Cannot see

I will return when I can fully see what I am typing. I had a procedure (er the whole top of my eye was cut off) done and I cannot see well right now. This took far too long to type LOL. See ya soon, pun intended!

My sweet boy

This was my Mother's Day present! I found a company that would retouch Killian's picture for me. People have been offended seeing it in it's previous form. I have always thought he was perfect but this is something that I can actually share with ANYONE and NO one should feel offended. I am so pleased with the results. He was so sweet, so perfect.

And now this is what Drig's poison ivy looks like....YUCK!

Kai the Rockstar

Kai wanted his Mohawk for the summer. We were cutting hair last night and decided since it was the last week, why not? So my boy has the Mohawk. It actually fits him quite well. You should have seen the looks he was getting from all the teachers as I dropped him off today. I just do not understand what the big deal is. I have never understood hair as a problem. I guess I am a bad mom for letting him do it but oh well. What do you think?? Is it wrong, in poor taste or judgement to let your child have a Mohawk or any other *wild* hair cut? Let me know, I can agree to disagree ;)

Whatever

This is a picture for later reading....

So here's the lowdown from last week. Let's see, Keara got in trouble for her shorts being too tight for school...WTF they were bike shorts but she is in 3rd grade! Whatever. Then she got in trouble for doodling in her journal, WTF again! Isn't a journal a place of self expression?? Whatever again! Next, she comes home to tell us that she has a project that is overdue. I never, not one freaking time heard of this project. It was assigned in March! DUH, don't ya think they could have sent us a note?? Freaking whatever! Then she had her chorus program and I didn't sing, so I was getting some really nasty looks and she was literally growling at me from the risers. I so adore being such a bad mom! And no not whatever.

The best is yet to come....Keara told the boys to rub poison ivy all over their bodies. Well Kai was smarter than that and didn't do it. Drig wasn't and he rubbed it on his belly. Speed forward to later that night when he is bathing and I notice a faint black spot on his belly along with various other weird spots. Nothing resembling poison ivy I might add. The next day, the spot is DARK black and looks like a mole. Of course I freaked out a little and took him to the Dr. She had no idea either. She took a picture and had another Dr. look, gave us some steroids and said to call her on Mon. So, over the weekend I hunted down various articles, apparently it's rare but you can get what is called black spot poison ivy. His now looks like poison ivy would as the black spots have either fallen off or been scratched off. It just freaking figures that he has to go and get something rare...imagine that!! And the ring leader....no spots what so ever for her! Whatever!!!

Kai's big event!

Who is out there??

I would love to hear from my frequent blog readers. If you want to leave a message I don't bite!! What can I change, what am I doing right? Who is out there?

My newest drawings

Rough weekend

So, people tell you that time heals the pain. It isn't so! I still have a deep ache in my heart and it doesn't fade. I still can feel that raw, extraordinary sorrow and time has not made it any easier. I think the loss of a child is just not natural and the heartache will always be there. So my weekend was just what I expect. It was rough.

Keara is taking some back steps lately. She has become obsessed with going to the bathroom. UGH She has decided that her brain controls her and she cannot ignore the feeling of having to pee. I have tried every approach out there. So we are calling the Dr. today to try and figure out what to do next. It just sux because I know it is *real* to her but we cannot keep doing the bedtime thing. Then I have to use the *special* meds to control it and of course, this morning was bad. She has a blister and that just compounds the problem. You know, if I had all the money in the world, the very first thing I would pay for would be a para-pro for Keara. I just don't have the money and as of yet, the school issue is not solved. Poor Kai, he tries to just ignore it but I know it's affecting him. He is getting more and more disruptive at home for attention. It is almost impossible to explain to him that we are not trying to be unfair to him and that Keara requires the rewards, attention etc. He is just too young to understand. Hell, I might be too old to understand. UGH Then I have to talk Drig out of his obsession of either being first to bed or third...don't even get me started. OCD sux. I wish that I was more patient and could say I understand their need to have things just so, but I just don't. I am not like that and I just try to do what I need to do to help. But with Keara, I am never right. I am evil and unwilling to do what she needs. I just wish I could be the mom she needs instead of the one she really despises. UGH.

So, I am venting and of course questioning. This really sux!

