Oh No, She Di'in!!

Please, please tell me that J.K. Rowling didn't end "Half Blood Prince" the way she did. Tell me I'm going to re-open that book and read the ending and discover that I had fallen asleep in my "Harry Potter Reading Chair" and dreamed that ending. Or tell me that in July when I get the last book that we'll find out that it was a dream Harry had. Tell me something like that. Dude. That is just wrong! I felt somewhat ridiculous sitting there reading that with tears in my eyes desperately trying to hide that fact from my husband. Good grief.

I'm estimating in the last month, I have read close to 4,000 pages of Harry Potter. I haven't done an official count, but it has to be close to that. So it's safe to say I've immersed myself in the life of all of those people. And therefore safe to say that however silly it may seem, I feel like they are/were my friends. I didn't do it like the rest of the world and read them as they came out with a year or two between books. I read them one after the other after the other and now I feel.....lost. I finished #6 on Saturday night and wandered around aimlessly yesterday afternoon when I had free moments, looking sadly at my "Harry Potter reading chair" wishing I hadn't read them so quickly and had one of them to read. Pathetic, I know. I had to settle with reading "People" magazine. From which I once read religiously to get all my good celebrity scoop. Oy vey. Two months to go.....what ever will I do.

Lucky for you, this will most likely be the last Harry Potter post you see for awhile. Woe is me.

Thankfulness

Wednesday nights results show on American Idol (the Idol Gives Back show) really affected me. I was in tears on more than one occasion watching the heartbreaking videos, seeing the heartbreaking pictures and hearing the heartbreaking stories; of not only the horrible conditions in Africa, but those that exist even in our own country. Living where I live, and living in this country, it seems un-fathomable that here in the good ole U.S. of A, people are suffering the way they are. I thought a lot about the troubles I have faced recently and in the wake of watching that show, they seem so miniscule by comparison. I thought about all I really do have to be grateful for:

Things I am Grateful For This Week

1. A husband who this week has:

--Mopped the floors
--Done multiple loads of dishes
--Done multiple loads of laundry
--Taken out multiple loads of trash
--Mowed the lawn
--Taken the kids to the park
--Gotten up before 8:00 every day whether or not he's ready to get up.
--Taken Anakin to school so I don't have to drag the girls out to do it.
--Let me take a nap yesterday afternoon when I had the afternoon off and he entertained Feisty.
--Not complained while I have spent endless amounts of time with my rear end parked in a chair reading Harry Potter.

2. My children who are healthy and who I can almost certainly count on waking up with their happy voices to tell me they love me in the morning.

3. A job that I have had for ten years and that I feel safe and secure in.

4. My health.

5. The fact that 3/4 of my grandparents are still alive and well.

6. Doctors and hospitals who are available to help us when we do fall ill and the ability to get medication easily to help us get better.

7. My education, and the education of my children.

8. A system that (albeit very slow sometimes) is available even when financial difficulty does arise, and is able to assist with medical bills and other things.

9. My parents.

10. My home.

11. My neighborhood.

12. Freedom of speech and religion.

And much, much more. And I just need to remind myself of these things when life gets hard. Ironically, this is what our pastor preached about last Sunday at church. Very apropos.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

Woman to Woman: Enduring Health Problems

Enduring Health Problems

There are few things in life that are more difficult to deal with than health issues. Particularly if they are life-threatening or dibilitating health issues. Up to this point in my life, I feel very fortunate and lucky to have had to deal with very few health issues where my children are concerned. Of course there are the typical colds, flu bugs and the like that afflict us, and while they are happening they are miserable, but nothing that won't go away. Care Bear does have an eye condition called "amblyopia" which is basically lazy eye and has been wearing glasses since she was 20 months old. While at the time of diagnosis this was a heart breaking thing for me, I now can't imagine her without her glasses. They are a part of who she is and a part of her personality. Obviously, I would prefer it if there were a "cure" for her eye affliction, but as of now there isn't and at her most recent appointment, I was informed that she will probably wear glasses the rest of her life. If that is the worst thing I have to deal with in terms of health with her, than I will feel very blessed.

Anakin has ADHD. I could have told anyone without even having an official diagnosis that he was ADHD from about the first few months of knowing him. This issue is a little more difficult to manage because of the nature of it, and because it is not a physical illness in most senses of the word. Anakin has a great deal of difficulty focusing. He has a great deal of difficulty sitting still. He has an enourmous amount of difficulty doing homework and being able to sustain through an entire day of school. When he was first officially diagnosed with ADHD, his doctor prescribed Ritalin. We were a bit skeptical at first about giving him the medication due to what we had heard about it, but at that point, we were willing to do whatever it took. Within hours of Anakin taking his first dose of Ritalin, we saw an unbelievable change in every aspect of him. He was able to focus on things, he was able to concentrate in school, he was able to do homework without fidgeting and becoming overly aggravated. His teacher was beyond thrilled with the change. But shortly, the effects of the medication began to wear off. His doctor increased the dosage. And once more after that. At that point, we decided that we no longer felt comfortable with the constant increases in the medication. Despite the fact that it was helping him, we felt like we were over-drugging him. His doctor decided to try another medicine for him that is supposed to control symptoms of ADHD and with this particular drug, he only had to take it once a day. But after only a couple of days on this medication, Anakin was barely recognizable as himself. He was, simply put, a zombie. He had no personality, he sat around staring off into space, and it was hard to get his attention. This was not acceptable to us either. So we took him off of that drug. He hasn't been taking any medication since that time. For one, because two drugs proved unsuccessful, and for two, his biological mother is violently opposed to him taking medication for it. So the past two years since taking him off the drugs have been difficult in terms of trying to control his hyperactivity in other ways. His teachers have all almost begged us to put him back on some type of medication. But short of getting a court order, or a doctor to testify in court to his bio mom that he needs to be on medication, that isn't going to happen. So, we do our best. In some aspects, he seems to be outgrowing it a little bit. And he has wonderful teachers, two of which have also had children with ADHD and they know how to handle those types of kids. We are very blessed for the teachers he has had and the support he receives from his school, and that is where we are at this point. It just requires a little extra attention, a little extra help, and a little extra time.

I, myself, have never been the "healthiest" person around. I was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age and have multiple air-born allergies that about this time of year seriously wreak havoc with me. Due to the asthma, as a young child and still to this day, I contract bronchitis fairly easily and at least once a year I get some sort of illness that puts me out for a few days.

Four years ago, when little Care Bear was a mere six months old, I was hospitalized twice for pneumonia. The first time, I had gone to the emergency room in the middle of the night having extreme difficulty breathing and on the verge of passing out. The doctor who helped me was extremely rude, gave me a "breathing treatment" and sent me on my way. I was back three hours later and a kind doctor finally took me seriously, did a lung x-ray and admitted me immediately to the hospital. But at that time, they thought I had a blood clot in my lung. The put me on the blood thinning medication, Cumadin, and I was there for five days. After being back home for two days, I was still horribly miserable and couldn't even walk up and down the stairs of my town-home without getting extremely weak. Suffice it to say, it was very difficult to care for a young baby in that condition. I went back to the hospital, and the doctor who had discharge me listened to my lungs again and got an extremely worried look on his face and looked like he was going to pass out. He admitted me back in right away; diagnosis pneumonia. I was there for another ten days.

Twelve years ago in June, I spent 3 months in Arizona getting treatment for an eating disorder. I chronicled that journey extensively back in January. The whole story can be found here or by clicking on "My Story" in labels on the sidebar.

This has gotten quite lengthy. I guess I have dealth with my share of health issues through my 32 years, but thankfully none of them have cost any lives or permanent damage. Through all the health issues I (and the others) have endured and survived. It's never fun or easy dealing with illnesses or health problems. While going through them, they are very difficult, but once they have passed....if they do....they merely become a distant and unpleasant memory that I choose to try to forget. Until the next one comes along.....

Perhaps My "Addiction" Has Gotten Out Of Hand

Perhaps it's gone into a full-blown obsession. Yes, I am referring to Harry Potter who has caused my housework to go seriously neglected over the past few weeks. Who has caused me to not touch my computer in days, except when I'm at work. Who has caused my husband to ask, "Whatever happened to your blog? I never see you doing anything with that anymore." Who has actually made me leave days worth of my taped soap opera laying around untouched. Who has caused me to go to bed way too late on way too many occasions. And who has made my children say things such as:

Care Bear: "Mommy. Why do you always bring that book with you everywhere you go??"

Feisty: "Mommy. Don't worry! I found your Harry Potter book."

Care Bear: "MOMMY! I think I just saw a Harry Potter movie on TV! Aren't you going to watch it??"

Anakin: (In a slightly worried tone) "Kristen! You're already that far?! You've caught up with me!!"

Yes, it's true. I'm halfway through year 5: "Order of the Phoenix" and am getting a little worried as to what I'm going to do with myself when I finish number six, which will probably be by the end of the week. Maybe some laundry will get done. Or some vacuuming. Or maybe I'll have something else to write about on this blasted blog of mine besides Harry Potter.

I have to say that J.K. Rowling has got to be one of the most imaginative, talented, able to weave a story writers that I have ever read. Everytime I think I have something figured out in one of these books, she never fails to surprise me. I heart these books. HEART THEM. Thanks to those people out there who pushed me to give them a try. Sooooo worth my time!!

Celebrity News by Kristen--American Idol Edition #5

Volume 1: American Idol Issue 5
Doing My Part to Keep Bloggy World Informed

**Disclaimer: I have nothing personally against any celebrities mentioned in CNbyK. It is only opinions and only for fun. Please do not sue me. Please feel free to speak your own opinions, even if they aren't the same as mine.**

Ding Dong The Doof is Gone!!

Like I say in my disclaimer....I have nothing personally against the guy. I actually think he's kind of cute in a goofy sort of way, and I think there is some level of talent there. But for the love of all that is fair and decent in this competition.....what took this country so long to get this guy outta here?!?! I mean COME ON!! We had to sacrifice the likes of Brandon, Stephanie, Gina, and Chris Sligh and be subjected to ridiculous hair-dos every week, all because, um....he was "Vote For The Worst.com"s pick? Because he has a nice smile? Because we wanted to see how far we could take the worst of the top 12?! Whatever the reason, justice has finally arrived this season and I can recover from the heart attack I almost suffered from Blake being in the bottom three!! What the??????

I really didn't think this week was great. I don't think country music really suits any of this years contestants. And I'm sorry, Chris R., but I just about spit out my Diet Dr. Pepper when I heard you arguing with Simon that "nasally is a form of singing." ROFL!!! Wow! Thanks for the laugh. Yes, typically country singers tend to be a bit more nasally, but I don't think that they are purposely setting out to be nasally. That's just how they sing. Here's an idea Chris. How about you just sing with your real voice and adapt to the genre of the week instead of trying to be Mr. Chameleon and changing your color every week and trying to be someone you really aren't?! Does your idol, the GREAT JUSTIN TIMBERL@KE change himself with every song he sings?? Anyway.....that was a good laugh.

I've finally narrowed down my choice for the top two. And like it's any big surprise, my thoughts are that the final three will come down to Melinda, Jordin and Blake with the final two being Melinda and Blake. I don't even dare try to pick a winner because my choice always comes in second place. Therefore I refuse to jinx the one I want to win by picking a winner. Is that superstitious or what?! But my track record speaks for itself.

There are two radio DJs in Denver who are very grateful for Sanjaya's demise. And the reason for that? After last week's show, the DJs climbed onto the top of Six Flag's Elitch Garden's tower and vowed to stay there until Sanjaya was voted off. They lived there for a week, and lucky for them, Sanjaya's luck finally ran out. Here's a news clip about it if you're interested. Good thing for them because it's really chilly and windy around here today. I'd hate to be at the top of that tower right now!!

Now who do I want to go? No one, really. I like the remaining six. My campaign for Sanjaya's exit is over. I don't know what to do with myself. If I were to have to pick out of the final six who I want to go next....purely based on talent and nothing else....I would have to say Chris should go next. Then probably Phil. Then Lakisha.....leaving the final three that I mentioned earlier. I can't believe it's going so fast.

And that's all for Celebrity News by Kristen this week. Until next time. There's a poll on the sidebar. Vote. If you want.

Care Bear has a new post up on her blog. More artwork. The paper she drew on was red and it's a little hard to see. Hope you enjoy her latest masterpieces.

Thanks, Harry!

I wrote a post earlier today that I decided not to publish. It's sitting in drafts. I said earlier that I wasn't going to post again until I felt I had something good to write about. So, I decided to keep to that promise and leave it alone. I will say that I am not having a good time right now and any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Other than my children, I have had one thing that has kept me distracted over the course of unpleasantness over the past few weeks. One thing that I look forward to curling up with in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed and I have a moment or two to myself. One thing that has taken me out of my sort of reality that I am living right now.

So, I'd like to thank you, Harry Potter and your gang: Hermione Granger; Ron, Fred and George Weasley; Hagrid; your miserable relatives, the Dursley's; and even that crabby old meiser Snape. I have thoroughly enjoyed "escaping" into your little world and reading about all of your adventures at Hogwarts.

Good grief. I can truly not believe I have become a Harry Potter fan. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined. I began reading these books, as I said in an earlier post, in order to see what it is that Anakin finds so fascinating about these stories, and to have something in common with him. It seems to have worked. Not just because we now have something in common, but because he sees that I have taken an interest in something that he likes.

I feel a little bad now about being so critical in the past about something I knew nothing about before reading them. I thoroughly enjoy the humor, mystery, and enchantment of these stories. And the idea that they could "entice" children into bad things? Rubbish. They are a great read and I have enjoyed every minute so far. They are classic good vs. evil in which (thus far anyway) the good conquers. I have just started "The Goblet of Fire." My only regret is that I can't put them down and I fear that I will finish the 6th one long before the 7th one hits shelves in July. I feel I should slow down. And I feel that once book seven is completed, I will be sad that the journey is over. Maybe J.K. Rowlings can continue with the series having Harry and his gang working for the Ministry of Magic? Y'think?

Sorry to ramble on and on about Potter, but it's official.....I'm addicted. Good grief.