Please give...so it won't hurt.

I have become blog-friends with an amazing mom. I refer to her as Froggy Mama but her name is Elise and she has a breath-takingly beautiful daughter named Adelaide. Adelaide, at the tender age of a few months old, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and fights for her life with every single breath.

The time has once again rolled around for Great Strides, the fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I know that our economy sucks and we are all struggling to make ends meet but if you could see your way clear to donate any amount at all than maybe we could see a cure in time to help Adelaide live her life to it's fullest. A cure is coming - we just need to make sure the funds are there to hasten its arrival.

So please. Give.

----- From Elise -----
I'm the mother of an amazing kid named Adelaide. And this is the beginning of her life's story...

I refuse to tell Adelaide that her life will end, right when it should be beginning. Please simply pass this along to your friends, to moms and dads, to your church email list, your book club, golf team, your work friends, to anyone who might be willing to give Addie the long and healthy life she deserves.

If you’d like to make a donation please visit our Great Strides website

Thank you

Elise and Scott Free
egussie1977@aol.com
www.froggy-mama.blogspot.com

Home Depot with the Kids

The first Saturday of each month The Home Depot hosts a kids workshop - for free. All you have to do is take the kids there sometime between 9:30-1:00 and put together the kit of the month. It's easy enough that the most challenged among us can do and the kids get to walk away with a project that THEY made. My two are so, so proud of their project.

We did once before - when Kelton was three - and we always meant to continue it but then Dakota started school and life on Saturdays changed. Yesterday a friend mentioned that her husband was taking their kids today and I thought "I bet I could do that. I think they are both old enough now that we could do that and be successful." and lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. Yay us! :)

Today the project was a planter box and I am beyond proud to say my kids are naturals. I did precious little to help either one of them and yes, that included the hammering of nails (though while holding the pieces of wood together for Kaylen I thought I was going to lose a finger as she swung that hammer towards my hand. :)).

They may not ever be a futures broker but I think they could both do well as contractors. LOL!!


Ah shoot - pictures speak louder than words so here you go:

It's DONE!

Send up the balloons - it's DONE! Dakota's anniversary gift, after approximately 10 hours (in total) of sitting at the computer over the past week, is finally complete.

And with three days to spare.

Yay me!

Thank goodness the kids and I had a stay at home day today (rare, to be sure) which allowed me to sit in this chair from 10AM until now, 2:58pm, with only several (hundred) interruptions. PHEW! I am so glad it's done and I think she is going to love it.

Nothing Blog Worthy

*sigh* I've got nothing. I feel obligated to write *something* though since I didn't blog last night. Last night I spent my two hours between the kids going to bed and my needing to get off the computer working on a surprise for someone (*cough* Dakota *cough*). I'd tell you about it but that would ruin the surprise that I've been working so hard to complete. I can't even say for sure that I will have it completed in time but I'm trying. It is turning out to be much more complex and time consuming that I had originally thought. Still - if I finish it...I mean WHEN...it's going to be rockin' good. I hope.

*long long pause here*

Yeah. I've got nothing. Nada. Zilch. Less than.

How's this for dramatic trivia? I've had a song in my head all day that I guess pretty much sums up my state of mind today. Remember the show "What About Brian?" that was on last year? For long time blog readers, you may remember that I love, love, love the theme song by Low Stars titled "Calling All Friends". Yep - that's the song in my head today......

Calling all friends and people I met on the way down
Calling all friends and people I don't even know
I'm calling on high, I gotta believe there's a way now
I'm too tired to pretend, I don't wanna be alone
I'm calling all friends.

Some days are like that - even in Australia. (Can you name the book I just quoted? :) )

My April Fools

The Weekend

Miss me? :)

This past weekend we travelled up to visit my family and to have the annual birthday party for Kelton, Kaylen and their cousin, Mikayla. Kaylen has a February birthday, Mikayla has a March birthday and Kelton has an April birthday so it has always just made sense to have a birthday bash for all the kids at the same time - and the kids seem to really love it!

So ummm...spring began, didn't it? You seriously could have fooled us. When we were packing Thursday night Kaylen grabbed her mittens and said "We take 'des too incase it snows." I said "Oh honey - it isn't going to snow. It's spring time and the snow won't be back until next year."

HA!

