Well, J let me down yesterday. He was supposed to leave yesterday and be home today. Instead, he left today and will be home tomorrow. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. G is exhausted from Brain Balance trips. We made it through the week but today is McDonalds day and last week didn't go very well. She was crying and tired but couldn't tell us what was wrong. And when we finally went, she just ate and got upset about the noise. I'm thinking of going to get some pizza and eating at the restaurant. Maybe she'll like that. We'll see. And of course, since I'm working, trying to get packages out in the mail is almost impossible. So Mother's Day for Grandma's will arrive during next week instead. I seriously can't do everything. Let's hope someone didn't forget about me on Mother's Day.
Wife of a pilot and part time husband, and our journey to grow our family...and now an entrepreneur.
Friday, May 12, 2023
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Working on affiliate marketing...
So I've been working every morning before work to learn as much as I can about affiliate marketing. I'm amazed at what I'm learning. There is so much more to this than I thought and this course through Clickbank is taking me through this step by step. Giving all the tips necessary to succeed. Now it's up to me to do the work.
Find my niche
Create my articles to lead people to my website
How to build content and understand the necessity for not just one article but at least one new article a week.
Secrets to easy ways to build content
Understanding how to use title tags, keywords, etc to get you noticed.
This is not a get rich quick scheme. You need to really learn all the basics so you can succeed in the end. I'm confident of all that I'm learning and can review it as much as I need to.
On another note, we've done almost 2 weeks with Brain Balance. Every night she has a meltdown of some sort. I ask her what's wrong and she says "I don't know." Eventually, I can get her settled down. She did have an incident at school yesterday. Apparently, she touched a boy's privite parts. Her teacher called me to let me know. She talked to G about it and made it clear that you don't touch other people's privite parts because they are privite. I also talked to her about it and she always deflects. This one kicked her. I realized she's trying to change the subject to something else but wouldn't allow it. I told her I wasn't mad at her but she is not to do that again. She asked if she can hug and I said only if she asks permission and the other person says yes. I'll ask her again today to make sure she understood. Getting that call was not what I expected. Maybe we need a traditional counselor to talk to her...if I can find one that's available.
Monday, May 1, 2023
Changing the way we live...
So we did 2 sessions last week at Brain Balance. It's 1 hour sessions and it'll be 3x/week for the next 6 months. We've put a timer on her tablet so she's limited to 1 hour/day all week and allowed 2 hours/day on the weekend. So far so good. No tantrums about the tablet so far. Tonight, J will pick her up and bring her over and I'll stay home and prepare dinner so we're not eating so late.
I hope this works. We did the home exercises yesterday and we need to do them on the off days from Brain Balance. I'm hopeful. I want her to start showing some control over her behavior. Next week J is going to be leaving to go to IL and I'll be on my own dealing with all of this and figuring out how to prep food for dinner every night. I'm a bit nervous about it all. G is so strongwilled and she can be so exhausting.
Also, this past week I found out my childhood friend, Sharon, passed away. She had a medical procedure and her heart couldn't take it. This was a shock to her family as well since she seemed to be stable. I'm so saddened by this. She never got to meet G in person. Now she's an Angel watching over her family and friends.
I need prayers for our family. So if anyone is reading, please pray for us.
Friday, April 21, 2023
Brain Balance...
So we had a consult and evaluation for G at a place called Brain Balance. It's very pricey. They aren't doctors and they don't take insurance. The results of the evaluation were very interesting. They were talking about areas of G when she was born and how she hasn't progressed mentally to the age she is. I can see it too. When she does something and you want to punish with consequences she really doesn't understand why we are doing it. Stop doing that or we'll take away your tablet. The answer would be to stop doing what you're doing but her response is "I want my tablet". So we do see what they see in the evaluation. Another is her coordination. She doesn't have it. She can't seem to do a jumping jack. It makes me laugh but now I realize she may not be able to because of her lack of coordination. Anyway, tt's a 6 month program and it's 3 days a week for an hour. We took a 5 year loan and praying we see some progress from this program. I honestly think we will see some progress. And what were our options? A Psychiatrist we wouldn't be able to meet with till the end of the year if we're lucky? Right now, she's in tutoring 2x week and this will be 3x week, plus she's in the EIP at school All this work, we should hopefully see some improvement in her behavior and actions.
