Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I opened my door, to find this on the front steps...

...I sure hope Steve brings A LOT of gold! ;)

I love my kids. :)

And So It Begins...

I met with Avery's therapist this morning regarding her sleep. She has been taking a small dose of Melatonin each night in order to fall asleep and it works great. However, she has been having a few nightmares and waking up at 3:30 am, never to return to sleep again. She also wakes after ten hours of sleep still feeling very groggy and swears she was never sleeping.

In order for her to have a better nights sleep and actually get into a deep sleep, she is going to start taking a very small dose of trazadone. Trazadone is an anti-depressant, however when used in children they found that it was too sedative, so it's not typically used for treating depression. However, they did find that it works great when used before bed, in order to help the child relax. This should allow her to feel rested in the morning and with a good night of rest...that could really help with her moods! She will begin with half a pill and increase to a full pill, if needed. Her therapist also advised me that a few children need melatonin and trazadone, but we are going to give this till the end of April to see if that would be the case for Avery.

I'm nervous..but really excited to try something that may make a big difference for her. We noticed that this last "cycle" of hers (typically her moods cycle from high to low about every 4 days) was exceptionally long. We got a basically happy Avery for about two and a half weeks before any extremely out of control episodes. Helping her voice her emotions more and forcing her to isolate when she is losing control, has seemed to make a really big difference. It's still not perfect. It's still not easy. But I'm loving that we are finding steps in the right direction.

Here I Go Again

I've begun training...again. :)

After doing so well and getting up to running 4 miles at a time...life got in the way. Stress elevated. Priorities shifted. Excuses were easier to make.

BUT! I'm back at it.

I'm running again and I've decided to add weight training this time. I've never successfully, nor consistently weight trained, while hitting cardio hard. We'll see how this goes. Today is day two and I'm already wincing any time I move, so that's a good sign, right? I'm working under the guidance of a beautiful friend who has made some amazing changes in her life. (THANKS, FUZZY!!)

I have a 5K coming up in May and I get to fly across the country to do it! I get to see one of my best friends who moved last fall and show Mom's name off in Atlanta, Georgia's Susan G Komen! Win-Win! I'm so excited and I just KNOW that I'm going to be able to beat my time last year of just under 31 minutes.

I know it.

Providing I can walk tomorrow...

:)

CPR...It Isn't Just For Humans

Never in my whole life did I think I would have to give CPR in my own home...

...and never did I think it would be on a puppy.

Little Boston fell today, about 20 inches from the ground. He immediately went limp, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he stopped breathing. As I held him, I was shaking so bad! I have no idea what the breath/compression ratio is for an 8 week old puppy, but I began breathing for him and gently compressing his chest, as I yelled for my friend to call a vet. Any vet. I wanted someone to tell me what to do!

After a few minutes he began to come around and although he was panting very fast and was still quite lethargic, I began to have hope. The vet told us to bring him up to their office immediately and while I arranged for a babysitter (THANKS FUZZY!!!!) my friend drove 90 mph to their office, while still giving him supportive breaths.

Thankfully...he is just fine. They checked his motor skills and neurological function and deemed him perfect. His soft spots have already closed and the vet advised us that it is not uncommon for a dog his size to go unconscious after a fall. They literally knock themselves out! The vet put him on an oral dose of prednisolone for the next couple days to help with any swelling. The meds are making him extra sleepy and he is still a bit wobbly and slow when he walks, but I am so very thankful that he is okay.

He's getting A LOT of extra loving today. I'm so proud of my little fighter! But, with a name like Boston, of course he's going to be strong! <3

Impatient Is My Middle Name

The application deadline was four days ago. I know this. The decision process can take until April 15th. I know this too.

This doesn't stop me from stalking Weber's website for any indication that I have been one of "The Chosen"...instead of waiting for a letter in the mail, like other...normal...people. Today, I saw this:

...and because I was reading super fast, I overlooked the word "Applicant".

*sigh*

I thought I had been admitted. I started to get excited. I started to panic. I got a HUGE smile.

Then...

I learned how to read.

Pooey.

I know. I know. Patience is a virtue and blah, blah, blah.

;)

Our House Has Grown By Four Feet...

...well, it's grown by 8 inches...but he has four feet! :)

On Monday, we adopted a male, toy chihuahua and named him Boston!! (I'm from Massachusetts and will root for the Red Sox till I die!) He is eight weeks old today and is the cutest little...literally...thing you've every seen!

How could you not fall in love with this little face??? He has so much personality and loves to cuddle, play Frisbee...with a milk carton lid, chase our feet around the house, cuddle in our shirts and play with the kids. He's almost like having a baby again...without the tax deduction. ;)

I LOVE Chocolate

What woman doesn't love chocolate? Okay, I actually know one...but I prefer to believe that she's just crazy.

