Girl Scout season

In mid January each year Girl Scouts deems it a good time of year to promote cookie sales.  I'm not sure why... If they are against all the new year's resoluters that want to get their health on track... If they think that after a good Christmas season people have lots of $4 bills lying around...  I'm not sure.  A few years back, the GS cookie season was delayed about a month and even though it was a much busier time of the year (because spring sports had started up), it was SO MUCH NICER for selling cookies!!!!!!

Anyway, we participate in this one fundraising event for a few reasons.  The first reason being: if we sell enough cookies it pays for our way to GS camp in the summer.  But also, it has been a huge growing process for the girls.  It takes them from quiet, unsure, and timid, to confident in one season of selling.  Lastly, people actually want to buy the cookies.  There are honestly a good percentage of people who anxiously wait for cookie booths to pop up so they can get their GS cookie fix.  Seriously.  They aren't hard to sell, because they're so yummy!  

Unfortunately, this year I will be with infant during the fun summer months of camping and won't be able to join my little girls at GS camp!  AND the prices to camp were hiked up!  The girls decided to invite Mammy, their grandma, to join them at camp in my stead.  

The girls each had a goal of 300-400 boxes to sell.  That's a good goal, but for 2 girls in the same family... It's a BIG goal!  

After presales, both girls are just around 200 boxes!

I am very proud of these hard working girls.  This Saturday, the 2 girls and I will be spending the whole day at otter pop's work in hopes to sell the last 200 boxes of cookies.  

Hopefully this evening, we will busy ourselves making signs and banners promoting the sales booth.  The boys have a fun date of going to watch monster trucks do monster-like things...

If you haven't purchased any GS cookies, and want to, or you don't, but you'll probably be tempted to buy them outside your local market... Message me.  I'll hook you up with one of the cutest, smartest, and most dazzling GS to get you what you want!

30 weeks

I had to visit the chiropractor again last week.  Turbo feels to be growing ginormous, but isn't feeling cramped.  He twists and turns and stretches and dances just like he did 10 weeks ago!

I had someone ask on Thursday, "any day now?"  Yikes!!!  I said, "not at all!" And thought I must be looking and acting miserable...  Oops.  I was sitting while everyone else stood, but 1.) I didn't know how long we'd be, and 2.) it was after 8 and usually I'm in bed at that time!  

I am tiring easily and lazying around a lot.  It's been beautiful outside but yet I choose indoor activityless activities.  I feel very big and am more uncomfortable.  I am also rather cranky.  I can last and I don't feel like complaining to anyone (other than my husband), but I thought I'd keep it real here too.  33 might just be too old for this lady.

I'm signed up for a hypnobirthing class for Otter Pop and myself.  I am looking forward to it as I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for birthing this babe.  I would love to have the will power to calm myself down and shut my brain off from my fear.  After starboy was born I chuckled at my dr's diagnosis of me having a "lazy uterus".  What I realized is that I get scared of the pain and my brain, lovingly responds with obedience: telling the uterus that it's time to relax for a bit.  I don't have a lazy uterus, I have a obedient uterus and a loving brain.  My body was designed for this, it is good at it, it knows what to do if I just let it!  I can do this!!!

It makes me feel nice that so many people tell me that I'm beautiful as a pregnant woman.  They say I have "the glow".  That's nice to hear, although I feel this way.  I love being pregnant and I love my gigantic belly.  He's sweet.  It's so fun to feel him jumping and moving around.  .. It's worth the uncomfortable pain that it causes.  I'm growing a live child inside me!!!!!!

Parenting

Parenting is hard.  It sure grows a person, and hopefully that growing is up! When the kiddos are young, the challenge is in consistency and stamina.  I'm certain that consistency is key, but dang man!  It's hard to be consistent 100% 24/7!!!  Sometimes a lady just wants to take some time off, am I right?!  I have no idea how single parents accomplish anything because when my mister comes home and we've eaten supper and the kids are going with their after supper chores, I'm so ready to clock out!  And often I head to my room for some solitary laundry folding.  And often that urge comes earlier... And unfortunately, often that urge is a lot stronger than my desire to raise well-behaved, respectful godly children.  Parenting is hard.

But can I tell you what helps me push through?!  Raising teens and preteens!!!  Parenting is hard, but parenting young adults is downright HARD!  

It is nice to have young adults around helping, but it's only nice if those young adults have been raised up to be well-behaved, respectful, and godly people!  It is stressful when you have to second guess their motives, intentions, and especially their word!  And stressful is a bit of an understatement.  It's heart breaking to watch those you love purposely make unwise decisions.  And heartbreaking is an understatement.  It's irritating to see the world views creep into an unguarded heart.  And irritating is an understatement.  

Everyone tells new parents what a wonderful job they have ahead of them.  Everyone also tells new parents that it's the most challenging job.  Everyone says that raising little ones is tiresome.  Everyone says that the real challenge comes with teenagers.  It seems to be that Everyone is wise.  But nothing and no one can express the truth of the matter.  

