11.14.2009

I Try to Die Every Night

Last night was my first night using my new breathing machine-CPAP. Oh, did I tell you yet? I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. During my sleep study I stopped breathing on average 14 times every hour. Yes, I said every hour! My oxygen saturation was bellow 80. They considered my case severe.....go figure, right?
My kids told me it was like I tried to die every night. Yesterday I tried on like 5 different masks and found one I could tolerate. Last night I terrified Mahala with it. Kaden was so sweet, like I was hurt or something. He kept rubbing my hair and asking me if I was alright. Too sweet!!
I did sleep well, I was impressed!!!!! I would strongly suggest Anyone who wakes up exhausted or snores to have a sleep study. My clarity this morning was like it was 10 years ago. I felt like I was in a different body. My sleep study showed that all night long I was only asleep 144 minutes. Amazing!! The night I was tested I told the lady that I had a better night sleep there then at home. No wonder she looked at me a little weird.
I'm anxious to try it again tonight. I will continue to update about the whole thing. Tonight I am going to add the humidifier portion. I needed distilled water for it and didn't have any yesterday. What is the difference between distilled, drinking, spring, and all the other waters?????
Thanh and Skylar are still gone. They went to Florida on Friday morning. They went to the Florida South Carolina Game!!!! GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I talked to Skylar a few hours ago and he was on cloud nine!!! He is such a grateful child, so precious. He still has the excitement of a young child. I don't think that will ever change. I pray that it doesn't.
They will be home soon and like will go back to normal. Except now I want be dying in my sleep.

10.22.2009

Strawberry Shortcake Panties

It's been a long time....I know. I feel guilt and relief to be back in the saddle again.
So much has gone on in the past month. I will need to divide it into more then one post.
Right now I am watching my beautiful daughter balancing on the beam. Dressed in all black like a ninja she says. Okay, ninja you will be I tell her all the time.
A few weeks ago my sweet daughter leaped into young womanhood. If you know what I mean? It was an easy experience for her, but a shocking one for me. I knew it was coming, she was the same exact age I was.
I was humiliated by my Mom, in a sweet way. I swore I would never do it to my daughter. But, look at me now.
I was in a Mom and Pop restaurant called the Frying Pan. My Mom went to the restroom with me that was located in the store room of the place. For days she had been scolding me for what she thought were "skid marks". So, I was proud to say to her LOOK, LOOK!! I told you I was wiping my butt! The look on her face is still so fresh in my mind. You would have thought she won the lottery. You want to know what happened next? She left me, left me right on the pot. I could hear her holler to my Dad that was probably scooping his last bit of eggs onto his fork. Fred, Fred.....Sheila started her period. I know that there are times in a persons life that no matter how much therapy, ice cream, pills, or even time can cover up the scar of life. This would be one of those situations.
I hear her way too clearly for her to have been close to my Father. She started yelling out his name before she turned the corner to the dining room. I wanted to sink into the bowl and some how flush it on the way down. But, that wasn't possible. So, after some self coaching I situated my yellow Strawberry Shortcake undies & walked that long walk back to the table. I was amazed as I walked around the corner. All eyes were on me. Almost everyone in there was over the age of 60. The women looked at me with a smile and would nod or pat the table.  Even the men peeked over their papers for a quick nod or wink.
When I finally waddled to the table my Dad was grinning from ear to ear. He patted my hand and reached to hug me. He had tears in his eyes. His little girl was growing up. I can relate to how both my parents reacted. My Mom was crazy proud and my Dad felt like he was losing something.
My Dad took me to the store to get my stash. I didn't dare have my Mom take me. She would have had the whole store in search for the perfect pad for me. My Dad was simple and to the point. But, Mahala had me to do her shopping with her. I was the perfect combination of both my parents. Lucky for Her...........

9.21.2009

Tweet be Gone!

