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Monday, January 24, 2011

Overwhelmed….

At the moment.. there are no words.  Just overwhelmed. 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Angel Update

Angel got a call from his doctor as we were leaving for dance class. 

  • It is not Wilson's Disease
  • They found antibody's that suggest celiac
  • They want to do a biopsy on the intestines
  • During the biopsy they will also repeat the banding of the esophagus
  • His meld score is sticking around 17 (good score is 5-15 which means good outcome for a transplant.)
  • 17 is a gray area
  • They are talking about pushing for a liver transplant as soon as celiac is confirmed.

The Forgotten Pancakes..

Yesterday was a bit of a mess.  I managed to get the sauce all bottled up and man that made me feel good.  I spent about 2 hours looking for a lost checkbook to pay the bills.  Finally found that and paid one that was overdue immediately, however, the roads and driveway were a sheet of ice!  Anna couldn't open the mailbox or lift the flag because they were frozen.  I was not attempting to go out there at all!  The rain did finally loosen things up and she was able to beat the mailman. 

I never made the bread.. the dough is still sitting there.. but it should be fine.  Will start that this morning.  I spent all morning refreshing the dance studio's website, hoping they would cancel.  Around 2:45 the site displayed the dreaded word... Open!  sigh.  I decided dinner would be waffles.  When we brought the nieces home after Christmas vacation.. I had mentioned that I was looking into a waffle maker.  Angie quickly told me they had one not being used and gave it to me.  I was excited to use it.  I put it aside and waited for the day.  Today was it.  I found a recipe, got out my low sodium baking powder.. and made the batter.  Then I grabbed the waffle maker and realized it was not a waffle maker.  It had a hole in the bottom!  Maybe a sandwich maker or one of those grills that drains the fat.  So I rushed to make pancakes out of the batter instead.. however it got late.  So the rush was made to get everyone ready and we left without even touching the pancakes.  sigh. 

Anna's dance was sneak a peek week.  Parents get to come in and watch them dance.  We wanted to get there early for seats and because we didn't know how bad the roads would be.  We were the first ones there!  The entire place was dark.  So we drove around a bit til they opened up.  Anna's tap class is always fun to watch.  During ballet Anna did a side kick and ended up pulling something in the back of her leg.  This happens with her often.  Growing to fast her body can't catch up.  It was funny when Anna got carried to her seat by the teacher.  Anna was giggling.  After a bit she really wanted back in so she went in and was careful.  Unfortunately my card got full and I missed the best part of the last dance :-(  Oh well..

We ended up cheating on the diet last night.. sigh.  Angel had gotten a call from his doctor.  Match that with being hungry because we didn't eat dinner.. I did bring apples and bananas with me but he didn't want any.  We ended up eating Japanese at the mall.  I kept telling him the sauce has sodium.  However, I know he has been doing really good and has not been swelling.  He tends to get in a damaging mood when he gets bad news.  Always just wants to go out to eat.  I will tell you the news in a separate post.  Thankfully we only ate half the meal..  it was alot. 

We got home at 9pm  and just all got ready for bed.. we were wiped for the night.  At 4am I woke realizing the pancakes were still in the oven!  sigh..

Monday, January 17, 2011

Lots of cooking going on here…

It has been a busy day in the kitchen.  Yesterday I started the homemade yogurt in the crock pot.  I tried something different this time.  I added a packet of gelatin to the batch before setting it in the oven overnight.  This morning it was nice and thick.  I am loving this with honey and granola.  Hubby tried it today and also loved it.  Whoo hoo! 

We are trying a few things differently here.  Aside from making homemade yogurt vs buying it, we also decided to stop purchasing the oatmeal packets for our smoothies.  I used 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats instead.  I also added some frozen peaches with the bananas.  The results were not as tasty. =(  Someone mentioned I should try honey so I may try adding that tomorrow. 

After I washed down the crock pot, I decided to make some pasta sauce.  I like to use puree and paste as they can be bought with very low salt.  I sauteed some garlic, onions and mushrooms in olive oil and added some italian seasonings.  Let me tell you, it smells good in here.  The sauce has been cooking all day and now I have it on really low for overnight. 

For dinner, I made some pork loins that were seasoned with garlic, cumin, corriander, red pepper, and olive oil.  Had that with some rice, steamed green beans and tomatoes.  Add peaches after dinner and it was great.  Not sure I should mention the Klondikes but hey, they were good.  I only had half anyways since I shared with Anna. 

