Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Lessons in Sneakiness

I've been reading a devotion for little girls with Scamp several days a week. Today's lesson was on being sneaky only in good ways. I wasn't sure if she really understood the concept, so we went on with the rest of our day. I put her down for a nap a couple of hours later and carried Scoodle downstairs with me for a diaper change. Her supplies are in our bedroom, which is right below Scamp's room. I heard what I thought was Scamp getting out of her bed, and I slipped upstairs all prepared to discipline her.

When I opened her bedroom door, I saw a mop of sandy blonde hair making it's way out from under the bed with a golden brown, fuzzy teddy bear. Her eyes met mine, and she knew her well-planned bear rescue wasn't such a good idea after all. She immediately burst into tears, and I had to leave the room to hide my quite inappropriate amusement. I wasn't laughing at Scamp's misfortune of getting into trouble, but just the unexpected situation I caught her in.

She continued to wail as I made my way to Beef's office two rooms away and explained to him what I found. He was quite amused, too. We called a very distraught Scamp over, and I explained to her that her getting out of bed without permission was being sneaky in a bad way. And that next time she would get punished for that behavior. She seemed relieved as she crawled into bed, and now we will have a good example of what being sneaky in a bad way means for tomorrow's lesson.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Kiss


Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is one of Dekker's newest books. I'm reading the hard cover borrowed from a friend. When I hear the name Ted Dekker I often think freaky, supernatural thriller. I've read the first two books of his Circle Trilogy that I've thoroughly enjoyed. But, some of his other books like Adam, taken from the perspective of a serial killer, sounds too horrific to me. But, when I read the back of Kiss at the Christian book store, I wanted to read it right away.

One reason is that the main character is a female and not to mention has an incredible name, Shauna. The cover of the book is a bit misleading to me because it looks like the heroine is a seductress...hardly. I spent the first few chapters wondering when the cover of the book was going to make sense.

Here's the synopsis: Shauna, the daughter of a multi-billion dollar business man and presidential candidate, wakes up from a coma with 6 months of her memory missing. It seems as though everyone around her wants her to forget her past and move on, but the story they've told her about the car accident that caused her coma and her brother's brain damage just doesn't add up. When she decides to search for answers on her own, strange things begin to happen as she discovers a new and scary ability. And, those who say they are her friends just may be the ones she needs to flee.

Kiss was face-paced and exciting, and the plot reminded me somewhat of the Circle Trilogy books by Ted Dekker. If you haven't read a Ted Dekker book, this is a great one to start with.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

We Survived HFMD Part 2

Read Part 1 Here.

The doctor also instructed us to give her children's benadryl, not the most pleasant idea we found out later. At 2:30 pm I returned home from the pharmacy with a chocolate pedisure and the acid-rinse, um, I mean benadryl. The pedisure was a success. Praise God! There would be no trip to the doctor. But, the most heart-wrenching part was to come when I brought the benadryl in the medicine cup to give to Scamp. We coaxed her to drink it, and she let out the most horrific scream and said it burned. Oh no! And she still had over half the dose to drink. After that, we put all her medicines into a spoon to pour it in her mouth in one drink.

That night we allowed Scamp to sleep in our bed. Daddy left the house for an emergency run to the store and both girls were asleep in our room. Oh, now I could have a little relaxation until I heard an alarming sound coming from the bedroom. Scamp awoke in pain and was wailing which in turn awoke 4 month old Scoodle who was screaming. Now, I know what parents of twins feel like when both children are crying. Who do I attend to first? I gave Scoodle her paci and tried to coax Scamp to calm down. She did, but Scoodle spit her paci out and began to scream again causing Scamp to cry. Oh dear! Back and forth the girls played off each other. Finally, I took Scoodle into the other room with a bottle, and daddy arrived home in time to put Scamp back to bed. The house was peaceful again except for my racing heart.

The next morning we were all worn down from lack of consistent sleep. I was feeling quite claustrophobic since I hadn't left the house but for a 30 minute trip to the store, which was cut short by my being needed at home. Carrying Scoodle on my hip, I took her to her daddy and said, "We've got to leave the house today even if it's just a drive in the car. He must have sensed my near panic and took the baby from me. I thought I was holding it together until Scoodle was released from my arms. I began to cry, and Beef immediately called his mother, the girls beloved Meme, and asked her if she could come up. She arrived a couple of hours later and stayed for several more. God bless you, Meme.

Luckily, HFMD has been the worst virus we've experienced because of how long it lasted (6 days) and how much pain it caused Scamp. She lived on pedisure for another couple of days and slowly returned to solid food. Daddy gave up his side of the bed to Scamp during that time. I know Scamp appreciated it. Some of the research showed that she still may be contagious for another few weeks. Baby Scoodle has had no symptoms, and we are very thankful.

Monday, August 10, 2009

We Survived HFMD

Have you ever heard of HFMD (Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease)? Not so luckily I have (through experience). It's a nasty virus that leaves very painful blisters on the inside of your mouth and throat and not so painful blisters on your hands and feet. My husband and I have both had it...twice. His experience left him twenty pounds lighter. So, you can only imagine how afraid we were when Scamp came down with it.

Saturday she started complaining about her mouth hurting when we were eating lunch at the pool. She even insisted on throwing her icee away unfinished because of the pain. But, I didn't discover the blisters in her mouth until that night.

She refused to eat much by Sunday, the day we started giving her children's ibuprofen for the pain. She doesn't take medicine well, so you can imagine how heart-breaking it was to give her liquid medicine that caused her mouth to hurt even more upon taking it.

We put her to bed upstairs Sunday night, but she woke up crying in pain. We then put her in bed with us and she proceeded to cry out in her sleep about every hour and a half for most of the night.

Monday morning was looking up when she was able to eat ice cream for breakfast, the only good thing about having HFMD, so we forwent taking her to the doctor. But, by mid-day she was in pain again and not on the verge of dehydration we hoped. Anxious, we called her doctor to see what the signs of dehydration were. If she hadn't used the bathroom by 4:00 o'clock, we were instructed to bring her in.

Read the second half tomorrow.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

And You Thought Your Bed Head Was Outrageous

And you thought your bed head was outrageous!
How'd she get so much hair?!
Time for baby food. Can you believe she's 4 months already?
Learning the ropes of the jumperoo.
Party time with a party do.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today


I'm working my way through the book Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today by Kathi Macias. The author takes us through the tribulations of several Biblical mothers and shares with us how God loved and guided them into triumph.

I have gleamed wonderful godly truths through this book. From Sarah, the wife of Abraham, God showed me how we can reap the consequences of rushing ahead of God's will and timing. Our choices not only affect ourselves but can affect our children and others for years to come. But, even with our mistakes God still keeps His promises to us.

Mathias provides excellent insight into the mothers she has chosen for her book. She encourages you to dig deeper into your own understanding by reading your Bible along with her book. She also provides in depth questions about each character for you to ponder and journal about, which makes her book a great resource for discussion groups as well. It's a timely and needed read for any mother.