Let's try this again...

The beginning of October brought a revision of my DRG stimulator. The L4 lead was completely replaced and the generator was moved to my
left hip. Fingers crossed that no leads dislodge
and surgeries are behind me until the battery
 on this bad boy goes kaput. At the one week post-op mark I learned that I was going to have  to adhere to the strict restrictions for the full six weeks rather than the potential two weeks that was originally targeted. No bending, no twisting,
no lifting for that long means no driving, no laundry, no picking anything up off the ground without a grabber tool. No PT as well which I really hope doesn't set me back on my road to increased strength. Thankfully, the recovery period thus far has felt better this time around. I credit the two months of PT that helped to build up my strength, flexibility, and Range of Motion.

This past year I have been going to Paint Night taught by a friend of mine. It is one of those step by step classes. Often, I follow the plan with occasional changes to some colors or adding some extra foliage or even glitter for some pizzazz. The scheduled October painting was actually a repeat of a previous painting that I did so I opted to go off script. We had a pic of a suggested painting that was really cool but since it was October I wanted something moody and dark. This is what I came up with using just three colors. One of the other regular attendees brought some glow in the dark paint that seemed cool and so I ended up adding glow in the dark glitter to my painting. When it glows it looks like faint stars. breaking through fog. I put some bats in there and voila I have a Halloween painting that isn't a blatant holiday painting. I didn't go crazy trying to perfect every aspect. I went with the less is more concept which has always been tough for me. It is simple but shows growth in my ability to create art. I find it very relaxing and with my decreased mobility I can still make this happen. I have been so thankful.

Roughly 18 months ago I joined a book club which has really helped
me during this past year of health issues. This was our last book and
it was fantastic. Any book that makes me cry is definitely worth reading again. I have really appreciated all of the different genre that we read. I have pushed through books I never would have selected myself and even set a reading goal for myself. My goal is 20 books which I may or may not make but I am still way ahead of what I had been doing in past years. I still love television more than reading but I really do enjoy attending our evening review sessions. Sometimes we do thematic food to go with our book. The other folks in the group are really great and I thoroughly appreciate their takes on the reads. Sometimes I agree with their reading and sometimes I don't. All in all it has been a really great experience though and I feel that I have grown as a person


The kids are still pushing through school and their other activities. Girl Kid 2 heard back on her Girl Scout project and she was approved for her Silver Award. She was so thrilled and so am I. She and her best friend worked really hard and the work continues. They have been facilitating getting kids into various youth based organizations and supplying them with required materials. It is something that was important to them that they help kids find a place within their communities. Next up is starting the high school level programming and then her Gold Award. Super proud of that kid.

That is it around here for now.

One Step forward and two steps back...

The past few months have been full of adventure! We celebrated Boy kid 2's belated birthday in Disney Land which was crazy fun. He LOVED the Peter Pan ride and since I was in a scooter while we were there, we were able to use the disability line and not have to stand there for hours on end. 

It was the last time our family will make the Disney trip as it has always been our tradition for the 5th birthday only. It was a little bitter sweet to know we are out of the baby game 

but after four kids up to almost 24 years old we should be out of the baby game. 

We enjoyed a fun character breakfast on our last full day which was enjoyed by the whole family.

After our birthday vacation, we enjoyed a week of Girl Scout Day Camp. The kids and I have been doing this for years and it is always exhausting and wonderful at the same time. I was off of crutches for the first time in a very long time but I can say walking was very difficult. I had a lot of things that I couldn't physically manage but I did my best. My DRG certainly helped with the pain but my legs became incredibly weak from being down and out for so long.

That led me back to Physical Therapy. I have had a great team of Kevin as a therapist and his assistant, Ernesto. Those guys are rock stars and really have worked to help me gain strength, range of motion, and stamina. PT with CRPS can be difficult. Some days I can really push through but if I push too much then it leads to days of increased struggle. I have worked up to 15 minutes of continued cardio on the upright bike or treadmill. The first couple of weeks I could barely do 5 minutes on the recumbent bike and then I would be unable to do anything else the rest of the day. I still struggle with leg lifts on the right left and can't manage a set of 30. I still need to break it up into 3 sets of 10 reps and alternate with the left leg. I have been increasing my activity level throughout the day and I am absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. The reality is that I am stronger and have better endurance today than I did the day of my surgery so I have to take the wins however they come to me.

