Happy Halloween

or Harvest Day or All Hallow's Eve or 'Candy out the ying-yang Day' or whatever you want to call October 31st. I had fun last night dressing up for Bunco in my Viking costume where it impressed a new group of ladies. One bonus for moving often is getting to use my Viking helmet more than once... It does tend to make the neck sore though! Anyway, busy day of 'Harvest Day' activities at the school this afternoon. I'm not really sure what dressing up in costumes has to do with 'Harvest' but that's what they want to call it now. I'm not sure what changing the name is trying to accomplish when the activities stay the same. I guess when everything's watered down in this country, our children won't know what they're celebrating anymore. Maybe a 'Holiday' once a month where we have snacks and candy and make a non-descript hat and just celebrate being 'you' and your individuality and nothing bigger than yourself then nobody can be offended right? At least they're having a costume parade at school. I'm curious to see what Thanksgiving and Christmas will be called though. OK, not sure where all that came from because I love Halloween! Some of my greatest memories growing up were of my mom and older sisters helping us come up with (and make) costumes and carrying my pillowcase full of candy and searching for my younger sister's stash two weeks later when mine was long gone. Of course nothing compared to Christmas memories but fun anyway... Pictures to follow tomorrow after we trick-or-treat in the snow and mud!

Winter's here...

...why am I? After over a foot of snow fall in the last 24 hours with no signs of letting up soon, I'm starting to wonder why I didn't just move someplace warm while J was deployed? I'm not ready for winter to start just yet! Granted this is supposed to melt by the the weekend, but I'm already irritated with the snow and kids running in and out and in and out and finding gloves and picking up wet clothes and dirty snow on the carpet. When you're overwhelmed on a daily basis as it is, snow just adds that much more 'stuff' to deal with! At least the kids are enjoying it. They've been outside most of the day except to track snow in every once in a while and change gloves and eat. I wasn't expecting to see snow this early so I still haven't found snow pants for LG and BB needs new boots. I did happen to go through all of our gloves and hats and boots a few weeks ago when the closet exploded so at least that stuff was ready to go at 7:30 this morning when BB started getting dressed! Guess I better improve my attitude about this climate or it's going to be a really loooong winter and you probably won't want to read much of my blog...

Anti-cancer

I picked up this book a few weeks ago and finally started reading it today. Much of it is stuff I already know, but have yet to implement in our lifestyle, like cutting way back on the sugar! Anyway, I'm about half-way through it and so far really like the well thought out presentation and explanations for why 'Western' civilizations have seen such a huge increase in cancer the last 50 years (changes in what we feed our livestock, increased sugar intake, and increases in synthetic chemicals). You have to have your head buried pretty deep to ignore what most nutritionists and doctors are saying about refined, overprocessed diets and the effects on our weight and diabetes, but they often don't go further and link the cancer 'epidemic' to all these environmental factors. Even after being diagnosed with a cancer, I assumed it was more of a genetic factor than environmental, but after reading just half this book, I'm finding that there are things I can do for myself and my family to help prevent further cancer growth and in the process cut down the odds for obesity and other related problems later on. Now, wish me luck in getting Isabelle to eat a vegetable...

I had a dalliance...

...with Facebook. I can't say I won't do it again because it was fun catching up with old friends and sending people pies, and flairs, and plants, but I'll try not to neglect my blog again. To make up, I finally gave it a new background! When I wasn't playing on facebook we actually got through another week. Nothing too exciting, which is a good thing around here!

BB was sick and stayed home from school on Tuesday while the twins were at hourly care. And I've been fighting a cold all week and feel like I'm losing today! LB got 'Fifth's Disease' and had a rash all over him on Wednesday but it didn't slow him down at all. And LG has a runny nose again too. I think BG is the only one who didn't have some health issue this week!

LB and LG have upped the two-year-old mischief this last week or so also, probably becuase I was less attentive and didn't give them any directed playing. Learned my lesson as you'll see in the pictures! While I hate to clean up the messes, it is fun to see them really starting to play together and interact with each other so much. They're definetely getting the teamwork thing down and really starting to talk! And I'm learning things about myself too in the process...

A sense of humor really helps, but I'm starting to wonder where the line is between laughing at a myself or a situation and actually going insane? But I know if I didn't use the 'humor band-aid' I would probably be a total mess and bawling all the time. This blog has been good for me in that way because it forces me to think of a positive spin on things instead of always the negative. So in my attempt to not bring other people down and still keep them informed about our lives, it's effectively giving me a better attitude too! Not that I have that much to complain about and I'm sure I'll do that sometimes too...

