The workout of my life

I just completed the most amazing workout.  I did leg squats, arm bends?, cardio, and pretty much anything and everything.  I think I ended up working every muscle in my body.  By the time I was done, I admit...........I was sweating.  The great thing is I didn't have to pay for this workout....sorta.  No, I have not purchased a high tech weight bench.  Where did I do this amazing workout you ask??

Walmart :)

Grocery shopping.  After the bending to retrieve the items, reaching for other items, adding more and more weight to my buggy and doing a lap with an extra 100lb, I was feeling the burn.  But that's not all....then you have to load the items onto the conveyor belt as fast as you can and run to the bagging area to load them back in the buggy.  By the time I walked all the way to my car my heart was racing.

Wow, I thought.  I could do this everyday!  This works every muscle in my body!

But......sadly, I do not have enough money and we don't eat that much in groceries for me to do this the recommended 3 days a week.

What fun things do you do when you exercise??

Giving up.......and why we shouldn't

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like giving up? It's like the more you do, the more you fall behind.  And when you have time to do something, your mind is so congested that you don't know what to do first.  Sadly, this has been my feelings for a week.  I push and push myself until what's left is a very tired mother who puts a smile on her face, but who feels like laying in the bed for an entire week.

Today is supposed to be the day where I catch up on things I needed to do, edit pictures, blog, laundry, dishes, so on and so on.  Doug so graciously offered to take Natalie to school and Ella to Melissa's so I could play catchup.

After waking up at 6 (1 hour after I normally do, yay!) I helped Doug get the girls stuff up and get them dressed and in the car.  Guess what I did next.......went back to bed!!  I turned the TV on and snuggled under my blanket. I had a temporary moment of deja vu.  Before Doug, when it was just Cayli and I, I would go back to bed after getting her up and ready for school, that is as long as I didn't have to work that morning.  It was a good feeling but at the same time I knew there was so much I could be doing.  Everyone is always telling me to rest, rest, rest but when I try to rest, I sit there and feel bad for not doing something more productive.  It's a hideous, endless, cycle.

After a 2 hour nap this morning I laid in bed thinking about all the stuff to do but not knowing which one to do first.  I did know something I was going to do first thing.....coffee.  I had 1 instant coffee bag left and I wanted to savor every last drop because I knew I would want more throughout the day.  I retrieved my laptop, turned the TV to CSI and sat on the couch covered up by a blanket.  To read this you would think it sounded like the perfect morning but unfortunately I sat there thinking the same thing but not feeling it. 

I opened up my blogger prepared to post my weekly goals (that I'm 2 days behind on) and also post on some events that happened throughout the week but the only thing I could think of was how I had failed on getting it done on Monday.  For about 15 minutes I contemplated doing the post or not.  Nobody would read it I kept telling myself and then I started thinking about my goals and priorities in life. 

How do I put this.......I am a very busy mom.  Here's a quick look into my week:

Monday: Get up at 5.  Get the girls up and dressed and while Cayli goes to Nana's (because I leave out too early to take her to school) I put Naty and Ella into the car and take Ella to Melissa's.  After sitting through Atlanta traffic for anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours, I usually arrive to school late and rush Naty into the office while she's still trying to wake up.  After getting back in my car I take a huge breath and most of the time find a parking space at the back of the school and read my book until I fall asleep.  Other times I run errands (as much as I can being an hour and a half away from home.)  I then wake up to my alarm and drive around to the pickup location to await the release of my child.  After picking up Naty, we drive to McDonald's where I get us some lunch and then jump on the interstate for the ride home.  We arrive back to Calhoun at 3:30 and I run by Melissa's to pick up Ella.  Usually on Monday's I get the night off but 2 Mondays of the month our Georgia Pines therapist comes for the Ella and the first Monday of the month I have a Girl Scout leader's meeting.  After a late dinner, bath's, and getting bags ready for the next day it's finally bedtime around 11.

Tuesday:  Same as Monday's.  Usually on Tuesday's Cayli has basketball practice that evening.  Home by 8, dinner, bath's, and packing for the next day.

Wednesday:  Same get up routine.  As soon as we get back to Calhoun I have to drop Naty off at Infinity for therapy at 3:30, race to Melissa's to pick up Ella, and be back at Infinity by 4 for Ella's therapy.  After leaving there at 4:30 we arrive home by 4:45, long enough for me to put in a load of laundry and pick up a little and then it's back on the road to Adairsville for church at 7.  By the time we get home from church it's around 8:30 and then we rush to eat dinner, take bath's, and pack for the next day.

Thursday:  Same get up routine.  After picking up Ella, I get home to do more laundry, pick up the house and then leave to go to Girl Scouts at 6, not to mention the basketball practices Cayli's been having around 7:30.  After doing that it's back home to dinner, bath's, and packing.

