On assignment for God

This Sunday my church began an adventure called Kingdom Assignments. 30 people or teams of people were given $100 to use to bless people, and further God's Kingdom. In 90 days we report back to the church. This is our second year doing Kingdom Assignments. Last year people did an assortment of tasks from a coffeehouse, to collecting used shoes for disaster relief. I had an idea of a fun assignment, but I was worried that it was my idea, not God's idea. During the service the pastor was teaching about Elijah from 1Kings. Two of the points seemed to confirm that my idea was a God- thing. The first was the truth that God can engineer circumstances and make divine arrangements. The question is whether we trust Him to do so. This seemed to answer one of my concerns. The second point was that God can miraculously multiply limited resources. That pretty much wiped out my second concern. So when the time came, I went forward to recieve the hundred dollar bill, and signed on for a "Kingdom Assignment." So here's what I'm going to do: When going through the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts, I'm going to pay for the customer behind me, and leave a note and a small gift explaining my assignment. The gift will be a small book by Max Lucado. I hope to bless 20 people, but I guess that's up to God. Depending on who He puts behind me, and how much they order, I should be able to meet that goal. I've already ordered the booklets, and can't wait to start blessing people! How fun is that?

I'm back..still dizzy

Well, after two weeks of vertigo, I'm back. I'm not sure if the vertigo is really better, or if I'm just getting used to it and adapting. Anyway, life has been very boring at my house. The kids are climbing the walls, and so am I. We've had two weeks of very light schooling, as I haven't been up to much depth. It's been interesting to watch the kids during these two weeks. Rachel has been spending more and more time on the computer on various writing projects. She finished one chapter book she wrote, and is working on another. She also has 2 plays in the works. It's ironic that's she's doing all this writing on her own. If I assigned her these writing tasks, there'd be all sorts of whining involved. Alex, my reluctant reader, has been spending lots of time reading Spiderman books to himself. Maybe there is something to be said for unschooling. Rachel, who struggles with spelling, has grown by leaps and bounds since she started her own writing projects. She finally has a reason to spell properly. We're planning on trying IEW next year to help her grow in her writing skills. She writes with a strong voice, and her writing is very interesting. She has decided to become a writer when she grows up, so she can work from home, and homeschool her own kids. Alex, on the other hand, has decided to be a "hobo". This decision came about when he was lamenting the need to learn Math. He finally saw the light about the usefulness of reading. "It's like watching a movie in your mind." Yes, it's all about entertainment for my little guy. I tried to explain how important Math is in real life...paying bills, buying a house, shopping...etc. Well, he decided he doesn't need to learn these things because he plans on being a hobo. In his mind that means wandering around in the wilderness with a sack of his stuff. He'll bring books for entertainment purposes. Ironically, he is very gifted in Math, he's just not a fan. He can do math quite well, by walking around in circles while he calculates in his mind. Sitting down and doing math the "right way", is not his style. I just need to learn how to channel his bright mind into a productive citizen. He is not your typical learner. Olivia on the other hand is my star student. She is very bright, and is learning to read and write with ease. She's needs to be homeschooled for totally different reasons. At the ripe, old age of 5, I can already see her attraction to worldliness. We are very concerned about the teen years with this one. She's managed to wrap around her fingers anyone over the age of 13. EVERYONE loves Olivia. They also think I'm nuts when I express concerns about her. In the words of my BFF "Oh no, not Olivia, I don't believe it." Yes, she knows how to work it, and has pretty much snowed everyone with her sweet, innocent act. But, we're on to her, and are going to do everything in our power to mold her strongwilled nature for good. As you can imagine, that will involve a lot of prayer. I guess that's all my ramblings for today. Have a great weekend.

Tricia got the call!!

