Everything Update :)

I know, I know I just posted that note, but this one is about the kids. :) I got the kids report cards at the beginning of the month. Everyone is doing really well! Cassidy got an A in math and that is where she really struggled last year!! Hooray! Christopher's behavior has gotten sooooooooo much better. I have noticed it at home too. Barry is, well, Barry. I got a note from his substitute on Thursday (thru facebook) saying that he rocked in math class. It made me smile and when I asked him to tell me what happened, he shyly said that he almost went around the world. (The kids challenge each other in math facts or whatever they are working on at the time. The kid that gets it right goes on to the next kid and the challenge continues. If one kid goes through the whole class he or she has gone around the world. ) Barry said that he only had two kids left when he got beat. :)

On to health issues. Cassidy was doing great when we had her follow up appointment last Tuesday (Novemeber 10). The doctor ordered an x-ray and we found that her pneumonia was still hanging on, although it had moved from one side to the other. She was put back on an antibiotic and did fine until Friday morning when she was back to having breathing problems again. We went back to the doctor and her O2 levels were back to 88-92. I was really worried they would put her back in the hospital, but the dctor just gave her an oral steroid again and she is doing better. I say that cautiously because from experience that may not be entirely true. We go back to the doctor on the 25th and we will see what happens next.

For Thanksgiving this year, we are having about forty people at my mother's house. Chaos, but it will be fun chaos. Have a wonderfull Thanksgiving everyone!!

New School Prayer

A friend of mine posted this on her facebook page and I could not help but put this in my blog. It really makes you think!

Since the Pledge of Allegiance

& The Lords Prayer

Are not allowed in Schools anymore

Because the word 'God' is mentioned....

A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached...



NEW School prayer:

Now I sit me down in school

Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God

Finds mention of Him very odd.



If Scripture now the class recites,

It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow

Becomes a Federal matter now.



Our hair can be purple, orange or green,

That's no offense; it's a freedom thing...

The law is specific, the law is precise...

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.



For praying in a public hall

Might offend someone with no faith at all

In silence alone we must meditate,

God's name is prohibited by the state.



We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,

And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks......

We can carry smut, but not the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable.



We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,

And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King

It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,

We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.



We can get our condoms and birth controls,

Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,

No word of God must reach this crowd.



Its scary here I must confess,

When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:

Should I be shot; my soul please take!

Amen

Police, Hospitals, and Chaos!

Well, since I last wrote we have had a visit from the police, a visit to the police station, a five day hospital stay and of course the normal chaos.
The visit from the police was actually quite amusing! My boys were selling Cub Scout popcorn and I was delivering it to my next door neighbor. Christopher came over to get his inhaler and said that there was a raccoon in the yard. I said he could wait a couple of minutes for it to leave. Then he told me that the raccoon was falling down. That concerned all of us, so of course we went outside and found not a raccoon, but a opossum. It was sick, it took about 2 steps and then fell over. He hid under my house. So we decided to catch it in a pet carrier and call animal control. My neighbors have air guns (kind of like BB guns, but not) and they were trying to scare the opossum out from under my house and my other next door neighbor called the police because they were "shooting" guns. The police came, 3 of them. No one got it trouble, but they did stay for about 30-45 minutes to help us catch the animal. Animal control picked it up the next day.
Our police station visit was with Barry's Cub Scouts. The Chesterton police station and fire station are in the same building, so we got a tour of the police station (got to climb in a police car and hear the sirens up close) and the fire station (they still have a fireman pole). Cassidy and Barry went to that. Christopher was with his Cub Scout den at the library. Anyway that was a fun experience.
The five day stay in the hospital was not so much fun. Cassidy had been coughing for about a month with numerous visits to the doctor. Finally last Monday (10/19) the doctor put her on an antibiotic and gave her an inhaler. (She has never used an inhaler before and has no idea how to use it.) On Wednesday she was having a little trouble breathing about 10:30 pm. I took the boys to my mother's and took her to the hospital. They took us straight back and gave her a breathing treatment. They did a chest x-ray and found that she had bronchitis and pre-pneumonia. Because I have a nebulizer machine at home they sent us home and said that she should continue the antibiotic and do breathing treatments every 4 hours when she was awake. No problem. We had a follow up appointment with her doctor on Friday and everything was going well. On Saturday, she began to really have a hard time breathing. She was doing breathing treatments every 1 to 2 hours. (Not a good thing!) I took her back to the hospital and here is where it got interesting. We got to the ER and checked in with the triage receptionist. Cassidy was doing fine at the time, so I was not too worried when she said there were about 5 people ahead of us. About 10-15 minutes later Cassidy started to have a REALLY hard time. I got back up and told the receptionist that she needed to be seen NOW. The receptionist said she would tell the nurse (never happened.) Another man came in and said he was having trouble breathing and they took him straight into triage. Still no help for Cassidy. By this time she was crying and saying she could not breathe. A whole bunch of people came in and so another nurse came to help the triage nurse. She actually came into the waiting area and just looked at everyone to see if anyone needed immediate help and saw Cassidy. She listened to her lungs and took us straight back, no triage. Before Cassidy saw the doctor the nurse had her on O2 and had called for a respiratory therapist to give her a breathing treatment. They did another x-ray and she had full blown pneumonia. Her breathing was so bad that they gave her a breathing treatment that lasted an hour and they did a blood gas (not a good experience). Had the results of that been any worse they were going to transfer her to Riley Children's hospital in Indianapolis (about 2 hours from here.) Luckily they were good enough for us to stay in northwest IN. Cassidy's O2 saturation dropped to 88 (should be 95 or higher) every time they took the O2 off until Tuesday evening. That is why she stayed in the hospital so long. She was able to come home Wednesday. She is back at school now (half day today and full day starting Monday.) She is MUCH better.
Normal chaos is, well, normal. Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, AWANA, school, etc. are all going fine. The kids are ready for Halloween. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Enjoy!!

