Whooped!

How is it that one tiny little person can wield so much power?? This angry midget had me under her volatile spell all day!
The piglet (or should I say wild boar) had a Doc appointment this morning, it was a follow up to her hospital stay back in late September. My ever so calm & not remotely violent Princess Bear had to see doc as well so off we went. I should of known that when the sun was afraid to come out to keep my head under the covers but nope, I'm a daring kind of girl.
Anyway, Piggie has been sick. She had a cold that settled in both ears & although the cold was quite pleased with it's new surroundings piggie was steady calling for an eviction.
Ya know, it was kinda like a siren wailing until your one eyeball felt like it was gonna pop??
Yeah...that.
Well, doc gave her an antibiotic & her pain cleared up but the cold didn't she was still clingy & crabby.
Then Saturday she starts getting a rash & I figure she must of got a little too much soy at some point today. She's allergic & it's in EVERYTHING.
I give her some benedryl then off to bed. Sunday morning I experienced something I've never experienced before.
I consider myself a seasoned mom. No, I don't know everything but I'm not wet behind the ears either. I know what to do when there's poop everywhere & wipes are no where to be found. I know what to do when my baby is twisting up like a pretzal while her toosh is covered in poop. I know how to keep calm when I realize there's poop on my hands, shirt, & pants.
Now you may be thinking, wow she talks about poop a lot. But this is the subject of my ever so interesting Sunday morning. In the early serene hours, quiet & peacefully piggie & I cuddle up on each other. When I get a whiff of that familiar scent I don't even want to let her go that is until I realize my shirt & pants are a little wet.
Great! Diarrhea...cha cha cha...yay.
So I get all prepared, here's how it looks...smelly stinky & still cute baby on the floor, wipes open with 4 or 5 out & ready, A&D ointment, ample supply of bags for disposal. I knew what I was walking into because she has had this issue the past few days. But maybe I got to cocky?? Pride comes before the fall, even poopy falls. Well, when I opened her diaper her bootie had become a faucet & her diaper no longer wanted to be a sink. Soooo....there was errrr...an abundant overflow. I actually howled in shock. Wipes was not gonna cover this so thankfully my helpful Bear was right there & we survived it together.
She's allergic to the antibiotic given her to for the ear infections.
Nice.

Okay so that's some background to set you up for today, giving you perspective as to the level of how tightly I'm wound when we all go to this appointment.
As I said how can a person who doesn't even reach my waist have the ability to cut me off at the knees? I wonder if she's really a crime family enforcer!!
"The Mini Mangler"
"Tiny Torturer"
You get the point.

This little love of mine screamed at the top of her lungs for 2 hours!!! The dr & nurse had to talk over her because I couldn't hear at all. Nothing calmed her. Nothing. There was nothing physically wrong, she was just ticked. Really really ticked. I found it very difficult to keep trucking a long & to continue being nice when strangers kept giving me that "you poor thing smile"
In my mind I'm thinking I want to beat the daylights outta someone & you just may be that person so stop smiling at me.
So now I'm home & she is screaming & has been all day.Oh, and I'm hiding.
I am a Supermom today because I said so.
There...

The Blessed Supermom

The Little Piggies Speach Evaluation

Well, my little punkin pie had her speech eval today. I was concerned after my friend Debbie asked if she spoke more at home then she did in our play group that she leads. Debbie is not just a sweetie of a person & a good mama but also a certified Baby TALK Practitioner/Parent Educator. She has several years experience working with parents and children, birth to three years old & is also a registered nurse. So I more then trust her judgement when it came into question whether baby girl was where she ought to be.
Debbie gave me a recommendation for Easter Seals who would send out a speech therapist as well as another therapist to evaluate her on all levels as well as speech.
Well, the wee piglet did great!
She is only 20% behind on her speech, she needs to be 30% behind for therapy. She's behind mostly because she is not imitating as much as she needs to be. The speech therapist (Lisa) gave me great ideas on how to help initiate imitation & both therapists believe as we work with her at home the Princess will have a "speech explosion" shortly.
As far as all the other evaluations such as comprehension, direction, physical, cognitive, social/emotional, & self help she is where she needs to be at 21 months or even higher!!
The therapist also said that the fact we homeschool is a definite factor in how well she's doing.
SCORE!!
So, to wrap this up I have to say a big fat huge thank you to Debbie Jackson, you are a wonderful friend & I'm so thankful for you!!
And more importantly I give all the praise & glory to God! I know some may not understand fully why I lay all the honor at His feet, but the LORD is sovereign over all. He created this sweet beautiful girl knowing full well she was going to keep her words to herself for a bit. I'm also
grateful to Him for bringing these caring individuals into my home who were genuinely concerned for my little girl. And I'm grateful for the mouthful of sweet words that are sure to come in God's perfect timing.
And even the not so sweet ones!

