So today I have an expert guest post weighing in to give us tips on how to handle your pain while traveling this summer.

A lot of Americans suffer from chronic pain, and if you go through the same, handling everyday tasks can also become very difficult. On top of that, if you have to travel, pain can be hard to handle. In this article, we help you plan and take the right precautions so that you can handle pain while traveling. 

Before the Trip:

Here’s what you need to do before you start the trip.

Speak to a physical therapy team 

The first and most important thing you need to do before you start the journey is to speak to a physical therapist. If you have someone who is treating your chronic pain, you need to see them as they will have a deep understanding of the conditions in the body. You must communicate with the care team before you travel and explain your chronic pain to them. Share details about the trip duration and all the ways you expect to travel. They can create a plan to reduce the pain and enhance your comfort based on travel activities. 

Take time to focus and pack well 

When you have adequate packing time, it will help reduce stress before, during, and after the trip since it gives you the confidence that you have all you need to manage the pain. The moment you start packing, you need to place all the pain management must-haves in the carry-on. Carry a detailed printout of your exercise program for the entire duration of the trip. If there are any prescriptions or pain medicine, you need to fill them in advance and carry enough for the time of your trip. Do remember to pack the pain relievers and medications in the carry-on and have a record of the condition with you at all times. Pack disposable heating and cooling pads with you. Once you land, you can find a compounding pharmacist near your accommodation, but if you need something on the flight, you will have to carry it with you.

Buy your tickets in advance 

The sooner you can book the travel, the better opportunity to select a seat that is most comfortable for you. If you can afford it, buy a first-class or business-class ticket and always choose a seat that allows extra space. Choosing an aisle seat will allow you to get up and stretch easily during the trip, and you will also have more breathing room while seated. 

Ship luggage and all the other bulky items to the destination

When you are already suffering from chronic pain, you do not want to carry a lot of luggage with you. You can find companies that can handle your luggage and deliver it directly to the hotel or at any other location. If you can afford it, this service is a game changer. All you have to remember is not to ship the necessities for comfort and keep all the pain management essentials with you. 

During the flight:

Here’s what you should do once you are at the airport and ready to fly.

Skip the security lines 

A major concern for a lot of chronic pain patients is standing still and then walking. It is natural for you to be worried about how you will manage the long lines at the airport. This is why you should consider getting a TSA PreCheck since it will fasten the security screening process at the airport. You could also qualify for medical assistance or ask for a wheelchair and guide. Most airports provide assistance, but you must check with the airline you are flying with and then speak to the airport officials to confirm the same. Give at least 48 hours’ notice and ensure that assistance is arranged for the airport entries as well as the exits. 

Waiting for the flight

After you have gone through the security, reach your gate early. When possible, move around and keep up good circulation since it will not be as easy once you get on the plane. Inform the gate attendant that you would like medical assistance even on the plane.  

Make the most of airline services

You need to take advantage of what the airlines have to offer. It could be boarding before everyone else or asking for better legroom. Even if you do not need a wheelchair, you can use the accommodation. A lot of chronic pain is not visible to others, but you can self-identify as someone who requires this service. Another tip is to check out if the airline or credit cards give access to the airport lounges. It can be a spacious place for you to relax in comfort before you take off. Many airports also have massage stations and airport spas for you to use. 

Ground travel:

Once you land at your destination, it is time to get into the bus or car to head to your final stop.

Every stop is a rest stop  

If you travel for long periods of time without stops, it could make the pain worse. It is very true for older adults and the ones with chronic neck and back pain. You need to use the rest stops to your advantage. This is a good chance to treat yourself or take a brief walk and get the circulation moving. 

Rent a car 

Choose to rent a private cab whenever possible. It will give you enough space, and look for a vehicle that comes with automatic opening doors. Not a lot of companies will offer this, but if you search well, you will find the right company to work with. 

Accommodation 

Choose to stay in a hotel that has a quality mattress to ensure comfortable sleep and proper body rest. If you are staying in a hostel, you need to ask for a lower bunk bed so that you do not need to climb a ladder.

More than anything, look after yourself with good daily habits like staying hydrated, stretching regularly, and getting enough sleep. Do not let pain stop you from exploring the world, and look for a physical therapist who goes out of their way to ensure that you have a comfortable and memorable trip. 

