treadmill 101

Turn off the treadmill before leaping off like a Superhero to save your child from imminent danger.

I was on a treadmill at the gym two weeks ago. My husband was walking next to me and the boys were playing on a jungle gym where we could see them. I like exercising with my husband because it feels like a date and his dance moves on the treadmill crack me up. I had done all the weight machines and was three minutes into my warm up on the treadmill when my youngest decides to pull a Houdini move and go through a tiny slot in a step about eight feet from the ground. My mother instincts again flew into high gear and I knew this wasn’t going to end well! Sure enough, he got stuck with his arms twisted above his head and he couldn’t get back up or down; he was just dangling there…stuck! Like any Super-Hero-Mom, I instantly turned to leap off the treadmill to rescue him. Except I didn't turn the machine off!!! I ended up taking the biggest tumble of my life!!! I twisted and fell very hard on my shin and when I tried to get back up, I fell again and the treadmill proceeded to sheer off the skin on my left knee.

I heard people around me gasp and ask if I was alright but I just bounced back up and raced over to save my son. I lifted him up so he could maneuver his arms around and come through the slot and set him gently down on the ground. As soon as he was safe, I felt this intense pain in my knee and leg that took my breath away. I hobbled over to a bench and asked my son, “What were you doing?” trying my best to sound like Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother!  Another wave of pain overtook me and I told my middle son to tell dad that we needed “to go now” as I fought back tears. I lifted up my yoga pants and saw my knee was bloody. Somehow, I managed to hobble out of the gym without making eye contact with anyone…then into to the car and then into the house.

my knee; you really don't want to see my shin

As soon as I got home, I elevated my leg and started icing the growing egg on my shin. I knew it was bad by the size of the swelling. I didn’t think I broke my bone but it didn’t look good. I couldn’t walk that night and could barely sleep. The next couple of days I stayed off my leg as much as possible and kept icing and elevating it. After a week my shin was still very swollen and still in pain so I went to my doctors where she wanted x-rays taken Stat! The next day I had to see an orthopedic doctor and I was more than relieved that all was O.K. there were no fractures and that the swelling and severe bruising would subside. Of course, he added - to stay off the treadmill for a while. Nice!

I’m kind of hesitant to go back to the gym as I am sure people will recognize me as “that girl who fell hard.” And of course, I had to fall in January when the gym is packed with people striving hard to keep up their New Year’s Resolutions! In time, I will go back, as soon as the pain subsides and the swelling goes away.

As I grow older, I am more confident in who I am and who I am becoming and care less about others' perceptions of me, and they are only perceptions.

I leave you with this quote that has really encouraged me when I have felt like giving up!

 Press On

 Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.

Talent will not;

Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not;

Unrewarded genius is almost legendary;

Education will not;

The world is full of educated derelicts.

Perseverance and Determination alone are omnipotent.

- US President Calvin Coolidge

letting go

My oldest son moved out of the house last week.

It hasn’t been easy for me.

 He moved out for a year and a half when he was around nineteen and then later asked to move back in so he could save money and focus on college. He is twenty-three, mature and he is more than ready to be independent. He has traveled to Germany, Belize and around the United States and is fully capable of taking care of himself.

It is the location that is difficult for me.

 He is four and a half hours away.

 For a mom who has a close relationship with her son, this is hard. And for two little boys (7 and 9) that look up to their big brother it’s going to be a big adjustment.

He is so kind and encouraging, very pleasant to be around and is so helpful around the house we really miss him.

I have always known that children are a gift from God, on loan to us to train up.
The rearing and training can be hard especially during the toddler and the teen years but the letting go, though it comes in stages, is very difficult.

Things that are helping me keep things in perspective:

Knowing that God is in control

Consistent scripture reading and prayer

Refocusing my thoughts when they turn inward and selfish

When I mentioned how far he was moving to another mother, she excitedly exclaimed that four and a half hours isn’t far at all. Her oldest moved to Oklahoma!

