What a wild week!

There's been alot happen over the last week or so. The most interesting of which is that Terry had an interview last week. !!!! It was something that took place over the course of 3-4 weeks and it was finally agreed upon by all involved to have him come for the interview. We decided that I should go too in order to check the place (town) out so that if we/I didn't like it, we wouldn't waste anyone's time or money with a second interview. However, we found out that in a town the size of 20,000-30,000, there is only one congregation and only has a membership of 90. That just sends up red flags to me on their evangelism.

Terry enjoyed the idea of the job and thinks he would do a good job with it, but considering the church situation, it's pretty much a done deal that it wouldn't work. There would have to be a lot of things just fall into place for it to happen. Plus we would be further from family...no so good for the grandma's!

Now, the hotel they put us up in was something else! LOL It was the Brothwell Hotel (Terry kept calling it the Brothel hotel....LOL) and the room we got was TINY! We went and bought a disposable camera so that we could take pics of it...I'll post them when I get them developed. But Terry was able to open the bathroom door and touch fingers to the door and the wall across from it and span the room. The closet was bigger than the bathroom...and the bed was tiny too!

Then to make matters worse, he ended up with food poisoning on the way home! He was just sick before we left the town and we ended up stopping 6 times (in a typically 4 hour drive) for him. I bought him some Pepto and it helped some and by the next morning he was fine. But oy....what trip.

On Saturday, we took the boys to see Wall-E. What a CUTE movie! We all (mom, dad, Terry, me and the boys) were laughing through the entire thing at the slapstick humor and the silly stuff that happened. And it was CLEAN! A true family movie! Take your kids...you'll be happy you did! We plan on getting it when it comes out on DVD.

Last night, Terry's mom and sister came down to watch one of the boys' T-ball games. Then we came back here and had supper and got the kids showers. Terry and D (sister) ended up staying up till 1 (or later) talking. Oy...I went to bed. I just can't stay up like that anymore!

Oh, and we posted one of Clayton's paintings on Ebay last Friday. If you're interested, feel free to check it out. We're so happy with how it's going!

Recent activity

This past weekend, we were in Salem, after going to St Louis for Terry's appointment. He's been released!!! I am so thrilled! LOL She is still concerned about one small area, but said that as long as it doesn't get any pain or heat in it, he's okay. Yippeeee!

On our way back to J's on Sunday afternoon, there was a snake in her driveway, and she HATES snakes, with a passion. Since she was sitting in the front seat with me, I figured she saw it and I just ran over it to kill it for her...well, Terry tells me later that she probably didn't see it and would've been fine if I'd have just not said anything. Oy. Anyway, we go over to look at it when we get out (me and the boys that is!) and I call Terry over there. This apparently was a mama snake and she had eggs inside her still! Well, not anymore...now they were laying on the driveway cuz I squished them out of her! I felt (still feel) so bad about it! You can see the eggs in the pictures below. In the left one, there is one egg off by itself that you can see. The others are still attached to her. And poor thing, at this point, she was still alive. We did put her out of her misery though....

Over the last few weeks, as you know, we've been raising tadpoles into frogs. Well, here are a couple pics of our attempt at this. Naturally, the frogs all died within a day of becoming frogs (which created a major issue with the boys regarding pets!), but at least we got to see the process happen! ;)

Brent has lost his 2 top-center teeth over the last couple of weeks. Hehe. He's so cute with them gone and even talks a little funny without them. Here's a picture of him without the teeth...notice Clayton in the background peeking into the picture? LOL

Update for the past week (Part 2)

...Continuation of update....

Also, while at the park, we happened to sit under a flowering tulip tree. I had planted a tulip tree when I was in 4th grade on Grandma and Grandpa's place, but I've never been around it when it bloomed. But this on we were under on Friday was really pretty. I got some pics of it too! (I know you're SO suprised by that!)







After we got home from the park, we made supper and ate...Terry actually got to eat at the table with all of us! :) I had made Mahi Mahi, so we had lemons with it and the boys decided to eat the lemons (which I still can't figure how they do that!) and they got a bit goofy with them. I just had to capture them on camera!









On Saturday, we got some things done outside (planting the trees in the garden, mulching the hostas, etc) and I got a bit camera happy! I took a couple of movies of the boys (below) and several pics of the 'scenery'. I just couldn't help myself! LOL


We just had to laugh at this next video!

This is a couple shots of one of my hostas in front of the porch! It's HUGE!

