Memorial Day

On this day, I realize that I am truly blessed. My husband served in the US Air Force for 20 years. He left to defend his country just months after graduating high school. He's been sent overseas to fight for our freedom several times, including Afghanistan after 9/11. He's lost friends. He watched (and still is watching) friends suffer with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). He has friends who are missing limbs. He also has friends who didn't lose their lives or limbs, but lost their families b/c deployment does get rough on us military spouses. I'm blessed b/c after 20 yrs of serving this country, my husband is alive and well and we are still madly in love with each other. In fact, I actually miss the Air Force! The comradery, the annuals, the award banquets, the love we all had for each other. I'm still in touch with several military wives I've met over the years and they are truly some of my best friends (Mechelle, if you are reading this I LOVE YOU!!).

However, I know that this is not a happy day for everyone around the world. Today, for some families, it's a day of mourning. Somewhere, a mother is mourning the loss of her young son. A father is missing his daughter, but proud of what she has done for our country. A wife is now a single mother. Never had a chance to kiss her soldier goodbye. A little boy holds a picture of his mother, the only memory he will ever have of who she was. Initially, the title of this blog was going to read Happy Memorial Day, in I realize that today is definitely not a very happy day for many people. They are all in my prayers. Thank you to all of those who have fought for our freedom, those who gave their lives to our freedom, and those who are fighting for our freedom at this very moment.

What a weekend!!

We had a wonderfully busy weekend over here! One of my best friends turned 30 on Sunday (wow, we are all turning 30 this year!), so she threw herself a birthday party on Saturday. Friday, I helped her run a few errands while Jayden stayed home with Daddy so he could take a nap. Friday evening, I picked up Jayden and we headed back to my friend's house to finish fixing the food for the party. I had a great time with her and Jayden played like such a big boy with her nieces. Saturday, we headed to the party and I got a speeding ticket on the way there! Great way to ruin my day :( I was actually going with the flow of traffic and failed to keep an eye on my speedometer (am I the only one who does that??), but when I saw the cop car, I glanced down and saw that I was speeding so I slowed down and I guess it made me quite obvious...The cop pulled me over and made me get out of the truck. Fun times. I took my speeding ticket and continued on my way to the party. Jayden was a tornado, to say the least. He wanted to play outside, but as soon as he got outside he would realize how hot it was and come right back inside. Then, once inside, he decided he wanted to go play outside. This went on the entire time! Over and over and over. He eventually got his little toes closed in the door :(

As you know, b/c of Jayden's Celiac Disease, birthday parties can prove to be a bit rough for Jayden as far as food selection goes. And a biggie is always the birthday cake! What kid doesn't want cake?? Jayden, however, seems to be getting used to our routine. Sing happy birthday and then come to mommy to get his gluten free cupcake. He sat on the side and devoured his cupcake. After a while, we had to pack up and head over to the next birthday party. We got to this praty just a few minutes before they sang Happy Birthday. I lost sight of Jayden and when I found him he had helped himself to a plate and a fork and was pacing around the cake table! lol!! And then it hit me...DAMMIT! I'd only packed ONE gluten free cupcake. I ran to ask a friend of mine if they had any popsicles, or anything as delicious as that cake (in a child's eyes) that would appease Jayden, but all she had was ice cream. I believe that Jayden is lactose intolerant, even though the dietician says it's not likely, so I carry around lactaid supplements just in case. I ran to his bag for the lactaid and there weren't any in there! He was in line waiting for cake! I had no idea what to do other than to leave the party that we had just arrived at. I decided to give him just a spoon full of icing from the cake (buttercream icing made with powdered sugar) and a scoop of ice cream, praying that the dietician was correct. He devoured it, and was satisfied and enjoyed the rest of the party.

Sunday morning he woke up complaining about his tummy. This is usual for Jayden b/c he still has constipation issues and the day that he finally has a BM, his tummy hurts. But this was different. He was clammy and he would cry and run to find me with his shirt held up saying "Tummy!!!" I would kiss his tummy and he would walk away still, looking sad. The pain would come in spurts and hit him all of a sudden so I knew it was stomach cramps. He was miserable all day and could hardly eat anything. That evening my husband and Jayden came with me to an outdoor photo shoot and Jayden was going to feed the ducks while I did the shoot. Well when we got there, Jayden was crying and moaning. My husband took him out of his seat and laid him across the back seat and rubbed his back. A few minutes later, Jayden moaned and rolled over to his hands and knees and lets just say that in the end, I had to throw away a pair of shorts, underwear, a towel, and a blanket that we were using to cover his neck from the sun! It was bad, but Jayden felt better immediately. I had packed an extra set of clothes and a pullup, just in case, so he didn't have to run around bottomless! Monday, he still had a few stomach cramps, but he's been much better since then and is at summer camp today. I really do believe that it was the ice cream that hurt his tummy so badly. Sometimes, you just have to follow your gut.

5 Things to consider when working from home

Here are FIVE points to consider when you are searching for work from home:

1. How long has the company been in business and what is their track record?

2. How much does it cost to get started and is it fully refundable?

3. How are you required to build your business? Will you need to buy inventory, host parties, take orders, and deliver products?

4. What kind of products are you going to sell? How often will your customers purchase something?

5. What kind of support and training will you receive?

These are all valid, important questions to ask yourself when you are searching for a home based business. There are many companies to choose from with great products. However, there are some key differences that will ultimately determine how successful you can be with that company.