Monday, April 3, 2023
Trying to figure it all out...
Things have been busy here. Busy at my day job, busy with G and J. Lot's of doctor appointments for all of us. I've put my side gig on hold for now. I'm hoping to do something when J goes back to work. Right now, I have big stress over money. Big stress about G and making sure she has what she needs to succeed. These last 2 weekends were nice. Last weekend she participated in an egg hunt. She met up with one of the boys in her Kindergarten class. That made her day. And yesterday in the park she played with 2 more kids in her class. I love that we met up with them. She was so super happy and running and playing with both of them. So nice to see her so happy. This week is Spring Break so she's in daycare all week and one of the kids in her daycare is also in her Kindergarten class.
Rainbow Butterfly Girl |
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
When the littles are sick...
Thursday, March 16, 2023
J is finally home...
Sadly, he came home late after G was already in bed. Only 3 days later than he had promised her. He needs to stop doing that. But I'm glad he's home. G can suck the energy out of you. I love her so much though. I wouldn't change that. I can't wait for the evaluation to be here already and hopefully some therapy to help her. Maybe us too.
I've been working hard on fixing up my office and getting organized. I bought some inexpensive furniture. The chest of drawers will hold paper supplies and that's where the printer will sit. It's a rather big printer. Can't wait to get my office in order. And it didn't break the bank. Thank you Walmart for having matching pieces to put my office together. Its the little things that make things nice. Happy Thursday to everyone!
Love this cube storage |
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My new desk |
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Chest of drawers |
Monday, March 13, 2023
Playdates...
So we invited one of G's friends over on Sunday. She really wanted to play with someone and she likes this girl. The problem is G is overly excited and starts going nuts. She does things that are dangerous and I had to warn her that I'd have to take her friend home if she didn't calm down some. Then I had to keep reminding her that if she has someone over to play with, she needs to share her toys. She can't always say, I want to play with that. She needs to let her friend participate however she wants to. She used to be better with sharing things but yesterday was a struggle. Then after she left we cleaned up but she kept saying she made the mess, not her. I kept reminding her that this is our home and she was a guest. I wanted her to have fun and not worry about the mess. I think her maturity level is not there yet. She wants sleepovers but I just don't think she's ready for them. Can't wait for this evaluation to happen. I just want her to be ok. I want her to have friends and flourish. I want her to be happy and not think that a baby sister would do that because I know it won't.
Friday, March 10, 2023
Trying to change the tone...
So, it's Friday night and I promised G that if J is away on the weekend, she can sleep in my room. But only on the weekend. So she did well in school today (got a purple, yay) and we went to McDonalds.We ate, she played and then we came home. She played some more and now we are settled in bed. She is watching her tablet for a bit longer (It's Friday) then she'll need to go to sleep. Hopefully, we can have a nice day tomorrow too. It's almost mid month and her evaluation is at the end of March.We'll make it to then. Just taking one day at a time.
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE
On another note, I got a bookcase and it'll hopefully be delivered tomorrow. It's for my office. I need to get it organized and this is the start. Can't wait to get it and put it together.
Better Homes and Gardens 8 Cube Storage Organizer, Multiple Colors Rustic Grey
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Food sensitivity...
Today I gave G her meds in the morning vs in the evening I want to see if it lasts longer in her system to keep her in control a little longer. This morning she was in good spirits waking up. She came in my room early and was miss chatterbox. She asked to come in my bed and since it was almost time to get up, I said yes. Everything went well till she finished her Froot Loops cereal. Suddenly she was a ping pong ball going a mile a minute through the house. Now I'm wondering if she has some sensitivity to food dyes.The cereal she ate most likely has a lot of dyes for the colorful loops. Just something I noticed today. I know in the past she's had issues with red dye and being angry after eating something with that dye in it. Just taking notes for now.
