We had SO much fun at the Halloween party last night! Bud and Kim did go but Bud didn't dress up as a woman like he was going to. Buddy and Theresa went too and Buddy dressed up as a ballerina. It was SO funny! I had such a great time. Jerry didn't really want to go but he knew how much I was looking forward to it so he went anyway. Afterwards, he was glad he did because he ended up having a nice time, too. It's so rare that we're able to go out like that and although we really didn't do much it was still so much fun. We really had a great time laughing at Buddy being silly. Theresa dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and looked so cute. She's so nice. I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to get to know her again.
Laverne was there too and was dressed like a pirate. I looked right at her but didn't know it was her right away because of her mask. It was funny, she looked great.
Cory and Jessicah watched Trey while we were gone. Jerry and I were both nervous leaving them, Jerry was even more nervous than I was! We called and checked on them a few times and we were only gone a few hours so they were all fine. They had a good evening too. They watched TV and played on the computer.
Today was a quiet day. Jerry had to go to work but got home around 5:00. I took him to his mom's to get his car because he had to bring his new work truck home for work tomorrow for when he starts his new railroad mechanic's job. He's starting to get nervous about it now. He must be really nervous to even admit it because he never does. I'm sure he'll do great though, I have complete faith in him. He's so smart and learns so quickly. I have no doubt that he'll do very well.
Dad and Nancy stopped by today. They couldn't stay long because they still had things to do before they went back home, but it was great to see them.
Wo0t! Jessicah just found a mouse!! Not the cute little squeaky kind, but the kind that will hook up to my PC so I don't have to keep using this annoying laptop! Jessicah ROCKS!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Bad, Bad Blogger!
Bear with me, I'm playing catch up here...
Wednesday Jerry took a personal day because he was supposed to go to Biketober Fest in Florida with Mr. Bill but ended up not going so we went out on the Harley and went to Bud's house. They just worked on Bud's four wheeler but it was still a lot of fun because those two are just so funny. They were switching wires around trying to figure out what the problem was. Bud turned on the headlights to see if they were working but instead of the lights turning on the engine started up. It was so funny! So they meant to put the wires back the way they were orginally but evidently they didn't because when Bud pulled on the brake, the engine started up again. It was just hilarious! We laughed so hard I was crying. We really had a great time.
Yesterday I took Cory to the specialist about his tonsils. She said he definitely needs them removed and that they're huge. She said he probably has allergies too but she won't know for sure until after the tonsillectomy. She also said that since all three of the kids have sleep apnea and since Cory's is caused by his over-sized tonsils that most likely it's a hereditary problem and that Jessicah and Trey will probably have the same problem and have to have their tonsils out too. They go to Dr. Shabab on Tuesday to see what he thinks and if he thinks they're too large then they'll have to go to the specialist too. She suggested that they all have it done at the same time because they're going to be down with it for two weeks and it'd be best to just get it all done and over with at once. Mom said she's going to come help me with them. God bless mom. I don't know what I'd do without her.
I haven't even gotten their first report cards of the year yet and already the crap has started. Cory told me yesterday that during school his teacher, his LD teacher no less, Mrs. D., called him a baby and was again telling him that he's immature and irresponsible. I was so mad. How silly of her to tell him he's immature and then call him names. She's supposed to be the adult. I wonder what would have happened if he had called her an old hag after she called him a baby. I'd bet my you-know-what that he would've been in deep trouble.
I called the school today to talk about what had happened and to find out the best time for them school-wise to have the surgery (Thanksgiving vacation is what we decided on) and I told the principle, Mrs. W., what had happened with Cory's teacher. Mrs. W. suggested that I talk with Mrs. D. about it. I told her that this isn't the first time I've had this problem with her and that I have talked with her about it several times and that she just blows it off like I'm being overly protective or something. Mrs. W. said that she'd have Mrs. D. call me today and that I should try once more to talk with her about it. Mrs. W. said that if I wasn't satisfied that the situation is settled to let Mrs. W. know and she'd make sure it was taken care of. I agreed. Mrs. D. never called. Now I'm just more mad. So I'll have to call Mrs. W. again on Monday and take it from there.
How sad it is that there is such little patience and understanding between most adults and children. How sad it is that so many adults lump all children, specifically teenagers, together and automatically lable them lazy liars just because of their age. It's even more sad that this is taking place in a classroom that is intended to be a comforting, understanding enviornment led by an understanding, helpful teacher. Of all the places in that school, in that one LD classroom should be the one he is most comforted and understood. Of all the teachers in that school, it should be that one teacher who has the most patience and understanding, it should be that one teacher who offers the most comfort to him. Noticing a pattern here? Comfort? Understanding? Patience? Seems like the bare basics to me. Why can't they see it?
