Ryan's Surgery Experience

Ryan broke his foot at church camp.  He doesn't regret going because it was an incredible experience.  How was he to know sliding down a mud slide could cause a break?  It's just one of those freak things.  His foot was so swollen so I knew that could be a bad sign.  Sure enough he broke 3 bones.  The break is pretty bad actually and so it still can't be put in a cast and has to be monitored weekly.

Getting ready for surgery

We originally thought only one bone needed a pin but when the doctor took an xray from a different view, two bones were completely away from each other and had to be pinned together to start healing.

Ryan still waiting but we were enjoying our "oceanside view."

We were told to be at the hospital a day after we got back from our family camping trip (different blog story) and so Ryan and I went alone.  I knew all the walking on crutches was really hard and he was starting to get a rash under his arms.  We had to walk really far to get to his surgery area.  The whole process from surgery prep to leaving was 5 hours. He has two metal pins sticking out of the bottom of his foot and they won't be removed for 4 weeks

Waking up after surgery

 Ryan had a really good attitude the whole time but when they took him away to the surgery room he started shaking.  The nurse told me it would take an hour for the surgery but maybe longer because this doctor was a perfectionist.  A perfectionist?  Awesome. That's a very good thing.  It's a good thing I'm not a surgeon and there is a reason why I'm not. Ha.  "Here's some duck tape.  It should hold good 'nuff!" Haha.  Anyway, Ryan said it was weird to be talking to the doctors, not even know he passed out, then wake up in recovery.  It felt like it was 2 seconds.

 

But ohhhhhhh, the pain hit later and we had to start his meds because it was BAD.  I keep track on my phone because it's just too much to remember with rotating medicines.  Even these medicines don't take away the pain but it makes it tolerable. 

But guess what?  Both my parents and my in-laws gifted Ryan a knee scooter so he can still be a kid and get around easy.  He has been kinda down just laying around.  Not he's been getting around easy when needed when the pain isn't too bad.  I'm soooo happy for him!  This scooter is the cadillac of scooters.  It's smooth and rides fast.  he loves it.

Ryan on his medical knee scooter

Broken Foot and Camp Memories

Ryan entertaining sister while waiting for doctor

So I took Ryan to the doctor to see exactly why he needed to be on crutches and what the damage was.  He had xrays and sure enough he had broken 3 bones in his foot while at camp.  Poor guy!  He hardly complained and was in good spirits even though he was hobbling around.  Thankfully, I already had crutches so I didn't have to buy another pair. 

 

Ryan with a temporary splint

Ryan will be seeing a specialist on Thursday and will get it set in a cast. For now they can't do it just yet because the foot is gonna swell some more.  He's in pain though and has to lay around mostly.  The doctor gave him strict orders to sit down with his foot elevated most of the time.  Only minimal walking around.  When he does have to walk, he gets pretty tired on the crutches.  Poor guy!  We are supposed to be camping this weekend.  :P  I have no idea how hard that's gonna be for him with the terrain.

He still says he is so happy he got to experience camp.  He had an amazing time!  My friend took these pics at camp and I'd love to share.

 

 

Ryan holding the team flag

Chaz and Ryan

Chaz jumping into mud pit

This is where Ryan broke his foot.  After you jump into mudpit, you go to the left and slide down a muddy slide.  Somehow he twisted it on his way down.  After he got home and we discussed the results of test, I asked Ryan to find the blessing in the situation. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 

"I don't have to do chores!"

Nursemaid's Elbow- Juliet's Pulled Arm Injury

The other day Ashley, my 6 year old, went to pick up Juliet by only one arm.  Big no, no but I had looked down right at that moment and didn't catch her in time doing it.  Juliet screamed so hard her lips turned blue.  Ashley was scared and ran away crying.  I know she was just trying to be a mommy to her but that's just why I've never let my little kids hold my babies. They just aren't mature enough. 

People wonder why I'm so strict about young kids holding my babies but it's just kids sometimes are too immature and don't understand.  My daughters' friend picked up Juliet a couple of weeks ago and while adjusting her on her hip, made Juliet's head snap back. Juliet was fine but I instantly took her back and gently told her to please not pick her up.  I'm just as strict with my own kids.  So I don't blame Ashley because she just didn't understand. 

