The Quest for a Healthy Lifestyle

We’ve decided once and for all to make getting healthy one of our goals as a family.  We have made this decision many times in the past, but eventually fall back into our old bad habits.  In my last post I mentioned that I had taken Drama Queen for her check up, her pediatrician was concerned about her weight as I knew she would be, but she talked to both DQ and I about the importance of taking control of her health now and she had some great suggestions for us.  We are taking them all to heart and are trying to make these changes.

We are cutting way back on the sweets, eating more fruits and vegetables, and trying to get more exercise.   I’ve been reading the labels more at the grocery store and making smarter choices, such as low fat cheese, 1% milk, and limiting the amount of sugar in the things I buy.  This is going to have to be a lifestyle change, not just a “diet”.  We’ve only been doing this for a week, but we are beginning to see a difference.  I’m having trouble with the sweets,  I still crave them, I know that the less sugar I eat, the less I will crave it, but it’s difficult at the start.

My heart’s desire is for us to make lasting changes that will improve our health for the rest of our lives, I know this is God’s will for us also.  Please pray for us as we seek to make these changes.

Have a blessed night!

Love, Velvia 

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Immunizations – Too Much of a Good Thing?

Last week went by in a blur, it’s hard to believe it’s over and a new week has begun.  Drama Queen was sick for a few days and I was caring for her, and somewhere along the line it feels like I lost a couple of days or so.  I took her to the doctor on Wednesday for her annual check up, she had to have three immunizations which still seems excessive to me, and she had a bad reaction to one or maybe a combination of the shots.

We left the doctor’s office at 12:30 and by 4:30 she had a temperature of 102.6 and was so nauseated she threw up.  She ran a fever for a total of about 48 hours, about 30 of those hours it was over 102.  I realize that sometimes kids have a low grade temperature after their immunizations, but none of my kids including Drama Queen,  ever ran a temp that high or was that sick afterward.  I made several calls to the doctors office over the course of two days and was told that although it’s not common for a child to have such a reaction,  it does happen on occasion.

With all the controversy over immunizations lately and our own recent experience, I have grave concerns about them.  I  know some of them are necessary, but I feel like children are given too many overall, and too many at once.  I am not a doctor, but as a mom and a grandmother, I feel there needs to be more research regarding immunizations and their effects on our children.   Are we doing more harm than good in an effort to protect our kids by giving them every vaccine that doctors decide is necessary?  I refused to let them give Drama Queen the vaccine for the HPV virus, because I don’t think there’s been enough research on the long term effects, and I refuse to let my child be a guinea pig.

This is just my personal rant on this subject, but I’d love to hear your opinions.  Have your children and/or grandchildren or anyone you know, ever had a bad reaction to their immunizations?  I’m curious to know how often this happens, and I’m interested in your thoughts.

Have a blessed night!

Love, Velvia 

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I’ve Been Tagged for a Memoir Meme

A precious blogger friend, Lorie, at Encouragement from My Heart,  has tagged me for a Six Word Memoir meme.  Whenever you get a chance go over to her site and check it out, she writes beautiful, inspirational poetry and has such a heart for God.

Here is my Six Word Memoir: (I changed it just a little and used phrases instead.)

1. Crying – out for mercy

2. Forgiven – by God

3. Grateful – for His blessings

4. Open – to His Will

5. Praying – for wisdom

6. Focused – on heaven

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it on your blog, and include visual illustration if you like.

3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post.

4. Tag five more blogs with links.

5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

I am tagging:

Daisy – A Daisy a Day 

Angie – More Sugar Than Spice

Kimmie – Over the Moon with Joy

Sharon – Rose of Sharon

Kim – The Chosen Child

Anyone else who reads this and would like to play along, consider yourself tagged!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Friday!

Love, Velvia

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A Visit with Her Birth Mom

                  Marcie and Drama Queen

Drama Queen had a visit with her birth mom yesterday and it went really well.  We had been unable to arrange a visit for almost a year due to coordinating schedules, etc., but now that Marcie has moved closer to us again it makes things easier for everyone.  We met for lunch and then Marcie came back to the house and visited for several hours.   When you see the two of them together you can really see the resemblance,  Drama Queen is a smaller version of her birth mom.  She even has the same laugh, it’s uncanny how much they sound alike when they laugh. 

                 Intent on their painting

Drama Queen is taking art lessons and loving it, so she wanted to paint with Marcie.  They had a great time, Marcie showed her some new techniques and really encouraged her to delve into it.  It was really sweet watching them spend time together, I tried to make myself scarce so they could have some alone time together, but I had to take some pictures.  I’ve tried to document all their visits in photos, and I keep a special scrapbook for Drama Queen of photos of her and her birth family.  I make CD’s for Marcie of Drama Queen’s photos, so she can keep up with what’s going on with her in pictures too.

                     Move over Monet!

It’s easy to see where Drama Queen gets her creativity from, the picture they painted together is beautiful!  It gives Drama Queen something to aspire to with her art.   I’m so glad they finally had a visit, it was overdue for both of them.  They really enjoyed spending time together, and we encouraged Marcie to keep in contact more frequently now that she lives closer. 

Having an open adoption is wonderful, but it does have it’s drawbacks.  Sometimes, it can be very hard on Drama Queen’s emotions, and we try to be very sensitive to that and help her work through them.  Fortunately, Marcie is very understanding and she also wants what’s best for DQ, so we are all able to work together to do what’s best for her. 

We are grateful for the trust Marcie placed in us in allowing us to adopt Drama Queen and raise her as our own,  and we won’t ever forget the sacrifice she made to give Drama Queen a better life.

Have a great night!

Love, Velvia

*** Just in case you’re wondering, I checked with Marcie to make sure she was O.K. with me posting these pictures and blogging about their visit*** 

 

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Just Call Me Grace!

Do you want to hear something funny?  Well, it’s not funny to me yet, because I know I am going to ache even worse tomorrow, but it will be funny eventually.   I fell flat on my face today, well actually I caught myself with my left hand, right elbow, and right knee, but I was face down on the concrete!  I had just dropped Drama Queen off at art lessons with our sweet friend, Mia, and was walking back to my van when I tripped on the concrete pad where I was parked, and as they say “I hit the dirt”.  Except it wasn’t dirt, Nooo, I had to fall on concrete.

Let me tell you, I was in shock, I don’t think I have fallen like that since I was a kid, except maybe when I was roller skating with the kids. I laid there for a couple of seconds not believing what had just happened, and trying to assess if anything was broken or seriously hurt beside my pride!  It’s amazing what can go through your mind in such a short amount of time, I was just thinking how glad I was that no one had witnessed my lovely escapade, when out runs Mia, her husband, and Drama Queen.  They had seen the whole thing through the kitchen window, wouldn’t you know it?  Of course they were very concerned that I might be injured, so I sat up as quickly as I could to assure them that “No, really, I’m just fine!

After repeatedly reassuring them that I really was O.K., I got in my van to run my errands and left.  When I got to my destination, I got out of the van and that’s when I realized, I am going to be sore tomorrow!  My hand, knee, and elbow that caught my fall were already beginning to ache, and some muscles I didn’t even know existed were aching also. 

They strange thing is, I still can’t believe it happened, even though my body is reminding me that it did.   It was so surreal, one of those events that when you see it happen to someone else you run over to make sure they’re O.K. and to see if you can help, but you never think it’s going to happen to you.  Oh well, someday it will just be a funny anecdote to tell.  In the meantime, just call me Grace!

Have a great night!

Love, Velvia

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Sisterly Love – Birth Sisters

      Holly, Drama Queen, and Hillary

We were very blessed to be able to get the three girls together for a visit this past Friday, we met at the mall and had lunch and then did some shopping together.  It was really incredible to see how much the girls have missed each other, they haven’t been all together since last June for Holly’s birthday.  It’s hard to find a time that is convenient for all three to be together, Holly lives two hours away with her birth dad, and Hillary lives two hours away with her adoptive parents. 

Drama Queen is a typical little sister, no matter how much time passes in between visits she slips right back into the role of being a little bit annoying to the two older girls.  It’s really quite funny to see them together, Hillary is very laid back and Holly is pretty laid back also, so Drama Queen, true to her nickname, does whatever she can to get their attention.  The older girls are very patient with her though, they are understanding for the most part, although there are times when they let her know they’ve had enough!

I thank God that we have been able to maintain contact for the past seven years, and I pray they will always stay in touch.  Even though they all have different lives with different families, they need to stay connected.  The bond that the three of them share is so special, and the love they have for one another is a gift that I hope they will always cherish.

Have a great night!

Love, Velvia

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Six Flags – Whoo Hoo!

 

            Drama Queen and Hillary

Yesterday we went to Six Flags for a fun family outing, Phillip, Beth, Spiderman, and Ladybug, and Drama Queen, her birth sister, Hillary, and I all loaded up in the van and drove down for the day. (Unfortunately, Ashley had to work, so he missed out on the fun.)   We arrived just as they opened and stayed until around 6:00 pm, we couldn’t believe the little ones lasted all day.  They were great the entire day and we had an enormous amount of fun! 

             Ladybug and Spiderman

Six Flags has an area just for the little ones, called Bugs Bunny World, Spiderman and Ladybug had such a great time there!  Spiderman’s favorite part of all was an area called the Carrot Patch which had giant vinyl carrots hanging from the ceiling,  the kids could punch them or run through like an obstacle course.  Ladybug kept saying “ride, ride” every time we got into line for another ride, she loved the rides, but the waiting in line, not so much!

 

                Can you say blue!!

Please pardon the undissolved cotton candy on Spiderman’s tongue,  I asked him to show me his blue tongue so I could take his picture, not realizing he wasn’t finished chewing!  I had to post this photo anyway, it’s just too cute for words, at least in this Nana’s eyes.

