tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67238549420752614392024-03-04T23:51:23.212-08:00Where Do We Go From HereLife after you adopt a foster childMerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-41379647259587181772014-11-09T19:17:00.000-08:002014-11-09T19:17:00.442-08:00September is a stressful month for us.. Ya, ya I know its NovemberSeptember is a stressful month for us... I know you are thinking, Hey its Nov. whats your problem? Well I was holding off on writing this because I was really hoping the outcome was going to be different but sadly it was not.<br />
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So, why is September so stressful? Well first off our LeiLei has a Birthday in September. Joyful occasion, correct? Truthfully yes, but after a year of Therapy we have also come to realize that the month of September (usually the end) is a trigger month for some of her behavioral issues. You see where we live we actually have Seasons (considering I am a former Southern CA girl, this is just a wild concept!!!) and it is the season more than the month that is a trigger for her. The first few months of her life we do not know much about. It was not until her Biological Aunt stepped in that CPS became involved (at least with her little life, there was another sibling so CPS was technically aware but that is not my Blog post to write about). Countless therapy sessions have taught us that when children have tragedies or neglect before they are able to communicate they tend to hold on to smells, and to images. So for our LeiLei Fall becomes a very challenging time, right up until the weather turns to cold, and then she is good again. Fall is when she was 'neglected' and since she was too little to communicate she probably cried A LOT which in turn probably caused her Biological Mom to neglect her even more. Sadly, for some a crying baby is an annoying baby. So put them in a Pack and Play and just leave the house. For minutes on end, hours on end, and yes days on end. I am sure LeiLei does not remember the neglect, but I guarantee when the air changes it causes her great unease. Therefor we struggle with some incredible outbursts.<br />
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We also have another reason why September is such a challenge. We are fortunate to have an Open Adoption with JayJay and Ademans mom. Our agreement is 2 supervised visits a year and September is one of those visit months. I have yet to get use to a visitation month, each day that ticks by while waiting for that phone to ring is filled with anticipation, nervousness, and turmoil. It is not until the phone rings that I actually feel myself exhale just a bit. This month the phone never rang... We had decided that if the call came through in Oct. we would still honor the visit. Yet again the month went by and the phone did not ring. I am saddened, truly saddened. We have had many conversations about how to handle what might be unfolding, will the phone ring during her next scheduled month? Is she done? Will she, years down the road want to start back up with her visits? I know our answer... We love our children so much that we will immediately start back up with visits, no matter how much time passes. So now we wait another 4 months until the next scheduled visit, to see what path we are going down. We are connected to her in a very special way, and to say that I don't worry about her would be a lie.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-63384801806245196662014-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:002014-10-29T08:25:22.189-07:00Whoopsy, Bad Blogger!! There I said it!The other day I had a friend send me a message about my Blog, to which I immediately thought "Oh my gosh, my poor neglected Blog"... Seriously, somebody should smack my hands and say "Bad Blogger"... I could give you a million <strike>excuses</strike> justifiable reasons why I can't hold my focus for more than 60 seconds, but what good will that do. On the good side I didn't bore any of you with endless summer vacation photos, or numerous Birthday photos... In case you feel a little left out here is a quick recap....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Our Summer Adventures</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Yep, this is how we roll!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Our 1st stop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Newport, OR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Which ALWAYS has to </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>include the Aquarium</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And of Course</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Beach!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Lots of Summertime</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Silliness!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And a 1st haircut</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>for my little buddy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Whats summer without</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Corn?!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Then all of a sudden Fall started</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>sneaking up on us</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And I dove into Homeschooling</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>our kiddos</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>We decided to make a weekend trip to </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Glacier before Winter arrives</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They may look miserable, but I swear</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>they were having fun</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Next thing I knew it was time</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>to Celebrate someones 5th </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Birthday</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Yep, I am now the mom of a </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5 Year Old!</b></span></div>
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Well that wasn't too painful, now was it? Yesterday was an exciting day, o.k. not really.. It was actually one of those days that made me look like a complete liar... So LeiLei had her 5 year well child appointment which I booked back to back with all of the kids getting their Flu vaccines. Which normally my kids take the nasal spray version (lucky kids).. So after telling my kids over and over and over again that nobody was going to get a shot, guess what happened? Oh ya, all 3 kiddos had to get old school shots. Not one of my better mommy moments.. The words, I'm sorry I was wrong, just don't mean much to a 4 year old... But we survived (barely) I may have had to straddle JayJay on the bed to restrain her while she received hers. Ugh, the life of a mommy. Today we are off to meet with a Specialist for LeiLei and her ever-growing mental health issues. Wish us luck!</div>
Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-6951444861194202562014-09-22T06:13:00.000-07:002014-09-22T06:13:02.086-07:00Free Yourself...Last month we made a HUGE decision. O.k. maybe not HUGE, but pretty decent sized. This was a decision months if not a year in the making. The Hubby and I both knew we wanted to do it, but it took quite a while to pull the trigger. I can say that we have now been living free from Television A.K.A Direct TV for an entire month. So this may not seem HUGE to everyone, but we found it quite challenging to actually pull the trigger, and walk away from a TV provider. Hello, my name is Meri, and I am a Housewives Junky... There I said it.<br />
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We were only watching a handful of shows (granted we did really enjoy watching those shows, Housewives for me and Deadliest Catch for the Hubby) but to pay $100 a month for those handful of shows just seemed like craziness. I knew the Hubby and I would be O.K. but quite honestly being a stay at home mom I was a bit worried about my sanity, knowing that our kids would not have television. You know what? They are doing great!!! There is life after the Disney Junior Channel. Who knew... They even have a television in their room, and they have not even asked us why it is not on anymore. I would have never thought we could transition away from TV this easily.<br />
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I will admit that in our bedroom and in our family room, we do still have working televisions which are at the mercy of an antennae. When we need our TV fix we can watch our local channels as well as numerous PBS Channels, and I might actually be turning into a PBS junky. When did PBS become so cool, or have I just become lame and old? Either way, let me say... If you are pondering making this decision to free yourself from a television carrier, I say do it!!! You will be pleasantly surprised.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-8718509259650854282014-09-18T07:09:00.000-07:002014-09-22T06:16:27.406-07:00One year ago, I started a little Blog...One year ago, I started a little Blog that chronicled my families life. Some thought it was great that I was sharing our journey with the world, others thought I had officially lost it. The truth, is probably somewhere in between. There have been topics that I have written about that have made me pause just before I hit the Publish button, and then there have been topics that have been 'no brainers'. The truth is that I love to write I always have. Words, writing, reading have all been a form of therapy for me. Lets get real, who doesn't benefit from a little therapy...<br />