The Blessed Supermom

Remembering Anguish, Reminded Of Grace

OK, this is gonna be a long one, a really long one. So grab a cup of coffee & put your feet up. Where to begin?
How about September 16th 2008....that's when I met her.
Hannah..
Oh she was so small & perfect, sure she had her "owwies" but I loved her all the same. I only was allowed to hold her close to me for a short time before having to let go of her forever. Or at least til we met again in Heaven. I studied & memorized every detail I could. Her tiny little feet, her pouty red lips, & even her little tooshie =)
She was beautiful, my little girl.

Fast forward three years later, & I can't celebrate my Hannah. Not the way I'm used to, the way our family does. Some people think me strange for celebrating her "birthday" & honestly I'm really not concerned with what others think on the subject. She is my daughter after all & I love her no less then my other children. Every year since Hannah's death my family gets together & goes to the cemetery with balloons & decorations in hand. We leave a few special balloons for her & fancy up her marker. Then we have another set of balloons to decorate & send to Heaven.

After, we celebrate Hannah girl with an OREO ice cream cake....mmmmmm. This year however, I began leading the Pregnancy Loss Bible Study at church. Guess what the date of the first day of the study was???
September 16th..
That was rough, I so very much wanted to just bail & run. I wanted to go "see" my daughter & love on her & ask God to give her all sorts of kisses from Mama. But I had a responsibility & it was important. So there was a good measure of guilt when we went the following day, but that's OK. God's grace is sufficient & we made it through another celebration. One thing that left our hearts a bit sad was the confusion at the end of the whole thing. We always release our balloons one by one & this year I asked if everyone wanted to release them together. It appeared we were in agreement but it turns out The Hubby wasn't. However, he didn't want to upset me so he said nothing. Oh well... =(
Before the balloons were released the younger girls ribbons got tangled & my little monkeys' slipped out of her hand. She was so upset & began crying, in my haste to comfort her I said it's okay, we'll all let ours go now.
BAD IDEA...now we were all down in the mouth. See we have that special little moment with Hannah before letting go of the balloon.
Sometimes it's just plain hard & this time it felt almost like losing her all over again.
All because of a stupid balloon.

The rest of the day was hard & I was struggling with guilt & anger. I was remembering all this pain & anguish. All the "whys" were flooding back in & feelings were rising up. I wanted to scream & cry, it just wasn't fair. Part of me was getting that familiar feeling of bitterness & cynicism. It's a slippery slope, & very easy to fall down in that dark chasm. Thankfully, I have people in my life that help me process these emotions & move through them. Thankfully I have a God who is patient & loves me through anger & questioning.

Then He reminds me of His grace...

September 16th 2011 I ached for my daughter in Heaven & two weeks later it looked as though God may take her baby sister to be with Him as well. I walked into my little mucnhkins room after her nap & she gazed at me through the rails of her crib. Sweet little thing looked so exhausted, she was getting over a bout with the stomach flu so I wasn't surprised that she wasn't real chipper. I was a little perplexed that she let me walk out of the room for an outfit to dress her in. She normally doesn't let me out of her sight after nap time but again I figured she was just out of sorts. When I got munchkin on the changing table I was somewhat concerned at her behavior. She just wasn't "right" I sat her up & she tipped a bit before up righting herself. I laid her back down & asked her to touch her nose which she did but then wouldn't show me anything else..eyes, ears, toes, etc. I stood her on the floor & she took two steps up & reached her for me so at this point I'm questioning myself & wanting to believe she's just really really tired. When I got her back on the changing table though she was acting lethargic & her arms were flopping down when I picked them up.
At this point I called 911 & explained the situation, I then called my husbands company & let them know our daughter would be going to the ER. Now mind you during these phone calls my sweet babe was getting progressively worse. She began shutting her eyes & wouldn't respond to me at all.

That's when the screaming began.

I can't tell you the terror of seeing what you think may be your child slipping away. I had no clear thought as to why this could be happening, all I knew was her eyes were glazed over & far away & as I screamed her name while 2 inches from her she continued closing her beautiful eyes. All I remember was screaming to her & screaming "please God, please please" At some point I called my sister hysterically & left a message which I assume was disturbing. Within minutes paramedics were in my house & one of them was telling me to calm down, I then continued my hysteria by screaming at them. However, his being calm did help for the moment. He told me to change her diaper then get the kids together to meet him & the baby downstairs in the ambulance.