This is the first time I've been 'sick' since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, so I realized how paranoid I am about my health now. More than the actual cold, the stress of wondering if it's something else is bothering me more. Every little twinge of pain or ache or swelling of glands or a day I'm really fatigued and I get paranoid about cancer growing everywhere. I know part of that is the psychology of waiting six months before I really know if the cancer is gone and also having a parent and a grandparent die of cancer, but I think I'll drive my doctor crazy in the meantime. And read my previous post a few more times to remind myself that God gives us strength for each day...

This next week will be six months down in J's deployment! So we're half done! Hard to believe, yet feels like longer since so much has happened the last few months! We're looking forward to his R&R in January sometime and hopefully we'll go someplace warm for a few days... I'm not looking forward to the cold and snow and I had better find some creative outlets for my little ones so we don't have another week like this past one. Here's the pictures of what happens when you leave 2 two year olds to their own devices for longer than five minutes. I blame it on Facebook, but obviously my own fault for not paying closer attention! Thank goodness for washable markers and Magic Erasers! I had wanted to post pics of our new wall colors, but not exactly in this way!

I Kings 17:16

My Aunt sent this to my sister who passed it on to me. As usual, God's Word finds a way to those who need it:

Subject: I Kings 17:16
"The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah" (1 Kings 17: 16)

The widow at Zarephath had given up all hope and only wished to die. But God taught her to walk by faith, and this changed everything. God, however, helped her only one day at a time. He did not place at her disposal a storehouse from which to draw supplies. Each day she scraped the jar of meal to the last particle and drained the last drop from the cruse of oil. But the next day she again received what she needed. The widow had to learn to live one day at a time.

We, too, need to learn this lesson, otherwise we will sooner or later suffer a nervous breakdown. Each day brings new demands - but also new strength. The strength we receive, however, will be sufficient only for that one day. If we take upon ourselves the cares and worries of days to come, the strength will not be sufficient.

Often we may feel extremely weary when evening comes, and we drain the last drop from our cruse of oil. We dare not think of the demands that await us on the morrow.

Nor should we think of these. In peace let us lie down to rest, thanking God for the day that is past; and when morning dawns, God will provide us with a new supply of stength.

Elijah's God is the same today. Think of the widow of Zarephath and take courage.

taken from: REST A WHILE by Wisloff

Sunday Drive

We've had great weather for the last week or so and we're enjoying being outside and having a fire in the front yard in the evenings. We had a georgous day yesterday for a Sunday drive into the Adirondack mountains. We didn't go far, just enough to see the beautiful fall colors and then stopped in Harrisville for lunch and then a little walk in the scenic park where the river flows into the lake. That's when the 'mom alone with four children adventure's' really began... We happened to have a jump rope in the car, which I tied to one of LB's belt loops, just so I would have a little more to hang on to on our walk, especially with water around. BB and BG were in charge of LG and did a great job just running around the beautiful woods and climbing rocks and picking up sticks. We met a sweet older couple having a picnic and they asked me to take their picture, but other than that there wasn't anybody else around. So of course, when we get close to the water that is where LB wants to go. I managed to get him to look at a few other things and then turned my back on him for two seconds to snap a picture of LG and I hear a big SPLASH! Dropped the camera, ran over to where LB is flailing in about 2 feet of water, jumped in and fished him out, set him on his feet, patted his back and he was fine! He didn't swallow any water, didn't even cry, wanted a brief hug and then wanted to go back and throw more sticks in the water! Does nothing phase the boy?! I was pretty calm throughout, but didn't sleep very well last night with pictures of his big eyes in the water. I've become a more firm believer in the power of prayer and guardian angels the last few months because I am definetely not equipped to handle this without some Divine Intervention. So, keep the prayers coming and I'll try to mitigate the risks... I wish I could say I can just stay in the house, but I think I would be crazy in less than a week! Homebody I am not. Maybe this is a wake-up for me that I do have limitations and I can't do whatever I want to with four kids in tow. And also a reminder that it's OK to be bored once in a while. I try to teach my kids that they don't need to have an activity all the time, but then don't apply it to myself! If I'm bored with being in the house or procrastinating about housework, I'm very quick to find something to do away from home and that's when I get into 'trouble' with time, money, and unplanned adventures...

