Back to school!!!

We actually started back to school on September 8th. That was a couple weeks later than I usually start, but let me tell ya.......I was really nervous about this year. I was just overwhelmed with figuring out how to best meet all the needs of my children, and I wasn't sure how it was all going to work. So I gave my self extra time to get my brain wrapped around our new curriculum, and to do some major modifications to our home and schedule. I'm really excited to tell you about that in a later post because I've seen TREMENDOUS improvement with both my ADHD-ers.

But I thought I'd share something fun we did this year to get everyone excited about our first day. We added another student to our "school" this year, and she was just thrilled and delighted to be starting Kindergarten!! So on the night before we began, we had a "BACK-TO-SCHOOL PARTY."

Now, lest you think I put hours and hours of planning into this, let me just put your mind at ease. This was just a tiny soiree in our schoolroom/dining area that involved only our family. But the children got so into it, and we just had fun together. Here are the little details:

BACK-TO-SCHOOL PARTY

Menu: Tuna and cheese sandwiches (because Tuna travel in "schools")

Alphabet Soup

Watermelon

Games: Be the first to spell your name from the letters in your soup, and

scavenger hunt for markers that mommy hid through-out the house.

Decorations: I didn't really go all out with this because of a lack of time, but I did

use our tins of markers, and pencils, and pens as centerpieces.

Dessert: "Schoolhouse" Cake

I did actually have a pattern to make this and it went together so quickly. The children

were so excited about this cake.

It wasn't a big 'ol stressful deal to put this together, but it did a lot to help me have fun

with it and get into a great frame of mind for starting another schoolyear. The children enjoyed

it too......

Friday's Fabulous Family Recipe

Crock-Pot Chicken De-Lish

Okay, so just to warn you ahead of time, the pictures for this dish are not the greatest.

They look kinda gross if you ask me, but for some reason, I didn't get great shots of this.

But let me just say that it is so AMAZING!!! YUM!!!

Oh yes, and this is the recipe as it is written, but I doubled it and it fits in my 5-quart crock pot just perfectly!

1 - 6 ounce package chicken flavor stuffing mix

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I left these out)

1 medium red or green sweet pepper,

cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 chopped onion

1 - 10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup

1. Prepare stuffing mix according to package instructions, EXCEPT

REDUCE WATER TO 1/2 CUP. (Stuffing will not be completely moistened.)

Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, zucchini, pepper and onion.

Stir in soup.

3. In a 3 1/2, 4 or 5 quart crock pot, place half the chicken-veggie mixture;

top with half of the stuffing. Repeat layers.

4. Cover. Cook on low setting for 5-6 hours or on high setting fo 2 1/2 -3 hours.

Makes 6 HEAVENLY servings.

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this recipe. It's like Thanksgiving in a crock-pot!!

Terrific, hearty comfort food for fall!!! I love to chop everything up on Saturday night,

throw it together on Sunday morning, and come home after church to the delicious aroma of this

dish warming in the kitchen!!!!

Some more updates.....

Back in August, I posted about my war with allergies.

I thought someone who might be following this little problem might be

interested to know how my strategy is working.

Well, let me just say......EUREKA!!

It seems to me that this little theory about getting a jump on allergy season

by getting your medications into your system BEFORE the season starts is the KEY!!

I started my medications (Rhinocort Aqua Nasal Spray and Generic Zyrtec) on August 1st.

I have been faithfully watching the ragweed pollen counts in our area go from

8 grains psi in August

to over 400 grains psi in September

with only minor discomfort.

Now I must admit that two weekends ago, I did start feeling that prickly, burning itching on my face and in my eyes, and had people mention that I sounded a little congested to them.

That has become my personal red flag that there is an infection beginning that is blocking

the ability of my antihistamines from being able to fully work properly for me.

Fortunately, I had two days worth of antibiotic left over from my last sinus/eye infection/allergy

problem back in February, and I tried taking it to see if it made a difference.

The itching, prickly, burning went away, and I've had no other major

issues since then, even though the pollen counts are still sky high!!!

I did also add an OTC eye allergy drop and it has helped me tremendously.

I hadn't ever seen this particular product before (Wal-Mart brand of Claritin 12-hour eye drops) and so far it works great

and is much cheaper than my prescription eye drops (Pataday).

One last tip: Last year my husband decided to try the "Filtrete" air conditioning filters

that are supposed to be really great at trapping airborne allergens in the air in your house.

I was a little skeptical, but I have actually noticed that that has helped me too. We've tried to be better about changing that out about once a month, and compared to other filters we have tried, this seems to be much better.

How are you faring this allergy season? How have you found that you can best manage your allergies?

So, what do you think?

