Snow Day...and Jackson had to say about it

Jackson (looking out the window at the snow drifts):  Look!  That's a nice blanket of snow on the ground!  ("blanket" - not something childish like "a lot of snow"!)

Jackson (playing on lego.com):  That is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen! (not funny, mind you.  Hilarious!)

Jackson (picking up the TV remote):  We've watched enough TV today.  It's bad for your brain, you know.  (Seriously!  Anybody else ever hear of a child WANTING the TV turned OFF?!?)

Then, we played a game with the GeoStates flashcards.  On the front of a card is a picture of a state.  On the back is the state pictured with all of its bordering states.  The object of the game is to collect states which border those states on your cards.  As we went through the game I heard these comments:
*This state must have a river here, because it's all wiggly like the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas.
*(state of Washington) That's where the volcano is that erupted and now there's a bit hole and people can go see it.
*(state of Arizona) They have a lot of cactus there, and a lot of desert!

I love this kid!

Widow

This picture is of a dress called 'Widow', it's at the latest Royal Academy show which is about clothes, art and fashion.  The artist was widowed 4 years ago, the dress is made entirely of pins in leather which symbolizes the pain of widowhood.....needles in the flesh.

I borrowed this from another blogger, www.freshwidow.blogspot.com.  She posted it on her Facebook page tonight.  I usually don't understand art, but this definitely made sense to me. 

Pink House...

Last week, Jackson brought home an ingenious paper-sack suitcase on which he had glued a map of North America, and various pictures and fact pages.  Thus, this ensuing conversation this evening:
J: Grandma, let's look at Google Earth.
G: where do you want to go on Google Earth?
J:  Well, we got another suitcase today of South America.
G: (pulling up Google Earth on the laptop) So what continent is this?
J: North America
G:  What countries are in North America?
J:  (pointing) This is the United States, and this is Canada where they speak English and French, and this is Mexico where they speak Spanish and a little English.
G: So where is South America?
J:  Zoom down here.  This continent is South America.
G:  Do you know any of the countries?
J:  Yes, one is Argentina.  Let's go there.
G: OK, here's Argentina.
J:  Let's zoom to one of the cities.
G:  OK, this is Buenos Aires.
J:  (randomly pointing to a dot on the screen) Let's zoom to see what this is.
G:  It says this is Casa Rosada, and it means "pink house".  It's the building where their president's office is.
J:  Hey, our president works at the White House and their president works at the Pink House.  That's funny!
J:  Now let's look up the argentinosaurus.
G:  What's that?
J:  Well, it's a dinosaur and a paleontologist found the bones in Argentina.  It was a very large dinosaur and it was a herbivore and it weighed as much as 20 elephants.  So can we look for a museum about that on this map?
G:  I'll research that and maybe we can look at it tomorrow night.

The above story is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  I'm not smart enough to make this stuff up.
The End

How I Deal with Stress and Anxiety

I was doing a little research tonight and ran across a website with the following tips for managing stress or anxiety.  I will admit, I have more than a little stress in my life.  I see a professional counselor once a month to "let it all out", "keep the edge off", "let the tears fall", etc.  This helps me keep things in perspective and also allows me to voice my emotions without bothering everyone else with them.  These 12 tips are vital.  As an occupational therapist, I learned most of these in school and regularly recommend them to clients.  I follow every one of them on nearly a daily basis.  I just wanted to share incase anyone else struggled with stress or anxiety!!  Enjoy!!

1. Get the facts
Don’t assume or mind-read. Imagination can play havoc with the worry spiral.
2. Pray
If you do this already, you know how effective prayer can be in combating worry, and if you don’t, it’s time you found out.
3. Don’t watch too much TV or read too many newspapers and magazines
if current events have you stressed, or if you get caught up in your imagination...
4. Use humor
If I didn’t use humor myself, I’d be in big trouble some days.
5. Touch and be touched
There’s nothing like a hug or pat on the back to make your worries melt away.
6. Have faith
There’s an old saying that, when fear knocked on the door and faith opened it... there was no one there.
7. Don’t sweat the small stuff
This has been on my list of stress busters for a long time. If you're going to worry, and nothing can stop you, at least worry about something really big.
8. Hire experts to guide you
I'm an OT...and I hire a counselor to help me!!  But, also, I hire someone to do my yard, someone to clean my house 2x a month, and someone to watch my kids.  NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!!
9. Don’t drink excessively or use other drugs as a means of making your worries go away
Worries become worse when you alter your state of mind with alcohol or drugs.  (but, Chocolate makes it all better)!!  :-)
10. Never worry alone
Good friends are of paramount importance. When you share your sorrows with a friend, you cut them in half, and when you share your joy, you double it. When you share your worries, they almost disappear!
11. List three things that you are thankful for right now at this very moment.
It’s hard to worry when you have an “attitude of gratitude,” but even gratitude takes steps to achieve. Stop right now and list three things you are grateful for today, and notice how good it makes you feel!
12. JOURNAL!!
The counselor that I see STRONGLY recommends journaling.  And, as much as I drag my feet in doing it...it works.  Something about writing it down just helps the worry to melt away!!