For more tips on managing pain:

Top Back Pain Tip from the Arthritis Lady

Why Holistic Health is Life Changing

The post How to Manage Pain When Traveling appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Mom and me at Kansas City International Airport

Last week Mom and I had to take an unexpected trip to Kansas. My aunt was in the hospital, in ICU. Mom and I were worried, so we trekked on out there.

I’m the arthritis lady that has to take a special trip to the doctor’s office so I can make it through an airplane and car trip. I have to schedule walks down the airplane aisle to keep my legs from going crippled.

Good news: My aunt DID get moved out of ICU, and we got to visit with her. Even in hard times, Aunt Linda’s sharp wit can save a dire situation. She’s funny when she tries to be. She’s even funny when she’s not trying to be. I hope I have that much grace when I’m in a situation like that.

Bad news: She has a long recovery ahead and will be in the hospital for a while yet, and she’s only in her 50s. Hospital stays are miserable.

Other good news: I got to see my cousin Amber, who I grew up playing with, so this was a big deal.

Mom, me, and Amber, taking a lunch break at Panera.

Other bad news: Amber’s back is maybe even more messed up than mine is. We have this family arthritis problem. We could have done without that part of the inheritance, Granny…

So Amber and I were both popping NSAIDs and muscle relaxers and spraying each other with BioFreeze. And by the way, we are still young. We are trying not to think about how much worse this could get!

Nothing was working too well. In fact, as annoying as it is, do you know what seems to help me the most??

Physical therapy exercises. I started them in 2010 when my chiropractor assigned me strengthening and stretching exercises, and I was hurting so much that I actually did them out of pure desperation.

I did them faithfully until I started feeling better. Ever since, I’ve had the hardest time getting back in the habit. I need my own personal physical therapist in my living room.

So I found this YouTube channel that is PERFECT. Actually, it’s more than a YouTube channel. It’s a whole website. I wrote all about it over at Monterey Premier. Check it out here.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   –Jesus, in John 16:33

The post Top Back Pain Tip from the Arthritis Lady appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Learning how to suffer well looks like the theme of my life lately. 

Have you ever been through something hard that you knew could not be walked around? Life is a muddy puddle for me right now, but there’s no way around it. It must be walked through.

Do you know what I mean? We all have our things that we go through.

My chosen theme for 2016 was to fix my SI/hip/back/leg pain.

That’s the goal. Instead, 2016 has been the most painful year I’ve had in a long time. I’ve pulled out of this before though, so that encourages me that perhaps I can overcome it again.

At least none of my ribs have popped out of joint this time, ha!

My body is becoming a huge obstacle to me. It is stiff and painful and worst of all, it is incapable, and I hate that. Don’t you hate it when people call you “weak’?

Who wants to be weak? Not me.

I want to shout, “No! I’m not weak. I’m raising four little boys. I’ve sent a husband away to war for a year straight each time. I am not weak! I’m TOUGH!”

But my body disagrees. My body is sad. I’ve taken to going to the gym this week to walk in the evenings.

Thoughts in my head at the gym:

“Geesh, why is my heart rate so high? Oh, I should be taking my medicine right now. Ugh.  I’ll be okay for just a 20 minute walk. I’ll take my medicine when I get home. Why am I like 90 years old??

Oh my goodness! The girl next to me is running on speed 7.2, and her heart rate is only 120!!

What’s mine? Oh, 180. Let me slow it down to 3.1 for speed. 180 just sounds bad. I wonder if it is. I wish I had gone to medical school. I wonder if I look like a pathetic, frail old lady to her (girl running).”

I’ve had sacroiliitis pain for years, but now there are all these new pains to go along with it. Plus, I want to hurry up and get it all seen about, but insurance is taking forever.

I’m kind of nervous when I get out of bed in the morning. I have thoughts like this:

“Will it be a fever day? (Yes, yes it was.) What is it about fevers that knock you down and render you useless?

Where will the pain will be today?

I have got to act at least normal enough that the kids don’t get behind in school.

I’m afraid that no one will ever be able to fix this. I said I wanted to put Humpty back together again, but the thing is that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty back together again.”