I just got done getting the soaked whole wheat bread started.  That will have to sit over night for a good 12+ hours.  There will be quite some work for me to do in the morning.  Cool off the sauce so I can pack it away, and finish the bread dough and set to rise.  Can you believe I have absolutely no idea what we are having for dinner?  Maybe something simple like homemade waffles since Annaleah has ballet tomorrow evening.  It is sneak a peek week, so I will be bringing that camera with me. 

I am happy today because we did good food wise.  I didn’t do so well with exercise but that is ok.  I am still feeling a bit sick.  I also managed to thoroughly clean Bubbles cage alone with the kitten’s litter box.  Poor Bubbles is not enjoying being played with by the kitten.  He hid under the chair the entire time I cleaned the cage. 

I also managed to show Annaleah how to use Open Office on her computer.  She had a writing assignment she wanted to type up and print out.  I spent some time getting Anna set back up on her blog.  She shared her writing assignment there and on facebook.  I also set her camera up and Skype.  She was very excited.  I will enjoy her being able to talk to her friends without using my phone. 

Annaleah’s writing is not her strong point.  She gets frustrated with misspelling words and grammar issues.  Last week in her journal I decided to try something different.  Usually we write questions back and forth.  This time I asked her to tell me a story about a girl who got lost.  I also asked a few questions about this girl.  She really enjoyed this assignment and worked well on it.  After typing it up and printing it out.. she decided to write another story on her own.  I was quite surprised as she was done with school and usually wants to play or watch tv.  She had a very productive day. 

Well, I am exhausted and ready for bed.  Have a great evening! 

Trash

Monday, January 10, 2011

I have that great feeling today..

1.  I emailed the dietitian we met at the hospital during Angel’s stay.  I wanted to ask what the numbers for protein, fat and such were.  I have been really stressed over what we have been eating/what we should be eating/any changes that needs to be made.  I mentioned that I have a spreadsheet of everything and he asked me to send it.  Well, he emailed me back today and said I was doing a great job.  I am feeling really good about that.  I do think we need to continue making changes but I am so glad that we are totally on the right track! 

2.  I biked two days in a row.  I did better on snacks although still not perfect.  Working on it! 

3.  After a really bad school day.. getting started late, moving really slow, being easily distracted.. I got pretty frustrated.  A friend I was skyping with made a suggestion and suddenly I had this idea in my head.  I wrote the names of her subjects on a colored card and cut them out.  then I wrote the time frame on a lined sheet of paper.  I told her she had to somehow put all these things into her day.  I included breakfast, lunch and chores.  She filled in her chart and we will do a test run for the rest of this week and make changes as needed.  The new rule is, once the time is up.. she has to stop that subject and move to the next.  She can seriously spend 3 hours on math alone on her really bad days.  She has a period after her work is done where she can do ‘homework’ and/or Friday (which is our test/low key day).  We tend to focus so much on the basics that most of the time the extra stuff gets pushed aside.. (journal writing, science, social studies, etc)  We also pulled out her preschool tri-fold board and plan to block her into a corner of the table.  This way she will not become pre-occupied with what Ethan is doing and Ethan will not be allowed on that side of the table during ‘school’ hours.  I can’t wait to try this out tomorrow.  Anna is excited too. 

I am trying to catch up on some things so I can have a smoother day tomorrow.  I am late on the Monday Mingle also.  Guess I will have to do that on Tuesday. 

Goodnight all! 

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Just a lazy Saturday..

Well, went to bed right after posting last night.  Fell asleep around 2:30am.  Woke up at 7am.  Managed to fall back to sleep til 7:30.  I stayed in bed hoping that I would doze off again.  I gave up around 8:15am.  I got 5 hours of sleep.. sigh. 

However, I am happy that when I weighed in I lost 2.5 lbs since last Saturday.  I had joined some Youtubers in a weight loss challenge.  I didn’t think I was doing so well since I have been snacking constantly.  Apparently I was still doing pretty good.  Maybe next week I can eliminate the mindless snacking! 

Took advantage of no Ballet today.  That meant no reason to go out at all this weekend.  Not a bad deal.  Spent the day in my sweats.  Watched some Gilmore Girls, Youtube and even the Fox movie that was on tonight as well as played some Perfect World with hubby. 

Tomorrow will be a usual day aside from Angel working.  Ethan comes around 8:30.  I am hoping there isn’t too much snow tonight as but Ethan’s mom and David needs to get to work. 

