Being a Single Mom for 8 days

I shouldn't have said 'Single' mom in the title because I'm not actually single. My husband was out of town..ok... out of the country for 8 days, 7 nights for work, so I was singly taking care of my 3 kids under 7.

This is my usual schedule... I have 3 kids, 7, 5 & 3. The oldest is in 1st grade. The middle boy is in preschool Monday, Wednesday & Friday. The youngest angel (sometimes) goes to preschool Tuesday & Thursday, so everyday I have at least one kid at all times.  I get up at 7 a.m, wake up my oldest daughter, she gets her self dressed, then I wake up the other 2, get them dressed. We all go down stairs for breakfast. While they sit at the table and eat, I go get my self ready (as ready as I can be). After I get dressed and the kids get done eating, I brush their teeth, comb their hair and they all get their shoes and coat on. We are ready to head out the door at 7:40 a.m. I drive to Norris (about 30 minutes away) drop my oldest off for 1st grade. Then drive back to Lincoln and drop a preschooler off (depending what day it is, refer back to the top of this paragraph), then usually go home with the other one and shower then we have our learning session. Leave the house at 11 am and go pick up the preschooler by 11:30. We go home, get lunch, and the kids get to play, watch shows, learn until 2:00 pm when it is time to leave to get my oldest daughter. She doesn't get out of school until 3:25, which means I really do not have to leave my house until 2:50, but I leave at 2 so the other 2 kids sleep in the car....genius! I found this out last year that if I leave the house at 2, the other 2 will fall asleep in the car, I get their at 2:30 and am able to relax and have 'mommy' time for an hour.

Day 1- Monday- The plan was to take my oldest daughter to school then drop off my son to preschool and just have my youngest daughter home with me. But I woke up my oldest daughter and she felt like she had a fever. She woke up saying that her throat hurt and didn't feel good. I checked her temp and she had a fever, so I called the school and kept her home. I then let the other 2 sleep because preschool doesn't start until 9, so we would have to leave the house at 8:40. My son woke up (the one that was supposed to have preschool) saying that he didn't feel good either. I guessed it worked out that no one had school that day. So I wound up calling both schools and we all stayed home that day.

It was a pretty good day. The kids had pajama day and just lounged around the house all day. Lazy days are allowed....every once in a while  :)  I am a person that can't sit still and always has to have something to do, so just to sit around drives me crazy.

Day 2- Tuesday- Today was a normal running around day. Every one went to school today, the oldest and youngest. Kind of a normal day... It was snowing like crazy today. The oldest had an early dismissal because of the snow. So, had to go get her at 1:30 today. Went back home and let the kids put on their pj's again and had a movie day. I have pool leagues tonight, so grandma and grandpa are coming over to take over so momma can have some fun ;).

Day 3-Wednesday- Snow day for both kids today. It wasn't snowing today, the roads were just bad from the day/night before. Thought it was going to be another day of pj's and laying around, but momma can't stay in the house for very long, so it's a Children's Museum kind of day. It was kind of nice, because it wasn't over crowded like it usually it on the weekends. The kids played for hours. Too bad the stupid meters do not go any longer than 2 hours. The kids were worn out. Good for momma! On Wednesday nights, my oldest daughter and I usually hang out because that is the night that daddy shoots pool. So, we hung out and played a girlie game, of course, while the other 2 kids were in bed.

Day 4- Thursday- I can actually say that today was a normal day. Every one had school. So, it was my normal running around day. Yay for me! Today was the youngest preschool day. On Thursday's she has swimming with her school, so Aden and I watched her swim. The 2 youngest love coming to child watch at the Y (where they have preschool), so I usually have to find something to do so they can go in there for at least 10-15 minutes. Today, I got in the hot tub and just relaxed! I told the kids I would take them to Fazoli's for supper.

Day 5-Friday- Another normal day today....okay  no day is really normal for me. After picking up Aden from preschool, we went to the library and hung out for a while. Not much exciting today. Grandma and grandpa are coming to watch the kids so I can have a night out. Pool tourney tonight.

Day 6- Saturday- The Home and Garden show is here! I love shows like this! I decide to be brave and take all 3 kids to the show by my self! They are actually pretty good. we saw my cousin's (actually hubby's cousin) booth, so we stopped and talked to him for a while, he walked around with us for a minute. We found the kids' corner where the clowns are (no thanks for me!). The kids got balloon animals, face painting and got to do crafts. I also have a friend that had a booth that we got to see. All around a very good day! Aden has been wanting Subway for supper (so they can get a bag and a toy), so we went to Subway for supper. Yay healthy!

