Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Saturday, May 21, 2011

New job, no summer school

Well I finally got on at our local hospital. OK, I work PRN for the Medical Assistant float pool thru the main family practice office but who cares. It's crazy hard to get any of those positions and now I have my foot in the door. I was told it can easily turn into a full time position with one of the local practices that use the floats. That's actually how there were 2 openings, those 2 floats were hired on full time at some of the offices. I like the sound of that but the flexibility of floating sounds wonderful to me.
Unfortunately there are no benefits (PTO, insurance, etc) since I'm considered PRN but I can also decided when I work with no repercussions for saying "no, I don't want to work that day". With my life & kids....that's a HUGE bonus! Plus it allows me to get back into the workforce but still be there for the kids. Win-win I say. :)
I have decided not to take any classes this summer. I really like being a Medical Assistant, which I already have an associates degree for. The whole college scene is just not where I want to be. I will still have to go back in January for 1 last class for my Spanish certification but I'm still debating whether or not to continue with the Massage certificate. All this time in college (3 quarters) and I've only taken 3 classes that count for it, all the others were Spanish. I just don't want to spend another $16,000 & 12 months for a degree I will barely if ever use. I can't justify it.
Actually though I'm not in summer school, there is a rather big possibility that my DD will be. For Language Arts of all things. That is usually one of her best classes. *sigh* Well she's just going to have to learn to get the things done when they're supposed to be even if it isn't when she wants to do them. Welcome to growing up sweetie!

Monday, May 16, 2011

My life needs to change...

We all are, shall we say, strongly encouraged to make changes in our lives at times. Sometimes they are because we want something better sometimes God says "You need change" and narrows our options so we must make them. He always allows us to decide but there are times when he narrows the options so we will do something. This is one of those times for me.
I've known for a while that I cannot survive, much less thrive, as I am living now. I'm not happy with much of anything right now. Discontent is never a happy place to be; but at times it's what we need to see that we must make a change. I have decided to go back to work. My husband has been laid off for over 2 years now and has no desire to do anything but what he used to do for work. Not necessarily a bad thing but there are no jobs in that field right now. He has decided that he's just going to be here. There is much more to this of course, but the basic idea is that he's doing dishes and not much else. I feel that you should support your husband in times of hardship but I also feel that turning down a job in his field (the only one offered in 2 yrs) because you want $27/hr and it's only $15 is wrong. His pride is again more important than the family needs are. Unfortunately I've seen that a lot over the years. I am continuing to pray for guidance for us and our family (lots of other issues here too).
I feel that going back to work and putting college on the back burner is what I need to do right now. I applied for a job listed with our local hospital last Sunday afternoon. I got an interview call on Monday. The interesting part is that the call wasn't for the job I sent a resume for. It's for what I have a degree in and honestly enjoy doing. I believe that's God at work. This job wasn't, and still isn't, listed. It has the flexibility I need with a special needs child at home. I've wanted a job like this since Boo was about 3 and I started thinking about returning to work. I can use my Spanish in this position if needed too so the schooling I've done so far is not a waste. I think education is never a waste but when it comes with the price tag I'm going to be paying the knowledge should be used as often as possible. I believe God opened this door for me. I'm believing that he's got a plan and purpose for me in this position. I've done the interview and am waiting to hear from them. I am believing that this is my position. Of course there are times when the negative thoughts slip in but I push them back with the thought that I didn't know this position existed, it found me. I should know by mid-week if all goes well. Pray for me please. I really need this job. We can't exist on what we bring in right now. We're falling behind and there are things that need taken care of that have been put off for many months.
Finances seem to be the biggest problem in many troubled marriages. Ours is no different. This won't fix everything~I know that. I just hope it will ease some of the burden so we can focus on the other issues we need to address.
Happy thoughts. Today is Monday. The start of a new week full of promise and potential. :)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Bye Bye Boot!

