Update on things around here

Well, it has been a while since I have posted anything. I was going to try and catch up while we were on vacation, but I didn't. Lots has been going on with us lately. 1st of all, we went on a road trip to Illinois and Michigan to visit family. Chris's brother, Tim and his wife and kids live in Illinois, so we visited them the weekend before Thanksgiving. On our way to see them, we stopped and had dinner with my cousin, Amy and her husband Christian and their kids. It was so good to see them! After a weekend with Tim and Robin, we headed to Michigan for the week of Thanksgiving. It was good for my mom, stepdad, and sister to get to spend that time with the kids. There was snow, so they got to go sledding, build a snowman, make snow angels, and of course, taste the snow!! While we were there, CAB had a sore throat with red tonsils with white pus pockets and horrible breath!! Thank goodness I have a wonderful pediatrician who knows me and was nice to call in antibiotics so she could get better. Then, CPB is prone to sinus infections and gets asthma like symptoms...he got a dry hacky cough with slight wheezing that the albuterol would not help, so we headed to the walk in clinic where he was diagnosed with a sinus infection, given steroids and an antibiotic. Now he is much better! EB also started a croupy cough that wouldn't break, so she got started on some Orapred. Now that we are home, LG has had congestion for a month or so now, and yesterday, stopped nursing well, and was pulling on her ear. Yep...she has an ear infection. Thank you Publix for the free antibiotics!! Just a side, in case you didn't know, Publix offers a list of FREE antibiotics. Some are Amoxicillin, and Omnicef, but there is a list of 8-10 of them that they give for free. That is for children as well as adults.
I have to admit that I have been spending my time reading everyone else's blogs that I haven't taken that time to blog on mine. I just love my money saving blogs that I have on my sidebar. They keep me up to date on Publix items, coupons and free items. I have been saving lots of money at the grocery store! It has been fun.
I hope to post some updated pictures of the kids soon!
I am very excited about the Christmas holidays, but I am not so excited about spending so much money. My kids need...nothing! They are blessed with plenty of clothes, toys, etc...I am struggling with what to do and get for them this year. If you have any good ideas...please share.

Update on one day at a time and sleepless nights

It has been a while since I have blogged. Life is a little crazy around here. I don't even have recent pictures of the kids. It has been probably 3 weeks since I have taken a picture! I need to work on that LG is getting so big so fast! She is now 17 lbs and 4 months old. She is so much fun!
I had posted how I was going to clean my house one room at a time. That lasted about 3 days. I started with our bedroom changed sheets, mopped the hardwoods, cleaned the blinds, put away all the clothes...a good cleaning. It did feel really good when I walked around the house looking at all the other mess, I could go in my room and know that I DID accomplish something today. Day 2 I did our bathroom and LG's room. Her room was pretty clean already. Day 3 I had all the kids change their sheets and pick up their rooms, but that was as far as it got. My days got away from me and then my room was a mess again and I was thoroughly disappointed. I think after Thanksgiving I will give it another shot. I just like everything clean at one time. So anyways, that worked for all of 3 days.
On the sleepless nights, it didn't last that long. She did fairly well. I just did my homecare treatments with her...saline and suction, elevate the head of the bed, and cool mist humidifier. She was over it in about a week. Had a well baby check up last week and chest and ears were all clear! Made it through cold #1 with no infections. All my other kids had ear infections with the first cold. She has not had a very good day today. She has been rather fussy and only catnapped about 3 times all day for 15 min. each. We put her down at 9:30 and she just woke up crying a few minutes ago. She seems to have a tummy ache.
Please pray for my friend, Jill and her little girl, Sydney. I worked with her in L&D and she also worked with me doing Triage last year. Her little girl has been having stomach problems and I spoke with her on Sunday night and she was very concerned. I saw on facebook today that she was admitted to the PICU at Children's last night. Just pray that they can find out what is causing her to be so sick and that it is nothing serious.

Homeschoolers "attacked"

I was just reading some blogs as I have been doing regularly. It has become my new "t.v." I would rather read how to save money and about other homeschooling families and get ideas and so forth. I just came across a blog http://www.agardenofblessings.blogspot.com/ and she was telling how the View on ABC was discussing the Obama kids and where they should go to school. Joy made a comment on how homeschoolers are "demented and afraid of other children!" I went to ABC.com and left them a comment on how I felt about it. You can view it here http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6271001 pretty disappointing. I don't have time to watch the View anyways, but if I did, I would stop.