 I had watched for swelling on Juliet's arm and didn't see any so I knew it wasn't an immediate emergency. I still was worried.  Juliet didn't use her right arm all day and would only pick up things with her left.  She cried on and off all day. I was getting to where I was just thinking about taking her in because it should have gotten better by the next day.  Well, it hadn't.  Kyle, my 10 year old, heard Juliet crying from pain in her arm and started praying for her. Instantly she stopped crying and was happy.  Literally, she had been miserable all day till that point.  She ran around the house happy, clapping her hands, and using her arm again. Whew!  However, a day later my 12 year old went to pick her up by both her arms and she screamed out in pain. Once again she wouldn't use that arm and was hurting.  My son felt sooooo bad but I saw how he picked up her and it wasn't bad.  I went ahead and took her in and doctor said it was a displaced tendon.  From now on she'll easily get that displaced.  I can't walk her by her right arm in case she pulls away.  We can't ever lift her by her arms, only by trunk of her body.  The nurse also showed me how to put it back in place now that it'll happen again. The bummer part is it's an injury that lasts several years called Nursemaid's elbow.

Nursemaid's Elbow-  when the ligaments that connect the elbow bones are weak, and a bone slips out of place.  Children's ligaments are weak until they reach 5 or 6 years old.

 I went home and had a talk with the kids about how to pick her up, the older ones, and told the younger ones not to pick her up at all.  I'm hoping they remember!  When I said the pulled arm injury is permanent, Kyle corrected me and said, "Don't forget about Jesus!  He's the healer!"  I smiled and wanted to kiss him.  Of course!  He prayed for her the first time and the pain went away instantly.  I gotta keep him around with his faith.  Tee hee.....

How to do a Nuremaid's Elbow reduction on Youtube.  Click HERE.

Rescuing Sad Animals

Our long haired chihuahua

I've done a lot of animal rescues in the past and still do.  If I find out a dog, cat, rabbit, etc, isn't being cared for, hungry, sad, lonely... I try to take them in and care for them a bit before finding a forever home for them.  I've had friends and strangers get the impression that I get animals to keep them and then decide I don't want them anymore.  Just because I fall in love with an animal for a couple of weeks doesn't mean that I intend on having them for good.  I can't help but rescue animals.  Just like I rescued a dying horse once, it doesn't matter what animal it is. I have a dog right now I'm trying to find a home for and boy is he LOVING!!! I've been cuddling him tons and getting to know him before I find a forever home. I have to know the dog's personality before I find a home and I also am picky about who they go with. I'm writing this blog in hopes that the hate mail can stop.  No, I don't have a revolving door of animals because I'm cold hearted. Yes, I love animals and if I find out one is in trouble, needs a home, or is unwell I will take them in till they are better.

A Chihuahua we rescued

When I was little I would find injured animals and take them in till they were better.  One time I took in a bird with a broken leg, wrapped the leg, fed it.  About a week later it flew away completely healthy.  I was soooo happy.  Often, especially in the winter, I would find animals like this.  My poor mom had to endure me bringing them in the house.  Ha ha. 

There is a dog recently a friend gifted me that is a keeper.  He fits right in with my Great Dane and long haired Chihuahua.  He's staying.  However, he looked like a raggedy doll when I got him!  lol.  He is my dream dog, a Yorkshire Terrier.  Why is he my dream dog?  Yorkshire Terriers don't have fur like other dogs.  Theirs is more like human hair that you have to care for.  So funny!  I love it!  I have to brush his hair just like I do all my other kids.  When I got him he was matted everywhere and dirty.  Still gorgeous but raggedy.  I know the owners and they are really, really sweet.  They both work and just had no time to be with him so they wanted to give him to a good home where he'd get lots of attention. Well, there are eight people here all day, every day so Benji has plenty of time with us!  Well, Benji is a boy but he is enduring a lot of girlie things because of his awesome hair.  Yesterday I bathed him, conditioned him, and then blow dried his hair straight.  Oh my goodness.  It was like a dog makeover.  I loved every minute of it.  LOL. (How Yorkies should look).

Example of a dog with matted hair before:

After grooming my Yorkie:

 

 

Sooooo cute, right?  Sigh, I love animals. 


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Dry-Me Bedwetting Alarm

When Is Our Time of Death?

