In Which We Have to Get Healthy

But first an update. I promised one. We DID, in fact, get the youngest's room under control. All toys are now on the shelves in her closet or stored in the garage for rotating later. The 137 baby dolls turned out to only be 16, but I feel that is a sufficient number for a young mom to handle. They are on a shelf. All that is in her room is her play kitchen, her $12 new-to-us baby care center, and that shelf of babies. Her clothes were organized too, but then we were blessed with 2 garbage bags of hand-me-downs that I thought we might put away for later.

So far, they have all fit.

How did she get so big? She's 6 1/2 and these are all size 8s.

Sniff.

Anyway, onto our health journey. We are not young like we once were and it is past time to be very serious about our health.

1. I believe I have mentioned changes at husband's work which means that we now pay health insurance and prescriptions out-of-pocket until we meet the deductible. This makes you strongly consider "do I NEED to go to the doctor?" Which is not how it should be.

2. I have had pain like back when I had ulcers/gastritis 7 years ago and also found a lump in my abdomen. Obviously, that is scary. I visited the g.i. doc, got scheduled for blood work, an ultrasound, and an EGD. So far, we have spent $1500.

3. I could have spent that money so many ways.

4. But it was good to have because now I know that I have a. 2 small ulcers b. a small hiatal hernia c. a slightly enlarged liver (fatty liver) and he thinks the lump is probably a hernia too. He will look at it more at my follow up next week.

So, add that to us not being able to afford the out-of-pocket diabetes meds for husband, and you've got a situation that requires action.

On New Year's Eve, we started eating Trim Healthy Mama. I did this plan back in 2014-2015 and lost 30 pounds. I know it works. And after I lost all that weight, a few things happened:

(there are a lot of lists today, huh?)

1. My Dad went into the hospital for 6 1/2 weeks and I took care of Mom, transportation, running back and forth, and our kids (youngest had *just* turned 3 at the time). Dad ended up passing away at the end of the summer so then of course....grief, grieving children, Mom, funeral, everything.

2. About 3 weeks after Dad's funeral, we took our second-born to the doctor for allergy testing. We found out she was allergic to...well, earth. But mostly soy. So, I spent months. MONTHS. Learning to not kill her when I cooked and grocery shopped.

3. Clearly, my THM ways went by the wayside.

So that is why I now have 40 pounds to lose. And some exercise to do. I have been walking nearly every day for a week (I forgot Sunday). It's a good way to start out. And our eating has been excellent ever since Dec. 31. It will take a bit for the weight to start dropping off, but it will.

And I'm taking meds for the ulcers.

We have gotten husband off of his short-acting insulin and one pill.

I think we are on the right road, headed in the right direction.

And we really don't have a choice. I desperately want to be healthy and energetic and to finish raising these girls. Plus my husband needs me as well. I need to be here for these people.

Signing off,

On This Saturday

...I got up at 6:00am. Why? I guess in part because I am old and set in my routine. I wanted to sleep, but I was awake. I've made coffee and had breakfast and the kids are all still sleeping at just after 8:00am.

I'm sitting here thinking about what I want to do today. Of course, there are "have to do" things such as meals and laundry. Thankfully the grocery shopping is done and bills are paid (Thank you, Lord!). I hate spending my weekend doing those things.

I could also work in the garage. I could clean up the extra room. I could deal with paperwork.

But what I think I want to do is work in the youngest child's bedroom. We've had every imaginable room arrangement over the years. Currently, all the girls have their own rooms. Second born talked us into giving her the front room that has, over the years, been a homeschool room, an office (I believe it's intended purpose), and a play room. It doesn't have a door. We hung some beautiful curtains and she has her own space. It's small, but temporary. One day the oldest will move out and then the remaining girls can each have a proper bedroom. For now, second born is just happy not to be sharing with little sister. So we moved all the toys to little sister's room. She's the only one who still really plays so it makes sense. But when the older two were growing up I never liked having toys in the bedrooms. Bedrooms are hard enough to keep clean without adding toys.

The youngest and I made supper the other night. Hopefully, today's task will involve fewer knives.

