Hold my calls while I potty train...

     It's ben a while since I have updated you on the status of my potty training adventure with my son. As previously stated, potty training is one of the reason's I almost didn't procreate another child after my daughter. It's misery! Any mother who has potty trained understands the issues that come with it. Anyway, I was NOT looking forward to it. However, it really hasn't been that bad. I started by telling my son, "Carson, before you get in the bath, go potty." He responded..."I don't want to". I said, "Don't say that." Carson replied, "Ok." Then he got on the potty and went. After taking him to the potty every 15 minutes for 2 days, we were on a roll! Today, marks 5 weeks since I have changed a diaper.

     That's rigtht! 5 weeks!!! I have said goodbye to the baby food, I have waived so long to the awake all night. I have seen the crying for no reason in the rear view mirror.... and now... diapers! They have been left in a cloud of lovely dust! Dust never looked so good!

     However, in the past few days, Carson has started reverting just a little bit. We have started to have accidents. So, I started setting my alarm and taking him every 20 minutes again, just to jolt his mind back to what we are doing now. I think, he gets so busy with whatever it is he is doing that he doesn't want to stop and go to the bathroom...

     Along those lines... we were at my parents house a couple nights ago and had my trusty alarm going off to remind me to take Carson to the potty. Well, we were decorating for Christmas, eating chili, there were all 10 of us up there plus a couple other girls that have been adopted into our crazy family. Side note: When all 4 for the children get together, the volume at which they play is at ear drum busting levels. Seriously. I love the sound of kids playing but within reason! I mean come on! There is nothing more beautiful that the laughter of children, when it is at the appropriate time, within a small time frame and at normal human tones. Anyway, I could hardly hear my alarm going off every 20 minutes but somehow, I managed to make out the faint sound of the notification and potty time it was. (Most people have reminders on their phones for facials, massages, business appointments, conference calls...mothers? What do mothers set their alarms for? POTTY TIME!!!!). OK.... back on point: I silenced the alarm, not that it made a difference. No one else could hear it above the noise, and went looking for my son. "Carson," I yelled out. I heard a VERY faint, "What Mommy?" Hummm...it was a muted voice... where could he be? I called again and received the same response. Located! He was under the stairs in the blanket closet. Ok. Great. I opened the door and said, "Hey bud, let's go potty." He looked at me with a plastic phone in his hand held against his cheek and said, "I can't, I'm on the phone."

     There is was... I had heard it! The BEST answer ever! I just said, "Ok." and shut the door. I had nothing. Nothing. I walked into the kitchen, repeated the story to my mother and said, "I'm going to blog about this." I can't potty train right now, I'm on a call! I love the things that kids say. I love it when they catch me off gaurd. I love hearing the unexpected come out of their mouths. Everytime they say something like that... it makes me more and more thankful that I am their mother. I mean, come on! How cute is that?

     I hope that your days are full of the unexpected. I pray that your life is full of things that makes you smile, makes you glad you were in that moment, thankful that you were there to witness what just happened... In other words... I pray that every day, you have a "Hold my calls while I potty train", kind of moment!

A Vegan Thanksgiving

First of all, allow me to start off by wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We had an amazing day, as always!

 

It actually started yesterday when a friend and I began our cooking for Thanksgiving.

 

We made our menu, purchased our groceries and began at 9 in the morning. At 9:30 last night, we finished by taking apart our turkey.

I had such a good helper!

 

We ended up making a Turkey, a pan of green beans, a sweet potatoe cassarole, 7 pies, 3 pumpkin rolls and a pumpkin cheesecake. We were exhausted to say the least. However, it was still amazing. This is the time of year to Thank God for all we have been given and that is what we did!

 

We loaded down the back of my care and got all our food to the church...

Just in time to feed people who didn't have anywhere else to go. It was, as always, an amazing experience. We have been given so much and to spend the morning serving those who haven't got as much, was a perfect way to show the Lord our gratitude for our blessings.

 

 

This is a picture of me spreading out the Vegan Pumpkin roll onto the pan.

Yes! After we made the food for the church, I embarked on making myself a totally Vegan Thanksgiving meal...

