Ragtag Mama

So here we are in 2011! A new adventure awaits this year! This year I have decided to just pick a word to use for now. No scripture yet but I am sure that when the time is right there will be one. If you haven’t figured it out this years word is

MARGIN

Something I don’t see to have a lot of. This year due to school, work, and family Christopher and I have decided to say no to a lot of things that we would normal say yes too. This year we will be focusing on getting through school, work, and being a family. This means that we are saying no to lots of things. Like I will not be working in the nursery  at church starting after April. This is because I feel that I will need that time to either be studying or spend time with Christopher and the kids. We are slowing things down.

So if you ask for the next 18 months and we say not it isn’t personal we are just getting through this short term important life changing part of life.

I want to find time in the mess of chaos to work out on a regular schedule, have a hour a week to just me, nope I don’t get that right now and have time with Jesus everyday. This means no school work, no husband or kids, and no house work. Just me doing what I want to do.

So this is what this year is about margin.

How about you? What are you working for in 2011?

I am quite thankful that 2010 is finally coming to a close.  This has a been an eventful year and the waiting in a lot of areas is coming to an end. I am excited to say that I will start the second half my associates degree in nursing on Feb 8th, 2011.  I am excited but mostly nervous. After 10 years of watching people do nursing tasks I am going to get to be the one to do them. The nervousness comes from not really knowing what I am doing and the learning process that it will take to get to where I will need to be. I know that it certainly isn’t going to be easy but I know that I have a lot of love and support to get me there. So mid June of 2012 I should awaiting taking my nursing boards!

Chris lost his job in June this year which has been a blessing and yet not. Some how God has found money to keep us afloat. It has been nice to have him around and doing something he loves to do. He loves going to the Student Union and helping out. It isn’t a job that pays money but he is learning from people who have been doing this thing for years. We have been praying now that he has found a ‘job’ that he loves that now he find one that pays money. I am sure in God’s timing he will get there.  We have all trust and confidence in our Lord to get there when the time is right.

We are making progress with Ephriam. We are awaiting some lab results to see if he has a genetic metabolic disorder which could be causing his delays. We won’t have those back until the middle of January. We are just praying for answers right now to best help him.  He is making good progress and adding extra fish oil to his diet has helped a great deal too. We are getting to where we are almost having conversations with him with out him echoing back what you say. He is much more shy in large crowds but does much better one on one. I can’t believe that he is already six!

Kendra is a fireball. I swear she is 4 going on 14. Her little teenage sassy self is getting her into trouble these days. However she has way grown up from 3. We still have meltdowns and days of rebellion but those are usually due to her not sleeping well or not getting enough to eat. She has learned to eat new things even if she doesn’t like them because she will go hungry otherwise. She is super smart and does well in school. She has a tender heart for those who are sick or needy. I am sure that God is going to use her firey personality to further his kingdom.

This year I also have lost my Grandma to a battle with cancer that she fought hard with for 7 years. I miss her dearly. I think of her often. I have gotten some things of hers that I will cherish forever. I will think of her when I clean of course because she did more cleaning then anyone I have or had know. I cried the other day when my mom gave me my wedding dress pattern that she used to make my wedding dress. Just at the thought that she wouldn’t ever sew anything again and how great of seamstress she was.

So even though sometimes the trial of years seem hard,  we wouldn’t get to the blessing of where we are going with out them. I am blessed that my family is healthy and happy. I am blessed that we still live our house and have all the family that we have.I have the best husband anyone could ask for. He is so supportive in me fulfilling my dream. I have great kids who make my days brighter and more fun. They also help me to remember what life is about. I am blessed to have loving parents who with out them I would be nothing. I am blessed to have known my Grandmother for almost 30 years when some don’t know theirs at all. I am blessed most to know Jesus as my Savior to have Him everyday of my life to walk with him and carry me. With out him NOTHING would have been possible. He is the best in my life.

So here is to our next adventures in 2011!

This is one thing that I will be able to make every year that Grandma made. This year it was hard to make them due to my family being in Toledo making cookies and me being at home making these with my kids knowing she won’t ever make them again. But I took them into work to share some and they ate them up fast. Many have asked for the recipe so I am posting it here to make it easier.

Okay just to let you know this makes a TON of cookies so you might want to cut it in half if not you could always freeze them and eat them later.

12 eggs
2lbs brown sugar
4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon karo syrup
8 teaspoons baking soda
1 lb butter
3 lbs Peanut butter
18 cups or 42 oz Quick Oats
1 lb chocolate chips
1 lb M&M’s

Mix all ingredients. (I mixed the eggs and the butter first then adding in the sugars ect.)