I am the worst Twitter tweeter in the world. Well, maybe not The worst, but somewhere in the same area code of The Worst. What the hell should I tweet about? I'm makin breakfast, just started the dishwasher. Now I'm beating the kids, now I'm makin lunch. Cleaning up, running errands, beatin the kids again. What's for dinner....Oh take out sounds good tonight. Now I'm washing down a fist full of pills for the 3rd time today. Time for our bed time routine. Now I'm cleaning up the kids & scrubbing down the house. Just strapping the kids down to their beds for the 4th time tonight. Finally able to watch my shows & snuggle with my hubby in my snuggly. Who the hell wants to read that?
I'm soooo boring, sometimes I fall asleep blogging. HaHaHa Just kidding, I guess it could be worse. Anyway, I think this is going to be the last week of tweeting for Manic Mom. I'm crazy enough I guess, no need to add another must do to my list.

9.16.2009

Where is Tomorrow?

Feeling better now, found out my blood pressure is acting up once again. I went in today for an adjustment in my medication. I'm thrilled, just thrilled. I actually need to look into getting a new overall Doctor. Our present Doctor has decided to provide only 100 of her patients "personal care". That "personal care" is going to cost around $3,000 per family every year. That wont include co pays either. We can't afford her new exciting adventure with her medical practice, so we need to find a new Doctor.
I need to start dinner now, I'll write more later. I have just been so mentally exhausted with school & the kids.
Thank you for all the support, comments & emails.
I keep saying that tomorrow I'll write more, but that damn tomorrow is sooooo far away! HA HA HA

8.26.2009

My Shackles

My kids know about the homeless thing. I have talked to Skylar a lot about it. I figure those first 5 years of life are critical & play into who you are. I tell my kids because I want them to know how good life is. How important family is & how well off they are now. Be thankful damn it! I think for my kids they understand who I am & where I've been. I hold my kids, my husband so close to me & so high on my list because I know....BAAAM! It can ALL be taken away in an Instant. Do you know what an instant looks like? Imagine being in a pink straight jacket looking outside from a window. There is your family playing together in slow motion. Playing ball & picking daisies sing together in between laughs. The sun has never been so bright & warm you can feel to on your face through the window.
BAAAM!!!!!!You scream & fight but that straight jacket just gets tighter & tighter the more you fight. You toss yourself on the cold floor trying to get out & save your family. The pain from your struggle burns as the pain in your breaking heart aches an ache you've never felt or imagined before. You get up & look out the window, you know for a fact that this had to have been just a dream, a nightmare! But it's raining & dark when you look out that window. All the flowers you once saw are gone. Your family is gone, you hear no more singing, there are no more games being played. It's so very quiet, there are no more laughs. And you just stand there at the window shivering all alone. You look down & notice that the pink straight jacket is gone....it's replaced with shackles.

8.25.2009

People Under the Bridge

Flash Back on a past post-
Today was a day that nothing went right.It started out with a headache that I went to bed with. We had a birthday party to get to by 11am. HA! Then another party to get to at 2pm. I ended up missing both. Had to go to the shop to cover a shift in the middle of it all. Our aupair, Anna lost her ride so we had to get her to the city by 3pm. All this and none of us had ate a thing all day. The baby was the happiest, go figure. While we were dropping Anna off in the city we got lost of course. But, we saw something that changed my thoughts for the day. We saw this under pass with probably 50 homeless people all huddled together. Some had tents others stood by fires trying to deal with the rain & cold. I looked into some of their eyes. I had those eyes. I remember looking into the cars that passed me searching for that "click" look of let me help you. I would think where are they going, where have they been. Who are they? I wanted to be them, anyone.... just not me. Not here, not right now with no place to go. The kids know that there was a time I too had no home, no place to escape the world. Skylar was with me, just the two of us. We talked today briefly about the people under the bridge. Mahala is amazed to hear about the life those people have. Skylar knows, he has been there too.I sat back in my seat & closed my eyes thanking God that I am not looking into this car wondering where it's going. I know where it's going, it's going Home. Nothing can happen to me now that can compare to where I've been. So automatically my day looked brighter & it didn't seem so bad after all.

