oneverybusymomma

Howdy

2010-05-20T10:01:00.005-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around again, for a long while. It's been busy here, and some strange things have happened. As of right now we are no longer foster parents. Our #1 rule in accepting foster and respite kids into our home was that they had never been sexually abused, or were sexually aggressive. It was important to protect our own kids who are young, and also because 3 of them have special needs. Well, unfortunately, social services didn't take it quite a seriously as we did. They sent us a boy who they said had not been sexually abused, even though they didn't know because he was from another county. So, instead of finding out, the worker just said no. Later he found out that this boy had been violently and extensively sexually abused, but didn't bother to tell us. Another boy that came had behavioral issues, but the worker said she wasn't sure if he had been sexually abused or not. I never allowed this child alone with any of my kids, or any of the other foster/respite kids. Apparently, one weekend when these boys were both here, they started messing around with each other during the day, in the playroom, in front of my son! They told my 6 year old son not to look and not to tell or they wouldn't play with him anymore. Then they were messing around with each other that night also. Two weekend later, the first boy came for the weekend and asked my son to play the dare game with him, and messed around with my son. I saw them go behind the shed and went over there and caught them, but it was too late! What was done had been done and only in a couple of minutes time.
Social services decided in their investigation that in order to keep our foster care license we need to get our son counseling to determined how this has affected him and to determine what level of supervision he now requires in order to keep other kids safe! They also want us to have an adult with him during all waking hours, and want us to make a list of what we'll do differently in order to prevent this from happening again! It just royally ticks me off that THEY put these kids in my home, THEY abuse my child and then MY CHILD is the one that needs to get help and supervision! Excuse me!!!!! I think social services needs to get evaluated to determine what they need to do differently to keep kids safe! I think they need to get educated on why you don't put sexually abused kids in homes with younger or vulnerable kids!
As far as my son, he isn't traumatized by it at all. He thought nothing of it. He's young enough that he doesn't get the concept of any of it. He knows he got in trouble for going along with it and not telling an adult, but as far as he's concerned it wasn't a big deal. To him it was one more stupid thing he did that day to get in trouble. He's not the kind of kid that takes advantage of others. He's a people-pleaser. He wants to be liked and included, especially when it's older kids.
I really learned a lot in this about my kids. I realized that even though I have preached and preached private parts and not letting anyone touch them, that all it takes is one manipulative kid to get them to do stuff that they know they shouldn't do. Their need to make their friends happy is greater than their need to follow the rules. They don't understand the details about people's bodies at this young age and don't understand why some parts are private and others aren't. Really, when you think about how a child's mind works you can see why it doesn't make sense to them. Why is a butt cheek any different than a knee cap? It's only different because Mom and Dad say it is.
Anyways, we are NOT doing what they are asking, so our foster care license will be coming to an end. If we feel like our son needs counseling some day, we will be right on it, but right now I think counseling would make him feel bad about himself. I think it would make him think that he's bad or something is wrong with him. I know kids who have been in counseling for various things and all it become is a crutch for bad behavior. They become some victim that has this excuse because someone did something bad to them and now they are just acting out because they were hurt in the past. I'm not saying all counseling is bad, or all people in counseling act this way, I just think that at this point it would make a mountain out of a mole hill for him.
Right now we are focusing on our own family. Even though we feel bad that the rest of the respite kids no longer have a place to come to, we have to put our own family first. We had actually decided several months ago that since we haven't found any more kids to adopt, that we were going to try and have another baby or two :o) Once I get pregnant, if I do, we would be quitting foster care anyways because pregnancies for me are quite difficult. Taking care of my own kids will be a job and a half at that point. So, I guess it's a good time to be done and get my house in order and get healthy and ready :o) My Husband and kids are SO excited and can't wait to see if we are able to get pregnant, since hubby had to have a reversal in order to do it :o) He was all for it though because we both want a big family :o) Keep your fingers crossed for us :o)
Have a wonderful day :o)

How do you do it?????

2010-03-13T09:31:00.015-06:00

I think that's the number one question we get. Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm no super Mom. I yell, and have my moments just like everyone else.

But .....

there are quite a few tricks that I've learned over the years of parenting, and foster parenting. I think the foster parenting has taught me the most.

Bed wetting: This happens quite often with the foster kids. Most kids under the age of 10 will wet the bed their first night here, so that's just a given. They have a hard time getting to sleep, and then when they do they sleep so hard they wet the bed. That is their one and only free pass. After that, it is explained to them why kids wet the bed and what to do when it happens. They learn that if they quit drinking after dinner time, and take a potty break before bed, they will more than likely never wet the bed again. Getting up in the middle of the night and drinking out of the bathroom faucet will almost guarantee a wet bed.
And if they wet the bed they are required to strip the sheets and put them in the washing machine. I'll add soap and start it. When it's done they put them into the dryer and I start it. When it's done they bring the sheets down and make their own bed. I help them that first time, and show them how it should look. After that they are flying solo. And it needs to be a good job so that they don't fall off.
You don't get in trouble for wetting the bed. However, if you come upstairs in the morning and sit all over my furniture with pissy clothes on - you will be getting a butt chewing right in front of everyone. So, it's best to be honest and upfront and take care of business right away. Thankfully I have leather and can Clorox wipe it down, but that is just beyond gross.
You would not BELIEVE the places I've found peed clothing in my house. Closets, under beds, even in my drawers in the bathroom vanity!!!!! That there gets you one big butt chewing! Especially since the foster kids' part of the house is in the addition and everything is new.

Speaking of pee: Boys and bathrooms, need I say more! The rule in my house is that if you can't aim then you better sit down because I don't clean up other people's pee. I've even had kids pee on top of the lid during the night! I have 5 bathrooms, 3 of which the kids can use. One is right outside the foster kids' bedrooms. If I go down there and there is pee everywhere, they are handed some Clorox wipes and I watch them clean it. It's hilarious watching the faces they make as they do it! Then I say "now imagine if it was someone else's pee". Then they look like they're going to vomit! I tell them, "I don't make you clean up my pee and I'm not going to clean up yours, so I suggest from now on you keep it in the toilet". It's amazing how that works :o) And don't get me wrong, I make my own kids do the same thing, but they're trained to sit so I don't run into that much. Ooh, and closing the lid, flushing, and washing are ALWAYS required!

Laundry: If it's not in the basket, it's not washed, and I do not check pockets. When it comes out of the dryer I will fold it, and they can put it away, as long as it's not inside out. I make piles of inside out stuff and they have to turn it right side out, fold it and put it away themselves. They quickly learn to make sure it's all right side out :o)
My kids also have a lot of clothes so that if I can't get to it each weekend, it doesn't matter.

Meals: You wash your hands, sit down, eat, and be quiet. You need to make sure you've used the bathroom BEFORE sitting down if you need to. Once you leave the table, you are done. You are required to use your manners. When your food is gone, you get fruit. When the fruit is gone, you get dessert. You are free to get down and be done at any time, but don't toss half your meal and ask me for a cookie because I'll just look at you and make some sarcastic repeat of your pleading case of the full belly that you just handed me!
And I always get those manipulative ones that like to tell me they don't like this or that, thinking that they can have something else. NOPE! And many have learned the hard way that if you tell me you don't like something, you won't get it again. If your "belly doesn't like popcorn" because you think you'll get something better, you'll never get popcorn again. If you can't eat sausage at breakfast, don't ask me for sausage pizza! NOPE! I remember these things :o)
They also know that we eat 4 times per day. 3 meals and a snack, that's it. We don't munch, haul food around the house, or eat whenever they want, and they don't help themselves to anything. If you don't eat your meal, then you better be ready to be hungry until the next one.
Many kids are just in awe of the food we make. We eat all natural, so a lot of it is homemade. Something most of them have never had. They've never had pizza that didn't come out of a box, or even pancakes that weren't either frozen or out of a box/bottle.

Behavior: Manners are required in my house. We use manners with the kids and show them respect, and they need to do the same. Most of the foster kids have never had to use manners. I always laugh when I remember one of our regular kids "helping" one of our newer kids get a cookie. The new kid had gotten done eating his food and fruit. He came up to the counter and said "can I have a cookie now?" Right away, the other kid says "DUDE, you better add a please to that or she ain't gonna give you one. You don't get nothin around here without using your manners".
I make good use of the time out stool. I don't care how old you are, your butt will sit there or you can go to bed. I've also found the bigger behavioral issues with the older kids, so they are reminded when they are acting like a 2 year old. If they are going to act like a little kid then I'll call them on it. Privileges are earned here by your behavior, not your age. And your bedtime is ALWAYS on the line. NOBODY wants to go to bed early. How HORRIBLE to have to go to bed early when everyone else is up!!!! Especially since Saturday is movie night :o) Ooh, and the new kids always get to pick the movie, so it's special for them.

Well, that's some of it. All and all, we manage to keep some kind of order around here. Most people think we have the weekend off when they come and visit because it's so quiet. I just had my foster baby's Grandparents here today to visit her. They were in my living room playing with her and kept noticing kids walking by. She finally asked me "may I ask how many kids you have here." I told her "8 including the baby". Her eyes got big and she said, "ooh my gosh, it's so quiet though". I told her, "well, there's plenty of room, and they have things to do, plus they know that if they want to act like they are outside they will be sent outside to burn off their energy."

What I find amazing is that the same kids who follow all of these rules for me, act like animals at home. It's all in the expectations!!!!!

Ooh, and follow-through! If you say it, mean it, and do it!

I could write a book

2010-03-10T20:45:00.008-06:00

but it would be too depressing.

A book about all the hell my foster/respite kids go through. Not only do most of them have mental/emotional deficits because of their Mother's alcohol/drug abuse during pregnancy. They have so many things that they have to endure, for so many years, it's a wonder they're alive. The older child is always the caretaker. The one trying to keep the family together, making sure the littles get some food, trying to keep the parents happy, and losing their own childhood. Then there are the littles, who are so powerless, unable to even care for themselves, but trying to survive in garbage heaps with no food, clean clothes, etc.
The kids are removed, for only several weeks, and in that time we think people can change. People rarely change. As much as they think they love their kids, they love their habits even more. They squeak along, working on this or that, just to stay out of the radar. The kids are stressed because they know their parents are failing, so they'll run around like maniacs cleaning the house whenever someone enters it. They'll stand in shock, wondering if today is the day. But they know there's a better life out there!
They're torn!
They live for the days that they can come and stay here for the weekend. Some try to be "good" so they "get" to come, and others will be "bad" so they will "get sent" here. (I put it in quotes because these are the things they believe, not the truth) But they still love their parents. And why can't their parents be "normal" like their foster parents????? Why can't they live like we live????? Why can't they have a clean house, food to eat, and someone to pay attention to them. Someone who gives them hugs, asks them what they want to eat, and bakes cookies. Why do they have to wonder when they'll get to eat again. Why do they have to get themselves up and ready for Kindergarten in the morning? Going hungry because there wasn't much supper last night and there's no breakfast.
I remember going to Sam's Club and coming home to find kids in awe of how "rich" we were! HOW do you buy so much food???? "You're RICH with FOOD". They want to know what I use THIS for, and when are we going to eat THAT! Can we have some NOW? They get so overwhelmed that I learn to bring the food in when they're in bed or the other room.
At first they can't eat so much of it. Their stomachs are so small that they can't eat enough to keep themselves full for very long. After a few weeks they're eating great, but it takes time. I have to MAKE these kids finish their food in those first weeks because they get full so fast. They'll feel sick because their bellies aren't used to being stretched. They'll ask when we're going to eat again and what it's going to be. So if we aren't going to eat again they can save some - because they have a hard time trusting that the food's going to keep on coming.
They're skinny! I'm thankful for adjustable waists! Bathing them makes me cry! I feel like I'm going to break them when I dry them off.

What is a toothbrush?????

I help them the fist time and they are scared when they spit and there's blood - or brown stuff. The brown stuff is from rotten teeth. Brown spit and rotten teeth bring horrible breath. I have to take them to the dentist where they are terrified because they've never been there before. Only to find out how many teeth have to be pulled and how many have to be filled. And this child needs to be put under to do it because there's so much work that needs to be done.....
the child is 5!
When baby teeth have to be pulled out before the big teeth are ready to come in, you have very few teeth left.
Kids will have ear infections that are so bad they can hardly hear anymore. How could that be? The child was just in for an ear infection not that long ago..... You ask the child if they took meds for it. No, but they went to the Doctor for it. I look at the medical records and see prescriptions for meds. Ooh, I see, Mom probably took the meds because she's an addict. The child is suffering with pain and hearing loss for months because Mom took her meds. We go see an ENT who sucks out the extensive amount of fluid to see that her drum is deformed and she now needs a tube.
We go to the eye Dr., because one child has a horrible lazy eye and he remembers having glasses but they broke about a year ago. Child is legally blind in that eye and the other eye isn't so hot!!!!!
Child is failing in school!!!!!
Child can't see a DAMN thing!!!!!
But Mom has her drugs!
and her ear infection meds!
We get him some RAD glasses - they're blue :o)
I see the child 6 months later and his glasses are "broken". Probably lost - because they've moved 3 times since then.
Ooh, and another new school next week!

They don't complain!

I KNOW!!!!!

Hard to believe isn't it, but they don't. My own kids complain all the time, but these kids don't complain about anything they've been through. Most of the info I get from them has to be brought out in a round-about way. They are not looking for a pity party. It's almost like the roles get reversed. Their parents complain non-stop. Everyone is out to get them, they've done nothing wrong, they need this and they need that. But the kids just go with the flow.
I hear about how "clean" my house is. (Again, something they believe, but not necessarily the truth :o) They call their house "messy". I wouldn't call a landfill messy, but to them that's normal, and it's actually supposed to be that way.

I told ya I could write a book about it. You'd be surprised to know how many families this is about.....

A fun weekend

2010-03-07T11:09:00.007-06:00

We are having such a fun weekend. Our 3 foster kids from last Summer are here for the weekend for respite. They are such wonderful kids and it's so fun to have them here. Our kids were just jumping up and down and screaming when they arrived, lol!
I really hope that we get to see more of them. We were planning on taking them camping with us one weekend this Summer, but seeing them now is even more fun. As I write this, Hubby is off to the pool with 5 of the kids. P stays here because she does aquatherapy on Fridays and it gets too crazy there on the weekends because of all the other kids there. I also have the 2 year old visitor here :o) They are having lunch right now because the 2 year old was starting to doze off and I want her to eat before her nap so she'll sleep well :o)
The weather is still just fabulous, although I could do without the mudd! Never fails, kids are like magnets to water and mudd, lol! Plus dogs with muddy feet do wonders to clothing! It's supposed to be even nicer this week, up in the middle to upper 40's! But it's supposed to rain 3-4 of the days, sooooo - more mudd :o)
I really feel for those that are going to get flooding this year again. This extra rain and mild weather aren't helping any :o(
Well, back to the laundry :o)

Interesting

2010-03-04T22:16:00.005-06:00

Today was an interesting day. We had a family come and meet us so that we can do respite care for the kids. It's strange to invite a stranger into your house, but I understand her wanting to meet us first. It gives me a really good reason to get my house cleaned up good :o) Now we have 15 kids that we do respite for, so our weekends are quite exciting to say the least.
My 15 passenger van has been in the shop for the last week and we finally got it back yesterday. I really missed it because it's tough to get them all into a minivan all the time. Especially now with the new booster seat law we have. It's nice to have enough room that everyone has enough space to be able to get buckled up without running into each other. It's not fun trying to get P up into the van, but I'm going to get her a step stool so it will be easier.

Tomorrow our foster kids from last Summer are coming to spend the weekend with us. We are very excited to see them again. They were such sweet kids :o) Hopefully we'll get to start having them more often.

On a homeschooling note. My kids are trying to figure out what kind of schooling schedule they would like better. Right now we do school from 9-11am each day. My son told me today that it would be really nice if we could do school for 2 days per week and have 5 days off, lol. I told him that we do 10 hours per week and if they want to change it to 2, 5 hour days that they could do that. However he needs to talk to his sister about it and get her ok also. We'll see how that works out :o)

I do think we are going to start doing year round school this year though. That way if I have another baby we can take time off then if we need it. They don't do much in the mornings during the Summer anyways, so we might as well learn something. That way we won't have to review everything they have forgotten by Sep.

The weather has been SO beautiful the last couple weeks that most of our snow is gone. March makes me nervous though because it's the month when we usually get the MOST snow each year. Hopefully this year will be different, lol!

