I am back, finally!

I am back. I was without any internet access for a week because Verizon stinks, but that is a whole other story. Let's see where to start. Jewel is now also receiving a one hour session of occupational therapy a week though the hospital. She has some auditory and tactile issues which we have been aware of for quite a while. Their main goal is going to be grooming and dressing. My littlest dainty daughter likes to go commando it seems because her panties bother her something terrible, but this is just not acceptable at all. Her little behind is always getting a contact rash from being bare against her pants. Not good! On a super positive note, the school has reviewed her augmentative communication device evaluation and it seems there are very seriously considering implementing it into her IEP which means they will be purchasing it! This is huge since out insurance plan does not cover durable medical equipment of educational technology devices. I have also been referred to sign up with the DDD for Jewel. They provide lots of great things for families of children with developmental disabilities, *if the money is available. I am going to push for her to receive hippotherapy which I think she would really love and benefit from.

I have reduced Amber's therapy from every week to every other week. She seems to really enjoy speaking to a neutral party in a neutral setting. She is still struggling with school a bit but I have noticed that her reading skills are improving. Lately I am a bit concerned about her self esteem as some things have come up with her peers that leaves her pretty darn upset. It is completely heartbreaking to see your child made so sad by their *friends.

Carlos' wrestling season is winding down, and it may be bad to say, but thank God! Between his wrestling for the school team, the township team, running back and forth to practice on weekends, in addition to all our appointments during the week for other things I am just beat. Carlos again seems to be slacking off with his homework and although he plans on running track this spring I am not so sure his grades will allow unless he pulls them up and quick.

I have decided, I think, for the time being I am going to return to home health care. Yup something I swore I would never do. Heck I may start and see I can't still do it. I hate working in the home setting, hate it. I know this is not the right thing to say but I totally preferred the conveyor belt setting of long term care and critical care at the hospital. No time to get to know a patient personal which kept me at a comfortable distance. But you got to do what you got to do I guess. Right now it looks like the housing market is a pipe dream. I am going to maintain my real estate license of course, and return in September of this year when day care is not an issue since all the kids will be in school a full day. But in the meantime I need to make a few bucks and going back to my "roots" seems to be the best idea. Work the hours I desire is very important right now.

So anyway that's about it update wise for me. Everything else is the same ole' same ole'. I promise to try to blog more often.

A Better Day

Yesterday was a horrible day. I certainly won't go into details because a great deal of it is more personal then I care to share. It was one of the most draining days I have had in years, seriously. I am determined to not ever have another day like yesterday, to never feel the feelings I felt yesterday. In any case my point is even when things look bleak, horrible, dark, lonely, like they are just not going to get better just remember tomorrow is another day and a day can change a lot. Today I woke up feeling refreshed and I am feeling really blessed and thankful for having another day to get it all right.

Red Light Red Light Is NOT Green

Yesterday I decided I needed different shelving in my closet. When we built this room we did very basic shelving in there for the time being, until we decided what we wanted. Well 4 years or so later it is still the same and I am outgrowing my closet. So John and I headed to Home Depot after dinner to decide what I wanted. I was driving and we weren't really talking much or anything, just the normal drive. We get to the light outside Home Depot which is a bit more complex then your average light. I saw a green light, watched for a spot in the oncoming traffic and turned left into Home Depot. John says you are going through a red light, whoa, whoa. I look up and sure enough the left turn lane is directed by a lighted arrow, not the actual light, and it is RED. I had no choice but to go as I was now more then halfway across the lanes I was crossing. John asks what I was thinking and I tell him to be quiet my stomach hurts, then I promptly felt like vomiting. No joke I was so freaked out that I went through a red light, even though I made sure nothing was coming, I was completely spazzing. Finally we park and I shut off the car and sit there a second and he asks if he can talk now. I do not believe I have ever run a red light, EVER, well now I have! Oh and we did get new shelving. I am going to have 4 new shelves, one the full length one my closet 7 feet up higher then the shelves in there now. And 3 2 foot shelves down along one side. I am excited! Hopefully we get so much ice tonight John has to stay home tomorrow and he can put them in.

Monday, Monday, La La, La, La ,La

The kids went back to school today and believe me when I say it, I am thrilled. They were getting on each other's nerves so badly, in turn getting on mine. They were all excited about going back so I do not feel that bad sending them on their merry way.

