Tidbits

New shoes on son #1 before the bus came today.
Here's how it went.

Son#1: "No, no, no! I don't WANT new shoes! I want my old ones!"

Mommy: "But you need new shoes, your old ones are wearing out & your toes are too long for those shoes."

Son#1 scrambles to remove his sock & look down at his toes. "But my toes don't LOOK too long."

Mommy: "Come on, these will be great, they are new, and white & pretty."

Son#1" Oh no! (he says dejectedly) These have strings!" (shoelaces)

Mommy: "Yeah, well, when you start wearing mens sized shoes, they really don't make many with velcro."

Time passes, the new shoes are worn, PBS kids becomes more important than the new shoes.

The new shoes for Son#2, won't go over his toes. He gets that from me. They are slip on shoes in an effort to help us ALL out since Son#2 does NOT keep his shoes on for long at all. By the time the bus pulls away from the curb in the mornings, his shoes & socks are already off. But he's smiling. He also gets that barefoot thing from me & I get it from my mom.



Son#1 had been thinking. He passes by me & spits out some soft-spoken little sentence that has nothing to do with anything--yet, still seems oddly important, I better listen again.


Son#1: "I wish Daddy had less sleep."


AH HA!!!! I've often thought that children purposely used that against us in parenting. It's some sort of covert operation they train for in utero. Then they go to some secret pre-school debriefing at a certian stage. They let us resume our sleep schedule & report all the tidbits of they've tortured out of us while we've wandered around for years sleep-deprived. I'm sure it's things like, what decible to whine at for "x" amount of time, to get us to give in on something we WERE once steadfast in refusing. Or maybe it's to wear us down until they see us in slow motion enough to figure out the ins & outs of reverse psychology. Kids DO pick up on things quickly. Whatever it is, I think Son#1 just let it slip that there's DEFINETLY a torture method our country abides by....SLEEP DEPRIVATION!!!! **


Anyway, so Son#1 wishes Daddy had less sleep huh??

Mommy: "Huh? What's that?"

Son#1: "I wish Daddy had less sleep so he'd walk around forgetting stuff & seeing things that weren't there." (said with a giggle)

Mommy: "I think he already does that sweetie. Now go get your backpack on, the bus is almost here."

I can't let on that I know what his reconnaissance mission is. I'm sure this has something to do Star Wars. I haven't figured it out yet, but Son#1 DOES have a rather wicked sense of humor.


**I meant by children. Please do not email me about our country & their stance on torture. If you do, I'll just be forced to send my non-sleeping 100 lb .child to your house for the week & see what he gets out of you.**

Now on a happy note, I leave you with a picture of Son#1's Star Wars Galaxy Heroes. He LOVES them & has a million. They are cheap, (2 in a pkg for $6) and make great gifts. If your kid likes Star Wars, new or old movies, they'll love them. I tried to pick some older SW characters you might recognize easily. Go ahead & see who can be the first to post the correct names of the hereos below & you'll win...well, let's be honest, nothing. Yes, it's that kind of blog.:)

Clue

Son #2 came home Friday early from school. He was having meltdowns he couldn't get under control. The weekend held more.This is the ugly side of Autism. Living with someone who can not talk is frustrating. 90% of the time, he can make his point, get his wants & needs expressed by taking your hand & leading you to the item, area or thing he wishes. The other 10% of the time, it's hell trying to figure out what he wants while he beats on his face, pinches his body all over making welts or runs his body into things in frustration. Sometimes there is pain. If you have a headache, you take an asprin. If your teeth hurt, you go to a dentist. For son#2, without words, there are hardly any signs to express at "2 years old" that your tummy hurts. The reason he is on medicine is because of the frustration that comes with non-verbal communication. He does not have that abilities to channel or control those frustrations & emotions. They overcome him & he acts out. Sometimes at us, mostly at himself. I understand completely. I may not know what he wants, but I get so frustrated from not knowing what's wrong, that I act out too. Autism is brutal some days. Those are the days you get looks. People stare. The grocery store is difficult, and church impossible. You become a detective following the clues. WHERE is he pinching? What area of his body? That is most likely what hurts. His belly? Gas? Constipation? How does he communicate that to us? He's walking on his very tip toes, that's the ultimate upset. He wails like a bale wolf, it pierces your eardrum & he hits his own jaws with his fists-HARD. His ears & cheeks are red like fire. Is that a clue it's his teeth? A cavity? A trip to the dentist will actually take place at a hospital most likely & he'll have to be put under to do any X-Rays, exams or anything else.

Those bad days are a guessing game. When you solve the puzzle--Son#2 did it, in the bathroom and constipation was the weapon used--it's a large victory.

A friend (thanks Tracey!) sent a video to me I want you to see & although, rap isn't really what many of you may like, watch & listen to the words please. This man's bio is as follows:
Sean Delaney is musician as well as a Direct Support Professional with the Special Needs Program in upstate New York. After spending several years working with adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, he felt compelled to speak to his generation. This song is a plea to his peers to open their eyes and encourage them to become more aware and involved with this rapidly growing population.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdfCN5ewHY

I won, I won, I won!!

I never win ANYTHING-yet I just won a caption contest for our LYS (local yarn store) in downtown Tulsa. Here's the baby picture I was supposed to find a caption for & the handspun yarn I won! My winning caption was "Pardon me, do you have any Gray Poupon?"
http://www.loopsknitting.com/blog/2007/09/lilys-caption-contest.html

Shave & A Haircut...Two Bits

*** WARNING-Some of these parental decesions you may not agree with. However, until you live at my house, you don't get to choose what's uncalled for or complain about how YOU'D handle MY children. This is just to maybe enlighten you as to how a very ordinary thing & even fun for most kids, isn't for us.***

When you go get a haircut it's usually something you schedule, look forward to (especially if you're a woman) and maybe even enjoy. For me, I love it. Puts me to sleep to have someone playing with my hair. Hubbo's hair grows so fast he has his cut every two weeks. However, haircuts have come to mean entirely different things to our family since we've had kids. Normal things aren't always normal in our household, even the most common things don't get to be normal or easy. It zaps your strength & leaves your mental energy comatose for an hour afterwards.

Children on the Autism Spectrum most often have all kinds of different sensory issues. One of the huge ones for our boys has always been the ears. Nothing loud, anything new or they cover them, and DON'T put anything by or in them! I know you're asking, "And this has WHAT to do with haircuts?" Well, when you're kids have sensory issues & won't just allow you to cut their hair, you have to get creative or go hippy.

There's two clear options: scissors & clippers. We first tried scissors. We'd put son#1 as a baby in a highchair in front of the tv & pop in a video. My mom would get out the scissors & we'd cut his hair & he'd hardly notice. As he got older, he noticed, BIG TIME. He grew stronger & bigger than high chairs & it took more to give him haircuts. Until you've wrapped your kid in a towel & held them down for a haircut & made them cry till they puke, you don't know parental guilt. It became clear as son #1 got older it was easier to just buzz his hair. And less dangerous since scissors stab. Then later, as he began to talk & communicate better with words, it was easier to make him understand that the haircut wasn't bad. Now, we're to the point of big boy haircuts with him done with scissors. And he only scrunches his neck a little when you get to over the ears. I believe his last conversation with my mom cutting his hair outside in a t-shirt & his underwear went like this.

Nana: "Put on this cape so you won't get hair on you. "

Son#1: "Oh, ok. It's a shirt shield?" (another Star Wars reference)

Mommy: "Yeah I guess it is." (laughing)

Son#1: "You won't use pokey scissors will you Nana?"

Nana: "No honey & Nana will try not to poke you with them."

Son#1: "Nana?"

Nana: "Yes baby?"

Son#1: "Can I get an underwear shield? There's hair falling all over me here."

That was a couple weeks ago & although it's taken 9 years, it's sheer progress! We're proud of him for not crying anymore. And son#1 even lets Hubbo do the no guard clean up with the clippers on his neck & over his ears. We've come a long way baby!!

Son#2 has issues with communication so that makes haircuts even MORE of a challenge. He doesn't know it won't hurt or isn't anything to be upset over. Today is school picture day for son #2. So last night I ran to the store & picked up a couple of shirts to go with his background we chose & some new shoes he needed. Then the REAL fun began. This summer son#2 moved out of the high chair & into sitting by himself (when he sits) at the dining room table. Nice accomplishment but it means trouble on the haircutting front. We dragged out the old highchair to keep him contained in & got out the clippers. We even bought the kid clippers that makes less noise. Son#2 is still in the phase of the buzzing hurting his ears & really just screaming about being contained for it all. He scrunches his shoulders and covers his ears & tucks his chin down to his chest.

