possible without so many of you. Thank you to Phil and my family for scheming to put it all together. Thank you to Patti for taking the time out of her schedule to fly in and take care of the kids (that was a gift in itself). Thank you to Ray and Linda (Kaitlynn's god-parents) for taking care of the kid logistics and getting Patti at the airport so Phil and I could get the heck out of dodge. Quite possibly this was the best birthday present ever.
Thank You.
TTFN~
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
40 things I have learned....in the last 40 years...
Well Today is my 40th Birthday. Throughout my life I have learned things about myself and things that are just facts of life. Just thought I would share them.
1. You can never say I love you enough.....
2. A child's smile will cure any bad day....
3. You are never too old for a nap....
4. Best Friends CAN be forever....
5. Waiting in long lines are not the worst thing in the world.....
6. Breakfast for dinner is sometimes required.....
7. It is OK to spend a day doing absolutely nothing....
8. Thank God for the rain.....
9. You MUST do your homework......
10. Some days shoes are optional.....
11. Just because it rings doesn't mean you have to answer the phone....
12. I love night time thunderstorms.......
13. You are never too old to swing or play on the teeter totter......
14. Don't feel guilty for spending the day without your children.....
15. Learn to use power tools......
16. It is truly amazing to witness a miracle...
17. There are days when the house will be completely a mess.....
18. You can cry in front of your kids......
19. Even with Today's technology you should write and mail your grandmother a letter....
20. Don't take your parents for granted.....
21. If you must punish or spank your children, when it's over look them in the eye and tell them you love them........
22. Find something to make you Laugh Out Loud EVERYDAY.....
23. Learn from your mistakes.......
24. It's ok to cry when pets die.....
25. "What if's" don't matter because they aren't "What is"..........
26. Always be Happy with what you have.....
27. Take LOTS of Pictures....your children with thank you later....
28. Don't squander gifts.....No matter who gave them to you......
29. Family is Forever.....
30. Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer.......
31. Do what you love and the money will come....
32. Pray for those that hurt or anger you.....
33. Adopt a rescued animal............
34. Clean your room and make your bed........
35. Make time for Date Night.........
36. Read a book......or 5.........
37. Walking or Running at least one 5K a year won't kill you.........
38. Helping a perfect stranger is very rewarding....
39. Do it yourself projects will teach you something about yourself.....
40. Life is never what we expected it to be, but learn from the changes.....
TTFN~
1. You can never say I love you enough.....
2. A child's smile will cure any bad day....
3. You are never too old for a nap....
4. Best Friends CAN be forever....
5. Waiting in long lines are not the worst thing in the world.....
6. Breakfast for dinner is sometimes required.....
7. It is OK to spend a day doing absolutely nothing....
8. Thank God for the rain.....
9. You MUST do your homework......
10. Some days shoes are optional.....
11. Just because it rings doesn't mean you have to answer the phone....
12. I love night time thunderstorms.......
13. You are never too old to swing or play on the teeter totter......
14. Don't feel guilty for spending the day without your children.....
15. Learn to use power tools......
16. It is truly amazing to witness a miracle...
17. There are days when the house will be completely a mess.....
18. You can cry in front of your kids......
19. Even with Today's technology you should write and mail your grandmother a letter....
20. Don't take your parents for granted.....
21. If you must punish or spank your children, when it's over look them in the eye and tell them you love them........
22. Find something to make you Laugh Out Loud EVERYDAY.....
23. Learn from your mistakes.......
24. It's ok to cry when pets die.....
25. "What if's" don't matter because they aren't "What is"..........
26. Always be Happy with what you have.....
27. Take LOTS of Pictures....your children with thank you later....
28. Don't squander gifts.....No matter who gave them to you......
29. Family is Forever.....
30. Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer.......
31. Do what you love and the money will come....
32. Pray for those that hurt or anger you.....
33. Adopt a rescued animal............
34. Clean your room and make your bed........
35. Make time for Date Night.........
36. Read a book......or 5.........
37. Walking or Running at least one 5K a year won't kill you.........
38. Helping a perfect stranger is very rewarding....
39. Do it yourself projects will teach you something about yourself.....
40. Life is never what we expected it to be, but learn from the changes.....
TTFN~
Sunday, December 18, 2011
My 12 days of Christmas...Day 6
The kindness of strangers is a rare find these days. People are so untrusting and don't take a chance on anyone. Most days I feel the same way. Well yesterday I had an obscene amount of errands to run and Phil had an appointment so the kids had to travel with me. Usually going to several different places with three kids in tow is like a suicide mission during the Christmas season. Yesterday I was proven wrong.
We left the house and landed at Chick-fil-a because we had time to kill and I figured the kids would be ready for lunch. We ordered our food and the order taker said we'll bring it to you. It was fabulous I didn't have to find a table, balance a food tray and get everyone in their seat without spilling anything. They brought us our drinks, our food and even stopped back by to make sure we didn't need anything else. I have never been to a fast food restaurant that. They didn't want anything extra for the trouble it was very nice.
After getting Katie and Jack's hair cut we headed off to drop Katie off with my Mom and Jack and Maddie headed off to do our business. The first store had a line eight people deep so Jack, Maddie and I went to the back of the line. In my mind I am thinking this is going to be a difficult wait. However, God sent us a little angel. He put a 63 year old a man in front of us, who is patiently waiting for grandchildren.
During this incredible long wait, he made the kids laugh and chatted with us, the next thing I knew it was his turn in line. When he finished, he turned around wished us a Merry Christmas and was gone. I hope he does a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Our next stop was again another line, thankfully shorter but a line nonetheless. This time we had an ordained biker minister. At first glance he was a very scary being. For whatever reason, he turned around and started talking to us. When I looked him in the face he had these amazing blue eyes. We started talking and the scary exterior melted away. He talked about his mother coming to visit, his son in the Army and reaching out to other bikers wanting them to find Jesus. The next thing I knew it was his turn. He also wished us a Merry Christmas and was gone.
