End of School

This year's school term has come to a close. I have been blessed with the three most wonderful children. I was reflecting on their growth and accomplishments last night, as I was looking through their full backpacks last night. I think I will share some of my realizations with you today...

Nick - Wow, that kid is so much like me in some ways! And school is one of them, I am happy to report. He loves school and loves pushing himself to do his best. What more could you ask for as a parent?! I was reading through his list of "likes" last night, and he put his favorite subject is Math. And he loves to read. Sound familiar? I'm not sure how far he can count at this point. Sad to admit, but once we reach 9,000+, I tune him out. Ooops. He is doing basic algebra and has started simple multiplications with me. He is reading at a 3rd or 4th grade level, reading chapter books. Did I mention that he just finished the 1st grade? He has all of his sight words for next year memorized. And, in all of the reading tests this year, only missed one comprehension question. Wow! So proud of my mini-me!!

Zack - My lovey, snuggly boy! He reminds me of parts of all the "boys" in my life. Adam, Tyler, Brandon, and Michie, just depending on what he is doing at the time. He has his daddy and Uncle Michie's temper and attitude, is quiet and has facial expressions like Tyler, and is snuggly and my shadow like Brandon. What a great combination! At the end of pre-k, last year, I felt like Zack was a little behind the curve. His teacher was a wonderful pre-k teacher, but didn't push him at all. Zack is one of those kids, that if he can skate by, he will. If he doesn't have to do it, he won't. This year, his teacher really worked with him to push him out of his comfort zone. He has caught up and then some! His handwriting has greatly improved, he knows all of the kindergarten sight words, and is beginning to read. I am so proud of the progress he has made and how much he as grown this year!!

Beth - Poor thing is more like me than I am willing to admit! She is stubborn and in dependant, knows how to get her way, and rules the roost. And, boy to her big brothers know it! They let her boss them and do whatever she says. It's quite cute most of the time. She started at preschool in November, and has grown in leaps and bounds the last 6 months. It has been so good for her and me! She speaks so clearly, and has the biggest vocabulary. She sings ALL the time, and most of the time it is "Jingle Bells." (Thanks Mary! lol) She can say most of her colors now, and can count to 14. She can sometimes spell her name, and is working on writing it. She loves books, and will sit through story after story. She has transitioned so well over the last year with all the changes, and is doing great. She isn't my baby anymore; she is quick to tell you "I'm a big girl!!"

We have been so blessed to have wonderful teachers this year for all the kids! Each one of them are amazing, and I will never be able to thank them enough for all the hard work they have put in with my children. Nick will be moving up to a bigger school next year, and I was really nervous about it. But, his teacher has prepared him, and put us both at ease. Zack will be going to 1st grade and is ready for it. Beth has one more year of preschool, and is continuing to soak it all in. All three are such sponges, and have soaked in a lot this year. Looking forward to see what they will soak in next year!

Improving Health

So, I was just looking back on my facebook posts for this year and there are NONE about sick kids. WOW! Now, we still have the occasional stuffies, upset tummies, and fevers. Zack did have the flu in January and strep in February, but those were the only "sick" visits we have made to the pediatrician's office this year! Compared to last year, we are doing AWESOME! I will note, that Beth did split her head open, and we did visit the doc for that to get glued and butterflied together. But, she wasn't actually "sick." Our other little "sicknesses" weren't even big enough to post about!! Yay!!

Now, you may be wondering... "How did they go from going in every couple weeks last year, to only two "sick" trips in almost 6 months??" Let me tell ya: Young Living Essential Oils! Here is our story so far - -

In February, a good friend (who I met through Bountiful Baskets, more on that later) invited me to an oil class. After the year we had last year, I was ready to listen to and try just about anything. So, I went, with checkbook in the car just in case. That night changed our family. I signed up on the spot and ordered the Everyday Oils kit.
Little did I know that they wouldn't get here fast enough. That weekend, Beth started running a good fever, hovering around 102-103. We were at my parents house, and doing the Tylenol/Ibu thing. It would come down for a short time and then go right back up. I reached out on FB to my friend who signed me up with oils, and met up with her to "borrow" some to get us through. Oh, MY!! I just have to say, peppermint is WONDERFUL! Her fever broke within a half an hour and didn't come back!