Friday:  Same get up routine.  Thank goodness it's a half day at the school so we get out at 12:20, home by 1:30, pick up Ella, and back to the school to pick Cayli up.  We finally get home around 2:30 and lately we've been having a bball game on Friday evenings.

Saturday:  Usually Saturday's are easy breezy but sometimes I schedule photo shoots for the weekends and there is a baby shower, birthday party, or some other get together to attend.

Sunday:  Get up at 8, get kids and myself ready for church, arrive late, get out at 12:30 and then go eat with my sister at El Pueblito's in Aville.  After that it's usually either a photo shoot or clean house.  Then we get ready that evening to start the next week.

The reason I decided to write this post was not for any sympathy or for comfort.  A lot of times, I even have to remind myself that I'm not supermom.  I beat myself up because I can't even accomplish a few weekly goals or even any posts on my blog, I don't have time to play bball with my child, and I don't have time to sit down with my husband and just talk about our days. 

Sometimes I just feel like giving up but after looking around at my many blessings from my Lord and Savior, I take a deep breath and and smile because I know everything's going to be ok.

Goals for the week

I have decided that it might be good to start setting goals for myself.  I figured that if I shared them with everyone it might hold me more accountable and make me have to do them. :)  I am going to start off with simple ones that I know I can complete (I hope) and then progress to more challenging ones.

Here goes:

-Walk 3 days for at least 30 min. a day

-Clean out my car (my husband will love this.  This also counts if he does it for me)  :)

-Rearrange the pictures in my hallway.

-Drink 1-32 oz jug of water a day.

-Finish 'Step on a Crack' by James Patterson

-Complete a 15 min dovation daily

-Sit down with my kids and complete a therapy exercise at least 3 days.


I know these can be accomplished.  Like I said, I am starting off small and I'm going to work myself up to bigger and better things. 

Next Monday, I will let you know how I did with these goals (I promise to be honest) and I will also set new ones.

Happy Goaling!!!

Pancakes......Yummy!!

This week (last Friday) in therapy, Ella learned about 'Hot, Stove, Pancake, Eat, Eyes, Nose, Mouth, etc....'  After putting Ella's 'ears' on when we got into the apartment, I noticed that she was not responding to 2 of the Ling sounds, s and sh.  I honestly don't know if I have blogged about the Ling sounds before but if I have just ignore the next couple of sentences.  There are 6 Ling sounds, named after the founder Daniel Ling,  "ah, ee, oo, s, sh, m."  These 6 sounds ensure proper implant performance.  Every time you attach the implant,you are to test them using the Ling sounds to make sure everything is working properly.

After figuring out that she was having a little bit of difficulty with "s and sh," I pointed this to Mrs. Linda and she made a quick call to the fabulous audiologist, Jolie Fainberg.  Unfortunately she wasn't able to see us till noon so we went ahead and did what we could. 

We talked Ella through the making of the pancakes and sat her down to eat.  She 'opened' the butter and we used it to put the eyes, nose, and mouth on.  We then used syrup and covered the pancake. Yummy!  By this time mine and Ella's mouth was watering.

All was good until we started trying to give Ella bites.  The only thing she had to do was say "eat" or "ee," and then we could give her a bite. Well apparently she wasn't in the cooperative mood today  Let's just put it this way, she only got 2 bites. 

It's frustrating to see your child struggle.  Even though I hated to see Ella cry (she wanted some more pancake), I knew that making her use her language is the best way to teach her.  Mrs. Linda and I joke all the time about how much Ella is like Naty.  Their strong personalities which will serve them well in the future but for now...............we just grit our teeth and bare it. :)

P.S. After seeing Mrs. Jolie, she turned her map (programming) up which seemed to help with the "s and sh."



I can, I can, I can

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phillipians 4:13

This is the mantra that I repeat throughout my busy days.  If I didn't, I would go insane.......seriously.

Friday was one of those days where I was having to repeat this constantly.  Ella had therapy and unfortunately my mom wasn't able to come like she normally does.  My oldest sister had surgery and she had to stay home and take care of her.  Doug was at home but only because his sciatic nerve was causing him excruciating pain and he had to call out of work.  There was only one thing to do.  Put my big girl panties on and go by myself.

The reason this is so terrifying is because I have 2 toddlers in a cramped car who are both fighting for my attention and neither one of them care about how loud they get.  They will scream till the cows come home while I'm sitting in front with my eyes bugged out trying my best not to pull over and walk into traffic.

The trip down there proved to be uneventful.  I can't say the same for Ella's therapy.  That is for a later post.  After therapy I had a couple hours to spare to I figured I would drive down to the local Krispy Kreme and get me a hot drink and a donut.  I also had another plan up my sleeve.  I was secretly hoping the drive would put Ella to sleep.