Put one tablespoon of batter on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly. (The cookies will spread out so you may want to only put 9 on a cookie sheet vs a dozen.)

Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

*Remember that this took my 2 large bowls for me to mix*

Hope that you all enjoy!

FW

Check out Ephriam’s class in their performance at school. They did an awesome job!

Kendra:

I know that I said that I would blog about you yesterday but you see my dear I had forgotten what a hectic day it was going to be for me. However I didn’t forget about you and I never could. I know that you think I have forgotten you in the car a couple of times but really I was just putting stuff in the house so that I had arms to carry you in plus you were out cold and I didn’t want to disrupt that. I think and talk about you often and even though you are more than a handful at times I still love you and you bring great joy to my life.

I love to see your face light up when I tell you how proud of you I am and how excited you get when you can do something you didn’t think that you can do. I love your giving heart for others. Not to long ago you made a whole stack of cards to give to sick people and you want to give your hair away to help make a wig for someone with cancer. How precious is that at FOUR you do these amazing things. I hope that you continue to light up the world for others like you do your family.

Just recently we had parent teacher conferences with your teacher Miss Collins. You are doing so awesome in school. You are so smart! You count the highest in both the morning and afternoon classes, you know all your letters and the sounds they make. You are even asking how to spell out words. You are a great friend in sharing toys with out a fight.  You just had a couple of things that you need to work on. You need to be a leader and not a follower. We know that you want to fit in with the other kids but we want you to do what is right with fitting in with them. You also need to learn to get a tissue on your own and be a bit more independent in the classroom. We know that you are a big girl and can do it yourself. We push you to do these things at home too.

We also recently went to see Dr. O’Malley and learned that you are in the 75 percentile in both height and weight. This means you are tall for your age but also that you heavier for your age, however we are glad to see that you match your height because this means that you are very much right on track and not too thin or not too heavy! You are so beautiful! You got some of your 5 year shots so that you didn’t have to have so many at once. Mommy let you choose.

Next week we go for your big haircut. I can’t wait to see how grown up you will look. It till be better for both you and mommy and daddy. You won’t cry when we brush your hair and mommy and daddy won’t feel like they are hurting you so much. I can’t wait to see how good you look.

You are growing so big. I wish that I could put a book on your head and make it stop. One day you will be married and be a mommy of your own but first you will have to make it through your teen years! LOL.

Love, hugs, and kisses,

Mommy

I would love to tell you what is going on with him but simply the DDBP doctor and I are having issues getting on the same page. Well, honestly I can’t get him to return my phone call and when the nurse called it too him a month and half to type up his consult letter to Ephriam’s Pediatrican and write out what he wants ordered.  Problem #2 the orders were never placed therefor nothing can be scheduled.  This lead to me calling Ephriam’s primary care doctor, whom I love, and she said we should move on and see if we can get him to see another doctor in the DDBP. She gave me a couple of names and we are waiting to hear back. Today marks a week of waiting but let me tell you I will place a phone call today to see where we are at. Maybe by the time he is six we can find out what they mean by he is certainly different.  Well that is definately what we see and hence why we are seeking help. Just gets frustrating trying to get there.

Don’t worry though, I am on the case and I won’t back down. I know that Ephriam needs a firm diagnosis to get anywhere in being different. Being different doesn’t give him the services he needs at school. Actually his current diagnosis of Developmental Delays doesn’t get him services at school. His teacher last year, his teacher this, and I had to push to have him in the room he is in so that he can be successful. 

The good news is that Ephriam doesn’t know that the doctor is not taking care of him and that his mama is fighting for him. He is happily playing and growing like he should. We had a small victory of a one time poop on the potty the other night which lead to a McDonald’s celebration. Wish he would do that more but one small victory we will take. He is learing lots and school and moving a good pace. I think that he is doing wonderful and I can’t wait to see how far he will come this year. We are also greatful for him praying out loud grace for dinner at Chris’ parents’ house in front of everyone. This is huge step for him and we love seeing him grow.

His speech has improved A LOT, thanks to the fish oil that the neurologist said that the could have each day. Wow has it made a change in him. I think that he be talking up a storm in no time.

