Exciting news!!! Trey is going to school!!!
Remember this post I wrote last year? We had decided not to send Trey to preschool because we didn't know how the next month was going to pan out, let alone nine months for school. Well, lo and behold, Trey has flourished in the clinical trial he has been in. The medicine he gets weekly (through a medi-port in his chest) is supposed to prevent tumor growth, and so far, it has! Praise God!
All through the last school year, Trey and I would have a free form, casual, organic (i.e. I didn't know what I was doing so the lessons had no structure) homeschool lesson appropriate for his age. We had a calendar time, worksheet time, coloring or activity...or maybe we would bake cookies or go to the library or play outside (totally counts).
Right around the new year, it kinda dawned on me that Trey should be able to write at least his name if not all the letters. I wasn't looking for calligraphy, but this kid couldn't write at all. Yet, he knows every letter and sound, even sight words. Long story short, Trey goes once a week to see a physical and occupational therapist. Turns out, chemo can mess with your muscles...who knew? And all of his abdominal surgeries have made sit ups almost impossible, but he's working hard on that six pack!
Which brings us right up to now. Trey loves going to the kids' school to pick them up or for an event. And, he's become aware that he wants to do that, too. There was no way I was going to send him to full day kindergarten. I'm not ready for that and neither is Trey! So, we met with the preschool director where Joe and Bella attended. We love this preschool, the teachers, etc. They welcomed Trey with open arms for this school year. So, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Trey will be at school for 2 1/2 hours!! My baby! He will be the oldest in the class, but I don't care and he won't know.
We know that all this could change in the blink of an eye. Trey still has to have scans every 3 months (the next one is in October) and his cancer could grow at any time. We continue to stand on the edge of a cliff not knowing which way the wind will blow. But! We have TODAY!
We will rejoice TODAY! Trey is the healthiest sick kid around. He is not symptomatic. He is not bed ridden. He's a wild, 5 year old, excited to go to school and carry a big backpack!! If I were to keep Trey here with me (which is so very tempting) and prevent him from having this experience, it would be like telling God that what He has blessed us with is not enough. Trey needs to go out and show the world that God has kept him strong and this Momma needs to let him.
Do you think it would be okay if I just stood in the parking lot the whole time he's there? Just kidding! I'm going to take a nap! Ha! Gotcha again! I have some plans for the time all three kids will be in school...we'll see how that goes.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
"D" is for Delighted!
Well, color me tickled...errrr, delighted!! (I'm totally twisting this to fit my alphabet list of blog posts)
My friend, Katy, has included lil' ol' me in her list of nominees for a Liebster award. What the what??? First of all, how Katy finds time to blog, let alone recognize other bloggers is impressive to me. Katy is a full time mom, wife and writer (and knitter, volunteer, friend...not in that particular order). Her blog is honest, raw, vulnerable and funny all at the same time. She'd be a perfect guest blogger for Courtney's Show Your Real series. Katy has some real and is not afraid to show it.
Secondly, what's a Liebster?? Oh, it's a thing, people! A Liebster award is a way to give recognition to other small bloggers (200 or fewer followers).
So, thank you to Katy for the recognition! I wish I blogged more often, but it still feels good to have a friend give ya a pat on the back.
When you’re nominated for a Liebster, here’s what you do:
1. Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
3. Answer the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.
4. Display the Liebster Award logo.
5. No tag backs, meaning you can’t just re-nominate the person who nominated you.
Here are the 11 questions I was given:
1. What sort of milk do you prefer to drink? Ummmm, I do not drink any milk ever...not cow, coconut or almond kinds. If I had to, I would pick 2% for cereal purposes only...or baking. You use milk for baking, right?
2. Do you prefer baths or showers and why? Showers, absolutely! I hate baths! I feel like I'm sitting in a pool of my own filth in a tub. Or worse, someone else's filth. Plus, I'd have to stand up, turn the shower on to wash my hair...I'm too lazy for all that.
3. What percentage cocoa do you prefer your chocolate to contain? Ummm, I had to read this a few times to understand it. Never have I ever paid a lick of attention to percentage of chocolate. So, my answer is, however much is in a Caramello Bar.