He is not in another country in harms way fighting terrorist, he is working with church

We set up Skype and we love it! At least we can all see his smiling face when we talk

He has a great group of people around him helping him get acclimated to the area and with his new job

We can meet half way and hang out with him for the day

He really is only a phone call away

He moved to a beautiful area and we can’t wait to visit him, his friends and the area

We were so blessed to have him move back in to our house and have some more time with him. It was especially good for him to be able to bond with his little brothers. They now have a great relationship to build on

***

We “Skyped” tonight again and he is doing great! He really likes the people he is working with and has met some fantastic friends and is starting to get to know the area!

Letting go is hard but inevitable.

It is an important transition for both mom and child.

Each day is getting a little easier. I am so proud of him!

I must say I am very excited to see where God leads him over the next year.

prayers

All day my prayers have been that the Lord would surround every parent, sibling, relative and friend who lost a loved one today in Connecticut. That He would surround them, hold them, and comfort them. That He would provide the best people to support them, grieve with them, listen to them and cry with them in the days, weeks and years to come. My heart and prayers have gone out to them all day and I am simply overcome with grief knowing many parents won’t be tucking in their little ones to bed tonight. Please join me in praying for all who have been touched by this unimaginable tragedy.

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
 I call as my heart grows faint;

 lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

 For you have been my refuge,
 a strong tower against the foe.

 I long to dwell in your tent forever
 and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Psalm 61:1-4

I stopped drinking caffeine. What did she just say?

I’m off caffeine.

Yup.

Caffeine free!

I know it sounds crazy. But it is true. I am caffeine free.

I have had a long relationship with coffee. I remember the first time I had coffee. I was thirteen years old and my older brother, Kurt, shared some of his coffee with me. It was so delicious it was like a dessert. Little did I know that he put more cream and sugar in the cup then coffee! I remember feeling important being able to say that I liked to drink coffee, like I was closer to being a grown up.

When I was a couple years older, there was an adorable café I went to quite a bit, called Louie's Book Store Café. It was a great eclectic nook in Baltimore were you could grab a good cup of coffee, grab a great bite to eat, buy a book and hear great jazz. I loved ordering their coffee and a slice of their rich, chocolate, raspberry mousse. Yum. I felt so grown up.

When I started working full time, I fell into a pattern of drinking coffee in the morning at work. I noticed if I didn’t have coffee on Saturday and Sunday, I would have a headache. So I started brewing it at home on the weekends.

Over the years, I slowly became more and more dependent on the caffeine in my system to the point where I would experience migraines and flu like symptoms (withdraw symptoms) if I missed a day or two. I began to drink caffeinated soda to compensate if I didn’t meet my caffeine quota for the day in order to ward off a bad headache.

There were times when I decided to “get off” caffeine. When I was experiencing some anxiety issues, I read that cutting out caffeine would help in that area. Also, when I was pregnant I refrained from coffee as well.

Over the last couple of years I have been a religious coffee drinker. Every morning, before anything else, I would start the coffeemaker, fix my coffee, sit and slowly drink my coffee and slowly wake up. I actually trained my kids to wait and "let mommy have her cup of coffee" and then they could let the hundreds of questions start to pour out of their curious little minds. I had even asked my husband to let me make the coffee as I found out he was just “eyeing the amount of coffee grinds” he poured in the coffee maker. And that is just a big no-no. Too much or not enough coffee grinds can really take a toll on a body.

I love my coffee, I really, really do. It’s just that, at this point in my life, it’s not really working for me anymore. I found out that I was getting dehydrated very easily even if I stopped drinking coffee by noon. It has empty and extra calories that I don’t need, even if I didn’t make it as sweet as my brother made his.

So it came down to this:

My dislike for my dependency on caffeine was now more than my desire for the taste of coffee.

Simple as that.

So in early June, when I was hit with an unmerciful migraine that put me out for three days, I decided that I would not start back up on coffee. I was so sick those days, I couldn’t keep food down let alone coffee so I knew I was three days into serious caffeine withdraw anyway. I knew I just had a couple more days to push through and then I would see how I could cope with out my morning cup of coffee.

