Organized Chaos

Is there such a thing?  I think so.  To other ppl my desk may seem chaotic but to me, I know where things are.

 

I am trying to get better.  I am trying to get more routines going in my day so that things get done on time.  Before Aiden was born I had a routine down pretty good.  I had certian days for certian things but that has kind of been thrown to the way side.  Time to start back at square one with the baby steps.  I enjoy the Flylady site.  Her tips and gentle nudges in my email/twitter and facebook are great (yes I need all three).  Her idea that anything can be done in 15 minutes takes a load off when I am facing larger tasks.  If you haven't gotten to know Flylady please go check out her site.  The main page can be found HERE.

Here is a view of what I see from my desk when my wonderful son is awake and playing:

 

Nice view huh?

 

My goal for the next few hours:

Finish up cleaning the master bath while daddy can keep baby in living room away from the chemical smells. I know Green cleaners, I use vinegar on a lot of things but we have such high iron in our water that I need some kind of iron remover for the tub or it is yellow.

Do another load of laundry. 

Do some more research on getting my own domain name and web server for my blog.  Any ideas on website addy's I should use?

midlifemomma.com is still available but I'm not sure I wanna stick with that.... what are your thoughts?

juliedriver.com is actually still available too so I could just use my name...

 

I have also been playing around with changing the name of my blog and thus the name of my domain would want to reflect it...

My first idea:  Was THIS In The Fine Print.  Referring to many of the things you don't think about ahead of time when it comes to being a parent.  Things that no one ever told you OR things people told you but somewhere in the back of your mind you thought "ya maybe for them but I'll be different."

It's Coming....

Last night I ran into the Dollar General to pick up a couple things.  While going up and down the aisles I kept smelling something.  Something familiar... yet I couldn't quite put my finger (read nose) on it...then at the register it hit me and I looked around.

Sure enough not far from the register is a box of cinnimon brooms.

You know what that means right?   Fall is coming... cooler weather is just around the corner!  I am doing a happy dance.  (well not really because that would be pretty close to exercise I believe).

Getting Revenge On My Farm town Avatar

So... I am a bit addicted to farm town... I'll admit that right off the bat.  Not as bad as some people but when you call friend and say "hey I have some crops ready can you come harvest...?"  You might have an issue or two.

One thing that has always irked me about the game is that as I am harvesting my little avatar likes to exercise.  Here I am in a hurry and in order to walk one little block in front of her...she walks the whole entire outside edge of the farm.  Then does the block.... then will walk several more laps till the next one.  It's aggravating.  When I want her to just get her job done she wants to stop and smell the roses and take the scenic route.

So, tonight, I am dealing with a bit of insomnia.  I decided to plant some crops on my farm.  That's when it hit me... it's the middle of the flippin' night, maybe my avatar is tired.  So, instead of planting nice squares where she could walk a little at a time I just started clicking all over the place.  One here, one way over on the other side of the barn then one back by the house, and so on and so on...

Take that!

License to Flee

Well, my son got his license today.

He called me and asked: "Do you have a picture of me?" To which I said "Huh?" Not because I hadn't heard him but because I couldn't understand WHY I wouldn't have one and what he would need one for.

"I said, do you have a picture of me?"

"well, yes why?"

"because you won't be seeing much of me anymore... I got my license!"

To which I replied "sure I will, your flywheel on your car is bad remember?"

Ahhh... to still be the burster of bubbles from time to time.

A couple weeks ago I kept telling hubby and Lew that they needed to get in bed. We had to be up early but they insisted they were watching a movie. Lew had the baby. Well, a while went by and I didn't hear the normal banter of father and son back and forth about what they were watching so I ventured to the living room. Here are my three "men" watching a movie:



And just for another Awwwww factor. Here is my lil guy last night in his swing hamin' it up for the camera. Hard to believe he is three months now.

Thank you... thank you very much

Since today is the "anniversary" of the death of Elvis Presley TCM is playing Elvis movies all day.  My mother must be in Elvis heaven. 

Growing up she watched Elvis movies EVERY time they came on tv.  I remember the day Elvis died and I was only 8 but I guess since my mother's reaction was so shocking it stuck with me.  I was coming through the kitchen and it came across the radio that Elvis Presley was dead.  (My mother ALWAYS has the radio on in the kitchen.  She often jokes she wants to be buried with a radio but to be honest I don't think it'll get a signal that deep in the ground).  Mom was on the back porch hanging up laundry and I knew she would want me to tell her this tidbit of information.  I went through the screen door which slammed behind me with a thud and told her, very matter of fact, "Mom, Elvis is dead"  I still remember,she stopped, arms in the air about to clip some article of clothing to the line.. looked right at me and said "Julie Anne (rarely was I called this) don't lie!"  Like, as an 8 year old I would know that lying about this would just irk her.  I assured her "Mom! I'm not lying!  They guy just said so on the radio" 

She dropped said article of clothing back into the basket and stormed past me.  I followed just to see her get proven wrong and learn that I wasn't lying to her.  She went past the radio and into the living room to turn on the television.  (maybe the tv had more authority?)  She turned it on and stood there as the program was interrupted and the sad news I had already told her was repeated.  She cried.  She said "no, it can't be" many times.  For days it was all people talked about.  I guess much like what happened recently when Michael Jackson died.

Watching Jailhouse Rock this afternoon brought back a memory of when my daughter Emily was probably about nine or so.  We were all watching Blue Hawaii when Emily came in the living room and asked "Is that Elvis?" 

My husband answered "yes" 

She said "I didn't know he made movies"

My son quickly picked at her for not knowing that fact then she asked a question she will NEVER live down...

"did he make this one before he died?"

The room was silent for a few seconds.  All of us turned to look at her. 

My husband answered "Nope, he made this one when he was dead."  That was when she figured out what she had asked and why all of us were looking at her like she had suddenly grown two heads.  She took quite a ribbing all afternoon.  (still does today)

So, whenever there is an Elvis movie on we ask her... "was this one made before he died".  She isn't home this afternoon.  I texted her and told her what was on tv and asked her the question. 

She hasn't texted back. 

Lazy Days

Yesterday and today I will admit were pretty lazy days.  I was up early yesterday with Aiden and then about 11 I had rocked him back to sleep.  I had almost rocked myself to sleep.  I looked at hubby and told him "I can barely keep my eyes open" He told me to go on in and lay down with the baby.  So I did.  He woke up around noon, nursed and we both went back to sleep.  We got up after 2 pm!

Today we got out of bed at one!  Not sure what has me so tired.  I guess my anemia is kicking in again.  I need to order some more supplements from Nature's Sunshine.  They seem to help a lot better than the prescribed iron the doc has me taking. 

Yesterday afternoon I did make something I had been wanting to attempt for the last several years and I had put it off because I thought it would be too difficult.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  I made Baked Potato Soup.  It was to DIE for!  Was not hard to make, not an expensive thing to make and was so delicious.  I ended up using a recipe from Paula Deen and tweeked it a bit more (not that it needed any help but I added more potatoes, used a sweet onion and extra bacon... you can never have TOO much bacon).

Here is the link to the recipe I used.

Baked Potato Soup

There is even a video at the site to show you how to make it.  It was quick and easy and oh so good. (I've said that a few times huh?)  The main reason I decided to try it is we had baked potatoes the night before and I had leftovers of them.  So, next time I bake potatoes I might just have left overs on purpose.  Shhhh don't tell hubby.  I wish I had taken a photo of the big bowl of steaming goodness to post here.  Guess I'll have to make another batch soon just to get a photo!

We had Bible study here last night with Brother and Sister Curtis.  I enjoy them so much.  They are both such a wealth of knowledge and it is always great to have older and wiser brothers and sisters to look up to and learn from.  They are sharing experiences on raising their own children that will be nothing but a blessing to us in raising ours. 

