Happy Friday

And might I say that I am thrilled it is Friday. It has been a long week. It is also the first week since the middle of December I have been home with both girls by myself with my MIL coming for Christmas and my husband working from home last week. (Yup, I was spoiled). Therefore Baby naturally decided to pick this week to drop her morning nap, which resulted in her waking up during the night again.

But, while I wait for afternoon nap time to officially kick in (i.e. both girls asleep, so far just Baby is) I thought I would pop in and update you on Wednesday's visit to the cardiothoracic surgeon.

Wednesday's appointment went well, even the drive there and back went well, especially considering it is on one of the freeways most like to become log jammed for no apparent reason. The surgeon was very please with how Miss Pear's heart sounded and our answers to his questions, so he went ahead and removed the steri-strip from the incision. It looked really good and was completely closed up into a fine line. He gave permission to go back to baths, and not be quite so paranoid about germs. The germ things translates into you may now go to church again, but no trips to the mall. While any illness now will not be more serious for Miss Pear than any other child, coughing or throwing up will be a lot more painful, so be careful. He also said that things are looking so good that as long as we are following up with Miss Pear's cardiologist there is no reason to see him again unless we are concerned about something. (one less doctor on our list! I am back to being able to count our girls' doctors on one hand!)

In the interest of venting my frustration over something I had heard before but also again more recently and vehemently (not at my church), might I just say that if I hear someone say, "Oh, we cannot do that, it is too (insert denomination here)" I will scream. How about we just worry about that God's word says and not if other denominations do it too. It would be nice if we could try a little harder to get along.

And while I am on the topic (and you will probably laugh at me), can I just say that a shoot out is not way to end a hockey game in the NHL? It is nothing but a skills competition! At that point you might as well just admit it and add fastest skater and trick shot and at least give us a laugh.

Yeah, it might have been a long week.

Quick question, I need a few vegetarian recipes (milk, cheese, eggs okay, just no meat), can you point me to any great ones? I am also on the hunt for a couple good lentil recipes.

Have a wonderful, restful weekend.

Catching up

I thought this would be the week of catching up on things and getting back into our routine.

In fact, it is the lack of sleep and the strain of being strong for weeks before the surgery catching up with me, and we are off to the surgeon's follow up today (which we expect to be fine).

Between the girls we feel like we need a score card to keep up with all the follow up appointments.

Hopefully there will be no traffic as we go to our appt (we have to travel an ugly stretch of freeway), and a very early night in my future.

Smooth Hot Chocolate

With all the rain here and recovering that Miss Pear is doing, we are drinking lots of hot chocolate. But the one thing I loathe is lumpy hot chocolate.

I have finally discovered how to get smooth hot chocolate - if you already knew this, why didn't you tell me?

First, put the mix in the bottom of your cup and add just enough boiling water to make a thin paste, mixing with a FORK. Mix until all the lumps are gone. Add more boiling water until your cup is half full, mix again. Then, either slowly add the rest of your boiling water for hot chocolate (be sure to add a splash of milk at the end!) or milk for warm chocolate mixing continually.

Voila, smooth chocolate.

What is your favorite hot chocolate? Do you like to buy mix or make your own? (I am always on the hunt for a new recipe!)

Monday - oh, great.

I had great hopes of posting a multitude monday with all the great things I am thankful for and a Bible in 90 days update including some things I had learned.

But Miss Pear woke up in the night coughing - which really hurt - which made her cry - which made her cough more. We got her settled down finally and then Baby woke up. Got her settled down and was just nodding off to sleep again, finally, when the alarm went off.

Mr. Pear is back to working from the office today.

So it is a bit of a day, and I am feeling discouraged and tired, a bad combination.

So maybe tomorrow I will share all the fun stuff, but today I just need a nap.

Thursday...Already?

Some how this week is zooming along. It could be because we fall into bed exhausted every night. No, not from carefully nursing a semi-invalid Miss Pear to full health, rather from running behind her saying some version of, "You may not run, jump, or launch yourself!" or "That is really dangerous, if you slip, which is likely, you will bang your chest and that will really hurt!"