I realize this is all seems cruel & unusual punishment, but how else do you give your child a haircut? Take them in public where STRANGERS can scare them? Let them scream down the salon or barber shop? The people cutting WILL stop & not go on, I promise you that. One time when son#2 was about 3-4 yrs old, he fell asleep on the floor on his tummy. I slowly stuck a towel under his head. I turned on the clippers & laid them by his head & jacked up the volume of the tv so it would drown out some of the clipper noise. After a minute or so of knowing he was used to that noise, I buzzed his hair while he slept. Whole haircut & he was none the wiser. Some people thought that was terrible of me. I guarentee if you came over last night, you'd opt for the sleeping version. He's not as deep a sleeper to do that anymore & his head has WAY more hair too. But it WAS one of my more creative moments as a mommy.

Last night we had a plan of just blending his hair with the clippers up the sides & leaving the top long. We got out the old high chair, got him in it, and began. Usually I'm the one that does the haircut & Hubbo holds his hands away from the action. This time, I held the hands. Funny enough, it took less time I think (average haircut for son#2 is about 30-40 min-those are VERY VERY long minutes, especially for son#2) and it looked WAY better! Son #2 even let Hubbo do the back & sideburns with no guard. He did cry & fuss & we had to hold his arms & push his head into our chest & hold it there to do either side, but it got done. I think he fights a little less each time. I swept up all the hair & cleaned up the highchair while Hubbo took Son#2 off to the shower.

I put gel in his hair this morning & combed it. Usually there's no need for combing it, it's so coarse that it does it's own thing. He looked adorable & sweet. Oh and he really looked his age-7 years old. My baby is growing up. Nothing like those big boy haircuts to make them look more like their daddy. Now watch, he'll be looking the other way in his picture today!

Point & Jabber

We are happy to announce that son#3 has reached a small but important, developmental milestone this past week. He is pointing at things & jabbering to us about them. Usually it's some form of "that", and it comes out sounding like "dat". This may be taken in stride by other parents, but we're on our third child & have never been through this phase once yet. We could not be happier since the speech therapist that was here Memorial Day weekend said that was a precursor to talking for most babies.

Also, everyone is "dada". Well, except Nana. He's got that her name down too. As much as I try, Hubbo tries, he still looks at me & says "dada". With a smile on his face, first thing in the morning, happy to see me..."dada". Sigh! He's gotten close a couple of times to the Mmmmm sound, but still no luck. At first I thought he was taunting me, now I'm not sure it's in the cards for me to be called mom. You'd think me being the parent that's here with them 90% of the time, they'd choose to say MY name. But NOOOOOOO! That's too easy I guess! Son #2 who doesn't use many things that sound like words- even one of his VERY few, is "dee-a-dee". Oh and the real kicker, son #1, the one who speaks at will with any word he cares to...calls me Julie. Yeaaaaah. Try going to the book fair or somewhere new & in public & having your kid call you by your first name. Everyone thinks you're the babysitter! When I came to son#1's school last year, he was SOOOO excited, he about cried. Literally. Smile on his face, walking down the hallway introducing me to the librarian, music teacher, etc. Then another teacher comes out of her classroom & asks, "Oh, is this your mother?" Son#1: "Nope, this is Julie." Sigh! Maybe one day.

In the meantime, we feel elated every time son#3 points & looks back at us jabbering, knowing that he's leaving that Autism gene behind him in his dust!

Fort Knox

If you've come to our home you've seen all our locks on almost every door. They're the ones you used to see on your grandma's screen door. Just a hook & eye type latch. We have them at the tops of every door but the kids room. All the closets, hall & bedroom. The bathroom & even a giant one my dad put on the door that goes from the kitchen into the garage. We started this a couple years ago for son#2. When he came out of his little cocoon & discovered there was a world for his taking. And take he did. Crisco out of cabinets to feel & smear all over his face. Vaseline out of the bathroom; which stays for a long time in your hair. Lotion is pretty squeezed out all over the carpet up & down the hallway. And then there's the front & back doors with the key dead bolts. VERY handy indeed! This weekend it was shower gel ALLLLLLL over the bathroom floor. With my gimpy knee, I let daddy look like Keystone Cops in there cleaning it up.



Our probably most inventive lock to date has to be the dog collar you'll see on the fridge. It keeps the fridge locked, and so far keeps son#2 from defeating it & stuffing his already chubby little face with hand dipped butter. I personally thought this one was quite ingenious on our part. This past summer, since son#2 has grown to 4ft 4 inches tall & turned 7 years old, we've had to move some of the locks up higher out of his reach. Not pretty, but it gets the job done. We also had to install some little alarms recently because he's tall enough to open all the higher cabinets in the kitchen--or our closet which he seems to be able to pop the lock on & string out my yarn. Now when he pulls them open a nice shrill, piercing alarm goes off & scares him away & us to the scene of the crime.



But now, he has a partner. An accomplice if you will, a new master mind to try & help him evade our Fort Knox we have going here. Son #3 has taken to this life of "crime" with ease. He's fast, sneaky, and QUIET. He is able to tread where the 92lbs of son#2 can not tread quietly. #3's interests include, standing on the dining room table, on top of the toy shopping cart, toy box or anything else he can get a leg up on. He has total domination over sneak attacks. He will wait till you get up to get something & army crawl in & swipe the remote before you even know what happened. He'll take the loots and run somewhere around a corner, flatten himself on the floor & turn his head so you can't possibly see him. Yeah right! Sneaky little bugger! (Be very quiet, I'm hunting wabbit tracks.) Sometimes, if you're lucky, you saw which way he went & you can track the remote down in less than 10 minutes. Other times, it's hopeless & you might as well find something else to do until something good comes back on that channel. Or paper rock scissors for which of you will stand there pushing channel up.



Son #3 is small enough to squeeze himself into spaces you can't follow & usually manages to take SOMETHING of importance with him you want. Or another brother wants. Like a cup or food. He's tall for his age & his no problem reaching up to the table or opening the microwave to see what potential lies there for the taking. #3's super power is his cute cheeks and that beautiful little smile. Very disarming. You forget the craftiness with which he thinks & can move because you're focused on his cute, curly hair & big brown eyes! Together there's no need for words between them (good thing since neither one can talk yet) they just know which area is at a weakened state & has potential to be ripe for the picking.



Two peas in a pod. Inseperable, except at naptime.

I give you The Swaim Duo:


I'm sure there's plotting going on here.

Are You Washed?

Guests. Coming. Coming here. Tomorrow morning. My husband leaves tomorrow for his annual "guy trip. His friends are coming by to get him and that means I spend most of today cleaning. Just how I was raised. When company is coming, clean. They won't be here long, and the bathroom will be the room they see the most I imagine. However, after getting up at 4am (there's my excuse for these ramblings & deep thoughts) today and waiting on the second school bus to come, I thought I'd start the cleaning process while I still had energy.

I started dusting shelves. This is pretty monumental because I pride myself on high shelves simply so I don't have to dust often. But, one of the friends coming IS rather tall. Hence the need for dusting. After I'm done with the kitchen, I realize there are some splatters on the long wall in the kitchen. I better wipe/scrub those off. Nothing says "I never clean." like tomato sauce on the wall. As I spray the area down with cleaner & start scrubbing, I see more splatters & dirty areas further out. I keep wiping the wall. My arm hurts, my hand is cramping and I'm getting a little light headed. (this sinus stuff doesn't like it when you bend over) Surely there aren't more dirty areas...right? Man! Where did this stuff come from?! It doesn't help this wall is textured. I guess we did move in here 4 or 5 years ago. Hmmm, I don't remember cleaning it much since then. Except for the occasional, OBVIOUS splatter. Two kids in high chairs on this wall in that time. I gueeeesss I could see where it might accumulate some dirty areas in that amount of time. I'm shocked. Really. I've had people in here. Albeit very few, but still. Why hasn't anyone TOLD me how dirty this wall is!? You're right, I would have cried. Don't tell me. I keep scrubbing & scrubbing and there are just more & more areas that need to be cleaned off. Up, down, the light sockets, and plug-ins. By the time I'm done cleaning the dirty areas & splatters, the WHOLE, LONG wall received a cleaning. Wow.

While I kept scrubbing and wondering if my arm would fall off before my hand cramped up & stuck in that position, I was thinking. Life. Isn't it sort of like this giant, white, textured wall?
You go along happy & fine, living your life and then one day, there's some areas that need attention. No clue how they piled up like this. And who knows how long it took to happen. You don't really have time to look back at them ALL, just time enough to take care of a few things today. But then, once you start looking at those areas that need attention, you realize, ALL the areas sort of need a sorting out. They all tie into together to be one giant thing called LIFE.

