Friday Phone Dump

This wasn't a good week for pictures.  My kids have passed on the "crud" that they've been suffering with along to me!  I have had a terrible sore throat and cough for the last 4 days.  I saw my own doctor this week.  She said she wouldn't test me for mono because 95% of adults have already had it.  She said she could see that my throat was very red and inflamed, but since there were no bumps or pustules so she doubted I had strep.  Apparently, I have your "run of the mill" infection and I was out of the office in 15 minutes with a prescription for a Z-pack!  Today will be day 4 of the antibiotic and I feel only slightly better.  Oh woes me!

I haven't used my phone much this week.  I took one picture from Wednesday night.  I was too sick to fix a regular meal....so we had a "munchie night".  This is were I used fruit, crackers and cheese that I had in the fridge and made a platter of food.  I did pick up a seafood dip from the store on my way home from work to add to the goodness!  It certainly wasn't the healthiest meal I've ever made, but since I felt so bad and just wanted to go to bed...I could at least say I fed my kids.

Friday Phone Dump

Right before Christmas, I broke our camera.  Yes, it was totally my fault.  I shoved it into my purse one day and something heavy must have been put on top of my purse (my guess...a backpack full of school books).  It cracked the lens and...we had to lay it to rest. 

Because of this monumental tragedy...the only camera we have now is the one on my phone (and Dan's phone).  Suffice it to say, we haven't taken any decent pictures in nearly 2 months!  Once of these days, we'll get a new camera....preferably before Amelia's First Communion in May.

One of my most favorite bloggers, Kelle Hampton at Enjoying the Small Things, has a weekly post that she calls "Friday Phone Dump".  I figured that since we have no camera at the moment, and since I prefer blog posts with pictures, I may as well adopt this weekly post too.  I guess it's worth mentioning that Kelle is a photographer so there will be NO similarities between her pictures and mine!  After all, Kelle has over 17,000 followers!

Since I've got a ton of pictures on my phone, I just picked a few to share with you for this first week.  Next week.....I'll post them all!  Also, I had trouble trying to get the photos from my phone to my computer.  After an hour of trying different things...I just decided to email them to myself and save them to my gallery that way.  It worked but I was too tired by that point to put them in any kind of order.  So here goes....

These were my "teacher gifts" this year!  Painted and then stenciled hand soap bottles!

Nathan's Westward Expansion project....a Davy Crockett doll...he sewed it himself!

Santa

Assumption Catholic School 5th Grade singing Christmas Carols (in 80 degree weather) in downtown Jacksonville.

Nathan's first NFL game!  Jaguars vs Chargers!  The Chargers won!

Amelia bumped her eye on the corner of a table on Christmas Eve.  Doesn't her shiner look like perfectly applied make up?  This was NOT make up...this was a bruise!

January Little Flowers Girls Club meeting.  These are our themed notebook pages.  For January, we studied the virtue of HOPE!

Our LFGC snack.....Ivy cake!

Our girls coloring their Saint pages!

I was angry at the kids for picking the camellia's too early.  However, when I saw what they did with them...I had to take a step back and enjoy the simplistic beauty.

My mother-in-laws car after the January 26th accident.

They had to cut out the passenger.

Amelia and Olivia ready for the Father/Daughter Dance

Amelia's 8th Birthday party at Chucky Cheese.

Amelia and Kate in the Ticketblaster!

Nathan's HIVES last weekend!

Olivia fixed herself a fort under her puffy chair.....she fell asleep. 

Yesterday's Kindergarten Mother's Tea!

My place setting at the Mother's Tea

A special time for Olivia and Mom!

There may be a light.....

at the end of the tunnel.....but I don't want to speak too soon!

On Monday of this week, we took Nathan back to the doctor.  He had hives all weekend long and was just feeling awful.  Apparently, it was a good thing we went!  They checked his pulse-ox when they got in the office and it was very low (low 80's).  The immediately gave him a nebulizer treatment in the office.  They said that if his pulse-ox didn't improve, they were going to suggest we take him to the E.R. right away.  After two treatments (albuterol/xopenex), his oxygen level was at a place that was acceptable.