I want to have more empowering thoughts.

I want to learn how to be the kind of sufferer that doesn’t tell others about the pain, but if they don’t know, how will they ever be able to give me the grace that I need?

So there must be some sort of balance. Lay down the pride enough to ask for help. I had to do that today, at the park, when I couldn’t get my body to cooperate with pulling JD out of his baby swing.

But I do not want to become so consumed with my own pain that I can’t do anyone else any good. That scares me.

And you know where we should go when we’re scared? On our knees, on our knees in prayer for help. The Lord is still in heaven, and He knows exactly what we’re going through.

Here are a few verses that have given me comfort on my quest to suffer well:

“I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply, I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.”    Psalm 38:14-17

“If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me your consolations delight my soul.”  Psalm 94:18-19

But you know what the thing is? If you want to hear God’s consolations delighting your soul, you have to be quiet and listen to Him.

If you never listen for His voice, no, you probably won’t ever hear it.

So I’m making time to listen. I am getting low, real super low, down close to the ground. I’m carrying my troubles to Jesus because while doctors have failed me before, the Lord never has.

I encourage you all to try it too. Get low and get quiet. No electronics. No t.v. Just you on the floor, hiding from your children if necessary. You, on the floor, listening for the voice of the one who made you.

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.”  Micah 7:8

Editorial update:

I wrote this during a hard time. Things did eventually get so much better. I sit here seven years after writing this, not dealing with chronic pain at all anymore. How? Well, while the doctors I turned to mostly could not help me or find anything wrong with me, I found one who did.

I saw a cardiologist who told me to try life without gluten. This would never have occurred to me. I wrote about that here.  It was life changing. That will NOT work for everybody, but if you happen to have no idea that you have celiac, it will help you.

So my advice is to specifically ask for a blood test for celiac if you deal with random pain problems like I did with no clear explanation. Once you go gluten free, they cannot detect it, so get the blood test first if you can.

If you do not have access to good health care, as is surprisingly common, just try going gluten free and see if you feel better. You might be amazed.

My prayer for you is that these clouds will pass for you soon, and you will no longer have to worry about how to suffer well at all. 

For more on this topic, see these posts:

You can have the gluten, but you’ll never get the chocolate

Trusting God When Your Problems Just Won’t Go Away

The post Learning to Suffer Well, or at Least Find the Balance appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Ah youth. Where did you go, youth??

My Battle with Chronic Pain Part III: The Pain Returns

It reminds me of that song: “The cat came back the very next day; it just couldn’t stay away.”

Life was going well, and I was on cloud NINE, being finished with my very first year of home schooling! Wahoo! Summer! I made big plans.

But why wouldn’t I? I was young and healthy. I should be able to handle a cross-country flight and a few short road trips. Right? And don’t give me the, “You just need to be more active,” talk because I was being active. The problem was all the sitting and riding!

It started with the plane, it worsened with each car trip, and I took several.

When I first arrived in Florida, Alan called me from home, “I made you a doctor’s appointment.”

“Why?” I asked. I hate doctor’s appointments, and I had been doing so well.

“For your back!”

“My back is better. I’m good, Alan, I don’t need a doctor.”

“Ehhh, I think you do. Let’s keep the appointment, and you’ll probably be glad you have it by the time you get home.”

Heh? Did my husband just do a little soothsaying? Was he saying that he knew I’d be back to hurting by the time I got home?

I shrugged it off. I enjoyed my vacation. He joined us. We took even more car trips in the South.

fun in the sun

And Alan was right. I was happy to go to the doctor by the time I got home. What is it with airplane and car rides??? I don’t think this is normal.

The doc was a super friendly chap. He offered me a shot for my shoulders to loosen them up. I declined. I’ll never forget seeing my mom get a shot for a similar shoulder problem. It hurt much worse before it felt better. No thanks. My shoulders are more stiff than they are painful, so I’m not that desperate yet.

The Physical Therapy Phase

He sent me to physical therapy for my hip.

I tend to lean towards my left when I sit to keep the pressure off my bad hip. That hip hurts bad when it flares up.

“Why are you sitting like that?” the physical therapist, Ryan, asked me.