As my blog title says...

2010-03-03T09:53:00.004-06:00

I've been one very busy Momma :o) Sorry I haven't been on here much lately, heck I didn't even get Christmas letters out this year. We got 4 high maintenance foster kids on Dec. 10th and it's been busy, busy since then. They were here until the end of January, but apparently the word got out that we are very flexible with our schedule, so we've had respite, crisis nursery, and some free babysitting(because social services wouldn't pay for it and the child needed it, but that's another story) going on quite regularly. Every weekend is booked up with anywhere from 2-6 extra kids, and the weekdays vary depending on the needs. Right now we have a 10 month old for the day.
We've also been doing a lot of extra curricular activities. The kids love going to homeschool gym time with their homies, and the older 2 are taking basketball at the local public school also. P is back to aqua therapy each week and is loving it. She walks around that pool like she owns it now :o)
So, the mornings are filled up with homeschool, and the afternoons are spent running around here or there, or doing my phone calls/paperwork while the kids are outside playing. The weather has been wonderful lately :o)
I've also had quite a few Dr. apts too because we've decided to maybe have another baby, or a few :o) We were going to adopt more kids but are finding that the greater majority have more issues than we are prepared to deal with on a lifetime basis. We already have 3 with developmental issues and don't feel we should take on more. Granted, if we were to have another special needs child we'd be fine with that and take it in stride, but we don't want to do it voluntarily. So we'll see how it goes. It's going to take some major planning because our foster/respite care will have to come to a quick end if/when I get pregnant because my pregnancies are like something out of a horror movie :o) We're quite excited, and our kids are flipping out with excitement because they LOVE having a house full of kids, which is good because that's what we want :o) And having a house full of kids that don't all have FASD/RAD/drug withdrawal/etc. will be even more fun :o)
So that's a little of our update :o) I'll try to be better about getting on here and also answering some of your questions. I know quite a few have been asked and I haven't had the time to get to them. If you'd like to add to my list just email me or post a comment :o)
Have a wonderful day ♥

She's walking on her own!

2010-01-31T22:21:00.006-06:00

P will be 6 next Saturday. On her 5th birthday she took her first steps with us right there touching her shoulder to give her a little stability and confidence. TODAY, she stood up off the couch and walked across the room all by herself! We were playing the Wii and she wanted to touch the people on Daddy's 50" screen that's right at her level :o) She was just a girl on a mission to get at the tv and as soon as I'd guide her back to the other side of the room and let go of her, she'd make a U-turn and head right back over there, lol :O) It's a wonderful day :o)

Oh HAIL no!

2009-10-25T19:05:00.005-05:00

Tonight we were carving pumpkins, and P usually dives right in, grabs a handfull, and then has to be stopped before eating it, lol! WELL, tonight she decided she would have nothing of it, lol! Dave grabbed her hand and put it in the pumpkin and she quickly pulled her hand out, ripped him a new one, and then kept her hands as close and tightly fitted to her body as she could.

The rest of the kids had a blast carving their pumpkins.

My Recipezaar

2009-10-18T19:59:00.002-05:00

I tried to email my recipezaar.com favorites cookbook to some of my friends, but it didn't work, so here are some of my FAVORITE recipes ;O)
Homemade pancake syrup - we don't have maple flavoring so, we use vanilla
Pancakes
Chicken Nuggets - you can also use larger pieces of chicken and make patties. They are awesome from what I've been told :o)
Homemade Marshmallows - it makes a lot and if you put them in the freezer, they don't freeze, but stay nice for a long time :o)
Dinner Rolls - These are to die for!
Whipping Cream - I use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Refried Beans - I doubled the ingredients but not the water and it turned out great.
Green Beans with Garlic
Chicken Breasts Smothered in Tomatoes and Mozzarella
FABULOUS Pizza Dough - I add a ton of Italian Seasoning from Sam's Club :o)

Wow!

2009-10-10T20:19:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I've been on here! It's been busy. My garden went totally wild. I had tomatoes that were HUGE, and a lot of them. I think one day I picked 8 bags of them, plus a whole wagon of carrots, and a bunch of squash. I was bummed that I left a ton of them in there that were still green, but I could hardly manage the ones I did have. I definitely need to have fewer tomato plants next year :o) I must thank my WONDERFUL Mother for helping me process them into a bunch of spaghetti sauce. I also made some fresh salsa :o)
We've also been busy with school. We go to the park with friends, went to learn about bugs at the Eastman Nature Center, and to our local History Center. The kids are getting right into school and are loving it. They're always excited to see what President we are learning about each week, and what the Science experiments are going to be. They both hate math, but do well at it, and they LOVE to read. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of teaching your child to read. Every book is a proud moment because you can see those little minds ticking along :o)
P is enjoying school. I love her aid, and everyone else that works with her for that matter. She's always coming home happy and in good shape. They hired another K teacher, so they were able to split the classes into 18 kids each, instead of 24. That was nice to see :o) This last week I went with her on a fire station field trip, and Daddy went with to an apple orchard. We all had a blast! She loved riding on the bus with Daddy and started chewing on the seat in front of her, lol!
She spent a couple days in the hospital a couple of weekends ago. She had some kind of internal bleeding and we're still not totally sure what it was from. Possibly some kind of GI irritation or something like that. We took her to the ER with blood in her stool and they sent us via ambulance to Gillette Children's Trauma Center in St. Paul. I LOVE that place! We've had bad experiences with Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, so I definitely wanted Gillette. That's where a lot of her specialists are through anyways. She goes in again next week for a GI Clinic with the GI Specialists. Hopefully we'll have some answers soon, but for now she's on Prevacid (antacid) and that seems to be helping.
Hubby is still on the beating path for a job. It's unbelievable that he hasn't been hired yet. He's applied for hundreds of jobs. I've started applying and whoever gets the full time job will work, and the other one will stay home with the kids. I think he's over qualified for many of the jobs he applies for, and the ones that he is qualified for require a degree. We'll see...
I just started selling Avon! I'm very excited. I've placed a link on the sidebar to my store if you'd like to check it out, or pass it on to anyone who might be interested. I'd greatly appreciate your business :o) They've come a long way since I sold it 15 years ago. Now you can order online and have it shipped right to you! Or, if you are local, you can have it shipped to me and I can give it to you. Whatever works for you :o) They even have women and girls clothes now, and the prices are amazing! And you can't beat the makeup. I have to control myself or I'll spend more than I make, lol! I definitely have to set some goals and limits for myself, lol! If I sell x amount, I can buy x amount, lol!
Anyways, that's my update. Thanks for checking in and I'll try not to disappear for so long this time :o) Enjoy the rest of your weekend :o)

Back to our small family :o)

2009-09-12T19:15:00.005-05:00

The foster kids left last week and we are back to our small family of 4 kids :O) I know that's not small to most people, but it's SO quiet around here and my kids are longing for more playmates :o)
J had his first day of Special Ed for the year on Wednesday. He's loving his new teacher and friends, and was excited to be there. He did a great job!
P started Kindergarten on Thursday and I went with her for the day. I let her ride the bus and then went to the school myself. It was good to meet her aid, teacher, and all of the different ladies that will be working with her during the day. She has probably 8 or more different ladies that will be helping with her during various times. Her teacher, aid, resource worker, lunchtime lady (also the school social worker-awesome lady), adaptive phy ed teacher, speech teacher, PT, OT, and probably a couple more. It seems kind of scary but I already knew almost all of them from the last 2 years that she's been there. I kind of like having more than one person because it keeps check on her and what's going on. In her class there is the teacher, her aid, and the regular class aid. There are 24 kids in the class in all. I LOVE her teacher. She's young and energetic, and such a sweet lady.
A & W started school here on Tuesday. It was a tough start for W because he, for some reason, thought when I said that we were quitting Connections Academy to "have more time to do fun stuff and field trips with our home school group" that it meant we would be doing all fun and games, lol! It took him quite a while and some major meltdowns to get the work done for the day. I held my ground though. I never allow my kids to whine their way our of doing an assignment I've given them. That would open a huge can of worms that we aren't even going near. We later had a nice talk about the importance of education and how smart he is. I honestly think he's an "advanced placement" kid, but he would rather stare at the wall and do nothing. He's a grade ahead in Math and reads great. It's quite impressive for a kid with FASD who just turned 6, however it comes with a dedicated Mother who won't allow him to quit. If he were in public school I guarantee he would fail because he can be so slow and distracted. If given the extra time, and several repeats of the instructions at times, he's brilliant. If it were up to him he'd go to public school in a heartbeat because he's never been there and thinks is SO wonderful. But for now, we're not even going there :o)
"A" is a dedicated homeschooler :o) She LOVES being home with me, adores her home school playgroup friends (and some public school friends), and just thrives in the extra attention and hands-on instruction. She loves having the extra time to do crafts and practice piano, and is content to NEVER go back to public school.
I'm very excited that Fall is on the way and Winter is coming. Fall is such a beautiful season, and I LOVE the clean whiteness of Winter. I always hope for an early snowfall so we can enjoy the beauty of it. I also like that the bugs are gone :O), and I can bake and cook and not worry about heating up the house all the time. The smell of fresh baked goodies in a closed-up house is marvelous.
My garden is doing FABULOUS! All of my tomatoes that I had started in my house are growing strong out there, as well as the row of tomatoes that I planted as seeds. The seed ones aren't much smaller than the ones I started inside either. The cool Summer has kept them from turning red though so I'm hoping that they will finally turn red before the first freeze. I have tons of them out there just waiting to be picked. I've started bringing them in and ripening them in paper bags, but I don't want to have to do it with them all. However, the ones ripened in the house are much nicer looking. I also have got tons of carrots out there. I have picked quite a bunch of green beans, a few peas, some cucumbers, chili peppers, and broccoli. The long-neck squash just keep on coming and my Mom has made applesauce-squash muffins with it. They are awesome! We also have 1 cantaloupe growing out there and it's SO CUTE! Our pumpkins came up too and we have about 10 that are getting pretty big. A few grew out of the fence so we're hoping that the deer don't get them :0) We kind of overdid it on the lettuce. You can only eat it so fast and it all comes up at once. Next year I'll plant a few feet each week so it won't get so out of hand. And ONCE AGAIN!!!!! my watermelons didn't come up :o(
I'm making notes for next year of the things I'll change.
1. The lettuce, as mentioned before.
2. We are going to grow the pumpkins and squash out in the back yard in a big pile of soil, so they can get crazy without taking up so much space.
3. I want vining green beans because I got WAY MORE when I used those last year! I'm also going to plant a lot more of them because we eat them like crazy.
4. I learned this year to stake up my vining peas because they rot on the ground :o(
5. I'm going to plant my tomatoes all around the fence line so I can just tie them to it and not have to pound stakes all over. The ones I did tie to the fence stayed there beautifully :o)
6. I won't let the kids plant a row of wildflowers in the middle next year because it blocks the sprinklers :o) However, my redneck self, had hubby put a metal green fence post into the ground and duct tape the sprinkler to it so now it's 3 feet off the ground and working great :O) hehe
7. I'm going to combine my rows and make my isles larger. That way I can plant in larger sections, instead of long skinny rows.
8. I'm going to plant a ton more cucumbers because the kids love them and I also want to slice them and make dill pickles for the kids, since all the store ones have dye in them! (I'm SO hoping that someday healthy will out win pretty :o)
9. I'm going to plant earlier, because damn it, if it freezes, I'll just do it over :o) I'd rather take the chance and have earlier veggies.
10. I'm going to sit all of my flowering baskets in the garden to get the twice daily watering until they are blooming bright and ready to hang. Otherwise, they get forgotten and don't go very far :o)
Well, back to the laundry I go :o) Have a great weekend!

Here I am :o)

2009-08-29T08:15:00.007-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around much! We got the 4 foster kids and life got REALLY busy! They all have to go to Dr. check ups, dental visits, eye visits, specialists, etc. Plus I had to get them all registered for school, go to counseling apts, visitations, etc. Not to mention the mounds of paperwork, lol! I also have to tend to my garden and have some fun too :o)
One of them left after about 5 weeks to go to a previous foster home that was willing to adopt her. She had behavioral issues that were beyond what we would be willing to live with for a lifetime, and we just don't have time for the intense counseling that would've gone with a child like that. Most of her behaviors were because she wanted to go to the other foster home because she has known them for most of her life. I'm glad she's where she wants to be and I'm glad she's not here anymore because it took a toll on my other kids.
The other 3 kids are great. They also have an older brother that might be coming to live with us. We're not sure yet though because they might be going to live with their Mom again soon. We'll see...

Other than that I've been working hard to get ready for school to start. J will be in special ed 2 days per week again this year and P will be in K. She will only be going 2 days per week because they do that every other day schedule and I told them she needs to have at least one day per week off that is consistant, so Friday will be her day off. She'll be in a regular class with an aid all day that will be with only her. She'll participate and listen to what she can and then she'll be pulled out to practice walking and therapies, and do adaptive phy ed. I'm very nervous about her going this year. She'll be with all new people and new kids. The last few years she's had the same therapists, assistants, and teachers. I'm very glad that her special ed teacher from before will be her case manager though because she's the one that knows her the best there. We'll see how it goes. I still get PCA hours for Peyton, so if it doesn't go well I'll just bring her back home and have a PCA here to help her while she learns with my other kids.
A & W will be starting 2nd and 1st grades here at home this year. They are each a grade ahead in math, so they will be doing their own math at their own pace. They will also read and learn language arts at their own pace. All of the other subjects will be taught together because that's what they prefer. Last year they were each doing different things, and every time I'd be reading science or social studies to one of them, the other one would be more interested in that assignment than what they were supposed to be doing :o)
They are going to be doing Math Mammoth for math.
Language Arts/Reading is going to consist of then reading lots of books of ours and from the library. I'll also do a lot of reading with them. We have a few websites online that have great spelling and vocabulary games. One of them lets you put your own spelling words in, and then it creates the spelling game/test so they can practice.
For History, we are going to learn about a President each week, and the history of their lives, where they live, their families, what happened during their term(s), and what they accomplished while in office.
For Geography, we are learning about each of the 50 states, their capitals, landmarks, people, history, state birds/flag/tree, and things like that. They will also have field journals that they will write and draw pictures in after going outside each day. They will tell what they saw and about the weather. They learned a lot about weather last year that they can put into their observations. We will also be reviewing the things we learned last year, like continents, oceans, streets, maps, etc.
For Social Studies, we are learning about different cultures in America and around the world. We will learn about their foods, traditions, dress, etc.
Science will be learning about how things work together and the natural environment around us. We will be doing lots of research and science experiments.
Home Ec is something we do all the time anyways when we cook and bake. They also know a lot about different foods and healthy, natural, eating.
For art, we will do painting, paper, and other peojects that we can find or think up to do. We'll review how to mix colors to make other colors, and how the color wheel works.
I will be teaching them both piano this year. We tried it a couple of years ago but they were too young to assign letters to their fingers, lol.
They are both doing gymnastics at the school this year. A decided that she didn't want to do Dance this year because gymnastics is more fun. I was happy about that because dance is 1/2 hour away and I can't bring the other kids with. Gymnastics is just a few miles down the road, you register monthly so if you want to skip a month you can and I can sign up foster kids without knowing how long they'll be here, there are no costumes and shoes to buy, W can do it at the same time, and I can bring all the other kids to sit in the bleachers to watch :o) Very happy about gymnastics :o)
We also do lots of playgroups and field trips with our homeschool group. The kids learn SO much from actually going places and seeing how things are done. Hoping to get to the Science Museum, State Capital, Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch, a Farm with Bison, Horses, Beef, and Pigs, the Nature Center, our local History Center for our county, and a bunch more.
AND a whole bunch more stuff as we go along :o)
Anyways, that's our update :o) I'll try not to disappear for so long next time, lol!

I got a van.....

2009-07-27T22:45:00.002-05:00

Pictures to come later :o) A friend of mine from Adoption Support Group had a 15 passenger that she no longer needed so she gave me a good deal on it. I'm SO thrilled. We're bringing it to the shop tomorrow some time to rotate and align the tires, put the receiver hitch and the electronic brake for the camper on, change the oil, and whatever else we need to get it in tip top shape. It will be so nice to have the kids all in one vehicle, and also with an empty seat in-between each of them to boot :o)
Our 4 foster kids are still with us and we might be getting another one depending on what happens in court tomorrow. Our sibling group of 3 has an older brother that might be joining us.
We have 4 birthdays coming up here in the next month so I need to get busy on that too. 2 of them are later this week :o)
I'm off to bed :o)

WoW!