Probably not what you were expecting, but keep in mind, her heart was working 25% harder than it should have to and now it is not. Which translates into an energy boost, for an already high energy 4 year old...let's just say I am exceedingly grateful for the meals our church has offered, they have helped so much!

We went to see Miss Pear's cardiologist this morning, and he is most pleased. He even said we could quit taking the blecky medicine that Miss Pear loathes so much, only now that she is being rewarded with a small chocolate treat after the evening dosage she is not so sure she wants to stop. But, he was very pleased with the results of his examination and with Miss Pear's ability to explain what happened, how she is feeling, and what she can and cannot do.

Tomorrow we got see her pediatrician to just check in so that she can get a baseline after surgery and we can deliver a set of paperwork to her. Apparently the changes are so profound that this is necessary.

There is a fancy medical phrase for it, it escapes me for the moment. But that is okay, I prefer to use the term that God's people have always used...Miracle.

Rain

As further proof that the Southern California sun does weird things to you I am so happy today because it is raining! I miss the rain so much, and we need it so badly! It is nice to have our citrus trees watered so deeply without having to run around with the hose! We are even getting thunder! Such a treat! (Yes, we are weird about weather here.)

The rainy days also help convince Miss Pear that resting is good because it is not very bright out. She is doing well, and this morning wanted to do her math, so we did. For right now she is taking the lead on what she wants to do school-wise, I had planned on taking at least this week and next week off and then seeing if we could slowly ease ourselves into some stuff.

Rain is one of the many things I have been praying for, and it is so wonderful to see God's answer! I think we often pray but then forget to look for the answer. But now I must run as it is a down pour!

Bible in 90 Days Update

Today we are being asked to update where we are in our reading and share how it is going. I am astonished to say I am on schedule! I read in the evening so I have yesterday's reading done and am just getting ready to start today's reading.

For some strange reason I had thought I would have plenty of time to read while sitting in the hospital with Miss Pear - that didn't happen. She was so alert even the day of surgery that we were sitting there with her while she dozed but not slept, and the other days she was really awake and wanting to chat, see the puppies (therapy dogs that come to visit the children), do music therapy (therapist and patient play instruments and sing together, he set her up in bed with drums), and walk to see the baby peanuts (there were a lot of babies in CVICU - cardiovascular ICU). So I was reading lots at home after Baby was in bed to stay caught up (Daddy stayed at the hospital the whole time, and I went back and forth because Baby is still nursing first thing in the morning and last thing at night).

The volume of Bible reading is really something that has been blessing me and encouraging me.

I do have one question though, it comes from Joshua 1:

Josh. 1:12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying,
Josh. 1:13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’

So often we see this in the OT, and I am wondering why this particular phraseology, why not OUR God? Is it because:

1. It was just the way they spoke?
2. They wanted Joshua to know that God was his God and not just the God of the people, but the God of individuals?
3. Was it a sign of the general apostacy and indifference that plagued Israel?
4. Some other reason?

What are your thoughts on this? If my research does not yield info soon I will be emailing my pastor to ask because this is something that bugs me each and every time I read it, has for years, but now I am determined to get to the bottom of it.

How is your Bible reading going? Are you doing the 90 Days? If so, where are you? If not what are doing to be purposeful in reading? I would love to hear how your quiet time is going and what God is teaching you.

Home!

Just checking in tonight to let you know that Miss Pear was home this morning in time for lunch and a good nap. For those counting, she was released about 72 hours after they completed open heart surgery, or the technical term of subaortic membrane resection. While we still have a lot of restrictions and Daddy carries her a lot, she is really doing great, and is only taking Children's Tylenol for pain. She is still very tired, but there was no care they could give her at the hospital that we could not vie her at home, and children do better at home. (Have you ever tried to sleep with all the lights on, noise in the hallways and people checking on you every couple hours?)

It is so nice having our whole family home together. I was so conflicted trying to care for them when they were in two places!

Miss Pear really was too healthy to be there. Yesterday the ICU doctor said that a hospital was for sick people and she was not sick so they would be sending her home the next day. Shortly after he left Miss Pear asked my why she was there because she was not sick to start with...