The new school year has begun and it has had some challenges for Boy kid 2. Kindergarten has been a rough transition that has required calls from the school at least three times in as many weeks. The entire school participates in an exercise program in the morning. The kids hates it! So, I do my best to do it with him. Three days it is run by teachers at the school, one day by the district PE teacher, and one day by a local Zumba instructor which happens to be one of my book club buddies. 

Let's just say between the Zumba moves and the sport team warm up inspired moves from the PE teacher...I am not able to do a ton of the program. I lack the strength and balance but I modify all I can to help the kiddo through it. Then we do the Pledge of Allegiance which he also finds boring so we are trying to just teach him patience and respect at this point. He is at least standing the whole time and not being noisy inappropriately.

The other kids are doing great at school. Girl Kid 1 and Boy Kid 1 are both at the same university and commute from home each day. They are both working almost full time in addition to a full time school schedule. In addition to that, they are awesome with helping at home. Before school started, I tasked the oldest three kids with doing their own laundry, and cooking for the family one night per week. They do their own grocery shopping for ingredients and then prep the meal. They are trying different types of meal which has been fun for me seeing them learn so much. I think the future will be bright for them when they will be able to handle themselves in the kitchen. I am also having them take turns with cleaning the bathroom. Everyone takes a week and then it rotates. I have Asthma and allergies and by recommendation of my physician, I can't clean the bathroom due to chemicals. The kids have been doing a great job at learning how to do it. I should have had them on that years ago. 

Boy Kid 1 officially earned his Eagle Scout Rank and boy are we proud. He wants to wait until December for his Court of Honor so that his friends that have left for college can attend. It is a huge deal so I am more than happy to oblige. I can't wait to see him publicly honored for all of his hard work.

Girl Kid 2 has officially submitted her Silver Award paperwork. Now we wait to hear back from the Council. Fingers crossed all is well. We had her bridging from Cadette to Senior level and true to her Late Lucy status she didn't present for badge sign offs until the last few months. She received a ton of stuff which means I will be busy with badges for a while. No big deal though. I am really proud of how hard she worked both with her troop and individually. She has big plans for this coming scouting year and she can't wait.

So now for the ugly of everything. Last year when I sprained my ankle it triggered CRPS. Not a super common thing but I am right in the middle of the unlucky demographic for this ridiculous condition. I had the DRG implanted in May and it has helped me to live with a manageable level of pain, walk more, drive, and just try to take my life back. The generator that is implanted in my buttock has been shifting position and a couple of weeks back it malfunctioned. An x-ray determined it has been turning around and coiling the leads and thus pulled out the L4 lead from the generator. That lead was turned off so it would stop shocking me and now I need to have surgery again. I have been going nuts getting things settled for another recovery period. Boy Kid 2 will need to do before and after school care and his siblings will need to drop and pick him up again so he can attend school. Girl Kid 2 will have to take the bus home since no one will be home to pick her up. She is being a trooper and since she has new hearing aides with volume control she feels she will be able to handle the in-stereo volume on the bus. The older kids will be the house chauffeurs again and I am lucky that they view it as just something families do for each other.

Even with all of that though I am super excited about this last bit of news. Big Daddy has been working oh so hard on the new run and chunnel situation. He has done a fabulous job and after several months of almost every week end in the back yard he is finally done. Several of the hens have tried out the new system and seem ok with it. I am hoping to look out my bedroom window tomorrow morning and see girls in the new run. Here are some pics of the progress. Boy Kid 1 primed the run while I painted it. I then painted all of the chunnels before the hardware cloth was added. This was a huge undertaking and I am a lucky lady to have a hubby that works so hard for me...his Queen (his description..not mine). I hope the girls love their new digs and not only will they be safe from predators but also we will be able to take back our back yard from all of their poop. Woo Hoo!

Here are the some of the girls enjoying some treats in the coop attached run.

Here is the new run. It is plenty large enough for us to enter it but not stand up...except for Boy Kid 2 he can stand up in there. The chunnel (chicken tunnel) links up to this run. Lots of ventilation and later I will plant a nice chicken friendly bush for added shade for the ladies.

Big Daddy calls this a train. It has a door on the top so that we can access the chunnels in case an egg gets laid in there or a hen is in need of rescuing. Big Daddy is able to fit inside which he had to do to connect each of the three trains to each other and then to the coop attached run as well as the new run.

