Thursday, June 30, 2011

If I Give Them The World

I have a deep desire to give my children everything that their little hearts desire.  I want them to have all of the latest gadgets and toys, beautiful clothes, and educational items.  But  I also have another desire.. a far greater one, I have a desire for them to be everything they were created to be.


So I refrain and I say no... simply because my heart knows that if I give them everything then they miss out on the true gifts of life.  I realize that it will be many years from now before my little ones truly understand that my NO is a gift to them, but I will stand my ground because I see the bigger picture..


What they don't know is that I am doing something better than giving them everything.  I am teaching them that the most important things in life don't come form a box, and that things earned are much more valuable than those things that are simply given to you.  Having pride in themselves and their achievements will give them a much greater sense of appreciation for everything in life.  


If I give them the world then I have deprived them of the opportunity to discover it for themselves and the feeling of achievement that comes with it!

Anything in life worth having comes by means of dedication and hard work.  
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Will You Forgive Me?

I have two reasons why I don't typically write about all of my imperfections:  1.  Who really wants to focus on all of the bad decisions that they have made.   
And
2.  I am really writing this blog to my kids and trust me, they already know that I am far from perfect.


So this post is for all those who may have gotten the wrong idea about me.  I guess I should put a warning label on this post:


WARNING: If you think I am perfect and feel the need to continue that belief....then you should stop reading now!


I am not the kind of person that tries to pretend that I have all the answers,  no one would buy it anyway.  Like most people, I have gone through some pretty difficult things in my life.  It was through these struggles that I developed perseverance (check out James 1:4).  I decided to take what was ugly and unfortunate in my life and make it beautiful and purposeful.  I truly believe that God doesn't create the difficult things in our lives but He will use them for good... if we are willing to let Him.


It is so important for my kids to see me make mistakes and even more important for them to see me make amends.   When I wrongly accuse a child or loose my temper (yes, it happens more frequently than I would care to admit) I ask my children, "Will you forgive me?"   They know that Mama makes mistakes and needs forgiveness just like everyone else.


We try to teach our children:


~To say, "I forgive you." when someone tells them that they are sorry.  If we can't forgive each other than how do we expect God to forgive us?  


~There will always be people that discourage or hurt them, there will always be times of hardship, and there will be times when they make mistakes and need to seek forgiveness.  


~Every new day brings new opportunities to develop more perseverance!


~It is the perseverance that we develop...  that molds us into the people we were created to be.


Our kids see my husband and I  have occasional disagreements.  They realize that mommy and daddy don't always have the same opinions on issues and sometimes need to forgive each other for not listening to the other person.  It is crucial for our kids to witness us apologize to each other and work out our disputes.  And even on occasion I have to say (get ready for this one honey it is probably a long time coming) I was wrong... boy that tasted like vinegar ( I have a tendency to be a little more stubborn than my husband)!




So be warned, The Bramlee Family is far from perfect..........






........ but what keeps us going is knowing someone that is!




2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Magical Arms and Healing Kisses

Growing up I knew that I had some special gifts and abilities of my own, just as we all do. But it wasn't until I became a mother that I found out just how special I really was!

What I am about to tell you is top secret, we wouldn't want the world to find out.  Who knows what would happen if this information should get into the wrong hands.

I..... Carrie Bramlee..... have Magical Arms! These two appendages may look average but they have
the ability to calm a scared and frightened child in a matter of seconds.
They have also been known to have sedating effects, able to lull a restless child
into a deep and peaceful slumber.


But I think the most remarkable of all my special talents are my Healing Kisses.
These kisses can take the most dreadful boo boo and heal it in an instance.






Just as all super heroes have there weakness, I to have mine.  My greatest fear is that someday my powers will disappear, no longer will the mere weight of my arms around these little ones be enough to calm their fears.
And one day all to soon the pain of their injuries will be to much for my gentle kisses to erase.


But until that day comes I will make every effort to hold, hug and kiss these sweet little ones
 as often as I possibly can!


The four chambers of my heart!
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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Most Important Things In Life

I have come to realize that your perspective of life is directly related to the attitude that you bare.  No matter what your circumstances are you can always find positives if you look hard enough.  Before becoming a mother I could have given you a list of things that were extremely important to me, that list 
would not even resemble itself today.


Sitting in a small living room I look around and realize that the most important things in this world to me are sitting right here with me.  If I never acquired another thing I would still have gained the entire world.  I am blessed beyond measure and grateful beyond belief for these treasures that I have been given.



What a freeing feeling to know that I have already been given all that I will ever need.  I will never go a day without giving thanks and praise for the life that I have been given... 
it is far greater than I could have ever imagined!
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Blueberry Picking

We spent the morning with some of our favorite people at the Robinson's blueberry farm. Nothing can compare to fresh from the vine juicy blueberries, and WoW were these berries huge!.  When we came home we enjoyed fruit smoothies, which of course were made with our freshly picked berries! Yummy.......














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Monday, June 20, 2011

For The Sake of My Child; Kayla's Story

Let me just start by saying that this post isn't a about judging others or trying to tell someone else how to live their life.  Everyone is entitled to their rights and allowed to make their own decisions.  This isn't about what someone should be allowed to do, it's about what I am hoping that someone would choose to do.  Please take the time to read this it could save the life of a child.


