Memorial Day Weekend

We did our yearly camping trip to Scott County Park in Iowa. Yes, this seems like a long way to drive (5 hours) to sleep in a tent for 3 nights…but it is well worth it. Thursday began our adventure with packing everything we needed for the trip into our Fusion. And I can tell you, that little car has some room…as exhibited in sample A (last year’s trip). Well there was going to be an sample A, but I can’t find it…hum…I wonder where I left it…Oh well moving on… While traveling the 5 hours, the boys enjoyed a couple of movies and thank you again Mamu and Papa Shu…they truly are a God sent. Though several times we heard the following conversation:

Bear: “we are camping” “I want to go in my tent and camp” “ I go in my tent and sleep on my bed”
Bubba: just staring and nodding, but not any nod…the one of I could care less and please be quite, the movie is on.
Bear: “Are we there yet? I want to go camping” “I want out” “Are we there yet?” “Bubba can’t sleep in my tent, or my bed” “is Bubba going to camp too?”

Friday afternoon, we spent setting up camp and grocery shopping for the weekend. We literally spent a week’s worth of grocery money for 4 partial days of food…but that is part of the fun. We took the boys swimming Saturday morning…which they just loved (though very expensive!!!) The Scott County Park has a pool with a splash pad for younger kids. I have now found a splash pad close to us that is free and plan to take the boys there. Bubba was like a fish to water in the big pool and I am sure will not take long to learn to swim (like his mommy). Bear slowly warmed up to the idea of not having a death grip on me and by the time we were done with the big pool, he was kicking his feet semi doggy paddling.

Saturday night was our every year campfire with family and friends. We always have a blast when everyone comes out to have dinner and spend time together. It never seems like we have enough time to see everyone and the campfire gives us a chance to see several at one time. Though this year we bought everything for s’mores and forgot to do them.  Sorry!

Sunday was spent visiting those family members that have gone before us and explaining to the boys who they were…and it did not take long before they were both asleep. The evening was spent with great friends celebrating a birthday.

Monday, we got to spend some time with the shu side of the family during a cookout. This side of the family always seems to get left out on our trips or we are rushed because it is last minute. But this time we got to spend several hours with them. The boys got to play with several young kids and though bear got picked on he had fun. We headed home after a long day and with two (actually 3) very sleepy boys.

This past Friday night, I broke a rule of mine…

We went out to dinner on Friday night with my in-laws to StirCrazy, which is located on the outside of one of the malls here. StirCrazy is a mix of stir-fry options or traditional Chinese (well, American style Chinese). To which I wore my jeans and one of my newer tee-shirts, but I was barely able to keep my pants up even with the belt that I “borrowed” from Josh (though I don’t think he knows, but he will now). I told Josh that after dinner, we were going to walk around the mall with the boys, since I did not go to the gym. After dinner, we loaded the boys up in the double stroller, said good bye to the in-laws and headed into the mall. Please note that we have not been in a mall in close to a year, let alone on a Friday night…let’s just say that it was interesting. As well as, I don’t remember teenagers being so rude or impatient. But that is another rant for a different time. We walked through a couple stores, some were just not contusive to have the double stroller in. I decided while we were there, I was going to look at buying a pair of jeans and I did after 4 stores. Finally at Macy’s (where I have never shopped), I found a pair of Levi jeans (yes, plus size Levi jeans, not some store plus size brand) and the best part…they are 2, yes 2, sizes smaller than the jeans that I had on. Yippee!! So to say that I was excited, is an understatement. I had broken my rule of not buying brand-new clothes before I settled on a weight, but my “fat” jeans were…well just say too fat for me. As you can see today, by my ticker at the top of the page, I am officially 50 pounds smaller in 10 weeks. I actually am 2 pounds heavier than I was as a junior in high school…those two pounds will be gone soon.

