Just Life

I know I haven't been keeping up with my journaling. Life has been very busy, recently! We've had a lot going on at our church. And as the secretary there, I am often involved in the behind-the-scenes preparations for events. A couple of weeks ago, we had a huge church yard sale. I worked the cash register the majority of the day. I had helped the two days prior to the sale, pricing items, organizing items, throwing out the useless items, etc. It took several of us, over a course of 3 days, total, to pull this off. And it was so worth it! We raised over $800 in just one day of sales! Go us!!

I have to say how much I thoroughly enjoy working with my Pastors. I respect and look up to both of them so much. I don't think either of them realize how often they touch my heart and spirit, even as we are just working side-by-side in the day-to-day tasks in the church office.
And I NEVER realized HOW MUCH WORK goes on behind the scenes!!! Matt is afraid that I'm going to burn out quickly. I'm praying to the Lord that this doesn't happen because I feel I have a purpose there. Not just there...I feel I have a purpose in general, now. Being a stay-at-home-mommy is wonderful and I'd NEVER change it for the world. But I think we can sometimes get lost in being "mommy" and forget that we are women with other talents and skills, too.

I have made some really awesome friendships in the church and I look so forward to deepening those friendships over the upcoming months...and even years.

I am very excited about being a Missionettes teacher this fall! Our classes start next Wednesday and I just cannot wait! You may be asking "what is Missionettes?" Well let me tell you! The Assemblies of God has two programs in place, for our youth. Royal Rangers is the program for boys. It is basically like Boy Scouts. So why not just be in Boy Scouts, you ask? Well, Royal Rangers not only teaches about life skills and goes on camp-outs and such, but it's all done with God at the center of the curriculum.

M'Pact Girls Ministries (also known as Missionettes) is the God-centered version of Girl Scouts. Same principles apply to Missionettes as to Royal Rangers. I will be teaching the Rainbows class. Rainbows consists of 3-5 yr. olds (not yet in Kindergarten), both boys AND girls. Once they graduate out of Rainbows is when the boys go into Royal Rangers and the girls go into Missionettes. Each group has opportunity to earn badges for various tasks, which include (but are not limited to): memorization of Bible verses, learning each levels Motto & colors, going on "Adventures" (such as learning, spiritual, work, science, etc.), and many others.

I can't remember what group Nathaniel will be starting in. But Ben will be in my class. I want, so very much, to have my niece, Destiny, be able to be in Rainbows, but there are things that can't be gotten around to have her there each week. I'm praying that a way is made. I think she would so love to be in these classes.

Speaking of Nathaniel...he started school last Monday. He is officially a 2nd grader! I cannot believe I have a 2nd grader! He will be 8 yrs. old on October 3rd already! He is doing well in school, but he's still having a hard time concentrating and gets distracted from his work, easily. So he comes home with homework almost nightly. We'll be speaking to the pediatrician about upping the Concerta again. I don't want to see him have to bring home work every single night. He had 5 hours worth of work the other night, because he couldnt' complete all the work in class. Matt & I took turns working with him, each of us bringing our own teaching skills to the table. When he would get frustrated, I'd have him take a break. We'd watch a half hour cartoon, then start up the work again. Matt took a different approach, that really seems to work for Peanut. He taught him about meditation. When he feels himself getting upset or frustrated at his work, for whatever reason, he now knows how to focus his attention elsewhere (on anything, just not the work in front of him) for a couple of minutes, to clear his head, then go back to it when he's calmed down. Matt explained that taking a few deep breaths will help him calm down, too.

An update on Benjamin...the poor baby has to undergo yet more testing. More blood tests, another urine analysis, a stool analysis, a meeting with a nutritionist, a hearing test, continued speech therapy, an occupational therapy evaluation...I think I'm forgetting something else. We are so overwhelmed with all of the evals and testing that he has to have done. There's just so much! His specialist at Akron Children's Hospital is REALLY leaning towards Celiac Disease or Cystic Fibrosis and wants him tested for both ASAP. Oh yes, that's the other test...the Sweat Test for the CF. Please, those of you that pray...PRAY HARD that he does NOT have CF. If it would come back positive, we will be absolutely devestated. Life expectancy for CF patients tops out in the very early 20's. We are praying that if he has either of the diseases he's being tested for, that it's the Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease would be a huge inconvenience, as it means that he would have to be on a totally and completely wheat-free diet. That means NOTHING with flour, nothing with wheat gluten...Do you know HOW MUCH FOOD that rules out?! ANY kind of pasta, ANY kind of bread, cookies/cakes, etc. Yes, there are now gluten-free foods, but they are massively expensive and you try to explain to a 2 yr. old that he has to have special food and that he can't eat what his brother is eating!! HA!

