A Few Days in the Life of a Sick Mom

Being sick is never fun, but being sick as a parent is the worst! No matter how awful I feel I have to suck it up and take care of my kids, whom of course always come first. Luckily Chad didn't have to travel this week while I've been down. He is so great at picking up the slack and taking care of me. I hate when he needs to because he already has so much on his back, but I 1000% appreciate that he is here for me. Our kids are usually pretty good about being helpers when I'm down too. I feel like a jerk because I cancelled a two day sub job (luckily someone else picked it up within minutes so the teacher wasn't out the help) and had to cancel lots of plans with friends, including my Bunco group. While I know I'm complaining, I also feel very fortunate to have the ability to stay in bed to recover and my biggest problem being canceling plans. This is also one of those weeks that I'm super grateful that all of our kids are old enough to be in school so I can rest during the day. There is always a silver lining :)
I spent Monday and Tuesday in bed all day until my kids came home from school. It made for nothing really fun to talk about, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to recover. Wednesday was early release for my kids from school but when they came home I had to take Orin to see the ENT. Last month on September 24 Orin was diagnosed with croup. If you or your kids have ever had it you know that barking cough and how NOT fun it is. While Orin recovered he still hasn't stopped coughing and has been snoring like a freight train, so Chad and I decided he needed to be seen. This was his first time seeing an ENT, we took him to the same one that did Grace's tubes 10 years ago, Dr. Scott Franklin of Georgetown. He checked Orin out and had Orin's hearing tested. Orin has so much fluid behind his ear drums and is still so congested (which has been causing the coughing and snoring) that he has hearing loss. We scheduled surgery before I left the office. On December 1 (2015) Orin will have his adenoids removed and tubes placed in his ear drums, the tubes should solve the hearing loss issue and the doctor expects his hearing to be perfect after surgery. We are waiting until December 1 instead of doing it as early as next week because Orin is still so congested that Dr. Franklin started him on antibiotics and an allergy medication to make sure his lungs are totally clear and healed from the croup he had last month so there is no issue with anesthesia. Orin will also be given orders for an x-ray the week before his surgery at his pre-op so that they can make sure his lungs are in fact healthy enough for the surgery.
I'm very confident in the physicians ability being that Grace had the same surgery with him, but I'm nervous about how Orin's autism will effect his reaction to the anesthesia and his mood while he is healing. I'm sure he will do just great, but it is definitely in the back of my head. I'll keep everyone posted on him and his progress. If you're the praying type I would appreciate you sending some his way, or good juju or whatever you're into.
Grace's first 7th grade band concert was last night! She plays the flute in the Concert 1 band. She did so great! My MIL, Michell, was able to come watch her performance which I know meant the world to Grace and to us! Our kids love an audience and they really work hard to do their best. Grace has basketball tryouts coming up (I think they're next week...I don't have my planner in my face but I'm pretty sure), after try outs she will be starting weekly private lessons for her flute. We really hope that with the extra attention and help that she will make a higher class of band for 8th grade. She is such a natural musically talented kid, Chad and I are really happy to give her some extra tools to excel with her flute.
We have our annual family portrait coming up this Sunday. I am SO excited! If you really know me or have ever been to my home you know that our annual family portrait is a BIG deal to me and something that I am adamant happens every single fall. In our "new" house Chad begged me to only display the pictures (each year's pics are framed and hung) that we've taken since Orin has been born, since we were our complete family. I always display the annual family portrait and then one of all three kids. I did what he asked and the first 8 years are still framed in a box in our attic. I have each of their infant picturess out and one day may take the others out, but I'm ok with it like it is for now. My portrait wall is already full and about to be expanded to another wall. This year we are hiring the super talented Christel Grall, she is a fantastic photographer and I'm so excited to see what she captures!
I have zero fashion sense (I lie, its getting a little better but still has a long way to go). Chad and my middle daughter Abby have to tell me when I don't match or look homeless before I leave the house. Abby has been a huge help in assisting me to pick out what we will all wear for our portraits this year. I don't want to give away too much, but I think it is coming together really nicely! We are by no means a "country" family so my original idea of the kids wearing plaid got thrown out the window. It looked cute but doesn't fit our family's style at all. Orin will be still wearing his plaid shirt because it is something that suits him, and now we are all planning our outfits based of of the colors from his shirt. I can't wait to see how the photos come out!! On Saturday while Chad and Orin get a haircut, Grace Abby and I are going to get our nails done. I get mine done every two weeks but it is a real treat for the girls and they are looking forward to their appointment. On Sunday the girls and I are all having our hair done for the pictures too. Their hair is naturally so straight and they're getting it curled. They were so giddy when I told them I had made them an appointment. We're all going to be feeling our best for the photo shoot and I really hope it shows in the final product! Ahhh! Can you feel my excitement!?
Yesterday (Wednesday) our new mattress arrived, we also got a new dining table (not formal, for the breakfast area) that seats 4 (really 6) but can expand to seat up to 8. We got four seats and four stools that go with it, it is so much better than what we had out! Its very cute and super functional, I'm very happy with our purchase. We also got two new awesome Beauty Rest pillows for our bed. We had memory foam pillows with the cooling gel, but its very thick and I never end up actually sleeping on it so we gave those to our daughters and now have our new ones, they're SO comfy!! The last thing that we ordered that showed up yesterday were two really cool looking comic book pillows to go in our comic book themed game room! Once it is clean (my house isn't in the shape I usually keep it in this week since I've been sick) I'll try to figure out how to post pics on my blog and show you!
Well I guess that catches everyone up to our fairly low key week! I hope you all have a great halloween and weekend!
Until next time, count your blessings! :)

