The Sensible Mom

A Day in the Life (and how I use the Moto X Smartphone)

November 15, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint.
I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Life isn’t easy these days.

No, not at all. But even with the unpredictability that’s present in my life right now, I still have a few tools that help me to stay organized and on top of my to-do list.

The Moto X Smartphone
A smartphone is one of the tools that I use every single day to stay in the loop, check and delete email, keep on top of what’s going on with my blog, and take pictures of my kids. I also use it as my only alarm clock and to send myself daily reminders to read my Bible — you’d be surprised how effective this is.

When my last phone decided to develop a mind of its own (people who know me in real life know what I’m talking about…), I switched to using the Sprint Moto X Smartphone. And it’s been awesome.

Incredibly Useful New Features
Besides being able to use this phone in all the ways I did with my old phone, there are new features that come along with the Moto X that have proved valuable in so many ways.

First, there’s the Touchless Control. With this feature, I don’t even have to touch the phone to get directions, check the weather, ask Google a question, etc… The Moto X knows my voice, and when I say, “OK, Google Now,” it responds. So far, I love using this feature to get directions quickly and easily.

Because people who know me in real life also know that I get lost easily. 😉

My second favorite Moto X feature is the Active Display. I use this feature A LOT.

It looks like this:

With this feature, information quietly appears on your screen, and with one touch of the finger, you can get more information and decide whether or not you want to swipe to unlock the screen and check that email or text message or whatever it may be.

A Day in the Life
Besides going over the cool features of the Moto X smartphone, I thought it would be fun to share what a somewhat typical day looks like for me at the moment.

Here goes…

A somewhat typical day:

Around 7:46 AM: I check the time on my phone, and then I sneak out of bed before Elisabeth wakes up (we co-sleep) and start getting ready for the day.

Around 8:00 AM: Elisabeth wakes up crying, so I grab my phone and lay back down with her. I nurse her and read my Bible using the app on my phone.

Around 8: 25 AM: Elisabeth has fallen back asleep, but instead of continuing to get ready for the day, I decide to sit at my desk and return an email.

Around 9:00 AM: I finally head for the shower. David wakes up shortly before this happens, and he’s in a great mood. But he has lots more pin-point red dots (petechiae) on his face and body. I know this means his platelets are low, and I start contemplating whether or not he’s going to be able to make it to his appointment on Monday before he needs a transfusion.

Around 9:50 AM: I head downstairs with the kids to eat breakfast. I bring my phone, laptop, and schedule with me, so that I can look things over and plan my day.

10:22 AM: I start preparing a spot at my kitchen table to take pictures of products I’ll talk about in an upcoming blog post.

11:01 AM: I’m finally finished taking pictures for my post. It takes a little longer because the kids decide they want to play outside, and they keep thinking they hear a loose dog.

11:05 AM: I sit down to nurse Elisabeth, who is very upset because she didn’t get to go outside with Nathan and Isaac. While I’m nursing her, David gets close and as I look at his face, I wonder whether or not I should call the doctor. He has so much petechiae. 🙁 His energy level is great, though, so I decide to wait until he sees his nurse this afternoon and go with her recommendation.

11:16 AM: Elisabeth is still upset about not being able to go outside, so I go outside with her.

Around 11:20 AM: Ruben arrives home, and after coming back inside with Elisabeth, I start getting ready to leave for the library. I’ll spend as much time as I can there getting work done.

11:46 AM: I leave for the library where I can check out a room for a few hours to work.

11:55 AM: I pull into a parking space at our local library and head inside. I have less than three hours at the library today, because I need to be back home by 3:00 PM, when David’s home health nurse will stop by for a visit.

2:28 PM: I pack up and get ready to head home from the library. Before I leave, though, I check out the books Nathan has on hold and choose five videos for the kids to watch this week.

2:42 PM: I arrive home, say hello to everyone, and then start a cup of coffee.

3:00 PM: David’s nurse arrives. I go over issues we’ve been having with David’s prescriptions and the obvious petechiae on David’s face and body. She wants me to call the doctor’s office right then and there, so I grab my phone and dial the number. I can only leave a message and have to wait for a call back.

3:28 PM: David’s nurse leaves, and while I could go back to the library to get more work done, I decide it’s best to wait on the phone call from someone on David’s care team. They may want us to take David to the emergency room today.

3:50 PM: I open my computer and try to get work done from home.

4:27 PM: Still no word from the hospital, so I take Elisabeth upstairs to nap.

4:45 PM: Elisabeth falls asleep, and I work online.

5:20 PM: I head downstairs to make dinner.

5:28 PM: I get a call from the hospital, and we discuss David’s increased petechiae and meds. David’s doctor is okay with David not going to the ER today, and an appointment will be made for him to go to the infusion center on Monday afternoon after the appointment that’s already scheduled with his doctor for that day. If there’s another significant increase in petechiae or other symptoms, I’m instructed to call back.

5:50 PM: Elisabeth wakes up from her nap. I leave to help her get back to sleep while Ruben takes over dinner.

