RAD Posts Relocated!

Hi, everyone. I've created a new private blog, entitled My Life is RADical. This is where I will be continuing with the chronicles of my life as the mom of a child with RAD. If you would like to view my new blog, I will need to authorize you to do so. Please leave a comment with your name and e-mail address (my comments are moderated right now, so only I will have access to your e-mail address) after you've read this post and I'll get you connected as soon as possible.

PLEASE COME OUT OF THE WOODWORK! It is likely that I will not turn you away.

Hope to have you visit soon!

My Kid is RAD - Part 7

I had continued to write about my life experience on this topic, and it was posted on my blog for several hours today, so some of you may have actually read it. However, I've deleted this post for the time being. I'm sorry to those of you who've come here today to check out my latest RAD post and instead you've found this rambling.

Due to a comment left by a fellow blogger, I'm seriously reconsidering whether or not I should continue with posting on this topic. Unfortunately, there may be those of you who will think less of me for revealing what my life has been like in the past. My life has not been a bowl of cherries. And I'm not ashamed to admit that. My personal agenda for blogging is first for myself (because I LOVE to write), and secondly, in the case of my RAD posts in particular, it's to educate people about RAD through the eyes of someone who has actually experienced it in their life.

I'd really appreciate comments from all of my regular readers as to whether or not you believe me to be exploiting my stepson in any way by sharing my personal experience. Exploiting him is not, and never has been, my intention in writing on this topic. It was meant to be a healing tool for me. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. Maybe I should just stop with these posts and give up trying to explain myself (again).

I certainly do not want to hurt anyone in the process of sharing my story, especially my family.

If I have offended anyone with my brutal honesty, I am sorry.

I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Thank you!
-Kimmy

My Life is an Open Book

A potentially life-altering decision has been eating away at me for quite some time now. It's something that, if pursued, would affect my entire family, but mostly, it would affect me. It's usually something I want; but sometimes it's something I don't want. It's something I would ultimately consider a blessing, but others would consider a burden. It's a decision that Wayne and I must make together because it would affect both of us greatly.

Because this "something" has been on our minds so much without a clear decision in sight, several weeks ago I asked God to take away my desire for this "something", if it wasn't part of His plan for us. I finally gave Him total and complete control over my emotions surrounding this decision. And I am happy, yet a bit sad, to report, that my desire for this "something" seems to decreasing more and more each day. Without this potential something taking up a large portion of my thought life, I have to wonder what I'm to fill that part of my brain with now? I believe that my heart and soul will be at peace over this matter by the time summer is over. And I'm thankful for that. But there is a part of me that will grieve over "what could have been."

I know I've been ambiguous about what this "something" is, but I'm not ready to reveal it just yet. Some intuitive minds out there may have already figured it out, but for the rest of you I'm leaving you in the dark.

Life feels overwhelming to me at the moment. Partly because of the "something" that's been consuming my thoughts, but also, other life issues as well. As I've shared in previous posts, it seems like since we moved to the acreage, we've had one financial setback after another, mostly due to things breaking down and requiring repairs. I keep asking myself when this will end? But then I'm reminded of the fact that this is how our life was before we moved here (to some degree), so why should I expect it to be any different now?

I'm struggling with whether or not I should pursue consistent employment, or if I should just wait out the storm that we seem to be in . . . I love my substitute Educational Assistant/substitute Secretary job at our school, but there is no consistency with the number of days I work each month. In March I worked 2 days; in April I worked 0 days; and in May I've worked 7 days so far. That only leaves June and then summer holidays start.

I'm trying desperately to leave this in the hands of the Father. But it's hard for me to trust Him sometimes. Wayne and I strongly believe in the importance of my being at home for the boys--getting them off to school and being here when they get home. With Wayne's shift work, the boys already see less of their dad than we'd all like, and to put them into a situation where they see their other parent less as well isn't ideal. My best friend keeps questioning me, "How are you doing this? How can you live off of just Wayne's income?" She and her husband both work and yet they find it difficult to make ends meet. My reply to her usually is: "I'm not sure, but somehow we are." That's true. Somehow, we make it. From month to month we get through. God is taking care of us. And I guess I need to keep trusting that He will in the future as well.