Had it not been for the wonderful people filled with Christmas cheer our 3+ hours of errands would have been totally miserable. I am very grateful we crossed paths and it made my day a little easier. I just wanted to remind everyone there still good people out their.
Happy Errand Running!
TTFN~
We left the house and landed at Chick-fil-a because we had time to kill and I figured the kids would be ready for lunch. We ordered our food and the order taker said we'll bring it to you. It was fabulous I didn't have to find a table, balance a food tray and get everyone in their seat without spilling anything. They brought us our drinks, our food and even stopped back by to make sure we didn't need anything else. I have never been to a fast food restaurant that. They didn't want anything extra for the trouble it was very nice.
After getting Katie and Jack's hair cut we headed off to drop Katie off with my Mom and Jack and Maddie headed off to do our business. The first store had a line eight people deep so Jack, Maddie and I went to the back of the line. In my mind I am thinking this is going to be a difficult wait. However, God sent us a little angel. He put a 63 year old a man in front of us, who is patiently waiting for grandchildren.
During this incredible long wait, he made the kids laugh and chatted with us, the next thing I knew it was his turn in line. When he finished, he turned around wished us a Merry Christmas and was gone. I hope he does a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Our next stop was again another line, thankfully shorter but a line nonetheless. This time we had an ordained biker minister. At first glance he was a very scary being. For whatever reason, he turned around and started talking to us. When I looked him in the face he had these amazing blue eyes. We started talking and the scary exterior melted away. He talked about his mother coming to visit, his son in the Army and reaching out to other bikers wanting them to find Jesus. The next thing I knew it was his turn. He also wished us a Merry Christmas and was gone.
Had it not been for the wonderful people filled with Christmas cheer our 3+ hours of errands would have been totally miserable. I am very grateful we crossed paths and it made my day a little easier. I just wanted to remind everyone there still good people out their.
Happy Errand Running!
TTFN~
Saturday, December 17, 2011
My 12 days of Christmas....Day 5
Today I am really excited for what I am choosing to celebrate in my 12 days of Christmas. Let me start off by saying, "He did it!!"
Over the last three weeks Jack has had a very difficult time in school. He has gotten in trouble for not following school rules and most recently fighting. I have tried so many different avenues one day I just sat and cried because I didn't know how too help him. I finally looked at him and gave him an ultimatum.
Either behave in school and follow the rules or your Christmas is CANCELLED. You can come with us to all the parties and accept the gifts but you will not open them. They will sit in the living room until you earn every single one of them with excellent behavior . He started to stammer some type of argumentative response out and I stopped him. I told him if he uttered another word about it he would open every present to see what he received and then we would drive up to Goodwill and drop them off.
That was the quietest he has been in six weeks. Needless to say he behaved and he will get to have Christmas. Friday he came running off the bus, ran all the way down the street and exclaimed, "I did it Mommy!! I had a great day!!" That was just the icing on the cake. He had a few good days to redeem some of the terrible behavior.
I was so worried. I prayed for him all day. I did not want to see him fail or take away his Christmas. I would have done it if I had too but I can't promise I wouldn't have cried doing it.
My problem right now is not that he is failing in school, he in fact is actually excelling faster than Katie did. He completes his Math homework so fast I barely knew he had any to do. Then he tries to figure out Katie's. His reading level is where he should be at the end of February not Mid-December. I truly believe he is bored and it is getting him in trouble. If I could only get him to understand he is not in charge and he MUST follow the rules.
But for now, today I will celebrate the small victory of getting him back on the right road of following the rules. I do not have to take away anything away at Christmas. more importantly I have a lot of work today helping him understand. His kindergarten teacher said this would be a difficult year for him. When he made it through every other year would be a breeze. I hope she is right.
Today is for SMALL VICTORIES!! Good Job Jack I knew you could do it.
TTFN~
Over the last three weeks Jack has had a very difficult time in school. He has gotten in trouble for not following school rules and most recently fighting. I have tried so many different avenues one day I just sat and cried because I didn't know how too help him. I finally looked at him and gave him an ultimatum.
Either behave in school and follow the rules or your Christmas is CANCELLED. You can come with us to all the parties and accept the gifts but you will not open them. They will sit in the living room until you earn every single one of them with excellent behavior . He started to stammer some type of argumentative response out and I stopped him. I told him if he uttered another word about it he would open every present to see what he received and then we would drive up to Goodwill and drop them off.
That was the quietest he has been in six weeks. Needless to say he behaved and he will get to have Christmas. Friday he came running off the bus, ran all the way down the street and exclaimed, "I did it Mommy!! I had a great day!!" That was just the icing on the cake. He had a few good days to redeem some of the terrible behavior.
I was so worried. I prayed for him all day. I did not want to see him fail or take away his Christmas. I would have done it if I had too but I can't promise I wouldn't have cried doing it.
My problem right now is not that he is failing in school, he in fact is actually excelling faster than Katie did. He completes his Math homework so fast I barely knew he had any to do. Then he tries to figure out Katie's. His reading level is where he should be at the end of February not Mid-December. I truly believe he is bored and it is getting him in trouble. If I could only get him to understand he is not in charge and he MUST follow the rules.
But for now, today I will celebrate the small victory of getting him back on the right road of following the rules. I do not have to take away anything away at Christmas. more importantly I have a lot of work today helping him understand. His kindergarten teacher said this would be a difficult year for him. When he made it through every other year would be a breeze. I hope she is right.
Today is for SMALL VICTORIES!! Good Job Jack I knew you could do it.