I took these next shots from my front porch about 6:30 that evening...the clouds were rolling in and it looked like it was gonna come-up-a-storm! It was really pretty....the camera doesn't do God justice!

Terry has gone back to work today and I'm thankful that he has. I needed him back at work as much as he needed to go! However, after talking with him this afternoon, I know he's already very tired (and a bit cranky!) and will most likely go to bed early tonight. So hopefully he's on the mend and our schedules can start to get back to normal! :)

Update for the past week (Part 1)

Well, I'm even gonna back up a bit more...The weekend of Brent's birthday we went to the circus. It was okay....kinda fun for the kids...the 'clowns' weren't really clowns...just really well-dressed people. But they were funny. There were a couple things that I didn't like cuz I thought they weren't appropriate for children, and let's face it...it IS a children's show. But other than that, it was very entertaining. I personally did NOT like the up-in-the-air trapeze stuff or the things that made you think they were falling, but the kids loved that part! Here are some shots. They are a little blurry at times, but you can still see what they are. The boys took a couple shots of me and Terry too! :)

The following week (May 8th) was Terry's surgery. You have seen the first update from that....I will provide another. On Sunday of last week (the 11th..Mother's Day!) he woke me up in the middle of the night saying he was bleeding. So, I got up and checked him and he continued to bleed all day long. I called the dr and left them a message for them to call us on Monday so they could tell us what was okay and what wasn't. They finally called back on Monday afternoon and suggested that he come up and be seen on Wednesday. So on Wednesday afternoon, we drove back to St Louis where the surgeon found another fistula going in a different direction! She went ahead and opened it there in the office and let it drain. She said the draining would slowly stop over the next week, but that we had to watch it for infection.

So far so good. No infection so far, but we're still watching it closely. Terry goes back to work tomorrow (he's already cleared to go back) and he's on restricted duty (lifting) for a month. My concern is that he will wear himself out in the first few days, but I know he needs to go back to work...for his sake and mine! LOL

This past week, while Terry was healing and while we figured out what was going on with the bleeding, mom stayed and helped me out... Well, literally she did most everything for me, cuz my brain was SO not with it! But we took some time to do some crafty things with the boys and I got the idea to do something we used to do at Six Flags: make sand people! :) So I went to Dollar General and found some jars with necks on them and came up with these:

On Thursday, we had a field trip to the Electric company...they explained to the kids how electric works, ways to save on electricity, and ways to be safe with electricity. Then at the end they gave each of the kids a new tree-sapling. :) The boys are VERY excited about that part....and have been looking all over town for those 'green boxes' where the underground cables are. :)

On Friday, Mom and I took the boys to the park to let them ride their bikes....it was really fun to watch them be able to just GO. At our house all they have is the driveway and with Brent's new bike, he needs more space to ride. Anyway, here are a couple of pics and a video of them playing.

Part 2 coming soon....

Terry's latest

Well, Terry had his 4th surgery today for his 'butt' issue. :) They put a plug in and the goal for it is to adhere to the tissue around it and then dissolve...hence closing the fistula. That's the goal anyway. He's more uncomfortable than sore at this point, but he's also very heavily medicated! LOL He's been given instructions to not 'scoot or sit' for a good long while. Perhaps up to a month...which could be interesting to say the least. He can only lay and stand at this point. So we'll see how long it lasts and how well he handles it all.

The boys stayed home with mom while Terry and I went to St Louis. They helped clean house and were so excited when we got home. They met us in the driveway and hardly let Terry out of the van! Mom will most likely stay here through Sunday, when dad will come get her. But that is all dependent on how Terry seems to be doing.

That's all for now....time for bed! What a long day! :)

Nearly a month..

has gone by since my last post. I'm so exhausted and have so much to tell...I don't know if I have time to type it all in. I'll do my best and add more later if needed.

Since that time, mom made a trip to OK to see J&J, and I took her to the airport and then picked her up again a week later. The boys really enjoyed that adventure....seeing the airplanes and such. Seeing their mother road-rage in St Louis. LOL

We made a couple trips to Salem to help care for J...she is doing remarkably better. Able to stand more on her own (with a walker, anyway), walking better, and showing improvement in her overall attitude. We're so pleased that she's doing better, even if we are shocked! :)

Chase is home and has since had his second surgery to remove the colostomy bag. We finally got to see (and hold) him this past weekend and I'm SOOOO happy! He's absolutely beautiful. I have to share this part: the two times that Terry held him, Chase would just fuss and cry...and as soon as Terry gave him back to me, he would quiet down. :-) I just thought that was cool. But, like I told Terry...I hope that doesn't continue...I don't want him to not be able to hold Chase. But it was cool for that one time. LOL

Clayton has graduated from Thursday School! (I will post pictures soon.) He was so proud to stand up on that stage and get his diploma and his new "Thursday School Bible". I got a couple good pictures...darn camera...and I know you will love them!