Kait came down last night so her dad and brother could help her boyfriend do some repairs on her car.  Once that was all fixed today she took off with her sister to take her school shopping.  This was a blessing in many aspects.  One, I didn't have to deal with rude people in the stores.  Two, I didn't have to deal with a whining daughter wanting to go to just one more store and Three... she paid for her clothes herself this year.  I will eventually reimburse her some of the funds but right now we are so broke we couldn't have gotten her anything at all.  Hubby missing work for a week due to a kidney stone, having to replace a tire in that same week and a couple other unexpected things sure sent us into a financial nose dive.  It stresses me to no end having to deal with things like this.  Me not working is both a blessing and a curse.  Financially it straps us to no end to not have the second income but I could not imagine having to have my son put into daycare.  When my other children were young I was home with them.  I took in other kids and did daycare in my home to supplement my husband's income at that time and also sold Tupperware.  I may have to find something like that once again to help out. 

My new goal is going to be to stretch our food budget as far as possible in order to the money saved there to be used in other parts of our budget.  I have found several great websites that help to teach you how to save.  I have saved greatly using the CVS extracare program from time to time but some of these woman are just amazing at saving money.  One you can check out now is a woman who feeds her family of four on $800 a year!  Yes, that's a year... not a month!  I will share more great sites in future blogs so you too can reap the savings and knowledge of these very wise women.  Maybe someday I'll be just like them. :)

Riding with teens

Even though I have a 26, 21, 20, 18 and 16 year old and three have driver's licenses today is the first day I rode with one of them that has a restricted (aka learner's permit). My son bought a 1971 Ford Torino 500 a couple months ago. He will get his license next week. He has been hounding me to ride in the car that he absolutely LOVES. Tonight I took the plunge. It wasn't TOO bad. I only squeaked one time when he got a bit close to the edge of the road... ok... so I kinda shouted "Lewis! Get OVER!". I lived. I don't think I got any more gray hair. Next week I might even ride with my daughter... slow... in the driveway.... on Sunday....

Lew's Car:




Lew is very proud of his car. He worked for and earned every cent that bought "her". He is working on slowly restoring her. He spent ALL day Friday sanding and priming about 1/3 of the hood so eventually "she" can have a nice new paint job.

After riding in his "baby" I have found it is a tank. My husband had told me not to worry about him but to worry about what he hit if he was ever in an accident. Now I know why. It took me not one, not two but THREE tries to push the heavy door shut!

I liked it so much better when the emblem on his car said "Little Tykes" Those days are gone.

Commercials

After watching a recent commercial I sat quietly with a perplexed look on my face.  I know I'm old but I didn't get it.  My son did have MTV on so maybe that's why I'm not "getting" it.  So, I turned and looked at him, only to find the same perplexed look on his face.  He was actually staring at the television like at any moment a voice over would come on and explain what we watched.

 

"What was that commercial for?" I asked (stupidly, I admit, because from the look on his face I knew the answer)

"I dunno" he replied.

 

People... I don't get it!  Who are the morons making these ads?  Who are the morons paying the lower morons to put out ads so dumb you have no idea what they are for or how the commercial relates to the product?

 

Cases in point:

Dell computer laptops... a factory with the song lollipop lollipop oooo lolli lollipop... cute catchy tune I just don't get it.

 

The stupid, idiotic commercial with the band of money with eyes "following" people around.  First the people just look at it... I, for one, would snap me up the moo-lah if it was just setting there and secondly... it's just plain DUMB!  When I saw the first one I remember thinking... well the dude that made that thing up is going to get fired!  But nooooo he probably got a big fat bonus because there are many of those DUMB commercials out there now.  For goodness sake, stick with the talking lizard...at least it has legs and you could explain him "following" you.

 

So, what commercials irk you the most?  If dumb ideas are for sale I have plenty I'd be willing to part with for cheap... let me know.

 

I still have no idea what the commercial was for we watched earlier.  I could rewind the dvr but hey, I have the dvr to have the ability to skip the commercials.  They make my brain hurt sometimes. 

Threats

We really do not ask TOO much of the kids... at least i don't think we do.  They rotate between doing the kitchen after dinner and cleaning the living room.  They have done their own laundry for several years.  They are 16 and 18.  The other day they were complaining about doing a chore.... I made a threat.... "I will start charging you rent and hire a maid".  They haven't complained much in the past few days.  In fact, tonight, their dad asked them to mow the yard and they did. 

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What's For Dinner

Trying a new recipe tonight.
It can be found here: http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-crunchy-onion-pork-chops-RE1416.html

So, is this a BAD thing?

So, my son decided to pull and all nighter again after two weeks of being on a semi-normal schedule. I crawled into bed at 4:33 a.m. (not that I was paying attention to the time or anything) I vaguely remember at some point in the a.m. getting up to get him to nurse. I KNOW I changed his diaper... do I REMEMBER changing his diaper... heck no! Is that a BAD thing to be in automatic mommy mode???

Life as a new “old” mom

So, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade.  When life throws you a baby at 40 you get back into the swing of changing diapers and breastfeeding!

I think I am almost there.  I have learned many things have changed since having my other children 17 years ago.  With my oldest I was told she was to be put to bed on her tummy only…no exceptions.  With the next two I was to put them on their sides with blankets on front and back to keep them there…no exceptions. With Aiden he is to sleep on his back “no exceptions”.  Hello… does this make sense…. once they learn to roll they end up where ever they want anyways and there is nothing I can do about it. (am I supposed to tie him down?  maybe I should have asked the doctor that?)

I have also discovered they get WAY too many shots these days.  They wanted to give him five.  I stopped them at four and an oral one.  I should have only let them do one.  Next time I think I will.  He was fussy for four days.  No fever just fussy… and since he have five vaccinations how do I know which one he was reacting to?  Doctor’s go to school for years in order to loose all common sense.

Wow, this post is turning into a rant…huh?

I was also told that my son is “short”.  Well hello… his parents are NOT andre the giant… you expected something different?  Again… loss of all common sense. 

My youngest daughter, Emily, who is 17 was given a horse.  Ironically the horses’ name is “free”.  Why that is her name is beyond me.  She will more than likely change it.  I suggested Avalon.  I think it’s pretty as the horse is pretty.

She is keeping the horse up the road at some friends’ house and is paying for the horse feed and hay.  So far she isn’t whining about that but I am waiting…

new arrivals

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

As my lil man grows

I had my first child at the age of 19.  I had married at 18 and wanted to start my family young.  I did that.  By the time I was 24 I had all of my children and was a stressed mom of three.  I couldn't wait to see each new thing each child did, each new milestone they reached.  A new grade, a new friend, a new talent.

My youngest child was born a month after I hit the big 4 - 0.  I am savoring every single second.  I know he will have all the firsts and has had some already.  He has already had the first smile.  He has rolled over for the first time.  With him though, I find myself not rushing to the next first but enjoying every second of each day with him.

Last week he was all content in his swing.  Smiling and happy to be watching the bright colored animals on the mobile above circle around him.  I watched him for awhile and got up and turned off the swing and went to pick him up.  My husband, who believes I shall spoil him and create a condition he refers to as "lap colic", said "what are you doing?  he is perfectly happy in there."  To which I replied:  "I am picking him up and holding him.  I am cuddling him because next week he will be 17 and won't let me do this."

You see, I know now how quickly the years pass.  I know that one day I put my daughter on the school bus to kindergarten then followed the bus to school to make sure she was safe and a week later I was setting in the bleachers at her graduation wondering "how in the world did this happen so quickly?"

Enjoy every single second of each day with your loved ones.

Superboy!

My daughter comes and spends the weekend at least a couple times a month.  With her comes my adorable grandson.  Now, all of the sudden, his Nana has a baby of her own to take care of.  The first couple of weeks it broke my heart (and his a bit I believe) that Nana couldn't pick him up.  Now I am feeling much better and getting my hugs and kisses and playtime.  However, Nana's lil man is a wee bit jealous of the new baby in her life. 

Yesterday when I was nursing Aiden Colby would come and try and yank his blanket off.  I fixed him by taking a recieving blanket and putting it around his neck like a cape.  (don't worry there were MANY adults supervising him and it wasn't tight...totally safe).  My older son took some pictures that are priceless.

