I Live In the South

I live in the South. I live in the South. Maybe if I say it enough I'll believe that this isn't what my yard looks like in the morning. 

That's ice. And a 28 degree morning. In November. When the normal temp is 70. I just don't even know what to think. This is NOT normal!! We're usually still in short sleeves at this point. Not in thick winter coats! 

It was just me and Auds coz I had to bring her to the dentist to get her teeth seen about, since more adult ones have come in (we had to cancel her previous appointment when she was admitted to the hospital). He said if the baby teeth don't fall out within six months, we'll extract them, but to wait and see what goes on. 

The stomach virus seems to finally have gone through everyone - poor Drum got it twice. It's been a month. Haha. Get out of the hospital with two kids throwing up go continue for a few more weeks of everyone throwing up. I'm so over vomit! Haha

Our Bible quizzers had their first practice tournament last weekend. My husband coached the older kids, I took the younger ones. The older kids won two games and got highest individual scores. Our little kids made it through alive. Haha The three year old hit the buzzer and then hid her face and Auds had a nervous outburst and started crying while answering a question - but she got it right and got a candy reward. 

I've been working my tail end off between portraits and nonprofit work. I feel like I'm over extended with homeschooling and babysitting and working and magazine designing and coaching and doing little things towards taking care of the needy in the community. I'm thinking I may stop babysitting after this semester. I don't want to not be helpful, but I've had a lot of no call no show days where I was an after thought and could have accomplished something but sat around waiting in case they were running late. Today was a good example - I didn't get to bed until 3am and woke at 6 to be ready and didn't get a text until well after normal drop off time that they weren't coming. I could have used that extra sleep! Haha

Plus, I'd like to get my kids involved in someone of the field trip homeschool groups (which focus just on field trips and play dates for younger siblings and not coops) so they can get out more. Particularly Auds. She lamented after playing with a friend who we rarely get to see because of busy schedules that she wishes she could play dolls with friends more. We'll see how it all pans out. 

Auds has now memorized nearly 30 scriptures just for quizzing - not counting one she's already known and loved. Tony's work has been getting neater and neater and he's gaining great manual dexterity. Drum is absolutely hilarious and having language explosions daily. His favorite topics are noses and icky diapers. Lol

It's been crazy here because at the same time Auds was in the hospital, B's senior partner was admitted. They found stage four lung cancer and let him out with a radiation treatment plan. He was in the office working with B Friday, went in over to the hospital over the weekend, and passed away after B visited him Monday evening. The funeral is currently happening. My heart breaks for his family and friends, the firm, and my husband. His daughter is due any moment with a sweet little girl. He had been at the firm since Moses was a baby and was a great friend to many. B was hired to be his protege and they worked hand in hand for years. Now B is going to be working on some of his cases in addition to his own, which will result in some very busy times and long hours. Makes you realize how fleeting life really is and how precious the mundane can be. 

When it rains, it pours

Shortly after being released from the hospital, a stomach bug decided to visit us. It's taken turns with most of us - including me - during busy season. Woot. 

My day consisted of getting 1 hour of sleep from staying up sick all night, rushing to do a portrait session, coming home and passing out for three hours before rushing out to another session while being unable to eat anything. I hope I can teach Sunday School tomorrow. :/

I'll post more when I'm not rushing to the restroom. 

So This Happened

Coz you know that being in a car accident and needing teeth pulled isn't enough. Right after the last post, Tony got sick. I had a session and as soon as I came home he was throwing up. Then I got sick hacking up a lung with an awful fever producing cold that Drum caught a bit of, too. All while B was out of town for a trial so I was sick by myself with all the kids. During that time I also tripped and did a backflip over the baby gate (which I forgot I put up) while holding the baby (who was unharmed) managing to break the baby gate and bruise my tail bone. 

When we picked up Auds from Sunday School she was complaining of an awful headache. We tried to get her to rest and lay down and pushed fluids as much as we could. Monday she woke up before the crack of dawn in tremendous pain and started throwing up all over the place. It didn't stop. Even a sip of water would cause her to get sick. When there was no water in her system she threw up bile. I lost track of how many times she got sick. 

