One thing that is nice about having a large age gap between my first child and my younger two children is that I have gained a sense of perspective over the years. Of course, this helps me with my preschool age children and not so much with my newly-turned 13-year-old ;) But, I will take what parenting experience I have and be thankful for it.
Some things I have learned about preschoolers and younger children after parenting this age one time already, and also from knowing other parents who have walked the preschool path once before. These things may not be popular nuggets of information to share. Some parenting topics are just heated. Some things in life you just have to live through first in order to truly determine your own more concrete view on how that life stage or parenting situation is truly best handled (in your own life situation). Unfortunately, hindsight doesn't always help us as we navigate the initial path through parenthood.
But, for what it is worth, below is a short collection of "truths" that I have extracted from my own parenting experience. No, I am not a world expert on parenting. This is just my blog and this is just what I think based on my life experience. One thing about me is that I am a lover of anything that can be learned. I enjoy being challenged, stepping outside of my own ideas (no matter how concrete I think they are already), and looking at things in new ways. I don't know why; but it is just really very exciting to me to learn new things and new ways of looking at life. It just makes life interesting. It keeps me learning.
So, here are some of my ideas ... some might think they are wild and zany ideas and that is o.k. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe in them. I can't help it and I am sorry. I am who I am.
1.) Young boys should be held back from Kindergarten and go in as older boys.
2.) Most preschool programs are not developmentally appropriate and these programs are perpetuated by government ideas about educating kids in the older grades. Preschoolers learn best through enriched play. They do not need worksheets and drills or desk work, unless it is very minimal. Let's not stifle their creativity so young please. Unless you are using preschool for a mom's day out, get your child out of those types of preschool programs. They will have plenty of years to be schooled in structured settings that are less hands on.
3.) A clean house is not really important in the scheme of things. I don't mean we should live in filth, but things do clean up. Kids learn from some of the crazy things they do. That doesn't make them rotten or bad for doing them. If something is against the rules or really steps over a line for you as a parent, then don't allow it. But, be flexible for goodness' sake. You can spend your entire life sorting your socks when the kids' are grown.
4.) Sometimes when kids are tired, they can appear to have ADHD or to have terrible behavior problems. Some kids move faster when they are tired.
5.) Working closely with your child's school is important at any and every age. Be a partner and an advocate for your child's education.
6.) Teach them to do as many things for themselves as soon as possible ... and as soon as they are ready ... no matter how much more time that takes you as a parent of young kids. When they are older, life will be easier because you did.
7.) Kids don't have to be in every single sport, or club, or extracurricular activity. If they are interested and you can afford to foster that interest, then do so. But keep it fun and about learning until THEY want it to be about something bigger. Keep in mind that most adults don't have a place to play competitive team sports in this world after college. Being the best ball player is not the "be-all" and "end-all" for your child's success in this world.
8.) Let kids be who they are. Some kids don't like to do things that we as a society think all people should enjoy doing. Don't let them live in a bubble, but if they don't want to go to a school dance, then more power to them I say! Kudos to the kids who can make their own decisions and stay true to their own desires when their peers are sometimes going along with the crowd to ensure they are part of a "cool" group.
9.) If your child is being bullied at school, get up to the school and INSIST it be stopped. Use the term "bully." Insist on ZERO tolerance. Follow up daily until you are certain the situation is under control. Then, keep following up!
10.) I will end this list at ten items. So lastly, I will say ... do not be afraid to discipline your kids. We owe it to our kids to be their parents. This is not an easy role sometimes for a parent like me because it is ... indeed ... TRUE that doling out consequences is way more painful for ME than it is for my kids!
So, what do you agree with? What do you hate or disagree with from my above list? Please share your thoughts and your own parenting "truths" developed in the trenches!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
What a day can bring ....
It has been a day ... just wow!
Today was one of those days that I felt led/guided through the things that transpired.
I did not want to go to the "Preschool Closing" this morning. (This is where Co-op Moms help the teachers close up the school for the Summer. We haul toys and preschool furniture into two sheds and pack up things in the classroom, take things down from walls, etc.) There were many logical reasons why this was not the best thing for my calendar this morning. But, I was really drawn to this idea that I must go. I am so glad I went.
I am glad I went because I learned about a charter school option that was being talked about by two other moms there today. So this information came to me from a conversation I didn't even start nor want to really have. Dh and I had already decided where ds would be going to Jr. High School next year. I admit that I have had some thoughts about this that were hot thoughts based on things I kept hearing about the Jr. High and High School in our township, but I never knew we would be considering another viable option for ds today.
But I went home and surprised myself by googling that school mentioned this morning. I then made some phone calls. And then I researched the data of various nearby schools along with that one and a few others (just for comparison).
And I used mapquest to map out two school choices that could work pretty well with dh's work location. And bingo! I uncovered some very real choices for my ds next year!
On Saturday we will be going as a family to tour this one particular charter school that we feel stands out as a very real option for ds. I am so hopeful that this is an option we can get excited about; an option that will truly be right for my son.
Dh could take him to school most days. I could take him when dh couldn't. I would most likely need to do the picking up each school day. But if it was the right fit for ds, I would have no issue doing that.
Being a charter school, this school would be in our budget. And maybe being a charter school, it would not be as over-the-top for my son as some of the parish schools were for him academically .. perhaps this would be a place where he could be challenged and shine as well.
I know I want what every parent wants for their child. I know my child is not the most complex child in the world. But he has been a challenge to find the best fit for him educationally. He isn't paying attention to math now in his ruckus of a classroom. I feel doubtful that he will pay attention any harder when he becomes aware there is gang activity out in the hallways at our local public Jr. High. Ds needs something smaller and not over the top.
I know I have stars in my eyes, but I want this to be the place!
If it isn't, ds will go to the local public Jr. High as planned. Or maybe something else will present itself.
But, even if we had the money right now, I do not see a private school that fits ds's needs either.
Parenting is hard.
I would miss that bus that comes each day to make my life much easier. Yet, I hear horror stories about the Jr. High bus. Was I really going to let ds ride that bus every day anyway after sixth grade? I was hoping to do so, yes. But things get very ugly on the Jr. High bus. I have asked way too many people about this stuff with the public Jr. high ...
Nicholas' teacher says differently but various very good kids tell me the real stories that go on in these schools. I had just told dh last night that we should be prepared for a difficult journey ahead.
Is this an answer for us?
I don't know.
I only feel compelled to check it out some more and I feel excited about what I might find for my son.
And this also explains some stuck thoughts I have been having about the school situation for my girls (both for next year and in the future).
I realize it is only preschool ... but these are my favorite school years. The Co-op is a fun place and I enjoy sharing it with my little one(s). Am I willing to give up 10 free mornings per month in order to be able to never look back with regret that I missed Racers class with my youngest child? I think I am.
There will be so many days that I can go here and there and everywhere and be free someday ... but right now, I get to decide so much and I just might truly want to haul my butt to that preschool five days per week so that I will never regret not doing so when I can never again turn back that clock to these precious years with all three of my children.
Today was one of those days that I felt led/guided through the things that transpired.
I did not want to go to the "Preschool Closing" this morning. (This is where Co-op Moms help the teachers close up the school for the Summer. We haul toys and preschool furniture into two sheds and pack up things in the classroom, take things down from walls, etc.) There were many logical reasons why this was not the best thing for my calendar this morning. But, I was really drawn to this idea that I must go. I am so glad I went.
I am glad I went because I learned about a charter school option that was being talked about by two other moms there today. So this information came to me from a conversation I didn't even start nor want to really have. Dh and I had already decided where ds would be going to Jr. High School next year. I admit that I have had some thoughts about this that were hot thoughts based on things I kept hearing about the Jr. High and High School in our township, but I never knew we would be considering another viable option for ds today.
But I went home and surprised myself by googling that school mentioned this morning. I then made some phone calls. And then I researched the data of various nearby schools along with that one and a few others (just for comparison).
And I used mapquest to map out two school choices that could work pretty well with dh's work location. And bingo! I uncovered some very real choices for my ds next year!
On Saturday we will be going as a family to tour this one particular charter school that we feel stands out as a very real option for ds. I am so hopeful that this is an option we can get excited about; an option that will truly be right for my son.
Dh could take him to school most days. I could take him when dh couldn't. I would most likely need to do the picking up each school day. But if it was the right fit for ds, I would have no issue doing that.
Being a charter school, this school would be in our budget. And maybe being a charter school, it would not be as over-the-top for my son as some of the parish schools were for him academically .. perhaps this would be a place where he could be challenged and shine as well.
I know I want what every parent wants for their child. I know my child is not the most complex child in the world. But he has been a challenge to find the best fit for him educationally. He isn't paying attention to math now in his ruckus of a classroom. I feel doubtful that he will pay attention any harder when he becomes aware there is gang activity out in the hallways at our local public Jr. High. Ds needs something smaller and not over the top.
I know I have stars in my eyes, but I want this to be the place!
If it isn't, ds will go to the local public Jr. High as planned. Or maybe something else will present itself.
But, even if we had the money right now, I do not see a private school that fits ds's needs either.
Parenting is hard.
I would miss that bus that comes each day to make my life much easier. Yet, I hear horror stories about the Jr. High bus. Was I really going to let ds ride that bus every day anyway after sixth grade? I was hoping to do so, yes. But things get very ugly on the Jr. High bus. I have asked way too many people about this stuff with the public Jr. high ...
Nicholas' teacher says differently but various very good kids tell me the real stories that go on in these schools. I had just told dh last night that we should be prepared for a difficult journey ahead.
Is this an answer for us?
I don't know.
I only feel compelled to check it out some more and I feel excited about what I might find for my son.
And this also explains some stuck thoughts I have been having about the school situation for my girls (both for next year and in the future).
I realize it is only preschool ... but these are my favorite school years. The Co-op is a fun place and I enjoy sharing it with my little one(s). Am I willing to give up 10 free mornings per month in order to be able to never look back with regret that I missed Racers class with my youngest child? I think I am.
There will be so many days that I can go here and there and everywhere and be free someday ... but right now, I get to decide so much and I just might truly want to haul my butt to that preschool five days per week so that I will never regret not doing so when I can never again turn back that clock to these precious years with all three of my children.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Unraveling my thoughts ...
The last 11 days have been tough. For about 8 of these days, one girl or another was sick with a nasty, fever-type cold. I can count on one hand the number of times I left my house in the last 11 days ... and there is still room to count on just the one hand!
Illness brings extra whining, extra clinging, extra nose wipes, medicine battles "But I don't LIKE the medicine!!!" And then, after so many days, there was extra sibling rivalry too. All the extra bickering and kicking and fighting and grabbing things from each other was truly conspiring to torture this at-home mom who really is probably better suited to a more sane job outside the home where I could get a decent, quiet lunch hour; some true respect; and a paycheck to top it off!