 

 

 

Staying Vegan through the Holidays was something that I was worried about from the beginning. It is ALWAYS the holidays that gets everyone. So, I told a friend of mine that I was determined to make it through the day, totally Vegan and NOT being deprived of anything. So, I cooked a "Turkey Breast" in my crock pot with some apple juice and whole cloves. I made mashed potatoes with soy milk and vegan butter. I made mac and cheese, vegan style. I had green beans and cranberry sauce. A side salad that my Aunt brought was the finishing touch. I had a beautiful plate and ate with the rest of my family and was a full and satisfied as I could be at the end of it!

 

When the night was over, I enjoyed my cup of coffe and a slice of delicious Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake! It was an unbelieveable experience today. I was torn for a couple of reasons though: My mom and aunts had been standing in our kitchen for hours cooking. I felt it a little disrespectful to not eat the food they worked so hard to prepare. As I was talking this out with my husband, we decided that getting to March was the goal, then next year, I can make the choices I want to make. I felt better about that. I wanted to prove to myself that this day could be done, and I did!

I am full but not guilty. I consumed a much healthier version of Thanksgiving dinner than most people in America tonight. I ate far less calories than I would have other wise and I feel good about those choices. In the end, I have the feeling I wanted to have at the end of this day.

 

After dinner was over, we all went outside to take a few pics to remember this wonderful day with.

 



 

 

I love this day and everything it embodies. I live and exceptional life and I know that. I have a great home, a wonderful marriage, children that I enjoy and love, a career that I wouldn't trade for anything, a beautiful home that I love being in and a sweet dog that is currently snoring down by my feet.

 

Because I work this weekend, we put up our Christmas decorations this past week. I had mixed feelings about that as well. I didn't like not having up the pilgrims for Thanksgiving, but even as I type this, I am enjoying the Christmas decorations and sitting on the couch with my family, wrapped in a red fuzzy blanket, watching The Grinch.

 

What a day! What a blessing! I started off the day, feeding people who had no food, I enjoyed the middle of the day with family around an amazing dinner table with great food and I'm ending the day with the people I value most!

 

I am thankful for my health...so I ate Vegan.

I am thankful for my family...so I spent the day with them.

I am thankful for my children...so I am sitting on the couch watching a Christmas movie with them.

I am thankful for the Lord...so I spend my life serving Him...

 

May your days be filled with things that you are thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving and may I be the first to wish you... a very

Merry Christmas!



Working at Fun!

I am always suprised at how much work it is just to have fun... Allow me to backtrack:

 

Today, I put away my fall things, undecorated my fall tree and packed away my pumpkins, pilgrims and leaves. For those of you who are judging me right now, judge away! I judge myself. I have never decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving but this year, I was literally left with no option. I usually decorate my house the weekend after Thanksgiving but this year, my weekend is booked with work. When the week resumes, I begin Christmas play practice, so that leaves Monday to get my house done.

Mike went hunting tonight so I decided to get a jump on things and decorate my kids tree. I took them to eat at the restaurant of their choice, Purple Cow!, then to Wal Mart to get the cranberries, then home. I decided to combine their tree this year. Usually, each of them get their own but space in their room is limited so, like everything I have had to do in their room, I had to find a way to combine a girl/boy tree.

 

The sheets on her bed are pink and the sheets on his bed are orange. So, I decided to put pink, orange and white lights on their tree. I already had pink from her tree last year and I had orange lights on the fall tree. Instead of buying new orange lights, I just took the ones off the fall tree. In order to do that, I had to undecorate the fall tree. One thing led to another and before I kenw it, beautiful fall decor was packed away for another year.

 

Ok, back to my opening statement: I am always surpised at how much work it is just to have fun! Tonight, I wanted to have fun with my kids. So, we drove all the way in town just to eat chicken and fries at the Purple Cow, then 30 minutes back, went into Wal Mart, got ornament hangers, candy canes and cranberries. We got home, I unloaded the bags then hauled in their tree from the shed. Put on the lights then got out the box of the kids ornaments and let them start hanging. They did a spectacular job! I popped pop corn on my stove top then sat down on the floor of their room and strung the popcorn/cranberries garland. I had never done that before. I must say, it is not as easy as one might think.

We changed into our Christmas PJ's, put in Frosty and continued the decorating. The kids began to eat the majority of the popcorn and I threw in the towel with only 2 strands of garland.

