There are hearts breaking wide open all over the world tonight!!!

OK, I did mention in my post last week that Tim's girlfriend was rocking an engagement ring but I guess some people didn't pick up on that.  This week I got emails from a few people asking why I hadn't addressed Tim's upcoming doom.  I mean nuptials.  So I guess I'll dedicate todays post to it completely so there is no missing it.  Yes ladies, Tim is officially off the market.  Well at least engaged and from what we've seen of Tim on the show he seems like a pretty stand up guy and like one who takes commitment seriously.   If you go to the Freedom Farms website you can even find this article in which Tim discusses being engaged.  Find it HERE.  Someone also sent me this picture of Tim and his fiancee Maggie asking me what I knew about it.  Um....nothing more than you apparently.  I live in Illinois and no longer no anyone living in the state of PA so no connections whatsoever.  It is kind of funny that I get mail about this stuff though.  So indeed the article is true and Tim is engaged. 

Now before Maggie's sister, friends and family start leaving less than nice comments don't even bother.  This was sent to me & I'm just passing it along.  No idea where it originally came from nor do I really care.  I think it's great that Tim is happy so let's raise a glass and wish Tim and Maggie a long, loving life together filled with nothing but joy!

Come Hell or High Water.....water wins!

There is widespread and horrible flooding happening throughout the Midwest right now.  Here is a blurb from the front page of AOL news today.  And HERE are some pictures downtown in my hometown. 

We went from the awful drought last summer to this.  Farmers have standing water in the fields.  It's a crazy mess around here and it's not over yet.  There is more rain called for the next few days.  Peoria's dubbed the River City but at this point it might take over the city!!!  There is a little place about a half hour upriver that my parents like taking Princess Bear (PB) to go bird watching right along the river.  Normally there's enough of an embankment that PB can't actually get the sticks she throws into the river.  Friday it was easy peasy and yesterday the ducks were swimming near the picnic table we often sit at.  Here are some before and after pics.  The before pics were taken Friday afternoon around 4pm and the after pics were taken Sunday afternoon around 3pm.  It's gone up more since then and as I said it's not stopping anytime soon. 

Friday afternoon Sunday afternoon The staircase is covered and water was reaching the top of the wall and splashing over.


Friday afternoon Sunday afternoon (this is a head on shot instead of coming from the side. Where I had been standing Friday was under water). It's the same tree though.


Here is a shot of the picnic table PB likes to sit at. The ducks liked swimming near it!



Now one of the things that truly is great about living in the Midwest is that we aren't quite as jaded as other parts of the country and still take care of our own here.  Yesterday I was looking at things on Craig's list and people had already started listing free items for the flood victims.  I know that local churches and radio stations are also taking donations in.  Sometimes home is an ok place and the grass isn't always greener. 

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 2

Again the Farm Kings delivered.  The episodes main focus was Lisa helping out at the bakery and needing help filling a big order.  She tried calling most of the kids and no one could help.  Although being at the bakery is so not Tim's cup of tea he agreed to help when Lisa called him.  He really does the role of doting son very well.  The banter between him and Lisa was a blast to watch.  I love when he mentioned her lack of measuring cups.  If we're keeping track so far Bitty & Tim have pointed this out.  Lisa left Tim in charge of taking out the pies.  Ooops.  One had a close encounter with the floor.  Tim whipped up a new pie and again saved the day.  Lisa had a sparing match with Dan.  It's very apparent how much Dan likes spending time with his mom and really does turn to her for guidance. 

Dan was having trouble with the pigs in his brothers opinion at least.  They thought he wasn't paying proper attention to the pigs.  Then one of the pigs escaped from its enclosure.  Pete yelled for Dan who then started chasing the pig.  I loved it when they did the cut away with Pete and he said you could chase a pig all day.  It really did look like it might come to that. Pete then renovated some of the gates for the pig enclosure to help with the breeding program.  I really hope that the brothers were being a bit harsh because I think Dan really does like the opportunity to shine.  He did an awesome job with the Farm Store last season. 