We spent this past weekend in St Louis at the St Louis Homeschool Expo. We learned so very much and plan on doing some changes to our school and our lives....more on that in the next couple of days.

Dad was installed as an elder at their congregation yesterday and we were able to be there for it. So touching and nice. But like I told him, I wasn't surprised in the least! :)

In the next couple of weeks, we have so much going on. We are continuing to work on the house to prepare it for the possibility of selling it sometime in the near future. Although, I just don't know how to get all of that done. Mom has been helping me for a couple weeks, and sometimes I still get depressed and feel like I'm spinning my wheels. :( But it will happen the way it's supposed to happen. We start T-Ball soon...the practices begin this week. On a Wednesday, no-less. I'm gonna have to call their coach and let him know that the boys won't be there on Wednesday nights. Hope he's okay with that! Terry has another surgery coming up; we don't have the date scheduled yet. They will be putting a plug in, and there is only a 60% chance that it will work. So we will see. It means 4-6 weeks of him not being able to do much of anything that requires lifting or exerting more than 10 lbs. So that means that all the garden and yard work is now left to me for the majority of the summer! Oh, dear! I'm not looking forward to that at all....I am an INSIDE person. LOL

Okay, I have to go...more housecleaning to do, things to pick up, clothes to fold...and dinner to prepare. The boys have TKD this evening as well. I'm hoping to get some pictures posted later this week.

Is it possible??

Wow. Okay. So I now realize just how many days it's been since I last updated this blog. Way too many! The boys did FABULOUSLY at their tournament and I will have a separate post (complete with pictures) in a day or two. :) (Just dangling that carrot for you...)

This past week we've been hammered/smacked/way-layed/bombarded by the flu bug that has been so mercilessly passed around. Monday night Clayton started it all off by saying his tummy wasn't hungry for supper...okay, no prob. But while we were eating, I asked him to come over to me and he said, "I can't mom...my legs hurt too much." Strange. So by the time I finished eating, I went to check him and he was asleep (at 7:30) and I could tell by just touching him he was burning with fever. So I took it anyway and it was well over 102. So I gave him a breathing treatment, some cough meds, and some tylenol and he went to bed. He woke up at about midnight and was still burning with fever. So I took him to the living room, got him more meds, some water (which he asked for....a major oddity for him in the middle of the night) and snuggled in with him on the couch. The cough just kept getting worse and we were concerned with pneumonia (due to Clayton's history of everything going straight to his bronchial/lung area) and so I took him to the dr Tuesday morning. The nurse took one look at me and Brent and said, "How have you two kept from getting all this??" (Shoulda known she was jinxing me!)

Well, lo and behold, that very afternoon, Brent and I both ended up coughing and going downhill very quickly. By the nighttime, I was feverish and Brent was on his way. Then on Wednesday mid-morning, I talked to Terry on the phone and he was pretty sure he had a fever too and would be leaving work early...did we all want to go to the doctor together? LOL So we all went and the nurse just laughed when she saw us in the room together. Course, then she looked at Brent (who by then was asleep on the exam table) and just went to work. So after all that, we're all on meds and came home to drink TONS of liquids (we had NO appetite) and get as much rest as we could. We were all in bed asleep by about 6:30 Wednesday night!