Three of my children have Asthma, which makes it impossible for us to go anywhere without our little black bag.  This respiratory condition is rapidly becoming more common in children and unfortunately our situation is not rare or uncommon, we are just 3 of 300 million and 
this is  Our Story....


I have come to realize that every family has their very own "normal".... our "normal" is a little black bag.  Nothing really special in fact it was given to me by the hospital as a free gift when I had one of my children.  This black bag is a life source to my children because it is full of the medication that is necessary to save their lives.

The week before a recent beach trip my children began having Asthma attacks associated with allergies.  I made sure to have extra medication on hand... I have learned from experience that things can turn bad very quickly with Asthma.  

My 6 year old daughter has the most severe case of all my children and it wasn't long into the trip when I realized this was going to be a difficult week for her.  With Asthma treatment there is a step process that you follow, continually building on medications.  If one step isn't controlling the episodes then you move on to the next one, when you are out of steps you head to the hospital.  With only a couple of days left in our vacation I had gone through all of the steps and was fearing the dreaded trip to the ER.  The night before we headed home my sweet little girl went into an attack that I didn't think I would be able to bring her out of... it was violent and scary and hard to watch.

In the midst of her discomfort she looked at me with eyes full of broken blood vessels and said in a strained little voice, "Mama let's ask God to help me."  At this point I had already accepted our fate and had my sister looking for the closest hospital, however I was more than willing to oblige her request.  Things dramatically changed fifteen minutes later, the violent coughs that shook her little body had stopped and she began to breath in normal breaths, she even fell into a peaceful sleep.  We give God all of the glory for her quick and very uncharacteristic recovery.

The unfortunate part about all of this is that it never had to be this bad.  My daughter's severe attacks were the direct result of exposer to cigarette smoke.  This exposure didn't come from anyone in my family or even anyone that I knew, it was from complete unaware strangers.  The entire day prior to this attack my daughter was continuously exposed to harmful smoke despite all efforts made to keep her far from cigarettes.

While on the beach people would come near her smoking, every attempt to move her only ended with a new exposer. We tried to dine out that evening but SC does not have a ban on smoking in restaurants, so once again we were surrounded by smoke.  Later that evening we went to the family amusement park on the beach, the kids had looked forward to this trip all week.  It didn't take long until we realized that we were going to have to change our plans, everywhere we turned there was someone holding a flaming cigarette.  We desperately tried to protect her from the dangerous fumes but we were forced to leave.

The places that I took my children were not adult atmospheres, these were places designed for children and families, places that I thought would be safe for my little ones.  But for a child with severe Asthma these places quickly became life threating.  The travesty is that children with Asthma aren't able to be free to play and be involved in the things that other children enjoy...at least not when cigarettes are present.


I am simply pleading with you on behalf of ALL children. The truth is that anyone with a compromised respiratory systems can easily slip into respiratory distress when exposed to smoke. 




My point is not to condemn, but to create awareness.  Please, treat smoking like any other chemical and use it responsibly, please choose to protect those innocent lives around you




 If you are going to smoke then please make sure that you are not in an environment intended for children.  When you choose to smoke around children especially those with 
respiratory conditions you are risking their lives.


Here is what Asthma looks like from a medication stand point!  This is what my children had to endure in order to breath.

Our Beach Week Medication List:
39 breathing treatment (steroid and rescue meds.)
3 rescue inhalers
1 steroid
2 antibiotics
4 antihistamines

Places we were forced to take detours from:
The Grocery store entrance
The Beach
The Children's rides at the Pavilion
Restaurants
Put-Put Golf


Please choose to make these types of places safe for all children!


To learn more information and statistics about Asthma go to:
"Tobacco smoke. Today most people are aware that smoking can lead to cancer and heart disease. What you may not be aware of, though, is that smoking is also a risk factor for asthma in children and a common trigger of asthma for all ages.
It may seem obvious that people with asthma should not smoke, but they should also avoid the smoke from others' cigarettes. This "secondhand" smoke, or "passive smoking," can trigger asthma symptoms in people with the disease. Studies have shown a clear link between secondhand smoke and asthma in young people. Passive smoking worsens asthma in children and teens and may cause up to 26,000 new cases of asthma each year."



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Friday, June 10, 2011

Milestones

Anareese Elizabeth (or Resse Cup as Addyson likes to call you, which is pretty funny because she doesn't even know what a Reese cup is..lol) you have had a big couple of weeks.  You are now using a sippy cup, eating rice cereal, and sitting all by yourself!





You are sleeping in your not-so-big girl bed now.....



We had your first family photo's taken.







This past week you took your first ride on an airplane and then enjoyed your first trip to the beach.  

On the way to the beach.....
   
On the way home.....yes, you sleep the entire trip, both directions!

But a first trip to the beach just wouldn't be complete without tasting the sand, which by the way 
didn't taste nearly as good as you had anticipated!



Unfortunately, you also had the opportunity to experience your first antibiotic, which was followed by an allergic reaction!
And now not only are you getting your first tooth but you are already getting your second one too!  I'm sure going to miss that toothless grin.



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