I often wonder why God gives us the struggles (financial), despite the fact that we are trying to honor Him in how we are parenting our children, by being available to them as much as possible. And because I don't work at a regular job with a consistent income, we have to make alterations to our spending, limiting some activities we'd like to participate in, and keep the mentality of living with less. I can live with less if it means my boys are being raised by my husband and I rather than a daycare provider. I can live with less if it means that I'm the first one to see my boys in the morning and the last one to tuck them in at night. They're worth it. But there are times that I wish I could breath a financial sigh of relief.

I know I shouldn't complain. And maybe I'm revealing too much. But I'm sure there are others of you out there who struggle with these same thoughts and feelings. We have it so good compared to families in many other parts of the world. I feel guilty because of the life I was born into and am now living.

God is working things out. I'm just unable to see the big picture. I often wish that God would hand me a book detailing my future. Then I'd be able to see the big picture more clearly. But I suppose that would leave little to my (vivid) imagination about what our future holds, whether it be the blessings or the trials that we may face in the days ahead.

Diet Coke Plus

Diet Coke Plus is a new formulation of Diet Coke fortified with vitamins and minerals. It is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, unlike regular Diet Coke which only contains aspartame. Diet Coke Plus was introduced in April 2007 in select areas for test marketing.

Each 8-ounce serving of Diet Coke Plus provides 25% of the daily value for niacin and vitamins B6 and B12, and 15% for zinc and magnesium. ^[1]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Okay, so it's going to be a while before this hits the shevles in Canada. Actually, it may never even arrive here. But are there any American bloggers out there who've tried this? I'd love to know if the original taste of Diet Coke has been compromised as a result of adding vitamins. I, for one, am willing to give it a try. Getting vitamins in my pop would be a definite plus! But it also seems kind of wrong.

The ABC's of Me

A - Attached or single? Attached. Very attached for the past 10 years. B - Best friend? Anita. We met at Bethany College when we were 18 and have been best friends ever since. She's nothing like me. But she's everything I need in a friend. C - Cake or pie? Hmmm . . . . that's a tough one for me. I think I'll have to say pie. Chocolate pie, with a pastry crust--NOT graham crumb based. And real whipped cream. Lots of whipped cream. Yummy! D - Drink of choice? Diet Coke (with a wedge of lemon and poured over crushed ice). A close runner-up is Goodhost Iced Tea, also over ice, but cubed, not crushed. E - Essential item? My Bible. F - Favorite color? Pink first; Black second; Blue third. G - Gummi bears or worms? Worms. Sour ones. H - Hometown? Borden, Saskatchewan, Canada. I - Indulgence? Dark chocolate in any form. But not the cheap stuff. I don't do cheap chocolate. J - January or February? February. I like February's birthstone better. Plus, it's when Valentine's Day arrives! K - Kids? Three boys, all challenging in their own way. Each unique. Each a blessing to me. L - Life is incomplete without? My dogs: Roca, B.J., Harpo and Alaska. M - Marriage date? May 17, 1997. We just celebrated 10 years of wedded grace. N - Number of siblings? Four older sisters--Lovella, Connie, Tammy & Holly. One younger brother--Scott. Four older brother-in-laws--Stephen, Doug, Bob & Mike. One younger sister-in-law--Mabel, a.k.a. Rain. O - Oranges or apples? Oranges. P - Phobia/fears? Mice. I HATE THEM! Q - Favorite quote? I love quotes. This is just one of many: "Trust is giving up what little I have in strength and power so I can confidently relax in His power and strength." ~ Gloria Gaither. R - Reasons to smile? Being a wife and mother. It's all I've ever really wanted in life. S - Season? Uhh . . . I'm afraid to reveal this, but my favorite is Winter. There. I said it. I prefer Winter to all other seasons. Why? Because I love snow; I love hoar frost; I prefer cooler temperatures. T - Tag three. Anyone . . . anyone . . . anyone. I'm not into tagging. But if you want to do this, be my guest! U - Unknown fact about me? I'm taller than than my husband, and I vowed I would never marry anyone shorter than me. V - Vegetarian or oppressor of animals? I like meat. I enjoy meat. My preferences are beef, chicken and pork. W - Worst habit? Eating more than I need to. I often keep eating even after I'm full. X - X-rays or ultrasounds? Both. X-rays to determine what was going on with my internal organs. Appendicitis was suspected, but it turned out to be major constipation. Ultrasounds to determine due dates, whether my baby was still alive (he was!) and just the routine ultrasounds to check out baby's progress at about 18 weeks. Y - Your favorite food? See sidebar for my 7 favorites. Chocolate is at the top of that list, but really, all 7 are my number one favourites. Z - Zodiac? Virgo. But I hate the zodiac. Can I change the "Z" category to Favorite ZOO animal? Okay. I will. It's a polar bear.