My husband's work hours are insane. It is so funny to me when people think that dh's coming home at night could offer me any kind of break. All I can say to that is: ROFLMAO!!!
Now, I am not complaining. Really. I know I am blessed. I have choices. I am blessed to have choices. But, I feel the need to unravel some of my thoughts that flew crazy through my mind over the last days.
Here are some of my latest ephiphanies:
#1 -- Dh's job is going to get better (as to the amount of time that he spends there.) New management there sounds like they are better dividing the work. New management there seem to be sane, decent people. It is just that dh worked for a bozo for a year who stalled all work in the department. Sooooo, there is some catch up. A lot of catch up. They will get through it and it is going to be good.
#2 -- Even when my brain is fried and I sit here some days with my eyes crossed while chanting coping phrases inside my head just to keep me centered, I KNOW that I am THE best person to watch my kids all day, every day. There is simply nobody better for this job and I want the best for my kids. Sooooo, I am not really that bad of a mom ... even though there are days when I wonder if there is space at the mental ward for a mother who sometimes feel like she is heading over the edge. I choose ME for my kids each day. That is big. I am good to my kids even when they walk with spikes all over my nerves most days :)
#3 -- Housework just bores the crap out of me ... and that is o.k. It isn't that bad in here really. There are more important things in life than a perfectly-ordered, clean house. I am not giving up on housework or anything. I do feel that it is my job as the stay-at-home parent to keep the house in working order. And I take my role here seriously; I do. But, it is just not ever going to be exciting to me ... or pleasant for me .... or even routine for me to get this stuff done. I have tried and tried to find various ways to love housework .... and it is just NEVER going to be my thing.
#4 -- I am not one of those people who has the "need" to care take. There are people like that in the world and I think they are amazing and awesome. Maybe I am just full of care taking duties in my life right now. But, I am perfectly happy to keep strong boundaries in place when it comes to any additional caretaking demands. NO animals here. NO extra kids here thanks.
The answer is NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
If someone with kids wants to sit here awhile and pull up a chair and chat while all of our kids play ... groovy cool. I welcome that and I want us to be friends. But, NO ... you cannot just drop your young kids off here. What are ya? Nuts?!!!
Illness brings extra whining, extra clinging, extra nose wipes, medicine battles "But I don't LIKE the medicine!!!" And then, after so many days, there was extra sibling rivalry too. All the extra bickering and kicking and fighting and grabbing things from each other was truly conspiring to torture this at-home mom who really is probably better suited to a more sane job outside the home where I could get a decent, quiet lunch hour; some true respect; and a paycheck to top it off!
My husband's work hours are insane. It is so funny to me when people think that dh's coming home at night could offer me any kind of break. All I can say to that is: ROFLMAO!!!
Now, I am not complaining. Really. I know I am blessed. I have choices. I am blessed to have choices. But, I feel the need to unravel some of my thoughts that flew crazy through my mind over the last days.
Here are some of my latest ephiphanies:
#1 -- Dh's job is going to get better (as to the amount of time that he spends there.) New management there sounds like they are better dividing the work. New management there seem to be sane, decent people. It is just that dh worked for a bozo for a year who stalled all work in the department. Sooooo, there is some catch up. A lot of catch up. They will get through it and it is going to be good.
#2 -- Even when my brain is fried and I sit here some days with my eyes crossed while chanting coping phrases inside my head just to keep me centered, I KNOW that I am THE best person to watch my kids all day, every day. There is simply nobody better for this job and I want the best for my kids. Sooooo, I am not really that bad of a mom ... even though there are days when I wonder if there is space at the mental ward for a mother who sometimes feel like she is heading over the edge. I choose ME for my kids each day. That is big. I am good to my kids even when they walk with spikes all over my nerves most days :)
#3 -- Housework just bores the crap out of me ... and that is o.k. It isn't that bad in here really. There are more important things in life than a perfectly-ordered, clean house. I am not giving up on housework or anything. I do feel that it is my job as the stay-at-home parent to keep the house in working order. And I take my role here seriously; I do. But, it is just not ever going to be exciting to me ... or pleasant for me .... or even routine for me to get this stuff done. I have tried and tried to find various ways to love housework .... and it is just NEVER going to be my thing.
#4 -- I am not one of those people who has the "need" to care take. There are people like that in the world and I think they are amazing and awesome. Maybe I am just full of care taking duties in my life right now. But, I am perfectly happy to keep strong boundaries in place when it comes to any additional caretaking demands. NO animals here. NO extra kids here thanks.
The answer is NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
If someone with kids wants to sit here awhile and pull up a chair and chat while all of our kids play ... groovy cool. I welcome that and I want us to be friends. But, NO ... you cannot just drop your young kids off here. What are ya? Nuts?!!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Family
Family is such a wonderful thing in so many ways. You have a special bond and you can support each other; be there for each other; cousins can grow up together; and other good things.
But, family also brings their baggage to family events and can also be a negative, unpleasant thing when some family members simply refuse to focus on loving and supporting each other.
Actually, my side of the family is pretty cool. (Yes, I am biased!) I have worked hard to cultivate a relationship with dh's family though. Frankly, they are difficult people to like. They are full of opinions, and judgements, and they believe they "know" everything. Never mind what your doctor says for instance. If SIL thinks your kids need a tonsillectomy, then they must! Never mind that SIL tried again and again and never made it into medical school.
Anyway, I just felt like expressing some tiring feelings I am having about certain family members right now. Ultimately, I am glad to have them, imperfections and all. But, some days ... sighhhhhhhh ....
But, family also brings their baggage to family events and can also be a negative, unpleasant thing when some family members simply refuse to focus on loving and supporting each other.
Actually, my side of the family is pretty cool. (Yes, I am biased!) I have worked hard to cultivate a relationship with dh's family though. Frankly, they are difficult people to like. They are full of opinions, and judgements, and they believe they "know" everything. Never mind what your doctor says for instance. If SIL thinks your kids need a tonsillectomy, then they must! Never mind that SIL tried again and again and never made it into medical school.
Anyway, I just felt like expressing some tiring feelings I am having about certain family members right now. Ultimately, I am glad to have them, imperfections and all. But, some days ... sighhhhhhhh ....
Friday, April 2, 2010
Goals Update
It's time to review and/or tweak by New Year's goals. Here is how it has been going --
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood.
This is a good goal to strive for; however, I find that I abandon it more often than not. I tend to do housework in various bursts of energy that are less routine. I am realizing this is just who I am. However, having this goal keeps me from completely abandoning my laundry altogether, so it's a good one :)
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
Again, it's the "daily" thing here that I don't do. But when the need to get the house in order becomes pressing to me, this is where I begin. And, if I only want to make huge progress in a short time, this is what I do.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
Decluttering is energizing. I have done very well with it this year. At this time, I have decluttered all I want to and I feel that I am as decluttered as I want to be right now ... aside from the girls Summer clothing that doesn't fit ... which is not a big job. Shorts take up such a small amount of space but I have only just recently pulled them out of storage :)
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
The routine is: Swish and Swipe AS NEEDED :)
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
I have been doing this, which has been nice for my time and sanity. I cannot say it has helped my cooking; although, my family does eat homecooked meals most nights ... so I guess I do o.k.
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
I have really taken off with this goal and I have lost ten pounds since January as a result. When I made this goal in January, I did not know I would be so into this. Exercise has been great for me and I want to continue it regularly.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
I have definitely eaten breakfast more often this year and this always helps me eat better the entire day. However, this is something I have to remind myself to do because I am not satisfied with just any breakfast and I will try to skip breakfast if I don't feel like making something that I know will truly satisfy me. I would, ideally, like to eat at least one egg most days. But, I don't always want to make an egg ... lazy me!
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
I have done this and have found it to be very freeing and satisfying. I have two girls close in age and I don't feel like going somewhere every morning of the week. So, sometimes, we don't :)
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
We enrolled the girls in two sessions of a dance class, which they really enjoy and I do too. For me, I especially like how the class is short, developmentally appropriate and very close to our home. And most importantly, this is something they want to do (and not something I dragged them into.)
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
A plan is in place; however, not one penny has been saved yet.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
This is ongoing but something I never want to lose sight of.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
I bought a new pillow, cleared out some clutter and am working on getting some sheets that fit the bed better (waiting for a sale at a particular store because I won't pay full price for sheets!) I would like to do more, but this is what is in the budget right now.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
I did this two days ago for the first time and had a great time :)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
Reading the Happiness book has brought me great peace as far as this goal is concerned. The author of that book is very inspiring to me when it comes to validating the idea that we can be who we are and that is O.K. At my current age, I had already figured that out and have embraced it personally for many years; however, it is very nice to have a book out there in the world affirming that it IS, indeed, O.K. to just be me.
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood.
This is a good goal to strive for; however, I find that I abandon it more often than not. I tend to do housework in various bursts of energy that are less routine. I am realizing this is just who I am. However, having this goal keeps me from completely abandoning my laundry altogether, so it's a good one :)
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
Again, it's the "daily" thing here that I don't do. But when the need to get the house in order becomes pressing to me, this is where I begin. And, if I only want to make huge progress in a short time, this is what I do.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
Decluttering is energizing. I have done very well with it this year. At this time, I have decluttered all I want to and I feel that I am as decluttered as I want to be right now ... aside from the girls Summer clothing that doesn't fit ... which is not a big job. Shorts take up such a small amount of space but I have only just recently pulled them out of storage :)
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
The routine is: Swish and Swipe AS NEEDED :)
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
I have been doing this, which has been nice for my time and sanity. I cannot say it has helped my cooking; although, my family does eat homecooked meals most nights ... so I guess I do o.k.
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
I have really taken off with this goal and I have lost ten pounds since January as a result. When I made this goal in January, I did not know I would be so into this. Exercise has been great for me and I want to continue it regularly.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
I have definitely eaten breakfast more often this year and this always helps me eat better the entire day. However, this is something I have to remind myself to do because I am not satisfied with just any breakfast and I will try to skip breakfast if I don't feel like making something that I know will truly satisfy me. I would, ideally, like to eat at least one egg most days. But, I don't always want to make an egg ... lazy me!
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
I have done this and have found it to be very freeing and satisfying. I have two girls close in age and I don't feel like going somewhere every morning of the week. So, sometimes, we don't :)
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
We enrolled the girls in two sessions of a dance class, which they really enjoy and I do too. For me, I especially like how the class is short, developmentally appropriate and very close to our home. And most importantly, this is something they want to do (and not something I dragged them into.)
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
A plan is in place; however, not one penny has been saved yet.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
This is ongoing but something I never want to lose sight of.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
I bought a new pillow, cleared out some clutter and am working on getting some sheets that fit the bed better (waiting for a sale at a particular store because I won't pay full price for sheets!) I would like to do more, but this is what is in the budget right now.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
I did this two days ago for the first time and had a great time :)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
Reading the Happiness book has brought me great peace as far as this goal is concerned. The author of that book is very inspiring to me when it comes to validating the idea that we can be who we are and that is O.K. At my current age, I had already figured that out and have embraced it personally for many years; however, it is very nice to have a book out there in the world affirming that it IS, indeed, O.K. to just be me.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Life Lessons from a Tonsillectomy ....