Monday, March 6, 2023
False alarms...
Yesterday, J left for his trip. I took G food shopping after making some homemade waffles. She gobbled it up. Our trip to the store gave J enough time to do a short workout and pack everything he needed for his trip. We had lunch together and then I took G to a new park. She had the best time. She ran and ran, played hard, had lots of kids to play with. So nice to see her like that. We got home around 3:30 or so. She had the rest of her waffle from the morning to snack on while I made creamy beef and shells for dinner. She loves that. We also bought a rainbow slice of cake. She still has a majority of it left over for after dinner tonight. We did bath and go ready for bed, however she was still running on so much enengy and not listening. I eventually lost my temper and she started crying. She doesn't understand why I'm angry all the time. She really doesn't realize what she's doing. It broke my heart and I don't want it to be that way for her. I'm really hoping this evaluation will help get her started on a path to understanding what's happening to her. I just wish it was sooner. I will say the surprise for the evening was a malfunction in the smoke/carbon monoxide detector. It went off for 15 sec as loud as it could be. My daughter slept through it tough. I checked all the rooms upstairs and downstairs, then called J. We decided to be cautious and call 911 just in case. My cousins perished from carbon monoxide poisoning and it was enough reason for me to call and have them check it out. G and I waited in the car outside. They came by and checked it all out and said it could've been a speck of dust. In all my years with J and having these devices in my apartments/house, it has never gone off for no reason. But anyway, it was all ok and somehow G and I managed to get back to sleep for the night.
Thursday, March 2, 2023
She's the energizer bunny...
Monday, February 27, 2023
Happy 25 Years
Has it really been 25 years together? Hmm. Not. Being a pilot wife means 1/2 your time is spent alone. Alone on weekends, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. Long weekends mean nothing as a pilots wife. I've been luckly though. Through all the work struggles in his career, the time I needed him home the most he was. When I was pregnant and G's first year of life. I'm so glad he got that time to be around her and help me acclimate to motherhood. So maybe we've only been together for 12-15 years total, but it's the quality of that time that matters, right. Besides, I loved my alone time. Just me and my cats. Now, it's me, cats and G. Happy 25 years babe.
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February 27, 1998 |
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Finally got an app...
Took long enough. After calling a number of places, I finally got an app at the end of March. We still have to deal with her behavior and work to improve it but we need to get some therapy as soon as we can. We have a parent/teacher conference coming up on Wed so we'll get a good idea of where she is when we talk to her. She started with purples and rainbows (excellent and better than excellant) to blues and a few yellows (good and not good). Orange is at the bottom and means didn't do well and got in trouble. Yellow is also some getting in trouble.
On another note, J and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on 2/27. We are going to Long Horns for dinner tomorrow. It was supposed to be tonight but G was acting up and we just couldn't go with her acting that way. Hopefully we can get a good pic tomorrow while we are at the restaurant.
Giuli loves waffles and pancakes, especially homemade ones. I'm looking at a new waffle maker at Amazon.This is one I've been looking at but not sure yet since it's not a traditional flip waffle maker.
Cuisinart VMW200PC1FR Vertical Belgium Waffle Maker (Renewed) Visit the Amazon Renewed Store 4.7 out of 5 stars 86 ratings Price: $39.87
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Figuring out G
Friday, February 10, 2023
Filling up our home...
So slowly we are working on setting up our home. Our family room is nearly complete. Just needs some pictures up. We found these awesome bookcases with doors. Perfect for the space and it hides the dish TV equipment so it looks really clean and not cluttered.
If you are interested in this, here is the link to where I got them on Amazon.
Prepac Tall Bookcase with 2 Shaker Doors, 80" H, White
Here it is in my house. We got 3 in a row. Still working on what to put on the shelves. We have some shelves on the top that need to be painted to match and we'll put that up on the opposite wall to hold some larger pictures.