This flu is just awful.....we are all so achy and hurting all over! Argh! The pains that comes with this are nothing to sneeze at, that's for sure. No way that I layed, stood or sat made a difference. I was in pain regardless. We were all simply sleeping in 45-90 minutes increments but doing this for 12 hours at a time. What a few days it's been! But now we're on the mend! :)

Oh, before I forget! I was SO bummed last weekend. I was informed by Armchair Interviews that they no longer need me as a reviewer. Apparently, I wasn't reviewing enough books often enough or something like that. I was really upset at first. Mad, too. I truly enjoyed reviewing books for people. It was fun and gave me some new genres to check out. But the more we looked at things, the more we realized that perhaps this is God's way of letting me know I have too much on my plate right now and need some things to back off...so He helped me with one of them. :) So much as I would like to, I haven't sought out another reviewing site to sign up for yet. I'm gonna give it some time and see where things are in a few months. Maybe I need a break with everything else we have going on. Ya think?? LOL

Janice is back in MoBap....she had fluid on her heart so they took her back up there. Hopefully she'll get to go back to Salem right after this is dealt with..... :)

Terry had a follow up appointment in St Louis today. The dr thinks that he's healing well and has scheduled another followup appointment for the middle of April. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this...I was hoping that she would schedule the surgery...but no luck. But she said that by April he should be scarred over to the point that we can make some more definitive decisions. LOL

Okay....off to check my healing babies. One I know is asleep in my bed (Clayton!) and the other is waiting for me to finish with the computer! :)

Thursday, January 24 (Catching up)

Janice was transferred to Salem on Monday...PRAISE GOD! We are so thankful for that. Now she is where friends and family can more readily see her and visit with her. :)

Terry is making slow progress. Originally, he was to return to work today, but that was only a tentative date. He is still taking the pain meds, and as long as he's doing that, he isn't supposed to be around the machinery. So for now, it has been pushed off to Monday. I am hoping he is able to go back to work, for his sake and mine. :) I love him dearly, but having him home this much is not as fun as we once thought it would be. LOL

The boys have a TKD tournament on Saturday and we've been preparing for that. They have had their normal classes each week, but have been practicing extra hard here at home and been going through constant practice of the details while in class. There is so much to remember! So many bowing times, so many moves, so many rules.... things thy don't normally have to think about. I am pretty sure Brent will do well, but Clayton has a harder time remembering that many things...so we will see. Either way, they will get trophies and/or medals for simply participating. Really, the part that concerns me most with Clayton is sparring. He doesn't like to get hit during the normal sparring in class and that kind of sparring is gentle compared to the kind of hits he will get at tournament. But, all we can do is our best (that's what Brent keeps saying) and encourage Clayton to go back regardless of how this Saturday turns out. LOL

Sunday, we're supposed to have a birthday party at a roller skating rink and the boys are VERY excited to get to use their new skates! We will have to see how Terry is doing before deciding on that venture!

One thing to be thankful for: we have done school EVERY day during this little 'butt issue' of Terry's. Believe me, for us that is a phenomenal achievement! Most times, I would have just said, "two week vacation" and been done with it. But I really think that being consistent with schoolwork has helped the boys stay on track with attitudes and with routine in a situation that is far removed from our normal routine.

Now, off to watch some football! :)

Terry's surgery today...

Hello to all. We finally made it home about 7 PM this evening and I got Terry settled in .....he is on Percoset and boy is he HAPPY! LOL He keeps looking at me saying, "I love you....I love you...." and I'm thinking, "I love you on Percoset!" :)

But I digress.....

He had his surgery this afternoon and came through it fine. The surgeon came out and talked with me and explained that they opened the fistula and realized it was on the exterior side of the gluteal muscle (the butt muscle) and she just knew at that point that there had to be more due to the amount of pain it had caused. So, she began probing and using the ultrasound and found a secondary fistula tract that went under the gluteal muscle and was much larger/bigger. She decided that if she were to cut the muscle away (as was originally planned) and create the trench, it would take too much of the 'controlling' muscles away and cause incontinence problems. So, she has put in a seton and we go back in 4 weeks to finish (hopefully) everything.

So, since we thought we were having closure through this, and now we aren't, we're a bit disappointed and depressed. However, we are thankful that the surgeon made the decision she did in thinking of Terry and his age. :) So the day has been bittersweet, but is ending on a happy note since he is 'happy' with his medication! :)

We thank you all for the prayers and concern and ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue with this 'endeavor'. Perhaps by spring he will be healed!

Countdown has begun!

Well, Terry is entering the final countdown for the surgery tomorrow. I'm just as nervous as he is. :) I have faith that it will all be okay and we'll make it just fine. The Lord is faithful and will have us in His care!

The boys are definitely feeling the tension through all this. Brent has been only half-listening to things....(whether it is intentional or not, I haven't determined. There is a part of me that thinks he could truly not be hearing things b/c of his mind being preoccupied with other things. But then again, he could be using this time to 'play' mom and dad....) and Clayton is getting a major attitude that I'm having to call him on. He's getting a little big for his britches....which could be a phase and could be him just acting out cuz he thinks he can. Oy....it's so exhausting!