I *think I am going to stop Amber's therapy. She is not just a good match for Amber. They get along great and all but Amber plays her like a fiddle. I tried making it clear from day one Amber needed someone who was a bit firm. Well it didn't happen. I think a large part of Amber's issue was she wanted some of the same attention Jewel was getting and she got it. A lot of what were her problems have gone away, so I just don't know what to do at this point. I also have been meaning to post a video of Jewel talking on Myspace which I haven't done in forever. I think I'll try to get to that this week.

This week I will find out more about Jewel's therapy to train on a device. I have to find out if these devices are rented because if they are, I will gladly rent one and not travel. My van is dying such a slow death and we don't know when it is going to just give out on us. We do have the truck that I will be using but I do not want to travel that far with the truck. I hate driving it.

Today I am really starting to crack down on myself with portion control. I am not going to deprive myself of anything because that does not work for me at all, but I will be very careful about how much I eat. Also I will be working on the Wii Fit daily, now that the kids are gone for some time and I can have a chance with it. I am also going to blog more often, even if I have nothing exciting to say like today. I am going to use this as more of an outlet for me the way I used to when I first started blogging.

New Year and an update

Happy New Year!

Sorry I did not update abut Jewel's evaluation I have gotten a few emails regarding it and thought I should jump on and address it real quick and then maybe let the world be aware of my new year's resolutions so maybe I will be accountable with everyone watching (reading).

So the evaluation went well. Jewel woke up in a great mood, weather was awesome, and my van made it. (We were and are worried about the van because it seems my trans is going. Not fun.) Anyway we get there in plenty of time and good thing because I was informed upon checking in I needed a script and referral. UGH. I had to make a few phone calls and that is all straightened out I hope. The eval itself went great and Jewel scored very high, like we all expected her to. The final report should arrive to me in a few days. The short of it: I need to find an advocate for her in dealing with her schooling, she definitely should get an augmentative communication device, the device that she needs due to her intelligence level is a 120 space one (they start at like 20 space ones), I need to travel back up north for this 3 hour round trip once a week for her to begin training on this device to try to prove to whomever (school, insurance, organization, charity fundraiser) will be paying for this device her intelligence level supports such a complex device, the device she needs will cost approximately $8,000, and we need to start working on who will be paying for the device. So yup we have our work cut out for us in the next few months. The whole thing is going to be quite a process and I thank you all for all your well wishes and prayers.

Now onto my resolutions.
1. Stop biting my nails again. (I will go for months without biting them and then something makes me nervous and viola I have nubs again.) Gross, I know.
2. Loss 20 pounds. I need to loss far more then this but it took me a good 13 years to put it on so I don't think rushing it off is entirely fair or realistic.
3. Be nicer in general, stop wearing my heart on my sleeve and try to be more patient. I know some of this one may seem totally unnecessary to some people who know me since I am known as having nerves of steel, LOL, but I really need to run a tighter ship regarding my emotions.
4. Become a better wife and mother. Numbers 2 and 3 play a large part in this one.
5. Use less offensive words. I have a horrible habit of using words that are not appropriate and I am going to try to curb my use of them as best I can.

Another eval for Jewel

Tomorrow I have to take Jewel to Children's Specialized main campus about an hour and a half from home to evaluated for an augmentative communication device. (This device is a portable computer like device that will speak for her, think of a talking PECS book.) We have been looking forward to this evaluation for many, many months, even though I am on the fence about the whole thing. Will she use it? Will it benefit her? Will it stunt her desire to verbalize? Who will be paying for it, insurance, school, an organization? (This device depending on the type they say would be best for her can cost thousands of dollars.) Will it be worth all the training that must go into it? Would that time be better spent doing even more speech therapy? So many questions, so few answers. I should be used to it being that way because since birth things have always been so unknown with Jewel.

Jewel has absolutely made tons of progress since the start of summer. Does that mean she is up to par. NO! Her speech is still very unintelligible especially to people who are not familiar with her. Even those familiar with her (including us) have trouble understanding her at time. At first glance Jewel may seem like a very impatient child, but in reality if you think about the obstacles that she faces daily with communicating and the frustration that she encounters, you will understand she is one of the most patient, level headed people you have ever met, adult or child. Yes we get frustrated not understanding what she is saying at times, it's then we have to stop and put ourselves in HER shoes. Imagine her agony. The words are right there in her head and her mouth does not cooperate to make them come out so people understand.

Most parents like to brag how smart their children are. If you know me, you know I tell it like it is about my kids. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and I do not mask any of that. Jewel though is an amazingly bright child though. Above average in all areas except speech. Her writing and drawing skills are unreal and have been since she was old enough to grasp a pencil. The things she is capable of are really unknown since we do not get a true picture of it, due to her lack of verbal skills.