I’m so dumb. I went straight into defensive mode instead of patient-being-helped-by-a-doctor mode.

“What? Like how?” I asked trying to straighten my posture.

“All cocked to one side.”
“I don’t know.” Yes, yes I do know. Why didn’t I just admit my hip hurt? That’s what I was there for, geesh.

Doctors are always asking me questions that are probably super obvious, but I haven’t thought about it. So two days later, bam! I always figure out the answer to their questions. And that is why I am so thankful for physical therapy.

Yes, they made me do stretches, exercises, taught me how to squat properly, etc., etc. But the biggest thing was that I finally began to learn what I had begun to truly want to know:  What is wrong with me????

Ryan would work on an area, and I noticed that he knew the exact name for every single thing he worked on.

“That hurts bad. What is that?” I’d ask him.

“That’s a muscle.”

“What muscle is it?”
“That’s your tensor fasciae latae muscle. It’s a compensatory muscle.”

I learned that the tensor fasciae latae, and several other muscles become inflamed when the more essential core muscles are weak, but I also learned that those muscles tighten down when they are protecting something that’s injured underneath.

“Yow! What is that?” I have more angry muscles, tendons, and bursa than I had ever realized.

“That’s your iliotibial band. You’d be better off if I don’t work on that. You need to roll it at home with a rolling pin.”

He was right. He did work on it right before Christmas break, and every where he touched it there were little bitty bruises for a couple of weeks.

Physical therapy was fantastic. My favorite part, besides just being so happy to get out of my house, was the ice therapy at the end. They laid ice over my achy shoulder muscles and that evil iliotibial band, which is a tendon that runs down the right side of the thigh.

I was able to learn so much from my physical therapist because he was actually able to see me enough times to know the real deal about what was going on. The doctors, on the other hand, only have that one visit to go off, in which I answer all their questions wrong but realize what I should have said days later.

And then I finally had a lumbar MRI and a shoulder MRI. The verdict was in: not a single thing wrong with my spine. Ryan was right.

And the shoulder: tendonitis and torn muscles.

I asked to see a rheumatologist. I did this because I had done some research and came across a disease that sounded so much like me. Yep. I’m guilty. Self-diagnosis.

Enter the Rheumatology Phase

Now you want to talk about life-changing self-evaluation questions. My rheumatologist asks questions that I simply go blank on.

“How long does it hurt in the morning?”

Ummmm I never thought about it that way. Some days it does not ever go away. Some days I don’t hurt at all..

So I said, “I don’t know. Once I get going, I’m okay.”

I hated not knowing, and why have I never noticed? Then he asked me which is worse, morning or night?

I have no idea!

So I’m making a chart. It’s enlightening. Every day really is different.

So let me tell you what I think I might have (but of course I’m not a rheumatologist):

Psoriatic Arthritis: This disease is hallmarked by joint inflammation, which I have yet to be able to prove, except for tendonitis. Tendonitis is also part of PsA, though. So is nail psoriasis. You can read more about it here. (rheumatology.org link)

Was I right? We still aren’t sure, but we’re working on figuring it out. I could be dead wrong.

In fact, I had a rheumatology appointment this week. I do like my rheumatologist. He wasn’t convinced of the PsA. My blood work did not help me any, as it was free of any inflammatory markers. The day they did the blood work I felt pretty good. But he has ordered a hip MRI.

What is the deal with all the torn muscles, tendonitis, and bursitis (in both hips) if it isn’t psoriatic arthritis? That IT band syndrome that I have in my legs is called “runner’s knee”. Only I’m not running anymore, haven’t run since JD was born.

Over Christmas, I figured I’d get rid of all of this. I would just rest.

“Rest will fix it all,” I assured my parents, as I spent the entire vacation, practically, laying in bed. I literally could not sit down. The pain was even radiating into my pelvis bone, when I was lying in bed.

I love this photo by Janet. I literally woke up, rolled off my ice packs, posed for this picture, and went back to my ice packs.

My internet research assured me that rest is the way to fix tendonitis or bursitis.

Of course, that didn’t work. I finally went to urgent care and got a steroid shot.

The nurse practitioner assured me, “This will help, temporarily, but if you’ve had bursitis for three years, a steroid shot is not going to take care of it.”

