Catching up with an update!

Wow so almost a month of me being silent on the blog!  This must not happen again!   ;)  I am beyond happy that the month of Haties, Oh,  I mean June, if finally over!  Looking back I feel like ti flew by but yet in the midst of it, it felt like it would never be over!  We did get through that crazy 30 days of birthday's, uncelebrated anniversaries, homeschool convention, two weeks of 4 classes that overlapped instead of just 2 classes like normal, and SICK KIDS!!  However, we are still battling sick kids! 

All five kids, as well as Nathan and I have had ear infections, sinus drainage, sore throats, croup, and lots of sleepless nights!  Seeing as how my kids do not go many places except the swimming pool which is so loaded with chlorine to kill germs I can smell it from my car, I'm pretty convinced that it is a result of this bipolar weather we've been having.  Every-time it has gotten hot, then dropped down in the 70's, my kids are sick the next day!  People have told me for the last several years to go out and get an air purifyer!  They tell me that if my kids have allergies (which is what it seems like it is) then that is the way to go!  So I went out the other morning to lowes and bought a new vacuum with a hepa filter.  This sucker is like a space ship!  First of all I've never spent over 60.00 on a vacuume (maybe the reason we have to buy one every 6 months) so I feel like this thing should be able to take me to the moon and back!  It's an electrolux from lowes.  Since it was on sale I didn't feel that horrible for paying so much, but in reality I have paid this much in prescriptions in the last three weeks so hopefully this will help lower that cost; not to mention I better not have to buy another vacuum the rest of my life!  While I LOVE how it pulls the carpet up and the carpet feels so clean after, it does give my arm an amazing work out since it's heavy a sin! 

I also decided that while it's great that when I vacuum we can reduce the dust being thrown into the air, we should also reduce that at all times anyways!  So I bought us an air purifyer.  So far I love it!  I can't say I've seen many results so far as sickness from it yet (I'm hoping that is because we've already inhailed whatever we have), but hopefully it will help with later viruses and allergies!  It does make the house smell fresher, which I love!! 

So I believe this is our last week of Swimming practice.  Pumpkin will have her last meet on Monday, and then they have championships next week, but I don't think Pumpkin will be able to go to those.  I will not miss getting up at 7am and running her to the pool every day, but I know she will miss it dearly!! Swimming has become her favorite thing to do!  She would be at that pool swimming all day long, every day If I let her!  But I'm looking forward to everyone getting well and us being able to enjoy the pool during the day instead of having to lay around the house and get well! 

Normally I will only let the girls do one thing at a time so far as an extra curricular activity.  Little Bear has been talking about how she wants to be a cheerleader, and so has Pumpkin!  Usually in the fall Little Bear does dance, but this year the dance schedule does not really go with our schedule so I think we may take a break from it.  I've been looking into Upward cheering.  It starts in late August/Oct, and I think it will be great that it is something the girls could do together finally!  They love the though of doing things together but they have never found something they both enjoy together!  Pumpkin wasn't much of a ballet person, and Little Bear doesn't like swimming much, so hopefully this will be a happy medium! 

I've been working a lot on school the last few weeks with having so many classes that have overlapped!  It was a huge challenge but I did it!  I did whine and complain about it quite a bit but I pushed through and got everything done!  I just pray that I get a good enough grade on my English essay to keep an A!  I was 1 point away from a B when I turned it in so it will either help me a lot or hurt me a lot!  Yes a B isn't bad but I really would LOVE to keep my straight A status I've been able to accomplish as of right now. If I'm going to pay all this money for an education, I'm going to get smart not just get the diploma!  I also feel like I need to prove to myself that I am smart and can do anything I want!  I've always had so many doubts about myself so far as my intellect, and I'm ready to change that!  Right now I'm taking an Evangelism class, Bible Class, and Math Class.  The Math has been a challenge for me so far!  I have really had to work on this class a lot in order to maintain the A I have in there.  It has been frustrating and challenging and I can't wait to be done with the next 2 math classes I have to finish after this one!  My evangelism class has been pretty easy so far!  I can finish my work for this class in a few hours and I have an A so far.  I have been looking forward to the end assignment which is to lead someone to Christ!  I just hope that God will lead me to someone who will be willing to listen!  Bible has been my favorite!  I have learned so much about reading the bible that I didn't realize before!  I feel like my eyes have been opened to so many things, and I am looking forward to really getting into more of my bible classes!!

So while my main major is in Religion right now, I have been eyeing the paralegal degree.  I found out by one of my advisors that when you get a BS in something, there are so many electives that you have to take for that degree that you can actually get an entire degree in something else just with the electives!  So that is what I'm planning!  I still have to call and confirm that it can be done the way I've planned but by the time I graduate with a BS in religion I will also have a BA as a paralegal!  Why not kill two birds with one stone!

