Friday

Here we are going into the last weekend before school starts for the kids. I cannot believe it is almost Fall!

We are getting used to Maddie's new diet (no egg, milk or wheat) and finding new places to eat. Downtown Portland has some great restaurants that serve healthy food. We tried one tonight called the Laughing Planet Cafe. Check it out here: http://laughingplanetcafe.com/

It was soooo good.

I will be a busy bee on the 4th. I am teaching two classes, start the dissertation editing for a PhD student and my editing job.

Tomorrow we are having our back-to-school party and then I am going to get crazy with my house in terms of organization and cleaning. Not a very fun weekend, but it has to be done before school starts and things get crazy with work.

Ashlin's birthday is in 13 days too. My baby will be 5!

I am going to watch a little Lost, eat a Clif Crunch bar, drink some Sobe and then head off to sleep land early tonight :). ~S

Exhausted!

The last two days have been very busy!

I can finally say I am done school shopping!

All three kids now have hoodies, jackets, underwear, socks, coats, shoes, shirts, pants and school supplies. Whew!

I was thinking of picking up another job at a university the last couple of days as editing has slowed down, but then today I got asked to do 2 starting on the 4th (I have one ending on the 7th)!!!! Yeah!!!

Today, we went to a birthday party at Chucky Cheese and yesterday we went skating. Tomorrow, my two older kids get tested for food allergies. We will be at the allergist from 9-2. Oh joy!

Excited for a relaxing weekend with not so much running around! Our back to school party is on Saturday :). I will post pics. Here is a cute pic of Maddie. She was very excited to get new shoes. Her boots are my favorite.

Also pictured is some of my favorite snacks right now :). I am down almost 15lbs!  I love to snack on: string cheese, hard boiled eggs, Spanish olives, kalamata olives, and all fruits and veggies. It has been so hard finding things that are made without nuts and apple. Almost all of the health bars contain some sort of nuts or apple.~S

Fresh berries. Potato, peas, tomato and edamame salad. Yum!

LOVE these!

One in my purse at all times :).

Late night snack!

 

 

 

Pain

Yesterday I got a mirror and looked at my woman parts. I had to see why I was in so much pain. I was a little surprised, but also not shocked. I have two huge splits at the top that are burning, stinging and itch and a gash looking thing with red, raw skin further down about the size of my pinkie nail. Ouch. All three of these make doing anything unpleasant, especially using the bathroom.  As a result, I did not sleep well last night.

I really wanted to just stay in bed all day with an icepack and some ibuprofen, but I had to go to work early to be back in time to take the kids skating and I promised a coffee date with the hubby before work. Hopefully, I can relax later on tonight once the kids are in bed.

I really wanted to workout on the treadmill today, but even the idea of sweat makes me cringe. Even taking a shower and soaping, washing and rinsing down there is excruciating.

I hope you are having a better day :/. ~S

Update

This last week was busy. Maddie came home from Vegas and we had our annual PD BBQ that Matt and I do each year.

I am getting ready for Ashlin's 5th birthday, her first day of Preschool and for Jaiden to start 6th and Maddie 2nd. We will also be having our traditional Back-to-School party as well.

Did I mention I am super excited for Fall?

My eating plan is going awesome and I am excited for the 5k in October.

We have our guest list for our July 2013 renewal of vows :).

Here are some pics from this last week :). Can you believe it is almost September?!  ~S





Maddie & Cousin Jordan in Vegas.



At the airport. My hair is jacked up from my bun being patted down. :O 

 

Crazy Ashlin.



Fanno Creek House where we had our BBQ.

Yummy!!!!



Pinata Time!



Choosing Healthy

I mentioned in a previous post that we were meeting with a nutritionist. I am happy to report that it went well and we learned more about Matt's disease and how to better help him. One interesting thing I learned was that when you drink alcohol, your body immediately stores it as fat. Crazy!

We went on a date last night to my work (exciting I know) and then to see Batman. We don't go to movies that often (only a few times a year) and usually get some sort of treat, drink and popcorn.

