Clean bill of health

Catching up...Sunday the kids and I went grocery shopping for school lunches and general food. We worked to finish Ellie's homework and reports and got her ready for school on Monday. In the afternoon, we went over to the back lot bash. Radio Disney was going to be there and the kids really have liked visiting the road crew the past couple years. We got there early because it was a beautiful afternoon and we wanted to enjoy it. The kids got henna tattoos done (Nick a smiling face and Ellie from her hand up her arm). We played a few games of bingo before heading to the disney booth.
The kids danced and played radioke and won some stickers and pencils. Ellie pushed me out to do the parent round, glad I have been doing Just Dance on wii. We went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Ole joined us...haven't seen him since the 4th of July. The kids played and we had a nice dinner before cruising home to get the kids cleaned up.
Monday, we got Ellie off to the bus and then Nick and I hung out for a bit. We stopped over at Mom and Dad's and visited, T was there. Mom fixed the boys lunch and they did a pretty good job eating it. Dad had a huge train layout set up on the table. Nick and I took Tony to school and got to see Jo for a few minutes. Nick and I went on an adventure after that. I am in search of a dress and a couple gifts. Didn't find anything I needed but we did run into Trader Joe's to pick up stuff for dinner.
Ellie got home from school and did her homework and then the kids went out to play with the neighbors. John came over to wait for Rob to get home and kept me company as I made dinner. We finally had beets big enough to pick - they were delicious. John left and I called the kids in to clean up and eat dinner. We went up to bed and Rob arrived just in time to put Ellie to bed.
This morning I had my Dr. Marsh visit. Nick came with me and was the most perfect child ever. I caught Margaret up on the last couple months. I told her how I have been sick a few times in the last couple weeks. We discussed neuropathy and supplements, sleep and hot flashes (never had one). Dr. Marsh came in and reassured me that a low white blood count can be a false measure. It can be low because it is fighting illness off or because it is hanging onto other molecules. He said a much better measure is that my hemoglobin and platlets have skyrocketed back up to normal range.
I got a clean bill of health and will go for a CT scan and blood work and see him in 3 months. Funny, he said since I didn't have polyps I could go 3 years until my next colonoscopy but Dr. Bianchi said 1 year. Nick and I came home and had lunch and then spent to majority of the afternoon outside playing. I was able to unload Ellie's vanity this afternoon - woohoo. Nick and I went to the park and played soccer and t-ball.
I tried to sort my kids clothes out by season and then by size. I am debating between taking them to a consignment shop or ebay or garage sale. Ellie came home and did her homework and then went outside to play. I started dinner and called the kids in. While dinner was finishing up Ellie, Nick and I went down to do Just Dance. Funny thing is, Nick is pretty good. We all showered and then ate dinner. Rob got home and we got the kids to bed.
I have to say, writing this blog every few days does help strengthen my brain. I have an appointment with Patricia tomorrow - looking forward to it. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Great outdoor day

Spent yesterday feeling out of sorts. Woke up with a stomach ache that eventually progressed into vomiting. I think this low white blood count is getting old. This makes the 4th time in about 2 weeks that I have had some sort of stomach ache/vomit thing going on.
I feel much better today. The kids and I went to the Backlot Bash in Skokie. We went to St. Paul's rummage sale and scored some nice things. We did the expo and the kids got all their free swag. Reusable bags, pens, paper, candy and some crafts. We won big at the Skokie booth - scoring a gift certificate to Sweetie Pies and to Annie's. We went to the library and did crafts and refilled out water - it was nice it was open this year.
We walked through the classic car show - Nick really like that. We went into the log cabin at the historical society. Ellie had been with school but Nick and I have never been (Ellie never got to go into the 2nd floor). It was pretty amazing that a family of 10 lived in that cabin. We stopped by Sweetie Pies to use our certificate and the kids had opposite cupcake - Ellie chocolate cake with white frosting and Nick vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.
We stopped by Ace's sidewalk sale and I was able to find the kids adirondack chairs for 60% off, butterfly nets for $1 and the kids got their popcorn inside. We cruised out and went to Whole Foods 4th anniversary celebration. We got there in time to have their roasted corn - we enjoyed it on the patio. The store was stocked with samples today - fruit, cake, homemade granola bars (Nick fell in love with), bread, pie, coffee.
We went over to Mom and Dad's to show off our swag. Dad took the kids for a walk and Mom and I had some time to visit. Rob called to say he was home so when the kids got back we got going home. Ellie wanted to go to the pool but there was a cool breeze so we decided to go back to the bash. Ellie and I played Bingo - and won a card. Rob and Nick walked around the cars and played a couple games. We had some dinner and listened to the Smoking Popes play. Our one and only complaint about the bash...only the tents are non-smoking, open air isn't - too bad. We called it a night around 7PM because there was just too much smoke blowing around.
We came home and Ellie finished her homework and then we finished her last book for Battle of the Books. We got the kids in bed and to sleep. Rob and I watched a few more episodes of Nurse Jackie before Rob decided he was exhausted and going up to bed.
Other than being stiff from sleeping on the couch the last few nights I am feeling pretty good. I have been keeping up with my exercising for fitnet (only skipped yesterday). I have lost 3 pounds this week. I think I might have a buyer for Ellie's vanity which will only leave one bed to sell. If I sell the bed we have our house rental in Florida paid for. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Busy day