So what if son#2 gets me up at 4am today? And that it seems to be an every other day occurrence anymore. Then there's son #1 who functions well in theory but really may need some medicine to help de-Monk-defy him so he can function with focus. The baby needs a physical therapist for his legs. We all need to see the dentist. Then there's hubbo who's making me a single parent this weekend by leaving town.

Acts 3:19 says: "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;" (New American Standard)

Frankie Says RELAX!!

After a very stressful start to school this past couple of weeks, I was more than missing my knitting because it provides an outlet for all that energy that's not allowed (legally) to be let out on things or people (i.e., school nurses).

Although the weather is cooling off today (we're down to the 90's) I doubt we'll be needing scarves, mittens & hats anytime soon. BUT, a knitted item can bring with it's love, warmth & stress relief. I got a wonderful box today in the mail from my summer exchange knitting buddy. A coaster, a knitting magazine (my favorite one!), stitche markers, chocolate and a set of matching tam & mittens! Oh and the most beautiful turquoise blue cowl!! Having started today with a migraine, I was needing this care package. It couldn't have been better timing! ThankCheryl in Maine!!! You're super talented & the thought of including some yarn for ME to play with & the extra yarn from what you knit me, well that kind of thoughtfullness is very rare. You're a sweetie & I promise to give them good homes.

Now I have relaxed by finishing up a scarf for my #1 son who loves school buses. He knows every kind of bus & it's uncanny how he can tell you from FAR away which kind it is. There are "I" buses, Carpenter buses, Thomas buses (a couple others I can't remember) and Bluebird buses which are his favorites. And he could not be happier after spending a year on a Thomas bus, to be back on a big ol' Bluebird bus this year.


Although, this isn't knit for warmth, it's defintely fun & I think he'll love it. I should felt a piece of black & cut out the Bluebird logo, but I'm lazy & need to get to more unfinished knitting, so this will have to do for now.

My friend Terry wrote the pattern for me, so watch her site for the pattern to appear in her free pattern section at the bottom.;)

End Run

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running around the end of the line

As football season fast approaches I'd like to teach you a term. It's called doing an end run. Say that with me, "END RUN". Good. Now, let me tell you how a mom can apply this term and it's logistics to every day life & situations.

Here we are on the third day of school. The day before school started, when I went to meet the teacher I took son#2's meds with me to show them how I administer it, what it looks like & fill out forms that I knew existed to have the school give him some of his meds this year.

This medicine is like those foam packing peanuts that dissolve in water. That means it's not that easy to cut & the dose of meds we are on right now, means we have to halve them. Also, the stupid companies that make this med only let you have the melt-tab in .5mg & 1mg doses. Therefore, for son#2's new dose of .75mg three times a day, we're slicing & dicing this bad boy.

Wednesday at school I tell the teacher we're finally at a point where son#2 will need to be given meds at school in the afternoons. She takes me in person to the nurses office for the forms to fill out. I show the nurse the pills (I've already halved & stuck back in one of the two blister packs) and how I place them in son#2's mouth/tongue. She gives me the forms, I explain about how you need a very sharp knife to halve them & I'll most likely just send them already cut.

Go home, spend the night gathering $75 in school supplies, packing their stuff up, filing out papers and making sure it's all together for the first day of school. I get an old film canister to put the meds in for son#2 & use a Sharpie to write his name on the bottle. This will be better than sending them in a ziplock since they can get crushed & then would be useless. Oh I better mention that the first day of school hubbo stayed home to take our car into to have the a/c fixed (which turned out to be done to the tune of $480) so this was already a nice hectic, fun day at our household.

I believe the first call of the 15 from the school was around 10am. Turns out according to the nurse, that you can't send already cut meds. They HAVE to cut them there in the nurses office. Oh and you HAVE to have the Rx label to be able to even GIVE the children their meds. My reaction wasn't panic, yet. I jumped into Mommy-mode, grabbed my cape and started calling the pharmacy, doctor office and back to the school nurse.

me: "I have no car today, it's in the shop. Can the pharmacy fax you the label from his medicine? They give it to me in ziplocks."

nurse: "No. It HAS to be the actual, real Rx label."

me: "Oook. And I have to send brand new pills for YOU to cut them, right?"

nurse:"Yes. And make sure the .5mg & 1mg are in the correct ziplocks respectively or I can't give them to him."

me: "Okay, I'll get back to you."

During all this time I'm receiving all these calls from the higher ups whoever they are, above the school nurse. They are sorry, they can't help it. It's all policy. They've been to court with pharmacies & this is just how it is. Wished they could help me. I run across the street to catch a neighbor off to do errands and thrust the now empty ziplocks at him. He takes them the 10 blocks to the school & drops them off.

Another call from the school...

nurse: "Once I cut these pills, I'll have to throw away the other halves because I'm not allowed to repackage them-that would make us a pharmacy. They are considered waste."

me: "Uh no.... I don't think so. Those cost a lot of money & we are only allowed so many a month. I'll walk there every day & give them to him myself if you are going to HAVE to throw them away."

nurse: "Let me see what I can come up with. I'll call ya back."

They ended up deciding they could bend the rules a little & allow the "waste" to be sent home in an envelope to us to use here. Isn't that nice of them? At 1:20pm they call me AGAIN.

nurse: "Ms Swaim? We aren't allowed to touch Carson's mouth to give him this pill."

me: "Excuse me? Didn't you WATCH me give them to him yesterday IN your office?"

nurse:"Well, yes. But..."

me: "Can you lay it on the counter for him to pick up & take then?"

nurse: "Well, not really, that's contamination. Let me call someone & ask."

me: "My husband just came home, I'm on my way there now."

I brought a spoon with me too. It was a long shot but it might work. When I got there I also asked them to lay the pill on a paper towel on the countertop. She called the higher ups again. The paper towel would be okay. But, by this time, it was WAY past son#2's time to take his meds & we were treading into the gray area of the point of no return in meltdowns.

I met his teacher in the hallway because I could HEAR him coming. The nurse runs out to meet me & says I can not give him meds in the hallway or anywhere else, ONLY IN HER OFFICE. Did I mention it's smaller than my bathroom? So off we go, I give him the meds, walk him back to the gross motor room with all the swings, fun stuff and such, to wait him out & see if the meds can kick the meltdown. It did, 30 minutes later. Did I mention that was the first day of school?

Of course the main issue was going to be that eventually there won't be any NEW blister packs for them to open. They'll just be halves, and they can't GIVE halves, so we'd have to go there every one of those days to give him his pill ourselves. I had called the doctors office when I got back home from school. They suggested bumping it up to just a 1mg at school. I was really worried he'd get too tired/sleepy with it. Luckily the pharmacist at Wal-Greens came up with an end run. Thought I'd forgotten my point didn't ya??

God bless this man! (and I do plan to make him some brownies) He called me later Friday afternoon with the idea of making up a fake bottle with a fake label on it. It'll say that son#2 can have a .5mg (one whole pill they won't have to cut) in the afternoon. Then when he gets home a couple hours later, I can give him the rest of that .75mg dose (.25mg at home) GENIUS! It might just work. Fool them with a run around the end of their line!!! I love it! I'm ready to do anything at this point. And the fact that HE thought of it & was just as frustrated as me....I really wanted to kiss that man-white bushy moustache & all.

I picked up the bottle yesterday & sent it to school today with a school weeks worth of meds in it for son#2. Of course first thing this morning, the nurse calls. I have NEW paperwork to fill out. I have her fax it to hubbo so he can jump in this redtape fiasco with me. We don't want him feeling left out do we? And of course the nurse lets me know up front, "I can't give him his meds until I have this NEW form with the NEW dose on it." Sigh! I help hubbo fill it out, we fax it back but he gets a note saying "transmission not recieved". LOVELY! I call her, nope she didn't get it. I ask for her fax number again. Write it out for hubbo....it doesn't match the one on the form she had sent to us. She'd written where to fax it back to her at, with the wrong fax number. I ask you, WHO is special needs here????

I plan to use as many end runs as I need with this school until my son (both of them) get what they need. And maybe, just maybe, this nurse will get some "special brownies" from me at Christmas. There's no doubt in my mind Paula Deen would approve. Cause ya know...Ex-Lax can look just like shaved chocolate on top.;)

Crushing Milestones

Son #1 has met & surpassed his goals I had for him this summer! He is not wearing pull-ups to bed anymore. And he is now (I can happily say!) sleeping in his OWN BED! (pause for cheers & applause) Surprisingly it didn't take much. Just the usual kid bribes with favorite toys. And while I knew he could probably do those things, it was the consistency of sticking with them I hoped he'd conquer-and he did! So now, hubbo has come back to reclaim his side of the bed. Anywho, that is crossed off the list. Now if I can just get son #1 not to get up at the crack of dawn when he hears daddy shaving or getting the shower.