At the end of April, Auntie J came to visit for a week. The boys absolutely love it when she comes, especially bear. She arrived late Saturday night, but she did not get to see the boys until Monday. Since Auntie J and Mamu Shu went to Iowa for a wedding shower and we went to Louisville on Sunday. But they got to spend a lot of time with Auntie over the week. I actually think they were at Mamu’s every day she was. They even spent the night on Tuesday night, since Auntie was going to watch them on Wednesday. Thursday, the boys went with J and Auntie J to the zoo. For what I hear it was a blast for them. Bubba came home with a “The Gas We Pass: A Story of Farts” book


yes they did get it for him and yes there is a story behind this, but we are not going there. Bear received the tube of cars he has been drooling over for the past two years. Friday, Bear decided the evening activities. We had Spaghetti and Meatballs, then watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Saturday, Auntie, Mamu, the boys and I went to the Children’s museum for the day to see Bob the Builder. Which it was Bob the Builder day at the museum, so there were other activities spread out around the museum to do. The boys got to meet Bob the Builder and have their picture taken with him, which I think Bear is still talking about. Then before we knew it, the week was over and Auntie was leaving on a jet plane…until next time.

Clothing Update

I am finding that some of my clothes are getting a little too baggy and I think it is time to retire them (ie pass them along). I am able to wear a 1x shirt comfortably now. I don’t think it is going to take me long before I will need to buy some new shirts and jeans. Which brings me to my jeans…that are WAY too big now, I wore them two weekends ago and had to wear a belt that I notched a new hole in. Last week I wore a pair of pants to work and someone told me that they were too big and I should donate them in the clothing drive box on my way home. To which I wore them home, washed them, and brought them back to work and donated them :)

Over the weekend I tried on a shirt that J bought for me in high school and it actually fits, though I could loss about another 5 pounds and it would fit great! WHen I showed J that I could fit into it, he said I had to wait to wear it for a special occasion, like going on a date.

So I am going to be heading to Goodwill here soon to pick out some temporary clothes, unless someone has some to donate to me.

Six weeks and doing great!

I am officially 6 weeks post op and I fell good beyond being tired. I have developed a milk intolerance and was not getting the protein from all the milk and whey based proteins that I was consuming, which is making me tired. Last week, I went and seen my dietician and surgeon. I am down 35 pounds, lost 7 inches from my waist, my blood sugar is normal, and so is my blood pressure. Yippee!

My surgeon opened a lot more food options to me, since I will not be getting my protein from milk. I am able to have any type of fish, shell fish, lean hamburger, turkey, chicken, lean pork, turkey bacon, peanut butter and that is just the proteins. She also is allowing me to have salads, any green veggie, apples, berries, pear, bananas, grapefruit (but light on this), and cream cheese (light). She just asked for me to stay away from starch veggies, pasta, cereal, and rice till I am six months out. I am still on 2 oz per meal, but will move to 3 oz over the next couple of weeks. I have enjoyed a salad for lunch the past two days (ie the same salad and have probably another day to eat on it). I had ground hamburger with tomatoes and green beans last night for dinner (my adapted version gulosh).

Knowing that I can have more food options has set off some cravings. One craving I have had is for chicken wings. I am not able to handle regularly cooked (baked or grilled) chicken, but I can handle wings. I am not sure if it is because of the sauce or what, but it is working for me. I have tried meatloaf and pork chops, but it did not work to well. So I am trying things and I will keep tally of what is working.

Traveling in cars with boys...

The boys and I went to Louisville with my mom on Sunday to visit an aunt and cousins before they moved to Florida. It was great seeing them.
We left for Louisville with two semi-happy boys who got to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (twice) on the way down.
We had a great time just talking with them and the kids paired up with my cousins 2 older kids, leaving poor little A out for just being too young… Once my aunt had arrived home from church and we went through some old family photos that my grandfather and uncle had.
Then we decided to head to Cracker Barrel (Bear’s favorite) for lunch. Bear was not happy about leaving his new found cousins, until he realized that they were in front of us. Once parked, he responded “Those are my cousins and we are eating cracker barrel.” It was so cute how attached he had become to my cousins oldest. The boys did great through lunch, both ate most of their food and Bubba tried helping mamu with her salad too.
After we had eaten, Bear went to get a tractor ( a tradition of his) and brought one back for big A to play with too. The kids sat and played for another 30 mins before the restless-ness started and it was time to go. We went outside and did a couple of photos before we loaded everyone in the cars. Bear became very upset when my cousin put him in the car and asked if we were going back to his house. I told him no that we were going home. So bear turned to my cousin and asked to go with him. Sad thing is, I think Bear would have no problems with leaving with him. So to say that he cried for a while was an understatement, well it stopped once we were crossing the bridge to Indiana.
Once we were settled in and on our way, the noise level lowered to a soft snore most of the way home.

