I Am Counting My Blessings!!

As I hold my feverish baby girl, and fight off the headache that is becoming more intense with each whine the baby lets out because she is so miserable, I thank god that this is something that we can get through, yes its making everyone miserable, but I know from personal experience that we will get through this. My poor baby girl has croup! Its a terrible virus that affects children under three and the elderly, it makes breathing difficult due to all the phlegm that is present, and it gets really bad at night in part because the child is laying down. The only thing the doctors can do is give a steroid shot to help ease the symptoms, so as I'm holding my sick baby girl down for a shot I feel so bad, but I know that its what is best for her. I went through the same thing with my youngest son right before his third birthday. Yes, I am missing some important review in my classes for the upcoming finals, and I'm losing a lot of sleep as I mentioned this nasty virus gets worse at night! I can only do my best, as I am a Mother, before anything else. My children are my blessings and I have four of them!

The Holidays are here again!

 I love my family and the time we get to spend together around the holidays, but I could really do without all the added stress of the extra shopping, cooking and cleaning! On Thanksgiving I had 28 people to entertain and cook for! Lucky Me! Well I didn't have to cook three of the four turkeys we had, because the guys used their turkey fryers and thankfully didn't burn my house down!! My sister was a big help as she brought some side dishes and the ham, but after all the food was demolished and the kids (16 of them) where wore down from running throughout my house I stopped and looked around and didn't recognize my own house! It was a disaster, and I was to exhausted to deal with it! I made sure any of the leftover food was put away and went to bed knowing that I would wake up to a mess, I couldn't sleep so I got up and started cleaning wondering what I was thinking by getting a house big enough to host the holiday gatherings. I called my sister to complain about anything and everything and her answer was to go shopping like we usually do on black Friday! So we met at walmart except most of the deals where gone before we got there so we went to game stop, she had two of her sons with her and they where picking out their own gifts. I knew that my family had been wanting a new game system, but wasn't sure which to chose, the ps3 or the xbox 360! I only knew that we already have the wii and its not a big hit with my kids and husband so I turned to my 15 year old nephew for the answers and to my relief he was very helpful in assisting me on making the choice to get the xbox! Until the moment I turned to my teen aged nephew for assistance I never really thought about how mature he had become. Where did the time go? I still remember changing his diapers.That makes me grateful for all the time we get to spend together.

I Can't Live without It!!

Everyday I get up and think how bad I just don't want to leave the house today, although I know I have to and I will! Until the day you get up and realize you cant leave the house or you are stuck at work waiting on a ride because one of the two family vehicles are in the shop! I never really think about before I could drive and wanted so badly to, or when I didn't have a car and couldn't wait to get one! I have to say that I have taken my driving privilege's for granted over the past several years. I couldn't imagine not having my own vehicle to transport my kids in or run my dreaded errands, I got a rude refresher as to what that was like when our family was down to one vehicle, even though it was only a few days it seemed like a few weeks! So next time you dread leaving the house just thank god you have your own transportation, I know I do!!

Ten Fingers, and Ten Toes?

As I look at my four healthy, beautiful children running about the house and yelling out at each other as they are playing hide-n-seek in the house, I thank god they have the ability to walk and talk and breathe on their own. As I am a Personal Assistant/ Certified Nursing Assistant and I do home care for the state of Illinois, I had a potential client contact me last week interested in hiring me to care for his son which has Dushene Muscular Dystrophy and is living with a tracheotomy and on a ventilator. I agreed to interview with the family, as the family was impressed with me and wanted me to start training right away, I accepted. I'm not sure why I took on such an intense client that didn't fit my requested scheduling, I guess I just admired the mans' persistence to live, he has a great sense of humor and is very kind and respectful which is a big change compared to what I'm used to working with when someone has a debilitating disease that can and will kill them. He has a Masters degree in History from ISU and is very optimistic about his future.His family has jumped through hoops to get everything stable for his care and still participate daily in his care even though he is 34 years old. I admire his family's strength for getting through all these years with this disease. I can only thank god for keeping my children and family healthy and happy, I'm glad they can enjoy life without being dependent on machines to breathe for them, or wheel chairs to move them around because they have no muscles to move on their own.I very seldom thought about any of my children being born with a disease or cancer, I'm so grateful that I didn't have to go through anything like that when my children where born.

