200th Post!

To celebrate my 200th post, I thought I would write a Top-10 list of blessings in my life. It seems like lately my posts have been pretty negative. I know life has its ups and downs and it’s really easy to get caught up in the ‘downs’ and forget about the ‘ups’. So, here are the ‘ups’ in my life right now:

1. I have the gospel and the peace that comes from it. I know my Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself and at times that is what gives me insight and the faith to know my life is planned out according to His will... not mine.
2. Huge blessing, Josh woke up this morning symptom-free. No fever. No swollen eyes. No runny nose. He still has a little cough, but MUCH better than yesterday. This is so not-normal for him. Usually when he gets sick it lasts at least a week, and usually ends with a bad ear infection. If this isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is.
3. I have Jake. He works hard for our family and is the best dad I know. He still looks at me like I’m the hot little 19 year old he met nearly a decade ago. He has a strong testimony of the gospel and lives it every day. Without saying a word, he did the dishes for me last night, gave the kids baths, and he didn’t complain when I told him everyone was fending for themselves for dinner. (I had been holding Josh nearly the entire day and just wasn’t up to cooking.) He’s the total package. Love you, babe.
4. My kids are my life. As hard as it is to be a mom, I wouldn’t trade it for any other job in the world. I know that what I’m doing right now, raising my children, is more important than any career I could have. I love them so much.
5. Jake has a job, and loves it. When I was at the Department of Workforce Services yesterday getting my CHIP papers, I saw at least 20 people there on the computers looking for jobs. I have seen loved ones lose everything due to the economy and it breaks my heart. Even with the huge pay-cut Jake took when he started his new job, you know... at least he has A job, and I’m so thankful for that. The best part is that he loves it. I think this is the first job he has ever had where he truly enjoys what he does and is passionate about his work. Blessings.
6. We have a home. I’m so thankful for this. In September we had a scary few weeks when we thought we might have to sell our house. It was actually listed for 5 days and our lives seemed so chaotic at the time. Our plan was to either live with Jake’s parents, or me move up to Oregon with the kids while Jake kept looking for a job in Utah and Oregon. It was a hard time. Thankfully, things have seemed to work out and we are thankful for this time in our great house. We know how quickly circumstances can change, so we definitely do not take any day here for granted.
7. I have a healthy body that lets me live a full life. During the Christmas break I was able to spend time with a good friend who just lost his sight due to radiation therapy he had a year ago to treat a growing brain tumor. I talked with him about his daily struggles, and it took everything in me not to tear up as I sat there with him. He is like a little brother to me and my heart just breaks when I think of all the trials he has gone through, and IS going through. He’s my rockstar, so strong and courageous, and he reminds me every day to be thankful for the body I have. Love you, Beau.
8. The possibility of living overseas. This is a mixed blessing for me. I get nervous thinking about bringing the kids to different countries, but of course I’m excited for the same reason too. It will be an adventure for us, something we would never get to do on our own. We will be able to experience different cultures, meet amazing people, and save a lot of money. It will be hard, and wonderful rolled into one and I’m ready for it.
9. We have family who love and support us. My parents have done so much for me and my family, too much to even list. Even with being 2 states away, they are still major rocks in our everyday lives. My Grammy Call is another rock in my life. I’m so thankful her and Grandpa only live 20 minutes from us now because most of my life we lived countries apart, as they served missions in Guatemala, Chile, and Ecuador. As for Jake’s family, I’ve told people before how I really lucked out when I married into the Schipaanboord family. I hadn’t even met them before we decided to get married and so that could have turned out very badly (meeting the man of your dreams and then realizing the family you’re joining is a nightmare.) Nope. Didn’t happen. They are so wonderful and supportive. I couldn’t have asked for better in-laws.
10. I have supportive friends who enrich my life. I’m a very social person and often need that extra interaction to keep me sane some days. ;) I am blessed to have incredible friends in my life who uplift me and make me better. You all know who you are... so Thank You.

I’m excited to see what the next 200 posts holds for our family, and I know, life is what you make it. Attitude is everything. The times in my life when things get really tough, I just have to remind myself that I would take my trials over the next person’s any day, and eventually I’ll get through, and I’ll be stronger because of it.

