The doctor said...

She has strep throat. What???
I didn't even think that one was a
possibility. No fever and she only
said her throat felt tight. Not sore.
I thought that was because she has
been coughing up her lungs every
5 minutes. They tested her for
whooping cough since that is how
she sounds. We'll know more on
that in 2 days. One more trip to
the pharmacy today for Zithromax
since it covers both. Oh happy day!

This and That

She's been doing a little of this.
(lounging in the bathtub soaking in the bubbles)


And a lot of that.
(lounging in my bed, jammies on, nebulizer going, watching
movies) The pink sunglasses are just a bonus. Mara has
her very own sense of style and even in her illness she will
look good.

Today she has been home from school for 4 days. I'm
probably not sending her tomorrow either. The prednisone
is helping. Thank goodness I taught her how to swallow pills
a few years ago because the liquid form of this medicine is
downright nasty. The down side is that steroids make her so
crabby, tired, and constantly hungry. Only a couple more
days of this and she will be back to my happy little sweetheart.
Just waiting out the storm of this illness. Asthma stinks.

Cookie Time

Tonight I helped unload 182 cases of cookies.
I brought home 134 boxes. We ate 1/2 of a
box of Thin Mints and tapped into the new
Dulce De Leche box also. There goes all my
hard work over the last 4 weeks of sweating
on the treadmill. Oh well. It's for a good cause-
right?

Frustration

My little girl Mara is oh so sick. She has a cold.
However, her asthma has kicked in full gear and
it's kicking her in the behind. I've been up the
last two nights giving her neb treatments, making
hot tea, rubbing her back, and last night I started
her on a steroid that we have on hand just for
these occasions. Today, I have spoken to her asthma
doctor 4 times. I have waited on hold for them each
time at least 15 minutes. I have spoken to the
pharmacy 3 times. They just called to let me know
that my new insurance company won't cover her
nebulizer treatments. They are too expensive and
want me to give her the cheaper medicine.
I kindly (ok not so kindly) told them that this particular
medicine sent her into the ER two years ago with
a heart rate in the 300's. I don't wish to repeat that.
One more call to the doctor to get a prior authorization
to cover the expensive medicine should do the trick.
It won't happen today though and I need to be patient.
I'm not so good at that. Especially when I am sleep
deprived alongside my daughter. Well, I'm off to
give some more meds. Wish me luck.

Let it be known that my 4th grader is doing math problems

that I can no longer help her with. I have never had a math

brain but this is quite ridiculous. She is doing algebra, long

division, and word problems beyond my comprehension.

She is in the accelerated program for this. Luckily my

husband's brain still works. Maybe she should start tutoring me.

O.K. I feel embarrassed now.

She said she wants to be on a cooking show...

To begin: you will need this awesome cookbook given to
you as a Christmas gift from your cool auntie and uncle.

An adorable 7 year old chef that is eager to bake is
always a plus.

Let her slice the bananas. Carefully.

Spread cream cheese on whole grain bread. That wasn't
messy at all. :)

Place bananas in between cream cheese bread and slice

into thirds. Let mom help you with that part.

Get cracking. Eggs that is.

Whip it good.

Add a cup of milk.

A little cinnamon.

Dip your bread into egg mix well. Mara can hardly stand

this part because she has an aversion to sticky gross

fingers. I tell her to go with it and enjoy.

Arrange in a greased baking dish. Smile is optional.

Bake for 20 minutes. Add powdered sugar. Eat this

DELICIOUS yumminess. Praise the wonderful chef that

made dinner for her family tonight.

Not Me Monday

I didn't ask my son if he had lipstick on as he walked into the room
while visiting at grandma's house in a women's pair of
high heels only to find out it was a ring of blood surrounding his upper and lower lip.

He didn't pull an ice cube off of his lip detaching the skin
and causing a pool of blood on the cup he was drinking from.

He didn't then continue to play as if nothing was wrong at
all.

My son doesn't have the highest tolerance for pain that I have
ever seen in anyone I've ever known.

I didn't allow my sister to take pictures of the whole event as
it unfolded even before figuring out what had happened.

For more "Not Me Monday" posts head over to
http://www.mycharmingkids.com/ and see what others are not
doing. Enjoy!

Sleep

Bedtime has always been tricky with my little

man Ian. He has always snuck into the bed

of a willing sister or under cover of darkness

has crawled under my covers while I am

completely exhausted and too tired to care.