I’m telling you it is not easy. But it can be done. I am not craving the caffeine at all. The only part I miss is the ritual of making the coffee and the smell…oh, the smell of coffee.

A big help is that my husband stopped drinking caffeine two years ago. It would be difficult if he made it every morning and I had to refrain.

The Positives:

I am so surprised that I can wake up without caffeine. Seriously! You serious coffee drinkers understand what I am talking about. When I heard someone didn’t drink caffeine anymore it was like they told me they didn’t need oxygen anymore: I was mesmerized, yet suspicious. I would think to myself, “good for YOU” as I cradled my large coffee mug and pulled it closer to me and also, “…and Why?” The weird thing is that I feel more alert and more stable. I don’t have those caffeine crashes and don’t have to have some source of caffeine with in arms reach if I go out.

I don’t wake up in the middle of the night extremely thirsty anymore.

I am saving money. Have you seen the price of coffee lately? It seems like the price has doubled over the last few years.

I am saving calories. I love my milk in my coffee and a little sugar and those calories add up. Since I stopped drinking coffee, I lost four pounds. Four pounds just by not drinking coffee!

I have more kitchen counter space! I packed the coffee maker away and will pull it out for birthday parties, holidays and dinner parties.

The Negatives:

None!

Alright, occasionally, I miss the smell of morning coffee. It is a wonderful aroma that fills the house and welcomes a new day full of promises. But seriously, besides that, I am very happy with my decision and love this new found freedom of being caffeine free!

So here is my new friend:

Water.

Yes, lots of it. I have been a guzzling fool for water.

I even went out and bought this happy, plastic water cup to help me consume even more.

If you want to read a little more about caffeine and its side effects click here.

I never thought I would be able to do this and I am so proud that I am making a healthy choice for my body!!

Excuse me while I go and fill up my water cup! Cheers!

bugs & fish

My computer ate a bug.

While it is getting fixed, I have admittedly
done more yard work and laundry than usual.
(shhh, don't tell anyone)

Here is a funny link that
anyone who feeds children will appreciate.
Having three boys, I can relate.


via  nie nie

Good news:

~ Our butterflies all survived and we let them go.
~ We don't have any tornado damage in our neighborhood.  What crazy weather today.
~ We only have one more week of home school.
~ We have four pet fish!
~ I got the chance to play ping pong with my Dad this week. I LOVE to play ping pong and my Dad has a great serve I can barely return.
~ My youngest is taking a month of Taekwondo lessons and loves it.
~ God has answered some prayers in our lives that simply brings me to tears reminding me that He is Faithful.


Sad news:

~ We let our butterflies go.
~ We may only have three pet fish by tomorrow morning.
~ My youngest will have his first taste of heartbreak in the morning.
~ I have never overseen a fish funeral before.
~ It was bittersweet celebrating Memorial Day with family, knowing some close friends and family have loved ones far from home and in harms way protecting our freedom.

I don't want to do this

I’m stepping outside my comfort zone tonight and
doing something that I have
secretly wanted to do for a long while.

But it is also something that I dread;
it’s right up there with my spider phobia.

I’ll let you know if I survive.

Oh, boy….

breathe in 1….2….3….4….5….
breathe out 1….2….3….4….5….

pretty tulips

Today was one of those blah days.
The one where you wake up sick and
can’t will yourself to do anything productive.
On top of that, my husband was home sick too.
He had a bit more energy than me and took over the morning routine
with the boys and when he crashed in the afternoon
I brought out a pop-up tent and let the boys “camp” in the living room.

It rained all day, or most of it, I think.
I didn’t go outside so I can’t say for sure.
Anyway, these photos of my tulips do make me smile.
So if you are having a blah day too,
here are some pretty tulips to look at.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

Oh, wait!
I did pull out a hook and some pretty yarn and
crocheted a bit…the day was not all lost!

i like...

This week has been rough. My husband continues to get better but it is a slow recovery and my youngest randomly threw up Sunday night then felt fine and today the same thing. I don't know what is up. Maybe he is sick of all of the sickness like me.