No Health Insurance- Day 12

Of course I knew it would only be a matter of weeks (well, days) until someone got sick, and I had a hunch it would be little Joshie too. With the cold of winter, this horrible air, and germs everywhere, it was bound to happen. It's different now, though. It's quite scary. Jake and I woke up this morning to Josh crying. It wasn't his normal cry, but the "I'm miserable and don't feel good" cry. His eyes were practically swollen shut, he has a deep wheezy cough, runny nose, and as of 6pm a temperature of 102.7. I sense another ear infection will probably come from this, if it hasn't already. This is the first time our entire marriage that we are uninsured, and with days like today, it's a scary situation.

I called the CHIP office first thing this morning (I was told they would call me within 7 days of me submitting my application). As of today, it had been 8 days. The woman on the phone spent 20 minutes grilling me about our financial situation, past insurance, etc. Then I was given a list of 5 things to get to them to verify our income. I got it all this afternoon and faxed it off. Now I have to sit and wait another week to see if we qualify. Crossing our fingers...

Happenings in the Schip Household

I kept coming back to my blog over and over this past month, seeing my last post and thinking "I really need to write something." I didn't know where to start though because a lot has happened, so I would put it off. Then a day or two later, the same thing would happen. So, here I am, 34 days since my last blog entry and I'm finally going to try and get caught up.

So, what HAS happened with the Schipaanboord's, you ask?


Ben, Emma, and Josh endured a day of torture on Dec. 18th. Jake is in the process of becoming a foreign service officer for the State Department and part of this process means the whole family needs to have thorough medical exams, to make sure we are healthy before we go overseas. These exams included vision screening, in-depth body exams, urine tests, TB tests, chest x-rays, immunizations, (pap smear for me... actually I get to have TWO of them because the first one didn't get the right "zone"), and the dreaded blood work. I had tried to prep the kids over the past couple weeks. I had even brought all three kids in with me when I had my blood drawn, so they could see it wasn't a big deal. On the big day I thought it would be Josh that would have the hardest time. Nope. It was our sweet 4 year old, who all morning had told me she was going to be "so brave." She was given 3 immunizations before her urine test and blood draw, and that sent her through the roof. When she had to get her blood drawn, it took Jake trapping her legs, two nurses holding one arm, and me holding the other to get the blood out of her. I about lost it when the nurse said she had put some of the blood into the wrong tube and we might have to do it again. Luckily, she didn't need to do that. The sucker and stickers didn't seem to matter to Emma in the least. She just wanted to get the heck out of there. Little did she know we had to come back after our Oregon trip to get TB shots for everyone. (Thankfully that wasn't nearly as bad. It only took 3 people to hold her down.) I think we have officially scarred and traumatized our children and have helped to create an aversion to anything medical. (Actually Ben did great and Josh did pretty well, considering he's a cautious little 2-year old.) We got the results back from the dr the day after we returned from Oregon and everyone is healthy. Josh has borderline low-iron so he's on a supplement now, but other than that they all look perfect. Whew! What a blessing.


The day after the kids' medical exams, Dec. 19th, we left for Oregon. We spent Christmas with my side of the family. Everyone was there (mom, dad, brother Justin and his wife Collette, sister Ashleigh, her husband Chad, and their two girls, and my youngest sister Whitney). This was the first time in 5 years since we were all together at my parents' house for Christmas. It was a very special vacation and we all had a great time. It would have been nice to stay another week but Jake didn't have any more vacation days. While we were there we spent time with our good friends, the Evertons, cut down a Christmas tree, spent time with my best friend, Naomi, and her husband Jeremy, saw Zach and Ksenia's new house (love it!), went to Cannon Beach and Seaside, took the kids to see the Princess and the Frog, had dinner at Kameron and Josh Dill's house (we had a great time! Thanks, Kam!!) all the girls went to the Nutcracker, we met up with Leila (my brother's daughter), and we played a lot of games, watched movies, and ate some great food (and way too many sweets!) On the car ride home, Ben told me he wanted to stay for a couple more days. I felt the same. We were the first ones to leave and it was hard to say those good-byes. We were blessed though because we had no problems on our drive back. Usually Christmas-time traveling involves scary roads because of bad weather, but we had gorgeous weather the whole drive (a couple days later though two storms hit so thankfully we left when we did.)