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I began to struggle though, towards the beginning of Summer. I had plenty to write about, I just could not seem to find even five minutes to sit down and formulate my thoughts. This did not just apply to my Blog, we are talking life in general. By mid summer, I could not even hear myself think anymore. I was letting Life take control of me, and that is dangerous. That is when you stop living, you are merely going through the motions. I felt like I was standing in the middle of a Highway with cars speeding all around me, and yet my movements were in slow motion. I pray that you never experience this, yet I know at some point we all go through it. For some, it is a constant struggle...<br />
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I am one of those people that believes everything happens for a reason. I needed to feel this 'out of control' feeling because we are now coming to the realization that our daughter 'LeiLei' probably feels 'out of control' quite a bit. How can anyone possibly help another individual when they themselves have never felt what that person is going through. I now see how scary it can be, especially for a child. We have been diligent in keeping her active with Behavioral Therapy, attending weekly sessions for just shy of a year. Her improvements are HUGE, and I am so thankful for that. With these improvements we have now more than ever been able to see that things are just 'off' with her. As a mom it breaks my heart to say that, as an advocate for my child I say lets fix it. Our next step will be a Neuropsych Evaluation. That will not come easy (or cheap)... Doctors like to wait until the kiddos are a bit older (around age 6) to perform such evaluations. So we have about a year of waiting ahead of us. Which is good because that gives this momma some time to come up with the money... I nearly fell out of my chair when I was told that they cost around $5,000... Yes, you read that right... No wonder so many people go untreated...<br />
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My beautiful LeiLei finding her 'Zen' during one of our beach trips this past summer...</div>
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I am so thankful for all of you who have followed our journey this past year. I look forward to another year of greatness, sadness, struggles, and adventures! I thank you all for your kind, uplifting, and sometimes down right funny comments you have left for me throughout the year. Most importantly I am thankful for my husband who from day 1 has supported me on this Blog adventure. Have a lovely day!</div>
Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-40350557607140120032014-08-12T11:27:00.001-07:002014-08-12T11:30:33.384-07:00I just did the math, send wine quick!I know you have all heard the old saying 'Elephant in the Room'... Well I have an Elephant in the Room... It has been here for about 10 days, I see it every day, as a matter of fact all day every day, and yet I don't deal with it. You may remember that this past Spring we were struggling with the decision on whether or not we should send our kids back to Preschool... The ages in our home would make everyone a candidate for Preschool. We have one that turns 5 in September just missing that Kindergarten cut off, another turns 5 in January, and our youngest is 3. After great debate we felt that we needed to keep them all home for one more year. That also meant that I had to now take on the role of Teacher. Don't get me wrong, I was already doing that but now I have to up my game... Enter said elephant...<br />
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Then there comes that moment when you think... What did I agree to? When this box initially arrived I was so very excited. I felt like a kid at Christmas, I was truly excited. Lets just say it was short lived. By the time I had unpacked half of the box I was starting to break out into a cold sweat...<br />
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This can't possibly ALL be for preschool... Yet it is. I quickly placed all of it back in the box, which now sits on a coffee table in our living room. Summer is winding down (OK that was hard to admit) and I know I need to come to grips with this. It was a group decision after all, and I did have a 50% vote in getting us this elephant. Lets be real when we were making this decision I was sending kids off to Preschool 2 days a week, which gave me a bit of a break.... I have now had all three kids <strike>under my feet</strike> I mean home for two <strike>LONG</strike> I mean strait months. If I can handle all 3 kids home for the past two months, I can surely do this for another.... Really? I just did the math...12 months....... Send wine, quick!Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-30650887187237441242014-07-25T10:36:00.001-07:002014-07-25T10:36:34.962-07:00I am burned out! Researching is highly over rated...A few months ago we made the decision to keep all three kids home from Preschool this upcoming year. We agonized over the decision. Who would have thought that a decision about preschool would be so hard, but it was. We had a list of reasons to keep them home. Everything from not wanting to deal with the amount of illness that our family had to deal with this last year, to not wanting to spend over $400 a month for all three kids to attend preschool (the kicker is they would be in different classes, so at no time would I ever be kid less). The list of negatives was far outweighing the list of positives. Yet, I still wanted them to attend, because I know they enjoyed it. Shortly before school let out we made our decision to keep them home. Once we came to that agreement I actually felt a huge relief. It felt good to have resolution on it.<br />
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About 2 weeks ago, panic set in. The reality of having three kids home with me for another full year made me panic... Its not that I don't love them, they are my world, but two 4 year olds and a 3 year old at your ankles all day long is a lot. I am quickly realizing this as summer drags on. I have come to the decision that the only way we are all going to survive this (no, not a glass of wine every night, o.k. maybe a glass of wine every night) is if I get us on a good homeschool schedule. I have been doing research, lots and lots of research. Did you know that you can burn out while doing research. Ya, I am there. I think I am leaning towards Alpha Omega Horizons program.. If any of you mommas out there have ever used it, I would love to hear from you. Or if you have used another program that worked well for your family I would love to hear from you.<br />
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Our plan is not to Homeschool once they hit Kindergarten. We have already put in our petition paperwork for the school we want them to attend. If for some reason they do not get in, well then we will be looking at homeschooling full time. Which is why I want to set them up now with a good program, just in case we end up sticking with it. That will require a nightly glass of wine, guaranteed.<br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-51114180974210900872014-07-15T10:03:00.000-07:002014-07-15T10:03:00.414-07:00Nobody wants to do a Monday 2 days in a row!Trying to let it go, but obviously have not. If I could of had a do over yesterday, I would have. Although yesterday was Monday and nobody wants a Monday do over. That's just crazy, let it go and move on to Tuesday. What are the chances we will have two bad days in a row, right? O.K. in this crazy house it could happen. I am just going to chalk it up to crazy atmosphericall changes that had my children (ugh, I will admit, and myself) acting like turds. OK, I don't use that word lightly, its a pretty ugly word, but that is what we had going on over here at my home.<br />
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We have clearly emerged into the sibling love / hate territory... One minute they are hugging it out, and then I swear to you the next moment they are pulling the chairs out from under each other. The hot and cold mood swings around here are leaving this only child wondering how she is going to survive the next 16 years!! When we mentioned it to the Therapist (fearing that we were raising angry little kids) she laughed and asked if either of us had siblings. When we said no, she was quick to inform us that sibling tension (to put it nicely) is the next closest thing to murder. It was in that moment that we both released a stress laugh... We were reassured that all siblings go through this, but stressed because neither of us have experienced it.<br />
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So back to yesterday amidst the yelling and pushing and growling and crying and tattling, and... I am just going to stop right there because I think you get the point. I decided to pull out a craft that the kids were doing for someones upcoming Birthday (yes hubs, yours). It was a disaster, spilled paint all over the driveway, tantrums of the paint brushes not working (I still have yet to figure out how exactly a paint brush doesn't work) but let me tell you when it doesn't, it results in feet stomping, crying, and a paint brush flying through the air. Shortly after our craft <strike>disaster</strike> I mean adventure we had lunch which nobody enjoyed, and actually all complained about.. Its amazing how in the Grocery Store they just HAVE to HAVE specific food items. You get it home and make it, and all of a sudden its disgusting. At this point Mommy was so over it... So off to nap time they went...<br />