I joined up with Internet CEO Moms just a few weeks ago and it is already proving to be a great decision for me and my family. I'd like to answer these 5 questions as it relates to our business.

1. The company we are teamed up with has been in business for 25 years and has received numerous awards over the years. They are completely debt free and currently expanding their business while other companies are struggling in the current economy.

2. It costs $29 to get started and is fully, 100% refundable.

3. We DO NOT host parties, carry inventory, take orders, make deliveries, etc. All we do is open customer accounts.

4. We promote basic necessity products that are all eco-friendly and healthier and our customers shop every month for the basic items they need for their own family.

5. Our team provides you with a tremendous amount of support and training that will allow you to build your business truly, completely from home.

This is truly a win-win situation for us and I am PROUD to represent our team and the company we work with. With all of the scams surrounding work from home opportunities, it's refreshing to know that a mom can truly work from home without having to first shell out hundreds of dollars before seeing a return on it. I have been blessed and would love to share this team with moms everywhere, who would love to bring in some extra money or even replace a full time income in order to stay at home with the kids! If you are looking for a legitimate work from home opportunity, I encourage you to simply set a time to view the 15 minute webcast so you can see for yourself what a wonderful opportunity this is. www.blessed2behome.com

My sensitive boy

Ever since Jayden was released from the hospital in April, we've noticed that he is VERY sensitive to the sunlight. He hates for it to touch his skin. I figured it was just him getting used to the change in climate, but now it's getting worse and worse. He RUNS to find shade now. And when the sun touches his skin he immediately starts crying, scratching, and fidgeting really badly. Today we had to run into walmart and he was crying and grabbing at his neck and then tried to stick his head under my shirt. And when we put him in his carseat he cries in pain if the sun is on it. And his car seat is cloth so it cannot burn him. we've tried putting hats on him but he still complains about the back of his neck and his legs and arms. I cannot dress him in long sleeves and pants in the summer temps! He starts summer camp next week and I'm worrid about how he will tolerate it. At school, their playground is shaded. I'm not quite sure about the playground at camp, so I will have to let the camp counselor know. It seems like it's one thing after the other with my poor boy. Because of this, we are considering canceling our annual trip to Disney World in August. There is no way he will be able to handle being in the sun for hours and we would just be asking for him to have seizures. We are going to go in November instead. J has an appt to see his neurologist next week and I plan to bring this up to him b/c at this point I don't know if it is a side effect of the meds or if it's just something that comes with epilepsy. I'm sad to think of him spending his summer indoors.

Progress!!

Jayden literally SURPRISED everyone this morning! He doesn't usually go to school on Tuesdays, but his teacher asked me to switch up his schedule a bit for this last week b/c none of his classmates were coming on Friday. So I got him dressed this morning and on the ride to school I said "Your friends are going to be so surprised to see you today!" He just smiled, and continued to complain about the sun shining on his neck. LOL! We got to school, and normally what happens is Jayden will walk with me to the cafeteria and even open the door himself and walk right in, but the minute that he sees his class, he falls out on the floor! We've had maybe 3 good mornings where he went without a fuss, but usually he likes to perform. Well this morning he turned around and gave me a sweet kiss, and then I opened the door for him and he JUMPED through the door and yelled "SURPRISE!!" I was so shocked! I peeked in, though, and saw that his class had already left the cafeteria. Jayden looked at me and said "Oh no, she's gone!" I said "It's okay, let's just walk back to your class." and he said OK! So we walked to class and he kept looking at me smiling and every now and then he say "SURPRISE!" almost as if he was practicing. As we got closer to his class, he ran ahead of me and he threw the door open and JUMPED in the class and yelled "SURPRISE!!" I bust out laughing and so did his entire class!! OMG it was too freaking adorable. He went into class like such a big boy, with the biggest smile on his face. And I watched him as he took his bookbag off his back and hung it on his hook, then went to join his class. I am so proud of him. He's come so far!!

Caffeine Withdrawal!!!

I can't even believe this, but I think I'm experiencing caffeine withdrawals! LOL! I honestly don't think I even drink enough coffee for that to happen, but obviously I do. I usually have 1 cup of coffee every morning. For some reason (I don't even remember why) I decided to skip it this morning. By 12 noon, I was feeling sluggish. Jayden went down for his nap and I took that quiet time to work on my contact list and work towards my goal of becoming a director with my business. I sent out a few emails, made some calls, and then I was just incredibly tired. I went to lay down for a few minutes, but of course, the minute I was dosing off guess who woke up? YEP! So I went upstairs and got in bed with him. He played along for maybe 2 minutes, but then he thought it was more fun to pry my eyelids open. I took him to the playroom, turned on the cartoons, and sprawled out on the futon hoping he'd play with his toys and wacth some cartoons for a few minutes. Well, he did play with his toys. He kept making me food from his play kitchen and bringing it to me, demanding I eat it. Then once I was done he demanded I eat more! LOL, so no nap for me. I just finished my conference call and my eyes are barely open!! I'm going to bed now and I will be drinking coffee tomorrow morning!

Sweetheart

I had a session today at my house, so I was setting everything up and in runs Jayden saying "Pishure Pishure!". And to my surprise, he actually sat down and posed for some shots!! I'm so excited that he's starting to like the camera again. He's so handsome :)