Son Out of the Hospital

Just have time for a quick post. My son did great in surgery Friday and is now home with me resting comfortably.

I wasn't too pleased with the care he received in the hospital however.

I will go into more details tomorrow evening. Just wanted to let everyone know.

Taking a Posting Break

This will probably be my last post until Monday. As many of you know, my son will be having heart surgery tomorrow and I will be going out of town so I can be with him.

I know the Lord will take care of everything and I'm not really nervous about it especially since we recently went thru this in October.

My husband and his kids will be staying here. I know they will enjoy having their dad just to themselves. And I know he will enjoy spending time with them.

I know I have been lacking putting up pictures lately and I hope to remedy that next week.

I've also got some great recipes I want to try and get posted as well.

Well, gotta go. I still need to make dinner for everyone and get my stuff packed and try and leave in about 2 1/2 hours.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Working Outside the Home - uggh!

Okay...I started a new job yesterday. I already realize that I HATE this job...its just not for me. I'm glad it's only temporary, lasting just 90 days. I think I can tough it out for that long, but it will be nice to have the extra money. We can really use it.

My hours are from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm with an hour for lunch. I get up at 5am and take my shower and start the coffee. I then put a load of laundry in the washer and go ahead and unload the dishes. While drinking my cup of coffee, I make out a list of chores that I want the kids to accomplish by the time I get home. Realistically, they SHOULD be doing them before any computer or video time...we are still working on that. I will also write out a menu for the day...it lists breakfast, lunch, snack and what I will be making for dinner when I get home.

Just to give you an idea, here's the chore chart from today. I put everyone's name in front of the task (but I'm not going to list their names here, only the chores)

sweep kitchen floor
spot clean kitchen floor
vaccum living and dining room
feed animals
put laundry from washer into the dryer and turn on dryer
clean outside refrigerator
clean bottom kitchen cabinets
clean ALL kitchen counters
clean outside microwave
clean outside of stove/oven
wipe down bathroom counter
wipe down counter & table after lunch
put away dishes that you use - everyone
sweep laundry room

I know that looks like a lot, but with 4 kids, it only comes out to be 3 tasks per child.

I also have to list the following or they won't do it :(

eat breakfast
brush teeth
brush hair
get dressed
make bed
tidy room

Yesterday was our first day with the routine, and we had some issues with one child...and we had issues today with the same child. Hopefully, tomorrow will go more smoothly.

I come home for lunch and try to fix everyone's lunch before I have to get back to work. I can tell, this is just not the life for me.

Anyway, I am leaving tomorrow night to travel to the hospital as my son will be having heart surgery Friday morning. My mother-in-law will be coming over to spend the night with the kids since my husband works night shift - otherwise no one would be here. I am hoping to be back in town sometime on Saturday and will be looking forward to some down time.

Children and Lying

My stepkids are here for two weeks, so we have a full house and it has been quite busy. It will be interesting to see how it goes since I will be starting my new job tomorrow. I am looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. My anxiety level is extremely high right now.

How do you teach a child that lying is just plain wrong? It is something that we struggle with my stepkids. In the past, this is what we have done. I made a "lying" bag out of a ziploc baggie. In the baggie, I included 5 blank index cards along with a pencil. On a separate index card, I wrote down 4 questions:

1. Is lying wrong?
2. Why is lying wrong?
3. Have you ever lied?
4. Is there ever a time when lying is acceptable?

I will usually "ground" this person form T.V. and video games until this assignment is complete.

The child is instructed that he must interview 5 adults. The child will ask the adult to sign his/her name at the top of the blank index card along with the date. The child will ask the adult the questions and will write the answers down on the card. The child is NOT required to tell the adult why he/she has this assignment.

Once all cards have been completed, the bag is returned and the assignment is completed and the child can be "ungrounded".

The child is put in control of how long he/she is grounded.

The next time the child lies, give him/her the assignment bag again. This time tell the child that he/she has to interview 10 adults and 5 of them MUST be from the previous interview.