I've been so out of it the past 12 days, that I haven't kept up on my blog reading. Apparently, Tricia got the call for her new lungs a few days ago. It turned out to be a dry run, meaning upon further examination, it was decided that the lungs were not a good match for her. This morning they found out a new set of lungs might be a fit for her. The team is flying out to check out the situation. They hope to hear soon, and she may be on her way to surgery tonight! Please pray for Tricia and Nate, as well as the donor's family. Check here for an update, since I've been too dizzy to be reliable about posting. If you have no idea what I'm talking about click here to get a quick overview of this incredible family. Best wishes, Tricia! I'm praying for you!

Update: It's a go!! Tricia is being prepped for surgery right now! Please pray. By the way, today is Nate's birthday! What a gift!

I'm one dizzy chick

Here are the highlights of my past week or so:

1. Alex had a croupy cough going to bed on Thursday. I did a saline nebulizer, and that settled him down...until 2:40am when he woke me up coughing, saying he couldn't breath, and ASKING to go to the hospital. He has asthma that presents as coughing, so it's hard to tell with him. The cough was definitely croupy, so I remained calm, and put some Albuterol in the nebulizer. John wanted me to take him to the hospital. I had no intention of driving for 1/2 hour, with a child who couldn't breath. If he went to the hospital, it was going to be by ambulance. Thankfully, he was able to catch his breathe with the breathing treatment. He feel fast asleep. John and I spend the rest of the night listening to him breath. He's been fine ever since! Good thing we had decided to take Good Friday off from school.

2. I woke up early Saturday morning to the delightful news that Olivia had climbed in Rachel's bed during the night, and then had an accident. As I stumbled about, I realized that I really was stumbling...I appeared to have a pretty bad case of vertigo. I spend the next several hours sitting in my bed (laying down was way worse), watching the world spin by. I did manage to stumble to the bathroom a few times when the motion sickness got the best of me. I figured I had picked up whatever virus Alex had. I managed to get up around noon. I had to make a casserole and cheesecake for Easter. I also made a quickbread for church in the morning. Then the kids reminded me about my promise to color eggs. I didn't know I'd be feeling so rotten when I made that promise, but a promise is a promise. I managed to survive that, and actually felt a little better when I was up and about. Somehow I survived until bedtime, and after ironing clothes for Easter, I went to bed.

3. I awoke on Easter feeling like things were still spinning, but not as bad. We got dressed and headed to church for a Continental Breakfast fellowship. I pretty much just sat in one place. I'm sure people at church now think I'm on drugs, since I couldn't walk in a straight line. Unless you got stuck sitting next to me. Then you think I'm a real whiner. I felt better during the service, and barely survived dinner at my in-laws, before heading home. By this time I had changed my diagnosis to ear infection. I decided to go to a walk-in, the only one open at 5pm on Easter. My ears were fine. The diagnosis: Vertigo! Fifty bucks to hear what I already knew! I was given a prescription for motion sickness medicine, some head exercises to do, and instructions not to lay flat when sleeping.

4. Yesterday was more of the same. The vertigo was manageable, and we did get school in. I was sure I had licked it by bedtime. I was feeling much better, but still tried to sleep propped up. Until...

5. I woke up this morning. Saturday's spinning was nothing compared to this morning. I stumbled downstairs, and called the dentist to cancel Olivia's appointment. I somehow got back up the stairs, and spent the next 4 hours watching the room spin by. (And stumbling to the bathroom) By noon I was able to walk, and called my doctor. Her office was closed until 1pm, so I left a message. Let's see, it's now 7pm, so I guess I won't be hearing from her today. We skipped school, since I was only barely functional. I did manage to clean the bathroom, and broil some chicken for dinner.

There you have it. My exciting week. Please pray it gets less exciting. I really don't think I can handle another morning like that.

The results are in...