Since I have this "magic" cape on maybe I can get into the cupboards without Papa catching me.  (you know, if Papa would put the safety latches on Nana bought MONTHS ago he wouldn't have to come after me....)

Trying to liftoff..

All serious...

 

Don't worry, Man, Nana will always love you buckets and buckets...

 

After all... who COULDN'T love that big ole' cheesy smile?

Early Morning Bedtimes

My son is continuing his pattern he set before he even entered this world.  His "awake" time is from around 11:30 pm till around 2 or 3 a.m.  Once he finally goes to sleep he will sleep for about six hours or so, get up and nurse and sleep another two or three hours.  This is great that I can sleep IF I have nothing else to do in the a.m.  The next three weeks, however, I have to be up and driving my daughter to school to take a driver's ed class.  We have to leave no later than 7:30 a.m.  It is now 2 a.m.   I just got Aiden into his crib and am praying he stays asleep.   I usually give him a few minutes before I go crawl into my bed because I hate nothing more than getting comfy and cozy and having to get back up, I'd rather stay up. 

If anyone knows any tricks on getting kids to change their patterns when they have their days and nights mixed up...please, by all means, share your wisdom.  I might even be willing to pay!

He's so darn cute I can't complain!  :)   This was taken the day he turned six weeks old.

 

Here is one of him and his niece who is now only two weeks old.  Kiarra Amaya.  Her tiny lil self makes my six week old look six months old! 

One Tired Mama

Unlike the song by Trace Atkins I am not "one hot mama" (well in the sense of literal heat... I am b/c it's hell season here in FL) but I am truly "one tired mama". Aiden sleeps through the night which should be great, except his idea of bed time is sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. Once he is down he stays asleep till around 8 usually.

I am not quite back up to my normal self and am still anemic. That adds to my exhaustion. I can not wait until Aiden and I figure out some kind of rhythm and get some kind of schedule down that works for both of us.

Breast feeding is going well. It was off to a rough start the first couple of days but once he got the hang of it he does great. I am now remembering how time consuming breast feeding is. ALL feedings are up to me and it forces a new mom to slow down, relax and enjoy the baby. This is a good thing. My husband, whose two children from his first marriage were not breast fed did as me a curious question last night. He asked "so, how long does one do this?" I told him it depends on the mom some do it for a couple years, some for a year, some for a few months. He said "well, how long do YOU do this?" I told him it was different with all three of my kids b/c they were all different. With the first it was about six months. With Lew it was only about three b/c I couldn't keep up with his demand and with Emma it was only about three months because with two other toddlers in the house setting to feed her was near impossible. I asked him why he asked that question and he said "just wondering is all" make me wonder WHY he is wondering. If maybe he is having some jealousy of the bond formed between mom and and breast feeding baby.... maybe I'll incorporate a nightly bottle feeding that can be all his...

Our Newest Family Member

Wow!  I have really been lax and not even updated as to our son's arrival into our family.

 

On May 21st I went into labor... while my van was having new tires installed my contractions started 3 min apart and we were two hours from the hospital.  Not to fear though, as Aiden did not really want to arrive.

 

I spent about 33 hours in labor before doc decided a c section the best route to take.  Aiden would not drop down into the birth canal and when my contractions would get intense he was showing signs of stress.  The whole c section was scary as I have never had one before and I endured a lot of blood loss.  My son was large so my incision had to be cut larger.  It's a long story and I am not up to writing it all out yet but here are his stats and some photos:

 

May 22, 2009 @ 9:05 pm we welcomed 10 lb 3 1/4 ounce Aiden Wyatt.  He was 21 inches long and his head and chest both measured 15 inches!  The nurse thought the head measurement had to be wrong and did it three times to be sure!

 

 

 

 

Here is Aiden taken last week when we were headed for his older brother's high school graduation.  Yup, I've had a new son and a son graduate all with in two weeks.  It has been busy at our house.

 

I know, he looks much older.  In this pic he was not even a full two weeks old yet! 

It's raining, it's pouring

Technorati Tags: baby

My old man isn't snoring.  :)

He was rained out yesterday only got 2 hours rain time paid.  Today he might get a couple of hours work in before he gets rained out again.  He is working a bit further south from where we live and there is a bit of a break in the rain down there.  Here it is still pouring rain.  We have a flood watch and an additional 4-6 inches of rain expected.  We have needed rain for so long.  It's been so dry and living where we do in the Ocala National Forest when it gets so dry there is such a high danger of forest fires.     

I have a doc appointment in the morning with my regular doctor.  I had my daughter take some belly pictures to show just how big this baby is!  Technically I have only gained four pounds since I lost quite a few due to lack of appetite.        

Baby Update

Still no baby.... not even many contractions today. I am just feeling VERY ...what's the word... I guess awkward would cover it. My belly is out so far it hits the counters and stove when I try to cook. Getting up and down is a chore and rolling over... ha.. that's a joke!

Going to get another belly pic for family that is out of town and want to see how much more I have grown in five weeks...

I did manage to get an appt. on Thurs. with my regular doc hopefully she will do something..whether it be to induce me or schedule the c section.

What a Monday!!!!

 

Started off leaving house at 7:40 for my appt at the doc's office to see the GYN there.  Contractions were at about 5 min apart and hurting.  Got there they put me on the monitor.  They were all shocked that I hadn't delivered over the weekend.  She checked me and I was still at one and she said "i can not believe with all the contractions you are having you are still at one!"

She decided to call Dr. Pillow which is the one on call and see if he would schedule a c section for the next day (now today).  He asked for me to come to his office to be evaluated.  He did the same stuff including another internal and P test.  He said he thought I had a bladder infection and that was why I was in pain.  I think he was shying away from doing the c section due to my medical directive but of course I can not be sure of this...he may have just had a golf game planned for today.  So, he prescribed an antibiotic and told me to go back to labor and delivery at 2 pm to be reevaluated and see if I dilated anymore.

This was @ 11 a.m.  So we walked around wally world till my prescription was ready (an hour and a half if you can believe it!!) then grabbed a sub for lunch and killed the next hour visiting with Hullon's brother and his wife. (she is designing our nieces wedding cake for next month so she welcomed the break).  We went in at 2 and they hooked me to the monitors.  The contractions were closer and stronger.

Hullon and Lew took off to find a drink which took them 45 minutes. (i was not too happy about that).  In that 45 min. they did a quick ultrasound and found Aiden's head is not resting on my right hip (which explains the pain there when I tried to lay on that side yesterday).  So,they had doc Manos which is the one with no bedside manner come in to verify since he was in the next room with a regular patient of his.  He check said "yup that's a head"...  I asked him "since his head is in the right direction can you PLEASE induce me before he decides to flip again.  I really do NOT want a c section."   He actually grinned (didn't know he had it in him) and said "I don't see why we couldn't try starting some pit and just see what happens but I have to verify with Pillow as he is on call".   Since I am writing this you know what the valuable Dr. Pillow said... so, with my contractions at four minutes apart they sent me home. (since they had me off the contraction monitor for 30 min after the ultrasound and then said -- o you are not contracting even though they had put me back on for 15 min and saw them every 4 min... ugh)  They also informed me before I left that Dr. Pillow had been wrong and I DID NOT have a bladder infection but to take ONE MORE dose of the antibiotic and then quit!  Now, why would I need just one more dose..????  UGH.

We walked at Big Lots for a bit close to the hospital just to make sure they didn't get any closer then got home around 6 or so.  Contractions lasted a few more hours and I was asleep by about 11:30.  I never even woke up last night to P or even turned over!  I guess I was totally exhausted. 

I am calling my doc's office this a.m. to let them know I didn't get scheduled and to see if they will squeeze me in with her on Thurs. a.m. (she is due back Thurs according to her voice mail).  Not sure if she will try to induce or just do a c section... who knows how BIG Aiden is by now!  I know I feel like a whale now!  I am hoping that he will drop the rest of the way down and things will kick into high gear...

