My nonprofit of choice was Blessings in a Backpack again this year, located at Spring Hill Elementary. Groups or individuals are asked to adopt a school. Here, in Hernando County, FL, this honor goes to People Helping People along with sponsoring partners and financial supporters.  They actually administer the program in all of the elementary schools in the county. Children in this program receive a backpack every Friday filled with nutritious, non-perishable food for themselves and for their siblings. This provides needed nourishment for the weekend and helps the students return to school ready to learn. Some of these children wouldn’t have food if it weren’t for this amazing nonprofit. So, imagine what their holidays would be like when it comes to gifts. Random Acts of ZHU gave them something they could treasure.

Since I wasn’t feeling well enough to make the trip to deliver the gifts from Cephia, LLC, my in-laws drove my daughter, Sammi to the school. She was thrilled to take part in this because this was her elementary school. But, after giving the gifts to the guidance counselor, Mr. Cruz, Sammi felt those warm fuzzies that often happen when you give without receiving. This was a defining moment for her as well this year.

Delivering the Zhu Puppies and Goodies

Posing with Zhu Puppies

I was able to see a photo of just a small group of the many children who received gifts from Random Acts of ZHU. I’m happy to share it with you. I believe it says so much:

The Children and Their Gifts

I’ve been reviewing and buying ZHU-NIVERSE toys including Zhu-Zhu Pets and am a big fan. Their toys are designed to make children smile. The Random Acts of ZHU program makes me put Cephia right up at the top of my faves list though because of their willingness to give to charity and work with bloggers who take this to heart. Thank you for allowing me to do this again and to smile.

Back around Thanksgiving, I was diagnosed with kidney stones. I passed one, but still didn’t feel well. Off I went to see a urologist, who recommended a Cystoscopy to see if any damage had been done when I passed the stone. I ended up with a stent and no real explanation of what to expect during the time I had the stent. To put it lightly, it hurt…a lot. About a week later, the stent was removed and still no relief. This health update is going to mention pain a lot, so be prepared.

December 16th

I ended up at the ER, where I was made to feel as if I was a complainer who couldn’t deal with pain and a drug seeking patient. This happened even with my urologist being called it to assist the ER doctor. Long story short, the urologist did notice that my stomach was distended (something I was telling him for 2 weeks) so I had some uncomfortable tests done, which showed nothing. Then I was sent home with the diagnosis of a UTI and a prescription for a new antibiotic.

We actually were going to Disney World to celebrate Sammi’s 13th birthday, which the urologist said would be fine. I was feeling good because of some IV pain meds that I was given in the ER and I didn’t want to miss out on a trip to Disney, so off we went. I lasted until midway through breakfast, when the pain hit again. Thank goodness we ate at our hotel, so I could rush back up to our room.

Not to be gross, but I peed 20 something times in 30 minutes. Scared about this, I called the urologist. He never called back (this was common). I stayed in the room, peeing and hurting all of Saturday while Shawn and Sammi visited the parks and celebrated her birthday. On Sunday, they went to Downtown Disney, while I rested and peed some more.

December 20th

A few days later, still suffering, my husband made an emergency appointment for me with our family doctor. She took one look at me and knew things were bad. I had another CT scan done and was admitted to the hospital the next day. Another Cystocopy was done and I was sent home on December 24th. The only thing that was found was that my kidney was enlarged. Of course I had another stent put in, so I was hurting all through Christmas Day and days after. I had the stent removed almost a week later and all of my pain and symptoms were blamed on the stent. Huh? Right after that doctor visit, I made an appointment with another urologist for a second opinion.

January 9th

Ultrasound showing Hydrohephrosis

The new doctor actually examined me and looked through all of my medical notes. I had an ultrasound of my kidneys, which showed fluid in the right kidney, called hydronephrosis. So a kidney scan was scheduled. That showed a sluggish kidney with some obstruction. I should hear from the new doctor on Tuesday with more information.