My goals with what I'm going to do with my degree have changed a lot since I first enrolled!  I origionally wanted to go so that I could eventually go to nursing school.  After checking into nursing school I realized that there would be no way for me to do that AND be a full time homeschooling mom that I want to be.  Being a mom to my girls is way more important than school to me.  Maybe in a few years we will be able to take more nursing courses online and it will become possible for me to do this but right now it's not.  Then I thought...Of course...Business!  That would help me with anything I decide to do!  But for me...business is boring!  I would absolutely HATE it!  I have to do something I want to learn about and I'm passionate about.  The first thing I'm passioate about is GOD!  I love God, and there is nothing on earth I would love more than to understand and know the bible front and backwards, and be able to defend my faith with actual historical facts, and just to know exactly what to say anytime of the day in order to show someone that Christ can change their lives!  and #2, fighting for the rights of Christians!  It's funny because when Nathan first went to college he went with the idea that he would be a lawyer.  (he still could be) His reasoning was to fight for the rights of Christians!  I believe that with a bible degree, and a paralegal degree I will be able to help fight for Christian rights, or even accomplish my dream of building a women's shelter since I will have the knowledge of law that I will need in order to help these women with the legal system! 

Everyone one around me just complains about how horrible this world is becoming, how Obama has destroyed America!!  While I can't say I'm an Obama fan at all, I can say it's not all his fault!  Why aren't these people coming against him!?  Why aren't these people fighting to hold up our constitution?  Instead they are sitting back, complaining that he has ruiened our country!  I don't see these people in protest, or getting involved with the up coming campaigns to get him out of office!  Maybe there are some who are doing this, but not enough!!  If I have one gift that God gave me it's the ability to stand firm on his Word!  I have never been great at standing up for myself when people come against me, but come against my God and see how bold I get!  But whatever I end up doing I do not want to do it for a job, but as a ministry!  I don't want to be just any paralegal or person with a bible degree...I want to make a difference, and start a ministry that will help change lives! I just have to figure out what that is!

Well I'm signing off for now.  I just finished reading the last book of the Hunger Games tonight after almost four months of trying to finish!  I liked the ending a lot, the rest of it was hard to get through it was very slow compared to the rest of the books, but I did love the ending.  I'm starting my new book today that has been waiting patiently in my Kindle for months.  "Boundaries: when to say yes, How to say no."  Definately something I need to learn about!!  So well...by for now, i'll be back soon I promise!!

We have a date for surgery......

We've had a rough couple of days this week.  Nathan got his last shot for a while on Tuesday which has caused him to not feel very good at all the last couple days.  I don't know if it was the shot itself, the combination of the shot and his medication, or maybe he is coming down with the virus we've all had; but whatever it was he has not been himself.

Tuesday we packed up the kids and drove to St. Mary's for his last shot for a while.  The girls and I waited in the car while he went inside.  From the moment he got back in the car he was a mess.  His back has been in so much pain he cannot move!  Every time he has had a shot the next few days have been really tough pain wise.  One of the side effects is that his pain will become inflamed and this time that has been an understatement.  For two days, he has felt hot and cold, nauseous and restless, and has not been able to do anything.  My mother in law has been coming over to help watch the kids when I have errands to run because he can't do it anymore which has made things pretty tough.

 We also spoke with his surgeon's office Tuesday and they let us know that his surgery is scheduled for October 5th.  It has been a little emotional for both of us to actually have a date now when it will take place, but then again it's a little bit of a relief that he will not have to be in so much pain for much longer.  We will go back to Charlottesville in August for one last appointment before the surgery.  We will get all the details of surgery day and accommodations for the girls and I then.  They will also be taking a CAT scan of his spine then in order to plan out his surgery.  But for now we are trying to keep him comfortable which has been proving to be more and more challenging every day!

I wish we would have re-scheduled his shot for next week instead of this week with all we have going on!  Little Bear had recital photos yesterday, today is rehearsal, friday we have someone coming to give us a 2nd estimate on our fence for the back yard, and Saturday we will be running between recital and a wedding.  His shot put a little kink in things, so far as, him not being able to keep the kids when we go to rehearsal, and photos, and the grocery store etc.  But my mother-in-law has been a huge help.  She picked up some milk for us last night and took her lunch break yesterday to be here with Nathan & the girls so I could take Little Bear for pictures.  I've been really thankful to have her help!

So today Nathan will have physical therapy this afternoon, before we head to rehearsal for Little Bear.  I'm praying that he will feel well enough to at least sit in the car with them while we are there!  Meanwhile, I've been chasing Sweet-pea around the house all morning long trying to keep her diaper on her!  lol  This kid (21 mo) is determined to use the potty, and I'm determined she is going to wear the diaper!  Ever since Hobble-bobble has been going potty, she has had to be a big girl too!  She will pull off the diaper (poop and all) and sit on the potty until I come in a make her put on another one.  Five minutes later I find that diaper laying in the hall and her sitting on the potty!  lol  I am just so scarred from potty training Pumpkin that there is no way it can be this easy with Sweet-pea!