And the ONLY thing that keeps this mama sane, patient, loving, caring, and persevering is that Lord of mine!  I trust in Him and His word.  I do NOT believe for a second that anything I've done on my own will make a bit of difference in any of my children's life.  I can hope, but my hope is in deeper issues.  My hope is in Christ and God's will for me, my marriage, and my family.  I am doing my best.  I am struggling.  I am trusting in Him.  

I have to lean on His patience and His kindness.  I have to exercise outward humility with His help.  I have to ask Him to hold my tongue, and to keep my motives (and my anger) in check.  I have use His grace in my forgiveness.  I have to rely on His protection, His  trust, His hope, and His perseverance.  And through Him, I will not fail.  But only through Him.  

29 weeks and celebrating in Love

Here's some brief news or just updates:

My pelvic pain has been relieved for the most part.  I credit it to 1.) prayer and God.  2.) the chiropractor and then 3.) stretches and exercises to help strengthen and stretch the ligaments correctly.  I have noticed that pushing heavy shopping carts must trigger the pelvis into moving.  Unfortunately, that's something I'm unable to avoid...

Turbo has been a moving monster lately.  My baby's rump and/or head (probably about the same size?) fits in the cup of my palm right now.  I'm not guessing, I know this.  He stuck out his big part and it was so far out I could cup it in my palm.  That's how I measured him.

The kids are going alright.  We caught another little cold that's hitting some a little harder than others, but it's not the worse thing, do we keep on pushing through and pushing oils.  My favorite remedy for this past one is rubbing onguard melaleuca on the throat glands and throat area.  It's been a laryngitis bug.  Also, I think the lifelong vitality pack vitamins have also aided in better health and immune support.  My dr really wants me to answer yes to the question, "have you been taking prenatals?" And she told me that any vitamins count including the gummy chews...  So I'm taking top of the line vitamins and reaping the benefits!

What's your name?

Here's a humbling post...

Today I had a dr's appointment.  Just a regular I'm-in-my-3rd-trimester appointment.  Glucose screening, rh-gam shot, etc

The nurse was a new one.  She was fairly overweight.  Starboy asked her if she was pregnant too...  (I HATE THAT!). She was sweet and replied that she was just chubby.  He didn't know what that meant, so when she left the room and he caught sight as to what she was carrying behind her, he had no filter in exclaiming, "she's got a big butt!"  

He had to apologize.  

Next, down in the lab for the glucose screening, buttercup was the verbal one. She kept answering "what's you name?" With, "my names is buttercup".  Totes presh since that is what we called her three years ago...  I have no idea where she heard it or got it though.  It is a lot more understandable that her 2-y-o pronunciation of her name though.  It doesn't end there though,  she then also throws in the obvious lie about her age.  "I'm six." Oh boy the girls really were getting a kick out of her!  That's when she asked, "what's your name?"  The one answered, Megan (or whatever) and the other said, "you can call me Andy."  To that, Starboy couldn't keep quiet any longer.  He retorted, "your name is 'you can call me Andy'????"  Holy smokes my kids are smart Alec's!!!!!  (As we left they told me that They both really thought my kids are the funniest kids ever!)

After that, we tramped back upstairs to the heavy nurse.  The kids were instructed to please just keep quiet.  I was impressed that they both were very interested in watching me get me shots.  I thought that was interesting.  But I wasn't impressed when the big reared lady left ahead of us and as we walked passed the nurses station Starboy turned and asked me (not real loud, but just loud enough), "does everybody shake their butt when they walk?!?!!!"

...and that's the end of that visit...

28 weeks

Aflac

I've been having this horrible pain in my hips.  I'm not sure how long it's been going on, but I think for about a month it's progressively been getting worse.  Yesterday it was almost crippling.  It hurts the most when I walk.  It hurts in my whole pelvic region, but even just standing I feel like I need support between by legs.  When I take steps it hurts everywhere (in my pelvic region) extremely bad.  I have to walk funny, not that that makes it hurt less though.  I had almost convinced myself that 33 just must be too old for this body to be pregnant.  As I've stated before, I love to be pregnant!  My complaints are kept to a very minimum because 1.) I don't have many, but also 2.) I want to stay positive. This pregnancy has been different.  I am still enjoying it, but crimeny!  I've sure had lots of aches and pains!!!

Yesterday while I was stretching I decided that I needed to do something besides grin and bare it.  I could tell it was getting worse and I was even starting to get cranky because it was hurting so much.  So i called the chiropractor down the road.  I was immediately seen and afterwards the pain was 90% gone.  It doesn't hurt when I walk any more!!!!

The quack said my legs were 2 inches different in length because my hips were misaligned.  Thankfully since my joints are so loose (a benefit and curse to pregnancy) it didn't take much for them to go back to where they belong.  I am so relieved to be out of that pain and also to know it wasn't my old age causing it!!!!  😄