And I'm not crazy, I just don't sleep right. I got a call from my doctor last night. The sleep study results came in, and it appears that my brain has forgotten how to sleep. (Assuming it once knew how) According to the study, I don't cycle through the sleep stages in a way that would provide restorative sleep. Every time I moved into the deep sleep stage, (Delta sleep), it only lasted a minute, then I popped right back to the lighter level. My doctor says that the Delta stages are when your body restores itself, and your brain processes all it learned that day. No wonder I've been such an airhead, lately. I'm seriously sleep deprived! She wants me to try taking 2 Benedryl every night before bed. The hope is that by sedating myself, my brain will get some restorative sleep. She said I should expect to continue to feel badly because I have a huge sleep debt at this point. In theory, when I go off the medicine in 2 weeks, my brain will have remembered how to sleep. I hope this works, because if it doesn't she's sending me to a sleep psychologist. That doesn't sound fun. She referred to it as sleep boot camp, where he will prescribe all sorts of lifestyle changes that will make my life miserable. It's a relief to know there's a reasonable explanation for my fatigue. I was starting to think I was either nuts, or a whiner. I wondered if everyone felt like this, and I was just lazy or something. It's nice to know that there is a reason behind my fatigue. I also felt good, because she said she's amazed that I can function like a normal person given my sleep patterns. Well, I don't know how normal I am, but I guess I manage to do OK for myself. Please pray the Benedryl works, and my brain can figure this sleep thing out. I really don't want to go to sleep boot camp!

Brotherly Love

Rachel came home from Theater Group in quite a huff. I alternate driving with another mom in the group. This was Rachel's second time driving with the other family. She was not happy. Apparently the little sister, who Rachel sat next to in the car, was quite annoying. According to Rachel, the little girl was very loud the whole time. Rachel says she yelled in her ear most of the ride. I can't blame her for being annoyed by that. Alex was outraged when he heard about the little girl's actions. My little man is very black and white about how people should behave, although he makes exceptions for his own behavior. After hearing about her awful experience, Alex said, "That's it! No one yells in my sister's ear!"
Then he added "Except me!"

10 years ago today

My firstborn daughter was born. At 8:12pm, after 28 hours of waiting (and pain), Rachel came into the world. She was born with a full head of black hair, and was the most beautiful baby I ever laid eyes on. I remember the shock and awe that I was actually somebody's mother. It seemed so strange to me. By the time we left the hospital 2 days later, I was convinced she was also the most intelligent baby ever born. I mean, look how well she took to nursing. I remember my husband cautioning me that it may have been instinct, but I didn't believe it for a second. She continued to amaze and delight me as she grew. She became a big sister twice over, and wears the title well. Rachel is a genuinely kindhearted person. She loves to make little cards for people, and pick out the perfect present. She takes joy in making other people happy. In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been 10 years already. On the other hand, it's difficult to remember what I did before she made me a mommy. My sweet, little, baby girl is really growing up. I know I'm truly blessed to be her Mom.

The Sleep Study

Well, the sleep study didn't turn out to be the rip, roaring, good time I had anticipated. I was supposed to get there at 9:00 pm. I was a few minutes late, and then had to deal with some paperwork. Much to my husband's relief, both the techs were female. He was very worried that some man would be watching me sleep! Kinda cute, him worrying like that. After the first round of paperwork, I got in my jammies. The tech then had me sit in a chair while I was hooked up to all sorts of wires. I had wires glued to my head, my legs, and my face. By the time this was all done it was 10:20. I then had a bunch of questionnaires to fill out. When I finished it was 10:45. The lights have to be out by 11:00, so I had a grand total of fifteen minutes to read! Not exactly my exciting plan for the night. At 11:00 the tech came back and hooked my wires up to the monitors. She then had to test the set-up by having me lift a leg, bite down, look up, etc...., while she watched the monitors in another room. I was allowed to watch TV, but I was so tired, and I knew they were going to get me up at 6am, so I just tried to sleep. Then I tried some more. It wasn't easy. I finally decided to think about my cat. It seemed like a boring enough subject to put me to sleep. (No offense, to Hannah my cat) It must have worked, because the next thing I knew the tech came in to readjust the wires on my head. I found out in the morning that it was 4am when she came in. I had trouble going back to sleep, so I thought about my cat some more. I awoke at 6am, and a few minutes later the tech came in to take all the wires off. She wasn't allowed to tell me anything, other than whether there were any respiratory incidents. She didn't see any, meaning I didn't stop breathing while I slept. That sounds like a good thing, but I was somewhat disappointed. If that is the problem, it seems like an easy fix. So I'm stuck waiting 10-14 days for my doctor to get the report. I was walked out, and given a voucher for the hospital cafeteria. No thanks...I was so tired. I couldn't believe how much traffic there was at that hour. I headed straight home, and put my PJs back on, and went to sleep for a few more hours. I'm hoping they find something to explain my constant exhaustion. It may just be that this is the thorn in my side. If that's the case, I guess I can live with that. I have been for so long, anyway.

