Prepping for the Party!

First part of getting ready for a party, always has to be the invitations and guest list. We will be having a party for his friends to come to at our house and then head up to his Nona's for a family party. The first thing I did was write up a list of the people I thought he might want to invite and then ask for his input on them and any others he might want to ask over. I'm keeping it small since it will be on a Wednesday night (school night!). Then I went looking for some cool, free printables to turn into invitations that will follow his choice theme. I came across these on Family Shopping Bag. The picture was too small and I wanted to print multiple at once, so I copied the picture and put it into a Word document and made some tweaks. After my adjustments were made, they were card-sized and ready for envelopes.

I had to make envelopes. Since I didn't have small ones that fit these, I took regular big letter envelopes and cut them in half.

Then these cards fit into them and I taped up the sides and back. Looks cheap, but it works. Thankfully, I did not have many to send. Next task is to try and make at least one game and possibly some decorations. Can't believe that we are past the halfway mark in January already!

How Much Do You Like Valentine's Day?

Or as I like to call it, Singles Awareness Day! 

This year, my Mom was showing me the Valentine's Day boxes that her kiddos made. I was pretty impressed. There was a robot one from her youngest

                                                            and a plane from another.

I went on Pinterest with my kids to look at ideas. Especially since today was a snow day. We had some more snow and ice. Not enough to make a snowman or snowball fight, but enough to make it slippery.

My kids have basically had a 4 day weekend. And unless they are playing video games, they are getting bored of being indoors. 

So I showed them Valentine's Day box ideas. And asked what they thought. They were super excited. Mostly because they love doing crafts and are not intimidated by them like I am. I'm getting bolder with my creativity. Much like I used to be when I decorated a wooden doll house I built with my Dad. I created a board on Pinterest for the ideas we liked most. They each picked a theme for their boxes. My oldest wanted a Plants vs Zombies box, my other son wanted to make his look like an Xbox console and my daughter wanted Elsa's castle. 

We got started. I scrounged around and managed to find 3 boxes. While looking for paper to cover them, I actually found a shoe box. After I had already started using the tissue box and two small Amazon boxes... But it's all good. I will keep that shoe box for another project later. 

We covered my oldest sons box with green construction paper, the middle had black construction paper and the castle was done in blue construction paper with blue card stock paper for parts of it. My husband was a huge help in getting the details just right. After my middle boy had the bright idea to trace a real Xbox controller (I'm so proud that he thought of it himself!), my husband worked with him to create the details and make it look like an actual controller. 

For the princess castle, I had beads and ribbon to add little decorations. She wanted a snowy look, so I used pearls to look like delicate snow falling. We printed a tiny Elsa picture to put in the doorway too. We used toilet paper rolls to make the towers on the corners.

I'm not a Plants vs Zombies fan, so I had to follow my sons lead and have him tell me what he wanted. I also found one that had been made on Pinterest and loosely followed the design on the box we made. We printed out characters since he didn't have toy versions. 

Overall, I'd say I'm pretty impressed. These look fantastic! And my kids are going to be the cats pajamas when they bring them to class to collect their Valentine's. What about you? Are you and your kids making anything like this? This could even be good for on the office desk... After all, who says employees can't give Valentine's? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Slipping Through the Cracks

At the beginning of a new year, you are supposed to be full of hope. You are supposed to be full of ambition. Your goals are set high because you believe in your ability to accomplish them. On day 10... I was losing that. 2017 had a lot of letdowns. I was trying to have a better 2018. 