4. What is your about-to-begin-the-workday ritual? Since my job is a full time Momma and every day is different, coffee is really my only ritual. Oh yeah, and feeding children, getting them dressed etc. If we have to be somewhere, I'll use the time they are eating to get myself put together.
5. Describe your perfect lunch meal. The perfect lunch is one that someone else has prepared.
6. What are your thoughts on flavored dental floss? I'm not against flavored floss (I heart cinnamon), but someone that I live with, possibly married to, has very specific requirements for his floss.Jay...Mr. Mitlo...rats! That guy I'm married to cannot have any type that shreds or conflicts with other flavors or makes a noise. Since he's the more dedicated flosser, he gets to pick the brand.
7. What is the most important thing about a dwelling? (Bonus: does your dwelling succeed at this thing?) The most important thing about a dwelling to me is that it feels safe. Not so much from a security stand point, though that's important, but I mean that someone could come into our home and feel free to be comfortable, share thoughts and feelings, feel like they have been cared for. Our children sleep in peace, without fear, talk openly with us, and we always look forward to coming home after having been gone. So, yes, I think our house succeeds in this.
8. Do you really untie your shoes before you remove them? Every time? Never.
9. What is your goal in blogging? I think my goal for blogging now is to get memories/thoughts/stories/snippets of time out of my head and somewhere permanent. At one time, I would have said my goal was to inspire and challenge (and maybe impress), but then real life came down hard and I can't seem to find the right words ever to encompass all that. So, I'm fine with sharing anecdotes.
10. What part(s) of your current life is/are the way you imagined when you were in middle school? Exactly zero parts. I was a bad kid, a bully really, and couldn't see past to the end of a day, let alone years ahead. My days were consumed with trying to figure out how to be a bad ass. (Hint: If you have to think about it, you're not) I guess if I look back and think real hard I maybe wanted to live in a big city and be a news anchor. Instead, I've lived in exactly 2 houses, both planted squarely in suburbs, and am a SAHM. It's a close call, really.
11. What would you say to your young self if you encountered her on her first day of college? I would say, "Hang in there, kid. Things are going to unfold in ways that you can't imagine. Quit trying to control everything, for cryin' in a bucket! Remember, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)"
So, now for my nominees. This was interesting to me because I realized how few blogs I read regularly. Katy's being one of them and I can't tag her back! Almost all the blogs that I follow are written by real life friends. Some of them may have more than 200 followers. After all, some of them may have been featured in a major magazine! Please take no offense to my nomination...just have fun with it!
1.Bowdenisms
2. She's a Crafty Pumpkin
3. agentorange
4. Happy and Co.
5. Just a Glimpse...
That's my list...I can add to it once other bloggers get blogging and update their blogs. Blog.
My 11 questions for my nominees are:
1. In what type of car did you take your drivers test? (and, did you pass the first time?)
2. Where would like to spend your retirement years? Hometown? Exotic location?
3. What's your favorite vacation memory?
4. Who was your favorite teacher (any level of education)?
5. What's your least favorite household chore and why?
6. If you could go back to high school, would you do things the same or vastly different?
7. What sports did you play?
8. What's your beverage of choice? Pop, tea, coffee?
9. Music or talk radio?
10. How many shows are saved on your DVR right now? (or Netflix queue or whatever space age contraption you use)
11. What's one movie that you have to stop and watch if you see it while scrolling through?
My friend, Katy, has included lil' ol' me in her list of nominees for a Liebster award. What the what??? First of all, how Katy finds time to blog, let alone recognize other bloggers is impressive to me. Katy is a full time mom, wife and writer (and knitter, volunteer, friend...not in that particular order). Her blog is honest, raw, vulnerable and funny all at the same time. She'd be a perfect guest blogger for Courtney's Show Your Real series. Katy has some real and is not afraid to show it.
Secondly, what's a Liebster?? Oh, it's a thing, people! A Liebster award is a way to give recognition to other small bloggers (200 or fewer followers).
So, thank you to Katy for the recognition! I wish I blogged more often, but it still feels good to have a friend give ya a pat on the back.
1. Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
3. Answer the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.
4. Display the Liebster Award logo.
5. No tag backs, meaning you can’t just re-nominate the person who nominated you.
Here are the 11 questions I was given:
1. What sort of milk do you prefer to drink? Ummmm, I do not drink any milk ever...not cow, coconut or almond kinds. If I had to, I would pick 2% for cereal purposes only...or baking. You use milk for baking, right?
2. Do you prefer baths or showers and why? Showers, absolutely! I hate baths! I feel like I'm sitting in a pool of my own filth in a tub. Or worse, someone else's filth. Plus, I'd have to stand up, turn the shower on to wash my hair...I'm too lazy for all that.
3. What percentage cocoa do you prefer your chocolate to contain? Ummm, I had to read this a few times to understand it. Never have I ever paid a lick of attention to percentage of chocolate. So, my answer is, however much is in a Caramello Bar.
4. What is your about-to-begin-the-workday ritual? Since my job is a full time Momma and every day is different, coffee is really my only ritual. Oh yeah, and feeding children, getting them dressed etc. If we have to be somewhere, I'll use the time they are eating to get myself put together.
5. Describe your perfect lunch meal. The perfect lunch is one that someone else has prepared.
6. What are your thoughts on flavored dental floss? I'm not against flavored floss (I heart cinnamon), but someone that I live with, possibly married to, has very specific requirements for his floss.
7. What is the most important thing about a dwelling? (Bonus: does your dwelling succeed at this thing?) The most important thing about a dwelling to me is that it feels safe. Not so much from a security stand point, though that's important, but I mean that someone could come into our home and feel free to be comfortable, share thoughts and feelings, feel like they have been cared for. Our children sleep in peace, without fear, talk openly with us, and we always look forward to coming home after having been gone. So, yes, I think our house succeeds in this.
8. Do you really untie your shoes before you remove them? Every time? Never.
9. What is your goal in blogging? I think my goal for blogging now is to get memories/thoughts/stories/snippets of time out of my head and somewhere permanent. At one time, I would have said my goal was to inspire and challenge (and maybe impress), but then real life came down hard and I can't seem to find the right words ever to encompass all that. So, I'm fine with sharing anecdotes.
10. What part(s) of your current life is/are the way you imagined when you were in middle school? Exactly zero parts. I was a bad kid, a bully really, and couldn't see past to the end of a day, let alone years ahead. My days were consumed with trying to figure out how to be a bad ass. (Hint: If you have to think about it, you're not) I guess if I look back and think real hard I maybe wanted to live in a big city and be a news anchor. Instead, I've lived in exactly 2 houses, both planted squarely in suburbs, and am a SAHM. It's a close call, really.
11. What would you say to your young self if you encountered her on her first day of college? I would say, "Hang in there, kid. Things are going to unfold in ways that you can't imagine. Quit trying to control everything, for cryin' in a bucket! Remember, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)"
So, now for my nominees. This was interesting to me because I realized how few blogs I read regularly. Katy's being one of them and I can't tag her back! Almost all the blogs that I follow are written by real life friends. Some of them may have more than 200 followers. After all, some of them may have been featured in a major magazine! Please take no offense to my nomination...just have fun with it!
1.Bowdenisms
2. She's a Crafty Pumpkin
3. agentorange
4. Happy and Co.
5. Just a Glimpse...
That's my list...I can add to it once other bloggers get blogging and update their blogs. Blog.
My 11 questions for my nominees are:
1. In what type of car did you take your drivers test? (and, did you pass the first time?)
2. Where would like to spend your retirement years? Hometown? Exotic location?
3. What's your favorite vacation memory?
4. Who was your favorite teacher (any level of education)?
5. What's your least favorite household chore and why?
6. If you could go back to high school, would you do things the same or vastly different?
7. What sports did you play?
8. What's your beverage of choice? Pop, tea, coffee?
9. Music or talk radio?
10. How many shows are saved on your DVR right now? (or Netflix queue or whatever space age contraption you use)
11. What's one movie that you have to stop and watch if you see it while scrolling through?
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