The Aftermath of Christmas

The buildup to Christmas seems like it takes a long time. Once the holiday ends its like it happened so long ago. Unfortunately, I came down with a cold on Christmas Eve and have been pretty miserable ever since. I can't seem to get rid of the cold no matter what I do. I even woke up with a sore throat this morning. I am ready for it to be over.

Our neighbors are here from England for two weeks. So Colton has been spending the majority of his time at their house. Also, his friend Kyle across the street has a new jet ski so they spend most of the day wake skating.

Hayley has been playing her Wii around the clock and has all ready beaten the Super smash brothers game. They have one more week off of school.

Today I will be using my gift certificate for a massage that Chris got me for Christmas. I have an easy work schedule this week. I only have to work Tuesday all day and Wednesday we close at 3:00pm. I won't know what to do with all my time. I will probably spend it getting my hair cut, grocery shopping, walking the dog, taking the dog to the dog park, taking care of end of the year forms for our business, and preparing for taxes.

Seaplane Crash

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-planecrash2108dec21,0,7764559.story

Here's the story of our neighbors plane crash. He is having surgery on his broken ankle this morning. We are thankful that he will be okay.

Prayers Needed

This afternoon our neighbor across the street from us crashed his seaplane into a lake where he had been working on a dock for his dock company. It looks like he will be okay with a broken leg and some lacerations. He's currently in the hospital. Please pray for him.

Also, this little girl lost her mother to cancer a few years ago and she now has an incurable brain tumor. For Christmas, Hannah wants to see how many cards she can get to add to her growing collection. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do Her address is Hannah Garman 704 Orchard Rd Lititz, PA 17543.

Caylee Anthony

It's sadly official. The remains that they found last Thursday was found to be those of Caylee Anthony. How a mother could do that to their child is beyond imagination. We in Orlando have lived with this since July. It is always on the news. It has been a three ring circus. How the grandparents could stand by their daughters side is unbelieveable. After the remains were found and they returned from taping Larry King Live they flew back from California last Thursday and stayed at the Ritz Carlton hotel. Not that their is a shortage of hotel rooms in Orlando. They had to stay at the top of the line hotel. Then through their attorney the grandparents asked for immunity from misleading statements that they have made during the investigation. Shame on them. That little girl needed someone to protect her. If the mother wouldn't the grandparents should have. It sure makes me want to squeeze my kids extra tight tonight.

Illness hath invaded

Today is the last day of school before the Christmas break. I am off today and Colton wakes me up at 6:30 to tell me that he has a sore throat and he wants to stay home from school. He tells me that he couldn't sleep last night. Since they will only be playing games or watching movies at school I let him stay home with a warning of no XBox will be played today.
I have a serious canker sore underneath my tongue and it is extremly painful to say the least. I can barely talk and the thought of food makes me naseous because of the pain each bite will cause. I am thankful to say the least that I am home today and I will be gargling salt water all day. I do need to get a manicure and hair cut today even though I feel like just climbing back into bed. Our dog last night was restless and I had to get up twice to let her outside. I felt bad for Chris as I kept waking him up and he had to work today.
Chris and I will be working nonstop until Christmas. One of us will be there every day to ensure that we are maximizing revenue. It is pretty depressing how much our business is going to be down over last year. All we can do is make sure that we are catching every rental possible. We have partnered with a repair shop that is on the same property as we are. Their salesperson will be promoting us to rent cars and trucks as they do sales calls. We are hoping that will give us some decent business starting in January.
Lots of kids right now are suffering from their cancer. I also read on another blog that corporate america has pretty much stopped donating to these organizations. That means fewer kids having treatment options and fewer new treatment options. Here is a link to the boy that I help support. Praying for continued good news on his latest scans. http://www.jackbrownappeal.org/updatesonjack.asp