It IS managable, and it IS better than him having CF. And for that we would be eternally grateful! It will just be a difficult and long adjustment for all of us. But there's a reason the little guy isn't growing. Since May 20th, he had only gained 1/2 a pound and 1/2 an inch. He weighs 22.5 lbs. and 31 3/4 inches, and he is 2 and a half...or 1 month shy of it. His specialist is very concerned about his lack of growth and officially diagnosed him with 'failure to thrive'. We're taking it one day at a time, enjoying his amazing personality. To look at him, you'd see a healthy, happy toddler, that is just smaller in size. At this point, he's not even on the growth charts. There's a reason his body isn't holding onto calories and nutrients and we're going to get to the bottom of it.

Well, it's 1am, and I will be working at the church all day tomorrow. I'll have Ben with me, then will have Peanut with me when he gets out of school. My father-in-law has been working for Matt (pre-selling photo packages), so he's been really awesome about picking Peanut up after school, and bringing him to the church for me. Then I don't have to stop my work and go get him. And since we stay there until Matt gets off work at 7pm, I take food to the church and make dinner for me & the boys in our huge, awesome restaurant-type kitchen! It makes life convenient for me!

So any ways, blessings to all my friends out there in cyber world!

Baseball!

Summer is Here...??

Well school is out and summer vacation is here. Summer weather, however, seems to have taken a leave of absence this year! Most days are still very fall-like...cool and rainy. Memorial Day was beautiful, however, hitting 80 degrees with a light breeze. I organized a family picnic event at Tuscora Park, for Memorial Day, this year. It has become a tradition to spend the day with Matt's family. But this year I wanted to include my family as well. So instead of making someone clean and organize their home to have guests, I came up with the plan to go to Tuscora Park. I haven't been there in years...since my early teens. Matt and his family have never been there, so it was a great opportunity to introduce them to what will hopefully become a new family tradition. (To see what the Park looks like, please visit http://www.tuscora.park.net/)

So I decided it would be easiest and most convenient if each family brought their own meat, but then everyone pitch-in with a side and/or dessert for everyone to share. So Matt's parents brought the makings for BLT's, which was a terrific idea! They shared that with whomever wanted some. Matt & I brought hot dogs & shared with Stephanie & her girls, my parents brought bbq chicken that was absolutely scrumptious! It was juicy & tender and it just melted in your mouth! (Go Dad!) As sides and desserts, we had macaroni salad, italian pasta salad, chips, ambrosia, pineapple upside-down cake, a marble cake with vanilla icing that had blueberries & strawberries forming the flag, and I think I'm forgetting some things! Regardless, it was all amazingly delicious! We definitely have great cooks in our families!!!

Unfortunately, there was a call for sporadic rain showers throughout the day. We almost made it through our picnic...but not quite! My little niece, Destiny, tried shielding herself from the rain with a paper plate, of all things, lol. Keep in mind, she's only 2½ yrs. old. But it was a quick rain, we were under the cover of trees, so that helped, as well. Once we cleaned up the picnic area, we loaded the cars back up, so that we could let the kids go on some rides and play.

Benjamin & Destiny are at the perfect age for the Park. They have an old wooden Carousel...Ben absolutely hated it. He rode on a horse with me and cried the entire time. Destiny held on for dear life, but seemed to enjoy it! Baby Lilyana even got her first ride on the Carousel. Stephanie held Lily on her lap, on one of the benches on the ride. From there, we let the little ones ride the cars, airplanes and spaceships that go around in circles...much like the ones you see every year at your local Fairgrounds. They enjoyed each of those, emmensely!

