New Year's Resolutions written

They seem kinda weak this time around but I finally did come up with something. As I was reflecting on things I wanted to change/improve upon I kept being reminded of things that I am thankful for. So let me begin with those, in no particular order:

1. A warm, cozy house. Despite the fact that we want to sell and get something a little bigger with 4 bedrooms (so the boys can have their own room) and a separate room for the kids to hang out in (and play Rock Band, drums, and a place to put all the school stuff, etc) I am grateful for the home we DO have with our good neighbors. It could be worse...
2. Michael's job. In this season of lay-offs Michael has a good job and he really enjoys what he does. What else can one ask for?? Do what you like and like what you do.
3. Health. After last year's cancer scare we are not taking our health for granted. Despite feeling a bit older (needing a little help reading from glasses, not as flexible as we used to be, reoccuring plantar fascitis that keeps me from running) we are still very healthy and able to do a lot! So thankful for that!
4. Family. Having our extended family so close -- my brother and parents right down the road, Michael's parents and sister in the same town, seeing Michael's twin brother and older brother at holidays. We rejoice in having a close, tight-knit family where my kids can know their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
5. Homeschooling. After losing my oldest to private school this year, I hold onto the priviledge of homeschooling my younger two that much closer to my heart. I've been reveling in their hugs and kisses, reading aloud, going out during school hours for a treat, and scheduling field trips. I love being so involved in their lives and learning right along with them!

So after counting my blessings, here are those things I will endeavor to improve this year:

Physical:
Continue weight loss. After reaching an all-time non-pregnancy high at the beginning of last year I have lost about 15 lbs with another 5-10 to go.
Continue exercise. After joining the YMCA this summer I have started weight lifting, pilates, yoga and other exercise classes. I had been walking then started running but in Nov. my plantar fascitis came back with a vengeance. Consequently I had to find other ways to be physical. I will contiue doing whatever it takes.

Spiritual:
Read 4 books - one per quarter. I wll continue to grow mentally in the spiritual dept by reading books (other than the Bible, which is a given). For sure I want to read The Jesus of Suburbia, and Out of the Salt Shaker along with my FP4H bible studies and my Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life devotional. I will leave the other two open for now.
Serve the poor. Michael has felt the need to put our faith into action by serving those less fortunate than us. I will join him in that.

Personal:
Knit a sweater. My goal last year was to knit something other than a scarf and I failed. This year I have started a sweater (which I had begun last year but ended up ripping out 3 times!!!) and plan to continue until completion!!!!
Blog more. I began blogging last year and although I enjoyed it I never made the time. I resolve to do more of that this year.

And that's it! Feel free to ask me how I'm doing! I love accountability and work well when I'm feeling guilty :)

The quarantine quarters

We finished the to do list and the room is fixed up and the prisoner....er....patient...is in there. I thought you might like to see the transformation to our room. Sorry for those of you who didn't know what it looked like before. I'll try to post a picture after we restore it to it's usual look.

We stripped the bed of the decorative pillows and down comforter and replaced them with easily washable blankets.

We removed the dog crate that is usually in this corner and put in a trash can for all those disposables he'll be using.

He stocked a disposable cooler with waters so he wouldn't have to ask for a drink everytime he needed one.

Here you can see the hamper lined with a trash bag as well as the DVD player, movies on loan from friends and the flat screen TV on loan from my parents! A folding table is set up (in the background) as a desk.

We removed the dog bed which is usually in this spot and put up a folding table to be used as a desk. This is a closeup of the desk. He is all set with disposable gloves, laptop wrapped in plastic wrap. The remotes and geiger counter are also wrapped. He has reading material and a supply of candies in the plastic bag in case his throat gets sore.

And finally the bathroom. He is supposed to bathe often since the iodine is secreted through the pores. He has a good supply of towels. Here you can see his supply of medicines on the left. He wrapped the tube of toothpaste, the soap dispenser and the sink handle!

Don't feel too bad for him. My son said he would LOVE to have all the TV and computer time they want, with food coming whenever he asked for it. But you can pray for him because he is missing contact with people! He is looking forward to getting this behind him so he can get back to normal with his energy levels.

Radioactive!

We are getting ready for Michael to receive his radioactive iodine. The list of things to do to get ready keeps growing! He had his surgery three weeks ago. They removed his thyroid due to papillary carcinoma.

He has been off of his medication for a week and his energy is declining. Yesterday we got the call from the endocrinologist that his TSH levels are at 54. That's excellent! We can go ahead and schedule the radioactive iodine uptake. He will have to be in isolation for at least 3 days. We will probably err on the safe side and make it a little longer. So in preparation for that, I need to:

• pack up my clothes and toiletries (he must have exclusive use of the bathroom)
• remove the dog bed and crate from the room
• stock his bathroom with extras (towels, tp, etc)
• set up a table and chair to serve as a desk
• put in a trash can for all the disposables he will be using
• set up a clothes basket with a trash bag for his radioactive clothing
• remove our good down comforter and replace with easily washed blanket
• stock up on things to do: magazines/books to read, movies to watch, etc.
• stock up on snacks/drinks

My parents have very generously donated the use of a flat screen TV (we only own one television) for the bedroom. It is HD so we are receiving channels we don't normally receive.
All this, plus homeschool, shuttle kids around and do my Sonlight stuff. Whew!