When Mommy Gets SICK

January 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment

When Mommy Gets SICK… keeping up the home, school and life with our children when we are sick can be a challenge. However, keeping our expectations in check and realizing that we can get on top of it all after we are a bit better will allow us to rest and get better faster.

There is never a good time for moms to get sick, but getting sick the first week back to homeschool after Christmas vacation, after a week with a sick baby and all other children having been sick? No, not good. When Mommy gets sick things can quickly turn to chaos in less than three seconds… or it seems that way…

When Mommy Gets Sick, part of the house may fall apart, but most likely, everyone will have food and survived.

However, I had somehow managed to get a new chore/routine system put together just in time. I had lesson plans made out and we were pretty much easing into the new semester…. but I DID NOT get our meals planned and well, that is where nearly 3 gallons of chili saved us… I started handing out chores to get that chili made… I tried to trust my hubby with the seasoning of the chili…

We didn’t end up resorting to our Mommy Sick Day Binder, or starving. Children all had clean clothes and managed to do a week’s worth of school even without my help. It is probably the beauty of having older children.

Now, I am not going to kid you… the house was quite chaotic… I was a little upset when I saw the state our bathroom was in… Yes, cleaning it was on that new chore chart, but you know what? The four who know how to clean the bathroom decided that someone else should do it… I think???

I know, that has probably never happened in your home, right? I mean, when you get sick, the house just runs itself?Yes? Well, please inform me how you have managed to get that accomplished!!!

Sometimes moms can get pretty sick. This was one of those times. I could barely walk on my own. I had a headache, but not just a headache, a migraine, but not just a migraine, a migraine caused by a sinus infection, that had my tummy out of sorts, and had gotten into my ears and had me very sick…

My husband actually had to come home to help. He stayed home except to check cattle for three days, and then on day four, took me to the doctor. He hasn’t stayed home with me sick that much in our nearly 17 years of marriage. Not even after a baby. Not after any of my three c-sections…

So, what did happen in our home? Well, honestly, I was out of it and I am not really sure. Everyone worked to stay caught up on the basics… except the poor bathroom. lol Something tells me everyone figured someone else would get tired of the yucky messes that take over a bathroom in nothing flat… I mean, we have three potty trained boys and daddy here… Sorry, in our home boys mess up a bathroom worse then my girls.

Baby didn’t starve, but refused every single bottle of milk that my family lovingly thawed out for him. Every. Single. One… When a breastfeeding mom gets sick and is unable to keep any thing down for two days, her milk production kind of drops to nothing… he was mad, but not mad enough to take a bottle…

2015-01-10 11.02.06 Here I am trying to hold him and calm him down after one of the bottle attempts…

When mommy gets sick, the family will survive, but things will be a little different. We have to hand it to our family for staying afloat while we were under the weather. We have to praise our family for taking care of us.

I am doing better now, still not 100%. Still wear down pretty easy and spend my afternoons resting with baby in my arms. I have been down for two weeks with this stuff.

Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Christian Family, Christian Home, Christian Mothering, Christian Wife, Health Tagged With: ,

From Cloth Diapers to Herbal Medicine, Help for the Natural Mother

June 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Filed Under: babywearing, Breastfeeding, cloth diapers, garden, Health, homemade cleaning products recipes, homemaking, special needs homeschooling Tagged With: , ,

Epi-Pen Bag for Children

April 3, 2013 by 6 Comments

More and more children are having to carry around an Epi-Pen, but how do you make sure your children are safely carrying their Epi-Pen with them? How to make sure that who ever may be with you child understands what to watch for and how to help. Medic Alert bracelets are great, but they still need to have their medication with them, and those around them need to know what to do, if the need arises.

It was not a big deal when our soon to be eight year old was first diagnosed with tree nut allergies. We were with her at all times, or she was with grandma, she was not even three years old. However, as she gets older, her having her pens with her, and others knowing what to do has become harder and harder. Her siblings..ages 5 and up all know how to help her, but, what if they aren’t there?

So, over the last year, I have tried to come up with a way to help her be as safe as possible. We had a back pack, that she kept with her at all times, but what if, someone else didn’t realize what it was for? So, I put on my thinking cap, and yes, it did hurt, but I have come up with a solution that is likely to end our troubles for some time.

Epi-Pen Bag

I have created a bag, that has a clear window to insert a card into, which shows what she is allergic to, her name, and my phone number. On the back of the card is a little more explanation of her allergies. I will include a piece of paper in the bag that explains more about how to administer her epi-pens, and her Benadryl dosage.

Heidi wearing her bag. I made it to be worn as a cross body bag, to help keep it out of her way for daily activities.

Here is a close up of the clear window for the allergy alert tag.