My big night out

Tomorrow night I'm going out on the town, all by myself. Well, I may be exaggerating a little. I'm spending the night at a sleep lab. I went to my doctor for a physical on Thursday. I had some concerns about things going on with me, but was quite surprised by the doctor's opinion. She is convinced that I have a sleep disorder. In fact, she said she would be shocked if my results are normal. Here's the thing, I am tired ALL the time. I have been as long as I can remember. I wake up tired, I'm tired all day. This has been my normal existence since I was a teen. I've complained about this to doctors for 20 years. I've always been told things like: get more sleep, eat better, slow down, and you have kids what do you expect. Well, according to my doctor, it's not normal to sleep 8-9 hours and wake up exhausted. Who knew? It's normal to me. I've always felt this way. She thinks, that while I appear to be sleeping, my brain isn't getting restorative sleep. It may be apnea, or restless limbs, or a few other issues. She basically thinks my brain hasn't had a good night's sleep in 20 years. (Which would explain, alot!) So, I'm excited about this for 2 reasons. The first is the possibility that I may someday wake up and not be tired! It seems like a pipe dream, and I've come to accept that this is just the way I am, but maybe there's more to the story. Maybe one day soon, I'll actually feel rested for once. The other reason for my excitement is a little on the pathetic side. I'm really looking forward to a night alone with a good book. I'm told the room is very nice. It has a large comfy bed, a flat screen TV and is very homey. I won't be called by any children, the entire night! Apart from the monitors and the cameras watching me, it sounds very relaxing. I'll let you know how I make out.

This has to mean something...

I just don't know what. I had a very strange and vivid dream a few nights ago. It was 3am, (in my dream), and I was yelling at the kids to get to sleep...we have to get up in 3 hours. Why were the kids still up? Why was I still up? I don't know. Suddenly Rachel asks what's going on outside. I look out the window and notice a crowd has gathered in the street around my house. In my dream they were neighbors, although I've never laid eyes on any of these people before. They're all milling about. Then there's a knock at my door. There are a group of government people at the door. The leader, a fifty-something woman with short, sandy, blond hair, hands me a document. (She looked suspiciously like Hillary.) I was informed that some potassium capsules that the government had placed in the surrounding mines were missing. (Just for the record there are no mines that I'm aware of in this area. And why would the government put capsules in mines, anyway?) I noticed lights in the woods, as the government agents searched the mines. I was told that my house was to be searched immediately. I protested, "It's three o'clock in the morning, we have to get up in three hours!" No one seemed to care. My husband let them in, and they proceeded to ransack my house looking for the missing capsules. They were insisting that my children had taken them from the mines. They were dumping out Legos like crazy. I just kept repeating my objection, "It's 3 o'clock in the morning!" No one cared. The neighbors are looking in my windows. I'm freaking out, but everyone else was calm as could be. After trashing the kids' rooms, the government retreated to the woods. That's when I realize that the reason we need to get up in three hours is because we're leaving for Disney in the morning. Oh, no! I forgot to pack! Now I'll never get any sleep. I started to cry, and then I woke up. Boy, was I glad to realize it was all a bad dream. So what does it all mean?? Keep in mind that I live in a blue state, where it's pretty accepted that we need the government to "help" us out. Do I have some deep-seated fear of the gov't? Or is it just Hillary in charge that I fear?