Plain Paradise A Daughters of Promise Novel Review

By Beth Wiseman

This was a very quick read for me (3 days actually). I love reading Amish fiction and always dream about what life would be like growing up and living in an Amish community. Plain Paradise is a story about a mother from the “Englisher” world who has a terminal tumor wanting to get to know the daughter that she was forced to give up at birth to an Amish couple. After returning, she finds her daughter happy and loved by the Amish parents who raised her. We watch as both families struggle with her return and her illness as God becomes present in the situation.

Throughout the book, you slowly get to know the characters though most are vague beyond the main characters. I never felt I really rooted for someone or that I leaned in a certain direction, as I usually do with other books. I had a hard time relating to any of the story line.

The start of the book was slow due to outlining everything that was happening and foundation for what would happen. The story line was very predictable and wrapped up to way quickly. Though this was a good book, it felt that you were entering a middle part of a series or a book that was thrown together quickly.

I would recommend it to someone who loves reading Amish fiction or who wanted a quick read. To pick up your copy, visit the Thomas Nelson Website: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595548238&title=A_Daughters_of_the_Promise_Novel:_Plain_Paradise

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Easter and a birthday

Wow, what is more fun than hyping your kids up on Easter candy??? Adding a birthday cake to the mix!

Saturday, the boys and I met J after work at Toys-R-Us to let Bubba pick out his birthday presents. Bear had a little bit of a hard time, since he did not get anything. Bubba picked out a toy story trike and a tool belt. We got the boys the movie Cloudy with Meatballs and us Where the Wild Things Are. So I spent most of the evening putting together the trike while they watched the final four games. Yeah, Butler!

Easter was great! We woke up pretty early (by our clan’s standards) at 8 am to Bear banging on his bedroom door and yelling for us. To which Dad went to see what he wanted and when asked “What are you doing up?”…”I want to go downstairs and see the Easter bunny.” To which J replied “Well, I don’t think that mommy is ready to get up yet. Do you want to watch tv for a little while?” This was good for about 30 minutes. We got up and went down stairs for the boys to discover that the easter bunny did come. The boys each received a basket from the easter bunny and Mommy’s Ma-mu. They took most items out of them and of course candy was priority, along with a fishing pole. While the boys played with things and ate more candy, I made sunshine yellow pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Once breakfast was over, everyone headed upstairs to get ready for church. Then off we went.

Service was GREAT! He has risen. The worship and the message were wonderful. Daddy’s Ma-mu, Papa Shu, and Uncle Rob came as well. The service was about Luke 24 and which person are you when it comes to God. A really fascinating look at Luke 24, if you are interested in listening to the message you can find it on their website http://www.indyvineyard.org/. The boys had a fun in Sunday school and when we asked Bear about what he learned, he told us that Jesus died on the cross and they took him by ambulance to the hospital and made him all better.

After service, we headed home to begin dinner. The boys watched Cloudy with Meatballs and showed off their new loot to Ma-mu before everyone else arrived. It did not take too long before dinner was ready and everyone was eating. After eating, Bubba opened his present from Ma-mu and Papa Shu, a trampoline that has music. While Ma-mu put it together, Bubba went down for a nap. Once he got up, it was an all go on the trampoline and it did not take him long to figure it out. Later he came to me and said “I jump, I jump”. What a smart little cookie.

We had a little easter egg hunt in the front yard with candy filled eggs and cute little tonka trucks. We played with sidewalk chalk, before sending the boys with Ma-mu and daddy to the park.

Once they were back it was time for everyone to go home. It was fun, loud, and tiring; but I would not trade it for the world.

Continue… Update on Surgery and first couple of days:

Sunday was a very relaxing day and we even went to Wal-mart to do a little grocery shopping. I truly think that the boys were more tired when we got home than I was. Monday was even more of a relaxing day than Sunday and Tuesday was my first post-op follow-up appointment. We took the boys to my mom’s while we went to see the dietician and the surgeon. The dietician was not much help since I was still on a clear liquid diet and I seen her before the surgeon. But I outlined the plan that I had and she was ok with it. My surgeon appointment went good too. I had lost 9 pounds since Saturday and I was moved to a full liquid diet for the next four weeks. My surgeon is excited about my progress and I go back to see her in 5 weeks, hopefully being another 40 pounds lighter.  Wednesday and Thursday are my first official days being home with the boys alone, since J had to go back to work. I have been truly amazed at how I have jumped back into my routines with little hold back. Though I am not able to pick up the boys for the next MONTH, because I am not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, I have been figuring out creative ways to get things done. Bubba is getting better at climbing up into his highchair and figuring out how to get down from our bed. Today with it being so nice out, I took the boys to the park and let them play for about an hour and half, we came home, had lunch, and now they are taking naps. Tomorrow, we have planned to take the boys to the children’s museum for the day. And this officially ends my updates for now…it is hard to believe that the week is almost over.

For some of those questions about how I am feeling:

I have times during the day, especially after a lot of bending, that I ache and I have changed to children’s Tylenol during the day and only take my pain med right before bedtime.

I have been able to sleep on my sides and my stomach for the past couple of nights (because those are my preferred sleeping positions) with no problems.

I am able to drive (though I have not yet) and plan to return to work on Monday.

I am no longer on any diabetic meds and I have not been testing. This is really nice.

I drink water constantly and meals feel more like chores, because I am not hungry and it just takes too long to eat. Protein is the hardest thing I am getting in, just because I would prefer water over drinking a protein drink. Plus the current powder I have is cookies and crème…and it is disgusting now! So I have to figure out another powder that either has no or low sugar last.

Update on Surgery and first couple of days:

I am officially one week post-op and it is hard to believe that it has been a week. I was discharged from the hospital Saturday afternoon, which was a pretty quick stay. I have broken this post up into a couple, because they are so long…

But I want to start before the surgery…Friday morning was nerve-wrecking. We left our house at 4:30 am, picked up my mom, and arrived at the hospital at 5:20. I went to be registered and prepped for surgery a little after 6 am. My blood pressure was crazy because of my nervousness, so they gave me some medicine to help relax me and it worked well. After all my prep was done, J and my mom were brought back to where I was while I waited to be taken to surgery. It seems like they were only there for about 15 minutes before they came to get me. Since they had given me medicine to relax, I had to be wheeled to the OR. Once I got to the OR door, I got up and walked to the table, laid down, they told me to stretch out my arms and I have no clue what happened after that… The next thing I remember, was a nurse telling “Amanda, Amanda, It’s time for you to wake up.” And I opened my eyes, blinked a couple times, then went back to sleep to wake up later in my hospital room with J and my mom with me. They told me that the surgery lasted about 1 hour, but of course it never seemed that long.

Most of Friday day, I spent sleeping or walking. I was in pain; it was not my incisions that hurt, but my back and they gave me heating packs that worked great. About 4pm, J took my mom home and went to his parents for a while to visit with the boys (and to eat dinner). I spent a good amount of time reading, watching tv, and walking until J came back. Between Friday afternoon and early Saturday afternoon, I walked 3 miles.

By Saturday morning, I was finally able to have something besides ice chips and got my first breakfast…which was an ounce of apple juice and an ounce of green jello. And I enjoyed ever drop. The hard part was having to take 30 minutes to eat it…though I knew this was going to happen, my brain did not understand and I had to keep slowing myself down. Lunch included an ounce of chicken broth and an ounce of orange jello…which I did not finish all of it. By 3pm, J and I were headed to pick up the boys from J’s parents. We did spend a little too much time there and we did not make it to the pharmacy before they closed to get my pain meds. J got up bright and early on Sunday and went to get them for me, but he went to early and had to go back later.