B was out of town for court again (everyone is suing everyone right now, apparently) so I scooped her up and took her and the rowdy boys to the pediatrician. She threw up in the car. One look at her and the doctor told me she was being admitted and to get across the street to the hospital as quickly as I could. I had Drum in the beco on my back, was carrying the diaper bag (full of not only diapers, but sippy cups and snacks and toys for the boys since I figured it would be a long day) and my purse while being dragged by T and dragging Auds (she could barely remain conscious and didn't even remember going).  During check in we had to rush to the bathroom coz she got sick. 

They rushed us back and I texted B that we were in the hospital. He ran out of court and called me freaking out and drove as quickly as he could to meet us. They drew blood work and hooked up iv's and tried a clear fluids diet. Nothing stayed down. Not one thing. They started zofran. No difference. B came to get the boys so I could focus on my wilting little girl who was curled up in an incoherent ball. 

She couldn't keep things down nor go to the restroom. All the tests were coming back negative. B and I switched out at midnight since Drum needed to nurse mid-sleep and siblings weren't allowed to stay overnight. I'd drive home and get back at 1, nurse and tend to the boys and pray until 6, get everyone ready and rush back to the hospital. Then he'd take the boys and bring them back throughout the day for Drum to nurse. 

After 24 hours there was no improvement and no results, so they started an antibiotic in hopes it would do something. Thankfully, they were right. Whatever super bug she had was bacterial. Right after the doctor left, Drum started throwing up everywhere. Same symptoms. So I had two very sick kids. But Drum is too young for the meds Auds was on so there was nothing they could do unless he got dehydrated and needed to be admitted, too. 

 I had to stay with Auds, but I needed to be with Drum. So I prayed and prayed and B brought Drum to nurse when he could and tried pedialite in the interim. He was still having wet diapers - which was great! We switched out at midnight again and Drum got sick again and again all day and night. Thankfully, in the course of the night the antibiotics started doing their job and Auds was able to finally pee and eat 6 saltines. That was enough for the doctor. 

This morning Drum got sick at about 3am, but that was the last time. The immunities in the breast milk kept his case mild and hydrated him enough. Auds was able to eat two pieces of toast and keep it down so the doctor let us go since the continuous iv fluids really helped her out. 

The hospital and staff were great. She got so many goodies to keep her occupied - dolls, a pillow, small trinkets - and there was a nurse whose job was to find activities suited to each of the kids' interests. She brought paint and paper so Auds could paint in bed. When tony was there, he tended to her so diligently. He loves his sissy. 

She was so thrilled when they said she'd be going home and I was just as thrilled. She finally had some color again and was able to carry on conversations and notice things, even if she still looked very sick. 

I finally have all of my babies home together again! Our church and Sunday School department sent over flowers and stuffed animals this evening to welcome us back.

She's on bed rest, meds, and a strict diet until next week, but we're hoping she's tested enough for the church Harvest Fest Friday. I'm so grateful that it was just some bacterial infection instead of meningitis - for which she had all of the symptoms. God is good. And while it was a rough beginning to the week, I'll still praise His name. And now I get to get back to magazine layout and running a business and homeschooling. :)

The only neat thing about having to watch tv in the hospital (which - holy wow - is awful and most kid shows are very inappropriate!) was on Sesame Street episode they featured "Doctor Two" with someone dressed as Tom Baker and as the latest Doctor, and two cyber men, two daleks, and the tardis. I laughed out loud and probably scared the nurses. 

It's not the best picture, but you can see the tardis. :)

Well...

So all the craziness resulting from the car accident is still not finished. I've spent the past few weeks on the phone with insurance adjusters trying to get everything settled. It is so hard to give a statement of events when you've got four littles running around. Haha. I must have said "sorry, hold on - we don't lick doors. Sorry, one second - don't sit on the dog, please," a million times. I swear having a phone conversation with kids is like having Turret's. lol 

I ended up developing mastitis from where the seatbelt hit. I cannot tell you how fun that was. Having to rush to urgent care before Bible quizzing practice and have a liberal doctor scoff at being young with so many kids - even though there only three of them. Having to explain to a male insurance adjuster your injuries and what it is. Not to mention the pain.

