Quick Health Update

I'm just coming in from the doctor, and I thought I'd let everybody know what is going on.  She said she could definitely hear an irregular heartbeat, but the first step is took take a look at the bloodwork and check my thyroid.  I should hear something back by Monday.  So in the meantime, I'll just wait and pray.  If it is a thyroid problem, I will definitely be doing some research, because I'm not really wanting to be on medication long-term.  But, there's no sense in thinking about that now until I know something for sure.  Thank you to everyone who has asked about me, sent emails, and left comments.  I appreciate it very much!

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: An Apple a Day...

...doesn't always keep the doctor away.

Tomorrow morning will find me at the doctor's office trying to find out some answers about the fatigue with which I've been struggling, among other issues.

Believe me, folks.  This is a big deal for me.  I'm the kind of girl who doesn't even take a Tylenol when I have a headache.  I don't just go running to the doctor for every little ailment.  But when my health is keeping me from taking care of my family the way I'd like to, and when there could potentially be something wrong with my heart, it's time to go.  That's not really something I should mess around with.

Hopefully I will get some answers, or at least get started down the right track.  I will be going to see my ob doctor simply because the medical center is booked until August.  After having had 3 babies with the same ob, I'm wonderfully comfortable talking to her anyway, so I'm hoping she can at the very least point me in the right direction and use her medical influence to get me in to a cardiologist if that's what I need to do.

Now, is there anybody reading this that knows you need to go see a doctor for some reason or another?  Perhaps you're the type that always puts that sort of thing off.  I was just talking to a lady the other day who had two adult children diagnosed with cancer within one week of each other.  Her daughter found out right away, and the cancer was only stage 1.  She will probably be fine.  Her son?  She told me with head down and tears in her eyes that "He waited too long to go."  His cancer is stage 5, and things aren't looking too good.

If you need to go...then go!  Don't try to convince yourself that it's probably nothing.  If you go, and it's nothing, then you can be glad to know you're fine!  If you go, and it's not nothing, you'll be so thankful you went sooner rather than later.


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It's Yard Sale Time!

Oh boy, I don't even like my mother seeing my living room looking like this, and here I am posting it on the internet!  Anyway, I'll be just a hair busy this weekend getting all this stuff sorted for a yard sale on Saturday.   Happy weekend, everyone!

The Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Getting Back in the Ballgame

 As you may remember, I haven't been feeling too well lately.  As a result, I have sort of fallen off the Anti-Procrastination bandwagon.  I have been trying to just keep up with the basics around the house and haven't had enough energy to do anything extra.  However, I have been feeling a tiny bit better, and I'm trying to ease myself back into the ballgame of completing my Anti-Procrastination tasks every day.  I definitely haven't done anything big, but at least I've been doing something.   

So if I've been working on stuff, then why haven't you seen me posting my daily challenges here?  Ummm....I have an excuse.  You know, since I haven't been feeling well, I have had to take naps during the afternoons instead of blogging.  After I went for a while without blogging, I just didn't know where to start to get back into it.  So...I procrastinated.  Waiting never helps things get any easier, though.  So I'm here today just to get started.

Have you ever gotten out of a habit for some reason or another, and then never got back into it because you just didn't know where to start?  Is there something right now that you need to just start, whether for the first time or something that you need to get back into?

Just start.

And hey, it won't hurt my feelings if you leave me a comment either.  :)        

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Dandelions

I enjoyed the opportunity to go outside with the kids today.  It's been raining the past few days, and they've been going a little stir-crazy.  My four-year-old stared in awe at the field of dandelions growing in the back yard and exclaimed "Wow!  We have pretty flowers!"  He was so excited.  Me? Not so much.  I knew that those dandelions represented a husband who is working overtime right now and hasn't had time to mow the lawn.  But my little boy in his childlike innocence saw the beauty in those dandelions.

And I chose to look at the beauty too.  I chose to count my blessings.

I have an absolutely awesome husband who works long, hard hours without complaining.  We have a nice big backyard where the kids can run and play.  I've been feeling a weency bit better, and I'm thankful I had enough energy to go out and play with the kids.  Speaking of...I'm thankful for my three little blessings too.  They are a joy and a delight.

God is good all the time, and I want to always look at the positive instead of the negative.

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings!  

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How I Survive Mondays

Monday mornings normally dawn with my house in disarray, my eyelids heavy, and my kids grouchy.  I love Sundays, but they can take a little bit of a toll on my house.  My husband and I try to get up early enough to have breakfast together as a family, get ourselves and three little ones dressed for church, and leave early enough to make sure our responsibilities as Sunday School director and pianist respectively are taken care of.  In our wake is normally a trail of pajamas, outfits that didn't work out, dirty breakfast dishes, and miscellaneous articles the kids got out behind our backs.  We come home to a quick lunch, determined to straighten up before naptime, but end up crashing and leaving even more dishes to be done.  After a short nap, we all get ready again for choir practice and evening service.  After the service we usually spend time fellowshipping and/or practicing music.  On our way home we often swing by the store to pick up bread or milk for the week.  By the time we get home it's getting late and there are hungry mouths to feed, little clothes to change, and a mess that is still staring at me as I add yet more dishes to the pile.  Any notions I may have had about cleaning up before bed are quickly fleeing as my eyelids struggle to remain open.