October Start

Well, we are now into October. When I wrote in September, things were normal. Well then it got a little crazy. Boy Scouts started for both boys and Girl Scouts started for Cassidy. We are in the swing of things now with AWANA and I take 3 extra kids to church with me. It completely fill my van. There are 8 more kids in my neighborhood that we have invited, but so far they have not been able to come. Cassidy got bit by a dog on the 18th. She is fine, but it was a scary experience for all of us. All three kids are doing really well in school this year! I am so excited about that. Cassidy and Barry come home with lots of information about their multiage classes. Christopher has his first field trip on the 27th. We are going to Fair Oaks Farm. My kids went there a couple of years ago with Girl Scouts, but I have never been. I am a little excited about it. I will have to take lots of pictures. Swimming lessons start again on Tuesday and my kids are really excited about them! My brother and his wife have a new baby boy, so of course all Cassidy can talk about is when she will get to see him. :) Anyway my life has increased in speed. I am going a million miles an hour and I still have lots to do at the end of the day.

Sept. Update

I guess I am doing well to update this blog once a month. The kids are all back in school, for which I am very relieved. I forget how much energy they expend while they are gone learning. Christopher is in 3rd grade. He has Mr. Bol, who he thinks is the best. He told me he did not want to go to school on the day that he knew he would have a sub because the sub was not as nice as Mr. Bol, in fact she was going to be MEAN! (Of course he did go to school and as it turned out the sub was nice.) Cassidy is in 2nd grade. She is still in multi~age (1st and 2nd combined.) Usually she would have had the same teacher as last year, but with her teacher leaving (he moved to Indy), she had a long term sub. Mrs. Schaudt is a retired teacher who is willing to sub every once in a while. She ended up staying for the year because she was actually one of the teachers who started the multi~age program at Yost, so they did not have to teach her the ropes. Now Cassidy's teacher is Miss Rolfe (as of Sept. 19 Mrs Nicks) and she loves her! Barry is also in the multi~age program, but he has Mrs. Imhof (Christopher's old teacher.) He is in 1st grade and seems to enjoy the "big" kid role with the kindergarteners under him. He is a pro at school (according to him.) Cassidy and Barry have already gone on their first field trip ~ to the BEACH! They had a sandcastle building contest and then they played some teamwork games. (I was there to help out.) They had a really good time. All three of them are doing very well. We have started this year out right. The kids come home and race to see who will get their homework done correctly first. This has made my life much easier!!
We all went to the South Bend Zoo for my neice's birthday. It was a really nice zoo and my kids have already decided that we have to go back next year. We got to see the butterfly house (a first for all of us) and the kids would have been very happy to stay in there all day. We got to see butterflies not normally found around here and watch them emerge from their chrysallis. It was really neat to watch their faces as the butterflies flew around them.
Anyway, the kids are doing really well!
As for me, well, I think I need a vacation! :)

End of a fun summer!