The other milestone for son#1 is church. When he was little, his still very literal mind called it "sing-a-song house". Every building was a house. Wal-Mart was even "Wal-Mart house". So VBS is at our church this week & I thought it was great way to introduce him to the concept of going regularly. There were many reasons we've never placed membership & a lot of them lie with the children's issues & our inconsistency of going. It's rather hard to commit to being a member somewhere when you're not there 95% of the time.

Since son #1 is letting us read him Bible stories & really getting into them, I thought this would be an excellent way to introduce him to class. And the baby is at a wonderful stage for getting into the habit of going also. So off we head to Vaction Bible School Sunday night. The baby was perfect & charmed the nursery. Son#1 was hesitant but did well. Even let me leave him in class. He loved the puppets & was really intrigued by all the clappy songs. He's still not sure about all the yelling & excitement-little much for him. But at the end they pop a HUGE balloon & he melted down before they ever got to that. So we left early last night before that part came along. It was helpful God provided people I knew in their classes & whom I felt comfortable with leaving them. I didn't have a chance to explain some of son#1's issues & things so that was concerning a first. I wasn't too thrilled with their theme of Saul/Paul. Seemed geared more towards bigger kids (which I guess son#1 is but it's all new to him) and there didn't seem to be a huge pull towards more than Dramatime. I was hoping for more the style of when I was little. Little easy songs, a memory verse, make a take home thing with something to do with the lesson. The lessons being easy like sharing, love God, we are Jesus little lambs etc. But we're on the third night tonight & all in all I think he did well & hopefully he'll be on his way to Sunday school soon.

Son#2 has had more good days than bad & enjoyed summer school & riding the bus with his brother. And the trampoline (one of his birthday gifts) was supposed to help him exercise some of his weight gain (from meds) off. However, he's still tentative & shy about being in there on it. I was shocked at that the most. But we're not pushing. Once he figures out he's safe, he'll be out there ALL the time. The boys love having the sprinkler pointed toward the trampoline & it cools off the black tarp. He is outside more & developing a tan. When son#2 wants to go outside he brings me the sunblock as a cue.


We've wondered if he needs his meds tweaked or the dosage & after calling to get an appointment, we found out the soonest is October! SO-we went with an appointment with the peds doctor. We see her tomorrow & hopefully son#2 will be able to get something figured out before school starts next Thursday. Son#2 had a horrible day Saturday. He melted down completely, not just his usual afternoon huff & puff. He was biting himself like he's not done in a LONG time. Son#2 looks like he fought a bull with his arms & I cant' tell you who won. He pinched little tiny pinches all over his face & eyes Saturday. We tried everything to calm him down or make him stop. Directing his hands away made the OCD in him want to do it more. There's not much worse as a parent than sitting & watching your child hurt themselves, mark themselves up, on purpose with nothing you can do to stop it or control it. Son#2 scratched my chest & neck up & down the whole day. He's mostly frustrated when he does that. How do you tell your parents you have a headache, (a migraine) when you can't talk? What flashcard is there for that? Constipated? How do you communicate that you ate too many peanuts? Good thing hubbo & I like mysteries, we have investigating all the time with son#2 & his non-verbal issues.

On a happier note, he has been better & smiley even this week so far. And last night I took ALL THREE KIDS WITH ME TO VBS! Brave aren't I?? Son#2 did well & seemed to enjoy getting out & about. After the songs & puppets I took him to do errands with me. It's amazing how much energy it takes to just jet to the store & run in for bread & mac/cheese with him in tow. At 4ft 2 & 86 lbs, he doesn't really fit in a cart anymore. I can't lift him anyway. So his hand in mine, I pull him through the store & pay at the self checkout. He enjoyed the echo in the library & touching all the fake flowers & yarn at Hobby Lobby. Then I ran him home & went back for the other two. He's met some milestones this summer too. Brushing his teeth, much better in public & going outside without eating the trees or birdfood. Hopefully tomorrow at his doctor appointment, we can find something else to try for son#2. And then they go to the dentist....
Onward & upward!

I'm sure you've seen the amounts of rain we've been getting around here on the news. Something like 26 days of rain out of 30! No lie. You will not here hubbo & I complain because we happen to love rain. And from living here in Oklahoma for 10 years, we've also figured out that high 80's and rain is MUCH MUCH better than 100 degree temps with 90% humidity. We'll take the rain any day. However, the ground has been so soggy our neighbors who have a lawn service, haven't got to mow our yard in 3 weeks! The grass was knee high with all the rain and the chiggers were out of this world. The timing couldn't have been worse because the kids were in between summer school sessions during the solid week of rain. They had to stay in & were practically bored to tears.

The morning of the 4th, we awoke to the neighbors mowing. We'd had one full day of sun & no rain. Horray! Another reason to give thanks. The wheels of their industrial mower still made some marks in the backyard but I really don't care. At least we can see the ground (I have to be able to watch for snakes you know) and the sun can dry it out more quickly. The front looks great and after a 5 minute game of "toss the worm back into the grass", hubbo & I retreated back inside to enjoy the clipped view. We had a very nice 4th of July with my mother visiting. She and I made a trip out to a couple of stores and returned to hubbo having the coals on the grill just right & ready to go. While he grilled the patties, we shucked corn, got brownies in the oven & filled the deviled eggs. Fun was had by all at that feast. We even had some ice cream with those brownies. My middle son that loves food was totally enjoying himself. We joke his middle name shouldn't have been Isaac, it should have been Emril as much time as he spends in the kitchen with me. And without. He loves to explore the cabinets for Crisco, powdered coffee creamer, hidden doughnuts etc.

So to get out & away from the restless natives I went to buy some flowers to plant. I haven't really got to plant anything in quite a few years so this was finally going to be the time. Just do it! Since our flower bed is flat & empty with mulch, anything is an improvement. The height isn't as varied as I'd like throughout, but it's better than nothing. And this fall we can plant some roses & bushes. The only I had for awhile was some strawberries we have coming in. Small & they need sugar but what could be bad about strawberries? Then I got some ferns, some hibiscus & some trailing ivys.

I also was able to find an "Allen plant". Most people call them begonias but since I was a little girl my mother had these all around inside & out. I had a thing when I was small for naming things after my favorite people. My first dog's name was Pickles Ruth. I loved pickles & Ruth was my favorite aunt. She always sent me "sexy" nighties for my birthday. They would be long, satiny with robes to match. For a little girl, nothing was more feminine.

So for my first plant I was allowed to keep in my room, it made perfect sense that I name it after my favorite person-my dad. Now they mean even more when I see them. Allen plants aren't as special to everyone else as they are to me.

Well, I'm done planting for awhile & I think the ground is drying up. I may have to send a dove, er...a kid out to see if he brings back a branch.

Knitting Harry Potter

Here is my first attempt in my knitting to join colors and tassles. The tassels had me worried but they turned out pretty well I think. This scarf is a request from hubbo. And in true man-style, he asked for the OTHER Harry Potter scarf (from later movies) about 10 seconds after I showed him this one.

Drafted

I was tagged by Shell to report these things in my blog.

1. Name and link to the person who tagged you.

2. Name the state and country where you reside.

3. Name your five favorite local restaurants.

4. Tag others.

1.Shell- http://thefarsideoftheocean.blogspot.com/

2. I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in the United States of America. Broken Arrow is butted up against the city of Tulsa & basically a run off of Tulsa people trying to live more in the country than the city.

3. #1-El Loritos-Mexican as I'm sure you guessed & you get sooooo much food for the price it's insane. Not to mention their salsa is TO DIE FOR. And there's always the bonus of Mexican Fabio that my friend & I like to sit & stare at.

#2-Tasty Treat- This place is a drive-in on Main street and I don't even KNOW how old it is. It's a drive-in and has seating inside for maybe 10 people. They are run by a family & open for breakfast and close by 4pm. Their burgers, fried mushrooms & onion rings are pretty hard to beat. And the list for different flavor of shakes (sigh!)....let's just say the peanutbutter one is my personal fav. Grits to fried okra, you'll enjoy anything here at this little taste of southern love.

#3-Top Hat-This place is small & located near where we used to live north of Tulsa. Maybe an hour from where we are now. Smoking is still allowed and the range of food is beyond wild. The taco salad was a huge hit with us, greasy bun hamburgers grilled to perfection, shoestring onion rings and some divine chicken strips that'll make you slap your mama! It's off old Route 66 and and landmark too. Best food over in that area for miles.