She said that his spleen was LESS swollen!  This was wonderful news.  However, they found that he has an ear infection!  Can you believe it?  An ear infection!  So, she loaded us up with scripts for Albuterol, Zithromycin and prednisone, then sent us over to the hospital for a chest xray and lab work.

The doctor called us yesterday afternoon and said that according to the xray report and lab results, he has early pneumonia!  Yes, you heard that right!  Sigh.

We are to continue the nebulizer treatments every 4 hours for the foreseeable future.  We see her again on Friday.

This has been one roller coaster of a week!  I'm ready for it to be over.

Nathan seems to be better...he's beginning to annoy me so that must be a good sign!  The nebulizer treatments really hype him up!  He gets really pale and shaky for about 30 minutes afterwards.  They told us that would be normal with the albuterol.

In other news, my mother-in-law is doing better.  She still has both arms in casts but she is moving around more.  Her mood has also improved.  She sees the doctor at the end of this month and hopefully they will remove the left cast/brace.  This will give her much more independence and much more mobility.

Although I have been really stressed and tired these last two weeks, I have felt better than I have in weeks.  I think it's because my focus has not been on myself.  I've focused my attention on Nathan and Dan's mom...and of course, on keeping my house together as we deal with all of this.  I guess wallowing in your sorrows can tend to make things worse.  I'm not happy that Dan's mom, or Nathan have had to go through so much these last few weeks....I am glad in God's wisdom, he's given me a chance to serve others and to stop focusing on me and my problems.

I so appreciate all of the comments, emails, phone calls and prayers that you have sent my way.  I really could not have gotten through all of this without you!  Love you guys.

Mono 101

I have definitely had an education this week!  I've learned some things that I never really wanted to know!  Just like most everyone I know, I grew up thinking of mononucleosis as the "kissing disease".  I literally thought that you got mono anytime you kissed someone who was not your husband!  How naive I was.  I know for sure that Nathan has not kissed anyone but me...so far!  He still ended up with this dreadful virus....and it's worse than anything we've experienced before!  Here are some of the things I NOW know about mono.....

1.  Your body cooks it for a long time before you actually have symptoms!  They tell me it's been percolating in his system for 30-50 days!  During this time, Nathan was exposed to a ton of other crud (pneumonia, strep, gastroenteritis...etc....).  This means that he very well could have mono AND something else.  This is just disturbing to me!

2.  His doctor said that the most likely culprit for acquiring this awful thing is.....drum roll please......the drinking fountain at school.  Apparently, kids are not very good at avoiding the water spout itself!  This....is just gross!  Please send your kids bottled water to school...or a few bucks to buy a bottle here and there!  Allowing them to rely on the drinking fountains is just asking for trouble.

3.  The symptoms of mono mimics the symptoms of strep throat and consequently, many people are misdiagnosed.  It's sad to think that you could be taking an antibiotic needlessly (heellllooooo, isn't that rampant these days?) , especially since there really is no way to "get rid" of mono.  It is self limiting and must just run it's course.

4.  While we had some symptoms resolving....there were others waiting just around the corner to jump out at you.  For example.  His first symptom was a very sore throat.  About the time that was starting to ease up...he was slung with a heavy duty fever (>102).  The fever started to go away after about 5 days into it...and then he developed a pretty nasty cough.  He was coughing so hard, his left eyeball was all red from the blood vessels breaking.  When his cough had slowed down some....he got hives!  HUGE HIVES ALL OVER HIS BODY!  They were itchy and uncomfortable.  Benadryl worked for about 3 hours and then the hives would return.

5.  Hives are pretty much gone now, but today, he had some wheezing and breathing problems.  I brought him into the doctor today and she immediately gave him two breathing treatments.  She said his pulse ox was low and that if it didn't improve after the treatment, we needed to go to the emergency room!  This scared me to death!  After his exam today, we find that the HIVES have resolved but he now has an ear infection and has completely lost his appetite!  They sent him for some lab work and a chest xray!  Thankfully, there is no pneumonia!