It did help enough to get me through that plane ride, but returning to a wet California did not help. By Wednesday, I developed a terrible limp. It was so hard to walk.

And guess what, by Friday I could walk completely fine again. In fact, on Thursday and Friday, the sun came out and I felt down right wonderful. I was so excited.

Maybe this flare up is coming to an end, and I am excited about that, but I’m desperate to get to the bottom of it. Now the whole family is telling me I can’t go on the cross country road trip in the spring because I never know whether I will wake up completely incapacitated or not.

I have a doc appointment on Monday. We’re going to address my anxiety level, my heart,  and the renewal of my physical therapy referral.

This is getting personal. Rest didn’t work. Maybe exercise and nutrition will. It’s time to put this Humpty Dumpty back together again, and I mean business.

I do want you to know that while I was stressing out about this earlier this week, I am doing much better both physically and emotionally now. Even if I never find out “what’s wrong.” it will be okay.

“He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.”   (from the Hymn Day By Day, my favorite hymn)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

In case you missed it:

Part I: My Battle with Chronic Pain

PartII: My Battle with Chronic Pain

The post My Chronic Pain Battle Part III: The Cat Came Back the Very Next Day appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Pregnancy induced sciatica: a little preview of my future, but I had no idea.

My Chronic Pain Battle: Fake Sciatica, Tendonitis, Bursitis, Muscle Strain, Whatever it is!

The first time I developed “sciatica”, whether it ever actually was sciatica or not, I have no idea…..I was pregnant with my very first baby. “It’ll go away once you have the baby,” they said. It hurt exactly the way it does now: across my lower back, down one side of my rear, down my leg, all the way to my foot.

Horrifying stuff, always at its worst when you’re lying in bed.

I couldn’t wait to go into labor. I knew they were handing out free epidurals (with insurance) there. That’s right. I didn’t see any trophies for delivering babies without an epidural, so I was sure to sign up. I’d give anything to finally not feel my hip.

But the joke was on me. The epidural didn’t work properly. I ended up with dead legs, but my uterus was not so much….I got to experience the pain of natural childbirth after all. Only, my legs were dead, so I couldn’t even move around to cope with it.

16 hours, and a great deal of vomiting and shaking later, and they finally ripped Joshua out of my pelvis with one of those baby vacuums.

The good news is that the ob/gyn folks were right about the pregnancy sciatica. It went away the day I gave birth.

Phew! I approached the next pregnancy, only one year later, with great fear and trepidation. Please don’t let it come back. Please oh please. That sciatica stuff was terrifying.

And it didn’t!

happy, healthy pregnancy

And then wonder of wonders, my epidural WORKED! This baby was stuck in my pelvis too, though. It took me 12 weeks to recover from that one, but still no sciatica. Yay!

Then two years after Caleb was born, out of the clear friggin blue sky, it did come back. Only this time I wasn’t pregnant. It was sudden, and I think it was brought on from this incident where Joshua jumped on my back. However, as I looked back at my records, I noticed that I reported it to the doctor as “gradual onset.” Who knows. My memory isn’t so hot anymore.

I just woke up one day and could not put a lick of weight on my left leg. It just buckled! This was different. With the pregnancy sciatica, it hurt to walk, but at least I could do it. I called my mom, she drove me to my doctor’s office while the boys went to preschool.

I took every shot they offered me, I did a little physical therapy, they ran blood work and an MRI, but no one really knew what was wrong. My chart said “tenosynovitis.”

My physical therapist said that I should not have any more children.

I wasn’t too worried. I was 28. I’d get better. Four months later, it was nothing more than a mild pinch that occasionally came and went. I was eventually able to even walk normally.

Feeling pretty good between babies 2 and 3. I figured the hip thing was a problem of the past, with just a little pinch leftover as a reminder.

I decided to have another baby. I gained a whopping 55 pounds, but still there was no sciatica. I was good.

I’m not sure when exactly, but somewhere between Daniel’s birth and Alan’s return from Afghanistan, the occasional pinch grew. It appeared more often and stayed longer.

Then there was another big event. I’ve noticed people in the chronic pain community call this a “flare up”. I use that phrase with reluctance, as no one has ever, as yet, been able to figure out what exactly is flaring up. Six years later, this now irritates me to no end.

