Lyrical Thursday: Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

I heard this song on the radio for the first time yesterday and it totally spoke to me.  The lyrics of this song can pretty much be applied to a part in everyone's life.  For me, it spoke to our son's Type One Diabetes diagnosis.  Our world was shattered.  The life we had dreamed about for our son was over.  The freedom and the carefree ability of childhood was gone.  From that day forward, his life would revolve around making sure he got insulin and that we acknowledged and counted every gram of carb he put into his body.  It would mean sleepless nights for us as his parents.  It meant knowing our child was now included in the unspoken lists of "children with disabilities" and that we would have to meet with school officials to create an academic plan for him to succeed in school.  It meant endless calls to insurance agencies, medical suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, etc.  Carefree life-- gone.  For him and for us.  But, I've learned that I cannot live there-- I can't dwell on the past.  I've got to learn how to include diabetes into our daily lives and to not let it define my son.  A year and a half into this game, and I'm still learning. This song helps me.  I'm going to hold onto these lyrics and keep them at the forefront of my mind as I'm learning to let go and let God.  After all, He loves my son more than I even can, and diabetes was not a surprise to Him.

*****
Tell Your Heart to Beat Again


You're shattered
Like you've never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you're never gonna get back
To the you that used to be

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

Beginning
Just let that word wash over you
It's alright now
Love's healing hands have pulled you through
So get back up, take step one
Leave the darkness, feel the sun
Cause your story's far from over
And your journey's just begun

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
'Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven's working
Everything for your good

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again
Your heart to beat again
Beat again

Oh, so tell your heart to beat again


*****


This song is for me.

This song is for you, Nana.

This song is for anyone out there going through a rough time.  Lean into God.  He's there.  He can sustain you.


Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Show & Tell Tuesday: How to Win My Heart

I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show & Tell Tuesday.  The topic this morning is "How to Win My Heart."

My husband and I do not celebrate Valentine's Day (I'm sure that's a shock to some of you out there.)  We're of the tribe that believes that Valentine's Day is a holiday to spur spending copious amounts of money on cards, chocolates and roses.  (A dozen roses costs half as much in June as in February.)  We like to celebrate each other and our bond on our random date nights or with random fun things we do together, rather than by spending lots of money on one day of the year.

When we were dating, I told him I didn't want anything for Valentine's Day and his friends didn't believe him when he told them so.  But, he listened, and he didn't get me anything, and I didn't get him anything either.  And we made it!  It wasn't a test to see if he'd really show up at my house with balloons and chocolates and flowers.  Nope.  I was honest in saying that I didn't want anything, and he listened.

The first Valentine's Day we came upon after marriage, we broke our rules and decided to get gifts for each other.  It was nice and fun, but I think both of us felt like the gift-giving was a bit forced.  Later on that day, we decided to keep things how we originally intended them to be-- and forgo celebrating Valentine's Day.  In fact, one year, we attempted to go out to dinner and we couldn't figure out why there were lines outside each restaurant until it dawned on us that it was Valentine's Day!  So we turned around and went home, and we went out to eat the next night instead. :)

Now, for my boys, I want them to decide for themselves one day whether they want to celebrate this holiday or not.  So, for now, we will get them each a small treat and a sweet card.  This is something my parents always did for me and my brothers and I want to continue that tradition for my boys.  Also, I see nothing wrong with sprucing up the house with some bursts of pink and red here and there!  (I'll be writing a Valentine's Day Decorating Details post next week!)

So, onto the real question of this post:  How to Win My Heart.  A few months ago, my husband and I each took the online version of "The 5 Love Languages" quiz.  I totally recommend that everyone take this quiz, even if you're not in a relationship!  It is really helpful to know how you love and how you like to be shown love.  My top two love languages were "Words of Affirmation" and "Quality Time."  Aaron's were "Physical Touch" and "Gift Receiving."  You guys-- this could not make more sense!  After we took this quiz, I really understood that we perceive love so differently!  And we didn't take this quiz until we had been married 6 years!