I'll be honest, we don't get out much to experience the local flavor of eateries, so the rest are resturant chains. Sorry-quit reading if you're a food snob.;)

#4-Denny's-Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You've all eaten there when you were little kids or in college after some late night study session. Yes it's kid friendly& that appeals to us now. But well, I love it because where else can you get pot roast, fried shrimp or the All-American Slam at the same place?? And we won't go into the ambiance of the smoke smelling, trucker filled resturant & the memories it brings up.


#5-Red Lobster-The Ceaser salad & cheese biscuts are a meal in & of itself to me. I could live happily eating those the rest of my life. Of course, I may be seen next on some show explaining how I'm too heavy to leave my own house. I do also enjoy their scallops, crab stuffed mushrooms and anything with shrimp-mostly scampi. Smell that?? Yeah I bet you can smell those garlic cheese biscuts from there!

And I tag Terry & Penny!

Vacation?

I just recently returned from my wonderful trip I take each year with my girlfriends. It's important for me to go because it's one of the only times a year I get away with NO children. That is one of our steadfast rules...NO CHILDREN ALLOWED! And many have tried to worm their way in believe me. Even #1 son thinks he needed to accompany me this year as if he'd be missing something. This trip rejuvenates me. Makes me feel like I really AM a grown-up. Not just some extremely tall (stop snickering Mother!) person in the land of wee folk. I remember what life was like before children. The trip also gives me GIRL time. In a house with all boys, this is essential to remembering there was a time you did wear make-up. We indulge it all! Nails, pedicures, doing each other's hair, I'm sure at some point we'll even try waxing with the hotel microwave. (Look out Regina!) It makes me happy to leave life behind but by the time the trip is winding down, I can't wait to get home.

I've come to realize at the end of these trips, there seems to be a period afterwards of recouping. It's almost like having a baby where they tell you not to expect to loose all the weight you gained immediately. Expect it take as long to take off as you did putting it on those 9 months.
It takes me about as long to recover from my trip for however long I was gone. This year, 3 days. I was worthless. Too pooped to pop. Not even a shower. The adrenaline wore off I guess. It didn't USE to be this way. Back when we were (whispered) younger. This being our 5th year of the annual girl trip. Of course the older we get the sooner the failing starts. Our bodies start rebelling to the new "vacation" time schedule. Eyes begin to stay puffy & bloodshot well after say, 10am. Bedtimes sneak back to before 2am. There's less happy chatter amongst us. We are much less tolerant of jokes or pushy people while shopping. So by the time we are headed home, we're much worse for wear.

I think I've figured it out though. The prep for vacations takes major time & planning. It takes lists & remembering just as you lay down in bed, you HAVE to get that one thing laid out or you won't remember it. Get back up. While you're up, you could go ahead & lay out all the kids clothes for while you're gone so they don't look like homeless vagrants running loose. Back to bed. Wake up early because you KNOW you heard the trash truck coming & you better get the trash out before you leave or else the garage will REALLY stink when you get back.
All these things slowly zap you're strength beforehand, I just know it. Two nights before I left for my trip I was in bed much later than normal. Then if you counter in the late night talk/giggle fests while I gone, bedtime hasn't been right for almost a week. My body is telling me it's too old for that crap. So you go INTO the vacation already down to one engine.

The other thing I think is that when you travel, whether it be for business, pleasure, with kids (whole other ballgame folks), without or however long-you're OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. Now, I'm in no way implying we all have "issues" with this. But for example, 3 out of the 4 of us on our trip, brought our own pillows. ( a sure sign we're getting old I'd say). We have a whole drawer in the hotel full of what would we could start our own pharmacy with. Bring it all...just in case! You're not used to walking that much, wearing those shoes, sitting that much, driving that much, too hot, too cold, eating THAT food, that MUCH food, or straying from your normal routine. I do believe there are people better at handling the adaption of traveling. But for most of us, wouldn't you say after awhile, no matter how much fun you had, you're totally ready to return to your comfort zone? Ready to get back to your sheets, the sounds your house makes, the temperature in the room just how you like it?

THIS is why most of us need a vacation AFTER our vacation!

I'm It

Okay I've been tagged by Penny to write 8 random facts about myself. Or rather, some things that might not be known.

1. I'm an only child. And I hate it when people refer to only children as behaving a certian way. I like to think I'm the exception to those rules.

2. I play piano. Not well anymore, but I CAN play, and with both hands even.

3. I LIKE having three boys & no girls. I never had & never will, have the desire to have a girl. Odd I know. And don't even bother, you won't change my mind if my mother hasn't in 10 years.

4. I HATED watching movies (just in general for something to do, I did have favorites though) until the past couple of years. My husband & his family were in denial over this & I still don't think they believe me. I'm just not a sit & do nothing for hrs & hrs type person. I didn't see E.T. until college.

5. I love Agatha Christie books. Any & all. I collect them & relish reading them over & over. It's like comfort food to me. They never get old & I usually can't remember who "done it".

6. I also collect John F. Kennedy things. Books, pictures, etc. The most prized possession in my little collection is the TV Guide from the week he was assasinated, given to me by my mother.

7. I tried out for the Christian singing group Acapella. Actually for their producer. Made a demo tape. Nothing came of it & I see now that was most likely a blessing in disguise. Funny enough, years down the road, my brother-in-law (already in the family when I married in) had sang with them. Small world.

8. I swim very well. I can hold my breath for a long time underwater. I almost got my life guard certification as a teenager, but I couldn't do the breast stroke very well. I was convinced it was because (at the time) I didn't really have a bust line. My mom used to yank me off the bottom of the pool because I could go down & just sit forever. I haven't gotten to go swimming in a LONG time.

And I tag TERRY & LISA! Get on it girls!;)

In the Begining There Was God...and Grand Moff Tarkin

We haven't pushed the issues of God & heaven, Jesus or the Bible with our children. Son #1 being the only one that can talk of the three really means the issues lie with him. This past year son #1 has dealt with death in several ways & seems to really understand the concept. I guess we should be thankful in a way to his Star Wars games seeing as how that is where most of his physical comprehension comes from on the subject of death & dying. But I also like to think that kids like my sons, have God in their ear to help talk them through some things in life that we can't always find the right words to explain. This said, there HAVE been conversations about God & Jesus and many Veggie Tale videos to reinforce the concepts God wants us to live by.

The last time I tried reading the Beginners Bible to son#1 he was excited at first. New stories & characters for him to understand & memorize. We got as far as creation, then Adam & Eve before my soft-hearted son decided that he was very angry about Adad & Eve being thrown out of the Garden of Eden. How sad that they had to go & never come back. Of course the angel with the flaming sword had him quite excited that there might be a duel. He was probably a little more mad about there not being a duel than Adam & Eve being banished come to think of it.
Anyway, he was done. He wasn't reading the next story because he was upset at it not continuing with Adam & Eve. So I didn't push. I'd ask every so often if he wanted another Bible story, but he would always say no.

Last night at bedtime, son #1 asked where his Bible story book was. I rushed to get it, trying not to look too eager that we might get past the Garden of Eden. I mention Noah & what a cool story that is with all the animals on this big boat & how it rains for 40 days. He scoffs at me. We need to start at the begining he tells me. I pick it up & open back up to the first story of creation again. But it seems this time, son #1 wants to have some control & narrate the reading of creation. So I begin. (Keep in mind this is the Children's Beginners Bible so it's putting the story VERY simply.)

me: "In the begining, the earth was empty. Darkness covered everything. But God was there, and He had a plan."

son#1: "A plan to build a death star."

me: (sigh)
He let me read on through the days & what was made on them until day 7. This is all said with a straight face mind you & he was quite serious about it.

me: "When He was finished, God saw that everything He had made was very good. And on the seventh day He rested."

son#1: "And on the eighth day, God made videos & DVD's for children from shows like on PBS, Nick Jr, Disney & Nickelodeon-like Rugrats."

me: Sure, okay. (I'm sure God has a copyright on all that somewhere, right?)

Then we proceed on to the story of Adam & Eve. Now he lets me go through the part about Adam names the animals but he's lonely. All he points out in this so far is that Adam needs some clothes.

me: But still, Adam was lonely. God said, "It's not good for Adam to be alone." So God made... a woman."

son#1 interupts me: "Wait! (in a narrator voice now) And she is very pretty holding red flowers. (she is in the picture in his Bible)

me: "Adam named the woman Eve. Eve was just right to be Adam's special helper."

son#1: "Just like you're Daddy's special helper, right Mommy?"

me: (sigh) "Sure, you could look at it that way." (although I was thinking more the other way around)

We go on to read about the eating of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good & evil, when son#1 sees a picture & pronounces it, "the fruit from the tree of college of good & evil."
This may be more fitting actually, he may have something there.