It has worked for us in the past.

Big News

Well, my Big News is........I got a job! It will really help get us back on track. I love, love, love being able to stay at home. But this is the right decision at this time.

It has been 10 years since I worked full time and a lot things have changed since then. One, I won't have little ones to take care of or worry about daycare, so it should make it MUCH easier.

However, I go into this with concern and worry. Will I be able to keep up with everything? Will I be able to keep my house clean (to my standards), cook, bake, laundry, and still have time with my family?

It will definitely be a big change for everyone involved as I will be seeking more help from them to keep things running smoothly.

I will be working this weekend on writing out a new routine which I will be happy to share with you. My step-kids are coming tomorrow and will be here for two weeks so I want to make sure EVERYONE has something to do while I am away. Luckily, my husband will be home during the day to supervise...LOL.

On another note, we just found out that my son Blake probably will NOT be going to public school in the fall. I talked with the school this morning and was very upset. The will not accept any of his highschool grades/credits! They will require him to come and take their final exam in each of his subjects. Whatever grade he makes on their final exam is the grade that he will receive for that class. He would have to go and take 9 final exams which is ridiculous! My oldest son went to public school in the 10th grade and just had to take a placement exam...no problem.
But this other is just..plain STUPID.

He was really looking forward to going to "school" in the fall. I guess we will just have to look at other options. I checked into some of the private schools, but the tuition is just way too expensive and not at all feasible.

Well, I've gotta run. There is so much stuff that I need to get done.
Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Times They Are a Changin'

Big news coming tomorrow....anyone care to take a guess?

Another Graduation

Another milestone came and went Friday...my son Brian graduated highschool!
We started homeschooling Brian in the fourth grade when I removed him from public school and it was the best decision that I made.

It has not always been easy, you'll have to trust me on that. In fact, when he started 8th grade, we decided to put him back into public school because he was such a strong willed child and I was having some difficulty. However, putting him back in public school was a disaster! He hated it, I hated...it was awful. We both stuck it out for the entire year and that was enough. He came back home to school when 9th grade rolled around.

Homeschooling thru highschool CAN be done. Brian is my second son to homeschool graduate. Also, they DO have a graduation ceremony and the DO get a valid diploma...and the DO NOT have any problems getting into college. If you have any questions about homeschooling in highschool, just leave me a comment and I'll get back with you.

Back to the Land of the Living

First, I want to say thank you for all the well wishes and prayers. I rarely get sick but watch out when I do.

So this is what happened....Thursday morning started out as any other Thursday morning. Got up, started my daily routine...yada yada yada. My husband, since he was off, decided he wanted to go to a nearby town to eat lunch. He had been talking about this place for a couple of days. He used to eat there when he was a teen and wanted to take me there. It was about a 30 minute drive. When we left, I mentioned something about my legs being a little achy, but no big deal.

Food was good, and I was full. On our drive back, I started feeling a little sick, ya know, queasy. Hubby wanted to stop at store before we arrived home to pick up a couple of things. By the time we got to the store, I didn't even want to get out of the vehicle. I wasn't feeling well at all at this point so I stayed in the car and he ran in and quickly picked up what he needed.

When we got home, I layed down on the couch for a couple of minutes and then decided maybe I needed to go and lay down on the bed and take a nap. When I awoke a couple of hours later, I was hurting ALL over. I mean my head hurt, my legs hurt, my toes hurt, my arms, and even my fingers. I was running a slight fever and had chills. My head felt like it was about to explode. I had never had anything come over me so quickly.

I stayed on the couch under the cover and alternated tylenol and ibuprofen to try and ease the pain and reduce my fever. I threw up what I had eaten for lunch (yuk!) I conked out later, but didn't sleep very well because my head was hurting so bad.