I Do Appreciate You!!!

As I wake up twenty minutes before the alarm goes off I look into the crib next to my bed to see a beautiful, bright eyed baby girl smiling at me, so I force myself to get up and start my day! As Im walking through the house and see toys all over the floor and laundry scattered about I think about the day ahead of me and get an instant headache, as I get breakfast for all four children (that all want something different) I wonder what is for dinner, as I know I wont be back home until dinner time I better take something out of the freezer for Daddy to cook. Its got to be something easy as Daddy will have a long day as well seems how he has been at work since 4am. he will be home just in time to shower and pick the kids up from daycare, he will then start dinner and make the children do their homework, and chores. I sometimes get frustrated at all that I have to get done in the course of a day and I dont always appreciate all that he does for our family to manage, but when I do I know I couldnt be back in school and working, and have a family without his support. I owe him everything, but nothing at all as he too gets to enjoy our family! Dont forget to let anyone and everyone that helps you even just a little bit know how much you appreciate them!

MESSY, MESSY LITTLE GIRL?!!!

Okay, Im at a loss of what to do now. "Felicity" is my daughters name and she is a smart and beautiful little girl who is inspiring to be a veternarian when she grows up because she loves animals. Felicity is not lazy, she is willing to help anyone except her brothers. She doesnt watch much television, she loves to read. Yes, I actually have to restrict her reading sometimes.. I have taken everything enjoyable away from my eleven year old daughter aside from school which she loves, and she still will not clean her room!!! I have offered incentives, bought her nice things for her room that I will not allow her to have until her room is clean, and she still wont do it! My boys clean their room, and even try to help her clean room, she will sit by and supervise them as they try to clean her room, but she wont do it! Im not asking her to scrub my floors with a toothbrush or wash the windows, I just want her things put away neatly and her dirty laundry in the hamper. I know I will probably be the one to go in and clean her room, any suggestions on how to get her to do it???? Do any of you ladies remember giving your parents a hard time about cleaning your room?

Best Friends!

How many times have you gotten really mad at your best friend over something really petty and you go days, maybe even a week or so without talking to them and when you do get around to talking again neither one of you knows why you where mad at each other? It happens to all of us, we never want to think about them not ever being there to talk or text us, and we just assume they will always be around. Well they might not be there next time you pick up your phone or jump in your car and stop by their house. I’m speaking from experience! I lost my best friend and her four year old son in a tragic accident on a day that was supposed to be just a fun filled Saturday at the mud pit. We never made it there; instead we ended up on the side of Manito blacktop saying good-bye to each other after a seventeen year friendship. That day I lost my best friend! She isn’t at the other end of the phone when I pick it up and dial her number, she doesn’t message me anymore on facebook, and she doesn’t stop by my house just to hang out anymore. I miss her dearly, and I now think of the petty arguments we had or the phone calls I ignored thinking I could just call her back another time. Every one will have disagreements, and get mad at their best friend sometime in their life, just remember to be careful of what you say and don’t take your time together for granted.

Dont take it for Granted!!

We are all tired at the end of the day and when we finally get the kids to bed and sit down to finish up our own things before we can get to bed, we can always count on hearing that sweet little voice from down the hall say again for the thousandth time "I LOVE YOU MOMMY"! and we sigh cause we know that little boy should have been asleep awhile ago, but dont forget to say it back!I know I would never want any of my children to fall asleep doubting my love for them, even though Im almost positive that he is just saying it as a way to keep himself awake, I dont know that for sure, it could be maybe he was thinking of something that happened during the day that I wasnt there for, or maybe he is thinking of something that scared him and he just wanted to make sure Im still there and he is safe. Either way, you never know when or if you will be able to say it again, or if they will be there to hear it! Cherish the time you have with your loved ones because it wont last forever!! Dont take them for Granted!