On the up side, that lying, crabby secretary that was there is now gone! She's at the high school now where Cory and Jessicah will go next year, but she's the principle's secretary so we won't have to interact with her much if at all. The new secretary at the middle school is wonderful. The kids and I all just love her. She's so pleasant and kind. She's always smiling and even has a "light" voice. You can actually hear the kindness in it. I believe she genuinely cares for the children and enjoys her job. I bet she's new. I think I'm going to ask her next time I see her. I just love new teachers. They still have the zest and the love of the job and children that so many more experienced teachers seem to have lost.
I had an appointment with SSI scheduled for today to apply for supplemental income for Trey. I had to cancel it though because I just couldn't get everything together. I'm going to reschedule after their surgeries and after I get things gathered. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get it. He definitely meets the disability There's so many things that he needs, things that would make our lives so much easier if we could get them, but the way things are now, we just can't afford it.
I've also been wondering if there are any autism schools near us and if he would even benefit by one. He's doing so well in his school now but I can't help but wonder if maybe he'd do even better in a school where the staff are specifically trained to work with children with his disabilities. Maybe even just weekly or monthly sessions or something similar would be a benefit. They sure couldn't hurt.
Tomorrow night there's a Halloween dance or party (or whatever lol) at the Legion. I'd so love to go. Bud and Kim are going and Bud is dressing up as a woman. He's going to be so cute dressed as a woman with his long goatee! Buddy and Theresa are going too and I think we'd all have a lot of fun. It's not often Jerry and I get to go out and even less often that we get to go out with friends. Cory and Jessicah could watch Trey and we'll only be at the other end of town (less than five minutes away) and we won't be drinking so if there's a problem we can get home quickly.
Trey's been going to sleep around 1:30 except for one night (I think it was Wednesday) when he went to sleep at 11:30! I was so excited I was actually giggly lol I decided that I'd lay down on the couch and watch a movie. I was really looking forward to being able to actually lay down and relax and not have to worry that I might fall asleep before him. I decided to watch Brokeback Mountain again, but I didn't make it far into the movie. I ended up falling asleep before they even made it to he mountain! lol It was still nice though and as far as I know, Trey slept through the night.
He's still awake now though and I'm feeling way too sleepy to be sitting here (and it's only 11:30, I don't know why I've been sooo tired lately) so I'm going to go take a quick shower and walk around a bit. I'd make a pot of coffee but I'm down to one filter and I'm saving that for morning.
Wednesday Jerry took a personal day because he was supposed to go to Biketober Fest in Florida with Mr. Bill but ended up not going so we went out on the Harley and went to Bud's house. They just worked on Bud's four wheeler but it was still a lot of fun because those two are just so funny. They were switching wires around trying to figure out what the problem was. Bud turned on the headlights to see if they were working but instead of the lights turning on the engine started up. It was so funny! So they meant to put the wires back the way they were orginally but evidently they didn't because when Bud pulled on the brake, the engine started up again. It was just hilarious! We laughed so hard I was crying. We really had a great time.
Yesterday I took Cory to the specialist about his tonsils. She said he definitely needs them removed and that they're huge. She said he probably has allergies too but she won't know for sure until after the tonsillectomy. She also said that since all three of the kids have sleep apnea and since Cory's is caused by his over-sized tonsils that most likely it's a hereditary problem and that Jessicah and Trey will probably have the same problem and have to have their tonsils out too. They go to Dr. Shabab on Tuesday to see what he thinks and if he thinks they're too large then they'll have to go to the specialist too. She suggested that they all have it done at the same time because they're going to be down with it for two weeks and it'd be best to just get it all done and over with at once. Mom said she's going to come help me with them. God bless mom. I don't know what I'd do without her.
I haven't even gotten their first report cards of the year yet and already the crap has started. Cory told me yesterday that during school his teacher, his LD teacher no less, Mrs. D., called him a baby and was again telling him that he's immature and irresponsible. I was so mad. How silly of her to tell him he's immature and then call him names. She's supposed to be the adult. I wonder what would have happened if he had called her an old hag after she called him a baby. I'd bet my you-know-what that he would've been in deep trouble.