This was around the time of the 3rd flare up. Cute pic, though!

The third major flare up occurred after Alan had just returned from Afghanistan, and the boys and I had just returned to Virginia. But this time my shoulder, back (It felt like my ribcage), and neck decided to join in the fun.

It was like the entire right side of my body and my neck were trying to kill me. And right at that time, my pinky nail went white. Solid white and loose. Was I losing my nail??? Weird!!!! Why?????

I could hardly turn my neck because of the pain between my neck and my shoulder, and worst of all, it hurt to inhale. I had to breathe carefully. Breathe too deeply, and I’d pay for that.

The military clinics were useless. U-s-e-l-e-s-s. The first doctor that I saw handed me a prescription for muscle relaxers, said, “Everyone has back pain,” and sent me on my way.

Thanks.

The second time, because you’ll try even a useless clinic when you can’t inhale all the way, the doctor was a little better. She told me not to take the muscle relaxers, referred me to physical therapy, and took x-rays. She also did this periformis release technique on my rear end, and all of the pain moved a little to the left. That was sort of promising.

She said the neck/ inhaling/ shoulder pain thing was strained muscles.

I tried the physical therapy clinic. They never had any available appointments during the hours that I could get childcare for my two pre-schoolers, so that was a dead end.

I’ll never forget my low point. It was 2012. I put Daniel to bed for a nap, and I put in a movie to keep the kids occupied but safe. There were three little boys at this point, and I laid on my bed, stared at the ceiling, cried, and prayed for help.

Then the doorbell rang.

To be continued……You can’t do this story justice in one post!

Read Part II here.

The post My Chronic Pain Battle: Fake Sciatica, Tendonitis, Muscle Strain, Whatever appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

The oldest children are off on a play date. JD is taking his nap, and the house is quiet.

Can you feel the excitement??  I’m so excited; I could dance around and make carpet angels……if I had more energy. However, I’m old, and I spent all of my energy on teaching them and making their lunch, so instead I’m going to throw a VIRTUAL party, sitting right here, with my laptop. 🙂

Okay. I will calm down now and try to share what’s on my brain. I just heard a noise, and I sincerely hope that it was the wind and not a two-year-old waking up. I’m sure none of you want to see a grown woman cry.

Let’s talk about what’s been going on lately.

I’m still glowing from the women’s retreat. Real life is back in full force, but all’s well.

Every time I hear “all’s well”, I think of Disney’s Robin Hood and the little vultures that shouted, “It’s two-o’clock, and ALLLLLLL’S WAYEL! ALLLLL’S WAAAAAYEL!”

I only watched that movie 100 times when I was a child.

So yes, “All’s waaaaaayel!”

This weekend:

1. I was on my last pair of contacts because I keep forgetting to go pick up the new ones. JD broke the leg off of my glasses. Then the power went out for almost 24 hours! For a minute, I was worried I’d never get to see again. Ha! But all’s well that ends well.
2. I lost all of my home school paper work that was overdue to my umbrella school. We are not our own private school this year. This year I wisely chose a local Christian school to be a part of, which will make the move go much more smoothly.

So those were my issues, but those things have all been taken care of, for the most part. I totally just took all four boys into the eye clinic with me and picked up my new contacts. It was a long 20 minutes and a whole lot of little boys making faces at themselves in the mirror, but it is done. Phew.

Caleb has been improving in soccer like never before. Two games ago, he had SIX goal attempts. The goalie caught every single one, but we were still thoroughly impressed. Go, Caleb!

Daniel is tearing it up in pre-school. I’m as pleased as punch. I hit upon three must have tools for FUN pre-K learning:

1. Chutes and Ladders: This game will drill numbers, counting, and how to play a board game into a kid’s head like no other. Even for K and 1st grade it’s helpful because every board space is numbered, all the way to 100, which reinforces the higher numbers.
2. Alphabet Bingo: Now that Dan knows most of his letter sounds, this is perfect. We don’t call letters by their name, but by their phonetic sound, which makes for a quick transition to reading.
3. Popsicle Number Puzzles: Aunt Amy created a pre-school kit that is mega, mega wowza. Both littles love the craft stick-puzzle activity the best; I mean now that they’ve used up all of the sticker shapes. Here is the kit:

Here’s the WOWZA KIT! Dan and JD LOVE it. Their fave: She took 10 craft sticks, glued a photo onto them and then cut them apart and numbered the sticks. You can line up the numbers and the picture…..pic to come soon!