We then headed to the batting cages, to let Nathaniel have a shot at the balls. He did wonderfully!! Out of 100 balls, he hit about 90% of them! Matt's entire family was amazed!! (My parents had left before the rides, due to exhaustion and pain in various body parts.) I've seen Nathaniel in action, which is why I signed him up at our local YMCA for the Coach-Pitch Baseball League this summer. Well then Stephy got gutsy and decided she was gonna try her hand at batting. I think it was only the 2nd or 3rd ball, and Stephy was injured. I saw her hand shaking, but didn't understand why. I thought she got hit with the ball on her hand. Then I saw it...her thumb nail was bent and broken, half way down her thumb. It started to bleed almost immediately. But do you think she let that stop her? Heck no!! She continued hitting balls...in fact, she hit about 5 balls after that! Go Stephy! Afterwards though, she was in some pretty good pain. She exited the cage and showed us what her thumb looked like. I knew she needed to get it cleaned out right away, and get it bandaged. And of course, I had switched bags and had forgotten to put my purse-sized first aid kit in the new bag! So I jumped into action, and took her to find the first aid stand. We found it and a teenage girl was manning the office. She looked a bit queasy when she saw Stephy's nail, haha. She asked what we items we'd need to patch her up. I requested antibiotic ointment, bandages, paper towels, and guaze.

So Steph and I headed to the bathroom to clean out her wound, as gently as possible. We ended up going back to ask for medical tape. I had to actually point out what and where the medical tape was because the girl had no clue, lol. Once we got Steph all taped up, we headed back to the rest of the family, where Nathaniel was still hitting balls. Steph's Mom made the comment that she didn't get to tend to her daughter. It never dawned on me to step aside and let my mother-in-law take charge...after all, it WAS her daughter who was injured. So I felt bad, after that. I didn't mean to take over. I just wanted to help Stephanie. Mom wasn't upset at all. But I felt like I kind of stepped into her territory. If there should be a next time, I will make sure to step aside and let her handle things.

So once all of that was over with, we rode on the little train with the kids. Then Matt, Stephanie, and Nathaniel rode the miniature roller-coaster. After all the riding was over, we all got ice cream cones and cotton candy (courtesy of Stephanie). By the time we loaded the kids and strollers up, and got everyone situated, and drove home, it was 8:30pm!!! We had gotten there just before noon!!! So we had an exhausting, fun-filled, relaxing day. I'd like for all of us to go down there again, this summer...and every summer, if we can. It's only a 35 minute drive, or so. So it's not that far. It doesn't cost a lot of money. The rides are 75 cents each! The ice cream cones were only $1.25! So it's very affordable, especially if you take your own picnic. But next time...I vote we all just take ham sammiches!! It'd be MUCH easier than trying to grill!! lol

I know this is a long entry & I thank you if you made it this far. I know I said I'd update on what Ben's appointment revealed, but I will try to do that in a day or so.

Wowza

Oh my!! Time goes by so quickly! I have been a bad blogger, in not updating recently! My apologies to my readers...if there are any out there, still, lol!
My life went from boring and mundane to suddenly every day is filled up with things to do! I've been working as the part-time secretary at our church for about 5 weeks now. I absolutely love it. Ben is able to go with me and play around the church, while I work. I have a large office, so I have a stash of toys and a high chair in there for him. And in the conference room, right next to my office, I have his playpen in there, for nap-time. It's so convenient. With Nathaniel getting out of school this week, for the summer, it's going to be even better. He can help keep Ben occupied.
I will be signing Nathaniel up, this week, at our local YMCA, for baseball. They have practice two days a week, Tuesday & Thursday. First game is on June 17th. I think he'll really enjoy it. It'll give him something to do this summer, that is structured and all about him.
Ben has to go through some testing this summer and I don't want Nathaniel to get lost in all of that. I feel badly, sometimes, because it seems with Ben's special needs, he takes up more of time. So I really try to make time to focus on Nathaniel.
I will update in another blog, later this week, about Ben's tests. It's too long to get into right now. I just wanted to leave a quick update for today. I'm still alive & kickin'! I just have a life now! lol
Enjoy your Memorial weekend!
Blessings to all!

So much...