So, I am ‘liking’ these little pictures that are coming from my boy's imagination and little fingers.


snow/ice castle

They are not in the ultra-critical-art-stage yet

and I am enjoying this as it will change all too soon.

alphabet ‘I Spy’ game


cutest ninja ever

One thing I am proud of, is teaching them, by example, to work with a 'mistake' on a picture. If they start drawing something and it doesn't turn out quite like they thought it would, I told them to simply work it into the picture instead of pouting and starting all over with a new piece of paper.

An odd looking turtle can become a rock, drawing a box or a door over the 'mistake' can save a picture that has been slaved over.

They now excitedly skip over and announce, "Look, Mom, look how I worked with my mistake!"

It is a good life lesson to pass along to our little ones and onto ourselves.

love

“This Too Shall Pass” is not passing quick enough

My husband is home, resting and beginning to feel better. It will take him some time for a full recovery but he aims to get back to work in the next day or two. I am so blessed to live close to family. They were a huge help in many, many ways. I could not have made it through without them!

Last night, my middle son tossed his cookies during what should have been my second round of blissful R.E.M. I wish I could say I handled it like Kelly, but it wasn’t too far off.

All morning, I kept thinking, “This Too Shall Pass” is not passing quick enough for me.

The highlight of the day was getting out to pick up some groceries and then coming home to a warm homemade meal that a sweet friend made and dropped off for the family. It is times like these, and usually I am at my weakest, that I feel Christ’s love shown in action through others. Whether it is a phone call, an email, a letter, a meal, even an offer to help, they all add up and it helps me along the way.

If you are ever looking for a way to help a family in need, consider taking them a meal. It truly is a blessing not to have to worry about feeding your family, even if it is one meal, during a stressful time. The love that is felt by that small act of kindness feeds the soul. Here is a good link that has recipes and other great ides for delivering a meal.

Also, below is a very interesting video a friend posted yesterday. Truly inspiring!

Joy?

So we have had a rough week, month, three months. My husband has asthma and has been battling head/chest colds since late October. Not fun for him or us. With several rounds of antibiotics, steroids and also a nebulizer he still wasn’t able to kick the colds. We all took a turn being sick through December and I got my cold (without any ribbons) on Christmas day. So this week he was going down faster than an apple in New York City on New Year’s Eve. And Friday was the clincher. After an entire night of hacking, and chills and a fever…..he was done. Friday morning I took him to the emergency room and he was promptly taken back to start oxygen, fluids, antibiotics and blood work.

I felt really bad for my husband as he lay there so weak and frail completely powerless as they were poking needles over and over again in his arms. The most exciting needle was the ABG. We never heard of it before and we never want to again. It hurts like a bad word. Late that night he was finally able to get settled and in a room.

The results are in….Pneumonia; both lungs. Joy.

This verse whizzed through the back of my brain as I choose not to focus on it.


2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1: 2-5

I don’t feel very joyful. My husband is sick. I am tired. The boys are getting tired. I know several days in the hospital will be expensive. Joy? Really?

After dropping off the kids, visiting him and then racing back to pick them up again this morning, I fell on the bed to close my eyes for a minute. I couldn’t sleep because my oldest son was in the basement practicing the worship songs for Sunday’s service. Seriously? Does he have to do this right now? I am so tired. Doesn’t he know that I might want some quiet after a long, stressful day yesterday and a busy one today?

I drifted off a bit and then back as I heard the words he was singing.

“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord” he was stuck on that beginning chord with his guitar or something because he sang that line about fifteen times. Seriously? Come On.

After the fifteenth time hearing that line I started to think God was speaking to me. Alright, I thought to myself, I will try to open my heart.

My son continued to sing the rest of the song beautifully in his deep, yearning voice that moves everyone in a room.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see you
I want to see you

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see you
I want to see you

To see You high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
I want to see you
I realized that hearing my son sing these words might not be an interruption but a blessing from God. A good reminder.

If you want to hear a version of this song, click play below.



I honestly don’t think joy is always a feeling, I think it is more of a choice.

For me it is choosing to focus on the truth which doesn’t change from day to day like my feelings.