I called the school today to talk about what had happened and to find out the best time for them school-wise to have the surgery (Thanksgiving vacation is what we decided on) and I told the principle, Mrs. W., what had happened with Cory's teacher. Mrs. W. suggested that I talk with Mrs. D. about it. I told her that this isn't the first time I've had this problem with her and that I have talked with her about it several times and that she just blows it off like I'm being overly protective or something. Mrs. W. said that she'd have Mrs. D. call me today and that I should try once more to talk with her about it. Mrs. W. said that if I wasn't satisfied that the situation is settled to let Mrs. W. know and she'd make sure it was taken care of. I agreed. Mrs. D. never called. Now I'm just more mad. So I'll have to call Mrs. W. again on Monday and take it from there.
How sad it is that there is such little patience and understanding between most adults and children. How sad it is that so many adults lump all children, specifically teenagers, together and automatically lable them lazy liars just because of their age. It's even more sad that this is taking place in a classroom that is intended to be a comforting, understanding enviornment led by an understanding, helpful teacher. Of all the places in that school, in that one LD classroom should be the one he is most comforted and understood. Of all the teachers in that school, it should be that one teacher who has the most patience and understanding, it should be that one teacher who offers the most comfort to him. Noticing a pattern here? Comfort? Understanding? Patience? Seems like the bare basics to me. Why can't they see it?
On the up side, that lying, crabby secretary that was there is now gone! She's at the high school now where Cory and Jessicah will go next year, but she's the principle's secretary so we won't have to interact with her much if at all. The new secretary at the middle school is wonderful. The kids and I all just love her. She's so pleasant and kind. She's always smiling and even has a "light" voice. You can actually hear the kindness in it. I believe she genuinely cares for the children and enjoys her job. I bet she's new. I think I'm going to ask her next time I see her. I just love new teachers. They still have the zest and the love of the job and children that so many more experienced teachers seem to have lost.
I had an appointment with SSI scheduled for today to apply for supplemental income for Trey. I had to cancel it though because I just couldn't get everything together. I'm going to reschedule after their surgeries and after I get things gathered. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get it. He definitely meets the disability There's so many things that he needs, things that would make our lives so much easier if we could get them, but the way things are now, we just can't afford it.
I've also been wondering if there are any autism schools near us and if he would even benefit by one. He's doing so well in his school now but I can't help but wonder if maybe he'd do even better in a school where the staff are specifically trained to work with children with his disabilities. Maybe even just weekly or monthly sessions or something similar would be a benefit. They sure couldn't hurt.
Tomorrow night there's a Halloween dance or party (or whatever lol) at the Legion. I'd so love to go. Bud and Kim are going and Bud is dressing up as a woman. He's going to be so cute dressed as a woman with his long goatee! Buddy and Theresa are going too and I think we'd all have a lot of fun. It's not often Jerry and I get to go out and even less often that we get to go out with friends. Cory and Jessicah could watch Trey and we'll only be at the other end of town (less than five minutes away) and we won't be drinking so if there's a problem we can get home quickly.
Trey's been going to sleep around 1:30 except for one night (I think it was Wednesday) when he went to sleep at 11:30! I was so excited I was actually giggly lol I decided that I'd lay down on the couch and watch a movie. I was really looking forward to being able to actually lay down and relax and not have to worry that I might fall asleep before him. I decided to watch Brokeback Mountain again, but I didn't make it far into the movie. I ended up falling asleep before they even made it to he mountain! lol It was still nice though and as far as I know, Trey slept through the night.
He's still awake now though and I'm feeling way too sleepy to be sitting here (and it's only 11:30, I don't know why I've been sooo tired lately) so I'm going to go take a quick shower and walk around a bit. I'd make a pot of coffee but I'm down to one filter and I'm saving that for morning.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Trey went to sleep at 1:30am which really isn't bad at all. The bad part is that he woke up after I went to bed. Scary. Thankfully, he just got up to pee and turn his fan back on then went back to bed as far as I know.
He found out what his teacher meant about last night's homework. She meant to write that he was to do numbers 6-19 but she accidently put pages 6-19 instead. Oh well, his homework's done up for a while since he did pages 6-9. The homework assignment today was just to write an idea of how one could recycle so he's going to do that in the morning. He said he's going to write that instead of people throwing everything in the trash, they should put it in a recycling bin instead.
Jessicah's still feeling pretty crappy off and on. Jerry thinks it's just a cold since she hasn't had a fever or anything but I'm calling Dr. Shabab tomorrow anyway. I don't want to take any chances of it getting worse on the off chance that it is something more than just a cold.
