Back to School 2014

I thought about contacting some parents and picketing

Starting school on August 14th just about blew me off my rocker

I dread the two and a half weeks they get off at Christmas

and the week they get off in March when it's too cold to do anything

Why not start after Labor day, skip the long breaks and enjoy summer break

I sent them back

I didn't want them missing out on anything

I agreed to let Parker wear his Mohawk for the first day and then we cut it off

I still can't believe we have a 4th grader and a 7th grader

I feel like I was just in seventh grade

How does that happen?

Parker has Mr. Frost for homeroom and Math, Mrs. Dalbey for reading,

Mrs. Truitt for social studies and Mrs. Hartman for science

{I love that they're getting them ready for middle school by having several teachers}

and

Spencer has a whole slew of teachers in middle school
He was super excited to find out that he has Mr. Edkin for homeroom
{He's the cool teacher who lets the kids listed to cool music while they're working}

We're a month into school and so far things are going great

In just a few short weeks,
is homecoming, Colorado Fall Festival and the start of many concerts


When did my babies grow up?



Pumping Iron

For a little over a year, I haven't been feeling like myself

I linked it to working 3 jobs, taking care of the kids and holding the fort down

I mentioned my symptoms to my doctor in March

and asked if they tested hormone levels in the blood work they were doing

She laughed and told me I was too young to be going through menopause

I was ready to walk out and the appointment only went down hill from there

A few weeks ago I decided enough was enough 

I had my records switched to another doctor and went in for an appointment

I explained all my symptoms

Exhausted but can't sleep

Brain fog

Can't lose weight

Thinning hair

She ordered more blood work to check a few things

My iron level is a 6

{Booo!}

It's supposed to be 12.5

No wonder I feel like crap

I'll be pumping iron
LOTS of it
My doctor prescribed 325mg of iron twice a day
{my stomach hurts just thinking about it}
 I'll be rechecked in 3 months to see if my body is absorbing the iron

I'm pretty bummed about not being able to give blood
I know I need to concentrate on getting myself healthy but
giving blood is something I've become passionate about
So while the hubby will be donating blood today, I'll be moping

A new journey

Today we start a new journey 

A journey we hope will be worth the pain and the countless Dr. appointments

We actually started this journey quite some time ago {4 years ago}

Doctors couldn't explain what was wrong with our son

When I begged them for answers 

Not one of them could give us any

Fed up and exhausted with our options,

I decided I was his mom

I knew him the best 

I would figure it out

and I did

The diagnosis:

A food allergy to artificial orange flavoring

This was the start of our journey

An appointment to an allergy/asthma specialist revealed so much more

The diagnosis:

Environmental allergies

Ragweed

Kort grass

FireBush/koch

Pigweed

Russian Thistle

Ash trees

Birch trees

Elm trees

Hickory trees

Maple trees

Oak trees 

Walnut trees
and

Willow trees

Parker has been heavily medicated for 3 years now

His doctor told us that his allergies may get better as he gets older

but his have continually gotten worse

He is on as much medication I am willing to give him

This spring his doctor wanted to add another and we refused

Today I will be calling Town Square Allergy and Asthma Clinic to have his serum mixed

Parker will be starting allergy shots next week

We know this will be a long journey

He will be getting shots once a week for 4-6 months
Once he's had the maintenance dose,
he will get shots every 2-4 weeks for the next 4-6 months
Then he will be given monthly shots for 3-5 years

In the spring when we decided that we were running out of options,
I talked to Parker about what he wanted to do
He's tired of feeling awful and was ready to do the shots
We'll see how next week goes
He has been a trooper through all of the testing and meds so I imagine this will be nothing for him



Let's get this journey started!
The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done!

The good, the bad and the ugly

I've been at my new job for over a month now

When I look back it's flown by but on the other hand every day creeps by

{especially the hot days}

Most days are good 

I've had one really ugly day and wouldn't you know, it was my birthday

A lady called my boss and told her I was unfriendly

I didn't know I had to hug people when I handed them their parking ticket

I was having a rough day anyway - who likes turning another year older?
No, seriously, it was just one of those days when everything that could go wrong, does

I took the complaint to heart and felt like my boss was siding with her

I spent the day an emotional mess wondering if I {the people pleaser} was cut out for the job

In the back of my mind, I still wonder if I made a huge mistake switching careers

People keep asking if I like my new job:
Who likes ticking people off all day?

On Friday as I was chalking cars on Second Street
An older lady in an suv pulled up and asked if I was waiting for peoples meters to expire
I told her I wasn't, I was chalking cars but what I really wanted to say was:
No you idiot, there aren't even meters on this street and mind you own business

 Most days are good
but then we have the ugly; REALLY UGLY

This smells as nasty as it looks

When I have a bad day, I find myself concentrating on the ugly
and then I round the corner and I see beauty

or a new friend or business owner I've met


I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures which will make the 8-10 miles more enjoyable

I'm dreading winter but keep telling myself that I can always put more clothes on


I'm hoping for more better days ahead!