There's no stoppin' me...

Momma... I don't have time to watch no
game. I gotta figure out this pig!

Even as I get ready to type this, I realize that this is crazy to be so triumphant about, but whatever. I'm excited!

Yesterday was just silly crazy.

I FINISHED MY PROOF EDITS on my book!! And my deadline is MONDAY... so I finished them EARLY! How cool is THAT!

So, I spent the morning scanning a copy of my edits (they were hand-written on hard copy) so I could mail them to my publishing house. (Read: Horrible fear of the package being lost in the mail and losing all that work!)

But really, EVERYTHING kept going wrong. My printer/scanner would mess up. My pile of pages would fall on the floor and scatter everywhere (that happened TWICE!)

Not to mention yesterday when I was compiling them, I found that someone had tipped over an almost can of Coke onto the floor beside my bed... where I was piling my finished papers neatly... Grrrr...

By the time I had it ready, Annabelle was napping. I'd just run to the post office after she was up.

But I was in the middle of my next home project when she woke up, which included stuff in the oven. So I'd run to the post office as soon as I was done and make it back before the kids got off the bus.

But as I was getting my shoes on, I hear a "thud thud thud" outside. I look out my front window into the sunny blue sky... and see the biggest pellets of rain I'd ever seen falling from the sky. Then it proceeded to pour. Checked weather.com... it'd be over in a little bit, but by then I'd be late for the kids getting home.

Never mind. I go when the kids got home. They both had softball games, so plan was to have them get dressed quick, then run by the post office, grab fast food for dinner, drop Karalynn off at her coaches house (they play at the same time, different fields, Oye!) then book it to Lacy's game that's 40 minutes away.

I had this timed to the minute. I would get it ALL done and my edits would be out of my hands and FINISHED, no longer subject to the dangerous coke-infested war zone that is my house. No paper is safe here, really!

I was getting everything ready to go when I glanced at the clock.

Five minutes past time for the kids to be home. I frowned and looked out the front door, then ran to get my phone when there was no sign of the bus.

Missed call from my eldest daughter. I called her back... evidently kids were being loud so the bus driver felt it prudent to stop the bus for 15 minutes until they quieted down.

Ten minutes later, Momma's schedule completely screwed up, then arrived home.

Yelling ensued, uniforms being thrown at children with shouts of GET IT ON NOW following. I'm not proud of this fact... just being honest.

We jump in the car, reverse out of the driveway, and floor it.

Okay, maybe not floor it, but I did not drive under the speed limit by any means.

Glanced at the clock. 4:22. Post office closes at 4:30. I'm gonna MAKE IT DAD GUM IT!

A few stoplights later, it was 4:26 and I was a half mile from the post office. I think I can, I think I can!

Then the brake lights from the minivan in front of me come on. And I see it.

A tractor. On the road. Two cars in front of me. Taking it's sweet ol' time.

I believe a vein popped right out of my forehead at that moment.

3 1/2 grueling minutes later, I pulled in behind the minivan into the post office, jumped out of my car, and ran to the door.

The lady in the minivan, who happens to be Karalynn's girlscout troop leader and a friend (waving hi Kristi) runs in with me. Picture that slow motion, hair flying, mouths moving in insanely awkward directions, arms flailing as we run up to the door with that funky music playing in the background....

And we both about collapse at the sight of the closed sign and the man locking the door.

STUPID DAD GUM TRACTOR.

Then sweet Kristi says to the man, "We totally would have been here except we got stuck behind a stupid tractor."

And being the sweet post office employee he was, he unlocked the door and let us in.

Jubilant, we all but skipped up to the counter with our packages.

And to top off this euphoric moment, when I pulled out the bank envelope that held the money that I was going to pay to ship my edits... I found........

MY DRIVER'S LICENSE!

I almost cried. You see, I've been looking for that dumb thing all week, and had been panicked about not being able to find it. Just another thing to stress over. I might have shouted loudly, I'm not sure... I was just so darn excited.

 I bid my friend goodbye, returned to my kids in the car, and collapsed in my seat. Man what a day!