Big thank you to Luke!

Alan was privileged to go fishing in Big Sur with his friend Luke last week. If any of you are dying for ling cod, stop by, and we’ll give you a few fillets from our freezer. Alan caught the maximum allowable amount. Alan rarely does anything like this, so I can’t tell you how excited we were for him.

ling (?) cod

Big Sur area

Update on the back drama:

I have this ongoing hip, shoulder, lower back, and finger tip pain problem. Well, actually my fingers aren’t in pain. They are just sensitive to the touch, and I have trouble with fine motor movements. Plus, I get these random low fevers that only stay 24 hours (thankfully) and then go, but that’s been happening for a year now.

I still say I have psoriatic arthritis. I have ALL the symptoms, except for “sausage fingers”. I just haven’t asked my doctor about it, which I need to do.

Anyway, whether it is just a mechanical issue from always using all the wrong muscles or an arthritis issue, either way EXERCISE helps.

The only catch? I’m out of the exercise habit. I still walk daily, but that’s about it.

Enter physical therapy round #2. I’m very happy with my PT team, Ryan and Jesus. Yes, that’s Spanish, so it’s pronounced Hayseuss. I asked him if anyone ever calls him “Jesus” (pronounced the English way). He said, “No,” and I don’t think he laughed. Ha! I told him that just means he’s never been to the South because I know plenty of folks back where I’m from that do not know the Spanish pronunciations of anything.

I still laugh when I think of one family member calling queso, “queso,” pronounced the English way, at a Mexican restaurant.

Okay. Sorry. I got off topic. My point was two-fold:

#1. It will make their lives easier to know at least a little Spanish, so I do think that’s important for children raised in America.

and

#2. I’m hoping my chronic back pain issues will continue to get better as I go through my second round of physical therapy. It’s a terrible thing to pop Advil all the time. (Don’t worry. I typically only take a couple/day.)

It’s bed time that bothers me most. Who can sleep with an unhappy hip or back?

Don’t worry about me, though. Most of the time I’m so busy I don’t even notice it, and if I would take better care of myself, this would improve.

Which brings me to next year…..

We are now 8 months out from our next big move. We aren’t 100% sure where we are going, but we think we will be headed right back to where we came from. I’m researching the schooling possibilities, and this may come as a shock to some of you, so hold onto your seats:

I do not plan to home school the boys next year. I will explain more in a far-in-the-future blog post. I’m thankful I got to do this. It has been so ridiculously hard, but it’s also enlightening.

I have been forced to better discipline my children, and of course, that’s always a work in progress. They are people, after all.

I have had to prioritize deeply. I often scold myself for not doing things I would like to be doing, but the fact is that it just wasn’t a priority. The priority was educating and promoting character growth in my boys.

These boys are my charges. It is my duty to lay down everything else, if need be, to ensure that these boys are raised properly. Alan and I take responsibility for the kind of character that they are or are not developing. Even when I’m not home schooling, that will still be our responsibility as parents. 

I’m continuing to read all I can get my hands on about home schooling and learn from other moms who have done this before me! I may do it again, other years, as needed. Meanwhile, it gives me a great feeling of sweet relief to know that I have several options for next year. It makes the next 8 months feel more doable!

God has provided for me each step of the way, and I see His miraculous work in my life everyday. Some people say there are no more miracles. I guess I am ignorant as to why they say that. I hope no one ever informs me because I still see miracles happening, every single time that I see God intervening in my life. To me, that is a miracle.

I hope you all have a miraculously fabulous week.

…6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.                            Philippians 4:6-7

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”    Colossians 3:15

The post A Quiet House, Thankfulness, and Sweet Relief appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

I’ve been talking a lot about my hermit problem, and I want you all to know that things are getting so much better around here. The boys are finally opening up a little more at tutoring. I had to practically drag them away from there today! Even John David doesn’t cry when I drop him off for the tutoring childcare! We have all met plenty of people that we truly like, and the fact is that I haven’t met one single person here that I can’t find something to like about.