Killian Joseph 4-26-97

My Angel Killian....Mommy still feels your heartbeat. I love you!

My basketball boy and "cool" girl

Keara's idea of the "cool" outfit LOL!

Give me strength

So Keara had a bad morning. UGH I knew the other shoe would drop but man when it has to drop on me in the morning (the morning I am alone of course) it sux. She has a problem with her socks every morning but this time we could not get past it. So, I loaded her up in the car and she went barefoot. We tried for about 1.5 hours to get those damn things on but it just wasn't happening. She finally got the choice of shoes or finding an ISS room (in school suspension). I left her with the Special Ed. teacher and she was screaming. She finally gave in. She is in her classroom, but I can guarentee she will RAGE tonight. Please give me the strnegth I need to deal tonight. Hercules is dead and we will be sad for awhile! UGH UGH UGH. Anyone know of any cute, easy horseshoe crafts? Keara has decided to do that to earn the money for the farm.

OMG

Keara had her horse show today. It was really exciting. When we first got there, the woman in charge came over and took Jay and I aside. Hercules (Keara's horse) had died. OMG! Keara was really happy and we didn't want to tell her before she had to ride, so we just said that Hercules was helping a different farm. She rode on Sherlock Holmes and did wonderful. After I took her over to a beautiful little pond they have there and told her about Hercules. At first, she said "no mama, Hercules did not die." Then we talked about Hercules going to Heaven and probably Mimi (my grandma) was riding him. She is very sad. She has decided to try and raise some money to sponsor her favorite dog, Grace. She wants to do it to honor Hercules. OMG, she is truly an amazing little girl. I am very proud to be her mama. My heart is hurting a bit though because I know this is going to be tough for her. I will put video and pictures up soon. SO SAD!

Where to begin?

Ok so I have been MIA. We have gone through some really hard times with Keara. Well I say that and really it was only 2 times so actually she is doing good overall. It is just that the 2x were WAY out there. So we have a new med that we use in those times and it helps.

Let's see.... the break down of my last couple of weeks. I have painted the entire house (minus the kitchen, but that will be coming), we even did the ceilings this time....WOW they POP!! I had my mom here for a visit, that was a whirlwind. We had so much to do, we really did not stop while she was here. I had a birthday shhhh. We had a teacher appreciation breakfast that I organized. It went ok, not as great as I had hoped but oh well. (the teachers went out and cleaned the stuff up before I could get back, I felt really bad). We had Keara's IEP meeting and that was the best it has ever gone....I LOVE her teacher, the new principal and speech teacher. They are awesome. Keara has her Horse Show today. She said "mama, I might even jump, might mama. Just might!" (it's just a step up thing LOL) Oh did I tell ya that I might just be allergic to hay. Like truly allergic. I always feel awful after we leave and my throat starts to swell. I have been taking Benadryl after but that sux. I need to go to the dr. but I haven't had the time and now her session is ending. If she does it again, I will go. And we got her into the Autism Clinic again, so stoked about it!

More later, gotta go to the farm....

Spring has arrived

ACK. Time gets away from me these days. Computer time is like nonexistent! I have spring fever like you would not believe. Maybe it's the kids being cooped up with sickness or something. Anywhosen, I have started painting. I did the hall, playroom, kids bedroom, and both bathrooms. I didn't have to do the living room, just touch up. The master is my next tackle because I just cannot stand it anymore. The kitchen is in need but we have these horrible wood panels that are carved out in the center...I am not explaining it right but I will take a picture and show ya. Basically I want to do it but Jay is not on board. It is a huge undertaking for me because I have such choppy time. The walls have to be hand stroked with a brush and I just don't know if I can stand to do it little increments right now. I will see. I am just lucky to have gotten this much out of Jay. Of course, he hasn't done any hard work, just rolling. I did all the prep spackling, trim and even cut in the tops, bottoms, sides etc. He is not a fixer-upper. He doesn't like labor. LOL So the kids playroom was awful. There were walls that practically could have been re-sheet rocked. (no clue if that's a real word) I had to use so much spackle in there it was pitiful. This is Kai's doing, he is my little destroyer. UGH He put a hole in the wall between the playroom and the sleeping room (on both sides) so he could spy on Keara. He used to drop his brother's toys down there too, until we made it clear that he was not only paying to fix the hole but he was getting his brother new toys too! Funny how that work. The bedroom where the kids sleep (they want to be together...I have tried to put them in separate and not one will have it) was tricky. I knew we had to do it over the weekend because of Keara's issues. It was, as I suspected, a problem. Keara really went off on me..."you are evil mama...how could you?" I had prepared, though. We discussed what we could do with the new room and we ended up getting new wall stickers. They were better than before so she was thrilled. Of course, when ya buy for one, all must have it. So Keara's is princess and Hannah Montana, Kai's is Sponge Bob and Drig's is Cars. I need to take pictures of that too. My arms are tired and I went the entire time until yesterday without getting paint in my hair. Of course, it's white. LOL

