Been a whiles since I have been on my blog. Where has the time gone. Quick update on our world and why I have not been around.

If you have read this blog before you know my father passed away on May 31, 2013. Sad to say my mother in law has passed away on Sept 8, 2015. A week or so later my best friend, Owlbee, passed away Sept 25. It has been a roller coaster ride of emotions around here.


The kids...

Bigger (16) is still playing the bass at church, doing okay in school and has a girlfriend and has been spending a lot of time with her family.

 

Super D (16) is still with us and is more of our family every day. He is taking classes at St. Petersburg College duel enrollment program.

(no picture, he does not like me posting them online, sad mom face)

Honey (8) is her typical girly self. She is struggling with school.  We have added a tutor once a week for reading and I am looking into a new curriculum for math.

Moose (6 about to be 7) is an active boy. He has such an imagination and can turn any items into a playing field. (Who needs toys, right) His is great at math and is moving along slowly with reading.

The hubby...

Big Daddy is dealing with the death of his mom in his own way. We got him a puppy, his name is Duke. He is still playing the drums at church and shows me every day how much he loves me.

As for Me, Lil Momma,

I have been dealing with migraines/headaches for a while now and they are finally getting to the point I can not function. I am see neurologist. I have really thrown myself into daily doodling and drawing to help my stress level. You can follow me on Instagram at #lilmommab. Dealing with so much loss, mother in law and best friend, Owlbee. It has been even more stressful.


I think that is the update for us.

PS. The school pictures are proof pics from the best photographer! Mor


Lil Momma Strouse

Wordless Wednesday 9-3-14

Lil Momma Strouse

Unexpected Blessings

Big Daddy Strouse has been playing the drums for a few months now. He is doing a great job with it. He has not played the drums since he was in high school that is like 20 something years. I am very proud of how well he is doing. Like he has never stopped playing.

This past weekend I was blessed to be asked to sing with the praise band at church. It was totally unexpected.  What a blessing. I love to sing, I love to go and do karaoke. But have not done karaoke in about year. Life has been to crazy to go. I have plugged myself in at church through the audio visual area. Running the computer that shows the words to the songs and the notes from the pastor during the sermon. When last week they where short singers in the praise band. Big Daddy Strouse volunteered me. I am happy he did. I can not tell you how much I enjoyed it. Even with the nerves of singing in front of people I know. (Karaoke no one knows you. If you screw up who cares.) God took over those nerves and I was not singing to a congregation but to HIM. I can not say enough what a blessing it is to sing out to HIM.

I wish I could figure out how to put the recording of the service on my blog. Maybe one week I will be able to figure it out.

I wanted to share how God has blessed me in the past week.

Now if I could figure out what world history high school course we will use next year. I know the blessings will keep flowing in all areas of my life.

Lil Momma Strouse

July 4, 1993 to July 4, 2013

Today is our 20th Wedding Anniversary, yes we were married on the 4th of July!! I thought I would share with you the love story of how two highschool sweet hearts made it to their wedding day. 

In 1990, I moved to to a new city and started a new school this was my sophomore year of high school.  (When I was in middle and high school I played the trumpet and french horn.)  I walked into the band room at my new high school to get settled in, next I walked out the side door where there was a metal rail at the edge of this small over hang where the drummers would practice drumming, cause it sounded really cool on that rail the click click clicking of the drum sticks.  That was the first time I saw J.  He was standing there drumming away on this rail wearing a navy plaid shirt and dark (tight) blue jeans and cowboy boots.  It was love at first sight for me!  I knew right then that I just had to get to know this guy.   Come to find out my section leader R was J's best friend.  I asked R to introduce me to J.  From there on out I did all I could do to get to know J.  It took a while for me pushing before J realized I was interested.  One weekend we went to Cape Coral for a band competition.  J was not allowed to sit on the bus with the rest of the seniors (I had lucked out and gotten a seat on that bus)  cause of a bad choice he made at a football game.  So I went to him, he barely knowing who I was, told him that I would switch from bus 3 to bus 1 where he HAD to be IF he sat w/ me.  That way he would have a friend on that bus.  J seemed happy about that idea, said okay if you want.  So the day came to leave and I get on that bus and J had sat w/ another girl! I was mad and made a big stink about it.  He ended up sitting with me! We won that competition and we also got to know each other on that long bus ride.  J asked me to be his girl on Nov 9, 1990. 