So I will continue in the next post with what has been happening since Sunday…

The Flowering Cross By Beth Ryan

This is probably one of the cutest children’s books I have read. The story is about a little girl and Papa Jack, her older next door neighbor, at Easter time. The story teaches us to love unconditionally and lead by example, which are two great traits to live by, for younger children to understand. I loved the Faith ImprintTM which helps gives us parents a way to share God to our children. The illustrations of this book were wonderful, bright, cheery and captured the spring feeling.

My three year old read through the book with me twice last night and when we were done, I asked him about the book to which he responded “Jesus is in there and Jesus loves me”. So I highly recommend the book and I am sure we will be reading it more through the Easter season and after.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Please :)

The nervousness of the surgery is beginning to creep in and I have found myself waking up at night running through the list of what I need to take to the hospital, what the boys will need while they are at the grandparents, did I get all the things I need for after the surgery, and what work items do I need to bring home for me to work on. Though these are not earth shattering things or uncommon things to that should be waking me at night and I know that God will be there with me, but my nature is to worry and over plan everything. So please be praying for me, my family, the surgeons and nurses.

This I have found to be one of the hardest posts I have written.

Not because it is a hard topic, but that it is getting personal.

A year ago, I made the decision to have bariatric surgery. Over the past year, I have been completing the requirements for the insurance company to pay for the surgery. This by no means has been easy and this was not the shortcut to close the weight that has haunted me for the past 13-14 years. Yes, I began my journey with being overweight at the end of my six grade year and did not by any means adjust to middle school. By the beginning of eight grade, I was wearing a plus size 16 and it just kept going up. When I meet my husband in high school, I was a size 20 and 217 pounds. So time continued and I gained more weight (currently at 283 pounds), became a diabetic, and now have blood pressure issues. Which, I should not be dealing with this at my age.

So on Friday, I will enter the hospital at 6am and have surgery. There are a lot of changes coming and I am not sure if we are 100% ready for them, but I am up to the challenge. In the past year, I have made several changes in my lifestyle and diet with only result being gaining weight. The other night, a friend asked “Do you think that surgery is the right choice?” For me, yes it is. It seems that the only time I am able to lose weight is while pregnant, no matter how much I exercise or reduce my calories…I absorb everything. As well, I look like all my overweight family members and we carry it the same way. I want the change!

The Count of Monte Cristo

What a great classic!!! This is another one of those books that must stay on your bookshelf. This is a riveting novel about revenge and the patience to wait for it. The novel begins with laying out the background for the revenge and introducing you to Edmond Dantes through the events that happen within a couple of days/weeks. Edmond Dantes is a very young, trusting and noble man who honors his father and adores Mercedes, who he plans to marry upon his return from sea. But while out to sea the captain becomes ill and asks Edmond to complete a task for him before he passes away. This tasks sets off a landslide of terrible events for Edmond. After returning home, Edmond prepares to marry Mercedes and is arrested during their betrothal breakfast. When he was arrested he met the deputy who made a verbal agreement with Edmond that he was free, but the deputy needed him to wait. Edmond soon found himself being taken to the island where the prison is located and not understanding what was happening. Edmond eventually ends up in a dungeon where he spends four years before meeting a priest who is in a cell near him and they become fast friends. While spending time with the priest, Edmond learns of a family treasure that is hidden and agrees when they get out they would find it. The priest eventually dies while in prison and Edmond uses this to his advantage to get out, dressing in the death clothes. Edmond soon finds himself being thrown over a cliff and into the sea. He survives and begins his long journey of revenge…

So with that I leave you to read the book…just watch out for all the twists that will happen, you will be hooked.

A book is only as good as the discussion that can rise from it.

Well I have not been keeping to my promise of blogging more…Thank you GranolaMom for “reminding” me. For the last two weeks, we have had some colds that hit everyone and Bubba has a double ear infection. So to say it has been kind of miserable in our household is an understatement. So that is my excuse.