2009-07-21T21:32:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've been around :o) I've been VERY busy! We have 4 foster kids now, plus we've been doing some respite for a couple more on the weekends. Getting new foster kids is a busy endeavor because you not only have an instantly larger family, but they all have to have Dr. check-ups, along with dental, vision, etc. Plus I have to bring kids to counseling apts., visitations, court dates, etc. Run, run, run. I also had to bring each of these kids shopping because the sibling group had only the clothes on their backs (2 of them didn't even have shoes on), and the other child's clothes were horrid.
Our new additions are 11 G, 6 B, 5 G, and almost 2 G. The 5 year old is on her own and the other 3 are siblings.
It's fun and exciting to have new kids in the house. My kids are getting along great with the new kids. It's very heartbreaking to hear the stories of their lives, but we just have to remember that we are the good in their lives right now and we are helping them to see what "normal" lives look like. They are all loving it here, as most of the kids do, because we have so much for them to do.
I'm now in the market for a larger van. I would like to get a 15 passenger because with the new booster seat law here I have to have almost all the kids in seats. And we all know how impossible it is for kids in booster seats to sit side by side and be able to actually buckle them. We'll see though because we can't get a loan to save our lives right now and cash is pretty short. We really do need something though because we have to drive 2 vehicles to go anywhere with them all and that's just crazy. Tomorrow, P has a PT apt. so I'm going to take the other 7 in the suburban to the park, while my Hubby takes her to her apt. I can fit 7, very tightly, in there, but not 8 :o( It's not something I want to do every day though because my hands would break trying to buckle all of those seat belts so close together.

Fun with great friends

2009-07-08T20:33:00.004-05:00

Today we had a wonderful time at homeschool playgroup! What fun to hang out with great friends and great kids. My kids always have a blast and hate to leave.
My best friend and her kids came down from up north to go to the Jonas Brother's concert tonight, so hopefully we'll be seeing them later, if they make it this far out here :o) Her husband's Mom lives closer than we do but it's just great to visit so they are going to stay here. However, it will be a late night and I don't know if they'll be wanting the long drive here. We'll see...
We are also waiting to hear on a sibling group of foster kids that might be joining us. My kids are SO bored now that the other 4 have left, lol. It's SO quiet around here. They had so much fun with the respite kids last week and just keep asking when more kids are coming. We'll see about that too, lol.
On a great note. The stuff in the side yard that I thought was poison ivy has turned out to be Box Elder trees, yaaaaaaayyyyyy! The little trees have the 3 leaves like poison ivy, but as they get bigger there are more and more leaves. We have them popping up all over the yard. It's great because our house was built on a farm field and all of the trees have had to be planted. Luckily the lady that used to live here planted a lot of trees and they are now 15 years old. We have also planted a lot and they are growing strong. Our pine trees have started dying off like crazy though. Some say it's because of the long cold winters and dry summers. It's a bummer, I'm not a huge pine tree fan, but I hope they will finally stop dying. During the winter it's all we have for any privacy when all of the leaves fall off of the other trees.

What a fun week!

2009-07-06T21:43:00.003-05:00

We did respite care for 4 kids for the week and it was a blast! We played, inside and out, swam in the pool, watched movies - with popcorn, and just had a blast. 2 of the kids I would adopt in a heartbeat, the other 2, probably not :o) It's amazing how you can tell so much about a kids past home life by spending time with them. And it's also amazing how different they all can be.
Hubby and I love big families and would love to adopt again some day. Having a houseful of kids only makes us love it more. We're homebodies and enjoy just being with our kids and having fun. More kids just means more fun :o) Our kids also love having visitors. They were sad to see the kids leave today and asked their foster parents when they could come back, lol. They're a little too young to understand the whole foster care process. Our foster care experience is just with our boys and they came and stayed, so our kids think all foster kids will stay with their foster parents and can just come and visit anytime they want to. I really think these 4 probably will end up with their foster families, but that's not up to me.
Tomorrow we will be having our annual foster care license renewal visit. We had to get a new fire extinguisher(refill/retag or replace each year), replace our hard wired smoke detectors(every 10 years), have our well water tested(each year), get background checks for us and my parents since they live on the property(each year), provide proof of current pet vaccinations(each year) fill out a bunch more paperwork, and complete lots of continuing ed. It's amazing how much education we have to get to do foster care. We're thinking about doing theraputic foster care (kids that have more needs), so then we'll have even more continuing education to take each year. It's ok though because we are the kind of people who love to learn. I think there are lots of birth parents that could use some of this education :O) I'm always amazed at how many parents don't know the first thing about healthy pregnancies and raising heathy kids. The stories that some of these foster kids have are so unreal that it's amazing they are still alive.
Someday soon when we get on our feet better, we'll have to look into getting another 12 or 15 passenger van. We really learned this week that with the new booster seat law, it's hard to get them all in our vehicles. Normally our own kids all have 5 point harness seats that go up to 65 lbs. But when we have foster kids we'll put P, J, and any other younger kids into the car seats and then have our older 2, and the older foster kids just use the seat belts. Now we have to have any of the kids from 4-8, or under 4' 9", into booster seats. Even with our Suburban, it's a tight fit with 6 kids. I actually don't know that a 12 passenger would even work. They have 4 belts across in the back and that makes it impossible to put any 2 seats next to each other, so only 6 kids would fit on the 3 seats. With a 15 we could fit another 2 kids. Maybe we'll find a good deal on one when/if we need it. We are licensed for up to 4 foster kids but so far we haven't had a placement yet, just done respite for other foster parents. Generally they try to keep foster kids in the same county that their parents live in so that they can stay in their same schools and be close enough for visits. Our county isn't that busy of a county so we, and other foster homes, sit empty. That's fine though if it means there are fewer kids out there being placed in foster care, because that means there are fewer kids being abused.

You are what you eat...

2009-07-03T18:00:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, we feed our kids and all natural diet. I just can't read a bottle of something like pancake syrup, and see that they have maybe ONE real ingredient in there, and then dump it all over my kids' pancakes. You'd really be safer to feed your kids the dirt in your yard than the chemically produced foods that they sell these days. With all of the resources out there, there is no reason why we can't ALL eat a natural diet. There are local farms that sell humanely raised, grass fed meats. And the Feingold Program will help you find all of the foods in your local Walmart supercenter, or other grocery store, that are natural.

I received an email from Mother Earth News today and it had a story out of Rolling Stone Magazine about Smithfield Foods, a horrible and environmentally terroristic hog farming company. They abuse the animals, pollute the local water and land, and make the neighbors so sick that they can't leave their homes at times for fear of passing out in their yard from the caustic fumes.
Click HERE to get to the Mother Earth News story and then click on "profile" for the rest of the story.

Then click HERE to go to eatwild, and find a farmer that produces healthy, grass fed, and humanely treated animals in your area.

Pictures

2009-07-01T21:52:00.004-05:00

This morning our homeschool group went to a local bakery and took a tour. We got to see how the breads are made and also sample some :o)
Put me in coach!

This is our new puppy Lilly:
P got some new furniture! A big garage sale score for Mommy. Got the whole set for $25! They retail for about $250 plus shipping at the school supply stores.
She's loving them!
My big girl walking around the pool with just the touch of her PT's hand to give her the confidence she needs. Ooh, and of course Mr. Duck :o)

2009-07-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hi :O)

2009-06-29T22:44:00.003-05:00

I've been crazy busy! We had 2 respite foster kids (babysitting for other foster parents) from Friday until Sunday, and then 2 more came on Sunday for 8 days. The other 2 are coming back on Thursday, so we'll have 8 kids here for 5 days. It's all fun. It gets a little crazy but they're 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, and 3 so they play well. It's nice when the weather is nice and they can go outside and burn off some energy. Hopefully the wind will tame down a little and we can get into the pool one of these days. We got in on Sunday before the other 2 left but it was cold.
Things are going pretty well with the new dog. She's still only 8 months old so she keeps trying to run away. She jumped the 4' fence a few times so we had to put her on a leash. Then she jumped it with the leash on, lol. So we had to shorten it a little to keep her around and prevent her from hanging herself. Hubby and my Dad put in the in-ground fencing last Thursday but we have to wait until we have time and good weather to get the dogs out there and get them trained on it. My only worry with that is that other dogs and animals will have access to them. We might eventually have to just put some 4' chicken fence around the border of it. I know it sounds dumb but the in-ground electric will keep ours from jumping over and the chicken fence will keep others out. Our dog that we just put to sleep literally ripped chain link fencing apart with her teeth. She was a wonderful and friendly dog but once she realized that she could get out, she was on a mission.
Well, I better get to bed, we've got aquatherapy in the morning for P.

Pictures from camping this weekend.

2009-06-21T22:02:00.006-05:00

A little fishing at the Dam. The kids were scared, but fascinated, by the rushing water just below their feet.Decided that the dock might be a better place than the river bank.

Got sick of fishing so I took these 3 to play at the playground :o)

Back to the camper for some lunch.

The next day we went to the beach.

Made a sand castle :o)

Mr. J. Dizzle decided that it was past his nap time so he came and asked for a towel and went to sleep :o) P loves her sand :o)

Walking in the water with Daddy

Pooped out from a long day at the beach.

Time for bed.

We got to see our new cousin again this weekend. Gotta love that smile :o)

MN State Parks

2009-06-19T09:26:00.002-05:00

MN State Parks and Trails.

Also check out:

Explore MN - Places to stay and things to do.

Camp Dells - This place rocks! We've never been there but I know people that have.

Greetings...

2009-06-18T21:54:00.002-05:00

from the road :o) We are camping :o) Finally, we had a free weekend and nice weather :o)
We drove up north today, got our camper set up at my BIL's house, and then we went fishing on the pier at a lake just down the road. The kids could see the little Sun Fish just diving at their worms from the docks. They caught about 20 of them and had fun tossing them back.
Right now the kids are in bed and hubby and I are watching the weather. Some big storms just roared in and we are hoping they go away soon.
Tomorrow we are going to go fishing again and maybe do some swimming :o)
We are hoping to be able to do a lot of camping this summer. We really need the break after the stressful year we've had so far.

My New Blog!

2009-06-16T13:37:00.005-05:00

I find SO many cool and educational sites online and through different groups that I belong to. I have most of them in my favorites, and try to share and list them here and there on my blog. Well, this morning I decided to start another blog where I can highlight the different, helpful, websites that I have found to help with homeschooling. If you check one out and like it, or don't like it, please comment so we can share reviews with everyone :o)
Check it out:
Homeschool Sites

Playing in the sand...

2009-06-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

Today was a gorgeous day! We went outside this morning and played in the sand, under the shade of our giant umbrella that Grandma got for us. It was just wonderful. I wish every day of the year could be so nice!
I opened up the camper doors and aired it out a little more. It still has some of that "new camper" smell and I hate it because it's chemical fumes, just like the "new car" smell is.
We are still looking for another dog. Our poor Bailey is just lost and lonely. She's 10 years old, but I just don't see us ever being without a dog. I love the protection that they offer. If someone is in our driveway or yard, they bark. I always know that my kids are safe too. Not to mention that they are just great companions.
I was honestly shocked to see how much a shelter dog costs. $200-$300 for a shelter dog is just crazy. I realize that they have spayed/neutered them and updated their shots, AND that a puppy would cost just as much during their first visit to a vet, but puppies are trainable and, well, they're puppies :o) Half the fun of getting a new puppy is that they are little puppies :o)
We'll just keep our eyes open for a good deal, or a cute puppy :o) It has to be a big dog because it will be outside. We can't have a dog inside because of P. We tried it before and all she does is chase it down and grab it. She doesn't know not to hurt it. I worry that she'll either hurt the puppy or it will hurt her. I couldn't live with myself if she got bit.

Video's of P's Toughbook and her using it:

2009-06-14T12:45:00.003-05:00

A Fabulous Day!

2009-06-13T22:20:00.007-05:00

Today we went to a local campground for the day and played, swam, and hung out with some of our homeschooling buddies. It was an absolute blast!

This one is priceless :o)

A & W walking the plank:
Swinging with Daddy :o)
Then we ate some lunch:

Off to the pool we went - brrrr..... it was COLD!

Also, here is a picture of P at the park the other day with her new stroller and her Toughbook:

Some people!

2009-06-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

I looked out my front window this morning while I was watching toons with the kids, and sitting in my driveway is a black suv with 3 people in it, looking at our house. At first I thought maybe someone had been looking at my neighbors house or thought ours was for sale, since we share a driveway. Or maybe the appraiser doing the drive-by appraisal of our house, but why would there be 3 people in the vehicle? I got in the shower and when I came out my hubby told me that my Dad had called and when he was pulling out of our driveway he saw who it was. It was our old Production Manager! He lives 1.5 hours away from us, on the other side of the cities. Why would he be stalking us at 7:30 in the morning. ANYWAYS, I called the police and a deputy came out so I could file a report. I'm probably going down on Monday to get a restraining order on him.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE! Not only do I have 4 small children, but 2 are adopted, plus we do foster care. He knows this! What better way to freak out my kids than to think someone's birth parents are watching us, or better yet, going to steal their kids back.
This is the same person who we used to take on company trips to Mexico and brought his daughter to help with our kids. Same person who we gave all the time off he wanted for vacation, drove a company vehicle, had a company cell phone, etc. Same person who borrowed my parents' nice 5th wheel camper for an entire Summer because they sold their house and hadn't found another one. My parents skipped a whole Summer of camping so they could take their sweet time finding the perfect house.
Then he steals our company list and gives it to his brother's company and then lies about it, took 1.5 months to return the company vehicle, has his brother call and try to blackmail us, and claims that we need to continue paying his medical benefits because it was in his non-existant severance package. Not to mention other things that I can't put on here.
It really makes you wonder if anyone is really who they say they are, or pretend to be. How can someone go from being a great friend to a horrible person so quickly. Doing things that not only hurt us but hurt our kids even more. What is wrong with him! That company list could've been sold for a lot of money that would've helped us stay on our feet until Dave got new job. It also would've paid off our suppliers, but instead they got liens put on their houses! Instead, I lost my handicap van, my kids can't play any Summer sports, and I keep having to say no, no, no, to so much because we can't afford it.
"A" told me yesterday that she can't wait for Daddy to get 2 jobs because then we will have money to do things. Poor sweetie, she doesn't realize that Daddy having 2 jobs means that she won't even see him, much less do anything with him.
Sorry for ranting, but it's so damn frustrating when people screw up or do bad things, and then want to find someone else to blame, at any cost. If he'd spend that time and energy on fixing his own situation he'd probably be doing better. Instead he's looking for more bad things to do to us, when all we have done is give him a great job with fabulous pay for however many years.

What a busy week!

2009-06-11T22:08:00.005-05:00

P had her semi-annual check-up at Gillette today. She's grown 2 inches and 4 lbs in the last 6 months. Now she's 44" tall and 48 lbs. He said that she's doing great, but he hopes that I can get the school to continue PT next year because she obviously needs it still.

Yesterday she had PT/OT/Speech at Gillette and did great! She's such a hard worker. When we got home she ate lunch and passed out :o) Then I had to wake her up at 1:30 to go to homeschool playgroup at the park.

Tuesday she had aqua therapy and did a great job there too. She was walking all over in the water. Ms. Katie gave her a floatie that looked like a barbell and she was just cruising all over and making turns. It was SO fun to watch her :o)

Tomorrow she has her 3 year follow up apt with her cardiologist. She has a realignment in her heart and they have to monitor it periodically. Hopefully everything is good to go.

I got out in my garden this evening and things are growing great! I can't wait to eat some green beans :o) I also planted peas, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, watermelon, squash, cantalope, peppers, chili peppers, and pumpkins. I had one row left and Ms. A planted flowers in it. I'm sure she'll be just excited when they grow and bloom. My lasagna garden is working out great! It's so nice to just pick a weed here and there, instead of everywhere :o)

We are going to have a couple of extra kids this weekend and we are hoping to get to a local campground for some swimming and fun with our homeschool friends. It should be a blast! :o)

I'm on ebay this week :o)

2009-06-10T20:21:00.003-05:00

I have one of my onesie shirts listed on ebay this week.
Click here to see it.