Soon after that, we got our first kit of oils, and haven't looked back. Within a month of getting that first shipment, we treated a goose egg from Beth falling out of a kitchen chair (the same day we got oils in the mail!), several fevers, two very bad cases of congestion/sinus problems, and an upset tummy. All of which, the kids missed no school and not 1 doc trip.
In the last 3 months, I can't begin to list all that we have treated. Congestion, tummy problems, sore muscles, snoring, trouble sleeping, bumps and bruises, cuts, bug bites, and the list goes on and on.

I must say, I am forever grateful to such a great friend to share this blessing with me and my family!!

2012 Sicknesses, continued

Well, as promised six months ago, here is the continued story of our 2012 sickness battles.

Instead of breaking it down by family member or month, I think I will just do an overview, since so much time has passed. That way I can move on to more updated info. :)

So, there was more time spent in 2012 with a member of our family sick than not. No, that isn't an exaggeration. I was looking back through facebook posts, and man!, were we ever sick a lot! Looking back, there were literally only two months that I didn't post about someone being ill. And, that's not including the day to day stuff, like sinus/allergy stuffies, that we are ALWAYS dealing with!

There were two major issues, though, that need to be mentioned. Both of the youngest kiddos were hospitalized last year. Each for about a week at Children's hospital in OKC.
Beth's visit was in the first of May. She had been stuffy over the weekend, and I took her in to see our doctor on Monday. She was immediately admitted into Weatherford Regional, then medi-flighted to Children's. It was the scariest time of my life! She was put in NICU and kept there for three days, then transferred to a regular room for 4 more days. The cause of all this drama? A respiratory infection and resp virus.
Then, 5 short months later, we went through the exact same thing with Zack. Luckily he wasn't as critical, and we got to avoid ICU. But, he was in Children's for 6 days, for exactly the same infection and virus.

Those were our exiting sicknesses. Everything before, in between, and after was much calmer. Several ear infections, strep several times, and many fevers, stomach bugs, and tons of sinus/allergy junk.

So far, this year has been a little calmer. But, more on that in a future post.

2012 Sicknesses

2012 has been a rough year, full of sick family members in our house. The next few posts will cover the happenings for each of us.

Adam and I have done pretty good about staying healthy through out the year. With just minor colds and aches and pains, we certainly have been the lucky ones. Adam has had several sinus issues with allergies this year. Allergies, in general, have been much worse in our house. He is also dealing with minor body aches due to work.
Me, on the other hand, have dealt pretty well with allergies. Headaches, on the other hand, have been in abundance. But, since seeing the eye doctor, those have decreased slightly. My only other complaint, I worked extra hard over the weekend, and seem to have twisted my back yesterday.

Now, the kids on the other hand, have had more than their fair share of sickness through this year. Details to come soon.

Career Changes - Part 3

Here is the last part of this mini-series:

Amid all the daycare drama and family stress, mid-May I learned of a career opportunity. My first reaction was "this is crazy! I have the daycare, which I have put all this work and heart into!" At this point, we hadn't decided to close the daycare, and so I was really not interested. But, upon discussions with Adam and a few others, and  many prayers later, I decided that this might be better than originally thought. The idea of shorter hours, no stress, a paycheck, and continued flexibility to be at the kids school functions was very appealing.

It took a while for me to finally decide to fill out the application. After I did, we made the final decision to close the daycare. When I interviewed for the position, I was completely at peace with moving forward. I knew (and still do know!) that this was the right decision for me and my family. About a week later, I was told that I had the position, and everything fell into place.

I started working at Oklahoma Natural Gas on July 2nd. I was primarily hired as a staff specialist for the Clinton office, but I also fill in for Customer Service at Elk City. It's like having two completely different jobs. I spent the first 6 weeks training in Elk City and OKC. There is a lot to the computer program and a lot to the job over there! But, I think I picked it up pretty well, and can now fill in when Tammy is sick or on vacation. (As long as she sticks with her phone, cause I still have questions!) Once I was catching on over there, I started learning my duties for Clinton. It is much more laid back and slower paced over here. The duties are completely different, and it is a lot of stop and go. I love each office for very different reasons!

Now that I have been here a couple months, the feelings haven't altered in the slightest. I truly love where I am and know this is where I'm supposed to be. This was our last month of rent at the daycare, and the stress from that is starting to ease. There are so many things that I love about where I am now, and I wouldn't change it for anything!

Career Changes - Part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post...

March and April were pretty good. We had a steady stream of students. We had our ups and downs, but for the most part, things were ok. At least we were making ends meet, and making slight progress.