We dated all through out his senior year, then he moved away for a few months, during my junior year.  Oh the pain that was.  This was before cell phones w/ free long distance or even computers email accounts.  I did not even have a computer in my home at that time.  We lived for our Sunday evening phone calls.  Needless to say he moved back, got one of many jobs, the summer before my senior year J asked me to marry him.  We wanted to get married Nov 9, 1992. But that was before I graduated high school.  My parents agreed but said that WE would have to pay for the whole wedding. Well that was the down fall to that idea.  (The wisdom of my parents, got to love them)

So we chose July 4, 1993 for our wedding date. I then spent my senior year planning our wedding.  Very small, hot wedding.  J and I paid for the whole wedding except the food, my parents paid for that.  Here is an interesting time line.

I got my drivers licence in April.
I turned 18 in May.
I graduated in June.
Got married in July.

Our wedding was outside garden in Clearwater and was very hot, also the day of our wedding J had a 102 fever and was sick (he was sick for 2 days after our wedding so it was not just nerves).

We  became Mr and Mrs.

2 years into our marriage we moved to PA for 9 months and then returned to FL.
5 years into our marriage we purchased our first home.
5/6 years into our marriage we where blessed with the pregnancy and birth of our first son. (99)
13 years into our marriage we where blessed with the pregnancy and birth of our daughter.(07)
14 years into our marriage we where surprised and blessed with the pregnancy and birth of our second son (08)
18 years into our marriage life started to really through us some ups and downs.
20 years into our marriage we are still going through those ups and downs, but we are doing it together. We celebrated with my parents as they celebrated 40 years. We also morn my Daddy as he went home to be with the Lord.

It has been a busy long 20 years. There are not many people who can say they have been married 20 years.  I can say it has not been a perfect marriage but then what marriage is perfect.

Happy 20th Anniversary! 

Lil' Momma

Stress and How You Deal With It.

Our family has a lot of stress in our life right now. Not just our immediate 5 but our extended family, too.  As I sit here writing this blog, I am thinking about how each of us are dealing with this stress.

As much as the adults in the family are trying to keep the kids from feeling or being a part of this stress everyone is showing their own way of dealing with stress.

Big Daddy deals by keeping busy and helping everyone he can. Even if keeping busy and helping others can get under others nerves this is how he deals.  I, Lil Momma, deal with stress by having a quick fuss, crying, and shutting down from everyone.

I am seeing my children all have their own way of dealing with stress, too.

Biggun is similar to me in the fact he does not shut down but withdraws into his own world. Thinking way to much. Even being withdrawn he will still find a quiet moment to pull me or his dad aside and ask a million questions in hope of understanding the cause of the stress.

Honey, she turns her life into animal games. Meaning she starts to sneak around. She pushes the limits making wrong choices hoping she will get away with just one more thing she is not supposed to, before she gets into trouble. Is it for attention or just testing waters? I don't know. She does all she can to make the balance of nature seem off in our world when stress is upon us.

Moose, he falls into his roll of baby of the family by acting more like one. He cries over everything, blames everyone else for his wrong choices and wants "luvins" more then usual.

Everyone is different in how they deal with stress. Have you sat back and looked to see how each of your family members deal with stress. It is a very enlightening observation.


Lil Momma Strouse

Honey learns to ride a bike.

Honey learning to ride a bike! 

Moose following along.

Of course my van got the worst of any accidents. 

This was the first of MANY scratches. But I am glad those scratches are on my van and not on my speedy girl. I am so proud of her. She is growing so fast. 

Lil Momma Strouse

Moose and his "DS' game....

Moose is trying to show daddy his new "DS" game. 

Okay if you look close it is not a DS but a "Leapster" 

Ssshhh don't tell Moose. 

Lil Momma Strouse

Slowly returning.....

It has been so hard to get back into the swing of things. Not just on my blog but in my life. The med's I am on for my migraine preventive cause me to have low blood pressure and well that just makes me so tired. I have no energy. To top it off it really does not prevent my migraines either. :^(
Went to general Surgen yesterday and he informed me the pathology report said I really did not need my gall bladder out. So I ask myself "WHY" God did you put me in the hospital for 5 days. At first I was not really listening for the answer I was just angry that I went through it all.

