Four Strep Cases

The last few days have been marked with fevers, four sets of antibiotics two times a day, ibuprofen, lice shampoo treatments, washing EVERYTHING non-stop with hot water and drying those said items on hot, vacuuming tons, spraying down the house, meals, comforting, bloody noses, school . . . what? Um, that goes out the window when you are just trying to survive. I attempted to do some on Friday, and hoped to do some on Monday, but those plans were much too lofty for our situation.

Well, the boys ended up getting strep along with the girls and the girls and I needed to do the whole lice treatment, which took about three hours each. MyLove has been stripping down linens, running the washer and dryer and trying to stay on top of sick children with me. It has been a whirlwind.

Despite it all, my wee ones, we have had the joy and peace of the Lord. We were able to watch our church service live-streaming from home. MyLove and I have had some great talks and that was wonderful. You kiddos have enjoyed being couch potatoes, although you did mention that you would trade these marathon movie times for feeling better. 

Today, we got some schooling done and it was our first day doing Sonlight. It was great. So far, it seems like a great fit. We'll see how it goes.

I love you, my little sweeties. These times are hard with sickness and stress, but we'll get through it. Right now, even as I type, C is now coughing the seal cough . . . 

First Week of School

What a doosy this week was!

It started off great. We were excited. Monday went smoothly. School was fun and the kids did great. Then . . .

I discovered lice in C's hair. This is the first time, and I was crushed. This was to be her first day at gymnastics. I sat for an hour combing through her hair taking out the lice, super braided her hair and we went anyway . . .

I then discovered two or three lice nits in G's hair.

I am a hound when it comes to finding these things, so I went through their hair every day and night and took them out, washed their hair, blow-dried their hair and put mouse in and french-braided tons. Thankfully, they have not had it bad. Carmelita had the most, but it wasn't much at all. I praise the Lord because I think I caught it early. G had only about 5-7 nits total.

Laundry non-stop on hot and drying on hot. Mounds of laundry to fold.

The whole week, G coughed non-stop at night. I had to give her ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, help with headache and help her sleep.

Then, by Wednesday, C started coughing and had a sore throat. On Thursday she couldn't even swallow. Friday early morning, we all went to the doctor and the girls got tested. C has strep and G might have it as well. Treating both with antibiotics concurrently.

Now, I am feeling it.

I still want to record grades, curriculum and pictures for the new school year.

Hopefully Monday!

Innocence Slipping Away

C: Mommy, is war real?
Me: What do you mean?
C: I mean, is war really real? Do people really fight in wars?
Me: Yes. Wars are real.

C makes a terrified face and hugs the wall she was leaning against and says, "Oh, no. That makes me scared . . . "

Me: I know, Baby. But, don't worry, even if we were in a war, God would be with us and would protect us!
C: I don't like war. I wish there wasn't war. It makes me scared.

We are officially at war as far as our country goes, but she doesn't see it directly. When we celebrated Memorial Day, we watched a program about the realities of war our troops go through in Afghanistan. It was difficult to watch.

My poor little Sweetie. It breaks my heart to see her realize these terrible things in the world. People die. Children die. There is so much terrible-ness in the world.

All I can do, as she learns of these awful things, is point her to Jesus. He is our only hope. Our only salvation.

Quick to Pray

Yesterday, I was cutting G's fingernails, and I told her:

"G, I sure wish it would rain."

 G immediately responds: "Dear Jesus, (then indecipherable words . . .) rain. Jesus' name, Amen"

Wow, how convicting . . . I make a statement of "wishing" while my 2.5 year old immediately responds with prayer.

 *** Out of the mouths of babes. ***

March Memories

A few memories from March that I don't want to forget!

G fell asleep under the dining room chair while Mommy was teaching . . .


Curls in abundance . . .


The boys . . .


On a walk . . .


Veggie Tales on the iPhone!

Schooling Outside!

E: Can we go outside?

M: It would be a crime not to go outside today!

So . . . we did! And boy, was it a beautiful day!

We went outside and did our lessons. Not all of them, but some. The kids were continually distracted by bugs, birds, sounds and the fresh air in general. But, it was fun and we did get a little bit done.

Aaah, the joys of homeschooling!


(March 26, 2012)

Dearest Anthony

(Just 2 days after you arrived when we visited Lael's grave, you were so skinny :-( poor thing)

My sweet nephew, you came to live with us Dec. 9, 2011, and boy were we excited with the thoughts and visions we had for you. Visions of working in the Medical Center with Uncle Martin and getting your GED and driver's license. Visions of you getting a great job and loving your work. Visions of you eventually getting your own place and marrying Marissa.