8.23.2009

7 Whys

1. Why do we have to have gray hair? I have had grays since I was 18 years old. Why? I color it & I look younger & life is great!. The birds seem to chirp a little louder, the air smells crisp & the screaming, BRAT down the road doesn't seem to annoy me so much. Then 2 weeks or so passes & as I brush the night nast out of my mouth I see a damn gray hair. I look close & freakin A, they are all around my hair line. That's where they start showing their little smart asses, around my face. It's a Vicious cycle, why do we have to go gray?
2. Why do women put on make up while they are driving? Oh, never mind that's me I'm talking about. My bad, never mind. No seriously I can see why that could be a why! SMILE!
3. Speaking of driving..... why do some people get right up on your butt like they are trying to sit in the front seat with you & then you have those people that are so far away from the car in front of them that you could put 2 cars in between?
4. Have you ever wondered why diet has the word die in it? Cause your ass is gonna die trying to live off carrots, yogurt & water. HA HA I thought that was kind of funny.
5. Why does warm bread with whipped butter taste soooooooooooooo good?
6. Why do some kids have to be so cruel in school. Bully's stink.
7. Whatever I decide to cook for dinner I am always missing 1 ingredient, why????

8.21.2009

Does the WWF take children?

I woke up this morning to a small foot kicking me in the ribs. Why is Kaden so ruff? I mean one minute he was Sweet Baby Kaden & the next Thanh was signing him up with the WWF.
Here is what I'm thinking the deal is. I mean I know he 2 and a 1/2. We all know about the terrible 2's, but seriously. He is ruff & talks back. Yesterday I tried to put him in timeout because he would not come inside. He told me No. And then I was like yes, sir you need a time out. And then he crossed his little arms & said but I'm too angry to go to time out. It was kind of funny, because he was so serious. The thing that upsets me the most is his hitting. What the Heck, I don't like it a bit. My other two kids never did this.
So when ever there is a problem I always assess the situation. And I always have to fix it. So assessing our situation I feel there is influence involved.
One influence is Mahala. She is so ruff & loud. Not to mention Moody! The joke around here is that we wish her period would go ahead & start. I know that's an awful thought about your daughter, but it's true. She's the middle child. And I know it's hard for her to be in the middle of Skylar, who is almost the perfect child & Kaden who is the baby. Back to Kaden though, Mahala needs a post all to herself.
My second influence is that Kaden sees Skylar & Mahala fighting way too much. They are 9 & 15, sometimes they are close & other times they are worlds apart.
And the last influence is tv. During the summer I allow the kids to watch tv freely. Freely means during the day when we don't have something to do. Even though the shows are PG, some of them may not be appropriate for Kaden to catch an eye full here & there. Sometimes I wonder about Nickelodeon & the Disney channel.
Thankfully school is starting, because then I will not have to worry about this one. During the school year the kids do not get tv Mon- Thurs. And only for a Family movie night on Fri. And Sat. & Sun. is only after all the chores are done & after any running around we have to do. They usually end up with about 4 hours of tv a week, including the Family movie. This has been our tv schedule for the past 8 years. And has worked, but I may need to be more guarded for Kaden's sake.
Maybe the move is contributing too. His behavior really changed this Summer. And this Summer we have been packing & slowly moving. And now we are slowly unpacking.
I know it's all normal & I just need to tweak a few things. As parents we all want the best for our little ones. And having bad behavior is something you don't want your little one to have.
Hopefully I wont go completely crazy!!!! But, with some structure back in the house & some discipline I think we might just make it. I am Manic Mom after all.....I'm already crazy!