I have been doing really good on my clean eating and was determined not to cheat. I am happy to report that I brought a Sobe from home and some carrots, sugar snap peas and a variety of olives and pickles. It was great! Just the right amount of salty, sweet (from the carrots) and crunch. I was satisfied and did not regret once not getting all the junk.

Today I pick-up Maddie after work and we are getting ready for our annual PD BBQ tomorrow. Busy, Busy!

Happy Friday! ~S

Vegas & Norman

Looks like Miss Maddie is having too much fun with her four cousins :). I am excited to hear all about it when she gets back on Friday.

Meanwhile, I have been busy working and spending all my free time neglecting the house doing fun things with Ash and Jaiden. Yesterday, we went to Chucky Cheese and a park to play in the water. Today, we went to the movie ParaNorman. Tomorrow, it's Out of this World with three other families and then a nutrition appointment. I am exhausted, but having a ton of fun.

Jaiden & Ash about to see the movie.

Maddie playing with her cousins' pup.

Cousins Jonathan & Jordan

This I know

I am 10 pounds lighter.

I love edamame.

Ashlin cannot sleep without her sister (thus the sleepovers in my bed every night).

I have yet to clean out the toy closet.

I have not ate anything I am allergic to.

Going to Chucky Cheese, the park to play in the water AND work is exhausting.

I hate my husband on graveyards.

I get a high just from being in the mountains.

I have a Sobe lifewater with me at all times.

I don't think I will EVER like getting my picture taken.

I am still not used to my husband wearing a wedding band (he just got one).

Listening to your three kids play happily in a tent is a wonderful sound.

Deep cleaning a Honda Pilot burns a ton of calories.

Devouring a good book in three days is life changing.

I am excited for Miss Maddie to come home on Friday. ~S

Airplanes, Old Trucks & Guns

On our camping trip, we drove up the mountain and had fun shooting some of Matt's guns. On the way home, we stopped at a gas station and saw our old Ford Ranger that we sold years ago. It was so funny. The guy who bought it, filled our gas. What are the chances?!

I took Maddie to the airport today to board her first flight alone to NV to see my brother and family. So many people have said, "Wow, I could not do that. You are brave!"

The thing is, I am not brave. I just realized (after she cried when Jaiden got to fly 3 different times to his uncles) that she was ready. She begged us. It never even occurred to me that she would want to.

At the airport, the only thing I was worried about was if she would get scared at take-off and landing. But, she did just fine :). I know my brother and wife will take great care of her and she will have many memories from this neat experience. I am glad that my kids get to spend quality time with their uncles/aunts/cousins and that I raised independent children that are confident enough to take on such adventures.

The thing is, when your kids get older you have to make many decisions. For Jaiden is has been: staying home alone, walking home alone from the bus, riding his bike in the neighborhood, babysitting his siblings, walking to the bowling alley with friends, dropping him off to roller skate, swim or go to the movies with friends and so forth.

There really is no appropriate age to decide such things. Every child is different as is every situation. I am a firm believer that for my kids (who are relatively shy) when they have the desire to do something by themselves, I let them. It builds confidence. I saw a difference after Jaiden took his first vacation by himself to my brother's in MT. The trick is to build life skills that enable them to handle such things alone or with friends and make positive choices.

Brave? No. I just know that building relationships with their uncles will make a huge impact on their lives and the more positive role models (besides my husband and I) that my kids have, the more likely they are to be able to leave my house when they are adults and confidently create their own path with a ton of cheerleaders that believe in them :). ~S

Jaiden

Maddie




Ash 

Maddie's first flight!

She was so excited! I was besides myself with worry :/.



My brother and his daughter Morgan waiting at the NV airport for Miss Maddie :).

So funny! Glad it is still running, but it has seen better days. LOL.

Words in Pictures

They are such buddies. Notice the matching outfits?!

Maddie, Tiffany, Ashlin & Caleb cooling off from this 99 degree weather.