But then when I shut up and Listen to what God had to say to me. I feel he put me there cause he knew I needed a break. He knew I needed to be waited on. God knew the 28 year old girl in the bed next to me, who was told she had to stay in the hospital for 3 weeks, due to an infection in a bone, needed to hear his word and that gave me a chance to share His word with her and invite her to church when she gets out of the hospital. So my pastor could be placed in her world twice to pray for her also. I just had to shut up and listen to why God put me through all this. Praying that this is the end of this journey and there really is nothing else wrong w/ me. But only time and God will tell.

It seems like while I was in the hospital and these past two weeks of recovery the kids have grown leaps and bounds. Honey is being very motherly not just to her little brother but to her baby dolls too. She has to take a baby doll with her when she goes anywhere. She wants to make sure she is taking care of someone, since she could not take care of me while I was away. We just cut her hair the other day. Now she can brush it herself. She loves it.

Moose is talking and talking and talking and talking some more. I know he is 3 and a half but he has been a slow talker. So it is very neat to see how he is growing. Of course Moose had to have his cut at the same time. This was his first time to get his hair cut and he sat still w/o screaming. It was great. That is one of the reasons it is so short. I just went with it.

Biggun is being Biggun. One day he does school willingly the next day he does not. We have been working on PACES word building workbooks to help build his vocabulary and spelling we also have been using the vocabulary quiz ability on spelling city and ABC order activities to change things up from the written work.

Big Daddy has been wonderful lately. He is helping a lot with the kids and he is always worried about me. Even when he does not need to worry about me. It sure makes me feel loved and special.

Our church set us up with lots of meals for when I got home from the hospital. I don't know what I would have done if I had to make meals when I first came home from the hospital. I recommend ANYONE to help out in that area of someone's life. You really don't know how much you make life easier for someone when you do.

Lil Momma Strouse

Been So LONG....

I am so sorry it has been so long since I have been this blog.  But you know LIFE has just kept me from my blog.  That silly thing called "life"  how dare it get in the way of my blogging!

Well some of the things that have gone on in our "Life" around here is. My mother in law was in the hospital.  She went in with back pain and after two weeks time found out she is having issues w/ her kidneys.  We are still dealing w/ this issue.  She has been a trooper through it all.

I co-hosted a baby shower for a sweet girl at our church who is being blessed with a 3rd girl at the end of Feb.  That took a lot of my time but oh it was so much fun.  Oh boy, or should I say Oh girl., do I love baby showers!

Big Daddy had two Dr. appointments for his back.  One was a check up and the other was to get him set up with a muscle stimulator.  To help with the back pain he has after working all day.  So far so good. It makes a difference but he is still not pain free. 

Had a conference call for work.  Oh then there is my other job that I have to go to three times a week too.  

One thing that I started in the past few weeks is taking this class for blog writing online.  If you want to know how to start a blog this is a great class.  I am really enjoying this blog writing class. It would be a great addition to anyone who is  teaching writing in their homeschool curriculum also. 

I have also been given the chance to do a giveaway of this course stop by and sign up. 

 Blogging 101 Contest 

Dec 28, 2009

A year ago on Dec 28, 2009; was the worst day of my life thus far.  I recieved a call in the one o'clock hour from someone I did not know but they were on my husband's phone.  On the other end of the call they said.

This is (name don't remember) I am here w/ your husband and we are on our way to Northside Hospital, he has been in a motorcycle accident.
Me - What ? Steve quit joking around! (I thought it was one of my husbands friend being mean)
Er Guy - Ma'am I don't joke about these things.  Your husband is ok, but we are headed to Northside Hosptial.  Do you know where that is?
Me - Really? really? really? yes i know where that is.
Er Guy - You can meet us there. And bring a change of pants for your husband.
Me - Yes, O'my, Lord help him.
Er Guy - Ma'am he wants to talk to you.
Me - Yes, yes, yes, yes,
Jay - Hi babe, I am ok, I will see you at the hospital. I LOVE YOU!
Me - I love you, too, I love you, I love you. On my way.

I got off the phone and called Uncle K, told him Big Daddy had been in a motorcycle accident and I needed him for the kids NOW.