Cory had math and english homework tonight. It took him all evening but it shouldn't have. I was too lienient with him this evening since he'd been doing so well with his schoolwork. One would think I'd learn and know to not back off because when I back off, he starts slacking again. So we're back to homework at 3:00pm sharp with only one 15 minute break after each subject is done if he doesn't play around while he's doing it.
Jerry's taking a personal day off work tomorrow. We're not planning on doing much, just going on a short ride on the Harley. He's looking forward to a quiet, relaxing day and I have too much housework to do to really be doing much. I'm still playing catch up with the laundry and I want to get the kitchen and computer room cleaned up good and get the kids clothes sorted and organized.
He found out what his teacher meant about last night's homework. She meant to write that he was to do numbers 6-19 but she accidently put pages 6-19 instead. Oh well, his homework's done up for a while since he did pages 6-9. The homework assignment today was just to write an idea of how one could recycle so he's going to do that in the morning. He said he's going to write that instead of people throwing everything in the trash, they should put it in a recycling bin instead.
Jessicah's still feeling pretty crappy off and on. Jerry thinks it's just a cold since she hasn't had a fever or anything but I'm calling Dr. Shabab tomorrow anyway. I don't want to take any chances of it getting worse on the off chance that it is something more than just a cold.
Cory had math and english homework tonight. It took him all evening but it shouldn't have. I was too lienient with him this evening since he'd been doing so well with his schoolwork. One would think I'd learn and know to not back off because when I back off, he starts slacking again. So we're back to homework at 3:00pm sharp with only one 15 minute break after each subject is done if he doesn't play around while he's doing it.
Jerry's taking a personal day off work tomorrow. We're not planning on doing much, just going on a short ride on the Harley. He's looking forward to a quiet, relaxing day and I have too much housework to do to really be doing much. I'm still playing catch up with the laundry and I want to get the kitchen and computer room cleaned up good and get the kids clothes sorted and organized.
Monday, October 15, 2007
4,324 Bulldog Ants
10:22pm
It's been another rare uneventful day. I just spent the day doing laundry. Finally down to just sheets and winter blankets that need freshened up.
Cory had no homework today and got right to his shower and chores with very little prodding from me. He's been being very responsible lately and I'm so proud of him. He seemed to have a good evening with so much free time. He watched TV, played on the computer and even went to Mr. Bill's with Jerry tonight even though they didn't get back until 10:00.
Jessicah had a project to work on. It was actually due yesterday but they were allowed to turn it in late, but they lose 10 points for each day that it's late. She's turning it in tomorrow so she and her partner will only be losing those 10 points so that's not too bad especially since the project looks so great. She really did a wonderful job with it.
Trey had homework tonight. It's the first time in a long time. It was math right out of a textbook which is very rare. I can't help but wonder if it's a sign that he's improving. I'm really looking forward to his IEP meeting which should be coming up before too long. We lost his planner so his teacher wrote his homework assignment right on his homework paper. It said pages 6-19 though and that's a ton compared to what he usually has so Jerry and I are both thinking that she probably actually meant pages 6-9 because page 10 starts a new lesson. Hopefully we're right because we let him stop at page nine.
His math was fairly complicated compared to what he had been doing before. I looked at it and told Jerry that there's no way he'd be able to do it. I was wrong. He breezed right through most of it. I was completely impressed. Evidently I've been underestimating him.
How odd, now that I think about it, that I'm not surprised when Trey talks about scientific prototypes and chemical reactions, yet I am surprised when he can read a number like 4,324. Why shouldn't he be able to read four digit numbers when he can talk about carbonium and not only know exactly what it is, but also come up with various practical and original uses for it?
The child could tell you all about bulldog ants, milk trees in the rainforest and what insects to eat if you're stranded on a mountain. Of course he can immediately tell if a random triple digit number is even or odd literally just by looking at it.
What an amazing kid.
I hope I can be smart like him one day.
Now if he would only sleep... xO
It's been another rare uneventful day. I just spent the day doing laundry. Finally down to just sheets and winter blankets that need freshened up.
Cory had no homework today and got right to his shower and chores with very little prodding from me. He's been being very responsible lately and I'm so proud of him. He seemed to have a good evening with so much free time. He watched TV, played on the computer and even went to Mr. Bill's with Jerry tonight even though they didn't get back until 10:00.