$19.95 Plus $.014 Plus $100.00 Equals One Happy Me!

Sorry for the delay in updating my blog . . . oh, I know it's only been 3 days. But that's a long time for me not to post something.

So, all my fuss and worry about how much our repairs were going to be this time around amounted to a whole lot of unnecessary griping. But at the time I needed to gripe, and I was actually relieved to hear back from other bloggers who reported that they too have had experiences such as mine. Thanks for all the encouragement!

The garden tractor required a part that was only $19.95. The quad was repaired for a whopping 14 cents. Without a doubt, God took care of us. Not to mention, my seven-year old, in the middle of Petland on Sunday after church, pulled out a $100 bill from his spring jacket pocket! Yes, you read right. A hundred dollars!

Mitchell doesn't like to wear his spring jacket, but due to the weather on Sunday, I made him. He'd rather wear a bunny hug if it's chilly outside. But several months ago, while the seasons were transitioning from winter to spring, he was wearing his spring jacket quite often. The way he tells it, a while back ("when we still had huge puddles in our yard"--probably in March sometime), while he was playing underneath our huge evergreen tree in front of the house, he found this $100 bill. He picked it up, folded it as small as he could get it and stuck it in his pocket. He was playing alone at the time and by the time he came in from outside, he had forgotten all about the money and didn't bother to tell me about his discovery until two months later.

When he handed me this money at Petland, my mouth dropped. At first I thought it was a joke and he just had play money. But I soon realized it was real and as he shared his story about how he found the money, I quickly grabbed it from him (by this time he had drawn a bit of a crowd) and tucked it safely away. Of course, suspicious me continued to pepper him with questions about how this money came into his possession. If you've been reading my RAD posts about my stepson, you'll understand why. If this would have been Thomas, Wayne and I would have immediately suspected that the money had been stolen. But Mitchell has never given us a reason not to trust him. We trust him completely. His story adds up. We just moved here in December, so who knows what was hidden underneath the tree prior to us living here.

Mitchell's found money helped pay for the parts we needed for the mower and the quad, water-softening salts, plus the crickets we were purchasing at Petland that day in order to feed our leopard geckos. Plus, we let Mitchell pick out something special for himself, just because of how generous he was to give us the money to use on everyday things. You know what they say about money: easy come, easy go.

In any case, Mitchell was the Hero of the Day!

Consider It Pure Joy

"Consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face trials of many kinds . . . " James 1:2

I'm trying. But failing.

This morning has been a trying time for me with my boys. Yesterday they had the day off from school. Today and tomorrow are their normal days off. And then Monday is a holiday. Normally I anticipate these long weekends with them, but for some reason I'm really struggling to be the best mom I can be right now. My patience level seems to be at an all-time low, and I apparently have little tolerance for mess at the moment. It seems that everywhere I turn, a mess surrounds me. And I just cleaned my house a couple of days ago. My thoughts of trying to maintain order were dismissed early this morning.