TTFN~
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
My 12 days of Christmas.....Day 1
The 12 days of Christmas as we all know is a very long sometimes annoying Christmas Carol. But when you really think about it, the song talks about things to celebrate during the 12 days of Christmas. Traditionally, the 12 days of Christmas begins Christmas Day. Today I am going to start my own 12 days of Christmas ending Christmas Day.
Day One:
Forty Three years ago today my parents made that promise before God, Family and Friends that they would be together forever until death do they part. As with any life journey, I am sure it was not always easy but they seemed to always do it together and some days make it look so easy.
As my parents celebrate the longevity of their life together I am reminded of some of our Christmas Traditions. I remember spending Christmas Eve at my Great Grandmother Foster's house, going to Mass as a family and spending Christmas Day at my Great Aunt Bernadine's. It was always the same but as a kid the traditions were very comforting.
Even though my great grandmother has been partying it up in heaven for quite a few years now, I can count on one hand the amount of Christmas Eve's I have missed with my family. Since moving to NC I have created a new Christmas Day tradition that I believe my Great Aunt would give me the nod of approval. But none of these things would have been possible without my parents creating those traditions and instilling the importance of them.
As my parents celebrate their day, I am grateful for their time spent making sure the traditions always took place. I am very sure that was not always easy but very much appreciated. Thank you for all you do.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!
TTFN~
Day One:
Forty Three years ago today my parents made that promise before God, Family and Friends that they would be together forever until death do they part. As with any life journey, I am sure it was not always easy but they seemed to always do it together and some days make it look so easy.
As my parents celebrate the longevity of their life together I am reminded of some of our Christmas Traditions. I remember spending Christmas Eve at my Great Grandmother Foster's house, going to Mass as a family and spending Christmas Day at my Great Aunt Bernadine's. It was always the same but as a kid the traditions were very comforting.
Even though my great grandmother has been partying it up in heaven for quite a few years now, I can count on one hand the amount of Christmas Eve's I have missed with my family. Since moving to NC I have created a new Christmas Day tradition that I believe my Great Aunt would give me the nod of approval. But none of these things would have been possible without my parents creating those traditions and instilling the importance of them.
As my parents celebrate their day, I am grateful for their time spent making sure the traditions always took place. I am very sure that was not always easy but very much appreciated. Thank you for all you do.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!
TTFN~
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Something to share..........
People are often unreasonable and self-centered
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives
Be kind anyway
If you are honest, people may cheat you anyway
Be honest anyway
If you find happiness, people may be jealous
Be happy anyway
The good you do today, maybe forgotten tomorrow
Do good anyway
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough
Give your best anyway
For you see, in the end it's between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway.
Mother Teresa
Someone handed me this the other day and thought I would share.
TTFN~
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives
Be kind anyway
If you are honest, people may cheat you anyway
Be honest anyway
If you find happiness, people may be jealous
Be happy anyway
The good you do today, maybe forgotten tomorrow
Do good anyway
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough
Give your best anyway
For you see, in the end it's between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway.
Mother Teresa
Someone handed me this the other day and thought I would share.
TTFN~
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Lucy Says.....
I came across this today and thought I would share.......I love the Peanuts. They make life seem so simple.
Lucy Says
The world is filled with wonderful things.
A chocolate chip cookie can not be one-sided.
Life is full of choices.
A gift of a flower is always a gift of LOVE.
How come winters are long and summers short?
All you need is a dog.
There's a lot more to life than dancing.
Life is full of surprises.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
10....12....16....14....
You are correct they are not in numeric order and no there is no reason to correct the order. Added together they equal 52.
Lately I have been asked the same question over and over and I have been giving the same answer over and over.
When are you going to cut your hair? Will you be donating it?
I will probably wait until April, which will be 3 years since my last cut, and MOST DEFINITELY I will be donating it.
Or should I say donated it AGAIN. It was just time.
In the last 13 years I have only had 4 haircuts that resulted in donating 52 inches of hair and today was my last donation. For all my Family, Friends and Children of Friends who have had their bodies ravaged by cancer this was my silent fight. I couldn't fight your fight, take your pain away, make you miraculously healed or stop you from dying.
What I could do is grow my hair, take care of it to get the best possible result, cut it when the length was enough and start all over again. My hair helped someone feel normal again. I don't know who that was but I pray for that silent victim often.
The kids loved my hair cut, Phil won't lie he really dislikes my short hair but he appreciates the cause. Hope everyone has a GREAT WEEKEND!!!
Lately I have been asked the same question over and over and I have been giving the same answer over and over.
When are you going to cut your hair? Will you be donating it?
I will probably wait until April, which will be 3 years since my last cut, and MOST DEFINITELY I will be donating it.
Or should I say donated it AGAIN. It was just time.
 |
| BEFORE |
 |
| AFTER |
What I could do is grow my hair, take care of it to get the best possible result, cut it when the length was enough and start all over again. My hair helped someone feel normal again. I don't know who that was but I pray for that silent victim often.
The kids loved my hair cut, Phil won't lie he really dislikes my short hair but he appreciates the cause. Hope everyone has a GREAT WEEKEND!!!
Monday, September 26, 2011
88,888............
The title of this blog is a very large number and it has a lot of memories attached to it. It is the amount of miles driven in my van since we rolled it off the lot new in 2005. Where in the world have I been to reach such a large number?
Last week I was sitting at a stop light trying to prepare myself for what was going to be a ridiculous week. I looked down at the odometer and saw that when I rolled through the stop light I would be reaching 88,888. Suddenly pictures flashed through my mind like they happened yesterday of places I have been in this van.
We purchased the van because we quickly realized our CRV would not properly suit our growing family once Jack came along. Jack was born in July and we drove our 2006 van off the lot one late September evening in 2005 just hours after it arrived at the dealership. Phil had been shopping for weeks and finally found our best deal.
