MOTH: Mayhem On The Homefront!

Mayhem On The Homefront: Fighting The Good Fight

August 2, 2010
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by Vyckie

It’s been a while since I’ve written an update on my family. The younger kids have been gone to camp and visitation with Warren ~ so I’ve been trying to relax and de-stress this summer ~ although that hasn’t quite worked out like I planned.

At least once a week, my counselor, Deb, and I have been working on my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder using EMDR which is something I did not want to try when my kids were home ~ just in case I turned into a psycho lady from processing past trauma.

The first step in processing was to identify my primary negative cognition ~ which, we figured out is: I can’t win. When Deb asked me, on a scale of 0 to 10 how strongly I feel/believe that I can’t win, I responded, “It’s at least an 11.”

“And worse than that,” I told her, “is I keep trying ~ even knowing that I’m doomed before I even start ~ it’s total insanity!”

So we’ve been working on that …

Mayhem On The Homefront: Update On Everything

June 19, 2010
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Print Friendly I really need to learn to pace myself! by Vyckie It’s been a while since I’ve given much of an update on the what I’ve been up to. Not that there hasn’t been plenty to tell ~ just that I’ve had at least a million-and-one other things keeping me occupied. (My gift of exageration is a family trait ~ I get it from my mother, LOL) Here’s the short list: 1) I’ve been feeling MUCH better lately.  All the symptoms of chronic pain, exhaustion, anxiety, migraines, etc. which had me nearly incapacitated for Full post …

Mayhem On The Homefront: I Feel Good!

May 21, 2010
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Print Friendly Happy Hazelle ~n~ Me ~   by Vyckie I’m starting to feel hopeful that this latest episode of low blood pressure, exhaustion, anxiety, etc. is mostly passed ~ IOW, I’m starting to feel human again!  This, despite the fact that I did not escape the sickness that went through the house leaving everyone except Hazelle throwing up and running to the bathroom every few minutes.  This MOTH series is supposed to be about the nitty gritty of raising a quiver full of kids ~ but a “tell all” about a house full of digestive upset is Full post …

Mayhem On The Home Front: Oh Barf!

May 9, 2010
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Print Friendly “MOM! Help!!!” “I hate being sick!” “I don’t wanna barf anymore!” “I can’t take it anymore ~ my stomach’s hurting so bad!” “I think I’m gonna die!!” “MOM!!!!” Lydia Jean and Wesley took turns throwing up all night ~ so between the two of them, none of us got much sleep. Poor kids ~ they’re so pathetic when they don’t feel good! :( It’s not the best start for Mother’s Day ~ but it has the advantage of being a good excuse to skip church ~ I was pretty sure that I would not be able to make it through Full post …

Mayhem On The Homefront ~ Ugh

May 6, 2010
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Print Friendly Happy Birthday, Lydia Jean !♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ I feel horrible. After my last post in which I shared about this pencil shaving smell that I have stuck in my nose ~ I read all the feedback on the forum ~ everyone’s saying, “Go to a doctor!”  Which scared me ~ so yesterday afternoon, I went to see Janet, the physician’s assistant I’ve been seeing instead of the doctor ~ because, unlike the doctor, Janet actually TALKS to me ~ and I really appreciate that.  I told her about the smell and the taste ~ and the Full post …

Mayhem On The Homefront: “Don’t Freak Out!”

May 4, 2010
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Print Friendly Chassé and me in Minneapolis back in April. Ugh ~ I was tired back then too ~ looked like I was about to cry. by Vyckie The freakiest thing has been happening to me lately: I’m having sensory hallucinations.  Weird smells that get stuck in my nose and mouth for days.  The first time it happened was last summer ~ for several days, all I could smell was cinnamon.  I tasted it too.  The cinnamon smell eventually went away ~ but since then, I’ve had the same thing happen with the smell of bleach, Listerine, oregano, Full post …

Mayhem On The Homefront: “Trying Not to Think So Hard”

April 30, 2010
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Print Friendly While waiting for Angel’s Show Choir concert to start last Sunday afternoon, Lydia Jean used markers to color Andrew’s hands.  I was thinking, What if I forget to make Andrew take a bath?  He can’t go to school like that.  When we get home, things will be so crazy ~ I’m sure to forget and in the morning, he’s not going to have enough time to wash all that color off his hands.  I know that I will forget. Ugh ~ I’m so doomed!  Don’t panic … calm down … deep breaths … by Vyckie Full post …

MOTH: Mayhem On The Homefront! ~ “It’s On My List”

April 26, 2010
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Print FriendlyThis MOTH series will be a chronicle of my (mis)adventures of trying to keep up with a “quiver full” of kids now that I am no longer quivering.  My Gang:(L to R) Chassé (17), Lydia Jean (10), Berea (18), Wesley (7), Angel (24), Hazelle (14), Me, and Andrew (11).  I know ~ it’s past time for an updated photo ~ that’s on my list too! by Vyckie Recently on the NLQ forums, we’ve been talking about the impossibility of a certain “Mother of the Year” being able to adequately meet the needs of 19 children without relying heavily on Full post …