Bloggy Giveaway!!!

My very first Blogging Contest!!! I'm pretty excited...and I hope you are too. I'm giving away a book that I discovered at the bookstore...it was on sale, and hey I'm cheap!! and I thought maybe I needed a little joy!!! I seem to be lacking joy and happiness...I get too wrapped up in my own little world and forget to look at all the GOOD in my life. Maybe you do, too?? Anyway, I bought the book and brought it home, and it's been sitting on the shelf for a while. I do that a lot, don't you??

Then, a few months later I made another trip to the bookstore and lo and behold, "oh cool, I think I could learn something from that book, and it's cheap!!" I get home and I put my "new" book on the shelf....right next to the SAME book that I had bought earlier and forgot all about. Sooooo, I now have 2 copies of the same book....so NOW I Get to "Giveaway" a book that can give you a little perspective in getting your joy/happiness back.

I've been reading it while in the bathroom (ya know that is the only place to read if you want peace and quiet!!)and I have been getting some of my perspective back and seeing things from God's point of view, using humor and some great story telling. Not only have I been getting some new and improved perspective, I've been gaining some joy and happiness!




So if you need some joy and happiness and would like to enter my little contest and then receive my "extra copy" of this little book then leave me a comment and on Friday night sometime before midnight, Central time I'll choose a comment and send you the book via USPS, next week!!

Type "A" Personalities

I just realized tonight what I should have been able to figure out over the past 4+ years; That Other Kid is a very powerful Type A personality and I don't do Type A well. Therefore, we clash in nearly every way possible.

Most Type A personalities -- especially males don't "do" authority well and last I checked moms are supposed to have authority over their kids and help guide and direct them "in the way that they should go". There you go....C.L.A.S.H. and butt heads and mom ends up exhausted after just the most typical day.

When you give a Type A personality to a little boy that has excessive energy and above average intelligence to the equation of a mom who has been suffering with sinus infections and various illnesses over the past 9 months what you end up with a tired, frustrated mom and a bored, frustrated little boy.

This week I'm going to work on helping him to burn all his energy...I am signing him up for Lil Dragon Karate classes. My goal for sending him to this class will be 2-fold, burn energy and help him to be more self-controlled. I'm not holding my breathe, but I am hoping!!

I'm also going to have That Kid take him ice skating this week to practice skating, since he is starting to get frustrated in his "hockey skate class". He is still skating slow, although he is precise and exact (Type A), he wants and needs to skate faster if he wants to take the "stick and puck hockey class" next session which will begin in June. Hopefully, extra practice with big brother will be just what the student needs! And if not, at least he'll get some extra energy burning exercise this week outside of the house....

On Being Fat....

I hate being soooooo overweight.

I tried to go for a walk with That Other Kid this afternoon, cuz it was such a lovely day. So it's about 85 degrees and nice little breeze, basically a perfect day to spend outside. I step outside and help him guide his bike down the sidewalk. So far, so good. He turns the bike so that he's riding down the sidewalk and he's going along at a sloooooow clip and I can't keep up. I'm winded before I get to the end of the block....and we live two-thirds of the way down the street! I am hot and sweaty by the time I manage to make it back around the block. All I want to do now is take a nice cool shower and get in bed. I'm wasted. I can't believe walking around the block has exhausted me so much...

Maybe my sinus problems and the deviated septum are causing me more complications in breathing than even I thought. Or maybe I'm just soooo stinkin' fat I can't walk around the block without being tired. I think it's time to start making some dietary changes in my life and start hitting the gym and at least slowly walking on the treadmill, so I can at least walk around the block without being wasted next time That Other Kid wants to take a bike ride.

Dad and the Radiation Doctor

Got an email tonight from my mom...dad has an appointment with the doctor that will order his radiation treatments Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. Please pray for a favorable report and quick execution of the treatments to begin....I want this colon cancer to be past us and I'm sure he does too!

A Whole New World of Food Choices....

were available for me to purchase tonight as I ran to the grocery store for a quick trip. See That Other Kid was out of Apple Juice and he loves his juice in the morning. Up until a month or so again I gave it to him day and night, and didn't really think about it too much...I rationalized that he has to have calcium and this is his only way of getting it what with all the food allergies and all. Of course this was before the $500 + trip to the dentist!!! Now he gets his juice only in the daytime hours....

So anyway I went to the grocery store to buy his juice and pick up a few other things that we needed or wanted as the case was....I walked out spending $71 for a quick trip so I guess I did ok!

Well look at all the cool stuff That Other Kid can eat NOW!!! I'm so excited for him!! I can't wait to introduce him to the joys of "real" bread. Cereal that he probably shouldn't have, but is fun to eat occasionally, and what is a day without Bisquick....I know, I know it's all processed and he's probably better off without it but the joy of eating what a "normal" kid can eat will be soooo exciting for him.

I still can't give him milk or eggs, so I still read the ingredients of everything I bought but OMG look at all the choices!!

Frustrations Abound

How do you deal with children that have NO regard to your authority? I want to run and scream and act like a child...I mean that's how they are acting....why can't I??? I'm the one that is being treated like trash around here, but they are the ones getting away with all manner of disobedience.

I have always tried to be fair and reasonable in dealing with my boys when it comes to discipline, punishment, and responsibilities. I am the one in the family that handles the majority of the parenting responsibilities. Unless things get WAY out of control dh doesn't get involved. So why am I getting all the abuse??? Maybe it's because I am the one that does it all...maybe it's because I'm the one that has soooooo much daily contact with them, who knows....All I do know is that I'm going through an abundance of frustration because of the way these boys are acting. I'm tired of dealing with their constant disregard to my authority. I'm tired of it all...what's a mom to do?? I haven't changed over the years, that much. With the exception of gaining unmentioned amounts of weight, that is.

I'm tired of it....will ya please pray for me???? I'm so emotionally exhausted from the day to day dealings with these 2 boys that I dearly love, but I can't keep going like this....I just can't!

I hope this makes sense, but if it doesn't maybe you'll pray that my next post will make more sense!

Thanks for your prayers....

News to Report

Well it's been a couple of days since I gave you my medical report and I'm happy to report that my sinus cavities seem to be improving at least in as much as I'm not snoring as loudly and as obnoxiously!
I have been doing my nasal wash and although it is rather unpleasant it does seem to be helping. I still have bad headaches and sinus pressure, but I do seem to be improving this time. I am grateful for the ENT who was able to diagnose me with something other than just allergies as the regular doctor was telling me! I just have to do this for 4 weeks before I can get more answers....

In other news of the day -- I bought That Other Kid some additional GeoTrax train pieces last night which happily occupied a good part of his day, as well as mine, since I had to build new configurations of the tracks several times over! Finally, I told him this was the last one I was going to build and he could change it by himself, should he want a different configuration. A few minutes later I walked in and he WAS BUILDING it another way, this time adding a BUNCH of the tracks that he previously owned! Now the tracks take up a good portion of our den/playroom....well at least it hasn't spread to the living room!

By the way, if you are looking for a great train system for your "rough and tumble boy" than I highly recommend the GeoTrax system. I discovered that the wooden ones tend to break when they are abused by a "rough and tumble" little boy! Go Fisher-Price!!!

Oh yeah, one more thing....Did you know that a cell phone is NOT designed to be washed in a washing machine???? I now have first hand experience from this theory....don't ask!! The bright side I have a new cell phone and it's kinda cool! Now I have to go play with my new phone so I'll know how it's new features work....