The Medical Student

Wednesday night I went running into Hayleys room to look for something. She is a typical teenager and had things strewn all over the floor. I ran smack into a five pound weight and now my toe looks like this. Hayley in her sports medicine class has been learning how to use Ace bandages to wrap injuries. She looked over my foot pretty much squeezing it from side to side and declared that I would be fine. She asked identifying questions such as does it hurt when I do this and informed me that little pools of blood were forming under my skin. I told her that her bedside manner needed some improvement. When an injury occurs she might want to carefully feel the patients toe instead of ripping it from one side to the other. I then informed her that this was the third time that I had stubbed my toe on those weights and its not like she is lifting weights and to kindly remove them from her bedroom floor before my toe needed an amputation. I think she felt badly but I don't believe the weights are gone from the room.

The good news is that she has a babysitting job tonight. I am all for her earning some money. She blows through it like water and is really into shopping at the mall with her friend Lindsay. Luckily she shops on the sale racks and only spends about $20 when she does go with her.

Our neighbor across the street called us this morning to inform us that someone ransacked their cars and broke into their garage and stole some beer last night. The police believes it was kids. Chris and I checked our cars and both our doors were unlatched. This has happened before and someone stole about 10 cds I had in the car. Most of them were hits from the 80's. Not sure what a kid would do with that. Last time they tried to steal my car but the security alarm turned my car off. I love that feature.

Chris and I went on a Christmas parade of boats on the Butler chain of Lakes. It was so so so cold. I haven't been that cold in a long time and I don't want to be again anytime soon. It was nice and holiday like. Everyone had their boats decorated with Christmas lights and our friends Kym and Clive had appetizers and a good time was had by all. Tonight is Chris friend Ken's 40th birthday party. They live about 30 minutes from us. Should be fun as well.

Work, Video Games and Travel

Today is my official day two of being off after working virtually eight days straight. After complaining for eight days that I had to work I am now off and feeling like I don't know what to do with myself. I am restless. The chores that I need to do today I don't want to do. Pedicure, grocery shopping, christmas shopping, folding clothes, cleaning house, cooking dinner. I told Chris I'm not happy when I'm at work and then when I'm finally at home I want to go back to work. What is wrong with me. One thing I know is that I am a creature of habit. So having my schedule so out of whack throws me out of whack. I don't like change.

All video games in this house have been outlawed during the week due to poor grades and bad behavior from one teenage boy. Now he is always bored and whiny during the week. There is nothing to do. I suggested studying his science book since that is the class that he is doing poorly in. Of course it's the teachers fault and I should have him switch teachers. Which I refused. Hayley has not been allowed being on her computer during the week since the first progress report. She has brought her grades up to acceptable levels.

We did book our two free nights to Atlantis in the Bahamas in April. Just Chris and I will be going. I am also looking for Chris and I to go to New York City in June for the weekend. Hopefully using our Hilton honor points to stay at the Waldorf Astoria hotel and my Delta points for free airline tickets. That gives me something to look forward to. In August we will plan a family vacation with the kids at a resort in Florida probably San Destin Florida in the panhandle. Then in October to Wisconsin with Hayley and Colton for my sisters wedding. I had started planning a trip to California with all the kids until the economy tanked and the stock market virtually crashed. It seems like it will be awhile before it stabilizes again.

Coincidences

I'm driving to work on Friday morning and I see two teenage girls jumping over a brick fence (by the way which is very tall 7 feet or so) and one of the girls has blonde hair and a burgundy sweater just like one that my daughter owns. I say to myself as I almost come to a complete stop in the middle of the road "My daughter would never skip school". I continue on but questions abound. I put that thought aside for the day and call home around 5:00 to find out Hayleys progress report. Chris tells me she isn't home yet. Minute after minute passes Hayley is still not home. Chris drives to the bus stop. We call her cell phone repeatedly and it goes right to voicemail. I am at work and feel nauseous with all kind of thoughts running through my head. As Chris is getting ready to drive to her friend Lindsay's house a car pulls into the driveway. Hayley is finally home at 5:35. Her friend Carla's father gave her a ride home because the girls stayed after school to finish their Biology tests. These tests are so hard (biology honors) they can't finish them during class. Her cell phone was in her room not charged and she couldn't just call us from school. I calmed down considerably by the time I got home but good god child call your mother when your going to be late. We worry about you.

