Meet Our Two Newest Additions to Our Family: Cuddles & Hop! Plus a link to a Giveaway!

For some reason, shortly before or after I end up in the hospital, it generally ends up meaning that our boys get a new pet.

We got our dear pup that way, got our turtles that way, and now, we have two new little rabbit friends named Hop and Cuddles.

We had promised the boys that following my surgery, we would let them get bunnies.

However, we ended up getting them a little before my surgery, as they were available now.

We went to try to pick out the bunnies and the two that the boys selected are perfect!
The bunnies go well with the boys' personalities.
Little Bro's bunny, Hop, loves to be handled which works well, as Little Bro loves to hold her and pet her ears.
Little Bro selected a Netherlands Dwarf bunny and named her Hop.
Hop has similar strawberry-blondish coloring to Little Bro.

Then, Big Bro chose his bunny. He selected a little Mini Lop Dwarf, with salt and pepper coloring.
Big Bro's bunny, Cuddles,  is appropriately named, as she likes to cuddle, but she also loves to eat!

Both bunnies are so tiny and super soft.

The boys are very happy about their new pets.
They are working on various rabbit projects bunny themed lapbooks from Homeschool Share.

Source: homeschoolshare.com via Colleen on Pinterest

We also have started to read some fun bunny themed books that are customary at Easter time.
Big Bro has enjoyed reading two Beatrix Potter classics, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, to Little Bro.
We have also read The Runaway Bunny and The Golden Egg, both by Margaret Wise Brown.
So all in all, a very fun, bunny filled last few days!

Well, here are some photos of our little cuties!

Currently, we have a crate designed for rabbits that has a plastic floor and metal sides.
We also still had an old play yard first that we used to use when Dear Pup was a tiny puppy.
We have foam floor squares down to make it soft for both the boys and the bunnies when they are in there playing together. Dear Hubby plans on doing a hack on an old changing table we have stored in Little Bro's closet from way, way back in the diaper changing days. Dear Hubby plans to make it over to an awesome bunny play area and hutch! That is unless, of course, we are lucky enough to have the guys from the DIY Network pop by to come Crash our yard and lanai into an outdoor classroom and play area.

Now, here is a neat giveaway that has to do with stuffed bunnies!

It is through one of our family's favorite companies, Melissa & Doug! 
Today only, 3/26/2012, they are giving away a bunny to someone on their Facebook page. 
You need to check out their adorable bunnies and vote for your favorite: 
Blossom, Brenna, or Brambles.
Since Brambles looks just like Big Bro's real bunny rabbit, we voted for Brambles!

Source: melissaanddoug.com via Colleen on Pinterest

Source: melissaanddoug.com via Colleen on Pinterest

Source: melissaanddoug.com via Colleen on Pinterest

They are all adorable though...

Full disclosure:
Sunrise Learning Lab is not involved with organizing this stuffed bunny giveaway, but we thought that all Sunrise Learning Lab readers would love to know about this giveaway...
We have done some reviews for Melissa & Doug from time to time and just love their products!

Here's a link to the Melissa & Doug Facebook page that lists the bunny giveaway.

Do you think Brambles looks like Cuddles? Pretty spot on, huh?!?

Do you purchase Easter themed items, such as stuffed bunnies and such for Easter? 

Do you have pets in your home?

Do any family members like to work on furniture hacks for things such as homes for pets? 

If you have posts on your blog about your pets, or furniture hacks, we would love to pop by to see you and your blog. Please feel free to link up with any related posts. If you enter the Melissa & Doug Facebook contest and end up winning, please be sure to let us know here!


Happy Spring!

Mini Golf Math!

A few weeks ago, while perusing various consignment stores looking for picture books for our homeschool, we decided to pop by our local Goodwill store to check out their selection of books.
Back in our earlier days of homeschooling when we were still very much in the process of building up our collection of books and materials, I used to pop into both consignment stores and thrift shops in search of Fabulous Finds. But since we have amassed such a wonderful collection of materials, these shopping trips have subsided quite a bit...they are still fun to do once in a while though! 

