This is what I do all day.

This may or may not interest you. Most of you know I type dictated medical reports day after day in hopes of becoming good enough at it to earn some money from home. It's not easy. In fact, it's pretty difficult a lot of the time to understand what the doctor is saying. Some of them are brainless and dictate with food in their mouthes, or let the phone ring right in the recorder without bothering to stop talking. I can only guess at what they are saying when they do this. Some of them talk at the speed of an auctioneer, and others like to cut off the ends of their words. Anyway, I copied and pasted one of the reports I did so you can all see the stuff I do. This was actually a fairly easy one. I'm sure you've never seen a medical report, so maybe this is interesting. Or maybe not. It's a slow blog day. The blanks are names or dates and are left confidentiality purposes.



Rheumatology progress note.

LIST OF PROBLEMS:
1. Rheumatoid arthritis.
2. Emphysema.

MEDICATIONS: Methotrexate 10 mg per week on Monday, prednisone 5 mg daily, Nasacort, Zantac 150 mg b.i.d., Tylenol p.r.n., Paxil 20 mg per day.

LABORABORY DATA:___: Creatinine 1.4, albumin 4.2, AST 25, ALT 15, CBC unremarkable, sedimentation rates 51.

Chest x-ray shows moderate diffuse emphysema. Today’s patient has no complaints in regard to his arthritis. When he saw me 6 weeks ago he had a flare of his RA. His methotrexate was increased from 7.5 to 10 mg per week. His prednisone was increased from 3 mg to 10 mg per day for 5 days. The patient today states that his RA is doing well. He has no complaints of swelling. He denies any shortness of breath, chest pain, fevers, or chills while on methotrexate.

Starting yesterday he has developed a dry cough along with myalgias and congestion-type symptoms of his head and nose. He took his methotrexate Monday. He denies any nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: There are no oral ulcers. The lungs are clear with no wheezing or crackles. Heart: Regular rate and rhythm. There is essentially no synovitis on examination today. There are no vasculitic lesions or rashes.

IMPRESSION:
1. Rheumatoid arthritis. He is stable on his current medications.
2. Because methotrexate can induce a cough and even a pneumonitis, I told him not to take methotrexate next week. It told him I will give him Sudafed for his postnasal drip and congestion symptoms. I told him if his symptoms should worsen or if he gets short of breath, cough worsens, or should he develops a fever, see his closest physician as soon as possible.
3. I will obtain a CBC panel and a liver panel today to monitor methotrexate toxicity.
4. Because of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by history, I will obtain baseline pulmonary function tests as well. He will follow up in two weeks for reevaluation.

Vent

How is it that eating healthier = higher grocery bill? I can't win.

Jade's gift to me.

She LOVED this part! (It IS the best!)

The color she picked is called "baby pink".

My turn!

She is the best. She wanted me to have an authentic pedi, so she insisted on rubbing my feet.

All done! She really wanted to paint my toes too, but the carpet was too light and the paint too red, so I did it myself. Not nearly as good as the professionals, oh well.

When Jade heard all about Jared's tea party, her little heart was broken. She didn't have anything to give me or sing to me, and it just devastated her - so of course that devastated me! I promised her we'd get pedicures on Mother's Day together, and that can be her gift to me (she doesn't know any better, really). I decided to fore go the trip to the salon and save the $40. I have a foot soaker here, and I thought it would be fun to do it at home instead. We took a little trip to Walmart and we each picked out a polish. She was so excited she dragged the foot bath out of my closet and found a sponge under the sink and cleaned all the dust out for us. She's such a sweetheart! We had such a great time with out pedicures. What a great Mother's Day I had!

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to my grandmothers! I'm sorry I didn't call, time snuck up on me and it's already after 9pm! Calls tomorrow.

Catching up.

Jade and Luke are good friends. Luke is Jared's den leader's boy, and he's the same age as Jade. She wouldn't DARE touch those worms, but she sure loved watching Luke play with them.

Jade likes to get in on the action too.

I couldn't get too many shots of Jared. He and Doug moved all over the lake trying to get a bite. The sun was just about to go down, and once it did, more fish were caught.

There were a few things that happened over the course of the weeks my computer was down. One of them was Jared's cub scout pack Fishing Derby a few weeks ago. As many of you know, our park has a catch and release lake, and that's where we all congregated. Doug has invested in this "Banjo Minnow" bait he saw in an infomercial, so we tried it out that day. Well, THEY tried it out. I don't fish. It's kind of boring to me, unless you go at the right time when the sun is down and the breeze picks up. Then it's really relaxing. Still, I'm good with a drink and a book. Anyway, this pack activity was to prepare the boys for the camping trip we went on last weekend. I'm hoping one of the moms will post pics and I can get those from her to show you all. Doug and Jared didn't catch anything (so much for the Banjo Minnow crap), but other kids did. They used bait like hot dogs and white bread. Figures. Still, it was good times!