Here is the allergy alert tag pulled out and showing the back with the more detailed information.

What’s In an Epi-Pen Bag

Inside the bag are four Benadryl spoons packages, Heidi is old enough, her dosage is two of these. It also contains her Epi-Pens and also a piece of paper detailing how to help her if she has a reaction, and what to look for, and how to administer the Epi-Pens, dial 911 if needed and so forth.

Example of Allergy Information Sheet Example .

For the next bag, I will use a heavier interfacing, and also do the seams which pull the bag together a bit differently. However, I did not have a pattern for this, and pretty much sewed as I went and think it came out pretty good.

I am interested in making these for other children. If you are interested, please email me, and we can discuss fabric choices and such. The bag like the above, with the changes mentioned will be around $25 and that includes the tag to insert into the clear pocket.

How have you helped your child learn to carry their Epi-Pens?

Filed Under: For Sale, Health Tagged With: , , ,

Eye Patching Fun? Yes it is!

March 19, 2013 by 2 Comments

What is eye patching? Eye Patching is where a child wears a patch over their strong eye to help correct vision in their weaker eye. There are a few different reasons a doctor prescribes eye patching, and I am not going into that here, but I am going to give you a few ways to make eye patching easier for you and a little more fun for your child.

Making Eye Patching for Visual Health Fun

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I have four children with glasses…FOUR. One of these sweet blessings was legally blind when she got her first pair. As in, 20/600 just for fun the Ophthalmologist said..

“Wow, at her last appointment, in August (which was just 4 months ago at the time) she was 20/30?”

“Yes, sir”

“Just for fun, since she is already legally blind, let’s see how far on the scale she is… We stop at 20/600, and she is there”

“OUCH, can you fix this”

“We can make it better, but you are going to be working very hard for the next several years. She is going to need to wear an eye patch on her good eye for several years, an hour to hour and a half a day.”

And so the time is now over three years later, and with glasses she has 20/30 to 20/40 vision. Unless you are asking her to read, you probably wouldn’t notice a thing was wrong, but when you are diagnosed as legally blind at the age of three and you are walking around with a patch on your good eye a good part of the day, you fall behind on a few skills. Reading is one of those. She is at a kindergarten level right now and making leaps and bounds. If you happen to make a comment to her about being behind, this momma bear comes out in full force. She doesn’t understand that the patches are NOT causing her to be behind. In her mind the patches kept her from being able to learn to read, when really it is the amblyopia that has caused it.

So, imagine if you will, last summer going to Sunday School after “finishing” your first grade year at home and you are asked to read aloud something from the paper in class. You can’t read, and know some letters, but when you look at that page, the letters are bouncing all over, and now you have tears running down your face, you ask to go potty and you actually go find your mommy because you can’t read and don’t want anyone to know it. You tell your mommy you aren’t wearing the patches anymore, because they make it so you can’t read.

Now, imagine being the mom of this six year old little girl, who hates wearing these patches, even at home, and trying to find a way to make them fun. You know that reading is the least of your concerns.

So, I dug out the craft supplies and we went town learning what would and wouldn’t work to decorate her patches. Let’s just say she has some of the snazziest blingiest patches around.

What works to decorate eye patches:

  • Sticky back foam shapes…get the girls some with glitter.
  • Sticky backed jewels
  • Glitter Glue
  • Scrapbooking stickers (they are “stickier” than regular stickers
  • Markers
  • Rubber Stamps and Ink Pads
  • Sequins and Glue

Decorated Eye Patches for Visual Health

Be creative, there are many ways to allow your child to decorate these. Boys would have fun making crazy faces on them with paper, glue and googly eyes.

How to get your child to wear the patch. This is where screen time and special activities come in. This is not the time for bike rides, and Physical Education classes. Their vision is not going to be that great while patching, and we don’t want them to get injured.

Making Eye Patching for Visual Health Fun

Activities we do while Eye Patching:

  • Reading Eggs
  • Decorate the patches for the next week
  • Coloring pages
  • Math Apps on our tablet
  • Angry Birds—This is awesome to help them track with their bad eye.
  • Watching a Movie
  • Playing board games
  • Computer Games or Education Computer activities, many times they don’t know they are learning.
  • For the older child, have them do math and phonics, even copywork, but go easy on the messy handwriting, and have them go over the answers orally, in case they missed something due to not being able to see it very well. Winking smile Making Eye Patching for Visual Health Fun

Make a patching box of activities they can only get out while wearing their patch

We buy our eye patches from Krafty Eye Patches. They have kits for decorating, and that is how we started the whole decorating eye patches. However, she wanted more variety and fun the older she got. We are still eye patching nearly daily and she is nearly eight years old. She doesn’t mind near as much now, as she used to. However, during allergy season, patching doesn’t happen much, as she soon looks like a raccoon due to her eyes swelling and face turning bright red. Her doctor understands and works with us on this.

This is another area we use technology in our homeschool to help her have fun while wearing her eye patch. To learn more about technology use in homeschool, check out Sidetracked Sarah and Raising Arrows

Do you have a child who has to wear an eye patch? What do you do to make eye patching fun?

Filed Under: Christian Home, Health, homeschool, Homeschool Computer Use, special needs homeschooling, vision therapy Tagged With: , ,

Silver Lining Thankfulness

October 31, 2012 by 1 Comment

As we approach Thanksgiving, I am remembering the reasons to be Thankful this year.

  • Recent: 

Over the last month all of my children have been sick at one time or another.  The thing is, that well, I get to stay up with the sickies. I find it a privilege to be the one that God has chosen to tend to these little ones as they are sick.  Taking care of them is at times exhausting and at times refreshing.

How can I find it refreshing?  Because many times their tender little hearts come out.  They show such appreciation that I am taking care of them, that I love enough to be there. 

Other times I see the compassion come from their siblings that want to help take some of the burden off of me when they see that I am reaching the end of my energy stores. 

Here my children are reading a book together for our history lessons on the Tablet, while I snooze. 

My children have cooked, taken care of younger siblings, done extra chores and helped can the end of our garden harvest. Though, most of our homeschooling has been pushed aside, I see the work they have done during this rough season and know that they learned something much bigger than any textbook could have taught them.  Some days they ran the majority of the household on their own.  Other days they took care of major projects that needed to be dealt with, with some help from me…Switching out the season’s clothes for all eight of us in ONE day being one of those projects.

Thankful for?  Compassionate Children

  • Summer:

    • The summer started with the same drought we suffered last summer.  It was hot, dry and well nasty.  Our wheat harvest was ok considering the conditions and the hay was tolerable.  However, as July burned into August, we finally got a bit of rain, and…

    We had a lot more hay.  The wonderful thing?  The hay price has shot up, A LOT because of nationwide hay shortages and well, the hay has grown and grown and produced a lot since August.  We are just now baling our last acres of hay for 2012.

    The rain also came in time to help our garden produce fairly well.  My tomatoes weren’t great, but I got a lot of green ones and made a lot of Salsa Verde which my husband loves.

    Thankful for?  God’s Provision

    • Spring:

    This spring was a fun and eventful time for myself…I had the opportunity to fly out to North and South Carolina to the Teach Them Diligently Convention, and to see family I rarely get to see. It was hard to leave my family here at home, but it was wonderful to get to fellowship with friends and family across the country, nearly uninterrupted…I had kind of forgotten what an uninterrupted conversation was like.  

    I also traveled to a Homeschool Convention in Kansas City in April with another friend Dawn and two of her daughters.  Today, my children still talk about their new friends (her daughters), and the beautiful drive. 

    These conventions are a time of refreshment and rejuvenation for the homeschool mom.  We are surrounded by likeminded moms who understand our daily struggles for an entire weekend.

    Thankful for?  God’s Refreshment and

    Friends and Family

    Winter:

    Our daughter Hannah struggled with some digestive issues all winter.  We spent several afternoons at our pediatrician and were really no closer to a solution…

    Then, our raw milk supplier started producing again and…that solved all issues.  Other than her digestive issues and a bought of pneumonia at Christmas with her and her four year old brother, we had a very healthy winter. 

    For my birthday, we got a new Dairy Cow, Daisy.  What is special?  She has a heart on her forehead.  She has become quite the sweet cow, and should calve just in time for our winter milk supply to be drying up. 

    Thankful for? Health

There is a whole series of these 31 Day of Thanks posts.  To check them all out, and watch for more, click the graphic below.  While you are busy clicking, don’t forget to enter the giveaway too.  What are you Thankful for this year?

31 Days of Thanks

Check out all the great items being given away in this weeks 31 Days of Thanks Giveaway!  Click the picture to enter!

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Filed Under: Autumn Fun, Blessings, Christian Family, Christian Home, Christian Homeschool Convention, Christian Mothering, encouragement, Farmwife, Health, Teach Them Diligently Tagged With: ,

Dr. Mom Otoscope Review and Giveaway

March 5, 2012 by 47 Comments

If you have read my blog much, you know I like to stay as natural as possible with cleaners and such, but I also like to keep our medicines on the natural side. 

We have had our share of ear infections.  Our two oldest, before I learned about nature ways to help clear an ear infection had tubes, and well, I am not sure that it made much of a difference.

Our youngest four have only been treated with natural medicine and the occasional antibiotic for their ear infections.  More often then not, though we treat as Pete and Maribel explain below.

I recently received the Dr. Mom Otoscope $24.97, to review.  I had an older scope, but it had quit working.  This left me often wondering how bad one of my children’s ears really was when they would tell me it hurt.  I think it led to some extra doctor appointments too and maybe even a few un-needed rounds of antibiotics.

The Dr. Mom Otoscope is so much better than the one we had.  It is very easy to see what is going on in the ear, and it does have a bit of magnification to help you see the little areas better.  The light is very bright and does not change the color of the tissues you are looking at.

As part of my review, I will be giving one Dr. Mom Otoscope to one of my readers.  You will definitely want to enter to win.  Entries are being collected below the article below. 

I received this otoscope in return for my honest review.

 

Mullein Oil: Basic Ear Care

By Pete & Maribel Hernandez Copyright 2012 All rights reserved.

As you learn how to use Dr. Mom otoscope, you’ll eventually want to learn what to use for ear infections. If you like natural remedies, here is an option. Mullein oil has been well documented for ear conditions.

If you order you Mullein oil, make sure you ask for Verbascum thapsus, the botanical name. You want unadulterated mullein. Not fillers. Mullein oil is made by infusing the flower heads into a carrier, oil like olive oil. The quantity varies greatly among producers. Dilute Mullein oil with equal parts of olive oil, before use. If you don’t, might find it’s a little too strong.

For earaches apply a few warm drops into ear canal.

Some of the properties found in Mullein include demulcent, (herbs that are usually rich in mucilage and can soothe and protect damaged or inflamed tissue).

Also, it is an vulnerary (promoting cell growth and repair), as well as an anodyne (relieving pain.) The high content of mucilage found in the leaf along with the plant’s antibiotic qualities makes this herb perfect for a broad range of ear conditions. You’ll appreciate the mucilaginous protection to mucous surfaces.

Some folk names include Velvet Plant, Candle Leaf, Indian Tobacco, even Blanket Leaf.

Disclaimer: This post is for you entertainment purposes only.

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Filed Under: Health, review Tagged With: , ,

Wondering Why Blog Posting has been Slow….It is all explained below…triumphs, trials and tribulations…

November 7, 2011 by 4 Comments

Several months ago, I announced I would be working for A Journey Through Learning to help promote and market their products.  We have been doing great, and I was assigned a BIG PROJECT.  One that has taken a lot of my time.

I have put together a Facebook Party for A Journey Through Learning.  We will be giving away over $1900 worth of products. 

Come on over to their Facebook Wall on Nov. 8 at 7 pm CST, to find out how to win some of these goods.

I also have dealing with some other things behind the scenes.  We are struggling a bit with our twelve year old and actually being willing to do the bit of book work that I require.  I do believe that rather then to cave to his ideas, we will tough this one out.

When you get out in the real world, and get a real job, you won’t get to choose how you do your job, and at twelve, it might be a good time to learn this lesson.

Another big thing is…Heidi our six year old who was legally blind 11 months ago, now has 20/30 vision with her glasses on. 

So, after the next few days, I pray to be back to blogging like I used to…more like 3-5 times a week. 

Anyway, how are you, my readers?  What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Filed Under: Family update, Health, Lapbooking

And Another Change…Another Child with Vision Challenges.

September 11, 2011 by 5 Comments

In December 2010, we found out our then five year old had amblyopia and strambismus.  She had been to the optometrist at the age of three, so she was due for an exam.  Her condition at the time left her with 20/400 vision, which is legally blind.  At her last exam in April, she had with glasses 20/40-20/60.  We have a goal to improve her vision to 20/20 without glasses, however, that is purely a goal, and up to God’s healing.

Well, this past week, we had more vision exams for our children.  Our soon to be 12 old got new glasses, and we found out our now five year old, who was screened in March, likely has the same issues, plus a few more then our now six year old mentioned above.  We go back to the optometrist on Wednesday for more testing, and to get an idea of our treatment plan.

What does this mean for homeschooling?

  • I made a change in our school almost immediately that I would not add our 3.5 yr old to the K-1st grade group.  There is a huge blessing to that, as it is my K-1st who have the vision challenges.
  • They will be able to use the same curriculum, and will most likely be able to do vision therapy together.
  • I had always planned to school them together, and this just keeps it a little more likely
  • We will be doing lots more hands on learning then originally planned
  • Lots of Dry Erase Crayon Use on homemade printables that have been laminated
  • We will be doing lots of lapbooks, some of which I plan to make myself, and send back to my ladies at AJTL to possibly sell. 