...has gone on since March! Wow! I've really been busy! Sorry for the lack of updates lately! So what has been going on with me? Well Benjamin turned 2 yrs. old on April 7th! He's no longer a baby...yet he is, because of his delays and being non-verbal. He's still in speech therapy. Nothing has changed with his speech. Right now, he & I have strep throat. Lucky us!
We had a HUGE birthday party for Matt & our brother-in-law, who both turn 30 within a month of each other. And we added Ben's birthday in there, as well. We had a really great time.
We joined a church, too. All of us. And I'm the church secretary and nursery coordinator. I absolutely love it! I work 3 days a week and have my own office. I got it all cleaned out & organized this week. And I made my first bulletin ever, just yesterday!
Matt got Olan Mills some business...our church directory is going to be done by his company! Matt doesn't get credit for it, unfortunately. But still, it might get Matt some business! Which would be great! I'm going to make him some business cards, so he has them to hand out.
Well, I think that's all for now. Will update again soon!

Snowed in!

Ack! Ohio is in the middle of near blizzard-like conditions. I don't have exact snowfall amounts but it's nearly knee-high in our yard. I will take some pictures tomorrow and post them. It's insanity. Our area is not used to large amounts of snowfall like this. Where Matt & I are located, we are between snowbelts...the areas of Ohio that get the largest amounts of snow, regularly. So this is definitely not the norm for us. Matt *did* have to go to work today, to call people and see if they'd like to reschedule appointments for another day. Only 1 insisted on coming in today and their appointment wasn't until 3pm. So he had to sit around and wait for them all day long. Sure, he got paid, but he also risked his life by driving in this weather. So that really pissed me off. Stupid people that don't think about others and what their actions cost them. I mean, yes he had to go in to call people, but he could have left immediately after that, had they all rescheduled. Instead, he had to sit there while the snow continued to fall heavily, not being able to leave until several hours later, when the driving conditions had worsened.
So my point to all that is to please think about what you put others through, by driving in conditions that you have no business being on the roads for. If it's not a dire necessity, keep your ass home! That's all for my PSA! I'll post pics tomorrow!
If you're in Ohio, STAY IN and keep warm! If you're somewhere warm, well blech on you LOL. Be thankful you are!

Birthday Plans

Birthday plans are in full swing!!! We have Matt's 30th birthday on March 31st, Ben's 2nd birthday on April 7th, and our brother-in-laws 30th birthday on April 25th. So we are combining the three parties into one big one! My sister-in-law, Stephanie, and I have been planning and buying and shopping! For the double 30th party, we are having a Movie Night themed party, complete with a red carpet rolled out, a movie statue pinata, stars hanging from the ceiling, top hats for the men, gold beads for the ladies, VIP passes for the birthday "guys", etc.! It is coming together so wonderfully! We are going to have a great time. If all works out ok, we will have dvd's of the guys throughout their lives, set to music. I'm using Phil Vassar's song "My Next 30 Years".
For Benjamin's birthday, we are doing a Fisher Price Little People's theme. I'll have print-outs of the Little People characters, primary colored crepe paper/plates, etc., and for his cake I'm using the Little People's Musical Birthday toy set on top. I'm designing it myself. It should be fun!
Stephanie and I are going shopping at Flower Factory tomorrow, for some more party supplies. That is...if the weather holds out for us!! We are expecting another snow storm, overnight and into tomorrow and Saturday. Yipee! (Insert eye roll here)
So that's what I've been busy doing, lately. Which is why I haven't updated my blog! Sorry!

My Poor Baby

My poor Benny Baby had to get 5 vaccinations today! Y We had to get his vaccinations caught up...long story involving our pediatrician's partner and they're not allowed to have them at the office anymore. But they didn't put it to the patients that way, and let us think they were getting the vaccinations in at any time. So instead of taking Ben to a different doctor, we just waited. Finally got out of them that they won't be getting the vax in any time soon, to just take him to the health department. So that's what we did today.
I made Matt go with me this time. He held Ben during the shots, then I got to comfort him after. The poor baby cried so hard. I felt awful. Mommy got teary-eyed too, a couple times. But afterwards, I got to hold him and love on him, and that made him happy. So he came home and took a nap. My father-in-law came over to sit with the boys so we could go file our taxes and run to the bank/grocery store (the bank is in the store). So now we're getting ready for dinner and not much else!
American Idol is on tonite, yay! So far, I have about 4 favorites. But we'll have to just wait and see who gets cut, over the next couple of weeks, before I make a final decision.
Any ways, that's all going on with us. Nothing much really. Blessed be!