About two weeks ago, I was invited by a friend to join a book club with her and some other ladies that I know from church. This is really exciting to me, because I have always wanted to do one with all the reading I do but never have. So of course I was “yes, sign me up” and then she told me that they were reading the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. My thinking- “Oh, classic I have never read. I can do this within two weeks.” I did not realize that it was 618 pages and at first I was thinking “What have I gotten myself into?” But I rose to the challenge (with a little help of 2 sick days) and finished the book by this past Saturday morning. Yes, the house did not get clean nor did the laundry. But the kids did get fed and bathed, so it was not a complete distraction.

The book was great, but I will discuss that in the next post. Last night was my first meeting of the book club, which we meet at a coffee/bakery place pretty close to my house (which was really nice and convenient). At first I was a little worried, because I was not fully sure that I was at the right place because there is another one about 10 miles down the road and I was the only one there. But I figured if no one else was there by seven, then I would head to the other one. So I ordered my large chai tea and a glass of water, but it wasn’t long before another member showed up.

The group was great. There were 7 of us and all the different backgrounds of everyone. We had a very good discussion about the book through the use of questions on cards. I had never seen the cards before, but they were really good and did create some discussion. It was interesting to see all the different versions of the book everyone had.

Thank you for inviting me to join and I am looking forward to our next meeting.

Where is God? Book Review

Where Is God?: Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times by Dr. John Townsend

I found this book to be really hard to “get it”. Dr. Townsend wrote this book with the understanding that everyone’s belief in God using bad things to happen to help strength us is different. The book uses a very methodical way of answering the questions that arise when you feel like God has just abandoned you and you have nowhere to turn. With this question always being asked this book will have uses and he does do very well at relating everything back to scripture and God. But I never really found anything hit me deep in the heart.

For a non-believer or a new christian that is seeking God, this would be a great book to read while struggling with the question of “Where is God?”, but I would not recommend it for someone who has really established a relationship with God.

I review for Thomas Nelson books and received no payment beyond a complimentary copy of this book.

Streaming live…

Into my head. Wow it has been a while since I have posted on my blog and that is not good. So my new February revolution is to blog more and I expect you to hold me to it. So some exciting things have been happening over the past month…and I am going spill the beans.

Big Shu has found himself a part time job working at a woodworking store (just up his alley) and no he has not come home with something every night, but it is close. With this the boys have been spending more time with the grandparents, which has been good for all of them. Bear and Papaw Shu have become buddies verses the antisocialism that was there before. Bear has been growing like a little weed and eats like a cow some days and a bird others. His favorite foods right now are spaghetti and pizza…plus a little McD cheeseburger. But I will never admit that I ate big macs everyday for several months while pregnant with him. Nope; never. Bear has been mastering the English language really well too…and is becoming a very polite young man with thank you and your welcome.

Bubba is growing like a weed and is losing all of his baby-ness. This is really sad for me, because I am not ready to give up my baby. I was thinking the other day, we are 2 months (yes 2) away from Bubba being…Wait for it…2! Can he really be getting that old??? And my mother in law and mom are saying…”yes and it’s time for another one”. Sorry moms, not yet. Bubba received braces for his feet at the beginning of the year and loves them. He has done extremely well with his walking skills since he started wearing them. He is learning to fight for his right on everything and has really found his scream…the terrible twos have already taken their hold.

So that is a very brief update on the boys…

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin

This is probably one of my favorite classics, I love the book, the movies, and play. This is one of those books that should always be on your bookshelf and is worn by the number of times you have read it.

This story is about three sisters and their struggles with love and heartbreak. The sisters find themselves (along with their mother) having to move to a new home and humble lifestyle after the death of their father. The story centers on the two older daughters Elinor and Marianne with completely different personalities. With nothing to offer for marriage, they find their dreams and love disappearing… But soon, they find themselves in love and planning to marry, Elinor with Edward and Marianne with Willoughby. However, things begin to slowly unravel and the hopes turn into heartache and illness when they find that Edward is engaged to another girl, Lucy Steele and Willoughby plans to marry Miss Grey, a rich debutante. Soon Marianne becomes well and begins to fall in love with Colonel Brandon. Elinor learns the truth from Edward and he in turn proposes. In the end, Marianne marries Colonel Brandon and Elinor marries Edward. Elinor with her good sense and judgment and Marianne with her beauty and passionate spirit life turns out exactly how it was planned.