Always Tired...

That describes me to a "T"! I am ALWAYS tired. It doesn't seem to make a difference what I do. There are times when it's worse...ie once a month and during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. This is the story of how I became tired all the time. (I will be commenting on foods that I know are extremely bad for you. At the time I didn't know that, and seeing as it was 15 yrs ago I don't think they were as bad for you as they are now)

Around the time I was 14 I started to gain weight. By the time I was 16 I was around 190-200lbs. Not good. Towards the beginning of '96 I was doing ballet. We had practice 4 times a week. I was teaching ballet, and I started doing Escrima with my dad and brother. (escrima is sword and dagger fighting, using wooden sticks to train) I started losing some weight. By the time I graduated in May, I had lost around 20-25lbs.

I had my graduation ceremony on a Friday night. Afterwards I felt sorta sick, but mainly just a sore throat. Over the next 3 days I was VERY SICK! I spent it all sleeping and in that 3 day span I lost over 20lbs and continued losing weight over the next few months...'til I was down to 135lbs. During the beginning I had a sore throat and got a terrible cough. The cough hurt my chest SO bad, it was awful. I was so weak that I spent most of my time in bed. I would get up to use the bathroom and be falling asleep while in there, only to get back in bed and go right back to sleep. I couldn't eat hardly anything. I went from being able to eat a double cheeseburger, large fries and large drink and still be hungry to I couldn't eat more than 3 chicken nuggets. I developed an intolerance to dark colored sodas, but clear one's were fine.

During this time I also went from being able to tan and being quite dark to being white as a ghost and getting second/third degree burns from the sun.

A couple weeks later I got an UTI. I was put on antibiotics for that and towards the end of that developed an allergic reaction to it. I also noticed at some point that there was a large mass in my left side, right under my rib cage. I could push it back, but it would just come forward again.

I went to the Dr's several times. Had innumerable tests done. The Dr was actually so worried about me (we had a wonderful Dr at the time) she actually called my mom to see how I was doing. The tests showed absolutely NOTHING! The Dr was very concerned about the mass in my side as well, so I had to do more tests for that. They discovered that my kidney is turned and tilted forwards. What I can feel under my rib cage is the top of my kidney.

Over the course of the next year I slowly recovered. At least to the point where I was semi normal. I still was much weaker than I should have been. I started having awful kidney pains. The worse when I would eat too much sugary foods or sodas and not get enough regular food. I still could barely eat. Since that time I have MORE than recovered my appetite. I still have occasional problems with my kidneys, esp if I take Vit C or drink citrus juice. To this day I still am tired most of the time. My Dr now says it's just cause I have so many kids. (Because you know everyone with more than the average 1.8 children just must be exhausted!) She tried to put me on BP meds saying I have high BP (which does run in my family) only at my next visit the nurse told me what my readings were and they were no where NEAR high. So I remain in the dark to this day. I am trying some supplements and am hoping they will work for me. We are doing our best to switch over to whole, natural, organic foods. It's very hard though when you're exhausted to cook from scratch. I realize it would help, but sometimes I'm just too tired to care.

Why am I tell you this? I don't know exactly, but I hate for people to think I'm just a complaining, whiny baby. When I say I'm tired, I really mean it! Thanks for letting me "vent" :D

Blessings, ♥T

Kiddo Intro 6-7-8

Well, I love my kiddos to death, but don't have a lot to say about them. I can think of lots of things when I don't have to, but when it comes time to write it...So, anyways, I'll introduce my last 3 in one post :)

First is number 6. Emily Noel/Punkin' Pie. I did not ever want to have a baby on Christmas. So when I found out I was pregnant with her and due on Dec. 20th. I just knew I was gonna have her on the 25th! Sure, enough, I went into labor at Midnight, right after I finished putting out all the christmas presents. She was born at 10:53pm, after 20hrs of labor. Her cord was so long it was wrapped around her neck two and half times and around bother her shoulders. It was also inhibiting the midwife from getting her heartbeat while I was in labor. The midwife and my mom were both concerned but she was getting the cord pulse so she was still alive. When I went to push her out, it was the most awful pain I've ever felt! I was pushing and the cord was pulling her back. She came out and was perfectly fine. :) I knew even while pregnant that she had a temper. She would get mad if I pushed on my belly a way she didn't like. When she was 6 mos old, she would get mad and throw her toys and throw her body on the floor and scream!!!! AHH, how do I deal with her? As a toddler, she got mad one time when she went to sit on a potty chair and missed. She turned around and picked up the seat and threw it! It was funny but not good! Thankfully at 3 she's calmed down a bit! She is a sweetheart most of the time. She is always asking to hold Zachary. She hates taking naps. She refers to herself in the third person, which is very cute :) She loves doing school too.

Next is Kathleen Rose. Kind of an Irish name for a girl who also has an Irish temper! LOL, They get it from their dad, he's mostly Irish. Her nickname is Stinkbug. She's very ornery! Blond hair and brown eyes. She was born after just over 48 hrs of labor. Her cord had the same complication as Michelle's, but her cord was very short. She is quite the little terror :) Love her bunches! She is learning to talk more and more. When she gets up from her naps she always tells me "I Happy!" Very loudly with a big smile! (it's a requirement for staying up to be happy!) She thinks shes a big girl. She is allergic to lots of different foods and I have the hardest time with her not getting diaper rashes. She is in disposables right now to keep her from getting them.

Last but not least is Zachary Glen. His nickname is Chunky Monkey. Because he's chunky and because when he spits up it's chunky! LOL! The kids think it's so gross, and the other day he puked all over Emily's face! Hysterical! She laughed too, so it's ok to laugh : ) Anyhow, he's 7mos old now, and growin' like a weed! Usually happy, but a bit spoiled since his sisters won't stop holding him. His middle name is my Great Grandpas name. He (my GGpa) died a week after Makenzie was born. I'm so glad we finally had a boy so we could use his name! We've been planning on it since then and that was almost 7 years ago. My Zachary is sitting up on his own really well now, he can turn over pretty good too. He has a bit of trouble because of his arms. I think he will be crawling soon. Don't know exactly what's wrong with his arms, but he's always seemed to pull them back instead of reach out in front of him. We take him to the chiropractor when we can and that seems to help. He's a precious little boy and I love him bunches!

Well, that concludes the intros for now...At least until number 9 makes an appearance : )

Kiddo Intro 5

Well, today is Michelle/ShellyWellyBoo! She is 5 and probably the smartest kid I've got. She can memorize and remember things unbelievably well! And very fast! She is my miracle baby. I will post or link to her birth story sometime. Her labor was only 6 hrs, and the easiest of all 8 of my kiddos! She is named after me, but her name is the same as the midwifes too :)

She is such a giggle box! Always happy and laughing. Well not always, she does have occasional bad attitudes. She is 16 mos younger than Makenzie and they're very close. Always play together and get along the best of all my kids. Michelle acts like she's the oldest though. She just takes over and Makenzie lets her. It's kinda funny but I think Makenzie prefers it that way. Both of them are doing tutoring right now and they're both starting to read small words! It's great!

Michelle likes to hold babies too, but likes to play with everyone else more! She really can't wait to read! And I think she'll be reading really well very quickly!

Kiddo Intro 4

Well, Next in the bunch is Makenzie/monster! She is 6! Wow, I can't believe that! She'll be 7 in 2 months, time flies! Makenzie was born after a whopping 4 day labor (yes you read that right 4 DAY) And besides the extremely long labor, she was in a breech presentation several times during my labor. Also, because of the length of my labor, the midwife wasn't sure I was close so didn't come and stay...Ended up, I finally got my mom to call and tell her "COME now!" She hopped in her car and headed out here (she lives an hr away) had to go the speed limit most of the way cause of an OHP following her. About 15 mins after she was called my water broke! James was in a panic and my mom was telling me "don't push, I don't know how far dilated you are." ??? I didn't push tho! LOL...45 mins later however, she was coming! No stopping it! As her head was coming out the midwife got there! My mom started to get out of her way but Michelle said to stay there! :) So Nana got to deliver little miss Makenzie! She was also my biggest baby! And had a knot in her cord from all her turning about!


She has always been very quiet and shy. She loves to cuddle. When she was little she would always come lay with me on the couch for her naps :) She wanted me and no one else! She also spit up the most. Even continued to spit up after starting solid foods. But she was still my biggest girl!


She is also known as "miss hysteria". She gets COMPLETELY hysterical about things...i.e...once she got some black fuzz between her toes and thought there was an ant on her, it sounded like she was being beat to death! Another time while in the car she started screaming, I thought maybe the straw had poked her in the throat when we went over a bump...No, she had 3 drops of her drink on her SEATBELT!!! Another time while she was potty training she accidentally peed while sitting in her booster seat for lunch...she started screaming, stood up and was so hysterical it made her chest hurt! (she grabbed her chest so I'm assuming it hurt) So anyhow...get the picture?! She gets hysterical! LOL, but we love her!


She loves babies and is constantly wanting to hold Zachary. She is actually the best with him so she holds him alot, and takes care of him. She liked to hold Kathleen too. 


She is finally starting to learn to read. She is definitely my slowest learner. She's very smart, but definitely slower than my others. She can't wait to read well though, and will be soon! She's doing great at it.


She (like the others) loves to hear stories about herself. Thinks it's funny that I called her monster and fatso. She had the biggest buns and thighs you've ever seen on a baby! Seriously! She was short so it really stuck out. People would always be like "don't say that, she's just perfect!" LOL...I never thought otherwise! I wasn't saying it to be mean! I tend to call my kids names...dork, nerd, goofball, retard, weirdo...but I'm not saying it in a mean way!!!! I promise...I know you might not believe me or think it is mean but for me it's not!


Anyways, I love my Kenzie Emma Girl! She's a sweetheart!

Kiddo Intro 3

Well, I want to introduce ALL of my kiddos. Since today is Wed. that means it's Madison/Mes's day! :) (each kiddo has their own day, they get all the extras for the day so we don't have to worry about who to give them to, and so each one gets a special me day!)

Mes turned 8 in February. She is my 3rd child and the oldest girl! She was my first home birth! Her labor was 48 hrs long! She loves to read! So wants to be grown up. Tries to help with everything, but still is wanting to be a little girl at times. She loves to cuddle. 

Mes is very smart, beautiful, and whiny! :) Has been since she was born. She is a drama queen! I have come to find that while girls are all dramatic...they are dramatic in different ways! She is a DRAMA queen! She is like an actress overplaying her part all day long! I often find her talking to herself in the mirror. Or I will walk by whatever room she is in and overhear some very interesting conversations!

She loves to sing. She has a very good voice too, (if I do say so myself :) And a very good memory...If she hears a song, she will remember it and sing it later. Good and bad...i.e. if she hears a song on the radio, she will remember it! It's amazing to me though that not only does she remember the words, it sounds just like it does on the radio!

She loves to go to church. She wants to be a farmers wife when she grows up, and a mom to alot of kiddos! 

Kiddo Intro 2

My second son is,Jason/Turkey! What's with the weird names you ask? Well,  My kiddos have this thing about the nicknames I gave them as babies...This one was ornery! Hence the nickname Turkey! Lol!

Had another easy 12 hr labor and a hefty 8 lb baby boy. He was nothing like his brother...Besides the fact that he was over a pound larger, he had dark hair and darker eyes and darker skin. He was a very good baby, except for the colic. He had it bad. Screamed every night for hours! Started about 12 ended anywhere from 3-5am. Was so miserable! Colic tablets from Hylands was what finally helped. But until then, I sat in my "walking" chair and sang to him. Would put the chair on one side of the room and rock til I had "walked" across the whole living room and then I would pull it back across the room and start all over again! I am so thankful that none of my other babies had it as bad as he did!

He is very smart also. Hates to work though. He will be told to do a job and then when you look away, he disappears! Pesty kid :) He is very athletic. Would probably be great at any sport we could put him in. Is also very musically inclined. (Probably something to do with the classical music I played for his naps when he was a baby!) If only he would try! But that's ok, we're gonna push and make him do it anyways! 

He has always loved his brother alot! He used to grab him from behind and pull him down on top of himself. James Michael would scream and flail about and Jason would LAUGH! Thought it was hysterical! He likes to remind me of the time when we had gotten home from town and I had just bought a nice BIG Route 44 cherry Dr. Pepper! I set it on the counter to run to the bathroom and as I was coming back out I hear a sound like water pouring on carpet...Yep, you guessed it! He had my cup, had punched a hole through the bottom of it and was sucking as hard/fast as he could to drink as much as possible before it all poured out! And he really panicked when he saw me coming to take it from  him! LOL..I was not too happy about it at the time, it's very funny now though!

He is also my very literal kid! What does that mean? If you say something to him, he will take it very literally! I once asked him what soap he had used in the shower and he told me "the blue and white one for his head and shoulders and..." I laughed so hard I cried! He makes me laugh all the time with silly things like this! 

I love him so much and thank God for him! I hope we can train him to be a man of God who will serve God with his whole heart and life!

Kiddo Intro 1

Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning...My oldest,James Michael/Goober, is 11. He came out, after a 12.5 hr labor, blond haired and blue eyed! He has always been so sweet, obedient, and kind. He has been talking since he was 10 mos old! Smart as a whip!


He has always been very smart and done very well in school. He is my right hand man! If I need something done, he is who I turn to. He is always quick to do it, and rarely complains. I don't know how I would do anything without him :)


He is recently, really into spiders! (Yuck!!!) Boys are so gross! He loves catching them and watching how they do things and how they work. He also likes catching snakes, frogs, lizards, bugs, grasshoppers, and anything else that creeps and crawls. 


He is also recently getting very physically active. He hasn't been so much. He can now do 50 push-ups in 2 mins. He can do 98 sit ups in 2 mins. His bicep grew a half an inch in just this last week from all his "working out". I think it's great! Love that he is trying to be healthy and in shape!


He loves and adores his father. Loves to play games with him. They are very into "acquire" right now. As well as our rousing, nightly game of Uno. I am not much for thinking games :) 


He is a very good older brother. Loves his brothers and sisters. Tries his best to care for them. (sometimes to boss them :) But he does such a great job! I am so proud to have him as a son! God as truly blessed us giving him to us!  

About Me!

First official blog :) I have only one follower, and that's ME! Awesome! So I guess this will be an intro blog...I am a Christian! Was saved in 1991! I did gymnastics from the time I was 2 til I was about 12. I did ballet from the time I was 5 til I got married. I was homeschooled from 1st grade til I graduated in '96. At that time I was teaching ballet classes and going to a vocational college to become a Medical Office Specialist...fancy term for front and back office medical assistant! For my internship I was placed at a chiropractors office. The day I started working there was the day I met DH. It was right around my 18th birthday. He asked me out. We went on our first date on the 12th of Sept. On the 26th he proposed! We were married on October 31, 1997. It has always been my goal in life to get married and have a bunch of children. (I told my cousin at age 10, that I wanted to have so many kids that she couldn't count them!) Well, that is exactly what I'm doing!


I am now the very proud mother of 8 beautiful children! I am a stay at home mom. I homeschool all of them (except the baby of course LOL). For the most part I like homeschooling. There are days I wish there was a good private christian school they could go to! But there's not, so we keep on keepin' on!


I hope to start reading materials to train to be a midwife soon. I am wanting to become a midwife someday. I love birth and want to help bring life into this world! I have had 3 hospital births and 5 home births. Absolutely hate hospitals! Will do anything to avoid going there next time...Home is best!


I am desperately in need of the Lord! I know what I need to do, but am too lazy to do it! I am so tired all the time. So I put off my Bible reading and prayer til I can find the time, but somehow I never do find it! Surprise, surprise huh? I seem to be constantly battling depression. Most days I feel like a complete failure, in everything! Then there are days (like today) when I go places and have everyone telling me how beautiful my kiddos are and how well behaved they are...I must have done something right if people think they are well behaved right?!


I have started school with the kids. So at least I'm getting some devotion time with them. It's not enough, as I need personal time with the Lord, but at least it's a start!


Well I guess that's enough for now...gotta get the kids to settle down and go to sleep!