Just off the top of my head North Carolina Beaches, Florida to see Family and old friends, Washington, DC to see family and help old friends, Ohio and Indiana come to mind. Most of these trips were filled with laughter and hugs, peace and joy all surrounded by those who mean the most to us. I have the thousands of pictures to prove it.
I look back and see all of these wonderful memories of fun and laughter. Times when I was just worrying about that moment right in front of me and not what I needed to do tomorrow. I wish I could say it was all happy times travelled in those 88,888. It was not. There are many times I racked up miles with tears streaming down my face asking God why was I on this road.
Taking Jack to all three of his surgeries and emergency room visit due to post op complications from one of these surgeries, taking Madelynn to her first pediatric cardiology visit (the day we received her diagnosis) and the daily visits to and from the hospital hoping for good news as Madelynn recovered from her surgery are near the top of the list of most hated miles travelled.
Probably the worst miles ever travelled in the 88,888 was December 3, 2008. This is the day the pediatrician told me Madelynn was in trouble and needed to go back to the hospital. She was stable enough for me to take her but we had to go DIRECTLY to the hospital. It was the longest 20 miles I have ever travelled and I cried the entire way. It took two other visits like the one from December 3rd for the doctors and other specialists involved to finally get the tide to turn.
Today, Madelynn and I travel down the road everyday playing I-spy, talking about anything or me listening to a movie she is watching. Kaitlynn and I are making tracks as she turns herself into a fish once more making laps in the pool. Jackson is showing me that with each mile to and from the soccer field, we believe he found his calling. Both the joyous and painful memories are all part of the 88,888 mile history it is what allowed us to reach today's destination.
TTFN~
Last week I was sitting at a stop light trying to prepare myself for what was going to be a ridiculous week. I looked down at the odometer and saw that when I rolled through the stop light I would be reaching 88,888. Suddenly pictures flashed through my mind like they happened yesterday of places I have been in this van.
We purchased the van because we quickly realized our CRV would not properly suit our growing family once Jack came along. Jack was born in July and we drove our 2006 van off the lot one late September evening in 2005 just hours after it arrived at the dealership. Phil had been shopping for weeks and finally found our best deal.
Just off the top of my head North Carolina Beaches, Florida to see Family and old friends, Washington, DC to see family and help old friends, Ohio and Indiana come to mind. Most of these trips were filled with laughter and hugs, peace and joy all surrounded by those who mean the most to us. I have the thousands of pictures to prove it.
 |
| Kaitlynn and Jackson's first Disney Parade (Orlando, FL). |
 |
| Ft. Macon, Atlantic Beach NC |
 |
| Hendersonville, NC (They last day I felt like my life made sense) |
 |
| Family vacation (there is nothing like them) |
I look back and see all of these wonderful memories of fun and laughter. Times when I was just worrying about that moment right in front of me and not what I needed to do tomorrow. I wish I could say it was all happy times travelled in those 88,888. It was not. There are many times I racked up miles with tears streaming down my face asking God why was I on this road.
Taking Jack to all three of his surgeries and emergency room visit due to post op complications from one of these surgeries, taking Madelynn to her first pediatric cardiology visit (the day we received her diagnosis) and the daily visits to and from the hospital hoping for good news as Madelynn recovered from her surgery are near the top of the list of most hated miles travelled.
Probably the worst miles ever travelled in the 88,888 was December 3, 2008. This is the day the pediatrician told me Madelynn was in trouble and needed to go back to the hospital. She was stable enough for me to take her but we had to go DIRECTLY to the hospital. It was the longest 20 miles I have ever travelled and I cried the entire way. It took two other visits like the one from December 3rd for the doctors and other specialists involved to finally get the tide to turn.
Today, Madelynn and I travel down the road everyday playing I-spy, talking about anything or me listening to a movie she is watching. Kaitlynn and I are making tracks as she turns herself into a fish once more making laps in the pool. Jackson is showing me that with each mile to and from the soccer field, we believe he found his calling. Both the joyous and painful memories are all part of the 88,888 mile history it is what allowed us to reach today's destination.
TTFN~
Sunday, August 14, 2011
12 years.............
It is hard to believe that twelve years ago today Phil and I made the giant plunge. If you ask Phil what he remembers ..... the church had no air conditioning and he probably left 10 lbs at the altar.
If you ask me what I remember......I lost Phil's ring and delayed the ceremony by almost 20 minutes, I was so nervous my knee was bouncing uncontrollably and Phil wouldn't stop laughing, the unity candle almost started a fire in the church, being surrounded by friends and family - some of which are no longer with us and waiting for the guests to arrive at the reception Phil and I took a walk. Not just any walk our first walk as a married couple. I remember feeling the summer breeze just blow through my hair without a care in the world.
Life is so much different now. No cares in the world turned into three kids, a mortgage and juggling a job with family life. What I thought my life would be at this point, it is not. But like Phil and I remind each other almost everyday....we are together, we love our children and together we will get through everything.
If you ask me what I remember......I lost Phil's ring and delayed the ceremony by almost 20 minutes, I was so nervous my knee was bouncing uncontrollably and Phil wouldn't stop laughing, the unity candle almost started a fire in the church, being surrounded by friends and family - some of which are no longer with us and waiting for the guests to arrive at the reception Phil and I took a walk. Not just any walk our first walk as a married couple. I remember feeling the summer breeze just blow through my hair without a care in the world.
 |
| Twelve Years ago today. |
 |
| I have this picture on my desk at work. |
 |
| The Wedding Party |
 |
| The Bacho Family |
 |
| The Addler/Covey Family |
Today there is no big date or fancy dinner. In our own traditional fashion we are going over to a friends house, Phil is helping them with a plumbing problem and as payment we are having dinner at their house. It should prove to be a good time and lots of laughs.
Happy Anniversary Pilbert!!! I love you!!
