It's a SAD, SAD Day

I've avoided coming clean for as long as I possibly can. Take a look at the ticker and you'll see what I'm talking about. One of my blogging buddies and also real life friends emailed me this morning and told me that the ticker on my page needed attention. I opened up my blog and this message greeted me.

"Ticker not updated in 80 days".
"Please update"

For 80 days I've been suffering in a bloggy secret silence kind of way about what is going on with my weight. For 80 days, I've been contemplating how much of my personal life I should really put here on this blog. For 80 days, I've been grimacing each time I step on the scale.

There is always this running battle of exactly how honest one should be when sharing about their life on their blog. I personally want to be honest enough to encourage others by the lessons I learn as I work my way through my life. I want to be honest enough to let other moms know that they are not the only ones going through stuff. I want to be honest enough to allow what God is doing in and with me to help someone else out in their walk. But let's be real people. I would be a crazy woman if I enjoyed telling the world about the not-so-great parts of me.

Well today is Sunday and maybe because it's the day I'm regularly scheduled to hear God's truth, I feel compelled to be truthful, to be real, and to be transparent. Hear goes.

Things aren't rosy in the weight loss department.

You know how when your kids are off doing something they shouldn't do, their very abnormal silence tells you that they are doing something they aren't supposed to. I mean, the fact that they are so quiet is actually the indicator that things aren't quite right! And as I'm sure some of you have already noticed, I AIN'T BEEN SAYING NUTHIN' ABOUT MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY.

That's because I'm not losing weight. In fact, I'm gaining...again :(

So, I've re-adjusted my ticker and am completely running the risk of complete embarrassment. I mean my family reads this blog as well as a host of friends in real life. Now when they see me, they'll know for sure that what they think they have been seeing is actually a verified fact. (Sigh)

Here's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

After our road trip in August, things never got back to normal. My weight loss goals were working partly because of routine. Once my routine got turned upside down, so did the habits and practices that were contributing to my weight loss. I stopped regularly going to the gym. My taste for fried and fast foods returned with a vengeance. My love affair with chocolate chip cookies heated up (did anyone know that Whataburger has the BEST chocolate chip cookies?). And Starbucks has collected more money from me in the past four months than they have in the last two years.

The bottom line is that I'm addicted to food - not just sugar - but ALL FOODS overall. Just like a person who is an alcoholic is always an alcoholic, I will always be addicted to food. No matter how long I'm clean, my return to my sickness is only one indulgence away. It only takes one "drink" of my wonderful White Chocolate Mocha, with extra whip, served up in a Grande cup, to make me a regular in the drive-thru for weeks to come.

I've been in a battle and I'm losing miserably.

So, maybe now that I've admitted it I'll feel compelled to do something about it. Is there anyone else who wants to join me on a "I've gotta beat this addiction" journey. Maybe if I have someone to hold me accountable I'll do better.

Getting 'Em Interested In Books

I love books. I can't remember a time when I haven't thought that buying a book surpassed buying a bar of chocolate (which is saying a lot). So, as you can imagine, it's really important that my kids love books and eventually reading as well.

I remember when Gracie was my only little. She was about four and when I decided that it was time for me to include her in my Barnes & Noble routine. I'm not talking taking her with me in a stroller but actually having her sit and enjoy books along with me. She wasn't interested. I was devastated.

So, I devised a plan. I had always read to her so it wasn't that she didn't like books. She just didn't want to sit and look at them herself. So, I used food. I coaxed her to be a big girl and do what the big girls do....read a book while they sip "coffee". I bought a hot chocolate, had the cafe' person "milk" it down for me and served it up. It worked! She's been doing the Barnes & Noble thing with me ever since.

Now I have boys...

They are a whole 'nuther story. Thank goodness for the Thomas the Train set they have for the little kiddos in the children section. The road to getting those boys to sit with their books is going to be a bit further off then it was for Gracie.

Neither one of my tag-team wrestlers have started out with any interested in reading on their own. I literally had to MAKE them sit while I read Dr. Suess's ABC's to them. I put them in my arms and held the book, reading in as much of a sing-songy voice as I could muster to try and make it interesting to them. The more I read, the more they became familiar with the book and the more they were willing to sit on their own. Sumo, the 4yo is beginning to read small three letter words, and loves being read to. The struggle was worth it. Kano, the 2yo is, uh...another story. We are still reading Dr Suess's ABC's. It's the only one that he'll sit through. There is something about having to be still and follow along in the linear order of the pages. He loves to flip through books on his own. At this point I'll take whatever I can get.

Any book from Disney Pixar is a winner.

Last year, this was his favorite book. On one of our trips to the doc in Philly, it made about 45 minutes on the plane ride heaven. But he wouldn't let me read it to him. He just wanted to look all by himself...and all out of order :)










Reading is not Daddy's favorite thing to do. He'd much rather be wrestling with the boys or throwing a ball with them outside. However, when the boys give him a book and ask him to read to them, he just can't help himself. I run for the camera. Can't you just see how much Sumo is enjoying the story. He never looks like this when I read to him :)




There is a book basket that is a fixture in the boys room. They get a few minutes before naptime to lay in their beds with books. Sumo was around 3yo here. Oh...and I'm not stupid. The only books allowed in their room are the BOARD BOOKS. I'm afraid Kano has still figured out how to dismember those :(




Given how I've told you I love books and want my kids to love them, how do you think seeing this made me feel?