more later....gotta do some laundry

Great Keara news

The kids had a fabulous Easter. The Easter Bunny got them each a bike. (Before you tell me how awful that is for Easter...blah, blah...we didn't do much for Christmas because we knew we wanted this for Easter. It is a much better time of year and we were traveling on Christmas.) So anyway, Keara has never been able to ride without training wheels. This new bike doesn't have any. We took the kids to the school parking lot to ride and it was so wonderful. Keara learned in, I kid you not, 5 minutes how to ride. By the time we were done, she was riding, stopping, braking, saving herself from falling and starting all by herself. We are so proud of her. It was so amazing to watch. Just had to brag!

So now it's a rash...

Keara has developed a rash over her entire body. It is itchy. We tried Benadryl but it didn't work. So I took her in to the Dr. and he says "yeah, she sure does have a rash!" UMM thank you I think I figured that out. I wouldn't even normally take her but with as bad as she was sick, I couldn't chance it. The Dr. does think they are related but nothing to worry about. Now it's just watch and see. Poor girl though, it makes me itch just looking at her. UGH

How many letters in the alphabet?

On Big Brother one of the girls was talking about how there are 27 letters in the alphabet. We found that little bit quite funny. We decided just to prove that.... you know everyone knows that is wrong... we asked Kai how many there were~

Us - "Buddy, how many letters are in the alphabet? You can count if you want."
Kai - "27!"
Us - "Um okay, count it out loud for us."
Kai - "A-1, B-2 .....X-24, Y-25, AND-26, Z-27!"

This is exactly how the girl on BB did it. So I guess there are two out there. I had never heard anyone do that before and I just couldn't believe it but I guess it's pretty common?? Or should I worry about Kai?? LMAO

Kai in the Hat!

Keara the Meteorologist

Keara went with her daddy today on a private tour of the WTVM News/Weather center in Columbus, Ga. Jay knows the General Manager and was able to arrange for the personal look. She got to talk with Meteorologist Bruce Lee for about 45min. He explained all of his weather maps and the basics for forecasting. He let her use his desk, computers, and even the blue screen with the clicker. She was beyond thrilled. We are so proud of her, she asked him some really thoughtful questions about schooling and such. She even got his autograph in one of her weather books. I just wanted to share her exciting day.

Congratulations Jay!

Jason took his PGA certification yesterday. This is something beyond the basic PGA Card. It is specialized in categories of your career. (He may do a couple more along the way) He passed! I'm so proud of him. He studied and accomplished something not many have. He is certified in Golf Operations and of course the Core. Now he can start his work toward a Master Professional. Again, I am so VERY proud of him.

Virus time !

So, Keara has weathered the storm. It has been a long week and a half. She probably lost 10lbs at least. Yesterday was her first day of truly feeling better. Poor thing! Now it is Drig's turn. He started with the fevers Friday. Today I took him in because he complained about his ear and he has been crawling due to calf pain. He has an ear infection. The pain is probably just from the virus but we are watching it. The scary part has been how quickly his fevers rise. He will go from 99 to 102 in like ten minutes. This is usually been when he does seizures in the past, so mama has been kinda freaking out this week. I'm waiting for it to happen and really dread it. Knock on wood, so far, so good. Kai has yet to be struck, so I figure as Drig gets better, Kai will get it. And of course then Jay! So please pray that I can hold up through this! Sorry for not updating sooner, it's been kinda dreary around here.

Where do I begin....