Jessicah had a project to work on. It was actually due yesterday but they were allowed to turn it in late, but they lose 10 points for each day that it's late. She's turning it in tomorrow so she and her partner will only be losing those 10 points so that's not too bad especially since the project looks so great. She really did a wonderful job with it.
Trey had homework tonight. It's the first time in a long time. It was math right out of a textbook which is very rare. I can't help but wonder if it's a sign that he's improving. I'm really looking forward to his IEP meeting which should be coming up before too long. We lost his planner so his teacher wrote his homework assignment right on his homework paper. It said pages 6-19 though and that's a ton compared to what he usually has so Jerry and I are both thinking that she probably actually meant pages 6-9 because page 10 starts a new lesson. Hopefully we're right because we let him stop at page nine.
His math was fairly complicated compared to what he had been doing before. I looked at it and told Jerry that there's no way he'd be able to do it. I was wrong. He breezed right through most of it. I was completely impressed. Evidently I've been underestimating him.
How odd, now that I think about it, that I'm not surprised when Trey talks about scientific prototypes and chemical reactions, yet I am surprised when he can read a number like 4,324. Why shouldn't he be able to read four digit numbers when he can talk about carbonium and not only know exactly what it is, but also come up with various practical and original uses for it?
The child could tell you all about bulldog ants, milk trees in the rainforest and what insects to eat if you're stranded on a mountain. Of course he can immediately tell if a random triple digit number is even or odd literally just by looking at it.
What an amazing kid.
I hope I can be smart like him one day.
Now if he would only sleep... xO
Pre-Caffeine
7:46am and I so want to go back to bed. I'm so sick of my days revolving around sleep. It seems like I'm always either fighting to stay awake or fighting to go to sleep. I'm literally amazed at how some people can just say, "I'm going to sleep." then lay down and do just that! Jerry is usually out within five minutes! Five minutes! That just seems inhuman to me. I sincerely believed something was wrong with him until I learned that the average person falls asleep within seven minutes. That just leaves me with my jaw hanging open like a broken-hinge door.
Then there's those people who love mornings. You've seen them, those Morning People, who invade your work place, your school, your streets...maybe even your very own home! Their eyes open and POOF! just like that, they're not only awake, but also actually alert! And all this pre-caffeine! Those crazy Morning People jump right out of bed, sing and are already jabbering on to anyone with ears about what a beautiful morning it is and how great the day's going to be and blah blah blah. Which by the way, is exactly what we night owls hear when those morning people screech their morning voices at us: "Good morning! Isn't blahblahblah beautiful day blahblahblah! What a lovely blahblahblah!"
The most I can manage to pull off during pre-caffeine days are bumping into walls, tripping on animals and the occassional, "'Morning", "I'm up", "Coffee" and the versatile morning reply for everything and my personal favorite, "umph".
My own family's been infiltrated by those Morning People. My mom is one. My sister is one. Even in my own home! My husband and oldest son are Morning People! My husband is a convert though. He wasnt always a Morning Person. I remember well his night owl days. Oh what fun we'd have! We'd stay up all night watching TV, eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew. Most of our grocery shopping was done between midnight and 5:00am Now he's awake for the day around 5:00am...willingly! It's not his fault though. The work force drug him into his morning person-ness. I suppose getting up between 3:00 and 5:00am for the last 11 years or so has been what's caused his turning from Night Owl to Morning Person. I don't blame him or resent him for it though. I hear that it's actually common; that once a person wakes at the same time for a long length of time that it effects their "natural clock" and they tend to get used to it and even sometimes wake at that time with no alarm!
My natural clock must have dead batteries (just like all the battery-operated clocks in my house) because I've been getting up between 7:00 and 8:00am for the last 11-ish years and I have absolutely no desire to do that intentionally and I don't do it unintentionally on the weekends.
Now, Cory, he was born a Morning Person. My theory is that the Morning Person genes either skip a generation and hit randomly targeted people of the alternate generation, or perhaps he inherited them from my husband's then-dormant genes. Who knows.
Now that it's 8:10am and the morning caffeine if finally beginning to impenetrate my veins and my eyes are open a little more than just a slit and have been hit by the realization that I'm actually awake and not walking in the fog of a dream, I'm also realizing how long I've been rambling so I'll just say, for the record, I don't dislike or even resent the Morning People in my life. In fact, I love waking up to my son's bright eyes and smiling face. What a joy he is, even in the mornings.
And I'll close with just one final thought, just four words:
God
Bless
Juan
Valdez
Monday Madness
This week's questions are right off the top of my head; no rhyme or reason...
