Thankful Mom of Five, Adoptive Mom of Two Ukrainian Beauties and Bereaved Mom

         Today I am thankful that my bathroom scale is finally cooperating with me!  It usually totally ignores what I say or think. I have been telling my scale that it can easily be replaced!! It finally is listening!! I haven't felt well for a few days so my scale is now my friend.  It is usually my mortal enemy! I think I lost about 4 or 5 pounds which is so much better than gaining 5 pounds.  What a difference it makes in attitude and wearing clothes. I know it is probably a fake water loss but hey I'll take it!! If I have pancreatitis I know I have to starve myself for 4 or 5 days and only drink water.  That is NOT easy for a foodie like me.  I love food!! Even though I am nauseous, I still think about food.  How crazy is that?? I want to eat crap food even though I know it will make me feel worse.  Fortunately, my sciatica prevents me from making a lot of trips to the kitchen! So that is the good side of having sciati...

         Today I am thankful that Olivia made a healthy and delicious dinner for herself and Dan. I haven't felt well for the past two days. I have a stomach virus or pancreatitis again. I had my gall bladder out so it can't be from gall stones. I know how to treat it, I just wish I  had more stomach meds and pain meds at home.  I guess I'll go to the doctor tomorrow if I sill don't feel better.          Olivia and I went food shopping after school and she got salmon, leeks, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp, and garlic.  She marinated the salmon and shrimp in a honey and soy sauce with leeks and garlic. She cooked the salmon in the oven.  Then she sauteed the mushrooms, peppers, shrimp, garlic and onion in a little oil with some seasonings. The food smelled so good and healthy and appetizing as she was preparing it and cooking it.  Dan said it was delicious!!         Olivia and Frankie spend so...

                       Today I am thankful that a psychic came to our bereaved parent meeting the other night.  I took Olivia with me because she always gets read and is open to being read!  Last year, about the same time of year, the same psychic came to our meeting.  Olivia had gone to the meeting with me.  Mandy told Olivia that she had a big challenge to face but she would have to work hard and work through it and she would be ok after her struggle. All of that proved to be true.  Mandy also said that even though Olivia and Amy had never met in life that they had a soul sister deep connection. Last year, she also said that Olivia had a medical issue and was seeing a neurologist and that was true!  This time she said that Amy was proud of Olivia.  Mandy said that Amy was cheering Olivia on with pom poms.  Olivia was a cheerleader.  She also said that Amy was proud that Olivia ...

            I am thankful that I am going to the marijuana superstore with my friend Joann this week! I want to get a topical cream for my sciatica and my arthritis.  This is the description of the lotion from the store.  What the heck does it mean?? willow fluvic acid?? terpenes?? humelene?? Geez, those ingredients sound like something for a nuclear bomb!!! Topical Cream Featured terpenes: β-caryophyllene, humulene Contains white willow, fulvic acid, and other botanical extracts 60 mL jar (2.5 mg/mL activated cannabinoids) I wonder if marijuana store owners make a lot of money. The store I went to originally was small and didn't seem to have a ton of products but everything was super expensive! If it works for sciatica pain, the cost could never be too high. Olivia told me that Frankie's mom bought the topical cream and it works wonders.  She said it was the first time in years that she could walk without pain  ...

         Today I am thankful that my sister and brother-in-law came to dinner at our house last night!  Dan got a free turkey at Acme last week and it was definitely too big for us to eat alone! Olivia and I cooked most of the afternoon!  Frankie, Olivia, Dan, me, and my sister and her husband had a lot of fun eating and chatting!!So many hours go into the food prep and cooking and then it is eaten in about 20 minutes!  Olivia and Frankie went to  Acme with my credit card and got soda, mashed potatoes and dessert.  Frankie chose the best dessert ever!!  It was a Hershey chocolate cake..............so, so delicious! It was decadent and rich and tasty!          Tomorrow Olivia is off for an in-service day.  She and I have lots of plans.  We are going to food shop, get a craft to do at Michael's Craft store, and maybe go to a movie.  Tomorrow evening is my bereaved parent meeting and the psychic...

         Today I am thankful that I had dinner out with my friend Joanne.  We were good and had salads instead of fried foods! I had chicken caesar salad and she had a cobb salad. When the waitress asked me if I wanted my chicken crispy or grilled, I coughed out grilled even though I would have preferred crispy!!  I had a 25% off coupon so it was not an expensive meal! Dan is away for the weekend so it was nice to be busy both nights!  I had a lot of fun catching up with Joanne.  She and I are planning to go to a medical marijuana store next week. Joanne also has a medical marijuana card. I have never been to the superstore of marijuana that she is taking me to see! I just want to get a marijuana based lotion to rub on my leg to see if it helps at all. The liquid drops and the vape pen marijuana did not help me at all. The bad pain came back, I guess I only had a brief one and a half day reprieve from pain but it was much appreciated. I...

         Today I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO Thankful that I have less pain than I have had in the last 7 months from sciatica.  I started to feel less pain yesterday and it is the same today.  I am the same as yesterday and the pain I have is bad but tolerable.  I can actually walk around my house now with my cane instead of having to use the walker.  I can only attribute it to the HYPERBARIC CHAMBER!! I have my friend Jill to thank for suggesting I try it! I had never even heard of it before she told me about it.  That is why it is so nice to have a network of friends to share information!!          I am also thankful that my friend Joni came over last night.  We ordered take-out and chatted. It was a fun night! We both are adoptive moms so we have a lot in common. Tonight I am meeting an old friend for dinner out.  She and I became friends about 30 years ago when our bio kids were in elementary sc...