Yesterday our quad and riding mower/tiller/snow blower machine both broke down. We just bought the mower a week ago (used) and it's already giving us grief. It seems like we've been continually tested since we've moved to the acreage. First, our car broke down and required a new engine; next, our computer crashed and took a month to repair; then our sewage system gave us problems and we had to replace the pump and have been advised that we also require a whole new septic tank; we were denied the insurance claim for flooring in our basement due to the sewage backup, but we still have to remove the carpet and put in new flooring due to the damage; our dog required surgery to remove porcupine quills; and our quad and garden tractor have just broken down.

What this all adds up to is a lot of stress. Not to mention expenses that exceed our income. Sound familiar to any of you? I know I need to trust God to work this all out. He always does. But it's hard when you're in the midst of it and it seems like there's no way out.

I think my frustrations with the boys actually stem from the fact that I'm stressing out inside (about the broken down machinery, mostly), and it's playing itself out in the way I'm relating to them (and Wayne too). I'm praying for a peace that only God can bring me.

Paul wrote in Romans 7:15: "I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate." That verse pretty much sums up the way I'm feeling about myself today.

Mosquito Madness

It's only the middle of May and we already have a huge mosquito problem in our part of the world. We can't even go into our yard without first spraying down with mosquito repellent. It's quite annoying.

Yesterday afternoon I was planting my flowers outside and was literally being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The boys were helping me with the flowers, but really, their main concern was killing the mosquitoes that were attacking us! My legs are covered in red welts. I've got After Bite for them, but with the large quantity of bites I've got, it will take quite some time to cover them all. I'm going to use my Aveeno Anti-Itch Lotion instead. It will relieve me quite nicely. However, it contains calamine lotion, so my skin and clothing are going to turn orange from it. Oh well.

It appears that the insect world is growing rapidly in our yard. Yesterday I discovered about 15 new bugs that I've never seen before. I'm thinking to myself, what is this place? A breeding ground for insects? Well, I guess it sort of is.

I wasn't thrilled when I discovered my biggest fear (in the area of bugs) a couple of days ago. A tick. A tick was crawling around in my bra! Yuck! I hate them. I despise them. They can do some pretty nasty things to a human (or canine) body. I hope I never see another one again.

All I have to say to the insects is: QUIT BUGGING ME!

Happy Anniversary!

HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY!
I Love You!

Like Two Slant Trees

"Lean on me," he said, loving her weakness.

And she leaned hard, adoring his strength.

Like two slant trees, they grew together;

Their roots the wrong way for standing alone.

~Fred Cogswell~

Praise God!

I just returned from Mitchell's ball practice and while I was there, I was able to chat with Sharla's sister-in-law.

The infection is gone! Sharla is out of ICU and is slowly recuperating; doctors are hopeful for a complete recovery. However, a long road still lies ahead. Sharla is currently being weaned off of the sedatives she was on, and is suffering withdrawal symptoms. She will also require plastic surgery/skin grafting in order to repair her incision site. She was "opened up" five times in the last month, so it's going to take some time to make that part of her body normal again.

Thank you so much to any of you that were praying for this family . . . they are finally able to anticipate the day that their wife/mother/daughter/sister will actually be at home with her new baby. There was a time not so long ago that their dream of this happening didn't seem possible.

The Seven Wonders of Kimmy's World

Okay, so maybe they're not wonders. But these are seven things about me that you may or may not know.

I was tagged by E-mom (Chrysalis) for this meme. I'm not tagging anyone.

Here it goes:

1. I love polar bears. I collect anything with polar bears. My favorite is a crystal paperweight polar bear that my parents gave me when I graduated from Business College. I'm not sure how or when my fascination began with polar bears; I've just always loved them. I would love to travel somewhere, someday, to see them in their natural habitat. However, I am completely aware of how dangerous they are, so my plans to do this will likely not happen. Another dream I have related to polar bears is to receive a ring from my husband with a Polar Bear Diamond in it.