Adapted, but copied from: Worried? Read This.
ADD and anxiety often go hand in hand. Here, 10 ways to help you get a grip.
by Sandy Maynard  http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1987.html

Stickers!!

Miss Katie recently discovered stickers!  She LOVES them!!  She is so cute when she asks for them, too.  "Sis??  Sis??" 

She will wear them anywhere.  She will put them anywhere. 

 

I think this one looks just right on my toe!  :-)

Two Years Ago...Seems Like a Lifetime Ago

Today marks 2 years since we lost Chris.  It seems like a lifetime ago that the paramedics where in my bedroom trying to save him.  It seems like a lifetime ago that I was sitting in the family room at Southwest Medical Center ER listening to the Dr. tell me that there was nothing they could do...

Chris had been short of breath for a couple of days.  He mentioned it a few times, but not enough to make me think something was "wrong."  He took himself to the Dr. on Tuesday, and called me afterward saying that it was just a virus and some dehydration.  A little later, he called to tell me he had a fever.

We both had meetings at night...work for me and church for Chris.  So, we let Jackson stay the night with Grammy and PaPa (which we had NEVER done on a weeknight before).  When we both got home after 10 pm Tuesday night, Chris mentioned that he was feeling better.  He had taken Tylenol for the fever and thought he was doing better. 

We talked that night till way past midnight.  We talked about my new job.  We talked about plans for the future.  We talked about Jackson.  We talked and talked and talked.  We went to bed and the last thing I remember Chris saying was "I think I feel better."

I woke up sometime after that, I'm not even sure what time it was, sometime after 5, I think.  I heard Chris gasping and choking.  I tried to wake him up, but he was struggling to breathe and couldn't wake up.  I turned on the light and tried to get him to sit up.  I called 9-1-1, the firemen came and then the paramedics came.

The paramedics tried to start an IV and get a heart monitor on him, but he passed out before they could get it going.  The firemen started doing CPR...

I remember as the paramedics and firemen were loading Chris into the ambulance, I looked at the fireman that stayed with me and said "Is he going to be okay??"  The fireman just put his arm around me and said "No, honey, he's not okay."

When we got to the hospital, I remember being ushered into a small room.  A doctor came and told me they were doing all they could do, but it didn't look good.  A short time later, she came in and said there was nothing else they could do.

My first reaction??  "I'm pregnant."  As if that would change things!!

Suddenly, there were so many people in the ER...people I have no idea how they heard about it.  And how they got here so quickly.  I remember all of them asking "What are you going to do??"  My answer, so confidently and so sure "God has a plan.  He will take care of us."

And, take care of us He has.  He knew the details long before Aug 27, 2008.
1. He prompted me to take a new job that would allow flexibility in my schedule and would pay the bills.
2. He allowed us to buy a truck in only Chris' name.  (a technicality due to a mistake at the dealership, resulting in a second set of papers being signed).  This allowed me to have no connection to the truck and therefore have no responsibility for it.
3. He provided health insurance through the Union Chris was a member.  Without 12 months of provided insurance, I would not have had coverage during my pregnancy!
4.  My job pays enough that we did not have to worry about losing our house. 
5.  I had enough life insurance money to pay for maternity leave without any stress.
6. The kids' social security benefits are exactly the amount of money that Chris brought home, so my budget didn't have to change.


The list goes on...God just never ceases to amaze me at the ways he has provided for us before, during, and after this time in our life.

So, it seems like a lifetime ago that I was saying goodbye to my best friend and my kids' daddy.  A lifetime.  But in that short time, I have begun to make a new life for me and my babies. One that isn't how I planned, isn't what I wanted, but is exactly what God wanted and is exactly as He planned.

"For I know the plans I have for you..."  Jer. 29:11

First Day of First Learning Center!!

Katie-Bug started school today.  She is going to a Mother's Day Out program at our church.  She goes on Thursdays and Fridays.  I'm so happy because her Teacher is Miss Denise.  Denise was also one of Jackson's first teachers.  She is awesome!!

(Katie really has no clue what school is, or really, that its anything different that Sunday School at this point.)