The new urologist explained that because of the other medical conditions I have, that I would feel worse than someone who is healthy. Also, I’m on immunosuppressant medication which could cause me to reject the stent and/or have an underlying infection. I’m pretty much in bed most of the time because of the pain, weakness and exhaustion, but I see light at the end of the tunnel with this new doctor.

I’d appreciate if you’d pray for me and send me some healing vibes. I really need them.

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phydronephrosisfromstone.png by James Heilman, MD.

Tyson Chicken is a staple in my house already, so when I learned that mini chicken sandwiches are available I was thrilled. Now Sammi has a choice between Tyson’s Chicken Nuggets or a chicken “tender” on a biscuit.

Sammi adds mayonnaise to her sandwich for a quick snack. I add some grapes or an apple and a glass of chocolate milk. Again, it’s quick to make in the microwave, so it’s ready when Sammi has those hunger pains.

Want to try Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches for yourself? Use the product locator to see if your local Walmart carries them. Then check out this special offer where you can buy 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwhiches and get a $5 Walmart Gift Card.

We’re fans of Tyson’s and I think once you give them a try, you will be too. Stock up on them for the holiday break!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Mom Spark Media. All opinions shared are my own.

Because of that (most likely), I ended up with kidney stones. I felt kinda sick on Thanksgiving, but I figured it was because I ate too much. My stomach hurt a little on and off and by bed time, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t sleep very well, but got up early the next day because my daughter had a doctor’s appointment. My husband then wanted to go to the AAFES store to do some shopping and all I could think of was going back to bed. I knew something was wrong then. Me, not want to shop? I didn’t feel like eating either and had just a bit of left overs that night for dinner.

Kidney Stone Pain - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_stone

By that night, I was in a lot of pain. My whole stomach hurt and the nausea was much worse. Every movement felt like stabbing, but I kept having to get up to go pee. I felt a lot of pressure and the pain just kept getting worse. Around 6 AM, I swore it was my appendix. The pain felt as bad as labor. My husband called 911 because we thought my appendix had burst. I was shivering and sweating, nauseous and even a tiny movement had me yelling out from this darn kidney stone pain.

Long story short, I learned I had 2 kidney stones. I ended up passing one on Saturday night, which was even more painful than Friday’s torture. But, it was over. The other kidney stone was in my kidney and there were multiple small ones that I didn’t need to worry about. I had an appointment with a urologist to check on me coming up.

Well, my appointment was Monday and by then the pain was similar to Thanksgiving day, but with added back pain and pressure. Because of my underlying medical problems and the possibility that I may have done some damage when I passed the kidney stone, the doctor suggested a Cystoscopy. I’ll be having that done this Thursday and staying overnight. I’m not happy about having surgery and being in the hospital, but if it gets rid of this pain, I’ll deal with it.

It feels empowering to know that I went through the kind of pain that the Heavy Weight Boxer, Wladimir Klitschko called, “hell” and survived!

He’d sing a song, half real, half with his own lyrics and I’d laugh and dance. On Saturday mornings, my sister and I would jump into bed to wake him up expecting tickles and and stories.  When I was old enough, I’d walk to the corner to wait for him to come home from work and I’d see his smile get bigger as he walked towards me. Every test, every report card, he’d ask me, this is the best you could do, with a twinkle in his eye. He couldn’t hide his pride.

When I began to date, he’d dress up in his Sunday finest (think the Godfather) and talk to the poor young man who was taking me out, while twisting his pinky ring. Not too many of them showed up again. He’d ask my mother, “Why is she going out at 11 pm?”, but learned to accept it. He was the one who came with me to take my admissions test for college. I made him wait outside, like I didn’t know him. When he was getting ready to walk me down the aisle, he told me that I could walk out the front door with him. The limo was still waiting. After my daughter, Alicia, was born, he stayed awake with me during those late night feedings. He held her so much that she wanted him to put her down to sleep. He  spoiled her from the day she was born.

His Godfather Look

Of course we bumped heads, especially when it came to me wanting my independence and with men. According to him, I should live at home until I was married. And no man was good enough for me. Every job I had that was close enough to him, he’d visit. When I wasn’t there. To speak to the boss. To make sure they knew I had a father who watched out for me.

I get my love of family and food from him. His favorite place to be was in his own home surrounded by his family, his daughters, their husbands, their children, in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, significant others, all eating and yelling and laughing. He always wanted laughter. Do anything to get it. Put on a funny hat, say something outrageous, call people by their wrong names, but never tell a joke. He didn’t need to.

As he got older, he loved to cook. He’d bother my mother as she stood by the stove, telling her to add this ingredient. Until, soon, he’d do some of the cooking on his own. During the holidays, grocery shopping was more important than buying gifts. And the menu was planned days in advance. The cooking done with love. The food shared with anyone who entered the door. When I’d eat, he’d watch me. He’d tell my mother that I knew how to enjoy food because I ate (still do) slowly and savored (still do) each bite.

When the pain became too much to bear, he finally told my mother, who wondered why he would sit up at night in the other room. We were so angry with him. He didn’t stick to his diet, didn’t follow the doctor’s orders. If only, if only. I only understand now that his agenda was to live each moment of his life to the fullest. Eat the best food. Play with the grand kids, even if it meant he’d have to sit in a chair while they threw a ball to him Smoke a cigar.  Visit his family and friends.

He had to have a bypass done, or he’d continue to live with that horrible pain, or have a stroke or a serious heart attack. He’d already had a number of them. My Dad, the man who never had surgery, who feared it with every bone in his body, agreed. We were told his chances of survival were slim. We prayed. We spent hours with him. We cried with him. We laughed and talked about what is was like, but he talked about what it was going to be like. He laid down the law. His wishes. Our futures.

After hours of surgery, after all the other family members went home, we were still there. The doctors had a hard time finding a vein from his leg. His heart muscle was so weak. It didn’t look good. He lasted a few days, but there was no hope. His organs were failing. I felt as if my life was being sucked out of me. He didn’t want this, he told us. He didn’t want to be on a machine, with us waiting, afraid, sad.

When I said goodbye, I felt like that little girl who used to say, “My turn, Daddy!” because I wanted him for something. Except it was his turn. And he did it with dignity as any Italian man of his background would do. As any man who loved his family more than his own life did.

For this I’m grateful – for a father and grandfather who put himself last every day. I say to you Daddy, I love you even more now.

My Mom, daughter Alicia, My Dad and my Aunt 1994

Love with all of your heart, until you feel you might burst. Forgive your family and friends. Be thankful for those who give of themselves. Happy Thanksgiving.

Link up with Andrea and other bloggers for a Week of Thanksgiving.

My best family vacation began with just me and my daughter, Alicia, who was 9 at the time. My then fiancee, Shawn, was stationed in Ft. Stewart, GA, and would meet up with us at the end of our trip.  Although, Alicia and I had been living in Florida for about 4 years, we’d only traveled to the Orlando area. So, I decided to take her on a tour of Florida – from the Tampa Bay area to the Keys with a stop in Kissimee, where we’d meet up with Shawn. It was a car trip with talking, listening to the radio and watching the scenery were our entertainment.

Marco Island

We began our vacation with a short drive to Marco Island, where we stayed at the Marriott. This resort was luxurious, but I got a great deal by using good old AAA. In fact, I used their maps and their travel agent to make all of my reservations. (Remember, this was about 14 years ago.)

The hotel was right on the beach and had two pools. It was like heaven. Alicia loves the water and as soon as we got our room settled, we were off to spend time swimming. And that’s all we did during out 3 days on Marco Island – go from the beach to the pool. We’d eat a few small meals a day (from food I bought from a grocery store before we arrived on the island), get a snack from the hotel pool area and sit in the sun until the sun set. And sleep came easy each night after our days in the water.

Duck Key

Next, we were headed to Duck Key, near Marathon. When we pulled into the parking lot of Hawks Cay, it didn’t look like much, that is until we reached our room. The view was extraordinary! We faced the ocean, the lagoon and one of the pools. This was paradise and I was going to be sure that Alicia enjoyed it. I treated her to a Dolphin connection, which was brand new at the time. She wasn’t able to swim or even touch the dolphins, but got to help a trainer and be close to these beautiful creatures. We also went on a glass bottom boat ride, tried our hand at fishing, and swam in the lagoon and the pool. It was hard to leave when the time came.

Disney World

But, we knew we were going to see Shawn soon. Off we went to Disney World, which was our usual stomping ground. We stayed at All Stars Resort and requested a refrigerator for the room. I think it was an extra $5/day. The staff was very busy, so they told us they’d have someone bring in the fridge while we were out of the room and they’d stock it from our cooler. Off we went to enjoy ourselves at Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island. We didn’t get back for hours and no fridge. I called the front desk and within 15 minutes, someone came to our room. When he went to unload the cooler, he realized the food had spoiled. He excused himself and said he’d be back.

When he returned, he apologized. He handed me an envelope and told me there would be no cost for the fridge. Inside the envelope was $75 Disney credit for food. Shawn arrived the next day. We had a huge breakfast and spent the next 4 days at all of the parks and water parks. The weather was fabulous our entire trip, except for those old late afternoon rain showers. Alicia and I loved to watch the storms role in from the ocean. The trip didn’t cost that much because of the of the deals I got, but the time we spent together, the beautiful sites we saw, and the memories we made, will last a lifetime.

It didn’t matter that we vacationed in our own state, or took a car trip, or spent most of time at the beach, it was being with loved ones and getting time to do what we like. And that’s the magic of a fantastic family trip.

#TMOM Twitter Party Details

WHEN:  Nov. 28, 9-10 pm ET (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT)

HOW TO JOIN:  Follow the hashtags #TMOM #DoubleTake

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RSVP for the party on the TravelingMom.com Twitter Party Page and have at least one tweet on the party to be entered to win an iPad 2

Share ur tips for a great family vacation (& enter to win an iPad2) on #TMOM 11/28: http://bit.ly/sulloL #DoubleTake

TravelingMom Holiday Travel Double Take Giveaway

Between November 28 and December 10, Traveling Mom is offering its readers the chance to re-do a memorable holiday travel experience with a free family holiday vacation, courtesy of Capital One Venture. Share your stories with us and you could win a family vacation for four.  The winner will get plane tickets for four and five nights in a hotel anywhere in the continental United States – a prize worth up to $5,000, courtesy of Capital One Venture. -http://bit.ly/ssy9TR

This post and the Twitter Party courtesy  of Capital One Venture. My best family vacation story is true and contains my own opinions.

With blogging, I can write about anything I want. If I feel like boring you with trivia about Friday the 13th, I’ll do it. If I want to get serious about helping people recover from a tornado, I will. It’s kinda like therapy. Of course, if I want to keep getting products to review or earn money, I do need to wrangle my thoughts in a bit. Just a bit.

Then there’s the amazing friends I’ve made through blogging. At first it was just online. Now, I’m part of a local blogging group who meet monthly. Conferences and events are another way to meet my blogging friends in real life. I have trouble focusing on sessions because I just want to hang out with everyone! And if I didn’t have writing deadlines, I’d spend my time in forums, on Facebook and on Twitter just chatting with my buddies.

Jennifer Leet and Moi at Disney Social Media Moms 2010

Being able to share some of the adventures of blogging with my family is the best. I’ve taken my daughter, Sammi to New York City for the Crayola Pop Art Pixies event and both Sammi and my husband to Walt Disney World for two of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebrations.

All of this takes time and effort, but I’m proud to be one of the many bloggers who write about our families, about current events, social causes and family friendly products. I know that I’m part of a big change in how brands will continue to connect with consumers. And for all of this, I’m thankful.

YesVideo can help you preserve, organize, share and relive your favorite video holiday memories. They can even take your photos and create a DVD or HD quality BluRay to share as a new holiday tradition. One of my all time favorite holidays was the year that my daughter, Sammi turned one. She was able to take part in our Christmas celebration and so was I (her birthday is December 17th). My older daughter, Alicia was still at home and we had a special day together.

