These Thoughts Remain

A New Direction

2010-10-24T00:44:00.000-05:00

So now that I have all but abandoned this blog, I have recently been compelled to come back and share the twists and turns life has thrown at my family. Not just at myself, my husband and our girls, but most of all at Jaxson, my son. You can see his picture in the sidebar. Our lives were forever changed this past June when Jaxson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

I want to use this opportunity to join my voice with other parents raising children living with diabetes. To help educate people and raise awareness. But most of all, to find a cure.

Christmas Blizzard '09

2009-12-26T17:18:00.000-06:00

No final totals yet. Just entirely too much snow! Spent the day digging out, but it felt good to get out. The wind finally stopped blowing after 3 days of this stuff. Definitely a Christmas to remember.

A Video Valentine from Tim Hawkins

2009-02-12T15:15:00.001-06:00

Stole the words right outta my mouth!!

2008-12-12T16:13:00.001-06:00

The Mom Song Sung to William Tell Overture with Lyrics: Funny stuff, but SO true!

He's Here!

2008-09-06T09:57:00.002-05:00

Odran Riley
September 5, 2008
4:15 p.m.
8lbs. 3oz.
20" long

It Won't Be Long Now

2008-08-06T12:12:00.003-05:00

His momma is dilated 2-3 cm and half effaced. We're all preparing for his grand entrance!

The reality of becoming a grandma becomes more and more real each day!

Highschool Nostalgia

2008-06-26T13:29:00.001-05:00

This past week I was feeling nostalgic and through my Googling, I came across the blog of a former classmate. I spent the better portion of the day reading his school memories that he's been documenting since 2005. It was a lot of reading, but thankfully he's a very talented writer. One of his entries had me giggling as I was one of the 'kids smoking on the corner' he was referring to.

I was surprised to find myself referenced in one of his entries about unaccounted for classmates. I did leave school rather abruptly my senior year. During the middle of my junior year, my dad passed away from his battle with colon cancer. After that, nothing much really mattered to me. I became disillusioned and angry with everything around me.

I distinctly remember my last day at West Harrison. Miss Pauli was upset with me because I didn't have the assignment done. I argued back and she sent me packing to the dreaded office. I was so angry. I knew before I even got to the office that I wasn't coming back. Instead of reporting to the principal when I got to the office, I picked up the phone and called my sister in-law. I didn't even need to tell her. She left to come pick me up while I stormed out of the building and started walking home.

Looking back, I recognize a couple things. First, I wish I could have found the strength, courage, and the will within myself to forge through the difficult time I was in. Second, I wish just one teacher would have fought for me to stay. Not only did I give up on myself, but the teachers gave up on me as well.

On the day I was suppose to graduate with my class, I found myself parked outside the school during commencement in tears.

One would be correct to assume that I'm still a little bitter about the entire situation. If I look even deeper, the bitterness lies in losing my dad. He was truly my strength and the driving force in my life. When I find myself grappling with decisions or dilemmas I think of him and wish he were here. Still, after 23 years, the pain of losing him is still there. When he left this earth, he took a part of me with him.

From Deanna's Inbox

2008-06-13T10:36:00.002-05:00

I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes. We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring EVERY time.

When the teenager had enough, he sarcastically asked "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response; knowing he WOULD have a good one. And in the classic style he did not bat an eye in his response. "Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son."

Blog Slacker

2008-01-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

Yup! That's me! I really don't have any good excuses. I'm sure I've had plenty to blog about... I just haven't felt much like blogging. I've been keeping busy with working at the antique mall, homeschool with the kids and visiting my mom in the nursing home as much as I can.

Speaking of homeschool, we've been doing this since 1996. I had planned on being done in about 5 years when the girls graduate, but then Jaxson came along. He's 2 now and Troy and I have been pondering whether we will homeschool him or not. There's much to consider and we still have a few years to make a decision.

