Well let's see - so much has happened since my last post! No, I am not pregnant... (I'll just get that out of the way right now since that is the conclusion most people jump to) LOL.

The first thing that has happened is I have enrolled back in college. This is something that I have personally wanted to do for quite a while and it was just exacerbated when I turned "30" back in March. It is as if something clicked and I knew it was now or never. I had to finish and wanted to finish. After much discussion with my husband and research on schools, I have enrolled in Western Governor's University which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

They are not-for-profit which is very important to me (having worked in Financial Aid for a "for-profit" school in the past - no bueno), they are Regionally accredited (again, working for a Nationally accredited school and seeing the difference in how those types of degrees are perceived makes a difference), and they offer support and mentoring weekly or bi-weekly throughout the entire process. It's like having my own cheerleader and assistant all in one. My mentor calls each week and we talk and she asks how I am, and what my plans are for my studies for the week. Additionally, it is a competency based university. This means if I learn a topic sooner than the term end date, I can test out of it when I want to. If I take the pre-assessment at the beginning of a course and pass, and I know the material, I can schedule my final assessment right there and test out of the class. This will help me graduate much sooner than anticipated. I am already about to test out of my first class, Organizational Behavior and Leadership. I have been in it for three weeks but with my industry knowledge and consistent studying - I know the material. I have setup my own office in the guest room. I have my goals printed out in front of me on the wall and also a dry erase board with my goal dates and study schedule for my classes (those were added after the photo below).

I have the full support of not just my husband but my kids! Bradley loves that I am back in college and wants to help me in every way he can with the "difficult math" part (I really don't like algebra - at all). Jacob recognizes when I am in the office studying and only comes to get me if he really needs something (for the most part - sometimes he just needs a hug, which is fine with me)! It has been great so far and I am enjoying being back in school and working towards my degree.

The second thing that has happened is that I finally, reluctantly had to get all my wisdom teeth extracted on May 17th. It was expected but unexpected at the same time. I am in my fourth day of recovery and so far it hasn't been too horribly bad. Is there pain? Yes. I am not going to lie and say it is all rainbows and unicorns! For years (yes, years) I realized now in hindsight that I had been in constant pain every day with headaches that I just attributed to life and stress. With the two wisdom teeth now gone (I only had two that ever developed on my upper jaw, my lower ones never developed - yay) I realized that the pain may have been caused by them and the below cartoon illustrates perfectly why:

That's my wisdom teeth on both sides. They came in fine but they wanted to push into the second molars I had on BOTH sides. This was causing pain not so much in the tooth at first but in my upper jaw which I thought was - my head. I can't express the pressure that was removed from my sinus/ear/head area when the teeth were removed. It was strange but I guess I never thought that my wisdom teeth could have been causing so many issues when I had thought they grew in fine. 

The reason they had to be extracted all of a sudden was because my left upper wisdom did begin hurting last week - a lot. I made a dentist appointment for today actually, but by Saturday I woke up with a throbbing pain in my tooth and a severe headache. The pain was so bad all my anxiety and fear of the dentist went out the window! Hans had taken the kids to McDonald's for breakfast and I called him and told him I was taking his car and going to a dentist I had found in Altamonte Springs, FL to check me out and if necessary pull the tooth. I had called several Lake Mary dentists and none had any availability at that moment. I then called Dr. David Hazan, DMD and his secretary said he could see me right then. So, in the car I went for the 25 minute drive. When I got there, I was checked in and Dr. Hazan took a set of X-Rays which confirmed that I had a nice size chip in my top left wisdom tooth that had happened and that is what was causing the issue. On top of that, both wisdom teeth had to be pulled because of the above "illustration": Where I thought they came in fine, they only partially came in and part was still pushing against my other molars and (he said) was a great deal of the cause of my daily pain. Without hesitation, I called Hans and told him I was getting those teeth pulled. He was so worried and wanted to see if I needed him there but I was composed and told him I would be okay. 

(Don't worry this did not happen, LOL)

I laid back in the dentist chair and the honest to God worst part was the shot of Novocain. That needle hurt so bad and he jammed it right up against my jaw bone on both sides. After that kicked in I was okay other than well, the fear. I was composed until he announced it was time to remove them. I felt a lot of pressure but zero pain. Before I knew it he had the right one out. Then he went onto the left and again, a lot of pressure and before I knew it he was done. The whole process from Novocain to the second extraction took maybe 10 minutes. He then put a bunch of gauze on the areas and gave me some prescriptions for pain and antibiotics and sent me home. I rested a lot on Saturday and Sunday, and was back at work yesterday (and in a little pain). Today I woke up with a headache and facial/jaw pain but nothing that two Advil couldn't cure. I am still having to eat soft foods and soup which is the most annoying part! Other than that - I am so happy they're gone.