Then the part of the snake talking to Eve. He doesn't seem to think it's odd the snake can talk.

me: "One day a snake came to Eve. It said, "See how pretty the fruit is on the tree of knowledge of good & evil? It tastes good. It will make you wise. Don't listen to God. Go ahead and try it."

son#1: "Wait! (don't turn the page) In his best deep voice he says to me: "Eat that fruit from the tree of college of good & evil. I am really Lord Vader in this snake and I am bad."

Son#1 actually let me get through the rest of the story where A & E get kicked out & the angel with the flaming sword comes to guard the garden. Then as I try to be sneaky to just go ahead & start the story of Noah, he says "No! God doesn't like Noah!"
I say "Yes he does. See it says right here, "God knew Noah was the only good man left."
"Nope. He is really Grand Moff Tarkin in disguise and it's not an ark he's building, it's a DEATH STAR!"

(sigh) I bet that's news to God. It seems like he has the players on the right sides of good & evil...now if I can just figure out how to tell him this all really happened.

Flower Power

Have you ever noticed anyone with a flower name seems to be different than other people?
Our family likes to watch Hyacinth on the PBS show "Keeping Up Appearances". Besides her flower name, her sisters are Daisy (married to Onslow who never wears a shirt), Rose (the "loose" one) and Violet (who has a sauna, Mercedes & room for a pony). While these ARE special people, I was thinking about some other women I know & met with flower names.

When we first moved to Oklahoma, more specifically Broken Arrow. Ms. Rose was one of the very first people I met at church & at my job at the church pre-school. She had poofy blonde Betty White hair and was no more than 5 feet 1 inch tall. She was ALWAYS smiling and you didn't even have to wonder if she was a grandmother, she just has that air about her. Her makeup was flawless and her appearance was never anything casual. Her shoes always matched & were usually some fun color. Her beauty started within, but just radiated to you. Being around her made you smile. Even today she is ageless. She just looks like a pretty grandma. And a fun one too.

Although I was excited to teach again & have a job outside of the home, I was not thrilled with leaving my 4 month old baby boy. But once I found out Ms. Rose had taken care of almost everyone's baby's at church, sometimes generations, I felt okay about son#1 being across the hall away from me. I've never met anyone quite like Ms. Rose. I've never seen anyone calm a baby like she can. She's never afraid if they cry or won't eat. She hums & rocks them, just smiles and loves them. Never looses her patience and just exudes confidence to where you never need to ask why she would do something. One in a million, that's our Ms. Rose.

Today I met another woman with flower power to her name. Ms. Daisy. Seeing her my mind immedietly went to my memories of Ms. Rose. Ms. Daisy was on my oldest son's bus. (maybe HE has some magnatism to call these women to him!) Ms. Donna his bus driver said Ms. Daisy is a helper on another bus but they didn't have a route today, so she was tagging along with the Bush Shuttle. (all the buses have names of Presidents) This woman's beauty was so evident the first time I glanced at her. I admit I TRY to remember to fully dressed (you women know that means a bra) before taking the kids to the bus. Today was a day I didn't really want to get fully dressed. I knew Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeanne wouldn't care, but I caved & had on jeans and a t-shirt when I took son#1 to the bus. Thank goodness I did! There sat Ms. Daisy, although wearing similar clothes to mine, hers looked MUCH better and her hair was all pulled back in a stylish bun/ponytail. Rings on most fingers, nice manicured nails, better than mine and her makeup was impecible. I was just SO impressed by her smile & charm. What a cutie she was!

Ms. Donna noted the fact I had some of my voice back today and I was looking better. I scoffed at this & had the decency to blush since I was in the presence of Ms. Daisy and of course did not look as good as she did. I mentioned I couldn't possibly look as good as Ms. Daisy & hoped at her age, whatever that might be, I would look as beautiful. She took my compliment and threw out with no reserve her age was 72 years old! SEVENTY-TWO YEARS OLD!? There was no way this woman was over 62. I couldn't believe it and told her so. I didn't care if I looked like I was sucking up, she looked fabulous for her age & a lot of other people's too. I told her I thought it might have something to do with her hands looking so young. She seemed to take some pleasure in my remarks but not really suprised by them. I brought my camera on the bus when they returned at the end of the day with the sole purpose of taking this woman's picture. She is going to be my motivation as my years go on to keep up those beauty routines.

Whether it's the Betty White poofy hairdo, the smile or the trail of thick perfume, Ms. Rose & Ms. Daisy are two women of the same character. They share that aura that makes you want to trust them & believe in their charm. Their smiles truly light up a room and make you feel loved, accepted & confident in their abilities. These women with flower power names aren't easily forgotten and are probably such a joy to their family, they don't mind sharing them with the rest of us. I don't know that every person with a flower name is as special as these two, but I think if I had a daughter (don't worry mom, I'm NOT pregnant) I may have to name her after a flower & pray for that presence to be given to her.

True Love

Last night as Daddy was tucking son#1 & I into bed, #1 son came up with some thought provoking questions.
This is how the conversation went.

son#1-"My Papa is dead."

me-"Yes I know."

son#1-"But that makes me sad."

me-"Me too."

son#1-"But I'll never see him again!"

(look exchanged between me & daddy gauging this wasn't the time to have the "heaven talk")

daddy-"Jackson do you have pictures in your head of Papa?"

son#1-"Yes."

me-"Then you can think of those fun pictures when you miss Papa."

daddy-"You'll always have those."

me-"Yes."

son#1-"I don't like that Nana's alone. That's why I left her Obi-Wan's ghost.

son#1-"What is true love?"

me-"When a woman & man love each other more than anyone else."

son#1-"Papa was Nana's true love."

son#1-"Mommy is Daddy your true love?"

me-"Yes, that's why I married him."

son#1-"Well I want to get married!"

daddy-"You have to be big like Mommy & me first."

me-"Yep, all grown-up first. A long time from now."

son#1-"Hmmm I wonder who my true love is?"

(we see the wheels turning wondering which Star Wars or tv character he'll name)

son#1-"I know! Caitlyn will be my true love! (his cousin he just saw this weekend!)

(daddy bursting into fits of laughter rolling off the bed-mommy trying not to make this a bid deal so OCD boy doesn't get it in his head this is a great idea)

me-"That's nice you like Caitlyn but you can't marry her. She's your cousin."

son#1-"Then who is my true love!?"

(daddy still having the giggles)

me-"You have plenty of time to decide this, but maybe Rylee will be your true love. You've known her a long time & she's your friend."

son#1-"Okay."

(boys are so fickle)

President's Day

It's Presidents day & for some reason my #1 son is just as excited about today as if it was Christmas. He also enjoyed Febuary 12th-Lincoln's birthday. Lately he's been obsessed with President Lincoln. They started learning more about him at school this month, along with Harriet Tubman & Martin Luther King Jr. And he was very interested in the all the Presidents. His teacher started using a website called BrainPopJr.com. It's very informative & the kids just love it. I knew it was good stuff when he asked to play on it when he got home from school rather than his Star Wars game.
He's expressed great interest in all the presidents on coins too. He has them all memorized. One night he was quizzing us on them & when my husband thought he'd be all smart & ask him who was on the fifty cent piece. He smartly replied, "I don't know, but do you know who's on the half dollar?" Needless to say, we laughed at that one for quite awhile. As we checked out at his book fair last week he said "That's Jackson." The vounteer checking us out said, "I know your name". To which #1 son replied, "No, that's ANDREW JACKSON". Meaning the $20 bill I gave her.

He's also been very concerned about Lincoln & where he grew up and where his parents are. And Friday at school when they showed his class the new $1 coins being released with George Washington on it, he grabbed his play money penny all excited & shouted "Release Lincoln, release!" I guess he was hoping he might be released from the coin & come alive. He also refers to the Lincoln memorial on the penny as "Lincoln's house on the tail". And of course John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln. This is important to Lincoln's story & according to #1 son, makes him Lincoln's "enemy".

Being that my son watches & plays a lot of Star Wars games, he is now learning about death & dying. It's sort of neat to see him learn the lesson slowly & easily as a child should. Grasping the knowledge of someone not ever coming back. It's been following along with my father having died a year ago Febuary 12th. My son makes mention of this every time we go see my mother asking "Where's your Papa?". He waits for the usual answer he knows that comes with this question. "You know Papa died & lives in heaven as an angel now." To which he always promptly replies "I know." So now that his Star Wars characters are dying & the Jedi are turning into ghosts, he began to ask qustions. We finally put it in terms our literal thinker could get. Ghosts are pretend & only there when pretend people die, like in your game. When real people die like Nana2 & Papa, they are angels. You never see angels. That's the difference.