Day 7- Sunday- Had Church today. I am the Sunday School director and a teacher, so I had to be there today. We went shopping today for Valentine's for the kids' school. Went back home and relaxed, watched movies, supper, baths then bed.

Day 8- Monday- Daddy home day! Daddy is supposed to be home when I get home from picking up the oldest from school. Talk about a nice surprise for her. Today was as normal and boring as it could be. Nothing exciting to talk about. Daddy got home about 4 and had all kinds of surprises for the kids. The hubby got me a necklace and a snow globe with dolphins in it. Very pretty. I'm very glad to have dad/hubby back.

I am used to being by my self on a daily basis and the hubby is usually home about 5:30-6 to help out at night, but I have not had to be  mommy and daddy for 8 days. The hubby is going on another trip, this time for fun, for about 4 days, so I can actually say I can do it this time!

A Life Gone Too Soon

I found out earlier this week that a girl, who lives in my town, who some of my youth from church know and who some of my family know committed suicide because of depression. I do not personally know this girl. I'm not going to use her name, pictures or anything about her life story because I do not know her and because I do not have permission from the family to use these things! 

Instead, I will talk about the impact that depression does have on people and how important it is that it gets recognized as a disease! As a daughter, a depression survivor, mom of two little girls of my own, a psychology major, counselor and therapist I would like to take the time talk about depression. 

Family and friends can say, 'she was depressed.' 'She was sad.' She was angry.' But NOBODY, I mean nobody but her can know what she was going through. It doesn't matter how many people she talked to about it or how much medication she was on, nothing is going to help unless she wants/makes it change.

I'm not going to sit here and say that I know exactly how she feels or I know exactly what she went through because even though I did go through the same feelings, actions & medication that she did, everyone's depression is different.

You might think, 'only if I would have talked to someone or took the medication properly or seen a psychologist things would be different.' It doesn't work that way. It doesn't matter how many people you talk to or how much medication you take for your depression or anxiety, it had to be you that changes. 

Nine out of ten times it is your friends, family or something that's going on in YOUR life that's making you depressed, angry, sad, mad or hurt. YOU have to be the one that changes. You have to be the one to turn your back on all the negative that's going on in your life and you will feel 10x better! That doesn't mean it's going to be a quick fix. It just means that maybe you need to take a step back and realize you could be happier without all this pain. It's not going to take hours or days, it will take months or years. 

People with depression and suicidal thoughts tend to bottle it up until it's too late. Learn to recognize the signs of depression.

-Feelings of worthlessness

-feeling that you don't belong

-Tired

-Loss of interest in activities that you used to love

-being sad all the time 

These are just a few. These are the ones you will notice the quickest. Surround yourself with loved ones. Surround this person with love and desire and show them that they are not alone. 

You know, we all say "Oh, I'm so depressed today. Just got so much going on." Or "It's such a depressing day. I couldn't get to the Y today." It doesn't matter what context the word 'depression' is in, it's still a serious disease and we need to take it seriously. 

My prayers go out to this girl's family and friends. If you need anyone to talk to you can email me at arweyer@gmail.com or leave a comment. 

On A Diet!

Yes, you read the title correct! I am on a diet. Those who actually know me know that I do not need a diet. I am 5'3 and weigh under 110 pounds.

I have been having problems now for over a year. Before I had my surgery in February, I would feel bloated. I would actually feel and look like I was 5-7 months pregnant (not gaining any weight, just digestive issues).  I would also feel full really fast. I saw my doctor and I she said I have a twisted uterus and and that my uterus was probably causing the bloating. We scheduled my surgery and after the surgery it didn't change. After the surgery, she said my uterus was bigger than normal. I was excited to hear that because I thought if this huge thing was out of my body, I would go back to a normal, flat stomach. So, I patiently waited a couple of months and it didn't go back to normal.

I finally did some research on bloating and feeling full and found a specific, healthy diet. I am not actually going on a 'typical' diet, I'm just eating and drinking healthier.

These are some of the new things that I am doing now and it has really helped. I have my flat abs/stomach back and it feels great!

- When I eat, I don't drink any fluids. When you drink while you eat, it makes you drink faster and doesn't break down the food properly, so it stays in your stomach longer.
-I don't drink anything until 30 minutes after I eat.
-For breakfast, I drink warm lemon water 30 minutes before I eat. Usually I eat a Special K bar after wards.
-After I drink the lemon water, I do some Yoga poses.
- I eat smaller portions, for supper.
-For lunch, I eat sandwiches, salads or soups
-I'm down to 2 pops a day (diet dr. pepper)
-For snacks I eat peaches, plums, Special K bars
-Drink more Crystal Light. Drank it before, but not as much as I should have.
-I still eat bread and pasta, but I eat wheat bread and wheat pasta.