Our results made total sense to me.  I am definitely so appreciative of quality time spent together.  Whether this be a family vacation and enjoying each other on the journey, or if it simply means sitting next to each other on the couch on a random weekday night watching a show together or playing a game (this one is really fun!).  And I can tell you something-- watching "American Sniper" together will surely make you love your spouse more (well, I guess I can't speak for everyone, but it made me love my spouse more).  My other main love language was Words of Affirmation.  This is so true.  I want to know that I'm doing a good job.  I want my husband to say that he's proud of me.  Let's face it, we've got a tough life.  We're very young parents of a young child with an incurable disease.  It's rough!  So I do like to know that my husband notices the work I do for my child (endless phone calls with insurance companies, and medical suppliers, and midnight blood sugar checks, and intricately taping on a medical device so that curious three-year-old hands can't rip it off, etc).  And when my husband says he's proud of me, that makes my whole day. It makes all the sleepless nights, worry over this disease, and frustrations exhibited during phone calls worth it. It does.  Just a simple phrase-- "I'm proud of you"-- can win my heart each and everyday, just as much as a good evening of quality time can do the same.

Aaron's results were "Physical Touch" and "Gift Receiving."  This really opened up my eyes to see how he perceives love.  A good back rub, or shoulder massage can mean more to him than saying the words "I love you."  And now his love language of "Gift Receiving" is at the forefront of my mind when I'm shopping at Target, etc.  If he's had a bad day at work, I'll pick up a bag of Reese's peanut-butter cups and a movie and I'll place it on his pillow for him to see when he goes to the bedroom to change out of his work clothes.  This could even be as simple as making a batch of his favorite cookies one night after we tuck our boys into bed.  Knowing his love languages has also made me more perceptive to realize when he's showing love to me.  He might choose to acknowledge his own love languages as a way to express his love for me.  He might give me a back rub or shoulder massage even if I haven't asked for one-- and I have to acknowledge internally that he is showing love, even if it's not specifically quality time or words of affirmation.

Taking the love language quiz really has changed how I view his love, and it's changed how I show love to him in order to make it most effective and to really let him know that I love him.  Oh, believe me, I say "I love you" about a thousand times a day and he always says it back (and he does say it first, too).  But to know how to effectively show love to my spouse is such a fantastic gift.  We do have the book "The 5 Love Languages" but taking the online quiz is so simple, quick, and effective.

So quality time and words of affirmation are really the keys to winning my heart, and my spouse knows this and acknowledges it.

Such a great link-up topic!  What do you think?  What are the ways to win your heart?


Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

What's Up Wednesday: 01/27/16

Today I'm linking up with Shay, Sheaffer, and Mel for What's Up Wednesday!

I'm answering these questions today, along with the bonus question: What's my favorite Valentine's Day Treat?

All right, so here we go.

What We're Eating this Week:

• Garlic Pepper Chicken (labor intensive to start, and then so easy!) We served this with some Jasmine rice. 
• Beef stroganoff from our Diabetic 4-Ingredient Cookbook.  We served this with egg noodles. 
• Baked chicken with mashed potatoes.  This recipe is so gosh darn easy!
• Left on our menu is a skillet meal, and homemade lasagna.  My husband makes his own lasagna noodles, and they're delicious!

What I'm Reminiscing About:

Noah turned two on the 9th of this month, so I'm reminiscing about his birth story!

What I'm Loving:

I am loving working from home!  I do my laundry and loading/unloading of the dishwasher on my breaks and at lunchtime.  Then at the end of the day, my chores are done and I just get to rest and hang out with my family!

What We've Been Up To:

My husband and I have been planning our vacations for the year. We both have to predict our leave-time, so we've been pouring over the calendar and booking our trips.  This is the first year that both of us have a good amount of time off of work, so we plan to use it so we don't lose it!  We plan to take the boys to my grandparent's beach cottage in late May/early June.  It'll be the first time the boys have been to the beach and we are so excited for the relaxation of this little Florida town!  We also hope to have a "husband/wife" trip up to Maryland to see my dad's mom.  Aaron hasn't been to Maryland yet and I'd love for him to see where my dad grew up.  Flying is a bit difficult when we have to factor in my oldest son's Type One Diabetes, so we will probably skip taking the boys with us on this mini-trip.  We'll leave them in the very capable hands of the grandparents (three sets live in the same town!) and we'll enjoy a married couple trip-- which we never get to have, so we're excited!