After this is over Chris tells me that our dog Molly escaped out the front door at around 4:00 pm and almost got hit by a car. A teenage boy in the neighborhood heard Chris scream and stopped the car in the middle of the street. Then our ferocious dog started running after his car barking at the tires when he tried to go just 5 houses up the street. The poor kid was probably traumatized. I know that Chris was. Not a very relaxing afternoon for him. I think I might have had it easier being at work. I'm counting down the hours until 5:00 when I will be off.

Lunch For Life

I have almost made it through this week. I have to work today 10:00-6:00, Saturday 07:00-5:00 and Monday 09:00-6:00 and then next week is a breeze. I am looking forward to a relaxing week.

Below is a link where you can donate $5 to a childs christmas tree who has been diagnosed with terminal neuroblastoma. With every $5 donated a child will get ornaments on their Christmas tree. I follow alot of these childrens battles and it really puts into perspective how lucky I am and that my troubles that I have are very minor. It could be so much worse.

http://www.lunchforlife.org/

Lunch for Life® is about helping children who have been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a deadly form of cancer that strikes thousands of infants and toddlers each year.

This fundraising program is a simple but powerful solution: We ask people to donate one day’s lunch money to the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF), a public charity dedicated to curing this cancer.

The cost of one lunch, if enough people contribute, will help save lives, fund research for a cure and provide support for families. Please donate your lunch money to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation and help us eradicate this disease.

Ranting

It's early Saturday morning and I should be sleeping. However, my employee was up all last night with her dog. Her dog people. I have not once been sick since June of 2004. This is also after the fact that she asked for all of next week off and I am working seven days straight for her to go to Texas with a friend when she does not have any paid vacation time left. Thats how I get paid back for my generosity.
Between the customers and the employees I feel like they suck the air right out of me. Why is it that when the customer does not return the car full and you challenge them on it they then have to tell you about every problem the car supposedly had. It's almost hysterical especially when the car only has less than 3000 miles. My patience and tolerance levels are at an all time low.
On the glass is half full side I have a great husband, great kids, lucky to have a job and financial stableness, health and happiness. I sure could have used a day off though.

Thanksgiving

Sorry that I have been missing in action. In my spare time I have been researching my ancestry on ancestry.com. That can become totally engrossing and when I make a discovery it is very exciting. Like putting a puzzle together. Today is Thanksgiving and we are expecting Matthew and Geoffrey Chris sons. We plan on watching football of course and a great turkey cooked by Chris.

Yesterday was busy at work and Chris and I worked 0700-1800 and we stopped on the way home at a local Italian bar and restaurant for a glass of wine. When we came home I saw this picture on our bulletin board that Hayley had drawn. It took my breath away. I hadn't realized how talented she was. Maybe she should think about a career in the art field instead of the medical field. She has been getting alot of brochures from different colleges. She wants to go to University of Miami. You only need a 4.2 gpa to get in. Looks like she might be staying in Orlando after all. We shall see.

Tomorrow is Chris birthday. I have to work. He is on a 4 day off weekend. I have had two of those in the past two weeks. I loved it. Nothing better than staying home if you ask me. Starting Monday we will both work seven days straight. Our employee asked for a week off. So it might be another break from blogging.

I am thankful for our children, health and happiness. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Brrrrr It's cold down here feels like Wisconsin

On the way home from the Villages these two show their sisterly/brotherly love. How cute!


Yesterday we woke up to weather in the 40's. I thought I left that behind many years ago in Wisconsin. I guess it seems fitting that my relatives are here from Switzerland and Wisconsin that they brought the cold weather with them.