I'm so excited to say that over the next 7-10 days I will be transitioning OUT OF THE AIRCAST BOOT!!!! I don't know how people stand those things for very long. Granted they are much more comfortable than a traditional plaster cast but they are so bulky and heavy. Anyway my talus bone is healing nicely so Dr. H. is getting a bit more aggressive and wants me out of it as much as I can to build strength and flexibility. I go back in 3 weeks for another evaluation and to be sure it's still doing well. I am allowed to walk and wear both shoes but no heels, running, jumping or strenuous activity. Truthfully, it's so weak I wouldn't dream of trying those things anyway. I do have to figure out what shoes I'm going to wear for Easter Sunday now...I'm not sure where my flat dress shoes are. I guess I may end up in tennis shoes but I'm wearing pants anyway this year so it will be fine. I'm so glad this is almost done!
Have an amazing Easter weekend everyone!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Wednesday night Spanish class

WOW!!! I knew this would be my hardest class but OH MY!!! There is absolutely NO English spoken in class. Ummm I'm already behind since I didn't get to take the 2nd grammar class so I don't know all the basics yet. Thankfully Christine Stone is a very patient & wonderful instructor. She wants us to use our dictionary to work out our questions in Spanish and she'll correct us as needed. This way we really learn the language and how to speak it. We also focus on proper pronunciation so I will be able to understand (somewhat anyway) and speak to my patients/clients who are Hispanic.
When class started last night I got so anxious that I didn't know if I wanted to pass out or throw up, lol. I can't imagine how much I'm going to have to catch up on if I end up having surgery on this stupid foot injury. We only meet 1 night a week for 4 hours and our grade is based on participation. You MUST try to speak to get any points and they are 35% of your grade. It will all be worth it in the end though so I will pass both the Tuesday night & Wednesday night classes with decent grades. (Yes I have another 4hr Spanish class too.) I will be taking the "missing" grammar class over the summer and then I will have a certificate in Occupational Medical Spanish. I don't know if I'll go back into Medical Assisting but it will be nice to have it anyway. Besides, you never know, I may get Spanish speaking massage clientele. :)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Sewing is a challenge....

Sewing is a challenge but I can do some. I'm even figuring out how to get the serging nice on things I'm working on. I can't sit and sew for several hours but I can do it for about an hour at a time. Sewing with your left foot/non-dominant foot is definitely not easy but it's sure nice to be able to work a bit.

I forgot to take picture of the things I made for Keia but they came out pretty nice and I am pretty happy to hear that the idea of cloth isn't foreign to them. Her fiance was even looking at diaper services to try after the baby comes. I say...go for it! Even doing it part-time with a service is cheaper and healthier than full time in sposies.

The new quarter starts on Monday. (We're all on spring break this week.) I'm taking 3 classes this term, all at night. I'm going to miss my day class friends but only driving to Indy 3 evenings a week will be so nice. It will also give me a better chance to study, spend time with Nikolas and sew as I feel up to it. I know there is more homework in night classes but I think it will all balance out over the quarter. Besides this will be easier if I do end up having surgery on this stupid foot injury. (It's more painful than it should be & it's lookin' like I'm going to.)

Time to take a well deserved nap. :)  Have a great weekend everyone!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

This just might work...

Yesterday I decided to use the computerized machine to sew for a friend. It's super slow going but I can do it since I don't need to use my foot. I can barely reach the ironing board so I need to get more creative to use the iron but at least I can start to do a bit of sewing for us & my shop.

I've got finals this week. Review in Kinesiology tomorrow morning, Spanish in the afternoon. The Spanish final is on Tuesday and Kines is on Thurs. They allow 3 hours for each. After that.....SPRING BREAK!!!! YAY!!! I really need a break too, lol! I think I need to rearrange 1 of my classes for next quarter though. If they do end up doing surgery I don't know if I can keep up with all 3 classes. Still debating that though. These classes aren't too bad and I should be able to prearrange any work so there isn't much to make up. I don't know. I'll think about it some more before I decide anything.

Breakfast is ready. My wonderful hubby is doing everything now so I can stay off this foot. He has not had a meltdown yet so I guess that's a good sign, lol. Taking full time care of Boo & me & the house & most of what Gracie needs is a 2 person job but he's doing it with no complaints. :)

Happy Sunday everyone! Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Almost broken foot...