I've been thinking about my blog and how it isn't so medically/health related any longer. I've been thinking I might try a week in review format because it has sort of turned into a diary entry. Just wanted to put it out there so you know it probably won't be an everyday entry too much longer.
This morning we were all up when Ellie's alarm clock went off. We got dressed and I got breakfast going for the kids. I made Ellie her lunch and then we walked her down to the bus. When we got back to the house I got Nick settled and went downstairs to do wii. I got the Just Dance Summer edition yesterday and it provided some new challenges.
I showered and got dressed and then Nick and I went to Salvation. I was able to pick Ellie up 2 pairs of shows (well one pair of shoes and one indoor boot/slipper) and Nick a pair of shoes. I have started to amass PJs for Nick for the winter. I also got myself a few pairs of capris. We came home and had lunch before getting ready to got to the pool.
I was amazed to see the pool so crowded again. We stayed for a bit over an hour and then headed back home to let Ellie in. Ellie did her homework and then we read for a bit. Mom and Dad came over to watch Ellie while I took Nick for a haircut. Nick was sitting getting his haircut and in walked our neighbors grand kids...too fun. Nick's hair looks great and he sat very nicely for Yvonne to cut his hair.
We came home and Dad had been hard at work cleaning again. He was vacuuming the upstairs. Mom had helped Ellie organize some of the boxes in her room. Mom and Dad left and the kids went out to play with the neighbors. I got dinner started and Rob came home earlier than we thought he was going to be home.
Rob delivered the castle bed this afternoon - woohoo. The kids took their showers and then Rob read to Nick while I read to Ellie. We got the kid to sleep and then we relaxed on the couch. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Wednesday and wii has caught up to me

I am feeling the soreness that comes when you do wii too many days in a row. Quick post tonight because I am tired. Ellie got off to school and Nick slept in again. I did my exercising and I have to say it does bring some energy.
Nick and I took a drive to VonMaur and I was able to pick up some awesome clearance shoes for the kids to grow into. Nick and I went to Target and I was able to pick up a whole bunch of food on clearance. We came home and had lunch.
Ellie got home from school and we went straight to the pool. It was so crowded - I guess that is what 95 degrees will do. I was amazed at the number of people paying cash for a couple hours. We stayed a bit over an hour and came home. The kids helped me pick tomatoes and basil for dinner.
Mom and Dad came over for Wednesday night dinner. We had a nice spread of food. Rob came home and I helped him load the castle bed in his van - it is going to a new house tomorrow night. We had the pie I made the other day - very tasty. Mom read to Ellie for a bit and Nick played with Dad in his room.
We got the kids to sleep and then I have been researching car rentals for Florida. Imerman Angels was on Windy City Live this morning - pretty cool. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Twisted Tuesday

We all slept pretty well last night...awakening to Ellie's blaring radio, again. Nick slept through the alarm somehow. Ellie got dressed and I met her in the kitchen. We packed her lunch and got her backpack ready. Ellie ate breakfast and then was off to the bus stop. Nick woke up a bit after Ellie left. I fixed him breakfast and I finished my coffee.
I started this fitnet study so I decided to was time to bust out the wii fit. I had to put new batteries in the balance board and started it up. Never a good sign when it come sup and says it has been 908 days since your last visit. The great news is that I am 37.8 pounds lighter than my last visit. I did the balancing and aerobic exercises to warm up and then switched to Just Dance. Nick came down to dance with me and it was only then he asked where Ellie was.
I took a shower and got dressed and Nick got himself dressed. We went over to Mom and Dad's just as the rain began. We decided we all needed groceries at home and decided to try Mariano's in Arlington Heights. It was a nice drive out and we had lunch on the way. Mariano's is awesome and I highly suggest trying the out if you are in the area. Lovely produce department and bakery. Nick and I tried their gelato. Reasonable prices on all their standard groceries, too.
We dropped off out groceries and helped Mom and Dad unload theirs. Nick and I came home and waited for Ellie. Ellie is in school 30 minutes longer this year so she is on the late bus. I had homework to complete, a room parent form and an introducing your child form. I wrote Ellie's teacher a note providing some history of the last 16 months. I am hoping we are able to improve Ellie's progress this year in school.
We set the timer and gave our house a 30 minute cleaning. Ellie did the downstairs washroom and I worked on the table. The kids went out to play after our tidy. I went to work baking, I still have a drawer full of peaches and a 4# box of blueberries. I made a pie and a pound cake. I organized my cupboard while things baked. I got dinner going and called the kids in.
Ellie does not like having to come in from playing. I guess all our neighbors eat way later than we do. We had dinner and then the kids took showers. Ellie and I read for a bit while Nick tuned out to some Blue's Clues. Rob got home and sat with Nick. The kids went up to play trains in Nick's room and then we got them into bed.
The breeze right now is incredible, I hope it cools the house down tonight. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Survived the 1st day

We were all up when Ellie's alarm went off this morning. I guess there isn't a way to adjust the volume and it is pretty darn loud when it goes off. We got dressed and came down for breakfast. We got to say goodbye to Rob because he had a late start. Nick and I walked Ellie to the bus stop. Same group of neighbors at the stop and the bus was on time.
Nick and I just had a laid back morning. We did a couple minute tidy up of the back room. We walked down to get Ellie off the bus a bit after noon - that bus was definitely not on time. We came in and I made lunch and we listened to Ellie tell us about her day. Ellie did some of her book reports and we finished the last pages of her book. We officially only have one more book to read now.
The kids went out to play with the neighbors and they were so funny. They played kickball, wheelbarrow races, 3 legged races, bike races and running races. At least they were active. We cleaned up around 5PM and came in to get our library books. We went to the library and returned books and found some new ones. Ellie and I found a couple books that we couldn't locate this summer so now Ellie has some choices for her last book. Nick had a stack of books too.
We went to Cici's pizza for dinner. The kids had their free dinner coupons from the library program. Now, in addition to only eating noodles at Cici's, Nick will eat their cheese pizza. We came back home and the kids took their showers. Nick went first and went diligently to play - working on his train after. Ellie and I started her book when she got out and we were able to get about 40 pages done tonight. I got the kids into bed and Rob arrived home in time to hear about Ellie's day and tuck her in.
Sitting outside today I think I got about 6 mosquito bites. My feet are bugging me a bit...its been about 3 weeks since my last appointment. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Back to school