TTFN~
Monday, March 21, 2011
Where have we been......Part 1
The last 30 days have been sometimes more than I can bare. To start Spring has more than sprung. I did get some pictures of spring arriving both in the front and back yard over the last month and thought I would share a few.
Two years ago Katie, Jack and I planted the Hyacinth's in the Fall and waited the long Winter to see the fruits of our labor. Katie and Jack now know when the Hyacinth's bloom we will spend a whole lot of time outside.
I have to say that the Plum Tree's are my favorite. It is a slow growing soft wood tree so it is perfect for the front yard. Overlooking the logistics of why I planted it in the front yard it is just a pure sign of spring and I love it. However today the blooms are all done and the dark purple leaves remain. I truly enjoyed my three weeks of blooming tree.
Two years ago Katie, Jack and I planted the Hyacinth's in the Fall and waited the long Winter to see the fruits of our labor. Katie and Jack now know when the Hyacinth's bloom we will spend a whole lot of time outside.
I have to say that the Plum Tree's are my favorite. It is a slow growing soft wood tree so it is perfect for the front yard. Overlooking the logistics of why I planted it in the front yard it is just a pure sign of spring and I love it. However today the blooms are all done and the dark purple leaves remain. I truly enjoyed my three weeks of blooming tree.
Last but most definitely not least we have the Pear Trees. The buds are pink but one fully open they are a pure white. Fully blooming the trees look like white cotton candy or a giant q-tip. The Pear Trees are EVERYWHERE. One year an old friend had been staying with my mom and he came home one night and was a little disgruntled. I asked him he told me he thought winter was over but when he was driving home it was snowing.
Now mind you this is in the middle of the spring and the daytime highs we in the mid 70's. I asked him where he was at when he was driving home. When he told me I just laughed. This 2-3 miles of road is completely lined with pear trees and it was the white petals shedding from the trees. There are so many of these trees on this stretch of road at night it looks like it is snowing.
So yes we are still around completely drowning in everyday life. But I suppose there are worse things. Have lots more to share and hope to catch up this week.
Happy Monday!!!
TTFN~
Friday, December 17, 2010
Space Heaters
So for those of you that don't know I work for a local Church in Charlotte , in the finance department and love my job. I don't usually talk about my job very much but today was different.
The Church is incredibly generous to the community in so many ways, I sometimes have to step back in awe. Outside of the Tithing Committee meetings and decision on who to help, during the Christmas Season there is always extra to help that last minute request. Being in the finance department I only hear stories third and fourth hand about the families we help. I always get excited when we cut the checks for those families in need, especially when they don't expect it.
Today I had an incredible luxury to be the call someone has been waiting/praying for. Some families have been having a terrible time in Charlotte's coldest winter in 100 years. Another non profit was giving away space heaters but ran out of money and needed a donation to buy more heaters. Once the check was in my hand I called them to see if they wanted to pick up the check.
It went a little something like this.....Thank you for calling.....I introduced myself and where I was calling from, there was this sudden silent excitement on the phone. I said guess what I have..... She said what do you have..... I told the girl I had a check in the amount of......she was almost speechless. It wasn't that much but they needed it so badly. When I offered to let her come pick the check up she couldn't get 'where are you located again' out fast enough. I couldn't tell if it was just excitement or tears on the other end but the Church was an answer to their prayers.
I have never experienced being that person to make that call. It is the best part about my job, helping others. It has been a crazy week, I still have Christmas presents to buy, wrap, make and mail but today stopped me and reminded me what was really important.
As you rush around stressing to finish, try to keep in mind what Christmas is really about.
TTFN~
The Church is incredibly generous to the community in so many ways, I sometimes have to step back in awe. Outside of the Tithing Committee meetings and decision on who to help, during the Christmas Season there is always extra to help that last minute request. Being in the finance department I only hear stories third and fourth hand about the families we help. I always get excited when we cut the checks for those families in need, especially when they don't expect it.
Today I had an incredible luxury to be the call someone has been waiting/praying for. Some families have been having a terrible time in Charlotte's coldest winter in 100 years. Another non profit was giving away space heaters but ran out of money and needed a donation to buy more heaters. Once the check was in my hand I called them to see if they wanted to pick up the check.
It went a little something like this.....Thank you for calling.....I introduced myself and where I was calling from, there was this sudden silent excitement on the phone. I said guess what I have..... She said what do you have..... I told the girl I had a check in the amount of......she was almost speechless. It wasn't that much but they needed it so badly. When I offered to let her come pick the check up she couldn't get 'where are you located again' out fast enough. I couldn't tell if it was just excitement or tears on the other end but the Church was an answer to their prayers.
I have never experienced being that person to make that call. It is the best part about my job, helping others. It has been a crazy week, I still have Christmas presents to buy, wrap, make and mail but today stopped me and reminded me what was really important.
As you rush around stressing to finish, try to keep in mind what Christmas is really about.
TTFN~
Monday, September 13, 2010
Apple Orchard
Fall Weekends are really a lot of fun. There is so much to do between the pumpkin patches, apple orchards and other fall festivals. One weekend my parents, Phil, Kaitlynn, Jackson, Madelynn and I all drove up to what they call High Country in NC to pick our own apples out of an orchard. The kids had a ball.Right next to the orchard on this farm were some horses. Boy were they spoiled. As soon as they spotted you they started walking toward you. They knew you would pull an apple off the nearest tree and feed them. Kaitlynn and Jackson remember but, Madelynn won't.
Personally, I will remember this day like it happened yesterday.
This was the last time my life seemed to make sense. Five days after I took this picture Madelynn was diagnosed with a CHD and had open-heart surgery. She was 10 weeks old.
It is funny the things you remember when you see a picture. I remember the morning was cold, colder than we had anticipated. But by lunch time we found a picnic table at the bottom of a mountain, near a stream to have lunch. The sun was just beating down and warmed you instantly like a hug from God. Just His little reminder that he created all of this for us. It was such a beautiful day.