WOW!!! Summer has flown by! The kids start school in a week and a half. They are really excited to go back. (I know, I know, but they really are excited!) We went to Six Flags Great America last Friday and got rained on. We went with some friends and had a blast even in the rain. My kids had never been to an amusement park before and they loved it. We are planning on going again next summer, if we can. :) Cassidy is still riding the horse and still really enjoys it. She got to go with her Aunt Connie and pick out some new boots. (They are brown and green ~ very cool.) Christopher is VERY full of energy. Wouldn't it be nice if we could harness the energy of our kids and use it ourselves? Barry is still the gentle little boy, but I see some of that boundless energy in him too!! :) We went to OK for a family reunion and had a really nice time with family. We are also planning on going to the Indianapolis Children's Museum before school starts. Hopefully we will manage to do that. Swimming lessons start again in Sept. The pool was closed for repairs most of July and all of this month. I am checking into a swim team for Cassidy and Christopher. Barry is not quite ready for it. So starting soon we will have Girl Scouts, swimming, AWANA, and horseback riding for Cassidy, Boy Scouts, swimming, and AWANA for the boys. When will I sleep??? I also want to see about getting Christopher into 4-H, but that may have to wait. Talk to you all soon!!

Summer Chaos!

It has been a busy first half of summer. Chris went to camp, had a blast and cannot wait until next year. My church celebrated its 100 anniversary on July 11 and 12. We also had the Gary airshow on the 11-12. It takes place only about 2 blocks from my mother's house. My children, mother and I went to Oklahoma for a family reunion on July 17-19. It was a blast! Cassidy has also been riding the horse as much as possible. She also gets tutoring once a week. She has already gone to 2 horseshow this summer. More to come. Anyway, I hope the last half of the summer is less chaotic! I will let you know!

Kids!

Christopher had an awesome time at camp. He had no issues with allergies or asthma!! He cannot wait to go back next year.

I posted a note in March that the kids answered questions for. I had to repost it. It made me laugh. I think everyone needs to laugh once in a while. :) Enjoy!!

From March 13, 2009

Kids Say the Darndest Things

This should be interesting.

These are the questions I asked each of my kids one at a time (with the other kids in the other room):


1. What is something I always say to you?
Barry: I love you.
Cassidy: I love you.
Chris: Hm, I love you

2. What makes me happy?
Barry: cleaning the living room.
Cassidy: Hugs and kisses
Chris: When we obey, when I obey, not we, I

3. What makes me sad?
Barry: not obeying, not cleaning
Cassidy: when we don't obey
Chris: When I don't obey

4. What makes me laugh?
Barry: Me being silly
Cassidy: When we tickle you
Chris: When something funny happens

5. What was I like as a child?
Barry: Me
Cassidy: Uh, you didn't have any real live toys like they have now.
Chris: little

6. How old am I?
Barry: I don't know, how old are you momma?
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: 33

7. How tall am I?
Barry: 25 feet
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: Hm, I don't know

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Barry: Swim with me.
Cassidy: Watch movie and us leave you alone
Chris: Cuddle us, cuddle me

9. What do I do when you're not around?
Barry: Wait, I don't know
Cassidy: Uh, sow on patches
Chris: Hm, play your DS

10. If I became famous, what will it be for?
Barry: I don't know what that means
Cassidy: Having one hundred million kids
Chris: Now that's a hard one, I think it would be that you are a nice mom

11. What am I really good at?
Barry: helping us do somersaults in the water
Cassidy: Playing with me
Chris: Hm, playing your DS

12. What am I not very good at?
Barry: I don't know
Cassidy: Not playing with me
Chris: Um, letting me play your DS

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Barry: I just know one job. You help the Girl Scouts. What's a job?
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: Work at Baba's

14. What is my favorite food?
Barry: I don't know.
Cassidy: I forgot the name (while jumping up and down)
Chris: Anything