Can’t seem to catch up…

I feel like I am way behind on everything!  I am also really tired.  I do realize that could be because it is 1:40am as I am typing this.  However, I do not have to set an alarm tomorrow!  Whoo hoo!!   I am going to sleep for as long as I like.  Hopefully my internal clock will shut off in the morning.  :) 

Yesterday turned out to be a really nice day.  A friend was able to come with her children and spend some time with us.  It has been rare lately for Steph to find the time. 

I decided to make homemade pizza.  Usually I cringe when I attempt this.  I can never get the crust to come out right.  However, I came across a recipe and had to try it.  We tried it out on hubby and the girls during vacation.  It was a hit!  First pizza was gone way too quick.  Since the second had onions and mushrooms, we were able to savor that one a bit. 

Ok.. that is my update.  I can’t even keep my eyes open.  Hopefully tomorrow there will be better things to write.. or even better, a video to share.  We will have to wait and see. 

Goodnight all!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Headache…

I have such a headache right now.  It amazes me how we can ignore some pretty serious food issues and let the cravings take over.  At first I was really upset with my husband.  I sent him to the store today to pick up some items.  He made some decisions that were not the best for him or us even.  I ended up so angry.   I basically found the receipt stuck to the noodles bag.  It told me that he bought a Twix candy bar.  Just before he left I told him about how sugar can prevent the loss of water from your body.  You can not only cut out the sodium, you have to cut out the sugar.  So with that info he decided to purchase a twix bar and then hide it from me. 

So as I sit here stewing I start getting this nagging feeling.  “what about you?”  pops into my head.  I start to remember.. just earlier I ate chips, then a bit more chips.. a cookie,  then when ethan asked for chips he kindly shared 3 with me.  Then Anna had some Doritos and I took some. 

So, I am not any better.  Yes, Angel may be in a bad situation health wise.. but so am I .. It just isn’t as evident.  I have a fatty liver (diagnosed a few years ago and I basically ignored it).  Fatty liver can lead to Cirrhosis.  This health change isn’t just about him.  It is about all of us.  A wake up call.  So why are we choosing to ignore this?  We have alot of changes to make.  We also need to ask the Lord for alot more Self-discipline. 

On another topic,  I installed Disqus to my site.  I never cared for the fact that I could not respond to comments.  Now with Disqus I can.  If for some reason the comments are not working right, let me know and I will figure it out. 

Thanks for reading! 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

It’s starting already..

Today, I am already frustrated!!  Breathe in, breathe out…

Yesterday was truly a good day.  I managed to catch up on alot yet relax at the same time.  Anna finished her work in less than 2 hours.  Then she went off for alone time (always happens after the girls leave).  I was able to enjoy day of alone time!  We did leave briefly to hit the library.  We had gotten alot of movies and some were late.  Thankfully, we had no fees. 

Today however is a bit stressful.  Ethan is here and he can be a bit dramatic.  He cried for a good 30 min because grandpa told him to leave the kitten alone after he hit her for getting near his toys.  Sigh.  Now it is an issue of Anna enjoying aggravating him but mimicking what he says.  Seriously?? 

Looks like I got him busy with his gift from daddy..

ColorWonder finger paint.  However, this means Annaleah is now distracted because she finds it fascinating. 

I can’t win! 

Uh oh.. Ethan just told Anna he was sending her in time out. 

Monday, January 3, 2011

Jan 3rd Mingle



This week’s questions (submitted by Robyn from Robyn’s Online World):
1. What time do you set your alarm for on weekdays?
2. How long does it take your kids to get out of bed from the time you first wake them to when the feet actually touch the floor?
3.  What is your best and worst thing about getting the kids up and ready for school?



Welcome to 2011!

I know, I am a few days late.  It is really the 3rd day of the New Year.  I have had my nieces all week so it has been extremely busy around here.  We took the girls home yesterday.  Today is really the start of the New Year for us.  Today Angel goes back to work for the first time since he was hospitalized Thanksgiving week.  Anna starts schooling again for the first time since then also.   I need to totally get back on track in so many areas.  One area that I need to work on is blogging again.  I miss the blogging world.  I have been vlogging a bit on YouTube in the past 6 months.  I have decided that I can't hide anymore.  Life is too short for me to be hiding away and not letting anyone know the real me.  This is an area I am going to be working on this year.  I have other fears but I just don't feel comfortable overcoming them yet.  Let's just start here.. lol. 

I hope to put up some holiday pictures and or videos in the next few days.  Going to take some time to get back in the swing of things. 

I will leave you with this video.