Friday morning, I woke up and stayed on the couch. Still felt very nauseated. Head was pounding. My body was still achy, but not like the night before. Hubby had some errands to run first thing that morning, but when he got back, he decided that was it....he was taking me to the doctor. So off we went...3 hours later I returned home. They couldn't be sure what exactly had happened. However, this is what they did know....I had an ear infection and my blood pressure was high - 169/118! The rest...they don't know exactly what brought it on. I was given a steroid shot in my hip for the body aches. He gave me a mild pain reliever - Tramadol.

Let me stop before going on further....I am highly sensitive to pain medication. It may say mild and won't cause drowsiness....but it will knock me out every time!

So...Tramadol...it is supposed to be a much more milder pain reliever than say Loritab or Hydrocodone. But, for me, it had the same effect...snoozeville.

Okay...I also was prescribed some antibiotic eardrops which I have to take twice a day for 7 days. The doctor thinks my fever might have been caused by the ear infection, but they are not sure.

And lastly, I was given sample meds for migraines. I am a migraine sufferer and have been for over 10 years. I have had MRIs, gone to chiropractors, taken homeopathy type meds...just about everything. I was told to take Imetrix (sp?), but I had a bad reaction. Then I was prescribed a med called Topomax...but I refused to take it after reading all the side effects. I have what's called occular migraines and they are concentrated on the right side of my head in my eye. Sound doesn't bother me, but light does. One day, I'll go into how I've learned to live with migraines...but that's another story.

Back to this....by Friday evening I was feeling well enough to make it to my son's graduation (I'll post pictures later). Come Saturday morning, I was back to feeling like I was dying. It was a long day full of medication and mostly sleep. Luckily, my youngest son was at his dad's that weekend, and my step kids were at their moms. So, I was able to get the rest that I needed.

Yesterday, I started feeling much better, no headache, just weak and woozy from not being able to eat. I was able to eat last night and keep it down..WhooHoo!!

So, here I am today...I woke up with a small headache. Took only one pill to keep headache from turning into something major. I feel a little lightheaded, but have been able to get things done around the house. I took my blood pressure today and it is back down where it should be 121/87.

I am hoping to be able to make some cookies today and some hamburger buns. I'm still going to try and take it easy and not over do it too much.

Hope everyone has a great start to their week.

MIA

Sorry, ladies. I'm taking a short break from blogging as I am sick. Hopefully, I will be over it SOON and will be back to blog land.

Have a blessed Friday.

Spending Time with Hubby Today

Due to my husband's job, he has a weird schedule. His days off change every four weeks or so. This week he is off today and tomorrow. So, I am breaking from my regular routine to be able to hang out with him today. It's more of a weekend for us...since he works on Saturday and Sunday (bummer). Next week, however, he will rotate again and his days off will be Friday and Saturday. You just have to learn to roll with it.

So, today I got up way early for me at 5:30. Okay...I know this isn't early for some of you ladies, especially the ones with little babies. But 5:30 IS early for me. We have a small tree outside our bedroom window and our bed backs up to the window. Every morning like clock work, there are these birds that begin their chirp chirping. Usually, I can roll over and go back to sleep. But not today, too many things going on in my mind. So I got up and dressed and did a deep clean of my bedroom. Yes, I took out a large garbage back of "stuff" that was cluttering up a corner in my room. Whew, I had been meaning to do that for some time - I mean for months!

Keep in mind, my husband works nights, so he wasn't home and it is extremely easy to get things done in the morning. Next I tackled two loads of laundry (today is my regularly scheduled laundry day), started a pot of coffee - I absolutely HAVE to have my coffee. Yes, I am one of THOSE type of people (haha).

I unloaded the dishes and loaded up what was in my sink. I know - GASP! I left dishes in my sink overnight! Yes, it does happen on occasion. I hate dishes in my sink. I swept the kitchen floor as I try to do this everyday. And I swept up the living room and dining room. I have to sweep and/or vacuum everyday because of our dogs. I mean to tell ya....I could make another dog from the amount of hair I sweep or vacuum everyday.