Snow Snow Snow

If you couldn't guess, we got dumped on with a bunch of snow & ice!! Nathaniel hasn't had school since last Friday! Monday they cancelled school due to extreme temperatures. Our windchill was -15!!! Tuesday & today was due to snow & ice. And they're already scheduled off for Friday, for a "teacher in service day", and then they're off next Monday for President's day! Talk about a nice mid-winter vacation here! At best, he'll have to go to school tomorrow, which should prove interesting! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and the teachers are throwing each class a party. My mother-in-law got Nathaniel some Spiderman valentine cards and some candies to pass out. So tomorrow should be an easy school day, assuming the winter weather mix takes a break tonite! Road crews have been working around the clock, trying to keep up with the snow & ice. My Dad, personally, has been working 16 hour shifts, as a snow control operater for the County. The overtime is always a blessing for my parents. But as Dad gets older, it's gets harder for him to work those long, cold shifts.

Well, if any of you are in the Ohio area being affected by all this snow, please take care. Stay in and stay warm. And if you HAVE to go out on the roadways, please exercise caution in your driving. Drive a little slower, brake a little sooner, use appropriate turn signals. Don't let common sense go out the window!

Results of Game Night

Ok so we had game night at Matt & Stephanie's last night. Beforehand, Stephanie made an awesome meal of homemade salisbury steak, homemade mashed taters, corn, and homemade Pistachio Bundt Cake. Everything was delicious! Once cleanup was over, we let the kids play for a while, got baby Lilyana changed & fed, and then we set up the Pictionary game.
SuperMama's vs. Team M&M (stands for Matt & Matt lol). What a riot! Between people not understanding or knowing certain words (bug sounds like rub?! lmao), and others not knowing how to draw particular animals (ribbit), and others drawing more complicated pictures (dam), on top of keeping the kiddo's in line (ages 7 yrs., two 2 year olds, and a 3 month old), it was quite the challenge!
Other than watching the Jeff Dunham video's (Silence...I KEEL YOU!), I haven't laughed like that in so long! It was a very relaxing, fun evening for us. While we were there, brother-in-law Matt got online and found out that Nathaniel's school (along with hundreds of other schools in NE Ohio), was closed for today, due to extreme cold, and windchill advisories. So we got to stay even longer than originally planned. However, that put us at not leaving until about 2:30am! lol Good thing I put the kids in their pj's before we left our house for the night!
So all in all, we had a blast! Matt & I got to spend time with our nieces...Matt & Stephanie got to spend time with their nephews. We hadn'ts een each other since Christmas, so it was great to be with them.
By the way, if you were wondering...sadly....Team M&M came out on top this time. Team SuperMama's demand a rematch in the very near future, though!

"Shadow of the Day", by Linkin Park

I just have to say how utterly sick it makes me, when I think of our men & women in a war that we no longer have any business being involved in. At first, yes. But now? No way. This is a civil war that Iraqi's have to got to learn how to deal with on their own. We can't keep policing and babysitting the entire world. We have our own mess in our own backyard that needs desperate tending to. I try not to get too political when I post my blogs online, but this just needed to be said. It's been eating me up for a long time now. Do I believe we went in with false information? I don't know. I don't think anyone will ever know for sure. One of the mysteries of the White House. Do I believe there were WMD's at one point in time, in Iraq? Absolutely. But Saddam had HOW MANY YEARS to move them, before we went in there? Bottom line about Saddam...he needed to be taken out of control. What he was doing to his people was despicable. However, what we continue to put our military through is just as deplorable at this point. Bring our troops home and bring them home NOW!

