Anyone Have A Spare Crystal Ball?

After reading my friend, Leni's blog, I decided to ramble on about our recent doctor experiences...

Over 2 years ago now, we noticed our son, Matthew, having trouble hearing. We took him to the ENT and got his hearing tested. He did in fact have some hearing issues because he had fluid on his ears, an ear infection, and the fluid was just not going away! So, tonsils and adenoids came out and tubes went in. Fast forward about a year later. We take him in because one of the tubes was not coming out. Doctor took care of it and said there was still a little bit of fluid on his ears. We went for another check up right before we moved here and yep, still some fluid on h is ears. We were told to keep an eye on it. Then we moved to Goldsboro....

A few months ago we were noticing hearing issues again *sigh*  So, to start the new adventure of finding a new doctor we of course had to start with his pediatrician. He told us that he did not see fluid on his ears and they looked normal. Uh huh. We got our referral. So, we took him to the doctor and he has mild hearing loss, his ear drums are recessed, his Eustachian tubes are blocked, and when tested for allergies only one type of grass came up and it is a mild allergy. So, where do we go from here, I asked? My answer? The doctor named off about 3 procedures that could be done, but they don't do them there, and then named one he could do but he didn't sound real sure about it. So, I asked what the chances were of it helping. He told me he didn't know because he does not have a crystal ball. Those were the only suggestions I was given and you could tell he was really stumped. We left and are not going back.

So, I call the ped clinic and speak to a very nice nurse who tells me I can have a whole new referral and take him to UNC. This was the beginning of September. So, I wait and wait and no referral paperwork gets sent. I go to the Tricare office. She can't find it. She finally finds it and it wasn't pushed through or something, so she says she will make sure it goes through this time. Again, I wait and wait. No referral paperwork. I go straight to the Tricare referral office and she finds the paperwork, prints it out for me, and the date on it was from a month earlier and it expires in December. Great! I call to get an appointment and when is the first available appointment? December 19th!! GRRRRRRRR  So, had to make a call and wait a couple days to get called back to get his referral extended, but only for that appointment. For any other appointments I am going to have to go through this all over again. In the meantime, my son still has fluid on his ears and mild hearing loss because a doctor can't give me any answers other than he does not have a crystal ball....

1 month down...

She packs. She moves. She follows. Why? What for? How come? You may think she's lost her mind. Actually, she's lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man. A man who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag, and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Man, She will remain his Military Sweetheart.

Sick

The flu and all the icky stuff that goes with it....blah...

Girl's Night Out!

Friday night I went out with some girl friends. We went to dinner and bowling afterwards. It was a blast!!! So nice to get out of the house! I definitely need to do that again soon :)

Decorated Today

We don't usually decorate much, if at all, for Halloween.  We always carve pumpkins and the kids dress up, ect but that's about it. This year we decorated. The kids were so excited so that made it all worth it. I'll try to get a pic posted on here tomorrow.

So far, the Lunesta is really helping. I just wish it could help with the missing part :( Some days are good and some days it's not so good....life on an emotional roller coaster.... I love my hubby and I am so proud of him!!!

SLEEP!!

I went to the doctor yesterday and was prescribed Lunesta.  Last night I didn't sleep great, but I slept better than usual and I woke up feeling RESTED!  Sleep is a good thing....  Hoping tonight is even better!

Busy Week!

And I am looking forward to it cause it will make the week fly by!

Tomorrow is my doctor appt. on base for my sleeping issue. I am really looking forward to a good night's sleep!

Thursday is payday. Grocery shopping!! My kids will be happy about that because today I was informed we need grapes and mandarin orange fruit cups. Oh, and gummy bunnies. Can't live without the gummy bunnies! I am also mailing off some boxes to my hubby ♥

Friday I have some party shopping to do and Saturday is Jennifer's Scentsy Party! I am excited! I have some new ideas and I am hoping it goes well :)

There are other mundane household chores and errands thrown in with all that too. I am hoping October stays busy, especially with all the Scentsy parties coming up!

10 Things I Love About Fall

 I love this time of year!! Fall has always been my favorite season!  Here are some of the reasons why :)

1. The leaves changing color

2. The weather starts to cool off

3. Football......specifically the Cowboys!

4. Decorating the house

5. Hot chocolate with marshmallows

6. Pumpkin muffins

7. Debby's "fried" apples

8. Cozy Blankets

9. Comfy Hoodies

10. And of course, the rain! I love the rain in the fall!

I Miss You

I miss those blue eyes
How you kissed me at night
I miss the way we sleep
Like there's no sunrise
Like the taste of your smile
I miss the way we breathe

"I Never Told You" Colbie Caillat 

Energy

I actually have had some energy today! It felt so good! I have still been tired, but not as much. I didn't sleep all that well so not sure where it came from....well, actually, I am sure God sent it to me before I lost my mind ;)

Amazing the things you feel up to doing with energy!