Oh man, as faithful as I have been on my Paleo diet I was getting frustrated that I couldn't lose anything passed the 10lb mark.  Ohhhh, so frustrating.  The rest of my family is only half Paleo so I have been having to cook them dinners that I can't eat.  It doesn't bother me because I like being skinnier more than eating a plateful of pasta.  After I cook for them I'll make what I want and then my husband will look at my food and want to eat it.  "I told you I can cook yummy and healthy!" Ha ha.  They never believe me.  Well, I've gone a whole week being 100% faithful to my diet and not losing another single pound.  Finally today I broke that darn 10lb mark. I stopped going to the gym after Ivy got burned.  I was at the gym when it happened.  It's not that I'm blaming anyone it's just that it was such a horrible experience I just lost my taste for going.  That and I have NOT found the time for escaping to the gym.  Having 7 kids is AWESOME and WONDERFUL but I put taking care of them first so if I don't have the time, I just don't have it.

You want to know another reason why I haven't gone back to the community center?  When we first joined a nearby community center, Chaz got hurt on the first day.  This was only two months ago.  Well, Chaz was going down the slide and the lifeguard let another kid start going down right after.  Chaz got kicked in the head and got a mild concussion.  I went and got a lifeguard who is also an EMT.  He was the nicest guy and spent time with Chaz making sure he was okay.  He told me if I ever needed anything just to come and get him.  Well, he recently committed suicide and he was in his early 20's with a 10 month old son.  When we went back to the center, it just didn't feel the same.  I walked into the pool area half expecting to see him there with his kind smile but he wasn't there.  My heart just broke.  I know I need to go back.  Life moves on.  The sun still sets, but it still hurts.  That was someones boy, someones dad, someones grandson.  :(  Life is short and he took it.  The rest of us don't know when it's our time.  It's foolishness to just hope eternity will take care of itself and it's not something we should think about.  If I were to die today, am I ready to meet Jesus?  Will Pershing, a blogger, didn't know this would be his last post. The very next day he died in a crash on his way to lunch with his family after church.  Will was ready to be with Jesus.  

On a lighter note we visited the zoo this past weekend and my mom came with us.  What a treat!  We never, ever get sick of the zoo because it's full of nature and animals.  The kids can run around and we don't have to worry about being quiet! Ivy wanted to wear shorts instead of pants over her swimsuit but I said no because of her burn.  She can't expose her leg to the sun for over year.   She wasn't happy about it but she got over it.  :)

My mom playing with Juliet near the giraffe area.

All of us rode the camel.  I was a little worried about getting on because I was worried my weight would deflate his hump.  Turns out Dale is pretty durable.  Ha ha.

Hi Dale!  You are such a patient Camel.

Juliet is 4 months now!  She is very social and likes to be part of the action.  If I try to put her in the baby swing she only stays happy for about 5 minutes.  She has to be sitting straight up to see what everyone is doing.

The kids checking out an exhibit

Large Families Need a Party Bus

We must really love our big van because every time we turn around there is something else we have to do for it.  Yesterday we spent most of the day just trying to get new tires on it.  Turns out, the ones we had on it weren't even designed for the weight of our van and so it explains why we constantly had to replace them.  This time we paid a lot more money to get really good tires.  While Charles was looking at the van my parents came over and visited for a bit.  My kids love their Nana and Papa.  Do I wish we had a bigger van? Yes, we desperately need one.  However, we are learning that in life you sometimes have to wait rather than rush into debt to get what you want.  We did that in the past and paid dearly for it.  Now, we are trying to do things the right way because we learned the hard way.  

Well, the girls' costumes were ordered for their dance recital coming up in November.  I'm super excited but nervous at the same time.  Before signing the girls up I asked the teacher if there would be any modern dancing in it.  I am only doing this for tap and ballet but I only wanted classical ballet.  We shall see.  The parents can't see what their kids are doing in class.  They are still learning the basics and how to be flexible.  Ivy has been working really hard and can do the splits in the air now. They are so cute.  My living room has turned into a gym room as they are always practicing.  Ivy asked me for about 3 years now if she could do ballet.  I wondered if she would actually like it once she started but so far she absolutely loves it and counts down the days to the next practice.  Ashley was easy to figure out because she was always fluttering around the house.

So much happened in the month of August!  It is a very, very busy month for us!  Cars breaking down, I become a mom to a preteen (Chaz), My kids are asked to be featured in photos for the science center, kids start school,  Ivy gets taken by ambulance to the burn ward, girls start ballet lessons, the kids learn how to make their own rockets, Ryan has a birthday at a fun trampoline place, I make a major change to switch the babies to cloth diapers. While boys are away camping the girls went bowling, the boys join band in school, and Kyle turns 9.  Wow!  That's a lot to happen in just one month but we that's why I love our family!  We have so many adventures together and don't like to be apart for very long.  I feel like we need our own party bus.  Ha ha.  I'm thinking about getting a bumper sticker that says something like "This is our party bus."