What I'm Dreading:

When you're the parent of a Type One Diabetic child, you have to be the voice for them and you have to fight to make sure they get their medical supplies.  I spent much of the week 2 and 3 of January on the phone with medical supply companies, insurance companies, pharmacies, etc to make sure my son gets the necessary supplies that he needs to survive.  We switched insurance at the start of the year and it surely has brought it's share of headaches to get everything situated.  Thank God for my Bulldog personality!  (I think I inherited it from both parents, so I have a double-whammy of it).  Finally, things seem to have settled down, and supplies are arriving as they should.  Money is debited from my account as it should.  And headaches have dissipated as they should.  So, after the horrible weeks I had in January, I'm not sure that I even could think of anything to dread. :)

What I'm Working On:

I'm working on being more organized.  It's a necessity in my life when I have to keep track of doctor appointments, dates to refill prescriptions, phone numbers I have to call, etc.  So I purchased a planner, similar to this one, to keep track of my daily to-do list,  I have the InkJoy pens to make note-writing a bit more fun.  My current color choice is purple.  So far, I'm impressed with the notes I've taken and the information I've managed to document. 

What I'm Excited About:

Hopefully this week, my mom and I will take a trip to the tailor's to hem some jeans I recently bought.  I took advantage of the great sale at Loft and I bought a pair of flare jeans.  I read reviews first, and I knew they'd probably be too long since I have a long torso and shorter legs.  Well, the jeans were wayyy too long-- like 4 inches too long.  So I turned them up and safety-pinned them, and gave them to my dad to hem.  But my mom called and said that since these are a nicer pair of jeans, maybe I should look into having them tailored. So she's going to come with me this week and we're going to make a girl's afternoon out of it.  

What I'm Watching/Reading:

I just finished binge watching Mad Dogs on Amazon Prime.  So good!  I finished the whole season in 3 days.  That's not usually the type of show I gravitate towards, but I enjoyed it.  It's heavy on the language, which I'm not proud of, but the concept is good and it keeps you hooked on the story line.

As far as reading goes, I've been wanting to read "Bronner: A Journey to Understand." I actually went to Books-A-Million on Sunday afternoon and they were sold out.  Amazon was also back-ordered by 2-4 weeks.  The cashier at Books-A-Million told me to come back on Thursday because they are supposed to get another shipment.  You better believe I'll be there. 

What I'm Listening To:

At the moment, just listening to myself type this.  However, the past several days I've listened to Mad Dogs in the background while I worked. 

What I'm Wearing:

A basic tee (similar here, except mine is black), modern skinny jeans, Chevron necklace, leopard belt,  and leopard booties. 

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

Enjoying a dinner out with my husband on Friday night (with gift cards!), and then hopefully not much else the rest of the weekend except for hanging out with my boys and husband and just relaxing!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: 

Hopefully to have more house-showings! We've had one showing in January so far, so I'm hoping February brings more people by to see our house and hopefully someone wants to buy it!

What Else is New:

I'm trying to expand my wardrobe choices by selecting higher quality items that I find on sale.  I take a lot of fashion advice from Pinterest Told Me To, and Hi Sugarplum!.

What's My Favorite Valentine's Day Treat:

My husband and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day.  But I do want to do fun stuff for my boys for each holiday-- so they will get a little gift and a little treat and I've decorated our house for Valentine's Day.  As far as favorite treats go, I'd say any kind of chocolate trifle.  I think trifles just scream Valentine's!  Cake, cool whip, pudding, chocolate chips, MMM! Yep-- a trifle.  This one looks good.  We also might attempt to make this bundt cake for a special dinner treat. 

What's Up Wednesday posts are so fun!  I can't wait to read through other posts and get some recipe and fashion ideas!