I am not finding any materials on the web for these children.  This means, I will be creating a lot of my own.  If you know of some, please let me know.  I appreciate your prayers as I head into this next journey God has chosen me to follow.

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, Health, homeschool, Lapbooking, special needs homeschooling, vision therapy Tagged With: , , , ,

Nutrition 101: Choose Life!~~Growing Healthy Homes Review

April 20, 2011 by 1 Comment

Nutrition 101: Choose Life, from Growing Healthy Homes, Co-authored by homeschool mother Debra Raybern, N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A.; homeschool mother and researcher Sera Johnson, B.MU; mother and writer/editor Laura Hopkins, B.S.; and mother, grandmother and former Home Economics teacher Karen Hopkins, B.S. will change how you eat, how you cook, and how you live…for the better.

Photobucket

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is a three-in-one family nutrition and health program for all ages that presents the major body systems, how they function, their common health issues, the benefits of good food and the consequences of bad food. Its 448 pages include into six units:

  1. The Brain and Nervous System
  2. Digestion and Elimination
  3. Respiration and Olfactory
  4. Muscular and Skeletal Systems
  5. Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
  6. Endocrine System and Emotions.

This book is packed with so much information that you will want to use it from now on. This is one of those books you won’t know whether to put it on the shelves with your cookbooks, your reference books or your self-help/herbal medicine natural health books.

Biblically based and packed with hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes, this program teaches and reinforces the why’s of what we should eat, not just “because I said so.” Containing a complete reference guide filled with nutrition facts, charts, practical tips and an exhaustive index, Nutrition 101: Choose Life! will serve as a constant resource for improved health and abundant living.

 

As I have read through this on my own, and then talked with my children about what I am learning implementing little bits here and there, my children have taken a much bigger role in their health.

This book covers so much more then just nutrition. It covers some anatomy and physiology, health, science, a little gardening as you learn what veggies and fruits are good for you and why, and applying Bible Scripture to your health and wellness. There are recipes scattered throughout. The appendix is full of charts and lists that I would like to post on the inside of my kitchen cabinet doors for quick reference.

Honestly, I wished I had this book back before I was married. There is so much information on helping your body stay healthy by changing what and how you eat. There are discussion questions which is how I have included my children. We discuss, and then I pull bits of information from my reading and explain things to them. My oldest child will read the book, but my younger are a little too young to get much from the reading or from reading it aloud. I just break it down to their level.

I think everyone should have this book. Yes, it is that good. Winking smile You can see a sample of this book here. Yes, the book seems expensive, but when you consider the possible saving in your family’s health by implementing a few healthier changes it isn’t that much. Our family has been making some of these changes overt he last few years, but I am now going to make a few more faster. Winking smile

You can purchase just the book for $99.95 or the book and CD rom of the book for $129.95 or just the CD Rom for $79.95. As a reader of the TOS Homeschool Crew, however, you have the chance to save 15% using the coupon code: TOScrew11 — and this is the same discount you would be able to get at a homeschool conference.

If the book and CD have the same information, what is the value of having both? The book provides all of the information from the CD professionally printed and bound in full color. The CD allows you to reprint individual copies of the recipes,shopping lists, charts and any other relevant pages. Many families print single pages and create a folder for each child. Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is a tremendous resource and having it in both formats allows flexibility and saves you time and money.

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Growing Healthy Kids also offers several other healthy family products.

I received this book free for my honest and personal review and opinions. I will receive no further compensation.

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, Health, homeschool, Homeschool curriculum review, In the Kitchen, review Tagged With: , , , , ,

Homeschool Mother’s Journal~April 18

April 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In my life this week…

I put my own family on the back burner so to speak and helped a friend out whose mother had to have a brain tumor removed.  My family supported this, and enjoyed pulling together to keep the home front up.

In our homeschool this week…

Life lessons, and that was all.  As in, how to survive without mommy during an emergency. Winking smile

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

I got to spend an amazing time with my friend and her siblings, daughter, aunt and mother.  This family blessed me beyond words.  Though, I was there as a supporter and encourager. I believe I am the one who came out ahead.

My favorite thing this week was…

My friend’s mom is expected to make a fairly good recovery.  Sunday Morning last week, she wasn’t expected to survive.  Tomorrow, she leaves the hospital and will go through rehabilitation.

What’s working/not working for us…

We are dropping most all of our “planned curriculum and just going to focus on our reviews for the TOS Crew, and garden.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

As homeschool parents we are responsible for educating our children.  We need to make sure they have the skills both for life and educational to function outside our home someday.  Even if they just want to be a mom at home with their children, there may come a day they would have to support the family if something doesn’t go according to their plan. 