So, no...I did not do my full blown kitchen cleaning - I haven't cleaned out the fridge. Not a big deal. And I didn't do my baking. I cleaned all the cabinetry yesterday. You know how you see one spot and you go to clean it then you see another and another. Well, that's what happened and before you knew it, I had cleaned all the cabinets and drawers. I really should do this once a week or at least twice a month. I'll have to remember to write it down on my list.

House was pretty much in order when my husband made it home from work. He had worked a 12 hour shift. He is always smiles when he gets home in the morning and I try and make sure that I greet him at the door with a smile too...even though sometimes I may not feel like smiling too much (more about that some other time).
The first thing he asks me every morning is "How did you sleep?". Usually followed by, "I love you" "I'm glad to be home".

He checked his email on the computer and then played Texas Hold'em Poker (not for money) for a bit. He loves playing and it helps him wind down after work. Then we decided we needed to run some errands.

He wanted to go to the bookstore to look for a book to help him prepare to take his ham radio test to get his license. But no such luck...they didn't have it and can't order it. Hopefully, we will be able to order it online. He was in communications in the military, so he should probably ace the test.

Last week a storm whipped thru and knocked one of our tomato buckets down and crushed our plant. Hubby was disappointed as this was our biggest plant and had a lot of promise. So, we headed out to Lowe's to buy a new tomato plant and we also bought a squash plant too. When we came home and planted them in our hanging planters ...yes even, the squash we are hanging upside down. Our other original tomato plant is doing great and even has some blooms on it!!

While we were out, we decided we needed to head to the store to buy some beverages and pick up something for lunch. It's so funny, but we were thinking about the same exact thing for lunch! Breaded ravioli...which we haven't had in 6 months. We had to go to two different stores just to find it. I know...not the healthiest...but oooh so good!

We watched a movie that I picked up yesterday. It's been awhile since we have been able to just sit down and watch a movie together. Aahh..the simple little pleasures.
I took a shower and then decided to take a nap...just because I could. By this time, it was 1:00 and hubby had been up since 7pm the night before - 18 hrs straight and was pretty tired as well. Let's just say, he decided to take a nap and is still napping. I expect to (try to) get him up in a couple of hours. If I don't, he won't sleep on a normal schedule tonight.

I'm just gonna take it easy the rest of the night. We have another movie we want to watch, and for once, I don't know what I'm doing for dinner...something simple and light - maybe a salad.

Yesterday, I had a job interview. And yes, I'm thinking of going back to work. It would help us out so much financially. Blake is my only child home full time now and he has decided he wants to go to public school (10th grade) in the fall. So, I wouldn't have to worry about homeschooling and him being here by himself. I would be able to get him to school and my husband would be home when he got off of school so I wouldn't have to worry about him coming home to an empty house.

Actually, I'm really excited about it. If you would have asked me a couple of years ago...I would have said "no way". Anyway, they are supposed to make a decision sometime this week. If I don't get it, I'll just keep on looking.....

Have blessed Wednesday!

Why Men Are Never Depressed

Okay...this is not what I had intended to post today. I found it on another blog and thought it was just too funny. So have a laugh today, you deserve it!!

Men Are Just Happier People--

-Your last name stays put.
-The garage is all yours.
-Wedding plans take care of themselves.
-Chocolate is just another snack.
-You can be President.
-You can never be pregnant.
-You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
-You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
-Car mechanics tell you the truth.
-The world is your urinal.
-You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
-You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
-Same work, more pay.
-Wrinkles add character.
-Wedding dress $5000.
-Tux rental-$100.
-People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
-New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
-One mood all the time.
-Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
-You know stuff about tanks.
-A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
-You can open all your own jars.
-You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
-If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
-Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
-Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
-You almost never have strap problems in public.
-You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
-Everything on your face stays its original color.
-The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
-You only have to shave your face and neck.
-You can play with toys all your life.
-One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
-You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
-You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
-You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
-You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Have a blessed and wonderful Tuesday!!