Ever have that surreal feeling? Like you're in a movie & none of this can really be happening, everything is moving in slow motion? I thought that was just some dramatic thing people said. It's not.
That's how it felt when I walked past the ambulance & saw my baby girl laying there. All flopped in the stretcher barely coherent being poked at with needles. She didn't even care. I was terrified & felt so helpless. My sister pulled up & took my girls in the house for me as I went with my daughter to the ER. By the way, did you know that ambulances aren't like in the movies either? Family doesn't sit in the back with their loved one. No they sit in front & can't see a thing, nothing. All I knew was my munchkin was being frighteningly quiet. Shouldn't she fuss at least a little bit?? I was told her blood sugar was low, 30 to be exact & they need to get an IV in her to bring her back to a normal level.

Terrible things run through your mind when there's nothing to do but think. The paramedic that was taking care of her kept talking to me. Telling me he understood because he had four kids..*smile at the hysterical lady* I know he was trying to keep me calm which only scared me more because I was sure something was very wrong if he was being so assuring. Finally I asked if she was OK & he answered "she's stable" & that just freaked me out more. I know what "stable" means. It means things are alright for now but that doesn't mean it'll stay that way. I've seen enough hospital television dramas to know that (that was my weak attempt at a joke)
I think he could see he wasn't helping so then he told me "she'll be OK, I promise" I looked him dead in the eye & said "I'm trusting you" & he understood. Once we got to the hospital nurses were buzzing all over her. The heart monitor was put on & vitals were taken. They kept asking me questions I couldn't answer, I couldn't think. The one & only thing on my mind was "please God, please" They asked me some question & I went blank, I cried & said I didn't know what day it was. My Hubby came & put his arms around me & I'm sure he said sweet things but I can't remember.
It took about an hour & she started to perk up some, she began drinking juice & wanted to eat. The best thing is when the nurse came in to check on her & she wailed like a banshee. That was the most wonderful cry I'd heard since she was born.

We stayed overnight & it was then I found out the gravity of the situation we'd just endured. We were told that her sugar wasn't low long enough to cause brain damage but had we not brought her in it could have. We were told she could have had seizures & slipped into a coma. I was told that I moved fast & that was very good. Up to that point I questioned whether I was over reacting & now I'm glad for the choices I made.

Looking back on that morning I can see God's hand & how He arranged things. Whenever my little girl gets up from a nap she is in one of two moods. Either super clingy or super ticked. It's rare that she smiles sweetly & runs off to play. So when I heard her squeaking in the room my brain went into hyper mode of all the things that had to get done & how long I had to do it. I figured I had 15 minutes tops to do some dishes, wipe the counters, & peel potatoes. But for some out of the norm reason I thought I needed to pick up my princess.
That was the nudging of the Spirit.

Then there was the 911 call. Normally I would of called my husband first to get his input. I know a lot of people think why wait? Why not just go with you're gut? Simply put, when I'm running on emotions I can't think clearly & don't always make the best decisions. I don't think I'm the only woman in that category.
Can I get an Amen??
But in this case I didn't call him & instead called for help, something I wouldn't ordinarily do. Again, the Spirit.

At this point we're not real certain why any of this occurred. It's likely my baby was just not getting enough glucose in her diet because of her lack of appetite. It was the first time I've experienced this with a sick child, I didn't know the sugar could drop so drastically or so quickly. During our overnight stay some other tests were run but most of them have already come back favorable.
So how do these two events tie together?

Well, I had a lot of time to think at the hospital. It wasn't too easy to sleep even though my princess was slumbering peacefully. I just kept staring at her & thinking "why" But this time the bitterness didn't rise up, instead it was gratitude. Instead of thinking "why me God? How could you?" I thought "why me God, THANK YOU"

How many parents don't get to take their child home? Through the loss of my babies I've come to know way too many mothers that left the hospital with empty arms. I'm one of those moms. And through God's grace my daughter came home. Am I saying she was at deaths door? I really can't say, nor will I entertain the thought. All I know is it was dangerous, it was serious, & it was terrifying.

O praise God for His mercy. Praise Him for the blessings we look over daily. For the cries we long to quiet but then ache to hear. Praise him for jelly stained cheeks & sticky fingers. Praise Him for dirty diapers, temper tantrums, & pouty faces.

Praise Him.


