hmmm what do I still need to buy?

It is school supply shopping time! Yes, that time when the kids all groan and the parents cheer because their kids are going back to public or private school. For homeschoolers, this means cheap supplies for our schooling. I like to take advantage of these sales.

While we may not buy things like lunch boxes and backpacks, there are many things we do get. For example, each of my girls is given a milk crate to keep her workbooks and supplies in. Missa and Liddy are on their third year with their crates, and this year we bought crates to add to the set for Kimi and Jojo. I color code their materials as much as possible also

With the addition of 2 more kids getting crates, this means I need to purchase some additional items. So, I'm trying to remember what all I need so that we can pull off this year beautifully. I'm going to post a list here, and then edit it as I remember more that we need and cross out items we've gotten as they are purchased. Pardon my running tally on this.

100+ boxes of 24ct Crayola crayons
12+ packs Crayola colored pencils
10+ packs mechanical pens
5+ packs ball-point pens
50+ glue sticks
2 pencil/crayon boxes, colors red and green (or clear and some spray paint)
40+ notebooks
1 3-ring binder, 1 1/2" size
ponytail elastics
barrettes
poster boards
paints and brushes
single hole punch
new 3-hole punch (unless I can find my good one in the garage boxes)
8+ pairs school scissors

OK I know I'm missing stuff. I'll edit it later lol

a due date, water play, and disappointment

Yup, we have a due date. I personally think the ultrasound tech has no clue what she's doing because she didn't take many measurements of the baby and kinda said "uhhhhh I think...." when we asked how far along I am and when I'm due, so yeah. But for now, we are calling a due date of March 5, 2012. And with my pattern for delivery, there IS a chance that I could go into labor on February 29th (leap day baby!!!!) OR on our anniversary March 6th. That puts me right now at 8 weeks pregnant. I'll be asking Dr. Parker about this when I go see him on August 9th and get his opinion.

In terms of water play, the kids have been doing a LOT of that lately. We had to get a new hose over the weekend for their sprinkler, and the increased water pressure as a result has them giddy. I have a feeling our water bill will be over $100 when it comes next month with how much they've been playing in the water out back.

I'm also disappointed. We had to cancel the order from Amazon for my Kindle. Plumbing issues need fixed before we can play. Oh well, just as well I think, Scott's overtime is coming back in a big way now and we're going to have some great paychecks. I'll just take a little from each of them until I have the money for my Kindle again. I'm not going to worry over it, especially since I have the Kindle app on my laptop and can read anything I want at any time.

What I'm reading this week

I have trouble with books. One, I'm dyslexic and have ADHD (hmmmm sounds like Missa, doesn't it?). I have trouble focusing on pages in a book and getting started reading because of the ADHD, and then the simple act of reading is very tiring for me once I do get going. If you are dyslexic or have a dyslexic child, you know what I am talking about on this one.

And before I go ANY further, I'd like to point out something. Dyslexic people may not be behind in reading. In fact, I was a very early reader and can read anything I want to fluently. However, my dyslexia affects my comprehension of written material. Often, THIS is what happens with dyslexia. Missa is a "classic" dyslexic child, where her reading level AND her comprehension are both affected. Dyslexia looks different in each person, and many would never guess that I am one of these people. I'll spare you the list of famous dyslexic people (ok maybe just a few..... Patrick Dempsey, ya know, Dr. Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy, he's dyslexic, as well as Picasso, Beethoven, Darwin- ok bad example there LOL- and even the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ozzy Osborne's oldest daughter, they are all dyslexic) but trust me when I say that dyslexia is much different from what people would normally expect.

So, now you know I'm dyslexic, and I can already hear you screaming at the computer. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A LITERATURE-BASED CURRICULUM FOR HOMESCHOOL??????? Easy, I can read out loud just fine and dandy. I even have excellent comprehension when I hear myself read out loud. I just flat out love books, and I want my kids to have that excitement too. OK, I got that one covered, I have to go into their bedroom tomorrow and round up all the library books to take back because I have a feeling half of them found their way off the shelf and under their beds, in the closets, and in other odd places. They read constantly, and they enjoy it. Yes, even my dyslexic Missa enjoys reading.

But, outside reading to the kids for lessons, I do very little reading myself outside my college books and what I find on the computer screen. So, I am fixing that now. I have the Kindle software on my laptop, and my lovely husband decided to surprise me by ordering a Kindle for me from Amazon. Yes, I too am joining the crowd of Kindle owners. I am especially excited about this "experimental" feature of the Kindle that reads books to you. If this works well enough, I can immerse myself in books as much as I want to without tiring from the struggle to read. But anyway, my plan is that tomorrow I am going to start with a book on my laptop with the Kindle app, and then I am going to read it. I should finish the book right around the time my Kindle is delivered. So what am I reading this week?