15. What makes you proud of me?
Barry: Giving me kiss and cuddles
Cassidy: That you love me (And then she gave me a hug)
Chris: Um, I think it would be that you love me and I love you

17. What do you and I do together?
Barry: Play
Cassidy: scrapbooking
Chris: Um, go, this is a hard one, go to McDonalds

18. How are you and I the same?
Barry: we do the same stuff like swim
Cassidy: you have blue eyes
Chris: Um, we both wear glasses and we both have blue eyes

19. How are you and I different?
Barry: We have different hair
Cassidy: you have glasses and I don't
Chris: You're a girl and I'm a boy

20. How do you know I love you?
Barry: Because you always love us, because you always say it.
Cassidy: Because you love us everyday when we come home from school
Chris: Um, because you let me play your DS

Camp!

Christopher got to go to camp on Monday, his very first time. He was sitting up in bed when I went to get him up at 5:45 am raring to go. He was so excited, I laugh thinking about it. He comes home on Saturday and I am sure he will have lots of stories to tell me. He is at Twin Lakes Camp (the same camp that I worked at for three years.) As his mom, I was a little apprehensive about him going with all of his numerous allergies, but I am so glad he went. The camp nurse called me on Friday before camp and asked me about his allergies and what to expect with any symptoms he may get. It made me feel very good and safe about him going. I did have to send 9 different kinds of medicines down to camp with him. I sent a shoebox. That got a laugh out of my friend. She was driving the church kids down to the camp, eleven of them. She also gets to bring them back. I almost feel sorry for her. So many kids, so hyper from camp. I am sure she will have lots of fun! I have also decided that the two kids that did not go are trying to make up for Christopher being gone this week. They are LOUD! But I will survive. I think that they miss him more than they will admit! I will let you know how he felt about camp later. Have a great summer!!

Howdy!

I guess we are having a really good month! Cassidy starts her horse show competitions this weekend. She is really excited. She is riding a different horse this year. Cassidy and the horse have been getting used to each other. I cannot wait to hear how she did. (It is in southern Indiana, so I usually cannot go.) Barry and Christopher are doing fine. All three kids are counting down the days left of school, mostly Christopher. (As of today they have 11 days left, not including weekends.) Christopher's reasons are that he is very, very ready to go to camp! I am glad that he is so excited about it.
On another front, the spring weather is finally here!!! I am so glad! Of course today is supposed to be almost 85 degrees! Almost like summer! On that note, everyone have a great day!!

Peace and quiet!

I guess when I am not writing, things must be pretty good. I decided I had better let you know that everything is fine. I should write when my kids have good days, even if they have lots of good days! Christopher had his last Cub Scout meeting this past Tuesday. He made a kite and had a blast!! He decided he did not need a "store bought" kite this year because his homemade one is just so much better than anyone he could buy! Cassidy and Barry were disappointed that they did not get to make one too, but I told then that we would figure out a way to make them kites. Christopher also is very excited about going to camp in June. He is finally old enough to attend Twin Lakes Camp (where I worked for three summers.) He is ready to start packing RIGHT now! I am really glad that he wants to go. He and Cassidy both have asked our Pastor about baptism, so the next time that the church has a baptism they will be getting baptized. It is very nice to see how excited they are about God. All three of the kids occansionally come to my room at night because they have a bad dream. I have always prayed with them and they seem to be able to go right back to sleep. Now they come to me and just ask for a little help praying and do most of it by themselves (they use their own words with no real prompting.) It is nice that they are learning to pray on their own. I love to hear them pray!! Cassidy is also done with Girl Scouts for the year. She had a blast this year. She sold lots of cookies (252 books, which will probably NEVER happen again), nuts, and magazines. Her troop had a "spa night" and lots of other exciting adventures. I think her favorite activity was visiting the local Wiseway grocery store. She cannot wait until next year. Barry gets to join Cub Scouts next year and is very excited about that. He is almost done with kindergarten, I can't believe it! I guess that is enough for now.

I really do not know WHAT to call this one

WOW!!! Meltdown city tonight! Cassidy is crying because I told her no. She is now saying it is because I do not love her. Of course, I am sitting quietly trying very hard not to laugh at her temper tantrum! Why do kids try these games? Barry cried a little earlier, but is now sound asleep on my mother's recliner. He tends to do this a lot when we make it to Friday during the school week. Christopher has decided to hide out in the car. He does not have the keys or anything, but I think that he just wants to be away from the crying.