I hung up w/ him paced the floor while I called my Pa, my dad, and told him.  Pa told me to take a deep breath and he would meet me there at the hospital.

I hung up w/ him and called my Ma. told her and she said she would meet me at the hospital, too.

Uncle K walked in the door, I told Uncle K, "He told me he loved me" I then passed Moose off to him and walked back out the door.

On my drive to the hospital, which was only about 5 minutes away from our home, thank goodness, I called my friend Dee. I told her and kept saying over and over and over and over and over "He told me he loved me." "He told me he loved me" "He told me he loved me"

I got to the ER at the same time Pa and Ma got there. Then we had to wait 30 minutes before they let me back to see him.  That was the LONGEST wait ever! All I kept telling my parents was he told me "He loved me"

When they finally let me go back Pa went w/ me.  We found Big Daddy laying on a table in the hallway in front of the nurses station. We were told there was no rooms available yet and he would be moved when one was available.  He was awake and was able to talk to me.  He was laying on his side w/ a sheet covering his lower half. I could see he still had his jeans on but when I looked under the sheet his jeans had been ripped pretty bad and his boots were off.

He was still had on all his layers from riding the bike except his jacket.  That was a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt and his work shirt. He was sweating a lot. He kept saying his back and butt hurt. We stood in the walk way for about 15 - 20 minutes before they came and took him for a cat scan of his back. We had to go back out in the waiting room then they called us back again, he was in a room this time. He was still sweating from his layers.  We asked a nurse if we could take his shirts off and that nurse said hold on let me get your nurse. No nurse wanted to take claim of my husband, how aggravating.  Finally a different nurse came in and I said do you have a pair of scissors so we can cut his shirt off. He needs to get his shirts off he is hot. Now Big Daddy could not move very well at this point. He was in to much pain. So we cut his top shirt off and were able to get the second long sleeve shirt off over his head.

Things got a little confusing after that. No one really came back in to talk to us except to tell us that he had a small issue w/ his back, a compression fracture but could go home just follow up w/ the a Orthopedic Dr. Like it was no big deal that there was a FRACTURE in his BACK.  No one helped change him out of his torn pants. Remember I had brought extra clothes that the Ambulance Guy had said to bring.  They sent him home w/ pain meds and a script to follow up. They did not even have a nurse walk us out. Can you believe that.  The man had a broken back and they sent him home. He did not even ride in a wheel chair to leave it hurt to much to get up and sit down.  I tied his long sleeve shirt around his waist so the world would not see his torn pants and he walked out w/ help from myself and Pa.

I got him home very carefully.  When I got him home he went right to getting his pants changed and getting him all cleaned up.  This was a painful thing but we both made it through. When I cut his jeans off of him, I found a huge hematoma on his butt and bend of his upper leg.  Yeah if the hospital had done their job and cleaned him up and taken his torn jeans off they would have seen that.  When I got him all cleaned up and settled I got the story on what had happened.

Big Daddy was driving home and slowed down to get into a turn lane but was not at the turn lane just yet. When a work pick up truck came across 3 lanes of traffic on the right hand side of the road to turn left.  In doing this he did not see Big Daddy coming.  Big Daddy laid the bike down on its side.  He slid under the pick up truck. When he laid the bike down that was how he ended up w/ the hematoma where he hit the concrete and his pants tore.  That was also how he broke his back.

After that day we have been from Dr. apt to another.

When we followed up w/ the orthopedic and had a MRI done of his back we found that he went from a compression fracture (where the bone is compressed) to a burst fracture. The best way to describe a burst fracture is if you hold a gum ball and smash it. Now look at those white lines you see through the candy shell. That was Big Daddy's back.

He was in the wrong back brace for 2 weeks.  Finally got the back brace that the Dr. wanted. It was NO fun.

He wore this awful thing for almost 4 months.  He had to use a cane the first month or so. Until he was able keep his balance and get his strength.  It has been a very long recovery.  He did go back to work on May 27th. But he still has pain daily from all of this some days are better then others.  But being the wonderful husband that he is, he works hard to take care of his family.

We have a lot to be thankful for most of all Big Daddy is alive.  This could have been the day he chose to not wear his helmet but he had it on!

This is a hard day for our family but w/ God on our side we will get through it.  We are going to FOCUS on 2011.

November 2010

Lil' Momma