6:07 PM: David bursts into the room yelling that his leg hurts. I try to help him while I’m holding Elisabeth, but he wants me to put her down, so I do. Thankfully, Elisabeth stays asleep, and I rub David’s leg. He’s feeling fine shortly after this episode and hangs out with me for awhile.

6:16 PM: Dinner is ready, and David and I head downstairs.

6:56 PM: Dinner is finished, and I’m almost done cleaning the kitchen when Elisabeth wakes up again. I head upstairs to nurse her.

7:25 PM: Surprisingly, Elisabeth falls back to sleep, and I spend time chatting with Ruben and check email and Facebook.

Around 7:40 PM: Elisabeth wakes up (for real this time), and we head downstair to get dinner for her.

8:32 PM: I take time to read to the kids from their current favorite superhero book.

9:00 PM: I say goodnight to the kids and then get back online to return an email.

9:16 PM: I get off the computer to pray as a family and say goodnight to the kids again. They go to bed for real this time.

9:26 PM: I get back online to work, check email, etc…. Ruben and I talk about life and the kids, and I finally make it to bed around 1:30 AM.

How I’m Staying Active with the Fitbit Flex
In addition to using the Moto X throughout the day, I’ve also been wearing a Fitbit, which has been awesome because it reminds me to keep moving as the day progresses.

I’ve gained weight since life turned upside down with David’s diagnosis, and the Fitbit is helping me take it off again. I’m still not down to the weight I was at, but little by little…step by step…I know I’ll get there.

The Fitbit offers you the ability to:

Track your steps, distance, and calories each day

Track your sleep cycle and learn how to get better sleep at night

Set goals and view progress

Log food, weight, and more on the Fitbit website or app

There’s so much you can do with a Fitbit
Besides the obvious visual reminder that the Fitbit Flex offers, I also use a personalized Fitbit dashboard online to track things like my progress, weight, and calories. Both the online dashboard and the app for the Fitbit are super easy to use.

Overall, the Fitbit has been helping immensely, and it’s also available at Sprint.

Have you ever used a Fitbit? Is there a tool that helps you stay on top of your to-do list? Or, what does a typical day look like at your house?

David’s Story: The Diagnosis of Very Severe Aplastic Anemia

November 15, 2013 by Sandra 5 Comments

It’s been almost a month since I’ve written a post about David. You can read part 1 of his story here.

I’ve been wanting to write and continue to share his story, and as I’ve thought over how I want to share his story with you, I’ve been mulling over the idea of creating videos to be able to tell the story more fully. I want to talk more about how life has changed for David, what it’s like today, and show you what it looks like for a family to walk through a bone marrow transplant with a child.

Because, by God’s grace, David will be having a bone marrow transplant next month. I’ll talk more about that later, but I’ve shared dates and details about the transplant on David’s Facebook page, if you’d like to know now.

There’s much more to come.

For now, (because I’m at the library and forgot to bring the tripod) I’ll write and continue the story of how we found out that David didn’t have leukemia but did have a horrible, terrible life-threatening disease.

Ugh. As I wrote those last words, my heart sank. Writing this story is hard for me. I’m reminded that this is real life. David is sick. He’s home today — face and body full of bruises and pin-point red dots called petechiae. Why? Because he has aplastic anemia. His platelets are incredibly low right now, but he’s been in “this place” before, and his doctor would like him to make it to his appointment on Monday morning before getting another transfusion.

Will that happen?

I don’t know. If David hits his head today and there’s even a little swelling, we’ll have to take him to the emergency room where he’ll get a CT scan and be transferred by ambulance to the Children’s hospital in Chicago. He’ll receive a platelet transfusion as he sleeps and be observed by the nurses and doctors there. When he wakes up, familiar hospital staff will remark that “David’s back!”

But he doesn’t want to be back. He wants to be home.

I know this because it’s happened before.

Okay, I can do this. Back to the story…

When David arrived at the Children’s hospital in Chicago, there was no small amount of doctors and nurses in the room.

As they begin to observe David, a doctor kindly looks at me and asks, “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Yes…because David may have leukemia,” I reply.

It’s welcome news to the doctor to know that I’ve been filled in, and she continues her job.

We’re in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), and that night, David receives his first of many blood transfusions. There are no immediate answers, and we won’t find out if David really has leukemia or if his illness has been caused by some sort of viral suppression as another doctor has suggested. We won’t find out until a bone marrow biopsy can be performed on David, which will be in the very near future.

That night, I get online as David lays in bed. He’s looking and feeling better now that he’s received some much needed blood.

I don’t know exactly what to type into Google, but I try something like “what does it mean when your white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets are low.” I land on a website that describes a disease I’ve never heard of before called aplastic anemia. Then I read about that disease, and I think to myself, “No. No. No. David does NOT have THAT disease. He just doesn’t.”

The Diagnosis of Severe Aplastic Anemia
David goes through a bone marrow biopsy and as we wait for the results (which takes days), I listen in one morning as the doctors perform rounds and discuss David’s plan of care. I hear the words “aplastic anemia” uttered by one of the doctors.

No.