Joe and Bitty went on a road trip to the mushroom capital.  Bitty has an adoration with mushrooms and Joe wanted to look into the business side of it.  It was nice seeing Joe so relaxed and laid back.  I wonder if they'll add that to the line up in the future. 

Lisa while looking for things to help out became very frustrated with Joe's tendency to hoard things.  I will admit that it looked like a big cluster f*&k.  So Lisa decided to take matters into her own hands.  She had an auction selling the stuff.  That is so something my grandmother would have done.  Joe and Bitty pulled in after their trip and the auction was in full swing.  It was king of interesting to watch Joe's reaction.  The best part of the song was before the auction though when the younger boys came in to help.  Lisa had previously tried calling them and they didn't answer.  So when they came strolling in she let them know in no uncertain terms she wasn't happy.  She let them know that when momma calls they better pick up or it was the end of their cell phones.  I loved it.  I hope I'm a strong mom like that. 

Now for my only bummer of the show.  I noticed it in this pic of Tim and then was reminded in this episode.  Take a peek at this pic and tell me what seems off. 



Dude!!!  What is up with the can in the back pocket??!!!?? C'mon Tim you're a smart guy so why are you trying to kill yourself?  Have you checked out any of the stats on chew/ snuff lately?  I know that you and your brothers are trying to farm in a healthier way that benefits the earth and consequently you so what are you doing?  Here are a few things for you to check out in case you have looked into this information lately. 

Some basic stats can be found HERE.  A truly heartbreaking story of a young man that died from oral cancer at the age of 19 can be found HERE.  OK, I know I'm on the soap box with this one but cancer is really scary shit.  It takes one, just one, cell going rogue and the rest of your life changes.  This is something you can actually have some control over.  I won't deny that any addictive substance is tough to get over but you have a long life in front of you so don't play Russian roulette with it.  There is truly nothing worse than watching someone you love deal with cancer.  Waiting for lab tests to come back.  Are you in celebration mode or warrior mode.  What's next?  It sucks and it's scary.  So if you have a hard time then look to your family and fiancee for help.  I'm sure you want kids and you want to see them grow up so please try to kick this bad habit.  OK, I promise I'm done. 

Things You Should Know Today

OK- it seems to work better as an AOL headline but I'm giving it a try.  As far as things going on in the country this week there is A LOT!!!!!!!!  I'm not even going to address the Boston Tragedy again (yet). 

First up- Several gun-related amendments including the Toomey-Manchin proposal were shot down in Senate.  Many of the measures were near and dear to Obama's heart.  This is really great news.  As Rand Paul mentioned in this 13 hour filibuster any rights we give up now we can't count on getting them back.  If this amendments that are a complete violation of the 2nd amendment had passed the country would have been sliding towards its decline even faster than we are now which is a really scary prospect.  Of course good old Harry Reid is saying that shelving this is just a temporary thing.  Read more about it HERE.    Perhaps instead of implementing even more laws and violating the rights written out in the Constitution the federal government should try enforcing the laws that are already in place.  As Ted Cruz so kindly pointed out yesterday there were 48,000 felons and fugitives who tried to illegally purchase firearms, the Justice Department prosecuted just 44 of them in one year.  Let me just throw that out there for you again.  48,000 people who have already lost the right to legally purchase firearms tried to do so.  Only 44 of them were prosecuted.  Hmmmm, maybe we should go after them?  Just something to think about before making even more laws.  Oh, the only thing I will say about the Boston tragedy for now is why is it that when the tragedy happened Monday the people of the country, and rightfully so, wanted to know who was responsible.  There were idiots like Chris Matthews trying to say it was a right winger but even that is trying to put the blame somewhere.  Why am I pointing this out?  The country wanted to know who is responsible, where to put the blame and make them pay for it.   The important thing is they are blaming THE PERSON responsible for the act.  Not the equipment that caused the act (ie the bomb).  When the Sandyhook tragedy happened the instant and ongoing reaction is to get rid of the guns.  Why is that?  Adam Lanza was mentally ill.  He killed those children.  Those guns didn't break into the school and start shooting themselves.  While his mother had every right in the world to own those guns she made a very critical error.  An error that she and many others paid the ultimate price for.  She should have taken it upon herself to know that her son was not  mentally competent enough to have access to guns and should have taken the proper precautions.  She didn't and that was the problem in and of itself.  Not the type of gun or how many bullets it held.   Of course Obama had to have a temper tantrum and go off when things didn't go his way.  Read about it HERE.