I stayed up late looking through house rental reviews and emailing for quotes. The good news is the very first house I liked is available and is ironically, the most reasonable. It is a beautiful 4 bedroom house with a Mickey Mouse themed kids room and an Animal Kingdom themed kids room.
Rob took the kids to church this morning. I slept in and woke up just a couple minutes before they left. I was able to enjoy a couple cups of coffee and take a shower. I got laundry flipped and some emails answered.
Rob and the kids got home around 11AM and Ellie and I read some of her new book while Nick and Rob played with legos. I took the kids to Whole Foods at lunchtime. They had the Story Bus there (think traveling children's hands-on play area). We sampled our way through the store and picked up lunch. We dined outside and had a great time. The kids got their arms painted by the man who had his entire arm tattooed. Nick had a speeding orange train engine and Ellie had a flower that wrapped its stem around her arm a couple times.
They got to sample some coconut fruit popsicles and then we had gourmet s'mores. They 2 contestants from Master Chef there creating gourmet s'mores and hot dogs. They were home made marshmallows (chocolate, vanilla or Founder's ale) that they torched and then rolled in chocolate shavings and either graham cracker crumbs or pretzel crumbs.
We came home and then kids played out in the yard. Rob helped me move Nick's trundle inside. It was a task because (once again) our hallway up to the second floor was too tight. We lifted it overhead and rested it on a ladder. I ran upstairs to the balcony and we were able to lift it over the rail and bring it in that way. The trundle is awesome.
Nick and I took about an hour to go through all the bins and sort out his train stuff. We built the most amazing layout and the best part was the roundhouse clears the bed and doesn't have to be removed to close it up. Rob took the kids for a bit and I was able to further organize. I got the bookcase back in Nick's room with all his books put away.
We went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner. I took our blueberry peach buckle and our zucchini with. Mom had pasta and a salad ready and I quickly got the zucchini and an onion into a pan. Dinner was lovely - so nice to be with each other (Mom and Dad were away for a couple nights vacation). Jo and Tony were over...Ole ditched us. The kids played with the neighbors and I was able to share our most recent pictures with Mom and Dad.
We came home and the kids took their showers. We are going to be so in trouble in a few years because neither of the kids take short showers. Nick and Rob played with his train set-up and Ellie and I read some more. We only have about 20 pages left to finish tomorrow. We got Ellie's backpack ready for tomorrow and picked out her outfit. We got the kids to sleep and then vegetated on the couch.
I think I might have sold Ellie's one bed, we will see. My fitnet study has finally started so I will be dedicating 30 minutes a day to exercising. I am feeling tired so perhaps it won't be too late tonight. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Late night post

Must have been a good sleeping night around here...Nick was still sleeping at 8:30AM. We had breakfast and then Ellie and I finished her book. We got dressed and then made our plans for the day.
We were going to have our cousin, Natalie, join us for some adventures. John was going to drop her off at our house. The thunder and lightening had begun and I didn't want to get caught having to run to the car in the storm so we went out to sit in the car. John and Natalie pulled in and we got off.
We stopped at the dollar store to grab some candy for the movie theatre. We went to Red Robin for lunch. It was great, all the kids were getting along. We went to see Smurfs - cute movie. The kids all had their candy and shared with each other.
When we got out from the show the sun had come out. We took Natalie home and got to say hi to Uncle Joe and Aunt Jill (Desiree too). We came back home and the kids helped me clean up a bit in the basement. I flipped laundry loads. Rob called to say we should go to the pool when he got home, we got our suits on. We went to the pool but were told they would be closing in about 25 minutes because of low attendance - that time of the year.
We came home and set out the ghetto slip n slide. I made it a bit more slippery by pouring hair conditioner on it. The kids were setting the boogie board on it and sort of surfing across the surface. They finished their outdoor adventure with some bike riding.
The kids came in and took their showers and got PJs on. I started dinner going - pizza, sweet potato fries, chicken nuggets and tomato and basil salad and fruit. Ellie helped me put together a blueberry peach buckle. The recipe was from a book I had read a few years ago. We ate dinner and then waited for the buckle to come out of the oven.
The buckle was good - if I make it again I would tweak somethings. We got the kids to bed and then Rob and I watched the first part of season 2 of Nurse Jackie. I was able to get our air tickets reserved for Disney. I am still working on the rental house. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Mini recap

I think it might be the pool that is making me sick. I have tummy problems again and we were at the pool tonight.
This morning we decided to go for a picnic at the lake. I packed up the food and we drove to Evanston. We found a nice shade picnic table near Clark St. beach. There was a lovely breeze and we really had a nice time. We walked near the pond on the way back to the car. We stopped and the kids fed the ducks some of their leftover chips. Ellie and I sat on the rock wall and read a couple chapters in her book. When Nick was coming too close to the gross pond water we decided to leave.
We went and did a bit of back to school food shopping. We stopped at Target to get kitty food and a pair of goggles for Nick. We came home and did a bit more reading. Rob got home a bit before 4PM and we went to the pool. We spent almost 3 hours at the pool tonight. Nick is now able to back stroke the entire width of the pool - I think he did that about 10 times.
We came home to a message from Ellie's friend Catherine inviting her over for dinner and backyard movie. I dropped Ellie over at Christi's and visited for a bit. They were going to watch Ratatouille in the yard and make s'mores on the campfire. I got Nick to sleep and then Rob and I watched an old movie we had never seen - Summer Rental with John Candy.
Rob swung by to pick Ellie up and then she had her vitamins and they both went up to sleep. I am sitting on the couch with an irritated stomach. I hope this doesn't end in a day of vomiting again. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Long day at the pier