I learned a few things from having my tonsillectomy that I don't want to forget. The experience itself was life changing for me. Perhaps it was mostly due to having this particular operation tied into my personal goal for resolving some long-time breathing issues of mine in honor of my fifth decade of life.
For one thing, I can breathe now even though my throat is still very swollen from the surgery! Yes, my husband said he didn't know I was in the bed the other night! (I recovered from my tonsillectomy in my living room, mostly sleeping upright in various reclining chairs.)
The reason he didn't know that I was in bed was that I went to bed after him and I apparently didn't snore all night! I was able to lay down and sleep for the first time in many months while also being able to BREATHE! And nobody has ever told me in my entire life that I slept for ANY amount of time without snoring. This seems like a very good sign. Maybe I will actually, FINALLY, be a princess when I sleep :)
In my opinion, any improvment is welcome as to my snoring; but, I am personally most interested in BREATHING well, sleeping sounder and having less nightly jabs in my gut for the rest of my life. I hope it works out like that.
But regardless, it was a positive life experience and there are some lessons learned that I don't want to forget. So here they are --
Note: It is interesting to me how I developed some new habits over a 10-14 day recovery period. Those habits developed fairly easily because they were repeated often, over the course of several days, and were due to the need to cope with both pain and getting to the point of recovery (so I found myself having to do them to get through the days).
From the recovery experience, here are some things I want to apply ongoing ....
Tonsillectomy Habit #1 -- Have a cold, non-milk beverage beside me at ALL TIMES and drink often whether I am thirsty or not.
How I want to continue to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I was a milk addict. Milk was too thick and pasty to drink during my tonsillectomy (yes, even skim). I had to turn to more water-based drinks during my tonsillectomy recovery and I found that Juicy Juice became my new desired drink over the course of my recovery period. But, Juicy Juice has too many calories post tonsillectomy. So now, I am choosing water either by itself or with some Crystal Light or Propel in it (to give it that fruity flavor) ... and I am going to keep it by my side all day long .... and drink it for great hydration ... whether I am thirsty or not.
Hoped for result --
Milk and Juicy Juice are way more caloric than water and/or Crystal Light or Propel. I hope to lose more weight than the 2.5 pounds I took off by doing this last week.
Tonsillectomy Lesson #2 -- Jello is a yummy and hydrating snack and is easy to make, especially when I use my rubbermaid containers with lids (which are easier to find a spot for in the refrigerator and very easy to store jello in). Therefore, it is not necessary to worry about using a big, cumbersome 9" X 13" pan to make jello and the water for the jello can be boiled most easily in the microwave rather than the stove.
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I want to eat more jello and serve jello to my kids more readily when they get sick. Jello is a wonderful recovery food and it is just fun to eat too.
Hoped for result -- Life with more jello in it and kids who feel extra pampered and cared for when they get sick. And kids who get well faster due to the hydration jello provides too!
Tonsillectomy Lesson #3 -- When family members took my kids out of the house every afternoon for one week during my recovery period (I really miss that by the way), my house did not get near the wear and tear it usually does in the week. This meant less housework ... and who really enjoys housework????? Definitely NOT me!
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- Consider less housework as a motivating factor and benefit to getting my kids out of the house WITH and WITHOUT me during the course of a week (although I think the WITHOUT me opportunities will be more sparse than the WITH me opportunities in any given week .... oh well!)
Hoped for result -- Less housework at times (???)
Tonsillectomy Lesson #4 -- During my recovery period, I lost my normal sense of taste for a few days and when it came back, it was like my sense of taste was heightened. I also developed a greater appreciation for foods overall as I sought to get through the days while balancing intense throat pain with the need and desire to eat; nourish the body for strength and recovery; and curb hunger. I developed a greater awareness and appreciation for the variety of shapes and textures in foods as well (as they relate to the taste of what used to just seem like normal foods). The shapes and textures of the various foods we have available to eat on this planet are truly a blessing!
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I want to eat consciously for LIFE and appreciate every bite; refrain from overeating (which causes a true lack of appreciation for food as well as weight gain.); and enjoy eating any food I desire (while emphazing the importance of PROTEIN and FIBER in every meal).
Hoped for result -- Weight loss .... ALONG with joy in eating from ALL food groups available on this great earth. (Including the chocolate and pastry group. I mean, what is life without chocolate??? Maybe not as sweet.)
Thank you God for great food and for all of the blessings we have on this earth!!!
For one thing, I can breathe now even though my throat is still very swollen from the surgery! Yes, my husband said he didn't know I was in the bed the other night! (I recovered from my tonsillectomy in my living room, mostly sleeping upright in various reclining chairs.)
The reason he didn't know that I was in bed was that I went to bed after him and I apparently didn't snore all night! I was able to lay down and sleep for the first time in many months while also being able to BREATHE! And nobody has ever told me in my entire life that I slept for ANY amount of time without snoring. This seems like a very good sign. Maybe I will actually, FINALLY, be a princess when I sleep :)
In my opinion, any improvment is welcome as to my snoring; but, I am personally most interested in BREATHING well, sleeping sounder and having less nightly jabs in my gut for the rest of my life. I hope it works out like that.
But regardless, it was a positive life experience and there are some lessons learned that I don't want to forget. So here they are --
Note: It is interesting to me how I developed some new habits over a 10-14 day recovery period. Those habits developed fairly easily because they were repeated often, over the course of several days, and were due to the need to cope with both pain and getting to the point of recovery (so I found myself having to do them to get through the days).
From the recovery experience, here are some things I want to apply ongoing ....
Tonsillectomy Habit #1 -- Have a cold, non-milk beverage beside me at ALL TIMES and drink often whether I am thirsty or not.
How I want to continue to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I was a milk addict. Milk was too thick and pasty to drink during my tonsillectomy (yes, even skim). I had to turn to more water-based drinks during my tonsillectomy recovery and I found that Juicy Juice became my new desired drink over the course of my recovery period. But, Juicy Juice has too many calories post tonsillectomy. So now, I am choosing water either by itself or with some Crystal Light or Propel in it (to give it that fruity flavor) ... and I am going to keep it by my side all day long .... and drink it for great hydration ... whether I am thirsty or not.
Hoped for result --
Milk and Juicy Juice are way more caloric than water and/or Crystal Light or Propel. I hope to lose more weight than the 2.5 pounds I took off by doing this last week.
Tonsillectomy Lesson #2 -- Jello is a yummy and hydrating snack and is easy to make, especially when I use my rubbermaid containers with lids (which are easier to find a spot for in the refrigerator and very easy to store jello in). Therefore, it is not necessary to worry about using a big, cumbersome 9" X 13" pan to make jello and the water for the jello can be boiled most easily in the microwave rather than the stove.
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I want to eat more jello and serve jello to my kids more readily when they get sick. Jello is a wonderful recovery food and it is just fun to eat too.
Hoped for result -- Life with more jello in it and kids who feel extra pampered and cared for when they get sick. And kids who get well faster due to the hydration jello provides too!
Tonsillectomy Lesson #3 -- When family members took my kids out of the house every afternoon for one week during my recovery period (I really miss that by the way), my house did not get near the wear and tear it usually does in the week. This meant less housework ... and who really enjoys housework????? Definitely NOT me!
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- Consider less housework as a motivating factor and benefit to getting my kids out of the house WITH and WITHOUT me during the course of a week (although I think the WITHOUT me opportunities will be more sparse than the WITH me opportunities in any given week .... oh well!)
Hoped for result -- Less housework at times (???)
Tonsillectomy Lesson #4 -- During my recovery period, I lost my normal sense of taste for a few days and when it came back, it was like my sense of taste was heightened. I also developed a greater appreciation for foods overall as I sought to get through the days while balancing intense throat pain with the need and desire to eat; nourish the body for strength and recovery; and curb hunger. I developed a greater awareness and appreciation for the variety of shapes and textures in foods as well (as they relate to the taste of what used to just seem like normal foods). The shapes and textures of the various foods we have available to eat on this planet are truly a blessing!
How I want to apply this lesson in my life from now on -- I want to eat consciously for LIFE and appreciate every bite; refrain from overeating (which causes a true lack of appreciation for food as well as weight gain.); and enjoy eating any food I desire (while emphazing the importance of PROTEIN and FIBER in every meal).
Hoped for result -- Weight loss .... ALONG with joy in eating from ALL food groups available on this great earth. (Including the chocolate and pastry group. I mean, what is life without chocolate??? Maybe not as sweet.)
Thank you God for great food and for all of the blessings we have on this earth!!!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday Five
Here are five great things this Friday :)
1.) I am thankful that my husband's medical tests have come back normal. They were testing for an aneurysm and that was scary. He does still have the headaches but at least we can rule out brain surgery ... goodness!
2.) I am blessed to have three beautiful children, inside and out. I love their sweet, kind ways. Did I teach them to be nice people, or were they born that way?
3.) I am grateful for the speedy recovery I have made from my tonsillectomy. I am so glad that I had this surgery and I feel proud of getting through it so bravely :)
4.) I am thankful for nearby family and good friends who keep me sane (somewhat sane?)
5.) I am sooooo thankful it is FRIDAY!!!! Can I just say S-L-E-E-P is on my weekend schedule big time!
1.) I am thankful that my husband's medical tests have come back normal. They were testing for an aneurysm and that was scary. He does still have the headaches but at least we can rule out brain surgery ... goodness!
2.) I am blessed to have three beautiful children, inside and out. I love their sweet, kind ways. Did I teach them to be nice people, or were they born that way?
3.) I am grateful for the speedy recovery I have made from my tonsillectomy. I am so glad that I had this surgery and I feel proud of getting through it so bravely :)
4.) I am thankful for nearby family and good friends who keep me sane (somewhat sane?)
5.) I am sooooo thankful it is FRIDAY!!!! Can I just say S-L-E-E-P is on my weekend schedule big time!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Out of Sorts
I am feeling out of sorts today. Maybe I have overdone it. I just felt great on Tuesday and began to take over full force with my life. But yesterday .... I just sort of dropped everything and was soooo tired. My dishes never did get done yesterday at all, dinner came together in pieces (or did we have dinner?) and my house is such a wreck right now that I had a bad dream about it.
Today, I skipped the preschool routine. If we are going to skip "just because," we always skip on Thursdays. That is because Ellie's class meets again tomorrow. It is always my personal challenge to muster the energy to pack my two in the car, only to be able to drop off one. And so, I indulged my tiredness today and we skipped. We do this maybe twice per month on a Thursday and I don't tell Ellie we're doing it.