 

We picked up, brushed teeth, did medicines, said prayers then went to bed. It was a very fun night with my kids but it was a lot of work. Once the kids were in bed, I dusted off my table, swept and mopped the dinning room floor, did the dished and wiped of all the counter tops. EVERYTHING good in life, takes work. A clean house, takes work... Good kids who I enjoy to be with, takes work... a good marriage, takes work...my home being decorated for the seasons, takes work...Everything takes work.

 

Now just because these things take work doesn't mean I have to do them. I can have a dirty house, not enjoy my kids, not make any memories with them while they are young, not decorate my home for the season, but what kind of life is that? It's not. That is called existance. Just going through the motions of day to day life... That is not a life. Dad preached a wonderful sermon this past Sunday on working to make the holiday's fun.

 

So, as I gear up for ALL that next week brings me, I sit in the recliner, with a massager on my back, letting my feet rest, praying that the Lord give me the continued strength I need. But mostly, I pray for creativity. That every season in my home is more wonderful than the last. And that every "Date night with Mommy," is the awesome!

 

You may think it's not worth it to go all out for Christmas, I know what we are celebrating. For my children's sake and for my gratefullness sake, I will work hard to have alot of fun this Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  I pray that you do the same...

Things only Mother's Understand

     Here is an update...I believe I last left you after my daughter had been diagnosed with an upper respratory infection and an ear infection. Well, after 4 days on antibiotics, she was still no better. Still running a constant fever. So, I took her to, yet another, pediatrician. This one, however, is different. He is the smartest man I've ever seen when it comes to the health of my children. He has always been able to determine exactly what was wrong. I knew he was who I had to see. We located his new clinic and his phone number. They got us in right away. After a brief interegation into the events of the past few days, he ordered a chest X Ray. As soon as the x ray popped up on the screen, he said, without hestitaion, "O, she has pneumonia." And there it was. The correct diagnosis. This extremely brilliant man then went into the details as to why the antibiotics were not working and what we needed to take to get over this.

     After just 1 day on the correct antibiotics and the correct diagnosis, she woke up fever free. She has remained fever free since then. Finally, 2 nights ago, for the first time in a 9 days, we slept. Ahhh sleep! Although she was fever free, I felt it best not to send her to school on Friday so that her immune system would have a chance to rebound. This was a difficult decision. She loves school and I love it when she is at school! Anyway, her absence made it a full week and half that she was out.

     I have often thought of writing a book entitled, "What no one tells you when you're pregnant." Most things that have happened in my life since I have birthed children have been things that no one told me about. O sure, I read books and got advice and listened to countless stories about motherhood but NOTHING can prepare you for it. Motherhood is such an oxymoron. I am so blessed and thankful to have children. I know there are many women who wish they were in my place, with a child to take care of, and I don't take any of it for granted. However, with every passing test I have faced, I have learned that Motherhood is much more difficult that I ever thought.

     For instance, I already told you about my cancelled trip to Branson... but that was last weekend... let's move on to this weekend. Tonight if you will? As I type this, my whole family, including my husband, is up at my parents vacation cabin. They are grilling hamburgers and riding 4 wheelers. Where am I? Getting my kids dinner, cleaning up dinner, getting them a drink, cleaning up the spilled drink, taking Carson to the potty every few minutes and saying no every 5 minutes when my daughter asks if she can spend the night at Nana's house. I'm home. Sitting within the 4 walls of this house. With my children. Just so that her immune system can recover. Motherhood is a blessing but most of the time, it's just not fair. It is true that Motherhood forces unselfishness on you. Now, I will be honest and say, I am not the most gracious of people in circumstances like this. I don't want to be home. I want to be doing something else! ANYTHING ELSE! I have been in this house for 10 days. For me, that is 9 1/2 days too long.

     No one told me that I would have to make sacrifices like this. Do you want to know why? Because I am not the first mother and I won't be the last. Every mother, well, every good one, lives a life of sacrifice for the betterment of her children. Getting Campbell well has stolen my peace, my patience, my sanity, my niceness and my ability to smile...but, I know that what it has stolen from me is going to be worth it. It always is. Every sacrifice that mothers make for their children is worth it.

