Book Winner

I used random.org to pick the winner for the book Wishing on Willows and it chose #3:

SheilaJanuary 28, 2013 at 5:51 AM

I am having a hard time finding books I want to read. I agree with your thoughts on Chtistian fiction. Thanks for hosting a giveaway!

Sheila - please e-mail me at babys_mama1 "at" yahoo.com with your full name and address and I'll get that mailed out to you!

Whiteout

We went from thunder, lightening, and rain two days ago to waking up with well over 7" of snow on the ground today.

(Ignore Jacob's pink gloves...just be grateful that they match! Finding gloves in this house is a treasure hunt!)

Don't forget to sign up for the drawing for this book, which ends tomorrow!

Jacob's Ladder

Just a reminder that there is a Facebook page for Jacob, which is updated weekly with the latest news. A good way to get information when my mind is too blank to write it here! You can go here to "like" his page.

 

The Wrong Way

There may not be a right way for a doctor to tell you that their hospital has done all they can and that they are no longer searching for a cure for your son, but there is definitely a wrong way.

I understand that doctors do see some of their patients die. That doctors don't want to give false hope or watch parents put their child through some drastic (and painful) treatment when there isn't much hope of a cure. Doctors do need to be realistic.

Yet, when a parent asks the surgeon whether a port will be placed during surgery and the doctor jumps in with "We will need to talk about this. We aren't looking for a cure. We can give him ICE again or chemo for comfort. No cure."

When we sit down with him after the surgery and he once again utters the same words, only quickly adding that he called the national Wilm's doctor for suggestions but hasn't heard back, but hey, do you have any questions?

Only when I pull out the papers for this study and suggest that he refer us to Mayo does he acknowledge that there is different options. Quickly he points out that this is just a Phase II trial, that nothing has been proven with this treatment before. Yet, goes on to say, "if it were my son I'd do the same."

We ask to be referred. The doctor mentions papers I will have to sign for the records to be transferred. Then we don't see him, nor the surgeon, again. We've been brushed off...handed aside. I have to ask for the papers minutes before leaving the hospital in order to get the ball rolling, myself.

The wrong way to tell a parent about a child's serious illness is not mention that there are possible other choices. The wrong way is to act like the little boy sitting next to his parents is all but dead as he plays his video games and squirms under the watchful eye of everyone in the room. The wrong way is to silently say to everyone in the room "There is no hope."

We left the hospital on January 8th with no hope. We cried for our little boy in the back seat, picturing our family without him. Picturing the days ahead.

As I watched my sweet son run into the house and play with his brother and sister, as I saw him win a new video game, as I sat on the floor playing a board game with him I shook myself out of the hopelessness...I'm not watching a dying boy - I'm watching a boy live.

When my mom found the study for us and got us in touch with doctors I had hope again. This study is not a sure thing. It is in it's trial stages, and it's only a hope that it will work on this type of cancer. Yet, it leaves room for a possible breakthrough, for a possible miracle. It leaves hope.  

I'm upset that the whole two years that Jacob went through treatments that I didn't like his oncologist much but stayed with him. I'm upset that his lack of bedside manners disturbed me time and time again but I brushed it off. I'm upset because as a doctor he should have mentioned every single option available to us instead of just writing us off, letting us walk out the door with no options. There may not be a right way to say certain things to a parent, but there definitely is a wrong way.

I'm unsure of what the future may hold for us, but trust it to God. I'm reminded of January 8th again and again and chastise myself for the way I let a doctor break me of any and all hope.

Psalm 118:8 (KJV)  ^"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

My trust is in the ultimate healer, the One who holds the future. Whether Jacob is healed here on earth or in heaven God always offers us hope. And I'm still hoping for a miracle.

Graze

Sorry for all the reviews lately but I just can't put my thoughts into words right now, whereas reviews are easy to do!

A new subscription box on the market is the Graze box. It comes with 4 single size servings of snacks each week for $5 a week. This would be a perfect box to have delivered to your office (or hubby's office!) for healthy snacking or something to throw in your car for healthy snacks on the go (it even comes with a napkin!). When I opened this I immediately knew that I would pack these in our snack bag for our long trips to the Mayo clinic.

The best part of this box is that it can be customized to your likes. When you sign up you can look through the list of foods and check any that you wouldn't be interested in getting. Once you try foods you can rate them by how much you like them - that way you are guaranteed not to get the ones you didn't enjoy again and able to try your favorites again in the future. I haven't run across a snack box yet that has this option!

The snacks I received today were "Pomodoro Rustichella", "Hot Cross Yum", "Garden of England", and "Fruit & Seed Flapjack". All look delicious!

If you want to try a box use the code 1FCRKHRD for a free box! Cancel it if you don't enjoy it and you'll be out nothing. Otherwise, it's just $5 a week to have a box of healthy nibbles delivered right to your door (and you are able to cancel at any time!) 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. The code above is my own referral link.

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

One way to keep my mind busy these past few weeks is by reading. Luckily, I have an endless supply of books in my "to read" pile.

On this dreary day, with icy rain pecking at the windows, I snuggled in my freshly washed sheets and started the book Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert. While I like Christian fiction I will be the first to admit that it can be quite sappy and sometimes have too much of a Biblical aspect. What I mean by that is that some Christian books seem to call themselves Christian by just throwing random verses willy nilly or mention God here and there without it flowing nicely. I'm happy to say that this book did not do that.

The story was interesting and kept me so occupied that I actually finished the book within a few hours of beginning it. This rarely happens, especially in a house filled with interruptions! Topics within the book hit a personal chord - losing a loved one, dealing with cancer, etc. Usually these topics depress me when I'm reading and I've even been known to stop reading a book completely when I see this topic but I found this book more encouraging than depressing.

An enjoyable book all around!

I now want to offer this advanced reader copy to one of my readers to enjoy! Just leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner on Thursday, January 31st!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by Blogging for Books, a division of WalterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
 

Bible Stories That End With A Hug

I feel weird writing a "normal" blog post after the past two weeks of chaos. Sometimes normal is exactly what you need, no matter what is happening.

The book Bible Stories That End With A Hug created by Stephen Elkins is exactly what we needed at this time. I thought that it may be good for all three kids but is way too young for Jacob and Becca so it has become Joe's book. He brings it to me every night and we read it together. This is excellent because with all the changes happening in the family recently it seems to have affected Joe the most. He has been acting out and getting an attitude and having a little quiet time with mommy each night before bed seems to relax and reassure him.

Each Bible story is very short and while I am reading Joe loves looking at the illustrations, which are very cute, colorful, and nicely done. At the end of the story comes hug time, which is Joe's favorite part. I have even found him reading this to his baby doll and he always says "Hug time!" and hugs his doll at the end.

This is such a sweet book, perfect for bedtime or morning devotionals with the littles. It would especially make a great Valentine's Day or Easter gift for the special little person in your life.

This book was given to me by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.