Here is big daddy securing the first train to the coop attached run. 

The length of the coop is the same as one train. Two more trains connect to the first train and then to the new run.

Here you can see the second train lines up with the front of the coop. The coop has plenty of space for up to 12 hens which is all that our town allows. We have two doors one leading into the coop and then another into the attached run.

Here you can see the new run. This pic was taken outside but this is what we will see from our bedroom window. It is still attractive and I will be able to see the girls when I get up and every time I go in my bedroom. You can also see the play structure which allows Boy Kid 2 ample opportunity to chat with the hens when he plays in the back yard.

In the blink of an eye!

Apparently life was so busy that I forgot I started a blog in 2015. Maybe it will be fun to pick it up again. Life has had many ups and downs since my last post. I helped to open a hospital then left that one to work at another two hospitals. One as a full timer and the other as per diem. Then life twisted all over the place again and after  year of being SAHD (stay at home dad) Big Daddy went back to work and I just stayed with one of the hospitals as a per diem employee. Essentially I worked weekend nights so pretty much one of us was always home. We did this for a year and then I was struck with a sprained ankle that wouldn't heal and within a couple of months my whole right leg was not right. I was ultimately diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. After more than 8 months of uncontrolled pain that affected my mobility and put me on disability leave I have now had surgery. Now I am bionic and sporting a Dorsal Root Ganglion stimulator at L4, L5, and S1. I have an implanted battery pack and can control any one of the three leads with an IPOD. Medical science is amazing! I have a couple more weeks of strict restrictions of no bending, no twisting, and no lifting then I can begin rehab and driving. I haven't driven this entire school year which has meant girl kid 1 and boy kid 2 have been driving girl kid 2 and boy kid 2 every where as well as me to all of my appointments.

Boy kid 1 just graduated high school and will soon begin college. He has put away his instruments for now but hopefully as he acclimates to adulthood, he will pick them back up for fun. As a senior he started playing the trumpet. He said he wasn't very good but he was playing in a trio with two guys that were superb so keeping up with those two guys was no small thing. By the time he finished with high school he could play every saxophone, trumpet, keyboard, bassoon, and soprano and alto clarinets. Days before his 18th birthday he submitted his final project paperwork for his Eagle Scout and now we await for word from the Council office.

Girl kid 2 has promoted to high school with honors. She will be entering the BioTech program and is shooting for a future in forensic science. We can't wait to see where she lands. She is still in Girl Scouts and is finishing up her Silver Award which is the highest honor a Cadette level (middle school) Girl Scout can earn. She has earned lots of badges, the journey summit pin for completing three journeys, and to date has almost earned her Safety Award. In addition to that, she and her best friend have run Daisy level and Brownie level Journeys in a Day. Her mentoring skills have increased tremendously. She is also in a travel troop now and those girls are go getters. They have been doing lots of workshops for younger kids as a way to earn funds for a big trip summer 2019. The girls are doing all of the planning and we will be heading to Europe to enjoy Belgium, Amsterdam, London, and Edinbugh. We can't wait.

Check out that Mario game!

Boy kid 2 is 5 now and such a wild man. He is starting kindergarten in the fall. He loves to build intricate projects with legos as well as construct trains. He will often construct his trains and then build towns with legos that the trains and cars will travel around for fun. In addition to that, he loves to draw "video games" and also draws all of the players. Mario rescuing the princess is his current favorite. He also loves to go outside and play with our chickens. 

Girl kid 1 is finishing up college over the next year and will be majoring in Anthropology. She says she wants to move across the country after she graduate with her rescue Beagle, Norb but only time will tell. Stay tuned.

Our life with chickens over the past few years has been wonderful and sad. We started out with 6 awesome girls April 2015 (Aunt Peg, Penny, Lucy, Minerva, Ethel, and Mary). April 2016 we added two more girls (Thelma and Louise).

Not long after that, My sweet Minvera a Dominique became paralyzed. She ingested some metal pieces and proceeded to live in the house for 8 months while I gave her shots to clear the metal from her system. She learned how to walk again but not well and she couldn't get up on the roost in the coop. Then about 6 months later our girl Lucy came down ill and needed antibiotics so she also ended up in the house for nursing care. Thanksgiving 2016 the boys built a space for a smaller chicken coop that we call the mini coop. We moved Minerva and Lucy out there together but sadly Lucy passed away and just one week later we lost Minerva too. It appears that they came across the droppings of another animal and their systems were too compromised to handle it. I had friend that also lost a couple of her sweet girls too and we decided to go in on and order of day of chickens for the following spring.

