34 years old

Well my birthday came and went. It was fabulous. My family and friends made the day (and the day after) perfectly perfect. I woke up and headed to breakfast with my boss Carol. She took me to LePeep and I had a delicious omelet and seasoned potatoes. Very yummy stuff! After, I went home and picked up Kristy and Sam, and we headed to meet my mom and dad at the mall. The kids wanted to eat at Luby's--both Kristy and Sam were craving fish--and I, still feeling full from breakfast, ate a vegetable plate. Dad bought me a huge piece of chocolate cake for dessert, and while we were all sharing it, the waitress noticed the birthday gift and offered me my choice of desserts. I got a big slice of cheesecake, which we all shared. We walked around the mall a bit after we ate, and then headed to Target.
Mom and Dad got me a gift card to Target. Kristy shared with them that there was a certain type of bathroom shelving that I had been wanting, so mom instructed me to go pick out what I wanted and use the gift card for that. I found my shelving, and the kids and I did some window shopping too. We headed home after that, and I took an especially peaceful nap. I sincerely think that God gave me that nap. It was almost like I was under an anesthetic--the rest was quiet and very fulfilling. My brain was unaware for nearly two hours. It was a completely deep sleep. I woke up feeling so wonderfully at peace. I started getting ready for my dinner out with Marie. Jim came over to our house after he finished work, and he stayed with the kids while I went to dinner.
Marie took me to Carinos, and we had a great time, talking and laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. We went to Barnes and Noble after dinner, and walked around, book browsing. She bought me a book (which I started reading tonight--My Sister's Keeper--so far, a good read) and a very pretty ribbon bookmark. I came home and puttered around the house for a while, and then headed to bed.
To be continued...I'm ready for bed tonight.

I had a busy morning today. I woke up the kids early, and we headed to their dentist for their cleanings. After that, Samuel had to have blood drawn so that we can attempt to figure out why he is breaking out in hives so frequently. His pediatrician put him on steroids, and Samuel has easily gained about 4 pounds in about 2 weeks. I'm hoping that the lab work will show something that will help us get to the bottom of what's attacking his body, so that we can start a treatment plan and get him better before school starts.I've had a headache for most of the day, and have taken the limits on Tylenol. I don't want to hit the heavier stuff, but it sure is tempting. I have an earache as well, which makes me think that is the culprit.

Jim got here to visit the kids about an hour ago. He and Sam are playing video games, and Kristen is sitting here next to me organizing her crayons by color. (She's had that habit since she was about two years old.) Later this evening, once the temperature drops below 100 degrees, we're taking the kids to grab an ice cream. It's so unbelievably hot.

I stopped by church today and picked up my Dave Ramsey (www.DaveRamsey.com) Financial Peace kit. I am taking this 13-week course and I'm hoping that I will come out with a better understanding of money and how I can manage my income and expenses in a more productive way. I need to learn how to budget and manage money as a single mother now, and as of right now, I'm not doing a very good job of it. I have high hopes that I will finish the course in better financial shape than I am right now.

It's a gorgeous Monday morning, and the sun is already beating down on San Antonio. There's a heat advisory, and we are promised yet another scorcher today.It's quiet right now, the kids are still asleep. I've gotten ready and dressed for work, I ate my Frosted Mini-Wheats, and I'm just about to start packing up. I would give nearly anything to stay home with my kids today and just hang out and watch SpongeBob with them.Yesterday was a fairly restful day. I went to church, served in the nursery with my little babies, and afterward, came home and hung out with the kids for a bit. Jim came over and brought lunch for all of us (Wendy's chili and their very delicious Spicy Chicken Wrap!) I then took a wonderful nap, during which the kids and their daddy built a replica of an engine, made up entirely of recyclables. (If something is clean and can be re-used, it does not get thrown away in this house.) I was very impressed with their teamwork. Daddy helped with the accuracy, Kristy picked the correct materials to make the replica life-like, and Samuel did the actual construction. It's a pretty impressive piece!After nap, I bopped around the house for a while, and then I took the kids to Jim's Restaurant for dinner. Sam thinks that their dollar-sized pancakes are just about the best food on earth. We came home, and started our end of the day routine.Today, I hope to start painting my bedroom. It's been plain white for 9 years now. I'm ready for a splash of color in my life.

Rest

Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.
~ Psalm 100:2, NLT

This morning, I'm singing praises to God for giving me a peaceful sleep last night. We grabbed some Subway sandwiches for dinner and came home. Jim spent the night to hang out with the kids, and we were all in the living room watching Nickelodeon and having lots of fun just laughing and talking. We then watched Cujo, and had warned the kids that it was a little bit of a creepy movie. We were all laughing the entire time. Obviously, and "old" scary movie isn't actually scary by today's standards. No one was scared, and the funny thing is, I remember it being so terribly awful when I saw it as a kid. It was still a good time, and what was great was that the kids were having so much fun.

Jim slept on the couch, Kristy on the loveseat, and Sam and I slept on the futon mattress that we carried from upstairs. I'm up early this morning, about to start my Sunday. Worship, work in my church nursery and get to hang out with my little babies--I just love being with my babies, talking with their parents, and seeing each week the new growth and development that comes only during during these very early months of life. I'm so thankful to God for my church family!

A Long Day

I woke up before 7:00 am, in full panic-attack mode. For those of you who know me, this is something that I go through periodically, and I truly hate it. My brain goes into a kind of hyper-sensitive mode, and it's like going through an fear-filled adrenaline rush without coming back down. It's scary, and in the end, after all is over, exhausting. Read about it here if you're interested: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/panic-attacks/DS00338

So it's been a long, exhausting day. I was so physically tired from the panic that I slept for 4 straight hours after my medication kicked in. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.