Next up the Human Gene Patent case was put before the Supreme Court this Monday.  This is important for many things and several different industries.  You can read about it HERE.  I'm not going to pretend that I understand it but I will say that depending on how it goes will directly affect the bio tech industries and the future of medical research.  DNA is still a field that is has so much to be discovered.  I remember a few years ago we had to go back to the geneticist for Princess Bear (PB).  We'd initially seen here when PB was 18 months or 2 years old.  At the time there was not a diagnosis for what she had.  A few years later things had changed.  They had discovered where in the DNA makeup that craniosynostosis occurred.  The testing for it was only done one lab in the world.  It was in England.  So we had PB's blood drawn in Chicago and it was sent across the pond.   About a month later we had results.  Why am I mentioning this?  It's a wide open field that changes constantly.

Now for some bummer news CIPSA has passed the House this week.  Next it goes to the Senate and then to Obama to sign if all is passed.  As if the federal government had any qualms about "spying" on citizens this just opens things up for them a bit more.  Just as the Patriot Act needs to be revoked this shouldn't have passed.  You can read up on the finer points HERE. 

Last but not least media of other countries will point out what an "ineffectual, invisible, the weakest president in history" that Obama is.  You can read the article in response to an article appearing in a British paper HERE. 


OK, off the current events/political update soapbox for now.  I'm sure tomorrow will be a Farm Kings recap if today wasn't your cup of tea.  Until then have a good one!

Sarah

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 1

Ok on a much lighter note....FARM KINGS!!! As I mentioned yesterday illness has taken over our house. Princess Bear (PB) has been ill since last week. She was home sick from school on Thursday and completely delighted that GAC was featuring a Farm Kings marathon. I had to babysit my nephews so Grandma stayed with PB and was introduced to the Farm Kings. Only my daughter could get away with that!




It was finally time for the new episode and it delivered. It delved right into what the show is about. Farming and family and it stayed true to it. It was nice to see them show how the cold weather took its toll. It does grate after awhile. It seems like after the holidays there is very little redeeming quality to winter. I would have loved to know more about how Tim figured out his seed supply. It was really cool to see Pete's woodwork and see his word shop. It also showed the Shop at New Kent has been renamed the Freedom Farms Cafe & Carryout. Initially a good deal of time was spent showing Bitty and how things were going at the Cafe. Now I really don't know how much they did for the sake of adding drama to the show but it definitely looked like Bitty was overwhelmed and not liking it. More on this in a minute. It also showed that Dan at gotten an "outside" job for the season. He was working construction and really enjoying himself. More on that in a minute also. And just because Joe dreams/plans big a lot of time was spent on the plans he had for expansion. I admire his tenacity but it definitely has the ability to drive his family to the brink. Then again the fact that Tim & Pete are the ones trying to rein him in and get the finer details worked out are what makes Freedom Farms work and hopefully continue to prosper.



The Cafe is Bitty's domain and a bit out from Freedom Farms. I can see how she could feel like a one man island there. She was working a ton of hours and trying to make it a success. It seems like everyone comes to her for everything. I mean everything. The idea of labels to heat the Tomato basil pies was a great idea but c'mon how hard is it to remember something like that? So Bitty finally came to the point that she needed another King at the Cafe and wanted Dan to come work with her. She talked to Joe about it and he gave her the go ahead. Now the $64,000 question is who is Jillian?