I'll probably just put one on each week for a while just to get some out there. We'll see though. I don't want to give them away for free, lol.

I also have more on my website and on Etsy. I have links to them both on the right side of the screen.

A funny!

2009-06-10T19:47:00.004-05:00

Now, anyone that knows me knows that I homeschool my older 2 kids. However, I'm also an each to their own person. You do what works for you. I just thought this was funny, and is aimed at those anti-homeschoolers who rip on something they haven't even tried or know anything about :o)

This is where I found it:
Magic and Mayhem
This is where she found it:
Mallard Fillmore

Goodbye sweet Winnie :o(

2009-06-08T18:53:00.005-05:00

My beloved dog Winnie was put to sleep today :o( She was 13 years old, which is 91 in people years. She's had some tumors on her body, one on her hip and one on her leg, that have been growing like crazy over the last couple of years. She was having lots of issues getting around and had fallen a few times. I was so afraid she'd break a hip or something because of the tumor and then we'd have to shoot her to take her out of her misery. It was her time and she's hurting no more. I'm sad, but relieved at the same time because it's been a long time coming and we just had to get up the courage to do it.
Dave put her and her blankie in the back of the suburban and brought her to the vet this afternoon. They came right out to the parking lot so that she wouldn't have to be lugged around any more than necessary. We were afraid of hurting her as she's at least 100 lbs.. To get her in the suburban we backed it up to the deck steps and put a piece of plywood across. She just walked up P's ramp and over to the stairs and right on in. It was nice that she never went through any additional pain the process.
My Dad went with Dave to the vet. He and Winnie have always been buds, and I really think he was her favorite person. She's been with me since she was a puppy and I was in college.
The older 2 kids had a hard time with it but we do have another dog named Bailey that's just a few years younger than Winnie. They'll have to be sure to keep her company now because Winnie was just like her Mom. I feel so bad because she's just been standing there waiting for Winnie to come home ever since she left. :o( I hope she does ok.
Here's my girl:

More pictures...

2009-06-06T18:27:00.003-05:00

Getting ready for A's 7th birthday party. P playing with her new Toughbook's fart and burp choices, lol.
Our neighbor's cow had a baby :o)
Cooking out in the yard with Grandma and Grandpa
Eating smores :o)
Animal sounds on her computer

Fun, fun, fun!

2009-06-03T18:54:00.005-05:00

What a perfect day! We went to the zoo this morning, got great parking, got to see lots of animals, went to the Sparky Show, had some lunch, and then headed home. Then the older 2 kids and I went to our homeschool playgroup at one of our friends' houses.
Here are some pictures:

We're done!

2009-06-02T21:23:00.006-05:00

The school year ended today! Yippppeeeee! I officially have a 2nd, 1st, K, and preschooler now. I definitely know that we are going to do our own thing next year instead of Connections Academy. While it's a great online charter school, it's hard having such a strict schedule. It's also hard to teach multiple grades when everyone is more interested in what you are reading to the other child all of the time, lol. So, next year we'll be doing Mammoth Math for math. It's a disk of math curriculum that covers grades 1-5. I can print off what pages I want them to do, or print off a whole book of pages and put them into a binder. This will work great since they each finished 2 grades of math this year. I got it for a great price on Homeschool Buyers Coop a few weeks ago. Then for everything else I think we are going to do unit studies. That is when you pick a subject and do many different areas on that same subject. For example, you could pick horses, and read about them, do art projects about them, study their anatomy for science, and learn the history of them for social studies or history. We can also go and visit a farm and see some. That way you are focusing on things that the kids are interested in and they are more than happy to learn about it. My kids are SO into learning that we'll have no problem finding subjects to learn. Most of the time I'll just have A & W learning the same things. That way I can teach them together and nobody will be upset because they're doing something boring while the other one is reading a cool story with Mommy :o)
P will be in Kindergarten next year for 2 days per week. We'll see how that goes for her. She enjoys school, and everyone there just adores her - how could you not :o) She has some very good IEP goals and it will be nice to see if she progresses towards them with the change in schedule and also a change in people working with her.
J will be going to ECSE again, 2 mornings per week. He really enjoys preschool and hopefully will continue to enjoy it.

I'm SO looking forward to a Summer of having fun with our friends. We've have SO many awesome friends in our area and we are definitely going to have some fun this Summer. Now that my Mom is helping me with the younger two, we can go to the beach or wherever we want and I won't have my hands too full :o) Tomorrow we are going to the Como Zoo in the morning and then we are invited to our friends' house for homeschool playgroup in the afternoon. It's supposed to be beautiful out tomorrow so it should be a great day!
P got her Toughbook the other day and I got her Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically Pro loaded up on it. I've made quite a few boards for her so now she's learning how to use it for communication and entertainment. She just loves it! I love that it's so functional for her and the software is very user friendly. We are still anxiously awaiting her new stroller. It will be nice to have now that we don't use her wheelchair. Right now we have a special needs stroller that we are borrowing, but it's a little small for her and she keeps putting her feet on the front wheels.

We had Homeschool Mom's night out last week and it was a blast. I went and got my hair chopped off beforehand. I tried to get a pic of it but I just hate pics of myself so it'll have to wait. Just picture me with short bangs and the rest just below my ears :o) I got 10" cut off so I can donate it. It's a little short for me. I'll be glad with it grows out a couple of inches :o)

On a sad note. We have decided to put one of our dogs down. Winnie is 13 years old, and that's 91 years old in people years! She's been a great dog. She's gotten some really bad cancer in the last few years and is barely able to move anymore. I'm just afraid she'll break a hip, or leg, or something and end up in pain. We'll probably do it this weekend if we can bring ourselves to it. Ms. Winnie and I have been through many years together :o( I just hope that Bailey does ok. She's so attached to Winnie that she's just like her mother. Bailey is 10 years old so she's getting up there too.

My big girl turned 7 today!

2009-05-26T22:27:00.007-05:00

My sweet A turned 7 today! I can't believe she's already 7! It seems just like yesterday we were pacing the floors 24/7 with her and her constant crying :o) She's turned into such a beautiful, sweet girlie, and is such a great big sister. It was a great day!

Tonight we went to the 4-H New Family Night. It was interesting. I have to read up more on what all goes into running a group. Some of us in our homeschooling group want to start our own 4-H group. It looks like some of the groups out there are so fun and do a lot of things together. I really think it would be fun for the kids. Learning from the knowledge of other parents in the group would be such a great thing, because there are so many families in our homeschooling group with parents that are educated in so many different things. The possibilities are endless :o)

Tomorrow is Mom's Night Out for my homeschooling group. I LOVE getting together with everyone. We always have a blast! If I can, I'm going to go and get my hair cut off before I go. I grow it out and then when it gets long enough I chop it off and donate it to Locks of Love so they can make wigs for kids who have lost their hair. You need to have 10" to donate to them, but Pantene has a program that only needs 8", in case you or anyone you know is interested in doing it too. I have fast-growing hair, and I don't bleach it or use much for chemicals on it, so it works out great. 4.5 years ago someone saved my sweet P's life because they decided to be a blood donor. I can't donate blood, so I donate hair :o) I realize that I'm not saving anyone's life, but I am making it a little better :o) It's my way of giving back to someone I'll never know, kind of like the blood donor did for P :o)
I cut my bangs a couple of months ago, for the first time in about 13 years. So once I get my hair chopped off I'll post pics so everyone can see the new me, lol. I definitely look younger with the bangs :o)

This is absolutely sickening

2009-05-25T19:27:00.005-05:00

When is our government going to quit using little kids as science experiments and instead take all of the crap out of our food! Remove the chemicals from the food and we wouldn't need most of these drugs!
Click here: The Danger of Risperdal and Children

(I used to have the video on here but it was bogging down the system :o)

So far so good :o)

2009-05-24T21:23:00.008-05:00

We're managing to get a lot done this weekend, and also have fun :o)
We've played hard:

Ate well (plain, chocolate chip, and blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup :o) We also made doughnuts with frosting and melted chocolate:

Worked on our "lasagna" garden and got the cardboard and newspapers down over all the grass:

Got our composted beef and buffalo manure into rows, and our alfalfa hay down in the isles:

Tomorrow we'll be ready to plant :o) I also emptied my compost bins into the garden and am working on filling them up again:
Daddy and the kids spent the night in the camper last night :o)

And we did a little laundry :o)
Tomorrow we're going to finish laundry, plant the garden, plant some trees, and play some more :o)

A long weekend!

2009-05-22T22:39:00.003-05:00

I'm SO looking forward to getting a lot done this weekend. I worked on the garden more this evening and hope that we can get it all covered, compost spread, and planted, by the end of the long weekend. A has a friend's birthday party tomorrow and is SO excited about that. It will be fun for her. I have to get busy getting her birthday party scheduled. It's such a hard time of year to schedule a birthday! Lots of people are out of town, or have dance recitals, graduations, etc.
My dishwasher went out on me last night! I LOVE my dishwasher and am dreading having to wash them 3 times per day until it's fixed! The guy can't come to fix it until Wednesday either! I not only like it for the convenience, but it uses way less water than hand washing. Luckily I bought the extended warranty because I have a feeling it's going to be an expensive fix since it's an electrical problem.
I was excited to find out that since we banked so many of A & W's vacation days during the year that we can end the school year a week early! They are also excited. W is already pretty much done with his school work anyways. He finished both K and 1st grade math this year. He also finished all of his other K subjects. Now he's reading A's language arts books from the beginning of the year. That boy is such a little smarty pants. He's only 5.5 years old and he's ready for 2nd grade math. A is also doing great! She's maintained the A honor roll all year. She finished 1st grade math and is almost done with 2nd grade. They have both come a long way this year. Hard to believe that A was in Title 1 for reading and math last year and now she's way ahead of her peers. And W was in so much trouble last year in preschool that he had a horrible time.
I just got my Math Mammoth cd in the mail the other day. I checked it out last night and am quite impressed with it. I'm planning to spend lots of time on math and reading next year. Hoping to find lots of book on subjects that the kids are interested in so that they can improve their reading while also learning about something important.
Well, I better get to bed. I have lots to get done in the next few days and I need to start with getting caught up on the sleep I've missed lately because of P being sick.

Quite a windy day

2009-05-20T21:37:00.002-05:00

We didn't even leave the house today because of the wind. It was super windy all day, with gusts up to 55 mph! I finally had to turn my AC on because if I had left the windows open we'd be sleeping in dirt :o) The wind blew up the dust so much that it was like a real dust storm. It's finally tamed down now. Hopefully we'll get a good rain during the night to clean up the mess. Tomorrow we'll have to hunt down everything outside that blew away :o)
We're looking forward to this weekend. We are going to stay home and get the garden planted. My "garden tub" is growing over with green beans :o) I definitely know not to start them again. They're about 15" tall and have beans growing on them already, lol. My tomatoes on the other hand, they need to be started earlier. I also need to invest in some grow lamps next year to get them going better.
We went on Sunday and got a dump trailer load of composted Buffalo and Beef poop. I have to get the rest of the newspaper and cardboard layed out and then make my rows of compost on top of that. We'll see how the lasagna gardening goes. It can't be any worse than the weed pit I had last year. I'm just dying to get some fresh tomatoes and green beans :o) Last year I washed, cut the tops off, and flash froze all of my extra tomatoes. Then I've been cooking them up the last few months for some great spaghetti sauce. Nothing like fresh grown!

Angelman Syndrome Walk

2009-05-16T18:33:00.009-05:00

Today we did the Angelman walk to raise money to fund research that will lead to a cure for our sweet little Angels - not that we'd ever want to change them, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind :o).
P has a diagnosis of 8p23.1 duplication syndrome, but they also think she may have Angelman Syndrome in addition to that. We'll keep testing every couple of years and see if it's ever confirmed with better tests.
Today was the second annual walk to help find a cure :o) We missed it last year because it's also the same weekend that we have A's dance recitals. Last year I danced in the Mom's group so I also had to be there for it. Today she went to her recital with the Grandparents while we went to the walk, and then tomorrow Hubby and I will go to her second recital. Busy weekend :o)
The walk was at a beautiful park so I got lots of great pictures. It was SO COLD! It was 38 degrees when we left home, and the wind was about 20 mph in addition to that. I'll bet the windchill was about 20 degrees! We had to haul out the winter coats again. I'm sure glad we did. We also had to dig out the bag of blankets that I keep in the van during the winter.
Thanks to everyone that organized the walk and thanks also to those who donated to help find a cure. If you would like to donate, you still have time. Just click on P's donation page on the right side of of blog. Thanks a bunch!
Here are some pics:

The frozen 4, lol.

Had to add me :o) A ponytail and windblown bangs - gotta love pictures, lol.

Ms. P and her headband, constructed out of her Angelman scarf, to keep the wind out of her ears :o)

I need to get me some of them there pink trees :o)
Dr. Joseph Wagstaff. One of the most remarkable people and researchers ever! He passed earlier this year when he fell while rock climbing. He's greatly missed. He loved our kids so much and was determined to find a cure for Angelman Syndrome.

Ms. A and her flowers that her Grandparents got for her recital. Yes, she was freezing to death :o) but inside pics dont' look so well when it's so bright outside.

Exciting news!

2009-05-15T22:33:00.002-05:00

My sweet P can walk in water all by herself!!!!! She was at aqua therapy yesterday and she walked back and forth in the pool several times. The water was between her armpits and neck depth. Her PT was right in from of her so she didn't get scared and she just kept on going. We were SO excited and all clapped for her and she was SO proud :o)
Tomorrow is the Angelman Walk! It's our first year of going because "A" always has a dance recital the same day. She still has it this year but she's going to go with the Grandparents tomorrow while we're at the walk, and then we'll go to her dance on Sunday.

In Simpler Terms....

2009-05-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

Here is another article about the Angelman research that is written for the less scientific mind :o)
This article is from Science Daily.

Impaired Brain Plasticity Linked To Angelman Syndrome Learning Deficits
ScienceDaily (May 10, 2009) — How might disruption of a single gene in the brain cause the severe cognitive deficits associated with Angelman syndrome, a neurogenetic disorder? Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Duke University now believe they have the answer: impaired brain plasticity.

"When we have experiences, connections between brain cells are modified so that we can learn," said Benjamin Philpot, Ph.D., professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC and senior author of the study published online May 10 in Nature Neuroscience. "By strengthening and weakening appropriate connections between brain cells, a process termed 'synaptic plasticity', we are able to constantly learn and adapt to an ever-changing environment."
Angelman syndrome occurs in one in 15,000 live births. The most common genetic defect of the syndrome is the lack of expression of the gene UBE3A on chromosome 15. The syndrome often is misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy or autism. Characteristics of the syndrome include intellectual and developmental delay, severe mental retardation lack of speech (minimal or no use of words), seizures, sleep disturbance, hand flapping and motor and balance disorders.
Philpot and his co-authors studied a mouse model of Angelman syndrome. In these mice, the gene UBE3A is functionally deficient. The study found that brain cells in the mice lacked the ability to appropriately strengthen or weaken their connections in the neocortex, a region of the brain that is important for cognitive abilities.
"If brain cells were unable to modify their connections with new experiences, then we would have difficulty learning," said Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurobiology at Duke and co-senior author of the study. "We have found that a specific form of brain plasticity is severely impaired in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome and this prevents brain circuits from encoding information provided by sensory experiences. In addition, an exciting possibility is that the defect we have found may be a more general feature of other disorders of brain development including autism."
The inability of brain cells to encode information from experiences in the Angelman syndrome model suggests that this is the basis for the learning difficulties in these patients.
"It is difficult to study how experiences lead to changes in the brain in models of mental retardation," said Koji Yashiro, PhD, a former graduate student in Philpot's lab and lead author of the study, now a scientist with Urogenix, Inc. in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. "Instead of studying a complex learning model, we studied how connections between brain cells change in visual areas of mice exposed to light or kept in darkness. This approach revealed that brain cells in normal mice can modify their connections in response to changes in visual experiences, while the brain cells in Angelman syndrome model mice could not."
An unexpected finding was that the plasticity of the cellular connections could be restored in visual areas of the brain after brief periods of visual deprivation. Philpot said the observation that the brain defect could be reversed "is very encouraging, as it suggests that viable behavioral or pharmacological therapies are likely to exist."
"By showing that brain plasticity can be restored in Angelman syndrome model mice, our findings suggest that brain cells in Angelman syndrome patients maintain a latent ability to express plasticity. We are now collaborating to find a way to tap into this latent plasticity, as this could offer a treatment, or even a cure, for Angelman syndrome," said Philpot.
Philpot added, "This same experimental approach could also reveal how brain cells encode information from experiences in other related disorders, such as autism, and may provide a model to find cures for a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders."
Other authors are, from Philpot's UNC lab: Thorfinn Riday, graduate student; Adam Roberts, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow; Danilo Bernardo, medical student; and Rohit Prakash, former M.D./Ph.D. rotation student. Kathryn Condon, a graduate student in Ehler's lab and the department of neurobiology at Duke University; and Richard Weinberg, Ph.D., professor of cell and developmental biology at UNC, also participated in the research.
Support for the work came from grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and the Simons Foundation.