The house was decorated. The morning watching my daughters open gifts gave me goosebumps. Our meal was delicious. And our extended family and close friends came to visit. There were lots of smiles and laughter throughout the house and I had nothing more to ask for. I have lots of photos from that perfect day and sharing them reminds us of how important family is. With a YesVideo DVD, we can pass along those holiday memories to the rest of the family and be sure the photos won’t be damaged.

I’m sure you have photos and VHS tapes filled with your own holiday memories. YesVideo is offering a 15% off discount on your total order for transfers by using the coupon code TRANSFER15.

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This is a sponsored post for YesVideo. All opinions are my own.

My family when things were better

Just about a month ago, I wrote about some serious issues that were happening in my family. Specifically, my mother became the caregiver of my aunt who has been residing in a nursing facility. And after about two weeks, my mother realized the task was too difficult.

To update you, my aunt was hospitalized, then moved to a new nursing facility, where she became depressed. She wasn’t eating right, refused to get out of bed, take a shower and even have discussions with us. Within 4 days, she was back in the hospital and in ICU. Her white blood count was extremely low and her hemoglobin was also low.

My mother was scared and blamed herself for my aunt’s deteriorating health. Instead of berating me as before, she became child-like. She asked me to drive her to the hospital, to call the doctors and nurses back after they had already spoken to her. I realized that my mother didn’t remember what she was being told. So, although my mother is my aunt’s health care surrogate and I’m named second in case my mother can’t fulfill her duty, I told the hospital to call me about everything.

I learned that my aunt had a bad reaction to a new medication. She had lots of tests and needed plasma and medications to increase her blood levels. I am the main person that visits my aunt and makes decisions about her care.

My mother is even more forgetful than last month. She calls me to tell me that she doesn’t feel well almost every day. I had to rush over there Sunday, only to find that she had an upset stomach and felt weak. I’ve called her primary care doctor about all of the issues including her anger, paranoia and forgetfulness. She had just seen him for a regular check-up. All I was told is that this is expected because of her age (82) and that she is actually one of the better patients when it comes to memory loss.

I’ve also been in touch with her therapist after another visit to her with my mother. We are trying to get my mother to accept moving into an apartment in an assisted living facility. I’m not putting a lot of hope into this, though.

The name calling and yelling has stopped and I am grateful for that, but I do watch what I say and how I say it as to not set my mother off. There’s another appointment with the therapist mid-December as we continue to work on communication and decision making.

My aunt will return the nursing facility when she is able. And, I’ve made the decision to request someone else take over as her financial guardian (if possible). With the responsibility of caring for my mother increasing and the needs of my daughter remaining the same, I have to put things in priority.

This is very stressful. I’m the only child and the closest living relative to my aunt (there’s actually a long story about that, but let this suffice). I’m the only Mom that my daughter, Sammi has too. And she needs me.

Did you have to make difficult choices about caring for your elderly family members?

I can only dream about Straight Talk and its cell phone service because I’m stuck in a two year cell phone contract. If I switch, I pay termination fees. But not so with Straight Talk. There’s no contracts, just plans that save you money.

The power of Android is available for only $45 – unlimited calls, texts, picture messages and web without activation or termination fees. With Straight Talk there’s no surprise bills and no credit checks. You’ll get great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity. And for international calls, use the prepaid calling card for your home phone or cell phone and get low rates.

You can even save money by purchasing reconditioned phones from Straight Talk.  They start at $10.00 and have options including cameras, mp3 players, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. And there’s even smart phones,  touch screen phones, and phones with a video recorder and music player, plus more.

Learn more about Straight Talk by watching this video:

The Straight Talk Image… by LittleBard95 Feel Richer with Android and Straight Talk.

The yearly plan is just $499! With those savings, I’d upgrade my smart phone, and save up for my next cruise. What would you do?