2. I have an obsession with names. I love to look through baby name books to search for the meanings of names. One of my favorite parts of having babies was choosing the name. I still think to myself, "If we had another baby, I'd like to name it . . . "

3. Speaking of names . . . my given name is Kimberly Renae. The "Kimmy" is kind of like a nickname that my family and closest friends call me. But . . . I was this close to being named Bobbi Jo. Thankfully, my parents allowed my four older sisters to give input on my name, and they voted for Kimberly instead of Bobbi Jo. Here's a tidbit for you trivia buffs out there . . . . I was born in the era of the television show, Petticoat Junction. That's where my parents got the Bobbi Jo idea from. And out of the three choices of Betty Jo, Billy Jo or Bobbi Jo (characters from the show), I would definitely choose Bobbi Jo. However, if I had been given the name Bobbi Jo, the "Jo" would have been deleted as soon as I had anything to say about it!

4. I'm sure you've already come to this conclusion just by the template I use on my blog, but I love the color pink. Anytime, anyplace, anything . . . bring on the pink.

5. When I was pregnant with Mitchell, I craved watermelon. I'd buy an entire Texas watermelon, cut it in half, get out my melon baller and eat straight out of the half I'd cut up. The next day I'd eat the other half. During my second pregnancy with Tyrone, I craved Salsa. My husband has now come up with the following descriptions for the boys, based on what their mother ate the most of while they were in the womb: Mitchell is "Sweet & Juicy". Tyrone is "Hot and Spicy".

6. When I was 10 years old, I won a contest at our local Library for blowing the biggest bubble with my gum. The bubble was 13 inches across and my prize was more gum and a book. The gum of choice for the contest was Hubba Bubba Original. I still love Hubba Bubba. It makes the best and biggest bubbles. When my boys get gum from their grandma, I always ask for some, just so that I can blow bubbles! I also like to "snap" my gum by blowing internal bubbles and then popping them inside my mouth. This creates a loud "snapping" sound and it drives Wayne crazy when I do it. My boys love it and always ask me to do it some more.

7. My favorite number is the number 7. That's why I left this piece of information about me as number seven on my list. Wayne and I were married on May 17, 1997, at 10:57 a.m. in the year 1997. Our reply date for the wedding invitations was May 7, 1997. We haven't had any children born with a 7 in their birth date, but that would have been totally cool.

THAT'S IT! I could write more, but that would mean betraying my number 7!

Brief Sharla Update

For those of you who've been praying for my neighbor Sharla, I just wanted to let you know that she's still holding on, and her kids were able to visit her on Mother's Day. She wasn't able to communicate clearly with them, but at least they got to see her. I think the kids are now more aware of the seriousness of their mom's condition. I'm sure it was extremely difficult for Sharla's husband to allow the children to see her. He's been trying to protect them from the reality of what's going on, but we all know that kids are very aware of stress in the home, no matter how hard we try to keep it from them.

Please keep praying. Thanks!

Worst Case Ever!

NOTE: In order for this part of the post to make sense, please scroll down to the picture and title just below this excerpt, entitled, "Poor Baby!".


Wayne just returned from the vet with Roca.

It's bad. The vet said in all of his years of being a vet, on a scale of 1 - 100, with 100 being the worst-case scenario of a dog's run-in with a porcupine (that he's ever witnessed), Roca's misfortune ranks at 100.

The quills were deeply embedded in Roca's throat, jaw, cheeks and tongue, not-to-mention all the quills that they had to pull out of his nose and snout. Because of the deep penetration of the quills, to the point of them not outwardly visible, but being felt through the skin, surgery had to be performed.

The vet's assistant said that if we had tried to deal with this ourselves, Roca would have been in so much pain that he would have killed us as we tried to help him.