Well, while we were there at Goodwill, Big Bro happened to see a miniature golf kit, in like brand new condition, in the original box, with each part of the set still in plastic wrap.
Both boys love golf, whether it is miniature golf or real golf, so to find this set was pretty neat!
Even though the creators of this set designed it to be a drinking game, we saw it as something that could work well for us in the scope of homeschooling...

Big Bro was especially determined to get this little golf game so he quickly added that there would have to be some kind of learning game or Montessori extension that they could do with this set.

Since this kit was actually designed to be a drinking game, each shot had a designated meaning as to whose turn it was to drink and how many shots they were supposed to have...
Each shot glass is color coded. There are a total of six shot glasses, as well as one flag/pin, two golf clubs, two little metal golf balls, a sand trap, a small bunker, and a water hazard.
The only thing the set needed was a little rake for the sand trap, but we found that taking the brush meant for Dear Daddy's shaving kit worked pretty well as a way to tidy up the sand.

As it turns out, our Montessori math facts are in little boxes and are color coded, so the boys came up with the idea that this set could work for a math game / work extension!
We have four boxes, one for each of the math operations:addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Little Bro has not had any work involving division yet, but both boys are familiar with and have had Montessori lessons on addition, subtraction, and multiplication, so we used cards from these three sets and filled the shot glasses with the cards.

Our cards fit perfectly into the shot glasses!

Let me tell you, this math work extension has been a huge hit with both boys!

They have come up with multiple ways to do this work  / play this game, depending on how you wanna look at it...

Generally, one of them will select the work and will add the respective cards.
They then choose to do the work with or without the aide of the Montessori math beads.
They have come up with all kinds of rules about what the different shots mean:
If you land in a sand trap, you have to complete two cards.
If you land in the water hazard, you have to do three cards.
If you get stuck by the bunker, you have to do two cards.
If you score a hole in one, you can choose to not answer a card for that time or, for some of the rounds, If it is a "hole-in-one contest", then you "win" a car (a toy car of course)!!!

This has been such a great way for them to practice their math facts.

Since they have enjoyed playing it so much, they are now trying to think of other sorts of cards that could work into this game.
We are going to try this game using grammar cards from our Montessori grammar work for Big Bro, as well as speech and articulation cards for Little Bro.
I just have to use the template from our Montessori math cards to make cards for grammar and speech/articulation that will fit the shot glasses.

So thanks to the person who donated this adorable set to Goodwill!
You probably got it as a gag gift or something and thought it was silly, but for two boys who love golf, this set has been such a great addition to our homeschooling (and all for only $2.00)!

Here are some photos...what a fun way to learn!

Our mini golf set!

Our Montessori math facts cards in their regular color coded boxes: addition is red, multiplication is yellow, and subtraction is green. They are not using the division cards for this work just yet...

Big Bro working out what each shot will mean...

Big Bro explaining to Little Bro how this mini golf set works as a math work...

The ball has landed in the sand trap! That means answer two math facts cards.

Best ball round!  Montessori math beads are hanging out in case they need to use them for solving / self checking their answers.

Little Bro doing this work independently...

Little Bro doing this as his work. The Montessori math beads and the cars for getting a hole-in-one are off to the side...

Close up of the toy cars they use as prizes if they get a hole-in-one! Love how they have the cars open as if they are actually on display at a tournament. Also shown are the Montessori math beads they can choose to either help solve the problem or to self check their work. The beads in this box are referred to as the decanomial bead box. For homeschoolers using Montessori math, this math bead set is terrific! We purchased our decanomial bead set from Alison's Montessori.

Strawberry Yumminess!

This week, while they ran more tests on me at Mayo, Dear Hubby's parents, affectionately and collectively known as The Grands by Big Bro and Little Bro, came to Jacksonville to help out with the boys.
On one of the days, they took the boys for a day trip to historic St. Augustine.
For those of you who might not know this, St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the USA.
Grandmom had researched neat things to do with the boys and one of them was to go pick strawberries in St. Augustine!
The boys had a great time with Grandmom and Grandad.
Grandad paired up with Little Bro and Grandmom paired up with Big Bro.
Little Bro took home the honors of picking the biggest strawberry and Big Bro subsequently took home the honors of picking the tiniest strawberry. Everyone had a fun time picking the berries!
Well, we then drove to my parents' place, as it is on the way home from Mayo back to our home.
We decided that it would be fun to stop and make some some strawberry jam and strawberry shortcake.
Found a super easy recipe for Strawberry Jam from allrecipes.com that did not require pectin, which was key, as we did not have any pectin. The recipe turned out great! For those of you into Montessori, picking strawberries and making homemade jam and shortcake is a great practical life activity for elementary aged children.


