Daisies

Durning last night meeting the Daisies earned their Honest and Fair petal by playing Bingo. After playing a few games of Bingo the girls noticed that one of the girls was winning every time. Her card had 5 Free spaces in a row. We talked about what it ment to be hones and fair. Also about how they felt when they would play games with other kids that were not being honest or fair. They had a great time. I really enjoy teaching them new things about the world around them

I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.

Surgery #6

Lisa has just finish her 6th surgery. She was very calm this morning, since she was not able to eat. I was more on edge this surgery for some reason. The surgery took a bit little longer then the previous ones. The scar tissue was harder to remove and there was some trouble getting her IV put into place. They ended up putting the IV in her foot.

Part of My Life

While sitting on the couch I wonder if I am truly happy with the way my life has turned out. The quick answer would be "yes". But as I think more and more about it of course there are several things I wish I could change. I am sure that we all do. When I was about 2 years old my parents divorced due to my fathers alcohol problem. He became very violent when he drank. I have 2 older brothers and 2 younger half brothers. Growing up I always wanted to have a family that never argued. Although unrealistic it was still something I strive for everyday. In elementary school I was an A/B student. I started playing Flute in fifth grade. Band for me was a way to escape. I could listen to classical music for hours. Closing my eyes and imagining the story that was being told by the music. Junior High was when the awkward stage set in. I began to distance myself from the academically advanced kids. My education began to slip though my fingers. I found it hard to concentrate on anything. Reading a question multiple times did not seem to make a difference. I would read literature over and over again just to realize I could not remember what I had just read. English began to be one of my most hated subjects. I have never been able to understand sentence structure. I have picked up bits and pieces a long the way but have a long way to go. But I always understood music. High school is when it really began to go down hill. Hanging out with the wrong type of people. Skipping school, staying out late, not doing homework. My mom worked all the time to pay the bills. There were a lot of weekends that she was gone from Friday to Monday. I had met Brian my husband over the internet in March of 1999. We decided to meet May 15th, 1999, one day before my 18th birthday. We started dating June 25th of 1999. I found out I was three months pregnant with Ana July 2, 1999. We went to talk to the Vice Principal about my graduation options.Eventually it had gotten to the point that I would have to take an extra year of High school in order for me to graduate. Since I was pregnant with Ana at the time I opted to get my HSED. My goal was to finish by the time Ana was born. I finished December 16, 1999, Ana was born January 4th, 2000. Brian and I lived 3.5 hours away from each other for the first year of our relationship. In May of 2000 I moved to Eau Claire, WI to be closer to him. Brian still had a year of college left to finish at UWEC. The first year living in Eau Claire was a depressing time for me. With family 3.5 hours away no friends and an infant to take care of on my own. There was a lot of time spent being depressed. I managed to get through it though and Brian graduated the following May. Not sure where he was going to get a job Brian moved in with Ana and I till we knew where we were going. After a month with no job he was hired at UWEC by his old boss. I remember how happy he was. October 5th Brian asked me to marry him. We were married August 3, 2002 in Monroe, WI. The first year of marriage was hard for the both of us. I am sure that every other word was divorce. I was diagnosed with having ADHD that next year and have been on medication for it ever since. We have been going strong now for almost 9 years married with a total of 12 years together with 2 beautiful daughters Ana and Lisa. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Being diagnosed with ADHD has helped me to understand why I had such a hard time in my life. Even when I was really trying to pay attention I was unable to. It is and was so frustrating to see others do everyday tasks with little effort. People would accuse me of not listening to them even though I was. It's not that I did not want to. I just have a hard time getting myself to focus on one task. A lot of the time I will be doing 3 or more things at once. It is just so frustrating. Over the years I have found different things to help me deal with this issue. I have been proactive with Ana's life and getting her the help she needs to succeed. Ana was diagnosed with ADHD a year ago. I have known for years that she has it but it wasn't till last year that it was really starting to affect everyone. Now that she is on medication for it things have been getting better. I also have been teaching her everything that I have learned about having ADHD and how to not let it ruin her life. We received a letter a week ago that she is being tested for taking Advanced classes in 6th grade (Pre-Algebra,(7th Algebra)8th Geometry for HS credit). I tell her everyday how proud I am of everything she has accomplished. I still struggle everyday with having ADHD. I just hope I can make it a little easier for her.