6.  If you were not a crazy nut before for your child gets mono, you will definitely become one after about one week of this awful, awful disease.

7.  Most of the annoying symptoms will eventually resolve...but the fatigue can last for up to two months!

8.  Even when you are all better and feeling great....you can still pass this one on to your friends for about 18 months! 

9.  It's a very expensive disease....$25 co pays each for two doctor visits....$69 for the chest xray (incorrectly processed....our xrays should be covered at 100%...but I'm going to have to fight with my HR department to resolve this one).....$85 for prescriptions and about $30 for over the counter meds.  In addition, there is a rental cost for the nebulizer machine but I'm not sure how much that will be yet.

10.  Even though a child with mono might technically "look" like they are OK...chances are....they are NOT ready to try doing homework.  When their face is pale and his eyes look a little sunken in...that's your clue to NOT force the math issue.

11.  Last year, when we homeschooled the kids.....we had ZERO, NADA, ZILCHO illnesses!  So far this year...it's been a disaster.

12.  When you are paying a ton of attention to your really sick son....your daughters will feel jealous and will begin to act out....like writing on the wall and throwing a Dora chair at her sister.

13.  Your laundry won't get done.

Add a near fatal car accident where your mother-in-laws arms are broken....and you have yourself a situation that could involve a straight jacket.....or lots of alcohol.....maybe both!

Please pray for my poor Nathan as he recovers from this awful, awful virus!

Thanks!

Update

I took Nathan to the doctor again on Friday.  He was complaining of dizziness and vision changes when standing.  This had me really worried.  As it turned out....they think the strep throat is a secondary illness.  While he was laying on the exam table, the doctor informed me that his spleen was enlarged!  So, she did a quick blood test for mono.  Guess what????  It was POSITIVE!  Nathan has MONO!

He has had a fever all weekend!  It averages 101 -102.  I can barely get 6 hours out of the motrin/tylenol.  He is also suffering with a pretty nasty cough that in turn makes his chest hurt.  The doctor suggests "whatever over the counter" medicine that we choose.

I picked up homework for the week yesterday.  He isn't happy about have to do school work.  I'm not going to push him....I know he feels awful.  But, the reality is, he need to keep up.  I told him to just pretend we're homeschooling!

His teacher let me have his science test.  Thankfully she trusts me enough to know that there will be no fooling around!  He's been studying his notes on and off this morning.  I'll have him take the test in a little while so I can drop it off to his homeroom teacher when I pick up the girls.

In other news, my mother-in-law came home from the hospital last night.  We are currently in the throws of getting her settled.  I've set up some in-home care for her so we have an appointment tomorrow morning for them to come and assess her needs.  We are also trying to track down the physician so we can get an order for the hospital bed.  She went back and forth from the chair to the bed last night...never really being comfortable.  The hospital bed will be ideal for her....and for preserving my (and Fran's) back!

I'm so exhausted from all of this than I can barely keep my eyes open...even as I type this.  I missed most of  Downton Abbey on Sunday night.  I'll have to re-watch the episode when I get a chance.  I hear William died...is that true?

Anyway, please continue your prayers!

Thanks.

Please Pray

My mother-in-law was in a car accident this morning.  She was driving a friend of hers home from their weekly St. Vincent dePaul meeting.  Her passenger was released from the hospital this evening but my MIL ended up with a dislocated elbow, a broken wrist and lots of bruises.  She had a CAT scan of her chest as they were concerned about internal injuries.

In addition, Nathan has strep throat...which isn't surprising since for the last several weeks there has been everything from bacterial pneumonia to the stomach flu roaming around his school.  At one point, there were 9 kids out from just his class alone.  I knew it would catch up with us.  It always does.

This family is in desperate need of prayers....as usual.

Thank you for always hitting your knees for us!