Just figured I'd give you the full update.

Daughters

My youngest daughter received her first paycheck last week and look what she brought me!  Isn't it nice that she thought of her mother?  I took photos of my beautiful roses to preserve them forever!

COMMENTS

There are plenty of ppl stopping by my blog. Many are hopping to other posts to read more... but hardly anyone is taking a few seconds to comment.

If I read a blog post I generally try to leave a bit of feed back. Even if I am in a hurry and just say "thanks, I enjoyed the post"....

Budgeting

So.... my unemployment has run out... my son will be graduating and we will loose the money from his father's disability for him next month. Things are getting tighter and tighter. We have never really sat down and made a budget. Sad, I know, we have been married 8 years! My husband is HORRIBLE (yes it deserves the caps) with money. He thinks nothing of going and grabbing a breakfast sandwich when I packed him something to eat for his breakfast. It would KILL him to get up a half an hour or so early and eat here. He is a night owl and stays up so late then drags himself out of bed in the a.m. He thinks nothing of stopping at a mini-mart and grabbing a 1.49 bottle of soda when I have put cans in his lunch. These things add up so much and you just can not get him to see this.

So, I bought the book America's Cheapest Family and have been reading and and learning how to budget. 'Bout time since I am 40 years old! I know this is going to be difficult and I know there are arguments with hubby to come over this but it has to be done. We CAN live on what he makes but every penny has to be accounted for. No more eating out just because, no more grabbing things left and right because he wants them. He has to be helpful and plan ahead with me. Getting up a bit early to eat in the morning wouldn't be a bad thing. It would be nice to enjoy that time together, maybe do our daily text together.

So, do you have a family budget? Are you able to stick to it and what methods work best for your family?

Starting Over.... thoughts and concerns

At this point in my life, age 40.  I had not planned on becoming a mommy again.  In fact, I have been enjoying  being Nana/Nanny these last several years.  Spoil them and send them home. 

As the days before Aiden's arrival have dwindled to VERY few.  Last night hubby voiced his concerns.  Many that I have been having.  Not so much concerns but you tend to wonder "now that we are older are we going to be able to keep up?"  , will we spoil this one?  Will be be even better parents now that we are older and wiser? 

Never did I imagine having a child at my age.  I wanted one when hubby and I first got together and I was 30.  When it didn’t happen we had tests and was told it wouldn’t be happening for us with out expensive doctors and treatments.  We decided to be happy with the children we have after all, between us, there were five to raise. 

We have had quite the time raising them.  They have broke us in and put us through a ton of things we didn’t expect to face.  We had a daughter who dealt with teen pregnancy and moved out before graduating high school.  She did go on to graduate but stress… oh the stress.  Another daughter moved out as soon as she graduated and moved in with a boyfriend and now has a 16 month old son.  We worry about both of them as the relationships they are in are not the best.  In total, so far, I have witnessed five grandchildren come into this world.  One grandchild was stillborn and that was about the worst experience of my life.  We knew before the  birth the child had passed but even though we knew it was still a devastating thing to witness.  I blogged about it HERE

We have had a son that was in a horrid car wreck.  We got one of those middle of the night calls that no parent EVER wants to get.  BLOGGED ABOUT HERE  I can honestly say that whole month he spent in the hospital and then back in for a follow up surgery for a broken ankle they MISSED before releasing him was nothing but chaos.  It didn’t affect me until about 2-3 weeks after getting him home and I totally lost it.  I couldn’t remember normal things, I was a mess.  I ended up having to go on some meds for ppl with ADHD to get me through that rough patch.

We have always faced the unexpected united and prayerfully.  We are facing the birth of a new son the same way.  We are prepared for him equipment wise.  Crib, changing table, clothes, diapers, wipes etc.  Emotionally it still does not seem real.   Even when I feel him kicking and moving inside it is hard to believe that with in two weeks I will be holding another son.   There are many things I want to change about the way I parented my other children.  I want to be sure to raise this one knowing and loving Jehovah God.  I really want to home school him.  I wanted to home school the other ones but caved to family opinions since I was so young.  I was a big shocked at some of the reactions from family already when I mentioned I wanted to home school Aiden.  According to them we’ll just ruin him that way.   Have they not watched the news lately?  Middle school and elementary students bringing hand guns to school, teachers being pedophiles, kids graduating that can not read , the drugs and sex… how can we do any worse by protecting him as much as we can from these things?  I have already bought a couple of books to  help me see what is the best methods and will it work for us.  The one I am reading right now that I highly recommend is

So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Second Edition: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It (Focus on the Family)

This book gives you the perspective of 15 very different families and their reasons and methods of homeschooling.  It shows that  you do not have to be a “typical” home school family.  I am enjoying the way it is written.

We are at a time now when things have changed for our family.  We only have two children left at home, one of which will graduate high school in about six weeks.  After having lost my job last year my unemployment has run out so things are getting VERY tight financially.  I am using this time now to learn how to coupon, shop frugally, meal plan and get debts paid off and live on ALOT less than we have been.  This is the longest I have been without work in our married life but thankfully, until now, the unemployment helped.  Now that has stopped I want to find every way possible to save money so I can be a stay at home mom.  One book I purchased to help us learn to budget and save is this:

America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams

I am enjoying this book and we are at the point where hubby and I are about to set down for the first time in our nine years together and make a budget.  I will be posting about the ups and downs of this.  He is horrid and dealing with this.  I can tell him “do not use your debit card there is only xx amount of money in there” and it won’t be an hour and he is using it!  So, this might just be a struggle. 

Learning to deal with a newborn full time is going to be stressful but so is trying to cut WAY back due to loss of around 900.00 per month in income is stressful also.  I have found MANY helpful websites that I am learning from.  Last night my trip to Winn Dixie using coupons and their sales saved us 35.00 on groceries.  I am just now getting the hang of using the CVS extra bucks system to save a ton of money.  A couple weeks ago I got 2 large packs of huggies diapers, 3 large refill packs of wipes, maxi pads and a couple other items and it cost me a total of $14.00 out of pocket.  I am learning.  This website HERE is great to show you actual scenarios for using CVS.  You can do the same at Walgreens but I haven’t started that yet! 

 

Well, I am going to cut this post short and share more concerns later on.  I didn’t get to sleep until 2 last night and was up with the alarm at 5 this a.m.  I am not having to take my son to his college classes today so I shall nap. 

Monday

Well, I ended up going back to bed after dropping son off and puttering around for awhile. Slept from 10-1!! I really didn't mean to. Baby is kicking my tush these last few weeks.

I go to doc in the a.m. I am really hoping she moves up the induction date but I am not expecting it.

Baby/life update: I will NOT leave my chair until this IS completed!!!

Ok, so the last week has been hectic.  On Monday afternoon I swore I would complete a blog about the weekend.  At that point I was on bed rest and figured I would use my lap top.  Well... the keyboard kept going whacky and totally lost my post four times when it was half way done!  I got so frustrated I said to heck with it. 

I have been on my regular computer a few times since then, checking blogs etc. but could not find the urge/energy to re-start said post.  Today I am going to update everyone and will NOT get up till I am done!!  (well, unless I have to pee since I am very very very pregnant and that happens every 10 min. or so)

So... last Sunday we went to hubby's families for a picnic in the afternoon.  It was a beautiful day.  His youngest brother grilled chicken which was delicious.  We got to bring home some for later and I NEVER GOT ONE PIECE... (thanks kids!!)  By late afternoon I was feeling contractions.  About every 10-15 minutes.  I wasn't worried.  This is about a month into braxton hicks and I have until May 22...