She is very happy to be home, and is very happy to not be hooked up to things because she is not a machine and she is not a robot, so she should not be plugged in. (Yes, she is 4 and a half).

We will be housebound for a while avoiding crowds and germs, and no visitors. She will only be going out for follow up appointments next week.

Thank you for praying for us during this.

Miss Pear's Tuesday Update

Miss Pear continues to do great! She is drinking and eating now, she was up and walking and she is able to be wearing her own jammies, which is huge.

All the doctors are very pleased with how she is doing (and that is a lot of happy people, we almost need score cards to keep track of them all!)

The only rough patch today was when some lines came out, she was not happy. It seemed to be more emotional than physical hurt. She would not be distracted and she did not want to do it. She has all but one IV coming out tomorrow, so would really appreciate prayers for the various lines that need to be removed.

It sounds like she will be home Thursday or Friday.

It is such a miracle to watch her recovering, except for the line removal she is really doing wonderfully.

Thank you so much for praying for us and rejoicing in the Lord's goodness.

Miss Pear Update

She did GREAT!

According to the surgeon the procedure went great, she came off the by pass machine easily and the valve is in much better shape than originally thought, and it sounds like the membrane came out great, but then again, that would have been part of the procedure going great.

We were prepared for her to have her breathing tube until late tonight or even tomorrow morning, but it came out at 1:30 PM.

Truly, it was a day where the Lord was glorified, and His name was praised.

More later in the week.

Thanks for praying for us. Even though she has a lot of healing and recovering to do, the worst is over.

Miss Pear's Schedule - Updated

Our weekend is starting early this week, Mr. Pear took tomorrow off to escort us to Miss Pear's pre-op appointment and help us get our ducks in a row for next week.

So many have emailed or commented to say that they are praying for us, and I have to say, we appreciate it very much. Through this I have often said that prayer is our greatest need and the biggest gift. In light of this I wanted to share the plan.

Friday @ 1:00 Pre-op appointment and tests

Monday Morning
6:00 AM we must be at the hospital
7:30 AM surgery is scheduled. It is expected to take 2 hours (our pastor is planning to sit with us if permitted with the N1H1 restrictions).

That is all I know. The plan is that Monday morning I will wake Baby up to nurse before we leave and then put her back to bed. And I will be home for supper so that Baby has some mommy time before bedtime. Hopefully I will be able to log on at some point that evening to let you know the scoop, but assume that no news is good news, and that I will be mostly gone until next weekend as Miss Pear will likely be in the hospital until Friday, which will mean me shuffling back and forth caring for both girls while Mr. Pear stays at the hospital and his mom stays at the house with Baby, who is a mommy's girl.

Updated Saturday: As Miss Pear is the first patient of the morning they will likely take her closer to 7, and we will not see her until around noon. Our pastors will be permitted to sit with us in the hospital's main lobby where our surgeon likes his families to wait. Otherwise no visitors at all due to the N1H1 virus (Except for Daddy and Mommy of course).

Pre-op went well for Miss Pear, she was a trooper and charmed all the nurses, especially the one from CVICU. Hearing what to expect to see when we are taken to her after surgery in regards to lines, wires and a breathing tube was heart breaking.

God is sovereign and He loves our daughter more than we can imagine, and it is in Him that we put our trust. May He be glorified in this and His name be praised.

Yet another reason I love hockey...

...they love kids and are generous.

One thing I have been trying very hard to find Miss Pear for her recovery is a hockey coloring book. She is a fan of both hockey and coloring, so it seems like a natural fit! But as far as I am concerned, it does not exist.

But I hate to be defeated! After all, I have a reputation to uphold! I was a professional buyer before I came home to be a wife and mom, my profession was actually "supply chain" which is planning and procuring materials for manufacturing. So surely I could find a hockey coloring book.

Nope.

Struck out.

As a last ditch effort I emailed the local NHL team for Southern California, the Anaheim Ducks - of which we are fans - and asked if they could either point me in the right direction or confirm such a thing does not exist so I can stop looking. Seriously, that is all I asked.