Saturday we spent a nice day with my aunt Clara and uncle John. We went out on the boat with them and then out to dinner. I had a really nice time. Sunday was up to the Villages to spend some more time with cousin Alice and Paul from Switzerland, aunt Clara, John from Wisconsin, cousin Shirley and Larry from Wisconsin and cousin Bill and Paula who now live in the villages. It was a nice day reminiscing.





My grandfather Jakob immigrated from Switzerland in 1929. He was one of 11 children. His brother Wilhelm had immigrated two years prior. Jakob and Wilhelm settled in Lafayette County Wisconsin. Jakob had four children and Wilhelm five. I was born in 1970 and my grandfather Jakob died in 1971, his wife Marie in 1973 and my mother Elaine in 1975. For the next fifteen years I lived within 10 miles of Wilhelms family and never knew about them. Now we are all reunited as we are all interested in our ancestors and have all traveled to Switzerland and visited Alice and Paul. Now Wilhelms son William lives in Florida just 1 hour and 15 min from me. Since my next closest relative is in Wisconsin this is very exciting for me.

Miscellaneous

What a beautiful sight which fills me with peace.

I seem to have recovered from my minor depression this week. I am still in a state of shock. Especially since I know that the next sixty days many more changes will be taking place in my work environment. These changes will not be for the better either. My stress level which has been at a high these past several months will only increase.

I have been working with Hayley this past week on her grades. She has the ability to get straight A's even in her honors classes the problem is she doesn't have the will or desire. We have tried taking things away from her so now I am trying a new tact. She is reading the book Fountainheads for her History Honors class. Every Friday she has a test. Now we are reading the book together. I am a world class reader and English was my best class. It is not an easy book to read. I am hoping that if we do it together it will make it more important to her.

My mother in law and sister in law are in Ireland right now. What I wouldn't give to join them. A vacation seems like a long way away as we have nothing planned and it looks like we might have to change our plans for our 2009 vacations.

Today I am asking for prayers for this little girl. Her family just learned recently of her relapse. Now she is having problems with pneumonia. Any delays in treatment could allow the neuroblastoma time to spread. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=elizabethwestberry

Lost --- Purpose Found--- Perspective

Monday I was in a funk which carried over into Tuesday. Yesterday I found out that the company that I worked for, for 15 years are taking some drastic measures to make sure that they make it through this economic pitfall. I am now an independent contractor for this company and not a corporate employee and have countless friends that still work for the company. The company has given every corporate employee the option of a voluntary layoff. They would receive a generous severance package. I was actually feeling jealous. I sure could use some time off. Now if this company doesn't get the number of people they are looking for then a mandatory layoff will ensue. These employees were also told their medical copayment would increase by 50% in the next year and the company will no longer have a 401k plan. Wow, I was stunned. I feel really bad for them. I have no health insurance or 401k either since I am self employed but I make decent money and take care of these things myself. Some of these people make little, little money. So that is how I found my perspective and I am sure that my purpose is coming right behind it. I am just thankful to have a job for today anyways.

Lazy Day

So far today I have been pretty lazy. I did cook my husband breakfast and did Hayley's laundry for her. Otherwise, I am just catching up on shows that have been collecting on Tivo and playing with my puppy. Chris took today off and went golfing with his friend Ken and Matthew came down from Gainesville for the afternoon to play golf with them. My aunt Clara and John fly in this evening and are bringing me some cheese over straight from Wisconsin.

I had the back door open this morning so the puppy can go in and out of the house at her will. She has a doggy door but now that the weather is perfect here we have been leaving the back door open. A small bird flew in and I thought we were never going to get her back outside. Molly was very excited with the new pet. Chris on the other hand was determined to get the bird out of the house as quickly as possible.

I am having a hard time today finding my purpose.

Family is all you have

Please pray for this family. Their son has neuroblastoma and in the past year his mother has been treated for cancer also. Today her husband had to tell their three children their mother is dying. My heart is breaking for them. http://www.superryan.blogspot.com/ How much can one family endure?

On another note today I picked my cousins Alice and Paul up from their hotel at the Doubletree and brought them to our house. We went out to lunch at Press 101. Delicious. We came back to our house and put the boat in the lake. Had a nice cruise today in the sunny state of Florida. Wow, what great weather. Not too hot, not too cold and blue skies. My cousins Bill and Paula Meier came down from The Villages tonight and we went out to dinner at Roys Restaurant. We had a great time as you can see from the picture above. Pure decadence.

At some point if I can learn anything it is to cherish every moment that life has to offer. I struggle every day with this!! Don't sweat the small stuff.

It's Finally Over

I woke up this morning feeling renewed and with hope. I just typed a whole paragraph but I decided to erase it. I am registered to vote Republican but this country needed a change! That's all I want to say on that matter.

I picked my cousin Alice and Paul up from the airport Monday night. Rarely does a day go by that we do not have sunshine in Orlando. One of the many reasons why I love living here. The last two days have been cloudy, gray and dreary. I hope that they are having a great time at Disney.

Work is slow, slow, slow. I am hoping that Thanksgiving and Christmas pick up.

I'm dreaming of being back in Venice at dinner with my husband with a bottle of wine.

I like to plan our trips in advance. It gives me something to look forward to. Our 2009 vacations are planned as sometime February to May Chris and I will fly to Nassau Bahamas and stay at Atlantis on Paradise Island Thursday to Sunday. Last time we were at Atlantis we had so many problems that they gave us a certificate for two nights free. How can we not go again to visit Paradise. June we will fly to New York City as I have never been there. We have to go north in the summer as I can not take the cold anymore. August we will cruise again with our friends Tammy, Dennis and their boys and Chris and I children to Cozumel Mexico. Then October my sister Brittany is getting married in Dubuque Iowa. Chris, Hayley, Colton and I will be attending.

A little of this, A little of that and Donate to Band of Parents Foundation

This picture just cracks me up. I had to quickly snap a photo. I'm not sure why Chris looks possessed. Colton was on his way to a haunted house in the neighborhood when he found out his tires on his bike were flat. I wish that I could have gotten a picture of Hayley. I should have had her take the other camera and snap pictures with her friends. I had done so well all week eating healthy and then I blow it in about 30 minutes. Candy is so hard to resist.

Our plans today are to clean the house and get ready for my cousins from Switzerland Alice and Paul Meier who I will pick up from the airport on Monday and drive them to their hotel which is about 10 minutes from our house. They will go to Disney this week and then I will pick them up on Saturday and we are meeting our other cousins Bill and Paula Meier who live in the Villages and we will all go out to dinner. My aunt Clara and John will be flying down for a visit on November 10. So it looks like the next few weeks will be very busy. Monday alone I have to take Colton to the dentist and then to school. I need a pedicure and a manicure. I am supposed to meet Chris downtown and update our mortgage/car into both our names. Then pick up Alice and Paul at the airport that night.

Chris is at work right now as it is the end of the month and we have been very busy with truck rentals. Also, the republicans and democrats have been renting vans from us. Thank goodness for the election that is the only thing keeping us alive this month. Otherwise revenues would be down, down, down. This afternoon Chris friend Felix is coming over to watch the Gator game. I would prefer going out to eat as we normally would on a Saturday night. Tomorrow I am working for my employee Jennifer. At least I can get caught up on my paperwork.

Since the holiday season is approaching here is a great way to donate to a great cause and it costs you nothing. igive.com and select Band of Parents Foundation. You do have to register but it is a great way to help when money is tight as it is right now. Band of parents was formed by a group of parents that their children are being treated at Sloan Kettering hospital in New York City for Neuroblastoma. Because only around 600 children a year are diagnosed with neuroblastoma it is not profitable for the pharmaceutical companies to invest to find a cure. These parents have banded together to raise money to find a cure for their children. So along with trying to take care of their children and the stress that entails they are also dedicated to raising money. When you purchase online the company you are buying from donates a percentage of the sale to the Band of Parents organization. Every dollar helps. Cancer touches every family in some way. It just seems when it is a child it is so much more devestating. When an adult gets cancer you can say well they have lived a good life but when it is a small defenseless child it just makes your heart hurt.