I am not a heavy on the textbooks kind of homeschool mom, but be sure your children know how to manage things if needed.  From grocery budget, to fixing a flat tire, check oil, to being able to balance the checkbook, cook a meal, do the laundry and such. Winking smile 

 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Well, after this week, I am posting a song that is a constant reminder of What Faith Can Do.

What Faith Can Do Lyrics
Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you’re stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling

And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That’s what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, encouragement, Health, homeschool, Homeschool Mother's Journal, Prayer Request Tagged With: ,

Life Precious Life…Our God is an Awesome God!

April 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

The last ten days have been a bit of a whirlwind…I attended a Christian Women’s Retreat on Friday and Saturday (April 8-9), I came home early afternoon on April 9th and then early Sunday morning received a phone call from my best friend’s daughter Sarah, and would change the next few weeks of our lives.

Her grandmother has been living with them for several months and has been deteriorating for the entire time.  Saturday she became unresponsive, taken to the ER, CT done revealing a large mass, transferred to a large hospital and that is where we became involved.

My friend and I have been friends for several years.  When her daughter called, there was no one at the hospital with her mom, and things looked VERY grim.  As in there was nothing that could be done.  However, we all know the power of prayer and that when we storm heaven’s gates, that miracles can happen. 

After I received the call, I called the church they had attended to get the prayer warriors on the case.  I also asked if they could get someone to the hospital to be with her.  Within three hours they had someone there!!  The hospital is about two hours from here, four and a half from their home.

As the day went along Sunday I talked to both mother and daughter several times trying to help in whatever way I could. 

I made arrangements for all but ,my youngest child to stay with friends and family so I could be at the hospital on Monday, however God was bigger…

Late Sunday…around 10 pm we found out that the tumor was operable, and we pulled back on my plans for Monday.  I would be needed the day of surgery.  When you have six children, it can be hard to be away for too long. Winking smile

So, we on Monday we got a definite answer that the surgery would be Tuesday afternoon.  This allowed enough time for family to get there.

Sarah, left her hometown early Tuesday morning, I dropped off children here there and nearly everywhere, met Sarah at our house and we headed into town to see Grandma, and be there for the surgery.  Our plan was to come home that evening…however, our plans are not always doable. Winking smile

They took Grandma Ruth back for her surgery around 3:30.  They said the surgery should take two to three hours.  However, seven then eight and nine pm rolled around.  At about 10 pm the surgeon came out to say that she made it through the surgery fine, and that he was able to get what he believes all the tumor.  However, the tumor was more like a watermelon as for texture—hard on the outside.  It was a little bigger then an orange from my understanding.

It would be another hour and a half before she was moved back to her room.  So, Sarah and I didn’t go home.  In fact we had an adventure.  Since our plan was to go home, we were rather unprepared…won’t be letting that happen again. Winking smile

We took off for a Wal-Mart to gather tooth brushes, a few snacks, and such.  We didn’t have any trouble getting there, but we were in a not so pleasant area of town…please not we are hicks and proud of it.

So, we decided to take a little different route back to the hospital.  At some point the street we were on change names and took us the wrong way.  (the city we are in is over 350,000 people, I live in a city that is 1200 county the cats and dogs, Sarah lives in a little larger town, neither of us are what I would call familiar with the city…we can get there, but we have fun turning around).

As we are driving I look for the river we are supposed to be by, it is supposed to be out my passenger window, but it is out the drivers window and flowing the wrong way.  So, I take the first street I can to go around the block..but umm that was a bit scary…as in obviously a very BAD part of town.  We have now learned I CAN flip a u turn on a dime in the middle of the street driving a 15 passenger van.  Winking smile 

We headed straight for the Hotel and convention center that our annual homeschool convention is held.  We were going to get directions and get ourselves back to where we were supposed to be. lol

So, I get the directions and we head off where we are headed to find that the street we are told to take is one way the wrong way…no, we are not making much progress.  We did finally make it and made it safely

We were able to stay in the girls room at the motel the family had been staying at.  We woke bright and early Wednesday to find that Ruth had had a GREAT night.  When we went up to the room, she was responding to us a little.  I think the highlight of our visit was getting to see my two year old Hannah.  I had her in the Mei Tie, and Ruth watched and watched her with a bit of a smile on her face.

During our stay, my husband Brad used Sarah’s pickup to transport our children as it seats more then the two his does.  He found out that the radiator was not working and was able to fix it for her. 

We came home Wednesday late afternoon which was also our Heidi’s sixth birthday.  We quickly whipped up a cake, and wrapped presents in time for a birthday party that evening. 

Sarah left yesterday morning to go home, and guess what…

 

 

 

RUTH is going back to their home town tomorrow morning to a rehabilitation facility.

How Great is our GOD?  Yes, He is that GREAT, and even better!! 

Filed Under: Blessings, Christian Family, Christian Mothering, encouragement, Health, On my heart, Prayer Request Tagged With: , , ,

Please keep my best friend and her family in your prayers.

April 11, 2011 by 4 Comments

My best friend’s mom has a brain tumor.  She will be having surgery tomorrow afternoon to remove it. 

This family has a lot going on right now besides this.  Graduation, oldest son on a mission trip, her father recently passed away, and a family member is currently deployed. 

Please keep them in your prayers.  God knows the family and they know him.  I am taking their oldest dd to the hospital tomorrow. 

I am not going to be blogging much this week.  Have a great week, and if you want to leave a comment of support and encouragement for this family, I will get it to them. Winking smile 

Thanks!!

Filed Under: Christian Family, Family update, Health, Prayer Request

Weekly Wrap-Up~ The one when I decided school was over-rated~Unschooling takes over.

March 11, 2011 by 14 Comments

Yep, you read that right.  We have not done ANY formal learning this week.  Why? 

Well, after this past weekend, I didn’t have the emotional ability to even think about school.  If we had meals, and clothes and could walk through the house we were good. 

I haven’t really shared the emotional state that Saturday put me in.  Really, I was holding together by a thread.

When I headed to the ER with Hannah, I really thought we would come home with a prescription for antibiotics for an ear infection or strep.  But…that is not what happened.  It was what was happening until, the very last minute before we were to be discharged…I mean, I had just finished signing that I understood how to take care of her.  When she suddenly she looked very, very sick.  The nurse was in the middle of her dismissal vitals when she left the room running…her temperature was 104.8 and she hadn’t even finished taking it.   I had four other children in the ER with me, and I had to try and act like nothing was wrong, as did the other staff.  My FIL came and got our other children quickly, but I let on nothing of what was taking place inside.  I had held it together until I walked back into the hospital.  My world collapsed, and  I had to make decisions I didn’t know how with out my husband.

“Do we life flight?” 

“Which hospital?” 

“There aren’t any beds available for her there, where do you want to go?“

Finally we figured out the how and where, it only actually took about 10 minutes, but in those ten minutes I was scared.  We were sitting in a room full of nurses, aides, a PA and a doctor who really were not sure how to further help Hannah.  Hannah’s heart rate was over 200, her respirations were very shallow and fast as in 60+ per minute and her fever was over 105 and climbing and her O2 saturation was holding in the low 90s and jumping to the upper at times.  She was unresponsive, and Tylenol had done nothing.   As a former EMT, CMA, and CNA, I knew she was in trouble.  We were sponging her off with cool damp rags as much as possible. 

I called for our church to get a prayer chain started.  I called my friend Julie to find a phone cord as my battery was low and getting lower trying to keep my husband informed of what was going on.

Then Julie showed up and my world started to level again.  See, that is what friends are for.  They can pray for you to have the emotional stability.  They can hold your hand and give you a hug.  They also will help you to remember that God is there and he knows more then we do what Hannah needs.  They will bring you their phone cord so when you are sitting in the hospital at 4 am unable to sleep, you can read the Bible you have downloaded on your phone, or listen to What Faith Can Do by Kutless on your phone.   When all you can do is cry out to God…

God please help us.  Please, please help us.  I am not sure how many times I kept saying that…over and over again.

See, I took a little two year old into the ER who could still walk and talk, who had been playing with a balloon right before we left the house.  I asked myself three times on the drive to the ER, why I was taking her, and God pushed me to go ahead.  Her temperature was 104.1 and she had been vomiting since 3 am.  She just didn’t act too sick…Until, she was VERY sick.  See, that is Hannah though, that is why it scares us so…

So, that was the weekend, we came home on Sunday, less then twenty four hours after she spiked those fevers that cause a whirl wind in a tiny little hospital in rural Kansas.   

Monday, we woke to her running a fever yet again.  We took her to our pediatrician who decided to treat her for a UTI after we visited about her symptoms.  See, all the tests we had run so far showed nothing really too bad.  She had had an antibiotic shot in the hospital for an ear infection and her fever went away for 36 hours.  Something was still off in her little body, and I mentioned the odd smell of her wet diapers.  Bingo!!

Tuesday we slept, and cuddled and watched movies. 

Wednesday I was back on my knees as she had another fever. 

Thursday, she seems fine and we got out of the house to play in the yard for just a bit. 

My older children have played store, geography quizzes, spelling quizzes, house, and numerous other childhood games.  Hannah and I have slept and cuddled and read books…pretty much normal, except for her excessive sleep as she recovers. 