VENTING

I am very offended when people judge others either by the color of their skin or their religion. Just because someone was born a different color or chooses to be a different religion than you does not make them evil. Bringing pain and suffering to others does. There are plenty of every color and religion that have brought pain and suffering to all. You are not better then anyone else.

What happened to the land where you could practice any religion you choose in any place that you choose to. Not all Muslims, Jews, Christians, or any other religion are here to inflict pain on you. It is not religion that brings war and suffering it is Humans.

Lets see where to start todays post. Since the last post there have been a few things that have happened. Ana signed up for band this last week. She has decided to play the Alto Saxophone. This will be a nice addition to our family of instruments. I play the flute, Brian the piano, Grandma - French Horn, Grandpa - Clarinet and many others. I am really looking forward to playing with her. We already have someone to give her lessons. Hopefully starting soon. The school district also wants to do some additional tests with Ana for next years placement in school. They are looking at putting her in the Pre-Algebra Class and Languages Arts. Ana is taking an Algebra class right now after school on Tuesdays and Thursday. After spring break she will be replacing that with a spanish class that the university. I am so proud of everything she is doing. As for Girl Scouts she finished her Bronze Award this year and will be receiving it at the Young Women Of Achievement Banquet that I chair each year. We will be doing Adopt A Plot again this year at Phoenix Park. My Girl Scout troop has done this for the last 3 years. There are 4 plots that they have to plant flowers and weed through the growing season. They seem to really enjoy it.

Lisa will be starting 3 year old preschool in the fall. She is doing quite well already with learning her alphabet, shapes, colors, numbers to 20 and can spell her name. I think she is ready for Kindergarden. :) Her favorite activities are to play with the flash cards I have and painting. Oh and also playing with Brian's Hot Wheels that he had when he was little. Since her visit to the Pediatrist in January she no longer has to wear the corrective shoes. Yay. The first night was hard for Lisa since she has gotten so used to wearing them. When I did not put them on her she kept asking for her shoes. When I tried to tell her that she did not have to wear them anymore she started crying. :( But after the next few nights all is well again. I converted her crib into a toddler bed a few weeks ago. Lisa was so excited to sleep in a big bed like Sid The Science Kid ( her favorite show).

Brian will be on his way to sunny California this next week for a meeting. The month of February Brian worked on his cd for the RPM Challenge. He needed to start and finish a complete CD of music in one month. 26days.bphogan.com

He is really enjoying working for Prag Publishing Company as an editor. Since Brian has started this job everything has been so much better. He really enjoys teaching/helping others succeed. As for everything that is going on with the State taking away collective bargaining rights he is unsure of his future working for the state. We have come to find out that if he loses his job private insurance companies will not cover me because of the minor heart condition that I have. If it wasn't for the fact that they passed the Health care bill they wouldn't have to cover Lisa either. I can handle my medical bills not sure if I could if Lisa was not covered.

Thank You REPUBLICAN Governor Scott Walker for once again screwing over the people that don't line your back pocket with $100 bills. The only people he is for is ones that further his political career. Just proves that Republicans will do whatever it takes to keep themselves rich.

This weeks news has just been nothing but a bunch of people not willing to work with others because they are used to being spoiled and always having it their way. Our country has turned into a cesspool of bratty kids. Old and young age doesn't seem to make a difference.

Sprint Needs New Customer Service People!!!!