Last Thursday, I went to the doctor and was put on an oral steroid and an inhaler. I now know exactly how Christopher feels when he has to use his inhaler. It sucks!! Still, my coughing has gotten mostly better. I am still coughing every once in a while. With this swine flu scare, everyone keeps looking at me like I am going to get them all sick. Relax folks, not sick at all, just a major allergy flare up. I did not realize my allergy to dust was so bad. Next time my mother can fix the vacuum cleaner.

Finally no more crying. Peace and quiet. I suppose that Cassidy has decided that no is not such a bad word after all. I wonder how long this will last! :)

Much Needed Reality Check

There are days when Christopher is raging and so angry that it is scary to hear. He will arbitrarily hurt someone just because he is mad at me. Today for example, I took his gameboy away because this week is no TV week, which of course includes video games and computer (for the kids). For the past twenty minutes he has raged around, screaming at everyone, kicking things and generally being pissed at the world. Enter my reality check: whenever I get into my blog site, I always check the updates of the many blogs I follow. Among my favorites are the adoption ones. The reason I like them so much is that these families give up everything to adopt the children that need the love the most. Most of the children that they adopt are special needs: physical, emotional, or mental. While I have a child with some serious anger; there are times when these families are dealing with multiple problems at once, from multiple children. I sometimes forget that my one child is very easy to deal with when you look at what other people are dealing with. My son is just now starting to calm down. I started to write this blog almost 45 minutes ago. I had to physically hold him down so he would not hurt the other kids, himself or me. We are just getting past this episode of anger (almost an hour into to it.) I love my child, anger and all, although I wish I could figure out how to help him. In the long scheme of things, even with an angry child, my life is not so hard. :)

Howdy!

It has been a while since I wrote anything. Everything here seems to be going alright. Christopher is doing well. He has been on oral steroids since Tuesday because of an asthma "outbreak." This is his first episode in over a year. His allergy stuff has not been a big deal . . . so far. Once school is over for the summer and I have better control over everything he eats, we are going to start eliminating wheat, soy, and tuna to see how much they really might bother him. He really likes all of those things so it may not be easy, but we will see. He also gets to go to camp for the first time. He is going to the same camp I worked at - Twin Lakes Camp. I am so excited that he is going.
Barry was not afraid!! I enjoyed watching him ride all by himself!! Barry is doing well in school and I am so happy that he never has a problem going to school or doing homework. Overall he seems to be a very happy little boy.

Cassidy has started horseback riding again. She was so excited! She cannot wait until she goes to her first competition of the year. Barry and Chris both rode the horse the other day and had a really good time. Cassidy is a typical little girl who enjoys "girlie" things. She gets a kick out of hanging out with her friends and talking on the phone. It is really quite funny. I thought the phone thing started when they got bigger!!

More Allergy Info

Well, Christopher has finally been tested for food allergies. Here is the official list of all his allergies:

Environmental ->

Timothy (pollen)
Meadow Fescue (pollen)
Bermuda (pollen)
Perennial Rye (pollen)
Orchard (pollen)
Redtop (pollen)
Kentucky Blue (pollen)
Mulberry Mix (pollen)
American Elm (pollen)
Chinese Elm ( pollen)
Common Privet (pollen)
Red Adler (pollen)
White Ash (pollen)
Oak Mix (pollen)
Black Walnut (pollen)
Boxelder Maple (pollen)
Birch Maple (pollen)
American Beech (pollen)
Cottonwood (pollen)
Careless-Pigweed (pollen)
Lambs Quarters (pollen)
Ragweed
Mucor
Dust Mite # 1 & 2
Cats
Dogs

Food ->

Wheat (no reaction right now, so he can still eat it. We just need to watch him carefully.)
Soy (same as wheat)
Tuna (same as wheat)
Coconut (same as wheat)

Hazelnut/Filbert
Almond
Peanut
Cashew
Walnut
Lobster
String Bean
Cantaloupe
Mustard
Sesame

Fun right! I knew about the nut issue, but the rest is a surprise to me!! Poor kid! He was quite excited to find out he was not allergic to CHOCOLATE! At least some good news in this mess!

