New Pediatrician

Well, we just returned home from the doctor's office. This is our second visit with the new Doc and I feel confident for the first time that we will be making some progress. We are trying a combination of meds that deal with anxiety, ADD, and ADHD. I feel peace in my spirit about taking this path. This doc is also a big believer in public school experiences. I disagree with him there and won't send my kids to school, at least not this year or next.
IN other news, little Joe is still battling some strange issue with his tummy. We had a good week and half run with no problems until this weekend. He has been having diarrhea and vomiting again (lesser of the vomiting. Anyway, poor little guy doesn't feel so hot. We will be at Palmer again this afternoon for 2 more kids to get their physicals done by dad. It should go a little faster since they are older, but we shall see. Thanks for reading!

We have had a busy day here in the Isaksen world. We just returned home from Palmer, where Drew did his firt few physicals. Tmrw we get to go for some more. Kids are tired from playing hard outside and soaking in the rays of the sun. I just have to say this "comment moderator" is awesome! Please, no more comments about how I need to improve as a mother. Everyone needs to imporove on a daily basis. All we can do is try to continue to be better as the days go by. No one is perfect. So, drop it!

What's a Blog For?

What's a blog really for? I suppose it could be for fun...sharing pictures, FUN stories, upcoming events, and exciting news. Some of you may have noticed that I just wiped out like 5 or 6 recent posts. I must make a public apology for using my blog to vent my frustrations and let my negativity shine through rather than just the good news or fun stuff. Now I'm a little embarrassed since I obviously exposed my imperfections and shortcomings as an over critical and stressed out mother who(according to one of my readers) may be doing more damage than good for her already damaged children. Don't worry, though, I'll be sure to blame myself if they don't turn out to be upstanding citizens. Okay, so that was a little bite back to you for being so brave as to leave such a comment. A phone call would have been better, perhaps, however, on the brighter side, I have learned my lesson and will now moderate all comments before allowing them to be posted. Furthermore, I will try really, really, hard to paint a good picture of myself with my words, pictures, etc. I'm sure everyone will be more comfortable then.
Phew, now that all that is out of the way...I am looking forward to a great week! We are trying out a new daily schedule which includes lots of flexibility. Drew will get to give a few of the kids their 1st official adjustment by their dad. I'll post pics of the proud moment. Singing time went pretty good. Was it just me or was it hot in the church today? That time of year is coming. DJ lost another tooth the other day and was thrilled. Since dad was gone over the weekend, I treated the older 3 kids to their first big screen movie...Secret of Nim. They did awesome and loved it. After that movie I had some quick mental pictures of our family living in trees run through my mind. After a while I decided civilization has it's strong points too.

Latest Joe Update...

Hi friends...
I am happy to report that the kiddos have snapped out of their anniversary (of being seperated from birth parent) funk. I'll tell you it was a hard few days; especially with Drew out of town for seminars. In order to get through the days we went to Vanderveer park for a picnic and walked through the botanical center. We are doing a unit study on gardening for homeschool, so it was a perfect way to expose them to more learning. The next day we had another picnic at the Niabi Zoo. The Zoo has gotten so much better with the addition of the giraffs and another monkey exhibit. IT was nearly 70 degrees out, so we loved it. However, the weekend was difficult because of Joe's refusal to eat or drink. He eventually became dehydrated and we spent hours at the ER with an IV drip. Today was a follow up appointment with a new doctor where we rcvd a new, yet random diagnosis of gastritis (inflammation of the stomache). It's a little vauge, but we'll take it. He has some meds and we are supposed to limit the volume of food he eats as well as keeping him on bland choices. The doctor thought we were over feeding him. It's a possibility I suppose. My older kids are obsessed with food due to being starved early in life. Food is important in our house and they know it if we miss a snack. They constantly ask for snacks. I'm structured though and only provide 3 meals and 2 snakcs per day. I'm sure they con Amanda (our fantastic nanny)into giving them more. Dinner is done and that is the news for today.

Joe's Mystery Sickness

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been awhile. You know how it goes though. Well, Joe had a rough few days which landed us in the ER today for several hours on an IV drip. He refused to eat most of the weekend and drank very little. He also had the strangest BM I have ever seen. Believe me, I've seen a lot of baby diapers over the past 3 years. Anyway, as most of you know he has been ill frequently over the past 4 months. This is also when I stopped breat feeding. So, we are all leaning towards a gastro problem of some sort. He has an appt. with a new pediatrician in the morning. From there we hope to get a referral to a ped. gastro. specialist. Well, I have a headache the size of Texas tonight. That's all on the Isaksen homestead.

My Thoughts on American Idol and Steroid Injections

Hello everyone! Well, I've been thinking about American Idol. I am sorry to say that it just doesn't get me as excited as it used to. I have become a little bored of it. Honestly, I have been enjoying "So you think you can Dance" more. Am I getting older and thus more preoccupied with my own life to be vested in American Idol like I used too? Or, is the show just getting old since it's in it's 7th season. Usually by now I have also pinned down my favorite. This year I am torn between 4 or 5 different performers. Every week I have a new favorite. Hmmmm. Well, I was able to go through my scrapbooking junk and get most of it packed away for the move. Beleive me....I only have a few precious hours a week to devote to moving preperations. The kids take SO much time and effort plus taking care of Drew and school as well. Has anyone had steroid injections for pain control? My Chiro strongly suggests this for me so that I can be out of pain. My husband's worry is that I will do more damage to the area since I'll be more active and feeling good with no pain. Anyone have an opinion on this? The prospect of being virtually pain free excites me. I'm sure everyone I know is sick of hearing me complain about it. If I got the injections I promised Drew that I would limit myself to a 30-40 minute daily walk as well as water aerobics and core strengthening exercises. Additionally I would like to be more active with my household responsibilities. I admit, my standards have shifted a bit to compensate for my pain levels. I'm seriously debating. Watch out people, friends, and neighbors....if you thought I was cheerful and bubbly before...just wait till you see what kind of happiness and energy will flow when I am pain free. Back pain has been holding me down for about 2 solid years now. It's had a bad effect on my personality, positivity, and mood. The pain is loud and hard to drown out so that I can enjoy life. Anyone who hasn't been able to put there socks or pants on, get out of bed in a five minute time period, bend over to get clothes out of the dryer, bend over to pick up children, toys, and fallen binks (while holding a child) knows what I mean. It's a bitch...pardon my french. I'll just say I'm seriously looking into it. Well, gotta log onto my online classes and post to the discussion boards...cheers all!

You're Tagged!

If you're reading this, you're TAGGED! (You can thank Ashley M., who tagged me.) This means you have to complete the following questions and post them on your blog. Sorry guys, rules are rules. Enjoy!

Two names you go by.
1. Mom
2. Cutie pie (thanks to D.J.)

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Wedding ring
2. Pj. bottoms


Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Vacation
2. Be debt free


Two favorite pets you have had/have:
1. Cali (our Saitnly Saint Bernard)
2. Turbo & Toots (our turtles)


Two things you did last night
1. Wrote a paper for my coding class
2. Took my drug cocktail to get relief for my back


Two people you last talked to:
1. Amanda (our fantabulous nanny)
2. Seth (be quiet, it's nap time)

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Homeschooling with kids
2. Cooking a large pot of Chili


Two longest car rides:
1. New Jersey to Oregon
2. Iowa to Oregon


Two favorite beverages:
1. Diet coke
2. More diet coke (love the aspertame)