We made some as a surprise for my parents as well as some of their neighbors.
My folks were out of town so when they got home today, they would have found the homemade strawberry jam awaiting them in the fridge.
Hopefully, they will enjoy eating it as much as we enjoyed making it for them!
Papa's birthday is on March 14th, so hopefully, he will enjoy this sweet treat from his grandsons!

Here are some photos from our fun strawberry day! ***
(***Sorry, no photos from St. Augustine with The Grands, as I was not along with my camera...while they were picking strawberries, I was getting my tests done.) 

Was very special that The Grands came down to help with the boys! 

Dear Hubby and I really appreciated all of their their help, plus some wonderful memories were made! 

Joy, Joy, Joy Deep Down in My Heart!

Do you know the children's Bible song that starts:

I've got the joy, joy, joy deep down in my heart...

down in my heart, 

down in my heart...

I've got the joy, joy, joy deep down in my heart...down in my heart to stay! 

Well, I have had the joy deep down in my heart, but yesterday and today, have been reminded of having this joy!

Why?

Well, Dear Hubby, the boys, and I headed up to the Mayo Clinic last night...

First, to be surrounded by my family at a time when I needed them most was awesome.
But then, to just see the place...to see the Mayo Clinic campus, was overwhelming.

Cried a few tears...not sure if they were happy tears, nervous tears, or what...but just felt overwhelmed and anxious as it was finally happening...I was finally there.

If you have been following my blog, you know that I have had a difficult journey over the last few months, full of medical challenges that at times, were difficult to bear.

Well, today went great!

Had a very full day with loads of tests and met with one of my wonderful doctors.

Things are falling into place. My doctor today was so knowledgeable but better yet, he was such a kind, compassionate person. He also has a sense of humor, and you don't see that every day with physicians, believe me.
He asked me my status and for a second, it had to register what he was asking...
Initially, the status that flashed through my head was status: living! Yep, still alive and kicking!
But then, it dawned on me that he needed to know my marital status...so while my mind was still half giggling and reflecting on the original interpretation of the word status, while sporting a very big smile, I enthusiastically stated in a high voice "Happily married"!!! to which Dear, Kind Dr. R said, "Well, good for you then! I will add that to all of your reports"! and he did. He literally added it to the papers and to his dictation (Insert smiley face)!

Really, though, without the support of my Dear Hubby, Big Bro, and Little Bro, these last few months, well...they would have just sucked.
Having them there with me for the trip up just made it all so much better!
Little Bro started by identifying every Mayo Clinic sign he saw along the way...odd that for him, his environmental print recognition includes recognizing names and logos of so many medical facilities.
But with him being so happy to read virtually every single sign sporting the words "Mayo" and "Clinic", it was really precious.
At the hotel on campus, you would have thought that we were on a fantastic family vacation at an amazing resort!
Big Bro and Little Bro engaged in a game of "Don't Trip the Lasers!"
The hideous carpeting running down the hallways of the Marriott Courtyard are beyond gaudy.
But these hideous rugs made for great entertainment for the boys, as they have ugly overlapping red stripes that kind of shoot out like what you would envision laser lights to do.
The boys worked at leaping and outsmarting the lasers on the floor everywhere we walked!
Will have to get some shots of them playing laser tag over the next few weeks...
Plus, to boot, the pool and the hot tub were heated!
And they had microwave popcorn in the snack area!
Almost as fun as Disney, right?!?
Well, it made it awesome! The boys' happy attitude was very contagious.
So, all in all, a great start to a new chapter of getting better.
We are back home for the weekend but will head back up next week for more testing and for more appointments with specialists.
Then, once they can coordinate their schedules and once the blood products are prepped, I will have my surgery!  Yay!!!

Might make myself a Happy Surgery Day hat!