1. What was your biggest challenge this past week? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head was cleaning the outside of mom's camper at the lake while avoiding the spiders that were all over out there. ew.
2. What was your biggest accomplishment this past week? Avoiding those spiders! Except for that little one that was dangling from the rag I was using. ew.
3. What was the most exciting thing that happened in your life this past week? Mr. Bill gave Trey a hat and a poster autographed by a couple guys from Trick My Truck. I can't think of anything else lol
4. What one thing made you the happiest this past week? I got to spend quality "adult time" with my mom and sister and then got to come back home to Jerry and the kids who I missed so much.
Then there's those people who love mornings. You've seen them, those Morning People, who invade your work place, your school, your streets...maybe even your very own home! Their eyes open and POOF! just like that, they're not only awake, but also actually alert! And all this pre-caffeine! Those crazy Morning People jump right out of bed, sing and are already jabbering on to anyone with ears about what a beautiful morning it is and how great the day's going to be and blah blah blah. Which by the way, is exactly what we night owls hear when those morning people screech their morning voices at us: "Good morning! Isn't blahblahblah beautiful day blahblahblah! What a lovely blahblahblah!"
The most I can manage to pull off during pre-caffeine days are bumping into walls, tripping on animals and the occassional, "'Morning", "I'm up", "Coffee" and the versatile morning reply for everything and my personal favorite, "umph".
My own family's been infiltrated by those Morning People. My mom is one. My sister is one. Even in my own home! My husband and oldest son are Morning People! My husband is a convert though. He wasnt always a Morning Person. I remember well his night owl days. Oh what fun we'd have! We'd stay up all night watching TV, eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew. Most of our grocery shopping was done between midnight and 5:00am Now he's awake for the day around 5:00am...willingly! It's not his fault though. The work force drug him into his morning person-ness. I suppose getting up between 3:00 and 5:00am for the last 11 years or so has been what's caused his turning from Night Owl to Morning Person. I don't blame him or resent him for it though. I hear that it's actually common; that once a person wakes at the same time for a long length of time that it effects their "natural clock" and they tend to get used to it and even sometimes wake at that time with no alarm!
My natural clock must have dead batteries (just like all the battery-operated clocks in my house) because I've been getting up between 7:00 and 8:00am for the last 11-ish years and I have absolutely no desire to do that intentionally and I don't do it unintentionally on the weekends.
Now, Cory, he was born a Morning Person. My theory is that the Morning Person genes either skip a generation and hit randomly targeted people of the alternate generation, or perhaps he inherited them from my husband's then-dormant genes. Who knows.
Now that it's 8:10am and the morning caffeine if finally beginning to impenetrate my veins and my eyes are open a little more than just a slit and have been hit by the realization that I'm actually awake and not walking in the fog of a dream, I'm also realizing how long I've been rambling so I'll just say, for the record, I don't dislike or even resent the Morning People in my life. In fact, I love waking up to my son's bright eyes and smiling face. What a joy he is, even in the mornings.
And I'll close with just one final thought, just four words:
God
Bless
Juan
Valdez
Monday Madness
This week's questions are right off the top of my head; no rhyme or reason...
1. What was your biggest challenge this past week? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head was cleaning the outside of mom's camper at the lake while avoiding the spiders that were all over out there. ew.
2. What was your biggest accomplishment this past week? Avoiding those spiders! Except for that little one that was dangling from the rag I was using. ew.
3. What was the most exciting thing that happened in your life this past week? Mr. Bill gave Trey a hat and a poster autographed by a couple guys from Trick My Truck. I can't think of anything else lol
4. What one thing made you the happiest this past week? I got to spend quality "adult time" with my mom and sister and then got to come back home to Jerry and the kids who I missed so much.
Pre-Monday
1:36am and Trey's asleep. It's been a long day, I think I'm getting a cold or something. Probably because of this crazy weather. We had the heat on yesterday and the air conditioning today. Jessicah's still feeling crappy but so far we're the only ones and I'm feeling better tonight so hopefully she will be feeling better soon too. It seems to come and go with her. She took Trey for a walk today and Cory went a little later and met up with them. It's so good to see them do things together like that.
Our dryer's been acting up. It just keeps shutting off like it's getting too hot or something. Jerry's been working with it all day, but it seems to be working ok at least for now so I've been working on getting as much washed as I can. Jerry's even been helping.
Other than the crappy cold thing and the stupid dryer thing, it's been a pretty quiet and uneventful day, thankfully. Tomorrow's Monday though and that just about says it all.