Oh, and my kids did FANTASTIC at their softball games! Gma and Gpa Johnson went to Karalynn's for me, and Karalynn made her first base hit in a game!!!! (She usually ends up getting walked... she's in the first year of non-coach-pitch) and made an out in the field! WOOT!

And Lacy got 3 base hits, made it to home twice, and got like 3 or 4 outs at 3rd, including catching a pop fly!

A proud Momma tonight who is DONE WITH HER EDITS!!!

And yes, I could have mailed them tomorrow, it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but I REALLY REALLY REALLY just wanted it DONE! It feels so GOOD to have it out of my hands!

Discussion: What's the last thing you've done where you wanted to throw your hands up and yell and do a victory dance??

Karalynn rockin' the bat...

Lacy... HIT!

Really?? What Next???

Have you ever wanted to ask God... with sarcasm in your voice... "Really? What next? What else do ya have to add on here?"

*raising hand* I have.

I asked it about a billion times while Annabelle was in the hospital and every time I'd turn something else was going wrong, some other problem was being heaped into the mix.

I'm feeling like that today, on a much less extreme, non-life-threatening level.

Annabelle had her ENT appointment yesterday. Before seeing the doctor, we had her ears checked again. We had them checked last August, but there was fluid built up in one of them and they couldn't get an accurate reading.

This time, the eardrum showed no movement at all in both ears, noting more fluid build up. Annabelle also pokes her finger in her ear quite a bit, and given her extreme speech delay, as well as her greater risk for hearing problems due to the amounts of IV antibiotics she got while in the hospital...

Anyway, she is now going to add tubes in her ears and a sedated hearing test into the mix along with getting the bronch and tonsils/adenoids removed. Thankfully they can do this all at the same time. That's gonna be one BUSY operating room on June 18th (our tentative scheduled date.)

*big sigh*

The hearing thing has me a little worried, I'll be honest. I know it is most likely just the fluid, and once that is gone, she'll be able to hear just fabulous. But after everything else that has gone wrong...... I'm a pretty optimistic person but I'm bracing myself for the worst, which is NOT like me.

Still, it'll be fine. IT WILL BE FINE!

To add to the mix, we're having to make some pretty big decisions about jobs/work things and prayers are appreciated for that. Not going into detail here (I know... SO very much not like me!!!) but yeah... we covet your prayers.

I find it strangely odd that I felt like I was able to trust God MORE with big things like heart surgeries and heart transplants, but with "little" things like ear tubes, tonsils, jobs and money... it's all about ready to make me jump off a cliff (proverbially speaking... not suicidal yet, I promise!)

Reminding myself today that we gotta still trust Him a day at a time. Even when I'm thoroughly baffled and discouraged, God is SO SO SO much bigger than it all!

BATH TIME!!!! She had been giggling... but here she looks like she's sing Opera... HA!

Getting ready for bed... (you can't tell very well... but she's cheesin' for the camera!

A Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday was a smile day.

It wasn't extravagant. It wasn't perfect (my hubby had to work... BOO!) but it was everything I could have asked for.

I enjoyed sleeping in... Daddy took care of Annabelle's morning routine!

I enjoyed breakfast in bed... Thank you Daddy and kiddos!

I enjoyed getting up to be surprised at a clean living room/dining room.. which my children had gotten up super early in order to clean, as well as balloons and streamers hung:-)

I enjoyed lunch with my own Momma and family...

I enjoyed being able to take my Momma out to visit my grandma's grave...

In all, I just enjoyed being with my family, the GREATEST gift a Momma could EVER ask for!

Last year... we were in the ICU, praying to go up the "floor" so we could start the process of heading HOME.

Mother's Day marks the last "1st" holiday Annabelle has now had at HOME!!!

It's been a wild ride since then... filled with rejections and open heart surgery and ambulance/lifeflight ride but also sitting up, rolling over, standing, and now WALKING!!!

What a YEAR, and what a proud Momma I am of ALL my kids!! Annabelle gets a ton of attention, and rightly so, but my other three wonderful daughters have been amazing troopers through the past two years, and a Momma could not ask for better girls than I have.