Anyway, tomorrow we are headed to the evaluation, just Jewel and I unfortunately due to work schedules. I am praying for the weather to be warm enough to not be icy and clear. I would appreciate if you could do the same, missing this appointment is not an option.

Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and the New Year brings everyone lots of happiness, health, and good fortune, I think we all need that. We had a great Christmas. The wonder of seeing the kids see all the gifts under the tree and wonder what in the world they did to deserve that all (they didn't, lol), spending time with family without being rushed or hurried as usual, reminiscing of the Christmases past. I think back to childhood and remember the toys I played with as a kid and how toys have evolved. Then there are toys that have withstood the test of time and my kids play with very similar if not the same versions now 20, 25, 30 years later. Wow I am old enough to say 30 years later, makes me SAD! In any case I spent this morning looking through a toy site of the 80's. So many things were familiar and brought back such great memories. There are a few toys that I can't seem to find anywhere and do not even recall the name of though, I guess those senior moments happen in your 30's too. Anyway here is a list of some toys and games that I remember as a kid.
Alphie
Dolly Pops
Don't Tip the Waiter
Pound Puppies
Skip It (I still see these from time to time)
Etch-A-Sketch (timeless)
Snap bracelets (now against the law in many states)
Cabbage Patch Dolls (My 1st was a preemie names Stacey Liza and my 2nd was a Yankee played named Freddie Foster)
Trouble (timeless, my kids love it)
My Dog Has Fleas
Glo-Worm (I bought one this year for someone)
Whoopsie (she was one of my favorite dolls)
Baby Skates (another favorite doll)
Pogo Ball
Lite Brite (my daughter got one this year, a little different then the original)
Hi Ho Cherry-Oh (a favorite game here)
Knickerbocker Annie figurines and vehicles
Viewmaster (timeless)
Simon (they still sell this too)
Easy Bake Oven (I LOVED this)
I also had a penguin who was used at bath time. He suction cupped onto the side of the tub and his hat came off to reveal a hollow body. You used his hat to pour water into his head which drained down through his body making his wings flap. I loved this toy, it was a bath time favorite and I cannot remember his name although I picture his vividly, he was navy blue and his hat was orange or yellow. He had a beak that may have even moved too. Anyone remember what his name was? What were your favorite toys?

Chicken or Tuna? Buffalo!

We all remember Jessica Simpson's famous moment of not knowing if Chicken of The Sea was tuna or chicken, right? Well my darling little Carlos had a Jessica moment tonight at Applebee's. See Carlos has got to be one of the pickiest eaters you ever will encounter so I was sort of surprised when he asked for an appetizer of boneless buffalo wings. While eating them the conversation went something to this:

Carlos: So what are these chicken wings made of?
Us: What??? (imagine our puzzled looks)
Carlos: Well are they buffalo or chicken?
Us: Huh? (starting to seriously think he couldn't have gotten on honor roll on his own right?)
Carlos: Well they are buffalo.
Me: Actually they are mostly unicorn.
Carlos: Why do they call them buffalo.
Me: Hamburgers come from a ham.

Do buffalo's have wings? Did he really think he wasn't eating chicken but buffalo. He claims he knew all along it was *really chicken, he just didn't know why they were called buffalo. Yes Carlos and ditzy Jessica knew she was eating tuna not chicken.

Public Service Announcement

Attention, attention please. I just want to let everyone know that despite what I used to think there is such a thing as trimming your eyebrows too much. For those of you who know what I am talking about it doesn't look THAT bad, lol. =)

Here I Am!

I am HERE!!!! Well I haven't been blogging but I am around. I am on some new meds and trying to adjust to them, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I am mostly fine, besides the fact I have been a lazier slug than normal. I do go for a cardiologist appointment next week that I am looking forward to but also dreading. It is a follow up for when I had chest pains a few weeks ago. I want to make sure everything is okay, but I have a nagging feeling something is not quite right. In any case we are all excited for Christmas of course. Santa is almost finished shopping. Thank goodness because his credit cards are mighty tired. =) Last night Santa Claus came by on the fire truck and handed out candy canes like usual. He was a bit late so I did not let the kids have their candy canes last night. This morning Jewel, who isn't feeling so great and has to stay home today, woke up, had some breakfast and asked could she have her candy cane. I gave it to her and about 5 minutes later she comes running in and hands it to me and says, "Mama me forgot I no like candy canes." I started laughing so hard and she got mad at me and covered my mouth. I guess the excitement of Santa's candy cane was so much she thought she would actually like it this year. It was pretty funny. I am going to try to do better and blog more often, but I am not making any promises.

