Miracles do happen!

So as you know, we have been experiencing a financial hardship since my surgery in June. I have been praying for some sort of financial miracle and praying that God would just help us get through this hard time. Days, weeks and months go by and we just can’t seem to get ahead. All our bills are late and some of them we haven’t even been able to pay. My boyfriend drives 2 hours each way to work so it would be impossible for him to try to get a second job, so I’ve been looking and have a promising opportunity on the rise. I also started selling Avon and Thirty One Gifts in order to bring in some extra cash. I have been begging and pleading with God for a miracle…but I would never let it go and give it to God. I would pray and have hope and soon after would take it back. The worry and anxiety would set in and I would lose my faith. It finally got bad enough that I just gave it to God and then he sent a miracle in the form of my birth father. My birth father wired money into our account that allowed us to catch up with most bills. I can’t even explain in words the relief that overcame my body when he made the transaction. It allowed me to open up a little more to God and keep my faith strong.

Today I am thankful to have a God that takes care of me even when I can’t take care of myself. I am thankful to have a God that loves me and has faith in me, even when I have none for myself. He constantly shows me that he will never leave me or forsake me. It’s been a beautiful day, thanks to God!!!!

Praise God!!!!

Eight is Enough ~Jenn~

Bye, Bye weekends!

My weekends are now filled with work, work and more work! Who wants that….NOT me!

Going back to last month….

We have been struggling financially since being out of work for my shoulder surgery and even though I am back to work full time, it’s been a uphill battle trying to catch up! I was contemplating trying to get a second job (I only work 3 days a week at my current job). I got the nerve up to ask one of the physicians that comes to my hospital if they were hiring. He informed me that he would look into. I was sooooo excited! I went right home to update my resume and get it all ready! The next day he came and picked up my resume and personally walked it over to his office!!!! Now the waiting games begin… I finally hear from them and get my interview all set up! The interview went AWESOME. Then they asked if I would come shadow them for a half day to see how we all got along! They had me follow the nurse practitioner on stress test day (It’s a cardiology office). My job, if I accept it, would be to work right with the ARNP in the stress lab. I would be prepping the patients and monitoring their vitals during the test. I had a great day at the office. We all seemed to mesh…it was like I had already worked their for months! The days were perfect…I would be able to adjust my days at the hospital to accommodate the 3 days they wanted me to work. I immediately called my work to tell them I needed to switch to only weekends…and they agreed!

Of course, because of the holidays and some medicare issues the main doctor in the practice is not sure about hiring someone else. We wanted to wait a little bit to see how things played out with medicare. Last week she informed me that the medicare changes have been put off another year so all is good there and that after the holidays I should be able to start! Of course, I really need it right now but am so happy that it looks promising for next year!

I am keeping the weekend schedule for now with the hopes of this job coming through in January!

Prayers welcome!!!

 

Excruciating!!!!

Writing Assignment brought to us by MamaKat (follow the link in my side column…haven’t figured out how to put it right in here yet!)

This weeks writing seems really hard to me! I was given a list of words and had to choose which one stood out to me more…

1.) Simple.
2.) Angsty.
3.) Excruciating.
4.)Enchanted.
5.) Bold.

First I thought simple…Whew, wouldn’t I love a simple life! Then enchanted…my love seems that magical! But the excruciating pain I have experienced in the last 6 months stood out the most!

Backtracking now… In 1996, I was involved in a pretty yucky car accident and had left shoulder pain since that time! Doctor’s never could provide me with any answers! I finally went to a pain management doctor who did more testing and come to find out that because of all the inflammation in my joint, I now had the joint of a 65 year old. Okay so that still does nothing for me or the pain. After years of treatments that seem to just mask the pain, I went to a different Orthopedic (in 2006) and he did some more testing and found that I had wore away part of my rotator cuff. I decided that I would proceed with surgery! I had no clue what I was getting myself into! They should have group before this type of surgery to explain ALL the pain you will experience and all the daily activities of normal living that you would NOT be able to do after the surgery! I could not pull my own pants up, wash my hair, shave and the list could go on and on! I was blessed to be a part of a family that was very helpful and I never went without and had all the help I needed during this time!

Okay, Okay….Fast forward to 2009! I became pregnant with my lil man! I was having more and more pain in my shoulder but didn’t bother talking to a doctor about it cause I knew there wasn’t anything that they could do! After having Aiden, I was breastfeeding so still no reason to  see any doctor…again nothing that they could do! At about 6 months my lil man started to wean himself :`( so I decided I would followup with a orthopedic in my new town. Yeah, the pain was worse and worse but I just thought it was nothing different than it had been over the last 14 years!  The doctoer ordered a special MRI, where I had to have dye injected directly into my joint prior to the MRI so that they could differentiate between scaring (from my previous surgery) and new injury. Got that done…Still hurting but I thought I just needed a cortisone injection and then I could go about my business for another couple years…LOL

It was a beautiful day in June…I was sitting at my desk at work when along came my orthopedic doctor…

Me: Hello Dr., How are you?

Him: Good, Did you get your results yet?

Me: Yes, I got the results and disc to bring to your office on Monday.

Him: Let me see the disc and I will give you your results right now!

So, I think awesome. I can be done with all this bother, get my shot and move on!

A few minutes later walks up my doc…

Him: Hmmm, Have you ever been told that you dislocated your shoulder?

Me: NO, Wouldn’t that hurt a LOT?!?!?!

So it seems that at some point I had dislocated my shoulder, tore my capsule and when the joint went back in to the socket, it went in all wonky. I had 2 fluid pockets on either side of the torn capsule.

I thought….When the hell did this happen?!?!?!?! You know on t.v. (lol), they show people with dislocated shoulder with the arm dangling all low and then screaming in excruciating pain as it gets put back into place!

So, I tell the doctor…No surgery for me and he proceeds to inform me that not having surgery is not an option!

WHAT??????? I went through that pain once and was not in the mood to deal with that again. Not to mention that now I have a 6mth old to care for. I was not ready to wean my baby completely and now your telling me I have to! UGH!!!!!

So I think I can hold out through the end of summer (yes, with my shoulder dislocated) until I had my surgery…That was a funny joke! Did I mention that I lift 10lb charts up and down all down from shelf to shelf for my work (at that time). I lasted 2wks before my boss told me not to come back to work until after I got my shoulder fixed. I can remember days where I would lift up the chart (thinking that all was good) only to feel my shoulder pop back out of place. This started to become a daily struggle and it was the most excruciating pain I had ever been in. Down to the core pain, that’s what I felt!

I had the surgery this past June and it was a painful experience but I made it through all the pain and misery and now I am working towards regaining my strength and praying that I will never experience that sort of excruciating pain again and would not wish that pain on anyone!!!!

July 2010

Sunshine on a cloudy day!

Aiden James

This is my wonderful, amazing, smart Aiden James. Otherwise known as lil man in our house! He is the baby of 8 children and he loves it! He loves when all his brothers and sisters are here to spoil him. Yes, he is spoiled. Isn’t that what you are supposed to do with the baby?!?!?! Actually his brothers and sisters have done the spoiling. He loves all of their attention and so far they are all happy to give it to him. I am sure that will change as they get older.

He was born 8 days before Thanksgiving last year, 9 days early. He couldn’t wait to come into this world and be a part of a big, happy blended family. I was induced with him and while the labor process was long and tedious, once he decided he was ready the doctor hardly had time to put on his gloves to catch him. That has been part of his personality from day one. Always in a hurry to get things done and always before the “expected” time.  He started to sit up earlier and then started walking on the furniture at 7mths, walking by himself at 10mths (which I thought would have been sooner) and know has a pretty big vocabulary at 1yrs old! He is bilingual and understands both English and Spanish and speaks in both! I am amazed every time I spend time with him. He is a sponge, taking in ALL that is around him!

Aiden loves to play on mommy’s bed..he crawls around it, laughing and smiling the whole time. He got this warm and fuzzy blanket for his birthday and he loves it! His oldest brother and my might as well be daughter made it for him for his birthday. Did I mention that he loves fuzzy blankets. He rubs his face all over them, all the while with the biggest smile on his face. He can’t get enough of his fuzzy blankets and is over joyed when he finds one somewhere in the house (We have them scattered in different places for him to find).

The other day I put him and his blankie on my bed and this is the result…One super happy and excited lil man. His smile alone tells it all!!!!

I can’t imagine what our life would have been like without this precious baby…He completes our family and though some days it is hard with 8 kids…just to see him smile makes all the struggles worth it! Mommy and Daddy loves you Aiden James!!!

It’s Jury Duty for you Ms. Thang…

The courthouse I spent my day at...

It all started a couple weeks ago..My day started fine, went well throughout the day UNTIL I checked my mail! WTH?!?!?! I had been summoned to serve as a juror! I have been “eligible” for this for the last 17 years…but NEVER been called to this duty before now! What I move to a new county and they are on the ball! I grew up in the same county since I was 10 and didn’t leave there till almost 2 years ago!

I woke up at 6:30am…wanted to leave my house at 7am…NOT! This was not going to happen and to make matters worse…It was 38 degrees outside AND I live in SOUTH FLORIDA…This is NOT supposed to happen! What the heck was I going to wear…I do not have “real” winter clothes and I DEFINITELY do not have a real winter coat…Usually it’s a long sleeve and maybe a hoody at best! So I scamper around my room and find a sweater and some pants I can wear….WAIT I need closed-toe shoes! Like I said I live in South Florida…I own flip flops and then tennis shoes…but they aren’t going to go with the business attire I am to wear! Okay got my “interview” shoes on…I’m ready to head out the door! I was immediately slapped in the face with the frigid wind! Run, not walk back into the house and dig for something I can wear as a jacket! Got it, got my book, got my lunch, got the baby…I was good to go to sit in a room and read all day!

I dropped the baby off and headed to the courthouse! I found it (cause I wasn’t really sure where the place even was!), parked my car and proceeded to find my way to the juror area! I finally got checked in and don’t remember much after that…I was so sleepy and hadn’t had my coffee yet! So about an hour and a half after I was sitting in my chair, I heard my name get called! Time to do my duty…lol!

The view from the 11th floor of the courthouse!

So in the elevator we go up…11 floors! Most of the day we were in the court room, not enjoying the beautiful view! I made it through 2 cuts and was starting to get really nervous! At 4:30pm I was released of my duty!!!!!!!!!!!

That makes something to be very grateful for on this coooooooooold Tuesday! I am ever so grateful that I was not picked to be on the jury. I was happy to participate and even happier to find out that they will not call me back for at least another year….WOOHOO!!!!! That’s right…let me say it again WOOHOO!!!!!!!

Time to go warm up!

 

Run, Don’t Walk…

Do you ever come home from work and wish you could walk, no run, right back to work! After a weekend of having two of the step-kids, I came home Sunday to a disaster!!!! At the door I am greeted with shoes and shoes and more shoes! Then the living room…toys everywhere and a very sleepy man on the couch. I am greeted by an eager one year old…rushing to his mommy to be picked up and loved on! He is in his PJ’s and appears to be well fed 😉 Next I go into the bathroom to make sure the kids fed the cat….OMG is all I could say (plus a few choice curse words under my breath). One would imagine that both children showered with the curtain open, water and more water lay on the floor, ready to be mopped up by the mom!! And we won’t even discuss the toilet…but anyone that had boys knows what I mean! I come out of the bathroom and turn the corner, heading to the kitchen…And joy overwhelmed my body! Dinner is waiting for me on the counter and the dishes were done!!! Needless to say I was so glad that the last room I entered, before I went to the bedroom to change, was the best room! It made my night! My guy might not have the house spotless when I get home, but the kids are always taken care of, dinner is always done and most days the sink is emptied and the dishwasher loaded! So, all in all I was happy to be home from work 😀

Enough of this!!!