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If only my day could have ended there... But noooo my kids decided to dump every toy bin in their room, remove every book from their bookshelves, remove the bedding from their beds, and disassemble a doll house. We then spent the remainder of the day in clean up mode. If you have never spent more than 3 hours in clean up mode with your kids it is one of the most painful events you will ever endure. I refuse to put their stuff away which means I supervise, which also means everything I want to get done comes to a screeching stop. It was brutal, and yes by the end I was Bitter... I wanted a do over, but I am glad I was not granted one because nobody wants to do a Monday 2 days in a row!<br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-7728873544490723592014-07-14T08:34:00.000-07:002014-07-14T08:34:29.469-07:00I Like To Think About The Good, It Makes Life Easier, Doesn't It?Did you know that at 18, children age out of Foster Care? O.K. you probably did know that... Have you ever thought about what that really means? I can say that (even being a Foster Parent) I both have and have not thought about it... I know what it means, but it is so very depressing that I try not to think about the full ramifications of a child being forced out of the Foster Care System.<br />
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I like to think about the Good. I like to think that there are more Good Foster Parents than Bad. I like to think that there are more Good outcomes in Foster Care then Bad outcomes. It just makes life easier when you focus on the good, doesn't it? We can just go on our merry way not worrying about the bad. We can just focus on ourselves, and not worry about everyone else. Is that what life is about? Are we intended to only worry about ourselves and not others? Am I here only for the purpose of getting myself safely through this journey called Life?<br />
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I recently read an article about a child who aged out of the system at 18, which for him equated to a High School Junior. His Foster Parents (who lets just say probably should reconsider giving up their Foster License which is my nice way of saying they should have never had a License) who were no longer going to receive money for him, told him to move out. Yes, told him to move out. He was technically not a Foster Child anymore which means ALL of his services ended, including his monthly reimbursement from the State. Since this was probably an income generator for this family, he needed to go so that they could fill his spot with someone that could bring in money. So, this High School Junior was now homeless and had no medical insurance... Can you imagine?!?! What were you doing your Junior year in High School? I know I was having a pretty good time, between friends and Proms, and first jobs it was fun, and I was carefree. Not that kid, he no longer had a roof over his head and God forbid anything medically happen to him.<br />
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Did you know that only 1%-3% of all Foster Children end up in College? Now does this all start to make sense? At 18 they age out, which means at 18 a majority of them become INSTANTLY homeless. I haven't met a single homeless person that is attending College, have you? Homeless and no medical coverage. Why do I keep bringing up the no medical coverage? Well because a good majority of Foster Children suffer from various illness. No medical, means no medication, which equates to a person really struggling to survive. How can they get ahead when they have no home, no support, no counseling, no medications... It is pretty bleak. It is heart braking.<br />
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I stumbled across this bit of info this past week, and I have to pass it on. If you know any child getting ready to age out, or maybe recently aged out make sure they are aware that they are eligible until the age of 26 to continue to receive medical insurance through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This will be a huge relief for many who have or will be aging out. For those that have applied for coverage under this Act you know how complicated and time consuming it is. Many former Foster Children will not be able to handle the task of signing up, and like anything there are some Very dumb loopholes that will hopefully get worked out. The child will have to reside in the State that they aged out of to be eligible for coverage. That being said there are currently 180,000 eligible former Foster Children that are NOT taking part in this... So please I ask of you to spread the word. If you come across a former Foster Child that was denied coverage, you tell them to march right back in and not leave the office until they have coverage. Many enrollment workers are not even aware of this provision, but YES it exists. Getting this information out is hard, unfortunately many former Foster Children just disappear. Many ending up on the streets, many not wanting to be associated with Foster Care.<br />
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I ask of you to spread this information to everyone you know. It is one way that you too can help.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-34451985256247218002014-07-01T10:22:00.001-07:002014-07-01T10:22:41.358-07:00I may have lost my sanity...It is so cool when your kids hit a certain age, that allows them to do activities that you remember doing as a kid. This year I was able to sign all 3 of my kiddos up for Vacation Bible School. Now, most sane woman would sign their kids up and enjoy a 3 hour break from their kids each day for that entire week. Nope, not me... I went ahead and volunteered at their VBS... A VBS that had 290 kids. Yes, you read that correctly... 290 kids..<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So let me share with you what I learned at my week of Volunteering at Vacation Bible School:</span></div>
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<b>290 Kids is A LOT of kids</b></div>
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<b>Jesus Loves Me </b> (o.k. I already knew that one, but its worth repeating)</div>
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<b>I made a good decision not becoming a teacher</b></div>
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<b>A room filled with 40 plus kids is very loud</b></div>
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<b>If VBS ends at noon and neither you nor your own kids have eaten lunch, that car ride home is going to be a lesson in patience</b></div>
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<b>You will love it the first day, like it the second day, be pretty tired the third day, begin questioning your sanity on the fourth day, and then love it again on the fifth day</b></div>
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<b>You will not have the energy to make dinner for your family by the end of the day</b></div>
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<b>Did I mention 290 kids is A LOT?</b></div>
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<b>You will interact with some pretty cool kiddos</b></div>
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<b>You will love it</b></div>
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<b>Something will be said at some point while you are there, that was meant for YOU to HEAR</b></div>
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<b>Yes, you will catch a summer cold from one of those cool kiddos</b></div>
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<b>You will sign up to do it again, except next time you will have your dinners prepared ahead of time. Because you can only tell the family you are eating cereal for dinner, so many times</b></div>
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<b>You will meet some pretty cool ladies, with some pretty amazing stories</b></div>
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<b>You will not be able to stop singing 'All Around The World'</b></div>
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<b>Last but not least...</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My God is an Awesome God!</b></span></div>
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-58148958519037733032014-06-23T14:24:00.002-07:002014-06-23T14:24:55.401-07:00Just because you can turn it into a lesson, maybe you shouldn't...Biggest lesson from this last vacation... Just because you can turn an activity into a great Lesson, doesn't mean you should or are prepared for the after effect from the Lesson.<br />
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So, as you all read, we decided to go crabbing while we were on vacation. We purchased our license, but since Mother nature was messing with us a bit, we did not buy any gear. We really weren't even sure we would be able to get out there to go crabbing. At last there was a break in the weather so we went for it.<br />
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Hubby managed to pull out 7-8 clams using a kids sand shovel and pail. We brought them back to the campsite and tried to identify the clams so we knew what we were looking at. That is when we decided to make a Lesson out of it. We placed a large vinyl tablecloth on the floor of our fifth wheel and went for it.<br />
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We had already soaked the clams revealing their true colors and shell designs. That in itself was fun for the kids.<br />
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We allowed the kids to touch and feel the clams before we opened them up. We talked about how hard their shells were and how they can pull their shells closed, etc.<br />
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Then hubby started popping them open. That is when it got interesting. I decided on a spur of the moment that it was the perfect opportunity to talk about how we all look different on the outside but on the inside we are all the same. Each one of our clams had different colors and shell patterns. BUT, when you opened them up they looked exactly the same. I looked over at Hubby while I was explaining this to our kids, and he had the 'wow, you go momma' look on his face. Our conversation went well, with no questions about our family makeup, or the fact that we all look different. I remember thinking to myself, 'wow, that was easy, and that went well'...<br />