     My kids don't know the "other things" I could be doing nor do they care. But, it is my prayer, that one day, when Campbell has been trapped in her house for 10 days with a sick child, that her heart will fill with thankfullness for me, just like mine has for my own mom. I am not the first mother to go through difficult times with their kids nor will I be the last. Right now on Facebook, there are 3 moms that I just saw, posting about their sick children. It somehow gives me comfort knowing that I'm not along. Because after you have been in the house so long, away from other humans, it tends to feel like you are.

     Know what I think? Theses difficult times that mothers go through somehow links us together. It makes us part of an elite club. Only mothers understand because only mothers have been there. I know that not every trial I go through with my kids makes me a better mom. Sometimes, the trial is there to prove to myself that I can overcome them. When it's all over, I know what I have done, even if no one elses knows and I am a better person because of it.

     If the truth be told...I am a better person...because of them...

A Mothers Weekend

     Wednesday morning at 3:34, my daughter woke up with a fever. I don't like waking up with children with fever in the middle of the night. There is only so much I can do for them at that time of night and it breaks my heart that I am unable to do more. I am a fixer of things also. One of the hardest parts about fever is that often times, in the middle of the night, I don't know the reason for it, therefore, am unable to treat it. So, I put her in my bed, gave her Motrin and prayed... Morning came and we had both gone back to sleep and she woke up fever free. So, confused as can be, I sent her to school. I told her teacher that if she complained of anything at all to give me a call.

     You see, we had a girls weekend planned. My Mim, Mom, Sister and both of our girls. We rented a cabin in Branson. We had planned to be there when they light the tree in Silver Dollar City for the first time. I have been so excited about this weekend. It was very important to me that she be well.

     So, around noon, I was sitting at birthday lunch with some friends. Soon after I ordered my food, my phone rang. It was Mrs. Crystal. Campbell's teacher. Sure enough, she said what i thought she was giong to say. Campbell was running fever. I grabbed my phone and my purse and headed to pick her up. I called our Pediatrician on the way to school and made an appointment. I wanted to get whatever was wrong with her fixed before our trip on Friday. I made it to the doctor's office. Our Pediatrician came in, examined both my kids then told me what she tells me EVERYTIME I take my kids to see her. It's viral and will have to run its course. I explained that we had a family trip planned on Friday and I wanted Campbell to be well. She said, again, it would have to run its course. I told her that I wasn't happy about that diagnosis but ended up thanking her for her time, paying the co-pay and leaving very frusterated. She sinced my diapproval and told me to call her on Friday morning if CC didn't improve in time for our trip.

     I will spare you the details but just know, she never did stop running fever. Every 3 hours for the past 3 nights I have been up giving my child Tylenol and Motrin. Here is the situation: I know my child. Like most mothers do. I went to the doctor's office because she was sick. She needed antibiotics. I don't go to the doctor's because I have nothing else to do. I needed help. I went in PLENTY of time to get her well before our trip on Friday. But no. I did call the doctor back on Friday when CC didn't improve and I was transfered to a nurse who, after asking me 15 min of questions, told me that I needed to be seen again! There are no words to explain my frusteration at this point!!!!

     We had to cancel the trip so I can stay with Campbell while the viral infection "runs its course". At 3:00 on Saturday morning, I take Campbell's temperature and she is running 102. It is safe to say that I WAS RIGHT!!!!! She needed antibiotics. If I had phone number for that doctor, I would have been calling her! I was so angry that I almost didn't go back to sleep. I know that it is a waste of energey to be angry but that is what I was. Flat Out Angry. I knew that Campbell was sick and I knew that she needed help.

     Our quick care clinic opened at 9:00 and I was there. The doctor listened to her and gave me her diagnosis. Upper respiratory infection and a right ear infection. Yes. She was sick. More importantly... she gave me antibiotics to give my child!!! I was soooooo angry! If the doctor that I had taken her to 4 days ago would have treated her, we would be watching the Christmas tree in Silver Dollar City light up right now.

     As it stands now, my daughter has had 2 doses of her antibiotics and she is fever free. We should sleep tonight through the night for the first time in 4 nights. And I can say, without question, I will have a new pediatrician by noon on Monday.

     I am so thankful that my daughter is getting well. She should be at school on Monday after missing 2 1/2 days last week. I am so thankful for the nice mother I met in the quick care clinic this morning that gave me the name and number of her Pediatrician. I am thankful that this weekend is almost over.

     More importantly, through my anger... my intense anger, I am a better mother than I was this time last week.