Dan had been working with a local contraction company. He seemed like he really was enjoying himself. Perhaps even better than that is the fact that the people who owned the company as well as his coworkers really liked Dan and loved his work ethic. If nothing else it gave Dan a chance to receive some accolades that it seems as though he doesn't get from his family often.



It was a bit heartbreaking when Bitty went to talk to Dan about coming to work with her. It was heartbreaking because you could just tell how tired and stretched thin that Bitty was. It was also heartbreaking because you could tell that Dan was really enjoying himself and what a struggle it was to decide what to do about his work situation. The pull of family is strong for the Kings and ultimately it won out.



On to Dan working at the Cafe. On his first day there some sort of water leak takes place. Evidently there are often issues in the building which is leading to a fair about of distress and anger since the landlords seem to be MIA. Dan who admits from the start that he's not a plumber tries to fix the problem as Joe comes in wanting to know what Dan did. Maybe it was just me but it kind of rubbed the wrong way. It really does seem like Dan is a bit of a black sheep. Then again that could just be the wonders of editing. There was also a meeting? A confrontation? with the building landlords. While I can completely relate to Joe being fed up by the lack of maintenance and basic courtesy from the building landlords he again didn't come off looking his best. While I can understand that he feels like he's running out of options I don't know if the best thing for a struggling business is to move locations. So I'm not sure if threatening to move was the best move. Hopefully the landlords drop some money into the place and make amends.



So all in all I've got to say that the episode was well worth the wait. It also gave a good look at what the season was going to cover which was nice. The end of the show with the boys shooting was great. Although I thought Tim was supposed to be the best shot in the family. It looked like they were having fun so that is what counts.



Now on to what seems to be on the mind of Tim's many fans. Well ladies it looks like we'll all be admiring from afar with hopes of nothing more. Maggie is rockin' a ring and planning a wedding. Since this is what Tim wants and his family seems good with it I say we wish them the very best. I suspect the wedding will be a down home kind of thing. You know rustic country kind of thing. Lots of burlap and lace. We'll just have to stay tuned!!!

Boston Bombing Tragedy

 

Everyone here has been sick so I haven't posted this week (including on the Farm Kings) but as a dear friend says blogging is cheaper than therapy and after watching some of todays events unfold I need to process. So, here I am processing away. As I mentioned everyone here is sick so Princess Bear (PB) was home from school. I was watching the Disney channel with her but went to check something on NBC and saw the news report about the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I sent PB into the other room to listen to some music and dance (her favorite past time). I was horrified to see that once again suspicious bombings happened in Boston. In our country. WTF???!!!??? My mind immediately went to it being a terrorist acts. I posted on Facebook so friends & family could watch the news if they wanted and then called my family since I knew they hadn't heard about it. After that PB came into the room and I tried getting her out of the room so I could continue to watch the news. She picked up on the fact that something big had happened and asked what was going on.

 As a parent its so difficult to try to decide how you're going to address things like this. After the Newtown CT massacre I was vigilant about not having the TV or radio on when PB was around. I also talked to her teacher before school to see how they were addressing it that following Monday. I don't know what made me decide to let PB know what was going on but I did. I asked her if she remember what happened on September 11th and she said yes. I told her that something similar happened at a very important race in Boston. She immediately asked if Uncle Larry was OK (my bil is a running fanatic and does races most weekends). Then she asked where Boston was. I assured her that her Uncle was just fine and then we talked about were Boston was. I told her that if she was going to watch the news coverage with me that she had to promise to close her eyes and plug her ears whenever I said. She agreed. She had many questions. Honestly I'm not sure why I let her watch this but it seems to have been an alright decision. My parents came home awhile later and she told them that there was a bombing and then tried watching the newscast by herself. Um, no. And that was the end of it.  I was talking to my parents and we were pondering whether or not it was a terrorist act. We all pretty much thought it was but couldn't understand how it happened with the security that surrounds an event like this it happened.