**"Is Lincoln a ghost or an angel?"
**"Why didn't Lincoln duel (like in SWars) John Wilkes Booth?"
**"Are the north soliders like the Empire? And the south are the rebels?"

#1 son got so into the Civil War from his Lincoln phase that he wanted to use his army men to act out the civil war. We found some army men that were "Civil war men from the battle of Gettysburg" at Hobby Lobby. He loves them.
So happy President's Day to you all and as my #1 son says "There are lots of way we can celebrate Lincoln's life."

"Clean up on aisle 6 please!"

Just a small ranting, if you will, on customer service. Oh and it's not completely Politically Correct either I'm sure.

*Why do I get the SAME speech impaired guy with the extra large lips at the pharmacy every time?? Is there a reason that they put HIM at the drive-thru window? Do they see me coming and do a switch-a-roo on me? The ONE time I went inside to try & ward off the same old monologue I have with blubber lips, he was at the register!! Do you believe that luck?! Soon discovering we were at an impass of understanding he hands me off to the only non-American born pharmacy tech. She happens to JUST be learning our little English language. Broken would be quite an understatement since she told me my total was "Eight hundred dolla." Although I guess with it being medication, $800 isn't totally out of the realm of possibility is it? Seems just the job for someone new to our wonderful country though. Like insurance isn't frustrating enough without the Apple Dumpling Gang waiting on me!!!!

**I would think cash registers for stores cost at least a thousand dollars a piece. I'm just guessing here, but let's use that amount for arguments sake. WHY do you think a store would have say, 8-9 registers in their store yet continually have ONE CHECKER AT ONE REGISTER?? Aren't they loosing money? I know this because I go there a lot. I mean A LOT. And is it Murphy's Law that she is has a white beehive & checker Jane happens to be the oldest employee in the store?? If it's not Murphy's Law, perhaps it's the same law that includes sticking the brand new middle aged employee at the fabric department without a guardian.
It's always fun to have a worker so consumed by what they are doing they talk to themselves through the whole procedure & hush you as you try to help them find their ticket book after it's been 3 minutes. Or snap at you to take your debit card back like it was your idea she keep it on the register? I know you have to learn somewhere, but perhaps a little help besides writing out the process on a scratch piece of paper might be more helpful for the new "girl". Or at least let you out of the store before you turn into Rip Van Tinkle.

**Always pleasant is the 10pm trip to Wal-Mart the night before Valentines when you've forgotten that last minute thingie-bob. Stupid people think the store might be less busy then. HA! I laugh in -my-- their face! They lure you in with a close parking spot and then as you walk through the below freezing winds across the parking lot, the doors are LOCKED. Yes locked. You aren't parked at the end of the store that's unlocked. It's just a lark to run back to the car, drive around another 10 minutes looking for ANOTHER space close up so you don't freeze your hiney off. All that so you can walk all the way to the OTHER end of the store where the things YOU need are located. Fun!

**Somewhere along the last few years I guess it's become "cool" or just plain weird to steal feminine products. I surmise this from my experience at a store recently where needing to purchase some "products" I had to go to the front to ASK for them from behind the cash register. Ya know my life is pretty regularly knocking me down a peg or two putting me in my place, but I guess if that's not enough, there's always having to clear your throat & ask Jim Bob the teenaged acne faced boy manning the register, for some "products" please. THAT, will sure let you know pretty quickly that you are really NEVER too old to feel embarrassed like a 12 year old school girl! I should count myself lucky I didn't need condoms too.

Technology & the Gospel

*****WARNING! This is a rant off the top of my soap box so for those with weak stomachs, take a pass.*****

Recently I heard someone make the point that we as Christians today & churches today seem to DEPEND on technology to spread the Gospel. I really thought that through & started to agree the more I thought about it. That we (not all, but some) are getting lazy & soft in our "duty call" as Christians. We are depending too much on technology & the ease it gives us in spreading the Word. If we have a website for our church with instructions on how to believe & be baptized, that's less contact on our part. Do we KNOW the person really understands? We haven't been there to study with them to see their growth & understanding. Or instead of a prayer request phone chain in the church, e-mails. What about an automated phone call cancelling services? What if the overhead projector is down? Can the preacher give his lesson? If the flat screen televisions aren't working, how will we read the scriptures or get the song numbers to turn to??
I personally finding it VERY distracting when someone is having "technical trouble" and so servies are haltingly interupted to fix the issue like we don't know how to go on. PLUEEEZE!!!!

The internet & information age has helped the churches of today there is no doubt or question there. Technology has furthered some of the churches progress & ability to minister. I have seen several people baptized through the English Bible courses through e-mail in Japan. It's a way to reach people through teaching them English using the Bible. Use their curiosity in the Word as well as their ability to communicate through international e-mails. But where is the line? Why bother to bring your Bible to church anymore? They'll have the scriptures & songs up on the screen for everyone to see. During the sermon there's no need to turn to the scriptures because it's all typed out for you. And it IS bigger print than my Bible has. Shoot! Who needs a Bible? I have my PalmPilot with a scripture program loaded into it! I can point & click and bring up any scripture I need to. That's not distracting at ALL! Just to kids in a 12 pew radius.

My fear is anymore it's getting more unique to have human contact with our souls we're trying to win. Hurricane Katrina helped us get back in touch with gathering physical supplies & taking them to those in need. Physically getting up & doing something. Taking things to shut-ins & widows. Does anyone remember the verse in James where we are called to look after the widows & orphans? How about their groceries, medicines, lawns mowed? Making sure your flock & those in need, have their needs physically met. Or are we more concerned about the youth group or young marrieds? Everyone has needs & it is important to not neglect our youth as they are the church of tomorrow. But are we leading by example? Showing them WHO is important in the congregation? That each one is important & has their place to fullfill?

Churches with the loudest bands/choirs/instruments, worship services & most charasmatic preaching, are the ones winning the prizes for most pews filled. Do you think there's some award waiting for you somewhere? "I Entertained the Masses & All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt". Pews are packed with people now a days waiting to be "moved" during their worship service. Waiting to FEEL "saved" & "born again". Wanting to attend a church where it's like watching an interactive television program rather than being there to learn & lift one another up in encouragement so we can face our week "in the world". Are you there to learn from the Word of God, or be kept awake by the happiest, loudest service?

We might find it old fashioned to door-knock anymore, and I have no doubt many would be scared to open their doors very wide in this day & age. But I hope that when we go & preach the Gospel, as Jesus instructed his disciples in Mark 16, we really will GO & not just wear a t-shirt with the name & location of our church building hoping that brings some curious people in on Sunday. We'll actually SEE the person or really get out an old worn copy of the Word to show the scriptures that tell us as sinners to repent & be baptized, rather than present our case like it was a board room full of CEO's impressed with the latest techno gadgets we're using. It wasn't THAT long ago many Christians gathered in homes to worship in secret & it was all done by lamp or candlelight. We're called in Mark to "go out into all the world & preach the Gospel". Matthew says to let our lights shine and I don't think he means laser pointers people. Technology should be an asset to our ministry, not the sole means of winning souls.
****stepping down from soapbox now*****

Adventures In Babysitting

Well as you've probably all heard or know from being here yourselves, we are iced in. Some with power, some without. It's pretty bad. It started last Friday & didn't stop until wave #4 hit Sunday afternoon. Our home lost power Sunday afternoon from 3pm-4am. I won't lie, it got cold people. We were saved by a neighborly neighbor who retreated to her mother's home (that had power & a working fireplace) & left us a halogen latern. I dug up some latern flashlights, and a few candles. And after 30 long minutes of whinning from son #1 about how he'd "never get to play my computer game again!" I dug out the TV/weather radio we had stashed. The halogen latern & tv radio were a God send! Seriously! You never know how quiet is TOO quiet until you're alone in a dark house with three children by yourself. Around 9:30pm we saw the electric company arrive & start to repair the transformer that my neighbor saw blow up. We mistakenly thought power would "soon" be restored. Ha! My neighbor's husband works for our electric company & he was working 12 hr shifts & sleeping a few hours in between. He let us know that they'd have to send tree trimmer crews out. They came at some point & begin trimming. It took awhile, I can't imagine how cold THEY were & if the people slept who's yard they were working in. But at least we can say it's stayed on & we're warm.