Mom is coming down tonight to spend the next few days with us so that I can focus on Terry and his healing without having to deal with the boys being underfoot. I just know how they have been in the past 3 months, I don't need them inspecting every little thing like they've been doing. LOL

I have finally gotten all of 2007 files out of my file cabinet and am set up to start filing 2008. :) That's a HUGE thing for me....I normally don't get that all done until tax time!

Brent came and got in bed with me this morning, something he doesn't EVER do....but this morning he woke up with a bloody nose. :( Terry said, "I'm confused as to why he's getting bloody noses" and I reminded him that it is winter, after all, and he is also MY son...meaning he has inherited my luck with nose problems. (I was plagued with bloody noses as a kid because my veins in my nose were so close to the surface that anytime I blew my nose or got it bumped (even lightly) it would bleed.) Anyway, it didn't last long, but it wasn't a very good way to start the day.

We've been working really hard to get back into a school routine. There is a part of me that wonders why I'm trying to do anything with all the surgery stuff that's going one. But then again, I know me. Last week would have been surgery, this week would have been surgery, and then next week would be recuperation time, and then the next week there would be some excuse as to why we could get by without doing school. So I just decided to plunge in and get started. And if we only get 3 out of the 5 days done, so be it. It's still better than we would have done had I allowed for excuses. :) So I feel better and I guess that is what matters at this point! LOL

Better get my lesson finished....and then on to Bible class!

Follow-up on T: after consultation

Well, on Friday morning the boys were up and ready to sit and eat breakfast (fully dressed and ready to leave) by 5 AM. What troopers they were! Of course they were both sleeping on the way up to St Louis, but who can blame them? :)

We arrived at the medical office about an hour before the appointment, so we took some time and just went leisurely about our business and were actually able to see seen at an earlier time. :) They have decided to do surgery on Terry this coming Thursday in St Louis. It will be general anesthesia (tubation required) and is called a fistulotomy. The way the dr explained it to me is that they are going to take the tunnel they have right now and blow the roof off it and create a trench. You can look at the link above and learn more if you wish.

Please keep praying for us....

Terry's procedure

WARNING: If you are bothered by "TMI" stuff and medical details, you may want to skip this post!

Last night when the medicine kicked in, we noticed that the toilet seat was getting wet every time he would go to the bathroom. We were puzzled by this, b/c the only explanation was it was coming from the wound-hole, which we thought was mostly closed up. We figured we would just know more in the morning.

We were up VERY early this morning to get Terry to the hospital by 7. They got him right back there and had him IV'd up and gowned. They gave him an enema (I know, ewww) and the nurse was a bit shocked b/c the enema oozed out of the wound-hole, which she wasn't expecting. They had him back to surgery by 8:15 and back in the room with us by 9. Dr. Sharlow came and talked with us a bit later explaining that the fistula was circular instead of straight through, which is why it wasn't closed as we all had thought, and that b/c of this, he couldn't track the fistula. He was sending us on to a rectal specialist (who sets out in life to become a rectal specialist???) and that she would need to do a rectal ultrasound to track the fistula and close it off. (Just sounds more painful to me!) So we see her for a consultation on Friday morning in St Louis.

But now, poor Terry. His hiney-hole (not the wound-hole) is really sore and we're thinking that is either from the enema or from Dr. Sharlow prodding to find the fistula area. Or both. Plus, they have repacked the wound-hole with an iodine filled gauze because it was infected now as well (which makes me feel really bad....I've been the 'nurse' that has been helping him through all of this). I'm supposed to pull the gauze out about a 1/2 inch per day and cut it off, and other than that we continue with the gauze pad covers like before.

He's tired. He's sore. And he's frustrated. He just wants this to all be over and it looks like we're talking an even longer recuperation time. I wish I knew what else to do to help him.

Here we go...

Well, tonight is the night for Terry's prep work for his procedure tomorrow. :( It's gonna be a LONG night for him and me. Since his original wound is still open, anytime the meds kick in from the Miralax drink, I have to be right there when he is done in the bathroom. And if his night is anything like the night I had when I had my colonoscopy a couple years ago, neither of us will get much sleep tonight. :(

We're to be at the hospital at 7, which means we'll most likely be home before noon...which is nice. Terry said he doesn't expect me to have to stay home from church tomorrow night, but we'll see.