Adapted from materials provided by University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Amazing new research.....

2009-05-12T17:37:00.004-05:00

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation has a long-standing history of funding new and innovative research studies. Two such ASF-funded studies, from the laboratories of Dr. Benjamin Philpot (University of North Carolina) and Dr. Michael Ehlers (Duke University) have recently released their findings about the development of the neocortex in the AS brain.

"A major goal of research in Angelman syndrome is to understand how the genetic loss of UBE3A alters the development of the neocortex, an area of the brain that is important for higher cognitive functions. A collaborative research effort from the labs of Ben Philpot, PhD, at the University of North Carolina and Mike Ehlers, MD, PhD, at Duke University has led to the exciting finding that brain circuit maturation is impaired in Angelman syndrome model mice deficient in Ube3a, but that brain plasticity can be restored through a behavioral manipulation. Normally brain cells wire together by following a genetic program of development that is modified through sensory experiences. This experience-dependent component of brain maturation provides a sensory feedback mechanism to ensure that the proper connections are maintained while inappropriate connections are eliminated. Although much of the developmental program for wiring the brain is intact in Angelman syndrome mice, these mice lack the experience-dependent component of brain maturation. This developmental defect is associated with profound impairments in the normal ability of synapses to strengthen and weaken in response to changes in neural activity. These results show that Ube3a is required for the proper experience-dependent maturation of the neocortex, and suggest that loss of neocortical plasticity contributes to the deficits associated with Angelman syndrome. Excitingly, the researchers demonstrated that normal brain plasticity can be restored by sensory deprivation. This indicates that brain cells in Angelman syndrome patients maintain the molecular machinery to express brain plasticity, and raises the remarkable possibility that this latent plasticity can be tapped through behavioral, pharmacological, or genetic manipulations to treat Angelman syndrome." Dr. Benjamin Philpot

The ASF is proud to continually support high-quality, cutting edge research.

Click here http://www.angelman.org/stay-informed/as-in-the-news/index.cfm?showDetail&i=22 and here http://www.angelman.org/stay-informed/as-in-the-news/index.cfm?showDetail&i=23 to read further information about Dr. Philpot’s and Dr. Ehler’s research study results.

If you can, please click on the Angelman icon to the right, below my profile, and donate towards this research.
Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T15:42:00.015-05:00

Today we walked in the race for the cure at the Mall of America again! I think we've done it 6 years now! There were about 50,000 people there this year! It's such a fun day but it really makes me realize how out of shape I am. I can handle the cardio part of it, it's just that my hips get SO sore. I really need to get out and walk more.
This is the beginning of the race as we walk under the freeways, and into the tunnel:

This is the view from the other side of the tunnel:All along the way there are people along the road that are cheering us on and entertaining us. This was a group of high school kids playing percussion. There are SO many cute banners and outfits along the way :o)

My Mom and Mother in Law. This is my Mom's 6th year cancer free! Go MOM!

My 2 Aunts and 2 Cousins that drove down to walk with us all. They also came down last year to celebrate my Mom reaching her 5 year milestone. Thanks for coming guys!!!!!My Mom and her BFF Jill:Here we all are :o) The FINISH LINE :O) We made it!
After the race they have a group picture with many of the survivors. It's a very emotional thing to view. All of these ladies, and some men too, that have beaten breast cancer. You know when you see someone in a pink shirt that they have fought an enormous fight.Thanks Mom, for being SO strong!

My week

2009-05-08T18:55:00.007-05:00

I'm sorry I'm not on here more, but the month of May is such a busy time for me. We've been getting the garden ready to go. I'm going to do the lasagna gardening this year so we have to cover the whole thing with newspapers and cardboard, alfalfa hay, and then composted manure. The newspaper part has proven to be quite the job. It seems like it's always windy here so we have a hard time getting them down and then have to keep watering so they won't blow away. It makes that electricity generating windmill seem even more like something we need :o)
My "garden tub" full of garden plants is growing like a weed and I can't wait to plant them in a couple of weeks. Gotta be sure to wait long enough so they won't freeze :o)
Unfortunately we are still going to have to file bankruptcy and that's a tough one. We went to see the attorney this week and have a ton of paperwork to fill out. It just sucks that even with a corporation we weren't able to avoid being responsible for the debts of the company. I guess it is what it is and we'll survive. We've learned to live without so much now that we can live on about 1/2 of what we used to. And that's good considering how frugal I was to begin with. I'll bet you'd have a hard time finding someone that spends less on food than we do, and that's including our all-natural diet. We LOVE to buy the "loss leaders" at all of the grocery stores. Loss leaders are super low priced items that just get you into the store with hopes that you'll buy more stuff. My Hubby is great about stopping at all of the different stores each week on his way home. He's passing them anyways, why not stop and get natural chicken breasts for $1.68 per lb., and 10 bottles of apple juice for $10. That's one benefit of living just outside a metropolitan area. We have Cub, Walmart, Target, Jubilee, and Rainbow Foods. Deals galore. Plus I print coupons online and save even more :O)
We've turned the heat down/up to keep the gas and electric bills down, and of course, the garden that will feed us wonderfully. I buy clothes for the kids off the clearance racks for the next season, and also hit the thrift stores when I really need something. The other day I went to the Salvation Army and got 8 pairs of knit pants for P, for $10! She goes through them like crazy because she hops and walks on her knees.
I also like to make snacks instead of buying everything. We make cookies, marshmallows, fruit breads, muffins, cakes, popsicles, jello, etc. I just found a great recipe for granola that we are going to try. All of this stuff is almost free, it's so inexpensive.
We were in foster care training last weekend and the lady couldn't believe that I could feed my family for a week on what other people would spend on one meal at a restaurant. A bag of flour, sugar, some milk, eggs, etc., goes a LONG way. Pasta, veggies, cheese, etc. are great to buy in bulk at Sam's Club.
"A" had her last week of dance class this week. Next week is rehearsal and then their recital the next weekend. I'm SO proud of her. She's front and center this year for her dances so it will be nice to be able to see her every move.
School is winding down. My kids have worked so hard that they are almost done with the year. Now we are slacking back a little so we can have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm just starting to get the curriculum together for next year. We are looking at Mammoth Math. It's on sale right now on the Homeschool Buyers Coop for 40% off in a group buy. It's basically a disk that has grades 1-5 in math! You just print off what you need, or the whole grade book. How great for me and my big family that I won't have to buy math again for several years. However, A & W are both a year ahead in math so at the rate they're going we might be done sooner. That's fine with me though because we value academics bigtime in our house and will always push our kids to do their best. The time and attention that I have to work with them allows them to jump past the easy parts that they learn quickly, and spend more time on the things they have more trouble with. It's SO fun to see their little tickers ticking in their heads when they are learning. "A" just learned how to subtract double digit numbers with borrowing. It was tough but I just took out the little counter blocks and showed her visually what she was doing. Right away she got the point much better than just the explaination. Hard to believe that a year ago, in public school, she was in Title 1 because she was behind in Kindergarten math! Now she's in 1st grade and finishing up 2nd grade math. She finished 1st grade math right after Christmas.
This weekend is going to be fun. Two of my Mom's sisters, and their 2 daughters are coming down tomorrow to spend the day and then we are going to do the Race for the Cure on Sunday at the Mall of America again. My Mom, Mother in law, my Mom's friend Jill, her daughter Janna, and Janna's Mother in law, are also walking with us. It's such a blast!
WOW, I guess I made up for lost time, lol!
Have a fantabulous weekend everyone!

Raising a child with FASD

2009-05-02T22:50:00.003-05:00

This is such a wonderful post that I have to link it here for you all to read.
Living with FASD

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T21:56:00.006-05:00

We're getting closer and closer to Summer vacation! I'm SO excited to be done for the year so we can spend time doing whatever we want :o) Today we got school done in the morning and spent the afternoon outside. The kids helped Daddy haul some branches to the burn pile, and then they took rides in the jeep, and practiced golf. Daddy is sawing off his clubs so the kids will have some their own size :o)
Here are some pics:
Riding with Sissy
Hauling brush
Computing on my brother's laptop :o)
J's adorable rag quilt that Gramma made for him :o)
P's adorable rag quilt from Gramma. They're about 5' tall!
Taking a stroll with Daddy at the park :o)

The BabiesRUs Mother's Day Sweepstakes - To celebrate Mother's Day, we're giving away 2 Grand Prizes and 20 Prize Packages to 22 lucky winners at BabiesRUs.com.

More cool places :o)

2009-04-28T10:18:00.003-05:00

This blog is so cute! You'll love the humor and all of the pics of his baby chicks as they grow.

I'm finding all of these homesteading and home grown websites at www.homegrown.org There is a "member blogs" section that has tons of cool info and projects from other people's blogs. I just love seeing what other people are doing with their yards, and their attempts at being frugal :o)

This is SOOO cool!

2009-04-28T09:33:00.001-05:00

Repurposed rain gutters! I'm definitely going to do this on my fence when it's up and also probably my sheds. How pretty to be lined with flowers!

I'm on Etsy :o)

2009-04-27T22:23:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd get more exposure for my onesie shirts by putting one on Etsy. We'll see how it goes :o)
Click here to see it :o)

We finally got it figured out

2009-04-24T16:36:00.003-05:00

Today I had P's planning meeting for next year. We decided to send her to Kindergarten at her current/local school. They have that funky, every other day, schedule. It will be crazy having her in school M & W one week and T & TH the next week. We are going to skip Fridays alltogether because we have to have at least one consistant day to have her therapies and stuff on. It will only be 2 days per month anyways, and with long weekends and such it probably won't add up to much.
They are going to be providing her an aid that will be with her throughout the day. She won't get direct PT or OT, but they will consult with her aid/aids and tell them what to be doing with her. She'll still get Speech therapy twice per week. I think it will work out well because she'll be getting lots of walking during the school day and that's what they've been working on anyways. She'll also have adaptive phy ed.
She'll be using her Ped. stroller to get into and out of the school building and for when she's tired of walking and they need to bring her to the other end of the school for something. Other than that she'll be using her walker.
We had gotten approval through a Family Support Grant for a Toughbook for her with Speaking Dynamically Pro on it. Hopefully we'll get that soon and can start working on that. Then she'll use that in school too.
Hopefully it will all go smoothly and we'll be happy with the set-up.
As many of you have followed through previous posts, I have struggled with the decision on what to do with her for next year. I could homeschool her, but I can't work one-on-one with her while schooling the other kids. She can sit at the table with us, but is that something that will interest her? Right now she's usually only interested in pulling up on everything and getting into stuff :o) This way she'll have one person with her all day making sure that she can participate in the school activities and also make sure she's getting some walking in each day.
School for her is a lot different experience than it would be for our older 2 kids. They weren't learning well and the things they were learning weren't things we approved of. We love knowing what they are learning and being able to teach it to them. They are both a whole grade ahead in math, and are learning to read beautifully. Daddy is always impressed by their reading abilities at story time :o)

Fabulous day!

2009-04-23T22:18:00.005-05:00

What a fun day! We got school done quickly and then ate lunch and headed outside to play. When Daddy got home he gave them a few lessons on golfing and they hit some balls and then hunted them down :o) It's funny to watch P help shag the balls. We pull her around in the wagon so she can "help". We pick up the balls and put them in her wagon and then she slowly picks each one up, examines it, and then tosses it over the side as we go along, lol.
On Sunday I had taken 2 gallon bags of frozen garden tomatoes, from last Summer, out of the freezer and cooked them down in the crockpot. So today I boiled them down a little more to evaporate some liquid and make it more saucy, and made homemade spaghetti sauce for our pasta. It was SO good. There is SO much more flavor in the garden tomatoes than the store bought or can ones.
Then after supper A & W and I went to our homeschool buddy's ice cream sundae birthday party. It was fun! Happy Birthday "I". The kids loved having whatever they wanted on their sundae. Birthday parties are the only time I really let them cheat and eat whatever they want. I think I'm also going to do it for their own birthday parties this year. Although I do get rave reviews on my cakes that I make from scratch :o)

Since it's Earth Day :o)

2009-04-22T10:37:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd remind everyone of a great bulk Organic company called Azure Standard.
You basically have to order by a certain day and then a semi comes around on your drop-off day to your drop-off point. Everyone in your area that is picking up has to help unload the stuff and there you are. Great ORGANIC foods in bulk at a nice reasonable price.

I also would like to remind everyone of the Feingold Association. This is where we get the info to allow us to feed our kids an all natural diet. No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, etc. You get a book with all of the food in your area that have been researched and approved for the program. It's not hard after the first couple of times shopping with the book. And if you think it's expensive, it's not. I buy all of our food at Walmart.

Another thing I'd like to mention is the link to Jillian's book (to the right of the screen). I saw her talking about it on tv the other day and it has GREAT reviews. I haven't read it, but am going to order it shortly. It talks about healthy, natural eating and how it helps people avoid all of these health issues that keep cropping up everywhere.

Have a great day! We are going to eat lunch and then we are off to the park with our homeschooling friends :o) It's a beautiful day!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T08:21:00.003-05:00

Here are some great deals for Earth Day 2009!

Buy.com
Earth Day Store Books at Buy.com!

Planetshoes.com
Buy Vegan Shoes - Certified Vegan!

GAIAM:
Celebrate Earth Day with Free Shipping on any order over $49. Use code AFEARTH4. Expires 4.30.09

EnviroInks - save 10% with coupon code Earth10
ReynoldsWrap will send you a rebate for a free roll of their new 100% RECYCLED foil

Office Depot:
Get a FREE Green Canvas Bag With Purchase of a Pack of 25 Office Depot(R) Green Recycled Hanging Folders at OfficeDepot.com! Use Coupon Code 31961762.

BabiesRUs:
Celebrate your Earth Day with Free Shipping, plus a Free 2 Pack of Bumkins Organic Burp clothes when you spend $50 or more in our Natural & Organics Store

Parenting a child with a disability

2009-04-20T17:21:00.013-05:00

This is a moving essay that I found in RealSimple magazine. It's written by Judith Scott, who is the parent of a child with a disability.

"Our lives, my husband’s and mine, fill with the role of parenting a child with disabilities. We become champions of the cause, joining groups, researching new developments, taking part as vocal advocates for our daughter’s rights. Sometimes this all feels fine and we soar with competence, proud of the manner in which we are managing. Sometimes it chafes, this role for which we did not volunteer, and we are quietly resentful, then guilty. My friends say they don’t know how I do it, my family say they are so proud, and I thrive on the accolades, smile a bit brighter. But behind that smile, a ghost lingers, and the loss of the perfect life I had planned sits heavy.

Before Emily, there was a woman who was a teacher and a wife and a friend. Now there is just Emily, and the woman struggles for her bearings, tries to find her footing. I see this woman in the mirror one day and take a long moment to recognize myself. It is time to find the “new normal” that will define my life. I search for the thing that will make the difference. At first, it is running, the simple act of lacing up my Sauconys and hitting the road. Exercise helps and heals. Running segues into racing, and although not an athlete, I train and plan and accomplish modest goals. Local 10Ks and marathons expand my world, and I embrace it with unabashed selfishness.

Running makes me brave, and although life with Emily is still turbulent, I have a renewed confidence. Another daughter comes along, followed by a son, born almost exactly 10 years after Emily. We cobble together a family, now not so much defined by the disability within it but by the love despite it. Emily’s siblings speed through typical development without a hitch, gladdening my soul and adding another layer of respect for my firstborn, who struggles so. The pain diminishes, and acceptance comes in.

