grease, smack talk and poison control

So, I started this weekend off by blowing my diet on the most delicious, fattening, glorious, greasy hamburger known to man.

Also, it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

It's The ChopHouse Burger from The ChopHouse in Arlington, TX.

Holy Moley.




Saturday, Ethan's team played against the Blue Jays.

It was awesome.

Ethan knew some of the players from they other team.
I over heard this conversation.
They were discussing how badly they were going to annihilate each other.
Ethan's team won 10-3.
It's a good thing their coaches teach them good sportsmanship.




Then we got to party with that cutie in pink.
She turned two this weekend.
You know it's a great 2 year old girl's birthday party when
even the 8 year old boys are having fun!


And I wrapped up by weekend by calling the poison control hotline.

See those pills below?



The one on the left is Ethan's.
The one on the right is mine.

We both take them at night.

Last night I was busy thinking about other things and accidentally
took one of HIS pills.

After a moment of panic, I ran up the stairs and hollered,
"DAVIDITOOKONEOFETHANSPILLS.WHATSHOULDIDO?!"

He calmly replied,
"Huh?"

I said,"
"I took one of Ethan's pills!  WHAT SHOULD I DO?!"

"Make yourself throw up!" he suggested.

HECK NO!  Amanda Jo does not throw up.  That is the last thing on the planet I will ever do.  Food poisoning - this girl is not throwing up if she can help it.  Stomach flu - still not throwing up.  Just not doing it.  NO WAY.  NO HOW.

So, I got on the horn with Poison Control.

After a good scolding, the lady finally told me that I should be nice and sleepy the following day as my son's ADHD medication is the time-release kind.  She also said that it would not affect my other medications not give me bad side effects. 

She did suggest that we get different colored days of the week pill containers and label them CLEARLY with our names.
I see that happening in the VERY near future.

A Crazy Easter

Today, many blogs are posting pictures of children in their Sunday best, running around yards with eggs scattered and delicious food displayed on beautiful tables.

That is not the kind of Easter my family had.

We had the kind of Easter where, as a good friend of mine put it on her Facebook status, at the end of the day your hug your own babies a little tighter that night.

Some very good friends of ours children, who were riding with their grandparents, were in a very bad car accident as they were on their way home to have Easter dinner with their mom and dad yesterday. 

They were sitting at a red light looking at the lightning off in the distance when, out of nowhere, a car hydroplaned out of control and hit them head on.  Thankfully, they had no idea it was coming so they didn't have time to be afraid or tense up.

Sadly, there were some significant injuries.

God though, He out did Himself.

This family, despite being beat up, practically walked away from a HORRIBLE wreck.

Out of the six people in the totalled vehicle:

Grandpa - bumps, bruises and a twisted knee
Grandma - thought she had a broken sternum but it turns out that it's just severely bruised
Oldest Son, 13- Bruise on forehead, called parents just after the accident to tell them what happened THEN called 911
Oldest Daughter, 11- Concussion and shaken up, otherwise ok
Youngest Son, 6- skull fracture and other head injuries, had surgery to repair fracture
Youngest Daughter, 4- Minor bruising and shaken up, otherwise ok

The miracle of this story is the youngest son, Anakin (which he calls himself, not his actual name).

At the sight of the accident he was unconscious and things were not looking good.  Once his parents and paramedics were on the scene he started coming in and out of consciousness only long enough to scream out in pain.

Once at the hospital, he was rushed into the ER and his parents were told that it was not looking good.  They were preparing for the worst. 

The other children and the grandparents were also rushed to various ER rooms.  Thankfully, my friends have a HUGE family so there were plenty of people to tend everyone as they were scattered.

My friends and I debated for a few hours about whether or not we should head up to the hospital to sit with them for support or if we'd just be intruding but we ultimately decided that it's better to show up and offer love and support than to regret not being there at all.  Besides, if they didn't need us, we could give hugs and head out.

I am so glad we went.

Even though they had 20+ people up there, they were happy to see us and we were even happier to see them.  

Back to Anakin.