Happy Halloween

To me Halloween is the beginning of the holiday season. I can just feel the anticipation in the air. Hayley broke me down and has a new halloween costume. She has had a busy week. She had a Medical Academy meeting on Wednesday and when I picked her up she talked about upcoming events the whole way home. I was getting fatigued just listening to her. She has to volunteer at the local hospital this semester for about four hours. I thought that was a great idea. She would get a firsthand look at the interior workings of a hospital. The medical academy is also going to be visiting foster children and doing various activities such as face painting etc. Then they will also be collecting money for the relay for life event this spring. She brought home a disappointing report card. All C's one B and one A. GPA= 2.1. I warned her last year not to take all honor classes. So it looks like I will be staying on top of her daily to make sure that she gets all her work completed on a daily basis.

Here's a picture of Hayley and Colton taken during the cruise. Do they look old enough to drive to you? They look way too young to me. This year is flying by and in February Hayley will get her drivers license. On one hand I will love that she can drive herself to and from her events on the other hand I will be a mess worrying while she is on the road. To make matters worse Colton will be eligible for his permit in April.

Halloween

Hayley is begging me to buy her a new costume this year for Halloween. She is 15. How old is too old to go trick or treating? I try to go back in my memories from my childhood. What was I doing when I was 15? She wants to go to her friend Lindsays house and trick or treat with a bunch of fellow teenagers. On one hand I encourage her to hang out with friends. She really doesn't have much of a social life and she is pretty responsible so I think. She hasn't reached that hump yet where she is headed quickly to being an adult. I see glimpses of that and then I still see her as a little girl. I think it will be more of a reason for a bunch of teenagers to hang out than actually trick or treating. They may hit a few houses and than back to Lindsays to play Wii or swim in the pool. So in the end I am sure that I will give in to her. The days are flying by and before I know it she will be in college.

Looks like I might be posting about once per week. I just don't have more time than that. One of our employees is resigning so Chris and I will be working from 7:00am to 6:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Makes for a very long day. We'll see how long I can take that.

Pray for this family as the doctors say their is nothing more that they can do for him. So sad!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kodyedwards

We're Back

We need a vacation from the vacation. We came back to Florida to great weather. The windows are open and it is a beautiful fall day here in Orlando. We had a really great time on the cruise. We are all exhausted. We have never sailed on Royal Caribbean before so we wanted to try it out. The ship that we were on was an older ship and from what I heard from other people who have sailed RC before said this was the worst RC cruise they have been on. The perfect cruise for us would be rock climbing wall, flow rider, ice skating rink, poolside casino, water slide and we would be in heaven. The staff is very very strict. We seemed to get into trouble everywhere we went. They have a curfew of 1:00 am if you are under 18 even if you are with your parents. In the pool there is a ledge where you can sit in shallow water. I was sitting there drinking a beer and low and behold I was admonished and told no alcohol in the pool. Chris son is 19 years old. It was my birthday and we allowed him to have two vodka and red bull drinks. We were chased down by security and for a minute there I thought we were going to be put in the brig. I can't say I won't go on Royal Caribbean again but Carnival is still the top of the list for me. We cruised with my friend Tammy, her husband Dennis and their two kids Joshua and Ryan. Ironically, her son Joshua has the same birthday as me October 19 and he turned 12. He is 12 going on 22 though and a handsome little man. This cruise we were supposed to stop at Coco Cay for the day but a cold front was coming through and after we anchored there and some people had got off the ship they brought every one back on and we sailed north. Finally several hours later we sailed into sunshine again. I'll post more pictures in the coming days.