So when last I wrote, Keara had a meltdown. Well we had another one. It was AWFUL! We had all the dr's on the line and were mere minutes from taking her in. I tried something that a wonderfully wise friend suggested but she was too far gone for that. So I used a really tough approach and for some unknown reason, it worked. The next day we got her in to her Ped. She was really thoughtful and offered some great advice. We also got an emergency visit with the dr. in B'ham. It is far but SO worth the drive. This dr. is great and she knows Aspergers...most don't have a lot of experience. She gave us the old med and a new one to curb the rage *in case*. So we now have a plan!! I am literally jumping up and down with joy!

But Keara has gotten sick. She started Sat. night with fever and stomach ache. It has been getting progressively worse. So today I made an appointment. It was no more than 15 minutes later and she gets sick. Umm, we have a problem because it looks like coffee grounds. (Has anyone else heard that this was NOT good, as I?) So I called back and yeah, they need to see her ASAP. So we go in and yes I brought the lovely vomit with me (well duh, I wasn't gonna let him think I just imagined it) He looked at it and immediately started testing her for Appendicitis. Like jump up and down and pressing in certain areas and all that. (BTW this post is gonna be hazy because I am literally typing blindly...I am so tired) So he sends us to the hospital. UGH Have you ever done a CT scan on an autistic kid??? It SUX. First she has to drink this contrast drink. They put it into lemonade so she was sssllllooooowwlly sipping it. Then this stupid MoFo receptionist comes over and says "they should not make her drink that, last week they gave a little girl yogurt instead." UM Thanks A Fucking Lot Bitch! Because now Keara refuses the drink and will only do yogurt. Well no one in the back (ie the people that know what they are doing) know anything about the gd yogurt. In the meantime, Keara is FIXATED on the GD YOGURT> "When are they bringing the yogurt Mama? They said I could have yogurt. Are they lying. I want to talk to Josh, he said he would get me yogurt." This went on for ...I kid you not... 2 hours! So they take us to the holding area and give Keara a bed. The we get the trauma of putting in her IV. OMG at this point I am just so ready to just knock her the hell out and do something. But I find out the only alternative to the drink is through another hole and it ain't gonna be pretty! So we finally get the CT done (and yeah there was more drama but I just cannot type it right now). Guess what she doesn't have?? HAHA The fucking joke was on me. We spent 5 hours in the hospital today and we don't know anything. So tomorrow we call and see where to go from here. GAWD, I am praying that my sweet baby girl feels better tomorrow because I know her mommy cannot do another today! I will let ya know!

cat Vs Fan

This is hilarious

OK so it wasn't "in a few..."

Keara had the worst meltdown to date. It started with what we thought was defiance. So we responded with a hard line. "Eat what is on your plate or don't", "Do not use that tone with us!" etc. She kept going to the point of actually *plotting* to hurt me. So we had to bring her to the safe spot (ie corner her) and help her calm down. It took 2 FREAKING hours. I kid you not. We were so close to taking her to the hospital. I can't even go into how bad it was. So tomorrow we are getting full force back into the psychiatrist hunt. UGH It is so frustrating. I want so bad for my baby girl to be ok. I want for everything to be happy and sunshine. (I know it's never going to be perfect because such is life but at least close).

I am happy to report that today my little girl was back. She had an awesome day and we talked a good bit about how bad she felt last night. She is such a sweet girl when her brain is letting her. I am starting to feel better too. I went to the Dr. on Thurs. night because it was bad. I ended up leaving with a "potent" antibiotic, some decongestant/allergy pill and the beloved Endal (for those of you that have ever suffered a cough at night, Endal kicks some ASS). I have had a numb head from the meds but at least I am sleeping and feeling somewhat human. Monday night might be FUN. We are supposed to have powerful storms and I hate storms. Hopefully Keara will be ok through this! Wish me luck!

Saturday....UGH

My day was going perfectly fine until...