I have been a Sprint PCS customer for over 8 years with no issues from them at all. Well that changed this week. Today they sent me the wrong phone to replace my broken one. The associates at the local Sprint store had gave me a loner phone until I recieved my new Samsung phone. Unfortunately the ticket had not been processed yet so when they did the claim the LG phone was listed as my phone even though it was a loner from the store. When I called Sprint no one could seem to help me. I kept getting transfered to someone else. I have a Samsung Moment they sent me a LG phone. They kept telling me that since I bought the phone (LG) from the store I had to go back there. I kept telling them that I did not buy that phone it was a loner. So I went back to the Sprint store and one of the associates called after about 30 minutes everything was straightened out. Somewhat. I had to take the wrong phone that they sent me across town to the UPS store to return it to sender. But UPS won't return anything to sender that is open. I now have to pay to ship back a phone I should not have received in the first place. So now I am out a phone for a week because of there new policy that does not allow them to do exchanges at the store level. Looks like I will be looking for a new carrier.

Last night was a lot of fun. At Girl Scouts they learned about the Law by making a bookmark with different colored beads that represent each line of the law. Then we made a campfire out of food. Marshmallows for rocks (outer circle), Red hots for the hot coals, pretzel twists for wood, and candy corn for the flames. The girls seemed to have a great time. Next week we will be getting back in to the wonderful story in their Journey Books.

For the Juniors, they were suppose to make a musical instrument at home. Ana made a xylophone out of metal washers, string, and a wooden dowel. She stunk up the bathroom when she painted the washers with finger nail polish. But it looks great.

As for today is going to be fun. Going to be in class tonight from 6 - 10pm for re-certification for Adult, Child, and Infant CPR with AED. For Girl Scouts we have to have one leader that has this certification in order to do any over night trips with the girls. Also great thing to know if you have small children at home that love to stuff as much food as possible into their mouth. I have had to help Lisa a few times when she has put to much in her mouth. It didn't seem to matter how small I would cut stuff up she would still put as much as possible in her mouth. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with children.

2009/2010 Has been an exciting year!

I know it has been awhile since my last post. It has been a scary/exciting year.

Since last April 09 I have been working on getting my body back in shape. Everything was going great with exercising, counting calories and losing weight until August. We had drove down to Madison for a house warming party for the weekend. Since I wasn't feeling good Saturday morning we had gotten started late. The rest of the day wasn't bad. We had a great time at the party and then spent the night at a friends instead of driving home that night. I had awoke at about 2:00am with the sensation to wanna pass out. This went on for 3 hrs. Scariest time ever. It is not the first time this has happened. The last time I had actually passed out and hit my head and knee when I fell. I am so glad Brian has always been there when this has happened. I was finally able to get some sleep at about 5 am. First thing on Monday I called the doctor to schedule an appointment. After seeing the doctor he recommeded that I go and see a Cardiologist. I am currently seeing the Cardiologist on a regular schedule. After all the tests I went through, I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in January. What that means is my heart can't adjust quick enough to any volume/fluid loss or displacement within the body. So going from laying down to standing or bending at the knees to standing causes my pulse to go from about 60 to 120 bpm. Hope this make sense. I will be on heart meds for the rest of my life. It won't kill me just make me uncomfortable. I have heard it is almost like having heart failure. Constantly tired, walking up a flight of stairs is exhausting. I am still working on my energy levels by exercising, drinking enough water, and eating right. So far I have lost 80 pounds and working on the last 40. I see a nutrionist about once a month to check in. Making sure I am exercising and eating the right amount.

Girl Scouts is going great. I am a Daisy Troop Leader this year with 12 girls in my troop. I am also still doing Product Sales for the Riversmeet Service Area. Which includes Eau Claire, Altoona, Elk Mound, and Fall Creek. Keeps me hopping! We are just finishing up on Fall Product Sales and getting started on Cookie Sales. Just so you know Cookie Sales are January 21st through February 6th, 2011. If I have your contact info Ana will be calling/stopping by for orders. We will also be having Cookie Booths at local venues in March and April if you run out and need more. Thank you to all that have supported her in previous years.