I have lost the drive to seek medical treatment for the spinal issues that plague this body of mine. They say you get one yes after nine "no" answers in the business world. I'm beginning to feel that is a better chance than when seeking medical answers. I started receiving treatment when the pain hit a high note while working for Amazon in January of 2016. I went home in tears, daily. Since then...
I have tried chiropractic care.
I have tried steroid injections.
I tried getting a massage.
I have been taking pills in increased dosages for the past year or more.
I drink chamomile tea, take warm showers, sleep with a heating pad, and avoid too much activity when the pain level is starting to rise.
Since losing my job in March of 2017, I have been trying to get assistance for medical care. Believe it or not, on our single income and with 4 children, I don't qualify for Medicaid. I also can't get disability because I have not been specifically treated in the past year for this condition of mine. Haven't been able to without insurance and spare cash. And because I don't have insurance and will be paying for my visits in cash, I am not able to get anything past injections from a pain management physician that came highly recommended in San Antonio. 
A suggestion had been made that I should seek care from a medical school. I had this when my Mom got me braces. Schools have students that need practice. But they can't get real patients just yet. So you pay discounted amounts and the students use you under supervision of medical experts. I sought out one in San Antonio that is under a hospital. They told me that I didn't qualify because I am not a resident of their county. They gave me the number of a place that is 45 minutes away in another town. So I got everything together that I would need and sought out the Indigent Medical Assistance. My husband, baby and I sat for just over an hour waiting to be heard. Then I was told that I may not qualify. Why? The city I live in is split into 3 counties. One of which already told me I do not belong to them. So I have to find out and prove what county I am a resident of. My vehicle is registered in the county that told me I'm not in their jurisdiction, despite living within minutes of the city limits. The other hospital, so far away, says I have to prove where I belong. This program is for Indigent patients. You know you have fallen far when you are called an indigent person. Impoverished, needy. Yes, that's me. And yet, I am falling through the cracks of the programs designed to help those like me. This answer came right before the other doctors office told me they would only allow me steroid injections for cash payments. A simple consultation would cost me $200. The injections start at $300 and go up with additional fees for supplies and anesthesia. 
I have asked for referrals by medical professionals and friends. Advice on what they think I should do next. What I should try next. My list of dead ends is growing longer.
Hope is hard to hold onto when you reach this length or trials. I keep praying. I hear songs of encouragement to hold on to hope for even the impossible. Chronologically, I'm going on 30 years old this month. Physically, I'm pushing past 80. So it's time for plan B. Or whatever letter I'd be at now. Just to pray. They say there is great power in prayer. And when you have nothing else, it is what you cling to. 
My advice to others who are in this situation - pray. And then know what county you are in. Know what is out there. There is nothing that I have found for me, but every city is different. Some of these programs do serve people from other counties. They have a program extension. Sadly, that won't work in my case. And depending on where you are, I have heard from one worker that there are clinics that you can push for sliding scale prices based on your income. She said it is very difficult, but it is possible. You just have to live in their county and be prepared to sit and wait and refuse to be to told no. These are usually some type of community clinic. Not privately owned. 
Hope thins out when you are suffering with no relief in sight. But you have to look for the bright side of where you are. My mother reminded me of this. I have to believe that this situation is strengthening me for what is yet to come. I might not like the method, but the results will be worth it.

Psalm 56:4

In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

What a way to start the New Year...

Three days into the new year. A year that I was worried about before today's incident. I am already feeling dread towards the rest of what is to come.
I woke up early this morning with the baby. Before anyone else. After a diaper change and milk cup, she passed out again. I felt the tense pain even then, but at a manageable level. It had has been slowly building for the past couple days. So I didn't think much of it. I laid back down with the baby and my husband. Had to roll onto my side for a bit. Breathing was a bit more painful than it usually is. About an hour or so later, baby girl was ready to get up. I tried to roll over and lift myself up. A sudden, searing pain shot through me. My entire upper right side tensed to the point that I was gasping for breath and unable to move my muscles. I have a high tolerance for pain, but this brought me to tears and had my husband so worried that he threw on clothes and we rushed to the clinic. A clinic that was quite full already. We were there for at least 2 1/2 hours. 
In that time, my muscles slowly stopped with the spasms and release some of the tension. My right arm and hand had become slightly swollen and tingled in the fingertips. I could not look down without pain. I could not lean my head back without it hurting. I couldn't turn my head very much to either side. When I tried to remove my jacket, the spasm came back. I felt like such a hot mess. Not to mention the fact that I hadn't had the chance to brush my teeth, shower, brush my hair or even throw on a bra! So I'm sure I looked as much a mess as I felt... I just wanted it to stop. I pushed at my chest, wanting to pull out the muscles that were causing this pain. And it didn't help that the kids were all ready for lunch. They were sympathetic to understanding that I was hurting, but feeling cabin feverish from being stuck inside and in chairs when the day was finally nice enough to be outside! This was not the way any of us wanted to be spending our day. 
Finally, we saw the doctor. While I had peace of mind that it wasn't going to kill me, I still don't have a solid understanding of what caused it or how to keep it from happening again. The doctor said it most likely has to do with my back problems which are quite extensive. And made it clear that finding a doctor to treat  that would be best. He offered a pain injection and muscle relaxers. As I sit here, the pain is manageable. Not much less than it was when I was sitting across from him. The swelling is gone. I forced myself to move through each painful motion to get circulation flowing better. And then we come to the tension. I took my "little blue pill" of a muscle relaxer he prescribed. Still feeling pretty tight back there. I made the joke that little blue pills were supposed to be for my husband when he gets older. This way, he will be taking those to get firm. I am taking them to loosen up. 
I'm back at square one. In pain and unsure what to do about it. I've reached out to a pain specialist in San Antonio. Tomorrow morning they should be calling me to talk about what options they have for someone like me. No income, cash upfront and no insurance. Let's pray that they are merciful, but have hope to offer. 
And that I will finally move forward in treating the real issues in my spine.