We left hubby's sister's house around 7 and headed home.  By this time the contractions had gotten closer.  About seven minutes.  It's a 45 min. drive to our house and I just kept an eye on them.  When we arrived home the elderly lady we help with had called and needed a repair done to her gate.  Hubby made her up a plate to take over and headed that way about 8:30.  I had him take my cell with him and told him I was going to lay down because the contractions were getting annoying and laying down should stop them.  Well, for an hour I tracked them.  Lying down in the bed they became three minutes apart.  We are 45 minutes from the hospital. (sometimes it seems like we are 45 minutes from everywhere).  I called hubby and asked him to head home.  I told him we better head in.  When get got here I told him I was going to take my bag and baby's bag because surely if I had them I wouldn't need them and they would send me home.... or so I thought.

 

When we arrived they hooked up IV's, monitors etc. to the point that going to the bathroom became quite the feat with all the attachments I had to drag behind me!  I had started to dilate but only 1/2 cm.  They watched the contractions on the monitor and they just were not going away.  My doc was out of town (of course) so they called in the doctor she had covering for her.  He gave me a shot to stop the contractions (at this point I am supposedly 34 weeks 3 days), he decided to keep me overnight and give me a steroid shot for baby just in case he insisted on coming into the world and I would need another one 24 hours later.  Therefore, I could count on staying till Tuesday.

This shocked me a bit but they know what they are doing.  I was up and down, literally, all night.  They were pumping fluids in me and they go through a pregnant woman faster than the road runner can say "beep beep".   The next a.m. they brought breakfast at 7:30.  Hubby called into work in order to stay with me and see what was going to happen.  By 7:30 contractions had started again and they had given me another shot to stop them.

--- I will digress here a moment to tell you that the steroid shot in the butt was very painful.  At which point I asked the nurse "how does your shooting me in the ass help my baby's lungs?"   She explained it all but I was just being a smart mouth ---

They told me about 8 doc  had ordered an ultrasound to see if baby had moved to the correct positions (he was breech at 28 weeks) and check his size (he was measuring 2 weeks bigger at that appt. and my belly is still measuring big).  They brought my lunch at 11:30.  The nurse lifted the lid and remarked "WOW! You can actually tell what it is"  -- this tends to scare the crap out of a person!!!!!!  I got two bites in me (I had an IV in my right hand so doing ANYTHING was interesting) when the other nurse came in and said "they are ready to take you to ultrasound"   of course they are.... I'm eating!!!!  It was actually good....

So, we go down to ultrasound and meet the tech who looks like she could be my daughter.  We ask if we can have a picture since we haven't gotten ANY from our ultrasounds except at 6 weeks!!  She said "no it's against policy to give them out if it is done as an emergency".  Well... sorrrryyyy we asked!  So she proceeds to do the 45 min. exam without saying much.  At the beginning I told her he would probably measure about 2 weeks bigger based on his last ultrasound.   When she finally got done she says ..." wellll.....  he isn't measuring 2 weeks bigger.  He is measuring 4 weeks!"  So here I was 34 weeks 3 days pregnant and my son is measuring 38 weeks and 4 days!  So I asked her to convert that to a weight.  She explained it can be off 1 lb either way and for my sake she hopes it is in the lower direction because he was measuring 7 lbs 11 oz!!!!!!  So... he could be 6lbs 11 oz up to 8 lbs 11 oz.  And I had FIVE.. count them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 WEEKS to go!!!

They took me back to my room, hubby got my lunch heated up and the nurse came in.  "well, hon, ultrasound looks great you are going home." 

At this point arrangements had been made to stay.... I asked about the steroid shot that I NEEDED in 24 hours.  She said that since I had a reg. appt. with my doctor on Tuesday a.m. they would let her make that decision.  They sent me home with a prescription for the meds they had been giving me in shot form (which made my heart race horribly) in a pill form to keep contractions at bay. The nurse mentioned my doc might take me off these the next a.m. which led me to believe my doc wouldn't have given them to me in the first place and I needed to look them up online.  When we got home hubby got me settled in bed with my laptop.  I called the pharmacy (it's about 3 pm) to make sure they had called in the prescriptions and was told they would be ready in 15 minutes.  Hubby waited an hour and took a cat nap.  Then ran down to get them.  They hadn't even started them yet.  I am supposed to have the meds at 5:30 on the dot.  My daughter has a job interview hubby has to take her to at 5 he is trying to get all this done.  Come to find out that pharmacy didn't have the one med I needed in stock.  They called next door to the pharmacy inside the grocery store and finally got them.  (I finally got to take the pill at 6:30) after reading all the precautions including "do not take if pregnant" I decided that would be my last dose. 

 

That night we had storms like mad.  Hubby went to work and I went in to the doc.  My daughter rode with me.  She immediately took me off that pill.  She said she only uses it in extreme cases and then ONLY if you are hospitalized and monitored b/c of the heart racing thing.  She then read my ultrasound results.  She said OMG!  He's already that big... even if you go to the smaller measurement he is already over a pound over the normal rate.  I asked about the second steroid shot and she laughed.  She said if they had known his size they wouldn't have given me the FIRST one (she knew he was big so if she had been there I probably wouldn't have had the first one).  She said the steroids can add weight to the baby!!!  YEEEEEE!!! Just what I wanted to hear!!! She then started going over ALL my previous ultrasounds and flipping through the calendar.  She decided I will not go past about the 6th of May.  If I go in labor before then fine, I'll have the baby, if not she will schedule to induce me!    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU was all I could say.  I am sooooo uncomfortable!

 

The rest of this week has been pretty normal.  Laundry, cleaning, getting around for baby, napping and carting kids to and fro from here to there.  I will try to be better about daily updates.  I promise!

 

Oh... the shower went well.  Got quite a few cute outfits and diapers and wipes!  Under the crib is stacked with diapers!! :)  That's a good thing ... as Martha would say.

Laundry Soap Day

Today I made my first HUGE batch of laundry soap. Before it was a small batch, a little over 2 gal. This would last us almost three months but the months seem to fly! I also found out you can use this in a carpet steam cleaner. I haven't tried it yet but next time we do our rugs I will. Hubby is actually doing the rugs today but we already had rug cleaner solution.

Today batch of soap filled a five gal. bucket we purchased at Gander Mtn. with a lid. This should last us about six months if not more. :) It took all of 10 minutes to make the soap. Quick, easy and CHEAP! :)

The Memorial was great last night we had 197 people crammed in our small Kingdom Hall. Bro. Curtis gave the talk. I ended up having contractions from setting straight up. They lasted several hours about 4 min. apart but I could tell they were braxton hicks b/c they were very high. I finally got to sleep a bit after midnight. I got to sleep in a bit this a.m. which was nice. I slept till 8:30.

Kait is having a baby shower for me tomorrow here at my house. So, hubby and I get to clean for my baby shower.... does this make sense??? I am working on laundry today and then will finish cleaning the bathroom.

A Dizzy Tripping Kind of Day

When I went to bed the night before last I wasn't quite feeling like myself. I had a head ache and just couldn't get comfortable. I contributed it to being pregnant. :)

When I awoke yesterday I was the same way. I was, however, very dizzy. I left 20 minutes late to take my son to the college as I waited until the dizziness passed. He only had one class that lasts an hour and I usually drive to another parking lot under a huge oak tree and wait. I'll read or nap or get on my laptop. Today, as he got out, I remember telling him. "I'm just going to wait here" and leaned my seat back. A bit later I realized I needed to shut the van off... I leaned up to reach for the keys and 40 minutes had passed!!!!! It kind of scared me. I am not sure if I passed out, I remember feeling dizzy as I leaned my seat back, or if I was just so tired I went to sleep. I tend to think it was the first because I am not one of those people that can just close their eyes and be asleep. (my husband on the other hand is an expert at this!)

I turned off the van and laid back down. It took me about 10 minutes and I snoozed. I could hear the lawn mowers around me as the ground keepers we taking advantage of a chilly morning to get the yards done but for those 40 minutes I heard NOTHING.

When I got up this a.m. and was feeling dizzy I immediately took my blood pressure, it was normal and my blood glucose, again that was normal. The only thing I can think of is my iron has dropped more instead of going up like it should be. If I am like this again tomorrow I am definitely going to call the doc. By late this afternoon all the woozyness had passed and the head ache had eased off but it kind of worries me that I might have passed out.