Sara

Round 2!

Several years ago I started a blog (Painting Mom of Three) but with my kids being so young it was difficult to find the time and energy to keep up with it, so I'm starting fresh with Round 2!
Since I'm starting fresh I think an introduction is quite appropriate.
My name is Sara, I'm married to Chad and we have three great kids together, Grace, Abiageal and Orin. I'm a stay at home mom and a very part time substitute teacher. Chad and I have been together since the day we met in April of 2000 when he was 18 and I was 16. We married very young at 20 and 18 and became parents at 21 and 19. We have an amazing life that we have sacrificed and worked very hard for. Our daughter Grace was born in October 2002, she is now a teenager (ahhh!), our daughter Abiageal (Abby) was born in December 2006 and our son Orin was born in June 2010. Grace is currently in 7th grade, Abby is in 3rd grade and Orin is in Kindergarten. I'm still in disbelief that all of our kids are old enough to be in school!
I really enjoy cooking, organizing, planning, being crafty and creative, hosting parties and so much more. I have some amazing girlfriends who are such an important part of my life, I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful group of ladies!
Our son Orin was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and High Functioning Autism in November 2014. He is a super smart little man and is doing wonderful with the support our school provides him. He is crushing all of his goals and overcoming his obstacles daily. Autism support is a big deal and a passion in our home. Grace and Abby are (usually) so great with their little brother and understand his quirks.
The name of my new blog is The Executive Homemaker, because that is the title I gave myself ;) Let me explain and give a little bit of our backstory and why I decided that I had earned this title.
When I graduated from Leander High School in 2001 I had already been accepted to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, TX. Chad and I had been dating for a year and I made it very clear that I was not interested in a long distance relationship, if he wanted to make it work he had some decisions to make. He didn't think twice about moving to Abilene with me. I moved into the dorms and he moved into an apartment and attended Cisco Jr. College. He proposed to me on October 6, 2001. We told our families, I don't think mine took it seriously and I'm sure were less than thrilled considering I was 18. We planned to marry on June 21, 2003. On Feb 6, 2002 I found out that I was expecting. We knew for sure that we wanted to be married before our child was born so we moved our wedding up and got married in a beautiful ceremony on May 18, 2002 at Bethany United Methodist Church (the church I was raised in), in Austin, TX.
After our honeymoon we went back to Abilene where I worked in the jewelry section of Wal-Mart and Chad worked as a night stocker at HEB. We were so nervous about having a baby. How were we going to afford daycare? How were we going to afford to raise a child? How were we going to afford to just live? A chain of events happened that led Chad to getting hired on with Aramark in their uniform division as a route driver. This new job meant that I could quit working and become a stay at home mom. We by NO means had a ton of money, but we could afford for me to not work as long as we made sacrifices, which I was happy to do.
Chad was hired on and within two weeks we welcomed our first daughter, Grace. She was so amazing, we were so happy, we were SO scared!
From that point on for the next two years Chad worked 12 hour days M-F and went to night school M-Th from 6-9pm to finish his Bachelors Degree. I went to school also, but ended up not going back after I completed 60 hours, I just wanted to be home and I definitely do not have the endurance Chad does to extend himself so much.