My Little Ballerinas and Pushing Past the Pain

Ivy is getting better every day with her burn and she has a check up this week at the burn unit.  I really have no idea what it's going to look like after the bandages are off. I do know it's gonna be tough for a bit.  She tends to favor the leg for a bit but once she gets playing, it doesn't hurt as bad.  The good news?  Ivy and Ashley started ballet and the doctor said that's a really good thing for Ivy!  She needs to stretch.  I was wondering if he would tell her she needs to sit out.  Much to Ivy's relief, she was able to not only participate, but it was good for her leg.  If she doesn't stretch her leg, the skin could heal like hard leather.

I wondered just how much they would learn in their first class and I was really surprised.  They do 15 minutes of ballet, 15 minutes tap, and 15 minutes gymnastics.  Ivy loooooved her teacher and they are both already counting down the days till the next class.  Kyle is really showing an interest in gymnastics but I don't really want to turn it into a competition thing.  I just want him to do a hobby that he loves and not make it about winning or losing.  Not that there is anything wrong with it of course, it's just not my focus right now.  

This year I am really pushing my kids to step it up in their academics.  Pray for me that I don't have to have my patience stretched beyond what I can handle.  :)  Although, being stretched, is a good thing.  Just like Ivy's wound.  You can cater to it or you can push past the pain so in the long run you'll be more flexible.  Gosh, that applies to so many areas in my life.  Some people think that a mom of seven or a mom of 10 only have that many kids because they were always patient.  Not true!  When I had my first kid I thought that was the hardest thing on the planet. I went from wanting four kids to wondering if I could even handle one.  Then I wondered what I would do when I found I was pregnant with my second child only three months later.  That was really, really stretching me and it was so hard for me.  I could either give up or I could just take one day at a time.  Each little trial might of seemed little to others but for me it was a stretch.  Stretching past my comfort zone and learning how to make it work for me each day.

Agh! Is It Really Declutter Time Again?

Yesterday I took Ivy to my mom's house because Ivy was just getting bumped too much by Caleb on her burn.  It is so painful.  My mom called me up and wanted her over so I figured it was perfect to keep Ivy's leg safe for a bit.  Not only that, Ivy loooooves her Nana!  My mom is a good cook too.  Bonus!

I've been feeling so burnt out from cleaning.  I'm serious.  I work so hard in training the kids to pick up after themselves but it doesn't seem to be working.  They don't give me a hard time about doing their chores.  We fought and won that battle years ago.  However, I need them to not make huge messes in between.  Mommy doesn't want to clean alllll day because there are so many other things I'd like to do also.  You know, like play with my baby, homeschool, bake some cookies, yada, yada.  I can't believe it's already time again to do another major declutter project but I need to.  Sigh.  I loved how my house looked after the last declutter.  I got rid of SO much stuff and cleaning was a breeze.  I do not do well with decluttering projects and often I'll just stand in the middle of it and give a blank stare.  Or maybe it's because I know once I start the huge process, I have to finish.  Agh.  Okay, I'll stop complaining now.

This weekend is Ryan's birthday part at Xtreme Jump!  It's a huge trampoline place.  I feel really bad for Ivy though and don't think she can participate.  :(  She is a huge swimming fan and I'm not even gonna be able to let her swim for awhile. She has been resting a lot her her dog Bella.  Bella goes for a cuddle anytime, anyplace.

Remember The Trendy Boutique review I did awhile back?  I have a fantastic watch from their site that I love and get lots of compliments on.  They sell so much more.   If you use the code VIRGINIAGIFT you get $5 toward anything at www.thetrendyboutique.com, including our Buy 1 Get 1 Free Geneva watches.  That's a GREAT deal so check it out!  I'm heading over myself to see what's new on their site.

Ivy's Burn Update and Restrictions

Yesterday I took Ivy back to the hospital to have her burn checked.  Chaz really wanted to come and Ivy's friend also.  I waited till evening so she could see the same doctors.  They unwrapped the outer parts so they can see the dressings.  Some of it had slipped off of her burn so they had to add more.  It was painful for Ivy to have it all messed with and she was crying.

Ivy has some restrictions now that she has the burn on her leg.  She can't go swimming till it's healed and the bandage falls off on it's own.  The inner bandage is like an artificial scab that falls off when the burn is better.  It'll take about a month to heal.  However, she can't get a sunburn on it or it'll be a permanent scar.  For the next year and a half she'll have to wear pants or long shorts.  When she swims it has to be covered.  We don't want to take any chances so we are going to buy her a surfers type suit for kids and we'll let her pick it out so she likes it. It just goes to her knees.  