Wrong.....

After pulling up to Krispy Kreme only to find out there 'hot drink machine' was broken, I pulled off with donut holes and a raspberry filled donut.  By the time we arrived back at the school I was near exhaustion and the donuts weren't helping.  I am so used to taking naps while Naty's in school that my body doesn't react well when it doesn't get that extra sleep.  Finally 30 minutes before I had to pick up Naty, Ella dozed off in my arms.  At least I got 30 minutes...... I guess. 

The ride home was just what I figured it would be.  Lots of prayers and me repeating "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,"

Ignored........

(Not a picture of Natalie)

Lately, Naty has been enjoying silence when we're in the car.  No music, no radio, no talking, period.  It's not that she wants to talk or sing, she just wants silence.  Well, that's really hard for me.  Especially since we're on the road an average of 3 hours a day.  Thank goodness she sleeps on the way to school in the mornings so I can jam out as much and as loud as I want to.

On our way home today, she decided she wanted my lip gloss.  I tried to act like I didn't have any but after carefully studying my lips she knew I wasn't telling the truth.  After much screaming and kicking I finally gave it up.  "You shouldn't have done that," you say?  You try sitting in the car with Naty for an hour screaming, and then you come talk to me.  In order to keep my sanity, she wins.

We were about to reach therapy back home and I asked for my lip gloss back.  This was after she used half of it, not just on her lips either.  Alllllll around her lips as well.  "Pleeeeeaaaaase,"  I pleaded.  "Mommy needs to use it for just a minute."  After a couple of tries to get her attention, I started to wonder if she even had her ears on.  Sometimes Naty just likes to take them off and throw them any which way.  (See my other posts.)  I called her name, I screamed, I called her name again, nothing.  Finally, I decided to try one last thing.  I suddenly turned the music up really loud while glancing in my rearview mirror and low and behold, she glared at me and said with a straight face, "No......down."

I couln't help but grin because my child has mastered the ability to ignore her parents.

Peace on the Mountain

I have a very special photoshoot coming up in a few days.  Naty's teacher from last year, Mrs. Melissa, is expecting her first child, a baby girl.  While trying to figure out a location, she mentioned Kennesaw Mountain.  While I have heard of it, I have not had the opportunity to visit.  I am definitely a sucker for photoshoots in the most serene of places.  There's nothing like capturing a subject in the midst of God's creation.

Unfortunately, today was one of the foggiest days I have seen in a long time.  Since Doug was able to come with me to Atlanta, I figured we would take a leisurely drive to the mountain.  As we started up the base, we passed lots of different people who apparently were still gung-ho about their New Year's resolutions.  Young, old, alone, in groups, mothers, fathers, you name it and we saw it.  I couldn't help but to feel admiration for these people though.  Over 2 miles at a steep angle that made my car whine.....  As we kept climbing all you could see was the trees and the fog. 

When we reached the top, you could hike up another half mile to the steepest point.  As Doug and I started the hike, I couldn't help but look around in awe.  This was God's country that he created with his own hands.  As you hike up the first part, you pass cannons that the confederate soldiers dragged up the mountain to protect Atlanta from General Sherman.  When you look around, especially on mornings like this with the fog covering the mountain, you can almost imagine yourself during that time. 

Always take in the beauty around you.  No matter how foggy, rainy, or cloudy it is "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. "

DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent

So as a busy mom, my blog is dedicated to my life.  Instead of focusing on certain things or subjects, I will take each and everyone of you into my life.  Whether it be stories about my kids, DIY projects, books I have read, or just a thought on my mind, I will post it.  Hope you enjoy!!

This is something I saw on Pinterest (Hi, my name is Elizabeth and I am addicted to Pinterest).  I have thought many times about making my own laundry detergent but at those times I just wasn't ready to take my thriftiness to that level.  I have failed at couponing (maybe one day) and I figured maybe this was something I could do to help save some money around the house!

Homemade Laundry Detergent:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 bar of soap
a pot that holds at least 2 gallons (better if more)
a grater
a big spoon
a funnel
2- 1 gallon jugs

Grate the whole bar of soap. 

*When choosing the bar of soap, you want to choose one that is more basic, not the ones that have all these nifty ingredients.  Do not choose ones that contain aloe.  The one I chose was just a normal Dial Antibacterial Deodorant Soap scented Spring Water.  It smelled good :)



Toss your grated soap into the pot and add 1 gallon of cold water.  Cook until the soap dissolves stirring occassionally.  On high, this process usually takes around 10-15 minutes.

Add in your borax......

......and your washing soda.

Let it come to a boil and after you take it off the heat add in 1 gallon of cold water and stir.  Be careful and watch it very closely because when it gets hot enough to boil, the washing soda likes to expand.  I made this mistake on the first go around and turned in time to see it overflowing on the stove. This is why it's good to have a pot that is a little bigger than 2 gallons.  Mine is exactly 2 gallons and needless to say it is at the very top.