Taking a shower
Getting dressed
Leaving the house
Making dinner
Doing laundry
Doing fun things with the kids

I hope it stays.

Speaking of dinner...

Tonight we did something fun :) Everything we had for dinner started with a C.

Chicken nuggets
Corn
Cheetos (yes they are getting spoiled!)
......... and I have Candy for dessert.........

Wait for Me - Our Deployment Song This Time Around

Not Sleeping :(

Since he left I am not sleeping well *sigh*

I went ahead and made an appt with the dr. on base, but they can't see me until October 6th. That happens to be my hubby's birthday! lol

Update: I got my appt moved to Sept 27th! Yay!

You Know You're A Military Spouse When...

I am borrowing this from another blog (www.ridingtherollercoaster.com) and adding some of my own too! 

Top 10 You Know You're a Mil Spouse When...

10)  You can have a conversation in acronyms.

 9)  You've lived in so many different houses that sometimes it takes a minute for you to remember what your current address is

8)  You're always in possession of an updated power of attorney.

7)  You tear up at the sound of anything patriotic, including but not limited to the National Anthem and Proud to be an American

6)  You spend more time apart from your spouse than together.

5)  Your children were born in different states (or continents).

4)  You can recite your spouse's SSN in your sleep, but you pause when asked for your own.

3)  You rarely celebrate holidays and special occasions on the actual dates those holidays and special occasions fall on.

2)  You only use pencil on a calendar because plans are always changing.

1)  You expect the unexpected.  And somehow that's ok with you.

Mine that I am adding:

- You remember dates and events by deployments and/or places you've been stationed

- You do not go to the commissary on payday unless you absolutely have to!

- You only know his co-workers by their last name and you are clueless when they use someone's first name!

- You count the days until they get home by X days...and a wake up!

-  When after about 3 years you are itching to move somewhere new.

- Hurry up and wait! Need I say more?

Feel free to add more! :)

The Silent Ranks

I wear no uniforms,
 No blues or army greens.
But I am in the military
In the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders.
Salutes I do not give.
But the military world
Is the place where I live.

I am not in the chain of command,
Orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does,
this I cannot forget.
I am not the ones who fires the weapon,
who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough.
I am the one that is left behind.

My husband is a patriot,
A brave, a prideful man
And the call to serve his country,
 Not all understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed
to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice,
but so do our kids and me.

I love the man I married,
Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks
know as the Military Wife.

I Don't Like Waiting

When you are waiting a day can feel like an eternity!

waiting ~ 

a period of waiting; pause, interval, or delay

patience ~

an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay

Yeah...I am not so good at the patience thing.... *sigh* 

Home From Georgia!

Had a great time with Alaia and family! Went to the homeschool expo, played a lot of Dominion, and had a lot of fun! :)

I am *almost* set for the year! Just a couple more things to get. Now, I get to plan and organize it all. I love this part!!

A Little Story.....

 I was told a story today about someone....we will call her.... an idiot :) Her words, not mine!

One hot summer day after a long drive to run errands, the gas tank was getting pretty low. Thinking she better get gas so she could make it home she stops at a Shell station. Needing to get home and not wanting to spend much money (which is hard with gas prices how they are) she hurries and only puts $20.05 in the tank. As she drives home she notices the gas door slightly open. She spends the next 20 minutes of the drive home wondering if she forgot to put the gas cap back on. She gets home and discovers she did in fact drive off without it. She walks in the door and announces....

"I'm an IDIOT!"

She also is wondering who does that kind of thing. I did not have an answer for her except to say that she does, apparently! *snicker*

Finally Saw Harry Potter Last Night

It was really good. I would like to see parts 1 & 2 together now and I want to read the book again. Someone I know really needs to read the books, not mentioning any names Alaia or anything.

It was nice getting out with my hubby too ♥

Chondromalacia patella

This is what the doctor today told me is wrong with my knee. *sigh*
chondromalacia patella

I start physical therapy sometime soon 2x a week for 4-6 weeks and then back to the doctor in September for a check up. If it isn't any better he said they will want to do a cortisone shot. Ugh!

Slip 'N Sliding Away...

I Actually Finished Something!

I have finished simple things, like scarves, but usually when I work on something bigger I mess up along the way and quit. I did mess up, but I redid some of the work and fixed it. There are some mistakes, but overall I am happy with it :) Now I might be brave enough to make one for someone... lol

It's Almost July!