At Chucky Cheese. No idea who this boy is. He asked to be in the picture. :)

Can you tell my kids dress themselves?!

 

Camping in Tillamook, OR.

What?! You mean your husband does not cook with a machete? Don't worry, it's Filet Mignon tomorrow.

Ashlin used a hatchet to dig up a plant, then re-plant it. LOL.

This is my job when we camp.

Love Camping. Beautiful huh?

Check out those cup holders! Thanks Mom!

My dad bought me this tent for graduation. It has three rooms with dividers so the girls shared one side, Jaiden on the other, and Matt and I in the middle. Awesome.

Proof that Jaiden came. He hates when I take his picture. 11-year-olds!

77 degrees and beautiful on the coast.

Camping

We are camping for the next few days.

Hope you enjoy your week :). ~S

Goals

I have a few goals I wanted to share (mainly for accountability) with my blog readers.

1}  Get our toy closet cleaned out and toys given away before school starts.

2}  Eat healthy and get used to my new diet restrictions due to allergies.

3}  Do the couch to 5k each week. I have already started :).

4}  Have some more weight off by October (for the 5k). 

5}  Be happy with my body by July 6th when we renew our vows and I buy my first wedding dress.

These are all totally doable. I will succeed. ~S

Tuesday Nonsense

Remember when you were a kid and you used to love to rearrange furniture in your room?

Well, I did. I have come to the conclusion, that with a small house and three kids, it is no longer fun anymore. 

Since I moved my desk down to the front living room, I had to move a liquor cabinet in the kitchen. I got sick of the table in front of it because it looked all crammed in there, so this is what it looks like now.

It does make this area cozier I guess.

I can't wait until we move into a bigger house :/.

In other news...I just started a third job. I am doing some side work editing a dissertation for a PhD student. It is projected that I will be working on it for a year. The pay ends up being almost as good as my other two jobs ($40 an hour take-home).  I think I will set aside the money for a rainy day :).

We are going camping tomorrow until Saturday, then Maddie leaves to Las Vegas, NV for a week.

Are you ready for school? I have all three kids school supplies purchased and the girls stuff bought except for shoes. I need shirts for Jaiden.  Thanks to two friends, I hardly need anything for the girls since they gave me sack fulls of girls clothes (thanks Jenn B. and Jenn G.).

My 5k is in approximately 8 weeks :). My little brother will be here a few days before to run in the Portland Marathon. My kids are doing the kids dash at the same time as I do the 5k. It is fun to train as a family.

I am exhausted and still need to run on the treadmill. Wish me luck! ~S

How do you tuck your kids in at night?

We read this...

Notice the worn cover? It was mine when I was little.  How fun! We read a chapter a night :).

And

Played this...

Super fun game. I told the kids tomorrow we would play for candy and money. LOL. ~S

Guess Who...

Got a new Coach purse last night and my new computer set up?  ME!

I am trying to stay positive that I have two more things to deal with besides LS.

I now have to carry (mind you in a very cute purse) two inhalers and an Epi-Pen. I cannot enjoy a ton of stuff I used to and have to think every time I order food, grocery shop or take a bite of something.

Last night, I had to watch Matt eat peach pie. At least he didn't make me watch him eat guacamole at dinner :). 

We got a laugh yesterday at Jaiden's allergy shot appointment. My inhaler whistles (yes, that is correct, I said whistles) when I use it wrong. Guess what happened in front of a room of waiting people? LOL. I was laughing so hard I cried. Mainly because of the look on Matt's face when I attached the whistling tube to the inhaler. We also practiced (they give you a dummy one) with the Epi-Pen how to inject it into my leg. I am such a geek now.  At least I can laugh about it, right?


I know I will get used to it and in 3 weeks my body will be doing much better.

Things could be worse. ~S

Allergies

I have always had issues with allergies. As a teen, I was tested (not to food, just environmental) and was told I needed allergy shots. I was also told I had asthma.

I never got the allergy shots (I can't remember why) and I only used my inhaler for about a year and then just stopped.

