Life is such....

So, my youngest started using a CPAP almost 3 weeks ago.  Things have been hectic.  He still wakes up at his normal intervals, but instead of being able to just tell him to go back to sleep, he has a massive FREAK OUT session and keeps his eyes closed through the whole thing.  On several occasions he's gotten combative, but mostly he just screams and bats at whoever and whatever is near him.

Friday, I finally got a phone call from one of the 5 doctors and therapists I've called over the week. Gotta love the holidays and everyone takes the whole week off.  His ENT suggested we try melatonin even though we both agreed it probably would not work since its been tried in the past and isn't something normally used for sleep maintenance.  He falls asleep no problem, its staying asleep we have issues with.  Major Issues!

The past two nights he's taken the melatonin (after a lot of coaxing).  Both nights he's fallen asleep earlier, but still waking up every 1.5 - 3 hours.  To me that seems like a sleep cycle problem.  Tomorrow, I plan to call the neurologist and see what he thinks.  We'll be out that way for a chiropractor appointment so maybe he'll be able to see him tomorrow and save us a drive out there.

We shall see...

My weekend is NOT how it was planned.

Good Gloomy Morning Folks!

Up until last night my weekend was going exactly as planned.  Baby sitting last night, Susan's lesson today followed by helping out at the Autism Foundation's Santa visit, then back home to drop off Morgan at his friend's house for an overnight birthday party and then Sunday is the Christmas program at Church.  I'd even offered to take a friend's kids to meet Santa if their Dad decided he couldn't.

At 7pm last night that all changed.  I got a phone call from a Dad stranded in Missouri due to the weather, their Mom is 'out of commision' this weekend and can not be reached.  So instead of Dad saying he was going to try to come home he just flat out said he's not coming home at all this weekend.  Now I have 1 too many kids to fit in my truck.

Luckily, Mom and Dad are taking Susan to her riding lesson this morning, but helping out at AFT is out and that means Ethan most likely will NOT get to meet Santa this year.  Sadly, this is the first year he's shown any interest.  I had to withdraw my offer to take my friends kids to see Santa, so I'm praying their Dad steps up and takes them.

The worst part is that because of the cold, damp weather coming in, I started having a horrible headache around 2pm that tried to go rogue and turn ocular. By 3pm my joints were starting to hurt and I was getting some anxiety thanks to my thyroid being a bit more inflamed than normal.

With all that being said, I survived last night.  I was able to combat the joints and thyroid enough to get dinner on the table for 4 extra kids.  Right now, I'm working on a BINGO game to get the house back together after this crazy busy week.  Susan's already left for the day.  Ethan is up and dressed playing in his room and the other 3 are still asleep.  Hopefully I have at least another hour or 2 before they all decide to wake up.

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New "In The Kitchen" Post

December Meal Calendar posted!

There is a new monthly meal planning calendar listed on my 'In the Kitchen' section!  Go check it out!!  I will be posting recipes from this throughout the month.  Also posted will be shopping tips and things I keep on hand.

I realize the last week of December looks like a more 'childish' menu, but that is because my older kids will be out of state visiting with their father. It will just be me and my youngest eating those days.  He has multiple sensory issues and a very small array of foods he will actually eat.  The first week of January will most likely look similar.

Nothing is planned for Christmas and New Years Eve yet.  For Christmas, we usually eat at my parents' and bring home left overs for dinner that night.  On New Years Eve, I do a finger food set up.  The kids and I will generally graze and snack that night.  I will post recipes and pictures of those fun foods during that week!

Clarity in a Foggy Morning

After staying up late last night thinking about this blog, I woke up early on the cold, foggy morning with some clarity.  What's wrong?  What's right?  And what should be done to make it better.

First of all, I don't want it to be just about my children and their health issues, but I do want to use this to bring awareness to them because they are somewhat rare.  Next, I would like to use this to help other single moms know that being 'super mom' isn't always easy.  They are not alone.  With keeping with that trend, I would also like to help with budgeting ideas and help with things such dealing with debt, paying with cash, knowing the difference between a need and want. Helping also with saving money on food, clothing, everyday expenses and even vacations.