I was trying to upload some pictures from the past couple months, but it isn't working right now. I'll try again later....

The good thing about July? I get to visit Alaia :) Watch Out World!

Saturday We Went Exploring

My hubby wanted to get out of the house so I packed us all a lunch, got everyone in the van, and we just drove! One interesting thing was a town that you would miss if you blinked, full of run down houses and buildings, but they had a super nice Subway. I have never seen a Subway in that nice of a building before. Very Strange!

Since we noticed we were only about 20 minutes from the ocean, we decided we might as well go. I LOVE living this close to the ocean!! We went to Topsail Beach. 

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

We are all flying to Cali in 2 1/2 weeks.  Can't wait to see all our family and friends! It's been over 3 years since we have visited everyone there.

Today we went to a Pickle Festival in Mt. Olive. Of course, they had free pickles!

What Happens When You Are Bored...

You and a friend invent a new game. Aluminum Foil Soccer. We had an (almost) 2yo and girl in crutches as our defense and we played it in my SMALL kitchen. I also stubbed my toe. lol

Tomorrow I Turn 33...

I don't like that number.

I don't mind turning 33, I just don't like the number 33.

We are waiting until Wednesday for cake and ice cream cause that is when Alaia gets here! :D

Busy Weekend

Well, I didn't get to make my cookies. I can't find malted milk powder......yet!  I will find it somewhere!

Friday night my hubby and I went out for a date in Raleigh. We had a wonderful time! We had some much needed time away together :) We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse and the waitress is from England. We asked her where (Newcastle) and when we told her we've been there she was really surprised. We really enjoyed talking with her!

Saturday we picked up Tangled.  We saw it in the theater with the kids and the girls could not wait to buy it! Very cute movie!

Tonight my hubby is starting a week on mid shift. He will be working 11pm-7am. Yuck! Oh well...I am glad it is only a week. I really don't like this shift.

Tomorrow starts another week of school, laundry, cleaning.....

Mmmmmmm

Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am planning on trying to make these this weekend! They sound very yummy!!

Secret Keeper Girl

I bought this about a year ago and have been waiting for the right time to do this with Ashlyn. She turned 10 last month, she is growing in many ways, and so I have decided to start this with her in April.

I know that Ashlyn is closer to Matthew in age, but I always stick her with Carissa, who is 8. They share a room, play together all the time, have the same friends, and so on. She is growing up faster than I would like! As much as I would love them to stay little, time keeps going and they keep growing! Maybe I was waiting to start Secret Keeper Girl for when *I* was ready to admit she isn't so little anymore... *sigh*

http://www.secretkeepergirl.com/

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her
Proverbs 31:25-28

My Scentsy Goal

I am setting a goal for myself for April. My birthday goal, well my goal for my birth month! :D   I want to level up to Lead Consultant. To level up I have to reach about $1500 in sales. I know I can do it! Well, that is what I am telling myself! haha  Positive thinking, right?!

On another note, tomorrow we are going to Raleigh. We're going to Trader Joe's and Harmony Natural Foods. Can't wait! I have been wanting to go for awhile now. 

Movie Review: Listen to Your Heart

Last night I was waiting for my hubby to get home from work so I was searching through the movies available on Netflix Instant Play. I came across one called Listen to Your Heart.

From Netflix: Struggling musician Danny Foster (Kent Moran) never dreamed he'd fall in love with a woman who couldn't hear his compositions. But when he meets Ariana (Alexia Rasmussen), a privileged girl who lost her hearing in childhood, he's willing to believe anything's possible. As the young couple's love takes hold, however, Ariana's overbearing mother (Cybill Shepherd) proves to be their most vocal critic.

I went ahead and watched it assuming it to be a feel good romantic movie with a meaningful story. Well, it was, but in ways I was not expecting from the movie description. My hubby arrived home to watch about the last 45 minutes with me and he really liked it without even knowing the whole story. 

If you watch it be sure to grab your tissues! Just sayin'...

PS. Another quick movie review.... The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
The kids and I watched this tonight. Good Christian movie. You will really like it!  

Homeschooling

Today I am thankful for being allowed to homeschool my kiddos.

I get to spend all day and night with my kids.
I get to watch them grow, learn, and live life!
I can help them with their struggles and praise them for their acheivements.
I am able to teach them about God and how HE created everything!
I can teach them at the table, in the living room, outside......anywhere!
I get to enjoy my children and not miss any important moments.
I am able to be a mom 100% 24/7. The job I have always wanted and I signed on for with my first child.
I am thankful for homeschooling.