My mom's health hasn't been good. We suspect she has uterine cancer, but because of her numerous health problems, she isn't a good candidate for surgery or treatment. All they can do for her now is give her platelets when they fall too low.

I had hopes for 2008 being a good year, but I sense that it is going to be topsy turvy. In a perfect world my mom would be around forever and her demise would never cross my mind. But it's not a perfect world and I can't help but think about it and how it's going to impact the life of my kids and myself. I guess I'm just trying to hang on for the ride.

Nothing much new to update on my 'Grandma' status. Andi is 7 weeks along right now and experiencing all the symptoms of pregnancy. They've given her a due date of September 10th.

Oh yes, and all that fuss over the Golden Compass a few months ago and I've yet to see it! I actually haven't really thought about it. Ah well, priorities, ya know? :)

I'm hoping to be back soon with a blog of substance. No promises on the substance! ;)

Holidays, Birthdays and Babies

2008-01-14T13:59:00.000-06:00

I'm back from an extended hiatus. Life has been busy. I have survived the holidays and turning 40. Now I get to bring in the new year by learning what being a grandma is all about. We just got the news last Thursday that my newly married daughter and son in-law are expecting their first baby in September. I'm sure the reality of it all hasn't quite set in for me yet, but you can follow the whole process with me by watching my new widget in the sidebar.

The Turkey Dance

2007-11-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

When I saw this, it left me in stitches! This turkey must be close to 40 lbs.! How big is your Thanksgiving Turkey? I hope you have better luck with yours than this lady did. Happy Thanksgiving!

Safe Toys For Christmas

2007-11-20T09:55:00.000-06:00

Are you at a loss as to where to buy safe toys this holiday season? Are you frustrated with your search to find American made toys? With lead becoming a near daily concern, parents have become fed up with the recalls coming in from overseas and are questioning what's safe for their children.

In my quest to find the perfect, safe toy for my little guy, I became aware of a toy company that promises to put quality first in order to give parents peace of mind. At Fat Brain Toys you'll find a predominance of American Made and European Made toys. Almost half of the 3500 toys sold through Fat Brain Toys are made somewhere other than China.

While great toys are made in EVERY country, you still can't beat the safety and quality of "American Made"! While this is very much a work in progress, Fat Brain Toys is identifying all the products in our catalog that are manufactured right here in the USA. Because we carry several hundred American made toys, games, and gifts, it may be helpful to utilize our Gift Wizard to choose American made toys for specific interests, ages, and price ranges.

What kind of toys will you find at Fat Brain Toys? You won't find bicycles or the latest video games, but you will find what they call 'kid-powered' toys and games that promote creative and imaginative play. You may even recognize many of the toys you played with as a child!

Safety comes first with this family owned operation. The manufactures they do business with must provide extensive documentation before they will consider selling their product.

Take some time to visit Fat Brain Toys this weekend at www.fatbraintoys.com

LEAVE SANTA ALONE!!

2007-11-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

I caught a blurb on the morning news yesterday that 'the powers that be' in Australia are asking their holiday store Santa's to not quote the phrase "Ho, Ho, Ho" as it might be offensive to some women. What do they want him to say? "Ha, Ha, Ha"? "Hee, Hee, Hee"? It's just not the same.

I'd like to know what women were polled to come to this conclusion! I mean, okay, if Santa were to approach me and say "HO", yeah, I might be offended. But in this case, "Ho, Ho, Ho, isn't even a word, it's Santa's laugh! Since when do we determine how someone can laugh? Is this political correctness to the extreme? I think so.

Leave Santa alone!

Quality of Care in Nursing Homes: Rant and How you can help

2007-11-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

Independence is something many of us take for granted, myself included. We come and go as we please, walking to and fro, going about our daily lives. Simple tasks like taking a shower, brushing your teeth or using the bathroom are things most of us do mechanically and without giving much thought or effort.