Well last weekend I decided to take a walk with both dogs before I started some Spring Cleaning. The coon dog unexpectedly got "locked" on something and bolted. Neither me nor the other dog were expecting it or prepared. I ended up with a possible broken foot and some seriously sore muscles.

We ended up at the Priority Care. They ignored all injuries except the purple swollen foot-they did x-ray it. The x-rays were inconclusive since there is a chipped bone in my ankle and we couldn't position my foot well due to pain & swelling. We're pretty sure the chip is old from when I broke it 14 years ago. We're going with the diagnosis...severe sprain/strain now. The upside is that I ended up with a lovely air cast walking boot instead of a traditional cast.
I still have numbness in my thumb and forearm that hasn't been addressed so I'm going to see the chiropractor this week to be realign my spine and "un-tweek" what I jarred out of place when I fell.

Needless to say there has been no college, no sewing, and no spring cleaning going on here and there won't be for a while. The orthopedist says anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for healing. *sigh* I'm already so bored.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Computer games for the challenged...

I've been looking into computer games for Boo. There is an OK selection out there, which is nice. I'm so tired of the TV babysitter. I got Daddy to adapt a mouse to use one of Boo's switches and downloaded a trial version of one of the games I'm considering.


I think he likes them! We need to get an adapter for the mouse that now works with his switch so he's trying to use a standard mouse. It's a bit challenging but he's only got to click it on either side so he's doing pretty well. Looks like I'll be ordering that game and maybe a few others. Thankfully they're reasonably priced between $30-$60. It's a lot of money but most of them have several different games on each disc.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Too much to do, too little time yet again

Being a full-time student, full-time mom of unique children and a full-time wife is wearing me out. Gracie now has the Flu (thankfully she's doing well otherwise) and Nikolas is brewing something but we don't know what.
I took 4 classes (16 credit hrs) this quarter. I think that it wasn't a good choice for me. I am quickly losing my momentum and just want to finish the Occupational Spanish certification and go back to being a Medical Assistant. I do like Massage Therapy but I'm just not into the college thing. I don't know where my longing to do this went. I feel like 2 of my classes are a bust...I'm not learning anything in either one. To be fair, I have missed some classes but even when I am there I don't feel like I'm learning anything. I'm not the only one so if I can just stick it out this quarter and wait for Shannon to come back maybe it will get better.
Massage Therapy will be so much more flexible for me but after spending so much time in doctor's offices lately I really miss working there. My biggest issue is finding part time. That's almost impossible. I'm not sure what I'm going to do but something will have to give. I can't continue to stretch myself like this. It's not fair to any of us and Jim gets the least amount of attention mainly because he's a grown-up and can deal with it (whether he wants to or not-I did for ages while he built a company-it's my turn now).

Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Food, Family and a bit of relaxation....that is the description of our Thanksgiving. :)
My husband's mom, sister, her boyfriend and their new baby (ok, he's 5mths now) are in town for a few days and we had them over for supper. It was a nice time and very relaxing. I LOVE to cook and had plenty of people to eat it so it was nice.

My sister, daughter and I went to the Christmas Walk again this year. It was rather sad for us. My sister & I have been doing this on Black Friday for so many years. This year most of the little shops we like are closed, our "regular" restaurant was sold & is now a "coffee shop" and there was a serious lack of Christmas spirit in most of the shops. The place was well decorated and there were a few shops that really went out of the way to make it special though. We're debating whether or not to try again next year...guess we'll have to see how the economy is.

Sunday is MY day and I'm in the Christmas mood so I'm putting up our decorations and the tree!! Sorry honey but E. Scrooge is no longer invited so if you want to hang out with him...hit the "man cave".  :)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Schools in session!!