I will never forget.
TTFN~
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Washington, DC
One weekend Phil and I went to go visit his sister. Her house was the usual chaos with the four dogs (at the time), parents, kids, grandkids and siblings and their families all invading her home. Phil and I decided we would make up an excuse to leave for a while and went to DC. His sister lives in a suburb of DC so we decided to go to the capital.
This was the first time that I had been to DC. Let me tell you Arlington Cemetary is breathtaking. My best friend's mother is buried there. If you have never been, there were no words to truly describe the hallowed ground. As we were leaving, Phil and I decided to just paruse through DC. As we did I snapped a few pictures, above was one of those pictures.
I can't wait till the kids are a little older so one day we can go back and just be a tourist.
TTFN~
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Eleven Years and counting..............
Except for the one photo of Phil and I on our wedding day I don't believe I have ever shared these photos before. It was a crazy, joyful, exhausting day. It is one I am not sure to forget as well as most of the people that joined us to celebrate. Every once and a while someone comes up to me to tell me that it was the most fun they have ever had at a wedding.
I can not take credit for that as our parents made it a wonderful day for us and it would not have been without them. THANK YOU!!
Things I won't forget......The ceremony starting 15 minutes late because my sister had to break every speed law known to man through Toledo to find Phil's ring in my luggage. Thanks Jen!! Being so nervous the as we sat down my knee started jerking so bad Phil could not stop laughing. The Unity Candle starting a fire during the wedding photos. Wiping out on the dance floor in my wedding dress....TWICE....I looked like a marshmallow on the floor. Cramming 9 people in a white Cadillac to get back to the hotel...we were a sight!!!
Phil and Jon (brother and best man)
Phil, Sandy and James (his parents)
Justine, Jen, Me, Phil, Jon, Mike, Jamie and Jason Jr.
The Bacho Family
The Covey-Addler Family (most of them)
The Bride and Her Groom
I can not take credit for that as our parents made it a wonderful day for us and it would not have been without them. THANK YOU!!
Things I won't forget......The ceremony starting 15 minutes late because my sister had to break every speed law known to man through Toledo to find Phil's ring in my luggage. Thanks Jen!! Being so nervous the as we sat down my knee started jerking so bad Phil could not stop laughing. The Unity Candle starting a fire during the wedding photos. Wiping out on the dance floor in my wedding dress....TWICE....I looked like a marshmallow on the floor. Cramming 9 people in a white Cadillac to get back to the hotel...we were a sight!!!
Jen (my sister), Me and Justine (best friend)
Phil and Jon (brother and best man)Phil, Sandy and James (his parents)
The Bacho Family
The Covey-Addler Family (most of them)
The Bride and Her Groom Thinking back on that day I really had no idea what life would have in store for me. I just knew I was ready to start that life with Phil. Truly I never would have believed that I love him more today than the day I married him. I am completely in love with the man and father he has become. Our children are the luckiest kids in the world to have him as their guide.
I remember the day in August in Ohio being just warm enough with a gentle breeze. At one point after the wedding during the reception, I remember standing outside closing my eyes and just taking a deep breath and exhaling. All I could think of was this is it I am ready to take on the rest of my life.
We had know idea where the road would take us nor would I have ever believed we would have made it through so much. So here is to the first ELEVEN years and hoping for many more to come.
To Phil...you have held my heart for so long....THANK YOU for never letting go.
To my children....Kaitlynn, Jackson and Madelynn.....Our life would have never been complete without you...THANK YOU for showing us how big our hearts are and that you each have your own special place in it.
Happy Anniversary Phil!!!
TTFN~
Sunday, June 6, 2010
I thought May was bad............
At the beginning of May when I looked at the calender I thought...."Oh this is going to be one crazy month" I think this weekend I just topped it.
Friday morning I got Katie off to school, fed Jack and Maddie breakfast, dropped Jack off and Linda's (Katie's godmother) and headed up the highway for the 70+ mile trip to Maddie's specialist. About 2/3 of the way there I smelled sour fruit. I turned around and Maddie had just vomited her entire breakfast in the car seat.
The ride to the specialist from my house is on a two lane country road with almost no side road to pull over (farm country). It is a beautiful ride and usually look forward to it but today is not one of them. When I finally got to the Children's Hospital parking lot I cleaned her up; changed her clothes, wiped her face and hands, wiped out the care seat all the usual suspects in a car vomiting. Luckily, most of it went down the front of her and not in the car seat itself.
When we get into the office for the appointment Maddie is all smiles and ready to show everyone who's boss. When I told the nurse I needed to strip Maddie and put a clean diaper on her she looked at me and said that is not how we weigh the children here. I explained to her that is how the pediatrician and nutritionist weighs her and that is how we need her weighed today. Before I could explain what had been happening to Maddie and why we need the weight done the same as the others she tells me again that is not how we weigh the children here.
After what I had already experienced this morning I just looked at her and said if you would like I can call the pediatrician and make them insist you weigh her the same as the others or you can take my word for it. At this point I took my phone out and proceeded to start dialing. Irritated she said we have to go in a room first then come back out. As I took Maddie's clothes off and she saw the faded scar she never said another word. She was also very nice to us. What kills me is that if she would had looked in the chart before she assumed I was just being difficult all of that could have been avoided.
When I put Maddie on the baby scale I closed my eyes......................as I opened one of them I saw 22.00. I just threw my arms up in the air and said, "YES!!!" Thank you for all of you who are praying for her still.
In case you were wondering unless Maddie shows signs of struggling to breathe for any reason she can stay off ALL the meds.
So, I head back home and have to get my stuff to my friends house as we are having a garage sale Saturday morning. So here I am all three kids at my friends house trying to get everything ready for the garage sale. I must be a gluten for punishment.