We were outside playing and I heard Kai start to scream. At first it wasn't really a scary type scream so I just figured he was playing or not hurt bad. Then it turned into that terrifying type. I ran over to see what the boy had done this time and he was hanging from a tree. He was stuck between two large limbs...like his knee was in between and wedged down deep. So I tried to pull up on him, which only led to more screaming. I propped my leg under him (not very easy for someone that doesn't work out an a regular basis because my leg was actually about three feet off the ground). Then I tried to get Keara to push on the other side to help shimmy him out. None of this worked. So, I called Jay. He didn't answer. UGH I called again and he headed to the house. Kai was getting increasingly upset so I asked Keara to calmly walk next door and see if they could come help. Finally someone came and she says "oh honey don't worry, I have 3 boys!" She was cool and collected (she isn't the neighbor, just taking care of their house). She was also fairly large (as in strong) and simply pulled the tree apart. I couldn't have done it and was very grateful that she saved us! Jay got home and was somewhat incredulous but whatever. Kai has some bruising and we applied ice. I bet he won't do that again, then again we are talking about Kai!

But wait the day got better...more in a few!

Friday Quote of the Day

Padraig : "Mama, my underwear are sucking my butt!"

Politics

I have so many opinions on the state of this country. Unfortunately, I don't think what is happening now is going to help. UGH I am not enamored by any one candidate but Hilary is by far my top right now. I don't necessarily disagree with Obama but I feel like he is just not ready. I felt the same about Edwards. I also do not think McCain will lose to him. And the sad part of the whole McCain thing, I used to really admire him. I was, 2 years ago, ready to go for McCain. Then he decided to become Bush's puppet and I cannot follow someone that feels the current administration is doing a good job. We do need change. I will certainly vote for Obama if he is the candidate but I am going to be very worried because I don't know that he can beat McCain. I wish I could give Hilary some pointers too. Like when you are talking to people, look at them. Don't look down, or have that glazed over up in the air look. And the smirks get old. It comes off as smug and although sometimes it is warranted, most people do not like to see someone with that look. She could also do well NOT to follow the polls, as in *what people want to hear right now* and just speak from the heart on the issues. She has so many really good points, make them, without being trite and glib! OK I will get off my bandwagon now...

DON'T BOTHER SLAMMING ME FOR WHAT IS MY OPINION...I HAVE THAT RIGHT...I WILL IGNORE YOU (see post below, Jay will help me LOL)

Morons

Why in the world would anyone ask for pictures of people that are NOT in their life? I am so dumbfounded by the gall. I would NEVER go to anyone that I do not know and ask for their pictures. It is absolutely amazing to me. I have a tendency to want to scream when someone tries bullshit like this but my ever so calm hubby holds me in check. Thank GAWD for Jay. What an IDIOT! OK I feel better now LOL.

Styles of speaking

So in my house Keara and Padraig are the same type of conversationalists. They can recite verbatim every last word their teachers have uttered. Kai is not. The boy will absolutely drive you nuts telling about his day. He will start with one part and progressively wind through the entire day in some convoluted mashed together mess. I cannot EVER understand ANY one area of his day. I will stop him and say "Uh, Kai explain that!" And the answer is always "I just did!" He *gets* it but the rest of us are clueless. So yesterday when he says "...and I had to go into the office with ______ because the scissors were right here (pointing to his eye), and Mrs. ____ said did he do it or did he." I just kinda started to freak because my dearest Kai is sometimes a little mischievous. But I assumed they would call me if he did anything TOO awful. So I never fully understood the WHOLE story but I guess at least this time my boy was NOT to blame. LOL

.....BUT
Last week Kai did start a small fire. He is going to the fire department to have a talk about fire safety and such. Seriously, if there is a line to cross, Kai will do it. He is ALWAYS looking for the next crazy stunt or some reason to do something wrong! UGH

Sick again!!!

I am seriously considering going for the world records in number of times a person can be sick in a row. I swear I cannot get healthy. So I think it's the flu but I don't know. Maybe bronchitis...UGH. I slept in the recliner so I could keep my head up and not wake with the dreaded tightness in my chest. It worked pretty well but the kids decided that today, because you know it's Saturday, they would wake up at 6am and scream. I am seriously going to go insane today. I just want to feel better. So there...my sob story!