I'm back in college, again. The final degree will be Therapeutic and Clinical Massage and a medical Spanish certificate. I'm completing the message therapy program first so I can get to work but will be continuing on with the Associates Degree. That means I will be a Medical Assistant with a Coding Specialist diploma who is also qualified (& will be certified in) Clinical and Therapeutic Massage.
On another note...both kids don't feel well. My first day of college and I get a call from Mom...the High School called and Gracie needs to be picked up because she's running a fever and nauseated.
The joys of parenthood, lol! I'm waiting to see if she's well enough for school tomorrow. Boo doesn't have a fever but he just looks "off". I'm waitin' for him to show any other signs of being sick. He's due for his physical Friday so hopefully not. Oh, it's soooo time for me to go to bed! Maybe if I sleep it will all be better in the morning. Nite all!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Chaos!!

August 2010...the kids started school, I started a new job, 4 relatively large custom orders were placed in a rather short period of time, both kids got very sick (102.5 fevers for 2+ days-still have them), new job just isn't working out so resignation tendered (Sun is my last day if I'm not too sick to go), I enrolled in college again, I'm still working on custom orders, and to top it all off.....I got the bug the kids brought home. Ahhh the chaos of August. Here's hoping September will be much more boring, LOL!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Guess what Boo did!?!

That little monkey lost his first tooth today! 2 months before his 6th birthday.
It's in the center front of the lower jaw on the left. I have looked everywhere for it and can't find it.
I noticed this morning that it looked a bit more spaced than before but it was there during Sesame Street so he lost it after lunch. We figure he must have swallowed it 'cause I've looked everywhere and no tooth. I checked the bed, feeder seat, playmat, floor around the mat, and everywhere in between. The tooth fairy is just going to have to take an "I owe u" for the piggy bank money. LOL!


Sunday, March 21, 2010

MRI's & EEG's

Well we're finally home from the hospital. Boo had a 24 hour video eeg and a sedated MRI. The VEEG was so boring! You just stay in the room and they video everything he does for 24 hours. He did have some "events" one the screen but I think they are probably subclinical seizure activity. He's grown & gained weight but we haven't upped his medications so it's probably time. I don't mean to sound like I don't care, I do. It's just that we've been doing this for so long I'm tired of the "let's try this or test that" and still no answers. As long as his seizures are controlled I'm OK and letting God deal with the rest.
Anway, after they disconnected him we went down to MRI so they could sedate him and do that. Once again he "politely declined" to wake up after the procedure. I warned the anestheologist, she assured me this gas wouldn't do that...ummmm well it did. I asked what she used so I could add it to my list of things not to use again but no one could tell me so I get to research that later. His vitals looked great but it took 6 hours for him to wake up so I'd rather not use it again.
I understand that it could be a few days to a few weeks before we get the final test results...have I said how much is dislike waiting for test results?
Well, the kids are on spring break this week and our 9th anniversary is Wednesday so I'm planning to just spend time with the kiddos, sew, and enjoy the 3hour respite we'll have on Wednesday. The answers will come when they come...worrying does no good. Enjoy the rest of the weekend...I'm going to. :)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ahhh....too much stress!

Oh the stress of new adjustments. They simply stink! Especially for someone like me who's a bit OCD. (DD's asperger's isn't a helping either...bless her heart.)

It's such a change to have MIL here full time. DH is all about making her feel welcome and at home (as am I) but he doesn't realize how he's making us feel in the process. (Let's just say it isn't so welcome much of the time.) It's just hard for him to see her deteriorate so much and I'm doing my best to be understanding and trying to help DD understand. Our little house is too little sometimes and there is no where to "get away" for a few minutes. Having 2 people who are pretty disabled is very challenging and the snow isn't helping.

We're trying to find things for MIL to do so she can keep some independance but there just isn't much and she's refusing to do much but stay in bed and sleep. I know we'll figure it out. It just takes time. I would really like for her to stay here until after SIL has had her baby and a week or so to bond & enjoy being a new mom. She's going to have enough to adjust to before her mom comes to stay with her. We'll see I guess.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Diaper Pictures

I promised earlier that I'd post a picture or 2 of the new diapers...so here they are!