Today is My Birthday

Yes, today is my birthday. I guess I will have to correct my profile to show the right age....43. I was thinking this morning about my life in decades.... In my 20's, I got married, started a career, had three children (at 21, 24, 28). Yes, it was a very busy time in my life. You think you know what you want...but really you have no idea (you can only say this looking back). As I approached age 30, I couldn't wait! I know most people dread turning 30. However, I was working outside the home in a male dominated career. I felt that when I turned 30, I would be taken more seriously in my job. I loved turning 30.

My 30's was a very unpredictable decade. At the age of 30, my now ex-husband and I separated...then got back together. I quit my job and became a stay at home mom and began homeschooling. I sold a house, bought another house. Separated again and this time divorce followed. Watched my oldest son graduate from highschool. Met and married a wonderful man that I love very much. Became a step-mom to 3 kids. Became pregnant, but had a miscarriage.

Here I am now in my early 40's. I became a grandma just a little after turning 40. We have sold our house and moved 100 miles away. My middle son graduates on Friday. Is it true that "Life begins at 40"?

I now wear bifocals (unlined, of course!). Just a sign of the times I guess. I have grey in my hair (but try and keep it hidden). All in all, I really do look young for my age. I thank my husband for part of that...he keeps me young. For those of you that do not know...I married a younger man!!! When we met, he was 30 and I was 39. Now I'm 43 and he will be turning 35 this fall.

We are looking forward to the years that come when the kids are grown and we can go when and where we want. Knowing my husband, we will have to get matching wheel chairs and have wheel chair races!

Life is what it is....UNPREDICTABLE!! You can plan, but you have to be able to be flexible and understand that sometimes STUFF just happens and you have to be able to go with the flow. (Lesson I'm still learning after all this time).

Oh....here's a picture of my boys..this was taken yesterday. It is rare now that I can get all three of them together at one time.



I hope everyone has a blessed Monday!

Laid Back Thursday

I had a couple of great posts swimming around in my mind that I wanted to get out.

But....I'm just having such a great laid back day that I think I will wait and post them another time.

Guess I'll just have to keep you guessing :)

Finally after over a week's worth of rain, the sun has once again graced us with its presence. My computer desk is set up right next to the window. I have it up and a sweet breeze in blowing. My cat loves it too....as she has decided this is her new favorite spot...she gets a kick watching the birds.



We are pretty much done with school this year, which makes me a little sad. I've been homeschooling for 9 years and next year Blake wants to give public school a try. He'll be in the 10th grade.... I know he will be o.k. and do wonderfully.

So right now, he is still asleep as he stayed up late last night playing some video games....what do ya expect...he's a teenager, right? I don't mind...it's quiet.

My husband was supposed to be off today, but decided to go in and work dayshift. It's unusual that he is not home during the day.

Let's see, what else....my housework is pretty much done...I'm washing some bedding and I need to make a loaf of bread and make out my grocery list and menu and start dinner for tonight.

That's pretty much it for today. God is good!!

Have a blessed and wonderful Thursday!!

Free Meal from KFC

The Oprah Winfre Show/Kentucky Grilled Chicken Two-Piece Meal Coupon.

Great Deal! Go to link below to print out your coupon for a FREE KFC meal.

Coupons can only be printed out from 9am CDT on 5/5/09 to 11:50pm CDT on 5/6/09.

So, don't delay..print yours now.

KFC Grilled Chicken Two Piece Meal Coupon

Contentment

Is true contentment really possible?

To be honest, I have struggled with this for a long time. The dictionary defines contentment as being satisfied.

I think that in today's society, we are bombarded through the media that whatever we have is not enough. We need large houses, expensive cars, prestigious jobs, extravagant vacations, private schools for the kids. We need these things in order for us to be happy.