After the heat & electricity returned Monday we all were home. (the kids anyway for MLK Jr's birthday and hubbo because he couldn't get to work) It was a fun day of laying around doing nothing in our PJ's. Oh & giving GREAT thanks we weren't like some of my family who lived north of us that still didn't have power. (half have power now as I write this) I figured the kids wouldn't have school Tuesday & with great plans of sleeping in, I didn't mind. #2 son put a kabosh on that plan around 7:45am Tuesday bright & early. Hubbo did make it into work, although his normal 25 minute commute turned into one hour.

Wednesday rolled around, still no school, no sand or salt trucks for the streets. It was near impossible for anyone to get out. My hubbo said that our residential street is by far the worst he's been on. Sigh! More "quality time" with the kids I guess.

Thursday-No school. I've given in & admitted I obviously can't wait to clean until the kids go back to school because at this rate, we'll all run out of clean underwear! I did get to sleep in until 9:15am & felt I could clean the house while the baby napped so there was at least one less child to "help" me. I had to be creative & fix them lunch & bolt, er...I mean fasten them into their high chairs to eat while I swept & vacuumed. Then after wiping their dirty little faces I stuck #2 son in the tub to soak & laid #3 son down for a nap. Then I attacked the mountian of dishes in my sink. Although they had sort of spilled out onto the countertops. This COULD be why I couldn't find a spoon for #1 son's yogurt at lunch. But I figure a spit & shine to a used spoon won't hurt him badly enough to make him too sick. And if it does, well he won't be missing any school due to the illness, right?

I think my sanity will hold until the weekend when Hubbo can take over as main parental unit & I can hide in my room. I think. I don't know though. Today I was thinking I had an idea for an emergency kit for parents to send for in these "extreme conditions". And I ain't talking about the ice people. It could arrive in the mail (assuming you can get to your mailbox-I haven't seen mine in 7 days) and will contain: a shot of vodka, one cigarette & a gun with one bullet. **** Sound too extreme? Come to my house where kids are bored & annoying you for fun. Let's see how long YOU last buster! And the cherry on top is there are 4-12 inches of snow forecast for this weekend.
In close, I'd like to think we'll all survive this ordeal....but should some of us not, please remember I did clean the house, it just may not LOOK like I did when the CSI people get here.

Things I Learned While Iced/Snowed In:

*you CAN loose brain cells due to hearing the Boomba toy sing too much

*when hungry enough, kids WILL eat macaroni & cheese three times in a row

*you can never have enough candles even if it's just to set the house on fire to cover the scene of your crimes

*you don't get NEAR the projects done that you THINK you will with all that time on your hands

*time passes much more slowly when there are children in the house with nowhere else to go

*you CAN acquire asthma from "shhh-ing" your children too much

*a fork will work for eating yogurt if you haven't done your dishes in oh, days-you just have to be very very fast getting it to your mouth

*something equivalent to hibernation starts to take place the longer you are trapped in-doors

*children will NOT sleep in on days there is no school-some internal clock rouses them with the sun

*children can NOT be quiet doing ANYTHING when up earlier than a parent...there is NO way this is possible

*and the number one thing I've learned while stuck in-doors is: I don't MIND being snowed/iced in....it's all these other yahoo's in here with me that are making it not so fun.

*************this was a joke, please don't report me to the authorities or I'll just have to come to your house with the one bullet, and I hate to drive on ice.*******************

Christmas Miracle

There was a nice Christian couple I know that lived here in Oklahoma. They had tried hard to have a baby. Married 14 years give or take. They had several miscarriages and the wife's doctor was very sympathetic but knew with all the scarring & internal problems, there was nothing to be done. They would not have children. The couple filed applications with adoption agencies, took care of other people's children, nieces, nephews, & neighborhood children. Children loved being around them & they filled the void. I can't imagine waiting like that. Wanting a baby so badly & not having one when everyone around you has children.

So when the man got a job opportunity to move to Missouri they really thought long & hard. It would cancel their applications they had in at the adoption agencies & it would mean moving far away from family & what they were really used to. But the husband really thought they needed to take the job offer & see what God was offering there in Missouri. Maybe He was opening a door. After much prayerful consideration they made the move.

After one week of living in Missouri, it was close to Christmas & they got a phone call. The wife's doctor back in Oklahoma. He had just delivered a baby girl from a woman who said she didn't want the baby girl. She wanted to give her away to be adopted. There was one condition the woman wanted, the couple must live out of state. One week ago the couple had moved. Or they wouldn't have been eligible for this opportunity!! THAT was their Christmas miracle!

At five days old the baby girl could leave the hospital. The wife's family being in Oklahoma with the baby, came to get her & take her home with them. The wife's niece worked for an attorney in town & typed up the papers for the adoption. As soon as the husband got off work they made the trip back to Oklahoma. Christmas had come & gone and their miracle was there December 27th. With no place to sleep & no one expecting a baby in the family, they used a dresser drawer & blankets. Who would have known moving to Missouri would bring them a baby? They showed faith & God rewarded them.

They've done great so far. For people that waited years to parent, they did it well. God's a good matchmaker. And you know what? That story just doesn't get old.

Happy birthday to me...happy birthday to me...

Martha or Mary

As I sit here literally on my hands & knees scrubbing my bathroom floor I had a few momentous thoughts. One is, "I don't do this often enough if it takes this long." And two is, "I really loose this much hair and I'm not bald??"
It took a lot of Comet, bleach, grease disolvant (don't ask) to clean EVERY inch of my toilet & floor around it. But it's done! No one goes in there but me really & the occasional #1 son before bed. And there was plenty of HIS evidence left piddled around to prove he sneaks in there more than I thought too! It's sort of unspoken as MY room. I guess partly because I'm the only girl & also because there's so much girly stuff out, you might get a jolt of estrogen by osmosis if you stay too long in there.

I'm a pretty neat person. I don't let my house get too messy during the week. Now the weekends, that's a different story. You might see my husband doing some whites Sunday evening in a rush to get them dry before work the next day, but mostly I don't clean on the weekends. That's my time with my family. Since a mother's job is never done & there are no 9-5 hours included, I made my own. So the house takes a beating on the weekends & now that there's a new rugrat to throw toys around, I'll admit it looks like a tornado hit it by Monday morning. It doesn't bother me. Sometimes I can't believe it, but it doesn't. You'll even see my kick a pile aside to get by rather than stop & pick it all up & put it away.

Of course I used to clean a lot more & I used to have a lot less to keep clean. Now I find I like to cram it into one weekday with the kids gone to school. Then at night I pick it up before bed so I wake up peacefully & not so cranky with a sink full of dirty dishes greeting me. My main thought while scrubbing & bleaching down "my" room was, "When was the last time I REALLY cleaned in here & why has it been so long?" I think I had sort of a lightbulb moment in my bathroom.
I haven't done it because it's MY room & I don't care, for one. But the main reason being, it doesn't cause me stress or loss of sleep that it was dirty. Whoa! That's sort of wild for me the clean freak. Now I admit kids have mellowed me & I was & still am a person who'd rather do something FUN than clean. (I'm not THAT warped) But I learned in college it's easier for me to concentrate or enjoy stuff if I get the cleaning/work out of the way first. I still do that with cleaning the house & trying (there ARE three kids living here as well) to do ALL laundry on Mondays. Then Tues-Fri I get to enjoy my time while the kids are at school playing with the baby, knitting, chatting with my husband or sister-in-law online or scrapbooking.

I always saw myself as Martha in the story in the Bible. Remember how Jesus comes to see the two sisters Martha & Mary. He is teaching & talking with them & Martha is busy cleaning & preparing food, cleaning up & just doing the normal things you do with guests in the house. Mary however, stayed at Jesus feet. Hanging on his every word & soaking up his words & wisdom. Mary just stopped to enjoy what was in the moment. Jesus wouldn't be there long, the work would always be there waiting. That's what I realized today scrubbing my bathroom floor. That I'm pretty sure I'm a Mary now. I've learned to listen, to take in a moment & soak it all in. And I think if Jesus came as a guest in my home I could really SIT & just listen now. I don't know if it's part of getting older, being a parent, being a parent to MY kids or God just mellowing me out. Probably a combonation of it all. I've only really seen it in myself since my dad died though. Today was sort of that moment of noticing I've changed. My bathroom doesn't bother me, clean or dirty. I'm the only one that sees it's no longer a priority to me. I think my priorities are branching out. I'm more than just a clean house or a mommy.

As I type this I'm getting ready to leave for my first monthly book club meeting. I also have my scrapbook gals that meet once a month & it's more for the Christian fellowship than the pages we accomplish. We're FRIENDS. I think those things are helping me see outside my box. Letting my mind grow outside of kids, dishes & laundry. And now I think I really can say it out loud and with authority, that I'm not a Martha anymore.