If you want your gets to be interested in books. Read to them. By them good books. Borrow great books from the library. Let them feel special by letting them pick their own books out and having special bag for their books. Start working on developing your own library of the books they just cannot get enough of. Run by Half Price Books every now and then or look on EBay for some good deals.

I have found memories of the books my mother read to me as a child. In fact, my sister and I have been fighting over who gets to take which books to their home now that we are adults. It's a wonderful thing to be reading to my children the same books (with scribble and all) that my Mommy read to me. Don't worry that your kids will grow out of them. Books make great gifts. They also are a great treasure for you to give your grandchildren one day. Now, the question is. Where do I put all of these little treasures. Hmmmm...organization and storage - that's a WHOLE 'NUTHER POST!

WFMW: Cleaning Carpet Stains

With the holidays approaching I figure that there are bound to be a few spills onto my precious carpet, and after last night's poop fiasco, I've learned an invaluable lesson about keeping my carpet clean. Vinegar is my best friend.

If vinegar, a little detergent, and water can get smudged poop out of carpet, anything will.

Here's the technique:

Gather together...

• Soft Dry Cloth (or many if the stain is one like the one I had to deal with yesterday.
• White Vinegar
  
• non-bleach, non-alkaline mild detergent

Here's what you do...

1. Apply a small amount of mild liquid detergent to the stain.
2. Blot the stain with a dry, white cloth.
3. Flood the area with white vinegar.
4. Blot again with the cloth.
5. Apply a little more liquid detergent to the stain.
6. Blot the stain again.
7. Flood the area with water.
8. Blot one last time.

Now, if the stain is stubborn like the one I dealt with, a little elbow grease never hurt anybody.

Here are some additional tips I found online...

• Always test the cleaning solutions on an inconspicuous part of the carpet before using on a large area.
• Always use a white cloth rather than a colored one to prevent any dyes from coming off on the carpet.
• As you blot, keep turning the cloth so that you are using a clean, dry section to pick up the stain and the cleaning fluids from the carpet. Don't rub.
• If using a brush to help clean the stain, always brush from the outer edges of the spill inward to prevent the stain from spreading.

Just Call Me Poop Mama

So our littlest Kano, is 2yo and going through various stages of, shall we say, "trying things".

The latest is taking off his diaper when we put him to bed. When he first started doing this, we'd go up and check on him right before we retired and find him sitting in the bed, all smiles, with his thumb in his mouth, looking at us like, "I knew you'd come eventually!" We would change his sheets and put him back in the bed.

After a few nights of this, we wised up. We would either put on pajama pants making it not-so-easy for him to accomplish his devilish feat, or, because we cloth diaper a lot of the time, we'd just make sure that we put a cloth diaper cover on with snaps which Kano couldn't undo.

That pretty much had solved the problem.

Well, last night, Daddy put the boys down for bed. He's been in and out of town a bit and said he had admittedly fallen out of the routine. He put the boys down for last night forgetting to do any of the precautionary measures.

We sat down at the kitchen table talking for about two hours (isn't my hubby the greatest for talking to me that long...I can go on and on). During that time, we heard the boys upstairs playing. This is not an abnormal thing. Normally we let them play for a bit and then eventually we go upstairs and give them a final good night.

Just as we ended our discussion, we heard Sumo, who speaks in a quiet controlled tone always because he knows we can hear him on the monitor, say, "Mommy, Kano boo-booed.".

We heard him but continued leisurely wrapping up our conversation. Kano has done this before and we just go upstairs and change his diaper. But something was different this time. Sumo persisted, "Mommy...Mommy....come here.....mommy...MOMMY, KANO BOO-BOOED!"

When Jessie went upstairs, all I heard on the moniter was, "Oh my goodness, oh....MAAAANNN!"

I went and got in the bed and pulled the cover over my head. I change dirty diapers all day. I figured Daddy could handle this one.

After about five minutes, which is plenty of time for a simple diaper change, I started to feel guilty and went upstairs. The smell that greeted me at the foot of the stairs was enough to tell me exactly what had happened.

We are talking, on the sheets, on the blanket, on feet, and in the carpet.....SMUDGED into the carpet.

So while many of you slept peacefully in your beds last night, guess what I was doing. Cleaning up poop. We didn't have any carpet cleaner so I had to get out my natural cleaning book and look for how in the world to clean carpet with the stuff I had around the house. I've been on this whole no chemicals thing, but let me tell you, I wished I had some chemicals last night...some strong ones.

For about 20- 30 minutes around midnight, I was on my hands and knees cleaning and scrubbing. I'll spare you the gory details. All of my efforts occurred at the same time that my boys were having the time of their lives because, to them, they were getting a bath, followed by free, uninhibited, unexpected time to play in the gameroom with their toys.