And so, today I must first get those dishes done and maybe do a quick living room pick up. I need a shower and a good lunch. The girls and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors the last two days and that fresh air does wear a person out (as a friend of mine says "in a good way.")
I still plan to walk outside with the girls later today (once I get my energy back in check). I like our new walking routine. It sure beats spending time on the treadmill any day! I really wish I had a girlfriend to walk and chat with though. An adult. I keep my eyes out in the neighborhood but haven't found anyone yet. I guess my little ones will have to be my girlfriends for the time being :)
On another note, I am feeling worried about my dh. He has had a continuous headache for three weeks, non-stop. Of course the man only tells me this after two weeks of having it. The dr. gave him a fancy test on Wednesday and I just feel very worried. I look forward to good news and having this behind him/us soon. Health issues always make me a nervous wreck. But, also, I don't want him to be in pain :(
Today, I skipped the preschool routine. If we are going to skip "just because," we always skip on Thursdays. That is because Ellie's class meets again tomorrow. It is always my personal challenge to muster the energy to pack my two in the car, only to be able to drop off one. And so, I indulged my tiredness today and we skipped. We do this maybe twice per month on a Thursday and I don't tell Ellie we're doing it.
And so, today I must first get those dishes done and maybe do a quick living room pick up. I need a shower and a good lunch. The girls and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors the last two days and that fresh air does wear a person out (as a friend of mine says "in a good way.")
I still plan to walk outside with the girls later today (once I get my energy back in check). I like our new walking routine. It sure beats spending time on the treadmill any day! I really wish I had a girlfriend to walk and chat with though. An adult. I keep my eyes out in the neighborhood but haven't found anyone yet. I guess my little ones will have to be my girlfriends for the time being :)
On another note, I am feeling worried about my dh. He has had a continuous headache for three weeks, non-stop. Of course the man only tells me this after two weeks of having it. The dr. gave him a fancy test on Wednesday and I just feel very worried. I look forward to good news and having this behind him/us soon. Health issues always make me a nervous wreck. But, also, I don't want him to be in pain :(
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
We're Debt Free!!!!! (Our Dave Ramsey Journey)
In September of 2007, I began a personal campaign to gain control over our household finances. We are a single income family that used to be two-income family (until November 2006). By September 2007, it had become obvious that the household funds just were not cutting it. (We had continued to live as a two-income family but had cut back to only getting one income after having back-to-back babies).
So, with the mission of doing whatever needed to be done to avoid my having to go back to work and put my two babies in day care (they were 11 months old and 23 months old at the time), I set off to find a solution. I began by playing the Grocery Game http://www.thegrocerygame.com/.
I had a lot of success with playing the Grocery Game and became very involved with their message boards (where I met some very amazing frugal ladies). And that is where I learned about Dave Ramsey.
At first I just ordered his books and quickly perused them. O.k. more finance books, whatever. I had read several finance books in my life by this point and they all had very good ideas. But none of them had ever really, really changed my life. (Although I did make some good decisions as a result of having read finance books in the past, which I later found out. Some of those things came in handy during our Dave Ramsey journey).
But none of those books ever helped me to really get a real handle on where our money was, or went, at any given time. We were credit card people baby and we had great time!!!
So, from Sept. 2007 through Dec. 2007, I plugged away, making some changes that I thought were good, attempting to create a budget, deeply cutting back on spending in most ways ... but still, it wasn't working out ... and then I finally figured out why due to the wise ladies who were Grocery Game veterans.
Basically, I had gone nuts playing the Grocery Game while using my credit card!!! I was saving money off the price of groceries, but I was regularly exeeding our grocery budget by using my credit card to buy whatever groceries I wanted, in whatever quantities I wanted to buy them!
Sooooo, I redirected and in Dec. of 2007, I opened and read Dave Ramsey's best book, Total Money Makeover with new eyes. And, I began at the beginning, with Baby Step 1. My husband didn't want to get too involved, but he did give me free reign to reorganize our monies and our budget in whatever way was necessary. And my husband (having grown up broke) can stop spending on a dime if need be and so I would instruct him accordingly as this journey got underway.
It took awhile. Many lessons were learned. And relearned. I might list some of those lessons out in another post because they were truly a big part of this whole process. It was not as easy as just reading the book and applying the principles. The real life lessons from applying the principles, and then seeking to find a way around the principles, and then realizing that I had to go back to the actual principles and stick to them to make this work ... those were the big lessons.
I really did not expect that on March 9, 2010 we would finally be debt free except for our house. I knew we were on plan, but I often have not focused on when the actual end to our debt would be. I also had not planned for the large tax refund that Uncle Sam allowed to let happen for us this year.
And then last week, when I was recovering from my tonsillectomy, I had a lot of free time. I found out that this month was actually a three paycheck month for us. And so, I found in our budget the last amount of money needed to finally pay off our original $24,700 Home Equity Line of Credit!
Here are the stats:
How exactly did we do this you might ask. After all, our income didn't really change all that much in the 2.25 years we were involved in this journey. In fact, my husband made less money each year after 2007 and even took a temporary pay cut for three months beginning in January 2009.
Well ... we sold some things. We sold many things. We cut back on some small things. We cut back on some big things. We refinanced our house. We did without things. And, most importantly, we kept the goal front and center.
And now I can say that we actually DID it!!!! It has been life changing!
It doesn't free up more money though. Because there are many things we must now save for in 2010 in order to maintain a debt-free lifestyle. For instance, it is no fun that we have to buy a roof for our house this year. But we will save for it and dh will put it on :) We also have to save up to pay our property taxes due this year. And that is no small amount of change. And other boring things like that must be attended to as well this year.
But after those things are taken care of, we will be ready to take on Baby Step 3 with gusto! We are not done. Just baby steppin' our way there ...
So, with the mission of doing whatever needed to be done to avoid my having to go back to work and put my two babies in day care (they were 11 months old and 23 months old at the time), I set off to find a solution. I began by playing the Grocery Game http://www.thegrocerygame.com/.
I had a lot of success with playing the Grocery Game and became very involved with their message boards (where I met some very amazing frugal ladies). And that is where I learned about Dave Ramsey.
At first I just ordered his books and quickly perused them. O.k. more finance books, whatever. I had read several finance books in my life by this point and they all had very good ideas. But none of them had ever really, really changed my life. (Although I did make some good decisions as a result of having read finance books in the past, which I later found out. Some of those things came in handy during our Dave Ramsey journey).
But none of those books ever helped me to really get a real handle on where our money was, or went, at any given time. We were credit card people baby and we had great time!!!
So, from Sept. 2007 through Dec. 2007, I plugged away, making some changes that I thought were good, attempting to create a budget, deeply cutting back on spending in most ways ... but still, it wasn't working out ... and then I finally figured out why due to the wise ladies who were Grocery Game veterans.
Basically, I had gone nuts playing the Grocery Game while using my credit card!!! I was saving money off the price of groceries, but I was regularly exeeding our grocery budget by using my credit card to buy whatever groceries I wanted, in whatever quantities I wanted to buy them!
Sooooo, I redirected and in Dec. of 2007, I opened and read Dave Ramsey's best book, Total Money Makeover with new eyes. And, I began at the beginning, with Baby Step 1. My husband didn't want to get too involved, but he did give me free reign to reorganize our monies and our budget in whatever way was necessary. And my husband (having grown up broke) can stop spending on a dime if need be and so I would instruct him accordingly as this journey got underway.
It took awhile. Many lessons were learned. And relearned. I might list some of those lessons out in another post because they were truly a big part of this whole process. It was not as easy as just reading the book and applying the principles. The real life lessons from applying the principles, and then seeking to find a way around the principles, and then realizing that I had to go back to the actual principles and stick to them to make this work ... those were the big lessons.
I really did not expect that on March 9, 2010 we would finally be debt free except for our house. I knew we were on plan, but I often have not focused on when the actual end to our debt would be. I also had not planned for the large tax refund that Uncle Sam allowed to let happen for us this year.
And then last week, when I was recovering from my tonsillectomy, I had a lot of free time. I found out that this month was actually a three paycheck month for us. And so, I found in our budget the last amount of money needed to finally pay off our original $24,700 Home Equity Line of Credit!
We are debt free, aside from the house, now baby!!!!!
Here are the stats:
Total debt paid off -- $33,375
Began financial overhaul in September 2007
Found Dave and began TMMO in December 2007
Finished BS 2 on March 9, 2010!!!
How exactly did we do this you might ask. After all, our income didn't really change all that much in the 2.25 years we were involved in this journey. In fact, my husband made less money each year after 2007 and even took a temporary pay cut for three months beginning in January 2009.
Well ... we sold some things. We sold many things. We cut back on some small things. We cut back on some big things. We refinanced our house. We did without things. And, most importantly, we kept the goal front and center.
And now I can say that we actually DID it!!!! It has been life changing!
It doesn't free up more money though. Because there are many things we must now save for in 2010 in order to maintain a debt-free lifestyle. For instance, it is no fun that we have to buy a roof for our house this year. But we will save for it and dh will put it on :) We also have to save up to pay our property taxes due this year. And that is no small amount of change. And other boring things like that must be attended to as well this year.
But after those things are taken care of, we will be ready to take on Baby Step 3 with gusto! We are not done. Just baby steppin' our way there ...
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day 10
Today I will check in at various times to log my recovery progress. I am just expecting day 10 to be an interesting an exciting one, although so far it isn't starting out to be very different.
10:30 a.m. -- Upon waking up this morning, I did not experience any miraculous feeling of recovery. I woke up one half hour before I was due to take my pain meds (thanks to the doorbell). The last half hour before pain meds is always tough. So, I will update again later after taking them.
*** Update: I am considering going without pain medicine today. I don't really think they do that much to help and I so want to be able to drive my car today and get out and about. I am going to try this.
****Update 2: Already re-thinking this idea about pain meds ...
So, I did take the pain meds. Overall, I feel that I am a shade better than yesterday for these reasons:
1.) It feels like the pain medicines are helping more than they were.
2.) I took a nap today and overslept my next dose of pain meds by two hours (I did wake up in terrible pain, but still, this is progress.
3.) I can eat better than in the last few days ... it's still painful and a lot of work ... but I can do it again without extreme fear.
4.) When I am not eating or talking, there are moments I feel great and forget that I am still
recovering.
10:30 a.m. -- Upon waking up this morning, I did not experience any miraculous feeling of recovery. I woke up one half hour before I was due to take my pain meds (thanks to the doorbell). The last half hour before pain meds is always tough. So, I will update again later after taking them.
*** Update: I am considering going without pain medicine today. I don't really think they do that much to help and I so want to be able to drive my car today and get out and about. I am going to try this.
****Update 2: Already re-thinking this idea about pain meds ...
So, I did take the pain meds. Overall, I feel that I am a shade better than yesterday for these reasons:
1.) It feels like the pain medicines are helping more than they were.
