Falling Apart...lol!

Saturday morning, I woke up with a stiff, painful neck and upper back. I think I lifted the laundry basket or my grandson the wrong way. Actually, I believe it to have been the laundry basket. I vaguely remember feeling my back strain when I lifted it on friday.

I am not one to take medicinces unless I absolutely must. I did not break down and take a muscle relaxant until saturday afternoon. That is how painful it was. I also still had to look after my grandson.

Saturday night, my best friend called and wanted to go to the drive in movies :). Yes, we had fun. We left the baby with her two teenagers over night. We haven't been out to have fun in a very long time. When I woke up the next morning, sunday, I was still in quite a bit of pain. I spent the day resting on the heating pad. My grandson was exhausted. He took a four hour nap that afternoon! Normally, I take him and my boys to services. Today, I decided to go alone so I could relax and enjoy myself. I really did enjoy myself :).

Today, it is the opposite side!! Is that crazy or what?! I slept on the heat pad, even though it says not to on the box :). Right now, I can feel it right below my right shoulder blade. If I take a deep breath, it will hurt!

I think I'm falling apart!...lol!

This Morning

I woke up feeling quite groggy. It took a while to shake it off. The morning went well considering. I usually get out of bed about 5:50 am to get a head start before the kids arrive and before my grandson wakes up. This way, I usually have time to have something hot to drink, prep my grandson's breakfast and sit a minute to watch the news while I finish waking up.

This morning went particularly well. All the kids arrived late, but at the same time and my grandson woke up as the doorbell was ringing!...lol! The kids usually start arriving at 7:10 am or so. Today they arrived more like 8:05 am. I have my usual three preschool boys and my grandson. However, my daughter took him with her to meet with his father to take pictures today and to spend the day together....which is very unusual. I have hopes that it will turn into a regular occurrence.

I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine whom I have not spoken with in a long time. He helped me a lot with the fibro by doing research on how to care for it. I had forgotten that eating fresh veggies and fruits really make a difference in reducing the symptoms. So, I sent my boys to the grocery store for salad supplies and fruits.

In addition, there is a free jazz concert this weekend and I asked him to come up and go with me. We are looking in to the arrangements. This is something we use to do as friends all the time. It would be a nice outing for the weekend :).

Progress

I decided to take a look at the budget when I realized I hadn't paid the mortgage on my rental property. Things looked better than I thought. I had more money than I expected. I managed to pay some bills which I thought were past due that were, actually, not past due...lol! I couldn't pay all of them, but I did pay most of them. It felt really good to do it. I know that sounds like really dumb, but I really don't like my finances to be messed up. I'm kinda anal like that. I have the rest of them to set up and ready to mail. That way, when I get the check in the mail, I can make the deposit and drop them off at the mail box.

I did get news today that my tenant is moving out. She was renting with her husband, their two young children, her brother and both her parents. Unfortunately, she simply grew tired of managing everyone and decided to separate from the extended family. She's are real sweetheart. So, I am in process of looking for a new tenant. Hopefully, it will not be too difficult. I've never had a problem in the past five years. I usually am able to get a new tenant before the old one moves out. Prayerfully, this will happen this time as well.

I'm pretty worn out for a long day's work, but the pain has subsided a lot. I have one late nighter and my grandson tonight. I think I did pretty good for a day's work.

Till later

Kids & Appreciation

Well, the kids have been out of school for the summer and it is that time for them to help out around the house. My boys are really good about it. They've been raised that way and they expect it.

My oldest boy came home for the weekend which is always a wonderful treat. He is more settled now with a direction for his life. He is still using my car which is holding up pretty well. Since it got broken into and the radio stolen, it has been a bit vulnerable. So, this weekend, I had all that fixed. My son washed the car and it looked brand new! He has really calmed down and has begun to relax and focus.

In addition to putting the lawn mower in the shop, repairing the shampooer & shampooing the carpets and taking a load of junk to the thrift store, I have had the boys help out in the day care as well. I really want them to get an appreciation for what it takes to run the day care. I say this because they don't seem to understand why mom is so cranky and tired at the end of the day, especially when they don't handle their responsibilities such as emptying the trash or washing the dishes.

My youngest boy, who will soon be 15 years old at the end of this month, is really, really good with the baby. I am so very impressed! Throughout the day, he has changed his diaper, prepared his food & fed him and put him to sleep. During the evening, he does a very good job as well. The baby is totally crazy about his uncle! It is so cute because when uncle walks into the room, baby gets really excited and will get upset if uncle doesn't take him! Being that the father of the baby is not involved, this is a really nice bond for the baby that I hope only gets stronger as they both grow.