I don't know what is the matter with my body and brain that they can't get sleepy at night but they can't. Had about 5 hours sleep before we got up and ready for our big day. The kids were sort of on slow-mo this morning and were a bit tough to rally. I tried to talk Ole and Tony into joining us but they already had plans.
We got to the pier around 10:45AM and the parking lots were already packed. They were directing traffic to park against the outer walls. We stopped at the Skyline stage to find out what sort of seats were left for the afternoon performance of Cirque Shanghai. Turned out, there were 3 seats in the 5th row aisle available. We ended up doing a combo ticket - this included the show, a boat cruise and ferris wheel ticket (plus a 20% off some seafood restaurant coupon).
We decided to get on the boat first. Our thinking was it was only going to get hotter as the day went on. It turned out to be a wonderful time to take a boat tour because the planes were practicing for the air and water show this weekend. Nick was afraid of the planes, well more the huge sound the planes left as they went zooming past. It was lovely out on the lake with a nice breeze and seeing the planes practice.
We went to the Children's museum afterwards. We re-newed our membership and the kids quickly found their way into the line to go up the pirate ship. We looked at the new miniature collections exhibit. I thought about how we could have probably supplied them with an assortment of miniature collections. We did the dino dig and the butterflies. We had our wristband so we decided to cruise out to the pier to pick up a snack before Cirque.
We had pretzels and walked up the Skyline stage. We got to our perfect seat and Nick decided he wanted to be on the end. The show was so fun and amazing to see right up close. The motorcycle on the tight rope went right over us. I just hope the kids are nuts enough to try some of the tricks at home. We made a quick stop off for a water refill and went to the ferris wheel.
The views from the wheel are wonderful. You hardly know you are moving since it is in constant motion. It was a quick ride - only about 7 minutes to make it around. We stopped and the kids had a snack before we walked out to the front of the pier to look at the sculptures and art. The posed with the art and we had some good laughs.
We walked to the end of the pier (again) so that Nick and Ellie could try out the xbox 360. They had a couple units set up and you would go into these trucks and the people outside could see you dancing and playing and then you could email the pictures to yourself. Ellie and Nick did the dancing one and it was humorous to watch. We took a a break and sat down in the garden area to listen to karaoke and watch the very "into it" DJ dance and sing.
When we rested up enough we walked through the Tiffany stained glass exhibit and decided to have an early dinner. We found that our favorite Mexican restaurant from last summer had reopened and that is where we ate. We dined outside and got to watch the boats come in and go out. Even got to see some more planes. We lucked out and it was late night at the Children's museum so after we ate we went back to the museum.
We did the art studio and the kids got to make clay masks showing emotions. Nick's face was almost star shaped (he made these bizarre ears). We traveled back up to do one more run through the pirate ship and then found a couple craft stations were open. We made a final washroom stop and then decided to walk back to the car. The plus about having to park against the wall...you get a view of the Skyline stage. We were just in time to see the opening of the 7:30PM Cirque show. The kids got to see the "behind the curtain" look. They got to see the guys in the dragon costume and the para-gliders slide down their ropes. It was a very cool ending to our very cool day.
Nick amassed strange things today...Bird feathers, pipe cleaners and a daisy (a flower show was in the convention center today). We drove home and got to see all the prep going on for the air and water show. We came home and showed Rob all our pictures and videos from today. I was amazed that neither of the kiddos complained about feet hurting or being tired today. Ellie and I did some reading while Nick and Rob relaxed to Letter Factory. We got the kids to sleep and Rob and I got to chill out for a bit.
I have no idea what we are going to do tomorrow, the last Friday before 4th grade starts. Ellie asked to go back downtown and I told her no. We might go see a movie or hit a couple parks. I got my blood work results from Monday and all my levels are back down to normal ranges. Except for my white blood count which is still low but perhaps I was already getting sick. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Thankfully, the vomiting stopped before bedtime last night and I was able to get a decent nights sleep. Nick slept in until 9:45AM this morning and looked like he grew overnight. We all showered and got dressed and headed over to Mom and Dad's house.
Dad took the kids for a walk to the parks to play and Mom and I got to visit. We put together a blueberry peach crumble from a recipe I got from a magazine in Michigan. We had lunch and then spent the afternoon watching movies. Mom and Ellie had a spa foot bath and I painted Ellie's nails. Dad and Nick played downstairs with trains for a bit.
Rob was working late tonight so we stayed for celebratory dinner with Mom and Dad. We had Chinese food. Dad, Nick and I took a ride to pick up the food and Mom and Ellie were busy making donuts for dessert. Food was good and the kids ate pretty well. We had the crumble and warm donuts for dessert.
We came home and Ellie and I began to read a new book. Rob and Nick played play-doh in the basement. Ellie's allergies were really acting up and she was constantly sneezing and rubbing her eyes. We read about a 1/3 on the book tonight before she was growing too tired to pay attention. Nick took forever to fall asleep because he slept in so late this morning.
I felt much better today. I think we are going to try Navy Pier tomorrow. Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad, celebrating 37 years! Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Blah

Short post...I woke up this morning with some sort of bug. I have spent the day vomiting and with stomach pains. Mom and Dad took the kids so I could just hang out on the couch. This afternoon the kids came home and played outside with our neighbors. Christi and kids came to pick up the kids to go to the park, Rob went with them.
We had big plans for the day that didn't happen. We were going to go down to Navy Pier and do the museum and a boat ride. We were going to meet Christi and the kids at the pool.
I have been able to keep my last cup of tea down for about 2 hours now. Hopefully this is finished. I am just worn out and feel like crap.
Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Such a long day

Could not get to bed last night. It was suddenly 2AM and I wasn't tired yet. I decided to just go up to bed and see if I could fall asleep. Nick woke me up around 7:30AM. We had breakfast and watched Curious George. I got the kids clothing out for the day and we were off to Mom's house.
I left the kids at Mom and Dad's when I went for my Dr. Muldoon follow up appointment. My appointment went well. He looked over the test results from the past two months and then did his check over my stomach and poked my right ribs. Basically, I don't need to see him again unless I believe I have a question for him. I went over to Kellogg to get my blood work done for my Dr. Marsh appointment later this month. The computer wasn't showing all the tests I needed and then it was a whole run around to get all the tests to show up for the blood draw. The thyroid test Dr. Ortega told me he was ordering wasn't showing up. I called his office and the nurse said to just ask Gwen to draw an extra vial of blood. Well, let me just tell you, chemo killed my veins viability. Even Gwen needed to switch arms and re-adjust the clamp to try to find a vein. Eventually she settled on my left arm and drew a few vials of blood. When I straightened my arm I noticed pain about 8" up and down from the needle point (it still hurts 12 hours later).
I went back to Mom and Dad's and Ellie and Mom were finishing up her book. I went and picked up lunch and we ate when I got back. Mom got another Japanese anime for the kids to watch. This one was about a girl who had to read 20 book over the summer - sound familiar? We finished the movie and cleaned up and then came home. We picked up our library books and headed there. We made quick notes about the last few books and then returned the books and found a couple new ones.
We came home and I told the kids I would take them to the pool. We got dressed and were off. Although it was 80 out today and the sun felt hot the water at the pool was anything but. The kids have no temperature sensor and were int he water instantly. I finally jumped into the deeper end and just stayed submerged. Nick and Ellie were jumping off the side and swimming to me. We did the smaller slides during safety break but when we went back to the regular pool the water never seemed to get warm. Nick's lips turned purple and he was shaking so I said it was time to go.
Rob was home when we got back. We got dressed and the kids stayed with Rob while I went to do some produce shopping. I got a cart full of fruits and veggies and other healthy snacks. I got home and unloaded while the kids and Rob cleaned up. We had dinner and then went upstairs for bed. Ellie finished another book she was reading and I read Nick the books he chose from the library.
Considering it is almost midnight and I am not tired, this could be another long evening. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Woohoo windows open