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Our New Bookcases |
I feel like the house is coming together slowly. Next, we hopefully can update our kitchen with a new island.
Sunday, January 29, 2023
New Year! New House! Settling In...
So surgery for the little one went ok. It had its ups and downs but in the end, her behavior improved enough to where her teacher noticed. Then we did our next move into the house from the apartment. We did this on 12/23 so we can be here on Christmas with G's new bedroom and playroom all set up. We really have a big house with lots of room right now. We can't even furnish it all. The dining room and living rooms are empty. But we have a full family room and kitchen. And I have an office again. Much needed. G has made a friend and we've had several playdates. She's a grade higher but that's because of where her birthday is compared to G. Next we have a treadmill coming at the beginning of February. J really needs it and I'd like to get some use out of it too. We're also getting our doctor appointments in now. Healthcare has really changed since Covid and it's just been hard to find decent care. But so far, I like my endocrinologist. I have a physical coming up with a PCP and a Dermatologist as well. On Monday, I'll make an appt for a GYN. I want to make sure I get my checkups. I'm at an age where I need to really make sure I'm ok and if not, knowing sooner rather than later is better.
Anyway, that's my update for January. Let's have a great new year.
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Surgery for the little...
Well, she got through it. We arrived at the hospital around 6:20am. Checked in and she was given happy juice at around 7am. 7:30am they rolled her out on the bed to the OR. Miss princess waved to her people as she went through the hall. So glad for happy juice. It did the trick. The doctor came in around 8 something and said he removed large adenoids and tonsils and she's now in recovery and doing well. Nurse said she was up and not even crying yet. Then they wheeled her back to us and she was crying. They gave her some Tylenol with codeine in it and along with a popsicle to lick she settled down. And by 10 something we were in the car going home and then she threw up...in the car. Lucky for us, she hadn't eaten any food so nothing really to throw up. Now we are home and she napped, took some Motrin, and now watching her tablet with Dad. She's a super brave girl and doing great. Alarm is set so I'll have her next Tylenol dose ready for her to take. The plan is to keep the meds up so she's not unmedicated till further notice. So far, she's had an ice pop and 2 cups of ice cream. One chocolate and one vanilla. Hopefully she stays happy. Praying....
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Nice weekend...
It was such a nice weekend. Giuli and I went shopping. I got her some clothes at Walmart and Target. I just wish I could find her clothes in the garage but I guess we'll have to wait till we move again. Poor girl. She feels like we got rid of her things. Not true but nonetheless we can't locate them. But we had fun shopping and she bought a new doll with the money she's earned from us. I notice that at least once or twice a week she gets a yellow. But her days have been better than before and she said she has one friend in school. Hoping I can set up a playdate for them. We'll see if it's possible. Tomorrow is her pre-op visit with the ENT. I have some questions for the doctor and we need to figure out when to tell her about the surgery she's going to have. Hoping we can go in the back till she's asleep or given happy juice. Her snoring is hideous and lately, she's been making an odd noise from her throat every once in a while. Praying this surgery will help my little girl sleep well.
Friday, October 21, 2022
Tough days...
I'm sort of feeling a bit down these days. I'm trying to think positively, and working on myself. Yesterday I went off track but I'm back to it today. I was down yesterday. Today is better and last night was good too. Giuli had a good day yesterday and hopefully today she'll have a good day too. I promised she can sleep in my room tonight and tomorrow since it's the weekend and J is away. She has been doing well and eating well too. This weekend is a shopping weekend too. I can't find her clothes from IL so we are going shopping for some new things. Coats, dresses, skirts, pants, tops oh my.
We have her pre-op appointment on Monday afternoon. I'm thinking we will start to discuss the surgery with her after that. I'm glad it's after Halloween so she can enjoy that day. And hopefully, she'll recover quickly and enjoy all the pops and ice cream she can eat. She's been watching on her tablet stories of kids in the hospital for something. Maybe she can glorify it so she's not so scared. I'm getting my list of questions for the Dr set up. I'm praying we can go back in there with her till she falls asleep and be there when she wakes up. Also want to know what technique they are going to use. After speaking to others who had kids with this procedure, I hear that cauterizing it and not using a blade is the best outcome for quick recovery. Hoping that the Dr has all the answers I want to hear. LOL.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Personal goals...