Thank you Jesus for your BLESSINGS... even the ones that come through tears:-)

2011 Mother's Day (Vanderbilt Children's PCICU) Thanks Rachel C for our "Olan Mills" shot!

2012 Mother's Day (Don't love that it's so blurry! Gr!)

2011

2012... way too busy to be bothered with looking at the camera! (and those are my mom's toes... Me? Have time to paint toenails?? HA HA HA!)

Skinny Friday: The Art of saying NO

I've sloughed off Skinny Friday for quite a few weeks now.


I figured I'd better post.

And... I lost a pound! It's only one... and I fully realize that could be one less cup of water I drank... but a pound is a pound and WOOT for that.

No is such a hard word, isn't it?

Well, it's EASY when it comes to my kids. I can say "No" in at least two different languages (English and Spanish...) and I can sing it in a variety of different genres... from country to rock to some high squeaky soprano Opera notes... (that REALLY irritates my kids... quite fun though... and occasionally I'll get a laugh...)

But when it comes to eating... telling myself no is proving difficult.

The "Just one more" and the "After this one I'll stop..." KILL my diet. They really just do.

Yet... I continue to do it. *big sigh*

Last fall, I was doing GREAT at this. I was on a roll, I had encouragement (my husband was home at the time and unemployed, so we could tell each other no together!) and I had will-power.

Now? Not so much. Life is in full swing and all my power is going into that... so non is left for poor will...

So the last few days, I've been practicing telling myself no.

I don't do it all the time. I'm easing myself back into it. But I'm trying to tell myself no to something I want to eat at least twice a day.

For example: It's Thursday night... and I'm dying to have a Coke. I have a 12 pack out in the garage that is saying, "Krista... you know you want me... just throw me in the freezer for 20 minutes... I'll be nice and cold and refreshing and bubbly down your throat... it'll be so good... come on... I'm lonely out there... just a little sip... you want me. YOU WANT ME!!!"

And... it's right. I DO want it. Badly.

But I'm saying no. Mostly because I want to be able to tell you on this blog that I said no, otherwise I'd have to erase what I just wrote and find a different example. So, I guess it comes down to laziness?? Hmm...

So yes, I'm saying no, and holding steadfast.

I can do this. I CAN DO THIS!

Discussion:

What have you told yourself "no" to lately that you wanted REALLY badly but didn't really need and know you should really have?

And those of you who are doing Skinny Friday... how goes the war??

**NOTE**

If you didn't read Annabelle's AWESOME news yesterday... Go read yesterday's blog posthaste! 

AHHHH!!!! SUPER COOL ANNABELLE UPDATE!!!!

I know, I know... It's Thursday and I don't post on Thursdays but....

AHHHHHH!!!!

At PT today, Annabelle...

 WALKED!!!!!!!!

Like, took 3 whole steps by herself without holding onto anything/anyone!!!!!

She was on the parallel bars in the "big" gym for the first time, and she ROCKED those, and I was standing a few feet from the end, and she wanted to get to me, so she pretty much RAN the three steps to get to me!!!

You should have SEEN her face! She was laughing and SO SO SO proud of herself!

Momma, of course, was squealing and crying and laughing and pretty darn hysterical about it. The therapist was equally as excited (yet not quite as dramatic as Momma understandably, HA HA!)

Plan is still to get fitted for braces next week... but that she's doing so well now means she probably (HOPEFULLY) won't need them for very long!

Oh, and tentitive surgery/bronch date is 6/18. It is much farther out than all of us hoped, but they are still actively looking for a sooner date that works with ENT and pulmonology, since it is hard to coordinate schedules.

We also have an appt with ENT on Tuesday, so hope to get more info then.

But....

SHE WALKED!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Jesus for WALKING!

Top Ten things I could Delete from my Day

Back in my earlier blogging days, I'd do blogs with humorous top tens....

We've had such goodies as

Ten things men can learn from The Bachelor
Top Ten Romance Blunders
Top Ten Ways to know your children are getting too old...
Ten things *I* learned from The Bachelorette
Ten things Writers do NOT want to hear
Ten things Men can learn from a Romance Novel

There are more... but those are some of my favorite:-)

Following my recent theme of "Simplifying" things... here are some ideas in the form of Top Ten of things we (er, I) could "delete" from our day....