First time Sleep over

So Nathaniel had his first sleep-over at our house, this weekend. A neighbor boy, Chuck, has been walking our puppy for me (he handles the cold much better than I do). And he mowed our lawn once, at the end of the summer. He & his Dad came around a couple of times about a car we were selling, asking for a friend of their's (also in the neighborhood). Since then, they've come around a few more times, and we've gotten to know them a bit, especially Chuck.
He's a bit older than Nathaniel, but he doesn't seem like it. He seems in between his age and Nathaniel's. And since he stayed here, this weekend, I was more comfortable with the difference, being as I could keep my eyes and ears open.
He's really good with Nathaniel & Benjamin. Ben adores Chuck. He's such a good kid. He even offered to wash the dishes after dinner yesterday! I am NOT used to that offer! lol
So Nathaniel's been having a blast all weekend. Now tomorrow, Chuck has to go home. We're having a family game night with Matt's sister & her husband. It's Pictionary night and it's gonna be Girls Vs. Boys...Girls RULE, Boys DROOL! lol Stephanie & I have to defend our winnings!! So that should be a lot of fun. She's making dinner, beforehand, for everyone. The kids will get a chance to play. Ben & Destiny haven't gotten to play since Christmas, with us all being sick.
That's what's going on in MY neck of the woods, this weekend. Not much else to tell, really!
Blessed be!

Our puppy, Haven

Here's Haven, as a new addition to our family. She still has this bear, she sleeps with it every night, plays with it during the day, lol.

These last 4 photos were taken in December. So you can see how much she grew. And she's grown even more since then.

I have received a couple of emails asking about our puppy. So here's a little background. My parents had to put my dog, Tessie, to sleep, back in September-October-ish. I had a really hard time dealing with it, as did Peanut. In fact, Nathaniel still breaks down in tears, every now and then. When asked what's wrong, he replies that he misses Tessie terribly. My poor baby!!

So our then live-in friend, Jimmy, a couple of days after Tessie's death, in an attempt to make me (his 'mom') feel better, brought home this cute, black furrball. He had already named her on the way home...Haven. She was so adorable...she still is, just bigger and a lot more hyper LOL. At first, no one was sure whether Jimmy would take her once he moved out, because he bonded with her just as quickly as I did. But in the end, a puppy would have been too much for his bachelor lifestyle, haha!

She's now, roughly six & a half months old, or right about there. Her paws are huge, which indicates she will be a rather large dog. Jimmy was "told" that she is black lab & a husky mix, but I seriously doubt the husky. Whatever other breed she is, it is quite clear that the black lab is the dominant breed in her. She's jet black! In fact, she's so black, that in pictures I have to lighten them, so that you can make out that she's a dog, and not some black lump, lol!

She has had a difficult time house-training, but she's getting there. We're down to just random, sporatic accidents in the house now. Our biggest problem with her is the hyperness. It's beyond hyper, it's like super duper hyper! lol But she really is a sweet dog. Nathaniel loves her, and every time he goes to school, she sits at the door and cries, until she finally realizes he's not coming back right away. Benjamin has always had a fear of dogs, since itty bitty. So we thought maybe having a tiny puppy like she intially was, would help. At first, it was okay, he really had nothing to do with her. Then as she started to really grow, Ben made more attempts to stay far away from her. Now, though, if she's laying quietly, he will go over to her, kiss her, hug her, and lay down on her.

And Haven, being the sweetie that she is, loves to have Ben lay on her. She lays perfectly still, and just lets him do his loving! We do still have 1 cat, Sylvia. Angel became sick in the early fall and I found her in the basement while I was doing laundry. I was devastated, especially since the day before she had been up running around, meowing, eating, etc. We had noticed a slight decrease in her appetite, but figured it was just a phase. Sylvia and Haven get along well. Haven is just curious about the cat, mostly sniffing her, then leaves her alone. Sylvia just keeps to herself as much as possible, like a lot of cats, lol. Miss Independent!

And now for some pictures of our little ball of fun!