Until Next Time!

Much love, Reba

I Don't Even Know What It's Like

I don't know what it's like to have a 3 year old without Type One Diabetes.  I'm just learning now what it's like to have a 2 year old without Type One Diabetes since my youngest son just turned 2 and he doesn't have this disease.

However, my oldest son does have it. And everyday is a challenge. For any parent, the first born child is the "practice child" right? Where we learn to be parents and hone our skills.  However, we have such a major wrench thrown in our parenting plan because our "practice child" has an incurable disease and I personally have no idea whether the behaviors he exhibits are because of diabetes or because he's a pre-schooler.

Type One Diabetes keeps you guessing. All the time. It always makes me wonder if I'm doing enough for my kiddo and if I'm being the best mom possible.  With Type One Diabetes, there comes a definite lack of sleep. Today, it is so evident. Last night at 8:00pm, my oldest picked at the medical tape holding a device in place.  My husband and I had to replace said device and wait the two hour time frame to calibrate it with a drop of blood.  For this over-tired mama, I could barely keep my eyes open at 9:30, but the CGM wouldn't be ready for calibration until 10:00pm.  So, an alarm was set to wake up at 10:00pm and do a blood sugar check.  At this check, I saw that my son needed to get a boost of insulin to combat the high blood sugar.  So, I retrieved the insulin pump and administered insulin in the dark of his room.  Anytime I wake on my own during the night, I can't go back to sleep peacefully until I check the reading on the CGM to make sure my son is in a safe range. So, that's what happened at 1:37am when my youngest son cried out because he couldn't find his blankie in the dark.  Then at 3:30am, my oldest son cried out because he wanted the night-light turned back on.  Then at 4:57am, my youngest son cried out because he thought it was time to get up for the day.  Then at 5:30am, my youngest son really was up for the day since the CGM beeped that my oldest son's blood sugar was low and I had to go into their room to do a blood sugar check.

This disease affects all of us. Each member of this family struggles with lack of sleep, mostly attributed to Type One.

Today, I'm praying for a cure.


Until next time,
Much love, Reba

Show & Tell Tuesday: Mom Life

Today I'm linking up with super fun blogger, Andrea at Momfessionals, for Show & Tell Tuesdays.  The topic today is "Momfessionals Moments."

Oh this topic is so good!

Here are my confessions:

Phone Calls:

I've definitely locked the door of my bedroom and then gone into my closet to talk on the phone to insurance people or nurses.  Of course I make sure my boys are safe in the living room first without any chokable snacks around.  But sometimes, for real, this is the only way to get in an important phone call without madness ensuing.  Even so, while I'm in the closet, I can hear the knocks on my door and the tiny voices saying "Mom?  Mom are you there?"

Breakfast Time:

My two-year-old son has been in an "Only Mommy will do" mood since birth.  When we are home at the same time, he is right beside me.  Now I understand why my mom called me a "barnacle baby" while growing up.  Thanks, karma.  Now I have my own.  I can do nothing by myself-- shower, go to the bathroom, eat, nap....(wait, what's a nap?), so my husband and I have been known to be strategic about our mealtimes.  On Sunday mornings, he showers first while I'm feeding breakfast to the boys.  Then it's my turn to shower and my husband will usually prepare breakfast and then bring it to me and set it on the bathroom counter so I can eat in peace after I'm done getting dressed.  Our bathroom mats are super soft and comfy, and I usually just sit there on the floor with my back pressed up against the tub, and I enjoy each bite of my food. 

Coffee Mug Moves:

If we have a batch of cookies in our house, I will occasionally eat one for breakfast, and I will hide it behind my coffee mug so that my boys can't see it.  I'll sneak in bites like a ninja, and they give me the side-eye because they're not sure I'm actually eating, but if I am, then they're sure it's not the same thing that they have. My three-year-old has caught me before, and he asks "What is that?  Is that a cookie?  Are you eating a cookie for breakfast?" And I reply "This is my special mom breakfast."