So today I believe I will channel my younger mom self and get in there and organize. I used to make picture labels for the girls and put them on the toy containers. Then I would label the shelf where they belonged. There was no reason for them to not know where things went. I believe the youngest doesn't know how to clean her room because so many things do not have a place.

Also, there are many things that need to leave the house.

We watched a few Marie Kondo episodes last week and of her own accord, the youngest brought about 10 things out of her room and told me to get rid of them or sell them. This is huge, people!

But I've got to get her room under control. She has 137 baby dolls (maybe that's just a ballpark figure but it feels true) and they need a home.

A home where there is still room for the real human who lives in the room to sleep, get dressed, and play. Is that asking too much?

And also, I need to take some photos of items to sell in my eBay store. Last month, Steve and I listed a few items and with the money we earned I paid for this semester of co-op and will soon pay for our spring break camp we go to each year.

So, my eBay store needs some more stock and I have lots of it waiting in the garage.

Now that I've made my plan-of-the-day with you, I'll come back later and let you know how it all worked out.

Should be good for a laugh or two.

Signing off,

A Story

Once upon a time there was a family who had a very good holiday season. Thanksgiving was stressful for the Mother as it has been since her father died. Her father had always done so much that his daughter had always considered Thanksgiving a vacation. No more. Thanksgiving is not very much fun when you have to do all the work. And spend that much money.

And of course as soon as that holiday is over, it's time to prepare for the big one: Christmas. And although the Mother enjoyed Christmas and picking out presents for her loved ones, and although she was filled with gratitude and thankfulness the whole month because of all the blessings her family had, it was a bit stressful too.

There had been a houseguest that month and of course shopping and presents and cleaning and cooking--so much cooking. There was upcoming stress of the next year to think about as well.

So that on Christmas afternoon, when all the festivities were quite over, the Mother developed a bit of a headache and said that she thought she would lie down.

And the headache grew and she felt quite bad and the lying down turned into nearly the whole evening and the Mother went to bed at 10:30. When she awoke the next morning at 8:45, she felt better. Can you imagine needing that much sleep?

The mother feels better now. And she is also going to do something she never, ever does. She is going to make today a vacation day.

There will be no self-imposed guilt about her husband working so she should be working too, like usual.
There will be no worries about all the things that need doing about the house.

The Mother is going to sit and watch movies and do nothing responsible all day long.

The End.

Looking Ahead

Back in October I realized we had SO many activities and exciting events coming up on our calendar, that we needed a visual. We keep a calendar of the current month up in our dining room with important events on it. We also use our calendars on our computers and the four oldest people in our family are all linked up to the calendar so they can always check what's going on when.

But the visual I decided to make was a paper chain. For the remaining days of October, I used orange and black construction paper. For events in November, I used brown and orange. And for December, I did a pattern in red, green, and white. I ended the chain on Christmas day and when we first hung it up, it stretched across and around part of our dining room.

The girls have taken turns tearing a chain link off each evening. They can't believe how short the chain has gotten already. It has really helped with a visual of "How much longer until....." questions.

This month the main things we have are of course Christmas....and we have a house guest coming next week. Towards that end, we have been cleaning a lot lately. Our regular cleaning is not enough when you have someone coming to stay and not just over for a few hours.

And the Christmas shopping has begun in earnest. I'm taking my mom this afternoon to get a few things as well. I'm also working on Christmas cards, which need to be mailed out soon.

This month we are also doing a lot of planning. We have wrapped up the first "season" of our podcast. Now we just need to plan for next year's episodes. Also, husband is thinking ahead to what he will preach about next year. And we are making plans for our finances in 2019 and what we can do to help out in that area.

It doesn't matter what you are planning though---a fun event like a camping trip, or how to improve your life in the new year--those plans all need to be prayed over. Honoring God with our plans is the most important thing.

This fall is passing so quickly!

I don't believe that I can pray, "God, should I...?" and He will answer me. That is not how God operates today. (See Hebrews 1:1-2). But I DO believe that God will give us wisdom if we ask for it in faith. (See James 1:5-6). I also believe scripture addresses many things that we can apply to our own lives with common sense.