Keara doing Lion King

Do you like the feedjit thing or...

does it feel like a hall monitor...ya know you are not doing anything wrong but someone is always hovering, watching your every move. I will remove it if it bothers anyone. If I have readers because sometimes I feel like this is a journal of sorts and I may (not intentional) irritate people that do read. LOL I just started thinking that I am not sure it's good on there...I don't care either way, I just don't want to lose the one reader I do have BAHAAAABAA. (and yes that is exactly what I sound like when I laugh, so don't question it)

Need to get this on video

Padraig was outside playing...

He found a stick and is *fishing* with it. He throws it out and gently reels it back in. Sometimes he gets a snag, sometimes it's a HUGE fish that ultimately *gets away* or sometimes he actually catches the prized fish. He takes it off the line and decides *hmmm should I keep it or throw it back*. It is the most hilarious thing you have ever seen. And he does it for about an hour. Imusttapethatforalltoseesoon!

The things we can do

...what kinds of things do we take for granted.

Keara struggles with the everyday tasks that seem so mundane for most of us. She cannot yet bath, brush teeth/hair or zip up ALL by herself. Now we are getting there but these are the things that most of us take for granted. I know even with Kai, I tend to just expect him to do these things. He can and it isn't a chore. Keara is trying and one day it will happen but it doesn't consistently yet. It is hard for her to write because she isn't thinking about just what to write but also how to form the letters. Last night we did some cursive in shaving cream and the joy on her face as she accomplished each letter was so wonderful. But she struggles. Math is another area. She can do really complex problems but the little 2-1 still requires 30 seconds of thinking. She also has a weird aversion to the number six. I don't know. I just know that everything I do so easily I now think, wow if I actually had to THINK my way through that process, it would royally SUCK. Like as I am here typing, I am not thinking of how to spell the words, or how to type them, I am just spitting it out. I am thinking more of what I am saying than how I am saying it, does that make sense? It isn't difficult to do that, but for Keara it is pure torture. Just makes me sad.

Her equine therapy started. They just did some getting to know ya type things and grooming. But Keara loved it. I on the other hand, might be in trouble. I will find out next week. I think I may have an allergy, which would really bite. I don't know for sure because I also got what I think is the flu that day. BTW I didn't have the flu a week and a half ago like I thought, this is definitely worse! It really is nasty! Oh and on another front (I'm starting to think I have ADHD LOL) Keara has decided to do her own little fundraiser for her horse farm. She wants to help them. I was so proud of her, to come up with it. Now we have to think of what we can do to raise the money. Any ideas for her??

Off to take more medicine and get the kids from school.

Out of a Rage came something FANTASTIC

Keara had her normal morning rage this am. Of course I am usually calm and I was for about 20 minutes of it. She was kicking and screaming but I am sick and I finally snapped. So I yelled for maybe a minute too. Well we finally turned it around and as I was sitting back crying (because yes, I'm a baby) she was over by herself, tying her shoe. This is a first. I know she is nine but we have tried for years and we haven't mastered it. She would get so frustrated and sad. Today she did it like she had been for years. This is how Keara does motor skills. One day NOTHING, the next not only can she do it but it looks like she has became a pro. I don't understand but I was thrilled. (And yes I cried again!)

Mom - the Partygirl

We had a meeting with Keara's teacher yesterday. All is well! Anyhoo, her teacher says "oh yeah, I heard ALL about the party. Keara was pretty concerned. She said 'I didn't know my mama was a party girl!' " To which I stammered and really couldn't respond. GAH! So I was talking to my mom and she says "Keara was probably wondering about her Nan too!" I asked Keara and Keara said "No, Nan parties ALL the time!" BAHAHA
So I guess I am a PARTY GIRL.

It is over, now I can rest.....aaahhhh

So the big party is over! It was hectic. We drove up on Friday night. Saturday, I went to get things set up, came back to my parents' house and had 10 freaking minutes to get ready. So I was a little frazzled. But once we got there, it was FUN! OK if you must know...Pepe and I became fast friends. I was also pretty chummy with a certain Pinot Grigio and some fabulous vanilla brandy. It should have been a lethal combo but I was the MAN! I did not see the return of any of my friends. Tucked safely in my belly, I only felt a slight quiver the next day. Let's just say that driving in the aftermath was NOT such a great plan. Especially when the drive is 6 hours LONG! But I survived. We danced and sang and plain ole ripped up the evening. It ended at 2am. My back and body knows that I danced HARD. I am especially aware of the one, er maybe five times I slammed into things while trying to maneuver to and fro. My parents had a blast too.