Manic Monday

I feel like I have a million things to accomplish this week. We are going on a cruise on Friday. Just a short Friday-Monday jaunt to the Bahamas. Today I needed to get my nails done, grocery shop, look for black sandals (the dog chewed up the pair that I had finally gotten worn in and I loved), get my hair cut, do laundry, clean the house, watch two of (my) shows Brothers and Sisters and Army Wives, cook lasagna for dinner. I'm exhausted all ready.
Tuesday I have to attend a meeting all day which means I will not get anything done at work. Come home cook dinner again, make sure the kids have done their homework. I explained to Hayley the grading period ends October 23rd. She needs to sprint full speed ahead. I found out she could attend the play Julius Ceaser after school for extra credit points for her latin class. That could make the difference in getting a B versus a C. I don't know why she doesn't take the iniative to make it happen.
I won't bore you with the additional trivial details of my life though I feel like I am panting and won't be able to breathe normally until I am sitting on the pool deck with a cold frozen drink in my hand.

Elijah Talley made it to CHOP where he will be going through MIBG treatment. Praying for good results for him and his family. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=elijahtalley

Relapsed

Please pray for this little girl who went through transplant and her parents just found out she has relapsed with neuroblastoma. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=elizabethwestberry

Two organizations that I would recommend for anyone who has some extra money sitting around or is looking to donate would be http://www.lunchforlife.org/ or http://www.magicwater.org/ . From what I have read Dr Sholler in Vermont has made great strides in neuroblastoma research. That is where Jack Brown went when MSKCC Sloan told him that they could do nothing else for him when they had a shortage of 3F8 last year. This could be any one of our children at any time. I can't imagine what these families go through on a daily basis. Financially, emotionally it must be devestating. So if you can find it in your hearts these are two great organizations.

Teaching Teenagers Self Discipline

I'm off today and it is a dreary, rainy morning in Florida. We don't have many of those. It is pretty much reflecting my mood right now. We keep waiting for the stock market to stop it's free fall. Feels like we are hemorraging here. Budget's stock is at 3.28 and their are so many uncertainies in the world right now. Sure could use some good news!

Then we have Hayley. How do you get a child to be self disciplined? Maybe I need to buy a self help book on raising teenagers. We seem to have the same conversations continually and the answer from her is always the same, I know mom. Well, if she knows then why do I keep getting the same results. She is in all honors classes except for English her least favorite subject. She is struggling in all of her classes right now. Not because she can't do the work but because she is not disciplined enough to study the material and simply turn her homework in.

I have tried taking the computer away from her during the week. She is only allowed online if she has homework to do. It seemed to work for the first week. I saw a little rise in her grades. Then this week more missing assignments. I am working 12 hour days and when I finally get home the last thing I want to do is continually question her to see if she has finished her homework. She is almost 16. What is she going to do in two years when she is on her own. I continually tell her she needs to apply herself now! She says I KNOW MOM.

What's interesting to note is that my son Colton who has ADHD and Impulse Control Disorder is actually much more self disciplined than Hayley. It's not that he has been raised any differently, just that it is in his character. It has lessened somewhat since he became a teenager but I still see glimpses of it underneath all the teen coolness (laziness) that he displays.

I just googled teaching teenagers self discipline and found this article. I think I will spend some time reading online to see if I can find something that helps. http://www.namb.net/site/c.9qKILUOzEpH/b.695825/k.72DD/Teenagers_and_Motivation.htm

Thankful and praying for this little girl who successfully completed her tumor resection yesterday. Hoping for NED status for her. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katiekline

Happy Birthday Molly

One year ago today our baby Molly came into this world. The kids and I had been pestering Chris for a couple of years that we wanted a puppy. So two weeks before Christmas last year Chris drove two hours one way to a breeders house near Tampa and picked out our baby Molly. We told the kids that we were babysitting Molly for our friend Tammy and her husband Dennis because they were out of town on vacation. The kids just loved having the puppy around to play with and really believed our story. Then on Christmas morning we broke the news in a letter that we wrapped up for the kids. It was so cute. One of the best Christmas presents ever. I have to say this puppy warms my heart daily even when she chews up my shoes, runs away with my underwear and thinks the rug under our dining room table is her personal poop place. It is green so it must remind her of the grass is what I keep telling Chris. Not that he would know about picking it up. He always leaves that to one of us to do.