So……things I am thankful for today.

My husband is stable now and beginning to cough less and get some rest!My mother was great in taking the kids last minute and playing with and feeding them until late in the evening yesterday.
My sister and her husband helped watch the kids today too.
My sister let me vent to her last night.
My older brothers called to check in on us. : )
Some family members were able to visit my husband.
A good friend of his stopped in to pay him a visit. I’m sure he made my husband laugh into a coughing fit.
It was a beautiful warm day and the kids were able to play outside.
I now know the hospital's new floor plan like the back of my hand.
I went grocery shopping earlier in the week and had pulled pork in the crock pot ready for the family to eat for the next couple of days!
I am now a professional emergency room attendee and had everything I needed for the long stay; even yarn and a crochet hook.

My ER List
Big gym bag with pockets
Phone/charger
Daytimer: with phone number/doctors info./insurance info. etc.
Wallet, change for vending machines, cash for parking
Medicines the ER patient takes
Nuts and granola bar when I feel my blood sugar dropping from seeing too much blood (which I did)
Scarf/jacket for sitting in the only chair available that is always under an air vent.
Magazines/something to keep my hands busy = crochet hook & yarn
Bible verses for encouragement
Pad of paper and pen for writing down: questions/doctors names/times of meds/room numbers/where you parked the car, etc.
Ibuprofen


I am putting my weary little head down now.
I wonder if there will be another song playing.

Good night!

puppets, the circus and dancing

I am sewing little, animal hand puppets right now. I have never sewn a puppet before in my life. I am not sure why I thought it was a good idea, on December 22nd, to “whip up a couple puppets” for the nieces and nephews. They are turning out really cute and challenging my beginner sewing skills at the same time so it is a win–win.

earlier…

Both little boys are sick and I am not feeling very jolly myself. My house seems to shrink each day I stay indoors tending to their hot-as-lava fevers. We did get out for a bit today to the lovely pediatricians office to test the boys for Strep. The waiting room….I am not joking…was standing room only. I literally felt like I was in a crazy, clown car at the circus. People were trying to push their way in as others were spilling out. I know I heard clown music somewhere off in the distance.

We were squished in there like sardines: sick, hacking sardines. I waited over an hour in the circus/sardine waiting room, all the while trying to hush my kid’s awful hacking and micro-managing where their fingers were landing. Between the anti-bacterial, hand wipes and the I Spy books, we made it out of the waiting room half-alive….only to find out that we won’t have any hard results back for the Strep test until Tuesday. Somehow that doesn’t help me over Christmas.

Joy in times of trials is a mysterious dance that doesn’t have exact steps.
Some days the dance goes well and other days I trip over myself.
What helps me the best is to keep looking up, not down at my feet/circumstances but off in the distance:
the backdrop.
Through faith, I believe the backdrop of my life is Eternity.

When I realize that a trial,
no matter how painful,
no matter how long,
no matter how completely exhausting...

is temporary,
is what God has allowed for me,
is what He is sending me along with His strength,
the joy returns.

The dance slowly becomes easier.
I resist less, let go and begin to follow.

There are others that do the dance better.
I watch them and learn.
They have danced the dance much longer than me and some of their trials, to me, seem unbearable.
And yet, there they are…dancing…one step at a time: crying…one, two, three…praying…four, five, six…trusting…seven, eight, nine…

So jolly or not, sick little boys or not, exhausted or not….I am going to put on some music and dance.

my mother going to a dance

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas/Holiday. I will post our family Christmas photo sometime over the weekend.

hot, hot, HOT

I got a fun sinus infection this week. I am sure it had nothing to do with the twenty-two children I taught last week at VBS at our church. I am positive it didn’t have anything to do with the child I had to keep a close eye on because she would wander away; who came in with a beautiful, runny nose on Friday. Nope, not thinking it was any of that stuff while I lay on my couch with my ‘To Do’ lists racing through my brain.

Getting sick during a heat wave is double the fun.

I wasn’t quite sure if I had difficulty breathing because my head was so stuffy or because my house felt like a sauna by midday.