Back from Michigan, here is a synopsis of the weekend. On Thursday, Mom, Dad, Ellie, Nick, Tony and I went out to Union, IL to the train museum. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not very hot. We went on a train ride and then walked around the train barns. We had lunch and then came home. I quickly packed and when Rob got home we left for Michigan.
We had a full tank of gas and we all ate a later lunch so we blew through our normal Michigan City stop and went up to Stevensville instead. We had breakfast for dinner at Cracker Barrel. We got up to the cottage as the sun was setting. A complete day with ice cream from the soda bar.
Friday we had breakfast and we went into South Haven for Blueberry fest. We walked through downtown and looked at the sidewalk sales. The kids found a couple things in the $.25 boxes at the toy store. We had a scoop of ice cream and headed down to the park for the kids day events. The kids got to visit the children's museum booths and the history museum and then got to see the Ronald McDonald magic show.
We came back to the cottage and headed right out to the lake. The kids were right into the water, it took Rob and me some time to get into the cooler water. We stayed down at the beach for about 3 hours. The mosquitoes were horrible so instead of grilling we cooked inside. We had dinner and then Nana and Ellie walked down to the soda bar while Nick and I went to pick up videos.
Nick, Rob and I watched Mars Needs Moms while Ellie and Nana played Monopoly. We got the kids to sleep and Rob and I watched a movie. Dean arrived a bit before the movie ended and we vistaed with him until we were all ready for bed. We woke up to a huge thunderstorm on Saturday. The rain continued until around 1PM. The kids and I took a ride to pick up stuff for dinner and check out the fest scene. The parade was at 1:30 and by some miracle actually happened. We stood on the side of the street and watched (a much abbreviated form) the parade. Lots of Junior Misses and the local blueberry farm. The kids each got a bag of candy and we were off.
We took our chances that the rain would stay away a bit longer and we went to Jollay Orchards to pick peaches. The orchard didn't get the morning rain and the fields were dry. Peaches were just pick ready this weekend. We picked about 15 pounds of red haven peaches. The kids had fun and it wasn't too warm. We got our annual pictures of the kids with the Jollay man and his measuring stick. Nick fell off a tractor and got an instant bruise on his back. We headed home and were going to go to the beach but a storm moved in with amazing winds, rolling clouds and lots more rain.
We spent the rest of the afternoon inside with lots more board games. We had dinner and the kids went down to the soda bar but they were closed. Rob made them sundaes at home but they weren't the same. Luckily, the storms stopped and getting the kids to sleep wasn't a huge deal.
This morning we woke up to temperatures in the 50s. It was pretty obvious it wouldn't be a beach day. We cleaned up and got the beds made and clothes washed. Nick and I ran into town to return the videos and pick up some blueberries at the store. We filled up the gas and went back to the cottage. We packed the car and got on the road. The kids asked if we could hit Oinks on the way home and we agreed we could if they were nice to each other. We took the long way through Michigan, hugging the lake. We stopped at Oinks and had a scoop of ice cream and then hit the road home. The waves on the lake were incredible today. Whitecaps out as far as you could see. We got home and the kids went outside to play. I did some gardening and found that we finally have a zucchini. We had about a dozen tomatoes. The peppers finally have flowers. Rob did some work in the garage and then we headed to Mom and Dad's for dinner.
The kids told Mom and Dad all about the weekend. We had a nice dinner on the porch. The kids played croquet outside with Dad and Rob. We came home and the kids were outside playing again. At 7PM we called them in and got them into the shower. Ellie and I read her book and only have about 20 pages to finish the book tomorrow. Rob and Nick played with trains in his room. We got the kids to sleep and then played online for a bit. Rob and I had thrown out the idea of driving down to Florida for Christmas break but are back to looking into flying (20+ hours in the car with the kids).
I have my follow up appointment with Dr. Muldoon tomorrow and blood work for my appointment with Dr. Marsh in a couple weeks. My feet are about the same - I don't have any appointments with Patricia scheduled. I have a super itchy mosquito bite on the back of my leg. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Busy kids