They gave me extra bandages for changing. She absolutely cannot touch her burn or she could get an infection.  The staff kept talking about Ivy's eyes and how beautiful they were.  Then telling her how much they loved her hair.  They were the sweetest people.  I'm so lucky she was at this burn ward because it's the second best in the United States.  Wow!  It's so sad to see my little girl in such pain and have all these restrictions.  On a good note, I asked if ballet was still okay and they said it was actually perfect.  She needs to keep flexible so the wound heals well. If she doesn't stretch it, it can heal like hard leather.  I'm so happy she can still do ballet because she's been waiting so long to start.  We are gonna buy an extended baby gate for my kitchen area because we don't want to take anymore chances of something like this happening.  It was really, really scary.

Ivy's Night at the Burn Ward

Last night I was excited to take my oldest son and go workout at the gym.  While we were there he ran into his friend who also has Aspergers syndrome.  They went swimming together while I was upstairs in the gym working out.  The picture you see of my view while I'm on the elliptical.  The mom and I started talking after my workout and we were sharing ideas about school and helping our sons.  Chaz had turned my phone off to save the battery but I told him to turn it back on.  Well, we forgot to turn it on for about 15 minutes and that's exactly when Charles was trying to call me and let me know Ivy got hurt.

Ivy's left thigh

On my way home with Chaz I get a call on my cell and Charles was calling from inside an ambulance. My heart just dropped as I anxiously waited to hear who was hurt and if they are okay.  I could hear Ivy screaming in the background and I could hear she was in terrible pain.  Because he couldn't get a hold of me he had to get a neighbor to watch our kids so he can ride in the ambulance with her.  I felt so bad!  I only had my cell phone off for 15 minutes.  

Before the gym I had put food in a crockpot.  Since it was gonna take awhile I just pushed it back towards the wall in a corner and told the kids to stay away from it.  Ivy wasn't in the room and didn't hear me.    I never boiler water on the front burners and I always push anything that's hot toward the back wall on the counter. Well, she made herself a bowl while I was gone and before Charles could see her. She sat down to eat and baby Caleb crawled up on her lap and made it spill.  That's how the burn happened.  Charles pulled her pants off and saw the skin boiling and peeling away so he called 911. 

She was screaming for so long they finally had to put anti-anxiety meds in her I.V. and gave her lots of pain meds.  She relaxed but still felt pain, just not as bad.  She started getting a little goofy saying funny things.  In this picture she is showing her daddy her bracelets and telling him how expensive they were. She started being so cute once she was relaxed.  She doesn't remember any of it though.  

She was released last night but is to come back tonight to have it all looked at again.  Thankfully it only turned out to be a second degree burn but they still won't completely know the damage until it heals.  Burns keep damaging for awhile. They gave her a type of bandage over her leg that falls off once the wound heals and it'll take about 3 weeks.  Poor Ivy.  I'm going out to buy a baby gate so if anything is cooking I can keep any kids out of the kitchen.  It's just too scary with little ones.

Ivy happy once she got medicine through her I.V.

Self Made Dimples and Coffee Thieves

Ivy in church raising her hand for prayer

We started back up our bible study at home with our kids.  :)  I would love to share a neat resource with you that I found by chance.  First of all, I have this audio bible drama presentation (Kidz Bible) of primary Old and New Testament stories.  We'll pick a chapter or several chapters to hear, and then I'll print out worksheets.  I'm not a huge fan of NIV.  Actually, I'm not a fan at all of NIV versions of the bible but for the sake of telling a story in the bible for little ones, this CD is fantastic.  While they are listening I have them draw the story in their notebook.  The worksheets will have something to do with the bible story and I print out different ones per age.  It's just really neat and we look forward to it every day.  Chaz was trying to get me to do a second bible study yesterday.  :D  When I said no he just picked up his bible and started reading to himself.  He says everyone should read at least one chapter a day.  I'm not sure of his reading comprehension though because that was one of the issues he had in his evaluation.  He can read straight through a whole book and not know what he read.  Aspergers kids tend to see things in pictures so he learns better visually.  He even understands better listening to the story which is why this CD comes in handy.