And that is the really important thing in all of this. We may plan, and prepare, and work hard on our future. We may fill our calendar up with events both fun and important. But if we are not seeking the Lord's guidance, our plans are in vain.

What are you preparing for?

Signing off,

In Which Sparky Gets Replaced

The girls and I went to a fire prevention class earlier this month. In talking about fire safety before we went, I realized that our 2nd-born daughter was really young last time we had a fire drill or talked about fire safety much. In fact, I think she was 5. And of course the youngest was 1 last time we visited a fire station.

So...it was an overdue trip. The oldest begged to go and I thought "she's just trying to get out of her work" (college work). But she said she really wanted to get out of the house. Fair enough.

Turns out she thought we were only going to a clarinet lesson (which we did before the class) and was as surprised as could be when we pulled up to the fire station. **insert eye roll here**

The fire department was in Santa Fe, the same town that suffered a high school shooting back in May. The girls and I were thinking about that during the class--that these were some of the same EMTs and firefighters that probably responded to that horrible scene just a few months ago. I have all the respect for them.

And why wouldn't you respect them? DJ Blaze put on a great show.

But I felt a wee bit out-dated. Instead of talking about stop-drop-and roll, they talked about never charging your tablet and putting it under your pillow. And about not overloading your plugs with electronics. Okaaayyy...this is a bit more "modernized."

And then--THEN! He pulled a little stuffed Dalmatian out of his pocket and asked us who it was. Oooh! I know this one! I started to holler out, "SPARKY!" just as all the kids yelled out, "MARSHALL!"

Huh?

Oh. It seems poor old Sparky the Fire Dog has taken a backseat to Marshall from Paw Patrol.

But they kids really learned a lot and we got to tour the fire house. Now all that's left is to practice our home fire safety plan. Oh, and to get a new fire extinguisher, because ours expired.

They had to practice rolling out of bed, crawling to the door, feeling it for heat, and escaping through a window. 

Do you have a fire plan? Do your kids know 2 ways out of their room? Do they know 2 ways out of your house? Do you have a meeting place?

October is fire safety month, so get your plan in place!

Signing off, 

In Which My Neck and Back Get Fixed

I have not been feeling good this week. Did I already complain about that? Oh well. Yesterday it occurred to me that maybe my atlas was out of whack.

Do you know where your atlas is? It's the bone at the top of your spine that holds your whole heavy head up. Here's a good pic. There are special chiropractors who will align your atlas bone without any popping or twisting or turning. Dr. Roy Sweat developed the method and it's totally pain free, but looks somewhat like a torture device. It's amusing.

So I called this morning and thankfully, our wonderful doctor had an appointment for me. She not only adjusted my atlas, which was, in fact, out of place, she also used the "jackhammer" on my back and did some other instruments to get my spine realigned where it was hurting.

I have some other issues that are making me not feel too good, but hopefully that will all help. I've been sitting here tonight diffusing essential oils and trying to rest. And, I took another nap today. Seriously, I've got to get to feeling better. I was fine on Sunday!

Tomorrow is not a stay home day, either. So I hope and pray I wake up feeling better and able to do all the things I need to do.

We released another episode of our podcast today! Did you know I had a podcast with my husband? It's called the Uplift Podcast and this week we are talking about camping and our need for sleep. Please go check it out so we have more people listening than I have fingers. That would make us really happy! And hopefully, it will be entertaining for you! Here's the link.

Signing off,

Interrupted

Our regular weekly blogging was interrupted this week by Tonsillitis. I'm not sure any of my kids have ever had this, although Steve and I remember getting it all the time growing up. Boy her throat looks ugly.

So I'm spending some time taking care of a little girl, which is more important than blogging anyway.

Hope to see you soon!

Signing off,

Friday Favorites

I used to blog a long, long time ago. Please enjoy this old post!

We have a queen size bed. That should be plenty of space for two people. 

And it would be, if we slept like this:

But we don't. We both like to sleep kind half on our stomach and half on our side with one leg hiked up. 

Which works fine when we face opposite sides:

But not so well when we face each other. 

The strategy is to be the first one to face the inside of the bed. Then you can get your leg hiked up first and the other person will have to adjust. Kind of like the armrest at the movies. 