Sorry for the spelling errors, spell check is not working. It took forever to fall asleep last night...3AM. I woke up around 7AM and got dressed. I got the kids clothes ready to take with to Mom's and then gave them a call. They had a good night last night and were ready for fun today. I picked up some coffee and went over to Mom's. Tony was over and the kids were all playing.
I took the kids to the park and then we went on a walk around the block. The boys liked picking mushrooms and exploring them. We came back and Mom and Dad were ready to go. We went to Costco to pick up some things. We ended up with the applesauce sample. I picked up some back to school lunch items and coffee and vitamins. We got lunch and headed back to my house to store the perishables. We ate lunch and then we introduced Mom, Dad and Tony to the Exploritorium. The kids had a blast. Tony was a bit un-sure of the climber at first but when he got comfortable he was as fast as the rest of them. They did the climber, the water area, dress up and then back to the climber in between. When we left we went out to the park and played for a bit.
We stopped by our house to pick up the food and then back to Mom and Dad's. The kids continued to play. They had a popsicle and Nick asked to put his away. This should have been the warning signal. Ellie got them each a gummy snack and Nick was just sort of keeping his at his lips and then the volcano of vomit erupted. It was so gross. All over him, all over me, in our shoes, all over Mom's couch and rug and ottoman. We took off all our clothes and shoes and got them washed.
Mom read some of Alice in Wonderland to the kids. Tony kept wanting to see the one illustration where Alice is a serpent and the bird is angry. When my clothes were dry enough to wear home we left. The kids came home and asked Rob to take them to the pool. It was pretty cool but they really wanted to go. I did laundry and opened all our windows.
The kids got home and were nice and cool. So cool that they needed blankets on them to warm them up. Rob said they pretty much had the pool to themselves - only 5 other people there. We had dinner and Ellie and I watched America's Got Talent. We had some quality one on one time. We came upstairs and got vitamins for bed and then the kids brushed their teeth. Nick was out pretty much instantly. Ellie stayed up and read.
I called Wagner Farm today to let them know we are pretty much sure that is where we picked up the chiggers and they informed me it was a farm and they have many bugs and insects and pests that live on the farm. I just thought they might like to erect a sign warning people since the bites are so painful and last about a month. We are heading up to Michigan tomorrow for Blueberry Fest so I am not sure if I will post again until Sunday. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

2 days in 1

Sorry about last night. I had to do my colonoscopy prep yesterday afternoon and it wasn't good. I was able to drink all of what I needed to drink but then I quickly vomited it up. I got the shakes and was freezing cold. My vision started to have weird stuff happening. I had this killer headache. I called it quits and went up to bed a bit after 9PM. Mom and Dad were very nice and offered to take the kids overnight.
This morning started early, I had to finish the prep. I decided against drinking all the remaining liquid. I drank about 30 ounces and felt cleaned adequately. I took a shower and headed over to Mom's. Nick was up last night vomiting. Not quite sure what it is about spending the night at Mom's house but he always has to be sick. Dad was going to take them to Miss Lori's food van at Whole Food's this morning while Mom was with me.
Mom drove me to the hospital and the waiting room was packed with people. They called me back about 9:45AM and I was in the same room as last time. The nurse asked me all the questions about prep and prescriptions, she took my temperature and blood pressure. Dr. Bianchi came in to talk with me about my history and what to expect. She was very nice - highly recommend her to anyone who needs a GI doc. The nurse tried to find my vein...any vein. She tried for about 5 minutes to find something viable. She ended up calling in another nurse to try to find something. With the 2 of them and the world's smallest needle, they were able to get a vein on the inside of my wrist.
I was awake for my entire colonoscopy. I swear it might have taken longer for the entire finding a vein process than the colonoscopy did. No polyps but she would like to see me in a year again. The next time she will prescribe me zofran for nausea before hand. Dr. Bianchi gave me a name of a new doctor for a primary. Mom came back and got the update from Dr. Bianchi and then we were on our way home.
As we turned the street by their house the kids and Dad were taking a walk but came back to the house to show us their loot. They had food at the food van but also got I love meat buttons and stickers - too funny. Grandpa had offered them another sleepover night tonight and they more than happily took him up on it.
Mom made us bbq soy pizza for lunch and I sliced up a watermelon. The kids snacked on watermelon because they had just had food. After lunch I took a super long nap on the couch. Dad took the kids for a walk to the park. I woke up a bit before 5PM. We went out to the porch where the kids were playing America's Got Talent and entertaining with dancing and gymnastics.
I went with Dad to pick up El Famous for dinner. I couldn't possibly think about eating anymore but I kept them company while they ate. We watched a new game show and then I left. I feel like I could go to sleep again, that is all the drugs are good for. I am real glad there weren't any polyps found today , I just wish the next one could be 3 years out. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal. Tree

A little of this and that

This morning Ellie and Rob were up earlier than Nick and me. Nick actually woke up after I went downstairs and he came down with a backwards polo shirt and jeans - he needed to look nice for church. Rob took the kids to church and I stayed behind and had some coffee and read the paper. I took a shower and then left to meet Rob and the kids and Dean to pick up the kids bunkie boards at Crate & Barrel.
Dean came back to our house for a little bit to spend some time with the kids. Ellie and I spent some time looking over houses in Florida. We think we found the resort area we want to stay in but there are many town homes available. We were doing our research and seeing what the best bang for the buck will be.
We went over to Mom and Dad's for family Sunday. We were celebrating the GGs 60th anniversary. Mom had a wonderful spread - pasta, berry salad, bread salad, potato salad, broccoli and pork. The power went out about 15 minutes before dinner was ready but we were able to finish everything up. We had a lovely dinner on the porch - a bit warm but it cooled off as the storm came in. We had a delish canoli cake from Domino's - yummy. I was trying to eat light today because tomorrow is prep day and my theory is less in less out.
The power came on a bit after 5 and we left near 6. We came home and Rob and I worked to get the floor in the basement back together. It is like a puzzle - we have many tiles that have been cut to fit certain areas and we got the obvious ones in place but then it just didn't seem right. I think we actually ended up with extra tiles and I am not quite sure how that happened. The kids played and helped us clean up and then we got ready for bed.
Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Worn out