Drama and hysterics

BG came home from school yesterday not feeling very well; sore throat, fever, tired. So I gave her Tylenol and put her in bed and she woke up fine this morning except she came in my room while she was getting dressed and said 'Mommy, I can't get this off of me." I look at her side and there's a big tick on her left side! As soon as I say, "we have to take this out," she starts crying and screaming and then she saw the tweezers! So, after moving her from two different bathrooms and finally to my bed, I'm trying to hold her still and take the tick out at the same time and of course just end up breaking it off without getting the whole thing out. We end up going to the ER in Carthage because her doctor couldn't see her and I was afraid I would hurt her if I tried holding her down again to get the rest! The girl can scream and thrash like nobody's business... It took another nurse holding her arms and head and me holding her lower body for the ER doc to get the rest out. It's times like this, that I wonder where kids get some of their personality traits. I mean, I've never been tortured or anything, but I would say I have a pretty high pain threshhold and I just want to tell her "I birthed you with no drugs, so buck up girl and get a grip, it's just tweezers!" And BB is just the opposite from her, he didn't say a peep even with the top of his head split open by a baseball bat, requiring 6 staples and then removal of staples a week later. I guess it's just another reminder of how they are all individuals and what works for one, certainly doesn't work for another. Sure keeps life interesting...

A georgeous day

at Old MacDonald's Farm near Sackett's Harbor today! LB was a little bit under the weather, but we decided to go anyway for the military appreciation day at the farm. So Motrin to the rescue and we all had a great day looking at all the animals and petting ponies and alpacas and rabbits and goats everywhere! We went on a wagon ride and fed some pigs and cows (they have rough tongues) and then went through the corn maze and finally to the pumpkin patch, which was LB's favorite place. He's been pointing out all the 'bumpins' we pass the last few days and he really liked sitting on them. I guess it's becoming a tradition for us to visit a farm or pumpkin patch type thing in the fall and it's kind of nice to hear the kids talk about going to the one in Arizona (Apple Annie's) and the one in Kansas (Deanna Rose Farm) and how they're all different and their favorite things about each. Anyway, beautiful day, perfect weather, and kids who didn't whine too much about not getting a toy in the ever present 'gift shop.'

Introducing...

Conan the Barbunian:





Not quite the fierce fighter as his name would suggest, which is a good thing in a bunny! I finally caved in to the kids begging for a pet and since dogs and cats are out due to allergies, a bunny it is. OK, who am I kidding. I've been missing having a pet for ages now, so I'm happy the kids gave me an excuse! He's very mellow with the kids and playful, as far as rabbits go. And BB and BG are so far excited about 'helping' take care of him. LB is not so sure about him moving around freely, but he'll come up and pet Conan if I'm holding him. LG likes to try to pat him as he hops by, but so far he's evaded her...

The rest of the cancer story (I hope!)

Someone asked me how my radiation stuff went the other day and I realized I never finished my updates. So, I did my Radioactive Iodine treatment the beginning of September and spent 2 days in isolation. My hospital room definitely put a different spin on the meaning of prophylactics... The floor of my room was covered in paper and everything else from the telephone to the toilet seat was covered in plastic wrap. Comfy. I think I saw the nurses 2 times a day and someone would throw a tray of food over the barrier 3 times a day. The radiation safety officer provided commentary and became my friend when I told him I was a former Army Chemical Officer (I could tell he had been in the Army) and he didn't have to dumb things down too much for me during the whole radiation half life lecture. So they did my scan on that Wednesday before discharging me and said everything looks like it's supposed to and all the iodine is still in my neck area with no 'floaters' anywhere else in my body. I go back in six months for another scan to see if the radiation did what it was supposed to and all the thyroid tissue/cancer is gone. And the good news is I got to start taking Synthroid (synthetic thyroid hormone) and am finally starting to feel human again. I started working out again last week and am hoping that between the thyroid hormones, exercise, and the loss of taste sensation (side effect from radiation) the weight will start going down too!

So during my isolation the kids got to spend some time with Auntie M and my only regret is that I didn't get as much time with her as they did! We also got to have my Aunt B here for a week after M left. It was wonderful blessing to have her here to help out and play with the kids and get out and see the area a little bit. A few pics from her visit:

We seem to be getting into a routine with the big kids in school and twins in daycare twice a week and starting a few activities also. BB is really loving school as evidenced today by not even mentioning staying home today even though BB was home sick. She gladly got ready and got on the bus. It's still a long day for her and she's a bit of a beast in the evenings. BB had a little stomach thing last night and LG had a fever yesterday also, so we've been laying low today. OK, I'll quit now before this gets too long! Obviously haven't been writing enough if I want to say everything in one post...