Believe it or not, the carpet today looks like nothing ever happened. I'll be following up today with a borrowed steam cleaner just to make sure there is nothing less-than-clean left behind. Don't let anybody tell you a little detergent, Borax, and LOTS OF VINEGAR (like a half gallon) can't clean up a stubborn mess.

When I first went up to the room, I had no idea how I was gonna handle that mess. There is no class that I took at college (Go Aggies!) that trained me how to handle this kind of mess. IRS audit, yes...legal business desputes, yes...throwing together a presentation at the last minute, yes... cleaning up poop...totally unprepared. Can I tell you that I wanted to rip up that carpet and promptly go today to get some new flooring? I'm sure my husband wouldn't have fought me too hard on that one. That is one home improvement he would have gladly agreed upon.

But I persevered, I overcame, I did what seemed to be inconceivable, impossible and insurmountable.

Today, I am standing tall and proud...declaring to the world that I conquered poop!

I AM POOP MAMA AND I AM PROUD!

A photo of the perpetrator...

The Importance of Being an Educated Christian

I got online this morning and glanced at my Yahoo homepage. There was an article posted making fun of Ms. Sherri Shepherd and a comment that she made on The View recently. I watched the video and was a bit appalled. Now, being a Christian myself, I understand, I think, what Ms. Shepherd was trying to say, but it didn't come out right at all and it was obvious that she was fumbling over her answer and a bit uncomfortable.

Of course, many people have picked up this little vignette and reported her comments in the sarcastic light that seems to be common in the liberal age in which we live. If you Google Sherri Shepherd and Christianity you will find a host of articles, newspapers, and feeds that are passing along the discussion from The View with their own comments of how uneducated Ms. Shepherd must be.

I'm glad to be a Christian, and to have been given a Christian school education from grades 2 through 8. However, I must say that a big thing missing from the education that many Christian schools as well as many churches provide is an understanding of Christianity through history. We are taught to believe, but we are not taught as well, on the whole, how to be prepared and ready to give an answer in defending our faith in areas such as this. Hence, we find ourselves ridiculed in the media for statements that could have been totally prevented by a little more study.

One of the biggest benefits I have received from homeschooling is having to learn some things for myself that I was never taught or that I never thought important enough to learn.

Although Christian education is not the only or even most important component of being a Christian, the growth and development in our relationship with Christ is central, it still deserves an important place in the building up of Christian people as we seek to have an impact on our world.

Who wants to look like an idiot? I certainly don't and I have to admit that some things I think or believe, you might never hear me comment on because I can't explain it or I simply don't know why I believe it in the first place. But the time has come for me often enough, where I'm caught in a situation where I have to respond and feel ill-prepared.

We have to do better. If we individually feel under prepared, then it's time to do a little more homework. I'll be the first to admit that I've got to go to study hall.

Sumo-ism #2

We take regular trips to Target. It's fun for me because I get to have a break, strolling the kids around and looking at all the cute stuff that Target has. It's kind of a no-brainer way to kill time. Because I have a great way for keeping the kids quiet, I can squeeze in some me-time.

With the Christmas season approaching, I am paying special attention to the things the boys are interested in. We stroll up and and down the aisles and I make a mental note of when they get loud.

Since Sumo knows that Christmas is coming, he's on "10" with his requests. We are talking alot about the fact that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but truly that fact for a four year old pales in comparison to the fact that he knows he will get toys. (By the way, I'm open to any of you who have great tips for how to keep Jesus the center of attention for the Christmas season. Just post a comment. I'd love to hear from you!)

Everyday, multiple times a day, Sumo asks to go to Target. He's hoping that one of our trips will be "the one" where Mommy buys something and brings it home. He begs me to go to Target. He pesters me asking me to go to Target. He cries when I tell him we are not going to Target to today.

One day, in the mist of one of his fits about not being able to go to his favorite store, he said,

"Mommy, but I HAVE to go to Target!"

I gave him my usual, "Sumo, we are not going to Target today"

He put his hand straight up in the air, looked up in the air, and struck a superman pose.

"But Mommy, I HAVE to go to Target! I'm the TARGET MAN!"

I fell out of my chair. Kids say the darndest things.

This picture of Jessie (hubby) with Sumo is from our church's celebration/alternative to Halloween. Can you guess where his Spiderman outfit came from? Target, of course!



The night of this event, Sumo entered the children's ministry area and sat in the "Thankful Chair" to recite the things he was grateful for. We'll see how that spirit of thankfulness plays out during this holiday season.

If you missed Sumoism #1 click HERE

Q & A - Why Are Homeschooling for High School?

After this post on what we are doing this year for high school, Pamsgroove said...It really DOES help! I've been contemplating homeschooling my daughter next year (she'll be a freshman in high school). I'm just REALLY, REALLY afraid. I don't think that I'm consistent/organized enough. Has your daughter always been homeschooled?



Every now and then I get questions that I think are worth responding to on my blog. I thought my answers might be good to share in a post.