My husband and I always mock the fuss made over graduation celebrations. We wonder when graduating from elementary school became such an occasion. Surely no one put on the ritz for us, back in the day. But times change, as they will, and the day is upon us, as Emily nears completion of fifth grade. This milestone day is marked by students all dressed up, speakers who wax nostalgic, and a video montage of the kids’ elementary-school years.

I sit in my cushioned seat, only half-cognizant of the speakers’ words. I wonder how Emily is faring backstage with her class, lined up for the processional. Her full-time aide is there to assist her, but still I am anxious, twisting the program into a wad on my lap. Finally it is her turn to cross the stage, and cross it she does, with a nudge and whispered directions. From stem to stern, it is perhaps 100 feet, but Emily’s journey is more than that. The outgoing class stands to recognize her walk; they cheer, holler her name.

Who knew that an elementary-school graduation, rife with its tired clichés and tacky streamers, would crystallize all those years of searching for peace? For now, in this moment, on this day, it is finally clear. I was mistaken. The albatross of disability in fact turns out to be a strand of uncultured pearls, each in its varied imperfection a pure and precious gift. No class I have taken, no country I have visited, no book I have read, has taught me more. This child who does not speak, who does not fit in, who is different wherever she goes, is a lesson to me."
Click here for more.

Some pictures

2009-04-19T14:00:00.005-05:00

Today we had pancakes for breakfast. I made strawberry sauce because the kids love it. P can't have strawberries so I made banana sauce for her. Then everyone else decided to have strawberry-banana sauce :o) It was SOOOOOOO good!!!!! Just heat a glass full of frozen strawberries in the micro for a minute or two and then blend right in the glass with a hand wand mixer. Then add a little sugar. The banana sauce is just two ripe bananas with a little bit of milk. Wand that also. Playing outside with Daddy in the sandbox.

Here is how the seeds are coming along. The tomatoes that I planted in my homemade newspaper cups are still pretty small so I didn't take pics of them. The tall ones are the green beans.

Ms. P. She was sick with a terrible cold all last week. She spent quite a bit of time in her bean bag, just chillin' :o)
Helping "sort" the laundry :o)
You can see in the background that she got into the drawer and decided to make a puppet out of my oven mitt, lol.
Look who learned to drive cars :o)

What a fun day!

2009-04-18T19:12:00.006-05:00

It was beautiful here today! Knowing that it was going to rain tomorrow, we decided to spend the day outside getting things done. This was our first official day of working on the yard for the year. Hubby cleaned out the garage and shed, and got the lawn mower going to give the kids rides in the trailer :o) When P saw him coming with the trailer across the yard she stood up in her wagon and just about fell out because she was so excited, lol.
I raked, shoveled, and planted strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and rheubarb. I mowed part of the yard, set up the lawn sprinklers, cleaned up and put away all the winter stuff, and planted some planters with flower seeds with the kids. We also filled the bird feeders and got them hung up. We're hoping that if we gets lots of birds we won't have so many bees. I transplanted a plant of mine that is way to big for the pot, since I was making dirt messes anyways :o)
I was a great time. The kids did SO good. We skipped J's nap because neither of us wanted to stay inside for 2 hours while he slept. All of the kids played so nice and the older 2 did a great job of helping watch out for the younger 2.
Now I need to hunt down some alfalfa or naturally grown hay or straw for the garden.

2 Day Sale @ Nautica.com: 30% Off $150 (Monday 04.20 & Tuesday 04.21 Only)

It's Friday!

2009-04-17T22:22:00.002-05:00

Friday is always SO exciting for kids. Mine were supposed to have Wednesday off from homeschool but we decided to work on Wednesday and save our off-day for today. P had PT, OT, and SPL at Gillette this morning so Grandma came over to babysit and the other 3 played outside with her all morning. Then I got home around 11:30 and had to eat quick and head out the door to the social security office. I got home from there around 4:45. Hubby made grilled cheese for supper with corn and fruit. Then I went outside and started working on the garden. I noticed that the darm deer broke off almost all of the brances on my apple trees. I'm so sick of those darn deer!!!!! I'll have to get some fence to put around them. Then I went through the garden with my hoe and flattened out some gopher holes - dam them gophers too, lol. I also knocked down some bigger weeds. Then my neighbor came over to chat and nothing else got doen after that, lol. I came in at 8:00 when it started cooling off. We have to get a bunch of garden work done with weekend to get it ready to plant in a couple of weeks. I think I'm going to layer it in newspapers, cut holes to plant in, and then use alfalfa on the paths to help control the weeds. We'll see how it goes. It has to be better than the mess I had last year. The manure fertilized the weeds and grass and my garden was almost lost in it all. I don't have time to spend hours picking weeds every day so I just left it. Hopefully this new way will work better. We'll see.....

Deer

2009-04-12T08:31:00.004-05:00

Last year we started our garden for the first time. We put a 3' fence around it to keep our friendly rabbits out that were watching us plant it :o) Later in the Summer, when it was almost time to pick pumpkins and corn, we went out to find that the deer had jumped over the fence and eaten our corn and also took a bite out of our only big pumpkin. We were able to salvage the pumpkin for carving :o)
I've been trying to find a cure, short of having to replace the poles and fence with 5' high fencing. Ooh, and they also eat at my apple trees too :o(
So, I found this:

Click one the tree and then type "spray away" in the search box at the top of the page when it opens.

I really think this might work for us. It will be nice because it can "watch" over our apple trees too :o)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T08:01:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

William Rast

2009-04-11T21:42:00.003-05:00

I keep hearing about JT's (Justin Timberlake:o) clothing line so I thought I'd check it out.

William Rast

A little too pricey for me - actually a LOT too pricey for me. I like that he's donating some proceeds to charity, however I think for the prices he's charging he could be a little more generous. After all, he's not hurting for money :o)

Busy day today

2009-04-11T08:20:00.003-05:00

Of course I procrastinated and now I have to figure out what the Easter Bunny is going to bring my kids TONIGHT! lol. I'm going to make them some Easter shaped chocolates and maybe some other things. We'll see what I can get done while they go to the pool with Daddy today.
I also have to make some biscuits to bring to Grandma and Grandpa's tomorrow for dinner. That will be the easy part :o)
Our indoor garden is coming along great and I'm getting excited to be able to plant them in about a month or so. Hopefully we'll have lots of veggies to eat and more to freeze for the Winter. It's been fun to take out frozen tomatoes, cook them up on the stove, and then puree them with my wand for spaghetti sauce. We also LOVE the green peppers for everything too. We had some on our homemade pizza last night, mmmm.

Healthy ingredients...

2009-04-06T16:06:00.003-05:00

20 Health Benefits of Turmeric - it's some pretty amazing stuff!

18 Facts About Cinnamon - mmmm good stuff!

More here at the Health Diaries' page called EAT THIS :o)

More pictures...

2009-04-06T12:09:00.003-05:00

My "garden" tub, lol. I had to find somewhere to start my seeds and this is where the best SE sun exposure is. There's another big square window to the left so it gets sun almost all day.
My sweet J in his throne :o) And, of course, one of Daddy's hoodies :o) He LOVES being warm :o)

All the money spent on toys and they'd rather play with P's diapers, lol.

Homemade pizza night. The one on the bottom is the one A made in the shape of a heart. W made his and says it looks like a cop badge :O)

Where did J go? Ooh there he is :o) He loves his blanket Grandma made him :o)

Money and Inflation 1970's

2009-04-03T18:09:00.003-05:00

I found this really cool website that tells you about things from the past. Here's part of what it had to say about the 1970's:
********
Money and Inflation 1970's
To provide an estimate of inflation we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in todays money
If you have $100 Converted from 1970 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $517.65 today

In 1970 a new house cost $23,400.00 and by 1979 was $58,500.00 Examples of homes and Property for sale in the 1970's
In 1970 the average income per year was $9,350.00 and by 1979 was $17,550.00
In 1970 a gallon of gas was 36 cents and by 1979 was 86 cents
In 1970 the average cost of new car was $3,900.00 and by 1979 was $5,770.00 Examples of Models andCar Prices in the 70's
A few more prices from the 70's and how much things cost
Datsun 210 $3,869
Dodge Colt $4,785
Warm Leather Lined Boots $39.99 From Prices for clothes and fashions in the 70's
Car 8 Track Stereo Tape Player $38.99
CB Radio $147
Medium Eggs 25 cents per dozen From Food Prices In The 70s
Miracle Whip $1.09
King Size Bean Bag Chair $19.99
Porcelain Kitchen Sink $9.88
Quartz Alarm Clock $12.97
Also Check Out Our 70's Computers
Example of a home:
Country Ranch with 10 acres 3 bedroom large barn fruit and oak trees Vallejo California $59,200 1974
***********

Very fun to read! I remember when I sold real estate back in the 90's :o) There was this big old house I had sold, and when I looked at the deed on it, it said that they had paid $3,200.00 for it back in the 50's or whenever it was built. Wouldn't that be nice, a 2 story, 5 bedroom house, with hardwood floors for $3200! You pay more than that for almost anything used to build a house these days.
Ooh if life could be that simple - but then I wouldn't be writing a blog post would I, lol.

Very important!

2009-03-31T19:59:00.001-05:00

Here's the radar...

2009-03-30T21:51:00.002-05:00

We're in the 6-10" range. Those poor people over in Fargo/Moorhead :o(
Right now it's the calm before the storm. It's still 36 degrees so I'm hoping it will freeze before it starts so we don't get the slick roads from freezing rain. We'll see...

Awaiting the snowstorm :o(

2009-03-29T19:59:00.004-05:00

We had a fun weekend and enjoyed the little bit of warm weather that we had. I think it got to 40 degrees today :o) The kids played outside and had a blast. They helped Daddy put some leaves and water into our compost bins and spin them up :o)

We made homemade chicken nuggets for supper. They looked just like the "real" thing and actually were "real" :o) I guess they were pretty good (I'm a vegetarian :o) We made our own breadcrumbs for them. I save all the ends from our loaves of bread in a bag in the freezer, and then dry them and smash them up for things like this, and stuffing, mmmmm :o)

I had made a bunch of plant starter pots out of newspapers last night (thanks Lori :o), so after supper we filled those with dirt and got some pepper and tomato seeds planted in them. I put them into 2 long planters that fit perfectly on one of the ledges in my bathroom where they get all of the southern sunlight they can handle.

Ms. P got to come out and "help" but had to go back in when she decided that a handful of dirt might be a good meal :o)

Hard to believe there's going to be 4-6" of snow out there tomorrow evening :O(

What a fun day!

2009-03-25T22:14:00.002-05:00

Today was my day to organize a project for our homeschool playgroup. We planted seeds :o) Take a cotton ball, wet it, put a seed in it, stick it in a gallon ziplock baggie, and tape it to a southern exposure window. Water it every so often when it gets dried out. In just a short period of time you'll see the roots form and the seed crack open. Once you have a nice little plant growing you can take it outside and plant it.
So much fun for the kids :o)
It's also fun to hang out with our friends :O)

Another blog to check out :o)

2009-03-24T22:22:00.003-05:00

My homeschooling friends and I are starting a blog with lots of tips and tricks for money saving, healthy eating, being green, etc.
Check us out: http://momssavingsomegreen.blogspot.com/
Hopefully you'll find some of it helpful :o)

More good news about HFCS...

2009-03-24T18:18:00.002-05:00

Click here for the full story: Why High-Fructose Corn Syrup Causes Insulin Resistance

Here's part of what it says: "According to the latest statistics, new cases of diabetes have increased by 90 percent in the last 10 years, and diabetes or pre-diabetes now strikes one in four Americans. Those are absolutely astounding statistics to say the least.

How Much High Fructose Corn Syrup is in Your Diet?
The obesity and diabetes epidemics are no surprise when you consider the fact that the number one source of calories in America is high fructose corn syrup in soda.
There are about 40 grams of HFCS per can – more than the American Medical Association’s recommended daily maximum for ALL caloric sweeteners. And that’s without adding in all the corn syrup now found in every type of processed, pre-packaged food you can think of.
In fact, the use of high fructose corn syrup in the U.S. diet increased a staggering 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005, according to the latest USDA Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food Consumption report. That too is no major surprise considering that processed foods account for more than 90 percent of the money Americans spend on their meals.
All in all, according to the USDA’s report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars – the majority of which comes from high fructose corn syrup.
Folks, this is an absolute prescription for disaster. Is it any wonder that we are suffering epidemics of chronic diseases that are contributing to the economic collapse, as they require expensive drug and surgical solutions that only treat the symptoms, but do nothing to address the cause of the disease?"

News about Mercury in Corn Syrup & Food dyes from Feingold

2009-03-22T09:34:00.001-05:00

=============================
[ ] MERCURY IN YOUR CORN SYRUP !
=============================
Mercury in any form is an extremely potent neurological toxin. Organic mercury compounds such as methylmercury readily cross the blood-brain barrier and damage brain tissue.

As you probably know, there has been much concern lately about the mercury in dental amalgam fillings and vaccines. The FDA monitors mercury levels in fish, poultry and livestock because fish meal and fish oil containing mercury are often used in animal feeds. However, there is no surveillance program for mercury contamination in food ingredients like corn syrup. No problem was ever expected, so nobody ever looked.

Then one day in 2003, it came to the attention of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) that in the eight companies making something called chlor-alkali in the United States, there was a mercury-related problem. Specifically, each of these companies had been losing 7 tons of mercury a year, and nobody knew where it went!

Several chemicals are required to make high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and what these chlor-alkali companies were making is called mercury-grade caustic soda and hydrochloric acid.

These chemicals are sold to other companies, who use them in the manufacturing of corn syrup. The chemicals help to control acidity.

The FDA wanted to find the missing mercury, and their investigation led them to Vulcan Chemical Company in Wisconsin, which was the only company to find out where its missing mercury went. The "lost" mercury wasn't actually lost at all. They found it in their chlor-alkali products – so they began to worry that it might be in corn syrup, too!

The agency commissioned a small study (Default 2009) to measure the amount of mercury found in samples of corn syrup produced by three manufacturers. They examined a total of 20 samples: ten from Company A, five from Company B, and five from Company C.

Default found that 9 of the 20 samples (45%) contained mercury. However, the distribution was not even: For Company A, 9 of the 10 samples (90%) had NO detectable mercury. However, 8 of the 10 samples (80%) from the other two companies DID contain mercury.

It was concluded that Company A probably used the better “membrane grade” caustic soda (which does not require mercury), while Companies B & C were using “mercury grade” caustic soda. This could not be verified with either A, B, or C, since information about the source of ingredients is secret. The fancy term manufacturers use is “proprietary information.” Moreover, when university researchers wanted to do a larger follow-up study, and tried to get more samples directly from the corn syrup manufacturers, the companies refused to cooperate.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Americans eat an average of 49.8 grams of HFCS per day. The authors comment that people drinking a lot of corn-syrup sweetened beverages could easily be getting more than this average.

As part of the study, the authors contacted manufacturers for more information on how much corn syrup is in their products, but were told (again) that this information is “proprietary.”

The authors say, however, that by using the reported average daily consumption of 49.8 g HFCS per person, and their own measurement of mercury in their samples, they were able to estimate that the average daily total mercury intake from HFCS could range from zero to 28.4 micrograms of mercury per day. That is just a bit more than the amount of mercury in a flu shot or a tetanus shot (25 micrograms). The amount considered safe by the EPA is .1 microgram/Kg body weight – this means that a 200-pound man could safely be exposed to 9 micrograms of mercury from all sources every day. While the flu or tetanus shot exceeds this “safe” level, you don’t get one every day. But if you or your children are eating a lot of products with corn syrup, you better hope that your brand’s manufacturer bought it from Company A – or you may well be getting up to three times the “safe” level just from your food . . . EVERY DAY.

I was wondering how to compare this amount of mercury to the amount in a can of tuna – as you probably know, the FDA has recommended restricting the amount of tuna you eat. While the amount actually in tuna varies by source location and type of tuna, with Pacific light canned tuna having the least, the average is .35 ppm (or .35 mg/kg) according to the FDA at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.

If my arithmetic is correct, that translates to 60 micrograms per 6-ounce can of tuna. Well, it’s nice to know that the amount of mercury in your daily dose of corn syrup is probably a little less than the amount in a whole can of tuna. But if you are eating it every day, it is a lot. And if you are eating both (having a soft drink with your tuna sandwich, are you?) then it is even more.

The authors warn, “Quantitative information on long-term effects of inorganic mercury compounds on humans does not exist.” In other words, like cigarettes, it won't kill you today, but what will it do to you over the next 20 or 30 years? And what will it do to your children over the next 50 or 60 years? Nobody knows.

Calling for more research, the authors conclude: “Mercury contamination of food products as a result of the use of mercury contaminated HFCS seems like a very real possibility. With daily per capita consumption of HFCS in the US averaging about 50 grams and daily mercury intakes from HFCS ranging up to 28 micrograms, this potential source of mercury may exceed other major sources of mercury especially in high-end consumers of beverages sweetened with HFCS.”

If you would like to read the entire article, see it at
http://www.web4health.org/Default2009.pdf.

Although corn syrup is not eliminated by the Feingold Program, we mark products containing it in our Foodlists, and we recommend new members avoid it when beginning the diet until they know how sensitive their children are. Now there is another good reason for all of us to minimize our exposure to corn syrup. Pay attention to items marked in the Foodlist, and read your ingredient labels.

======================================
[ ] ANOTHER CONTAMINANT IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY
======================================
Mercury can also be found in food dyes. The FDA allows it at 1 part per million. But there is another toxic contaminant allowed at 10 and 20 times that amount: LEAD!

In the wake of the many recalled toys from China over Christmas, one of our parents wrote in to comment on Congress' effort to place such strict limits on lead in children's toys while still allowing the US to put lead (albeit very small amounts) in our children's food (through dyes). Her suggested headline: "Congress does not want our children to play with lead, but they think it's OK to eat!!!"

Yes - for those of you new to the concept, not only do the synthetic colorings have numerous side effects that damage the health and behavior of our children (and ourselves), but they also are allowed to contain lead, mercury, arsenic, and several frankly carcinogenic chemicals. One study (Lancaster 1999) showed that the carcinogenic compound benzidine was found in Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) at up to 270 times the allowed amount. So how much lead, mercury, and arsenic are really in there? Nobody, apparently, has yet bothered to try to find out ... but if any of you are graduate students in chemistry, here is your next research project. Write me - let's talk.

Pictures

2009-03-20T22:45:00.006-05:00

Since yesterday was such a rant, I thought I'd follow up with some pictures :o)
I just stocked my store, check it out www.beedos.com

They love dressing up Ms. P:
My little bird lover filling her feeders :o)
The neighbor chicks decided to come over for a visit :o)
Little Mr. Houdini :o)
They had a bear hunt at school:

Awww, loving the baby:

Hey Mommy, look, I can lay down too so you can take my picture too:

Boots on a budget. Roll of blue duct tape $3.69. Boots that don't leak anymore, priceless :o)
I do have a 4th child but he doesn't like his picture taken so I don't have any new ones of him :o) Except for his boots, lol.

What a day!

2009-03-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

I figured out in the last few days that, for some reason, our mail from our company was never forwarded to the po box that our office manager had opened in her home town. I don't know why she didn't do it or if she thought she did it, why she never noticed that nothing was ever there that was forwarded. You'd think of all people, she, who has gotten the mail on her desk every day for how many years now, would notice that the same mail was not being delivered to the po box for two months. I can't make sense of that in my head at all.
I also don't know why our health insurance was never cancelled. If she didn't want to do these things then just say so and I would've gladly taken care of them. She said she'd do it and it didn't get done. Now, who knows how much we are going to owe for these extra months. AND since the mail wasn't forwarded, we didn't get any bills to know these things. And who knows how many people are taking us to court that we don't even know about! The Department of Commerce finally found us through my Dad's contractor license because their mail was being returned too, as was the health insurance mail. That's what tipped me off.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
I swear, like there isn't enough to do in a day that you can't just expect that ANYONE is going to do what they say they will. I've gotten to the point that I'm just going to do everything that has anything to do with my family, MYSELF!
Then the bank that has my conversion van financed called yesterday because I had missed last month's payment. I told him that we don't even make enough to pay our mortgage right now and there was no way we were going to be able to get caught up on the van. I told him we could drop it off but he said they'd come and get it today. Then the towing company called and I told them to just bring 2 people and they could drive it because it's really big and it would be hard to tow it. WELL, of course a woman wouldn't know what SHE's talking about :o) Here they come with the little tow truck. The guy's like "Wow, that's big". I told him it wouldn't work but he had to try. He hooked it up and when he lifted it with the hook, the whole front of his tow truck came off the ground, lol. He lowered it back down, unhooked it, reparked it, and brought me the keys back. He was a nice young guy (that makes me feel old to say that :o) and said he'd send the flatbed out to get it. Well, the flatbed came and that almost couldn't do it either. It barely fit on there and when he tried to lift it the bed kept on dropping down. I seriously thought he was going to drop it on the ground. Then he chains it down and off he goes, with his flashers on, down the shoulder of the road. I seriously think he got down the road and probably took it off because he was so top heavy. Wouldn't want the woman to be right though, LOLOLOLOL!
It's so funny! I can joke about men like that because my hubby is SO NOT like that :o)

Get a tissue...

2009-03-18T15:54:00.002-05:00

Regie Hamm talks about his American Idol song that he wrote that was inspired by his daughter with Angelman Syndrome.

Hey!

2009-03-14T22:53:00.003-05:00

I'm still here, lol. It's been crazy busy around here with paperwork, sewing, kids and more kids, homeschool, Spring cleaning, etc. Holy man the time does fly.
We are still staying afloat. Hubby got a job selling insurance for Aflac. Check it out online at www.aflac.com. He just finished his training and is ready to dive in head first. Sales is his thing so I'm sure he'll do great at it. They have some great disability and cancer insurance policies. Once we get on our feet we'll definitely be getting at least those. They have lots of other types of policies too.

The kids are doing great! Getting excited for Spring to be here. We are seeing the end of the school year coming up too. We are all very excited for that, lol. It will be nice to have the time to do more things with them instead of school all the time. Going to try and see lots of sights this Summer :o)

We are also looking into doing some daycare for just one family. In order to get a daycare license we have to give up our foster care license and we don't want to do that. So, we can do daycare for only one family without a license. We are looking into doing 2nd or 3rd shift since I teach the kids all morning and part of the afternoon.

I haven't had any bites on my van. I didn't really expect to since it's so expensive and the economy is so bad. I cleaned it all out today so it's all ready to go. I'm sure the bank will be coming to get it shortly since I'm a month late on payments. We'll see though. Either way I wanted it cleaned out just in case they come when I'm not looking and take it away with all of my stuff in it. I'm screwed without my car seats.

My new van is working out well. I got a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan a few weeks ago. I had to get it before my credit went to crap. I love the stow and go and filled it right up today :o) P's PT was able to help me find a adaptive stroller to borrow from another family until I can get one for P. Lifting her wheelchair in and out of the stow and go hole is about killing me. I'll bet her chair weighs about 30-40 lbs! This stroller is about 20 lbs. so that's much better. Plus it folds down so it's not such a bulky piece to pick up. Once the snow is gone we are hoping to just use a walker for her, and only the stroller when we have a long ways to go or she's too tired.

Well, that's my update for now :o) Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Best way to wash your produce

2009-03-04T07:30:00.002-06:00

What's the honest-to-goodness best way to wash your produce?

Use water and white vinegar - no lie. A few squirts on your fruits and veggies gets rid of the nasty stuff (like pesticide residue) that you don't want - no store-bought washes necessary..
The Benefits

* A diluted vinegar rinse kills 98% of bacteria on produce - researchers found it works even better than a scrub brush.
* Water and vinegar rinses cost just pennies; the premade washes we found cost $4 and up.
* It's a simple truth: Buying plastic bottles of produce wash means having to recycle them too (not to mention the energy and materials needed to make and ship them in the first place) - you'll still need to buy bottles of vinegar, but you'll buy fewer of them.

Wanna Try?

* Mix water to white vinegar 3:1 in a spray bottle (if you've already got a bottle of the premade stuff, use it up and reuse the sprayer). Rinse with water after you spray.

12 food Additives to AVOID!

2009-02-28T22:42:00.001-06:00

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100204508&imageindex=1

Today is Rare Disease Day!

2009-02-28T21:48:00.002-06:00

My baby girl is one in a million!

http://www.rarediseaseday.org/

Another funny :o)

2009-02-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

Next time you think your hotel bill is too high you might want to
consider this...

Husband and wife are traveling by car from Key West to Boston

After almost twenty-four hours on the road, They're too tired to
continue, and they decide to top for a rest.

They stop at a nice hotel and take a room, but they only plan to
sleep for four hours and then get back on the road.

When they check out four hours later, the desk clerk hands them a
bill for $350.00
The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high.

He tells the clerk although it's a nice hotel, the rooms certainly
aren't worth $350.00!

When the clerk tells him $350.00 is the standard rate, the man
insists on speaking to the manager.

The Manager appears, listens to the man, and then explains that the
hotel has an Olympic-sized pool and a huge conference center that were
available for the husband and wife to use.
'But we didn't use them,' the man complains.
'Well, they are here, and you could have,' Explains the Manager.

He goes on to explain they could have taken in one of the shows for
which the hotel is famous.
'The best entertainers from New York , Hollywood and Las Vegas
perform here,' the Manager says.
'But we didn't go to any of those shows,' complains the man again.
'Well, we have them, and you could have,' the Manager replies.
No matter what amenity the Manager mentions, the man replies, 'But
we didn't use it!'
The Manager is unmoved, and eventually the man gives up and agrees
to pay. He writes a check and gives it to the Manager.
The Manager is surprised when he looks at the check. 'But sir,' he
says, this check is only made out for $50.00.'
'That's correct,' says the man. 'I charged you $300.00 for sleeping
with my wife.'
'But I didn't!' exclaims the Manager.
'Well, too bad,' the man replies. 'She was here and you could have'

Now this is funny - I don't care who ya are, lol...

2009-02-25T11:42:00.001-06:00

A friend sent this funny to me:

We've all had trouble with our animals, but I don't think anyone can
top this one:

Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how
legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I'm
lying.

On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because
the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I
had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in
the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain
the bandage on the top of my head. The accident occurred mainly
because I had given in to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty.
Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.

Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard
my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.

'Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it.'

'You know where the button is,' I protested through the shower
pitter-patter and steam. 'Reset it yourself!'

'But I'm scared!' she persisted. 'What if it starts going and sucks me
in?'

There was a meaningful pause and then, 'C'mon, it'll only take you a
second.'

So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent
outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her
behavior as extremely cowardly.

Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to
find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.

It struck without warning, and without any respect to my
circumstances. No, it wasn't the hexed disposal, drawing me into its
gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the
fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She
had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under
the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she
leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her
needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly
bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the
full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region.

Wild animals are sometimes faced with a 'fight or flight' syndrome.
Men, in this predicament, choose only the 'flight' option. I know this
from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink
and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent.
The impact knocked me out cold.

When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.

Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself
lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of
'been-there, done-that' paramedics.
Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were
all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while
trying to suppress their hysterical laughter.... ..and not succeeding.

Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it
back in to the office, where colleague s tried to coax an explanation
out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too
painful to talk about, which it was.

'What's the matter?' They all asked, 'Cat got your tongue?'
If they only knew!

Great way to delay foreclosure!!!!!

2009-02-25T10:26:00.002-06:00

Inflammatory Breast Cancer - very important - please watch!

2009-02-22T18:29:00.000-06:00

More proof...

2009-02-20T22:37:00.001-06:00

My online store is up and running...

2009-02-16T22:20:00.004-06:00

www.beedos.com is the address of my online store. It's named after P because her nickname is Beedo :o) I have onesie shirts on there for special needs kids and adults. You'll notice that I put a discount section on there so people can get discounts based on how much they are purchasing. I can't figure out the HTML code to do it on the items so I just made something to click on. Hopefully everyone can figure it out.
I add shirts to it as I make them so if someone doesn't see something they like they can check back later. I will be adding other items as I have time.
Please forward it on to anyone who you think might be interested.
Let me know what you think or if you find any issues on there. I'm definitely not a web designer, lol.

Most Common Source of Calories in U.S. is LOADED With Mercury!

2009-02-14T07:56:00.001-06:00

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
In case you weren’t aware, the number one source of calories in the United States is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The average American consumes about 12 teaspoons of it every day, though as the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) pointed out, teens and other “high consumers” may consume 80 percent more than that.

Now it turns out that this widespread sweetener is contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercury!

The samples were found to contain levels of mercury ranging from below a detection limit of 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms mercury per gram of HFCS. And this was from samples of popular name-brand foods and beverages, including some made by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s.

How Does Mercury Get Into Corn Syrup?

Although the makers of HFCS like to claim that it’s natural, it’s actually a highly refined product that would never exist in nature. Its manufacture involves an extensive process, one step of which is to separate corn starch from the corn kernel.

Caustic soda is used, among other things, to do this, and for decades mercury-grade caustic soda produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants has been used for this purpose.

Because mercury cells are used to produce some caustic soda, the caustic soda may become contaminated, and ultimately transfer that mercury contamination to the HFCS in your soda, salad dressing, soup, cereal, and so on.

Said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., a co-author of both studies:

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply.”

Isn’t it ironic that the Corn Refiners Association just recently spent around $30 million on an ad campaign designed to rehabilitate HFCS’s reputation as an unhealthy sweetener?

It’s going to take a lot more than a few TV commercials to explain away this latest revelation.

Why Consuming Mercury is a Bad Idea

Mercury acts as a poison to your brain and nervous system. This is especially dangerous for pregnant women and small children, whose brains are still developing. If infants or fetuses are exposed to mercury, it can cause:

• Mental retardation
• Cerebral palsy
• Deafness
• Blindness

Even in low doses mercury can interfere with a child’s development, leading to shortened attention span and learning disabilities.

In adults, mercury poisoning can be a serious risk as well, and has been linked to fertility problems, memory and vision loss, and trouble with blood pressure regulation. It can also cause extreme fatigue and neuro-muscular dysfunction, as experienced recently by Chicago actor Jeremy Piven.

Further, studies show that mercury in your central nervous system (CNS) causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems including:

• Arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies
• Tremors
• Insomnia
• Personality changes and irritability
• Headaches

• Weakness
• Blurred vision
• Slowed mental response
• Unsteady gait

To make matters worse, mercury bonds very firmly to structures in your CNS. Unless actively removed, it has an extremely long half-life of somewhere between 15 and 30 years in the CNS! What this means is that consuming mercury-contaminated HFCS is probably cumulative, with the damage adding up over time.

Mercury is Not the Only Reason to Avoid HFCS

The fact that HFCS-sweetened food and drinks may contain mercury is enough to make me avoid them like the plague. But then again, I avoided them entirely even BEFORE this news came out and I strongly encourage you to take a similar stance.

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form (soda), its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.

Among them are:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome
• An increase in triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
• Liver disease

Fructose also contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, and it leeches micronutrients from your body. Unbound fructose, which is found in large quantities in HFCS, can interfere with your heart's use of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium.

Last but not least, HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns, such as increasing your risk of developing a food allergy to corn.

Want to Ditch HFCS?

If you’re healthy, occasional use of small amounts of corn syrup isn’t going to cause any health catastrophes. However, most people are not eating corn syrup in moderation. In 2007, Americans consumed an average of 56 pounds of HFCS each!

A large part of this was undoubtedly from soda, which, again, is the number one source of calories in the United States. So if you’re looking to cut back on HFCS, right off the bat one of the best things to do is to limit or eliminate soda and sugary drinks from your diet, and my turbo tapping technique can help you to do that.

This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it completely you need to focus your diet on whole foods. If you do purchase any processed foods, make sure you read the label … and put it back on the shelf if it lists high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient -- especially if it’s the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient.

I'm so proud of my kids!