The Highly Blessed Supermom

Sorrow & Beauty

What am I thankful for? This question rang in my mind as I read a blog post at Heavenly Homemaker's on gratitude. I never knew about this link up & I feel now it was God's sweet reminder of sorrow & beauty. 3 years ago this upcoming Friday (16th) my beautiful Hannah girl went straight from being nestled in Mama's tummy to being cradled in Jesus arm's. Her little heart stopped beating after 6 months. That was the most painful season of my life, Hannah Joy's big brother Isaac had just went to Heaven under the same circumstances only 7 months earlier. Losing Isaac was painful, more than words can describe, but when Hannah died it was like getting kicked when you're down. We were still grieving Isaac & the wound was so fresh, it was torn open & I felt beaten, being left for dead. At times I felt like giving up, I wanted to just lay down & die. But God never left me, He fought through the haze that was my mind & my broken heart speaking life into my tattered soul. It took a very long time to recover & to this day I'm still recovering the loss of my children. I believe I will not be fully restored until the day I stand before my Lord & Savior. So what am I thankful for? I'm thankful for my God who never leaves, never forsakes, My Abba Father. I am thankful for my best friend, My husband. Who bore the brunt of this storm on his back & carried me to the feet of Jesus when I was too weakened to stand. I am thankful for my beautiful sister. She did everything I couldn't for my babies, she made difficult, painful, & wretched days into meaningful, grace filled peace. I'm thankful for my daughters. My three girls who lived through this pain with me, they are forever changed & have a strong love & devotion to one another. And they're unborn children. I am thankful that after walking through the valley of the shadow of death...He gave us HOPE. My beautiful girl Hope Joanna Jensen was born alive & well February 9th 2010. Her cries were the most beautiful sound I've heard this side of Heaven. Today & everyday, I am thankful that God chose me to be His child, that He chose this path for me. I am being created to be more like His son through the trials He has put before me. My God is good, He is beautiful, I love Him beyond measure.

The Blessed Supermom

Erg..

I'm not gonna make a ton of sense here, just gonna complain. A lot.
K??
Oh & my spelling may just look like a second grader, I don't care. I woke up this morning to a smiling happy baby, a rarity lately as her royal pigginess has evil wicked bones protruding through her tender gums.
Anyway, she woke up all happy & smiley & I thought YAY!! we're looking forward to a good day here. Then lo & behold I stood up, see I was sitting on the sofa. Apparently she can only be happy if I'm sitting or at least that's what it was this morning. This afternoon it could be to walk backwards on my hands wearing clown clothes singing Old Susanna.
Anyway, it's been rough since. I walked into the kitchen to find the Monkey standing on the counter. We don't call her Monkey "just cuz" Commence wicked Mommy stare down & talking through gritted teeth to the little girl with deer caught in the headlights look.
Then there was the incident with the Amish...
No, I didn't have a bunch of meek people yelling gently at me, it was the bread. Amish bread.
If you've ever made the 10 day yummy goodness you know it's really simple stuff. If not, it's really simple stuff OK?
Anyway, ya use starter, basically you have this bag of batter goo & it ferments for 10 days. Yes, it's safe & no it's not gross. So after the 10 days there's enough batter to bake 2 loaves of bread & give away 3 bags (cup each) of starter to friends.
OOOoorrrrrRRr...you give away 2 & keep one. That's what I do. But today, I dropped about a cup of MY starter.
Then we have the ants. Lots of vile little crawling things that are from the pits of hell & they want to destroy me & eat my soul.
OK, not so much but either way I don't like bugs in my home. Well, I had to get down & seriously scrub the floor because this Amish starter stuff is sticky. And ants like sticky.
Then the phone rings, important call, gotta take it...but what? What's that noise? Keys? Whaaa??? Why is the Hubby coming home now?
Lemme just answer the door for him "eh, excuse me important person but can you hold on for one moment?"
Trip over toys, move toys, open door, scream.
Not the hubby but the exterminator.
That was fun....
So now we have the important person on phone, gooey sugary starter spill, a strange man parading through my bedroom, ants running for cover, & screaming baby who now smells kinda funky.
I politely get off the phone, smile & make small talk with exterminator guy & the whole time I'm holding my ever so stinky baby on my hip. After things calm down a bit & piggy has a fresh bottom I get to baking the bread.
Yes, I washed my hands! Geesh..
Something seems off about the Amish batter though, it seems extra stinky. I mean this stuff usually has an odor but I keep getting a whiff of something extra special. And as I go about my day of interesting chaos, there's that wafting little something letting me know I've missed something. I check the trash, move stuff on the counter, look behind the fridge but I can't find anything.
However, it's almost like everywhere I go that smell just kinda pops up.
After several hours of this odd unanswerable question I find the culprit!
It's me!!
Looks like Piglet poop leaked on my shirt.
Nice.

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday

The Wee Piggie started givin' us this
too cute cheesy grin. Love it!

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday

My Big Baby & My Little Baby =)


The Blessed Supermom

Sooooo EXCITED!!!

The Illinois Christian Homeschool Educators Convention begins tomorrow!!! I am so stinkin' excited! I'll admit I wasn't feelin' it this year, see we go EVERY YEAR & this is my 4th time so I wasn't real motivated.
but now, WOO-HOO!
A weekend chock full of so many great Christian speakers. Last year we had Erwin Lutzer & Voddie Baucham just to name a few This time around we are looking forward to awesome speakers like Ken Ham, that guy rocks! And I'm goin' just to get some needed encouragement, for you homeschoolers out there you know how draining it can be. I'm not saying it's not worth it but I know seasoned homeschoolers who still get fried. It's a huge responsibility so it's really nice to get together with like minded folk.
I remember when my girlfriend first told me about convention, I still wasn't on board with the idea & thought she was nuts, sorry Jacki =)
Anyway, I had this vision in my mind of a simple "get together" of women in blue jean jumpers in a little hall hearing someone (in a blue jean jumper) talking about education.
Boy! Was I wrong!! There are literally thousands of people & the speakers are encouraging in the call of homeschool.

There are workshops on education but there is so much more.
Such as 6 Day's or Millions of Years? an informative workshop on the validity of the age of the Earth. Or A Holy Influence:Be The Crowning Touch In Your Husband's Life, pretty self explanatory wouldn't you say =)

And there's stuff for the kids (tween's & teens) like Experience The Majesty Of The Night Sky
this is an awesome tour of the star filled sky using the planetarium projector.
There's also "Lets Pick Your Brain" a workshop explaining the anatomy of the brain & the kids get to dissect an actual sheep brain!!! yuck yuck gross...eeeweweweewwwwwwww!!!!!
The Cow dissected a sheep eye last year. Weird huh? A cow dissecting a sheep?? Children & little ones are welcome too. Last year we brought The Wee Piglet & this sweet girl asked to hold her..

Then there's the fun shops about couponing, Friday Night movie night, father/son activities.

But the Grandaddy of all Grandaddies is....THE VENDOR HALL!!!!

It's a homeschoolers dream come true!! It's like our candy store! It's not some dreary room where you pick up the kids curriculum for the year. It's full of excitement & all sorts of cool stuff, yes there are books but there are vendors set up like Nature's Workshop Plus that have cool & interesting items for kids. I plan to pick up an ant farm, butterfly habitat, & frog hatchery kit. There's also Miller's Pad's & Paper which has awesome art supplies, or Kids Love Travel giving you great ideas on vacations to take that are easy, affordable, & fun.

This convention is all around wonderful. It has EVERYTHING you could ask for. And did I mention Grandparent's & Pastors can come for FREE?!!! Yeup, pretty cool huh?
If you are a homeschooler in the Midwest area I strongly encourage you to check this out. And if you aren't homeschooling yet & just thinking about it this is a great resource of information. If you don't hear from me for a few days it's cuz I'm running around in the vendor hall trying desperately not to blow off my budget =D

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy & Piglet watchin the choo-choo together..
ahhh, I love this guy =)

The Blessed Supermom

The Diagnosis

Well, yesterday I received the Wee Piglet's allergy results & you guessed it, she's allergic to everything!!
Nahhh, just kidding =D
She's allergic to peanuts & soy, so YAY!!
I was so worried she'd be allergic to all things food. Seriously, I was sure she was gonna make cooking very difficult but I can live without peanut butter...I think.
I mean what am I giving up? Not much right??
Just PB cookies & homemade PB cups...uh & PB brownies ;(
Hey! Wait a minute here! Stop the train...I don't want to go to a town where peanut butter can't come with me..boo-hoo.
And guess what I found out? Nestle Chocolate Chips have traces of peanut, soooo guess who's gonna be makin chocolate chips?
Yeah...
Anyway, we can definitely do without soy...yeck, blech, ach..
I use it from time to time but it isn't something major like PEANUT BUTTER!!!!
And now Princess Bear aka "quickly becoming talented in the arts of drama" is getting a blood test to check her gluten as well as milk/eggs & the like.
And let me tell ya, if Mrs. Thang can't have milk or eggs or BIG FAT UH-OH...no gluten
I'm throwin' in the towel!

Oh well, I'm gonna go eat a big gluten filled peanut butter cookie with a ton of chocolate chips!!

The Blessed Supermom

Peanut Butter Fiasco..

OK, so I was doing pretty good with my cooking frenzy & lunchtime came upon me so I forced myself to sit down with the girls to eat. I only had to brown a little more meat, make the guacamole, & peel & slice some cucumbers for Wednesday's salad. BTW, I decided to skip the doughnuts & opted for a lemon cake instead. I'm new to making doughnuts & didn't want to make things more difficult.

It's a good thing too cuz I had a whole other mess on my hands, a peanut butter mess.
So here's the back story, the Piggie has eczema. Nothing that bad, just a few patches here & there. She has gotten a couple more as she's gotten older but I found that calendula cream helps her a lot.
Well, I've heard when lil ones have eczema they're more prone to allergies. I asked my pediatrician at the wee munchkins 1 year check up, she felt my lil piglet was OK. Her reasoning was I was nursing her & I had eaten peanut butter so it was less than likely she had an allergy. I wasn't real satisfied with that answer & figured I'd avoid it as long as I could.
Anyway, with yesterday being so action packed I decided to make a pb & j for the girlies. Normally, I would prepare something different for my wee-est one but I really had my hands full so I decided to give her the dreaded pb.