Well, your path was different that what we hoped for, but I don't want to forget the great times.

The kids loved your fun and silliness. They loved how you would say the oddest, most misplaced things and how you made them laugh all the time.

G became your JellyBean because of her big belly.

C became your Little Buddy.

E became your side-kick.

M became your listener and question-asker on all things Marissa.

We had a great time going to the Y together and walking the track. Uncle Martin and I enjoyed long, interesting conversations.

Anthony, you are a true question-asker, and we love that you are not afraid to ask difficult questions. We love your inquisitive nature and your interest to know things, especially things of the Lord.

Your turned 18 on Feb. 21st and a week later, moved out with Rochelle. Our hearts were broken, but we hope that you are able to stay focused and accomplish your goals. Most of all, our prayer for you is to follow the Lord. Follow His leading and trust Him for guidance.

Today, April 11th, you fulfilled one of your goals! You passed your driver's test!!! Congratulations!!!

We love you, Anthony.

At Lael's grave


Chik-Fil-A Tunnel


At our neighborhood park



E's 7th Bday


G's 2nd Bday


Painting with cousins and friends


At Aunt Candi's wedding


At a gathering tackled by the kids . . . they loooved you!




With Marissa


At a bday party


Texting away . . . no comment!


Thumbs-up!

Ballad of King Richard and Saladin, Historical Dates

For social studies, we had to come up with a ballad of King Richard I and Saladin. E contributed the most. Here it is:


Ballad Of King Richard and Saladine
by The Fords

Oh, people, oh people
Come with me
Come and fight
The battle with me

Fight the war
Don’t be afraid
Lets come together
Be valiant and brave.

King Richard the Lion Heart
Fights for the land
Where Jesus was crucified
So, he’ll take a stand.

Saladin is brave
His people are Muslim
He wants the Holy Lands
Palestine and Jerusalem

They fight and fight
For a whole year long
A fierce, dark battle
And both were strong

So Lion Heart and Saladin
Came together one day
They made a promise
A truce was made

Muslims kept the inland
Christians got the coast
And as for Jerusalem
To be shared by both

Peace for a little while
But it did not last
The battles resumed
The casualties amassed

The crusades were thought
To be Holy Wars
200 hundred years
Of battles and swords.

***

Dates to remember:

In 476, Rome fell like a pile of sticks.
In 1215, the Magna Carta was signed by the king.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

The first two we made up together!;-)

Mouth Virus

G has been sick since last Sunday night. Today marks a full week.

We decided to take her to the doctor on Saturday and it was confirmed that she has some kind of virus in her mouth.

Symptoms:
All of her gums are dark red
A few sores on inside of cheek by corner of her mouth and about 3 on the tongue
It is painful for her to eat rough, crunchy foods or anything with acid, i.e. oranges, pizza sauce, fruity things
She woke up with puddles of saliva and blood on the bed on the 4th and 5th night of her infection. She has had blood in her nose as well. When she cries, her gums start bleeding.
Her lips are kind of cracked as well.
The skin that connects her top lip and gums bleeds a lot.
She has bad breath, probably from the blood.
She had lower grade fevers the first 4-5 days.

Treatment:
Ibuprofen as needed. We started giving it to her proactively on the 5th day because it was so painful for her.
Soft foods: cream of wheat, yogurt, softened cereal
Cold drinks and popsicles

*** I kept searching online for some kind of answer to her condition. I saw various references to dental problems, but her was definitely not an absess or anything like that. It started off with a fever on Sunday night (the 11th), on Monday she had a fever with a little bit of swelling on the lower gums, then on Tuesday she woke up with incredibly red gums and pain and fever.

This is some kind of virus in the mouth, but it is not strep. Probably HSV-1, the cold sore virus. All of our children have reacted as toddlers to cold sores. M's was the most severe at around 7months. He could barely eat anything and was so very sick. He couldn't sleep and was unconsolable at times. E had a pretty severe reactions as well. C's was more mild. So, we are thinking this is what G has.

Anyway, if someone is looking up these symptoms, I hope this helps.

Ministry: Motherhood

Through the years I have struggled with "only being a mother" and not pursuing other ventures: church ministries, my business, more education, foreign missions, etc.

I have felt un-inspired and down right lazy with my mind.

But, because of the goodness of God, I have the Constant Encourager who loves me and lifts me up. And the Lord has surrounded me with my ever faithful encouragers: My soulmate-hubby, my uncle, and my mom and dad. They are always telling me what an important role I have in this family of mine and how motherhood IS MY MINISTRY!