When we woke the next morning we were surprised to find white flakes falling from the sky. Not a lot and it was too warm for it to stick around (38 degrees) but still - there was a fine white dusting covering things. A quick call to my sister revealed the same thing was happening up there. Hmmm, I thought to myself, better throw in those gloves after all.

The four hour drive saw many snow showers as well as rain, sun and wind. Still, nothing too much to worry about.

Saturday morning we woke up at my brother's house and got ready for our day. We noticed snow flurries here and there but nothing note worthy. We loaded the kids into the car and started to drive to the meeting place for the start of the days activities. I swear to you, we went no more than a mile down the road and ran into THIS!

Catching snow flakes on their tongues.

I'm telling you, not much makes me happier when I am driving in the snow than knowing I have paid my car insurance premiums. I do not like driving in snow. Not at all. I will usually avoid it at all costs but since I was already in it, there was just one thing to do - keep pushing on. My sister, who Dakota called on the cell, assured us there was no snow in the city we were driving too and sure enough, a few exits down on the freeway it all changed to rain and we were fine. (The main road on the island where my brother lives was closed though so we had to wind ourselves around the island so a normally 15 minute drive took more like 40. Ugh!)

We finally arrived at our destination and the fun began! We all had lunch together and then drove over to the miniature golf place in town. Oh my goodness! The kids had a great time and I dare say so did the adults!












After golf, we headed over to my dad's for the opening of the gifts, cake and ice cream and together time. The kids all made out like bandits - wow!








After a long fun-filled day we headed back to my brother's house. The snow had all but melted by then and the roads were in good shape. The phone rang around 7pm though - it was my sister calling to say the snow had started to fall there and was sticking (she is about 30 minutes away from my brother). Eeeek! What did this mean for our return trip home in the morning?

Snow flurries in the morning came and went but nothing substantial so we packed up and headed out. Four hours of driving saw almost every conceivable weather from this area; snow, blue skies, rain, wind, hail....oh yes, we saw it all.

So much for March going out like a lamb around here. :)

It was a good weekend - long in some ways and far too short in others. (The drive was one of the long parts. Ugh!) We arrived home late afternoon and after the bulk of the unpacking was done, Dakota took the kids outside to play while I finished up inside. They had received baseball gear as gifts from my sister and they have already put them to good use! So darn cute!

Blog Quiet

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be out of pocket for the next few days for some good old fashioned "family time". Have a great weekend and I will catch you early next week.

Be well.

Keeping Band Aid in Business

I've made no secret about my children's love of all things Band Aid (and to be fair, Curad) related. Kelton first discovered band aids when he was about 1.5 years old. Kaylen was probably around the same age. Both are still more than delighted when they receive a box.

Here is a photo of one of Kaylen's dolls. This poor thing appears to have been the victim of a terrible accident. Many other of Kaylen's favorite dolls and stuffed friends sport band aids as well and it's a rare, rare day when Kaylen herself is not sporting several band aids.

I should buy stock...and maybe so should you. :)



Speaking of injuries....I gave away my treadmill this week. I haven't used it since...ummm....late last summer when my health started seeing changes. Well no - I used it one time since then and discovered that whatever I was doing on it made things hurt worse and increased the dizziness I was having. I assumed it was from a pinched nerve maybe from watching TV at a weird angle while I used the treadmill.

Yeah - not really what it was though, was it? Though being on the treadmill did indeed increase the problems of the Syringomyelia. I know this is out there somewhere but just looking at the treadmill in my room every time I went in there was driving me crazy. I began to hate it and just wanted it gone. It was a vivid reminder of everything that has changed in the year since I brought it into the house - ironically planning to use it to get healthier. Sure, sure - there is no way to know for certain if the treadmill was a contributing factor but there is no way to know for sure that it wasn't either. Yes, I was probably a walking time bomb in regards to the syringomyelia and maybe it was just time it acted up. But maybe, just maybe, I would have postponed it all by *not* working out.

Ironic, no?

So instead of seething every time I saw the treadmill I thought it best to just get rid of it. I wanted it gone, gone, gone. And now it is. And yes, I actually do feel a sense of calmness.

I'm sure the treadmill didn't deserve my probably misplaced anger but it got it. I figure being a machine and all it could handle me being pissed off at it.