We're still in the rental car because the van isn't fixed yet. It makes me so thankful for my van - our little rental feels like a clown car with all three in the back. Drum kicks Tony, so Tony hits Drum so they scream and fight. Good times. Haha

But we're trucking along. Auds is having a ball in ballet and Bible quizzing. I'm trying to be more flexible in my schooling by discussing things with the kids as they ask questions and if we don't get to the scheduled lessons not freaking out. They're not in college yet so I don't need to be so focused, but I still feel they're getting a better foundation than they would at a local school. 

B and I also treated ourselves to an early Christmas  present. We haven't given presents to each other in years. We got a beautiful 1930s Duncan Phyfe revival couch. The best part - I found it for only $150!! And we prayed for wisdom in purchasing it so that we wouldn't be splurging more than we should and our pastor heard we were thinking about it (his wife and I are very close and I showed her pictures) and walkedup and  unexpectedly   gave us money to put towards the purchase of it. We tried to refuse, but he said if we didn't take it that he would go and buy it himself and show up at our house with it. 

It'll look great once I paint the red one day! It's in near mint condition and will be our forever couch. We're thinking of reupholstering it in a tufted leather when the kids grow up and move away. 

We've also been enjoying cooler weather.  We took a yogurt date at a nearby fountain on our way to make groceries one night and have been playing in the back yard a lot. 

Drum is now about 30 pounds and is a climber. He gets in to everything!! I can't even keep the chairs by the table anymore coz he climbs up and tries to jump off. He also has a habit of getting on the rocking chair (I have an antique wooden slat one) and sliding out the side and getting stuck and walking the rocking chair around. Never a dull moment! 

In other big news - Auds is getting her big kid teeth. She actually has lingually erupting incisors, or shark teeth, where the big teeth come in behind the baby teeth because they haven't fallen out yet. Generally it takes care of itself, but if it doesn't correct itself within a few weeks, the dentist will have to take the baby teeth out. 

There's two big ones right there. It is hypothesized that it happens when a mouth is too little and the teeth can't fit in where they're supposed to so the teeth take the path of least resistance. Looking at her teeth, the dentist may need to take all four bottom ones out. How is my little girl big enough for big kid teeth?!!

Pfffffffb

I'm not really sure how to describe the craziness lately, so I figured a "raspberry" would be appropriate. Lol

We started ballet again and Auds loves it! She's thrilled that one of the girls in her class is a former classmate from her four-month stint in private school. The other little girl's mom pulled her and homeschools as well now. In fact, a good deal of people have done that - even the board members who have resigned. I'm sad for the school that it's not working out, but feel even more secure in our prayerfully considered decision to pull her as I'm not the only one who saw problems there. 

I'm now watching Taitum over 25 hours a week. It's weird coz I was certain that I wouldn't be helping this semester. Her mom even had a friend move in as a roommate (another young single mom) and they would watch each others' kids during their respective classes, but it ended up being chaotic and short lived. It's been a big adjustment from preparing to not watch to watching the hour equivalency of a part time job. It limits our freedom to go places during the week, but helps me save on gas. ;)

Then Tuesday I got rear ended. The kids were fine and we were able to walk away. The van is another story. It needs a new muffler, back end, back door, and back a/c. The lady who hit me had just gotten the call that she has cancer and was on her way to the doctor. I just hugged her in the parking lot and cried and prayed with her once I checked on the kids. We have our health, thankfully. My heart still breaks for her. I only ended up with a bad bout of mastitis from where the seatbelt hit me. 