I think I dropped a pound or two from (a) sweating in the heat or (b) nausea from the medicine I am on. I was convinced it was the heat making me exhausted and dizzy until it was cooler yesterday and today and I was still shuffling through the house hoping no one would notice if I disappeared and took a two hour nap.

They noticed.

My husband took the boys out on a boat this morning so I could catch up on some things. Sleep sounded like a good thing to catch up on. I fought it off for an hour while I cleaned the kitchen counter my way. I love my dear husband, but there are his and her ways of cleaning. And the counter actually thanked me when I was finished.

This is what happens when I am sick:

I wake up in a sweaty fog and hear nothing. There is always noise in my house. So clearly something has gone awry. I support myself against things as I try my best to get through the maze of toys on the floor. I pull back a curtain and blink through the sun light and then see this out my window.

Yes, my husband thought it would be a great idea to put bubbles in our outside blow up pool. The boys were clearly thrilled! I could only shrug my shoulders and snap a picture.

And I also see stuff like this…

Mentos and Diet Pepsi explosions

Click here if you don't have enough ants in your back yard and you think your children would like this experiment. Cool, exploding fun stuff for boys!!!

I am not sure what other things happened while I was in bed but I think other stories will surface soon.

:: Good Times ::

the bee sting

I mentioned that my youngest got stung by a bee on his toe last week. Well, the story didn’t end there. He was stung Tuesday, June 7th. I examined his toe and thought he broke it by the red swelling accompanied by the ear piercing screams. Upon looking under the toe I saw a stinger. I scraped it out with the end of a pair of tweezers, cleaned it and put baking soda paste on the site. I gave him some ice water to drink and my middle son promptly made him a get well card that had my youngest standing among a beautiful bed of flowers shooting at a bee. Nice. I think he was mad at the bee as we all were still recovering from the stomach flu.

We soaked his foot in some cool water and then elevated it and we all watched a movie. Because I am curious, I saved the stinger on a glass slide. The next morning after the memory and pain had faded a bit, I asked the boys if they wanted to look at the stinger under the microscope. They found it fascinating. You could actually see the tube were the venom comes out.

By the afternoon he was able to walk normally and each day the swelling and redness subsided. He made sure to tell each new person we saw about his bee sting. If they had the time, he would sit down, take off his sandal and lift up his little five-year-old leg and proudly show them his wound under his toe.

So skip to this past Tuesday, June 14th. My little, bee sting survivor comes into the kitchen and tells me his same foot hurts. I examine his foot and sure enough his foot is swollen again. But this time it covers more of his foot and his toe is hot. My mother-alert-system went into full swing! I let him soak his foot in some cool water as I hopped on the internet for symptoms of a bee sting. Sure enough the sting can be deep enough to get infected. I called the pediatrician and she had him in the examining room and treating him in under 45 minutes. (Yup, that was fast!)

She said there was still a piece of the stinger deep inside which she dug out. My little guy was so brave until………he heard the doctor say that he also needed three shots of antibiotics in his little tush!

"Oh, No!"

He screamed and wiggled and cried. Who wouldn’t?

In case you are picturing me in the pediatrician’s office with my teary son, I wasn’t. I had a busy morning and a viewing for a friend’s mother who had passed away. I commissioned my husband and he bravely took, comforted and held our little one as all the drama unfolded! I love my husband!

So it actually turned out to be serious; the beginning stage of cellulitis.

Cellulitis is caused by a type of bacteria entering the skin, usually by way of a cut, abrasion, or break in the skin. This break does not need to be visible. Group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are the most common of these bacteria, which are part of the normal flora of the skin, but normally cause no actual infection while on the skin's outer surface.
Predisposing conditions for cellulitis include insect or spider bite, blistering, animal bite, tattoos, pruritic (itchy) skin rash, recent surgery, athlete's foot, dry skin, eczema, pregnancy, diabetes and obesity, which can affect circulation, as well as burns and boils.