Now can you imagine what it must be like to be completely dependent upon someone else for your every need? What if you can no longer perform activities of daily living on your own? What if you're unable to communicate to someone that you're uncomfortable or in pain?

Many times, families put their elderly parents or grandparents in nursing homes so that they will be taken care of in their old age. My mom is in one such place. She made the decision to move there 5 1/2 years ago. Due to her declining health, she has become more and more dependent on the CNA's and nurses for her care. When she entered the home, she got around with the use of a walker. About a year ago, she stopped walking entirely due to an open wound on her heel. The doctors initially wanted to amputate her foot, but thanks to a second opinion, her foot was saved with the use of a Wound Vac. After about six weeks, her foot had healed. Unfortunately, physical therapy wasn't enough to get her up and walking again. She is now confined to a wheel chair. Because of arthritis settling into her joints, her ankles and hands are starting to twist on contort, rendering them useless. She is able to feed herself, but I know it can be a frustrating task for her at times. But I digress.

The quality of her care, along with other residents, is sometimes brought into question. In part, this comes from the facility being under-staffed. The nurses and CNA's become over-burdened because the resident to staff ratio cannot be met.

Many times, when new hires come in, they are left to be trained by other new hires. To me, this is a problem. Residents' Rights are not being upheld. The aides employed start looking for ways to make the job easier on themselves. This is wrong thinking! The mindset should be, “how can I make things easier for the resident?”.

With government guidelines, the State will schedule visits to nursing homes periodically throughout the year. They use this time to make sure everything and everyone is operating at a standard. Do you see the problem with this? The operative word is 'schedule'. Once the Director of Nursing is made aware of State coming to pay a visit, the whispers start and word spreads throughout the staff. Everyone is preparing themselves to be on their best behavior so the State won't come in and find issues that may cause the facility to be fined or shut down. Again, more wrong thinking! I don't feel the State should let anyone know when they are coming. It would seem to me that they may get a truer picture of how the nursing facility is ran if they paid impromptu visits.

Seniors living in nursing homes are some of our most vulnerable citizens. It's sad enough that they give up their life-long home and their most cherished belongings when making this transition. But they also give up their independence. These residents once had active and productive lives and this is their final stretch in what remains. Their lives are still meaningful.

If you'd like to get involved there are a few things you can do: The holiday season can be a lonely time for residents who don't have family and friends visiting with them. Schedule a few hours each month to volunteer with the Activity Department, or just pop in and visit with a resident. If you ask at the nurses station, they will be able to tell you who has regular visitors and who doesn't. You're sure to brighten someones day. You can also educate yourself about Nursing Home Reform or join a Citizens Advocacy Group in your area.

Countdown to the Big FOUR-OH!

2007-11-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

The day is quickly approaching that I will reach the ever dreaded milestone of turning 40. Fifty-five days to be exact. It happens to coincide with Christmas, so you holiday shoppers take note!

It's odd, in my mind I still feel 25. I often wonder how ridiculous I must come across to people. You'll find me wearing low-rise jeans and t-shirts as opposed to a flowery polyester ensemble that some of my slightly older counterparts wear. Is it time for me to start acting more mature or does the old adage hold true that you're only as old as you feel?

I recently started a new job at a local Antique Mall. As I stroll through the isles the memories come flooding back with the recognition of relics from my past. Maybe 'relic' is the wrong choice of word for this post, but we'll go with it. I see my mom's white china with the painted gold edges, the metal 'Happy Day's' lunch box I coveted as 3rd grader and the delicate golden watch that my grandmother wore. If I let myself dwell on it, I become homesick for my youth.

One thing is for certain; I never imagined my life coming together as it has. My oldest daughter was married this past June, so I have acquired a son-in-law. That makes me a mother-in-law. Why do those words make the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention? There's also a very real possibility that I could be a Grandma, Nana or Memaw in the next few years. But WAIT! I'm still raising two teen-age daughters, and we can't forget about our little surprise that arrived in September of 2005. A two year old little boy that some days really defines my age. Where does all that energy come from anyway?! Better still, where did all my energy go?

