Settling back in...

Things have calmed down from the holidays. Grandpa saw doctor Hall last week and was given a clean bill of health. We also went to see grandma. She was much more active and awake than I had seen her before. She was able to talk alittle. It is still nonsensical most of the time but she had a few brief moments of some clarity. She didn't know me but recognized the name Kristin. Grandpa came away feeling good about the visit. 

I talked to the nurses and social service worker about moving grandma. We are shooting for the end of the month. Mom and I are going shopping on Monday for a bed and toilet riser, etc.  I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to leave the house easily after we move her in. I know the plan was fro me to have two days off a week but I do not see that happening. Mom is now in classes for her masters, Lisa has a crazy schedule and Jenny, Meg and Sam do not handle nursing things well.  Sean is looking at a job that would be 11a to 7p. This would allow me to still go to the gym/Y daily. That will be my escape so to speak. Otherwise I will have to plan time out and get a sitter. 

I am not sure how Sean will handle grandma being here. it is hard on him to have grandpa here. He worries about him constantly. He needs to find a joba nd get out of the house soon.

Another mommy brag moment....

Nic was invited to play with the choir at their last preformace. I am extremely impressed with him. He was given the music on Monday and they preformed on Thursday evening. It was fantastic!  I am still trying to figure out how to upload the video. I will let you know if I ever figure it out!

I did manage to upload it to my multiply account.

YMCA and other things

I officially joined the Y and have been actually going.  I have been pretty good about sticking to the low-fat diet. It has paid off. I have lost 5 lbs. Now I know, rationally, that it is mostly water weight but it still feels good to see that scale needle move to the left.  I also met with the trainer at the Y today. Her name is Sam. She is great. I scared her to death though when we did the 3 minute step assessment. It is this test to see how hard your heart is working when you exercise. It is tough. You have to step you onto a workout step with both feet then step off with both feet for 3 minutes. They take your heart rate before and after.  I made it to 2 1/2 minutes then had to stop. I was breathing hard etc. She had taken my resting heart rate at 69 bpm, then my heart rate when I stopped...it was 179 bpm. This is not good. I think, she thought I was going to have a heart attack right there on the spot. It was kind of funny. After I had caught my breathe we went on to the strength test. This is where you see what your max weight is for the bench press and leg press. I did 160 lbs on the bench and 300 lbs ont he leg press. I was impressed. For the moment we agreed on a cardio plan. I am meeting with her again next week to get setup on the weight machines and to discuss goals and reasons for doing this.  I have what I think is a realistic goal in mind, get under 200lbs by the end of the year. My ultimate goal is 150 lbs. We'll see if she agrees with me. My reasons are pretty straight forward:

1. I need to get healthy.

2. I want my kids to see mom being healthy, so they will learn healthy habits too.

3. I want to look good. 

4. I want feel good about my body again.

So to sum it up. I am working out and have lost 5 lbs. 

Current weight 240lbs.

Top 10....An update for those who aren't in the know...

1. We are now in Smithville, MO.

2. My dad has pancreatic cancer.

3. My aunt-in-law (she is basically my MIL) has pancreatic cancer.

4. We live with and care for my grandfather who is in frail health and grandmother who has alzheimer's.

5. My oldest is 18...enough said.

6. My 16 year old moved in with his grandparents to continue attending Kearney High (long story involving step-mother and her issues).

7. My six year old has discovered how to be sassy.

8. My two year old is 2. WHY? WHY? WHY? HOW? WHAT? you get the idea.

9. We now have a dog named Sumner.

10. I haven't lost my mind.............yet.

Mommy brag moment...

This is my mommy brag moment. 

I have a really good looking kid. This picture was taken last summer in Washington. 

Tim and Selena.

2007

And so it begins....

We are almost a week into the new year. I have decided to start a health plan.  I am going to revisit the Alli diet and join the YMCA. My goal is to get healthy this year. All of the family health crisis have put things into a unique perspective for me and I realized I have let myself slip dramatically. I am hoping if I blog my progress and slip ups it will keep me honest and on track. So wish me luck and here goes.

 

Just for the record,  picture was taken on 12/29/2008. I weigh 245lbs.

Sunset

Occassionally, we are privledged to a few moments of something spectatular.
This photo does not do justice to the sunset we witnessed.
Taken January 1, 2009

G'pa not feeling well....

Grandpa called me into the living room today. He said he wasn't feeling well. I start asking the usual nurse questions..."what doesn't feel good", Dizzy, Fever, etc. He was pale and a little shakey, no fever, kinda confused, and having difficulty concetrating on what I am saying. Finally got to the part where he tells me, that when he got up to go to the bathroom and his hand went numb and he felt dizzy and shakey. I suspect he had a TIA. As we talk more he becomes more clear and his color comes back. He insists he doesn't want to go to the ER. I can't see any reason to take him at this point. All they will do is run blood work and possible a CT scan and tell me he may have had a TIA. So I will continue to watch him. He now tells me he is feeling better.

Moved in....

Well, we are in the new house and getting settled in. There are still boxes everywhere and furniture is not quite right yet but it is coming along.  I have been able to get the dining room, living room and kitchen put together. Grandpa is settling into a routine and so are the kids. Ian started school today. He is in the AM kindergarten class so I can actually get things done while he is in school. Rosie is quite happy to help in the morning or go in the car for errands. After Ian gets home it is harder to go out due to naps and crankiness. But those few hours in the AM are good.