Use your funnel to transfer the detergent to the jugs.

And voila!!  You have 2 GALLONS of homemade laundry detergent.  Use 1/2 cup to every load.

Breakdown:

Borax: Approx $3-4

Washing Soda: Approx $3-4

Bar of soap: Less than a $1 a bar.

I have now made a total of 4 gallons so far and have not even used half of the box of Borax or Washing Soda.

*Keep in mind, this detergent does not generate the suds you normally have with expensive laundry detergents.  It's ok..............you don't HAVE to have suds in order to have clean clothes.

*Also keep in mind that when the detergent cools it will then coagulate. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it has helped in some way!



Mama it's COLD!

Once a week, Ella sees Mrs. Linda Lasker at the Atlanta Speech School for therapy.  She is a magnificent Early Intervention Specialist who we have seen since day 1.  We first met her when we toured the school at the beginning of Natalie's journey and fell in love with her and the school

This week Ella's lesson involved the words 'cold, ice, ice cream, refrigerator, etc' soooooo we got to make ice cream!!  It is very important when talking to a child with cochlear implants to talk, talk, talk.  Talk through your every action.  How do you expect them to learn if they don't hear you and be able to make that connection.  In this lesson, we walked from the table to the refrigerator and had Ella 'open' the freezer so she could feel how 'cold' it was.  We then walked Ella through the rest of the kitchen picking up all the materials we would need for the activity.  Unfortunately the 2 weeks vacation made Ella a little restless for her 1st lesson back but we managed to get a little from her.

Ella got to put the 'cold' ice in the bag, 'pour' the creamer in the baggie, 'pour' the sugar and ice cream salt in, and 'shake,shake,shake' it all around!!



After the ice cream was ready (and mommy's hands were freezing) we 'scooped' it in the bowl and chowed down!

Yummy!!!!  Mama it's 'cold'!!

Wouldn't you know.....

Wow....All I can say is that it feels pretty good to be blogging again.  Life sometimes proves to be a little much and certain things get put on the back burner...like this blog.  But hopefully as long as I have adventures with my family and have my loyal handful of followers, I can keep it going this time. 

There's sooo much to catch everyone up on but from reading certain articles it gets booorrriing if your blog is too long, so I'll try to keep it short and interesting.  I had decided to start blogging last night even though nothing of extreme importance came to mind........that is until we discovered Naty's implants missing.

After Cayli's basketball game last night  (GO CHARGERS!)  Doug, myself, and Natalie had to make a quick run to Walmart.  Did anyone happen to notice the humor in that last statement??  In our case quick run=1 hour.  As we finally reached home, Naty and I ran over to my mom's to get Ella.  My oldest sister, Wanda, is down from Ellijay and is staying with my parents for a little while.  While Naty and Ella played, we conversed.  I started noticing Naty's lack of response every time Wanda tried to talk to her, so I did a quick head check and discovered her ears were not on her head.  At the time, this didn't worry me too much because when Naty gets tired she tends to take them off in preparation for bed.  I dismissed it and continued on with our conversation.  After another 15 minutes, I did a quick once over throughout my mom and dad's and came up empty handed.  "They must be in Doug's car," I said.  After trying to call Doug, I decided to go ahead and come home and I would just send Doug out to check the car.

When I walked in the door, I notified Doug of the missing implants. He headed outside armed with a flashlight to check the contents of his car.  Nothing.

He did a quick survey of the yard.  Again, nothing.

Everywhere we looked we came up empty handed.  Of couse by this time we're starting to get sick to our stomach because the only possible outcomes, are not good.  Either she left them at Wal-Mart, in the parking lot of a plant we had to pull over at (to get her donuts out of the trunk), or they had been dropped in the yard and the dog had taken off with them.  None of these were good possibilities.

After calling Wal-Mart to see if anyone had turned them in and realizing that they had NO clue what we were talking about OR the importance of them, we had no option but to backtrack.  Doug headed to the empty parking lot with the hopes that he wouldn't have to go to Wal-Mart.

No such luck......Doug returned home from both locations, empty handed. 

I laid down on the couch with the girls because by this time it was almost 11 and they were exhausted.....as was mommy.  Because my parent's lights were still on, Doug went over one last time to check.  After checking the back porch where Lucky takes all her treasures, they entered into the kitchen.  My mom said, "I don't remember her coming back here towards the trash can..........."  As my mom's voice tapered off, they peered into the can.  Between 2 napkins and stuck to a soup can were 2 perfectly good implants.

You have to look at this experience in a positive light.  The fact that she had tried to help us find them with the knowledge that she had thrown them away, confirms the fact that my child. is. brilliant.