I am so glad I followed my instincts, it could have been really bad. We picked up a strong prescription of antibiotics which he needs to take for 7 to 10 days and a cream for the itching. He also has to stay out of direct sunlight for that time period too. That should be interesting. He came home with a chocolate snowball and a chocolate mustache on his upper lip. All signs of tears were gone by the time they arrived home! Did I mention I love my husband?!! The pediatrician outlined the red swelling with a pen and said the swelling should recede and if it does not or grows further than the pen line to bring him back in.

It has been hard for the little guy; resting on the couch with his foot on a pillow, being able to watch more movies than Mom allows, getting extra attention, snuggling with Elizabeth and having to drink yummy, grape flavored medicine. I think he will make it!

And again I am humbled and thankful…

We are so blessed to be living in a country where we can access clean water, electricity, drivable roads, higher education to go into the medical field, doctors, medicine, pharmacists and where we can pay for great health care! We can not take these things for granted! These precious things should be noted and protected. I am constantly reminded that there are many who do not have access to these things.


By the way, the orange hat he is wearing is the same hat he came home from the hospital when he was born. I told him it would be too small for him to wear it. Guess I was wrong, again!

down and out

...and just as we were sliding into June quite nicely,
we all got the stomach bug.

Y u c k .

It was not fun and we are still recovering.

But I am happy…

- I got my flowers planted last week
- our busy school schedule is winding down
- warm weather is begging us to keep the pool set up
- for Gatorade, Saltines and applesauce
- for my sweet sister who dropped off five new DVD’s for us to watch when we were down and out

Despite our sickness and my youngest getting stung by a bee on his big toe, I am still finding things to be happy about.

How about you?

change

Change is painful.

We don’t like.

We resist it.

Nonetheless it is inevitable.

Soon we realize some changes, when accepted,

embraced and worked through can bring about peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:4

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance.

"Validation"

my youngest swinging with bubbles

Stumbled across this video

“Validation”

and it did make me smile!

The music is

fun!

I think I have a weakness for finger snapping in music.

Have a great weekend…or as I say to my oldest,

“make yourself a great weekend.”

F is for Funk

Trying to pull myself out of a funk is nearly impossible.

I muster, grasp, strive and fail.

Not until I was driving my boys to a class today, in a torrential downpour, did it sneak up on me again.

There is nothing on this earth that can give us true joy.



Not people,

not food,

not any amount

of technological distractions

or intellectual pursuits.



The promises this world whispers turn up empty.

I know this deep down inside.

Life has an interesting way of distracting me

and I let it.


Not until I hit rock bottom, or come close to it,

do I realize again, that without faith I am nothing.

But what is even sadder, without it,

I have nothing to offer.


I don’t want to just distract you

from whatever you want to be distracted from.

(Believe me, I love surfing the internet and
checking up on my favorite websites.)

But I hope, in a small way, I can pass on a smile, a laugh,

encouragement but most importantly hope.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1: 2-6

So back to the driving in torrential rain…I am sulking inside and feeling gloomy and this song comes on and I am humbled again!



The words are powerful enough to snap me out of my funk and refocus my thoughts toward the only true hope in this world; God.



I pray whatever trials you are facing today,

the small,

the big and

the chronic ones,

that you may find peace and true hope.



You are not alone.



You are loved.

N is for Nudge

Need a nudge to think a little more positively?
View this video of Stephanie Nielson skiing.
This amazing woman had to struggle back to life, literally,
and here she is, once again, enjoying life to the fullest!

You should really read her story.

Her story will move you, and it will make you cry.

It reminds me to truly enjoy the little things!

Pass it on if you know someone who could

use a little nudge today!!

***

a little more love

smile

On gray days, I put on my brightest top,

make sure I talk to my sister on the phone

(even just for a minute),

send the boys outside to “play”,

set some time aside to pray and collect my thoughts,

take an extra B complex

and

sometimes

I watch a video or two that makes me smile

this video makes me smile

and this video challenges me

to be thankful for whatever

God has brought in to my life

Yikes!

Check out this note to the Tooth Fairy!

Very cute, Kaaren.

I love Micky’s expression!!!