Roca is now resting and will experience pain for the remainder of the week. He has antibiotics in pill form (I'm not sure how exactly we'll administer those to a dog whose mouth is completely wrecked at the moment). I'll say it again . . . my poor baby!

On the bright side (if you can call it a bright side), the vet is confident that this porcupine no longer lives. Roca likely killed it in the process. Unfortunately, the vet gives us no hope that either dog has "learned his lesson" from this experience. Another porcupine, another adventure. That's how the dogs will view a porcupine the next time they encounter one. I'm praying that will never happen again.

Poor Baby!

Roca has some explaining to do!

Last night we got home late from celebrating my nephew's graduation. We had a great time, but while we were gone, our poor dogs didn't have much to celebrate.

Apparently B.J. and Roca had an encounter with a porcupine. B.J. had approximately 20 porcupine quills in his nose and snout area, which were easily removable. However, Roca, as you can see from the picture above, didn't fare as well. Wayne and I attempted to remove the quills, but it was impossible. Poor dog. Because it was almost midnight when we got home, we couldn't do a whole lot about getting him to a vet last night.

I called a vet first thing this morning and Roca is currently having his porcupine quills removed. Wayne took him in. I am not coping too well with the thought of all the pain my poor doggy is going through. I just hope he's going to be okay.

I'm also hoping that B.J. and Roca have learned their lesson about the dangers of porcupines and not be so anxious to befriend them the next time they meet up with one!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you moms out there,
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
You are blessed to be called "Mom".

You've probably heard the following story before,
but I love it and wanted to share it with you.

We are sitting at lunch when my friend casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says, half joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully, keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on the weekend, no more spontaneous vacations..."

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in child birth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be forever vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking "What if that had been MY Child?" That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.

I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting, and she will think about her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my friend to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonalds will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years -- not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My friend's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the ways she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is always careful to powder the baby or never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my friend could sense the bond she'll feel with women throughout history who have tried desperately to stop war and prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real, it actually hurts.

My friend's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I say finally. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my friend's hand, and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. The blessed gift of God and that of being a Mother.

by Dale Hanson Bourke
Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul

Doing Better

Just a quick update to let you all know that I'm doing better emotionally and physically. I finally got a good night's sleep last night and my boys actually slept in too, which was a bonus!

The mayhem of life continues on, but I think I've overcome my hurdles of the week and can now focus on the week ahead without getting too stressed out.

I'm on a mission to clean my house today, which is long overdue. My goal is to get it all done, as well as a week's worth of laundry, but I'm already thinking that my goals for today may be a bit too lofty. I'll settle for cleaning half the house, doing half the laundry, and leave the rest of my work for Monday.

Thanks to all of you for your comments of concern and prayer support. I appreciate it!

A Dog with an Identity Crisis

Alaska, my one-and-a-half year old Bichon Frise dog apparently has a myriad of psychological issues. She's got a fascination with cats, not-to-mention an intense hatred for them, and is perplexed by their ability to climb trees and her inability to do the same. She has tried and tried to reach the cat way up yonder, but alas, fails over and over again.

But wait! What's this?! She actually made it up onto the branches? Her date with destiny (a.k.a. the cat), is about to take place. Hopefully Alaska doesn't fall . . . I'd hate for the cat to win this particular battle.

Guess what, Alaska? Cats land on their feet. Dogs don't.

Wednesday's Regular Topic Has Been Postponed

For those of you who checked in today for my continuing story of my life as the step-mom of a child with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder), I regret to inform you that my post has been postponed (no pun intended) until further notice. Let's just say I'm having a week . . . a week that just will not allow me to get into writing mode, let alone writing about something that drains a lot of emotional energy from me.

I hope you will understand. All I can say is I don't feel like myself right now. I'm working lots this week (at my school job) and at the same time, trying to stay on top of my yardwork, housework, motherwork and wifework. I feel nauseous and seem to be lacking severely in motivation to accomplish much of anything. This is not normal for me. Normal for me is being able to overcome all levels of exhaustion in order to reach my goals and maintain order and sanity in the world around me. For some reason I just can't seem to get over my lack of energy and lack of motivation.