No Complaining Today!

You know, I cannot complain (today, anyway) about life. The weather is beautiful! This has been one of the worst winters ever in NW Indiana. I am so glad that we are actually seeing glimpses of spring! My kids got their bikes out yesterday. Definitely a springtime rite of passage. It has been nice enough to open windows and just enjoy! I know that the cold is not over yet (i.e. the weather report says more cold on Wednesday), but I will enjoy the nice stuff while it is here. Also the kids are beeing nice to each other. Do not fall over in shock! It is true and oh so peaceful! You know I am glad that God gives us these kind of days every once in a while!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

This should be interesting.

These are the questions I asked each of my kids one at a time (with the other kids in the other room):


1. What is something I always say to you?
Barry: I love you.
Cassidy: I love you.
Chris: Hm, I love you

2. What makes me happy?
Barry: cleaning the living room.
Cassidy: Hugs and kisses
Chris: When we obey, when I obey, not we, I

3. What makes me sad?
Barry: not obeying, not cleaning
Cassidy: when we don't obey
Chris: When I don't obey

4. What makes me laugh?
Barry: Me being silly
Cassidy: When we tickle you
Chris: When something funny happens

5. What was I like as a child?
Barry: Me
Cassidy: Uh, you didn't have any real live toys like they have now.
Chris: little

6. How old am I?
Barry: I don't know, how old are you momma?
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: 33

7. How tall am I?
Barry: 25 feet
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: Hm, I don't know

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Barry: Swim with me.
Cassidy: Watch movie and us leave you alone
Chris: Cuddle us, cuddle me

9. What do I do when you're not around?
Barry: Wait, I don't know
Cassidy: Uh, sow on patches
Chris: Hm, play your DS

10. If I became famous, what will it be for?
Barry: I don't know what that means
Cassidy: Having one hundred million kids
Chris: Now that's a hard one, I think it would be that you are a nice mom

11. What am I really good at?
Barry: helping us do somersaults in the water
Cassidy: Playing with me
Chris: Hm, playing your DS

12. What am I not very good at?
Barry: I don't know
Cassidy: Not playing with me
Chris: Um, letting me play your DS

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Barry: I just know one job. You help the Girl Scouts. What's a job?
Cassidy: I don't know
Chris: Work at Baba's

14. What is my favorite food?
Barry: I don't know.
Cassidy: I forgot the name (while jumping up and down)
Chris: Anything

15. What makes you proud of me?
Barry: Giving me kiss and cuddles
Cassidy: That you love me (And then she gave me a hug)
Chris: Um, I think it would be that you love me and I love you

17. What do you and I do together?
Barry: Play
Cassidy: scrapbooking
Chris: Um, go, this is a hard one, go to McDonalds

18. How are you and I the same?
Barry: we do the same stuff like swim
Cassidy: you have blue eyes
Chris: Um, we both wear glasses and we both have blue eyes

19. How are you and I different?
Barry: We have different hair
Cassidy: you have glasses and I don't
Chris: You're a girl and I'm a boy

20. How do you know I love you?
Barry: Because you always love us, because you always say it.
Cassidy: Because you love us everyday when we come home from school
Chris: Um, because you let me play your DS

Kids!!

You know, there are times when my kids absolutely drive me up the wall. For example, they were supposed to be cleaning the "play" room at my mother's tonight. Of course, they decided to 1.) fight, 2.) play, 3.) fight, 4.) play, I think you get the idea. So here we are three hours later (for a job that sound only have taken about 30 minutes) still trying to obey and JUST finish! These are the times when I really wish I had someone I could send in to talk to them, so I would not want to yell at them so much. Of course, I know God is in control and He knows what HE is doing. It is a really good thing that I am not in charge of the world. I know I would make a huge mess of things.

Anyway back to the kids. Of course, most of the time my kids amaze me. When Cassidy volunteers to help me, her brothers, family, or a friend, she is so willing to be there for people. She also is very sensitive to other people in pain of any kind. On Sunday when I pinched a nerve in my back, she cried because I was in pain. Christopher is one of the most inventive kids I know. Not just when he plays, but also when he is learning. His ability to put things into words that he and everyone else can understand is mind boggling! Barry is such a cutie. All he has to do is look at you and wink and you melt. When they play nicely together for hours it is so much fun to stop and listen to them pretending to be transformers, or a grown up family, or any number of things. These times more than make up for the frustration that comes with being a mom.