The thing that is really awesome is that they do not think that the cysts in my kidneys are cancerous. They also don't think that the lump by my liver is cancerous.
My kidney and liver function are within normal limits!!!
They are cysts (both complex and simple) that will need to be monitored, but they are now not going to prevent me from having a hysterectomy or from getting my blood  / heart issues fixed.

So it is going to be a very busy three to four weeks but it is looking so hopeful!

Praise be to God!

Here is a great little video of this song.

We sing the tune slightly different than this rendition, but hope that you will like seeing this version!

 

Thanks to Humpty Fell and to 123 Favourite Bible Songs by "Wee Worship"
for sharing this adorable video on You Tube!

Thanks for all of your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers!

Please keep them coming, as I still have at least three more weeks or more to get through everything. 


Happy Friday! 

Hope that you will enJOY your weekend with your family & friends!

A Tale of The Little Engine That Could...

Did you ever read the classic story, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper?

Assuming that most of you will say "yes" to being familiar with this tale, most of you will remember the famous line from the book, "I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..."

You can also probably visualize the little train trying its best to pull the huge load up and down the hill...

Well, we have had a bit of a true-to-life "I think I can" saga going on here.

My train ride has been up and over various medical hills and valleys.

Dear Hubby has been along for the ride, as have the boys.
They have been trying to stay positive and chug along as it has been a challenging ride, to say the least.

Back in the fall, found out that I would need to have a hysterectomy and some bladder reconstruction surgery.

Hill Number 1
But then, things got interesting, the first big hill being a ruptured ovarian cyst followed by a hospital stay, as the fluid had got up under my sternum and mimicked the feeling of a heart attack.
My lymph nodes and blood pressure weren't happy about the cyst rupture, to say the least...
Stayed positive, got through Hill 1, and then, loads of tests, blood work, and such.

Hill Number 2
Tried to get clearance for the hysterectomy surgery.
Kept a positive attitude, as I was pretty sure that I would be cleared and on my way...
Did not get clearance to have the surgery from the hematologist or the cardiologist.
My blood is in need of an overhaul and since it is not working correctly, it is straining my heart.
My blood is too thin with some factors (VWD, Factor 8, Ristocetin) and too thick in others (high hematocrit, high hemoglobin) so it is sludging through instead of flowing like it should.

Hill Number 3
The doctors did a CT scan and discovered something: that I have a complex cyst in my kidney.
One of my doctors who had reviewed the CT scan felt that it needed to be taken out immediately so she referred me to a well known local cancer treatment center.
So, had another hill to climb this past week...

Luckily, Dear Hubby came along to the cancer center for Hill Number 4 , as it has been a bit more of a challenge to stay positive and feel that "I think I can" attitude.
We went last week and met with the doctor at the cancer center.
Hearing the word cancer, having to fill out a myriad of forms, having to decide about things like Living Wills and whether or not to participate in clinical research is a bit daunting, to say the least...
We got the impression from the kidney cancer doc who specializes in these sorts of things.
According to him, my kidney cyst is "in the bleacher seats", not in the front row.
He also added that he felt that at present, "the morbidity risk outweighs the benefit" of trying to go in and cut this out from where it is situated at the moment.
They would do an MRI and keep an eye on it to see if it grows or moves.
So he ordered an MRI with and without contrast...

Hill Number 5

Had the MRI and had a violent reaction.

Dear Hubby said it was so surreal, as first, they called him to say that I was done and would be out shortly...then, a half hour later, they said that there had been an incident and they were going to hold me for a little longer there...
Then, they called back another half hour later and said they were taking me to acute care...
Then, when he arrived at acute care, they told him that they had to take me for a CT scan of my brain, as I may have had a brain bleed.

From my end, it was equally surreal. Went from listening to 80's music with a little Bob Marley mixed in the sound track in the MRI tube to feeling like I was on a hay ride with 10,000 cats.
Then, went from feeling like it was one of the most wicked hay fever attacks ever, to having the blood vessels in my eyes popping, to having them test me for my reasoning, speaking, and strength, to them deciding to take me for a CT scan of my brain...just a crazy way to spend several hours.

So, now, not sure where things are going, but the train has not derailed and we are still trying to keep up the "I think I can" attitude...