*****************************

Tidbits of info which can be found at the linked site (above):

Syringomyelia (sear-IN-go-my-EEL-ya) is a disorder in which a cyst forms within the spinal cord. This cyst, called a syrinx, expands and elongates over time, destroying the center of the spinal cord. Since the spinal cord connects the brain to nerves in the extremities, this damage results in pain, weakness, and stiffness in the back, shoulders, arms, or legs. Other symptoms may include headaches and a loss of the ability to feel extremes of hot or cold, especially in the hands. Each patient experiences a different combination of symptoms.

Other, more common disorders share the early symptoms of syringomyelia. In the past, this has made diagnosis difficult. The advent of one outpatient test, however, called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has significantly increased the number of syringomyelia cases diagnosed in the beginning stages of the disorder.

About 21,000 American men and women have syringomyelia, with symptoms usually beginning in young adulthood. Signs of the disorder tend to develop slowly, although sudden onset may occur with coughing or straining. If not treated surgically, syringomyelia often leads to progressive weakness in the arms and legs, loss of hand sensation, and chronic, severe pain.

**and**

The second major form of syringomyelia occurs as a complication of trauma, meningitis, hemorrhage, a tumor, or arachnoiditis. Here, the syrinx or cyst develops in a segment of the spinal cord damaged by one of these conditions. The syrinx then starts to expand. This is sometimes referred to as noncommunicating syringomyelia. Symptoms may appear months or even years after the initial injury, starting with pain, weakness, and sensory impairment originating at the site of trauma.

The primary symptom of post-traumatic syringomyelia is pain, which may spread upward from the site of injury. Symptoms, such as pain, numbness, weakness, and disruption in temperature sensation, may be limited to one side of the body. Syringomyelia can also adversely affect sweating, sexual function, and, later, bladder and bowel control.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Bubbles, Bubble Everywhere!

Yesterday I took the kids to the Dollar Tree to pick up a few things and we found bubbles and big bubble wands. I have to tell you, if you have a Dollar Tree near you run, don't walk, there and get some of the bubbles they have this year. The brand name is Bubble Fun and it is 32oz of fun in every bottle. I kid you not!

This is probably the best bubble solution we have had in years. It's thick and makes amazingly - and big - bubbles. Coupled with a big bubble wand it's a ton of fun for $2.00. I even went back this afternoon to pick up two more wands (one for me and one for Dakota) and five more bottles of bubble solution (we blew through the bottle I bought yesterday in no time flat).

Seriously. So much fun!

Well sure - I'm pretty sure staying in one of Branson condos would be more fun but still - for backyard entertainment, good bubble fun can't be beat. Just check out these photos.

Horton Hears a Who

It's spring break for Dakota (though not for Kelton...which kind of sucks (his is next week). It would be more fun to have the same time frame off of school. Not that it really matters since Dakota still works all day but still...) so she took the afternoon off of work and well went to the movies and saw "Horton Hears a Who".

It was cute though not as cute as I had hoped and about midway through I was ready to call it good (though a good bottle of wine from my friendly wine club would have made it much better!). The kids seemed to like it but both got fidgety at different points along the way (unlike Enchanted which kept their attention almost the entire time). At the end of the movie Kelton could be heard saying "That was good! We have to buy it when it comes out!"

It was just really good to be out as a family and enjoying being together. We don't get a lot of time together so any and all is definitely time well spent!

Happy Easter!!

What time did Easter morning start at your house? It came waaaay too early here - Kaylen jumped out of bed at 5:30, Kelton was awake around 5. Thankfully, Dakota kept them entertained for a good 40 minutes to allow me to get a little more sleep. By 6:10 we were all up and headed out to see what the big bunny had left for the kids.

Here are a few photos from this morning.

Happy Easter to everyone!

Princess Tea Party

Today Kaylen and I went to the Mommy and Me Princess Tea Party which is run through our city's Parks and Recreation Department. We were joined by my friend Brenda and her four year old daughter, Katie and the girls had such a great time!

There was a little lunch, a girls choir sang and then all the little girls got to go up on the stage and dance to princess songs. Talk about being in heaven! Kaylen was so excited about that part that she could hardly sit still through the choir singing. She kept asking "Now mommy? Now can I go dance?"

Finally it was time and oh my goodness! She was so incredibly sweet that I could barely stand it. Talk about having "happy tears". :)

I just love having special time with my girl. :)