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Fast forward... We were packing up our trailer getting ready to start the long voyage home when LeiLei (out of nowhere) asks... "Is JayJay Black?" I nearly dropped the dish I was washing. Poor Hubby just froze... To which I said, " LeiLei we all look different don't we?" Then I think I went on to say, "JayJay is chocolate just like her brother, and you LeiLei are vanilla". That made the kids giggle and then JayJay add that she loves chocolate ice-cream. Once the words ice-cream were muttered the conversation was over. Now I must say that they have talked about it a few times since we have been back, but I don't think they really get it yet.<br />
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So like I said earlier... Just because you can turn something into a Lesson, really think about whether or not you are ready for your family to have that lesson. All in all it worked out o.k. and I am glad I did it. But, let me tell you, in the future I will think about what is about to come flying out of my mouth before it is to late.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-68941718840799007692014-06-21T10:44:00.003-07:002014-06-21T10:44:38.944-07:00Till Next Time Dear OceanI have made the decision that retirement will find me living at the Beach. Thank goodness Hubbs is on board, that would have been a problem. I am so in my element at the beach... I love the heavy ocean air, I love the warm soft sand, I love staring at the awesomeness of the ocean. I am not just any beach kind of girl, and I think I have a lot of beaches to explore before I settle on the one. Thank goodness we have quite a few years before retirement so that we can test them all out to see which one fits the best.<br />
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At the moment my favorite is Newport Oregon. It is a fishing community, a true working community as opposed to just a tourist community. Complete with a lighthouse!<br />
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This last trip was just as amazing as our prior trip. Mother Nature was moody but that is to be expected when you are on the coast. After our visit to the aquarium we did what any good parent would do. We headed to a Brewery. Don't worry its kid friendly. Not just any Brewery, the Rogue Brewery. Its a must see if you are ever in Newport.<br />
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They have a little cafe upstairs that serves everything from Fish Tacos to Kobe Beef Burgers. We dined on Burgers, Corndogs, and Chicken Strips... </div>
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Had the kids not been with us, I would have opted to sit out here. Unfortunately none of our kids were thrilled with the smell of the Brewery. The last thing I wanted to listen to during our entire meal was "this place is stinky". So we sat inside the cafe.</div>
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This year we were adventurous and purchased a license to go clamming. Maybe next year we will purchase the correct supplies to do it. I made Hubby go out there with a kids sand shovel and a CARS sand pail to go clamming. He came back with some! So we decided to do a show and tell with the kids. Our kids thought it was hilarious when the clam peepee'd on daddy, and when the clam shut close on daddys finger. I might have laughed a bit too.</div>
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Well till next time dear ocean... </div>
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Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-72564737093374003952014-06-20T09:27:00.002-07:002014-06-20T09:27:53.303-07:00Oh Ocean how I love thee!I think I am starting to recover from our time at the beach. Although our washing machine is not.I came back thoroughly exhausted, and that might be an understatement. Gone are the days of sitting at the beach watching the ocean for hours, letting your mind completely veg out. Now I spend the majority of my beach time telling the kids that it is not o.k. to step on each others sand castles, or reminding them not to throw sand (as I am flushing out another kids eye that is filled with sand), or pulling out snack after snack to keep my kids from melting down. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it for the world, I am just saying there is no relaxation in any of our vacations anymore.<br />
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We spent quite a bit of time at the beach. We have a lovely campground that we go to every year. They have direct access to the Bay (which is fabulous when you have Littles). The Bay is great because the water is pretty still allowing the kids to really have a great time in the water, without having a nervous nelly mom constantly getting after them.<br />
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From the beach (and our campground) we could see the seals sunning themselves!<br />
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Whats a day at the beach without flying a kite? I will be honest with ya, it took quite a while for the hubby and I to get these kites up in the sky. Apparently our kite flying skills are not the greatest, good thing our kids don't know any different.<br />
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Remember that comment earlier about the throwing sand thing... This is what I am talking about... At least he wasn't upset...<br />
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No visit to the coast is complete without a trip to the Aquarium... It is one of our favorite things to do, and since Mother Nature threw us some rain we fled to the indoors.<br />
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I know our kids did not appreciate this the way we did, but this was the coolest moment...<br />
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Then came my favorite exhibit, the shark tunnel... If only I could be a better photographer.. It really is cool being in a tunnel and having sharks swimming around you.<br />
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A good time was had by all of us that day... Mother Nature even chilled out as the day went on. Allowing us to be outside once again.<br />
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Since mommy hood does not stop, I now have three kids looking at me demanding breakfast. So this post will be continued tomorrow. Stay tuned, mommy and daddy went to a brewery!Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-37311652553936903402014-06-16T16:05:00.002-07:002014-06-16T16:05:22.123-07:00We are back!!!!So I had to take a little break from writing on my Blog. Life got a bit crazy and I felt like I was being pulled in just a few too many directions. My choices were to either snap, or let something go... And the winner (or loser, all in how you look at it) was the Blog... I thought it was better for me to step away for a short bit, rather than push myself to write posts that were being forced. A forced post is a very dull unengaging post. I love to write, so the thought of putting filler posts out there just was not an option. As frustrated as I was at the idea of not keeping up with my Blog, I knew it was best for me, and for those of you who take time out of your day to follow us by reading my posts.<br />
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So now I am back and ready to write. Ready to let you in on our life, yet again. So fasten your seat belts, cause here we go.<br />
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This past week has been a whirl wind. Hubby had to go off to Canada for work for a few days. Not having him here was hard on all of us. It of course just adds to my work load, which means I have to attach my Wonder Woman Cape and jump right in. What I had not anticipated was the LeiLei factor. Poor LeiLei had a very rough couple of days. When I say rough I mean extremely rough. To the point of having to be removed from a class field trip and driven back to school. She had made such improvements with controlling her outbursts that I was truly shocked at this turn of events. The first day hubby was gone was the worst. From the field trip incident to unexplained sobbing moments to defiantly repeating the word NO every 15 seconds for five minutes (at least) strait. By the time I put the kids to bed that night I was defeated, exhausted, and wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into. The second day was a bit better, we at least shared a few laughs that day. Not many, but a few. We still had many tearful (as in uncontrollable sobbing) moments. We also experienced a lot of anger and frustration, with an underlying bit of fear. By the time the third day rolled around, her spirits were improving, but unfortunately mine were not. I was so exhausted by this point that I was a bit of miss cranky pants. Many a times that day, I had to remind myself to chill out. I found myself so stressed out that I was having ghost chess pains, heavy heartbeats, and just felt sick to my stomach. All brought on by stress. As the week went on her attitude improved, just in time for their pre-school end of year program.<br />
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Hubbs made it home with time to spare in regards to their ever anticipated program. Complete with Jesus Loves me, America the Beautiful and . On top of that each child was able to use the microphone to introduce themselves, tell everyone what the first letter in their name is, and give us another word that starts with the same letter. So it went something like this, My name is JayJay "J" for Jellyfish. Needless to say LeiLei spoke so quietly that I don't think anyone in the audience heard. Then there was JayJay who grabbed the microphone right out of teachers hand and belted it out there. I think everyone in the audience couldn't help but laugh... I am a bit worried that we might have quite the stage hog on our hands.<br />
