My Baby Is 8!

Today, my baby turns 8. I remember so clearly the emotions I felt when we found out we were pregnant. It was completely unplanned, but we knew that God was in charge and had a plan. It was an emotional last trimester with 9/11 happening. All of the pregnant moms who had just lost their husbands in this great tragedy struck so close to my heart. I will always remember them and the sacrifice they have made. 

It was a scary delivery that brought along emotions we had never felt before. From birth to about age 3, we went through so much with our E. medically. The emotions are still fresh from the pain, procedures, and surgery that she had to have. It is amazing how much love you can have for someone.

E. has brought so much joy to our lives, and we couldn't imagine life without her. She is a sweet, caring little girl (well, I guess not that little anymore). She is the 2nd mommy to A. and a teacher to G. and all her friends. She is growing up to be so kind and gentle. I have high hopes for her teenage years.

I know some how we will probably screw our kids up and they will need therapy at some point :). But I just pray that I will have been a good enough Godly example to her as a mother and a wife.

Happy Birthday to our first gift from God. We love you so much!

Horse Time!

 

Once again, Craigslist's free section has come to my rescue. Our E. wanted so desperately to go horseback riding for her birthday. We are completely experiencing the economic status right now so I started researching how much horse riding would be. Of course, it turned out to be completely too expensive. I turned to friends to see if anyone had a horse and then I was once again on Craigslist.

Then I saw it "Free Horse Rides"! I just knew God had put it there just for me. I immediately called. It turns out that Victory Farms is only a few miles from our house (303 and Waddell).  

They wanted $5 for each girl to ride for 20 minutes (they also offer a 2 hour camp for $12 per kid).   So for $15 the girls rode for about 45 minutes (guess this B1G1 is for all new customers, she has other deals on the website under programs.)  We probably could have extended this if we wanted too, but everyone had had enough.

It was absolutely PERFECT!!!!  Each girl got up and rode all by themselves.  And they each took a turn with A.  They also visited the other horses on the farm and got to pet them. 

Originally we were thinking about a trail ride, but soon decided that wouldn't be ideal for us right now. My girls have never been on horses and we wanted something that was cheap and could give them a taste as to what riding a horse was like. My E. is also very afraid of new things and I didn't want to pay out the nose for something she may not even like.

 Even A. was brave enough to get up there by herself.  She really enjoyed it, except for the helmet was a little big.

With the Tyk Rides, the parents get to lead the horse around.  We got to ride Buddy today.  You can go in the pen or walk around the neighbor hood.I completely recommend checking them out. We had so much fun and here are the pics to prove it. 

 Happy Birthday Emily!

Fibro Friday - What is a Flare-up?

The Best Offense Is, Indeed, a Good Defense

Some of you might hear me say that I am in a "flare-up" and you might not understand exactly what that is. So I thought I would just take some time to explain it.


In my everyday life, I have my good days and bad days. And then there are the flare-ups, where everyday is a bad day. Flare-ups can last for a few days, a few weeks, or even months. After I had Annabelle, I felt like I was in a flare-up for over a year. My flare-up that I have been in now is finally starting to ease up, (which is about time it has already been over 4 weeks).

On an everyday basis, I have my usual symptoms and complications from FM that range from mild to severe. During a flare-up you can get a sudden onset of more severe symptoms, more pain, or get every symptom possible all at once. It really varies from person to person.


There are times when I can figure out exactly what triggered my flare-up and other times it just seems to happen. Once again, that is completely different for each FM suffer. Some things that can bring on a flare-up are: depression, interrupted sleep patterns, changes in weather, physical and emotional stress , and other illnesses can contribute to a flare-up.


For those of you with FM, it is important that you have a Personal Fibromyalgia Symptoms Flare-Up Management Plan. Having a plan a head of time, can make you feel more in control and give you the strength to get through your flare-up. The website link above gives some great tips for helping you get through your flare-up. For me, getting control of my mental thoughts during a flare-up is very important. That completely controls how well I handle a flare-up.


I have linked a few websites that offer some great tips for managing and helping you get through your flare-up.

It's Time!

Today has been a long day, but a good one. After another cell phone taking a bath, I have my lifeline back. But the other part of my day has been dealing with Annabelle and weaning of the binky.

It all started yesterday afternoon/evening. She was leaving with my hubby and we couldn't find her binky. So she took a binky with her that she didn't like to hold in her hand. I purposely didn't look for the binky while she was gone. When she got home, she had been fine. I gave her the binky she didn't like at bed, but she just threw it on the floor and slept the whole night with NO binky!!!!

So far today, she has been pretty whiny at times, but it's been survivable. I was really dreading nap time. I laid her down at the normal time and let's just say that didn't work. After working with her for like 2 hours to take a nap, we had to leave to pick up the school girls. Luckily on the way home she got pretty sleepy and went down without a problem.

With my second girl, she did awesome at night with no binky but nap time was horrible. That's when she stopped taking naps. With my FM and 3 children, I cannot have Annabelle stop taking naps right now. So let's just hope and pray that naps will get figured out.

Originally, my hubby wasn't ready yet to get rid of the binky, but if the opportunity comes up you minds well take it.

Friend to the rescuueee!!!

Finally, we have pictures. After we were stood up by the other photographer, I thought we were out of luck for pictures. And then my friend came to the rescue! She is starting up a picture taking business and wanted to use my girls are her test subjects :).

I went ahead and put the girls in white shirts and khaki shorts. But I was not sure what to do with their hair (because Gracey is growing out her bangs and it still at an awkward point). So we went with pony tails. Since my girls new the friend pretty well, they did awesome. They had so much fun. I did have to go hide a bit away from Annabelle because she started getting whiny and wanted mommy. But as soon as I was gone, she did great. She ended up posing and having fun.

So thank you friend, we are soooo happy with the pictures. They turned out awesome!

I want a "Lovey"

Don't you wish we had a "lovey" that would make the world all better?

Two of my girls were major binky and blankie babies (the other one only had a binkie). My Annabelle was desperately crying for her blankie the other day. As we found it, she layed it out on my shoulder, put her head on it, and stopped crying. And that's when I wondered... what would it be like if we had something that would take it all away and make it all better?

There are those days that you just wish you weren't an adult and you didn't have to deal with adult things. You wish you didn't have to make those adult decision, but you know you must. We sometimes long for the days where we didn't have a care in the world. What would your "lovey" be?

As I am writing this, I am being reminded that we do have our own "lovey." Jesus is my lovey. He is there for me to cry on, for me to crawl in His arms and make it all better. He is our ONLY saving grace. He is our very own protector and comforter, and make-it-all-better person. He is the one and only that can give us the comfort and support we need.

Fibro Friday - It's not in my head!

Being a FM sufferer, it is so hurtful and frustrating when you hear people say "Oh, it's all in your head!" Don't they realize how mean and completely ignorant a statement like that is? Have they ever tried to spend a day in my shoes to see what I really go through? No, they are talking about something they have no personal or medical understanding about.

Do I wake up every morning saying "Oh, please let me be in pain today, please let me have no energy to take care of my children, or clean my house." No, it's not in my head. It is a true, physical disorder. If only people would take the time to get to know "it" and it's sufferers a little better.

Now, I admit, I have a great "face" I can put on in public, while inside I am feeling horrible and I am in so much pain I really need to sit down and take some pain medicine. I guess I do this as a defense mechanism, a way to not complain and tell everyone every single thing (because honestly I wouldn't want to hear it all), and it's just easier than trying to explain something that people can't see.

I almost wish people could see my everyday life because they would truly know how I am affected. But that would be scary all in itself because in a world where I am trying to act like a normal mom people would be able to see that I am really not normal. They would see the days that I take care of my family all from my bed, how sad I am that I just can't get up and clean or do something fun with my kids.

So take some time to learn about your family and friends and their diseases or illnesses. We don't really want too much from you, just some understanding and sympathy rather than a comment like "it's all in your head."

Financial Fun

In these economic times, finding the positive in your financial struggles can be very hard. I know that a lot of my friends are having just as hard of a time surviving or harder time. My hubby and I have really been facing our financial issues head on. I totally recommend this because I am one who loves to just ignore it instead. But no more avoiding, no more ignoring. Bring it on!!!!! We have our new budget that we are living penny for penny. We have refocused our minds and are focusing on all the things we do have instead of what we don't.

But we are not perfect in this, we all have our slip-ups. This last week, I was definitely faltering in my faith that God was in COMPLETE control of our family and our finances. It can be so depressing and stressful to look at your finances and focus on the lack of them rather than focus on what you do have. I had my stressed out days and days of wondering what we should do, etc.

But I am back on track now. I do believe that God is in control. He is guiding and watching over our family. As Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, and those who are called according to His purpose."

As a family, we know we are doing His will and His purpose and so we must not stress or worry about where God has us, especially financially. So stay strong in your faith that God is in control of your finances too. Even when we think that He isn't in control and not working, He really is.

Random Mommy Thought

Don't you just love it when your toddler sticks out her hand and says "here mommy, I have a booger!" As gross as this sometimes seems, it will be gone one day. I am sure I will some day long for the cute look on there face and in their eyes as they are handing me their booger. I will long for the day where they just crawl up into your lap to cuddle or pat my back as I carry them on my hip. I will wish that I could once again feel when they grab your face with their little hands and say "I wub you mommy."

It is sad to think about how fast it can all go away and before you know it they are starting Kindergarten. I know I am hanging onto Annabelle as long as I can since she is my last baby. And thankfully, she is loving hanging on too.

Blessing for the day

Monday mornings are usually very hard with trying to get the kids back into the routine of going to school for the week. Monday morning this week actually started out pretty smooth, and then the most incredible thing happened. As I was taking a shower, I was made aware of the fact that my girls were making their own lunches. They were doing it without being asked and without fighting or crying. It was a most wonderful moment, especially for a Monday morning and for the fact that I am still in a flare-up. I made sure I told my girls how awesome I thought they were for doing that. It totally made my day!

Tickle Bug

Back when E. was somewhere around 2 years old, I came up with a fun song to go along with a game we played. My hubby came up with the game Tickle Bug and I came up with a song to sing when Daddy was gone at work. E. is just about 8 and we still play Tickle Bug and we still sing the song. I think my girls will remember it forever. So, what fun things do you do?

Here's our song, though you won't get the full affect of the tune.


"Tickle bug, tickle bug, where are you? Daddy's at work and he can't tickle you." And the next part is for when Daddy has come home from work. "Tickle bug, tickle bug, where are you? Daddy's at home and he's gonna tickle you."

Fibro Friday: My name is Fibromyalgia....

Here is a letter going around that can give you a great idea of what my life and other FM sufferers deal with.


Hi. . .
My Name is Fibromyalgia, and I'm an Invisible Chronic Illness. I am now velcroed to you for life. Others around you can't see me or hear me, but YOUR body feels me. I can attack you anywhere and anyhow I please. I can cause severe pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can just cause you to ache all over. Remember when you and Energy ran around together and had fun? I took Energy from you, and gave you Exhaustion. Try to have fun now! I also took Good Sleep from you and, in its place, gave you Brain Fog. I can make you tremble internally or make you feel cold or hot when everyone else feels normal. Oh, yeah, I can make you feel anxious or depressed, too. If you have something planned, or are looking forward to a great day, I can take that away, too. You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons: That virus you had that you never recovered from, or that car accident, or maybe it was the years of abuse and trauma. Well, anyway, I'm here to stay!

I hear you're going to see a doctor who can get rid of me. I'm rolling on the floor, laughing. Just try. You will have to go to many, many doctors until you find one who can help you effectively. You will be put on pain pills, sleeping pills, energy pills, told you are suffering from anxiety or depression, given a TENs unit, get massaged, told if you just sleep and exercise properly I will go away, told to think positively, poked, prodded, and MOST OF ALL, not taken as seriously as you feel when you cry to the doctor how debilitating life is every day.

Your family, friends and coworkers will all listen to you until they just get tired of hearing about how I make you feel, and that I'm a debilitating disease. Some of them will say things like "Oh, you are just having a bad day" or "Well, remember, you can't do the things you use to do 20 YEARS ago", not hearing that you said 20 DAYS ago. Some will just start talking behind your back, while you slowly feel that you are losing your dignity trying to make them understand, especially when you are in the middle of a conversation with a "Normal" person, and can't remember what you were going to say next!

In closing, (I was hoping that I kept this part a secret), but I guess you already found out. . . the ONLY place you will get any support and understanding in dealing with me is with Other People With Fibromyalgia. .. Except the minority of us, who like me, have support from their husband and their immediate family.

Fall, finally!

Fall is HERE, well, sort of in Arizona. I just love Fall!!!! I mean really love it! I have Fall galore in decorations. In our family, we don't celebrate Halloween, but we do celebrate Fall and Harvest. (That means we don't do any ghosts, witches, scary stuff, etc.) So I deck our house out with all of my Fall decorations and it is so much fun.

I really have met my max in Fall stuff. I haven't bought anything Fall in at least a year and a half or two years. And I am sticking with that. I don't need anymore. Besides, we had a close family friend die and I was able to inherit all of her Fall decorations. So when I get it all up and decorated, I will take some pictures of my most favorite items to show you. (Hint: If you are looking for some great Fall stuff at great prices, check out Kirkland's and Real Deals.)

With me getting sick this last week, I haven't been able to start decorating yet :(. I usually start decorating on Sept. 1st and it stays up until the weekend after Thanksgiving. Depending on my energy level and pain (this usually means me over doing it with my body and I end up paying for it later), it only takes a couple days to go through by 8-10 boxes of Fall stuff. Yes, I know, I have a lot of stuff. But my house looks so good decorated. I am hoping that I will have it all done by the end of this week, hopefully :).

Keep your eyes out for some upcoming pictures. Happy Decorating!!!!