For whatever reason, I am tired but can't seem to get to bed earlier than about 1:30AM. Standard night, Rob left early to head out to a job. Ellie was up a bit after Rob left and then Nick slept until about 8:30AM. We had the cinnamon rolls from Ikea for breakfast, supplemented by yogurt and fruit. Just kind of hung out this morning. Ellie played with her dollhouse and Nick vegged on the couch. Eventually, Nick took a shower and then we all got dressed.
Mom and Dad came to pick us up because we had no plans. We ran errands with them this afternoon. Returning some window shades that were too small. A trip to Caputo's cheese market, we had lunch there. We came back home and we continued our crash time. I was suddenly so tired and felt like if I were to lie down on the couch I might fall asleep. Instead, I researched locations for our fall trip because our regular house isn't available.
I ended up finding a 3 bedroom condo in the Dells that included the water park passes, arcade tokens, bowling and even some food money for much less than most house rentals. Rob came home and took the kids to the pool for a couple hours. I continued to do my research and started doing some Disney research. We have been promising the kids a trip there for Spring Break but I priced airline tickets out and this far in advance they are already over $1500.00. I plugged in winter break dates and those are much more reasonable.
We are thinking about surprising the kids - keep them thinking it will be spring break but really going after Christmas - it will be just like the commercials. We plan to rent a house this time instead of staying on the property. There are some beautiful houses available. We asked the kids if they had a preference - our own smaller pool or a bigger pool in a complex - they are thinking about it.
After they returned for the pool, the kids went right outside to play. I sliced up a watermelon and decided we could scavenge through the fridge for dinner. The kids came in and we ate dinner while they watch Princess Diaries. Rob and I did some more research on Florida. We got the kids to sleep and have been sitting on the couch.
So I pretty much can say I despise chigger bites. At least mine don't itch any longer - just achy and throbbing pain still. For whatever reason, I seem to be bruised everywhere. I had the toe injury from the pool, the bruises from seeing Patricia on Tuesday and a few around my knees. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Fun packed day

Average night around here. This morning, Ellie was up first and went down to eat breakfast. I got up and came down to join her. Ellie was already on the phone with Mom. Mom had called to tell me her newest chigger treatments...Listerine. I explained that I would not be taking a bath in Listerine. I woke Nick up around 8:45AM, we had a play date with Tony and Jo and they were coming over at 9:00AM.
Jo and T arrived and we finished getting sunscreen on and our bag packed and then we were off to Pirate's Cove. We had a nice ride out to Elk Grove Village and got there just as they opened. It was superhero day - funny, we were there on superhero day last year. We started off on the paddle boats and then worked our way around the park. We were getting bitten alive by mosquitoes. We called it a day after an hour and a half.
I stopped into Whole Foods to pick up some lecum (homeopathy for chigger bites) and some castile soap. I got a batch for Mom, too. We then went to Ikea for lunch and some shopping. We lucked out and kids eat free in August. We ate and then walked through the store. I was on a mission to find boxes for underneath the beds. Ellie picked out her pattern and Nick chose his. We checked out and got on the road.
We went to a crappy rummage sale and then came home. Jo and T left to go home and we got our swimsuits on to go to the pool. We got to the pool and the kids immediately went to the deep end. Nick practiced more of his jumping and swimming out to me and then back to the wall. We went to the kids slides during safety break and then the tube slides during the second safety break. We ended up being there just a bit under 3 hours.
We came home and got dressed and ran the soap and homeopathy over to Mom's. We came home and had dinner and then Rob came home. Ellie and I finished her book and she caught up on some of her reports. We got the kids up to bed. Nick and I talked about the day while Ellie and Rob put her boxes together and tried them out for size.
I am tired. I have been wearing a pedometer this week for the University of Connecticut study, to get baseline figures. Well, the pedometer showed that I walked double my usual steps today (even with 3 hours at the pool). Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Blame the chiggers

Everyone slept well last night. I stayed downstairs until about 2AM and then went up to bed. I woke up to Nick standing next to me around 6:45AM. He had dressed himself, visited the washroom and brushed his teeth. Ellie slept in a bit.
We had breakfast and watched some tv. Ellie nicely helped me fold and put away about 10 loads of laundry. So much laundry that it didn't all fit into the drawers. Ellie and I got our clothes on for the day and then we packed up to go over to Mom and Dad's for a visit.
We had lunch with Mom, Dad and Tony. We researched new places to go for our fall family trip. Our favorite house is not available for the weekend that works out for all of us. Ms. Kate's sister, Sue, was in town visiting and she came along for a grocery shopping adventure.
We tried Tony's in Niles - not bad, clean, reasonable prices. The kids behaved pretty well during our shopping, bribed with gummy bears and gummy fish. We dropped Sue back off and then we stopped into Mom and Dad's for a couple minutes. Mom looked at my one batch of itchiness and confirmed that the culprit to my throbbing pain and itchiness are chiggers. Mom has chigger bites on her one arm and wrist. We think we most likely picked them up at Wagner farm last week. This is good news and bad.
We came home and the kids went outside to play in the sprinkler with the neighbors. Oh, the sounds of kids in the summertime. When Nick came in to take off his bathing suit, I noticed he had about a dozen bites on his shoulder blade. We had dinner - the most delicious cherries paired very nice with the Casa Krema Uncle Bry brought to us from Wisconsin.
Ellie and I started to read a new book and we got about halfway through. I called Rob to ask if he would pick up benadryl on his way home for me and Nick - he did. We had vitamins and medicine and then we got the kids upstairs for bed. Thankfully, the benadryl didn't have the usual reaction for Nick and he went to sleep pretty quickly. The benadryl doesn't really seem to be helping me so much. The cream I got seems to work short term. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Exhausted

My eyes were rolling around 1AM so I went up to bed. I was so very uncomfortable that after about an hour I came back downstairs. The throbbing was absolutely terrible. I took a couple tylenol, an ativan and poured myself a glass of wine. It took until about 4AM but I was able to fall asleep for a couple hours.
Ellie was up first - she went straight to work on her dollhouse. Nick slept in again this morning. Ellie helped me take all the tie dye shirts apart and wash them. We had some breakfast and then we went right to work reading her book. When Nick got up and dressed he had a bite to eat and then we were off to the library and to Target.
Unfortunately, the books I had requested had been re-shelved - they only hold them for 3 days and I got the call on Friday when we were in Michigan. I was able to find about 10 of the books off Ellie's list - this gives us some options. We are almost there - 75% finished. Ellie and Nick worked on the computer while I looked for books.
We went to Target and I picked up the cream from the pharmacy. I had asked if the anti-inflammatory agent in the cream would interfere with my colonoscopy and and pharmacist said no. We walked around the store and picked up some things we needed. We found the Rio was out in video and picked that up on our way to the cashier (Mom, I have the Blu-Ray for you). We went home and had lunch.
I tried the cream out and I have to be honest - within about 15 minutes some of the pain subsided. Ellie and I continued reading and we were able to finish her book up. Christi called and asked if we were ready to go to the pool - which we were. We met Christi, Catherine, Su'nana and Ben at the pool for the afternoon and early evening. Ellie was delighted to have a friend to go down the slides with and Nick is getting more and more confident with his abilities every time we go in the water. Today we were in the 5' section and I was standing about 10' out from the wall and he was jumping in and swimming to me and then back to the wall.
I saw Rob walking by and waved him over - he figured we were at the pool when we weren't at home. We did a couple more runs down the slides and finished in the pool before they called the safety break. I took the kids home to get PJs on and Rob ran to pick us up a pizza. Ellie and I started (and were able to finish) another new book from the library today.
We went to put the kids to sleep and I think we are all exhausted - it has been a long day and we spent over 3 hours at the pool. I have no plans tomorrow and I am liking that. Ellie and I will work on another book, we might go to the pool (but we did buy a slip 'n slide on clearance at Target today). Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Busy day