Monday arrives with my engine struggling to start, but I know I've got to get things under control as soon as possible.

So here's what I do.

I start in the easiest room, which is usually the bedroom.  I set a timer for 5 minutes and start straightening up as fast as I can.  I get the kids involved and send them on errands.  "Go put this in the trash can.  Hurry!  Put this in the hamper.  We have to get done before the timer dings!"  They enjoy racing the timer, and it definitely helps me go faster too.  By starting in the easiest room I get to see immediate progress which encourages me to keep at it.  When the timer dings I move on to the next room.  I spend five minutes in each room, and I am usually surprised to find that every room gets clean in that amount of time.  The kitchen usually takes longer, but it doesn't bother me too much because the rest of the house is already clean by then!

In less than an hour my house goes from looking well nigh hopeless to completely clean!  It's definitely an encouraging way to start off my week. When I try things any other way I end up discouraged and walking around in circles.   

So that's how Mondays usually start at my house.

How do you survive Mondays?  Do you have any tips we should know about?  Please, leave a comment!




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Mother's Day Gift Ideas Kids Can Make

If you are my mother, I'm sorry, but you have to stop reading now unless you're reading this after Mother's Day.



For the rest of you, scroll down to see what my kids made their Grandmothers for Mother's Day!



















These are handprint flowers that were so easy to make, but the kids had a blast!  They got to use paint, markers, scissors, and glue!  It doesn't get much better than that for a kid!

 First I had them paint a popsicle stick with green paint.  I love the little tongue sticking out!

He's really starting to get coordinated.  

Then I traced their hands on construction paper, cut them out, and had them decorate them with markers. 

I decided to lay down newspaper after the first couple minutes.  I thought these were washable markers, but apparently they weren't.  Thankfully a Magic Eraser took the stains off the table.  The kids' hands still don't look too pretty, though!

When they were finished, we glued the hands to the popsicle sticks, then cut out some leaves and glued those on too.  I hot glued magnets to the back and we were done.

I love the green lips!

We also printed off these questionnaires from The Crafting Chicks.  I asked the kids the questions and they told me their answers.  I had so much fun with this, and I know their grandmothers will love it.  The answers were hilarious! They will absolutely love their ages and weights!  Oh, and I found out that grandmothers secretly love to eat cupcakes! 

Have you finished your Mother's Day projects yet?  Did you make anything fun or buy anything special?  


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Tired...Always Tired

I've been quiet around here lately.  I have been spending the kids' nap times (when I would normally blog) just resting.  There's no obvious reason that I should be so tired.  I sleep an average of 8 hours at night - uninterrupted for the most part thanks to kids who are good sleepers.  We eat healthy, balanced meals.  I've been exercising.  I'm not sure what in the world is wrong with me, but my system is apparently lacking something.  Thanks to the nagging :) polite reminders from my mom, I've been taking multivitamins every day, but I am still just functioning enough to deal with the necessities like feeding my family and keeping the house (fairly) clean.  But I want to feel good!  I want to do more than just function.

I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for the end of the month to see if we can figure this out, but in the meantime, please feel free to add your two cents in the comments.  I'll definitely take any suggestions into consideration!

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Time for a Break

I haven't been posting a lot of new challenges lately.  Honestly, I haven't really been doing any.  I have about a bazillion shortish longish term goals that I'm chipping away at every day, so I'm counting any work I do on those as my Anti-Procrastination task for the day.  I just haven't had time to work on any specific finishable task.  I haven't really even had much time to sleep.  I know this sounds like more excuses, but I promise it's not this time.  In fact, I've been running on too little sleep long enough.

My Anti-Procrastination challenge for the day is to go take a nap!  I've been concentrating so hard on getting these things done, plus running a household and taking care of three children, that I just need to stop and take a break.

Go do the same if you need to.  Or maybe sitting down and reading blogs is your break.  Either way, rest a while if you need to so you'll have more energy to get back up and get back at it!

I don't know if this post is even coherent; I'm just plumb tarred.  (That would be "tired", but my southern accent really comes out when I'm "tarred".)

So that's all for now, folks.  I'm outta here while the little ones are sleeping...or are at least in their bedrooms...not sure what they're actually doing...ignorance is bliss...for a while anyway.

If you're just now joining our Anti-Procrastination challenge, you can read all the details here. Be sure you're subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to receive each day's new challenge!