Fall portrait season is in full swing, so while most families are enjoying the season and the cooler weather together, I'm out working my tail end off. But it means I can help support my family, so I'm happy to do it. I'm also donating $100 from all sessions in November to our bible quizzing program to help cover tournament travel costs. We had our first practice last week and it was so heartwarming to see kids quoting the Bible. :) I just wrapped up a bake sale fundraiser for it, too, and will be sewing and selling scarves and headbands for an up-coming fundraiser for it. Add to that coming up with fun activities and questions and prizes for motivation and it's almost a full time job - on top of my others. ;)

It's been a busy and chaotic (dealing with rentals and insurance and new car seats yadayada), but blissful. I'm so thankful for His peace that envelopes us in our time of need. And for His provision to make sure I have ample opportunity to help provide for my family and ministry. And for His protection in the car accident - it could have been much worse, but we were blessed. I've got a lot to be thankful for. Even if I rarely have time to sit and reflect on all of His goodness lately. 

But I have decided that I'm taking off December to have family time during the holiday season. I'm looking forward to not waking up at 6 on a Saturday. ;) haha 

My Magazine

So I had to take pictures of the magazine I made for my local chapter of a non profit. It's so cool to see it in hand and have all of my hard work's fruit. I had no idea what I was doing and had to teach myself the program and figure it out. But totally cool to see it in print! I also did the cover and some of the inside photos. 

First Day Part 2

After lunch Taitum came and once all babies were calm and playing, we jumped into math. I really like the Singapore Math books from my first impression. The books are nice and colorful and pretty good at working through the trivium in terms of teaching new concepts. 

And the activities are fun and it breaks down how to properly interpret word problems - which most kids tend to freak out about. It's nice that she'll have a positive look on word problems from the beginning. 

 

I teach the text to everyone just like I would if I were reading a book allowing the opportunity to point and answer questions. Then Auds does the workbook. 

T really enjoyed getting to look at the book by himself. 

Right now it's pretty much review, but it looks like she'll easily transition to different concepts as they're introduced throughout the year. 

I love our art! It has a famous painting, the name, date, country, artist, and a fact. Today we did the Mona Lisa and T loves the fact that in 1911 someone stole it but that it was recovered. Each week we'll do a new artist. The first day it's introduced we'll talk about it and they'll do a color sheet. The next day they'll paint their own interpretation of the work. The last day (we'll do a mwf) they'll do whatever they want to inspired by that work. 

Here's what I'm thinking for our schedule: 

After art we did a bit of our Asia work. I showed them where Asia was on the map and what countries were within its borders. We started with my telling them how in Asia it's more difficult to be a Christian and I read an "inspired by" story of a persecuted village when a missionary came to bring Bibles to the whole community. We then discussed what we would do if we had the same hardships regarding our faith. 

Auds said she'd make a huge mess in her room and hide her Bible in her stuffed animals and baby dolls and whisper her prayers very softly so she wouldn't get caught. Tony said he'd do the same. 

So now I guess they feel the freedom to mess their rooms up for the sake of persecuted Christians. Lol 

Next time we'll look more into the geography and history of Laos (where our story was) and draw the country's flag. 

We wrapped up with fruit salad for snack and are just hanging out playing for the rest of the day. 

Not too shabby of a first day! Excited to see how the rest goes!

First Day of School Part 1

We officially started our first day of school today! 

After pictures were taken, we started our day off with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and My Country Tis of Thee, and worship. The kids get to pick which son we sing and alternate days. Today T picked "I am a C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n." Then we moved onto a daily Bible lesson from the Big Picture Bible. 

We then colored paged from our Bible Verse Coloring Book. I forgot to take pictures of that. After that we worked on Proverbs. Auds is writing a proverb a day and Tony is working out of Proverbs for Preschoolers. 

Next was snack. After that was done, we moved onto spelling and handwriting. Auds is doing the list Jessica linked to that Gabe is doing and then T is doing Raising Rockstars. 

Now we're taking a lunch break. 

After lunch we'll do some math out of Singapore Math 1A, some art - which I'm excited about - and some history of Asia. Taitum comes this afternoon, so she'll get to sit in on that. Then we'll do reading and play before getting ready for church. 