Everyone slept well last night (the occasional bouts of coughing came from Nick's room). He came into our room around 6:30AM and asked me to refill his water cup but ended up falling back asleep until I woke him up at 9:30AM. We cleaned up around here and vacuumed. Ellie and I began her new book and were able to get the first 60 pages read. We went to Mom and Dad's around 11AM.
I was off to see Patricia. Patricia and I went through all my normal issues and then she stuck all the needles in. It was very odd, I don't normally have any reaction to acupuncture but today I bruised in 2 of the spots and I had solid blood scabs on a few more - weird.
I had an appointment at my gynecologist too. TMI moment: I think I spent too much time in a bathing suit this past weekend and I have been having pain and irritation and I am just generally uncomfortable. I was able to call this morning and get in to see one of my doctor's associates.
I went for my appointment where the nurse taking my vitals and going through all the computer fed questions asked the date of my last menstrual cycle...May 2010, I am in menopause. Why? How? You are 35 years old. Well I had cancer and the radiation fried my ovaries. She informed me that this doctor does a full exam on all new patients - great.
It took forever for him to come in and when he did he had a very thick accent and it was hard for me to understand everything he was saying. I had to go through the whole cancer thing again and he informed me that I was his youngest patient ever to have colorectal cancer and be in menopause - I didn't get an award or anything. Good news is I don't have to go back for another year. Bad news - no real diagnosis. I learned that the radiation shrunk all my parts. He took swabs and said he would call me if they ended up showing anything but her thought that was un-likely. He talked about hormone replacement therapy and asked me to get my thyroid checked when I next got blood work done and said we would talk later about bone density screenings.
I went to pick up the kids at Mom and Dad's house and then we were off and running. We had made plans with Christi to have Catherine and Su'nana come over to tie dye. We picked them up and came back here and started making our rubber band creations. We went outside to do the dying and I will be excited to see how they come out - we have never done so many colors before. The kids were able to play for about an hour before we were onto our next fun event.
Christi and Ben came over to pick us up and then we went to a special family night at Kohl's museum. It was sponsored by the hospital and included dinner, special seminars and the museum.
The kids were all delighted to be there - non of us have gone lately. Even though the event had a limit of 500, the museum seemed much less crowded that normal. The had a photographer there taking pictures of the kids with lab coats on and then they printed them out to take home. We went to a seminar on healthy eating and the kids got to taste test jicama, simple pop popcorn, carrots and yogurt ranch dip, pea spread and zucchini walnut bread. We ended the evening in the art room where the kids got to make and decorate a cast.
As we were leaving the museum we saw a skunk running across the road - it was very funny to watch. The storm was coming and producing some wicked looking lightening. We went to Via Gelato for a treat. All the kids tried different flavors and sampled each others. We drove home and got here just before the rain began. We got the kids right into bed but Nick took forever to fall asleep because of all the lightening and thunder. He has developed a fear of the big storms and wanted to cuddle with one of his animals and then wanted his back rubbed and his covers just so.
This next week will be interesting...I am a week out from my colonoscopy appointment so I have to stop anti-inflammatory drugs and all my herbal supplements. I think the cream the doctor gave me might be part anti-inflammatory. I won't really know if the lion's mane mushroom compound was working because now I have to stop for a week. Blah. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Lots of Running

Everyone pretty much slept well last night. Nick didn't start his coughing until around 6:30AM. We got up and went to locate his inhalers around 7AM. We had breakfast and just hung out and watched some cartoons. Ellie came down a little before 8AM. We did a little bit of straightening up and then Ellie made some phone calls.
Ellie started with a phone call to Mom and then moved onto a phone call to Catherine. Ellie wanted to know who her teacher was for 4th grade and it turns out they are in class together again. They caught up and then Christi and I talked and caught up. We are getting together for a play date tomorrow afternoon.
We went over to Mom's for lunch and the kids played for a little bit. It was way too hot to be outside today and with Nick's cough and the ozone action day that was definitely not a plan. The kids tried to do perler beads but didn't get too far. We left so T could possibly try to take a nap.
We went to Salvation and were able to pick up a bag full of white t-shirts and tank tops to tie dye tomorrow. Nick found a Brio train set and Ellie found an origami a day book. We went to Lands End and I was able to find a new bathing suit on clearance and it is the same colors as my current one so I can exchange the pieces. We went to Michael's and I got all our tie dye kits (1 on super clearance).
We came home and Ellie and I read for a bit before Rob came in and he and Nick went to the pool. Ellie and I had our last pottery class tonight but it was basically just a pick up class. Ellie's smore's plate is super cute. Ellie and I headed to the pool to meet up with the boys. We had such a great time. It wasn't too hot and the clouds sort of overtook the sky. We watched Nick do his stuff - he is able to swim underwater for a few more feet now. We ended up going to the water slides and spending most of our time there. Nick could ride on our laps in the tubes and Ellie tried the slide she has never been on before (it is totally dark and you can't see where you are going).
We closed the pool down and came home. Ellie and I finished another book and Nick watched Bolt. It was a pretty easy bedtime because the kids were pretty exhausted from the pool. All my mosquito bites are super itchy today and ultra annoying. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree