On the mend!

My sweet 5 year old had surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoid last Friday, May 20th.  :(  She has not been a happy camper!  I didn't realize how hard recovery is.  Well, I guess I forgot...my 12 year old had this same procedure done when she was 2 1/2, so it's been awhile!  She did SO good after we got home from the hospital the first evening, that I thought her recovery would be a breeze.  I was so wrong!  It was so much worse than I had expected.  However,  I do believe that we are almost through with the really tough part, and hopefully it's all downhill from here!  At the one week mark, she had seriously gotten so tired of being in the house lying on the couch all day, that we decided to go outside and let her play.  Of course she did her favorite thing...rode her bike!  It sure was nice to see her up and (sort of) back to her lively self again!  Also at the one week mark, she had lost 5 lbs.  Poor thing got her appetite back a few days ago, but eating has been kind of tough even with the softest of foods.  Even though it's been hard for her, I'm so thankful because even on the first night, the results were amazing!  No more snoring, no gasping for air, or stopping breathing!  Thank you, Lord!  No more Sleep Apnea!  She has been such a quiet sleeper, that I'm still checking on her quite often.  Now it's for the opposite reason though!  I keep checking to see if she's breathing!  I'm very thankful that this procedure was finally done, especially before she starts Kindergarten.  I'm hoping for no more sleeping issues, no more frequent night-waking, sleep walking/talking, tiredness, grouchiness, and sweet restful sleep!  I pray over all my children and family before bedtime nightly, and I always reminded myself (and God) this precious promise:  "...the one who watches over you will not slumber." ~Psalm 121:3b  Even with the baby monitor in her room and on the bad nights with her actually sleeping in our room, eventually I fell off into a deep sleep and couldn't monitor her breathing.  But I could rest assure that God was there with us and watching over her!  It's so good see the fulfillment of this promise with her sleeping so peacefully now!  "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe." ~Psalm 4:8

Here's some photos of our playtime Friday (one week after surgery).

Frugal Tip 2!

Being the avid Target shopper that I am, (I go there at least once a week!) I thought it was a great idea to get a Target Debit card.  Yes, I did say Debit...not Credit!  Although that is also an option, that would really be scary for me!  I know my limit, folks!  That would be a disaster waiting to happen...no really!    The Debit card is smart for me though, obviously because I can't spend more than I have in my bank account...helps me to exercise my self-control muscle!  :)  I love it because it's like a coupon that doesn't expire!  I'm able to save 5% with every purchase!  I've had it for a few months now and can't imagine how much I've saved so far!  It was easy to sign up and you can too!  I did it in the store, but you can get all the details Here online.  It's like getting instant savings every time you shop...and who doesn't like saving money?!!  There are different perks and benefits with the different Redcard options, so go on over and check it out!  Besides saving 5% with every purchase, you can also enroll in a program called Take Charge of Education and your kids school will receive 1% of your purchase.  There's also a Pharmacy Rewards program!  Good stuff, right?!!  Now that's something to toot about!  

https://redcard.target.com/redcard/rc_main.jsp

Awesome Giveaway!

Okay, I love giveaways, but so far no luck on winning the few I've ever entered.  :(  But I'm a pretty persistent gal, and this particular giveaway has something AMAZING up for grabs! http://myworldmadebyhand.blogspot.com/ is offering your choice of a $25 gift card to TARGET, HOBBY LOBBY, or STARBUCKS to celebrate 600 followers!!!  Wow!  If I won, that would be a tough choice...I LOVE them all!!!  Go and enter, then check out this AWESOME blog!  I've already been diggin' around, and I'm definitely inspired!  It's full of TONS of great ideas! 

Check it out!

This is pretty AWESOME!  I'm so ready for this challenge...21 Days of Prayer for Sons!  I can't say I totally relate to a son who "drains" or "overwhelms" me, but I feel like we're totally different.  And since I've never been a boy, I feel like sometimes I really can't relate to him.  I feel so insufficient as his mother, and there's such an urgency in me to prepare him for his future.  Most of the time I feel overwhelmed by the challenge to prepare him and raise him up as a mighty man of God with godly characteristics in a world full of men who fall so short of God's standards for them.  So...I'm excited!  You can take the challenge too!  AND...you can get a FREE e-book just for sharing!  Just go HERE and check it out!

Grateful

I'm so glad the Lord knows my heart.  I have to constantly remind myself that His opinion of me is the only one that really matters!  Sometimes I feel so misunderstood when my intentions are only for good and to be a blessing to others.  I really hate how I can over think conversations I've had and agonize over how I might have offended someone or was misunderstood.  However, I'm so thankful for God's grace and that He's so good at smoothing out the rough edges!  I'm forever grateful that He's the only one that fully accepts me and that I'm fully pleasing to Him in spite of who I am!  So I'm reminding myself tonight as David did,  "Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! "  I have to constantly fight off the urge to become a hermit and not interact with people.  I love people so much, but it's just easier that way.  Ha ha!  I know this was not God's plan for humanity though--he made us relational beings.  I must remember that I'm on a mission and not get too caught up in the daily cares and worries of life.  They're distractions and keep me from the ULTIMATE goal, which is pretty simple:  Eternity in Heaven...take as many people as possible with me! 

Mark 16:15 b "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."