The boys are back in full swing with school and I'm trying to keep things in order. It's so hard for me...I'm not a good manager of most things. Maybe one day.... LOL

I will post more tomorrow or the next day regarding how Terry is doing following the procedure and hopefully be able to report on what they find.

Update on illnesses

WOW, I just realized I haven't updated in a few days. Sorry bout that! I ended up sick as well and Terry and I have basically spent the last 4 days in bed moaning and groaning! LOL

Okay, read on at your own risk....some will have turned stomachs from this next description, so don't say I didn't warn you! :)

Terry's surgery went really well. The abscess was HUGE and the surgeon and nurses were completely amazed at his pain tolerance with this. Apparently, it was over 3 inches in depth....the surgeon cleaned out all the bad tissue and then just for kicks to see how big it was, decided to stick his finger in the hole. He said he couldn't' even touch the bottom of the abscess with his finger!! They said that with this sort of thing, the average person would be in the hospital begging for medication from the pain, while Terry's pain scale was at about a 5 on a 1-10 scale.

Anyway, I got him home and he went straight to bed. By then, I was feeling really weak and tired and needed a nap, but I called and contacted all those who needed to know about it all and then I went to bed. On Thursday afternoon, we went to see the surgeon so they could repack the wound....they gave Terry a prescription to use at the hospital until Monday to have the hospital people repack the wound each day...they don't want me having to do that as deep as it is. (And believe me, I am thankful!!) I have to replace the outer bandage periodically through the days when they get saturated, since the wound is still draining. But even that (if I look at the hole) is enough to make me nauseous. I simply can't look at it....his poor skin is pretty bruised up from it all. And it just looks gross.

We see the surgeon again on Monday afternoon and he will determine at that point how much longer we will be packing the wound.

Mom and Dad came down on Wednesday night and Mom took the boys Trick or Treating....I am SO THANKFUL for that! They got to go out and I didn't get sicker in the process! :) When they got back, they helped hand out candy to the kids that were still coming to our house. We got pretty tickled at Clayton with the last ToT'er to come to the door. C gave him the last 2 pieces of candy and said, "Sorry, that's all we have for you. If you want more candy you'll just have to go somewhere else!" LOL My innocent and honest child! :) I did manage to make my yearly Halloween Chili for dinner that night....I haven't missed a year since the boys were born. It's tradition around here to have chili on Halloween and I just couldn't break that tradition, even for illness and surgery!

Well, as for me, I am very croaky and have lost my voice for the most part. My throat still hurts, but I'm on meds and know that I will get better. It's pretty amazing, isn't it, that when everyone is sick Mom takes care of them...but who takes care of Mom when she is sick? At this point, no one. :) I have been slowly doing things around here...dishes, cooking, taking care of kids, breaking up fights, etc. And have actually gotten better in the process! (But we haven't gotten ANY school done for the last few days....but hey, somethings gotta give!)

My poor boys have lived on cereal, sandwiches, fruit, snacks, and Halloween candy for the last 3 days. I feel bad for them, but I just couldn't cook healthy meals for them. Like tonight is nuggets and tots. Let's see....ketchup with them...so that's a vegetable, right?? LOL They have watched alot of movies and shows and have occupied themselves for the most part...they really are very good boys and I'm thankful they are old enough to do this!

Hopefully, the next time I update this, things will be better. I know the boys and I are going to worship in the morning....Terry hasn't decided yet. He would have to stand for it all and he hasn't figured out if he wants to do that. We shall see!

Till then....

Surgery tomorrow

Terry is having surgery tomorrow on his cyst. We saw the surgeon today and he agreed that it has to come out...but it isn't gonna be as simple as we thought. We had originally figured it would just involve numbing the area and draining the cyst or lancing it. WELL! They are going to knock him completely out! General anesthesia. So since they are going to just 'fit him in' to the schedule, they are going to call us in the morning and let us know what time to be at the hospital.

The dr said that for most people they take a couple days off work for this simply for the discomfort. Terry's trying to figure out how he will sleep....he's a back sleeper. We shall see what the next few days bring.

Now, I've got it!

Ugh! I started getting a headache in church yesterday morning and felt bad all afternoon. Didn't go back last night...

Then woke up this morning with a scratchy throat and just don't feel well. I'm trying to boost my vitamins and see if that helps. I really don't want to get this crud that's been passed around my house!