2.) I took a nap today and overslept my next dose of pain meds by two hours (I did wake up in terrible pain, but still, this is progress.
3.) I can eat better than in the last few days ... it's still painful and a lot of work ... but I can do it again without extreme fear.
4.) When I am not eating or talking, there are moments I feel great and forget that I am still
recovering.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Day 9 once again
I decided to change my recovery day to day 9 versus day 10. I was counting my recovery days the way I was because I was done with surgery by 10 a.m. on the day of surgery (so I called that day 1). But, I found out that this is not how my doctor's office or other people who are recovering typically count the days. You don't get credit for the day of surgery :)
I also figured this particular day 9 (today, which I had expected to be day 10) pretty much sucks as bad as the previous day 9 (yesterday) So, why call it day 10?
Day 10 is magical in my mind. I will wake up with a smile. I will breathe freely; my kids will act perfect; I will win large sums of money just for being a cool person; the stars will line up and spell my name; and I will go out to eat; have no pain; and be all done with this adventure =)
Tune in to hear about Day 10 tomorrow. The Real Day 10. It's gonna be so good!
I also figured this particular day 9 (today, which I had expected to be day 10) pretty much sucks as bad as the previous day 9 (yesterday) So, why call it day 10?
Day 10 is magical in my mind. I will wake up with a smile. I will breathe freely; my kids will act perfect; I will win large sums of money just for being a cool person; the stars will line up and spell my name; and I will go out to eat; have no pain; and be all done with this adventure =)
Tune in to hear about Day 10 tomorrow. The Real Day 10. It's gonna be so good!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 9
I called the Dr.'s office this morning. I am on the strongest pain medicine possible. Apparently, this level of pain is normal, even with a pain med. So o.k., I'm gonna get through Day 9. The worst time period thus far in my recovery was the night of Day 6 and the morning of Day 7. This pain medicine I am on right now does contribute to sleep, so I can do this.
Here is my plan. I just took the pain med and now I am eating a bowl of Vanilla ice cream (chasing down my jello breakfast!) I can't eat too much ice cream because it is almost too cold; but on occasion, it has a great numbing quality. As soon as I am done, I will take a shower and hopefully be ready to nap again :)
My mom took Ellie to preschool today and will participate with her in the classroom. I could have moved my participation day, but I knew Ellie would get a kick out of having her Nana go and then she won't have to wait so long to have her adult helper in the classroom again. At the Co-op, the kids really enjoy when their parent helps for the day. They get a special job and they just think it's really cool :) My dad is here "babysitting" me and Katie ... lol! I am so blessed to have this help and to have my family nearby and willing to be so helpful.
The most encouraging aspect of this morning was when the nurse suggested that by weekend's end, I might be feeling great. I think this has to do with the Day 10 theory on tonsillectomy recovery. So, there is hope that in the next day or 2, I will pull right out of this and be mostly recovered. I have read that it can take a full 4-6 weeks to feel totally recovered. I am o.k. with that as long as I feel mostly pretty good :)
Here is my plan. I just took the pain med and now I am eating a bowl of Vanilla ice cream (chasing down my jello breakfast!) I can't eat too much ice cream because it is almost too cold; but on occasion, it has a great numbing quality. As soon as I am done, I will take a shower and hopefully be ready to nap again :)
My mom took Ellie to preschool today and will participate with her in the classroom. I could have moved my participation day, but I knew Ellie would get a kick out of having her Nana go and then she won't have to wait so long to have her adult helper in the classroom again. At the Co-op, the kids really enjoy when their parent helps for the day. They get a special job and they just think it's really cool :) My dad is here "babysitting" me and Katie ... lol! I am so blessed to have this help and to have my family nearby and willing to be so helpful.
The most encouraging aspect of this morning was when the nurse suggested that by weekend's end, I might be feeling great. I think this has to do with the Day 10 theory on tonsillectomy recovery. So, there is hope that in the next day or 2, I will pull right out of this and be mostly recovered. I have read that it can take a full 4-6 weeks to feel totally recovered. I am o.k. with that as long as I feel mostly pretty good :)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day 8
Day 8 has been ugly. I am on a new pain medicine now and it feels like it might work anywhere except in my mouth/throat area. I am tempted to call the doctor tomorrow and ask if I can just take a double dose of the meds since they don't seem to do much. (But, I am sure they do. My friend who is a pharmacist said that my pain med is a very powerful one.)
So, I guess I can only imagine what the pain would feel like without meds in my system. Oh yeah, it would feel exactly like it does NOW ... LOL! I tell ya, the pain med does nothing!
Anyway, mostly I can't talk now without pain. It feels like I want to rip every part of my mouth and throat out of my skin. The pain med has made me want to sleep though. As long as I am actually asleep, I am unaware of the pain. But I never sleep for long without waking up feeling some horrible sensation.
Hoping for a better tomorrow!
So, I guess I can only imagine what the pain would feel like without meds in my system. Oh yeah, it would feel exactly like it does NOW ... LOL! I tell ya, the pain med does nothing!
Anyway, mostly I can't talk now without pain. It feels like I want to rip every part of my mouth and throat out of my skin. The pain med has made me want to sleep though. As long as I am actually asleep, I am unaware of the pain. But I never sleep for long without waking up feeling some horrible sensation.
Hoping for a better tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day 7
Day 7 is by far my worst day so far. Excruciating pain the entire night and so much tenderness this morning. Right now I am eating a bowl of berry blue jello again. It's funny how today this jello is working for me again. This recovery is crazy like that; you never know where the comfort will come from in a given moment.
Todays goal: stick with jello only and pray a lot.
Today is a bit humiliating. I had to call my parents in for reinforcement this morning. I couldn't talk at all and was choking in my early a.m. sleep after ds went off to school. If something were to happen to me, the girls would not have been able to help of course. They were still sleeping, but I had to call for help.
My dear parents rushed right over at 7:45 a.m. to babysit me and the girls. The humiliating part is that my mom has asked my MIL to watch me for a few hours in the afternoon. It's so embarrassing but they have determined that I should not be alone (I do agree).
I am doing this for my immediate family at this point. We still need dh at work and MIL wants to help. The kids need great care. So, I am going to suck it up and get babysat =)
On another note, due to feeling so terrible this morning, I completely missed dh's call from work. Today his boss was announcing his leave from the department (where he has reigned for 20 years). I soooo wanted every detail on this. The story from the leaving boss (as of yesterday) is that he did not want to make this career change at this time. I will look forward to an evening of hearing more about this :) It's going to be a good day!!!!
Todays goal: stick with jello only and pray a lot.
Today is a bit humiliating. I had to call my parents in for reinforcement this morning. I couldn't talk at all and was choking in my early a.m. sleep after ds went off to school. If something were to happen to me, the girls would not have been able to help of course. They were still sleeping, but I had to call for help.
My dear parents rushed right over at 7:45 a.m. to babysit me and the girls. The humiliating part is that my mom has asked my MIL to watch me for a few hours in the afternoon. It's so embarrassing but they have determined that I should not be alone (I do agree).
I am doing this for my immediate family at this point. We still need dh at work and MIL wants to help. The kids need great care. So, I am going to suck it up and get babysat =)
On another note, due to feeling so terrible this morning, I completely missed dh's call from work. Today his boss was announcing his leave from the department (where he has reigned for 20 years). I soooo wanted every detail on this. The story from the leaving boss (as of yesterday) is that he did not want to make this career change at this time. I will look forward to an evening of hearing more about this :) It's going to be a good day!!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Days 6 and 7
Today was Day 6 of my tonsillectomy recovery. When I wake up tomorrow, Day 7 will begin. Today was my toughest day yet. Still bearable, but some new, weird stuff set in.
Today I had episodes where it was more painful to eat than it has ever been during my recovery. But it wasn't consistent. Other times today, I felt almost all better and that I could eat anything ... or even stop pain medicines completely.
The biggest and weirdest issue I noticed today was that I experienced a lot of sensitivity to noise. My parents brought dinner over and my family was so loud, (mainly the kids just being kids), that I felt like the noise was coming in through my ears and hurting my tonsils. I had to leave the room and sit quietly in the living room before my throat pain could get back in line after my ears became irritated. Strange, huh?
Also, whereas the last two nights Ramen noodles felt like therapy sliding down my throat; tonight, just swallowing them at all was painful. It's too bad too because I would have loved to have finished them up. I am a hungry type of gal ... no bird-like appetite here! But, it's just too painful. Maybe I will lose some weight out of this after all!
Right now I am alternating bites between a bowl of berry blue Jello and a bowl of rainbow sherbert. They each have their pluses, but I am not feeling much help from either of them tonight. I wish I had some plain 'ol Vanilla ice cream; I'm not sure why I didn't think of buying that. For the most part ice cream has felt too cold overall to me during this recovery though.
But, O.K., I am throwing out the sherbert now ... it's worthless ... it just isn't mild enough or something. It's not helping me one bit. I would like to hold fast to the Jello, but it's not working either.
Soooooo, now I am eating a peppermint .... ahhh ... thank God in his heaven for his peppermint!! I think I might survive another night in tact after all. The peppermint is doing a nice job of keeping my tongue busy. My tongue began to feel (just today) as if it has one million canker sores underneath it. I think this is referred pain as it does feel connected to my tonsil area.
I am sure hoping this is the worst that it gets! I have been so blessed, so blessed ... tune in tomorrow for an update on Day 7!
Today I had episodes where it was more painful to eat than it has ever been during my recovery. But it wasn't consistent. Other times today, I felt almost all better and that I could eat anything ... or even stop pain medicines completely.
The biggest and weirdest issue I noticed today was that I experienced a lot of sensitivity to noise. My parents brought dinner over and my family was so loud, (mainly the kids just being kids), that I felt like the noise was coming in through my ears and hurting my tonsils. I had to leave the room and sit quietly in the living room before my throat pain could get back in line after my ears became irritated. Strange, huh?
Also, whereas the last two nights Ramen noodles felt like therapy sliding down my throat; tonight, just swallowing them at all was painful. It's too bad too because I would have loved to have finished them up. I am a hungry type of gal ... no bird-like appetite here! But, it's just too painful. Maybe I will lose some weight out of this after all!
Right now I am alternating bites between a bowl of berry blue Jello and a bowl of rainbow sherbert. They each have their pluses, but I am not feeling much help from either of them tonight. I wish I had some plain 'ol Vanilla ice cream; I'm not sure why I didn't think of buying that. For the most part ice cream has felt too cold overall to me during this recovery though.
But, O.K., I am throwing out the sherbert now ... it's worthless ... it just isn't mild enough or something. It's not helping me one bit. I would like to hold fast to the Jello, but it's not working either.
Soooooo, now I am eating a peppermint .... ahhh ... thank God in his heaven for his peppermint!! I think I might survive another night in tact after all. The peppermint is doing a nice job of keeping my tongue busy. My tongue began to feel (just today) as if it has one million canker sores underneath it. I think this is referred pain as it does feel connected to my tonsil area.
I am sure hoping this is the worst that it gets! I have been so blessed, so blessed ... tune in tomorrow for an update on Day 7!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day 5 and job stuff
Today is Day 5 of my tonsillectomy recovery. Overall, things continue to go well. It can be painful to eat, but the food is really yummy when I do. I would not say massive improvment in pain has occurred, but it has not increased either. I still feel really good, with a lot of energy ... and sleeping is going well too.
I can see why people complain about the recovery process. It does move slowly. But, I would definitely still maintain that people make way too much of it. If you want the benefits of having your tonsils out, go forth and get it done! Don't let anyone scare you away from realizing the benefits. (I am still not to the benefits yet, but I am really encouraged. It already feels like I am breathing better while my throat continues to be quite swollen.)
Something wonderful happened today. My husband's boss told him that he was leaving the department ... he is going to work somewhere else within the company (location not shared). Have you ever heard someone was leaving a position and felt nothing but pure relief? Well, that is what happened here.
I still remember a sign I used to have for my former office (given to me by a family member when I supervised a few obnoxious people along with some very cool ones).
"Everyone Brings Joy to the Office -- Some When they Enter, Others When they Leave."
All I can say here is Hallelujah and Ah-men!!!
I can see why people complain about the recovery process. It does move slowly. But, I would definitely still maintain that people make way too much of it. If you want the benefits of having your tonsils out, go forth and get it done! Don't let anyone scare you away from realizing the benefits. (I am still not to the benefits yet, but I am really encouraged. It already feels like I am breathing better while my throat continues to be quite swollen.)
Something wonderful happened today. My husband's boss told him that he was leaving the department ... he is going to work somewhere else within the company (location not shared). Have you ever heard someone was leaving a position and felt nothing but pure relief? Well, that is what happened here.
I still remember a sign I used to have for my former office (given to me by a family member when I supervised a few obnoxious people along with some very cool ones).
"Everyone Brings Joy to the Office -- Some When they Enter, Others When they Leave."
All I can say here is Hallelujah and Ah-men!!!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Ahhhh Sleep!!!
Last night I slept for nearly 8 hours total. After the previous night, this was such a blessing. The tonsillectomy, (I am now on day 3), had caused some swelling in the back of my throat that was causing me to choke after just a few minutes of sleep (no matter what position I was in, including upright in a chair). Then I would wake up quickly and feel pain in my throat.
But last night was better and so was today. Soooooo, most of today was spent lying down, dozing and reading a variety of magazines. I can't concentrate long enough to read the books I had planned to read during my recovery yet. I can only read in brief bursts, then I doze. I think it is the pain meds. But, I feel very relaxed and peaceful. And the magazines my mother saved for me to read have been perfect :)
My throat pain today was still just moderate. I do tire of eating the more complicated foods (pizza, chimichanga's, mac and cheese) and I must have a blend of those with softer foods to handle eating well. Tonight I really enjoyed my Jello and Ramen Noodles for dinner ... but I wasn't fully satisified until I added half of an English Muffin. Super yum!
Per the doctor, tomorrow could be a bad day. Anywhere from day 4-10 can be a step back I guess. I remain hopeful that I won't notice any increase in pain or discomfort. TV dinners came in handy tonight for the kids and dh. I really love not having to cook for anyone. That continues to be a treat, as does all the help with the kids. Dh was my only helper today though, but it was bliss.
My kids have actually been very helpful. I have a tone that is not about choices for them, so that helps. But, they have been taking laundry up and down the stairs and putting it away as directed (I help and manage the putting away with them. And I also load the new load in myself. But I don't lift out any wet loads or move whole loads myself. This is actually a pretty nice routine for ongoing (hoping). My laundry continues to be more caught up than usual and I have not over-exerted myself. In fact, it feels like vacation laundry to have this much help :)
Right now I am looking forward to another night of sleep and being that much further along in the healing process tomorrow!
But last night was better and so was today. Soooooo, most of today was spent lying down, dozing and reading a variety of magazines. I can't concentrate long enough to read the books I had planned to read during my recovery yet. I can only read in brief bursts, then I doze. I think it is the pain meds. But, I feel very relaxed and peaceful. And the magazines my mother saved for me to read have been perfect :)
My throat pain today was still just moderate. I do tire of eating the more complicated foods (pizza, chimichanga's, mac and cheese) and I must have a blend of those with softer foods to handle eating well. Tonight I really enjoyed my Jello and Ramen Noodles for dinner ... but I wasn't fully satisified until I added half of an English Muffin. Super yum!
Per the doctor, tomorrow could be a bad day. Anywhere from day 4-10 can be a step back I guess. I remain hopeful that I won't notice any increase in pain or discomfort. TV dinners came in handy tonight for the kids and dh. I really love not having to cook for anyone. That continues to be a treat, as does all the help with the kids. Dh was my only helper today though, but it was bliss.
My kids have actually been very helpful. I have a tone that is not about choices for them, so that helps. But, they have been taking laundry up and down the stairs and putting it away as directed (I help and manage the putting away with them. And I also load the new load in myself. But I don't lift out any wet loads or move whole loads myself. This is actually a pretty nice routine for ongoing (hoping). My laundry continues to be more caught up than usual and I have not over-exerted myself. In fact, it feels like vacation laundry to have this much help :)
Right now I am looking forward to another night of sleep and being that much further along in the healing process tomorrow!
Friday, March 5, 2010
I feel Great!!!
I just had a tonsillectomy yesterday. Today is the 1st day after the surgery and I feel GREAT!!! Better than I have in a long time. How amazing is that?
I had read up on many testimonials of adult tonsillectomies (online) and had learned all about how terrible and horrible the recovery period is for an adult facing a tonsillectomy ... and how miserable these people were during their recovery.
Just wow! I am so lucky to be in this very NICE recovery place.
My dr./surgeon surprised me right after the surgery by saying that I can eat any foods I want at any time and that the foods would not harm my throat in any way. I loved hearing that. (Nothing makes me want something more than to be told I can't have it.)
Yesterday evening I had almost a complete (although very small) slice of Donato's thin-crust cheese pizza. I also had my share of amazing-flavored Berry Blue jello and strawberry jello and puddings ... even a few crackers with some cheese (they dissolve well.)
But, today I went to lunch with my husband at On The Border and ate a cheese enchilada and some CHIPS with cheese (Queso). Yummy!! (It did take me long time to eat each chip, so I was only able to eat maybe a handful, but I just can't believe I ate tortilla chips one day after a tonsillectomy!
I am not trying to be a hero or anything, or over-tax my body in anyway. But, I just feel GOOD and I want to enjoy it! I have done nothing against the doctor's orders. The best part of this surgery has been the help with my kids, not having to cook, and having my husband home (even though he is working in every spare moment from his office lap top.)
I am not sleeping well yet (but then I wasn't sleeping well before; not since Oct. 7 2009), so that is not something I am upset about. My throat hurts when I sleep, so I doze in small time increments. I have my little timer/alarm set for medicine times and then I wake up a whole lot in between those times too. It's not bad because every time I wake up I take a drink of water and keep my throat lubricated. Yesterday alone I drank an entire bottle of berry flavored Juicy Juice ... yummy and full of vitamin C (to help me to heal).
Hands-down, nothing beats the jello for a soothing throat snack. It's better than the Italian ice because the jello just slithers all over my throat and it's cold, but not freezing (shocking), like the Italian ice.
Now, the amazing part. I stood in my kitchen today with my mouth closed and took a deep breath through my nose ... and breathed all the way in until my lungs were FULL. I don't ever remember doing that in my entire life. I could breathe through my nose, but not to that extent, ever. And, I am still recovering!!! Things are swollen back there still but I can already tell a huge difference.
The nurse who prepped me at the surgery told me that she had a tonsillectomy as an adult and has not been sick since. I am sure that is luck, or maybe she was talking about being sick with some type of throat illness, strep, or whatever. I get sick A LOT and I just have a feeling I am not going to be as ill anymore. The surgeon told me that my tonsils were very large "bigger than most people's." Perhaps they were a pretty large trap for germs (just my thoughts).
This has been a very empowering year so far. Turning 40 has been such a turning point for me. My mammogram came back normal and I have been allergy tested, CAT scanned (prior to the tonsil surgery), had an EKG (normal) and have been prescribed new medicines (for my allergies). And these are just the medical things I have taken action on. So much more has also taken place for me this year. I will blog more about those things in another post though. It's time for me to do a bit of reading and catch some cat naps while my mom takes the kiddos to their play date.
Oh how I love having play dates again for my kiddos!
I had read up on many testimonials of adult tonsillectomies (online) and had learned all about how terrible and horrible the recovery period is for an adult facing a tonsillectomy ... and how miserable these people were during their recovery.
Just wow! I am so lucky to be in this very NICE recovery place.
My dr./surgeon surprised me right after the surgery by saying that I can eat any foods I want at any time and that the foods would not harm my throat in any way. I loved hearing that. (Nothing makes me want something more than to be told I can't have it.)
Yesterday evening I had almost a complete (although very small) slice of Donato's thin-crust cheese pizza. I also had my share of amazing-flavored Berry Blue jello and strawberry jello and puddings ... even a few crackers with some cheese (they dissolve well.)
But, today I went to lunch with my husband at On The Border and ate a cheese enchilada and some CHIPS with cheese (Queso). Yummy!! (It did take me long time to eat each chip, so I was only able to eat maybe a handful, but I just can't believe I ate tortilla chips one day after a tonsillectomy!
I am not trying to be a hero or anything, or over-tax my body in anyway. But, I just feel GOOD and I want to enjoy it! I have done nothing against the doctor's orders. The best part of this surgery has been the help with my kids, not having to cook, and having my husband home (even though he is working in every spare moment from his office lap top.)
I am not sleeping well yet (but then I wasn't sleeping well before; not since Oct. 7 2009), so that is not something I am upset about. My throat hurts when I sleep, so I doze in small time increments. I have my little timer/alarm set for medicine times and then I wake up a whole lot in between those times too. It's not bad because every time I wake up I take a drink of water and keep my throat lubricated. Yesterday alone I drank an entire bottle of berry flavored Juicy Juice ... yummy and full of vitamin C (to help me to heal).
Hands-down, nothing beats the jello for a soothing throat snack. It's better than the Italian ice because the jello just slithers all over my throat and it's cold, but not freezing (shocking), like the Italian ice.
Now, the amazing part. I stood in my kitchen today with my mouth closed and took a deep breath through my nose ... and breathed all the way in until my lungs were FULL. I don't ever remember doing that in my entire life. I could breathe through my nose, but not to that extent, ever. And, I am still recovering!!! Things are swollen back there still but I can already tell a huge difference.