Well, you guessed it...she had a reaction almost instantly.

still a happy baby =)

The girls & I prayed & to be quite honest I cried...lots. It was a mixture of guilt & fear.
I went against my mothers intuition & gave my baby something that put her at risk & the worst part is I had a feeling.
But God reminded me "therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1
And I'm going to hold onto that truth form God's Word because I'm simply a Mama who made an honest mistake. We all do that from time to time don't we?
Sooooo, after a dose of benedryl my sweet lil one is back to normal...

Don't ya just love this face!

The Blessed Supermom

Perspective

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. Proverbs 14:4

Being a Mommy is a lot of work.
There are dishes to be done, dinner to cook, laundry to wash, boo-boos to kiss, monsters to scare, stories to read...the list is endless.
One thing I think all of us Mama's can relate to is...the MESS!! No matter how well organized you are or how early you wake up in the morning, there is something to clean. Whether it be your husbands breakfast plate, a stray pair of socks hiding in the bathroom, or maybe a little toy on the floor that is just aching for your bare foot to step on it.
There is ALWAYS something.
I feel perspective is important in this area, to continually remind ourselves this is a season of life. That while our children are small we are in the season of training them to be independent & learn to pick up after themselves as well as be a help to Mama. After all, these 4 daughters of mine are going to be keepers of their homes & they need to know how to run that home.
At times I'm not that great at this, I can get really upset with my kids & take things personal, I begin to feel taken advantage of.
How many times do I have to say do this or do that?
How many toy explosions do I hafta maneuver through?
How much hardened toothpaste do I hafta wipe off the sink??? grrrrr....
It can get more than frustrating.
And then lo & behold...pooh happened.
Seriously...poop.
Let me paint you this picture.
There you are, eating lunch as the baby naps. She begins to fuss just a bit to let you know "hey, I'm awake over here, come get me"
Well, you decide to take a few more minutes to finish munching & after a little bit you realize she's settled down.
Cool!! You can clean up the dishes & get her lunch ready too!
Nice, it feels good to know you have things under control right??
Ha! Silly Mommy...did you think this painted picture was so neat & tidy??
Nope, there's the poop remember?
Well, as you gingerly walk into the room there's your sweet little one, covered in last nights dinner.
This was my happy surprise from my Munchkin. Wanna see??

Notice how her hands are clenched? She was squishing it...like play dough!! It was all over the bed, her legs, up her arms, & on her "babies"
UGH...this situation required quick action, but seriously I couldn't find a clean patch of skin so I could at least get her outta the crib! Sooo, I did what Mommie's do I picked up my pooh covered baby & ended up pooh covered myself. Well, just my hands but hey, that's bad enough. I stuck her straight in the tub diaper, jammies & all. And although she eventually became clean we had to dodge all the floating pooh...yeah you can gag here a little if you need to. So after she was rinsed I had to wash the tub & scrub her again. All along I had my little Monkey running back & forth grabbing bags for the diapers, wipes, paper towels, gloves, gas mask, hazmat suit. OK, OK...there wasn't a hazmat suit but I'm seriously thinking of looking for one on Ebay.
Now, mind you during all this my sweet Bear is stripping the crib, from the bathroom, I could hear her dry heaving, & gagging. If she did get any sort of words out it was simply "EeEeeeWwwww.."
I gotta say, this daughter of mine...she's awesome cuz I can say without a doubt that at 8 years old you couldn't pay me to handle my sisters poop covered sheets. Then again my sisters 6 years older than me so if she had poop covered sheets for me to clean that woulda been downright scary!
Anyway, as I cleaned all this poop I was reminded of the above scripture..

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. Proverbs 14:4

Basically what the verse is saying is things get messy. Life is messy, ministry is messy, kids are messy. Sure I can have a clean home, & no poop adventures. But then my manger would be empty...& that my friends is a painful thought.
What I absolutely love is the promise of the strong Ox & it's abundant harvest. See, my kids are like the oxen, right now they're little messy animals but as I train them & raise them to be strong in the LORD, the harvest reaped will be plentiful.
So, for the time being..I will clean butts, wipe noses, scrub behind ears as well as wash the same plate 42 times in one single day, sweep under the table, & a million other seemingly tedious tasks. However, I will keep a thankful heart for my messy manger full of little animals that have captured my heart.