Now Keara was another story altogether. UGH EVERY time we go anywhere, we have to have that night to adjust because GAWD we changed the routine. So we did the first night ritual and I thought OK it's over. NAH Poor Jay who became the DD because his lovely wife was PLASTERED and his inlaws were PLASTERED...he had to talk Keara through a rage until 3am. But....HE DID IT! I am so excited that he was so calm and able to do it. It was good because I COULD NOT DO IT.

Tomorrow, Keara starts her equine therapy. I am so beyond thrilled. I will report later.

More Crafts

Crafting He!!

So this weekend has been crafting from hell weekend! The kids needed to do their V-day cards and of course they didn't have HM ones (or they sold out the places I looked). Anyhoo, Keara wanted them, so being the overly obsessive, have to please kinda mother that I am, she was gonna get the damn HM cards! It was a little more involved than I had hoped but the good news is they are DONE! (Top)

The boys did theirs and Kai also made a box for collecting them at school. But my crafting did not end there. Keara also has this big project to do. It's about Thomas Edison. They had a bunch of written work but then they had to dress a mannequin too. So we did that today as well. Up above...(had to move it to the top so you could see it bigger)

But that is not the end to my craftiness...oh no I must continue because I am also still to get done

• a plaque that I have already painted but need to do stenciling and then add the picture I may or may not decoupage or just clear coat



• party favors for my parent's anniversary party next weekend



• picture boards for party



• pictures in frames for party



• slide show that I somehow said "oh yeah, totally not a big deal, I'll do it"



• rice crispy (and I do not know how to spell that) cards for V-day

And somehow during all that, I need to pack and OH YEAH...STOP FEELING LIKE A BUS RAN OVER ME! I think I may have the freaking flu in the midst of all this!! So that is my vent post for the day!!

Do we have to?

I am so sick of parties in the classrooms. UGH Every occasion from Chinese New Year to V Day to Ground Hog Day, there is a damn party. I don't mind every once in a while but why EVERY frickin' one? It is too much. There is my rant for today. Maybe I should do that, have a daily rant! What do ya think??

Bedtimes

UGH, My kids go to bed at 7. Yes I know that is early, but they have to get up at 6. They NEVER get up easily, there is always the whines "I want to stay in bed, I'm tired, why do I have to get up?" So I keep it at 7, at least until they can show me they are ready for a later time. Keara might move up but not the boys yet. Anyway, Keara came home really mad at me the other day. She says "Mrs. ____ said that an appropriate time frame for 3rd graders to go to bed is between 8 and 9:30. Mama, you are wrong and I am not doing what is appropriate for my age!" UMMM, That really pisses me off! I KNOW my kids and I do not think it is APPROPRIATE to tell kids at school when a bedtime should be. I know she was probably trying to reach those kids that stay up to all hours but the one she affected was mine! I really wish they wouldn't do shit like that. This isn't the first time they have done it either. So now I am thinking about saying something to them because I just don't agree. Of course me being me, I probably won't say a word. But I have had to undo all the damage ALL weekend. This morning, I was fortunate to have Keara do as she always does, not want to get up, and I said "see that is with going to bed at 7, can you imagine if it was later?" She actually agreed finally!