All the sudden Jack is screaming..........you know the scream as soon as you hear it you better come running. Jack was scratched by my friends cat who has feline aids. I take Jack in the bathroom my friend is on the phone to the vet. Feline aids is not like regular aids and can not be passed from feline to human. However, other things can be and he should see a doctor. Not sure what to do I look at Jack's arm and it is swelling and looks odd and is really red.
I drop Katie and Maddie off to Phil and Jack, my friend and myself head to the Urgent Care. I was reminded by my mother that Jack is also allergic to cats. Because we no longer have the cats, Jack takes a daily medicine for the allergy and has never had a problem with her cat I kind of forgot about it.
Thankfully the Urgent Care was practically empty we were able to get in and see a doctor fairly quickly. Jack will be fine. Because of the redness to his arm he was treated for cat scratch fever (yes there really is such a thing) and we left. I dropped Jack off to Phil and have to get back to my friends because we are now really behind.
We get everything done get something to eat and I finally crash at about 1 am. I set my alarm for 4:30am so I could get a shower and be ready to greet people at 7am. Needless to say the shower helped.
Did I mentioned I agreed to volunteer at the hospital for four hours Saturday too. So my mom comes and helps out at the garage sale so I can leave at 12:00 to be at the hospital by one to volunteer. This event I volunteered for is called "Heart of a Champion". It is a day where upcoming 10th, 11th and 12th graders get a review (like a physical) but their heart is also checked via an echo. It is a huge event and free to the athlete. I haven't heard a total yet but it was probably close to 1700 students.
So for 4+ hours I stood at the very end of the review to find out what color paper each female athlete received before they could exit the building and recorded it. Sounds pretty boring but it wasn't I met Thomas Davis from the Carolina Panthers, chatted with some of the nurses who cared for Maddie after surgery, made new connections to help the hospital out further. Over all it was a good afternoon. I left the hospital about 5:40pm
But my day was not over. I still had to go back to my friends house, get my unsold stuff and then get home. I walked in the door about 7:30pm. I was so exhausted by the time I ate dinner and visited with the kids and put them to bed I couldn't sleep. I think I finally died about 11:45pm. Thankfully the kids slept till 7:30.
I was so grateful Phil took care of the kids during this busy time and they were all in one piece once I finally got to hang out with them. However my house was in desperate need of some TLC. I worked on it some after breakfast but by lunchtime I was exhausted again. After lunch I made all of the kids "rest" including Mommy. Yes I successfully had all three kids napping at the same time and took a nap too. In case you were wondering Phil had to do a little work for a friend and was gone until about 5pm today.
Feeling much better after nap time I finished up the house, started dinner on the grill, kids got showers and currently every one in the house is sleeping but me and it isn't even 10pm yet.
I think I will get a little ice cream before I head off to bed.
Hoping to have a quiet week.
TTFN~
Friday morning I got Katie off to school, fed Jack and Maddie breakfast, dropped Jack off and Linda's (Katie's godmother) and headed up the highway for the 70+ mile trip to Maddie's specialist. About 2/3 of the way there I smelled sour fruit. I turned around and Maddie had just vomited her entire breakfast in the car seat.
The ride to the specialist from my house is on a two lane country road with almost no side road to pull over (farm country). It is a beautiful ride and usually look forward to it but today is not one of them. When I finally got to the Children's Hospital parking lot I cleaned her up; changed her clothes, wiped her face and hands, wiped out the care seat all the usual suspects in a car vomiting. Luckily, most of it went down the front of her and not in the car seat itself.
When we get into the office for the appointment Maddie is all smiles and ready to show everyone who's boss. When I told the nurse I needed to strip Maddie and put a clean diaper on her she looked at me and said that is not how we weigh the children here. I explained to her that is how the pediatrician and nutritionist weighs her and that is how we need her weighed today. Before I could explain what had been happening to Maddie and why we need the weight done the same as the others she tells me again that is not how we weigh the children here.
After what I had already experienced this morning I just looked at her and said if you would like I can call the pediatrician and make them insist you weigh her the same as the others or you can take my word for it. At this point I took my phone out and proceeded to start dialing. Irritated she said we have to go in a room first then come back out. As I took Maddie's clothes off and she saw the faded scar she never said another word. She was also very nice to us. What kills me is that if she would had looked in the chart before she assumed I was just being difficult all of that could have been avoided.
When I put Maddie on the baby scale I closed my eyes......................as I opened one of them I saw 22.00. I just threw my arms up in the air and said, "YES!!!" Thank you for all of you who are praying for her still.
In case you were wondering unless Maddie shows signs of struggling to breathe for any reason she can stay off ALL the meds.
So, I head back home and have to get my stuff to my friends house as we are having a garage sale Saturday morning. So here I am all three kids at my friends house trying to get everything ready for the garage sale. I must be a gluten for punishment.
All the sudden Jack is screaming..........you know the scream as soon as you hear it you better come running. Jack was scratched by my friends cat who has feline aids. I take Jack in the bathroom my friend is on the phone to the vet. Feline aids is not like regular aids and can not be passed from feline to human. However, other things can be and he should see a doctor. Not sure what to do I look at Jack's arm and it is swelling and looks odd and is really red.
I drop Katie and Maddie off to Phil and Jack, my friend and myself head to the Urgent Care. I was reminded by my mother that Jack is also allergic to cats. Because we no longer have the cats, Jack takes a daily medicine for the allergy and has never had a problem with her cat I kind of forgot about it.
Thankfully the Urgent Care was practically empty we were able to get in and see a doctor fairly quickly. Jack will be fine. Because of the redness to his arm he was treated for cat scratch fever (yes there really is such a thing) and we left. I dropped Jack off to Phil and have to get back to my friends because we are now really behind.