So in March 2017 we got three more girls (Opal, Pearl, and Ruby).

So we ultimately had nine chickens living in the large coop together and free ranging all day. The girls loved their life and Justin would make them a river every day to drink and walk through for temperature control.

Unfortunately just last week we experienced a predator attack and lost our sweet Penny. She was a Buff Orpington which is a breed well known to be friendly and loving. We miss Penny desperately and have put the remaining 8 girls on lock down. The secured run although large seems too small after a free ranging life. So that leads to the current project of building a second secured run with a chunnel system connecting it to the first run. We hope to have it up and running in a couple of weeks.







I took a stroll around the garden center today as we will need some shade for the western wall of both runs. I am going to add a butterfly bush or two as well as some Juniper, Lilac, and Gardenia.

So we will get our backyard back for our own use since we won't have poop every where after a while. I think I will put some chairs on the back porch to enjoy watching the girls in their second run during the day and early evening. That is it for the moment in chicken land.

I just voted for this Pink Glove Dance Competition video. Check it out!

Here is a great video that my hospital put together for the MedLine contest for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Young Bay Area Survivors is our benefiting organization. Please vote from all of your email addresses every day and share with other.



I just voted for this Pink Glove Dance Competition video. Check it out!

as the wind changes direction

WOW! Life is always moving and the wind is always changing direction. Here in the Wu Household we are constantly shifting and going with the flow of things. Big Daddy has transitioned into his new role as a stay at home dad (SAHD) while I transition into the role of the bread winner as a RN in a new hospital. We are all falling into our new patterns and habits pretty effortlessly. The new school year has been busy. The new flow has been established and all seems to be working thus far. Boy kid 1 has an incredibly busy schedule between band, academics, sports, and scouts. He doesn't drive yet so Big Daddy and I tag team to get him to and fro. Girl kid 2 is now in middle school and her transition has been amazing. She has all A's at this time and hasn't had even one missing or late assignment. She really struggled in elementary school and we took the leap to start medication for ADHD. We really did try every other option before medication...but her incredible success that she is currently experiencing is proof positive. I don't push medication for all...but in this particular instance...it has been a positive impact. She is no longer utterly exhausted and spinning when she returns home from school which also allows her to complete homework without a complete break down. She is feeling good about school and her abilities. I no longer hear from her that she can't do things. She has a new view of herself and is considering becoming a scientist. She never viewed herself as being an academic...and now she can see that she is fully capable of so many more things. Boy kid 2 is 2-1/2 and speaking in full sentences now. He is recognizing cause and effect relationships and acting accordingly. He has started preschool two mornings a week and loving his time there. He has friends that he is excited to see regularly and is even doing some of the art projects this year. I love when I come home from work each day that he greets me at the door with loving words and hugs.

Meanwhile, our homestead is becoming productive. Last week as I was letting the chickens into their run, I noticed a beautiful blue/green egg out there. Our Easter Egger, Ethel must have given us an egg on Friday but we didn't see it until Saturday morning as it was dark when we shut the run down for the night. Then again on Saturday night I found another egg from Ethel. Wow! those two little eggs were absolutely adorable and oh so tasty. Then by Tuesday we had another egg from Ethel and then a sweet little brown egg. We have no idea which of the other girls laid the brown egg but then she and Ethel blessed us again on Thursday. By Friday evening, we had yet another brown egg and this one is dramatically darker so I suspect we have a third girl producing eggs now. Everyone took yesterday off which is a well deserved break. That makes 7 eggs for us in our first week of production. Very soon we will be getting a lot more eggs that we can possibly enjoy but the comes the very fun part. I will be trading fresh eggs for other goods with friends. So far, I have Asian Pears in the loop and I am hoping that other great things will also be added into our circulation. I also have friends that want fresh eggs and they may just pay for the service. Folks have already asked how much it has cost to have chickens. Truth be told, I am not going to factor this first year into the cost as I consider this time frame the start up and it wouldn't be fair to put that much pressure on the girls. Once everyone is producing regularly, I will start to factor in costs and savings.