The nurse who prepped me at the surgery told me that she had a tonsillectomy as an adult and has not been sick since. I am sure that is luck, or maybe she was talking about being sick with some type of throat illness, strep, or whatever. I get sick A LOT and I just have a feeling I am not going to be as ill anymore. The surgeon told me that my tonsils were very large "bigger than most people's." Perhaps they were a pretty large trap for germs (just my thoughts).
This has been a very empowering year so far. Turning 40 has been such a turning point for me. My mammogram came back normal and I have been allergy tested, CAT scanned (prior to the tonsil surgery), had an EKG (normal) and have been prescribed new medicines (for my allergies). And these are just the medical things I have taken action on. So much more has also taken place for me this year. I will blog more about those things in another post though. It's time for me to do a bit of reading and catch some cat naps while my mom takes the kiddos to their play date.
Oh how I love having play dates again for my kiddos!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Surgery and other little reflections
My tonsillectomy is less than two weeks away and I can't believe that I am excited about it. I am very likely going to be eating those words in a few weeks, but I am just so focused on all of the benefits that I am likely to receive from going through this ... #1 is easier breathing ... I just can't wait! Bring on the pain so that I can get to recovery fast!!
On another note, I love my daughter's Co-op preschool. It's just such a happy, social place full of cuteness (the things the kids do and say) and the other parents are just so awesome. Today I showed up at preschool to assist and I was unprepared to stand out in three feet of snow (I didn't know we were taking the kids out in the snow first thing) ... so I jokingly asked if anyone (the parents dropping kids off) wanted to trade me shoes for a few hours! I was joking, but someone readily volunteered their boots to me and we wore each others' footwear for a few hours while I worked in the class. How cool is that????
As far as my housekeeping goals, they are just a work in progress. I continue to aspire to being a more decluttered, picked-up type of mom. My laundry is in a "decent" place, although far from done, and the kids do have too many toys and too many clothes (my biggest laundry challenge). Other than that though, I am not too much of a clutter mongrel in general. I have been able to get through my own clothes, books, piles and doo-dads fairly quickly. I think keeping the kids involved in the pick ups will be a key to my sanity, as well as continuing to focus on decluttering toys the little ones no longer play with.
As for my eating and exercise goals, well, it's a daily challenge. I am learning my weak moments and I think as long as I don't let myself get unconcious about my eating ... and as long as I keep taking the actions I have listed here in my blog for the most part, I can stay with a better lifestyle than I was following before. I am only looking for better health, not perfection .... so, not a bad thing. I have found that I have an addiction to certain hard candies. I am considering giving up conversation hearts and root beer barrels more permanently. I find that I cannot stop eating these when they are in my house .... crazy huh?!
As for exercise, I cannot wait to walk outside as soon as Spring begins to show itself. That is my favorite cardio exercise. I admit that the treadmill bores me to tears even though I have learned how to read a magazine while walking on it. I do love the weight machines though at the health club. Weight training is my anchor exercise (what I do at least twice per week even if I don't do any other exercise). The exciting this is that I can tell that I am firmer and stronger. I have lost some weight. I am still overweight. But, the improvement is energizing. The challenge here will be when I have to stop the exercise for awhile to recover from my surgery ... it is a great thing that Spring is coming to remind me of my goals!
On another note, I love my daughter's Co-op preschool. It's just such a happy, social place full of cuteness (the things the kids do and say) and the other parents are just so awesome. Today I showed up at preschool to assist and I was unprepared to stand out in three feet of snow (I didn't know we were taking the kids out in the snow first thing) ... so I jokingly asked if anyone (the parents dropping kids off) wanted to trade me shoes for a few hours! I was joking, but someone readily volunteered their boots to me and we wore each others' footwear for a few hours while I worked in the class. How cool is that????
As far as my housekeeping goals, they are just a work in progress. I continue to aspire to being a more decluttered, picked-up type of mom. My laundry is in a "decent" place, although far from done, and the kids do have too many toys and too many clothes (my biggest laundry challenge). Other than that though, I am not too much of a clutter mongrel in general. I have been able to get through my own clothes, books, piles and doo-dads fairly quickly. I think keeping the kids involved in the pick ups will be a key to my sanity, as well as continuing to focus on decluttering toys the little ones no longer play with.
As for my eating and exercise goals, well, it's a daily challenge. I am learning my weak moments and I think as long as I don't let myself get unconcious about my eating ... and as long as I keep taking the actions I have listed here in my blog for the most part, I can stay with a better lifestyle than I was following before. I am only looking for better health, not perfection .... so, not a bad thing. I have found that I have an addiction to certain hard candies. I am considering giving up conversation hearts and root beer barrels more permanently. I find that I cannot stop eating these when they are in my house .... crazy huh?!
As for exercise, I cannot wait to walk outside as soon as Spring begins to show itself. That is my favorite cardio exercise. I admit that the treadmill bores me to tears even though I have learned how to read a magazine while walking on it. I do love the weight machines though at the health club. Weight training is my anchor exercise (what I do at least twice per week even if I don't do any other exercise). The exciting this is that I can tell that I am firmer and stronger. I have lost some weight. I am still overweight. But, the improvement is energizing. The challenge here will be when I have to stop the exercise for awhile to recover from my surgery ... it is a great thing that Spring is coming to remind me of my goals!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Decluttering and Purging
I have been busy decluttering. I have bagged up many toys, thrown out several old magazines, sorted out books, cleaned old foods out of my refrigerator, decluttered furniture tops in my bedroom and picked up a lot of daily trash along the way each day that the kids kick up regularly.
It would feel great if so much else didn't go on in the house to keep it messy while I am doing this meaningful work. But, decluttering is not the same thing as cleaning, or even organizing. It is just a thinning out of stuff. There is still the daily household work to keep up. So, it's o.k. I know this effort will pay off soon; I just need to get ahead of myself (not sure that is really ever going to happen, but it SOUNDS like a nice goal!)
I think it is time to decide about the toy clutter once and for all. I will declutter the toys and I will set up the toy bins and such anew. But, here's the thing --
Toy pick up is not something I am willing to do alone anymore.
I don't really do it that often anyway, but I also don't make the kids do it often enough ... and they need me to. I need me to.
The toy clutter doesn't bother me so much as long as there are times that it IS picked up (even if only for a little while). I need those open floor times now and then.
SO, I am making a decision here. I will no longer do battle with the toys in my house. I will either round the kids up more regularly to pick them up with me (which I really don't mind once we get started as it does go very quickly) OR I will pick the toys up myself here and there (as I do now) and think not ONE single negative thought about it. The latter choice is essentially a decision to be a martyr (which will only wear down my energy while depriving my kids of valuable life lessons in teamwork, work ethic and personal responsility). So, my intention is to choose the first alternative.
All three kids will be involved in these toy pick ups, even though ds doesn't contribute to this particular type of mess. But, his help is needed and so he will help. Come to think of it, I have really fallen off enforcing any type of regular chore routine for ds; it's time to work on that again as well. He needs a new chore list for the back of his bedroom door.
It would feel great if so much else didn't go on in the house to keep it messy while I am doing this meaningful work. But, decluttering is not the same thing as cleaning, or even organizing. It is just a thinning out of stuff. There is still the daily household work to keep up. So, it's o.k. I know this effort will pay off soon; I just need to get ahead of myself (not sure that is really ever going to happen, but it SOUNDS like a nice goal!)
I think it is time to decide about the toy clutter once and for all. I will declutter the toys and I will set up the toy bins and such anew. But, here's the thing --
Toy pick up is not something I am willing to do alone anymore.
I don't really do it that often anyway, but I also don't make the kids do it often enough ... and they need me to. I need me to.
The toy clutter doesn't bother me so much as long as there are times that it IS picked up (even if only for a little while). I need those open floor times now and then.
SO, I am making a decision here. I will no longer do battle with the toys in my house. I will either round the kids up more regularly to pick them up with me (which I really don't mind once we get started as it does go very quickly) OR I will pick the toys up myself here and there (as I do now) and think not ONE single negative thought about it. The latter choice is essentially a decision to be a martyr (which will only wear down my energy while depriving my kids of valuable life lessons in teamwork, work ethic and personal responsility). So, my intention is to choose the first alternative.
All three kids will be involved in these toy pick ups, even though ds doesn't contribute to this particular type of mess. But, his help is needed and so he will help. Come to think of it, I have really fallen off enforcing any type of regular chore routine for ds; it's time to work on that again as well. He needs a new chore list for the back of his bedroom door.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Healthier living is a daily choice ...
I am 3 1/2 weeks into my new healthier living and exercise plan. I am losing some steam with my motivation. I will not give up!
My goals are really simple here:
Work out regularly
Stop automatic eating
Eat more fiber and protein
and eat more fruits and veggies
This need not be hard. I refuse to lose steam!
Daily commitment ... that is what it is going to take ... I have lost pounds and I have gained some energy and some zest ... it's good!
My goals are really simple here:
Work out regularly
Stop automatic eating
Eat more fiber and protein
and eat more fruits and veggies
This need not be hard. I refuse to lose steam!
Daily commitment ... that is what it is going to take ... I have lost pounds and I have gained some energy and some zest ... it's good!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Half Day Kindergarten
I can't believe that seven years ago I had to pay for full day Kindergarten because I was working full time and the half day schedule, I thought, was just cumbersome and ridiculous.
Now, our school system only offers full day, all day, every day Kindergarten. Free of course ... unless you consider what we all pay in taxes and book fees.
But, now I want half day Kindergarten. I still have 1.5 years before anyone here starts Kindergarten, but half day Kindergarten seems to be dying here in Indiana and it really bums me out.
I sure hope the last of the half day Kindergarten programs hold out of us!
Now, our school system only offers full day, all day, every day Kindergarten. Free of course ... unless you consider what we all pay in taxes and book fees.
But, now I want half day Kindergarten. I still have 1.5 years before anyone here starts Kindergarten, but half day Kindergarten seems to be dying here in Indiana and it really bums me out.
I sure hope the last of the half day Kindergarten programs hold out of us!
Planning for Fall ....
It's that time of the year when the preschools begin enrolling for the next school year. If you want to get into a certain school or class, you have to plan ahead ... spots do fill up.
So, I went ahead and signed the girls up for the Co-op preschool next year. DD#1 goes there now. This will require a daily trip to the school next year though and will allow for only one day per week when both girls are at school during the same day and time.
It is the cheapest option of all options and I love the Co-op. Plus, the teacher for the fours class is just amazing! I LOVE her!
I have been thinking though ...
Some things I have learned thus far when it comes to preschool, myself and my particular kids:
1.) Neither girl wants to go to preschool unless they are both going.
2.) I am not very motivated to get out the door in a timely manner unless both girls are going to school on a given day. The benefits of spending time with just one child while the other is in preschool just honestly do not excite me. They don't excite the child who isn't going to school for the day either. I do get plenty of one-on-one time with each girl at home already; they have their ways. It works out; it's all good.