As we were waiting in the surgery waiting room, the mom got a call from one of the OR nurses that they were starting surgery and that it would take at least an hour. 

20 minutes later, the waiting room got another call.  It was about Anakin.

My friend jumped up and we all held our breath as we saw her shoulders slump.  I immediately regretted not walking up there with her, thinking she'd collapse at any moment.

Thankfully, she turned around and announced that the doctors were finished and that they were closing Anakin up. He'd come through the surgery just fine.

10 minutes later the surgeon came out and gave us all the details.  Let me just tell you, without giving specifics, IT IS AMAZING WHAT DOCTORS CAN DO THESE DAYS!

This situation could have been SO much worse, but by God grace and mercy, Anakin will forever have a testimony of how God pulled him through a horrible car accident and gave him a metal plate in his head.  And trust me - this kid will wear it as a badge of honor!

Tonight, we're going to go see this little guy and we will bring him a Spongebob coloring sheet, a fishing trophy and a stuffed animal.

My Slugger

Friday night was Ethan's first baseball game of this new season.

We were super excited but, honestly, didn't have high hopes for the team to do well since we'd only practiced together two or three times before this game.

David and I were particularly nervous since Ethan basically missed the fall season and hadn't practiced much since last spring.

Thankfully, these boys really stepped up to the plate (pun totally intended) and did REALLY well for a bunch of 6 to 8 year olds!

We won 18-8 against the Pirates - one of the better teams in the league.

Can I just say how much I'm loving my new iPhone?  While the camera is smaller, I am so glad I can finally catch all of Ethan's antics and achievements on video for the whole world to see. 

(oh, and we're working on a weekly spot for him.  he's a ham so you just know it'll be fun!)

Anyway, check out my boy and his first hit of the season! 
(He went 2 for 2 in this game!)

The Pinterest Project - DIY Fabric Softner

First off, I'd like to thank My Messy Nest for the photobucket suggestion.  You saved the day!

For my first Pinterest Project (still workin' on the name - this one's not my fave) I am going to review Rebecca's Rosemary Mint Fabric Softener from the blog One Good Thing by Jillee.



(Photo Credit and Original Post)

The supplies for this project were very easy to come by - I had them all on hand! 

The instructions were VERY easy to follow.

The website calls for:

Ingredients:

6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Rosemary Mint Conditioner

Just to warn you all - this took almost two bottles of the size suave I have pictured below.  Thankfully, I shop in bulk so I had it on hand.

The instructions are as follows:

Directions:
1. Mix water, vinegar, and hair conditioner in a 1 gallon container; stir. Do not shake it; it will cause foaming.
2. Use the same amount you normally use in a rinse cycle or spritz it on a wash cloth and throw in dryer.

 

I must say, my concoction looked pretty weird until it finally started to come together.

I had to ditch the green spoon and whisk it pretty well in order to get it to mix.

Thankfully, it didn't suds up like I thought it would.

Mathematically speaking, I shouldn't have been shocked that this recipe didn't fill up my entire milk jug but, for some reason, I was.  Thankfully though, you don't have to use much.



The claim of this pin is that your clothes will smell rosemary minty fresh, feel great and it's cheap.  Let's get my verdict:

Ease:  A+

The hardest part of this was trying to get all of the conditioner you needed out of the container.  That Suave container is stingy.

Effectiveness: C

I use a downy ball because I don't have time to stand around my washer waiting for the rinse cycle so I don't know if that effects the product or not. 

After my clothes were dry I did notice a difference in the amount of static I was dealing compared to my normal routine that is sans fabric softener and dryer sheets.  As far as softness goes, I did not notice any difference.  Fragrance wise, I did not detect a hint of rosemary nor

mint.

Economy: B

The water is free.  Well, except that you pay a monthly water bill.

The vinegar is SUPER cheap (less than $2) and goes a long way.

The conditioner, on the other hand, cost me about $3 and that's using coupons and shopping on sale. 

This recipe gets you roughly 88 ounces (5 cups shy of a gallon) of product for about $3.25

Compared to 77oz. of Downy Ultra Fabric Softner with Febreeze at $20 - this stuff is a steal!