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After we went home, I nearly collapsed. It had been such a crazy week between extra work at home, preparing for the last day of school, working on the kids teachers gifts, and then at the last minute finding out you are also going to make gifts for the teacher and her assistant on behalf of the class. There just was nothing left. I took the kids over to our neighbors house, let me paint a little visual for you.... Mommy (Me) wearing = flip flops from Walmart (2 years old and originally cost no more than $2.00, they are nasty by now), cargo shorts that have to be 9 years old (have paint splotches from many of my previous crafting and room painting projects) and a white t-shit.... We are talking GROSS. My girls were still wearing their pretty dresses, but by this point their cute sandals had been replaced with tennis shoes. Ademan, not quite sure what he was wearing, but I do know that about an hour after getting there his diaper gave way which caused his shorts to get wet... We were such a sight for sore eyes... That is what happens when I get tired.<br />
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Since we can't ever have a dull moment at our home, our weekend went a little something like this. Saturday morning we decided to go look at new camping fifth wheels. Not because we need one, but because our local dealer has a model that we have been wanting to see in person for a few years. I must admit as I sat in some of these uber luxury fifth wheels, visions of retirement and driving around the country started flashing before me. Quickly to be ruined by comments of, "Are we going home". I swear a certain little JayJay was like a broken record. Every trailer we went into was met with "Are we going home"... One can only listen to that so many times before they say, "yes, we are going home"... Here is where the fun starts. We fed them lunch and JayJay told us she was not very hungry and then she trotted off to bed for nap time. Odd, but not alarming. By three o'clock I felt her head and it was blazing hot. Her temp was at 102 and I was shocked. She was also complaining about an owie on her tongue which looked like a blister.. I assumed it was because she had eaten allot of strawberries that week. The fever made no sense to me, and had me worried. We were able to get it down by giving her medicine, but we were completely fighting it. The next morning she was complaining about her tongue and tummy hurting, and then by the end of the day her back had begun to hurt. Again we were fighting a 102 fever. By Monday morning at 8 I was on the phone calling her Doctors office. Low and behold both she and LeiLei were diagnosed with Hand Foot & Mouth Disease. So now we sit and wait for it to run its course. LeiLei has fared way better than her sister and my guess is that is due to the fact that JayJay still has Mono in her system. My poor babies... I have always heard the horror stories from other parents about putting their kids in Daycare and then the endless illness roller coaster that ensues. I thought surely having my girls in a private school we should be far better off... Nope!<br />
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That is what we have been up to. I hope you all have had a lovely few weeks. Now let the summer adventures begin!Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-7116852809802066852014-05-29T19:09:00.002-07:002014-05-29T19:09:09.894-07:00We technically are just giving it a try, but I don't think there is any going back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been waiting to write this Post for about a month. The reason, well good old Murphys Law... I am not superstitious but boy oh boy sometimes I hate to throw things out there for fear that I will have to go back on what was said... So here it goes...<br />
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Our little Ademan who was once a feeding tube baby...<br />
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And then a Thick-It baby, meaning all liquids he consumed had to be mixed with a thickening agent.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is now completely off of the Thick It!</span></div>
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He now drinks all liquids the same as you and I!!! I can't even tell you how exciting this is. He had his first real liquid on his 3rd Birthday. He had a cupcake and juice out of a big boy cup. I don't know who was more excited.. He or I!<br />
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We technically are just giving it a try for a month to see how he does. We are now very close to the end of the month and I don't think there is any going back at this point. He is so totally happy drinking juice boxes with his sisters on those warm Spring afternoons. I know it is not all about happiness, it is about wether or not he is tolerating it, but boy I love seeing him that happy. He appears to be doing great, if he has aspirated his body was able to deal with it, without developing Pneumonia... Only once did he start to develop a 'junky' sound in his chest which was actually a few days ago at the start of this little cold we all have. That in itself is huge, the fact that we are getting through a cold, and not using a thickener is just amazing.<br />
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This little boy is stronger than I can ever hope to be. He has gone through a lot, and yet his spirits are always so great. Don't get me wrong he is 3, and yes he is good at it! Besides normal 3 year old behavior he is about as happy as they come. And we are one step closer to him living a bit more of a normal life.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-65863262173500098372014-05-28T08:32:00.003-07:002014-05-28T08:32:54.471-07:00Here I am Keeping my Fingers CrossedA while back I was talking to another mommy when she told me that she secretly loves when her kids are sick because her kids become super cuddly. She doesn't even mind catching the cold because it gives her the opportunity to hold her growing babies in her lap. I swear I must have had the deer in the headlight look, because whatever gene it is that causes a woman to want to hold a sick child, definitely was not passed down to me. To be honest its probably on my list of things I really don't want to do as a mommy, but have to do because I am a mommy. Its not that I don't want to hold and snuggle them. Its just that there is nothing magical about holding a child with a fever, that is both sneezing and coughing with a nose that just runs endlessly. Yes I have done all of things, I have held many a sick kiddo, I have wiped many a noses, I have cleaned dried up snot out of my hair, I have even cleaned vomit off of my body and hair, but to say that I enjoy it? Are you crazy?<br />
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Which brings me today. Here I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is our first and ONLY cold for the Summer. Yep all three kids are launching snot rockets. I know, gross... Gross, is how we roll especially right now. I have upped my Airborne intake as well as my Black Elderberry Syrup in hopes that this nastiness stays far far away from me. Shoot I am willing to hang a raw onion and garlic around my neck if that's what it takes, because I am sooooo not in the mood to be sick. And yet I feel that little special something lurking in my throat, nose and eyes.<br />
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At least they are all knocking it out at the same time.. Normally we like to draw these things out over a month or so, with each child getting the Bug about 4 days apart. One will get it and then around the time they are starting to feel better the next child gets it, and on and on and on. Since there are five of us in this house that means a long month of runny noses. By the time we seem to recover the next Bug seems to be lurking in the shadows.<br />
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We are leaving for the Oregon Coast in about two weeks and I want to be feeling good! I want to be building sand castles, not wiping noses! I want to be sipping wine watching the sun go down as I stare at the ocean. Not guzzling cough syrup while watching the sun set through my hot watery eyes.<br />
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So we are laying low right now. No running around outside, no jumping on the trampoline, no riding our bicycles. Just good old fashioned laying low a.k.a lots of television watching.<br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-50538959603162677832014-05-27T08:39:00.002-07:002014-05-27T08:39:52.801-07:00Catastrophe!Oh my goodness, I can't believe it is possibly time for my weekly weigh in. I feel like I was just on the scale yesterday, and yet it has been an entire week. A week full of busy, busy, busy which equates to lazy, lazy, lazy in regards to watching what I am eating. Then throw in a weekend camping trip complete with Cheese Puffs and homemade Brownies and we then have a catastrophe.<br />
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How big of a catastrophe, you ask? Big enough that even the Hubbs chimed in last night that he needs to start back on the diet... That's pretty bad. So this week we will be going back to some of the original Simple Start Recipes because we really need to regroup!<br />