Before I started this healthier diet, for breakfast I would pop open a pop (diet dr. pepper) and have a Special K bar. For lunch, I would have left overs from supper before. I would purposely make extras the night before so I could have the left overs the next day. But, I would make sure it was something of my favorite. For example, If I made tacos, I would have 2-2 1/2 tacos for lunch the next day. I would actually eat until I was full. I would down a whole can of pop with my lunch then open another one after I was done eating because I was still thirsty. I would have 4-5 cans of pop a day. Not that diet pop is bad, but the bubbles and fizz doesn't digest your food properly. For supper, I would always have seconds and just eat way too much. I would also down a can of pop during supper. For snacks in between meals, I would have cookies, ice cream bars, whatever you could think of.

I ate this way before because I could eat anything I wanted and would never gain any weight. I'm not doing this healthy diet because I need to lose weight, I'm doing it to set a good example for my kids and to have healthier eating habits in the future.

Working so far, so hopefully I can stick with it!!

WAM Youth Mission Trip 2013

Mission trip 2013

Buchanan, Michigan 

Day 1- gonna be honest, it's not what I expected. We were told we were going to a camp. I admit I'm not a camping person. We were also told we were going to be in a cabin with enough beds for everyone. We got here and took a tour with the director. Not going to sugar coat anything here, you can tell this place has been unkept for a while. This is not what I was expecting. It's dirty. Lots of bugs. Inside, I'm freaking out but I have to be strong for the youth because I am a leader!  It makes you appreciate what you have at home. 

We had our bed situation figured out. The youth (girls) were willing to let us 2 female leaders have the comfy spots ( yes, I said spot.) we decided that I would have a raised cushioned seating area. The other leader was going to have a couch. The youth girls were going to have mattresses on the floor. Even with my sleeping spot high above the ground, I still didn't feel comfortable. Spiders were all over the walls and flying insects were all over the ceiling (because the lights were on.) 

We had worship that night with everybody in our room. I couldn't keep it in any longer. I started crying while worship was going on. One of the guy leaders knew I was upset. On our nightly Walmart runs (hence the WAM name Walmart at midnight) he decided to buy a couple of tents to put up in our room. We got back to the camp and set up the tents and put our sleeping bags inside them. I felt so much better. ;) 

Day 2

Today has been better. We went to Walmart last night about midnight and got a couple of tents. We put them up in the cabin. Yes, in the cabin. Then we put our sleeping bags and blankets into them. I slept pretty good in the tent. Woke up at 10 am. Being on the job site meant that we didn't have to get up and drive a half an hour like we had to do last year. Got a lot of stuff done today. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings. 

My intention when writing this post was supposed to be a day by day diary. Meaning that I was going to write about what happened every day. But my nights got busy and I didn't have time during the day because we were working. So, I'm just going to write general things down. 

While the director of the camp site gave us the tour, he was telling stuff that they needed done. The things that needed done were... Scraping and painting tables and benches (took us 3 days to do that.)  Build a dock (2 days to do that). Put up a pool and fill it with water. Clean up leaves and branches that were on the walking paths. Clean up an area that was called the amphitheater, which was their worship area. Fix the labyrinth, meant weeding all the weeds. 

Even with all that work, the youth still kept a positive attitude even though the week didn't start off so good. The youth were scared and disappointed on Sunday when we got there. I felt so bad for them, none of them knew what to expect. When we were getting the tour, the guy gave us a brief description of what the camp was for and why we needed to be there. He said that they used to keep the place up and have youth there almost every weekend, but their pastor left and took all the youth with them. There have been multiple groups that were supposed to come help clean up through out the 5 years that they have been doing this, but they all canceled at the last minute. We were the only group that came out to help them in the last 5 years. 

After we had everything cleaned up and done, it looked so nice and some of the youth even said they would go to church camp there. I felt so much better knowing that we made a difference in other people's life. Everything seemed so gloom that Sunday when we arrived and when everyone wanted to give up and leave, God was telling us to stay and help these children. 

It was fun and hopefully I'm able to come with this same group next year. We all have a special bond and work really hard a d good together. 

Manic Monday, Monday, June 3rd

Monday, June 3rd

This is actually an outfit that I wore to church recently.  Very Comfy, but elegant!

New York & Company

Pink Chiffon Sleeveless Top

New York & Company

Black Flare pant

New York & Company 

Wedge Shoe