But why oh why do we have to pick today to act up??

Great News!!

I got some great news about Christopher today. I had a meeting with his teacher this afternoon. They say that he is doing a great job in school and that they are going to try to get him back in the regular class for the whole day! This is a big real, because he has not been in the regular class for the whole day for 2 1/2 years. He is doing a phenomenal job in math, specials (art, gym, music, and library) and science/social studies. The only place he really needs a little extra help is in reading and language. He is reading at a second grade level (he is in second grade), but he is a little behind right now, so they are going to help him catch up. The plan is to have him completely caught up by the beginning of 4th grade so he will be in the regular class all day. When he was diagnosed with ADHD, he was so far behind I was really worried about him being able to catch up, but it looks like I have a really smart kid here! I hope everyone has a great day!

One of Those Feel Good Stories

As I read this news article, I could not help thinking how God must have enjoyed this rare act of kindness. The players on both teams should a remarkable ability to show kindness in a world that does not always think that men or boys should show emotion this way. I admired the players as I read this article, I will never remember the names mentioned in the story, but I will readily remember the kindness and caring they displayed. I wish the professional athletes in the world would read this and see that all the money and fame in the world are nothing, but simple acts of kindness can change the world. I just thought I'd pass the story on. It is well worth the time.


Amid the grieving, a rare act of sportsmanship

Associated Press

The coach never considered any other option.

It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before. Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said. Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states. The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players. Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws. Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing. Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up. He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim. His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on. They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands."I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."

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Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.

Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him."I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."

Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton. It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."

None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats. Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

Quick update!

Still no new news on Brad. The kids are all doing fine. We went to a friend's house for lunch and the kids had a blast! Nothing really new on the other stuff either. When I said quick, I meant it. :)

About Brad

Alright, I think I need to explain what is going on, at least what I know right now. Brad was put back in jail on the 29th of January. He has two more years left on his prison term. I believe that he will be there until the 2 years are over. As to why he went back, here is what I know:

1. Internet is not allowed to anyone convicted of a sexual offense -> He was caught using the internet at one of his jobs.

2. Porn is certainly not allowed either -> Well that is what he was looking at.

3. Every six months he was required to take a polygraph. He has taken two and passed neither of them. The first one was almost a freebie, because most people do not pass them. However he failed the second one also.

4. He also has a tendency to say whatever he thinks will get him out of trouble. That of course gets him in even more trouble.

5. He caused some problems for me, and that caused him to get in trouble also. I am not going to go into detail, but he was told he could not talk to me at all. He did not talk to me, but he decided that he was going to take me to court so he did not have to pay so much child support. Of course that got him in trouble also.

He may get to stay at a work release center, which would allow him to work and pay child support. I will not know about that until the middle of Feb. As I know more, I will pass it on.

As Hermoine Granger said in Harry Potter "What an idiot!"

Allergies!

I hate allergy testing! I really hate it! Anytime your child needs a shot or something that can "hurt or scare" them, parents hate it. But some ways to test for allergies are so much better than others. 40 pricks quickly done are so much better than 15 mini-shots done over a much slower period of time. Here are my two examples of the difference, aside from the fact that they were done to two different children. :)

In November, Christopher was tested for allergies. The testing was really quick and easy, although to hear Christopher tell you about it, it was horrible! The nurse had him take off his shirt and climb in my lap. She then QUICKLY prick his back with 40 different allergens (it took about 5 or 6 minutes.) He sat in my lap and waited about 5 minutes and they checked the pricks and figured out what he was allergic too. (27 out of 40 things) He will be tested for food allergies in March. Christopher never saw a needle and he really did not feel a thing. Being a kid, he hated it but he survived and the test was over.