Tonight my husband and 16 year old daughter decided to race. To the mailbox. He figured he be a smartie and jump the porch railing. He should have rethunk that idea!! :) His foot didn't quite make it over the rail, he did a summersault and landed flat on his back! I ran (read waddled) to the door as quick as I could to see if he was ok... he said he was and was laughing his head off and so was my daughter. After about a half hour of me continuing to say "are you SURE your ok?" and him reassuring me he was... I told him he was no spring chicken anymore. I told him he might want to think about working out some if he can't keep up with a 16 year old girl our new son will be kickin' his butt in no time! :)

Why I am such a bad mother

I’ll admit it.  I am a horrible mother.  I have always made my children mind.  They have always had rules to follow.  I have never let them run the streets.  I make them do school work.  I am the worst!

I am reminded of this on a regular basis.  Today, for instance, my 18 year old son asked to go to a friends house and stay tonight and sleep over in order to ride in to classes tomorrow a.m.  First he made it like it was being done to help me out so I can sleep in.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to sleep in.  Sleep in this last month of pregnancy is a wonderful, wonderful thing. However, then he told me he wanted to stay over at Laura’s house.  Now, I have only met Laura at the van one day when I was dropping off Lew… this is Laura, Laura this is my mom.  I have no idea what her last name is, I have no idea who her parents are and at this point I am wondering “does she have parents”.  I would never let a guy stay over at the house as a friend of one of my daughters.  I would never let my daughter go stay at a guys house.  Why would it be ok for my son to do so? 

He truly does not understand.  He looks at me like I have two heads.  I have been asked “why don’t you  let me do anything, I’m 18”  Oh, the magic number of I’m 18 and I can do ANYTHING!  We have had this conversation many times.  With him and his older brother and  sisters.  It’s all about “the roof”.  He is under our roof…he is under our rules. 

My 16 year old daughter this week wants to have her boyfriend, who we have not met, pick her up here at the house and go off to the fair with him.  Do I look NUTS?  Do I look like I have lost my mind in my old age? (not that 40 is old) 

Just now, as I am typing this, the 16 year old calls and asks.  “can you pick us up at school?”  (I know she is at least talking about her and her friend Taylor)  When I asked why they needed a ride (usually it’s an FFA meeting they forgot to tell me about) I find out that another friend that practically lives with Taylor named Nicole, was trying to get on the bus with them and they wouldn’t allow her on.  Sorry people, this is NOT my responsibility.  I have enough children to take care of.  I do enough running for my own children.  This girl has been told MANY MANY MANY times that she is NOT allowed on another bus besides the one that goes to her OWN home.  If she is going to live with Taylor’s family (which basically she is) then her address and guardians need to be changed. 

So, I am living in the dark ages people.  I still believe parents should take responsibility for their OWN children.  I believe it is MY responsibility to try and watch out for and protect MY children to the best of my ability.  Even if they are the ripe old age of 18. 

Am I alone in the dark ages?

Grandson’s Health

My grandson has been having breathing issues for several months.  Two bouts of pneumonia, several colds, etc.  When I drove my daughter and grandson to a follow up appointment last month I made a point to ask the doctor “are you sure he doesn’t have asthma.  His mother had it quite bad as a child”.  He gave me the answer that even though he seemed to have one problem after another it didn’t mean he had asthma.

 

Today he started having breathing issues again.  She took him to shands… after many tests his diagnosis:  an asthma attack.  He also had a bad diaper rash and my daughter couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t get rid of it.  I told her more than likely it was a yeast infection… I was also correct on that.  If only I could write prescriptions!  :)

 

I felt so bad for my grandson last night.  He is cutting a tooth and got an upset tummy and was up most of the night.  When I got up this morning I woke to him by my bed smiling from ear to ear.  He went out to the living room with his dad.  When I went out I said “are you feeling better?”   He smiled and said “yea!”  He doesn’t say much but when he does he tends to make you feel better.  :)

 

It was hot and muggy today but it’s supposed to rain tomorrow then get a cold front.  :)  High’s Tues. around 60~~!!!  :)  So excited.  I won’t have to run my air for a couple days and it will be nice to hang clothes out. 

 

Well, I am going to get some sleep.  Have to drive my son to school in the a.m.  He is feeling much better.  His back just needed a few days of rest. 

Quick Update

Air is still out.

I am not feeling the best today. Have been having contractions and just very uncomfortable. Doc checked me today and I have not dialated but she said if they continue uninterrupted for two hours to head to the hospital. Told me to head home and lie down and drink plenty of fluids... which means I'll be up and down... hee hee

That has seemed to help and I am only having them here and there now instead of every four to five min.

We have all our fans going and it's still hot in this house. Landlord will not be here till Sat to fix the air. My main concern is tonight we are under tornado watches with heavy rain expected which means most of the windows will have to be shut down...which means it will be unbearable in here!!! UGH...

We need the rain but it could come at a different time.

FL is getting HOT and guess what????

Our air conditioning went out!

Our landlord does air conditioning for a living but can't get up here (he is about 3 hours away) until the weekend. We'll live, we might sweat off a few pounds during the afternoons but we'll live.

I often wonder how I lived through the hot summers in western NY with out air conditioning. I guess when you are a child it doesn't bother you as much. The fact that I am in my 8th month of pregnancy probably doesn't help much either! :)

I stopped at the goodwill today to look around. There is a huge one in Ocala and it has new stuff daily and it's always packed. Today I was able to pick up plastic bags with about 10 books each (children's books) for $1.00 each bag. One of the bags had a Dr. Suess book in it that retails at Wally World for 7.99 so that one book alone gave me a great deal. I didn't stay long as walking too much these days gets to me. The infant dept. didn't have much in it and the books for adults were disappointing. No titles I have been looking for. One day soon I'll stop at the used book store. I have some credits there I can use.

I came home and hubby was filling his face with pizza left over from last night. I said "well, I had planned enchiladas but I guess I don't have to cook now." He said "why not?" LOL Men, are their stomachs bottomless??

Well, I'm going to get back to rearranging my book shelves. I am making the small one in the living room for kids books now. Mine are coming in my room. Eventually I will have to get a larger book shelf for out there but for now we are good.

Great Day!

Today, after over a month of asking, hubby finally put up my clothes line. He protested because the only place for it is in our front yard but to be honest... who cares??? It will save on electric AND our clothes will smell divine. I washed all of our bedding and hung it out. It was so warm and the wind was whipping so they sheets were dry in only fifteen minutes!

My bed smells heavenly! Since I did all of the blankets my room now smells great too!!! I wanted to do my towels and hang them for overnight as the dew makes them soft but we are supposed to get some storms overnight so I didn't do that.

We had our bourbon chicken for dinner and it was good. Hubby loves it. It's not a fav of mine but I make it since him and the kids enjoy it. Emily made some chocolate chip muffins. She wanted to buy some in the store but t hey were SO expensive I told her she could make twice as many for about half the cost. She said "wow mom these taste better than the boxed ones!"

I also took down the bathroom window curtain and washed and hung it out. I replaced the mini blind that is in there and half an hour later got the curtain off the line and put it back up.

I enjoyed my day at home puttering around. I wish I could get more done during the week but my "helpers" aren't around. Until after baby is born I am not supposed to be lifting and tugging at things so they have to do my toting. Aiden will arrive soon though so I should be able to get back to doing more on my own.

A busy Friday

Today we tackled a few more cupboards.

I did a couple loads of laundry. About 4 we headed out grocery shopping. Not the best time to do it but it got done. I spent the afternoon planning my menu for the upcoming week and making a shopping list and seeing if I had coupons for any items.

Much of my shopping was done at Save A Lot. Cart load of groceries 64.00. We hit the Meritta bread outlet where you can get three loaves of bread for 2.97. (the cost of one loaf at the local supermarket). I picked up six loaves of white bread, four loaves of wheat, 2 loaves of cinnamon raisin at $1.-- each! Our total savings on bread alone was about 46 bucks! I freeze the bread and we use it over the next 3-4 weeks. I stocked up on some whole chickens at Winn Dixie for .79 / pound.