So we've been settling into our new lives here in a new state. It's different and we're going to do it all again in December but it'll be good. We'll be in a house. A big house. I'll have an office with a door and it will be set up to be an office and not a junk room. It was hard in our old house because before Giuli, we had a guest room (Giuli's room) and the extra room. I had a daybed in there. When we were having Giuli, I moved everything to the junk room/office. So crowded. I eventually moved the daybed back to Giuli's room for her to use. Still, the other room was full of junk and disorganized. No big deal since we didn't use it. Then Covid hit and I needed an office. So I fixed it up as best as I could but it was still really a junk room. Now we live in a 2-bedroom apartment and my office is in the middle of the room so you can imagine how excited I am to have an office again. And Giuli will have a playroom again. I bigger and nicer playroom. I can't wait to decorate her new room with brand-new toys. Just so happens that her birthday and Christmas will be around the time we move into the new place.
So my next thing these days are my goals. I've been feeling really crappy about myself. I keep eating poorly and my blood sugar and weight are what make me notice it a lot. So I'm working on losing weight by eating better and making an effort to go to the apartment complexes' gym. This week has started off great so I plan to keep it up. On 11/19 we have a Christmas Mini photo shoot and I want to look and feel great. Someone at work mentioned having my makeup done by a professional makeup artist. I'm looking into it. Along with finding a place for a nice haircut too. I'm super excited to do this and I don't do it ever so "why not?" Can't wait to share the pics.
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Moving forward...
So we did 3 days of the meds and G was exhausted at around 2 in the afternoon every day. She didn't want to do anything. Not even play at a big playground. She tried and just wanted to sit at a computer inside. That's not my little girl at all. Made me so sad. So I talked to the Dr and they said to try skipping the morning and start giving it to her at night. So we did that last night. We'll see how it goes when I pick her up today. I'm hoping she had a good day today. She had gotten 2 yellows this week. One on Monday and one on Tuesday and usually that means no ice cream treat on Wednesday. I prepared her for that and I asked her when I picked her up on Wed if she was disappointed. She said yes. I said we have ice cream at home and we can have it tonight since she was a good girl at daycare. She handled it very well. I'm hoping it's sinking in that she needs to behave properly in school and do what her teachers ask of her. I'm hoping she got a green today. She's off tomorrow and Monday so daycare all day tomorrow and J will do things with her on Monday. I'm working.
I hope I can get a couple of posts done for my business in the next few days. I'm trying to get myself back in the groove of things. It's been so hard with G's issues these days and dealing with living in a new environment. We got our cars registered and licenses completed. We're official residents of this state now. After 20 years of living in Illinois, it feels strange to me living here. Lots of tall trees and long summer/fall weather. Loving it right now.
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Starting something new...
So one of my mentees has a separate business. She asked me if I was interested in becoming an affiliate and after looking at the website and jewelry, I decided to join. The company is called My Snappy Place. I just got my affiliate link. I have some kinks to work out but here is the link. So far, I'm loving the jewelry and can't wait to get my order.
On another note, I started G on the meds. I'm not sure it's the answer but I'm giving it a try. She's been on it for 2 days and I'm already worried about the side effects. Two days in a row she got very sleepy in the afternoon. Today I took her Burger Kings playhouse and she played for a little while but not as much as I had expected and then she fell asleep on the way home. Once home, she went to her room to continue her nap. That's not my daughter. She was so sedated and I didn't like it. I sent a note to her teacher so she's aware of what's going on and can also let us know if she sees anything different, good or bad. Hoping in the next few days the sleepiness will go away.
Friday, September 30, 2022
Lot's to work on...