Am taking meds, am trying to enjoy each and every day with the boys and my hubby, and am getting myself geared up for yet another uphill ride this week. Feel very blessed to have such a wonderful family, as well as some truly great friends who have been very supportive through all of this.

It has been quite the ride on the boys too.
They have had their own peaks and valleys on this wild ride...
Little Bro asks me daily how many doctor's appointments I have for that particular day and for that particular week.
Big Bro has been trying to be a perfect helper but gets very easily frustrated and overwhelmed.
He is feeling that he has to be the responsible one, whereas Little Bro has regressed on some days, acting very babyish and even preferring to play with some of his preschool type toys and older works from back when he was 3 or 4...
We have been getting lots of time outside to play in the park, to take in some sunshine, and to let out the stress.
Have been trying to keep somewhat of a homeschool schedule but have realized that there will just be days when we do what we can...
The boys prefer to have a regular routine as much as possible, so we have tried our best to keep things consistent.
We were happy to learn that they have several programs in place at the cancer center for the whole family, so depending on how things progress, we would like to take part in these...

Dear Hubby has had to be in the "I think I can" mode quite a bit too...

He has had to juggle work and home, the boys' needs and mine, and the toll it takes to try to keep things running smoothly when Mama is not 100%.

When Dear Hubby is stressed, he likes to throw himself into projects and into working on train sets.
Working on trains for him is a stress relief as much as a fun hobby.
I have been pinning wildly on Pinterest...over 6,300 pins and counting...

Thanks, Pinterest!  

Pinterest has helped me to keep positive and to be able to visualize happy things during this difficult time.
Cannot thank the creators of Pinterest enough, as it helps to be able to pass the time clicking on neat visual images and to be able to categorize them and think about doing all sorts of neat projects in the future related to the pins and boards...

Well, these two hobbies (Trains for my hubby and Pinterest for me) collided in a wonderful way, while perusing things to add to my Pinterest boards, while sitting at one of the many doctor's offices waiting for an appointment, had seen a Flickr photo of an amazing Lego table. 

Sent the link to Dear Hubby and so he cranked out and has whipped up a truly amazing train table and activity center for the boys!

Thanks to rb3wreath Boyd on Flickr for inspiring us! Hope that you will like how our train table turned out, too!

Here is the awesome and amazing train table that Dear Hubby made for the boys:

It has been a wonderful addition to our playroom / classroom. They can play with their Lego trains on this table, but they also can use the table to do their school work or to play with their other toys, etc.

Well, hope that if any of you are having to go through personal struggles, that you also keep at it with trying to have that "I think I can" attitude...

With the support of your family and friends, and with strong faith in God, even when the chips are down, it is possible to get through even the wildest and most harrowing of rides!

Am not certain as to how much blogging I will be doing, but will probably keep pinning like crazy, as it is fun to visualize positive images while going through all of this.

If you would please keep us in your prayers, for us to stay strong to get through all of this, I would really appreciate it.

Am hoping that it is in God's plan for me to be around for many, many years to come, as I love being a mommy and wife and cannot picture not being here to see the day-to-day with my family.

Am placing it in God's Hands and am hoping that somehow, there will be a viable option to get that darned cyst outta there without it being such a high risk.
Hoping that they can do the hysterectomy and bladder reconstruction, as that has been put on hold and that is something that is really also medically necessary...

If you happens to read this, and you are or you know of a surgeon or researcher specializing in complex kidney cysts, and  / or Von Willebrand's disease, along with other non-specific coagulation disorders, would be great if you have any suggestions as far as less invasive, higher success rate, lower morbidity risk procedures. Would like to get a second opinion and would love it if anyone knows a contact for me at Duke, Anderson, Mayo, or the Cleveland Clinic.

Have a great team of doctors trying to figure this out here, but am hoping that someone will pose an alternative way to take this little sucker of a cyst out before it gets the chance to get bigger.

Hope that you will all pop by from time to time, as I may do some blogging...just not sure yet what the next few weeks or months will be like here.

Here's wishing, hoping and praying for a healthy and happy 2012!!!