Later Gator cotton knit outer-super popular print
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Cotton velour inner-gives a dry feeling & absorbency
Later Gator Dipe

I love the way this came out even though I rarely serge diapers. I usually prefer a turned & topstitched look but this was mainly for fit/sizing so serging was faster.

I am also loving how much stretch the knits give. For some reason I've never made a fully knit fabric diaper. I'm not sure why but I'm so glad I did. This will fit him for ages! There is so much stretch and flexibility with the plus they wash & dry so quickly since they are pocket dipes. We're using a wool cover and these are bullet-proof-NO LEAKS!! His disposables (ewww!) are now causing rashes and still leak even though they are a "quality" brand and made for kids his size. We're going back to cloth full time as soon as I get more made. No more paper undies! After all we don't wear them, why should our kids?

Pneumonia....grrrrrr!!

Well we've spent most of this week battling pneumonia. Boo's done more breathing treatments and taken more antibiotics than should be allowed. The upside is that we didn't have to go to St. V's.
We ended up at his re-check today (yep, 4+ inches of snow-no plowed roads & we went to the doctor). After fighting the crazy folks for my lane of the road; we got to the pediatrician just in time to watch someone slide right into a brand new Caddy! No real damage & no one was hurt. We managed to get parked and inside without getting too snow covered.
So here's where we are...
We get to start weaning down the breathing treatments. We only have 4 days of 2 different antibiotics left and he gets to go back to school on Wednesday (if it's open). We have to keep doing the pulmicort 2x day until who knows when but it could be worse. He's feeling better so we may start using his stander again in a few days. Right now we're only sitting up in the feeder seat or laying down.
We were supposed to go to his sleep study tonight but with all this snow we had to reschedule. I wanted this to be read & back to Dr. Lisa before his appointment in 2 weeks but they couldn't reschedule until the day after his neurology appointment. The doc will call if anything is weird but I like to be able to discuss the results since the nurse who calls results isn't very knowledgeable and not so great about getting back to us. We haven't had any more regression so I guess that's a good thing & I doubt the sleep study will tell us much anyway.
Maybe the intensive therapies we're planning for the summer will help bring back his communication and build up his strength. I really hope he can get that back. He's still such a happy little man but I want him to be able to let people know what he wants or needs. Unfortunately I can't be with him 24/7 and sometimes it even takes me a while to figure out what he needs. Time...we just have to be patient, get him completely well now and figure out the rest later. :)

Monday, February 8, 2010

I finally got to....

Sew....yep, uninterrupted sewing. Almost 3 whole hours of it! I know it sounds cheesy but it was nice to shut the door and just sew. I made a modified pattern and 2 tester diapers for Boo. They came out really cute so I'll take some pictures and post them tomorrow.

I finished them and came down just in time to watch the Super Bowl. Our Colts didn't come thru. :(

I'm not a sports nut though so I'm happy for the Saints. It was their first trip so it was a good thing. Still, it would have been seriously cool to win again. :D

Sunday, February 7, 2010

What a stress filled week we've had....

Let's see, I've been absolutely terrible about keeping regular updates so that won't be a "New Years Resolution" again but I will try to do better so here goes...

The "good" news...

Gracie is doing pretty good in school right now. She still needs to get some help from OT but the school is still declining. I talked to her health care coordinator and we're working on a few options we have.

Boo is doing OK but he has a low grade temp and a cruddy cough so we're hitting the doctor in the morning just to be safe. I refuse to have a hospital stay because I didn't get antibiotics quick enough.

We had a lovely snow storm over the weekend. The kids even got to leave school early on Friday. It was only about 2 hours early so they don't have to make it up.

Last week my MIL came to stay with us for a while. She's going to live with or near my SIL later but SIL is moving to another state so she's going to get settled first. MIL may even get to be there when SIL has her first baby if all goes smoothly. That will be nice for both of them. MIL has been here for the baby time with both of ours so it will be nice to have that for SIL.

The "not so good" news...