Mother's Day Tea.

Jared is bringing me tea.

Jared handed me a rose after he sang to me.

Here is the plate Jared fixed for me.

He's in the very back in the blue shirt, singing directly to me!

I just came back from the neatest little tea party Jared's class put on for us. We all got invitations about two weeks ago, to attend Mother's Day tea time in Jared's classroom at 10:30. My friend Jaime down the street did me a favor by watching Jade so I could have Jared all to myself. When I walked in his class, he was so excited to see me! He grabbed me by the hand and said "THERE you are, FINALLY!" and pulled me to his desk. I sat down with the other mothers where a personalized place mat and bookmark adorned each place setting. Jared drew a picture of me on my placemat with red flowers in my hair. When all the mothers were seated, the kids took their places at the front of the class and sang to us. One of the songs was titled "You are my mother"and was sung to the tune of "You are my sunshine".

You are my mother, my important mother.

You make me happy when I feel blue. But, remember, if I disobey you,

Just please don't take my scooter away!

You are my mother, my important mother,

You make me happy when I feel blue.

I think you're special, and I love you!

So, I have this flower for you!

You are my mother, my important mother.

You make me happy when I feel blue.

I think you're pretty,

and I have some muffins for you.

You are my mother, my important mother.

You make me happy when I feel blue.

I want to tell you how much I love you,

So please enjoy your Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

At one point during the song, I moved to get a better picture. Jared lost sight of me for a second, and I could see his eyes searching for me. I waved to him, and once he spotted me he never took his eyes off me. He was singing those words directly to me, and I'm a little embarrassed to say I got a little teary-eyed.

After the song, we were all served muffins, strawberries, iced tea, lemonade, cheese, and crackers. It was so yummy! I could tell Jared was really hungry so I shared my plate with him. He leaned in close to me and I put my arm around him, and we ate together. After everything was over, Jared really didn't want me to leave until he saw it was almost lunchtime! So, I did finally leave. It really was the sweetest thing ever. I'll never forget our tea time together!

Our new "thing".

Keep trying!

It caught!

Great fire Jared!

Time to relax.

Yum!!

We've been doing this about once a week. After dinner we'll head out to the back yard where Jared will build a fire for us. He's getting pretty good at it. Of course he still needs Doug's help, but he knows how to build the wood to start it, and can light it easily with flint and steel. Once the fire gets going he knows how to carefully pile more wood on without squelching his creation. Of course, I'm always a little leery when he leans over the fire with all that gel he uses to maintain his cockatoo spike (see above). We tried to explain how dangerous this is, and Doug decided to demonstrate what happens when hair products meet fire. A few squirts of hairspray into the fire did the trick, and since then Jared has been much more cautious. Anyway,The kids usually like to roast marshmallows, so of course that's what we end up doing. It's my favorite way to end the day.

What a week!

Zach came to visit us last Wednesday, since he's recently returned from Iraq. The kids haven't seen him since August, so it was a real treat to have him here. Jade just couldn't leave the poor guy alone. She loves her uncle so much. While he was gone we prayed every night for a safe return, and I think that really made an impression on the kids. I think it really made them realize just how much they care about him. When he arrived Wednesday night they were ecstatic! They jumped all over him, squeezed him, hugged him, and Jade told him repeatedly how much she missed him. I really wish I thought to take pictures. We had a good time while he was here, and we even planned a camping trip for this July in San Clemente. SoCal beach, here we come!! Zach left on Saturday. And, a few hours later my parents, grandparents, and brother arrived for Easter. I made ham, twice baked potatoes, and all the fixings (with a ton of help). This was the first time I've ever hosted a holiday dinner, and I'm honestly surprised that nothing got burned, undercooked, or thrown out. I was expecting at least SOMETHING to go wrong, but nothing did. What was nice about that day was seeing my grandparents interact with the kids again. They love their great-grandparents so much. Grandpa was playing games with Jared, and grandma helped Jade dress her paper dolls. It was so nice to have them in our home for the first time. I think we miss them the most out of anyone from CA.

The next morning we had an egg hunt and brunch. I managed to catch a few pictures of the egg hunt. Of course the kids were so fast darting around the house and yard that I had to make them go back and pose with the eggs in a surprised way. Really though, they just ran around like lunatics hording as many eggs as they could. I guess that's what Easter is all about - the goodies.

Apperently, my camera software is not yet installed on the computer. It had a nasty virus, so Doug wiped it. I guess the pictures will have to wait.

Jade's Day.