Invisible Blanket:

If my boys are being extra whiney or crying about nothing (or everything, if they're tired), then I sit on the couch and cover myself with a blanket and I tell them I can't hear any cries or whines.  It works for about 3 minutes. 

New car, no CD:

My boys love the "Kids Sing Praise" CD, and I do love having my boys listen to it since these are songs I remember from when I was a kid.  This CD is currently in our SUV, and it's on all the time unless my husband and I are driving solo. The problem is that my two-year-old only wants to hear "Deep Wide" (Deep and Wide), and "Amen!" (If You're Saved and You Know it, Say Amen).  So, we play those two songs over and over and over and over.  Imagine my delight when I took the boys out yesterday and realized that I was in a different car, since my husband took the SUV to work.  My two-year-old asks for "Deep Wide, Deep Wide" and I just had to say "Sorry buddy, that CD isn't in this car." #sorrynotsorry

Coffee Notes

I work from home and my office is in a spare bedroom.  On New Years Eve, I had to work the whole day, but my husband was off.  So he had the boys at home to watch them for the day and we knew it would be a battle to make sure I stayed hidden so that I could actually work instead of having constant knocking at the office door saying "Mommy! Are you there?"  So, my two-year-old wakes up right at the start of my shift (6:00am), and my husband wakes to take care of him so that I can get started on work.  When both boys are eating breakfast, my husband sneaks some breakfast to me, but he forgot the coffee!  So, I try texting him, but his phone is still in our bedroom.  So I grab a sheet of computer paper, write "Coffee Please! Love you!", fold it into a paper airplane, and zoom it off down the hallway. Coffee arrived at my office door within minutes. :)

I hope you've enjoyed these confessions!  Being a mom is such a joy and it brings so much laughter.  I know these days when my boys are young will pass too quickly, so I'm trying to soak it all in now-- momfessional moments and all. 

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba

Fun Little Post: Brands

I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the things that I'm "brand specific" about.  Perhaps no one will care to read this, but it doesn't bother me.  I thought it sounded like fun, so here we go.

Peanut butter:  Jif, hands down.  Choosy moms choose it, so I might as well, too.
Soda: Coca-Cola.  I used to be on a pretty serious Diet Dr. Pepper kick, but I changed it for Coke.
Soap: Dove. Any kind of Dove, but mostly the Dove White bar since we can get it at Costco.
Razor: BIC Silky Touch disposable razors.  I'm not keen on spending lots of money on fancy razors. In my teen years, I tried many of them and just didn't like them, so I'm stuck on disposable razors now, and the BIC Silky Touch are my faves.
Kid Shampoo: For my boys I use Johnson & Johnson original baby shampoo.  It smells the best.
Kid Soap: Johnson & Johnson 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.  Yes, I know this is also a shampoo, but I only use this to bathe their bodies, and I use the original shampoo for their hair because (see above) it smells better.
Make-up: Pretty much, Covergirl.  I use the BB cream, the Cheekers blush, and the oil-control pressed powder.  I use Maybelline mascara and L'Oreal liquid eye-liner.  I've started using e.l.f. lip stain this past summer and I love it.
Nail polish: I used to be all about the OPI and the Essie polishes, but they are so gosh darn expensive, that now I use Sinful Colors.  They come in an awesome variety of shades, and they are around $2.00 a bottle instead of $8-$10. Current favorites: Easy Going (a very light almost-white pink) and Ruby Ruby (a classic red with a shimmer).
Chapstick:  I fluctuate between Chapstick brand (the blue vitamin E one-- it has no scent) and Baby Lips.  Currently, Baby Lips are in my purse, so that's what I use.
Pens: I love InkJoy in the multi-color pack.  Notes are always more fun when written in a different color.
Starbucks drink:  Brownie Chip Frappuccino (oh wait, they stopped making that about 10 years ago), Chantico (oh wait, they stopped making that about 8 years ago), Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino (which you can get all-year long; you just have to ask).
Coffee at home: Folgers all the way.  My favorite is Black Silk, but Costco carries the bulk container of Classic Roast, so that works too.


