A Project of Epic Proportions {Supplies Re-do}

Sorry I'm a little late on my post this week!  Even with taking this project one category, one week at a time, I'm still getting behind some.  I'm really praying that I'll get that 2nd Trimester boost of energy in about two more weeks, and can maybe accomplish more than one thing a day!! :)

If you are needing to catch up to this "Project of Epic Proportions" you can catch my previous posts via The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar, Budget and Bills, Resources for Roles, and Important Docs.

So back when I started this project I had it in my mind exactly what I wanted, and I searched out the products, ordered them, received them, in my excitement opened them all up....only to find that they didn't work, and then couldn't return them.  (Half of them.)  UGH! 

I had ordered the nice, sturdy plastic re-writable dividers for my main categories, and other white dividers for my sub categories.  As soon as I started putting my stuff together, I realized that the sheet protectors are wider than the dividers and you couldn't see any of the labels.  Seriously?!!!  That does me NO good!

New solution...I bought these Index Tabs from our PX.  I don't like using the paper inserts cause they always fall out, so I'm just using my label maker and sticking it right on the tab.

And then I got some of these for my sub-categories.

The index tabs aren't really large enough to write anything but one letter/number on, so I made a "Title Page" for each category.  The colored index tabs are attached to it's own sheet protector with the Title Page.  It has the name of the category and then underneath it a list of the sub-categories.  IE:

CONTACTS

A.  Emergency Information

B.  Local Phone Numbers/Phone Book

C.  Address Book

Then on each of the small white index tabs, all I have to write is A, B, or C for it's corresponding category, and attach it to the first page in that section.

I can actually find what I'm looking for now!!!  It's amazing!!

Really wish I would have gone this route the first time around.  (It's much cheaper too!)  I'm praying that with school being right around the corner that I can try and sell some of my dividers on our local "swapping" site.

My Frustration Update

I know a lot of you have been praying for me, so I figured I'd go ahead and post an update concerning my back.

Since my last post I continued to search out various options on what to do for my back pain.  I had stopped doing the stretches the Physical Therapy guy gave me and it seemed to help some, but I was still having pains in my left leg and I even started to limp.  The following Monday I went for my first OB appointment hoping that she could maybe refer me to someone.  According to her, the pains in my leg were due to the fact that my pelvic muscles aren't strong enough.  Uhhhh.......ok.  She gave me an unofficial referral to another physical therapist.  I would of taken on unofficial referral to a chiropractor, but why pay for a physical therapist when the one on post was free and didn't seem to be helping.?.  Another dead end.

I went ahead and set up another appointment with the Physical Therapist on Post that I had been seeing.  I went in at 3 PM on Wednesday afternoon.  He gave me a different stretch to do, and I did probably about 15 repetitions of it in his office.  He agreed that there was probably a pinched nerve, but according to him..nothing he could do about it.  About 15/20 minutes after I left his office, I could tell that my leg was getting worse.  After dinner, I pretty much went back in my room and laid on my bed.  My 9 PM I couldn't put any pressure on my left leg and couldn't walk on my own.  (I can't tell you how grateful I am that my husband is home!)

The following three days were ROUGH!  The mornings were always better, but by lunch I was normally in a lot of pain and just plain tired.  I was still having trouble walking.  Usually once I got up and going I could do it on my own, just with a limp.  Ryan was a great help during the day when Tim was at work to help get me across the living room until I could get to a wall to help support myself.

In the meantime, I had also contacted the local Yoga instructor hearing great things about her and hoping that she could help in some way.  It looked promising at first, but then I told her I was pregnant and again...I got a no.  Another dead end.  She currently does not have her pre-natal yoga training and didn't feel comfortable coming up with a specialized treatment for me.

On Thursday morning, I was able to have a German spouse come over and help me make some phone calls to a few chiropractors.  The first one, and the closest (about 40 minutes away) was on vacation till August 14th.  We called the 2nd closest, in Munich, which is about 2 hours and 15 minutes away.  I made an appointment for the following Tuesday.

On Sunday, I was also finally able to talk to my sister.  My sister is gifted in the medical field and I can't keep track of what she's trained in or how many degrees she has...but she has done Sports Medicine for years, and is EMT certified...about the only two I can remember.  After about 5 minutes of me explaining my pain to her...over the phone...she knew exactly what the problem was (later confirmed by the chiropractor), and in about 10 minutes gave me about 5 exercises to do that should help release some of the pressure on my pinched nerve.  LOVE HER!!  (Makes me less fond of the Physical Therapy guy here.)

Spare you some of the other details in between...a friend and I drove down to Munich on Tuesday and let me just say....I LOVE CHIROPRACTORS!!!!  She wasn't able to give me a full adjustment since I'm pregnant but whatever she did do made a HUGE difference.  It wasn't an immediate fix since I still limped out of the office.  I felt sore that night so I made sure to ice when I got home, but I felt 10x's better on Wednesday, and by Thursday "practically" normal!!!  Best part; I haven't limped since Tuesday! 