We are no longer accepting members

OK so last night I decided, we are no longer accepting members into OCD club. I was/am sick so my mood was far from happy. You see the routine that we must go through every evening is excessive. Keara has to have the comforter under her, covers pulled to a certain height, lights just so, water, pillows aligned and stuffed toys in their proper place. (I'm sure there is more cause she keeps adding to the routine.) I have put my foot down on more than one occasion which leads to a 20-30 minute meltdown, which in turn leads to Jay melting down and then I cry! I know I am a baby. Anyhow, I have a limit and last night they reached it. Normally I am the peacekeeper, last night I was the dictator. So first before bedtime, they needed to clean up the playroom, it was a disaster. I asked and warned. They were just being shits. So, I started erasing TV shows (tivo). I erased all but like three. They were so unhappy, but guess what happened? They cleaned the friggin room. When bedtime rolled around, they had become shits again, as is the case almost every night. (oh and I have to go off on that subject next...bedtime) Anyway, Kai decided that he needed to be like Keara. Ok this has been coming on for awhile but I just haven't bothered to fight it, I should have but sometimes I just cant kwim? Last night I decided to just blow. UGH I hate it when I do that. I said to everyone "ok from now on there are no routines, no lined up stuffed animals, no checking lights, no cover drama and no fussing about it. I live with a bunch of freaking zealots, and I am going loony!" The kids just kinda looked at me. I think I did get the point across at least to Kai (he reminded me this morning "hey mom don't forget to fix it so my comforter goes on top not under me!" ) Keara just kinda said "I guess I can do change, like that time when...." And that is when my mind went off to another place because Keara tells stories from when she was 2 like they were yesterday. After I fixed the kids, I went into the kitchen and I touched the counter. I rubbed it with my unsanitary, totally germ filled hands and told Jay to "Get OVER it!" He stood behind me with a bleach bottle and towel! It didn't work for him, he still put EVERY GD piece of pepperoni on the pizza in a pattern, x amount of centimeters apart. Oh well, I can't save everyone! But I will keep Kai from becoming one of the members!

Superbowl

OK so I am not a Giants fan but HELL YEAH! I so do not like the Patriots. I have been waiting for their first loss ALL damn year! It was one of the best Superbowls that I can remember. I was drugged for half the game but you know I actually think that made it better. LOL I wasn't super impressed with the commercials. I did like the Bud Light fire one and the E-Trade baby. The rest could come or go. I think there should definitely be a rule about those commercials though. I think they should mandate funny. I mean WTF with some of them?? Plus for those of us that are not so, um er, smart, they should use common references, not obsolete ones. I had to ask Jay like 5 times, UH WHAT??? Of course he knew! That shit! Anyway, pretty enjoyable game though. I was impressed and I actually kinda liked Eli yesterday, SHHH do not tell! I am SAD that football is over. BOOHOO!

My ALLTIME FAVORITE commercial

The Milestones

Last night Keara and I saw the Hannah Montana Movie. I was concerned because Keara has never been able to handle movies. They usually are too loud, too crowded, to warm, too something. Keara has needed to leave in the middle of movies and we have just not made seeing them a priority. She is often scared even watching shows like The Backyardigans. So this was also a test of sorts. She has wanted to go to a concert now for quite some time but because I am not willing to leave in the middle of a concert (I know I'm mean) she needs to be able to handle it. And for those of you that do not know what handle means, let me try to explain. (Although to truly understand you would need to witness this first hand. Trust me until you do, it is unreal. Her teachers that have not seen it, say things like "I cannot imagine" or "she is just so sweet". Those that have seen it, say things like "Oh yeah, she definitely LOST it" or " I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen it." I just laugh because well I LIVE it daily. ) Handle simply means to control her worst impulses at least while we are in the moment. This could be anger, like a chair being thrown across a room, or it could be the shrill that can deafen you, or it could be the urge to *grind* as in certain private areas, or it could mean hiding under a table. There are many possibilities but none are appealing. Anywhoosen, back to last night. I watched her watch the movie, because it was like watching her take her first steps or eat ice cream for the first time. She was dancing and singing and her little tic was on overdrive (again, something you have to witness first hand...she has a spazzy little tic with her hands that is truly engaging to watch.) She was NOT bothered by the noise, or the crowds or the other two dozen sensory issues that normally make her batty. She just enjoyed the show. Again, to some this doesn't seem like much but for me it is so awesome. A couple of months back we had a Family Fun Night. Keara has never done well with these. This one was for the Kindy and PreK. So as you can imagine the activities are geared for them. Well we bought the kids each 10 tickets (went a really long way). You could go on rides or get food or play games. Keara decided to go in the air jump room thingy (no idea what they are called). She has NEVER been able to last the entire time in there...not only did she last but she enjoyed it. I was the mom on the side CRYING! You see, if you have never, in 9 years, seen your little girl do something fun without worry and just being a kid, you cannot understand how wonderful it feels. Last night was another one of those moments. I just don't get them very often and it is so great. She is hitting some milestones...now if they would come more often! But I will cherish every little bit I can.

Let it Snow!