My step daughter had yet ANOTHER school project to do this weekend…after one last weekend. I swear every time we turn around her teacher assigns another project. And quite frankly they end up being “daddy” or “step-mommy” projects. It’s more work for us and really what does she learn from us doing a bunch of work and then signing her name! When I was growing up, I don’t remember my mother or father doing my projects FOR me…but some of this stuff is so hard that you wonder “how in the world could she do this on her own???” English is not her first language, and while she does speak very well, but sometimes I really think it holds her back . Her mother does not speak English so at home with mom it’s all Spanish. Her mother does not and seems to not be willing to help with school work (even when the directions are in English and Spanish) and it’s aggravating that we (Dad and Step mom) find out about them at the last moment. Who knows why…She is 9 and I am sure she forgets but as I mother I can’t even imagine being so uninvolved and seem not to care about my childs education. She expects dad to swoop in and be there at the drop of a hat. Some of these projects take time and preparation is needs, supplies need to be bought. UGH! Maybe oneday with will get better….but damn…ENOUGH OF THIS! Tomorrow I will pick them up from school and do what we can for the project….and probably will get a new one to boot….till tomorrow!!!

Eight is Enough ~Jenn~

Oh Joy!

I wish I was a professional writer like some of the other bloggers. Their posts flow with such great ease and they always have something to write about! There are so many people that follow their blogs and make all sorts of comments! Well I am far from that…so searching on the internet I found a site of writing prompts!!! I would love to provide an attachment but the html codes I had do not work on wordpress. So comment on that if you know how to attach links within your posts =)  My prompt for today is…

My 10 greatest Joys!!!!

1. My first and greatest joy is worshiping God!
2. Secondly is my beautiful and amazing kids.
3. Spending time with my loving, caring and nurturing boyfriend.
4. When my cat spoons me at night when I sleep!
5. Walks on the beach.
6. Playing cars with my lil man!
7. I love to cook…clean up is for the birds though!!! LOL
8. Floating in the pool with my funoodle!!
9. Reading a good book, although I rarely have enough time for this one!
10. Going to SeaWorld or the Zoo!

Eight is Enough ~Jenn~

Fall for Me…

Thanks MamaKat for my mission. I choose to accept it!

2.) The perfect fall photo…share a picture that defines fall for you in your neck of the woods.

November at the Beach

Living in South Florida, we don’t have the pretty changing colors. Our color change is from green to brown…not so pretty!!! Fall for me means it starts to cool down…in the 80’s instead of the 90’s!!! We can still go to the beach, but the sun is so brutal! And we can even open the windows…some days (in the evenings!) I love our falls!!

There is one thing that is beautiful year-round here and that’s our beaches! We just went to the beach the other day. It was nice and breezy and we all got to play in the sand and water! It was a beautiful Florida fall day! I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

You want HOW much????

This is a b!tching blog….Read at your own risk!!!

Just when I think our financial life can’t get any worse then it does!!!!! Taking care of 8 kids financially is very hard. We just don’t bring enough money in a month and every time we get a little ahead, the bottom falls out! We haven’t been able to pay the babysitter, but we still need to use! We are blessed with a babysitter that does work with us….if only the rest of the collectors were the same way! Our biggest hurdle right now is paying our car insurance. The cable has already been turned off and the phone too. And that’s okay cause there are far better things we should be doing than watching cable! And we have cell phones, so who needs a home phone anyways. My insurance has been canceled!! Yes, I am driving a car without car insurance…Well actually Rafael is driving the car with no insurance. I drive his van (which as of today has insurance). Well the insurance (which tells me every time this has happened) notified the State of Florida that I do not have car insurance….I found this out by this pretty little letter telling me that on December 8th they will suspend my driving privileges…unless I can provide them with info on ACTIVE insurance…  Well we still don’t have money and I have contacted my birth father and my mother…pleading for help. I feel like such a loser every time I have to beg for help. They have their own financial hardships to have to take my on also.  Well my birth father agreed to help…but before he could, he ended up out of the country! How does that happen??? Ugh! I hate waiting to the last minute and I have NEVER been without car insurance like this time! It’s been almost a month….Thank GOD, Praise GOD that we have not been in any accidents or such! Is it tax time yet??? It’s the only way, at this point, that we are going to be able to get ahead! Migraines and tension headaches just seem to be a daily part of my life! I am grateful for Excedrin!!!!

Ok, I am going to stop b!tching now!!!! In the end I KNOW God will take care of us…We do have faith!

Eight is Enough ~Jenn~