I'm not sure what's going on . . . I just wish it would end. Right now all my "work" has come to the point of being so overwhelming that tackling it even with baby steps doesn't seem feasible.

God: HELP!

Update

This is an update regarding my previous post.

Sharla underwent her fourth surgery on Thursday. She had to have a hysterectomy. However, the doctors were unable to close her incision due to lack of tissue to do so (this is the fourth time in a month that she's had surgery in this part of her body). Her incision is temporarily being "held together" with a type of saran wrap (I'm not sure how else to describe it--I'm sure there's a medical term for this, but I don't know what it is).

She is still under sedation and is in ICU.

Please continue to pray for healing, as well as for the family. The kids haven't been able to speak to their mom since April 20th.

Thank you!

Please Pray!

I'm asking all my blogging friends to consider praying for a family (they are our closest neighbors out in the country) that is going through a huge struggle right now.

On April 13th of this year, the mom, Sharla (not her real name--but when you pray, God will know who you mean) gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The pregnancy was a tough one--Sharla had a blood disorder and had to be on drugs up until 38 weeks of pregnancy, to ensure the safe arrival of her baby into the world.

Well, she made it well past the 38 week mark but during the delivery, there was a complication with the baby's cord and the doctors decided to perform an emergency C-section. Initially everything seemed fine. But shortly after the birth, the doctors discovered that Sharla had an infection of some sort and began treating it with antibiotics.

The antibiotics don't seem to be working. It's been three weeks now, and Sharla just underwent her fourth surgery last night. The doctors are desperate to find the source of the infection. On Tuesday she was put into a drug-induced coma and as of today I'm not sure how she is doing. But she's been in intensive care all week and is not even aware of what's going on (due to the coma).

The little baby boy has been at home with his dad, two grandmas, older sister and older brother for just over a week. His older sister is in Mitchell's grade; His older brother just turned 5 years old. The kids are not aware of how serious their mother's condition is . . . they haven't been able to see her for quite some time, and because of her coma, they haven't even been able to talk on the phone with their mommy.

I am soliciting prayers on behalf of this family. They are not believers. We really just started to get to know them. They are struggling. They are hurting. Please pray that the family is able to cope with whatever happens. . . that the doctors can find the source of the infection . . . that Sharla will be healed and able to come home soon.

When I visited Sharla a couple of weeks before her baby was born, her one and only concern was that her baby would come home safe and sound. Because of her blood disorder, she feared for her baby. No one ever imagined it was Sharla who might not make it home.

Thank you for your prayers. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

Soccer; Baseball; Soccer; Baseball; Club J

This has been a week of insanity. Remember a few days back I said I needed to change my focus for a bit and wouldn't be able to blog for a while? Well, the project that I was supposed to be working on is far, far from being completed; it seems that this week I've taken on the position of chauffeur and cheerleader.

Mitchell began his first full week of sports this week, which includes 2 days of soccer and 2 days of ball; and this week we've got a church activity called Club J to attend as well. The insanity of the sport commitments will carry us into mid-June. Then I can breathe again.

Thankfully (in a way), Tyrone isn't as interested in sports as much as his brother. But he still comes to all the games/practices, which can be enough of a challenge for me in itself. Both of the boys are lacking in sleep (and I am too), so it's been a bit of an overwhelming week.

I was working in the office at the school today, only to find that the teachers are all experiencing a "Spring Shut-down" in their students. All of the students are having trouble focusing; the teachers are getting tired; everyone's waiting for the end of the school year.

I was relieved to hear that most of the kids in Mitchell's class are experiencing the same schedule for the next month-and-a-half, so at least he won't be the only zombie in school each day.

I'm pleased that Mitchell enjoys sports so much. But I must admit that I'm already tired of all the driving and we've only just begun!

Such is the life of a mom . . .