Kyle and Ashley

You know, I'm still wondering why NONE of my kids got my dimples.  I have SEVEN kids and NOT one got them.  I love it when kids have dimples.  I'm thinking that since I got them from my grandpa then maybe I'll have grandkids with them.  LOL.  Don't be fooled by this picture, Kyle doesn't have them.  He created that dimple by walking into a corner of the wall.  No joke.  I know God sees the desires of our heart but I really wasn't wanting a dimple to be made like this.  I'd prefer them to just come that way from birth. 

You know how kids come up to you and say something without you really paying attention?  Well, somehow I agreed that once Ivy turns seven, which was a few days ago, she would be allowed to drink coffee.  Hmmm... well, every day she counted down to her birthday because she was excited about that cup of coffee.  Seeing her excitement when the day came, I really didn't want to see her face fall and so I just acted like I knew what I was doing all along.  Of course if it was something more serious I'd reel it back in.  If she said when she turns seven she'll start robbing banks and I agreed, I would take that one back.  This is just coffee so I'll deal with it.  I told her the deal is that her and I share a cup of coffee so when I brew one every morning, I split it into two cups.  A half cup for me and half cup for her. Of course when she walks away, I add more to mine.  Heh heh.  This morning I ended up with half a cup again because two year old Caleb stole mine when I wasn't looking.  Goodness!

Worst Homeschool Mistakes & Homeschool Sanity

Yesterday ended on a really good note after I found this fabulous link.  It's about Homeschooling--how to reduce stress and then I ordered this book called Homeschool Sanity to put on my Kindle.  The kids and I really had a rough day with homeschooling and I just felt like something needed to change.  I love what we use for Language Arts, Math, and Bible lessons but I felt like History and Science was a bit hum drum.  It's no fun learning those two subjects the way they were set up so we decided to pull both from their curriculum and make it more hands on.

I found another fantastic book to download onto my Kindle that only cost 99 cents.  It sounded interesting because it says, 


"We recently surveyed over 800 homeschooling families about what has worked well and not-so-well for them in their homeschooling activities. We got some remarkable answers from this survey. One of the most intriguing questions we asked was this: “What was your worst mistake in homeschooling your children... and if you could do it over again, what would you change about how you have homeschooled in the past?” We got some great responses to this question, with some tips and suggestions that are well worth considering by both newbie and veteran homeschoolers alike."

Hey, there is nothing wrong with learning from others who have gone before us.  Many, many said to not feel pressured into doing a particular curriculum just because someone says you should or because it's popular.  Learn what is good for your family, what works.  It's okay to mix it up a bit and that's exactly what we are doing.  We will be looking into getting a membership at the Science Center because I found out they have hands on classes for homeschoolers.  We already have a zoo membership and they have classes there for homeschoolers also.  I'm super excited and I feel like the weights been lifted off my kids.  When I told them we could drop two of the subjects and find something else that works they all cheered.  I'm cheering too.  :)

I can't believe how many fantastic learning adventures there are for kids who homeschool.  Sheesh!  I wish I had that experience rather than always sit in a really boring classroom.  I love having my kids with me every day and they get lots of time with other kids.  The difference is I get to pick the group of kids they are around.  They go a school every Friday that is only for homeschooled kids and the difference on the playground is shocking.  Have you ever seen a school playground where there is little to no bullying, kids say "please" and "thank you", and there is respect for the teachers?  Yeah, it's awesome.  So yes, my kids are socialized but with healthy kids I want them to be around.  

In the past I was so back and forth about everything because I cared about everyone's opinion of my life.  If people discouraged me or disagreed with me I worried about it.  Nope, not anymore.  I have a close relationship with each of my kids.  I know their strengths and weaknesses more than strangers or even family does.  I live with these kids.  They don't.  The day I decided to give all those worries to God rather than listen to all the negative is the day I started being stronger for my kids.  There will be bullies when you are young and unfortunately when you are old.  I have bullies send me nasty letters, hate mail, or anonymous comments on my blog.  Does it matter what they say from somewhere around the world?  No, it doesn't.  What matters is what God's Word says, what my husband says, and what my kids need.  Thank God I stopped allowing myself to be bullied.  There will always be people that disagree with you.  I think correction can be a good thing when it's done in a constructive manner rather than tearing someone down through insults.  That's not how God would want us to correct someone nor is it how we want to be treated.  More importantly, kids watch how we respond to bullies.  Actions speak so much LOUDER in how we handle a situation.  Life is full of lessons.  I never want to stop being teachable.  We make mistakes, says things we shouldn't say, stumble in our Christian walk.  It happens.  Instead of being self condemning, I've learned to just brush the dirt off and keep going. I'd rather finish the race with bruises and scars than quit in the middle.