Sometimes I look in the mirror and grapple with the image staring back at me. All the signs are there. The fine lines appearing around my eyes and the silvery strands trying to overtake my dark hair. We won't even get into that 1/2 inch long stray hair that seemingly appears on your neck overnight! For the most part, I've come to grips with turning 40. There are those occasional days when the toddler has gotten the best of me and I resemble something that has been hit by a large truck, but I believe he is one of the many things that keep me feeling young.

Getting here has been quite a journey. I relished my youth, having mom and dad for love and security. In a hurry to get out and do my own thing, I found myself married and starting a family. I realize now that I was living my life as if nothing would ever change. Now my oldest is working on starting her own family and doing her own thing. Everything in between has become a blur of bittersweet memories. I plan to pay closer attention and embrace the next 40 years.

Breast Cancer: A Cause for Awareness

2007-10-26T23:13:00.000-05:00

At the age of 69, my mother went in for a routine mammogram. They found something suspicious looking and scheduled her for a biopsy. She didn't bother telling any of us kids about it for nearly a week. That's when we learned that her doctor scheduled the biopsy for eight weeks out! This was a great cause for concern, as we have heard statistics tell us that early detection is key in fighting cancer. We were immediately on the phone with her doctor, insisting on an earlier appointment. They complied and we got her in early the following week.

Once the biopsy results were back, they informed us that my mom did indeed have cancer. Because of the lack of urgency and concern expressed by my mom's doctor, we convinced her that it would be in her best interest to find someone more suitable for her treatment and care. We took her to Creighton University Medical Center. Located there is The Center for Breast Care.

The Center for Breast Care at Creighton University Medical Center is home to a team of highly experienced cancer specialists and research scientists who are committed to advancing the fight against breast cancer while delivering state-of-the-art, compassionate patient care.

The doctor who took over her care was phenomenal. He was patient and answered all of our questions, and we asked many! Some of them were even loaded. The one I remember asking was, "If this was your mother, what would be your best advice for treatment?" We essentially asked him to treat our mother as if she was his own and he obliged. He suggested a Sentinel Node Biopsy to determine the severity of her cancer and if it was spreading. Thankfully, the cancer hadn't spread to her lymph system and was contained to the lump that was found in her breast. My mom opted to have a lumpectomy followed by six weeks of radiation therapy.

This past August, my mom turned 80 and remains cancer free. She's had other health scares in the years since her breast cancer, but as she's proven that's she's tough and not going down without a fight.

I'm thrilled that her experience with breast cancer turned out the way it did. It may have been much worse had we waited eight weeks for them to perform the original biopsy. According to the Healthcare Advisory Board, most women wait up to 25 days for a diagnosis of breast cancer. The good news is, more and more clinics like The Center for Breast Care are working toward giving patients a same-day diagnosis.

If you take anything away with you as read this today, let it be this: Don't settle on waiting for answers. Don't be timid. Express to your doctor what it is you want and expect from him. If you're unsure about what to say or ask, take along a close friend or family member to support you. Your life doesn't deserve to be wasted on doctors who drag their heels on giving you a diagnosis.

Will You Blog for Boobs?

2007-10-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

As most folks are aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I plan to take part in the 'Blogging for Boobs' awareness campaign that will be held on Sunday, October 28th. Will you join me and blog for boobs too?

Blogging For Boobs is an event that is hinged around the need to make people aware that they should regularly self-examine breasts for lumps or growths. Whilst men are susceptible to developing cancer of the breasts and should also self-examine, the much larger percentage of those afflicted with the cancer are women. Globally, approximately 1.5 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Be sure to go to Je Maverick's blog for full details on how you can participate and help raise awareness. You'll also find avatars, buttons, banners and badges to sport on your page if you choose to take part in this blogging event.