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Here goes!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">Weigh In</span></u></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Starting weight March 19 = 175.8 lbs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1st weigh in on March 25 = 167.7 lbs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2nd weigh in on April 1 = 166.1 lbs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3rd weigh in on April 8 = 165.2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">4th weigh in on April 15 = 163.8</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">5th weigh in on April 22 = 162.9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">6th weigh in on April 29 = 161.3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">7th weigh in on May 6 = 161.6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">8th weigh in on May 13 = 160.7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">9th weigh in on May 20 = 158.9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">10th weigh in on May 27 = 161.2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, I guess I gained 2.3lbs..... </span></span><br />
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Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-80380412027895671552014-05-25T09:17:00.002-07:002014-05-25T09:17:26.761-07:00So there you are in the middle of your hike, and this happens!Half of the adventure is always getting there.. No matter where there is, when you are traveling with 2 four year olds and 1 three year old getting to and from your destination is quite the adventure.<br />
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This was our first trip with the new truck, and it was magical. So magical that I can honestly say the words, "we are here already?" actually came out of my mouth... As opposed to my usual looking at the clock every 20 minutes thinking to myself, are we there yet? This time about 30 minutes into the trip I turned around to see this. My girls had cuddled up on the bench and fallen asleep.<br />
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Thank goodness the truck did amazing, and so did the driver!<br />
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So there you are in the middle of your hike, thinking you are pretty far removed from anything and everything, and then this happens...<br />
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Somehow in the middle of our hike today we stumbled across Bonnie & Clydes getaway car. O.K. probably not their car, but a car none the less. On top of that, a cool old car! So we threw caution to the wind and let the kids climb all over the rusty car. <br />
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Our 3/4 mile hike (not including the walk to get there and then the walk back to the trailer, so probably closer to 1.5 miles in total) had the kids scaling fallen trees, going over seriously rickety bridges, and trudging through wet lands. Sorry, no pictures of those harrowing moments, I was to busy being a nervous mom to snap pictures. By the time we got to the end I was seriously impressed with my kids.<br />
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Needless to say they were all asleep by 8p.m.!!!!<br />
<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-76406739261265325672014-05-23T18:47:00.002-07:002014-05-23T18:47:49.744-07:00Well thats it , I am officially OLD!Well thats it, I am officially Old... I use to think only OLD people said things like, where did the week go, or where did the year go... Or my all time favorite, enjoy every moment with your kids because in no time they will be grown up and out of the house... Well here it is... I don't know where my week went, I can not even begin to tell you how fast last year went, and now looking at my three kiddos panic is starting to kick in about how many years I have before they all go off to College. I am at a loss... Its as if there is a thief out behind our house that is just robbing me of time. It is all going so quickly...<br />
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In the movie Aviator there is a scene where Leonardo Decaprio (while previewing his epic movie) realizes that the planes appear to be moving so slowly because of the blue cloudless sky. With no markers (clouds) in the sky everything appears to be moving slowly. When you add markers you realize the fast rate of speed in which the planes are moving... I feel like that is my life... When we didn't have kids life just kind of ticked by, but now we have kids and lots of markers.<br />
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Our markers tend to be a bit more action packed than white fluffy clouds. Learning to walk, School years, Loosing teeth, Learning to ride a bicycle and every parent know that the list goes on and on. Every time we hit one of these markers I am both overjoyed and filled with sadness because we will never again hit or use that marker. Life moves so very fast, I wish I could be a little more laid back so I could fully enjoy the ride. But that is not my personality, I have to remind myself to sit back and enjoy every moment. So this weekend I am going to do just that...<br />
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We are kicking off the summer with our first camping trip of the season. Don't worry I will bore you with plenty of pictures from the trip. This is going to be a laid back weekend with nothing on the agenda except family time... Some long overdue family time!Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-55467206500954248052014-05-20T13:04:00.000-07:002014-05-20T13:04:04.873-07:00Celebrate the Small Successes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH7N0v8u0vlDqrzYyjBU7Z-T8aVlgGrCBEu5fOuJMfxSfWblbP5_do9cwGQenLKmQ-5b5bocgVOfNcSDSAqbwk7I80WzIuLfvzrUsitGOoEGZ39WdMHzM06eBAJX-b6qYKTn582wawEN-/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH7N0v8u0vlDqrzYyjBU7Z-T8aVlgGrCBEu5fOuJMfxSfWblbP5_do9cwGQenLKmQ-5b5bocgVOfNcSDSAqbwk7I80WzIuLfvzrUsitGOoEGZ39WdMHzM06eBAJX-b6qYKTn582wawEN-/s1600/images-3.jpeg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pardon me while I do the happy dance! I was waiting for this day, and it finally came. Forget all the lead in about my diet and my struggles, blah blah blah... I finally dropped below 160 lbs!!!!! I am so excited, I have not been in the 150's in over 9 months (and no there was no pregnancy I can use as an excuse for my weight gain). Just a mouth that I could not zip shut. As you all know I joined Weight Watchers about 2 months ago just hoping and praying it would work. You know what? It did!! I signed up for the simple (under $50) plan and really stuck to it. Somewhere in the middle I started to panic and thoughts of failure began to dance in my head, as well as visions of food that I was not allowed to eat. I almost threw my hands up, but for some reason (maybe the support of Hubs) I did not. Boy oh boy am I glad that I did not! I am technically 3.9 lbs away from the goal weight I had originally set for myself. In all honesty that was a "I would settle to be" number. Now that I broke through the 160's and am into the 150's I am going to shoot for a super happy weight of 150 lbs... Which means another 8.9 lbs... This program gave me the confidence that I can do this, and you know what? I WILL!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Weigh In</span></u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Starting weight March 19 = 175.8 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1st weigh in on March 25 = 167.7 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2nd weigh in on April 1 = 166.1 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3rd weigh in on April 8 = 165.2</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">4th weigh in on April 15 = 163.8</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">5th weigh in on April 22 = 162.9</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">6th weigh in on April 29 = 161.3</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">7th weigh in on May 6 = 161.6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">8th weigh in on May 13 = 160.7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">9th weigh in on May 20 = 158.9</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: large;">TOTAL = 16.9lbs!!!!!</span></span><br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-7099501541588077432014-05-14T20:18:00.000-07:002014-05-14T20:18:11.878-07:00The Joy and Hurt They Had to Endure...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know Mothers Day is over but I have not quite moved on... Being an adoptive mom creates an entirely different definition to the word mom. I have been thinking about it a lot. What does the word Mom mean to me? What will it mean to my kids?<br />
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<i><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">This is what Mom means to me:</span> </i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #76a5af;">Patience, unconditional love, always, forever, listener, woman, honor, protector, guardian, understanding, giving, kindness, beauty, grace, and mercy</span></i></div>
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I make a choice every day to be a Mother. I choose to put three little ones happiness and well-being ahead of my own. The joy, devotion, and sacrifice that I have given and will continue to give to my children is something I never thought I had in me. When each of my babies arrived I made the lifelong commitment of selflessness.<br />
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Being a mom is not an easy task for me. I struggle daily with making the right decisions. I have learned that it is o.k. to ask for help. We have a special person who helps us all maneuver through our daily challenges that raising three different personalities brings to the plate. I am hopefully a better mom because I have been able to ask for help, and hopefully my children will recognize that. Hopefully it will help them see that they too can always ask for help. <br />
