Starting Chantix Program

It's been a long time since I've written anything.  First, before I talk about Chantix, I had a wonderful night a few weeks ago.  My son and I mended our fences, and all 4 of my kids were together!  Here are some pics...

Sami, Tyler, Sara and Matthew

Sami showing off her beautiful smile.

Tyler and his girlfriend, Michelle.

It was a very happy night.

Now, about the smoking.  I have been smoking for a total of 17 years!  Ugh!  I did stop in the middle for 12 years, but started back up 8 years ago.  Right now I'm at just under 1 pack a day.  It's horrible.  It makes me stink, my car stinks, my teeth aren't shiny, my husband is not a smoker and he complains aaaalllll the time.  My kids hate it.  I wheeze when I breathe.  The doctor just gave me an inhaler to help my breathing.  That's getting bad.  But there's still time for me.  I just had a few xrays and tests done and I do not have lung, lymph node or breast cancer.  That's great news!  I was really worried about that for a long time.

I have tried lots of things to try to stop smoking before.  I quit for 12 years when I got hypnotized...the "real" way.  Not this bull crap "guided imagery" they try to pass off as hypnosis these days.  I have tried that about 5 times and it does not work.  I've tried nicotine gum.  It helped slightly, but not really.  And I've tried going cold turkey.  That didn't work out at all.  I've also given electronic cigarettes a go.  No go. Now I'm at my wit's end.  I hate smoking, and I've got to stop!

The Chantix is very expensive, and I was pretty shocked.  It was $191 for what will last me 33 days.  Yikes! My husband about had a coronary.  Oh, here's a little side story.  He says, "You've tried all kinds of ways to stop smoking and it's cost a ton of money."  And he was not excited about spending more money on another "cure".  I said to him, "If you had a disease and the doctor gave you a medicine and it didn't work, would you give up and live with the disease or would you spend money on another medicine until you found one that worked?"  He didn't say much after that.

Ok, so what I'm going to do is check in every couple of days and give a run down on how it's going.  One concern I have is that I am a psychiatric patient, diagnosed and being treated for bipolar disorder, depression and schizzo-affective disorder.  Chantix can make symptoms worse in psychiatric patients, so I have to keep a real good eye on how my moods are doing.  Hopefully I'll be one of those that never experiences those problems.  Say some prayers and send some encouraging thoughts my way.  I took my first 1/2 mg tablet tonight.  My official Stop Date is February 11, 2012.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving Day?  Did you do the whole turkey dinner, or do like my brother and stay home alone with a pizza and a movie?  We did the family thing.  It's nice in one way to go to someone else's house in that I don't have to kill myself cooking all day.  But at the same time it has its downsides too...NO LEFTOVERS!!!  That's the worst!  I don't know about you, but I can't live without leftover turkey sandwiches.  That's tragic.  The solution?  TWO Thanksgiving Days!

Yesterday we spent the day with family at a relative's house.  The kids played so nice together all day long.  I made a comment to Sami about that and she quickly said, "Don't get used to it!"  lol.  Sami doesn't usually socialize with the rest of the family, but guess what?  I've got proof!  Here's a pic of her here playing catch with Matthew and Dad....

There were some small kids there...maybe 2 and 4...and my big kids played so nicely with them.  They taught the little kids how to play Smear the Queer, monkey in the middle and just generally ran around with them in the yard all afternoon.

I made my kids stop and take photos.  Sara?  No problem!  She's such a ham!!!  She loves to pose.  Here is her modelling shot...

And another posed play shot...

This year we opted out of buying the outrageously overpriced and poorly shot school photo packages for the kids.  I knew I could do better and way cheaper on my own.  Since the kids were all dressed nicely and everyone was in a good mood, I took my own school photo pics...

Maybe I could have found a better backdrop for Sara and Matthew, but I was trying to avoid having other people or weird things in the background, so I decided on the stucco wall.  I took Sami's on the wall, too, but all the ones I took of her looked like either a mug shot or a forced, fake smile.  No good.  But when I took a photo of them together on the hammock, I loooooved the way Sami looked, so I cropped her out and made that the individual photo too.

I took a photo of my 3 kids together on a hammock, and I think they are the best pics of the 3 kids I've had in many many years.  I am so excited!

I bribe them to take nice pics by telling them they can do a goofy one after I get a good one.  And, my husband NEVER takes good photos.  His eyes are very sensitive to light, so he's either squinting or has his eyes closed all together.  I got so lucky.  Yesterday was overcast so he wasn't wearing his dark dark dark sunglasses, and it was light enough that I didn't need the flash.  I'm so happy to FINALLY have a good photo of my hubby!!!  Here is Jeff...

I had the best bargain on the planet this morning!  I took my photos on a CD to Walgreen's to their photo kiosk thing.  I picked my photos, sizes, etc...I got about 6 regular 4x6 prints, 8 wallets of each of the kids and 4 wallets of Jeff, 4 5x7's and 1 8x10.  You know how much it cost?  Just under $22!!!!!  They printed up beautiful and vibrant on glossy paper.  The 8x10 was only $3-something.  My jaw dropped.  I am going to have to take advantage of this more often!!!!  The kids' school photos would have cost me at least $45 ($15 for each) with NO 8x10's, and certainly not one of them all together looking awesome.  I was doing the happy dance in Walgreen's!  And it only took about 10 minutes to get them printed up.  I'm so excited!  It usually works out that we pay all that money for the kids' school photos and then I never give them out because I don't like them.  These I am so proud to give out.  And I can't wait to get a frame for my 8x10 and hang it on my wall!

THEN tomorrow I will be cooking all day because as I said earlier, I can't go without my own turkey and leftover turkey sandwiches.  Got a 21pounder in the fridge.  I only have a very tiny wall oven, and this turkey will just barely fit.  I'll have to bake the pies and green bean casserole starting at 7 a.m. so I can get the turkey in by 10a.m. so it will hopefully be ready by 5p.m.  My parents will be coming over to have dinner with us, and then after dinner they will sit and watch a movie with the kids or something.

All in all, a very good weekend.  I am bummed out a little bit, though.  I haven't WON anything in about 2 weeks!  (oh, the horror!)  I'm going through "winner's high" withdrawals.  Better win something soon to get my fix!

I hope you all are having a great holiday weekend.  Drop me a line and tell me about it.  I'd love to hear from you!