So far, it's been a good day! 

Drum Update

Goodbye fever...hello, rash. Looks like roseola came. The fever broke and the rash showed up at dinner yesterday.  He's still not 100%, but he is doing better. Thank God for that! 

Hot Mess

That would be my Drum right now. He's been running a 100-103 fever all week. Normally I'm not one to run to the doctor for everything. But an elevated temp on day four with no tell tale signs (cough, sneeze, red throat, puffy eyes, runny nose, etc.) and no relief (nothing brought the fever down below 100 at all) had me concerned. After a thorough exam, the doctor said he had no clue. Aside from the fever and lethargy, Drum is the picture of health. He lost a bit of weight with not wanting to eat   much, but he was nursing well still so dehydration wasn't a concern. So I've got a cranky pants boy who won't sleep at night or nap without being held. I can't just lay down with him in arms. Oh, no. I've gotta be sitting upright with him for him to relax. With no idea what's causing it. Yay for modern medicine. I'm hoping its just a little bug that goes soon. 

We haven't gotten officially started with school work yet since I only have bits and pieces of materials, but we've been working with what we have without a set plan so far. Mostly Bible, reading and art with some science exploration. Not too much math or formal schedule yet. I'm determined to start right after Labor Day! I'm debating on how we want to register. I'm thinking about doing an "official" school through 8th grade if the TOPS (scholarship for local kids for in-state colleges that pays full tuition) program is still around when they're older and then switching to allowing outside review every year since TOPS isn't given to kids in the "registered schools," but is to those who turn in their yearly performance review. If TOPS is done away with by then, we'll just continue our "school." I'm thinking of the name "la petit academie de Pont Breaux" which is French for "the small school in (our city)." Hope it's not taken when I make my final decision. Lol

I've been super busy otherwise. I designed magazine from scratch for my Junior League chapter complete with doing the pictures. Full color, full bleed professionally printed magazine! I'll take pictures when it comes to my mail box. But it has certainly been a lot of work behind the scenes and making presentations and whatnot. Deadline was right before Drum got sick, so it's been a crazy time here. 

Also coinciding with Drum's sickness was our church ministry fair. We've had a tremendous influx of new members, so we wanted to provide an opportunity for them to get information about the various ministries and get involved. I was swamped with that. I had two booths to design (complete with logos for our ministries and information cards) all promotional materials and videos and social media leading up to and during the event, photo booth, food, and a huge free closet for all members to take whatever blessing they needed. We had so many like-new clothes donated that it was   amazing. Two big 6ft tables with stacks of clothes, three racks full, a table for shoes, and bins stuffed full. There was so much left over that I was even able to grab some stuff for myself. And there are still about 8 or 10 huge trash bags full to donate to the homeless shelters here. 

It was a lot of work, but it was great! 

Those are our booths and a fussy feverish Drum who kept us company while we presented information about our groups to people. 

Of course as soon as that calms down, fall portrait season comes around so I'm not really getting any sort of a break. I
won't   complain about getting business , though! But by the grace of God and coffee, I'll find peace and energy to make it through. I'm working hard on being content. This new busy season has made it very hard for me to make a much from scratch as I'm used to, so I'm having to adjust to the mind set that store bought bread and chicken stock won't kill my kids. That doesn't mean we're all out of a box now as I'm still cooking, but I'm having to purchase pre packaged sauces and ingredients that I can thrown in a pot. And let's not even get started on the laundry room. Haha. 

But, it is a lesson in finding peace amidst the chaos. It would be really easy to become overwhelmed and freak out and not be able to find rest in His grace. So I'm making time for extra prayer to stay plugged in. 

Auds starts dance again in two weeks, so we went and got her fitted for new shoes and had a breakfast out and some girl-time. It was so nice hanging with my gal pal and not hearing poop jokes or belching contests. But I did miss my boys. Auds got an apple fritter as big as her head and loved it!

My kids' creativity never ceases to amaze me. They used my balloons from the ministry fair as a volleyball net for a rousing game.