What else has happened? Oh! Bradley had Strabismus Eye Surgery on April 24th. The surgery took just under an hour and corrected an "eye crossing" problem with his left eye that he has had since he was 5. He always wore glasses since then and they had been working, but with his age and hormones and growing up so fast his eye muscles couldn't keep up anymore. Thus, the glasses stopped working and surgery was the only real option. The surgery was a huge success and the eyeglass prescription he has now is almost nonexistent. In fact, he can see almost perfect without glasses and when he has them off, his eye no longer turns at all. Praise the Lord. 

(Brad on his way to his 8th Grade Dance)

Also, speaking of my oldest - Bradley turned 14 on May 3rd! He has become such an amazing young man and is so smart. Recently at school he received the Silver Medal award for holding a consistent 3.50-3.74 GPA in his Pre-IB and Gifted program classes for his entire 8th grade year. We are so incredibly proud of him, how he is growing up, and all that he continues to accomplish. He loves his family, he cherishes his friends, and loves the Lord and our church we have been attending. He has a servant's heart and I know he will do great things in his life. I just have that "mommy instinct". It is also so hard to believe that he is starting high school in the Fall. Time flies...!

(Brad walking away after receiving his award)

That is all the updates I have for now. I will be posting more later! 

-Kim

Making a Living vs. Making a Life

This was on my Facebook feed posted by someone else this this morning - and I also have a piece of art with this saying in our home hanging above family photos. This couldn't be more true.

Money comes and goes. Sometimes you have a lot of it (or if you are really fortunate, you *always* have a ton of it), sometimes you are at the bottom of the barrel like I was at times growing up in my teens. Regardless of your situation, don't let work or a job rule over you and the time you spend with your spouse and/or kids. Don't let work take all your time away from family dinners, vacations, reading bedtime stories, helping with homework, talking, etc. These moments go all too soon.

In four short years Bradley will be 18 and off to college somewhere. It could be in Florida or it could be across the US for all we know. Jacob is already six years old and is getting out of the stage of wanting to be held and cuddled.

This quote is something very important to me.

We try to do things and communicate with Brad no matter the topic. We hold Jacob and watch kid movies with him. We try to do family dinners as often as we can. We do mini weekend trips. We go to free festivals and farmer's markets. Hans and I still have date nights and time together as a married couple and not just as "parents", whether it is out at a restaurant or at home after the kid are asleep. These are just some ideas and not all have to cost money.

If you take anything away from my little "soapbox" moment - take this: Love your spouse and your children. Spend time with them. Don't put every waking moment into something else and ignore the family you have. Before you know it, children are grown and moved out of the house and those moments you may have had with them young won't come again.

Magic Kingdom with Jacob (when I was a blonde!)

Riding the Peoplemover with Brad

Home Depot building workshops with Jake + Hans

You're never too old to take out Zurg on Buzz Lightyear

Teaching Brad how to make Jambalaya

Date night with Hans at Willow Tree Cafe in Sanford, FL

Jake loving on Mommy for a "selfie"

Why I Love My Husband...

So again, to reboot my blog, I am going to get back into the habit of making the lists of things I love about my husband. I might do this weekly, bi-weekly, or when the mood permits. :) I started 1-10 previously so this one is going to be 11-20.

• He does laundry way better than I can and he doesn't  rarely complains ;)
• He checks on me when I am not feeling well and is considerate when I have a migraine.
• He has a "new" (to him) 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder that he totally loves. His affection for that car is adorable!
• He doesn't mind that I watch and love dorky shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock. He generally doesn't care for them but doesn't mind if I watch and doesn't make fun of me for doing so! :)
• He loves his parents and his family so much. There is rarely a day that goes by that he doesn't call his mom and dad. 
• He knows that pajamas and tumblers with straws are my favorite gifts ever, so each Christmas for the past few years that is what he has gotten me... and I have been exuberantly happy each time. 
• I have been wanting to go back to school for my Bachelor's degree for some time, and he fully and entirely supports me doing so. 
• Even though she isn't a "Golden Retriever", he absolutely fell in love with our rescue dog Clara - who is a German Shepherd mix - when we met her at an adoption event in February. She came out of her cage and immediately laid in his lap. Since then, he is her "favorite" and she lays on his lap on the sofa when we watch TV at night. (Yes, "Clara" from Doctor Who, for those who care :oP)
• He is so smart. If he doesn't know how to do something, he will research it or ask someone who knows how until he learns to do it himself. For example: oil changes on our cars to save $, fixing his own fuel line on his car, etc...
• Seeing him hugging the kids melts my heart. The smile he has on his face each time is as big as the smile the kid's have on theirs. 

Updated Photos of the Family!

I now realize it has been a while since I have posted any updated photos of Brad & Jake or myself & Hans on here. It always goes straight from my phone to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. In an effort to get back into blogging here we go! Photos galore! :)

Hans and I - April 5th - Run or Dye 5K in Kissimmee, FL (before)

Myself flexing posing after the 5K :) 

Jacob ready for t-ball! 4/5/2014

My guys - March 2014

Jacob and his friend Douglas (left), March 2014

All four of us at Universal Studios Orlando, 2/2014

The newest member of our family, our baby girl Clara! 