On a sadder note I would like to ask for prayers for Caden. His family just found out that he has relapsed. They start this journey again in the fight. This disease is just so vicious, sneaky and mean. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadenledbetter

Fall Weather

I love this time of year. Football is back, the air is cooler and the seasons shows are back on the air. Today I ran/walked around the block. It's been awhile. Then since I was so hot and panting I thought I would take a dive into the pool. Wow, the nights have been cooler and so is the pool. I did my twenty laps and I sure hope that I can keep up this commitment. We have a ritual in our house by baking toll house cookies every night during the week. I will need alot more running or swimming to make up for all those calories.

The kids are hearing all about the economy from the news. Colton especially likes to make frequent trips to our bedroom to snuggle with our dog Molly. I can tell they are a little worried. We have made some cutbacks around our house. The stock market news is very worrisome. We are self employed and our old 401k's from when we worked for corporations are invested in the stock market. It is so difficult to watch month after month as the money diminishes and do nothing. I heard tonight on the news that the Ceo of Lehman brothers pocketed $500 million dollars before the company filed bankruptcy. What is going on in this country? It sure is time for a change.

On a good note Jack Brown is no evidence of disease and this is after last year when he relapsed his parents were told there was nothing that could be done for him. Luckily his parents went to Vermont and Dr Sholler put him on several trials that have cleared his neuroblastoma. You can visit him at http://www.jackbrownappeal.org/updatesonjack.asp. Way to go Jack!

Long Time Since Last Post

I had good intentions when I started this blog. I read many other blogs daily. Most of the blogs are children with neuroblastoma cancer and the others are written by mothers of multiples. When you are writing on a blog it feels like no one is reading what you have to say. That may be true especially since I post only every six months or so. So as of today I am going to make a concerted effort to post more often.
I mean I have had some exciting things happen in my life lately. My husband and I traveled to Europe on August 7th for our 4th wedding anniversary. Good thing I had planned this trip a year in advance. With the state of the economy we never would have went otherwise. I also have planned a cruise for the weekend to the Bahamas. My birthday is Ocotober 19th. I won't say how old I am. All the kids are going which I really enjoy. I can feel the years slipping away with Hayley and Colton. I know that I will blink and they will be gone.
I was looking at pictures last night. The pictures were from a vacation that we took to Jamaica in 2005. I was skinny! That was in June and I quit smoking in October. It has been downhill since then. I think I have gained 10 pounds and it really bothers me. I have tried running, changing my eating habits, swimming, elliptical machine, diet pills and nothing seems to work. I actually look younger and healthier before I quit smoking. What is going on with that. This October 19th it will be three years since I stopped smoking.
As I typed this, heaven has another neuroblastoma angel. Brandon Loose lost his fight. I will say it again. It is 2008 how can we not save these children. http://www.caringbridge.org/pa/brandonloose/

Neuroblastoma

I haven't posted in almost a year. Alot of things have happened during this time. Yet sometimes I feel foolish writing those things on this blog. Does anyone really read this blog? I have been very down this week. Two children died of Neuroblastoma Cancer. They fought for so long and so hard. I read their blogs faithfully hoping for a miracle. Sadly, many more will be following them to heaven. So for this week I say no more pain for Eden Brunskow and Harrison Nichols who are now sweet angels. Prayers for Jack Brown, Austin Melgar and Courtney Saunders as they continue to fight for their miracles. My company has a donation jar and matches any contributions made by our customers to support Jack Brown who is from England and has no health insurance here in the US to pay for his medical bills to fight this cancer. I'm not sure why my interest and compassion was peaked by this cancer. But I feel strongly that these children should not have to suffer. We need to find a cure and better treatments for all children with cancer.