Over the years, I have had stomach issues, headaches and mouth and throat irritation.  In the last two weeks, after trying some new food (Persian and Thai) I had a scary reaction. I immediately got hives on my throat and neck, irritation in my throat and mouth, coughing and horrible wheezing. I had to immediately drink Benedryl.

I ended up at the doctor's and he referred me to an allergist. I got tested yesterday and was shocked at how  my body reacted.

Come to find out I am highly allergic to: all weeds, all trees except for the maple, dogs, cats, all melons, apples, apricots, avocado, all nuts except cashews, bananas, sesame and various other things. I am waiting for a blood test to determine more.

I am so allergic to some stuff and the reaction on my arm was so severe that they had to give me a prescription for an Epi-Pen and two inhalers. My airway was scary inflamed and full of mucus.

Because I have not treated my asthma, the doctor said my body has trained itself to take short breaths over the years as deep, normal breaths cause me to cough.

He said with my breathing and allergies combined, I must be feeling like crap. I agree. Finally some answers! I am hoping that if I avoid the things I am allergic to, my itching with LS will improve.

I know it is just food, but most of the stuff I like has nuts. No more food with nuts at ALL. :(.  
I am excited to start feeling better and get rid of this chronic cough. Oh well.

My airway will calm down in three weeks and with inhalers I will still be able to run the 5k. Woo hoo.

 ~S

They inject you with what you may be allergic to and watch the reaction.






This is after. My arm was so swollen. Ouch.

Finished Project

I mentioned earlier that I was painting the fridge...this is how it turned out.

For now, I am having them use regular chalk (the liquid chalk is too hard for them to use). I took chalk and soaked it for ten minutes in a solution of 1 cup of water and 1tsp of sugar. It makes the chalk not smear as much. I love how it looks :).

This is how the liquid chalk looks (on my other chalkboard in the entryway).
I noticed it goes on a smooth surface better, not a fridge because the surface is bumpy. ~S

A Thousand Pieces

Tonight, my sweet rumble tumble little girl came to me crying.

About two years ago (at 3, same as me) she was diagnosed with LS. I thought I would die that day. I must have cried for an hour straight.

The last two years, I have been able (after an unsuccessful attempt with steroids) to keep it somewhat controlled with: non-perfumed soaps, no underwear, helping her wipe and so forth. But, tonight when I looked, for the first time she had two fissures.

I thought my heart would break in a thousand pieces.

I wanted to fall to my knees and sob uncontrollably, but I put a smile on my face, told her it would be okay and comforted her.

After she went to bed, I lost it.

How do I tell my little girl that it will only get worse from here on out? That there will not be a single moment when she is not aware of the itching, stinging, burning and bugs crawling feeling? How do I tell her that there is no hope, no research, no help and no answers? That her most private area of her body will be ravished, discolored, deformed and embarrassing? That she will find a man that understands and will have compassion?

I don't. I just pray to God that he will heal my baby. There are quite a few cases in which the LS disappears after puberty. I hope this is the case for her. It was not for me.

At some point, in a few years, I will have to sit her down, and tell her the truth. I pray by then I have the strength to do so. I hope my blog will be a source of comfort for her.

She is only 4. I don't know how to deal with LS at such a young age. I can barely deal with it myself.

I pray that God blesses me with the strength to deal with both her pain and mine. To be able to get out of bed tomorrow and not cry myself to sleep tonight.

Lord help me. ~S

Chalkboard Fridge

This is my next project.  I want a chalkboard fridge like on the show Good Luck Charlie.

I am going to use the liquid chalk so it does not smear. What do you think?

Here is an example...

I will post a picture when I am done with mine :). ~S

Because You're Only 4 Once

Ashlin the dog.

We all need two drinks and a whole container of fish crackers, right?!

At a store. She requested to go in "the cage."

What happens when you steal your dad's phone.

Yep. She picked out her own outfit and icecream!

Enough Said.

Daddy gave up his shirt because she was cold.

Water.Food.Plate

I'm cool like that.

She actually asked me first. I said sure :).