It's better than when we were newlyweds. We bought a double sized mattress for $99 from a little furniture store. A "double" mattress is slightly bigger than a twin. Even though we were thin back then, this is what sleeping was like: 

No kidding we had to turn in unison. 

I dream of one day having a king sized bed. This is what I think it will be like:

But this is probably more accurate:

Oh well. I'm not complaining. This is how Steve thinks we sleep:

But he doesn't have any proof.

Signing off, 

Driven and Divided

Driven. That's a word I would use to describe my husband. That hasn't always been true. I've known him all our lives. We've been married for 25 years. But the last 6 years...possibly longer but definitely the last 3 or 4, have found my husband being very focused on his dreams.

He is a visionary--the type of man who sees the big picture and sees things for how they can be--not just how they currently are.

This really doesn't describe me, however. I'm not sure how to describe me. Since our oldest child graduated in May, I have felt very different. Our homeschool is obviously very different. Instead of having 3 students, I now only have 2 again. And it isn't anything like it used to be when I had two students. Our life is just very different.

And I'm more tired. I love homeschooling and I have enjoyed it so much. But now when I think about the tasks ahead, they don't seem that challenging. I don't have to expend quite as much energy on things because we are, in some ways, on auto-pilot in the homeschooling life. I'm working myself out of a job here, people.

Also, I have so much more help these days. Two of my children are teens/young adults. Only one of them I would still consider "little" and I'm not the only pair of hands around to help with her. Instead of everyone being little or everyone being big--they are both. I have some of each. We don't have little kid movies on all the time, because the big kids want to watch things.

But I also just don't feel as motivated as I once did. I think it used to seem like I was going to be a Mommy forever and also that they were growing up too fast all at the same time. I remember planning sewing projects for them and delighting in making quilts for them, painting things for them...I was forever coming up with some project for them to enjoy.

But with my youngest daughter it just feels different. Maybe she's not as easily impressed as they were (That is partly true) and so it's not as fun to come up with surprises for her. Maybe it's because she's the only little. Maybe I'm tired and burned out.

Maybe it's that instead of being all-immersed in being a Mom, I'm starting to dream about what I will do "one day." That day seemed forever far away a few years ago. Graduating that first child really made me realize that one day I WILL be through with them. At least in the hands-on, I'm fully responsible for you type way.

I've been working on writing a book. The motivation, when I started, was money, plain and simple. We need income. I started writing. I would very much love to be a published author. It has always been a dream of mine. But now I'm starting to see that it could happen. "One day" doesn't seem as far off.

But this makes me sad as well. I want to spend time making things for my little girl while she's still little. I want to enjoy reading to my girls as long as I can. Do I really want my "spare" time taken up with selfish dreams of my own? I used to be all-Mom-all-the-time. Now I feel like I'm cheating on that. I'm divided.

I don't know if that makes any sense.

Joining in on husband's dreams and plans divides me. Am I being the best Mom I can be? Am I being a good wife?

Am I having a mid-life crisis? 😉

I just feel that I have a lot of things going on at any one time. I don't feel like I'm just raising little girls anymore.

And I kind of miss those old days.

Signing off,

What We Are NOT Doing...

...is getting ready for a hurricane. I feel sorry for the people who live in North Carolina and the surrounding areas. But I am so glad it's not us getting ready for a hurricane. I've had enough for awhile.

Also, ten years ago was Hurricane Ike. I can't believe it has been that long. The girls and I were doing a lesson in History where they wrapped each other up in toilet paper like mummies. We were using The Mystery of History back then. A friend called and asked if we were leaving. I had no idea what she was talking about, but figured it out during the course of the conversation. Told her I needed to talk to Steve.

Hurricane? What hurricane? Our mama was busy looking at lesson plans, not the weather!

After we hung up, Steve called immediately and told us to get packed up. We had a small leak in the living room, half our fence blown down, the playhouse flipped over, and we needed a new roof when we got back home.

It was vertical when we left. 

I don't know how many hurricanes I've prepped for in my life. I probably don't want to know either. Stay safe, you guys on the East Coast!