The Blessed Supermom

Not Today

If you're looking for an encouraging word it's not coming from me, not today. I'm gonna whine, complain, & throw all sorts of fits. I have bad words stuck in my mind but don't worry, I won't let them come out.
See, I'm feeling very much trapped & down in the dumps lately. Oh! Whoops! I'm not spose to say that out loud am I??? I'm supposed to be all chipper & jolly here all the time right?? How else can I be a testimony to others if I come here & vent full steam??
Well, screw that...sorry if that was too close to bad words. Really not wanting to offend, but that is honestly how I feel. I'm really fried & on edge BIG TIME & need to let it out before I go nutty....again. See, I went waaaaayyyy off the deep end yesterday..screaming & literally stomping my feet.

WHY??

Well, I'm tired for one. The wee munchkin (piggie??) still isn't sleeping through the night. Truth is she most definitely should be & normally by this point all my kids are sleeping like sweet little angels for a good 8-10 hours...buuuuttttt not the munchkin. She wakes up every night once or twice & then is up by 5 AM. Normally, I'd let her "cry it out" I know, I know, I'm evil....whatever.
But, we live in an apartment building now & the neighbors shouldn't have to hear her crying nights on end.
So, no sleep...or at least very little sleep for 13 months straight...
I'm tired.
That alone is a lot of reason behind my perpetual crabbiness as of late but hey why don't we throw in the being locked up in my little grey apartment. Now, I know when I first moved in here I was all "woohoo!! I'm all happy & dancin' weeeeee!!!"
Now, I look more like a kid who's just been told they're candy is all gone & will never return.
Ya know the super droopy sad face look. Well, I know the weather is a HUGE factor & I can not wait for the first blooms to appear & the sun to come out of hiding. I'm in such anticipation of taking my babies & running in the grass, well...they'll run & I'll sit a lot & look at them. But hey!!! I'll be outside which is what I'm dying for. Before, when we rented the house getting out was a lot easier because we had a large backyard so the kids could run like lunatics for a half hour & give me some breathing space.
Now, they run like lunatics right over me!! I'm sure there's all sorts of "teachable moments" here & that I need to get things in order but right now I just don't care. The monkey is squealing & spinning in circles, the munchkin is under the table & yanked the basket of laundry with her...guess where all the clean clothes are now??? And my sweet Bear wants to know what's for dessert.....ugh...I dunno =(
So, thank you for letting me be "me" & purging my soul's grossness to you. I need to tell you my dear readers although I have not "met" all of you that I thank God for each & every one of you. You are all wonderful friends & it does encourage me to know that you have had days such as mine & that you keep pressing on towards the prize & I will as well.
And now this exhausted & spent Supermom must go...The Hubby is on his way home from work & I need to quickly pull myself together & throw on a smile for him.
I know he'll need it.

The Blessed Supermom

Bathtime!

Ah!! This was so much fun! My little Princess Piggie can no longer take a bath in the kitchen sink! She left a pool on the floor for Mama. But, it was worth the clean up, she's soooo adorable!!!

The Blessed Supermom

A Letter to My Daughter...Happy Birthday!!

Hi My Sweet Girl...

Today you are one year old!

Time has gone by so quickly, It feels as though just yesterday I saw your sweet face for the first time. You were so tiny & beautiful, absolutely perfect...

I was so very nervous about meeting you, I just didn't know what to expect. God had taken your big brother Isaac & your big sister Hannah to Heaven with Him, so I was anxious to hold you in my arms & kiss you. Daddy was so wonderful to me & prayed & helped me to stay calm. I remember looking at your beautiful little poofy face, you were so amazing. Daddy looked in your eyes & said "just a few hours ago these eyes were looking into the faces of Angels"

What an amazing thought!!
Now, here we are...one year later.

My beautiful girl, you changed my life...God used you to give me Hope when I was so broken. You are a wonderful gift & I'm so thankful for you. I have loved every moment with you, all 525,949.2 of them =)
I'm happy with all the sleepless nights, all the pacing, bouncing, & fussiness. I'm thankful for all the smiles, giggles, squeals, & laughter.
I love you more & more everyday!!
Happy Birthday my Beautiful One!

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday....

She makes my heart smile =)

Cookie Chaos & A Merry Christmas

Well, I haven't been posting, sorry bout that.
It's been more than a wee bit chaotic over here. See, I resolved in '09 that I was going to join in the Cookie Baking Bonanza. Last year I noticed so many of my Face Book friends were posting about cookie baking everyday. Now, don't get me wrong...I bake. Really, The Cow & I are always tearin' up the kitchen makin' all sortsa goodies for family parties. But their appeared to be some exclusive club that I hadn't entered into.
So alas, this holiday season...I earned my stripes.
For over a week the girls & I cracked eggs, rolled dough, cut shapes, burned fingertips & wiped tears.

This was hard!!!