Walmart is becoming well acquianted with me. I seem to have to go every other day right now. Hopefully that will settle down once I get everything put away and figure out where that darn measuring cup went, etc.

If you need the new address, email me and I will send it to you.

So it begins...

December 6, 2008 we all moved into a new house in Smithville; Me, Sean, the kids and Grandpa. It is a  nice big house with plenty of room for everyone. Grandpa has his own room and the upstairs living room is set up specifically for him. The downstairs has a huge rec room for the kids to play in. 

Grandpa is very anxious right now. He is concerned that we didn't get every thing form the house in Bethany. I explained that there are still some tools we have to go back and get, but that Rebecca is watching the house for us. He has started using his walker all the time now. There is less furniture for him to hang on to as he walks thru the house.  I am thankful he has decided to use it. Hopefully he will fall less now.

I love this collage thingy...

I found this fun feature on Picasa today. These pictures are all from Thanksgiving.

House

WE move in this weekend!! Yippeee!! These are pictures Meg took of various rooms and such.

4 Generations of Family

From left to right 

Back row:

 Tim, Matt, Meagan, Caitlyn, Lisa, Chad, Kristin, Estella Rose, Sean, Seth, Rhianna, Staci, Sariah, James, Samantha

Seated on Couch:

Nic, Matt, Hays (aka Dad), Alexis (aka Mom), Jenny, Grandpa Jim

On Floor:

Jade, Luke, Devon, Ian, Cassidy, Heather

When I say I come from a big family I am not kidding. This picture was taken Thanksgiving day. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to be there. We are missing James and Tina, Marilyn, and Grandma. But we have four generation of family in this one shot. Maybe at Christmas we can get everyone.

First snow.

The first snow of the season!!!

Bethany Missouri

Thanksgiving Dinner - Family Style

Thank you to Samantha for putting on a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. 

Aunt Sarah remembered

Bethany / House update

So we are in Bethany until we can take possession of the house. Oh yeah, forgot to update you on the house front. We found a house in Smithville. 4280 Carter. It is a nice house on 1/2 acre. Technically, it has 4 bedrooms plus a den. The only reason the den isnt a bedroom is it doesnt have a window. It has a full basement, finished. Two of the bedrooms are down there, a full bath and laundry room, plus a huge rec room with a fireplace. There is also a fireplace upstairs in the living room. The offer we made was countered and we accepted so now it is a matter of paperwork. The offer was to close and take possession on 12/13 but it might be as soon as 12/5. Keep your fingers crossed for the 5th. 

The word for today is frustration.

The inspection was done on the Cleveland house and came back with a "structural fault". It is not going to fall down anytime soon but, it will need to be corrected sooner than later. Basically when the second floor was finished into bedrooms it wasn't done properly and caused the weight from the roof to shift so that it is no longer over the load bearing wall. This has caused some dips in the floors and cracks on a few walls. Right now it is cosmetic damage. The rest of the house passed with flying colors.  The current mind set is to go back to the sellers and have them do the repair or drop the price the amount of the repair. If this doesnt work then we are back to square one. Maryann (our relator) and I have already started to put lists of houses together again to look at, just in case.  

I have decided I need to find a job in KC in the meantime. I need to finance a car somehow and can't do that without a proof of income. Unfortunately, I have to renew my MO LPN in order to work as a nurse but need cash to renew it which I don't have because I don't have a job....etc.....I believe this is called a catch-22. So I am looking for things like unit clerk, admin asst, etc. They don't require a nursing license. I also can't just go to a temp agency because of the lack of transportation.  

The word for today, boys and girls, is FRUSTRATION!

Rest in peace...

For my friend, Kelly Woods

May you rest in peace.

Strength and chaos

I realized something , which in my opinion was profound.....


If God only gives you what you can handle, I am stronger than I think, because he continues to pile it on and I have not yet collapsed.


My husband constantly reminds me that I am stronger than I think I am. I usually don't stop to analyse this because the moment I stop I am afraid I will collapse. If I just keep going, the momentum keeps the chaos in motion and therefore it does not collapse and bury me.


Here is the current update of the chaos that is my life :


Dad- Continues with his chemo. I believe this week makes 5 treatments. He is continuing to have good and bad days.


Sarah- Started chemo this week. Not sure how she will react. This morning she was feeling ok.


Cleveland House - Inspection hopefully will take place tomorrow and barring anything catastrophic, we should be able to start the final paper work and take possession soon. The current date is set for the 21st but we are trying for sooner.


Tim- Got the job at Stables Bar and Grill in Kearney. WHA-HOOO!!!


Nic - is being the dutiful son and helping me compile birthdays and such for a massive project I have going of a family info chart.


Ian - turns 6 next week (11/10). Still trying to come up with cool party ideas. Lisa and I are planning a joint party for all the November birthdays....James, Ian, Sammie, Cassie, Matthew...did I forget anyone?

Rosie - is being 2. Enough said.

My grandfather Mayo passed away last weekend. Dad, Meg, Matt, and Sammie went to Texas for the service. I have been at Mom's to help with the animals and Meg's kids.

I have multiple projects going....
Family info chart which included extended family.
Recipe collection / book (I could use help if anyone wants to email me recipes HINT-HINT)
Ian's kuddler Blanket for his birthday
Baby blankets for my friends who are expecting
Birthday/Christmas presents for the boys and family.
Christmas present for Dad....look for email on this one!

and Yes, I suffer from insomnia and these are the things I work on when I cant sleep. It is amazing the brilliant ideas you come up with at 3am.