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I was raised to be strong and independent, and I think most people who know me would say that my mom and dad did a great job. They for sure did, but the downside of being strong and independent is the feeling of always having the weight of the world on your shoulders. It has taken me a long time to realize that I do not have to do everything myself and that I can ask for help. If you think you can be a great mommy without the help of others you are fooling yourself.<br />
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I do not know what the word Mom will mean to my children. Hopefully it will have the same meaning for them as it does for me. They will of course struggle with the concept of a Biological Mom and an Adoptive Mom. I hope they will see the beauty in both. Because if it were not for their Biological Mom they would not be able to call me Mom. I will never play down the role of their Biological Moms, the Joy and Hurt they had to endure in such a short period of time is quite a lot for any given person. These women (Moms) will have a special place in my heart, as I also hope they do in my children's hearts.<br />
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So as this Mothers Day has come and gone, I realize that I am so appreciative for all Moms out there who have struggled. I am so very thankful that this Momma has an incredibly strong husband that keeps her going...Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-91089808981827386122014-05-13T16:22:00.000-07:002014-05-13T16:22:12.705-07:00Don't step on it... It makes you cry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SaDrpxG_Hy8ApWE40o9y0bdOBQRsteMJYbI-QcdiEy8i9pUcYpFRRuUXiCrevF-XfhavDoual3y5ZAAZgGf-8wi_sjTqjwscAlMo61cRP30PkMXLibXButlY8v7wFuYtkt-KmJQjoFFA/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SaDrpxG_Hy8ApWE40o9y0bdOBQRsteMJYbI-QcdiEy8i9pUcYpFRRuUXiCrevF-XfhavDoual3y5ZAAZgGf-8wi_sjTqjwscAlMo61cRP30PkMXLibXButlY8v7wFuYtkt-KmJQjoFFA/s1600/images-2.jpeg" height="258" width="400" /></a></div>
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I might be doing the slowest weight loss EVER!!! I have to laugh, that's all I can do. Don't get me wrong, the weight is still coming off, but boy oh boy it is painfully slow... I know I could speed it up a bit with a little more activity thrown into my schedule. But I have to tell you, my schedule is full. Ridiculously full, almost panic attack level of full... Last week I had most of my days packed with three or more appointments. I can't even begin to calculate the amount of miles I put on my car last week. I wake up at 6a.m. every day just so I can have at least 20-30 minutes to myself before the craziness begins. The last bit of noise from our kids starts to trickle down around 9pm, every night. To say that I am pooped is an understatement. So the thought of throwing in an hour of exercise right now, not an option.<br />
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So I will watch the numbers slowly go down, and be thankful that they are at least going down. Because just a few months back I was on the other side of that equation. That is no fun! We are back to eating regular foods which has also been a bit more of a challenge. A challenge that we are working on...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz76QYvXYw5miGeaoZpAhiFs7jCE6i5MOJw4BtjzIpYrDjWCp5UzjiLpKjscEfDRQmFTsRrqpmfCRJkhgLEJ64ehM2HEolVISGcwDNodWMDoPWqRayhlNUO-fcpMz9E9nQfXEg5NbjZBO/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz76QYvXYw5miGeaoZpAhiFs7jCE6i5MOJw4BtjzIpYrDjWCp5UzjiLpKjscEfDRQmFTsRrqpmfCRJkhgLEJ64ehM2HEolVISGcwDNodWMDoPWqRayhlNUO-fcpMz9E9nQfXEg5NbjZBO/s1600/images.jpeg" height="283" width="400" /></a></div>
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The warm weather has definitely arrived and thank goodness I can fit into a few of my crop pants... I haven't even tried the shorts yet, because I hate to admit it, but they were snug last summer before my big weight gain. So for now they will stay nicely folded on the shelf in my closet, keeping my winter clothes company.<br />
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So lets do this!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Weigh In</u></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Starting weight March 19 = 175.8 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1st weigh in on March 25 = 167.7 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2nd weigh in on April 1 = 166.1 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3rd weigh in on April 8 = 165.2</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">4th weigh in on April 15 = 163.8</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">5th weigh in on April 22 = 162.9</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">6th weigh in on April 29 = 161.3</span><br />
7th weigh in on May 6 = 161.6<br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">8th weigh in on May 13 = 160.7</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #443f3f; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">A loss is a loss and I will be happy with my nine tenths of a pound loss. I have at least another five pounds to go, but I would be really excited to shoot for another 10 pounds... Only time will tell, and now we are getting ready to embark on camping season which means SMORES!!! We better go camping where there is a lot of hiking!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Total so far: 15.1 lbs !!!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-86195173458526085422014-05-07T14:25:00.004-07:002014-05-07T14:25:48.692-07:00The Words That Made Me StopI have been trying so very hard to get back in the swing of life. After a very challenging eight months I feel as if I have to consciously make my attitude change. I am tired of being tired, upset, sad, cranky, and helpless. The craziness has to stop, and only I can make that happen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Cy1hvsHamRjzH3LXRivKsFGnaUtG1Z2caSsKbD-G6kJAfCLpMVTXqllH2sYdOEPmCmSMWDPyHNbJ03CTn5vPf54p08k30sVkPLbaQlT1Fqq7vxKOtB1DuZ8hRXAt0fmPehA0Tb-2mAz-/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Cy1hvsHamRjzH3LXRivKsFGnaUtG1Z2caSsKbD-G6kJAfCLpMVTXqllH2sYdOEPmCmSMWDPyHNbJ03CTn5vPf54p08k30sVkPLbaQlT1Fqq7vxKOtB1DuZ8hRXAt0fmPehA0Tb-2mAz-/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Many chapters have come to an end in our lives over the past few months, and that is a weird feeling. Have you ever read a really good book, the kind that just sucks you in, and before you know it you are reading the last sentence. You loved the book so much that it almost became a part of you while you were reading it. Then it was over, the last sentence was read, and you are left sitting there holding a completed book. It is a weird feeling... That is how I have spent the past few days.<br />
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We received the results from Pathology for LeiLei, and the tumor was non cancerous. Such a relief! We do have a 50/50 shot of the tumor coming back, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. As you know that 'chapter' in our life has been going on since last September. It was very well written and definitely a page turner.<br />
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Our Sammie dog had to be put down last Friday. As many of you know about 3 months ago she suffered from back to back Grand Mal Seizures. That changed our daily routines for a solid 3 months, not that I am complaining. Between medications, observing her tremors and break through seizures, to cleaning up accidents in the house because she was pretty doped up, our 'normal' routine became quite cumber sum. Another chapter finished (and I wouldn't change it for anything).<br />
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Ademan turned 3 this week, and I see him as a little boy now. He is no longer my squishy little baby. That was hard for me. I had to come to grips with the fact that he was probably my last baby. (Although, I have said that before). That is always a hard chapter to finish. I know all moms can agree with me on that one.<br />
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This has been a challenging year for all of us. I am sure my kids have felt it, and I know hubby has felt it. Now its time to stop and take inventory of what we do have going on so we can focus on the current chapters that our family is working on. While sitting down this morning and staring at my 7,000+ Emails that I am too overwhelmed to even go through, I saw a Title to another Blog Post that said... "Today I Will"... Three little words that made me stop. I get so caught up in my To Do Lists for the day that I do not make it a priority to have a 'Today I Will' list. I don't know about you but my to do lists are kind of like stars to shoot for. It is usually a list of ten or so things that I would like to get done during the day. I can usually get about half of them done, and the rest go onto tomorrows list. What a world of difference in just changing the title of my To Do's... When I say I Will Do something, it puts me back in control. I Will control whether or not a task gets done. By making a To Do List, I am saying that I have things I want to get done, but everything around me is still in control (not me)... That has to STOP... Life is a balance and now that I am in the moving forward stage of life again (as opposed to the getting through each day stage) I need to take charge.<br />
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So Today I Will...<br />
Take my kids to the Doctor<br />
Go to the Bank<br />
Go to the Department of Licensing<br />
Take a walk on my property<br />
Have individual snuggle time with each child<br />
Water my plants<br />