A bit later I got a text from Fr. Driscoll. He's a very dear family friend that is a long distance runner. He said that around four hours into a marathon you'd have a lot of people around the finish line. About that time I sat down with my laptop and started looking at the news reports coming in. There was news that a suspect had been arrested and it was a Saudi National. At that point my feelings went from being so sad for the country to being very pissed off. Perhaps this isn't a very rational emotion but its where I was (and am still) at. How in the name of G-d, literally, do people do something as sick and depraved????? Also how can they really think that they are fulfilling G-ds or Allah's or whatever other god they pray to, will? I'm not an expert on religion by any degree but I'm very familiar with many religions. I was raised in a bi-religious household with a lot of exposure to both religions. Growing up the vast majority of my friends were interested in Wicca. I've taken a few comparative religion classes and have friends of many faiths. I've never ever seen a religion that called for the death of others.  Unfortunately, there are extremist that have put there own translation on things and have become proponents of hate. Even more unfortunate is the fact that I find it so hard to remind myself that most who follow Islam don't feel the way the extremists do. I think its horrible when people are persecuted for their faith. One of the things I find most incomprehensible is Antisemitism. Such a broad hate makes no sense to me. So please tell me what I'm having a hard time not clumping all Islamic followers together? I'm so sick of groups being against us (the US) for the very things that make us a country that people still long to come to. For befriending and making Israel an ally (although we're not doing a great job on that front but that's a different post). You want to have your 40 virgins? Good on you but don't do it on US soil or to US citizens. I get that everyone has the right to believe what they want but not at the cost of hurting others.

I guess that is my biggest problem here. The callus disregard for life. My parents had a basic rule for me growing up. I could do whatever I wanted as long as it wasn't going to hurt me or anyone else. It was a guideline that worked well. I might not have made great decisions all the time but no one was harmed by the decisions I made. There are also a few other things about todays tragedy that really bother me. Things like the fact that there are already theories on why this happened and where it did. Such as the fact that Newtown families were honored at the 26 mile marker. The fact that it was instantly posted that the White House and Obama were closely monitoring the situation. This went down very quickly compared to Benghazi but they're right on it. Again another post. The fact that it seems like at least 3 other devices did not go off. The fact that there was a fire at the JFK library.

Although I'll hold posts on those topics I will say that this madness MUST stop. It was a terrorist act and the government must respond properly. No more bowing down or apologizing. Hell no. It's time to kick some ass. Don't like us? Don't like our friends? OK. You're entitled. You're an idiot but you're even entitled to that. Want to hurt someone? Nope. No dice. Grab your ankles and sing along because now its time to pay the piper. So I'm going to wrap this up by sending out prayers to those personally touched by this in Boston.

Farm Kings Season 2

Who's ready for Season 2 of America's hottest farmers? I know we certainly are! Princess Bear (PB)has been keeping a countdown for around 2 weeks. GAC hasn't posted any new photos on their website to date. Freedom Farms has been doing a great job on Facebook and Twitter though, thankfully! It looks like the King family has at least started going all out into the hog business. I wonder if there will be another episode with Joel Salatin this year? I hope so! I also wonder if season 1 is going to be released on DVD. PB regularly watches those episodes and threatens life and limb when anyone suggests deleting them to make more room on the DVR. Here's to an outstanding Season 2!!!

My little girl is growing up way too fast

Princess Bear (PB) returned to school today.  It was a very nice spring break and I hope she had a lot of fun.  This weekend was so beautiful out and we took full advantage of it.  On Saturday we went to the zoo which is always a guaranteed hit.  The cherry on top was that it was Princess & Pirate Day.  The girls were all given bead necklaces entering the zoo if they were dressed like a princess.   My parents have a grandparent's membership so we were able to forgo waiting in line and get right down to having fun.  I think the most exciting part for her was the face painting.  I guess an advantage of going with the grandparents because I don't think I'd pay $12 for face painting.  She loved it though.   There was also a station to make and decorate a tiara or eye patch.  Another to walk the plank and a digging for treasure spot.  After spending a couple of hours at the zoo we then ran from one end of town to the other and back.  OK, not really but that's what it felt like.  The last stop was to visit Mary Jean (she was our neighbor and like a great grandmother to PB).  She had been in the hospital with a pretty severe infection resulting from surgery to fix a broken hip.  My mom works at the hospital she was admitted to and came home that day saying how bad Mary looked.  It really scared my mom and therefore the rest of us.  Mary has been such a big part of our lives for so long.  Thankfully she is recovering and was released to her nursing home into the infirmary.  She still isn't quite herself but she's up, talking and eating so I'm hoping soon this will be just a faded memory.  Then we had a family dinner of many of PB's favorite foods.  I swear the child could eat her body weight in asparagus! 

Sunday I let her sleep in since that is such a rarity.  She had Sunday school and we went to 11am mass with my friend Susie and her kids.  All in all the kids behaved pretty well.   Susie's kids have always been so wonderfully accepting of PB and it's so nice for her social circle to expand a bit!  Unfortunately after we got home from church we had a bit of a blip in the happy radar.  My parents were having an all out fight.  I have no idea what happened but we walked into a mess.  My parents realized how much they were upsetting PB and decided to calm down and spend some grandparent time with her.  They went to DQ to get blizzards and then headed to their favorite bird watching spot about a 1/2 hour upriver from here.  Then they took her shopping.  The child is growing like a weed and is now 5'1".  She came home with new clothes, shoes and pj's.

 PB until 2 years ago has always LOVED school.  Not just liked it but really loved it.   Not so much the last 2 years.  She was not looking forward to going back today.  It really breaks my heart.  Thankfully getting her up this morning was no problem whatsoever.  What a huge blessing in and of itself!  I walked into the kitchen a few minutes after she woke up and she had grabbed some granola & milk and was happily watching the Disney channel while eating breakfast.  The only glitch this morning was that she wanted to wear the tiara she made at the zoo.  She finally settled for wearing her pink cowboy boots.  It was quite the look.  Khaki uniform skort, red polo & pink boots.  Some things just aren't worth the hassle.  It made her happy so I decided to just go with it. 

I picked her up a bit early from school because she had her first speech session with Sue.  Sue has been doing PB's cookie swallow tests since she was 3 weeks old.  We'd tried getting PB into Sue for speech therapy before but they were too backlogged.  Sue is retiring in August and she finally has a free enough schedule to see PB once a week.  Sue is so incredibly good at what she does and so patient with kids.  I'm beyond thrilled that she has room in her schedule to see PB.  It was a really great first session and she sent us home with some exercises.  I'm really hoping that this is a positive thing for PB. 

Now as I sit here and type PB is yawning (at 7:55pm!!!) and watching dancing with the Stars.  She is anxiously waiting for Zendaya to dance and then it will be off to bed for her.  I'm so proud of the girl she's becoming.  This week is a field trip for her to visit the middle school that she will be going to next year.  Where has the time gone?  What happened to the little girl that started going to TJ at 3 years old?  It's a struggle to watch her when the sands of time are flying by and she is growing and maturing at a speed that I can't comprehend at times.  Sometimes I crave for her to be the little girl who was completely happy sitting in mommy's lap reading and cuddling.  I guess I'll just be happy to watch her grow and mature and be glad when she still wants to hold my hand- when it fits her mood. 