What did she say? Did she just say what I think she said?

It can’t be that.

But it is. And it is very severe. David spends days in the hospital and receives transfusion after transfusion until he’s well enough to go home. On the day we leave, our four other children all have blood drawn to see if one of them is a match for David and can donate their precious bone marrow to save his life.

At this point, as a mother, I feel like I’m dying inside.

To be continued…

One of my goals for writing these posts is to raise further awareness about aplastic anemia and even encourage others to register for the national bone marrow registry, Be the Match. By God’s abundant grace, a match was found in the registry for David, and a man we’ve never met will donate some of his precious bone marrow to David next month. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away in the comments, and I’ll share as much as I can.

10 Goals for the Week

November 10, 2013 by Sandra 7 Comments

Woohoo! This past week was pretty uneventful week in terms of hospital/ER visits. Other than a trip to the infusion center for blood and platelets, David has been home, and we’re just waiting on a phone call from someone on the stem cell transplant team to update us with the ‘for sure’ date of his transplant next month.

I did still have to phone the on-call hematologist for an issue David’s having with his gums, and his home health nurse visits twice a week…but other than that, it’s been smooth sailing compared to the past six weeks or so.

I hope this week is as uneventful as last week — that would be wonderful. 😉

Here’s how I did with last week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Go shopping for winter clothes/jackets/shoes for some of my children. We have one child who is still wearing sandals and shorts and two kids who don’t have winter jackets, so I really need to make this happen.

2. Read to the little ones 4 times this week — not quite but better than last week

Personal Goals:

3. ~~Juice 2x this week~~

4. Walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes — I tried to make this happen a few times, but I only managed around 10 minutes because my almost-two-year-old baby girl constantly wants to get on with me.

5. Follow my Bible reading plan — I only missed one day.

Home Management Goals:

6. ~~Go through David’s clothes and take out the ones that no longer fit~~

7. ~~Wipe down sofas with disinfectant wipes~~

Business Goals:

8. ~~Work on client project~~

9. Return emails — still working on this

10. ~~Write 4 blog posts~~

Here are my goals for this week:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Have a conversation with the kids about bone marrow transplants and discuss questions they might have.

2. Read to the little ones 4 times this week

Personal Goals:

3. Juice 2x this week

4. Walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes

5. Start journaling

Home Management Goals:

6. Go through Isaac’s clothes and take out the ones that no longer fit

7. Clean master bathroom

Business Goals:

8. Work on client project

9. Return emails

10. Write 4 blog posts

What are your goals for this week?

A Visit to Kuipers Family Farm

November 9, 2013 by Sandra 3 Comments

My family and I had a special time at Kuipers Family Farm thanks to the tickets I received to facilitate this review.

A few weeks ago, we drove to a local family farm and spent the day enjoying pumpkins, fall treats, and so much more.

I took a superabundance of pictures to remember the day. It was great.

Kuipers Family Farm
The farm we visited is named Kuipers Family Farm, and it’s located in Maple Park, Illinois. I could describe everything Kuipers has to offer, but I think it’s best to show you.

Picture Places Everywhere
To start, there are plenty of areas around the farm where you can snap fun pictures to remember your day. Isaac, my six-year-old, is not camera shy and getting to take pictures with all the different displays was fun!

David had to keep his mask on most of the day to protect himself from germs, but he loves to be in pictures when he’s feeling well.

It was cloudy on the day we visited the farm, but we managed to get tons of fantastic pictures anyway.

Fun for Older Kids
At the farm, there’s a looong slide that put grins on the faces of my older kids. This slide is known as “Slide Mountain.”

Seriously, they loved the slide and went down a few times before we had to move onto something else.

A short distance from Slide Mountain is “The Maze” — also known as the corn maze. On this particular day, we decided not to try the corn maze. 😉

Instead, we opted for the beginner maze (perfect for us).

The kids loved it.

And rather than getting lost in a corn maze with five kids, we let them play in corn instead. Corn is so much easier to get out of your shoes and clothes than sand.

Next to the The Maze is Squeelington Park where you can watch pig races (not something you get to see every day) or a cowboy roping show. Show times are posted outside of the park.

If your kids want to test their own roping skills, they can do that too.

Fun Things to do All Around the Farm
My kids also enjoyed playing on the huge tractor tires. If you can believe it, we used to have a tire like this in our backyard when I was a kid. Don’t ask me where my parents got it from. I have no idea. But these huge tires at Kuipers Farm certainly bring back childhood memories.

Next to the tractor tires, you’ll find an actual tractor where kids can use their imagination.

Besides everything I’ve already mentioned, at Kuipers Farm, you can also pass the time tossing bean bags, getting to know farm animals, picking pumpkins and a whole lot more.

We wrapped up our time at Kuipers by searching for the perfect pumpkin and then headed across the way to buy a dozen of their awesome donuts.

Overall, it was a day to remember.

Have you visited a pumpkin patch or family farm this year? Does your family have any Fall traditions?

You can find a coupon to visit Kuipers Family Farm and coupons for corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and farms across the country in my blog post here.

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