So these last few weeks seem to be getting slightly better. I don't want to deceive myself and think she's doing so much better because I'm sure I'll get disappointed if I do that. But it looks like she's really trying to do better and I love her for trying so hard. This week was hard. G got sick at daycare on Wednesday and had a rough night with throwing up and a fever. Thursday she still had some fever but recovered well. It was so bizarre because Wednesday morning we took her to the ENT and she was fine. That evening she got sick. So quick. But the word from the ENT is that they want to do surgery to remove her adenoids and tonsils. The Dr does think it's a contributing factor in her behavior. Then Thursday, J went alone to the pediatrician to discuss her behavior and the screening. They want to try meds but the opposite of a stimulant. More of a sedative to slow her down. J also wanted to not do the surgery till we move but I'm against that. I think it'll make a huge difference in her life. I told J I would speak to the counselor about the meds and my concerns. Also about the concern of waiting to do surgery. J leaves tomorrow and will be home by the end of the week. Might be nice to have the bed to myself and the TV.
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Trying to get answers...
Moving has been hard. Hard on all of us but especially G. She has not been accepting of this move. In the last week, I've seen some changes. A little better than before. I've been trying to spend more time with her. I need to be consistent with that. That's my new goal for her. Every day, we get at least 10 minutes of Giuli time. Play whatever game she wants to play. I want to build happy memories of us spending time together. But I have to admit, something is not always right with her. When she goes downhill, she hits the ground hard. I know she doesn't realize what she's doing so trying to stop her is hard and exhausting. Tomorrow we have the ENT appointment. One of the pieces of the puzzle coming together. On Thursday, we talk to her Dr about the Vanderbilt Assessment we turned in. Praying one of these doctors can help get Giuli the help she needs. She's not a bad child. But this move didn't bring out the best in her. Change is not something she likes but it's the way life goes. It doesn't help that we still live out of boxes. J refuses to accept living here but I try to make things normal for her. It's not about him, it's about taking care of G and making sure she's ok. But she'll be ok. I'm positive about that. We love her and will do anything to make sure she's ok.
Monday, September 12, 2022
Little Girl Problems...
Things have been tough in August and now September. G is not adjusting well to doing the right thing when she's on the van to the daycare or even at daycares. We are now on daycare #3 and I'm praying it will go smoothly or we are screwed. We have her in counseling now too. We go as a family and she seems to like the therapist. He knows how to talk to her and she has a positive reaction. He doesn't think she has ADHD but that she's just having an issue adjusting to new environments. He pointed that out too. In his office, she sat down and drew a picture for him. She was totally focused on what she was doing. She wasn't out of control or doing anything wrong. I just love her to death and hate that she's so angry inside that she doesn't know how to manage it. To add to the difficulty these days, both J and I have been ill as well so managing a disobedient child is so hard to do. We also started noticing some issues with Giuli and breathing at night. She's snoring and at one point she stopped breathing. She then kicks violently and starts all over again. We got her to the Dr and sent her for an x-ray. She has large adenoids and tonsils so we need to get to an ENT. Currently, I put her back on Flonase and that seems to help with her sleeping right now. If she has interrupted sleep that could contribute to some of her bad behavior. Not all of it. We need to work on behavior modification at home as well. I guess we failed on that and wish we had started it sooner. Now we have an angry 5-year old that gets out of control when she's tired or overstimulated. The Dr had her teacher and us fill out the Vanderbilt assessment but right now, I'm against mind-altering meds to fix her behavior. We need to work on that at home and hopefully, she'll get it. I need to get myself together. I have an hour before we pick her up and I need to not be so emotional. I'm just feeling so sad right now. Feeling ill doesn't help either.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Changes in your life...
Love this quote. It's the story of my life. Lots of bad chapters, wrong paths, and failed dreams on the path to building my family. But now she's here. If having her was easy, I wouldn't be the person I am today. That shaped me in ways I didn't like at the time but I realize now, that I'm a better mom for going through it. Don't get me wrong, I would have been the happiest person if I could have just decided, let's have a baby and it just happen. But that's not what the plan was. I'm forever grateful and blessed to have her in my life.