On my menu this week:

Tomorrow: Bourbon Chicken w/rice
Sunday: Turkey/Rice/Gravy/Stuffing/veggies
Monday: Chicken Enchiladas(my 1st attempt but a recipe passed on by a friend)
Tuesday: Homemade noodles with beef
Wednesday: Pan Fried Fish
Thursday: Leftover night (since we have meeting this works out best)
Friday: Shake and bake Pork Chops

Friday is usually my shopping day so by next Friday I will have my list and menu ready again. My goal is to eventually be able to shop monthly only.

I have been watching on youtube great videos by "America's cheapest family" and I have their book on order. They feed a family of 7 on $350 bucks a month!!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=america's+cheapest+family&aq=0&oq=america's+cheap
You can go to that link to see some of the great money saving ideas. Since I want to be a stay at home mom full time my goal is to save as much as I can so we can make that happen. I have begun to get the paper and clip coupons. I am looking into getting coupons online also.

Last week I joined a site

http://www.youdata.com/join/womandriver

You get paid to look at sites... it isn't much and each week it's different. But last week in 20 min. I eared 4.14! It was deposited today, as promised, into my paypal account. That money i can use to purchase bulk amounts of coupons. This week I only had .79 available but I took 2 min, looked at the sites, and earned it. Every little bit helps!

Well, I have taken my meds and it's time to crawl in bed. Hubby is supposed to put up some clothes line for me tomorrow so I can wash our bedding and hang it. Another way to save on electric...hanging out the clothes. Since my pregnancy is getting close to the end I won't be able to do ALL of it hanging out till after the baby is born and I am recovered but since I will have helpers here tomorrow (hubby and kids) they can tote it to the line for me.

FOR SOME REASON INSERTING A LINK WAS NOT WORKING FOR THIS POST SO I PUT THE FULL LINK IN FOR YOU TO COPY AND PASTE TO GO THERE.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Now, quit humming the song.  You know you are!

It is such a nice day here in FL.  About 72 and breezy.  Big poofy clouds in a beautiful blue sky.  It hasn’t even been too bad having to set here and wait on Lew for FOUR hours!  I admit, for an hour and a half I laid in the back seat of the van and semi-napped.

We have hot weather  in the forecast for the weekend so this enjoyable stuff is soon to be gone. 

I still have quite a few organizational projects to do around the house before baby arrives.  I am going to try and get several accomplished this weekend.  Cleaning out more cupboards and drawers are the main things on the list.  I also have to work on my menu planning and shopping list.  A few years ago I had two months in advance completed and would rotate them and it worked great.  I want to get back to being able to be that prepared again.

One of the best weekends in a long time

The weather was absolutely perfect!  If I could find a place that the weather was like this year around I would pack tomorrow and head there.  It was about 70 and breezy and sunny.

We were supposed to head to our grandkids'  t-ball game yesterday  but hubby woke up with an upset stomach that had him running for the  bathroom frequently.  Since it is about an hour and half t0 two hour drive we didn't find that a good idea.  Our daughter posted some great pictures on her myspace for us to see and told us the funny stories of their "plays". 

We hung around the house and puttered.  I got my desk cleaned off.  My coupon binder now has coupons in it. 

Here is a photo of my desk area.  You can see to the left that Aiden's crib is also in the room.  Our master bedroom is now an office, master bedroom and nursery all in one. 

 

You can see I was busy today catching up on reading favorite blogs.  The one on my screen is Copperswife from Xanga. Her posts inspire me, and many times are very calming and relaxing to read. 

Today I have been organizing here and there.  I took out all the cereal from the cereal cupboard.  Old stuff that had been there awhile got pitched.  New stuff I took out of the boxes to save space.   I used a clip on the top of open ones and each new one got a clip

on the top of the bag in order for them to know how to close it when they open it.   I used the extra clips from my office supplies instead of having to purchase "bag clips".  I love re purposing things.   I labeled each back with a sharpie then I made a list of what is in the cupboard to hang on the door.

The nesting instinct seems to be kicking in once again.  I have so many organization ideas floating in my head that I want done yesterday!  I just want things in order and ready when Aiden arrives so there won't be mass confusion when we add a baby to our already busy household.

Yesterday I did get all of our laundry washed, dried and put away.  I have yet to get hubby to put up my clothes line.  He doesn't want it in the front yard and the back yard is NOT the place for it as the dogs are out there a lot.  Basically I want a place to dry my towels and blankets to get the good fresh air and save us a bit on electricity this summer.   Our bill always rises in the summer because of the air conditioning.  We like a cooler house but we hate having the big bill! 

Tomorrow's agenda is to organize another cupboard and maybe hubby's tools that have taken over a buffet that is tucked under a bar in our living room.  If I can get them all out of there it will free up more space for baby things.  :) 

Technorati Tags: organizing,cleaning,budget,life,preparing for baby

Another Week Closer

This week has been enjoyable.

My son didn't have classes so I have not been on the road. I have had the chance to sleep in as much as I want. Those days will soon be few and far between when Aiden arrives.

On Tuesday I had a doctor's appointment. I found out I do have gestational diabetes but she said I am doing a great job controlling it by my diet. My iron is still low but has went up 1 1/2 points so it is headed in the right direction. I was, at the time of my appointment, 30 1/2 weeks but baby was measuring 33 weeks. She will keep an eye on his growth. I may get to meet my new son closer to the beginning of May than the end.

Today I had contractions for over two hours and only a warm bath finally seemed to help slow them down. Hubby noticed when he came home from work on Thursday that I have "dropped" or should I say Aiden has "dropped". Now I shall just pray that he is head down. At the last ultrasound at 28 weeks he was butt first but I was told he had plenty of time to move.

I completed my coupon binder today.

We did our grocery shopping for the week at Aldis. Cart load of groceries for 76.77. Gotta love Aldis. We did spend 20.00 at the produce stand/farmer's market on fresh veggies. I think the walking added to me getting the bout of contractions.

Tomorrow we are supposed to go to Cross City for a T ball game. Our seven year old grand daughter and four year old grandson are playing for the first time. Their team name is "the peanuts".

I'll post pictures once I am home and recovered. Thankfully it's supposed to be nice and breezy and not too hot.

So darn tired! My mom's health update

Nine weeks left to go in this pregnancy and I feel like I did at the beginning. Totally exhausted. Sleep is all I am craving. Hours upon blissful hours of sleep. I slept till 10 this a.m. Got up, ate and went back to bed. My son is on spring break so I could do that.

My iron is low and this leads to fatigue. Aiden is growing bigger daily and carrying his active little self around leads to fatigue. Him being active leads to broken sleep which leads to fatigue. Having to "P" every other minute leads to fatigue.

I have every reason to be fatigued but tons of reasons I don't want to be. There is so much I want to get done. I want to get our finances in order, get my menu planning back in order, inventory the pantry and clean out the cupboards. All great ambitions but will I be able to get them done?

The joys of being almost 40 and pregnant are beginning to add up!

My mom was set to go in the beginning of May to start dialysis. Now they are doing emergency procedures sometime this week to insert a port in her chest so she can begin ASAP. Things are not looking good. They live in NY. I am in FL. I worry if something happens I will not be able to make it up there to her. Another worry and stress I don't need right now. I shall keep praying that things improve. Maybe her starting early will stabilize everything else that is going on and she will be able to make it down in May to meet her new grandson and see her other grandson graduate.

Uploaded Photos

To our family photo site.  They can be viewed HERE

Where I've Been...