Jake and I and the kids rang in the New Year by getting take out at Olive Garden (thanks Mom and Whit for the gift cards!) Then we put Josh to bed and let the older two pick out their favorite game and we played them both (Castle Panic, and the Princess Memory Game). Then we put them to bed and Jake and I played Boggle and Scrabble (and of course I let him win both times... don't want to hurt his ego ;) ). We stayed up until midnight and then went to bed shortly after. Yep, not too exciting, but it still felt perfect.

Now here we are, back to school, work, and normal life.

And here are some things going through my head right now:

As of January 1st we became one of the millions of Americans who are uninsured. We had benefits until Dec. 31st through Jake's old job. We applied for individual coverage with SelectHealth in November and was told it would take 7-10 days to get coverage and here we are... still no coverage. We are told they are "embarrassed" it has taken this long. It's not a big deal for them, but it is for us now because we have now had a lapse in health insurance and my thyroid problem and Jake's cholesterol are now considered pre-existing conditions. I applied for CHIP over the weekend for the kids and hope we can get them on that quick, assuming we qualify. It's very stressful right now knowing that if anything happens to any of us, we have no coverage and this could be a financial disaster. I'm hopeful though that something will work out quickly. The Health Reform bill cannot come soon enough for families like us.

Something else on my mind: foreign service. We are at a point now where we have to think seriously about where we could be in 6 months from now and as a woman (and one who likes to be organized and have everything planned out) this is a little scary. I'm just biding my time, until we get "the e-mail" inviting us to A-100 in DC. I have to ignore my thoughts telling me to buy as many sterilite containers as I can, start researching rental management properties, packing up things we are not using, etc.

The last major thing on my mind: my health and exercise. I still have my cough. It is better than it was a month ago, but it's still there, and every morning and night I am weezy. Because of this I have only exercised a handful of times since the beginning of November when I got pneumonia and I'm sad to say I've gained 8 lbs. I thought the scale was broken when I stepped on it yesterday. Alas, it is not. So, I've reserved childcare at the gym today and I've recommitted myself. Hopefully my lungs don't hold me back too much. I'm counting my calories again and I'm going to lose these pesky 8 lbs.

Well, that's it for the Schip's... for now.

Annoyed

So, it's midnight and I'm sitting at the computer. Why, you ask? Because this annoying cough is keeping me up!! I have tried to fall asleep twice tonight, but each time I try within a minute or two I start hacking up a lung. ARGH! I'm amazed that Jake has managed to sleep through the whole ordeal. This past week I've been downing robitussin like it was gatorade and munching on cough drops like they were candy... nothing helps. I even tried this Xopenex inhaler I got last time I had bronchitis, to relieve my coughing... doesn't do a darn thing. I saw a GI dr today and asked him about my cough and he prescribed me some cough medicine. Turns out the stuff he 'prescribed' is actually an OTC medicine and I already bought it yesterday and have tried it and, nada. Nice. The dr also proceeded to tell me that my lung still doesn't sound very good. His exact words "Wow. I'm a gastro dr and even I can tell you have pneumonia in that right lung." Then he kept asking if I was really 'okay'. Honestly, the pain is gone. My chest feels tight in the morning and this cough is driving me crazy, but other than that I feel fine (just a little tired from this cough keeping me up!) I don't feel 100%, but I'm so much better than I was 2 1/2 weeks ago. So, about my cough, any ideas to give me some relief? I would love to hear them!

I'm not the only one in the house taking medicine right now. Josh is taking antibiotics for a burst eardrum due to an ear infection (which I didn't even know he had!) Over the weekend I noticed yellow fluid coming out of his ear and yellow chunks coming out of his ear canal (I'm sure you all wanted to know that.) I took him to the dr on Monday and sure enough, his eardrum had ruptured. Then Ben came to us on Saturday night and said his toe hurt. When he took his sock off, Jake and I almost freaked out. His big toe was swollen and red, with yellow pus around the base and side of his toenail and the top layer of skin was coming off. I took him to the dr on Monday with Josh and the dr said he has an infected ingrown toenail and prescribed him antibiotics too. I'm just waiting for Emma to come tell me some body part is falling off or fluid is gushing from some orifice. (knock on wood it doesn't happen) Sorry if I sound a little pessimistic at the moment. I guess I'm just a little tired and grumpy... and worried my coughing is going to give me a hernia.