Ephriam, Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We will continue to get you the best help that we can. You are working so hard in school and in therapy with Miss Nikki and Miss Aurora. I hope that you know how proud we are of you! Keep up the good work lil’ man and one day it is going to pay off for you. Love, Mommy

Kendra, Tomorrow is a post for you babe. Love you! Mom

FW

Sundays are about my favorite day of the week. I love since we go to church on Saturday night that we don’t do much here at home. It gives us a day to relax and do thing just for us. Today we will watch movies, get caught up on dishes and laundry, and take a nice nap in the afternoon.  It gives the kids down time that they don’t always get through the week. It gives me a chance to get the house caught up or just play with my kids.

It also gives my kids a chance to relax before we hit the ground running the for the week. This week we will be going to both speech and occupational therapy for Ephriam, Christopher has his internship, high school small group, and a meeting. Christopher and I are going Christmas shopping on Friday while the kids are in school. Saturday is Turkey Fest and church. Which leads us back to our PJ Day.

It makes the week easier to tackle knowing that once a week we get to do this. I hope that as the kids get older we can stay with this tradition. I know that at least the kids will hopefully sleep in later and not be up at 7:30. We will see.

What do you do for your Sabbath?

It is Saturday morning and while the rest of my family is outside hanging Christmas lights I am enjoying the few minutes I have gotten to be alone this week. As an introvert I cherish these moments. Oh yes I would love to be out helping hang the Christmas lights but I was still in bed when they started and after this week I have needed this moment of quite to enjoy. On Monday I had 3 back to back to back appointments, there was little to no time in between each of them and by the time the kids had a bath it was bed time.  So there was no quite time to reflect.

Tuesday since I knew I was going into a 3 day no hope for a call of stretch at work (not complaining about the no call of thing) I knew that since it would be my only down time I need to watch a movie. I pulled up our Netflix cue and watched Julie and Julia.  It was an okay movie that I thought was kinda slow but hey not complaining since I have been wanting to see it.  After it was over it was time to go get Kendra from school. She was fine other then her time spent not napping.  Things seem to go just fine through dinner and what not and I head into work. Work was busy and I didn’t expect it to be that way.

On Wednesday I slept well in the morning before picking Kendra up from school. I wrestled with her to eat her lunch and again no nap for her. The guy next store has spent everyday since the leaves have begun to fall using his leaf blower for an hour, during my afternoon nap time. So not much of a nap for me going into my second night. I got Ephriam off the bus and started to make Chicken Enchiladas. Kendra was in the kitchen relentlessly asking me to help her with her learn to sew butterfly kit that she got for her birthday. I explained to her several times that I was cooking dinner and could not help her. She continued on and on with me. Finally my nerves were almost shot so I spanked her and sent her to her room. Finished making dinner to realize that I still had to get everything ready for the kid for school tomorrow pack my lunch and be out the door for work in 10 minutes.  Good thing it doesn’t take long to pick clothes out of a drawer or throw Ramen in my lunch. Another not so hot night at work.

On Thursday morning since by now my nerves were completely shot I told my husband if the guy next store uses his leaf blower today I am going to wrap it around his neck! Lucky for him he didn’t. I went off to bed. Got up and got Kendra at school. This time after several days of her not taking a nap I threatened her life and her being able to go to Grandma’s to have dinner. She finally gave in to the nap thing so much that I had to wake her up. I got Ephriam off the bus, made noodles, and out the door to family dinner. How nice it was to not have to cook a whole meal and to get to enjoy family. Nite 3 at work was a successfully nice night. With the exception that the system used to put in birth certificates wouldn’t let me.

Friday I go GREAT sleep since Christopher was here to entertain Kendra and take Ephriam to school. Small Group was so nice to enjoy the company of a friend and not entertain my kids. Followed by my kids quickly going to sleep. I however was in night shift mood and didn’t fall asleep till after midnight.

That leads till now. Sleeping in till 10am while my family is outside putting up lights. I think that they are almost finished actually. Then we will be headed to the toy store to see what kind of things Ephriam wants for Christmas. Kendra already has her list but Ephriam really doesn’t know how to tell us, so we take him to the store to see what he plays with most. We have several gifts he has gotten this way and still plays with these toys this way. I can’t wait to see what he picks out. Tonight is church and a good way to end a not so great week. I love Saturday night service at VCC.

Tomorrow is a PJ day with the kids before headed into work, which will hopefully start my week off right. For now I need to head outside to help put up Mickey Mouse.