Steve took off work Monday and Tuesday. We sweated and worked in the garage all day Monday. Boy what a difference! We threw away probably 10 contractor bags of trash. The next morning I took some trash out to put with our other piles as it was trash pick-up day in our neighborhood. There were holes in every bag. We've had a lot of trouble with stray dogs getting into the trash and it's such a pain to pick up after them when they have scattered the contents everywhere. But this looked different. For one thing, a small trash can we had throw into a sack the day before was sitting nicely on the sidewalk. Hmm. Husband came out to help me double bag everything so it wouldn't all fall out when the trash guys picked them up, and we noticed every hole was torn very neatly and carefully. Someone had been going through our bags. We guessed they saw us cleaning out our garage and were looking for personal information. Needless to say, we had NO paperwork at all in those bags and I'm happy they wasted their time.

That, and we will be making good use of our little Amazon Basics shredder when we go through those other boxes! Some people....

But yesterday we didn't do much of anything responsible. We went to our favorite island and ate lunch at our favorite little drug store. And we went to an historic library that the girls and I had toured this summer, but Steve had not seen. It was an enjoyable day. It was really nice for Steve to be off. Preaching pretty much means he works all weekend. Many preachers take Mondays off since Sunday is essentially a work day, but he can't do that because he works another job as well. So the day off was very appreciated.

Also yesterday we found a neat little barber shop here in our city. A guy from work told my husband about it. It was like stepping back in time when we walked in.

Steve got a great haircut and we were noticing how relaxed the atmosphere was. The barber on the right (you can see his back in the mirror) was so chill and I noticed how his job was so very NOT stressful. Told Steve he should become a barber and preach on the side. Or preach and barber on the side.

Cleaning up your hairline and cleaning up your soul.

What do you think? :)

(This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we get some change. It doesn't cost you a thing. Thank you!)

Signing off,

There's No Tired Like Thursday Tired

Whew.

We have co-op on Thursdays. If you don't know, co-op stands for "something I don't want to do but would be really good for my kids."

Not really. I resisted joining co-ops for years but finally gave in. Co-op actually stands for "cooperative" and that part means "parents do all the teaching."

Which means I'm really tired on Thursdays. Because, see....it's a fine arts co-op. And since I can't read music, they don't want me teaching choir, or music, or band.

And so, I get to use that degree in Early Childhood my parents paid for. I really like teaching the preschool class. The preschool world is where I belong. It's so ridiculously easy for me to come up with activities for that age group. And really, the morning is not what wears me out.

Our 6 year old got to hold the flag today at our co-op morning meeting. 

We eat a really quick lunch (reminds me of being a teacher in public school) and then it's off to 5th period. THAT period is the end of me. I'm only the assistant in that class, but it's late, the kids are tired, they aren't listening the way I'm sure they did earlier in the morning, and I feel like a bouncer. The period lasts about 10 minutes longer than any of our thresh holds.

But we are home now. The first few weeks I just came home and fell asleep. I wonder if I'm getting too old for this gig? I better buck up because my girls love co-op and we have many more years there.

So now the only thing left to do is unload the car. I usually put this off as long as possible. It's full of all manner of junk---my rolling crate, a ton of library books, my flannel board, a giant stuffed bear, the girls' backpacks, and all of our water bottles.

I did, however, bring in the lunch kit and clean it out.

So I'm doing 50% better than last week already.

But I'm too tired to care.

Signing off,

Almost There (& the Dreaded Garage)

Well, it seems I kinda missed writing yesterday. Short weeks are always so confusing. When we have Monday off, it feels like Saturday and then the next day seems like a Monday.....

I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend. It rained all weekend here. But it was nice to be off.

Next week we are off of school. It's been 5 1/2 weeks already so it's time for our first break. The girls are excited to get a whole week off. Steve took off also on Monday and Tuesday so we can get that great garage clean out accomplished. It's really bad, y'all. I know we will need to move our cars and spread things out on the driveway and I'm afraid folks are going to stop by thinking we are having a garage sale.

I just might sell them some things too, if they do.