2009-02-13T19:23:00.002-06:00

A and W both got their report cards and A got on the A honor roll with a 96% overall, and W got on the B honor roll with a 84% overall. They're SO competitive though! W broke down in tears because his sister got a better grade than he did :o( I felt bad but he knows now that he needs to be more thorough in his work. He's not very artsy so he doesn't like to put a lot into his drawings and things like that. Many of the assignments that are required to be turned in are artsy type things. Now, if they saw his math book he'd have an A for sure :o) They both do great in math. W is done with his K math and is almost 1/2 way through his 1st grade book. A is almost done with her 1st grade book and her 2nd grade on is on the way.
I should also mention that J is doing GREAT in special ed! I wasn't sure how it would go because he's such a little trouble maker, but he's loving it and they are loving him. I'm so glad because it's something he needs and I was worried it wouldn't work out if he acted the same way there that he does here.
And P is doing great on her feet. Her walking is still progressing little by little and she's getting more confident in pulling to stand and getting into EVERYTHING! I definitely need to get more shelving and storage space that's up high :o)

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-02-05T22:23:00.002-06:00

My sweet little P is going to be 5 tomorrow! I can hardly believe it! I usually get pretty sad, as I had blogged about before, but I really think it will be easier this year since she started WALKING YESTERDAY!!!!!! How fabulous is that! We were at homeschool playgroup at the gym and I was walking around with her and just hanging onto the middle of the back of her shirt. She stopped and I let go and walked around to the front of her. She got a little nervous and I held out my arms and told her to walk to me. She took 2 steps and then stopped. I backed up a little more and she took 3 more steps to me. I would've kept going but she just busted out crying because she was scared. She gets very nervous when she's on her feet. She loves doing it but needs to be touching someone to be secure about it. The cool thing was that she was totally steady and didn't even need to use her arms to balance. She's actually learning to bend her knees instead of being so stiff.
It was great that my hubby was also there with us and got to watch it also. Everyone was SO proud of her! Being able to walk is such a different life for her, and for us. It will be a while before she's walking a lot but those first step were a miracle in the making :o)
So anyways, tomorrow is her birthday and she'll be 5. It's just another day to her but we'll definitely be excited for her. I sure hope she knows how much she's adored around here. She brings unending joy to us all and to everyone who meets her. I only hope that we do the same for her. Maybe someday she'll be able to tell us :o)

We're doing good...

2009-02-03T18:41:00.005-06:00

A few people have emailed and asked how we're doing. We're doing pretty well, considering. Hubby has applied for about 10-15 jobs and had 3 interviews. He got hired for all 3 jobs :o) He has some training to do and then he'll be starting at one of them. I think he's narrowed it down, but I'm not for sure, lol. I knew it wouldn't take him long to find a job because he's quite the smart cookie, and is a very personable person.
I haven't decided what to do about my van yet. It's so expensive and I don't know that keeping it is reasonable. However, I also don't know that having a minivan and lugging a wheelchair in and out of the back of it is something my back can handle. Not to mention lugging P in and out of the wheelchair and into her car seat. It's a hard decision to make but I guess we'll find out soon enough if we can afford it. Used minivans are quite a good deal right now though :O) Our credit is going to be ruined by the loss of the company anyways so letting my van go won't make a difference in the least.

Other than that, J turned 3! Happy Birthday baby boy! And my newest niece was born on Friday. Madison May was 6lbs. 14oz. and 19" long. Both Mom and baby are healthy and happy! We drove up on Friday to see them and Miss Madison is just beautiful! Congratulations guys!
So that makes all girls born to my family, lol. We have 2 nieces on my side and 2 now on hubby's side, and we had 2 girls. I told my brother in law that they'd have to adopt their boys too, lol.

My sweet little P will be 5 on Friday! I can hardly believe it! Her birthdays are always hard for me because as much as a absolutely adore her, it reminds me of all the things that she isn't able to do. I morn the things that she doesn't get to do that the other kids get to do. She doesn't know any different, but I do. I also think that her having 3 siblings that are 6, 5, and 3, makes it that more obvious to me. They do things and she just tries so hard to keep up with them. They go outside to play and she'll watch out the window. They play on the computer and she just watches and tries so hard to get to it. It's one of her favorite things. I think I'm going to get her a kid one for her birthday so she can beat it to death :o)

I'm SO excited!

2009-01-31T16:10:00.003-06:00

I just heard back from one of my onesie shirt customers and he said:
"I love them. Excelent fit for me. They dont look childish. I can wear them in public."
I'm so excited! That's just what I was looking for. Allowing special needs adults and children to look just like everyone else, and still be able to keep their shirts tucked in.

I just got my SSL certificate approved so I have to get it installed and get the final details on it. Then I'll be up and running.

I'm so happy, I can't even tell you. I love to sew, so to do something I love, help others out, and make a little cash to help out with the bills is great.

Pictures and info

2009-01-27T15:29:00.004-06:00

I've had lots of questions and special requests so I thought I'd post on here to answer some and also put some pics of what these look like on a person :o)
My sweet daughter modeled one for me so you can see how they fit. It's a little big on her because she doesn't have a diaper on. The second picture shows her pants over it and the shirt pulled out a little for comfort.

The onesie part is made of a double layer of soft, stretchy, knit fabric that has been serged for durability. It's attached to the shirt with a double layer of stitches, and the 3 snaps are through 4 layers of fabric so they won't tear out. I will also be selling onesie extenders that can be added on to any of the shirts to add a few inches and allow you to use the shirts a lot longer as your loved one grows. Just let me know if you need one.
My website is almost done and I'll have a lot of shirts in all different sizes available to purchase. I will also be shipping internationally once per week when I can make it to the post office :o)
If there is anything else you are looking for, please let me know. I will be making lots of winter items next fall, including long fleece mittens (with and without thumbs), and matching hats, scarves, and shoe/AFO covers to keep those plastic AFO's from freezing little legs.
And, lastly, if you get your purchase and it doesn't fit or you aren't happy with it, you can return it (unworn and unwashed) and I will refund you, minus shipping. I know it's hard to buy clothes online and I want everyone to be happy with their purchase :o)
Please post a comment and let me know what you think :o)

Here are some onesie shirts that I have available...

2009-01-25T20:02:00.011-06:00

UPDATE: Website is complete. Visit www.beedos.com
Don't see what you need, just click "contact" and let me know :o)

I've lost my patience with waiting for my website to get done :o) Every time I think I'm close to it I run into another hurdle.
SOOOO, here are 6 shirts that I have available right now. They are $18 each and that includes shipping within the continental US. Here are pics of the ones available, along with the details. I changed my process of making them so that the size of the shirt stays the same and I just added the snap crotch to it. This seems to work the best because it maintains the size and you won't have to measure to know if it will fit or not.
If you are interested in ordering one just email me and let me know what you want and I'll send you a paypal invoice. 1st come 1st served, but I will be making more. I will ship within 24 hours of payment.
rysdams@yahoo.com
I make these shirts for my daughter and they are SO nice to have. They snap easily, stay snapped, keep her shirt tucked in while allowing for a little blousing out above her pants, and keep her hands away from her diaper. Plus she looks just like every other kid in school because you can't see the white part that's hidden in her pants and she has the same shirts on that they all wear. They make having a special needs or handicapped child or adult, so much easier to dress, and keep dressed :o)

#1 is a yellow boys size XS (4/5) polo shirt - shoulder to crotch length=25.5"

#2 is a dark brown size Small boys long sleeved shirt - shoulder to crotch length= 27.5"

#3 is a dark navy and charcoal grey size XL boys long sleeved shirt - shoulder to crotch length=34"
#4 is a boys white size XL long sleeved shirt - shoulder to crotch length=36.5"
#5 is a pink girls size 14.5/16.5 plus sized short sleeved shirt - shoulder to crotch length=29"
#6 is a pink/multi girls size XL (14/16) short sleeved shirt - shoulder to crotch length=30"

You guys are awesome!

2009-01-18T22:36:00.002-06:00

I've gotten so much love and encouragement from my friends since I posted my update last night. You all are SO awesome! It's great to have such wonderful and supportive friends :o)

I finally got some of my onesie shirts, and a pair of cute girlie flared jeans that I made, on ebay tonight, and a bunch of the boys' clothes that no longer fit. I'll be doing the girls' next week, if I have time :o) I'm hoping the onesies do well and I can continue to make them. I still have to wait for my SSL certificate so I can open up my online store. I do plan on making them up to adult sizes but need to get some fabric to do it. With the kids' shirts I can just take bigger shirts and make them smaller but with the adult ones I'll have to add a panel to make them long enough.

Hubby found about 10 jobs to look into tomorrow and see if he can find something that he can do. He wants to stick with sales because that's what he does best. Maybe something like medical sales would be a better match for him. We'll see... I'm not too worried about him because he's very smart, and very ambitious :o) He'll do what he has to do to make it work, just like I will.

I'm off to bed :o)

:o(

2009-01-17T22:20:00.002-06:00

I have tears in my eyes as I remove my Hubby's business logo from my blog. As of Friday his business has closed. The economy sucks, the weather sucks, and they can no longer make ends meet. It's sad because he and my Dad have worked SO hard to keep it alive this long and ended up losing it anyways.
On to a new chapter in our lives and hopefully not too many changes. We'll get through it. We have each other, our kids, our health, and our family. Our biggest concern right now is for him to find another job, to keep our house, and for me to get my special needs clothing business moving.
Onward and upward, I can't feel sorry for myself because there are SO many people out there dealing with way more. Change is hard but life goes on.
Hubby went and bought a used Suburban today that will fit all the kids, and then the wheelchair in the back. It has 4x4 and will also pull our camper. Hubby needs a vehicle since his was owned by the company and went goodbye the other day. This way if we have to let my van go, we will still have something that we can use for everything we need.
I don't get to blog much now because I'm selling on ebay, sewing lots of clothes, and designing my website for my special needs clothing business. I'm hoping that it will be a success. I love the stuff I make for P and hope others will also love it. I'll be listing some on ebay tomorrow until I get my SSL certificate for my website. We'll see how it goes... I'll keep you posted.
Wish us luck :o)

Busy, busy, busy :o)

2009-01-11T21:57:00.003-06:00

The new year has started off with a bang! I'm busy making a website and sewing shirts to stock it with. I'm also busy selling stuff on ebay to purchase my supplies with :o) When I get the website up and going I will definitely post the link here for you all to see :o) Right now my site doesn't have any shirts on it so there isn't much to look at but BOY is it CUTE :o)
Check out my ebay listings if you need any cute fabrics or Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free bread or chocolate cake mix, lol. I haven't gotten any kids' clothes on there yet because that's a big thing to take on and I haven't had the time yet. I have buckets and buckets of clothes and need to sort through and match up sets and take pictures, etc. It's exhausting just thinking about it, lol.

Tomorrow morning at 8 am I have P's IEP meeting for her next year of schooling. She'll be 5 in Feb. and they need to figure out what Kindergarten will look like for her. We have pretty much decided to homeschool her starting next year, or sooner if she starts walking more, because we're worried about safety.
It's been a difficult decision because she enjoys school, and they all just adore her. We just don't feel like it's the safest place for her to be. They can't tell me that she'll have a 1 on 1 aid and I don't want her there if she doesn't have someone's eyes on her at all times. Both the special needs classroom and typical classroom have their things that make us uneasy about them. In the special needs class I worry about her safety from other kids. She doesn't have any reflexes to protect herself. Someone could walk right up and poke her in the eye or hit her and she would do very little to protect herself. She can be easily tipped over when sitting and knocked down when standing. Other special needs kids can't always be responsible for being super careful with her. They all love her but they don't always realize what they're doing any more than she does. In a typical class I would worry about her getting into and eating things. I have been in those classrooms and they are full of buckets and cubbies of little, chokable things. It's definitely not baby proof and she's just like a 10-12 month old baby in every way. And what about things that kids bring to school, like magnets. She could eat something and we wouldn't even know it until she got sick or died. So, in a typical room she'd have to be in her wheelchair at all times to keep her out of stuff but still could get ahold of SO many things that she can't have because she's so grabby. That would mean that she couldn't be around any of the kids and their activities. And again, they also don't realize that giving her a pencil could take out her eye or that sharing a snack could cause her to choke. My own kids sometimes have a hard time remembering the things that she can't have. I can't expect that a class of 25 or more kids would always be responsible around her.
The other thing is that she's getting closer to walking. Once she can walk, she'll be falling a lot until she can learn better balance. She's very motivated to walk so once she can I know that she'll be on her feet constantly. Having her in a room with lots of furniture, sharp ends, and tile floors is so scary. She's quite top heavy because of her big head and I can't imagine the thought of her hitting her head and face on things. Now she hops around the class and that's also something that's hard to think about. She's a beautiful little Princess and I just don't like her hopping around on the dirty floor. We get snow here and the floor can be wet and lets not mention all the nasty things on people's shoes :o( I'm a germ freak and it's just gross that her sweet little hands are all over the floor and then in her mouth, yuk!
Anyways, those are some of our reasons. I know when I wrote about this before I got a comment about her getting good therapies and having fun at school. I must say that her therapies have slowed down some. Her speech is shared with another child (1/2 hour twice per week) using the GoTalk 9 and other things that we bought, so she'll have that here. Her OT was phased out and she only gets the monthly consult. Her PT (1/2 hr twice per week) is walking with her gait trainer and shopping cart and stuff but we will have the gait trainer here and we have a shopping cart and lots of other things. Plus, her day is PT, lol. All she does all day is hop around, pull to stand, climb on things, and try to keep up with her siblings. Her LIFE is PT, lol.
She also does aqua therapy each week for an hour and I will be taking her to Gillette for PT, OT, and Speech home programs that will be updated once per month or more. She just got approved for supplemental insurance so I'm going to look into getting a PCA to come into the house a few mornings per week to help with her baths and to work with her also.
Anyways, I better get to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow. IEP in the morning, another long meeting in the afternoon, and then foster care support group, if I can make it in time :o)

I'm still here :o)

2009-01-06T23:20:00.002-06:00

Holy smokes! I've been a busy Momma :o) We started back to school on Monday and the kids are doing great! I really think they missed the structure of it all during Christmas break. I did some sewing on New Year's Eve and came up with a hobby. So, I've been busy selling things on ebay to make some cash to get started, and figuring out what kind of a website I would like to set up to proceed with trying to sell some onesie shirts that I make. I used the money I made on ebay to get my shirts and the other things that I need to modify the shirts. I'll probably be looking for a few special needs kids to try out my shirts as soon as I get my patterns all drawn out and get some made. I've got my small models here but need some bigger ones :o) I have a few different designs and styles in mind and would appreciate any input from fellow special needs parents as to what they are looking for in a onesie shirt for their kids.
Anyways -- off bed for me as I'm exhausted :o)

Working on those resolutions :o)

2009-01-02T18:53:00.003-06:00

I know this picture probably looks like a big mess but it's actually pretty organized. My sweet hubby made this downstairs bedroom into our storage room today. We used to have one of the smaller rooms in our addition for storage but it was just a huge stacked up mess. So today he built shelving in this bedroom that is 4 feet deep and the whole 12 foot wall long. So each of the storage buckets you see have another one behind them! We have a lot of "stuff"! I have buckets and buckets of kids' clothes that are going to be going on ebay starting next week. We have lots and lots of buckets of Christmas decorations, and most of the middle is for my garage sale and ebay. The top shelf is almost all baby stuff because we are determined that there will at least be foster babies around here some day :o) To the left on the floor are extra dining room chairs and 2 captains chairs out of my van that had to be removed to put P's lift in.
It will be interesting to see how it looks in about a month after I've gotten rid of some of it but for now it's SO nice to have one storage area and the rest of the rooms are ready for kids :o)

My New Year's Resolutions :o)

2009-01-01T09:14:00.003-06:00

1. The first one is easy - lose 15 lbs. I lost almost 60 lbs after P was born and 5 years later I've snaked 10 back on, lol.
2. Find an at-home way to make some cash. Every little bit helps and times are tough. (if anyone has any ideas please let me know :o) I might try and start creating special needs clothes for special needs kids, but sewing is quite time consuming.
3. Be a little more laid back in my parenting. I tend to be very strict and I need to not sweat the small stuff so much. This will be tough for my majorly type A personality :o)
I read a blinkie the other day, and added it to my blog, "Be who you desire your children to become". That's SO true because my hubby and I are the sample that our kids are learning from and we need to teach them how to handle themselves and be calm and patient people.
4. Spend more time doing family things. We are always with our kids but we don't get out with them much and we need to do that more. There are some limits because of P, but I think sometimes we just need to ditch the wheelchair, toss her in a stroller, and get busy having fun :o)
5. Get organized! I'm a crap collector. I just started up my ebay account again and am cleaning out the house, one week at a time. This will also help with resolution #2 :o) Check me out: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/jen4490 I'll be adding lots of kids clothes and other household things soon. I also may create my own website to sell my stuff because ebay is getting a little expensive, but we'll see.
Well, I think that's a good start! I may add more later :o)
Send me a comment with your resolutions, I'd love to hear them!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T23:09:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone has a safe and prosperous new year!!!!!