Hope you will join me on my adventures!  Life can be such a beautiful thing if you let it.  Never waste a moment!

Bringing You Up To Speed

So many things have happened its unreal and I'm not sure where to start!

First of all, DS5 had a 24hr EEG.  NEGATIVE for seizure activity!! Woohoo!!  However, because of that he's being referred to Pulmonology to check his heart/lung function.  Why does he stop breathing?  Why does his nose and mouth turn blue when he's playing vigorously?   He had a 2nd sleep study.  POSITIVE for sleep apnea STILL.  Even after surgery.  Our options are a dental device, nasal surgery, a combo of both or CPAP. Well,  I'm going with CPAP.  That's the one thing that I know for sure will work.  Especially after my DS13 getting a diagnosis of Ehler-Danlos, type III( hypermobility).  After speaking to the geneticist about that, I find out I have a text book case that's gone undiagnosed my whole life.  GREAT!  But at least I know NOW what it is.  The likelihood of DS5 and DD11 having this is crazy high. Especially considering their loose joints and scoliosis.  This is probably the cause of DS5's sleep apnea and it could be affecting his heart.  

So...now what? I've gotten a bit depressed... between all that medical mumbo-jumbo and now DS13 and DD11's Dad suddenly wants to take them for the whole Christmas break.  I'm very happy for them getting to spend time with their dad.  They've not seen him in a year and a half, but still. I'm already sad knowing how quiet and sad our Christmas is going to be now. Oh well... I have Thanksgiving, right?  

And yeah.. Thanksgiving is going to be at my house this year!  I'm hoping that will help cheer me up.  And speaking of Thanksgiving... The kids asked to go to Disney for Thanksgiving next year... YAY!  That's our favorite time to visit.  BUT.. if I take them to Disney next year, then that's another Christmas they get to spend with their Dad.  Not sure I can handle back to back empty Christmases. So... We are going to push that trip out til Springtime and go for my birthday/Star Wars weekend!  Whoop!  A time we've never gone.  Not looking forward to the heat, but a birthday trip for a family of Star Wars geeks will be awesome none the less!!!

Other than that, I'm busy cleaning and painting... painting and cleaning... Taking things off to recycling, goodwill, and the dump.  I've GOT to get this pile of boxes left over from my previously life GONE! Too much and I need to seriously get to decluttering.

Ok.. I think that sums it up.  Tonight we'll be posting a recipe that my DS13 LOVES to make and we love to eat!!  Also, I'll be putting up new items on my Peanut Sprouts link.  

Sorry for the delay... Medical issues and Dramatic Vacation!

So, this is just a little hello for now.  I can not believe its been so long since my last post.  My kids have new medical issues and our Disney vacation was a nightmare!  Will give more details in my next post!

Tad Bit of Progress!

So, I know I've not posted in a while...at least it was only a few days and not a few years like last time!  My youngest has been sick for 2 weeks.  I kept him home Monday and went to the doctor.  He was not getting any better and actually seemed worse since he was then running a fairly high fever and coughing all night. To my amazement, no ear infection! I was told, however, that it was most likely a virus and he should start feeling better soon.

Yesterday, he was. Or at least he acted as if he was feeling better.  Today, not so much.  He woke up begging me to take his temp.  This is not a good sign as he normally fights me and hates his temp being taken. He felt clammy, but luckily no fever.  On the flip side, his cough isn't any better and he now has a blotchy rash on his trunk.  Now I agree - virus.   So, home he stayed again.

On to the progress!

I managed to clean my washer and dryer and the sink area beside it.  Also attacked the room under the front porch.  It's finally organized a bit.  Yesterday, I worked on shirts for our Disney trip.  I got 8 completed, and put the fronts on another 8.  Still have the backs of 8 plus another 24 shirts (I think 24, could be 32) to go!

Plans for today?