Fibro-flare, Here I Am

Here in Ohio, it has been on the warmer side, but very wet. We've been having thunderstorms...Yes...THUNDERSTORMS...complete with lightning and heavy rains, flooding in many areas...in the beginning of February. Definitely some odd weather patterns occurring. Now we are awaiting the cold front to move back in, some time today or overnight, I heard...in which case, we will be getting snow again.
So what does this do to a fibromyalgia patient, you ask? Well let me explain how I felt when I woke up yesterday.
Even with it rainy, yesterday, I actually had a good day. The antibiotics for the bronchitis worked and I'm starting to really feel better from that, and I've stepped up my multi-vitamin to 2 a day, to help boost my immune system. I even INSISTED on doing the running around yesterday! I had to run to WIC & the health department, then to the dollar store to pick up some things like shampoo, body wash, etc.
I then went to get diapers for Benjamin, came home and Matt had dinner made. I ate dinner, then headed back out to Rite Aid for milk (it's only $2.89 there!) and to Giant Eagle to get Ben's Pediasure. Now because it was almost 60 degrees yesterday, I didn't bother with a jacket...probably not a best idea on my part, but it felt so good out there!! I got caught in the rain around 9pm when exiting the grocery store. But it was still fairly warm, probably around low 50's.
Now fast-forward to this morning...I awoke and was extremely groggy, and had a difficult time waking up, which is very odd for me. I typically hear the alarm and am up in a second.
So as I'm sitting up, rubbing my eyes, trying to focus and as I start to put my legs over the side of the bed...it hits me. All throughout my shoulders, arms and legs...that heavy feeling you get in your muscles when you have the flu. That achey feeling, also. I woke Nathaniel up and got him going for school. I woke Matt up and told him that I was going to lay back down, once Nathaniel was on the school bus.
I headed back upstairs and climbed into bed and turned the electric blanket on high, hoping the heat would help my muscles.
I laid there for 20 minutes, feeling the fiery pain moving up my arms, feeling the tension and pressure of the pain in my shoulders before I got back up and took a pain pill (a non-narcotic that doesn't do much good). Then I rubbed my achey muscles down with icy-hot and went to sleep for a while. I still feel like hell, but I'm up, at least. Even my fingers hurt, and typing doesn't help. But sitting still, watching tv, hurts too, so I'd rather be on here, at least doing SOMETHING, rather than feeling like a lump on a log in my chair. The burning pain gets to me by the end of the day. I feel like I want to scream. But I know that won't help, so I keep silent, and don't say much about the pain to anyone, but my Mom, who also has fibro and very much understands what I'm going through.
I don't mean or intend for this to sound like a whiney entry. There are just so many people out there who don't know what fibromyalgia is, or how it affects people in their day-to-day lives. Hopefully this will help even 1 person understand what it's like, so that THEY can be more compassionate to a person in their life that may have it. It's definitely an "unseen disease", and because of the lack of outwardly signs of it, many people just think it's made up, or a mental condition. But I can assure you, it is neither of those things.
Well, it is time for me to mosey on to my comfy chair and put my feet up. I think I'll sit on the heating pad for a little while. It helps alleviate some of the pain, even if for a while.

Jeff Dunham

I had never head of Jeff Dunham until my friend, Cathy, started raving about him. She finally linked me (because I'm too lazy to look him up myself) to some of his skits that are on http://www.youtube.com/. Holy crap, is he hysterical!! So now, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you...JEFF DUNHAM and ACHMED THE TERRORIST. {You HAVE been warned: You WILL laugh, you WILL probably pee yourself -so please put on Depends-, and there IS some swearing, all in fun!!!}

Bitter People

Ok, so what makes people so dang bitter?? We have a neighbor that has caused problems for us since the day we moved in. We hadn't lived here 2 weeks (I was still in the NICU with Benjamin at this point, so I hadn't even actually gotten to live here yet), when our witchy old lady (she's in her late 50's to 60's, I'd guess) reported us to the city that our grass hadn't yet been mowed. It was the first 2 weeks of APRIL, for pete's sake!!! You know, when there was still FROST on the ground, and we ended up having snow later that month! I don't know what the heck her problem is, but this is getting seriously old. We have 4 bags of garbage outside our back door, and she called the health department on us again!!!! What in the hell is this woman's problem?? She's never even met us and has been a total pain in our ass! I cannot WAIT until we can afford to put up a privacy fence around our entire backyard! Then maybe her NOSEY butt will stay OUT of our business!! I am so fed up with this woman. And today I had just decided that me & the kids were going to try and be nice to her, and send her an anonymous box of chocolates for Valentine's Day. Pffft...Maybe laxative filled ones now! UGH! What did we ever do, besides moving in here, that pissed this woman off? I seriously don't get how one person can be so nosey, bitter, and hateful to people she doesn't even know! I know from other neighbors that this isn't a new hobby for her, that she's caused numerous problems for people throughout the years. Perhaps it's time for her to find a new hobby...and maybe get a life!

My latest song obsession...Enjoy

The sickies...again!