Black Friday Insanity!

Yes, I was one of the crazies out there last night/this morning, staying up all night to save a few bucks. This was my fifth year of being a Black Friday participant and I took it to a whole new level today, officially making me one of those insane people I always joke about every year. I found the ads a week or two ago on black-friday.net and spent days making my shopping list. Then I took it to the next level by going to Toys R Us, Target, and Walmart on Tuesday and casing the stores, mapping out in my mind where all my shopping items were stationed so I wouldn't waste any time once I entered the buildings. This year Toys R Us opened at midnight, a first I think. I heard a few hours before that the first 100 people in line get a Zhu Zhu hamster. I know this is the hottest toy right now and very hard to get (don't ask me why they are so cool, but kids seem to gravitate toward them). Thankfully, my kids have no clue what they are, but I thought if I could get a ticket for one, that would be a nice bonus to getting there early. I left our house at 10:20pm, with Jake shaking his head in disbelief. He asked me as I was heading out the door if I was sure I wanted to do this. I almost laughed out loud. I live for Black Friday and love the deals and the rush you get, running through the stores with a bunch of other crazy people like yourself. I got to Toys R Us at 10:50pm and was already about 80th in line. By 11:30pm the line wrapped around the store, out through the parking lot, and then almost to the stoplight on 13th East. I'm sure there were close to 1000 people out there! I became fast friends with a younger couple, and a mom and daughter from Tooele. It was nice to have some people to talk to while we stood in the cold for an hour. By 11:45pm it started getting insane. People were trying to cut in line and the security guards had to send them back. I was excited to actually get a Zhu Zhu ticket and thought that was worth the hour outside (if anything, I could sell the thing on eBay and make $35!) Right at midnight the doors opened, I grabbed my cart and headed down the main aisle. I ended up getting everything on my list and got into line to check out around 12:20am. I finally made it out of the store at 1:15am and then headed to Target. So, then I took the craziness to the next level and actually camped out from 1:40am until 5am, when the store opened. I was the 18th person in line, and I plopped my camping chair out, cuddled up with a blanket, heavy coat, and gloves, and munched on cough drops for 3 1/2 hours. There were 3 girls in front of me, Lacey and Brianna from Bountiful, and Nicki from Farmington. I think the cold and late night was getting to them because they were being very silly, talking about Twilight for nearly an hour, and about how they had to go pee but didn't want to leave the line. I was slightly entertained and have to be somewhat thankful for them, otherwise the 3 1/2 hours out in the below freezing weather would have completely overtaken me. At 4:30am a Target employee handed out maps that showed where the doorbusters were located. I was very thankful for that because the number one item I wanted from there was not where I thought it would be, so there was no guessing. When the doors opened at 5am I grabbed a cart, ran straight to the item, put it in my cart, grabbed Elf for $3.99, and a shirt for Ben, and then I was headed to the check-out. I was in Target a max of 7 minutes! Then I headed to Walmart and couldn't find a parking spot so had to park across the way at a car wash, and book it to the entrance. I walked in around 5:18am and already there were HUGE lines for the checkout. Thankfully, the things on my list there were not big 'wants' so if I didn't get them I wasn't going to be too crushed. I found a doll Ashleigh wanted me to get her, then I went back to find a FurReal Tuggin' Pup dog for Emma, regularly about $27, on sale for $9. I couldn't find them anywhere. Right in the middle of the toy aisle there was a lady standing by a cart with about 15 of the dogs in there and I went to grab one, thinking she was an employee because who in their right mind would load up a cart of 15 toy dogs? Well, this lady was very quick to tell me they were 'all hers' and they ran out about 5 minutes before. I searched another 5 minutes, hoping that someone had changed their mind and left one in an aisle, but no luck. So I got in line to check-out and there were about 40 people in front of me and eventually about 60 behind me (and this was all for ONE cash register!!) About 30 minutes into my wait I spotted TWO FurReal Pups discarded on a shelf and no one seemed to be going for them. I quickly asked the girl behind me to save my spot for 10 seconds and I ran over to the pets and grabbed them both! Oh JOY! The adrenaline was pumping and I was thrilled. I know, I know. Who cares about a dumb toy. But when you're shopping at Black Friday, it's those sweet surprises that make the whole day worth it. SO, all in all, I got everything on my list and I figured I saved an average of 50% on everything I bought today. Not too shabby. The best part is my Christmas shopping is 99% done! WOO HOO!