Overall Grade: B-

Pros: 

1.  It's CHEAP!

2.  It works great at cutting static.  I'm not sure how but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cons:

1.  After drying, I couldn't smell the rosemary mint

2.  While washing, I did catch a pretty strong whiff of vinegar.  Thankfully, though, it completely washes out so your clothes and towels don't come out smelling like vinegar.

The Verdict

I am still debating on whether or not I will go through the trouble of mixing this stuff up again after I run out of my 88ozs.  I love not having static in my clothes but, frankly, I'm kinda lazy and I don't really care one way or the other about whether my clothes smell like rosemary or a summer breeze.  Time will tell whether or not this stuff will really win me over or not.

Next Monday I will perform for you - I mean review for you DIY Mrs. Meyer's Liquid Hand Soap as blogged about by Family of Farmers.

A New Blog for My New Life Style

As you all know I am working through something in order to find the direction and focus I need for this here blog o' mine.  Since my recent health stuff and new *healthier* life style change, I decided to go ahead and start up a side-blog.

I just don't overhwhelm this blog with posts about PCOS, weight loss and everything that goes with it.

When you have time, please stop by Against My Flesh, read my welcome and intro post and leave me some love.

On the sidebar, you will always find a button that will send you stright to AMF so you can stay up to date with all of this stuff.

Thanks for being so supportive and loving!
You guys ROCK!

Pinterest Project Postponed

I hate to do it but I've gotta postpone the Pinterest Project. 
I cannot figure out how to get the pictures off of my iPhone and onto my work computer.  I already tried e-mailing them and for weird reason they won't download.

Anyway...  Pinterest Project Pics coming Monday NO MATTER WHAT!

Until then, here's a video of my big kid showing off his new riding skills.

So proud!

The Official PCOS Poster Child

Ok - Maybe not the "official" poster child but I totally could be!
(i know some of you are wondering - "wait, where's the pinterest project post?!"  don't fret!  it'll be here tomorrow.)

Today I went to my very first endocrinologist appointment.  I'm still not 100% certain what an endocrin....  does but I know she works with people who have thyroid issues, diabetes and infertility.

A little background info before I go on:  a few years ago I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome - it's just as much fun as it sounds.  In nut shell, my ovaries are messed up and produce many cysts instead of just one.  With this come such joys as: weight gain, difficult weight loss, male-patterned hair growth, acne, infertility, irregular cycles, hair loss, diabetes and a few others.

My doctor at the time gave me a couple of prescriptions to help with the symptoms and get things under control but she failed to explain that one could help me get pregnant (not necessarily something we're seeking - we are of the mind-set that when God says it's time, He'll make a way.  Besides, we have hearts for adoption and have planned to build our family that way.) and the other causes severe birth defects. 

When I brought this issue up to her she was very nonchalant about it and that really put a bad taste in my mouth so, I stopped taking the medication and broke up with her.  I was determined to beat PCOS with diet and exercise alone.

Three years and two diets later, nothing has changed except that I've almost maxed out the sizes that Lane Bryant carries in the store and my migraines have gotten more severe.

That's what's driven me back to the doctor.

Three weeks ago I had blood work done that showed that my testosterone was high (thank you, PCOS), my TSH (thyroid) came back high as well as my insulin.

For this overweight Native American, the "insulin" work FREAKED ME OUT.  The last thing we want to hear is "diabetes".  It's almost a death certificate for us.  I know I sound dramatic but it's the truth. 

Thankfully, the doctor put my mind to rest and let me know I am NOT diabetic!!  It is only by God's mercy that I am not since I have most of the risk factors.

Tomorrow I will go in for some follow-up blood work for my thyroid and Friday I will start taking Metformin.  I am also anticipating a call to schedule an appointment with a nutritionist as well as a call from my doctor regarding the blood work for my thyroid and whether or not she'll need to treat it with medication.

Pray for me as I walk this road.

I am not a diet and exercise kind of girl but I NEED to be. 
Also, I struggle with self-discipline and motivation.

I need to remember that I can do all things through Christ!