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My Wordless Wednesday was put up kind of late this week, I really hate it when I end up past the first 100 entries over at the WW hub...this week I was something like #510. Well, I didn't get my photo posted because I was just dog-gone tired and cranky last night. Sky could tell you, but I know he won't because he is just a stellar guy like that.

So why the uber-cranky mommy?? Uh, because when Sky is gone I fall apart- and he and Meg and Josie were gone for 9 days on a trip. They went to Washington State to visit our close-heart friends in Seattle, and then they went to the eastern part of the state to visit the family who stayed with us in December, and then over to Sky's brother's family. I didn't go, because- biggest reason- the cold. Since I know I have Raynaud's disease- I have a good reason to stay away from snow. And it makes me cranky. And it makes me cry.

So, I digressed there, didn't I? Anyways, when Sky is gone I basically live on chocolate, bagels and chips with melted cheese- and stay up till the wee hours of the morning because I cannot sleep with him gone. My strategy is to stay up till about 2 a.m. then pass out into a deep sleep.
So, it was a recipe for iron- pill- taking disaster. Now I'm cranky and tired. So, now back to my iron pill taking...while he was gone I was only taking one a day. It just helps somehow, as I reach for my 3rd diet coke...to see him lift an eyebrow at me, so I put it back and pour a glass of cranberry/water- which is more conducive for vitamin/iron taking-

They had a wonderful time, spent quality time with our heart friends and their kids...they met some new homeschool families, and went sledding. Meg and Josie saw their first snow-fall.
Sky was treated to lots of/and really good food, cooked up by his brother. Good times all around, the two littles did lots of fun stuff with me. Meg and Josie seemed taller and older to me when they returned for some reason.

good times all around. oh, and I got to rent chick-flicks. :)

Labels: anemia diaries, family

More skater shots...this looks way more skilled then it was in reality, yet it did stop my heart for a second there...

This was our second week of skater phys-ed, we went on a different day of the week..and our two boys (Demi-Sky and his cousin) had the skate park to themselves!












I know it is probably hard for those in other parts of the country to fathom, but it was 80 degrees here yesterday and today.

Yesterday I was inspired to clean off our front patio and wash the front windows. I think spring cleaning was in the air...





I haven't been able to attempt anything like that for a year or two now. I am really feeling much, much better now that the iron pills are kicking in and doing their thing, because, you know- red blood cells are good, blood volume is good, too- and so is oxygen being carried to all the cells in your body. Just a little thing, really.

I was amazed at the job I did on the porch and windows...but, irony abounds in Jen's world-didn't you know? I felt pumped with energy, but by the time I quit I was out of breath and wheezing from asthma. It's just a party with me lately. I had a case of hives Friday night and Saturday, too.

I'm kind of going with a plague theme here.

And I couldn't take any benadryl the first night, because I was alone with the kids and only had adult capsules...which with my low blood volume would have knocked me out. I finally scored some children's benadryl Saturday evening when I could no longer stand the itching. Hive-less is actually refreshing once you experience it again.

I think I have invented Barnes & Nobles -schooling. We went back tonight, after taking a weekend break...don't want attract too much notice, sinister mom-type that I am...
I've got a new technique with the homeschooling...go on into B & N, snag the low kid's table up in the children's area...do a few reading lessons with our Phonics Pathways book...then go and buy some hot chocolate for the littles and a mocha for me...then read aloud a few books that will fit into literature studies and history or social studies...write them down. Just mixing it up a little... (and the library doesn't serve mochas)

I sat with Amie and read "Goodnight Moon" to her. I can recite it, it was the book I cuddled my babies to right before bed, every night. I guess maybe the tradition was more sporadic with Amie, because she didn't really remember it. I read it to her tonight and misted over, being a mom is so sweet sometimes.

Finally, I have to tell you that Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Mini Pretzels are the bomb.
And, addicting.
Chocolate, carbohydrates and salt- it's the perfect food!
The only way to improve it would be to use dark chocolate.
I'm going to have to go back and get a second bag. Just saying.

Here's my wild child.

Don't ever change, sweetie.

Labels: anemia diaries, Jen's world

Well, I've been on iron pills for a few weeks now, I think it's almost 3 weeks. I'm taking 2 iron pills a day plus a prenatal vitamin that has iron. I went in for more lab tests a week after my Dr. visit, a week later because I got the flu or something, and then asthma. (the fun never stops around here).

I've also allowed myself to nap now when I get overpoweringly tired. I am feeling much better, and I've seen some improvement in my thinking abilities.
After the first week on iron pills I stopped asking Sky -4 or 5 times in a row if he had locked up the hens each night.

I think I am thinking better...and yet I have a fear that it is all somehow me, and that my scattered-ness will not ever go away..maybe I am just an airhead!

I was talking to Meg's violin teacher a week or two ago about this, because I had gone to the lesson 15 minutes late- thinking I was early!! (not unheard of in Jen's world) -and she mentioned that a few years ago she had been anemic and had taken iron pills...I came home really depressed, because as she was telling me this, I was searching my mind for a time when she was scattered, or forgot lessons or other things I do- and I couldn't come up with anything, and I've known her for many years.
I had this panicky feeling that maybe it's just me and not the anemia at all.

On the positive side,I have noticed that my lack of balance is gone, and this horrible sense of extreme dizzyness in the dark- that is gone. My Dr. also gave me a prescription for my Raynaud's syndrome...I'm not real sure how I feel about taking medication for it... I'm going to have to google the medication after I get it filled (and can actually read the name...of course I can't read what he wrote!).

My interest in educating my offspring had perked...I am thinking seriously about adding to our studies, looking around for workbooks and whatnot to round us out. This was not happening much of this year, I was having a hard time getting out of bed before 10...After our homeschool open house things degenerated into survival mode- mostly math, some language arts, and handwriting were the things I clung to and purposed to get done, anything else was hit and miss and icing on the cake.
Intestinal issues are still undecided...I'm trying to not take the softeners very often and eating dried apricots but that is not going well. My default ambiguity gets me into trouble much of the time...

well, after all this rambling about me... I will tell you,
- go get a physical moms, you really can't afford not to.

Labels: anemia diaries, Jen's world

I mentioned that I just discovered that I am really anemic. I always come up anemic, so I was prepared for that-it was the level of and the seriousness of that took me by surprise. It may explain many things, like why I am cold all the time (taking into account my circulation problem) and why I do things like this and this...and why I am always tired.

Wednesday found me on day 7 of taking 2 mulit-vitamins a day and fish oil capsules and day 4 of taking 2 iron pills a day. It also marked the beginnings of some rumblings in my tummy, which have marked the end of iron taking in past years....so, I reached for the gentle, natural senna laxative I keep on hand for my little one.

Thursday found me locked in the bathroom all morning and a good part of the evening.

As I sat/(crouched) crying and cursing iron, (while trying to decide which end to point at the toilet) Sky, my knight in shining armor busted in, baring not red roses (would so not have been appreciated at the moment) but a red bucket (be still, my beating heart!) thus ending my undignified crouching dilemma. Moments like that really bring home the meaning of unconditional love. Then he took himself to the drug store to find something to relieve me.
He called his Dr. Brother, who enlightened us on the difference between laxative and stool softener.

To sum up:

Laxative- Bad
stool softener-good

I swore off iron pills for the rest of the day, until the next day when Sky talked some sense back into me. This is way more than you really want to know, isn't it? Gotta write what I live, friends.

All that time spent, ahem, reflecting caused me to wax poetic in my ponderings (in between the crying). I give you, internets- 2 haikus:

Labels: anemia diaries, Jen's world