PS I ended up listing the Zhu Zhu hamster and the Fun House accessory I got at Toys R Us on eBay about an hour ago and expect to make at least a $50 profit. Nice! Black Friday, baby, it's addicting (and for crazy people like me!)

My Sweet Emma

As my mom was leaving on Sunday she told the kids to take good care of me since dad wasn't here. Emma took that job very seriously. She has been like a second mom these past few days, doing everything I have asked without hesitation (even with excitement), coloring with Josh and playing games with him, etc. Before my mom left, Emma and my niece Jayden drew pictures for me to help me feel better, then they secretly taped them all over my room to surprise me. It was amazing to see young children being so thoughtful. Last night I had a big talk with Ben and asked him to help a little more and to have a happier attitude about it (he's having a hard time with dad being gone and the kids' exciting lives of going to McDonald's twice a day with Grandma has stopped). Emma overheard our talk and I think that reinforced her willingness to help. I told all the kids that after FHE we were going to get all the garbage and put the can out on the curb and then put new bags in the baskets. While I was helping Ben with his homework, Emma went on her own and got all the garbage out of all the baskets and put the bags in the kitchen. She helped me bring them all out to our can in the garage. This morning she fed Truman without being asked, and then let him out to go to the bathroom. When she told me she had done it, she was grinning from ear-to-ear and then told me "And mom, you didn't tell me to do it, I just did it." She gave me a cute picture (below) that she says is me inside a rainbow of rocks, feeling better. Very sweet. Then before preschool today she asked how many minutes she had until Selena would pick her up. I told her she had about 20 minutes and then she said "20 minutes is a long time. I have a long time to help you with whatever you want. What do you want me to do, mom?" I could have cried, I was so proud of her. My sweet little 4 year old was trying to take care of me. I told her I was planning on doing some laundry and she of course wanted to help. She pulled all the pillowcases off the pillows and helped take the sheets off the bed. When everything was off I said, "Look at the great job you did! It's all done." Then she said "Mom, the bed is FREAKIN' naked!" I've never heard her say anything like that before and I busted up laughing. She can be so silly. Then she left for preschool. I feel so lucky to have such a sweetheart in our family. She definitely has her moments and can be quite feisty, but she is also very tender-hearted. Our family is lucky to have her. We love you, Emma.

Pneumonia... Take 2

My mom, sister Ashleigh, and two nieces Jayden and Ryleigh drove here Wednesday night. We have all been looking forward to having them here. Wednesday night I started feeling the chills. Thursday I had a 103 temperature and my cough I've had for 2 weeks was getting really bad. I woke up Friday with pain in my right lung and temps of 101-104 all day. Jake had a board meeting on Friday night and Ashleigh and my mom went down to Provo to watch my youngest sister (Whitney's) performance for Divine Comedy at BYU. So I was babysitting my nieces and had my three kids and felt like death. Last night I had a horrible sleep and today I had a high 105 temp. I felt horrible and thought it was bronchitis, like I have had 2 times this past year. I went to Instacare and found out I have pneumonia. I had it two years ago and the dr said once you get it, you are more prone to bronchial problems when you get sick. Jake has a conference tonight and leaves in the morning for DC. Thank goodness my mom and sister were here these past few days. I feel bad that I was basically stuck on the couch the whole time they were here, but thankful they were here to help take care of me and the kids. They leave tomorrow morning after they take Jake to the airport. I'm hoping I survive these next few days on my own. Right now I'm doped up on hydrocodone (a narcotic cough medicine) and I actually feel like I can function a little. Tonight I'm really thankful for narcotics.

PS No pics this time around but you can use your imagination from this picture Jake took of me the last time I had pneumonia.