That is about it here on the homestead. Exciting days are ahead and we are ready and excited.

Bella Vox Box

A while back, in my March 2013 due date group I met a group of women that were doing something with Influenster. I didn't get it at first but after a while, I realized they were testing out products and reviewing them. I thought that it could be fun so I signed up for it. I am finishing up the time period for the BellaVoxBox. It was a pretty cool box filled with things that I probably never would have purchased on my own. I really enjoy the EcoTools Mattifying Finishing Brush. It applies powder evenly and quickly which is what I need with our busy lifestyle. I also tried a couple of the Rimmel London products by Kate...the Scandaleyes Mascara and the Lasting Finish Matte lipstick. These are products that I probably never would have purchased on my own because the commercials made me think they would only work for chicks that go clubbing. That isn't me...but what I found is that they products were a decent quality and if I applied them mildly they fit into my carpooling mom lifestyle. I wasn't too fond of the lipstick color in it's full application shade but when I applied it super light it looked really natural on me. I received a lot of compliments on those days. I think maybe one of my super favorites trials was the Not Your Mother's De Ja Vu Do- Style Extender. This stuff was like magic! I was literally able to go with the same hair washing and initial style for three days and on the third day I was still receiving compliments. I am a convert and will probably integrate this into my usual life well beyond the initial tube. For those that really know me...I don't wear shorts. I hate my legs! I never get any sun and quite frankly I could probably blind someone with these lily white legs. I received Airbrush Legs from Sally Hansen and it was pretty cool. It didn't make me look orange like other self tanners and it did cover up a portion of my leg veins...but it didn't cover up my worst offenders and it looked grainy over my areas of dermatitis. I probably won't get this product again but it would work great for someone else that has an event at the start of the spring and summer seasons before a base tan has set. I also received a get one free when purchasing two bottles of wine from Club W. It is a cool offer but those that know me know that I don't drink so it was a bit of a waste. I still have a day to decide and may still participate for cool gifts...but I don't know quite yet. The one thing that I super loved and haven't been able to find more of was the Dove chocolate covered fruit. I tried the blueberry and it was so delicious. I will definitely try that again but since it isn't at my local Safeway...I have to track that one down. So there you have it the Good, the Bad, and the lovely of my latest Vox Box from Influenster. I can't wait to share more about my experiences. Until then...back to the mom gig.

What a wild life we lead...

Here at the Wu Household we tend to lead a wild life while being common in the same moment. We have a lot going on all of the time. It is busy and crazy but truth be told I would not change a thing. I have a great husband, that I will call Big Daddy. He has always been and always will be all about the family. He works hard all of the time and thinks three steps ahead like a chess game. I have always since day one felt safe with him and that is everything for me. We have four great kiddos. Girl kid 1 is 20 and has recently flown the coop to spread her wings on her own. I think she is learning that life out in the world isn't always easy...but you get out of it what you put into it. Boy kid 1 is 15 and is quite a musician. He plays the alto and soprano saxophones primarily but tinkers with other instruments as well. He is currently a Life Rank in Boy Scouts and working toward his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is a hard worker and in his down time loves to just hang out with his friends and play video games. Girl kid 2 is just shy of 11. She is full of love and energy. She is an active Girl Scout in a newly bridged to Cadette level troop that I lead. She also plays softball and is such a team player. Things aren't easy for Girl kid 2--but she works hard every day. She has a moderate to severe hearing loss and is bilaterally aided. The hearing aides help but they don't solve all of the hearing difficulties. Boy kid 2 is 2 and on fire. He is learning so much everyday by climbing things, jumping off of things, trying different foods, and he constantly mimics us while he is learning new vocabulary. On top of the kiddos and all of their shenanigans, we now have 6 chickens living in a coop in the backyard. Aunt Peg, Ethel, Lucy, Mary, Penny, and Minerva joined us in April and they are a constant source of enjoyment. As of late, facebook sends me flashback posts of what I posted on that same date in past years. It has been a lot of fun to recall all of these little moments. It is time to document the good, the bad, and the utterly beautiful of our lives and thus comes the start of this blog. I will work to blog about our everyday stuff, extra-curricular goodies, coop life, and maybe even the fun products that I get to try here and there. This is going to be an every evolving work in process. Welcome to our world.