Let me start with WHY we started homeschooling and then work backwards...

Gracie was in the 5th grade when I seriously began considering homeschooling as an option. Prior to this, I was a single working parent and this would not have been an option. I had been married about six months and was discussing my daughter's struggles in school to a friend of mine from church who homeschools her own children. She kept insisting that we try it. I just shook my head. My thought was that it wouldn't work for us. My friend pointed her finger at me and said, "Watch, you are gonna end up homeschooling." I did not even entertain the idea.

Now Gracie has always needed a lot of help from me to do well in school. She has never been that type of self-motivated, wanting A's really badly, kind of kid. She is a day dreamer. She is a creative little thing. To this day, she tells me that a teacher talking or lecturing for more than 10 minutes makes it really hard for her to focus.

Gracie switched schools in the second grade with me looking for a different school that would make things better. We switched schools again in the 5th grade searching a little more. Halfway through her sixth grade year, I just couldn't take it anymore. We were spending anywhere from three to four hours a night working on her homework. It was torture. I spent my evenings, reviewing or reteaching what she had been taught during the day. It wasn't that she couldn't get it, she just couldn't get it in the traditional way. I found myself reading books, trying to educate myself about different learning styles, learning differences, and learning difficulties. I took her to the doctor and had her diagnosed with ADD so that the school would have an official diagnosis with which to allow modifications to her school work. The school was great and made every attempt to accommodate Gracie's learning style.

Gracie had trouble spelling. We would spent so much time going over her weekly spelling list and then she would take her test and fail it. I read a book that helped me to understand Gracie was a right brain learner and that I needed to appeal to her ability to see pictures. I showed her the spelling words on a card, had her tell me when she had the picture in her brain, then spell the word to me. She could do it, no problem. Then I asked her to spell the word backward. She would look up in the sky and spell words backward correctly too. I spoke with her teacher and requested that she be allowed to orally spell the missed words to her teacher. She began making A's.

Even with all of the extra stuff I was busy figuring out and putting into place to help her be more successful in the classroom, this didn't fix the problem of our time. All of the "extra" stuff took so much energy on my part and her childhood was speeding by while we sat at the kitchen table in the evenings working through it all.

We pulled her out mid-year in her sixth grade year.

Now, my plan was to homeschool her through junior high and then put her back. I was going to "fix" her and then enroll her again in high school. She ended up fixing me!

By spending TIME with my daughter, I found out so much more about how she really learned. I was able to stop trying to do things the way that made sense to the school and focus on what made sense to her. She flourished. She also had time to pursue all of the things that interested her outside of school hours.

I learned with her. We spent lots of time reading together or talking about the random things throughout the day. Random things that we'd never had the time before to explore. Being with Gracie not only gave me an opportunity to give her one on one academic attention, it also gave me an opportunity to pour into her life.

When her eighth grade year came to a close, it just didn't seem right to put her back in the classroom when there was so much more to life than what she could learn sitting in a desk. So we decided to homeschool through her ninth grade. One more year I thought, and we'd both be ready to part ways. That didn't happen either.

Toward the later part of her ninth grade year, we discussed the option of private school. We even took her to a private school that she had attended before and let her spend the day there, getting the feel of the place, hanging out with old friends, and checking out the classes. I told her that if she was going to go back to school I needed to know soon because there was planning I had to do and time I had to invest in preparing a high school course plan and graduation. I didn't want to do all of that for her to jump up at a random later time, proclaiming her desire to go to school after I had done all that work.

The evening after her visit she wanted to go to that school ASAP. The next day she did too, but sometime around the 3rd or 4th day, she didn't mention it at all. We asked her about her sudden lack of excitement, and she told us that she didn't want to go. When asked why, she cited all of the reasons that I had grown to appreciate about the beauty of homeschooling. She also said that she enjoyed the freedom that homeschooling gave her to develop her unique talents and gifts. Gracie is a gifted artist. She has independently taken up the guitar and piano. She sews and has made quilts as well as some clothes for herself.

Gracie & her guitar

One of her art pieces

Lest someone think I'm a gifted homeschool mom and teacher, don't be fooled. I don't sew, I don't draw, and I don't play guitar :)

So, for us, homeschooling has become just as much about life as it is about school. We are just as interested in preparing our daughter for college with an academically rigorous program as we are in preparing for her to effect her world for Christ. Homeschooling goes beyond Algebra & English Composition. It grants us the opportunity to explore what SHE is created to do and to explore her talents and gifts early in her life. It gives us the opportunity to focus on areas of her character that need to be refined (as well as areas of our own character). It allows us the time to actively and effectively transfer our beliefs and make sure that, before she leaves our house, she understands what she believes and why she believes it.

Homeschooling provides the time for us to practice what it means to be a family. Gracie is just as good at most of the stuff around the house as I am. She will be well prepared to be a Mom and a keeper of her home.

A healthy pie Gracie made for her co-op health class with wheat flour pastry and organic dried fruit. (Look closely for how she personalized her pie with her first initial).

Me & Gracie in the kitchen together. I was teaching her how to make strawberry cake.



Gracie's work in the kitchen

I believe in the power of an education. I also believe in the power of learning throughout life, not just in K-12. In the last week, we've discussed everything from the gradual erosion of constitutional rights for individuals in this country to literary character development in The Scarlet Letter. Gracie will be well prepared to think critically and to make a living in whatever line of work she chooses.

I say all of this not to toot my own the horn for our household or to make it seem as if homeschooling is the only option that will work in raising great kids. I've just felt for sometime like I ought to blog about this topic because I'm asked so often in real life why we have chosen to do this for our children. Most people are much more accepting of the idea of homeschooling little people but are shocked that we plan to homeschool Gracie all the way through.

Just wanted folks to know that it's possible and that it can be very rewarding and worth the effort. We are very grateful that God led us to this path. We pray that we are the kinds of stewards He would want us to be of these precious gifts He has given to us.

Hanging Out in Philly - Part II

So after hanging out all over the city, we made our way to the Ronald McDonald House. We had made a trip to Whole Foods upon our arrival to Philly so Gracie was on a mission. She made broiled salmon, steamed broccoli, and baked sweet potatoes. Can you say this girl is the BOMB!





While Gracie busied herself in the kitchen, Kano played hard. He loves this place.










We got a good rest and then got up bright and early the next morning to make our way back home. We paused for traditional photo with Ronald.







Gracie & Kano @ the airport.




Kano admiring the parked airplane and the people on the ground busy doing their jobs. Do you see both arms up in the air! God is good!

Hanging Out In Philly - Part I

After a day devoted to taking Kano to the doctor, we had a day to kill. We had the day open in case additional procedures were required for Kano but none were, Praise The Lord! We slept in and caught up on some Zzzzzzs and then headed out the door to see the city. Here's a a little picture journal (one day I'll scrapbook it in real life).

You can't be in Philadelphia and not see historical stuff. Here's Gracie in front of Independence Hall where our Declaration of Independence was signed. Completely appropriate as we just finished U.S. History and are deep in the throws of American Government. This is homeschooling a highschool student at it's finest!






Here are a couple of pics from our visit to the Liberty Bell Center.




When we got close up, Gracie was like, "Is this is it? It doesn't even look real." ...Teenagers (Sigh)

Who says you can't travel with small children! Kano was a real trooper :)





Philly isn't Philly without cheesesteak(s)! This little place was on the side of the Liberty Bell Center. It was the best I've had in a long time.












Gracie was enthralled with the "mixed" look of Philly. Such a city atmosphere but with trees all over the place. Here's one of many pics that she took while making me stop in the middle of the street and shoot her.





And then...we stopped to eat...again...(ugh...that's another story for another post)

Me & Kano @ Johnny Rockets on South Street





Awww....Ain't he tweet?





We kept hearing that Philly was the place to get your hair straightened (both Gracie and I wear our hair natural). It was easy as finding a spot on Broad Street & walking in....







Gracie thought she was something with all that "moving & flowing" hair. The first thing she did when she got in the car was put herself in pixels.




Uh, more than once...



More pics soon and then maybe I'll get back to some meaningful posting :)

Kano's Visit With The Docs

For those of you who just want to know that Kano is OK, here is the bottom line:

Kano doesn't need any more surgeries that Dr. Kozin can see, or Botox for muscle tightness, or casting. This is great news!

For those of you who want the details, here goes:

So last Tuesday, the 27th, we flew into Philly for our schedule appointments at the Shriners Children Hospital there. Gracie came with me and Kano this time. It was great to have her there.

Kano was scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday morning. He couldn't eat anything after midnight and could only have water or apple juice until 6.30am. So our day started early. I woke him up at 6.20am to give him some apple juice and put something on his stomach. We left the Ronald McDonald house around 7am and got to the hospital at 8am. The MRI was schedule for 8.30am. It actually occurred at 10.30 am.

This picture of Kano was definitely before the drama started. This was the worse anesthesia experience that we've had. The MRI area was under construction so we had to go to another area of the hospital to do all of the medical info gathering and running of the I.V. The first attempt at the I.V. was in Kano's foot. The main nurse wanted to leave both arms free. One arm because it was the side needed for the MRI, the other because he sucks it and she wanted him to have a form of comfort. The I.V. in the foot didn't work. He was cold and the blood in his foot wasn't flowing well. So after three of us holding him down, and 10 minutes of him screaming, we had no good line.

Then they tried for his left arm. The line was successful but after 15 more minutes of holding him down to get the line going, taping his arm down to a board to immobilze it, and securing the site, the drip wouldn't flow. He was still screaming. The nurse had to loosen the tape and play with the placement of the needle to get it to flow again. Kano was still screaming. I had been holding him down for about 30 minutes now. The two nurses didn't work well together. One nurse said that she was used to working with kids in the pediatric I.C.U. She wasn't used to working with kids that could fight back...and fight back Kano did.

After all this, we had to walk over to MRI. Kano was fighting me so bad that I had to get on the gurney with him and they wheeled us both to the MRI. Gracie was traumatized. We get to the MRI room and they are not ready for us. At this point, I just wanted somebody fired.

Gracie ended up finding Barney on a TV and Kano quieted down. She held him until MRI time and actually carried him to the MRI room. She was completely unprepared when they put the anesthesia into the IV and Kano went limp in a matter of seconds. She had no idea that people went into the "deep sleep" that fast and she freaked out wondering what was wrong with him.

Although, it was an extremely traumatic morning, I am so grateful to report the rest of the day went much better. When Kano woke up, we got him together slowly and headed down to the cafeteria to feed him. He was starving. We gave him a little play break before heading back to the clinic floor for our appointment with Dr. Kozin so that he could give us the results of the MRI.

Whew! What can I say? Kids bounce back!

and....

Kano doesn't need any more surgeries that Dr. Kozin can see, or Botox for muscle tightness, or casting. This is great news! We left with a couple of splints to help with Kano's elbow contracture and a contracture with his shoulder blade that makes him hold his arm up in an abnormal way. The bottom line is this. There are only so many things that surgeons can do or fix. Much of Kano's recovery is going to be therapy, stretching, and muscle strengthening.

The hardest part about this injury is that there is no prescribed fix or plan. Each child is different and what works for one kiddo may not work for another. The effects of Kano's injury is lifelong and will require constant reevaluation for what works and what doesn't. We can now focus on figuring out what comes next. We are very grateful that the possibility of future surgeries is low.

The doctor and therapists that saw Kano were happy with his progress. They are glad to see that he is extremely functional and that there are few limitations. But for any of you who know me in real life, ya'll know that although I'm thrilled that he is "functional", I'm after making sure that he gets every opportunity to access all of the potential that he has physically.

So that's the skinny on the latest with Kano. For those of you have kept up with his progress for the close to three years now (wow), thanks for all of your love and support. Continue to pray for us as we fight insurance to pay for therapy, find qualified therapists, and chase this very active two year old :)

Kano is doing great. He has come a long way...from three months of his life with no movement at all in his arm to having him "bop" me in the head the other day 'cuz he was mad at me, we've seen him make incredible strides. We are gonna keep working on helping this boy max out on his physical potential but it is just as crucial right now for us to work on his character and spiritual potential too. This boy is a HANDFUL! He's extremely....umm...persistent and determined :)

Bedtime for Gracie & Kano @ the Ronald McDonald House

Secrets of the Secret Place

I took an opportunity a couple of weeks ago (another reason why I took a break from blogging) to get away with my husband for 2.5 days (yes...that half day counted!). During the time away I was able to finish a wonderful book. My sister shared this one with me and it's a keeper.

I've introduced you to a few books before, but this one is beneficial for the very foundation of a Christian building his or her relationship with God. Let me introduce you to Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge. This book brings to life the benefits of cultivating your personal time with the Lord. I love my quiet times with the Lord, especially first thing in the morning before my family awakes, but I have to admit that sometimes I just straight get lazy and become inconsistent, doing it out of habit more than anything else.

This book reignited my desire. I was reminded how crucial my time with the Lord is to the effectiveness of the life I live. Not only that, I was also reminded about the riches available to me when I meet with the Lord, hear from him, and am empowered to live the life that he has for me.

If you are struggling with your quiet time or if you just want to know about the hidden treasures available to those that priority time with God, you should read this book. It has flipped a switch in my thinking and I've been both challenged and encouraged to spend frequent, consistent, and quality time with the Savior.

Sumo-ism #1

I'm sitting here missing Sumo and wishing that he could have come to Philly with us. You know that saying..."Kids say the darndest things?"...It's so true isn't it...especially when you are thinking of the things your own kids have said.

What I always say to Sumo...

"Sumo, do you know that you are the only first boy I have?"...

Most days, Sumo smiles sheepishly and says yes, but one day, he looked me square in the eyes and said,

"Mommy, do you know that you are the only first lady I have?"...

You know my heart just melted into a puddle on the floor. My sweet little Sumo, what am I gonna do with you? :)

The Reason For My False Start...

Well I was all excited about getting back into my blogging routine and then didn't because we found that we had to plan to take Baby Kano (really toddler Kano now) back to Philadelphia for his one year post-op MRI.

I'm actually laying across the bed in the Ronald McDonald House now, waiting for Kano to fall off. We have an early start in the morning and I'm hoping he goes to sleep soon.

I'm blessed to have Gracie with me this time. I wanted her to come and see what it is we've been doing everytime we fly Kano up to Philly. It's nice to have her along for the ride. She's loving the Ronald McDonald House.

So, needless to say, with the whole in and out of town thing going on, my hands and my life have been busy and full.

Keep checking back...hopefully I won't be in this rut forever :)...

I do plan to post a report for family and friends on Kano's report from the docs tomorrow.

Stay tuned...

The Terrible Housekeeper

So I've been MIA from my blog for about three weeks. A few days turned into a week that then turned into another week, followed by another. What have I been doing? Well, I'll try to shed a little light on that over the next few days.

One MAJOR thing that I've been doing is simply trying CLEAN MY HOUSE. I've been making a real effort to catch up and get back to a groove of some kind. Let me confess...my house has been a mess. I've been actually fairly embarrassed about the condition of my home especially following a visit from my Daddy. Let me give you a little background.

I'm usually fairly comfortable with the state of my home. Because we homeschool, I don't ever expect my home to look like it came out of magazine. I have gone through a series of adjustments in my expectations over the last few years so that I can stay sane. My philosophy is that "my house should be clean enough to be healthy, but messy enough to be lived in"(quote borrowed from an online acquaintance).

I, along with three kids, are at home at least 4 days a week...all day. Two of those kiddos are under the age of five. My house is not going to stay pristine just because I clean all the time. And I don't want to clean all the time. I strive for balance between being a good mom, teacher, cook, wife, and homemaker. I'll trade a random opportunity to bounce around on the trampoline with my kids than to scrub the baseboards anyday.

So, a few of my comprimises are as follows:

1. I aim for a clean kitchen twice a day. Three times is a luxury. Even so, I always expect there to be dishes in the sink. (Our dishwasher is on the blink)
2. I shoot for a mopped floor two times a week, unless otherwise necessary. It's just too depressing to mop the floor only to find in just a few hours that it doesn't like like I did anything.
3. I try to hit each room in my house once a week on a rotating schedule. What does this mean? My house is not clean all at the same time.
   
4. Laundry is always going. I do about a load a day.
   
5. My carpet is not every going to look new. No matter how many rules I make about food and drink staying in the kitchen. It just doesn't happen. What can I say? I'm training the littles but they haven't gotten it completely. I'm also trying to train my bigs but...well...
6. The surfaces in common areas should be neat, but don't have to be empty. My teenager does school at the computer, my littles do school at the table, we congregate at the island...in short we are all over the place. As we transition to the dinner hour, I shoot for things in their place. If I can't have that then I shoot for neat piles.
7. Oh...and the baseboards. I get to 'em when I get to 'em.
   

Now here's my problem. These are rules I'm comfortable with. When I have a visitor, I'm completely thrown into a panic. Why? I don't want to leave a bad impression of the kind of housekeeper I am. I'm already weird because I homeschool my children. I don't want to be weirder because I'm home and my home is out of order.

So imagine my dismay when my Dad showed up to visit and proceeded to inspect my house. I kid you not when I tell you that he went from room to room, each time saying, "Oh, Chrystal!" in a loud display of disbelief. Now, granted, the day he came was a bad day. It was right before lunch and I hadn't even had a chance to straighten up before he arrived. In fact, it was a Monday. Mondays are always the worst. He commented on the spots in the carpet, the dishes in the sink, the stuff on my countertops, the baskets of unfolded clothes in the hallway, and then he even peeked in my bedroom and saw the confusion in there. He peeked his head into my refrigerator and groaned at the sticky stuff on the top shelf.

I found myself following him around the house, explaining, explaining, and explaining some more.

It's a terrible feeling to think that you are giving something your all and that it is still not enough. But then again, most mothers and definitely homeschooling mothers, have felt this way at one time or another.

So, how does it end? Well, my Dad sent a housekeeper, his own cleaning service, over to my house to give it a once over. He also told me to get my carpets cleaned at his expense.

Now, I have a lot of pride. I hate the idea that I can't do it all. I hate accepting help and I hate the thought that someone thinks I'm not doing a good job. Truth is though, that little boost was needed and appreciated. It saved me hours (probably days) of work and gave me an opportunity to focus on things that needed my personal attention.

I had time, time to catch up on balancing my bank accounts, time to plan ahead for school, and time to take a nap! Instead of doing dishes, I was able to make some much needed phone calls to insurance companies and doctors. I got a chance to scrub that graffiti on the side of my house (more on that later). I had lots of time to thoroughly finish planning for my daughter's Sweet 16. Those are things a cleaning service can't do but that I COULD.

This little boost and injection of more available time in my schedule got me going. I was on a roll. I just started barreling through my list and got caught up in getting things DONE! Crossing things off of my list is one the best feelings in the world! The feeling of completing something quickly superceded my need to blog!

I do know a handful of ladies who are good housekeepers....GREAT in fact. I have spent many a puzzled day, trying to figure out with my husband HOW THEY DO IT?!?! Here's what I've learned. We all have 24 hours in a day. If someone else's home is always pristine it has to do with how they spent her time. My friend with the beautiful home and four homeschooled children has children all over the age of 12. She is running around to basketball and soccer practice, but she also has lots of help. Another friend with a gorgeous home, has children that spend three days a week at a mother's day out. My friend who makes gourmet meals has her kids in school all day.

I also have a friend whose home is always in disarray but she enjoys her children and plays with them quite a bit more than I play with mine :) They are always outside playing, or inside working on some neat craft. She has the most creative kids!

It's all about what is important and how we choose to recognize that importance with our time.