Then May rolled around, and things took a major turn. Beth got really sick and I spent a week in the hospital with her. (More of that story in a latter post.) During that first two weeks of May, life was extra stressful. I needed to be in three places at once, and I was worn out emotionally, physically, and mentally. Reality hit that some changes needed to be made. I began putting feelers out for a new teacher or director to work at the center so I could be home more. When I was at work, I was overwhelmed. When I was home, I was still dealing with employee drama at work. I loved my students and was very attached to them, but I needed help.

In mid-May, I began to get some feedback that a girl that had a directors credential was willing to come work for me. About a week later, she decided that she liked being a stay-at-home mom, and wasn't ready to work again. No hard feelings, I get it. I wished her the best, but I was still bummed. What to do now?
Then the very next day, a girl walked into the center and was interested in buying it. She asked lots of questions, and took several pictures, and told me she'd call me tomorrow with her final decision. Yay, right? No, she called back the next day and backed out, stating that she'd want to turn it into a candy store. Well, our landlord wants to keep it as a daycare, so that didn't work.
About a week later, a woman walked in, and she asked even more questions. Said she'd have to talk to her husband, and they'd be back. Well, at this point, I honestly didn't believe her. But, to my surprise, she showed up just an hour later with husband in tow. They looked over every square inch of the building, did a lot of talking and asking questions, and finally said that they'd do it. I couldn't hardly believe it! We started making arrangements: we told the staff, parents, and she made arrangements for the utilities and lease to be changed to her name.

Finally things were looking up. My students would be taken care of. I was going to have someone handling the stress of the daycare. I could spend more one on one time with my children, but still work with the daycare kids. Win-win, right?!
No... The first of June, she backed out. Really? Really!
So, we decided to close the doors of our wonderful center. It was the hardest decision I have ever made. We were down to 6 students. I let two of my teachers go. That was a nightmare all in itself. I felt bad, but there was no sense in there being 4 of us for only 6 students.
June 29th was our last day. It was so bitter sweet. I knew, and still know, that it was the right decision. But, dang, I was attached to those children. I loved being a part of their little lives, and SO miss them.

Career Changes - Part 1

The first update, of the many to come, is about my personal journey over the last year and a half, mostly focusing on my professional journey.

At the beginning of 2011, Adam and I started discussing the possibility of starting a new business and me opening a daycare. The more I researched about this idea, the more I realized that this was a much bigger project than first anticipated.
During the research process, I needed to make a decision. If you were following my blog last year, you know the options were to run a daycare out of my home for a couple years or return to school and take the classes needed to get a directors credential to open a center within a year. After many discussions with Adam, who by the way was little help as his response was "whatever you want to do," and MANY nights spent on my knees, the decision was made to return to school.
With three children, this was a lot easier said than done. After only suffering through one semester, I bow down to the moms that are also full time students. WOW! Between my classes, the boys school, someone watching the younger two (a HUGE shout out to Breanne who watched Beth and Zack everyday for me! THANK YOU!), soccer, homework, prepping the soon-to-be daycare, and trying to keep up with home duties, August thru December was a blur. I look back on it and feel so neglectful as a mom. But, I can also look back and realize that it was a necessary sacrifice.

In January, we had driven by a vacant building, and had made comments on how perfect of a location and set up it would be for a daycare. All spring and summer, I had kept an eye on it and it had never rented. In November, we signed a lease to rent the building and I set to work cleaning and moving stuff in. I am so grateful for all the donations and time and effort from everyone that helped pull it together. I, along with many others, spent countless hours arranging and rearranging toys, wall decorations, and furniture.
After many obstacles, a lot of paperwork, and rescheduling our opening date twice, we finally opened on Valentines Day in February. We started with 9 wonderful children, and by the first of April, we were maxed out on capacity at 19. I very quickly fell in love with our students, and grew very attached very fast.
However, the 13-14 hour days were wearing on me. I had a very hard time finding good help. That was one obstacle that I hadn't anticipated. It was very challenging to find both full time and substitute teachers. The student drama, the endless paperwork, the DHS regulations - - I could deal with all that. But, with 19 students, I couldn't run the whole show alone. I finally did get teachers hired, but saying I had "good" help, was a great stretch. I did have one GREAT teacher, and I found myself relying a lot on her. I don't think I could have made it without her. In fact, I know I couldn't have!