I’m starting to remember. Oh yeah! I do like people!

Transitions are just hard, aren’t they? John David and I seem to have the hardest time with them. Every time I see him pitching a fit over some great new change in his life, I just remind myself, “This child is me.”

Moving across country and beginning home school all at one time was a huge transition. We’re over the hump. We still have rough days. I still make regrettable parenting errors, but I’m feeling hopeful.

That’s why I could never name my blog “Biblical Homemaking” or something like that. Can you imagine the pressure!? Ha!

All it would take was one time for a neighbor to overhear me losing my patience with my family, and I would be completely discredited. Nope. Not trying to act like something I’m not. We’re just a family, trying to do what is best. We listen to God. We make mistakes. We get back up again. 🙂

I have some really great news for you. John David has successfully made the transition to toddler bed!

Oh! Do you see those black out curtains? I’ve been storing those for 3 moves, and they finally came in handy! John David slept until 8 am for three mornings in a row.

I know! I hope you’re okay. Didn’t mean to make anyone choke on their coffee here. I was shocked too…

Happy JD. Happy parents. Sometimes he still wakes up at 1 am for cuddles though. yep. cuddles. I know. You hard-core folks would never put up with such, but hard-core we are not.

I was sitting in his recliner yesterday, and I chuckled at his neediness, “Oh, JD, you are so spoiled,” and as soon as I said it, I felt so sad! This child is not spoiled. This is the FOURTH baby. He rarely gets Mommy to himself. He gets a fraction of the amount of time with me that Joshua, or even Caleb or Daniel, got. With Daniel, I sent the big boys to school, and I was his all day long. JD doesn’t get that, so let the world shake their heads. If my baby needs some 1 am cuddles, then that’s just what he will get.

….And that’s why I have a strict policy about going to bed at 10pm now. It has changed my life! Over Christmas, I did all of that relaxing and sleeping, and I came home feeling like a new person. I decided then and there that I will never kill myself with sleep deprivation, stress, and unrealistic expectations again.

Do you remember my psoriatic arthritis theory and this thumb nail?

Well, it got a whole lot worse than that by Christmas, but guess what. You won’t believe it. My thumb nail is now completely NORMAL.  It’s all GONE!

So is my shoulder pain! You cannot convince me that the two are not related. I am quite sure that stress and sleep made a difference. I don’t want to end up with those nails, popping Advil 800, ever again.

In other news….Apparently, sleep is important to Alan too.

Caleb came home from the Spongebob movie Saturday and said, “Hey, Mom, just to tell you, at Spongebob Squarepants, Dad fell asleep through a lot of it.”

haaaaaaaa I asked Alan about that. He looked a little ashamed. hehehe

Alan and the boys have a few things in common, when it comes to deciding what is interesting and what is not. The other night, they were taking too long to eat their dinner, so I whipped out a magazine article on glaciers and started reading it to Joshua, Caleb, and Alan. Alan protested and started digging around for the Childcraft book on great battles for freedom.

I thought the glacier article was fascinating. Halfway through, I stopped and quizzed them all, “Wow, so what animal lives in this glacier?”

Three blank stares.

Alan said, “No idea. That was boring. Can I read my story now?”

humph!  Caleb said, “Polar bears?”

“No! Didn’t y’all hear me say the part about the little black worms that feed on the invisible algae!!???”

They all sort of giggled and started making worm jokes. I still made them listen to the rest, though. The boys said they liked it, so at least we know they’ve learned to try to make their momma happy!

I wonder if they liked Alan’s story about the Battle of Tours better.

It’s 9:45, so I’d better get to sleep. Guess who is coming to visit this week!!  We are all so excited!!!

As Joshua said, “Aunt Jennings is coming!!  You remember, Caleb, she has the glasses. Don’t you remember? She gave us the Hank the Cowdog books!”

The Hank the Cowdog books are a hit. I even enjoy them!

Hope you all have a great week!   We’ll be having a ball showing Jennings our favorite California spots!

The post Making Transitions and Solving Sleep Problems appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.