Went to the Dr. this morning and he agreed that I had dyshidrosis ... his wife has it (now, why didn't he know what it was last fall when I went to see him? ... he sent me to a dermatologist who didn't even diagnose it correctly ... geesh!). Anyhoo, he prescribed this cream and it's not common so has to be ordered in. I should have it early next week. I can't wait to see if it helps ... sounds like it works for his wife and also his son's eczema. My fingers are crossed! I am so thankful for Google at this moment  ... without it, I wouldn't have known what to talk to my Dr. about with regards to my hands today.

My son woke up feeling yucky today so I let him off of school. Jenna started up her co-op classes and is looking forward to them as well as the art class that she'll start on Monday. It rained and rained today and so it's one of those days where you just want to snuggle in with a good book and read away the day. However, I did get some work done that needed to get done. A few more things on my list to tackle tomorrow and then I plan to read the final book in a trilogy that I've been reading. I have way too many books here that need to be read and then re-listed on BookMooch. I can read about 3-4 books weekly and since my hands are too sensitive for papercrafting and crocheting isn't going well, that's what I'm doing!

The fact that this dyshidrosis is often brought on by stress has me thinking about my life and examining it through a microscope. What things can I give up? What changes can I make that will alleviate stress in my life? I'm going to have some decisions to make this year and I'm going to have to look for ways to NOT add any more stress to my life.

- I only have a few more months of leading the 4-H group, but these will be the busiest ones as the kids are working on finishing up and turning in their projects. I'll be glad when it is over.

- I have mixed feelings about leading the Youth Group at church. I know that we should be doing more with the kids and planning all kinds of fun things, but I just am NOT a "field trip" type of person. The kids like us, but I also want my daughter to not have a chance to be a part of a group that we are not leading. Not sure what to do about this situation at all. I just do not know if anyone else would pick up leading this small group of kids.

- I love working over here on HSB at Senior Editor ... am keeping that "job."

- I will keep up my paid blogging and my Book Closeouts Yahoo Group as they bring in extra income for my family and allow us to help a fellow church family.

- I'm constantly feeling a bit stressed/guilty for having so much tied up in my papercrafting and then I don't make the time for it. I also keep telling myself that I should be knitting or crocheting something, but I'd often rather read.  Part of me says that I'm nuts for beginning to learn sewing & quilting when I have years and years of photos to put in scrapbooks or cards that need to be made!

- I have set up this goal to be Fit by Forty, but really wonder if I can pull it off. I'm tired of thinking about everything that goes in my mouth or whether I did enough exercise this week. I am having my cholesterol tested and those results will help me figure out the shape I am in. I know I'm not a bad weight, but I'm also not a healthy weight and my family history is strong for heart disease. I don't want to have a heart attack at a young age.

- I'm sorta tired of being frugal. Sounds weird, but it is work to make the most of our budget. I often get overwhelmed with trying to do all that I can to save money. Today, I splurged and bought McD's for lunch because I had fasted for my blood test, my son wanted it and he was sick and it was almost noon upon getting out of the Dr.'s office. I caved, spent almost $15 on 2 lunches and then felt guilty about it ... sigh ...

And that isn't all of it ... just so many thoughts running around in my mind day in and day out. Trying to muddle through it all and decide what is important is going to be a challenge! Don't get me wrong ... I know parts of my life that I need to be thankful for and I am, but I want to get off this merry-go-round of activity and just have time to "be."

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - I know how you feel . . .

Posted by Anonymous

about needing some quiet time. We homeschool our children and both my dh and I telecommute FT for our jobs (publishing and college teaching, respectively). It's a great family building experience, but with keeping up with homeschool, work, cleaning the house, being involved in our children's extracurriculuar activities . . sometimes I'm just exhausted. I even find myself making sure I'm not idle when I do sit down for a while (sewing or crocheting). I have found a few ways to cut down on stress --I only watch 1 TV show per week, I try not to overcommit to *anything* and when the computer is off I try to switch my brain should be "off" from work. But it's still hard. Like you, I find I'm not exercising enough and I'm not eating right (sitting in front of the computer does that). I even have a fantastic schedule that I worked out during the Christmas break -- it's logical, it allots enough time for everything and it should work perfectly. Only I find myself only following it until midday, then I get glued to the computer. Oh well . . just wanted to let you know you're not alone :-) ~Marla *** Thanks, Marla! I talked some of it out with my husband tonight and he had some ideas for a few things. For me, not doing something "right" = guilt = stress. I've got to get past the perfectionism and just go with the flow a bit better. My dh says that he thinks that all my medical issues have made me feel a bit more "down" than usual. Kris Edited by kjprice616 on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 05:26

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Thursday, January 10, 2008 - good, better & best

Posted by blessedmomof10

kris, I think one of the most challenging things to do in our busy lives is to choose what is "best" amongst a multide of good things to do! There is so much that clamors for our attention! It's a hard choice when there are so many good things out there we could do with our time and talents... the key is to find out what is "best" and of course the Lord would be the only one to really be able to show you that. I hope HE makes things clear for you! Gloria *** Thanks, Gloria! My husband had a meeting at the church tonight and we've already resolved the issue with leading the youth group, so that's one thing taken care of. Of course, the chocolate that my husband brought home after the meeting didn't hurt either (ha!) Kris Edited by kjprice616 on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 07:34

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Saturday, January 12, 2008 - <i>Untitled Comment</i>

Posted by JoyfulMom

((((Kris)))) You are in my prayers! I'm so glad you finally have a diagnosis. I know we don't know each other that well, but I'm happy to give a listening ear anytime! I can relate to having so many things you need to be working on and just not being motivated. It is so hard to press on sometimes, when you feel down. I am drawn to my laptop more times that I can count. I'd rather sit and waste time in front of it when I am down. Edited by JoyfulMom on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 02:17

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