8.15.2009

I call it Home

I'm here, I'm here!!!!!!!!
I hope you all haven't forgotten who I am.
Life has been so crazy around my house. Or should I say houses.
We started moving boxes into the new house the last week in July. And last Saturday we moved all the furniture over. Saturday was our first night here. I can't believe it's been a week already.
We love this little house. Yes, there are major changes. But, I think with some crafty organizing and patience we should be able to live here comfortably.
We still have a lot to move yet. So, once or twice a day the kids and I go and load up the van. And then we unpack it and find a new place to smush it. That was Mahala's exact words.
The other day we were going to the New house with boxes and Kaden was so excited and giggling about going to the New house to play trucks. Mahala then asked me when do we stop calling the New house the New house. I don't know, that's a great question. I told her that she can call it the New house until she felt like it was truly Home. It's getting there, I told her. I said a house is just a house until you put all your loved ones in it. Then it's called your HOME!

8.04.2009

Tonight's My Lucky Night!!!!

This week has slowly been better for me. Today has been nice, quiet and nice. Tonight I am dreading the methetrexate, because the cycle will begin all over again. But tonight I feel strong. I usually take my treatment on Tuesdays, but weeks like last week I waited until Wednesday. It's a tough call. I try and do it on a day I feel strong, well and rested. So, tonight is the lucky night.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful emails and comments!!!!! Strength in numbers, right? That's what my Mom always said.

So many of you have asked about my Lupus and what it is. I am working on a Beautiful new blog right now with a great friend of mine. That way I can offer more permanent Lupus information. :-) Stay tuned!

We are still packing, I swear, will it ever end....honestly will it????????
I can't wait to see none of this and more of this!
Even Kaden has had enough. We found him asleep on his Easter bunny today in his new room. Sweet Dreams!


8.01.2009

Lupus Cries But I Don't Follow

It's Saturday night and I am sitting here in tears. I have swollen legs and arms, a fever, bleeding gums, a headache and an upset stomach with diarrhea. No I do not have some crazy virus it's my Lupus. It's bad my friends and the crazy thing is that I keep on going. I try to hide it the best that I can. I don't want to stop living just yet. I don't want to surrender my body to something that has already stolen so much.
I just came back from dinner with friends and I guarantee no one had a clue. It was my little secret. I felt like my body was crumbling as I asked for another glass of tea. I had the shakes, so I blamed the air conditioner. I went to the bathroom 4 times, I blamed the tea. The sauce burned my open sores in my mouth, I blamed my braces. On and on the list goes. Day in, day out the excuses slip from my lips. The little Lupus lies I tell in order to enjoy my life. I always joke around with Thanh that one day I will drop dead and everyone will go what happened? What was wrong.....it was so sudden.
Tonight was pushing the envelope I think. I wonder how long I can do this. I feel a depressing mood sweep across me tonight. What better way to spend it then with my blog friends. The friends that know me best. You know all my dark secrets, yet still choose to come back. Why do you come back? :-)
Tonight the pain is very hard to deal with. You may wonder how many pain pills I will swallow to get some shut eye tonight. Actually, tonight when I lay on my bed I will do what I do every night. I am going to embrace all the pain I have. It's like I will almost introduce myself to it. I will mentally say something like Hello left leg. I know you are swollen and in pain. It feels like you are on fire with knives sticking in you. I embrace you with a warm hug. I know you will not be here when I wake in the morning. You will be gone and I will be able to walk in the morning, Thank you Lord. Then I will talk to my other leg and then my stomach and ever other part of me. I say over and over that tomorrow will be a better day. I know this sounds crazy and if you choose to never come back I will understand. :-) This is just what works for me. This is what gets me through the pain. This is what keeps me from crying and screaming when I fear I may not wake up because the pain is too much to bare. There are times when this will not work. One of the times is when I have pleurisy. Several times a year my body develops fluid around my heart & lungs. The pain is worse at this time then almost any other. During these times I have to be sedated, not even my prayers and imagery can get me through alone.
Praise God, tonight is not one of those nights. So, I will pull myself up by the boot straps and get through another night. Hmmmmmmmmmm, I think I will talk to my tummy first.
Hugs to ya'll out there!