Lastly, my wonderful grandmother passed away sometime Thurs night very unexpectedly. I think right now it's not really sinking in. I will miss her dearly...she's the only on who really understood the "mommy" side of having a special needs child. (You know "been there, done that" kinda thing.) My sister and I were talking about it yesterday. You see we have a rather different view of death. We both have worked with geriatric patients for many years and it's a part of life for us. I've been home for several years now but I still see things very differently than many members of my family do. I will miss her very much as I still do my grandpa but I'm not sad for her. She would have turned 79 in about 2 weeks. All in all she was pretty healthy and still able to be completely on her own. She drove herself and didn't need any homecare aides. She raised 9 children and helped raise many of her grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She was here to see and hold some of her great-great grandchildren. How many people get to do that? She was able to complete her GED last year which was a huge goal for her. She's spent the last 2 years doing what she wanted when she wanted. I'm sad that she didn't get to go on the cruise my parents were planning for all of them this spring. I'm glad she didn't suffer-because I'm sure she didn't. I really feel that God called her and it was not a bad thing. Before my grandpa (her husband) passed a few years ago I was with him in the hospital and we were talking. I told him I wasn't ready for him to go and that it wasn't fair. He simply told me it was his time and he was OK with it. I guess that was all I needed to hear because after that I spent as much time as I could with him and when he passed, I was OK with it. My mother was able to spend most of the day with her mom the day she passed. I thank God for that. While we didn't get to prepare and say goodbye like we did with grandpa I know grandma is right where she should be and that she's happy now. There's no doubt. I will miss her as will all of my family but I am not sad-I refuse to be. She lived a long and full life. That is what I will treasure. I make a point of not taking note of dates when people pass because I feel like that is not what they would want me to remember or dwell on. Instead I choose to remember as many positive things as I can. From my grandmother I learned many things.
I gained a love of sewing, gardening, cooking, and family time. I see the importance of being there for your children passed down to my mother and then to me. I see many little things I picked up from her. I've really begun to notice them these last few days. Life wasn't always easy for her and grandpa. I know there were a lot more challenges than I will ever be told. I wish I had gone to Christmas last year and had her fill in a bit more of my memory book but unfortunately that cannot be changed. I will write what I know from memory and ask mom about the rest. We'll make note of what we can and the rest will just be unwritten memories. I miss you grandma and grandpa.

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

I really am going to sew...

Well, I decided to reopen the Etsy shop to try to bring in a bit of extra cash. Then, I found StalkShop and decided to open one there as well. It's new and still really small but it has huge potential so I'm going for it.
Now comes the change of plans....a family issue has reoccurred. My MIL has come to stay with us for a while. She will be moving in with my SIL but since SIL is in the process of a state to state move MIL will be with us for a while. SIL is expecting so she has to get moved, settled and ready for her son to arrive before MIL can move in with her. What a mess!

I don't mind a bit that she's staying here...she seems much more relaxed and I know DH feels better about her care. She pretty much does for herself but her communication is still difficult. Still she's already doing better. She wasn't overly thrilled about coming but realized it was for the best. I don't want her to feel like a burden...she's not. I feel better being able to see how she's doing since I tend to be the one dealing with her meds and such.

I think the biggest issue she has about being here is that she feel like she's in the way. I know it bothered her when we rearranged the house and gave her our bedroom. We just moved our stuff upstairs into the sewing room and I crammed it all in the closet for now. :)

I'm noticing a lot about her abilities and issues. She's not using her right arm at all and the hip is a bit achy. Still, her "non-cooperative" right side doesn't slow her down that much. :) We've tweaked her daily meds and she seems to be feeling better. I'm not sure how much of that is the med changes and how much is just getting out of the situation she was in. Either way she's doing better now.

It's nice for her to get to spend more time with DH, the kids & me. She hasn't been able to for quite a while now. Her being here also lets me be sure that she's not over or under medicated and that she's eating better.

Anyway, that's slowing down the sewing I was going to do. I figure I'm going to sew some to de-stress then I'll go back to cleaning and rearranging and de-cluttering this teeny tiny house. Life handed me a bag of lemons and I'm determined to make some sweet lemonade one way or another.