Chocolate with peanut butter, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate anything...I love it!! However, lumping chocolates from Cherry Street Chocolates into the same category as anything you can buy on the shelf is a HUGE mistake. The Chocolatier of Cherry Street Chocolates doesn't just make chocolate...she creates it. Like pure magic.

My beautiful friend, Christy, is the owner of Cherry Street Chocolates and recently sent me some of her creations. Ho. Ly. Cow. I have never in my life tasted something this amazing!! I cannot even begin to describe the flavors that she captured in a piece of chocolate! Add in the fact that they are beautiful and you will quickly realize there is nothing like them on any store shelf.

In addition to these chocolates, I flipped over her tag to discover a special treat for me! Christy had contacted me a while ago, after reading this blog post, and asked to use my quote in her business. Of course I said it was fine, but I had no idea what she was using it for, until I received her amazing chocolates. On the back of every tag is this:

I'm famous! :)

If you would like more information about her creations, please visit Cherry Street Chocolates on Facebook HERE or on her website at www.CherryStreetChocolates.com. You will NOT be disappointed! Her amazing work is perfect for holidays, birthdays, PMS days, Mother's Day, anniversaries...any day that ends in "Y"...

I promise. You'll thank me for introducing you to these most perfect treats.

I prefer any "thank-yous" to be accompanied by Christy's chocolate...

;)

I'm Busy!!

Holy wow I haven't blogged in over a week!

I'm busy!!

I'm working 10-12 hours a day.

Dealing with school. (Still have A's in both classes halfway through the semester! Woot!!!)

Keeping five kids happy...which actually...is going well. (Minus pre-teen hormones, but really...I have no control over that one...)

Actually keeping my house clean and laundry caught up (strange, I know).

And buzzing on caffeine to keep migraines away.

But...overall...I'm happy. I'm surviving. I'm making it work.

Intuition

What is intuition? In the dictionary it is described as 1.The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. and 2. A thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.



Intuition to me is that immediate knowledge, a "gut feeling" if you will, without any explanation. I've felt intuition a lot in my life. Sometimes I've followed it...sometimes I haven't...but it's always been right. I've paid the price when I haven't followed it, yet I still have moments when I don't. Why is that? Why fight what I know?

Because I don't want to believe it. I want to hide for a while. I want to ignore it. Self preservation or stupidity? I don't really know.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary.”

-Steve Jobs

Photography Fun

I visited some great friends in Richfield, Utah for the weekend; what a beautiful place! I had the opportunity to play around with my camera a bit and I love the photos that I came home with!



A relaxing weekend away is just what I needed! I owe Josh BIG TIME for holding down the fort while I four-wheeled, hot-tubbed and slept!

I've Got The Whole World...

...in this envelope.

I did it! I finally calmed the nerves, sat down and put together the packet for my nursing school application.

Holy. Crap.

I really, really, really hope that I don't lose my mind between now and April 15th. That is when I should be notified by and it sounds very far away. I'm hoping that during that time I can find peace with the decision. Right now I feel the same emotions, for either decision. Anxiety. Fear. Stress. My life is going to change dramatically, either way...and that frightens me.

I can't believe this day is finally here! I've agonized over it, blogged about it and talked about it for over three years!! So much has happened in my life during that time and I'm amazed that I've made it this far. Even if it really only is the beginning...

So, keep your fingers crossed for me! I've done everything that I can do and it is completely out of my hands now. All I can do now is hope and pray that I will survive the wait and be okay with the outcome.

Anatomy Confusion

Bay: "My mom's friend had her appendix out."
Me: "Oh yeah? She doing okay?"
Bay: "Yeah. She's feeling better. I told my friend that when you had your appendix out, you couldn't walk for a week!"
Me: "Uh...I've never had my appendix out. Dad did."
Bay: "Oh! Huh. I didn't even know boys had one! I thought it was just girls!"
Me: "No...everybody has one. I had my uterus taken out. Only girls have one of those."
Bay: "OOOOOOHHHHHHH! Duh!"

;)

Facebook Can Be Mean

Sometimes...I Give Good Advice

Cornstarch Goop

 1 Cup of Water + 1/2 Cup of Cornstarch + Couple Drops of Food Coloring =

A FUN, GOOPY MESS! 

If you have never made this concoction with your kids...do it! It is the strangest feeling mixture! Not quite solid...not quite liquid. The kids had a blast with it and so did we! We think it would be hilarious to buy cornstarch in bulk and make a HUGE batch of it, in a small child's swimming pool, during the summer. Then the kids could go crazy in it outside...so that my table, chairs, floors and bathroom sink aren't covered in pink goop!