Its been tough with the budget being so tight, but so far so good. It's like the further along we get, the tighter it gets. I do have a check coming from one of the subsidized programs. It will help a lot but not enough to make a difference towards the mortgage. I'm still doing ok emotionally. I haven't fallen apart with worry. I am still having a significant amount of pain but it has been manageable with the baths.

Well, the kids are down and I just wanted to touch basis. It's been a while since I've posted an entry. I do, however, keep up on my reading of other blogs. It really helps me get through my day.

I appreciate your responses, support and encouragement. It's really makes my day :). Thanks Polly, Lori, Linda and Saz.

Much Love!...Presious

Feeling Tired Again

Well, it's that time again. I am exhausted and worried. I've been trying everything to get two more kids enrolled in the day care. I haven't had any success as of yet. I have posted webpages and ads all over the internet on every search engine I can find.

I am still doing research and asking questions regarding my mortgage. I will need to set aside some money to pay the agency. I found one I think I really like and it has a money back guarantee. Yes, it is expensive but it costs about half the cost of the others. This one has an office very close to my house. I think I mentioned that in another post. I've since spoken to the representative several times. I like it when you call a business and they actually answer or they return your call. This is really important to me.

The packet of forms is pretty extensive. I started filling it out today. I have a few more statements to add to it and I will be done. Unfortunately, I will have to delay the mortgage payment for one month in order to pay this agency. I believe it will be worth it. I hoping I will be able to catch up on that payment later or through the modification.

Emotionally, I'm good. I've been enlisting the help of my boys with the my grandson. I've also been taking spa baths to keep by body relaxed. I'm doing much better physically. I've been sleeping pretty good except for last night. I couldn't get to sleep then, once I was sleep, I kept waking up. Tomorrow is a holiday and the day care will be closed. This will help with getting some rest.

A Good Feeling

Just before going to my doctor appointment, I was supposed to meet a lady to give her some baby formula. The formula that my grandson is on is being discontinued. As a result, we needed to look at putting him on another one. The one we tried, caused him to break out in hives. My daughter had lots and lots of it. She is on a program called WIC (Woman, Infants & Children) that provides a few early start foods for free. Well, my daughter wasn't sure what to do with the formula.

There is a website called "Freecycle.org" where people post things they both want to recieve and want to give away for free...yes, free. I got online and went down the list. The woman was there asking for formula. Apparently, they are a young couple having hard times. We arranged to meet in front of the grocery store, but she did not show up.

I went on to my doctor appt with plans to check online later. She apologized and said her son had gotten hurt and she couldn't make it. Of course, I told her that was ok and I hoped her son was ok. I asked her if she would mind if my son dropped it off to her. She was fine with that since they did not have a car. She agreed and my son dropped it off to her yesterday afternoon. He sent me a text letting me know all went well and he was off to work.

It really does feel good to help someone.

Good News!

Good News! Good News! Good News!

The doctor appointment went quite well. It was a very small clinic and the staff were wonderful and friendly. Friendly staff is very important to me. To me, it signifies that you are not just a "number" on a file. The doctor had a wonderful sense of humor as well. He told me he has been at that location for 14 years! Longevity of service is always a plus in my book! Hmmm.... friendly staff, good humor, and longevity of service, those are all good marks for me!

I explained a bit of my history with the doctor and the concerns I had regarding my meds. He said to me, "Well, we have samples." At first I wasn't sure what he was referring to. My mind said samples, meaning something new for me to try. He followed up with a few more questions. I just listened because I did not want to panic at, what I thought meant a new medication to "try". He left the room. When he returned, he had a bag of samples of "my" medication! :) :) I was so happy!

Again, because there is no generic for my meds, he explained that if I came back every 4 to 6 weeks, he will continue to provide me with the free samples!! How cool is that??? :) :) :). My other medication, a muscle relaxant, he did not have as a sample. He found a low cost pharmacy that carried it for $40. All in all, everything went really, really well! I am a happy trooper :)!

I felt it a good idea to stop taking my supplements while I take the medication. Not sure if it is a good idea to mix the two. Yesterday, I took my first dosage. Later, I got quite a bit of nausea, to the point of having to lay down. This is a side effect of the medication. I took it this morning and I feel good so far.

Today, I feel the symptoms, but not intense. I'm a bit sluggish and a tad irritable. It will be an easy day for the kids so that I can be careful to not take it out on them. They will have lots of outdoor play and later, a movie.

I look forward to feeling better!