I choose to live somewhere in the middle right now. That's what I am...a "mom in the middle". I have a teenager, a preteen, a preschool, and a toddler. That is a stretch that will kill you if you let it. I keep my littles going in the morning, only to put them down for a nap in the afternoon and then start working on Algebra 2 with my teenager. If I try and put my housework first at all costs, something else that is important would suffer. So I just do my best.

THAT'S ALL ANY OF US CAN DO...DO YOUR BEST!

We are all a work in progress. So Moms...(and I'm talking to myself too)...

STOP FEELING GUILTY!

• Do the best you can. Keep your eyes on the Lord and take care of your home and your family for His Glory. He will guide and direct you and let you know how to get done what is important to Him, when it is important to Him.

• Cut out the things that you can live without that cut into the time you have for more important things (TV, phone, unnecesary computer time...OUCH)

• Pray! Pray about how God would have you to keep your home. He says that we should be anxious for NOTHING. He also says that He freely gives wisdom...So ask!
  

Remember Mary & Martha? It is so easy for us as women to focus on the doing and not on the most important thing. Cooking is important, cleaning is important, but don't let it be a stumbling block that keeps you from what focusing on what matters for eternity.

...and PRAY about how God would have you to keep your home. The Word says that,

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God

The Word also says that,

James 1:5 (NASB)

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

So ask for his help and guidance! He's God and He orders the universe. I'm sure that he can help you order your home!

And thanks Daddy for the help...and I'll try to be a better housekeeper. But just know that the carpet won't look pristine for too much longer. Somebody is bound to spill something soon!

For Anyone Who Has Wondered...

I am coming back...next week in fact! Sorry about the hiatus. I've missed blogging. Once I decided to take a break, it just kept going and going and going....

Look for me to post on Monday!

Blog Neglect

Just in case you are wondering, I'm not permanently neglecting my blog. Following a weekend trip out of town, I know putting together the final touches for a week-long celebration of Gracie's 16th birthday.

...translated...

I just haven't had the time to blog.

...but I'll be back soon!

The Toll of Motherhood...

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I wanted to post this video and I couldn't help but comedically tie this swoon into the amount of work she must put in with her kids. Here's an interview of Marie Osmond by Larry King:

Why so many children? Why, since you adopted -- why?

M. OSMOND: You're fascinated with this.

KING: Why? Why?

M. OSMOND: Why not? I don't know.

KING: I mean, if you can have your own children, why also adopt children?

M. OSMOND: You know what, all I can say is that I asked my mother, I said, when did you know you were done? She says, "you'll know." So I had baby number five, I'm thinking, am I done? Baby number six, please, am I done?

KING: Who told you you were done?

M. OSMOND: I knew.

KING: Or are you done?

M. OSMOND: I knew. I just knew. It was fabulous.

KING: Are you done?

M. OSMOND: I am done. Are you happy about that, Larry?

KING: It just -- it fascinates me because it's so hard...

M. OSMOND: You know, it's a really interesting topic.

KING: Raising children is not easy.

M. OSMOND: Well, that's one of the things, is I think that, you know, the fact is, is I think a lot of times people think Marie Osmond, naive, goody-goody, you know, whatever. But having eight children, I'm interested. It's like we talk about everything from the statistic on depression. It's like 25 percent of the people have it now in the nation. If you have it, it's like three times more of a chance your child will have it. We talk about signs to see. We talk about all kinds of things. Raising children. We have experts on. Cutting parties. This is craziness that kids are in so much internal pain now that they go and slice themselves.

KING: So, the obvious becomes, again, why would you want more if it's that hard?

M. OSMOND: You know what, God has blessed me that I can raise them. And...

KING: Obviously.

M. OSMOND: And that I'm passionate. I came from a family of nine, it's not that big of a deal to have eight. But I love them, and they teach me. I don't teach them anything.

My mother shares with me how my own grandmother mothered eight children and didn't always feel well. I'm actually in the middle of a book on Susanna Wesley. Every pregnancy laid her on her back(and she gave birth to more than a dozen children). People assume that in order to be a great Mom and have lots of kids you have to be in tip-top condition and have more energy than all the other mothers on the block. It's just not true. Mothering goes beyond our American view of the woman who can "do it all". Mothering does not imply that you have to do it all. Bringing their own personalities, inadequacies, and faults to their tables, mothers simply have to be whole heartedly committed to doing their best and making their children a priority. And no, mothering does not always come naturally easy to everyone, but that's not the point. Easy is never part of the criteria for anything worth doing well.

Women have done it for years. They have raised wonderful people while working three jobs, without a wonderful education, or through sickness and disease.

Be encouraged. If you feel less than adequate or that you have some "thorn in the flesh" that would keep you from being the greatest mother ever alive, TAKE HEART. No, motherhood is not for punks, but it can be done by the less than perfect. We are all less than perfect. If you know Christ, you can rest assured...

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

and that...

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Waiting For The Heat To Kick In...

Our little Texas cold front, caught me off guard. It too a minute to get the heat revved up :)