Sleepless nights

Oh how I have forgotten so much about having a baby around. It has been 5 years since I have done this....but it all comes back so quickly! LG has been sleeping so well since she was born. In fact, at the hospital she was sleeping through the night and the nurses were upset that I would not wake her to feed her. After 3 babies, I know you NEVER wake a sleeping baby during the night!! Anyways she has slept great--totally through the night since about 3 weeks old. The last 2 nights have been awful! The night before last she woke at midnight then was awake a while then I saw the clock again at 3:40 and again at 4:30 and 5:30 you get my drift. She was not needing to eat, she was just figity. Well, I understand why now. Last night at midnight she woke and she is so congested she can't breathe through her nose very well. We have our first cold.:( She was up several more times during the night. I had to turn on the lights and saline and suction her at about 4 am so she could breathe. This morning she has been coughing and sneezing and runny nose. It is so sad!! I guess going through all this again helps me to be a better nurse. Now I can relate fairly well with the mom who calls and her baby has been up all night and can't breathe through her nose. The FDA has recommended that no cough and cold meds be given to any child under the age of 4 now, so not much is recommended but home care. She is sleeping now. Hopefully she will get over it soon and sleep through the night again!!

The Cabin

LG in Elizabeth's camo hat

CAB and CPB on a horse

EB and AW- aren't they cute? EB cleaning her fish

EB's fish CAB's fish

CPB's fish

Thanks to our wonderful, gracious friends, Jason and Michelle, we were able to get away for the weekend last weekend. We were away from everything. Michelle's parents have a cabin in the middle of nowhere Mississippi. They have a small lake, horses, cows, donkeys, roosters, cats, dogs, 4 wheelers, goats, tons of acrage etc.....The kids had a blast! They got to go fishing, then scaled the fish, ride horses, feed horses, ride the 4 wheeler, drive the Kaboda, go to a carinval, run and play outside with friends without a care in the world. They made memories that will last a lifetime. It is so relaxing out there. It was nice to be away from the phone (cell phones don't work out there), the computer, the TV (although they had a tv, the kids for the most part stayed outside.) The simple life. There really is no time out there. No rushing here and there, nothing that has to be done right this minute, etc...it was soooo nice. Michelle's parents were so wonderful to let 3 families come stay at their home for the weekend. They blessed our family, I pray they will be blessed too!

One day at a time

I have been completely overwhelmed lately with how much work my house needs. We have lived here for a year now and has not had a good cleaning since we moved in. I was pregnant almost immediately after we moved in and then along comes 1 more.... more things to keep me busy like feeding a baby all day and an extra load or 2 of laundry a week and so on and so forth. So-I used to read the Fly Lady a long time ago and I remember one of the big things is you do a little bit at a time. My problem with this is that I like my house all cleaned at the same time. It just feels so good to have a clean house. I was laying in bed the other night unable to fall asleep because of all the things I needed to do were weighing heavy on my mind I looked up and the fan that is no longer spinning round and round because it is cold outside was staring at me with a thick coat of dust. Then I decided I would try the Fly Lady's old tricks. I am going to just clean 1 room at a time---but clean it WELL! I started yesterday and CAB and I cleaned mine and Chris's room. We changed the sheets, made the bed, cleaned the blinds, cleaned the fan, dusted all the furniture, swiffered all the dust from under our bed and dresser and mopped. It was so nice to have such a clean room! I felt like I actually accomplished something! I am going to continue through this week and I should be able to get the whole upstairs done, I hope! At least all our beds and baths will be done. I will let you know how it goes. Day one went well. I also found out that if you give CAB a wipe-she will go to town cleaning. She also likes to swiffer.

3 months old already!

Our precious LG....so loved by her brother and sisters! They adore her. She is getting so big. She is such a wonderful addition to our family. She just giggles at us she is cooing lots. She has started shoving her fists in her mouth and drooling. She sleeps from about 9pm to 7am. She is just a wonderful baby.