Before:

After:

Doug has been working so much lately, and he really wanted to spend some more one-on-one time with Jared. So, yesterday Doug printed up some targets and took Jared shooting. I figured Jade and I may as well do something fun too, since I was looking for an excuse to get out of laundry. I took her to the spa where she got her first pedicure ever. They only charged $15 and she LOVED it!! She loved soaking her feet in the bubbly salted water and getting her little feet and toes massaged. The lady was really great with her too; that always makes for a nice experience. I think Jade felt like a little lady.

Later I took her to SuperCuts. Now, Jade gets compliments on her long hair quite frequently, and I know how important her hair is to her. The problem is it's getting increasingly hard to manage. Lately every time I brush or style it she ends up crying because it gets so matted throughout the day. She finally decided enough was enough and told me she wants to cut her hair "cute and short". So, we cut it to a short little bob. I really wanted to donate her cut hair, but we would have needed to cut it two inches shorter. I really didn't want to go that short, so we just left it at that. She loves her new hair style, and I think I do too. I wasn't too sure at first how I felt about it, but I think it's growing on me.

Spring Break

We've had some beautiful sunsets lately. Our dining room table faces this and we get a great view when we eat dinner.

I want to sneeze just looking at this.

All the washes in Anthem look like this. Yellow flowers everywhere.

Alana, Zach, and Jared waiting for the train to go!

I'm not sure what's with all the posing. The kids do this everytime I take pictures.

Jadie

Jared and Zach riding the Daisy Mountain Railroad.

We've done picnics, and park days, some hiking, indulged in sonic slushies, built fires in the backyard, had Jared's party, rode the train, played with the neighbors, hula-hooped, played video games, had baseball practice, and baked brownies. Not once did I go to the gym, which is fine because I'm too worn out to exercise anyway. And, my floor has not been mopped since the day before the birthday party which means my feet stick to it when I walk, and I've got this brown film covering the bottoms of my soles. Gross. One thing that's been consistent with this week off from school is I've been sneezing my brains out. So, in the mornings I take Benedryl and I find my self in a fog the rest of the day. (That's probably why my floor hasn't been scrubbed. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is blooming around here. Spring here is gorgeous, yes but I don't think I've ever gone through more boxes of tissues (3) in my life.

Jared turns 7.

You can't really tell from the photo, but these kids got soaked!! (especially when Doug turned the hose on them.)

The girls.

Jared, Zach, and Kadin. Zach just lives up the street from us. Kadin is one of Jared's best friends from school.

The green guitar cupcake cake.

They all took turns playing different instruments. Jared's on the guitar, far left.

You would never believe how much candy came out of that thing. Each kid walked away with at least half a pound. I hope the parents weren't too upset!

I made them eat their pizza outside. It was a great idea.

We finally celebrated Jared's birthday this past weekend. Doug had to work on his actual birthday (Feb 28), so my friend flew into town and we took Jared to the movies and out to eat. Plus, he had opening day for little league baseball, which was really cool. It seemed like most of Anthem was there cheering on all 900 little leaguers as all the teams made their way around the track. In fact, the high school stadium was full of parents. I've never seen anything like that. AND, they had an opening prayer before the ceremonies started. You'd never see that in California, that's for sure.

Anyway, as for the party, 13 kids including my two showed up. Some played guitar hero, others soaked each other with squirt guns in the back yard, and everyone had fun. We had one little escapee. Jade's friend Mayah decided to take off out the front door and run down the driveway because she thought she saw her daddy's car. Luckily I saw her do it. We made sure to lock the door after that little incident. Jared's cake was a green guitar cupcake cake. No, I didn't make it. I've completely given that up. It's so much easier to buy them. Jade found that the cupcakes come out just as green as they go in. TMI, I know.

It's St. Patick's Day!

This disgusting green mush is actually rice crispies cereal. Usually I try to do something fun and cool for St. Patty's Day, like bake green cookies with the kids, or frost cupcakes bright green or something festive. Well, yesterday was food shopping day (Monday) and I COMPLETELY forgot today was the 17th. Jared came up with the idea of coloring his breakfast. Jade wanted pink in hers; I guess she didn't quite get the point! Luckily I have green cupcakes left over from Jared's birthday party two days ago, which I'll post pics of either later today or tomorrow. So, don't forget to wear green today and enjoy your corned beef and cabbage!

The time has come!

He's the one in the middle - in the jeans.

Third from right.

After learning how to build a fire, tie 3 different kinds of knots, read a compass, built a pinewood derby car, and watching his first fist fight at a hockey game (and yes, blood was involved) he has finally earned the Tiger Cub badge!! In May, he will graduate and become a wolf cub. Way to go Jared!

First post.

I have decided to create a family blog. I figured most of my family would love to see what we are up to out here in Arizona. I'll keep this updated often, hopefully. I will still keep my personal blog of course, but it's time to let the family in on my blogging world. So here we are. I hope you enjoy!