I don't plan on going back unless it's gets unbearable again, but I'm so glad to know where they are and to be done with the search of having to locate one.  I'm praying that by sticking with the exercises my sister gave me, and scheduling a daily walk back into my day, it will help to keep the problem at it's minimum.  I really do appreciate all your prayers!  As a celebration of feeling better, we cleaned the house this weekend!  (Something that hasn't been done in a few weeks!)

Baxter Family Live..continued!

Tim decided to pick up the skillet off the stove and give it a little "flip of the wrist".  Little did he know that I had already put oil in the pan in preparations for dinner.  :)

(Doesn't he look good in uniform?!! hehe.)

Every kid hates water in their face during bath/shower time, right?  Tim and I have two different approaches.  I have the boys put their head back and I shield their face with my hand; it works wonderfully!  Tim has taught the boys to spit.  It works as well, but this particular day Tim actually had Colin facing him so he could see his face and this is what it looks like!

 

Just one more!  Ryan entertaining Blaine for a bit while the rest of us were finishing dinner.

Baxter Family Live!

I finally got our Video Camera program downloaded after I had to wipe my computer over a month ago!  We've had a few cute videos lately and wanted to share a few.

In this first video, Ryan and Colin were playing the Track and Field on the Kinect.  The boys of course wanted to take their shirts off.  Blaine was feeling left out and wanted his shirt off and he did his best to "play" as well.

In this one, for whatever reason, Blaine didn't want down and then decided to be a diva about it.  :)

I'm so grateful that we are able to record some of these moments!  We always enjoy going back and watching them.  More to come!!!

A Project of Epic Proportions {Important Docs}

If you are wondering what this "Project of Epic Proportions" is all about you can catch my previous posts via  The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar,  Budget and Bills, Resources for Roles.

My Important Document section will include Car Titles, our Marriage License, Birth Certificates, Passports, Tim's Orders, POA, Will, and a few other forms we were told to have just in case of evacuation.

Whether you are choosing to put your Important Docs in a binder or to leave them in your filing cabinet/box, or wherever it is that you might keep them...this would be the week to organize them!  Again, one of my biggest reasons for putting these into a binder is for some crazy emergency purpose only.  If for whatever reason, we have to evacuate quickly, I can grab this binder and know that all of the documents that we might need are there.

Not a whole lot to this week; just making sure that your paperwork is organized and you know where to find it.  Happy Organizing!!

A Project of Epic Proportions {Resources for Roles}

If you haven't been here yet, welcome to the Project of Epic Proportions!!!!  Even though we have about seven weeks behind us, I still have a lot to organize!  I'm not even done with my first binder!  If you are lost or need to get caught up you can catch the previous posts on The Home Management Binder via The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar,  and Budget and Bills.

This week there will only be one or two printouts.  The main thing this week is to look at all the excess paperwork around your house that doesn't seem to have a home and make a home for it.

Mine started out looking like this (and this is after creating all those other sections)...

and ended up looking like this....

Those are all my binders; but not one of them is near complete.  They have all been started in some way, but all need some work!

Most of the paperwork I pick up are flyers, or handouts that I am given, on things that pertain to my roles in life.  IE Parenting, Marriage, Spiritual Life, Homeschool.

Passionate Homemaking best explains the purpose of this section, "I order my binder by roles (wife, mother, homemaker, writer, etc.) and put them in order of their priority in my day, thus my binder acts as a constant reminder of what I really want to focus on. Within each section, you may jot down goals, books to read, ways to grow in that area, and printables you find to help you schedule and plan."

I figured the best way to organize these was to make one large category called "Resources" and then break it down into different sections.  Again, this is my first go around at all of this so I might change the name of it or where I'm putting all these in the future..but for now..here they are. 

Some printables that you might want to consider putting in one of your sections:

• Book List by Finding Home.  Some like a book list in each of these sections to list the books you want to read pertaining to that role.  You might just want one "Master" book list.
• Book Wishlist by Life Your Way.
• Bible Study by Life Your Way.
• Devotion Guide by Our Portion.  This is a form I made based upon a class we had at our church in Texas.  The questions that are listed really help me to look at a passage of Scripture and break it down to see what it is I need to learn/apply.
• Bible Verses by Life Your Way.  Have a verse that stood out to you?  Or one that you would like to memorize?  Here's a place for it!
• Prayer Journal by Life Your Way.  This is a form to keep track of your prayer requests, and the date that prayer was answered. 
• Prayer by Our Portion.  Pretty much a blank page, but a place for you to write down your prayers if you want.  Just write in a date, stop where you want to and continue where you left off.
• Family Traditions by Life Your Way.  This would be a great place to keep those ideas that you want to turn into traditions for your family.
• Inspirational Quotes by Life Your Way.  A place to keep those quotes that inspire you to be a better wife, mom, etc!
• Lined Notes by Life Your Way.  A blank page perfect for all your extra thoughts!