A Day Off

Today was my day off!  I really needed it.  After Dan and the kids left this morning, I sat back in my chair with a second cup of coffee and watched old episodes of "19 Kids & Counting".  I then fell back asleep with the cat on my lap until 10:30am!

I forced myself to get up and be productive...although I really didn't want to.  I put away the last of the Christmas ornaments and decorations.  You can actually walk in our bedroom again!  I also put away the Christmas dishes and replaced them with our old plain ones.  Christmas is officially OVER! 

I then tackled the kitchen and got it squared away.  I felt like I had accomplished something.  I felt like I could breathe...just a little.

As soon as I had a chance, I went online to check the balance in the checking account.  Bank of America replaced the fraudulent charges!  Yippee!  Again, I felt like I could breathe easier.  The weight of it all is lifting....ever so slightly. 

I fixed a nice dinner...ham, mashed potatoes/gravy and green beans sauteed in olive oil and onion.  We all sat at the table...like a real family.  Of course, they all complained about the fact that they don't like vegetables...and Olivia reminded me over and over that she doesn't like mashed potatoes.  Sigh.  You know, it really doesn't matter what I cook...someone isn't going to like it.  Night after night of this can really bring you down where you don't even want to cook anymore.    Honestly, my children would prefer ramen noodles and frozen chicken nuggets every night.  My father (the Italian chef) is surely turning over in his grave right about now!  Such is life.

I got the kids in bed early...Dan was outside with the neighbor trying to fix the truck and I sat down with my laptop to watch the Season One, Episode Two of the PBS Masterpiece's Downton Abbey!    I finally have found a show that I can enjoy and look forward to future episodes.  There's been a lot of talk about it on Facebook and so I figured I'd see if I like it!  I do!  I'm tempted to watch the third episode now...but I'm starting to get sleepy and they are over an hour long.

This has been a good day.  A decent day.  A day that I didn't hate.  I'm finding more and more that my stress level is waaaay up on the days that I work.  It's like I'm so spent by the time I get home, that I just can't handle the normal everyday stresses of raising a family....homework, housework, cooking, etc.

We can't afford for me not to work.  So I guess I'll plug along, looking forward to Wednesdays when I have a day off and can spend a few quiet moments by myself without someone wanting something from me.  I know that sounds extremely selfish...and it is, however, time alone is what I desperately need these days.

Well, seven days to go till my next day off.  Wish me luck.

Update:  Dan just came in....the truck is now fixed!  That's a load off!

You're kidding me, right?

I was so hopeful for 2012.  I really was.  Today is January 9th.....that's NINE days into this new year!  Here's what has happened so far.....

1.  The husband of a very good friend died over the weekend.  He was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months back.  They did some chemo, but it just made him too sick so they stopped treatment.  He didn't last long after that.  May he rest in peace!

Have I mentioned lately how much I HATE cancer!!!

2.  The water pump died on our truck!  We can't afford a mechanic, so Dan will have to do the replacement himself.  This is definitely something he can do....but trying to find the time and the right equipment is the problem.  Having two vehicles is a luxury, for sure!  For the last few days, Dan has had to take the kids to school as well as take me to work.  Because of this, his work day is shorter and therefore has to go back to work after we are all home.  This stinks.  Of course, then I'm stuck at home with no car.

3.  Someone got a hold of the debit card number.  We were already running very, very low on funds.  Whoever it was, cleaned us out!  There is now $17 in the checking account!  They bought 3 $50 phone cards for prison inmates!  Bank of America is working on restoring the money to the account.  The only good news is that....I don't have a car (see item #2 above).  I mean, if you're not going to have a car to drive....you may as well not have any money to spend either. 

I don't mind mentioning that I'm nearing  the end of my proverbial rope.  I'm beginning to wonder if the reason I can't find any JOY is because there just isn't any.  Everywhere I look, every place I go....darkness.  I'm tired of being in a bad mood.  I'm tired of yelling at my kids.  I'm tired of being disgusted at my life and my circumstances.