When I took Cassidy to be tested today, horrible. Normally she is the easiest child to deal with at the doctor's office. She was refered to an ENT and he says that she has allergies and that is what is causing her frequent ear infections. He wanted her to get tested. She was fine until the woman before us got tested for allergies. The technician said, "You will get 15 or more of these pricks." Of course, that scared Cassidy. And then she saw what the pricks were. The tech got a syringe and put the allergen into it. She then had to poke the needle into the top layer of skin and inject the allergen into it forming a "bubble." It took about 15-20 minutes to do 15 "pricks." The woman before Cassidy did not like it at all. She got 8 "pricks" on one arm and 7 on the other. Then, it was Cassidy's turn. Of course she started crying as soon as she saw the needle. She allowed the tech to "prick" her twice (it took about 10 minutes) and then it was over. She was hysterical! The tech gave up and I was actually quite relieved! I took Cassidy to our "normal" doctor and her is going to refer her to the allergist that Christopher went to so she can be tested in a quicker, easier way. Cassidy did not let the test get finished the first time. I am hoping that the allergist can make her testing experience much better the next time around.

As you can see, allergy testing is horrible to begin with, but there is a good way and a bad way for the testing to be done. Unfortunately, Cassidy experienced the BAD way to be tested. I'll let you know how she handles the other way. :)

God's Work

I am not the best blogger in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoy reading my friends blog lots! I always get a kick out of what everyone's kids did. One of my friends had two of her kids draw all over "everything" with permanent markers, another friends has some great pictures of her kids with their dad sledding in our mile high snow. I find myself laughing out loud at some of the stories people write in their blogs. I also cry when something hurts someone I care about. Mainly, though, I enjoy reading how God has worked in the lives of the people I care about. My cousin has a daughter who was very sick at this time last year with a very rare disease, this year she is almost back to her normal self again. Another friend has a son who needed surgery last year. They were afraid he may need more soon, but thankfully he does not. I am amazed that people in the world do not believe there is a God, when He so obviously answers prayer the way He does. Outside of the proof of nature, seeing God work in the lives of people makes life so much more interesting, don't you think?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Well, we are now officially in 2009. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year! 2008 was an interesting year to say the least. My children are all doing well in school and I hope they continue to do well as 2009 starts. Christopher has officially been diagnosed with allergies to every kind of tree and grass imaginable. He is also allergic to ragweed, cats and dogs. Did you know there are two different types of dust mites? Well, there are and he is allergic to both kinds!! He will be tested for food allergies in March. Cassidy finally got referred to an ENT. She has allergies also. We will not find out what she is allergic to until Feb or March. I never considered allergies with her frequent ear infections, but she has them and THEY cause the ear infections. Fun, right? Barry is not having any allergy problems at the moment, but that could change. Thank heavens God is in charge!!

All of the kids continue to excel at swimming. Christopher is almost ready to join the swim team (yeah!) and Cassidy is getting there. Barry thinks he can swim better than he really can, which makes thing fun. If I am not watching him 100% of the time, he thinks it is fun to try to swim away and then he sinks. He has no fear of the water at all.

AWANA is going really well. My girl's group is not very big, but they are really working hard. Every quarter we have a special activity for the girls that pass at least 14 sections in the quarter. (The quarter is two months long from Sept.-April.) Out of nine girls 7 of them were invited to the last quarter activity. I hope we get at least the same number of girls for our next activity. I will know in two weeks! Christopher is doing well in Sparks. He continues to surprise is leaders with his ability to figure out what the verses mean without them having to explain it to them. Cassidy is doing well also. She is starting to read on her own, so she needs less one on one help. Barry loves to go to Sparks. He gets so excited to be there. He thinks it is fun when he see a word he knows, so it is fun to work with the leaders.

All of the kids will be able to start riding the horses again when it gets warmer. They all went to the horse show awards with their grandmother and had a really good time. It was a nice little break for me, because I have not had two days in a row with no kids, in a very long time . :)

We had a lot of people at my mother's for Christmas. It was one of the biggest get togethers we have had in a long time. That made things fun let me tell you! It was wonderful to see family that we have not seen in a while. Dave and Sonya came up from OK, Uncle D.B. and Mary Jo came, and Helen and her kids were there. We have not seen most of them in a long time.

My life has been a bit chaotic lately. My ex is the source of a lot of the problems, but as of now he is no longer permitted to talk to me. I am glad of that, because it takes a lot of the stress out of the picture. I am still dealing with the after effects of his actions, but I can handle them, if he is not in the way. :)

Anyway, I hope that God allows 2009 to be stress free as much as possible for me and for everyone I love. Have a great year!