Yes, we all have the sickies again! Or still, if you prefer! I have bronchitis, and am on an antibiotic and cough syrup. The boys both are on antibiotics and breathing treatments. Lemme tell ya, the first couple of treatments for Ben was NOT pleasant, but he sits very still now, and doesn't cry anymore. Yay! Peanut, of course, is a pro at them, he's had lots of experience with them!

Matt is in a new job now. He is managing the Olan Mills, here in Massillon. Congrats to him! He loves it!!! He has much more room for creativity through Olan Mills, and he actually gets to STAY HOME all the time, and not have to travel, like with United Studios! Of course Peanut is LOVING this aspect of the new job. Plus we get really awesome discounts! So Matt started his new job just this past Sunday. So he's still in training. Mainly needing training on the computer (paperwork & editing), and how to use the camera, as it is set up on a pole and it swivels and moves up & down, while you try looking at the faces you are photographing on a monitor. It's a co-ordination thing that I would so totally suck at lol! So props to him!

We're getting a phone hooked up thru Vonage this week. We're waiting on the router to arrive so we can hook it up! We get 2 months of free phone service with them! Yay!!

Other than that, nothing else going on. Just trying to get everyone healthy. Nathaniel has Presidents Day off of school, so I think the night before, we're gonna drive to PA and stay the night with his grandparents. They've been wanting us to do that, and I think it would be so much fun. I just adore Matt's grandparents. I know they would love some one-on-one time with the boys, too. The only thing is, I don't know what we'll do with the puppy. Maybe Jimmy will come stay the night with her. We will have to call him and ask him.

Any ways, so that's what's up. I'm gonna add a couple of more pics of the kids. Enjoy!

Bad day...week..

Hello all. Yes, as the title says, I'm not having so hot of a week. I ended up with another stomach bug this week. And the temps in Ohio have been very cold, which really affects my fibromyalgia. I've been in a lot of pain this week. My arms constantly feel like they are on fire, the muscles burn in pain. I can't even really describe it. All I know is that I hurt and the pain medication my doctor has me on isn't helping at all. So I've been pretty miserable. Sorry to not have an upbeat, bubbly post for today. I just don't have it in me.

I am waiting for Nathaniel to get home from school so that he can keep an eye on Ben, long enough for me to take a quick shower. I'm hoping the warm water will loosen up some of my stiff muscles, even just a little bit. Odds are, it will just tire me out even more. I've been up since 4am, due to the pain. So I'm completely exhausted. Ben is being so good for me, though. He's watching Cars and chomping on some pretzels.

The puppy, on the other hand, oy vey!! Haven is into everything today. She's totally wound up. She's got a lot of energy built up. I may have to tie her out back for a while, and let her run around.

Any ways, that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Some pics from Christmas

My theme song as a Bipolar Sufferer

The Holidays are Over....

...and life returns to "normal". Nathaniel is back in school now. He went back yesterday. Now it's the weekend and 2 more days off, haha. Benjamin & I have been sick all week with colds. Poor baby is all congested. He goes to the dr. on Monday so that we can discuss his speech delay, the head banging issue, and some other things we've noticed.

So how was everyone's holidays? Ours was great! We had a really nice Christmas, spending time with each family. The boys got tons of gifts, both clothing and toys. Matt & I did pretty well ourselves, too! Christmas eve & Christmas day were 2 very busy days for us, visiting our 3 families. The day after Christmas, for the first time ever, Matt had off. So we actually got to rest and relax together the next day. It was a really nice change of pace.

New Year's Eve, we spent together as a family. Just the four of us. I had gotten corn dogs & fries for dinner, pizza rolls and mozzerella sticks for snacks. And Matt bought a bottle of sparkling cider for us to toast with. Ben & Nathaniel both made till after midnight!! Nathaniel conked out at about 12:30am, and Ben laid down on the couch with Matt at about 12:15am. We made our normal calls to our parents and Matt's sister at midnight, as well.

Next is my birthday, in February. Then Steph and I are planning a combined 30th birthday party for her Matt and my Matt. They turn 30 within a month of each other and to save money, we decided to combine their parties. Ben's 2nd birthday also falls in between the two Matt's birthdays! So I think we might just combine all 3! I'll get a Ben a separate cake from the two Matt's, though.

Well, that's all I have for my update for now. Until later, when I might have something to ramble on about... God Bless!