My daughter is moving this weekend.  So, yesterday and today we have been helping.  Well, everyone has been moving her and I have been spoiling my grandson and watching the others lift and heave on things.  I quite enjoy that!  :)   

So, she moved to a smaller place and said mom can we switch desks.  Well, mine was a tiny corner desk and hers a huge corner "L" desk in cherry which matches the crib and dressers in my room... so..... I started trying to figure out if it would fit.  We got it to fit and I LOVE it.  However,  the two drawer file cabinet she wasn't using but told us fit UNDER the desk does NOT fit under it... so now I have this weird configeration in my room but it will have to do for a couple years until Aiden out grows his crib and moves to share the room with his brother.  (if his brother hasn't flown the coup like the other kids have since he is 18 now).

Found out from doc that baby will be big and I may be induced earlier to help avoid complications from a large baby.  Also found I am borderline gestational diabetes so I am having to track my a.m. blood sugars.  They are a bit higher than they should be but not MAJOR.  Now I have to crack down on what I am eating even more so.

I don't have long left to go.  I can barely wait to meet our new son.  :)  Never did I ever imagine we would be so blessed at this point in our lives and although I know tons of sleep deprevation probably awaits it will all be worth it.  :)

Yet another interesting week....

Maybe March will be better???

Daughter finally got out of hospital but still has the blood clot in her leg.  She has to give herself 2 shots of blood thinner a day and is on crutches because of the pain in her leg.

My grandson had appeared to be recovering but on Thursday took a turn for the worse again and ended up back at the ER.  Pneumonia had cleared up in the one lung but was started in the other one.  UGH!

Late Friday night I was lying in bed (only for brief times because of having to P so much!)  my son was doing laundry and I started hearing gurgaling.  The septic is backed up~~~~!!  

We called the landlord Sat. a.m. (hubby and son ended up having to disconnect drains under the house to the tubs to empty the yuck out of the tubs).  When we called the land lord we found out...he was out of town till today.  So, we have been unable to do our laundry.  We try not to make frequent trips to the potty (try that when you are seven months pregnant).  It makes for a miserable weekend.

Tomorrow a.m. I have to call the septic people and find out if they will let the landlord charge to his card and come pump out the tank.  If they won't I guess I will have to find another reputiable one that will.  He wants it charged to his card instead of us paying and them taking it out of our rent.  I think this will end up being expensive as last time they came about six months ago they said the drain field was not working properly.

I go to the doc on Tuesday at 3:30 in the afternoon.  I should find out some test results and find out if they will change my due date.  The last ultrasound showed baby was quite a bit larger than he should be at 27 1/2 weeks so we will see if she moves it up or just goes with the original date.  Looks like he may be a big baby like his brother.  (my son was 9 lbs 9 oz and 22 1/2 inches long).

A Week That was a year long....or so it seemed

Ugh!  What a week!!!  I figured it would be a pretty normal week.  We had our groceries all bought, menu planned out.  

 

Tuesday my 1 year old grandson was admitted to ICU with pneumonia.  Hubby and I went up. We had to be back in order to take my son to the college for his senior presentations.  These started at 6 pm.  We did not get out of there until 9:30!  We ended up eating at IHOP.  Got home near 11 pm.

Wednesday, I dropped son off at college and went to hospital to be with daughter and grandson for a few hours then had to leave there to pick my son up from college and get home so he could change so I could take him to work.

Grandson was released from hospital late Wed. afternoon with meds to take and a follow up appt. for Thursday at 4.

Thursday I dropped son off at his car pool site then came home and went to bed.  At this point I needed some rest.  I got up about 11 and showered so I could leave the house at 11 to go pick him  up.  I had to get him early as I had a doc appt. scheduled at 4 pm with my doc in Eustis.   Within minutes of getting in the van to drive over contractions began.  By the time I was almost home I had had contractions every five min for two hours.  I called hubby to come home and drive me to doc as I was unsure what was going on.

They put me on a monitor and saw four contractions in 15 minutes.  Doc checked me and found no dialation so she scheduled an ultrasound for Friday.  On the way to the doc our daughter (oldest) called and she was on her way to the hospital b/c she woke up with a leg swelled and couldn't walk on it.  After getting home we find out they are admitting her and are sure she has a blood clot in her leg. She is 24 weeks pregnant so that adds to the issues.

Doc wanted a blood test done and ultrasound on Friday but by the time all the stuff was done at her office the places were closed but she assured me they would call me to schedule.  I got up at 8:30 am Friday and began calling them.  They couldn't find the order the doc had faxed.  Finally 45 min later I had an appt. scheduled for noon.  We also had to take the elderly lady's dog to the vet at 10!!!  UGH... so we made it to the ultrasound after having a flat tire on our van and having to take our friends car.  By the time I got out of the ultrasound it was way after one and hubby nor I had eaten at all.  We decided to do the blood test on Monday and go eat lunch before heading home to fix the tire on the van and head up to the hospital to see how our daughter was doing. 

At the ultrasound we found out our SON is doing great he is definitely a he!  We also found out he is over 3 pounds and is measuring two weeks earlier.  So, he with either come in early May or be a large baby like my other son was. 

We got home and tried fix a flat.  That seemed to do the trick.  Hubby went to return our friends car and pick her up a few items at the store.  It took him an hour and  half but I did take a nap.  We then headed to the hospital.  Our daughter was in quite a bit of pain and aggravated that she had to be there and not home taking care of her other kids.

We got home Friday night around 11.  I said to hubby "let's just stay home tomorrow.  I am beat."  He said "well, we need produce at the flea market but I guess it can wait."  Our daughter's hubby was supposed to visit Saturday with her kids so we planned on going back up on Sunday.

So..... we stayed home Saturday morning.  Headed to the flea mkt. for veggies.  At this point my doc has told me to take it easy so we took a wheel chair to minimize my walking.  We ended up hitting the flea market, a resale shop hoping to find pants for me, the maternity store, the shoe store and walmart.  While at Wal Mart daughter called all upset because hubby didn't come with kids.  We decided to go to movies we had planned on the day before.  While at movies she texted saying she was having more issues.  We got home about 10 and talked to her on the phone to get her a bit calmer.

Today we got up and ate breakfast and headed back up to the hospital (it's an hours drive) for a few hours and came back to drop son off at work! 

I am so sick of running but tomorrow I have to take son to college then go an hour away to get my blood test done.  It is an hour glucose test so it will be close to noon before I make it home.  IF I can I am going to nap!!!!

I feel like the last week has lasted forever. 

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Quick Post. grandson in hospital

My almost 15 month old grandson Colby is in Pediatric ICU at Shands Hosptial. His mom took him to the doc Monday due to strange cough and breathing issues. The doc said since he had the flu three weeks ago it's just lagging. She told him NO you check his lungs again I am telling you he has pneumonia. He listened again and said yes he did it was mild. Gave him a breathing treatment, a prescription for treatments to do at home and an prescription for anitbiotics. last night (ok early this a.m.) my phone rang and she was in a panic about his breathing. I told her to give him the treatment and see if it helped it didn't. They rushed him to the ER. His pulse ox which is supposed to be 100 was 40!!! They had to do 4 treatments to get his airways open enough to get oxygen in, they admitted him and he had severe pnemonia not a MILD case as the doc had said. Sad to say the original doc never ordered an x ray. He is miserable. He has had about 4 hours of sleep in the last 48 so my daughter is the same way. My son turned 18 today and had his senior presentations also. These are graded as a final and can not be missed. SO... needless to say my day was a mess of running from one place to another. The college is 45 in from here where my daughter lives and he is in the hospital is just at an hour in another direction. We left at 8 a.m. and I am home at 10:30. My daughter wanted me with her the whole time with her as she is used to mom being there but mom can not be everywhere at once no matter which cape I choose to wear! I tears me up when this kind of thing happens. It is a bit easier that at night they only allow one person to stay so I couldn't have stayed the night anyways. Well, since my sleep last night was interrupted by MANY calls and my day was a blur of being here there and everywhere I am headed to bed. I will update tomorrow hopefully. Tonight grandson was doing a bit better, they are no longer having to give breathing treatments every hour and he is off IV fluids. He is still having a struggle to breathe and they wonder if he is starting to be asthmatic as his mother is.