On the upside, I received an email last night from Liberty University, that I have made the Dean's list!!  My GPA was a 4.0 this past summer semester!  This is HUGE for me considering I haven't even made honor roll since Elementary school, and it's been 12 years since I graduated High School!  I never thought I'd actually be in college, let alone that I'd be on the Dean's list!  I just hope I can keep my grades up that high throughout the next 3.5 years!

So with that here is hoping our day goes smoothly today!!

Almost peed my pants....

So the last few days have been pretty stressful, but we are getting there.  Hobble-bobble had to put her boot back on tonight.  She fractured her ankle the first of April.  She fractured it in a growth spot and so they said the hardest thing for us is going to be keeping her from re-injuring it!  She wore a boot for 3 weeks and then they said she was able to take it off and try to regain strength.  They said it would take about two weeks.  But still she limps, some days worse than others.  She still stands on the bunk beds and jumps off onto the floor, although we tell her not to.  She came in from playing outside today and said it was hurting.  When I looked at it, it was swollen again.  So I put her boot back on and will keep it on her till Wednesday when she has her re-check.  I think if it's hurt again or they want her back in the boot for a while longer I'm going to ask for a cast this time since she thinks she is a super hero!

She also finally potty trained this week!  I do not try to potty train my kids.  I know most parents want their kids out of diapers as soon as they can, but for me I learned early with baby #1 that I'm not going there until they want to!  I would rather they keep their diaper on until they turn four, that way I can say, "happy birthday- by the way you get to use the potty now!"  and they knew exactly what I was talking about!  When Pumpkin was a baby, someone told me that the easiest way to potty train was to take off their pants and let them wonder around.  They said if I did this they would sit on the potty because they will not just stand there and pee.  Well, they were wrong!  I found poop in corners, in her toy guitar, in her sink that goes in her play kitchen!  She opened drawers and stood in them on her clothes and peed all over them!  And then one day....it happened...she had her door closed in her room, I walked in and opened the door and there it was!  A HUGE pile of poo was behind the door; when I opened the door it went over the poo causing it to embed itself into the off white carpet, and spread like butter while oozing under the door and sticking to the bottom of it.  Being mad was an understatement!!  I put her diaper back on her, and told her until she started going potty herself we were not taking it off!!  She eventually got the idea.  It took her the longest out of all my kids to potty train, and still she was in a diaper until just this year (6years old) at night time!  Little Bear trained in a week!  The week she turned 3 years old I told her if she went to the potty I would sign her up for dance class.  By the end of the week she was even trained at night!  And now Hobble-bobble, she has trained the earliest!  She wont be 3 until June so I'm super proud of her!  She wants to wear panties all the time, even at night but I had to tell her she can't do that yet.  She is so cute!!  So that is my strategy just wait till they go on their own one day...it saves so many headaches!!

So today I went to the library to start on my 1200 word essay that is due by Monday.  As I sat there something out the window caught my eye.  There were police officers combing the woods behind the library!!  I started to get a little nervous, but still I pecked away on my computer.  A few minutes later I hear the sound of police radios inside the library!  They were walking around searching the library!  So then I really started to get nervous!  As I was walking out to my car to leave a few hours later, I remembered that I didn't lock it.  I started to think that would be the perfect hiding place in someones car!!  I walked up to the van and saw this old man had just parked in front of me.  He was walking around my van on the passengers side.  When he got to the back of the van I began to open my car door, and the man sneezes so loud I jumped and seriously almost peed all over myself!! lol  

Anyways, so while I was doing my research for my paper I came across a website of people who lived green lifestyles!  This woman was pregnant but because she was so worried about saving the planet, she had an abortion in order to reduce her carbon foot print!!  Then another woman talked about how the only thing she cares about was keeping the earth healthy and in order to do so she is getting sterilized so she won't have any babies!  They say that basically baby + stuff + extra room in the house +babies the baby will have = pollution!  YES that is right they called babies pollution!!  Seriously!!  I was so disgusted and outraged by this that I couldn't even write my paper!  Do people not think that if everyone lived this way...humanity would die out!  Well, my babies are far from pollution.  "They is smart, they is kind, they is important!"  What makes these people think their life is anymore valuable than a child?  Anyways, I need to vent that out!  I know people can believe some crazy stuff but this was just shocking to me!

So for lunch today, Nathan and I took the girls to Grandma's for a few hours.  We went to Panera for some salads (since I'm watching the calories) and then to Starbucks for our "meeting."  We sat down and picked out curriculum for next year and scheduled appointments and put things on the calendar.  It was nice to finally have little bit of a plan for next year...once we finish school this year!  We are about halfway through this year and we will eventually get there!  Looking forward to getting the new curriculum for next year!!