I have to confess I am still tired today from the outing, it was worth every ache I am feeling, but I miss being younger and having boundless energy.  Thank goodness for hot showers and ibuprofen!  Well as they say, “A good time was had by all.”

Have a great weekend!

Love, Velvia 

 

 

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They’re Back – For A Visit!

Natalie, Joey, Cupcake, and Blue Eyes came down for a visit this week, they were only able to stay overnight, but it was wonderful to spend some quality time with them.  We enjoyed every minute of their visit, and as always it’s hard when they leave,  the house seems too quiet.  But, then we just begin to look forward to the next time we’re able to see them.

              Blue Eyes on the trampoline

Blue Eyes is getting so big, he’s learned many new words since the last time we saw him.  He has the most adorable personality,  he’s very loving and affectionate,  I just want to kiss those sweet little cheeks every chance I get!  He loves to watch the Wiggles, he’s too cute dancing along with them.

                             Cupcake  

Little Miss Cupcake is 3 going on 10.  She is very articulate, she can carry on a conversation like a six year old.  She started preschool today, there aren’t any children her age for her to interact with where they live, so Natalie and Joey decided to enroll her in preschool three days a week.  She was very excited about starting school when she was here,  she told me “I’m not going to cry Nana.” 

                 Natalie and Joey   

 Natalie and Joey are doing great in their new job as houseparents, they have faced some serious challenges in the past few weeks with the eight girls in their care, but they have faced those challenges head on.  We’re so proud of them,  I know this is a time of real spiritual growth in their lives,  and they are allowing God to work through them to minister to these girls.

I’m too tired to post any more tonight, I’ve been at Six Flags all day and I am exhausted!!!  I’ll post about the fun day we had either tomorrow night or later in the week.

Have an awesome Friday everyone!

Love, Velvia

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Our Special Boy

Zachary horseback riding (You can see the pure joy in his face!)

 Sometimes, we encounter angels here on earth without ever realizing it, and then there are angels who come into our lives that we have no doubt that they are sent straight from heaven to us.  One of these angels is our special boy, Zachary,  he is my sister-in-law’s son.  Zach is going to be 18 next month, but he is not your typical teenager, you see, Zach is considered “handicapped”.  He has many special needs, all of which are part of what make Zach so unique.  He has taught me many things over the years, and these are a few of the lessons I have learned from him. 

Lesson#1 – Keep smiling; Zach always has a smile on his face, no matter what is going on with him, he is smiling.  

Lesson#2 – Find joy in the simple things; Zach loves life, the simplest things in life bring him such incredible joy. 

Lesson#3 – Love others unconditionally with your whole heart;  Zach loves with his whole heart and being, and that love is unconditional.  

Lesson#4 – Be flexible, you never know what life holds for you; Zach has encountered many difficult things pertaining to his disabilities, and he and his mom have had to roll with the punches.

Lesson#5 – The most important lesson I have learned from Zach is to trust God completely,  there are things that come our way in life that we have no control over and that we don’t understand why we have to endure them, but God is in control and He loves us and wants what’s best for us.  Sometimes, that means letting go of our hopes and dreams and accepting His will, and allowing Him to have His way in our lives.  

 

Gay and Zach on an outing with Fishing with Friends (This kid loves life!)

Gay will probably shoot me for posting this picture, she hates to have her picture taken, but, I just had to share it.  You can see the love she has for Zachary in her face.  I wrote a post about her and what an awesome mom she is, you can check it out in my archives from Feb. 19th, it’s entitled My Hero.   So there you have it, you are seeing an angel in the flesh.  Next time you come in contact with a person with disabilities, take a moment to reflect and thank God for allowing you to be in the presence of an angel!

 

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A Heart for God

What does it really mean to have a heart for God?  That’s a question I’m pondering tonight.  Do I really have a heart for God, or am I just going through the motions, doing what’s expected of me as a Christian? 

I would like to think that I am totally sold out to Him, and I would be willing to do whatever He asks of me, but, am I really?  What if He asked me to sell all my worldy possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, would I be willing to do that?  How about moving to a third world country and leaving behind my family to become a missionary, is that something I am open to?

The sad fact of the matter is I don’t believe I am prepared to take a step like that,  as terrible as that sounds.   I’m not sure what I would do if God asked me to do something for Him that required a major sacrifice on my part.   I am not proud of myself for feeling this way, but I am being totally honest.

I know that God prepares us for the things He asks us to do for Him, but what about my willingness?  He knows my heart so I can’t pretend I am willing, He knows I’m not.  This is not where I want to be in my relationship with my Heavenly Father at this point in my life, I want to have a heart for Him, a heart that is open and willing to do whatever He asks of me no matter how difficult or how much it costs me personally.

My prayer tonight is this; Father, change my heart and mind, help me to be open to whatever You have for me to do.  Help me to have a heart for You, a heart that is willing to follow wherever You lead, no matter what the cost.

 Have a blessed night and an awesome Sunday!

Love, Velvia

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