FW

I was hoping by now to give you an update on Ephriam but as we are in the year of waiting, I haven’t heard back from him.  So today I called his regular pediatrician to give her an update and hopefully she will try and get in touch with him so we can get moving forward. For now he is doing REALLY well. He is working hard at his speech and making great progress. His speech therapist has had to change his goals every week since we started him on the fish oil. He is just progressing so fast I can’t even remember what is his speech therapy goals are half the time.  He is just growing so fast. The only thing I wish would happen was for him to be potty trained. I would really like to not clean up poop every night but we are hanging in there and I know that one day he will be just fine. When I know more about what is going on with Ephriam I will post an update, for now it is business as usual.

Kendra is doing well in school. We had a rough with her last week but this week things seem to be fine. Next week I go for parent teacher conferences so it will be good to hear how well she doing in school. It will be also strange to not have the whole crew that we have when we do Ephriam’s conference. Hoping to see lots of progress and her grow a little bit more mature this year to be ready for Kindergarten next fall.

For Christopher things are going great. He has signed up for an unpaid internship at the student union at church. The good news is that he LOVES what he is doing. I hope that at some point this experience will lead to him having a paid job. We will see however where this leads for him. I just know that God is doing awesome work with Christopher and that he has a plan. We are always trying to remember that God’s timing is perfect as we journey to the next phase of life.

I am doing pretty well. I am ready for this season of waiting to be over. I am ready for the next step, or maybe really I am not. I am hoping that God will reveal his plan for us sooner than later but we will see what happens. I am trying to not lean on my own understanding or anything. I am taking this one day at a time. We will be fine and God has never not provided for us. Well it is nap time and since I floated out last night at work to do nurses aide work I should get some more rest.

Check ya later.

FW

… All over again with my family.

This weekend has been a blast for me. I have had a chance to set aside all the craziness of life and just enjoy us being together as a family.  It feels like I haven’t done this in a long time. I am so glad that I have such a great family. I love them so much for all that they do. My husband is a rock star dad. He is so good with my kids and they love him so much. My kids are so great when we go out and do things. They listen well and do as they are told for the most part. I think they needed this weekend as much as I did. They  just needed my undivided attention for more then 10 or 20 minutes at a time. And even though it was a long day yesterday they took it well. Just wish that today they would have slept in. So I guess I can have my cake but can’t eat it too.

Yesterday I got up and went to the grocery store, came home and put the cold items in the frig and the frozen stuff in the freezer. Packed lunches and out the door for the kids’ last soccer game with Chris, the kids, and my mother in law. Kendra got to play goalie and a defender and Ephriam got to chase the kids with the ball and play a defender. They both had a great time even if they didn’t score a goal. Kendra has already asked to play again next year, I hope that we will play together more in the yard and that she will be able to score a goal next year. After we were done at the game we headed out to Shaw’s pumpkin farm. We had a great time with friends of ours playing on the play sets, looking at animals, and the kids got treated to a ride on the barrel train. They had a blast and picked out a couple of pretty nice pumpkins. From there we headed over to Rooster’s apple orchard to have an apple cider pop and of course buy apple cider. No one makes apple cider like they do. After we were done there we stopped and ate dinner before heading to church. Chris had to be at church an hour early so the kids, my mother in law, and I took the prayer walk around the pond. It was such a nice day to do that. Then we headed to the playground for a little bit of fun time before heading in to church. I have so missed going on Saturday nights to church and am glad that I will be able to get back to where I can. I took the summer and worked every Saturday night in the nursery to help out. I miss being there holding babies but I know I need more weekends like this with my family. When we were done at church we went drop my mother in law back off at home and visited at her house for a while before coming home and putting the kids to bed, and finishing putting away the groceries.

Today the kids and I have spent the day in our PJ’s watching movies and playing games. The kids were even excited because I let them eat breakfast and lunch at their little table in the living room while watching TV. They don’t get to do that often. While I was waking up this morning Kendra got out her markers and a paper and was making cards for sick people. She insists that I take them to sick people. Not sure what else she thought I was going to do with them. It was nice too that Ephriam asked to join in playing games with Kendra and I because he doesn’t usually do that and he played for quite a while.

So what has this weekend taught me? I am missing my Sabbath. I missing taking that time out to take a deep breath and breathe. To know that my kids soon won’t want me to spend this much time with them before I blink my eyes. Kendra will no longer be asking to play game or want my undivided attention makes this time that much more important. So I am going to do a better job of taking my Sabbath back. Taking days like today to just be home, play games , watch movies, color, draw, decorate, and have fun. I am ready for this, maybe even having a date night with my husband would be great too. I am lucky right now that I get to spend Mondays and and an occasional Friday just him and I.

So here is too a Sabbath!