I had been planning to shampoo the living room carpet, but with Ethan home sick I probably won't.  He doesn't deal well with the noise from the machine.  So, I guess I will be mopping the bathroom, hallway, kitchen and dining room.  Then on to working on 8 more shirts!  I also need to exercise, do morning house work, post on eBay (or find a better alternative), shower, etc.

No OT today and No respite clients this afternoon.  This means I don't have to leave the house at all!!!  I never have a problem doing these things, but its rare I get a day that doesn't consist of going somewhere. Hopefully that means I will get a lot accomplished.......Here goes nothing........

First Order of Business

Now that schools back in and I'm getting more into a better routine, I have plans.... serious plans!

Plans to get my couponing back under control.  My binder is a mess. There are tons of expired coupons in there and then I have stacks of coupon booklets that need to be sorted and filed.  Sadly, I have to work on my meal plan and grocery list today and I'm stressing out on where to start because of this!

Plans to get my basement in order.  Oh My Goodness!  That place is a mess!!  It flooded several times over the past few years and every time we've just unpacked the boxes that got we and either let it dry out of threw things away.  Well, now I have several piles of 'aired out' items and still some boxes to go through.  Plus my son's bedroom that we're building for him needs to be finished.  I did get one item knocked off my list for the basement this weekend!  I cleaned out and around the soak sink in the laundry area.  This is going to be a long process because I have walls to knock down, walls to build, doors and windows to replace, a floor to refinish, bathroom to repair, and all those boxes of 'stuff' to go through and purge.

Plans to repaint the house.  In fact, we were going to do this last fall.  Bought all the paint and its just sat in my living room closet since then. It's probably not any good by now.  I'll probably have to buy new paint.  But all the rooms in my house need a new coat of paint, the deck, the kids playground.  You name it, its needs a new coat of paint.

Plans to buy a 'new' to us car.  The truck I have likes to just cut off on my while I'm driving, even on the interstate and always when I have to be somewhere important!  There are a few other minor issues, but it has over 215,000 miles on it. Not sure how long its really going to last. I'm hoping to save up enough that I don't have to trade or sell it though. It would be useful for my soon to be driver. I've got less than 2 yrs for that.

That's just the bottom layer of the cake!  I have a huge list of things I need to get completed around here. So, the 'PLAN' is, now that I'm better scheduled and organized with the kids, to get to work on my giant list.  Wonder how many things I can knock out this month??  What about you all?  Do you have massive 'To Do' lists as well?  What the one thing on your list that's been eating at you the longest?

Where did everybody go?

Well, its been a while. A really long while.  One could say that life too a crazy turn, or its just the norm around here.  As I was sitting around on this quiet, rainy first day of September,  I started to think about some of the things I've let fall by the wayside this past year.  This blog was one of those things.

Since all three of my kiddos are in school now, I have more time to get things done! My house actually stays clean more than 10 minutes each day, Peanut Sprouts is starting to take off, and a home cooked dinner is making it to the table on time almost every day now!!!  That's not to say I'm no longer busy. That's just saying that I've managed to cut out a better routine to fit my crazy life!

Thinking about just how crazy it is, a perfect example would be the month of May.  Between the 3 kids we had 26 appointments.  None of them were school or extracurriculars related. All health visits...lots and lots of health visits.  My oldest had his ADHD/ODD testing redone, my youngest was diagnosed PDD-NOS, ADHD and SPD.  He had surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils in May, but is still having the apnea episodes so now his neurologist is trying to rule out seizure activity.  He's also developed scoliosis like his sister.  Speaking of which, her's is making a comeback so I'm going to have to find a new chiropractor.

As for our summer, it was pretty great!  Took the kids camping at Old Stone Fort in Manchester, the big kids went to church camp, and we took a road trip to Massachusetts.We had fun exploring new places and got to mark a few items off of our 'places to visit' list!   The two oldest ended up staying in MA with their grandparents for the last 3 weeks of summer break, getting back home the night before school started back!

I hear footsteps and voices so I guess it's time to get my day started.  I'll be back later to post more and promise to make a better effort this go round!  Til then, enjoy your morning!