My Old/New Frustration {Some Steam Involved}

So, if some of you remember last April (2011) my back decided one night after driving home from church that it was tired and didn't feel like functioning like it should.  I had trouble getting out of the car and I ended up having to "drop" Blaine down into his crib cause I couldn't bend over.  After a few visits to my local chiropractor I able to move again, and for the most part back to "normal".  Since it wasn't in our budget to go as often as they wanted me to I normally held out as long as I could and then went in for an adjustment. 

I think my last adjustment was in August of 2011.  I've had some problems here and there since we've moved, but if I waited about a week it would seem to settle down.  About a month ago I started having problems again.  Don't know why.  Just did.

About a week prior I had been at the Clinic to see my doctor and she gave me a referral for the Physical Therapy office that is on post.  I wasn't having back pain at the time, but wanted to try and be prepared for when it came.  I made an appointment to see him and got in about a week after my pain started.  It has been about five weeks and I have been to see him 3 times.  He gave me one specific stretch to do 5-6 times a day, 10 repetitions each. 

I originally went in with pain in my lower back and to the right.  This is generally where it shows up.  The stretches seemed to have taken care of that problem, but after doing them consistently for about a week it seemed to create a new, more painful pain.  The last time I saw him, about a week and a half ago, on a Monday.  I told him that I thought my pain had changed and it was moving more south to the lower of my lower back and even down into my tailbone area.  I had started having trouble standing up after sitting down for more than 30 seconds at a time.  My back locks up and it takes me a minute to stand up straight before I can even take a step.  (No jumping up quickly for anything/anyone!)  He encouraged me to keep up with the stretches and that my back locking up is my body's way of warning me and that I needed to stretch more. 

Advice taken and I went home and continued with my stretches as often as I could.  By Wednesday, I had pains shooting down my left leg whenever I stood or walked.  I could almost immediately feel my back tighten up anytime I sat down.  I had trouble getting my pants on, getting in and out of the shower, rolling over, etc.  I couldn't sit through the sermon on Sunday.  We sat in the back knowing that I would have to probably stand up for part of it.  Prior, I could find some comfort in lying down, but by Thursday/Friday, the pain was constant and there was no relief in anything.  Two nights I cried myself to sleep, begging/praying for God to take the pain from me if it be His will.  Many nights I've gone from bed, to couch, to bed trying to get comfortable and praying to fall back asleep.

This past Sunday, I stopped doing the stretches.  I noticed a significant difference Monday morning.  The pain isn't gone.  I still have trouble going from sitting to a standing position.  I still have some pain shooting down my leg, that occasionally causes me to walk with a limp.  The pain is still constant and is starting to wear on me.  I'm exhausted!  (That could be in part to normal 1st trimester tiredness as well.)

I have also been trying my best to search out other options the last two weeks.  I finally received my medical records, x-rays from my chiropractor in Texas.  From asking around, there is no local German chiropractor.  I had heard that there was a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) stationed at the Clinic here in Bamberg.  A Doctor of Osteopathy has the ability to do spinal adjustments.  I had tracked him down and was praying that this was my answer.  I got an appointment with my doctor on Monday to hopefully get the referral to see this D.O.  I must have been exhausted and overwhelmed cause the second the nurse asked me how long ago my pain started..I started bawling.  Bawled my eyes out in front of two nurses and my doctor.  :)

And it didn't get better.  The D.O. won't touch me cause I'm pregnant.  Bawling continues.  My  doctor pretty much gave me three options.  1.  Take Tylenol and use some topical rub.  2.  If the pain got to be unbearable, I could go to the Klinikum (the German hospital) and they could hospitalize me.  3.  Hope that my OB can refer me to someone that can help me (which I had also previously considered as an option). 

So right now, I am still praying and holding onto the hope that my OB will know someone that is willing to work with me.  I'm willing to drive a few hours too!  And I don't care if they don't speak English!  I can find someone to go with me to translate if needed.  I had been putting off scheduling my first OB appointment since I'm still so early in my pregnancy, but after my appointment with my doctor I went ahead and called to schedule.  I have an appointment this coming Monday.

I think overall, it's so frustrating knowing that all I need is ONE adjustment!!!  I just need to find that one person who is willing/trained to touch a pregnant person.  While chiropractors seem as common as churches in the states, I can't seem to find one over here.  I really hope my OB knows someone! 

I also went ahead and scheduled another appointment with the Physical Therapy guy as well.  Maybe he can give me a different stretch for me to do.  I've googled a few myself and one seems to help some, so we'll see how that goes.

Other options we've considered.....I've looked into getting a massage just hoping it might move things gently back into place.  You have to be between month 3 and month 7 for a massage.  I'm still a few weeks shy of month 3.  This next idea is crazy, but it has crossed my mind, and Tim even suggested it this morning.  Buying a ticket and flying home to get an adjustment.  Craziness, right?!  Probably not really an option, but that seems to be where we are in our desperate-ness.

I am getting weary and worn out.  I am fed-up with the constant pain and not being able to perform my daily tasks!