Now this book appeals to me on many levels. One, I'm a slob. There, I said it. I hate housework, and will do anything I can in an attempt to get out of doing it. I don't see any point to cleaning all the time only to have my kids undo the cleaning as fast as I clean it up. I've heard that this book is full of Christian content, and I hope that it can speak to my heart about this little issue I have with cleaning. I've tried so many other things in the past for housework, and nothing really has worked because in my HEART I've always resented chores and don't see a point to doing this stuff most of the time. And if you don't get the title, it is referring to Luke 10:30-42 when Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening while Martha was running about cooking and cleaning. I am very much a Mary, and very little Martha in this case. Hopefully this book will give me some inspiration to embrace the Martha side of my life a little more instead of pushing it away all the time.

Scott's surgery- update 3

Well, we are now at the 1 week point after his surgery. OK almost, that comes tomorrow. His incisions are healing nicely,and he's not taken any of his pain medication for a couple days now. He even made a short trip to the local WalMart (with 2 kids no less, Jojo ALWAYS goes with whoever is running an errand and then he took Missa to be a useful help to him). He is healing nicely, and much quicker than I expected given his post-op issues. He goes in on the 20th to see the surgeon and get a work release, and to get that pesky 10lb lift restriction lifted as well.

This morning he looked at me and said, "honey I really hope he releases me for work next week when I go in. I love you guys but DANG woman this house is insane during the day!" He misses the peace of his job apparently. At work he is on his feet for 10-14 hours a day with loud machines running nonstop, but at home he's had the joy of a little person poking him every 30 seconds and chanting, "daddy daddy DADDY" from the time they wake up until they go to bed. And that's not including the typical sibling rivalry and fighting, arguing, screeching, complaining, and whining and crying. He's ready to go back, we've driven him to the point where he's ready to shoot himself if he is told he has to stay home longer.

a glimpse of God's awesomeness

~Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3~

Yes, the day after I worried that I was going to lose my husband from an anesthesia issue from his surgery, we learned that we are going to be welcoming a fifth child into our family. Because I haven't had a cycle since we had my IUD removed in May, I will be going in a week and a half to my obstetrician to have an ultrasound to date my pregnancy and calculate a due date. I am anywhere from 4-10 weeks pregnant. So far, I have been blessed to not have any pregnancy sickness at all. This is a major blessing as the girls all made me so miserable sick that I ended up on medication after a 20lb weight loss each time. It is such a blessing and joy to know that our family is being blessed with another member joining us in 2012.

And now we all know why I was so upset and crying when I got to go up and see Scott at first after his surgery. I overreacted big time because of the hormonal changes I'm going through right now.

Scott's surgery- update 2

Yesterday was just a bit trying for me. I should have done this last night, but ended up collapsing with exhaustion at 7pm and just now woke up at 6am. So yeah, I'm sure I get a little grace for not updating right away. So anyway.....

Around 3pm yesterday, Scott stabilized and woke up alert. We got him eating ice chips, and when that stayed down he got a small can of diet cola and some saltine crackers. He was given a pain pill and they made him walk a bit in the hall and then make an attempt in the bathroom (anesthesia can affect a person's bladder usage so we needed to make sure that he IS capable of emptying it, he hated that but got over it and tinkled for us a little). At 5pm, we got him dressed and I had the van at the door to pick him up. Since I do not have air conditioning in my van, the nurse made sure that he had a 32oz. mug freshly filled with water and a LOT of ice for the hour ride home.

I dropped off the prescription for him at CVS on our way home, and then I got him inside and he decided that he had to use the bathroom again. That time it was painful because he had to push a bit, but it is a good thing he did go because his bladder was apparently urgently filled. Then I got him into bed, skipped over to the neighbor and asked her to keep an eye on him since he did have surgery that morning, and I went to get his prescription and some Sprite.

Right now, CVS here has a deal for 2 liter bottles of Coke products for 69 cents with their card. I got him a Sprite and me a Coke, and I had to get a new CVS card because I lost ours and they couldn't find it in their system with any of the 5 phone numbers I gave them. Go figure. His prescription thankfully was only $7 so it didn't hurt us too much financially. No, the problem with his prescription is a little different.

The surgeon prescribed him Vicodin for his pain. He is allergic to Percocet (and I have a feeling I completely butchered spelling that one) so that one wasn't an option. So why is Vicodin an issue? I am highly allergic to Vicodin. Last time I took it myself, I broke out into serious hives, itched like crazy all over, and had trouble breathing. Once I recovered from that reaction, I took my bottle and tossed the remaining pills in the toilet, but just coming in contact with them caused me to break out in hives again. So, I cannot even TOUCH his pain pills, or the bottle itself. He had the bottle on his nightstand overnight, and I woke up this morning itchy and a little wheezy. I'll be living on Benadryl for a few days until the Vicodin is gone, in an attempt to reduce my allergic reaction to his medication. I'm not going to ask the surgeon to give him a different medication just because its causing me some issues, it works for him and the other popular one he can't take. I just have to make sure I know where that bottle is at all times until it hits my outside trash, and keep my time around it to a minimum.

So, he is doing MUCH better now than he was at my initial post on him post-op. He says his pain isn't too bad at this point, but he's in bed asleep right now. We'll see how he does in a few hours when I make him get up to use the bathroom.......

Scott's surgery

Today was surgery day. Yesterday the hospital called and told us that he had been moved to an earlier time, so we had to be here at 5:30am instead of 7am. The gallbladder removal and hernia repair went perfectly, and the other stuff turned out to be fatty deposits so no need to biopsy those. This is WONDERFUL news. He has been out of surgery almost 4 hours how, and I'm sitting here watching him sleep. He has had a bit of trouble with his breathing, so they have him on oxygen. In fact, as of right this moment his stats are....

blood pressure: 104/63
pulse: 61-65bpm
oxygen saturation: yeah uhh.......

The oxygen is a bit of an issue. Even with being on oxygen, his saturation is dropping below 80 every minute or so until the alarm wakes him back up. His body is having trouble coordinating itself to breathe while he sleeps off the anesthesia that is still in his system. He is pale and has been vomiting as well. We're looking at a long day here and possibly him spending the night to get him stable if he doesn't come out of the anesthesia the rest of the way soon. At the moment, while I've been typing up this post his saturation has stayed consistent between 93-98 (so about 10min now, which is an improvement) so he may be able to go down a little in his oxygen flow soon. I'm hoping this is a really good sign that he's going to be off the oxygen soon, he's been on it for about the entire time since he came out of the operating room.

So, now I'm going to find my way to the hospital cafeteria to get some lunch because the Tim Horton's here at the hospital STINKS, their timbits were stale so I'm not going to punish myself with one of their soup/sandwich combos. I'll give another update once I know if he's going home, or if he's staying overnight, or what. Please pray for Scott until then, that he will come out of this quickly.

Thursday is the day!

Well, we're in the final countdown. Tomorrow around suppertime, I'm taking the girls over to sleep over with grandma and then Scott is going to take me out to eat at Olive Garden with the two $25 gift cards we have (free date night, SCORE!!!!). Then we get to sleep early tomorrow night so that we can be at the hospital by 7am for him to be admitted and prepped for surgery.

I don't know if I shared yet exactly what the surgery is for, so I will now just in case. About 5 years ago, he was having some stomach problems and had a full abdominal MRI done. They found gallstones and a tiny spot on his liver (about 10mm if I remember correctly). We were told that the spot on his liver was likely nothing, and that eventually he'd likely need his gallbladder removed. The last several months, he's been having problems with his gallbladder, and the pain has gotten more severe with attacks as they got more frequent. He had a particularly bad attack a few weeks ago, and ended up seeing his doctor and then being referred to a surgeon to get his gallbladder removed. They did pre-op testing and found a mass around his gallbladder and the spot on his liver has grown, plus he also has a small hernia that is coincidentally at the location of one incision that will be made for the removal surgery. This surgery will be removing his gallbladder, checking out the mass and spot (plus taking biopsies if they look suspicious), and repairing the hernia.

This isn't the first time I've been right by his side through surgery. 3 months before Liddy was born, he had back surgery that removed close to 40% of a herniated disc in the L4 region. That procedure was done outpatient however, at a surgical center. There is a good chance that Thursday's surgery will have him in the hospital overnight for anywhere from 1-4 days, depending on how they have to do the gallbladder removal. If they do it laproscopically, he could be outpatient or spend 1-2 nights admitted, but if they determine that it is too risky and they have to fully open him up for the traditional procedure he's looking at 4 or more nights. We've been together almost 9 years now, and we've NEVER really been apart during this time. Even when I am in the hospital after having a baby, he's usually stayed with me in the hospital room while his mom took care of any kids that we had. I hope the hospital will let me sleep there with him, because I really don't want to go home without him.