I couldn't believe how sore I had became! Honestly, I can't bend anymore.
The Hubby & I expressed our feelings at times with our decorating....

these were his "Gingerbread Men"

And here's "Mama Ginger"

But, I hafta say..it was totally worth it. We made soooo many cookies & yea, some dough ended up straight in the can. And maybe our iced sugar cookies aren't picture perfect but seeing the girls all smiles makes me happy =)

And hey! I think they did a really good job.....

Even the Wee Munchkin was thoroughly enjoying the cookie madness.....

I know there will be a day when my girls are grown & in homes of their own & I'll long for the days of having them on my lap covered in flour giggling at each other.

Until then,
I'll accept my fingers will get singed from time to time....
I'll step in frosting....
I'll wince at my aching back.....
I'll laugh as my babies eat waaay too much sugar.

From my house to yours...MERRY CHRISTMAS

Munchkin Pics

Sooo, like every mom does at some point I went nutty with the camera & took A LOT of pics of my wee munchkin. She makes me so happy, she is always smiling & even when she's fussin at us I can't help but smile at her. I'm no perfect mom that never gets irritated (just ask my other girls) but we've waited so long for this little one & went through such heart wrenching trials, that I can't help but be all smiley around her. So anyway, here's a few pics of our impromptu photo shoot...

Bestest Day Ever!!

Yesterday was the best bestest even better than best day ever!!

OK, so first of all I got to sleep til noon!! Yea, noon!!!
12:15 to be exact =)
Of course normally I head out to church on Sunday & I really don't like to miss but I have been plain ole exhausted the past week. The wee munchkin is again fighting sleep & it all caught up with me. I told The Hubby that I was pooped & needed to sleep so he got the whole zoo ready & took them to church. Except for the munchkin, he put her down to sleep before they left. I thought she would be hollering at me in no time flat but lo & behold she slept 3 hours!!!!
So I slept aaalllll morning, insert happy goofy grin here....
Now, if that wasn't good enough today is my "free day"
I'm still dieting, I've lost 11 pounds so far~~WOO-HOO!!! And Sundays are my day I get to be a little looser with what I eat. So I enjoyed some yummy spaghetti. Now, let me just say when I make spaghetti I hafta make it according to my Cow's specifications. She absolutely loves it saucy AND meaty so it's not something I can eat on a "be careful because you don't wanna be fluffy forever day"
It tastes good & is bad for you but oooohhh baby I loved it!
So here I am with a full happy tummy & now it's time to go to my sisters house for an "Art Boutique"
See, my sister is a Super-Duper Supermom who makes amazing hand crafted jewelery. I mean I'm not just saying this cuz she's my sis & I like her...really it's down right beautiful. See for yourself on Bella Boutique. Really take a second & check it out.

I'll wait...go ahead...click...

Beautiful right?!?!!!!
Honestly, the first time I saw her work I was truly blown away. I was kinda like...wow, I'm related to someone that talented??
Well, this was a jewelery party but no ordinary jewelery party, on top of having these eye popping baubles we were treated to breathtaking artwork by my good friend Toni Ruppert, yet another magnificent Supermom.
God has given her hands that paint masterpieces. I have been blessed to have her make a beautiful piece of art to honor the short lives of my Butterfly Babies & I can say personally that this is one artist who captures the heart & emotion of a moment.
That said you really need to stop over at her blog, Transformed~because this girl can paint!!
Soooo...here I am enjoying good company, beautiful jewelry, amazing art & oh a really "stupid good" brownie when in conversation I make mention of the fact my birthday just passed. I was braggin on the zoo tribe having just bought me a waffle iron that we just had to break in yesterday when Toni say's "well, I missed your birthday~go ahead & pick something"
Readers, I had to contain myself from not completely knocking over that woman!! I was in shock, I mean this is for real, she is a phenomenal artist & she's offering me a painting...for FREE!!! For my birthday!!!
I mean come on, how awesome is that?!!?!?!!

Look, check out the one I picked......

Now, this picture absolutely does not do the painting justice because you really have to see it in person but trust me it's wonderful. Besides, I'm liking the smiles Toni & I are workin here =)
I'm also wearing one of my sisters pieces, see the necklace??
Again, pic is not doing her masterpiece justice. So you're really gonna hafta go check out those blogs & see the beautiful work these women do.
So, to Lisa & Toni...thank you for a wonderful, awesome day!!!
Oh!! And thank you my wee lil munchkin for sleeping =)

Munchkin's a Piggie??

OK, maybe the wee munchkin is revealing her inner beast. I think it's possible she could be the little piggie in our zoo. What do you think?

Make sure the sound is turned up!!
By the way if you wanna turn the song I have playing down, just scroll all the way to the bottom of the page & pause it!! =)