Do we really need all this stuff to be happy? Is it possible to be happy with just what we already have?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that we shouldn't strive for more or not want things. But what I'm saying is that you shouldn't do it on the basis of "If I had a new car, I would be happy" or "If only my house were bigger, then I would be happy".

My house is not big. It was built in the 60's...so it doesn't have the newer things that are in the new construction. I do love to go into newly constructed houses and ooh and ahh at all the cool stuff and how big and spacious everything is. But would having that big house make me any more or any less happy than I am right now in my house? I don't think so.

Don't get stuck in the "if only" mindset. If you do, you will NEVER be happy.

Have a blessed and HAPPY Tuesday. Find contentment in wherever you are today.

Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam

We were blessed this weekend with 14 quarts of freshly picked strawberries from a local farm. I had been asked by my mother in law if I would make some strawberry freezer jam.

For those of you that may have been scared off from making jam in the past because of all the canning equipment needed, you will be pleasantly surprised just how easy freezer jam can be as an alternative to traditional canning.

The recipe below makes between 5-6 8 oz jars....but I used 12 - 4 oz jars.

Before you begin, thoroughly wash and clean the jars.

What you will need:
2 quarts strawberries washed and stems/leaves removed.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pkg pectin

After removing stems and leaves, I washed, rinsed, and drained my strawberries.


After they were all clean, I sliced the strawberries to make it easier to mash. Once your strawberries have been sliced, you will need to mash them. You can use a potato masher, but since I don't have one of those, I just used one the beaters from my mixer. You want to keep mashing until the strawberries are in small pieces.


In another bowl, you will want to measure out 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Then add your pectin. Here's what I used. There are two packages in it..you only need one. The pectin is what makes it gel.


Pour your pectin in the bowl with your sugar and mix completely.


Pour your mashed strawberries in the bowl with your sugar mixture and stir for about 3 minutes until completely mixed and sugar is disolved.

You are now ready to ladle into your jars. Once done, put the tops on and let sit for awhile out on the counter. I usually leave mine for several hours before putting into the freezer.



The jam will keep in your freezer for a looong time....but if you want to refrigerate...it will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Well, I've got more jam to make today.

Hope everyone has a blessed Monday.

What I'm Doing Today

Today I'm making strawberry jam. Check back tomorrow...I'll have pictures and the recipe.

Hope everyone has a blessed Lord's Day!!

Days Gone By

I have the house to myself this morning...my youngest son who still lives at home is away for the weekend and my husband isn't home from work yet (third shift).

It's quiet here with just me and the animals.

The peace and quiet has given me time to reminiscence about what seems long ago days when my kids were little. There was no such thing as a "quiet" Saturday, or any other day for that matter.

I can remember looking forward to going grocery shopping on Saturdays so I could "escape" and have some alone time. I know that some of you moms with little ones can relate. But let me remind you, our little ones are only little for a short time. Sometimes it doesn't seem so...I know...been there, done that.

You begin to wonder if you will EVER be able to just go to the bathroom in peace without the knocking on the door...

Will you ever be able to have a COMPLETE uninterrupted phone conversation...

Will there come a time that you will be able to walk thru the rooms of your house without stepping on a toy....

Those days will come and they will come with mixed emotions...

I'm very proud of the men that my boys have become and are still becoming, but there are days like today when the quietness is around me that I miss the little boys that they once were.

Nothing Much and a Funny Video

Sorry everyone...I just have writers block today. Some personal things going on that I want to keep for my self...hope you can understand.

It's a very cloudy, rainy day today. Kinda reminds me of my mood. What can I say...even the best of us sometimes have days like this.

This too shall pass....(sigh).

On another note, I am starting a new sewing project this weekend...a baby bumper pad.
A friend of mine was having a hard time finding one that already matched the bedding she had, so she purchased some material and asked if I would sew one for her.

I will definitely post pictures once I am finished.

Here's a funny video that I thought I would share:

Guess Who's Coming To Play

Look Who's Coming To Play @ Yahoo! Video

Have a blessed Friday...