They confirmed that such a thing does not exist but would like to send my daughter this instead...as a gift. A kids pack loaded with goodies. How cool and sweet is that?

There is going to be one very excited hockey fan when she gets this.

Definitely better than a coloring book...

Although I am somewhat concerned about what she will do with the mini hockey stick and puck...I might have to crochet a mini net!

Wednesday Already?

I think I lost a day and a half this week. It has been crazy trying to get things in line for next week, and overwhelming.

The good news is that while I still have to do today's reading for the 90 Days in the Bible reading, I am not behind. This is HUGE considering how little solid sleep I am getting. Monday is looming pretty heavily in my mind, and leaving me zapped. Reading the first third of Exodus yesterday certainly helped. I was so encouraged as I read how God worked so clearly on behalf of the Israelites but that it appeared to get worse before it got better, and that it was not instantaneous, but a process, and even though the deliverance was tremendous when you read about it, it probably was not tremendous from the perspective of sitting on the banks of the Red Sea watching Pharoh's army approach. Our perspective is limited, we do much better to focus on God first rather than staring at our circumstances and asking God over our shoulders if He has seen this.

One of the reasons I chose to sign up for the 90 Day Challenge was because I was struggling with my daily Bible reading, it has been terrible. But one thing I know is that once I get on track, the more I read, the more I want to read. The more I read the Bible the more alive it is and the more it draws me in, the more I feel God speaking to me specifically! It is like a beautiful and blessed upward spiral! Therefore I thought that this would be an excellent way to get going again.

Plus, there was the Nudge. You know the one. Except in this case it was more like a firm shove.

Are you reading along? How are you doing? What is God teaching you?

Getting Ready

This week is mostly dedicated to getting ready for next week. In exactly 1 week from now Miss Pear should be out of surgery. Praise the Lord. On one hand it is so helpful to think in those terms. On the other hand I am looking for my fast forward button for life. (Some how I was not issued one.)

We are planning on keeping a regular routine through Thursday complete with schooling (not that it is hard, math is basically games, writing is fun with the coloring page on the flip side and reading is clicking nicely and is rewarded with a scratch and sniff sticker). Friday is pre-op day at the hospital.

Amongst that, in my regular baking and cooking times, I am stocking up, preparing, doing what women for generations have done before me...stocking the pantry, cupboards, freezer and wherever else I can stick stuff!

Today I made 2 of the small batches of Baking Mix from More With Less, and the Apple Crunch Granola from the same book, also in a double batch. The kitchen looks like something exploded, but my MIL sent us upstairs for naps while she cleans it. When she visits it is like having kitchen fairies! (She says it is because I make yummy meals and she likes to help).

I alternate between being the model of efficiency and the model of a flood. Yesterday was terrible as I was on the verge of tears all day. Today is better.

And for those wondering, I am on track for the Bible in 90 Days challenge with just 2 chapters left in today's reading. Praise the Lord!

Multitude Monday 12

113. That God makes all things new, and gives second chances.

114. A sweet family.

115. That we are close to an excellent children's hospital that we will spend most of next week at.

116. That even though Miss Pear will be at the hospital for open heart surgery, it is preventative, to make sure she stays healthy. As hard as it is to write that, many families there would love to trade places with us.

117. A wonderful Christmas season where Miss Pear understood so much more and Baby was enchanted with everything.

118. That God is with us throughout this and He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

2010 Goals

Setting goals at the end of December seems odd this year as very little will happen in January aside from caring for my family, in particular Miss Pear as she has open heart surgery. I anticipate that one of the hardest things to do will be to keep my 2 girls from climbing all over each other as they play and cuddle once the patient feels on the mend, our 2 girls love each other.

Nevertheless, here we go:

Scripture - read by myself daily (yes, I am terribly embarrassed to have to say that I have struggled in this area)

1. Read the Bible in 90 Days from January 1 - March 31.
2. Pick up Reading at that point using the Discipleship Journal Book by Book plan.
3. Get back into the early morning quiet time routine! (Baby is finally settling down at night and for the last couple nights is just getting up for 1 soaked diaper as opposed to multiple tangled in my crib wake ups, but still wants to nurse between 5 and 6AM so I put her back to sleep for a but more, but once we are all recovered this would be the way to get up early to read and pray). I have no delusions of starting this one before February at the earliest.
   