1. The daily 10am to 11am watching of The Price Is Right. (Although I vow to fold laundry though it while I shout "HIGHER" and "STUPID BID, idiot!" So that makes it productive and allowed to stay, right?!?)
2. Cleaning Toilets. Think about it. It is just going to be dirty again the next time someone needs to "go" so what's the point??? 
3. Facebook/Twitter checking. (Although... what if something major happens... and you weren't checking the news feed and didn't find out about it... like a meteor was found to be plummeting to earth directly toward your house... it could be a case of life or DEATH... probably should not delete this one then...)
4. Eating. Between fixing, actually eating, then cleaning up, this is super time consuming. And deleting it means WEIGHTLOSS! HELLO SKINNY FRIDAY!
5. Taking a nap. (although... isn't there scientific studies giving the value of a little siesta in the middle of the day to perk up your mind???? I mean... if science says it, it MUST be true! And far be it from me to go against science....)
6. Laundry. Seriously, get the kids their own Tide-to-go pen for those stains, teach them how to throw their clothes in dryer to perk them up, and yeah, who needs laundry?!? Just THINK of how much time/money you could save... not to mention WATER! Yeah, yeah, that would make you like this fabulous conservationist! It's good for the environment, people! NO MORE LAUNDRY!!!
7. Pinterest... (although... all those visuals will be sure to help enhance your house when you do those fun craft ideas, not to mention the words-of-wisdom quotes... so this is probably a keeper too)
8. Mowing the lawn. Hint: Go to Lowes, get some wildflower seeds and sprinkle all over your yard. Don't mow... just let it GROW with the flowers! Your yard will look like one of those beautiful fields of flowers like they used to run through on Little House on the Prairie! You'll be the envy of EVERY house on the block, and with very little time spent!
9. Shopping. (Although... walking around the mall is SUPER good exercise... and this will help your Skinny Friday goal too... so I think this is another undeleteable too...)
10. Paying Bills. Think of how much more money you'll have to do #9, since that one is obviously necessary to life... 

In summary... to live a happy life, stop cleaning your toilets, eating, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, and paying bills, and keep watching Price is Right, checking Facebook/Twitter, taking naps, playing on Pinterest, and shopping.

Now, don't all thank me for this wonderful advice at the same time. That you could get these words of wisdom free... on a blog... is just nothing short of amazing. You're welcome....

:-)

Discussion: What excuses do you use NOT to delete something from your day? Do you have anything to add to my list???

Simplifying Me: When it's impossible... (and Annabelle update)

This is what Mommy feels like doing on a daily basis lately.... JEALOUS! :-)

Sometimes, no matter your effort and dedication, simplifying becomes impossible.

Case in point: The Phillips' Family

I've been so excited about the month of May. While there were some things going on, it was supposed to be a month of simplifying, a month of getting caught up.

We only had ONE doctor appointment scheduled for the WHOLE ENTIRE MONTH. That has never happened before...

And I got the final word from her therapists that it was going to work to change therapy to all be on ONE day come the middle of the month, so we would only be making the drive to Nashville once a week! THis was HUGE!

But then last week happened.

--->My mom was admitted into the hospital on Friday (she was released to go home today, but prayer for her healing is appreciated!!)

--->Our garage sale my sister had at her house was rained out Saturday morning... so while we put it out after the rain stopped... the showing was dismal so we'll have to do it again later

--->And finally, I got a call on Friday from the Pulmonologist with some super bad news. When I first heard his voice, I was SO excited. I just knew he was going to say, "Wow! She just did amazing! Don't worry about oxygen anymore!"

Instead, it was "Well... Annabelle's results were not what we were hoping for."

Punch. To. Gut. I literally started shaking. Then my next thought was... He's joking. Like, being sarcastic and going to say, "They were much BETTER than we could have hoped!"

But my hopes were shortly dashed.

Annabelle's sleep study did NOT go well. Her results were extremely abnormal. She has severe obstructive sleep apnea, meaning that she is initiating breathing at a regular rate (A GOOD THING) but when she does it, something is blocking the air from actually getting to her lungs, an obvious BAD thing. An acceptable # of episodes is 2 or under. They MIGHT except 3 if she's keeping her SAT's up. But 4 or more are not acceptable under any circumstance. Annabelle had 9.

So, we are back on having sleeping oxygen regardless of her oxygen saturation at home until we can figure out what to do, although this fixes nothing... just helps minimize the damage by ensuring she keeps adequate O2 saturations.

Their first course of action will be to do a bronchoscopy. She had one done a LONG time ago when we were having trouble keeping her off the ventilator in the hospital, but that was November 2010. At the time, she was diagnosed with moderate left-sided bronchomalacia (basically floppy bronchial tubes) and they recommended a trach, which my husband and I (as well as her cardiology team) disagreed with, which I am SUPER glad of now.

In this new scope, they will check to see if the bronchomalacia is still an issue, ensure she hasn't developed tracheomalacia (floppy trachea), and will also check the size of her tonsils/adenoids.

Their HOPE is that it's just an issue of her tonsils/adenoids being enlarged, and that they can take them out (they will have ENT there and would do the surgery at the same time as the bronch if needed) and that will fix the problem.

Although surgery is one of the last things I want to think about at this point, the alternatives are NOT things I want to contemplate at this point. First of which, is an at-home CPAP machine for sleeping. Last of which is the "T" word again, which I've already said is NOT an option. She is breathing 96% of the time just fine. She is growing and almost walking and is super active. I believe the risk of infection and quality of life issues, as well as the fact that she will likely outgrow this in the near future, make the "T" word even ridiculous to bring up as any type of option, last or not.

All this to say... our May is shaping up to involve another surgery (date unknown, but he said it should be in the next few weeks.)

And did I mention that I have my sister's baby shower to plan that is on the 20th??
As well as my final proof edits due on my Sandwich book this month on the 21st??
And that my children have softball practice/games almost every single day of the week from now till the end of the month... sometimes two in the same night?????

It's a super good thing this Momma doesn't drink alcohol. I know some might say a glass of wine might help, but if my inhalation of Dr. Pepper and chocolate during times of stress are any indication... it wouldn't be a pretty picture at my house if I allowed myself even a small sip.

So, how the heck do I simplify this month?

That is a super good question that I don't have an answer to.

Because sometimes... I'm realizing that you just plain can't. Sometimes everything that is on your plate, NEEDS to be on your plate, and you just revert back my tride-and-true 24 hour window philosophy. Handle what comes on a day-to-day basis with the strength God gives you to handle it, and trust that God will take care of the rest.

Oh, and you also multi-task. I guarantee you that I will be seen at many a softball game with pages of my book in hand along with a wonderful red pen. I can scream "GO TEAM" at the same time as I cross out a misspelled word with the best of them:-)

I'm also going to be doing some massive delegating to my "team" this month. So children... be prepared. Change is a'comin.

And whenever Annabelle's surgery comes... well, everything else will be dropped because a Momma has to have her priorities!!!

And prayer. There will be a lot of prayer going on in this house!

*****

Radio Interview Update: It went okay... I think! You can listen to the podcast if you so desire here.... http://nicoleodell.com/choose-now-radio-parent-talk/ (the link is on the right-hand side)

A HUGE thanks to super awesome author and Super-Momma herself, Nicole O'Dell, for having me!!!

*****

Book Giveaway: THANKS to all those who commented to enter the drawing for Katie's book, Wildflowers from Winter.

The winner is......

Tammi T.!

Congratulations!

If you didn't win, you can get her super awesome book here or at your local bookstore! Tomorrow is her official "release" date! YEAH!

*****

For you local peeps, don't forget that Matt Hammitt (daddy to heart warrior Bowen and lead singer of Sanctus Real) will be in Franklin, TN tomorrow, May 8th from 11 to 1 signing his book, I Couldn't Love You More. A portion of the proceeds from the book go to his amazing foundation, Whole Hearts Foundation, that supports heart families and research for Congenital Heart Defects.