Okay on to the family from small to tall:

Lisa is doing great. We have had a few bumps in the road over the last year. Over the summer she was having issues with keeping her eye pressure with in normal levels. She now has to be given eye drops 2x a day in each eye. So far it has been keeping the pressure down where it needs to be. She also has new pink glasses. Sooo cute. This way she will be able to have close up and distance. Unfortunately she does have to wear both contacts and glasses in order to get both they way the doctor wants. It has taken a few weeks but I have finally gotten her to keep them on most of the time. She is already for preschool by knowing her Alphabet by sight, Colors, Numbers, and Shapes. Even knows her Right from her Left foot. So proud of her. :)

Ana is in 5th grade this year and her last at Longfellow, next year on to middle school. She is going up so fast. Everything seems to be going pretty well for her. Not having any trouble in school. She also has been put in some advanced classes. Ana still loves reading books or anything she can get her hands on. She is working on Percy Jackson series right now. Most of the time she will finish a 300 page book in less than a week. So proud of her and how she has grown up. Ana has become more aware of how her attitude and choices affects not only herself but others. There has been many days she has helped with Lisa when I have not been at 100%. Love her. :)

Brian has finished his second book and is now an editor at Pragmatic Publishing. Between work and home life he is a busy man. Lucky for me I have a great husband that does everything he has too to give us what we need. Love Him. :)

I am planning on updating this at least once a week so please check back.

It has been awhile

I know it has been a while since I have last wrote. Lisa is now 20 months old. She is doing great with walking and is saying new words everyday. Her newest word is "Husssshhh" when we read her " Good Night Moon". Even though the last few days she has fussed a little before story time. As soon as Brian starts reading she calms down. She has been having troubles with her lack of depth perception. Running into things, falling, or reaching for objects that are a few inches away. I have discussed this with her case worker from Birth to 3. Lisa will be having a visual evaluation done soon. I was very unhappy that her doctor just wanted to watch and see if it got worse. I guess I will have to do the work to get her what she needs. Can't wait for them to get off of their a**. But other than that little bump in the road Lisa is doing great.

Ana has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety. After having troubles with her the last two years and no cooperation from the school. I had her evaluated on my own. I have lived with having ADHD my whole life. I wish my mom would have been more proactive with me and got me the help I needed when I was in grade school. I want Ana to be able to do what ever she chooses to do with her life and not be held back by this. I know how hard it was for me not being able to concentrate enough to even remember what someone had said to me just second earlier. It is not that I did not want to listen, I really tried. Ana has decided she wants to be a Geologist when she grows up. I am so proud of her. We went to Borders tonight and I picked up a couple of books for her first one was on Gems and the other on Minerals. She keeps her favorite rocks in her room on a shelf and the rest are outside in a bag. Pretty soon that bag is going to be completely full. LOL.

Brian is busy juggling between work and family. I try to make it a little easier on him by making sure all of everything else is taken care of. That way he has a few hours of relaxing with the girls or playing video games. He does so much for the family that is the least I can do. Brian is such a great husband and loving father. The last few months that I have been sick and in and out of the doctors office. Brian has been there for me the whole time. Taking care of the house and kids for a week so I could get over dehydration. I am the luckiest person on earth.

As for me I am volunteering with Girl Scouts again this year and enjoying every minute. I have 11 girls in my troop this year. All have different personalities and a joy to be with. We recently went on a camp out at Camp Nawakwa in Cornell, WI. All of the girls got along great and we had a blast. They built a fire, cook dinner, made smores, made necklaces, had a puppet show, went on a nature hike, had a talent show, and did the ropes course. Wow that was a lot just for an overnight stay. In the next month, I have planned for them to tour Cold Stone Creamery. They will be able to make their own sundaes. Mmmmmm. Also a representative from RCU Bank will be coming to talk to them about finances. Who doesn't like money and a Halloween party. All of the girls are excited to show off their costumes. I can't wait to see them. It is going to be a great year.