2/6/2012 Update:
When they got the results back from my MRI, they discovered additional kidney cysts.
I have now been referred to Duke Medical Center by my doctors. 
Have contacts in some of the specialties, but was told that I would have to find some of the specialists myself. Called the Duke Referral Line and they suggested that I consider the option of having medical students look at my case, but am not sure about that as an option, as it has been complicated for veteran doctors here in Florida. 
If you read this and you have connections at Duke in any of the specialties, please contact me so that maybe I can contact them. 
Still need to add a few to my team who will be working on me there, namely a cardiologist and a kidney doctor who has some understanding of coagulation issues as well as kidneys. 

2/16/12 Update: 

We have decided (based on both the doctors' recommendations and the general impression that we have gotten) to instead go to the Mayo Clinic. That is the plan...if anyone reads this and has had a similar diagnosis, consider going to Mayo Clinic. 
They have been wonderful to deal with so far!!!

Dear Hubby might do some updating from time to time, but other than that, I will not be blogging for a while...

Please continue to pray for me to get through the surgery and for my family to continue to be strong, as it is still a long haul ahead... 
The boys are doing well through all of this and we are continuing to go full speed ahead with our homeschooling year. We will take some time off during surgery time, but then, we hope to get back into the groove shortly thereafter. 
We have been working at making every day special, as when you are faced with things like this, you realize you need to truly enjoy every day. Live life to the fullest, but take pleasure in the simple moments too...
Today, the boys and I did PE and science at Clearwater Beach. Nothing clears the head faster than listening to the waves and watching the boys play at the beach. We feel so blessed to be able to homeschool, as it has allowed us to continue to spend quality time with each other throughout this whole time! 

Well, hope that all of you are enjoying February! 

On a side note, I have continued to pin, pin, pin on Pinterest! 
It has been a wonderful stress relief and way to keep positive and happy. 

Hope that you will check out my Pinterest boards and hope that when I get back into blogging, that you will pop back to see how things are going. 

Wishing You & Yours a Happy New Year!

Hope that you have been enjoying the holiday season as much as we have here in the Sunshine State! 

Wishing you much health and happiness for 2012!

 Peace, Love, and Joy to you and your family!

Snowman Fun in Sunny Florida (Kinda Crazy, We Know!!!)

Last night, we went to a tree lighting and musical ensemble at our local outdoor shopping area.
The boys were super excited, as they had installed something new this year: two fake snow machines!
Little Bro does not remember snow at all...he was a baby the last time he saw snow.
Big Bro vaguely remembers it...he was a tiny tot when he last saw real white fluffy stuff on the ground.They ran around trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues, as they that is what you always see children in Christmas themed movies doing.
The only thing...the fake snow was a mixture of soap flakes and foam, so not exactly tasty!
Well, it got the boys thinking about snow and so for today, the boys made some snow themed projects.
Here are some photos of our "Snow Day Fun":

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Here are the boys at the tree lighting and musical program.

Little Bro is decorating his snowman creation here....

Little Bro and his marshmallow snowman treat!

Little Bro is adding a piece of Dove Chocolate for the hat. He used M & M's for the eyes and buttons and a Jelly Belly for the nose. He completed his snowman's look with pretzels for arms.

Big Bro is creating his foam snowman here.

Big Bro was very happy with how his snowman turned out!

Here, Big Bro is using bubble wrap and paint to make it look "snowy"...

Such a fun Snow Day!!! Here are the boys by our tree with their snowman creations. They used bubble wrap and white paint for the snow, foam covered with white paint for the snowmen, buttons, wiggly eyes, and felt pieces for the decorations on the snowmen, cotton batting and glue for the fluffy snow, and  Q-Tips for the snowmen arms.

Do you live someplace with or without snow?
What sorts of snow themed projects have you done?
In case you want more snowman themed ideas, here is a link to my Pinterest board, Snowman Fun! 
Here are some neat books and toys that would work well with a snowman theme:



We really should have made snow cones today, as it was in the high 70s here.

If you live someplace where it does not snow, how long has it been since you have seen real snow?
It has been over five years for us...last time we saw some serious snow was while visiting for the holidays in Pennsylvania five years ago!

Well, wherever you are, enjoy your day & your weather, too!