Brief, but broad in spectrum. Hope that was fun for you to read through!  Just a little bit of randomness to get through this Wednesday!

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Show and Tell Tuesday: Reintroduction & Resolutions

Hi to all!

Today I'm linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals for Show & Tell Tuesday!  I'm so excited to join in on these link-ups again in 2016!

Today's topic is a Reintroduction and Resolutions for the New Year.

Alright, here we go. 

My name is Reba and I'm a 5'5" blue eyed blonde.  I was born in Virginia, but spent much of my growing up years in Alabama.  My dad is a pastor and my mom is a nurse.  Since my dad is a pastor, we moved around about as much a military family does.  Every 3 or 4 years, we were heading to a new location.  In 2000, my dad's job took us to Hawaii.  I lived on the island of Oahu for 5 years.  This is where I spent my teen years.  My parents decided to move back to the mainland in 2005 right before my oldest brother started college.  We didn't want to be separated from him by a whole ocean, so my dad searched for a church to pastor on this side of the Pacific.  That meant I'd be leaving my high-school at the start of my senior year.  I didn't care.  Family was more important. 

In 2006, I graduated high-school and headed to Auburn University that fall.  Auburn University is where my parents attended (and met each other).  It's where my older brother was attending, and I knew I felt called to go there, too.  The campus is so beautiful and it just felt like home. 

I met my two best friends there. 

They are still my very best friends to this day.  Although we are now separated by many states, we still keep in touch and get together every so often.  I wouldn't imagine ever doing life without these besties!

I love spending time at the beach!  

My grandparents own a cottage on Florida's panhandle, and I've been vacationing there since I was a small girl.  It's where I learned to walk (because I couldn't stand the feeling of sand on my knees).

I graduated college in 3 years with a degree in Criminal Justice.  I attended law school for one month, but I knew God wasn't calling me there.  In October 2009, I married my best friend, Aaron.

Aaron and I met because my parents and his mom live on the same street!  Neither one of us is originally from this town (Aaron is from Washington state, and his mom moved down to Alabama one year after my parents moved from Hawaii).  God knew what He was doing when he brought Aaron and I together.

For our honeymoon, we went to a location none other than the beach!

I got my first real career job in May of 2010.  We bought our first home in October 2010.  In November 2011, we found out we were pregnant!  In August 2012, we welcomed our first son, Michael, into our family!

In May of 2013, we found out we were expecting another baby!  In January 2014, we welcomed our second son, Noah, into our family!

In August 2014, Michael was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes just 17 days before his second birthday.  This completely changed our whole world and has made us fully rely on God to every extent.  It's heart-wrenching as a parent to know your child has an incurable illness which could kill him on any given day if we're not on top of the game. It is exhausting, but we know God has a plan. 

In May of 2015, we put our home up for sale for the second time (we originally had it up for sale for the spring and summer of 2014, but pulled it from the market ironically two days before Michael's diagnosis-- another testament to God's timing).  

We are hoping to relocate to the school district we'd like for our boys to be in once they start school. 

I was able to start working from home in August of 2015 and this has been such a tremendous blessing. 

My boys keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I'm married to my best friend-- so each day brings joy and laughter and comfort.  

I love to write.  I don't mind doing laundry, but I'm discovering that I don't really like to unload the dishwasher! I love to dream about decorating.  It never quite works out as perfectly in person, though.  I'd really like to be a better cook, but I'll settle for the baking skills I have.  Aaron does most of our supper making-- it relaxes him, so who am I to step in?  I really love to shop.  I mean, really.  But I also love to save money.  So, let's be honest-- this meme pretty much describes me:

Life can be mundane, but I'm going to try harder to soak in the moments that make up the days. 

As far as resolutions go, I don't really make them!  I feel defeated if I can't keep up with them, so I am giving myself a pass by not holding myself to one thing.  And let's be honest-- I'd totally forget what resolution I chose by mid-year anyways!  This year, I'm going to pray to trust God more in our life's circumstances.  In trusting Him more, I'm hoping that it will alleviate my fears and worry, and allow me to focus on the good that He has provided to us. 

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba