Relaxation and ER...do the two go together?

Today, for me, YES they do! My TW has had a stiff/sore neck for around a month now and he has been putting off going to the doctor. He finally got an appointment made to see our Dr. next Tuesday. His neck has been so sore that his range of motion in it has been minimized and he has been icing it at night. Today his right arm went numb and was weak so he decided to go to the ER to see what was going on. Mind you, I am usually the one in the ER. We joke that I have a VIP pass. So, when he called me and told me he was there, but not to worry and not to come up I responded, "Yeah right! I am on my way!" Now the ER is not the fastest moving system, unless you are dying, so we knew we would be there a while. I took a book and was ready to wait. I also was suffering from a migraine so I was in some pain myself. As we are sitting in the room back in the ER I start to realize that I am enjoying myself. Is that odd...I am finding rest in the ER. LOL! I enjoyed the quietness. The ability to kick my feet up and do nothing and feel okay with it because there was nothing to do. I can do this same thing at home, but it is not the same. When I sit down and kick my feet up at home or lay down for a nap there is still some underlying voice in me that says "Laundry is waiting. Dinner needs to be fixed. Pick up the house." But, in this ER my only choice was to wait. I had no other obligations at this point. Ahhhh. It was refreshing. An interesting spot to feel relaxed and refreshed. But, hey, take where you can get it!

P.S. TW walked away with a pulled muscle.

Our Fishing Adventure

This morning TW wanted to take the family fishing. It was a beautiful morning and so being outside sounded great to me. TW headed to Wal Mart to stock up on fishing supplies, basically just some rods for the girls and some bait, because one of his best friends has his tackle box. The girls wanted to go with him to pick out their poles, but he wasn't having that. He knew they would pick out Barbie, Hello Kitty, or something else like that. "No, I will go get the poles while you get ready. I am going to get poles that are great for fishing but aren't necessarily pretty ones." As simple as that the girls agreed and they were on their way to get their fishing gear on. They were super excited! When TW got home he packed a cooler with some drinks and snacks and off we went. We picked a spot in the shade right next to the water to set up shop. We sure did look good, but the fish weren't biting. Funny how TW's number one rule for fishing was Patience, and I think he was the first one to lose his. :) Basically because he wanted so badly for the girls to catch a fish that he was getting frustrated. AAP was brave! She was even putting the bait on the hook all by herself. AKP just wanted to cast and then reel her line in right away, so she did that over and over. She had the same worm on her hook the whole time we were there. After moving locations in hopes of finding the "right spot" they tried again. Still no luck! How do you explain that to the kiddos. Actually they were real troopers. Better luck next time!

My Cowboy

He Fought For Me!

My Tender Warrior!

I recently read that every woman longs to be fought for by her mate. This rang true for me and it was an "aha" moment for me as well. To have TW defend me makes me feel like a worthy person; it makes me feel loved. Boy, did TW come through in a big way this weekend. It made my heart melt!

On Friday of last week I found out I have to have surgery to remove a cyst that is on my right ovary. I struggle with anxiety and fear a lot. While I have come a long way in this area, I still have a lot of work to be done. One of my fears is surgery. I don't like the whole being put to sleep thing. So, when I got off the phone with the Dr. on Friday I was a basket case. I called TW and just lost it. He came home from work right away! That was big for me. Oh, how comforting that was. If you know TW very well, you know he works hard and long, but he was there when I needed him and that just filled me up. But, that wasn't the example I was thinking of when starting to write this. I don't remember how it came up, but somehow I found out that he had called my Dr. on his own so that he could find out a little more information and speak with him himself regarding the surgery. When I heard that he did that I just swelled up so big and I felt like he had fought for me. I don't think he knew that it was a big deal to me, but it was HUGE. Tonight I thanked him for what he did so that he would know just how much I appreciated that and how loved I felt.

I am done bragging now. :)

The surgery is this Friday morning. Please pray for me, my family, and the doctors! Many blessings to you!

New Found Appreciation

Growing up my mom always had an extreme interest in birds. We had a bird feeder and she had different books that would help her identify the birds. While I thought it was neat, I didn't really get what all the hype was about for her. This Spring God has opened up my eyes to his nature in a whole new way. I am totally into birds this year. I got a hummingbird feeder for Mother's Day, it is hand blown and it is beautiful! So, TW hung it on the deck right outside the window that I look out of when I am doing dishes and cooking. He also moved our bird feeder to where I can see it as well out the window. My mom bought me a pot of mixed flowers that attract butterflies, so TW put it at the base of my bird feeder. I LOVE it! I can now see all different types of birds, the awesome beauty of hummingbirds, and then butterflies as well. I have never noticed so many butterflies as I have this year. My eyes have been opened in a whole new way. Take some time today to enjoy the beauty of God's nature around you! You just might notice something you have never noticed before!

C.A.A.D.D.

I recently received the following in an email. It is so true!



Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. - Child Activated Attention
Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the laundry room, I notice
that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal
bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car
keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the
counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the
trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take
out the trash I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check
left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my
desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put sippy cup
in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the
sippy cup, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye --they need to be
watered.

I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been
searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom,
but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot
the TV remote, one of the kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that
after school when they go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote as
they fight over who lost it, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen
table, so I decide to put it back in the den where belongs, but first I'll
water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So,
I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At
the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there
is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered,
there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I
can't find the wipes, and I don' t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled
because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it,
but first I'll check my e-mail. Do me a favor, will you? Forward this
message, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent. Don't laugh --
if this isn't you yet, your day is coming.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things that help me survive motherhood:

1. A good cup of coffee in the morning. For me, I need flavored CoffeeMate creamer to go along with my cup of joe.

2. Ziploc baggies. Yes, you read it right...ziploc baggies. They can be used for so many things. Holding snacks, storing wet wipes, sealing a dirty diaper, carrying crayons or markers, holding money, etc.

3. A sense of humor. The ability to laugh things off and keep going.

4. The sweet sound of "I love you Mommy".

5. Books. Let's face it we all could use a little advice in the parenting arena. My personal favorite is: Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years by: Jim Fay and Charles Fay
This book saved me!

6. A faithful babysitter.

7. Other moms. You will relate to your friends in a whole new way when you share the common bond of parenting. There are just some things my friends without children will never understand about me until they become a parent themselves. There is a common bond between mothers.

8. A camera. Capture the moment so you will never forget it.

9. A great life coach/counselor.

10. Perseverance. The will to outlast your child is a true art form.

11. Effexor. My anti-anxiety/anti-depression medicine.

12. Quiet time. One of my favorite times of the day is at night after everyone has gone to bed. I have no obligations. Ahhh it is refreshing.

13. Watching my children interact with other kids. I love to see who they are as a person in a social setting. I learn so much from this. My favorite is to watch when they don't even know I am there.

Mother's Day Early

TW and I were gone for the weekend and our kiddos were with two sitters. What a great blessing to have people that you can trust your kids with so that you can leave town and get away! When we got back in town Addisyn had made a card for me. It was the sweetest card she has ever made for me. It has a picture of the two of us, that she drew, inside of a heart and it says "I love you Mommy". The inside reads:
You do a good job of cooking. You smell good. You ro good at loveing. You cuddling good. You read good. You have a nis looking car. You take care of me. You ro good at bedtime. You ro good at brushing my hair. You ro good at saying please and thank you and you ro welcom.

So sweet! I have it on my bathroom counter so I can see it everyday!

My Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I saw this on my friend Tina's blog and found it very interesting! If you have time figure out your on Visual DNA...it is pretty interesting!