Random things from September!

This is just me and my Little Man.  He brings me such joy!  Life is never dull when he is around!

Our church sponsors monthly dances for youth 14 - 18 years old. They are so much fun!  I try to attend with them as much as possible.  It's so fun to see the girls dance and have fun together.  My Lovely Daughter "Supergirl" does not even mind if I dance with them.

 This is just a cute pic of my Little Man! Ya gotta love those chubby cheeks!!

As a class this is the last semester we will be together. We about 25 of us went out to dinner at an adorable restaurant in the next town.  The food was pricey but delicious and the atmosphere was quaint but fun. These two girls have made my pharmacy life a pleasure.  We have laughed together, spent endless hours in the library studying together and supporting each other.  I love them so much!!

JDRF walk with my Type 1 diabetic

It has been almost exactly 1 year since my Little Angel was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  It has been a life changing experience for everyone!  But she has been amazing and inspires me daily! 

She requested that we volunteer for JDRF.  We had a great time!  It was fun for her to meet other kids with T1D and see the support offered for finding a cure.

They had several fun activities - this bubble pit was SO MUCH FUN!!  There were free snacks, face painting, a variety of booths and a couple of bouncy house.

The DJ was awesome! He let the Little Angel wear his headphones and play with is keyboard. It made her day!

It is not often that Little Angel is around someone who is a type 1 diabetic, but this experience with JDRF has uplifted her spirit in a way that I cannot describe.  I am so thankful for being able to volunteer with her and share the experience.  I am very blessed to share her journey!

Many things...

Since the last post many things have changed:
1. Pharmacy school - even part time is busy and tough!
2. My two youngest children are now being home schooled for a variety of difficult issues. Which leaves just one in public school.
3. Because of #2 my X has to stay with the kids a majority of the time. He has to teach them and help keep them on track with their studies. This means that I rarely get to see them.  Which is the absolute worst!!  It is what is needed at this point in time but I hate it!!
4. Found job for next summer when we move the kids back home. Yippee!!  I will be a pharmacy intern with Walgreen's.
5. I was speaking to a leader from my church about co-parenting and he said just because we share custody and time with the kids, it does not constitute co-parenting.  He is counselor by profession and he said co-parenting means that you work together to maintain a mutual parenting plan.  This is true. At one point when I stayed with the kids I expected them to do things as we always had but when it was his week, he would say "That's how mom does it." When that started I knew things were headed in the wrong direction.  The church leader gave me a kick in the right direction, I talk with the X and we did come up with some agreed upon rules for the house and kids. This has really helped everything go smoother.  I am still going to have to work on this.

I am struggling with not being with the kids.....it is such a heartache! But the Lord is continually blessing my every footstep without His hand in my life, the burden would be too great.

Back to school - Heros!

The kids started school last week and I started on Monday.  Pharmacy school just kicks you right back into the thick of things quickly.  We had our first quiz this morning, the 4th day of school. I am feeling a little overwhelmed but I have a super easy semester!  I am only going half time because I have to make up a class.  I was very disappointed at first but now I have adjusted to the situation.

My little angel just does not enjoy going to school. She worries about going to the point that she is in a bad mood most of the time. She does an amazing job at school. She has lots of friends and does well in her studies.  She just does not want to leave the house.

My little guy has had a hard week adjusting to the all day kindergarten.  We have had a few tears but he has been very brave!  His teacher is nice but a little strict.  He loves to be at school with his friends and he enjoys learning.

My little man has done a  great job adjusting to the 7th grade.  He is an Autism Spectrum Disorder kid.  I worry about him attending school and how he deals with the kids.  But he does amazingly well.  He is very responsible and gets his homework done.  I just love his spirit and kind heart.

We all have our own struggles but we all push through.  My kids are my favorite people and definitely my heros!!

Last of the summer fun!

We finished up summer shopping for back to school clothes in the city.  It was a great day! My oldest son came and hung out with us while we shopped. We don't see him often due to work and school but when we do it is a great time!

 After shopping we stopped for ice cream.

 I have been wanting to do a family pyramid for a while and we finally did it last week.  The challenge was try to get a picture of it.  This was as good as it gets. So much fun!!

This was us doing a family stack!  It was a mess.  Still fun though! I was super squished. The little angle was the only face we can't see very well. We may have to try this one again.

Co-parenting - Affects my job!

I am a pharmacy student and I am going to work part time this fall.  My place of employment asked me to turn in my schedule and availability for the fall. I printed my schedule, looked at the calendar and planned for holidays, worked in enough time for studying but I did not take into account the fact that on my weeks I have to pick the kids up from school.  This totally slipped my mind. School for the kids starts this week and I am scheduled for an afternoon shift for the first day of school. I was just not thinking when I was planning this fall.  My X has always been here to pick up the kids and I never had to think about it.  Now I have to get my act together and get my schedule adjusted so I can be there to pick my kids up from school.  

This first year of co-parenting will involve becoming aware of different needs my family has and adjusting to them.  I am grateful for this year to finish school and balance out some of the kinks involved in the first year of a divorce.

Update- I had a chance to talk to the kids about how they felt things were going.  I asked if they were happy, if they felt as though things were normal, and their happiness level.  Everything seems to be going really well! No one felt things were very different.  Everyone expressed they were comfortable and happy.  So good, so far. 

These are just a couple of random pics from last summer. They turned out really cute!! I am going to try harder to take more pictures.

That darn tooth!

I have had a painful tooth for a few months.  It was sometime so painful I could not sleep.  The tooth had become so sensitive I was cautious about everything that went into my mouth.  Everything caused it to ache - hot, cold, pressure, and exercise for some reason caused it to be uncomfortable.  I have been through several bottles of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, just to maintain normal daily activities.  

But today I went to the dentist and had the tooth removed.  It is still a little numb but I already feel much better.  It is so great not to be in pain!!!  I am still plagued by the habits of dealing with the painful tooth,  I still tip my head to keep cold drinks away from the absent tooth.  It is pretty comical.

I was extremely nervous about my visit to the dentist.  My anxiety level was super high!  I had a good friend offer me a blessing.  During the blessing he said a host of angels would buoy me up and I would be calm during my procedure. He also said I would not have complications and would have a positive outcome.  It was truly a miracle!  The entire time of my appointment I was able to be calm and to help keep myself relaxed.  I was sure my gag reflex was going to be terrible but I did not have a single issue with it except when he was putting in the stitches.  The entire experience as a true joy and I was very blessed!

Thanks so much - Dr. D - You are the best!!!!!