:((

WE are doing school right now in the floor of the living room....then we'll watch a movie together while I fold laundry. Then there is TKD later this evening. The boys both say they want to go....I will make it, I"m sure! LOL

At least I have gotten the dishes done, laundry going, the living room cleaned up and school going. Not bad, I think! I still have to change the sheets on everyone's beds, but that won't take alot of time, just alot of effort!

Another day in Sick-dom

Terry stayed home again today...he simply cannot move with the cyst on his backside! (I know he'll appreciate me telling the whole world this!) It's got us concerned, cuz he saw the doctor for it yesterday and saw a quack basically. The guy just said it was staph and that he should use a warm washcloth to 'bring it to the surface', then gave him 14 days of antibiotics. Well, there are two things wrong with this: One, you can't diagnose staph without a culture and even then you would prescribe a month's worth of meds for it, not 14 days. We've been there, done that. And Two, if it is staph, AGAIN, why has he gotten staph 4 times in the last 15 months? Why can they NOT seem to get rid of it for him? It's really wearing his body down.

Then there's Brent. He was doing so good today, playing and eating. No biggie... The doc didn't do anything for him either yesterday, just gave him a cough syrup to take at night. Big whoop. I was really aggravated by this because I knew Brent had a sinus infection and most likely an ear infection and I wanted meds for it before it got too far. I know my child and this has happened before and I wanted to nip it in the bud. Anyway, tonight as we were sitting down to supper, Brent says his ear hurts really bad....his left ear. He complains about it all through supper and then some more after supper. We'll most likely end up at the quick-care place with him in the morning....so aggravating. Terry wants to figure out a way to bill this other doctor the quick-care bill since he should have caught this in the first place. Argh!

But on a positive note, I made Antibiotic Soup today. I used a whole chicken (from last weekend's leftover food! :)) and boiled it and got my own chicken broth. Then I smashed through 2 whole heads of garlic and got them cooking while I chopped 2 leeks and several carrot sticks (also leftover from last weekend!) and just let the whole thing simmer for a few hours. I did add a broth and flour mix to thicken it all up a bit...but it was DELICIOUS!!! Even the boys ate it and enjoyed it. I hope it does us all some good.

Well see what the morrow brings!

A day off

Well, Terry is sick and Brent is home sick as well. So needless to say we will NOT be doing any school today or States Study with our homeschool group. :( Brent was sad about this as he's been looking forward to it all week.

Clayton keeps trying to tell me he's sick too, but then he runs around like a crazy boy! LOL He just wanted an excuse to stay home with Daddy. :)

We are supposed to be going to a Tae Kwon Do tournament this weekend, but with everyone getting sick, I"m not sure what will happen. ?? There will be another one in January and it may be best for us to just stay home and get well.

This weather is killing me!! It has been rainy all week so far (up to 3 inches in some spots!) and the winds has been crazy. It's blown 2 of my plants over and even blew the hose-house off the porch!! I mean it's not REALLY heavy but good grief! I didn't think it would blow it off completely.

Oh, and on the diet front. (What diet? you may be asking...) Well. I went to the dr last week to see if he could give me some idea of why I can eat healthy, exercise some and still not lost weight. It's been so frustrating. Well, he asked me to start journaling all the food that goes in my mouth. So I started on Monday and the first day I ate really well. I ate when I was hungry and didn't try to eat low-calorie. I still ended up with a 2200-calorie intake for the day. Which, isn't great, but I didn't htink it was bad for me. Well, on Tuesday, I ate cereal for breakfast and then PB&J with the boys for lunch. I about had a stroke when I realized how many calories I had consumed with those two meals!! Cereal is a diet killer! So I started paying attention to calorie count when I would pick my foods for each meal and I am amazed!

For example, this morning, I ate oatmeal for breakfast and knew I would want something sweet in it (my favorite is Maple and Brown sugar!) so I looked at the syrup bottle forcalorie count. There are 210 calories in 1/4 cup! That's a lot of syrup! So, a 1/2 is 4 ounces of liquid, making 1/4 cup 2 ounces. Well, I only needed 1 ounce of syrup (yes I measured it to see), only giving me 105 calories for the syrup and 73 calories for the oatmeal itself. Less that 200 calories for the entire meal. :) I was so excited when I realized this! Anyway, I just wanted to share...hopefully it will make a difference in both my choices AND in my weight!