As he slumbers he holds his blanket in one hand,

sucks on his tongue (like he's nursing) and keeps

his other hand or foot touching me or hubby.

We have struggled with how to keep him in bed

for years now. I've considered a lock on his door

or an alarm. I am sure this will end at some point.

He is almost 5 and is getting too big for bed

sharing. A few nights ago I prayed with him in

his bed. I was praying aloud while he listened and

I was asking Jesus to help him feel safe in his room,

to give him a restful night, and so on. I said to Ian,

"The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be

still." Referencing a verse in Exodus that I love.

I was thinking he would be comforted by this as he

claims he is fearful in his room and I was trying to

assure him that Jesus was there with him.

Kids are so literal. Ian froze at that moment and held

himself in a frozen position. He truly thought that I

meant he had to be physically still. It was so funny.

The bedtime battle will probably go on no matter

what we try. Night lights, hall lights, flash lights and

even Jesus (the light of the world) are all on board.

I just need to remember to be still.

Abby

This sweet little princess needs your prayers tonight.
Will you pray with me? Many of us have seen our children
sick but will never know what it's like to watch them
suffer a horrible disease like cancer. My heart breaks
for her and her family in this fight. May they feel grace
and peace this evening. Blessings sweet baby girl.

"My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." Psalm 139: 15-16

One Word

My sister challenged me to answering these questions in
only one word. It is challenging especially for someone like
me that likes to talk. I'd love it if you play along. Just copy
and paste on your blog and enjoy! Happy Thursday!!

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your significant other? XOXO
3. Your hair? Ponytail
4. Your mother? work
5. Your father? work
6. Your favorite thing? hubby
7. Your dream last night? neighbor
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? Health
10. What room you are in? living
11. Your hobby? Reading
12. Your fear? Alone
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Scotland
4. Where were you last night? church
16. Muffins? cranberry
17. Wish list item? Appliances
18. Where you grew up? Minnesota
19. Last thing you did? Make-up
20. What are you wearing? Cotton
21. Your TV? Cartoons
22. Your pets? Sleeping
23. Friends? Amazing
24. Your life? busy
25. Your mood? Content
26. Missing some one? Yes
27. Car? Garage
28. Something you're not wearing? Earings
29. Your favorite store? Eddie Bauer
30. Your favorite color? Pink
33. When is the last time you laughed? Morning
34. Last time you cried? Monday
35. Who will blog about this? Shelly
36. One place that I go to over and over? School
37. One person who emails me regularly? Melissa
38.My favorite place to eat? Kam Rahn Bay
39. Why you participated in this survey? Randomness
40. What are you doing tonight? Volcano

Sorry if this is too much information

So, a couple of weeks ago we decided to start teaching
Ian to wipe his little bum after toileting. He is starting
kindergarten in the fall and it's time he wiped his own
hiney.

With that being said, he was very resistant and
did not do such a great job. Apparently he missed a little
and his little bum got itchy. Naturally that would happen
the first couple of times. I noticed him scratching his
hiney a lot one day and took care of things. The next day
the itching continued and a red dot appeared on his little
bum. I made sure to clean him as I thought this was the
trouble. The next day a huge itchy rash covered his
little bum. Not sure what was happening I put anti-
itch cream on it and it helped. The next 3 days the
rash got worse and it was moving. His little bum was
raw and irritated and after looking up every kind of
skin rash on the internet could not figure it out.

I took him in last week to the doctor and he was
diagnosed with a STAPH infection. Oh boy. Did not
see that coming when we decided it was time for him
to wipe his own little bum. So, a round of antibiotics and
an antibiotic cream, bleach to the entire house, and
cleaning of all the bedding was what I spent half
of my last week doing. Sounds like fun doesn't it?

What's for dinner?

Does anyone out there have any recipes that don't contain
the following: Corn, Dairy, Refined Sugar, Caffeine,
Nutrasweet, Brown Sugar, White Rice, MSG, or food
dyes that my little boy would enjoy eating?

Also, his sisters are allergic to peanuts and walnuts. Can't
be eating anything with nuts in it. It causes them to stop
breathing. Minor details.

This is what I am thinking everytime I go grocery shopping.
I spent 3 days out of the last 6 at the grocery store. On the
search for foods, meals, recipes, and snacks. You would
not believe the amount of foods with corn in it. Take a look
the next time you shop. So, I continue my search for whole,
nutritious meals that are also tasty and won't cause my 4
year old to get a migraine for the evening.