Do a load of laundry<br />
Tell each child "I Love You" at least 10 times...<br />
Put a smile on my face<br />
Tell my husband that he is my everything...<br />
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And you know what? I Will do it... Because today is the start of a new chapter.<br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-25000938828055609612014-05-06T07:03:00.002-07:002014-05-06T07:03:59.470-07:00The struggles of DietsTodays Weigh In, I am only doing because I said I would weigh in every week for those that wanted to follow me on my Weight Watchers journey. It has been a bad week, emotionally. For me that equates to poor eating choices.<br />
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We spent a majority of the week still waiting for Pathology results for LeiLei. My Ademan turned 3 on Thursday and we had a family pizza party with cupcakes. Then we had to put down our beloved Sammie dog on Friday. The irony was that at the beginning of the week I decided that the kids and I would bring hubby lunch at work. Since I was quite happy with how well we had been eating for the past 6 weeks I decided to go to Jack N The Box and grab lunch. It was my first fast food in 6 weeks. Oh it was soooooooooo yummy! I had no idea we were on a collision course set for this pat week.<br />
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The week is over and now we are regrouping. Last night we were back to salads! Really a hard choice to make on Cinco De Mayo. I would have given anything to have been sitting at a Mexican Restaurant eating chips and salsa drinking a margarita. Instead I was at home being accountable. To which I may have heard my husband mumble... This sucks...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Weigh In</u></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">Starting weight March 19 = 175.8 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">1st weigh in on March 25 = 167.7 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">2nd weigh in on April 1 = 166.1 lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">3rd weigh in on April 8 = 165.2</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">4th weigh in on April 15 = 163.8</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">5th weigh in on April 22 = 162.9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">6th weigh in on April 29 = 161.3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">7th weigh in on May 6 = 161.6</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif;">So a little increase in my weight. Not as bad as I had </span><span style="color: #443f3f; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;">anticipated, I was truly expecting a 1-2 pound increase. Now I need to kick it up. Summer is approaching quickly and I refuse to spend my summer wearing my 'fat jeans'...</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #443f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Total = 14.2 lbs!!!!!!</span></b>Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-53086147225675010802014-05-03T09:19:00.002-07:002014-05-03T09:19:31.982-07:00Is it because he is my youngest, that I am having such a hard time?Wow, where does the time go? Isn't that what every mother says? But really, where does the time go?? My little man is turning 3 today and I am in a bit of denial about it. I don't know if it is because he is my youngest or what the problem is, but wow I am having a hard time with this one. Like every mom can admit to feeling and wishing, I would love to just hold my babies one more time.<br />
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We have had quite a bit going on around here lately. We decided that rather than throw our Ademan a Birthday Party we would just get him a really cool gift. So our little dude ended up with this...<br />
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He is a bit short for it so we have a packing blanket propping him up. He doesn't seem to mind one bit.<br />
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My big three year old got to go with his sisters to the dentist and get a real big boy cleaning! No more sitting in moms lap for this kid! Not exactly the most fun thing to do while celebrating you're Birthday, but hopefully the birthday pizza and cake will make it all better!<br />
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I am so proud of him... oh and for the score board... Three kids... 2 Four Year Olds and 1 Three Year Old= Zero Cavities... That makes for super happy mommy!!!<br />
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For dinner we had a family pizza party!<br />
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Ademan is really into Jake and The Neverland Pirates so we of course had to gear up with some pirate tattoos!<br />
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I was feeling a bit bad about the fact that he had no presents to open (since we had given him the car a few weeks ago, long story) so I ran to WalMart and bought him a Thomas The Train set, which was a HUGE family hit...<br />
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Then of course the Birthday Cupcake!<br />
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Happy Birthday to my baby boy... I love you!<br />
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<br />Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723854942075261439.post-48849422871968151272014-05-02T19:09:00.000-07:002014-05-02T19:09:01.098-07:00Her pain has ended, and ours has just begun...I have been extra quiet this past week and I apologize. For those that know me well... being quiet is not something I do often. I have started at least 3 different posts this week, because I really do have a lot to tell you... but given everything that has been going on, well I have not been able to find the words to say anything. I am really hoping that the dark cloud that has been hanging over us is about to move on out..<br />
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We did receive the results from Pathology, but I am saving that for another post. More than anything I need to get some more information from the Doctor before I start writing about it. I would have received that information today, but I had to cancel our appointment due to a change of events. We also tried to celebrate Ademans 3rd birthday yesterday, but the poor boy was robbed of a fun filled day (if you ask me). Just another post I have yet to finish...</div>
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You may or may not know that we are really big advocates for animal rescue. We believe every animal deserves a second chance at life. We have had both healthy and not so healthy animals come to live out their remaining years with us. One such dog is Sammie... Or as we like to call her...Sammie The One Eyed Wonder Dog...</div>
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Sammie came to us from a Foster Mom on behalf of a Brittany Spaniel Rescue Organization... She clearly was not a Brittany Spaniel and they needed to find her a home, STAT. We were just finishing the grieving process for the loss of our German Shepherd when we found out about Sammie. Sammies Foster Mom was also the Foster Mom for Buddy, our Brittany Spaniel. Buddy was left in an apartment with a litter of puppies and a Female. No food, No water, just an empty apartment. From what we were told they had been in there at least a week. By the time they were rescued there were already some casualties. We were lucky enough to end up with our "Buddy". So when it was time to find Buddy a companion we turned to his Foster Mom. She told us about Sammie...</div>
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I was filled with doubt. I really had never thought about the idea of bringing in a dog with physical needs. In reality she had no Physical Needs, except for the fact that she only had 1 eye. You see Sammie had been physically abused by her previous owner. She was punched in the face by a human (a sick, scum of the earth human) hard enough that she lost her eye. The Foster Mom asked is she could bring her out to the property so we could at least meet her, and we said yes. Once she was here it only took a nano second for us to say, Yes. In fact she never left the property again, this was her new home. Sammie was amazing, for only having one eye she could fetch and hunt better than any of our two eyed dog<br />
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We were lucky enough to have 4 healthy good years with her.<br />
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This last February our Sammie suffered from two Grand Mal Seizures. We (and the Vet) can only assume that those seizures were caused either by a tumor or from scar tissue from her head/brain injury (the same injury that caused her to loose her eye). We placed her on phenobarbital and played around with the dosage until we got it just right. This medication allowed her to have two more months with us. Unfortunately over the past week, we really began to witness a decline in her health. We knew that the time was coming, but neither of us was ready to let go. Yesterday we realized that putting it off much longer would mean that she would probably start to suffer. That is the last thing I wanted for my beautiful Sammie girl. At some point during the night hubby and I decided that today would be the day, that we would help her cross over the Rainbow Bridge.<br />
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Her pain has ended, and ours has begun. We know we made the right decision, but that does not take away the hurt, the sadness, or the emptiness. So for now hubby and I will both cry and laugh as we look back on her life with us.</div>
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Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421167612010079034noreply@blogger.com2