 

Today, less then a week after she sat up and vomited all over me in the middle of the night, Hannah appears to be recovering very well.  She has played outside for just a few minutes and is napping quietly.   I have been working on my book organization and database.  My brain is literally swimming with ISBNs and sticky dots.

Tomorrow, our friend Sarah will be here and our family will have a lot of fun as always with her.  She and I will work on this book thing some or maybe a lot…

I think my children probably learned more this week then they have in all the weeks I have homeschooled.  Saturday morning they did all the homeblessing on their own.  Saturday at the hospital, they learned about all sorts of medical equipment in the ER.  Sunday they got to listen in on Hannah’s exam before getting to go home.  Monday they played at the park while I took her to the doctor.  Tuesday they fixed meals, played together, taught each other letters, sounds, numbers, counting, and cities and states.  Wednesday they did laundry and put five loads away without a fuss.  Thursday they understood why we didn’t stay out side for our normal all afternoon time…Hannah was getting worn out, and we need to conserve her strength.  Friday we talked about earthquakes, tsunamis, and Japan, California, Hawaii, and such in relation to the Earthquake.

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, encouragement, Health, Lifestyle of learning, On my heart Tagged With: ,

Roller Coaster Weekend~ER Visit, Ambulance Ride, Home Again, and Back to the Doctor

March 7, 2011 by 7 Comments

Our two year old Hannah woke throwing up around 3 am Sat. She vomited all morning and was running anywhere from a 102.6 to 104 temp. At 11:30 am she started vomiting bile. I called our on call pediatrician who told me to get her to the ER. Dh and Grandparents were both out of town, so I took four of our children plus Hannah with me.
We went to our local ER. Hannah was tested from strep and flu, they also did a CBC and other blood work. She started acting better, and they found she had an ear infection. The nurse wrote up her discharge paperwork, and I was signing it when Hannah suddenly looked much worse. They decided to do another set of vitals and her temp had sky rocketed in less then five minutes from 102.6 to 104.8. They told me I couldn’t take her home. I called dh to find somewhere to go with our other children and explained to him that we weren’t leaving. In under three minutes her temp went up to 105.4. They started laying cool damp rags all over her, and to tell me they were transferring her to another hospital. The first hospital they planned to transfer via helicopter, didn’t have any open beds in the pediatric unit. So, I asked them to contact her pediatrician, to see if they could take her (smaller facility then the one they were going to air lift her to). He was out of town but his colleague said ok. But to understand we may be further transported if he doesn’t feel she is stable enough to keep her.
At this time she seemed to be more stable, so I was comfortable with this, though a stressed out basket case. Did I mention that I was alone and dh was out of town? We got on the ambulance and she just laid there for the entire 40 mile trip.

We got situated in a room and they came to get and IV started. They could not get her an IV started as she either fought them out before they could get them taped down, or they couldn’t get it to thread in her little dehydrated body. They tried four times, and decide to give her time to rest. IMG00057-20110305-2140

While she was resting she started to nurse and drink, then she nursed for 45 minutes. They decided to not worry over the IV for then. A little later her fever started to come back up, they gave her Tylenol and it has stayed down since. She woke Sunday morning doing much better, and we were discharged. Here she is eating her breakfast Sunday morning.

The home from the hospital honeymoon ended at 3 am. Hannah started running a fever and crying. We took her to see her pediatrician and we are treating her for a UTI. Praying this fixes everything and she will be back to herself soon. Thanks for all the prayers, messages, texts etc.

Sorry these pictures are fuzzy they are from my phone.

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, Health Tagged With:

Hot Soothing Throat Juice

January 17, 2011 by 4 Comments

When we are sick, I try to make it a little less miserable. 

What we are sick with now, seems to set your throat a fire, your nose a running (and no you don’t have the strength to catch up), and your body to aching. 

We are all quite miserable except our four year old who rarely is ever sick enough to act sick. 

So, in a quest to make us forget that we are miserable for just a few minutes, and to help soothe our sore throats, I started putting juices together in our crock pot to make something similar to Hot Cider, but a little more rich in vitamins and herbal goodness and a little cheaper for the large family.

DSCN6524

Recipe:

2 quarts Apple juice

2 Cups pineapple juice

3/4 cup of lemon juice

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. whole cloves

1/2 cup sugar or add honey to taste

Put all ingredients in the crockpot on high, if patient enough to wait, or in a stock pot.  Bring to a boil and transfer to crockpot so it is ready for you throughout the day.  You can add some ginger too, but we found it a bit harder on our throats, but it did soothe the tummy. Winking smile  A little vanilla adds a different flavor spin too.

I add a little cold water to cool it down for my children, but dh and I drink it hot right out of the pot. 

Throat Juice

Filed Under: frugality, Health, In the Kitchen Tagged With: , , , ,
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