It's going to be a struggle. I REALLY, REALLY want to get the garage completely cleaned and organized. Even the workbench and tools, which we never seem to have time to get organized. We're always just hacking a path and straightening. I want more than that this time. But (you knew there was a but coming, right?), Steve and I approach these things differently.

Oh look. Our garage. (Not really. But almost.)

I am going to want to look through boxes. Truly look through them. How can I know if it's trash if I can't look through it? Some stuff needs to be kept. Some stuff needs to go. Steve is more about 1. If we're keeping it, Imma stack it right over here where you can never hope to retrieve it to go through it but at least its out of the way and 2. If it's trash, its going now. All of it.

Doesn't he know there's an in-between?

In other news, today is our first park day with our homeschool group. It should be nice and wet at the park. We also have to go to the library because I am not ahead of my game and keep going to just get what I need right now and not getting stuff a few weeks ahead of time, which would be much better.

All things considered, we probably should have started school by now. Guess I better get the troops up and going since we have a lot of running to do today.

Two more days of school and then a break. We can do this.

Signing off,

Labor Day Reset

August is always so busy.

Back to school.

Daughter's birthday.

Wrapping up summer.

I'm thankful that it's Labor Day weekend now. Thankful that husband will have a day off.

We need a re-set around here. Some housework, some planning, some rest...

Hope you all have a very restful Labor Day weekend too!

End of the Month

Husband said tonight that our family obviously needed to get out of the house and have some fun. He said we were all snapping at each other.

Well, it IS the end of the month. There is too much month at the end of our money lately. Expenses keep going up. And money, my friends, is stressful.

Plus, supper was not very good. I followed the recipe exactly but it just didn't taste all that great. And there was nothing to really go with it. It was one of those supposed-to-stand-on-its-own main dishes. Only it really didn't. So I went to the store and got cereal because we knew everyone would be hungry before bed. Plus we needed breakfast for the morning.

Maybe we all had too much sugar this weekend with birthday cake and donuts, etc.

Maybe we just have too much going on. Oldest child is working on college application and requesting letters of recommendation and needing me to edit and help with all that. Husband needed me to post a few things on Facebook. Second-born daughter needed help with an assignment for co-op. Youngest child wanted me to read to her.

What I needed was to make a menu plan and grocery list. But that didn't happen.

Maybe it's just Monday.

But I am thankful that we are all home together. We are all well. Youngest child is asleep beside me on the couch now. I love our family. I'm thankful for our home, husband's jobs, our cars that work, and the fact that we get to homeschool.

And some days are just like this---even with thankful families who love each other. (Even in Australia.)

Especially at the end of the month.

Chapters

We started off our Geography study this year by panning out. We made those little books (I've seen lots of versions) where you start with a picture of the child's house. Then you have them draw their street, then their city, then their county......all the way to their planet. You get the drift. It's a way of showing where they are on the map in the grand scheme of things.

So my children requested to watch this video which we have seen several times before.

All of this got me to thinking deep thoughts while I was cleaning up the kitchen cabinets just now. Our oldest daughter just graduated high school in May. This summer she got to go on two very special trips. Yesterday, she purchased scrapbook materials so she can put all the pictures from her trips inside. She's about to embark on a very different part of life: work and college. I was thinking how glad I was that she got to go on those trips.

But what if those trips are not the end of her fun teenage summer days....but rather the beginning of her young adult life, which could be filled with all kinds of adventures?

I realized that the chapters of her life are getting broader. When we first brought her home from the hospital, I was concerned with what she did on MONDAY. And then TUESDAY. We were getting by hour by hour and cherishing every minute.

As she grew, we thought of her chapters as "infancy", "toddlerhood," "the preschool years", etc.

But now, I feel a dividing mark between her "childhood" and her "young adulthood." Her chapters are long and thick and wordy.

And all those things you worried endlessly about in their younger years are simply dots on the page now. You would be hard-pressed to flip back and find some of the things that once were concerns.

So even though we are very perplexed about this new chapter which we have never been through before, if I have learned anything from her life--it's that at the end of this one, Lord willing, there will be a wonderful new chapter waiting to be written.

And I can't wait to see it play out.

Signing off,