February 2014

It's the weekend!

I cannot even tell you how happy I am that the weekend is finally here. This week has been a long, stressful week. For some reason my supervisor seems like I have been bugging her lately. I come into work and she says a friendly "hello" to everyone but me. It's strange.

The calls and claims have been coming back to back and no breaks to be had to work on the multitude of claims I have already had assigned to me. It's a bit overwhelming as I am a perfectionist and I like to have everything done and wrapped with a nice little bow when I leave - but that cannot be the case here unless you opt to work quite a bit of OT - which I will not do because my family comes first. So, this is my dilemma right now.

Other than that - I am happy. It's the weekend and tomorrow morning we are going to the Farmer's Market in Lake Mary with our good friends Corey & Victoria, and then to a church Rummage Sale down the road from there. My antique china hutch should be arriving tomorrow as well. It was built in 1948 and I am so in love with it and cannot wait to fill it with all sorts of old and new unique items I can find at yard sales and antique shops. After all that we have t-ball at noon and then just your typical cleaning the house and laundry.

I will post more tomorrow.

Til next time,
K.

Updates and Ramblings...

Well I don't even know where to begin. It has been so long since I have posted on my blog that it is seriously pathetic. I need to write more and express more. I need to keep better track of the everyday joys that way I can look back one day and laugh and reminisce.

Bradley is 13 - almost 14 - and is 5'8" tall already! He is 4" taller than I am. His voice has dropped and he is super interested in girls. Oh my. I knew this day would come but well, it's here! His dad and I have had many talks with him about what we expect and how he is to act and what he is not allowed to do, so he is crystal clear in that area. He is in the Pre-International Baccalaureate program at his middle school in 8th grade and will transition into the International Baccalaureate program in August when he starts high school. Wow - high school is already here. We have already picked out his classes and electives! He is going to be in all advanced/honors classes and general electives. We might have him start some AP classes in his Sophomore year, not sure yet. We don't want to push him too hard. He is in the advanced program in 8th grade right now and is still bringing home A's and B's - even in Intermediate Spanish which he started this term but NEVER took Beginners Spanish! He is seriously awesome.

Jacob is doing well grades wise in Kindergarten, but behavior wise he could be a lot better. He doesn't like to do what he is told and he loves to talk. He doesn't fight or hit or bite or anything like that - he just straight up disobeys authority. We have tried negative reinforcement discipline at home and that does nothing. He doesn't care if he acts up and knows he comes home to get a spanking/get grounded/get items taken away. So now we are flipping it and trying the positive reinforcement and - it is working so far. Last week before Spring break he got all "smiley faces" meaning he had 4 good days total (Friday he was off). So each day he got a smiley we "high fived" him and on Thursday after the final smiley Hans took him to the Dollar Store for a small toy. Maybe this will work? We'll see.

Hans and I are doing as well as can be expected with him (being a normal person) married to a person with mental illness. I have my good days and my bad. My bad came this past Saturday when I cried all morning for no other reason than "he hurt my feelings" because he was starting to give the kids chores suddenly. I know, even typing it sounds stupid. But for whatever reason, that day the depression hit me hard and I was laying on the bathroom floor, sobbing uncontrollably for about an hour. Then I got up and went into the kitchen to try to do dishes and began crying. It was awful. Hans - since he knows me - told me to go out of the house and clear my mind, go have some "retail therapy" and spend $20 and go shopping for something frivolous. So, I did and it did help. I went to Ulta and got a bottle of nail polish... I got a monogrammed garden flag at Kirkland's... and a hazelnut cookie treat at World Market. I came home and felt better for the most part. Brad's still not happy about having to do chores now but he will get over it. He is 13 and he needs to do them to learn responsibility at home to teach him how to handle a home of his own in the future. Jake could care less right now and does them without hesitation, but I am sure that will burn out quickly.

My depression is mostly better with the once in a blue moon "off day". My anxiety is almost completely in check thanks to my medication. My migraines still come like clockwork once a month and sometimes twice if I have a really stressful day.

My weight is off the charts. I am as of right now 164lbs. I am 5'3" and this is the HEAVIEST I have ever been without being pregnant. When I started ________ University in June 2012 I was fluctuating between 135-140lbs. I am eating junk, stressed, and all my meds are "weight gainers" per my doctor. So, I have to work hard, change my diet, and work out. I am starting today.

Work is good as far as the company goes but I am starting to get burned out which is scary. I am bored. I do the same thing over and over and over again. I also don't like being measured for each second I am on or off the phone so closely. If I am even 1 minute late from clocking into work or clocking in from break or lunch, I have to complete a form for management. I miss having a salaried job with flexibility and where management knew I did my job and didn't scrutinize for each minute I was late because I couldn't find my work badge or car keys. If I begin to fully burn out - I may have to look elsewhere for something that is a better fit. Or another position within the company. We will see.

I guess that is all for now! I really hope to make this a healthy habit and write more soon.

Til next time,
K.