Well instead of doing my usual zombified rambling about everything and nothing all at once, I'm off to bed to dream about my laundry-filled tomorrow. Joy. :P
Sunday Seven
Name seven items in your "junk drawer"
1. scissors
2. pencils
3. birthday cake candles
4. light switch plate covers
5. outlet covers
6. screws
7. bread ties
Our dryer's been acting up. It just keeps shutting off like it's getting too hot or something. Jerry's been working with it all day, but it seems to be working ok at least for now so I've been working on getting as much washed as I can. Jerry's even been helping.
Other than the crappy cold thing and the stupid dryer thing, it's been a pretty quiet and uneventful day, thankfully. Tomorrow's Monday though and that just about says it all.
Well instead of doing my usual zombified rambling about everything and nothing all at once, I'm off to bed to dream about my laundry-filled tomorrow. Joy. :P
Sunday Seven
Name seven items in your "junk drawer"
1. scissors
2. pencils
3. birthday cake candles
4. light switch plate covers
5. outlet covers
6. screws
7. bread ties
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Swords VS Sleep
1:07am and instead of sleeping, Trey is informing me of the strength of a sword made of bone; AKA: The Super Sword. Evidently it's "like a snake", but it can't be cut into pieces because it's protected by "blue light". Apparently the Super Sword is highly dangerous and not something I'd want to go up against according to Trey's urgent warning.
I wonder if some day he'll invent something that will help us sleep. Something that won't mess with his natural body chemistry or make him want to sleep for a ridiculous amount of hours or make him grow a third arm or something equally scary.
I shouldn't be complaining (or whining) because it's now almost 1:30 and he's laying down with his fan on and his blanket over his head (a sure sign that he'll soon be asleep). If he sticks to the regular pattern, it won't be long before he's up until 3:30am for a week or two at a time. And it's Saturday so it's not like we have to be up at 8:00 (thank God for weekends).
I think I'll go play a game and continue to pretend that I'm not seeing the cockroach show that Cory's watching on TV. Yeah. Most kids watch cartoons...mine watch documentaries about cockroaches and spiders. I should buy stock in Raid just in case they take to the idea of creating their own documentaries. ew.
I wonder if some day he'll invent something that will help us sleep. Something that won't mess with his natural body chemistry or make him want to sleep for a ridiculous amount of hours or make him grow a third arm or something equally scary.
I shouldn't be complaining (or whining) because it's now almost 1:30 and he's laying down with his fan on and his blanket over his head (a sure sign that he'll soon be asleep). If he sticks to the regular pattern, it won't be long before he's up until 3:30am for a week or two at a time. And it's Saturday so it's not like we have to be up at 8:00 (thank God for weekends).
I think I'll go play a game and continue to pretend that I'm not seeing the cockroach show that Cory's watching on TV. Yeah. Most kids watch cartoons...mine watch documentaries about cockroaches and spiders. I should buy stock in Raid just in case they take to the idea of creating their own documentaries. ew.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Home Again, Home Again
Today was a great day. I just got home from the lake (Clendenning) where Mom and Cliff go each summer. Connie and I went out yesterday and spent the night so she and I could clean the outside of the camper to get it ready to be closed up for the winter. We started around 9:00 or 9:30 this morning and got done a little before noon. Then Aunt Clara came out and we all had hot dogs roasted in the fire. It was so good!
I had a really nice time but it felt odd being away from the kids and even Jerry too. I was really nervous about leaving Trey because I wasn't sure Jerry would be able to stay up with him. Trey's still putting things in his mouth. He just choked on a coin last weekend and even though I went through and "baby-proofed" the house (his room three times) he still seems to find small things to put in his mouth. Jerry said he did fine though. Jerry ordered them pizza then took a nap for about an hour at 9:00pm while Cory and Jessicah kept an eye on Trey. Then around 10:00 Cory and Jessicah went to bed and Jerry stayed up with Trey until they both fell asleep around 12:30am. Talk about team work! I'm so proud of them for that.
When I first told Trey Thursday evening that I'd be gone Friday night, he was really upset and even cried pretty hard for a little while. He's just not used to me being gone and being away from me for so long because I'm so scared to leave him with anyone else. No one can seem to stay up with him at night and that's when it's extra important that he be watched closely that he isn't putting something in his mouth. I even thought about just taking him with me but it would've been hard for everyone else to sleep with him staying up so late. When I reminded him yesterday after school that I'd be leaving, he was upset but he didn't cry. Maybe he was just sleepy when I told him the night before or maybe it was easier for him the second time I told him because he already knew I was going.
Trey's been doing pretty good with school. He's only missed a couple days and hasn't had much homework at all. He's been going to sleep normally between 1:30am and 2:00am and some nights as early as 12:30am Hopefully this phase will last a long time and we won't have many nights where he's up until 3:30am or later. I've noticed he's been stimming a little every once in a while but it's not often and not very noticable. Anyone who didn't know about his autism probably wouldn't think anything of it. The last few times I've cut his nails though, I've noticed that it seems to bother him more than he used to. He said he doesn't like feeling his skin touch his nails so he's fidgety when I'm trying to cut them, always wiggling his fingers and pinching them between his other fingers. It takes quite a while to cut his nails now because I have to be careful to cut at just the right time so I get his nails and not his skin.
Jessicah's doing much better with school this year. She's only missed I think three days and none of them were from anxiety, thank God. She's even finding that she actually likes phys. ed. sometimes this year. They had to play flag football for a while and she hated it, but she tolerated it very well. I'm so proud of her. Her grades are still very good and she's interacting with different people. She even went to a school dance and had a very good time.
Cory seems to be doing better this year too. Last week, I think Thursday, he got his math assignment done during class, was the first one done with it and even was asked by the teacher to help the other students who were still working on it. He's also brought home quite a few papers, some tests, that were 100%. I'm so proud of him.
I had a very nice time at the lake, I'd been looking forward to going since last month. I loved that I was not only asleep before 1:30am but actually even before 10:00pm! I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad to be back home to my normal chaos and all the hugs and cries of "Momma!" that my quiet, restful night had lacked.
I had a really nice time but it felt odd being away from the kids and even Jerry too. I was really nervous about leaving Trey because I wasn't sure Jerry would be able to stay up with him. Trey's still putting things in his mouth. He just choked on a coin last weekend and even though I went through and "baby-proofed" the house (his room three times) he still seems to find small things to put in his mouth. Jerry said he did fine though. Jerry ordered them pizza then took a nap for about an hour at 9:00pm while Cory and Jessicah kept an eye on Trey. Then around 10:00 Cory and Jessicah went to bed and Jerry stayed up with Trey until they both fell asleep around 12:30am. Talk about team work! I'm so proud of them for that.
When I first told Trey Thursday evening that I'd be gone Friday night, he was really upset and even cried pretty hard for a little while. He's just not used to me being gone and being away from me for so long because I'm so scared to leave him with anyone else. No one can seem to stay up with him at night and that's when it's extra important that he be watched closely that he isn't putting something in his mouth. I even thought about just taking him with me but it would've been hard for everyone else to sleep with him staying up so late. When I reminded him yesterday after school that I'd be leaving, he was upset but he didn't cry. Maybe he was just sleepy when I told him the night before or maybe it was easier for him the second time I told him because he already knew I was going.
Trey's been doing pretty good with school. He's only missed a couple days and hasn't had much homework at all. He's been going to sleep normally between 1:30am and 2:00am and some nights as early as 12:30am Hopefully this phase will last a long time and we won't have many nights where he's up until 3:30am or later. I've noticed he's been stimming a little every once in a while but it's not often and not very noticable. Anyone who didn't know about his autism probably wouldn't think anything of it. The last few times I've cut his nails though, I've noticed that it seems to bother him more than he used to. He said he doesn't like feeling his skin touch his nails so he's fidgety when I'm trying to cut them, always wiggling his fingers and pinching them between his other fingers. It takes quite a while to cut his nails now because I have to be careful to cut at just the right time so I get his nails and not his skin.
Jessicah's doing much better with school this year. She's only missed I think three days and none of them were from anxiety, thank God. She's even finding that she actually likes phys. ed. sometimes this year. They had to play flag football for a while and she hated it, but she tolerated it very well. I'm so proud of her. Her grades are still very good and she's interacting with different people. She even went to a school dance and had a very good time.
Cory seems to be doing better this year too. Last week, I think Thursday, he got his math assignment done during class, was the first one done with it and even was asked by the teacher to help the other students who were still working on it. He's also brought home quite a few papers, some tests, that were 100%. I'm so proud of him.
I had a very nice time at the lake, I'd been looking forward to going since last month. I loved that I was not only asleep before 1:30am but actually even before 10:00pm! I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad to be back home to my normal chaos and all the hugs and cries of "Momma!" that my quiet, restful night had lacked.
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