3.) We are not morning people. We are ideal candidates for afternoon preschools, of which there are few. The Co-op is a morning school. I had not been able to find any afternoon preschool before where both girls could go at the same time. So, we go to morning preschool now. We enjoy the school time, even if it feels earlier than we would prefer ... and then we adore our mornings off during the week even more.
Now, I type all of this for one reason ... it came to my attention that there is a school that I have looked at in the past that has changed their hours for next year. Both girls could go at the same time, to the same school, and for at least 2.5 hours .... wow! And best yet, they have afternoon classes! How nice would that be?!!! It is as if the stars have FINALLY aligned to uncover the nearly perfect preschool for us!
But .... I like the Co-op for the relationship building with the other parents, the opportunity to work closely with qualified teachers in the classrooms where I can observe my own child and share in her learning. I like the price, the proximity of it to my house and the history I have with the teachers there. The other parents are just awesome. I love getting to know them more and more.
In many ways I think the Co-op is better for me than the other school, where I would get a break from both kids and have no need to engage in volunteer work roles. But, the other school would sure be much easier. It is in the afternoons. It is not daily. And both girls would go to the same school during the same times .... just wow ....
So many options out there ....
So, I went ahead and signed the girls up for the Co-op preschool next year. DD#1 goes there now. This will require a daily trip to the school next year though and will allow for only one day per week when both girls are at school during the same day and time.
It is the cheapest option of all options and I love the Co-op. Plus, the teacher for the fours class is just amazing! I LOVE her!
I have been thinking though ...
Some things I have learned thus far when it comes to preschool, myself and my particular kids:
1.) Neither girl wants to go to preschool unless they are both going.
2.) I am not very motivated to get out the door in a timely manner unless both girls are going to school on a given day. The benefits of spending time with just one child while the other is in preschool just honestly do not excite me. They don't excite the child who isn't going to school for the day either. I do get plenty of one-on-one time with each girl at home already; they have their ways. It works out; it's all good.
3.) We are not morning people. We are ideal candidates for afternoon preschools, of which there are few. The Co-op is a morning school. I had not been able to find any afternoon preschool before where both girls could go at the same time. So, we go to morning preschool now. We enjoy the school time, even if it feels earlier than we would prefer ... and then we adore our mornings off during the week even more.
Now, I type all of this for one reason ... it came to my attention that there is a school that I have looked at in the past that has changed their hours for next year. Both girls could go at the same time, to the same school, and for at least 2.5 hours .... wow! And best yet, they have afternoon classes! How nice would that be?!!! It is as if the stars have FINALLY aligned to uncover the nearly perfect preschool for us!
But .... I like the Co-op for the relationship building with the other parents, the opportunity to work closely with qualified teachers in the classrooms where I can observe my own child and share in her learning. I like the price, the proximity of it to my house and the history I have with the teachers there. The other parents are just awesome. I love getting to know them more and more.
In many ways I think the Co-op is better for me than the other school, where I would get a break from both kids and have no need to engage in volunteer work roles. But, the other school would sure be much easier. It is in the afternoons. It is not daily. And both girls would go to the same school during the same times .... just wow ....
So many options out there ....
Sunday, January 31, 2010
O.K. Toy clutter ...
The consensus on my posts regarding my House of Chaos is that I have too much toy clutter in my house. Thank you for this feedback!
I agree and I am setting a goal to eliminate toys once again this week. I am a sucker for toys, but this clutter has reached a painful level recently.
I will let you know how it goes!
I agree and I am setting a goal to eliminate toys once again this week. I am a sucker for toys, but this clutter has reached a painful level recently.
I will let you know how it goes!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
House of Chaos Part II
So, here was the plan of action. The house was a mess and I organized the kids. I told them that we would set the timer for five minutes and work as fast as we could all together to put things away in the room. When the timer went off, we stopped and went on to the next room. Pick-up time lasted a total of 15 minutes, 5 minutes per room. Look at what we accomplished in 15 minutes!
*It's fun to tumble in the room when the toys are out of the way!
But, as you can see, three days later, my angels are happy in their chaos once again!
Oh well! At least we know that 15 minutes can make a huge difference
if someone important is if stopping by!
Monday, January 25, 2010
House of Chaos
My house is in a state of chaos.
First, my 3 and 4-year-old have done this:
And this:
And this:
The visiting dog who has been here for
nearly one month now has done this:
And this:
First, my 3 and 4-year-old have done this:
And this:
And this:
The visiting dog who has been here for
nearly one month now has done this:
And this:
And let's just say that I am tired.
I have had it.
All of this clutter and work just clogs my brain.
Soooooo, at 4:30 p.m. today, I will organize my kids to assist in putting order to this chaos.
I will corral them and direct them and I will surrender to the idea that I cannot do this alone.
And they will learn.
Right?
I will let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Random Thoughts ....
Health and Fitness ...
I am feeling really good about my new eating and exercise plan. I want to be healthier and I want this change to be permanent. I am really happy right now that I am not having any cravings, thanks to the Abs Diet http://www.amazon.com/Abs-Diet-Women-Six-Week-Flatten/dp/1594866244! This is a great eating plan btw. It highlights 12 power food groups that are healthy, fairly yummy and highly filling. I am especially excited that this plan endorses eggs and it explains why eating them is a good thing! I looove eggs!
Bickering ...
Why do my girls have to bicker, bicker, bicker?? Whine. And bicker some more?? I know they are 3 and 4 and have a lot to learn about getting along with others, including each other. But, it is SO tiring to listen to it. It feels like it goes on All. Day. Long. On some days anyway.
Rigidity ...
What is the deal with rigidity? Why not be flexible? It's more fun.
Goals ...
I continue to work on my New Year's Resolutions http://divasuzanne.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-year-new-goals.html. I like having goals and my goals this year are very doable ... and energizing. I am not convinced I need to work quite so hard as I have been though on my housework. My kids are young and I don't need a crisp, clean, perfect home. I want them to enjoy and explore ... I want to teach them good habits, but I also want this to be a lived in and child-friendly home. I am going to ease up a bit on some of the toy pick up. It is not worth the effort. My focus will be on the bigger things ... dishes, laundry, bathrooms, floors, tolerance ...
Cooking ...
I want to be a better cook. Tonight I made a good dinner, using some carefully selected recipes. I am going to begin to make marks in my cookbooks when my family likes the meal I cook. I tend to cook from recipes and then rarely go back to them. I think it would be easier to have some regular dishes that I know my family loves to eat, aside from spaghetti and chicken & rice.
Turning 40 ...
I will be 40 in a few weeks. I always have a hard time on my birthdays. This year, I want to end that trend of mine and just enjoy who I am. Who cares how old I am, right? Age happens to us all and the alternative is much worse. Still, this is going to be hard for me. I tend to get blue on my birthday.
I am feeling really good about my new eating and exercise plan. I want to be healthier and I want this change to be permanent. I am really happy right now that I am not having any cravings, thanks to the Abs Diet http://www.amazon.com/Abs-Diet-Women-Six-Week-Flatten/dp/1594866244! This is a great eating plan btw. It highlights 12 power food groups that are healthy, fairly yummy and highly filling. I am especially excited that this plan endorses eggs and it explains why eating them is a good thing! I looove eggs!
Bickering ...
Why do my girls have to bicker, bicker, bicker?? Whine. And bicker some more?? I know they are 3 and 4 and have a lot to learn about getting along with others, including each other. But, it is SO tiring to listen to it. It feels like it goes on All. Day. Long. On some days anyway.
Rigidity ...
What is the deal with rigidity? Why not be flexible? It's more fun.
Goals ...
I continue to work on my New Year's Resolutions http://divasuzanne.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-year-new-goals.html. I like having goals and my goals this year are very doable ... and energizing. I am not convinced I need to work quite so hard as I have been though on my housework. My kids are young and I don't need a crisp, clean, perfect home. I want them to enjoy and explore ... I want to teach them good habits, but I also want this to be a lived in and child-friendly home. I am going to ease up a bit on some of the toy pick up. It is not worth the effort. My focus will be on the bigger things ... dishes, laundry, bathrooms, floors, tolerance ...
Cooking ...
I want to be a better cook. Tonight I made a good dinner, using some carefully selected recipes. I am going to begin to make marks in my cookbooks when my family likes the meal I cook. I tend to cook from recipes and then rarely go back to them. I think it would be easier to have some regular dishes that I know my family loves to eat, aside from spaghetti and chicken & rice.
Turning 40 ...
I will be 40 in a few weeks. I always have a hard time on my birthdays. This year, I want to end that trend of mine and just enjoy who I am. Who cares how old I am, right? Age happens to us all and the alternative is much worse. Still, this is going to be hard for me. I tend to get blue on my birthday.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Year, New Goals ...
This year I am inspired by Flylady's new motto for 2010 --
"The timer is my friend in 2010."
This year, I will be doing many exciting things with my timer to meet my goals. I will use Flylady as a lead resource, but I will have my own goal areas to make headway on.
If I had to sum up my New Year's Resolution this year in one word, it would be:
Fifteen
And that is because, as Flylady says, "you can do anything for 15 minutes!" And this is so true for me. There is nothing like spicing up the drudgery of housework with timer goals at various times throughout the day.
So, I will be using my timer to meet my housework goals, kick procrastination in the rear, and even to do some exercise. This year will be all about bursts of 15 minute energy. I am not even thinking of perfection in any area, just wonderful bursts of positive energy doing various tasks that are on path to my goals. And, in doing this, I will keep things all mixed up and, therefore to me -- Un-boring!
So, the best way for me to utilize this method was to make a list of things I want to accomplish this year. This will enable me to work a little bit on one thing and then zoom, boom, bang -- shift to something else to keep things fun, mixed up and productive.
So, here is my list:
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood. In the past, I have ALWAYS tried to do more than a load per day and I burn out. (Boredom factor).
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
"The timer is my friend in 2010."
This year, I will be doing many exciting things with my timer to meet my goals. I will use Flylady as a lead resource, but I will have my own goal areas to make headway on.
If I had to sum up my New Year's Resolution this year in one word, it would be:
Fifteen
And that is because, as Flylady says, "you can do anything for 15 minutes!" And this is so true for me. There is nothing like spicing up the drudgery of housework with timer goals at various times throughout the day.
So, I will be using my timer to meet my housework goals, kick procrastination in the rear, and even to do some exercise. This year will be all about bursts of 15 minute energy. I am not even thinking of perfection in any area, just wonderful bursts of positive energy doing various tasks that are on path to my goals. And, in doing this, I will keep things all mixed up and, therefore to me -- Un-boring!
So, the best way for me to utilize this method was to make a list of things I want to accomplish this year. This will enable me to work a little bit on one thing and then zoom, boom, bang -- shift to something else to keep things fun, mixed up and productive.
So, here is my list:
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood. In the past, I have ALWAYS tried to do more than a load per day and I burn out. (Boredom factor).
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
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