We get everything done get something to eat and I finally crash at about 1 am. I set my alarm for 4:30am so I could get a shower and be ready to greet people at 7am. Needless to say the shower helped.
Did I mentioned I agreed to volunteer at the hospital for four hours Saturday too. So my mom comes and helps out at the garage sale so I can leave at 12:00 to be at the hospital by one to volunteer. This event I volunteered for is called "Heart of a Champion". It is a day where upcoming 10th, 11th and 12th graders get a review (like a physical) but their heart is also checked via an echo. It is a huge event and free to the athlete. I haven't heard a total yet but it was probably close to 1700 students.
So for 4+ hours I stood at the very end of the review to find out what color paper each female athlete received before they could exit the building and recorded it. Sounds pretty boring but it wasn't I met Thomas Davis from the Carolina Panthers, chatted with some of the nurses who cared for Maddie after surgery, made new connections to help the hospital out further. Over all it was a good afternoon. I left the hospital about 5:40pm
But my day was not over. I still had to go back to my friends house, get my unsold stuff and then get home. I walked in the door about 7:30pm. I was so exhausted by the time I ate dinner and visited with the kids and put them to bed I couldn't sleep. I think I finally died about 11:45pm. Thankfully the kids slept till 7:30.
I was so grateful Phil took care of the kids during this busy time and they were all in one piece once I finally got to hang out with them. However my house was in desperate need of some TLC. I worked on it some after breakfast but by lunchtime I was exhausted again. After lunch I made all of the kids "rest" including Mommy. Yes I successfully had all three kids napping at the same time and took a nap too. In case you were wondering Phil had to do a little work for a friend and was gone until about 5pm today.
Feeling much better after nap time I finished up the house, started dinner on the grill, kids got showers and currently every one in the house is sleeping but me and it isn't even 10pm yet.
I think I will get a little ice cream before I head off to bed.
Hoping to have a quiet week.
TTFN~
Monday, April 26, 2010
I hate the dentist........
So I knew an old filling fell out and would need to be repaired but I also recently discovered a bad very, obvious cavity. I was afraid to get it repaired because it was near the gum line. So I was talking to someone at work and she suggested I go see her dentist. She hates the dentist as much if not more that I do, if that is possible.
I hate the dentist so much I would rather give birth again than go to the dentist. Yes, scary I know. One of the ways I relieve stress is cry. So here I am in the dentist chair so worked up because I LOATHE the dentist, I just started crying. It was SOOOOOO..... embarrassing.
Little did I know that was not the end of my embarrassment for the day.
So the dentist only had time to either repair my teeth or clean them. I opted for filling in the cavity. So he knows how much I hate the dentist and is really trying hard to just talk calmly as he walked through the whole process. As we get to the worse part I tell him I can still feel him working, like a little tingling.
He says, "Oh okay I can fix that right up."
I had no idea what that meant..............I had know idea I should have been afraid.
So now that I am nice and numb he continues to work it seemed like an hour but it was probably only about 10 minutes. He tells me some good things about my teeth, ways to better care for my teeth and tells me he will see me next time for my cleaning.
By this time I felt like the left side of face was melting off. I was so numb I could barely speak and I was talking out of the side of my mouth. The nurse told me not it worry it would wear off soon. Wear off soon I felt like it was still taking affect when I left. I get to work and now half of my left nostril is numb including the whole top of the left side of my mouth.
It was a horrible feeling because if my nose was running I wouldn't feel it, if I started talking too fast I would get daffy duck syndrome or just flat out spit on someone because I could not control the left side of my mouth. Mind you about 8:15 my mouth was numbed and the additional numbing med was added about 10 minutes later......I couldn't feel the inside of my mouth or my left nostril til sometime after 1pm.
Thankfully very few people were in today so I just had to make sure I didn't spit on my boss.
When I walked in the door to pick up Kaitlynn, Jackson and Madelynn they immediately wanted to know if the boo-boo on my teeth was gone. They were so excited to see it had disappeared.
They have no idea what I had been through...........
Have a great week.
TTFN~
I hate the dentist so much I would rather give birth again than go to the dentist. Yes, scary I know. One of the ways I relieve stress is cry. So here I am in the dentist chair so worked up because I LOATHE the dentist, I just started crying. It was SOOOOOO..... embarrassing.
Little did I know that was not the end of my embarrassment for the day.
So the dentist only had time to either repair my teeth or clean them. I opted for filling in the cavity. So he knows how much I hate the dentist and is really trying hard to just talk calmly as he walked through the whole process. As we get to the worse part I tell him I can still feel him working, like a little tingling.
He says, "Oh okay I can fix that right up."
I had no idea what that meant..............I had know idea I should have been afraid.
So now that I am nice and numb he continues to work it seemed like an hour but it was probably only about 10 minutes. He tells me some good things about my teeth, ways to better care for my teeth and tells me he will see me next time for my cleaning.
By this time I felt like the left side of face was melting off. I was so numb I could barely speak and I was talking out of the side of my mouth. The nurse told me not it worry it would wear off soon. Wear off soon I felt like it was still taking affect when I left. I get to work and now half of my left nostril is numb including the whole top of the left side of my mouth.
It was a horrible feeling because if my nose was running I wouldn't feel it, if I started talking too fast I would get daffy duck syndrome or just flat out spit on someone because I could not control the left side of my mouth. Mind you about 8:15 my mouth was numbed and the additional numbing med was added about 10 minutes later......I couldn't feel the inside of my mouth or my left nostril til sometime after 1pm.
Thankfully very few people were in today so I just had to make sure I didn't spit on my boss.
When I walked in the door to pick up Kaitlynn, Jackson and Madelynn they immediately wanted to know if the boo-boo on my teeth was gone. They were so excited to see it had disappeared.
They have no idea what I had been through...........
Have a great week.
TTFN~
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