A monkey wrench in things

Things have been a bit crazy here  but I really  hope they are on there way to calming down.  A few months ago I had an appointment with the physicians assistant who is just awesome.  She really listens.  I know the regular Dr. tries but with so many rules they have to follow and working in such limited time it is really tough.  So I looked at LeeAnn (the PA) and said that I was so tired of feeling sick and tired.  She said she was going to run some blood tests to check thyroid levels.  I told her that those have been run before and they always came back normal.  She said she was ordering some additional tests and dig a bit deeper.  Hence the reason that I think she's awesome.  So down to the lab I went with Princess Bear (PB) tagging along.  She saw them line up many vials for the blood draw and was glad that it was my turn to be stuck.  In addition to regular thyroid they also checked thyroid antibodies, lupus and a few other random tests.  As always the regular thyroid tests came back normal.  The low end of normal but normal.  The lupus was negative- thank G-d!  The thyroid antibodies on the other hand were anything but normal.  The number for the antibody is supposed to be no greater than 35.  Mine was 766.  Since I'm used to doing a fair amount of research for PB's different needs I took to the internet to check things out.  My Dr. really hates when I do that.  Ooops!  I was completely right in my diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease though.  The Dr. sent me to an endocrinologist right away since he wasn't sure how to treat this with some numbers being fine and others being so completely out of control.  The endocrinologist said that it was a bit unusual but still decided that since the antibodies were so high that it was a good idea to start treatment.  So now there is no one in my family that has a correctly working thyroid.  Such much for me being the last hold out.  I'm still the only one with not a single  cavity and I'm holding onto that one dang it! lol   So, I was started on meds to help with the thyroid.  I haven't noticed a huge difference yet but even a bit of change has helped. 

I took PB to the Dr. last friday because she's been complaining that her legs hurt.  She was complaining a lot.  My mom thought she was faking it to get out of doing her chores.  I still wanted it checked out.  This isn't the first time that she has been known to complain about joint pain.  The Dr. moved all her joints in various ways.  The last time she was in for joint pain her knees were the problem.  While the Dr. was checking her joints this time both her knees popped with very little movement.  The Dr. said it was time to finally give this an official diagnosis.  I think he'd been trying to hold off until he was completely sure.  He said that PB has something called Hypermobility Syndrome.  He's got a referral in for a local rheumatologist.  This is upsetting on so many levels.  First and foremost because its something else that PB needs to deal with.  It seems like for all the gains she makes there are always more steps backwards.  Also PB is a very, very, very active kid that needs a lot of movement just to help with her sensory issues.  This Hypermobility Syndrome can really limit what she is able to do without hurting herself.  Her activities were already limited because of the fact that she can't control her body temperature.  One of her favorite activities is yoga.  If the Dr. says she can continue with yoga I'm going to have to watch her very carefully to make sure she doesn't hurt, pull, tear or break anything. 

Now for the good news. Horseback riding therapy starts today.  PB is thrilled beyond words.  Her spring break has been a bit low key because my parents were home sick and we were playing nurse for them.  She did convince me to give her a gel polish mani yesterday.  Today she got her outfit for riding already.  Everything is set up down to the pink riding boots.  She then spent the morning watching Season 1 episodes of the Farm Kings and waiting for it to warm up enough to go outside to play.  So despite everything she faces she is still a happy little girl.  It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Why I'll never be a nurse

I started taking the pre-req classes to enter a nursing program when Princess Bear (PB) was a wee one.  The hours and pay seemed like a nice fit for a single mom.  There were just a few problems with this plan.  The first is that I really don't like the sight of blood.  Then there is the fact that my patience has a tendency to wear very thin after dealing with sick people for awhile.  PB and I have been playing nurses for my parents who have been sick.  I can handle making numerous mugs of tea.  Hell, I'll join in!  I can make chicken soup with the best of them.  It's the whiny part that inevitably comes along with taking care of a sick person that really grates on my nerves.  I'm praying that PB doesn't come down with whatever this is since I really am out of patience. 

Yeah, I know I'm sounding very whiny myself.  Better to vent here than go off on someone in the house, right?   On that note I'm going to go make one last round of tea, switch laundry and curl up with a book.  Hopefully I'll crash soon!  Tomorrow I'm opening the house up wide and airing out the germs!  Have a good one!