On September 19, 2003 we were in an awful car wreck. It impacted our lives in a way we never expected. Grace was 11 months old and in a rear facing carseat that saved her life. Chad's shoulder was hurt by the seatbelt and his thumb was broken from the airbag. I was driving and got the worst of it. My left ankle and leg were shattered. When I went for surgery they told Chad that they were likely going to amputate, luckily with skill and lots of metal I was able to keep my leg. I still have surgeries every few years due to my injury, but I consider myself very lucky!
After Chad graduated with his Bachelors Degree in May 2005 he was promoted at Aramark to a Sales Rep. Shortly after that he transferred to the Austin Market, we left Abilene and bought our first house in Leander, TX. We loved that house! When we moved Chad enrolled in St. Edwards University to continue his education and earn his Masters Degree. I went to work part time for a year at Bank of America but left when I was seven months pregnant with baby #2.
Abiageal was born at the end of December 2006, she was such a happy baby!! By the time Abby was born Chad had left Aramark and was working for one of their competitors, G&K Services. Because they were a competitor and Chad had signed a non-compete with Aramark he was commuting from Leander to Corpus Christi ever week. He would leave early on Tuesday and come home on Friday. He would work and take classes at TAMU Kingsville to continue working on his Masters Degree. After a year of commuting Chad's non-compete was up and he started selling in the Austin/San Antonio Area and transferred back to St. Ed's to work on his MBA, which he graduated with in August 2009.
When Abby was about two I went back to work part time at United Heritage Credit Union, I stayed at that job until I was put on bedrest a few days before our son Orin was born.
When I was pregnant with him I had to see a high risk specialist and had IUGR, Orin was pulled at 35 weeks and was so tiny! He was born in June 2010. We knew he would be our last baby and that our family was complete.
Chad left G&K and was hired on with Compass Group in May 2008. It was something totally new for him, he left the uniform world and went into food. He was the Austin/San Antonio sales rep and was signing contracts for vending services. He was very good at his job and it was noticed in October 2010 when he was promoted to have a team over the South East, which meant that we had to move to Orlando, FL. While we didn't really want to move to Florida we knew we had to if we wanted Chad's career to advance. We put our house on the market, packed up and moved to Orlando on November 8, 2010.
Shortly after we moved to Orlando my mom passed away. She died on Feb 12, 2011. It has been very hard on my family and still is, I'm not sure I'll ever get over her loss.
In May 2011 we closed on our house that we built in Orlando, it was a really great house, on "waterfront" and we loved the school we were at. I made a small handful of good friends and really got involved in the PTA. No matter how much we tried, we just never felt at home in Florida. After 22 months we sold our house and moved into corporate housing. At that time Chad had been contacted by a recruiter and was going through the process of getting hired on with Boston Market at an Executive level as the Corporate Director of Sales. He was hired on, the kids finished school for the year the next day and we left the day after that. We packed up and drove 24 hours straight from Orlando back to Leander, we couldn't leave fast enough. I definitely miss some of my friends, especially Aitza and Jenna but am still so happy we are back in Texas.
We leased a house and then bought our third house in August 2014, which is where we are now and where we plan to stay until we are done raising our children, so at least 13 more years.
I decided when Chad became an Executive that I have earned that title with him, that is where the name of my blog comes in. We are a team, we work together in every aspect of our lives together and have since the day we met. We are partners and I thought it was fitting that we share a level of professionalism, even though we are in totally different fields ;)
That is the synopsis on our history and from here we move forward. I hope you enjoyed my first post and want to grow with our family!
Until next time, count your blessings! :)

Sara