Well, I just visited a blog that I just could not stop reading. Her name is Katie Davis and she writes a blog that is enrapturing. I read a short synopsis of her story at Christina Book Distributors and it gripped me. Her sold out love for Jesus inspires me and renews my resolve to live for Jesus!

I sat and thought what a noble thing it is that this young lady, who didn't marry (as I believe she chose) and instead chose a life of complete service to the Lord. She has adopted I think about 14 girls and constantly pours herself out.

My heart longed to please the Lord like her as I read her blog. My heart has been squeezed and I feel so inadequate and wasteful of myself.

And, as I thought these thoughts, the Holy Spirit encouraged me, once again of my role. If I didn't rise up and love, teach, and care for my children, who would? The Lord has blessed me with these most valuable treasures and I am here to raise them. And I have been blessed with so many resources to do so.

The work of a mother is sacred. If she doesn't do it, who will? Those precious lives are left to someone who doesn't love them as much, or worse, to fend for themselves and fall prey to the evil wolves waiting to devour, hurt, expose, exploit, and spit out these poor souls.

My resolve to love my children and love my role is ever more established once again. I am convinced that a mother's role is to MOTHER! Not to pursue the things of this world. That is not to say that a mother can't be called to other things. But, primarily, if your are a mother, your role is to raise your precious little ones.

Oh, how politically incorrect this statement is! But, what about my career? What about all of my education? It will all be wasted!

My friend! How can it be wasted when you are spending your time and energy on the most valuable commodity in the world . . .

Your children!!!

With love,
A mother who is ever-learning and who has ever-so-much-more to learn!

Gratefulness in Sickness

I am here on the couch sitting with my precious G.

We just finished watching Tangled (Apunzil, as she calls it) and I fed her her 3rd bowl of Special K with strawberries. About her 5th or 6th of the day. It's Tinkerbell (T-Bell, as she says) time.

G is sick. She's had a fever since Sunday night, today is Tuesday. The only thing she wants to eat is cereal and I am thankful she wants to eat at all. She had a bit of swelling in the gums, now all of her gums are red and swollen. She's lethargic and sleepy and all she wants to do is watch movies and/or Veggie Tales. And that's OK. Called Dr. Mishaw and we believe it's a virus of some kind. No need to go in, Thank You, Lord! YOU are so good to us!

Her nickname around here is our tiny couch potato. If we didn't have the rule of no TV on weekdays, we would be in trouble! Thankfully, she loves books and going outside too. But, today, it's all about comfort and rest.

Daddy took M, E, and C strawberry picking a Froberg. They were excited. They love fruit. They will be so excited to show their buckets of treasure when they return.

*Side note: I have gotten more and more allergic to fruit the fast couple of years. I start itching in my throat and ears and my lips and mouth start swelling. It stinks because I love fruit: mangos, tomatoes, avocados, melons, pineapple. -.-

So, "Gratefulness in Sickness." Why?

We have been struggling with sickness since late December 2011, non-stop. It seems we have had about a week of recovery here and there and then BAM! Someone gets sick again and it spreads.

We found out E has had mono for about two months . . . and there is no treatment. He lost a lot of weight, was lethargic, had no appetite, had dark circles under his eyes, and wanted to sleep and nap all the time. So sad. But, within the last week, he has regained his appetite. He is active again and he looks so much healthier.

When Anthony lived with us (he moved out already :-( another post, another time) he had strep. Our pediatrician saw him even though he didn't have insurance. He made it very affordable for us and the antibiotics came to only $5!!!

C and E caught a stomach bug in Feb with vomiting and diarrhea. It only lasted for about three days and G had it for only about a day. The rest of us were spared!

M has had congestion and migraines. But, he is getting better. We treat his migraines right away now. No waiting.

The kids, MyLove and I caught another cold virus recently with sore throats, asthma for C, E and I . . . I was in bed and could not breathe for literally three days, my asthma was so bad.

Just non-stop.

And, all throughout, the Lord has blessed with rest, provision with a non-knee-jerking pediatrician, and a wonderful hubby who loves to help whenever he can. He took off three days to help me with the kids. Thank You, Lord, for my dear hubby and for the job he has so that he can stay home when we need him. MyLove has been such an anchor. I love him so much.

So, "Gratefulness in Sickness." Yes, the Lord is so good to sustain and bless amidst these trying times. I see His provision and I praise HIM for it.

I can sit and enjoy this time with my dear G. Alone time . . . which is so rare.

Thank You, Lord!

*** I just tried rubbing G's arm and she pushed my hand away saying, "No sank you!" and proceeded to pick her nose :-)