Happy Labor Day!!!!!

Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken. Bill Dodds

As we have this day off to spend with family and friends, really take time to relax. You deserve it! Whether you work outside the home or not, you deserve a day to take some time for yourself. Take some time to love on your loved ones a little longer and tighter. Enjoy this day to the fullest!

Neighbor to the rescuuueeee!!!!!

So Thursday turned into an interesting afternoon. I had just returned home with a car load of groceries. I was unloading them and Annabelle went inside to play. As I am trying to open the garage door to the house, while carrying two heavy bags, I realize that the door is now locked.

Ohhh, what am I gonna do now???? I check the van to see if my keys are still in there, and they weren't. I start yelling through the door to try and get Annabelle to unlock the door. And she just keeps saying "What Mommy???" and turns the door knob. So as I keep repeating myself, the van alarm starts going off because she thought that pushing those keys would unlock the back door. Now it is too loud to even try and get her to hear me.

I start freaking out a little, but completely remain in control. I just knew there were no back up keys anywhere! I saw that my neighbor was home, so I ran over and banged on the door. He came over and said he would jump the fence, but that was if we could get Annabelle to unlock the back door. Finally the van alarm stops going off, and I am able to start talking to her again. I coax her to go unlock the back door to let the neighbor in. And, she does!!!!

Yayy!!!! I was able to get in within about 10 minutes. So what is the lesson for the day??? Always keep a house key in the garage!

Fibro Friday

In doing some new research on FM, I found that there is a Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. I have had FM for almost 9 years and never new that there was a day of awareness. May 12 is the official day and is designed to increase awareness and understanding of fibromyalgia—a chronic pain disorder that affects 3 to 6 percent of the world population.

Wow, who would have thought? I have my own special day (besides my birthday). Maybe I will celebrate this day every year with a massage??? I will have to see if Arizona does anything special for this day. Since FM is so very hard to understand since you can't "see it," I think more awareness is needed.

So next May 12th who wants to join me for a day of awareness and a massage???

Does Mommy have a Doctor???

I wanted to do a special little note to all the Mommy's out there. Are you one of those Mommy's that never goes to the doctor? Can't remember the last time you went to the doctor? Only go to the doctor to have a baby? Are too scared to go to the doctor? If you are, you need to stop. (And you know who you are!)

All of us Mom's need to take care of OURSELVES!!!! You MUST get regular physicals and check-ups too. If you aren't taking care of yourself, then you are no good to your family.

So, put away the fear or whatever is holding you back, get out the number to your doctor, or call the insurance to find one, and make that appointment. Go, do it now!!!!! You will thank me later and so will your family!

The hunt for a new Doctor

Ughhh, I don't like having to find new doctors, especially since we have been established with one for several years now. My hubby's insurance changed and so we are in the need of a new one. With my youngest being 2, I really don't need a Pediatrician anymore so I sought out a family doctor. With 2 in school and strep throat and flu going around, I couldn't stand to wait much longer.

I turned to my friends (which is such a great source to use) to find a good family physician and we found one, YAYYY!!!! Now are any of us sick enough to see a doctor right now???? NO! Can they just put in the system without seeing you first???? NO! You must make an appointment to get established so that in the event that you will be sick they will see you. I understand the premise for it all, but it really stinks with having to pay that many co-pays.

Any way, I digress, my youngest and I visited the office Wednesday and saw his PA. I absolutely love him. He was great with my daughter and you could tell he has children himself. He was also great with me and I really like the rest of the staff. So I am thinking that this is going to work. It doesn't hurt either that the office is like a mile away from the house. Could you ask for anything better than that?

We now have 2 down, 3 to go. I am spreading the visits out between paychecks, so hopefully and God willing my two other girls won't get sick in the next two weeks.

Expectations

Have you ever noticed that when you get upset with certain situations it is because your expectations don't meet what actually transpires? We put so many expectations on ourselves and others that we sometimes don't even realize it. And that can make certain events come out completely horrible. There are times when we need to adjust our expectations to be more realistic for the event or situation coming up.

So in speaking of adjusting our expectations, I have really had to do this when I have a flare-up with my FM (which happens to be now). I can usually feel my flare-ups coming on and can sometimes pin point what triggers it. When I know it's coming on or starting, I really have to go through a mental change of expectations. Because if I don't, the flare-up would not be survivable and I would be even more miserable during it.

I have to remember my limits and remember that I am very limited during a flare-up. I can't beat myself during a flare-up about how much I am not getting done, or how much my house is a mess, or the list can go on and on. I don't know how long a flare-up will last and I have learned to to sit back and let it take it's course.

We all need to adjust our expectations at times. It will make for a happier you and a happier life.