I thought that since summer is over (though it's still warm here in Texas), it is time to fold up and put away the summer flip-flop background and try something new. What do you think? Most of the fellows who read through my blog (though I would say there are only a hand-full of you out there) probably won't be excited about the flowers and such. I can understand that. But what about the rest of you? Should I go with this more seasonally appropropriate looking vintage shoe or should I go back to the flip-flops? This is also a test for those of you who do actually read this to see if you know how to leave a comment. I love comments, but I rarely get more than one at a time if any at all. So, come on......leave me a comment.......what do you think about the new look? Yes? No?

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!

Today was Ashlyn's 3rd visit to her endocrinologist since her diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes
in February. I was really sweating it this time because we've had such a time trying to keep
her blood sugar within normal range since we switched over to using
"insulin-to-carb ratios". For the last two months or so, her numbers have been
consistently high, so I was afraid that her A1C would be high this time.
I was nervous that maybe the doctor would frown on us and wonder if we
had actually learned anything in the class we took in June, or if
he would scold us for not making enough adjustments to her insulin amounts.
I don't know why I was thinking these things, but I guess that's just part
of having a child with a disease like this where you are basically keeping her alive
by the quality of the care you give her.

Her A1C level in March: 10.2
Her A1C level in July: 7.7
Her A1C level today: 7.5

BOO-YAH!!!

I just couldn't believe it! I was "high-fivin" the nurse, and laughing like I'd won the lottery.
The doctor reassured me that she had had enough good numbers mixed into all the
high ones to help her to get such a great reading today!!!
Needless to say, I was so relieved!!

The big surprise though was her weight!

Her weight in July: 54 lbs.
Her weight today: 72 lbs.

Ummm...yeah.....that's a whopping 18 pounds in 2.5 months!! But the doctor said that she is still just below the 50th percentile for her age, so I'm so glad we're getting her weight back to healthy levels!!! In July she had been so sick for one week and then went to summer church camp the following week, which is why her weight was low at the last visit.

Since her blood glucose readings have been on the high side across the board for over a week
now, the doctor did recommend several changes in her insulin levels. We're going up to
9 units of Lantus,
changing her correction scale from 1 unit at 250 to 1 unit at 200
with a unit for every 50 over 200,
and jumping from a dinner ratio of 1:16 to 1:13.
This seems like a lot of change and much more insulin than we've ever done,
but the doctor said she's out of her "honeymoon" phase now.
Kinda sad about that.
To me, it means that that is it......it's final......her pancreas is completely gone now.
Sigh.

Retreat.....

Main Entry: ¹re·treat

Pronunciation: \ri-ˈtrēt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English retret, from Anglo-French retrait, from past participle of retraire to withdraw, from Latin retrahere, from re- + trahere to draw

Date: 14th century

1 a (1) : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable (2) : the process of receding from a position or state attained b (1) : the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position (2) : a signal for retreating c (1) : a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony (2) : a military flag-lowering ceremony
2 : a place of privacy or safety : refuge
3 : a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

"And he (Jesus) said unto them (his disciples),

'Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while:'

for there were many coming and going,

and they had no leisure so much as to eat."

Mark 6:31

As a busy mommy, I often have days like the disciples had that day. I often don't have a chance to sit down and eat before my children have finished and are up and at it again. Some days I realize in the middle of the afternoon or around dinner time that I haven't even had a minute to get to the bathroom. Motherhood is incredibly demanding and exhausting. So this past summer, when my husband came home from spending the week with our two oldest girls at summer camp, and told me he wanted me to go to our church's Ladies Retreat in September, you can imagine how delighted I was!! It had been 4 babies ago that I was able to leave all the children and get away for a couple days. My husband took the week off of work so I wouldn't have to worry about arranging for child care for our 6 children. He should get the "Father-of-the-year Award!" He does in my house anyway!!!

I think it's important that we figure out a way to get our rest.....to retreat from the demands around us and just rest in the quiet peace that only our Lord can give us.

We were challenged by the speaker to make our quiet time with the Lord our PRIORITY for the day. With small children that is SUCH a challenge. It's so difficult sometimes to figure out just how early is early ENOUGH to get up before little ones. If I try to find that quiet time at any other time of my day, it somehow alludes me. So morning is the best time for me.

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord:

in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee,

and will look up."

Psalm 5:3

I'm not always successful at being consistent with this endeavor, but I'm trying to take little steps at a time to make this discipline a reality every day!! It's where I can find strength and peacefulness in the chaos of my everyday. The Lord reminds me of His presence with me as I go through the day. He gives me that internal compass, that purpose for what I'm doing at home with all my children.

I thought you might enjoy a peek into the loveliness that was my retreat this past weekend.

Reflecting.........

On this first day of Autumn, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, and this lady's post for yesterday (September 21st) practically defines MY blog!! It is written by a mother of 15 children who I do not know personally, but I feel we have similar visions for our families. I hope you'll take a minute to read it.....it's worth the visit. Read her blog post HERE.