This week, in our Little Flowers Girls Club, we discussed the virtue of HOPE.  I feel as though I have none.  We also discussed St. Monica and how she prayed for her son (St. Augustine) for years and years and years to come back to the Church.  If I have to wait (for peace and joy) that long, I can honestly say....I'm not going to make it!

I'm going to turn comments off for awhile.  I'm very thankful for all of you....your encouragement and support.  But right now, I just need to vent and I don't want anybody to feel obligated to respond to my little rants.

Hopefully, one of these days I'll be able to pull myself up out of this hole.

Goodbye 2011!

Although I'm grateful for all of the blessings that I have received, I'll be glad to have 2011 behind me.  I guess, for me, starting from a clean slate gives me hope.  It gives me some encouragement that times will get better and this dark cloud that has been hanging over me will give way to some clearer skys!

I'm not going to pretend that everything is hunky-dory.  I can't.  But I can see some improvement over the last few days.  For one thing, the weather has been cooler.  Not as cool as I'd like it to be...but as cool as it's going to get for Florida.  I'm not exactly sure why the weather is so intimately connected to my mood...but it is.

I thought I would share with you two things that I've come across lately that has really uplifted my mood.

1.  I love liturgical calendars.  Sanctus Simplictus has a wonderful example (along with down loadable resources) that you can make yourself!  Although the new Liturgical Year started a few weeks ago....it's still a good way to start off the year!

2.  I found a new free app for my phone called....Google Sky Map!  I spent about an hour outside last night just checking out the sky.  The brightest star out last night turned out to be a planet instead....it was Jupiter!  What an awesome tool!  I even used it today (even though I can't see any stars)....you will love this app!

Anyway, thank you all for your support, your loving kindness, you comments and suggestions, and mostly, your prayers and your friendship.

Have a wonderful, safe and happy new year!

Holy Innocents

For those of you who read this blog and are not Catholic, today is the feast day of the "Holy Innocents".  As the Gospel of Matthew goes, when King Herod learned from the Magi that the king of the Jews had been born...he got a little worried!  Clearly, he didn't want to lose his power to another king, so, he ordered the killing of all the children of Bethlehem up to the age of two in hopes of getting rid of this New Born King.

According to the Church, these children were declared martyrs because they died for Jesus Christ.

Frankly, this has always been a portion of Holy Scripture that I avoid.  Can you imagine the horror that these mothers went through?  What a scene of carnage it must have been.  The painting below gives me a vision of what that day might have been like. 

I think it goes to show, even back then, just how threatened people were by Jesus.  Some days, I don't think much has changed.  Nowadays, there is an attitude of denial...you know...if you don't talk about Him...don't make a big deal about Him....or just completely ignore Him...then He really doesn't exist....right?  Didn't humankind learn anything from past history?

You can take the name of Christ out of anything you want...off of our currency, out of the celebration of his birth, out of Federal buildings, out of the Pledge.....but it doesn't change His existence.  It doesn't change who He is.  It doesn't change His Majesty or His Holiness.  God is who He is...the Creator of everything and everyone.  Deny Him all you want, it isn't going to get you anywhere.....literally.

The painter is Andrea Delitio, an Italian Renaissance artist.  They say he was born in Abruzzo, Italy...although there is some debate.  The painting lives in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and it is said that it was completed in 1481.

In the bottom center of the painting, there is a mother with her dead child in her lap.  She is looking up into the heavens with her hands to her chest.  She looks to be pleading with heaven....asking "Why?"
At 46 years old, I still do not understand why God allows certain things to happen to people....especially to the innocent.

In 2011, I lost 6 friends to cancer.  Why?  Why did they die and why was I allowed to live?  There are so many jerks in this world....so many evil people.  Why do the good ones get cancer and not them?  Doesn't it make sense to rid the world of evil and allow those loving, Godly people to live long, happy, disease free lives? 

I'm so tired of it all.  Seriously.  Why does there have to be martyrs?  Why can't we all be Saints?