Scripture with the Girls

1. Continue Breakfast Bible Time
2. Add tea time Bible reading using Draw to Learn, The Life of Jesus.

School Time

1. Continue in this area with the subjects we have started, finishing Saxon Math K by August. (we are already a month behind with stuff happening, and I anticipate missing most of January).
   
2. Add in Catechism
3. Find a way to include Baby more as she drops her morning nap, or at least keep her entertained. (Would love any ideas in this area!)
4. Have the fall plan mapped out by the end of June (I am thinking of adding History Read Aloud and the Rod and Staff Reading).
   

Pantry - in the past year and a bit I have learned the value of a well stocked pantry as Baby was born, had meningitis, hip dysplasia and treatment for a cyst in her mouth and Miss Pear is going to need open heart surgery, and Mr. Pear's company issued a pay cut to all employees effective the very next pay check. Basically, life happens and we live in California, great reason to be more prepared in this area. However, I want to be more intentional about this, and more organized. So I have a plan.

1. Try 1 pantry meal a week (even if fresh stuff can be substituted, if it can be made solely from the pantry it counts.) Please share your favorites with me!
   
2. Make a binder of pantry meals.
3. Have the ingredients on hand for those meals.
4. Explore various pantry substitutions.
5. Continue to stockpile via coupons, sales and Costco. Try online source (yes, I picked one out to try, but will not point it out until I have actually tried it).
   

General Kitchen Goals

1. Continue to cook through More with Less and Extending the Table (yes, this was on the list last year, but we got sidetracked!)
2. Keep an updated list of meals that are prepared in the freezer.
3. Update, clean out, and reprint my recipe binder.
4. Can again this year making more salsa, fruits, and tomatoes. (Remember to start when Roma tomatoes first appear on sale early spring).
5. Begin formal kitchen time with Miss Pear where I let her try more and do more. (What could a 4 and a half year old take the lead on and make mostly herself with help?)
   

Household

1. Get back on my cleaning schedule
2. Finish my started sewing projects
3. Find a way to sew at least a little bit 2 or 3 days a week - goal: half hour windows.
   
4. Crochet 2 baby blankets for babies being born in February and May (pink and blue respectively).
5. Figure out downstairs window treatments.
6. Paint our room.
   

Reading - Get through some of this to be read pile before it tips and buries us all! Actually, my goal is to finish one spiritually significant book a month, even if I don't necessarily agree with it (i.e. no more saying it annoys me and tossing it back in the pile, if I really cannot read it, get rid of it!)

I think that is it, but as the year goes on this list seems to always change a bit. However, this is a great place to start!

Do you have any ideas or recipes to help?

What is on your list this year?

Bible in 90 Days - Day 1

Day 1 and we are on track! Today's reading was the first 16 chapters of Genesis and it took approximately 45 minutes to finish it, which was excellent in my opinion, I expected it to take over an hour, but the shorter time could be due to being very familiar with the material. While this is not my first time reading the Bible cover to cover, it is the first time over such a short time period, and some parts are always more familiar than others.

One of our questions in the email today was to consider what Eve's sin really was. My first thought was that she disobeyed, but it went deeper than that. I think her biggest sin was doubting God's love for her. I think I commit the same sin, but often in the form of, "I am rock confident that God can do it, but doubt that He would do it for me." I confess this as sin, and have sought the Lord on it.

It helped that the Lord was clearly showing His love for us. We told Miss Pear about her surgery today, and while it was very hard, she handled it better than anyone so far. Her biggest concern was if she could take her teddy with her and if we would be there with her (yes, yes). Afterward, when I was struggling to keep it together God gave me this huge sense of peace.

So, yes, He can do it.

And yes, He will do it for me too, I am not excluded from His blessings.

If you would like to join in the Bible in 90 Days head over to Mom's Toolbox, and on this post there is a link to download the reading schedule.