The BIG 3-0!!!!

Today my best friend in the whole world, my husband John, turns 30! I am so happy because I can rag on him for being old now like he's been doing to me forever. This is the eighth birthday he is having that we are celebrating together and I feel like the time have literally flown by. We decided not to do anything big for each other for our birthdays and Christmas which all fall within a month of each other so I bought him a few little things from the kids and I.

A remote control center since he can never find the remotes, hopefully they will always find their way back into their new home now. Why do men need like 5 freaking remotes anyway? A new pair of sweats since he prefers them to PJ's. A Buddha statue that is jade in color and he is holding pearls of wisdom above his head. John has wanted a Buddha forever. And....he is so going to kill me for this since he is trying to stay away from "junk".......chocolate covered almonds and cashews.

I was hoping he would be walking in the door any minute from work, yes he worked today, he never takes *his day off. But............he got an emergency service call at 4 o'clock. What in the world???? Why do emergencies always happen when he is suppose to be leaving to come home? And why is he the only electrician in the company (other than the other half of the A Team, Carl) who knows jack shit about electrical work. How did these asshats run a company before he got there, do they even own tools? They don't know how to bid jobs, they don't know how to do calculations and end up redoing half their work because they did it in the wrong size wire or whatever, and :::::drum roll::::::: they don't know how to do actual electrical work. All I can compare it to is me opening a valet service and not having a driver's license or even knowing how to drive a stinking car. Here's your sign!!!

OK this was suppose to be a Happy Birthday blog not a complain about dip shits blog, so I will end it all with an endearing John, my Big Rig, I love you more than fuzzy bunnies and I always will. Happy birthday and many many more to the best husband and father in the whole wide world!!! XOXOXO

Birthday Wrap Up!

How do you make a 13 year old boy happy? Give him a *real cell phone. Carlos has had a cell phone for a few years now, but it was a Migo. A "long range walkie talkie" according to him. Only 5 numbers could be called from it, and no one could call him. All my friends have cell phones. After hearing this for the last 2 years or so we decided this year he would graduate from the walkie talkie to a *real cell phone, and he literally spent all weekend on it. He texted, he took pictures, he texted some more, he played video games on speaker phone with friends in his room. Finally last night I told him turn the ringer down or off because I was ready to toss the thing out the window after a whooping 2 days. In any case his birthday was a hit despite the fact we celebrated it on Saturday instead of Friday because Friday was just too jam packed with things to do. He was woken up Saturday morning to a Happy Birthday ringtone on his new phone. Silly boy thught it was his alarm clock and tried turning it off, I should have had the video ready. Then for lunch his friend, my sister, 2 nieces, and all of us went to Applebee's. So all in all he was very pleased with his big ONE THREE!

FREE Dr. Pepper

Although I hate Dr. Pepper I love me some free. So enjoy.

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE DR PEPPER

1. On the Nov. 23, 2008 release date, go to www.drpepper.com

2. Register your information to receive a coupon for one free 20-oz. Dr Pepper.

3. When your coupon arrives, redeem it wherever Dr Pepper is sold.

4. Drink your Dr Pepper slowly to experience all 23 flavors. Dr's orders.
Coupons will be available for 24 hours, starting at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 23, 2008. Allow 4-6 weeks for coupon to arrive. Coupons will expire on Feb. 28, 2009. Limit one coupon per person. Full terms and conditions available at www.drpepper.com

If you are curious why they are offering free soda it has something to do with Guns R Roses and you can find out all the info here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23830713/

13, what, what?!?!?!

Thirteen years ago today I had my first child. My only son. He has grown to be a good kid. He has his moments, who doesn't, especially a 13 year old boy. He made honor roll this marking period, he ran cross country for the first time this year and did pretty darn good for never having ran before, he has his first wrestling match coming up, he has found a recent passion for reading. My little Manny is a teenager. Wow.

Night in the ER

It takes a lot to get me to a doctor. It takes a whole lot more to get me to a hospital. So you can only imagine what it took to get me to wake up my husband last night after he worked all day, to take me to the emergency room. I woke up about 1am with chest and back pains. At first they were sort of dull and achy I couldn't even really tell what hurt or where. I took Gas X thinking it was gas, I stayed sitting up for a while, nothing helped, it got worse, I even vomited.

Finally after an hour and probably far too much debating I woke John up and he took me to the ER. They triage me and my blood pressure was 165/120. They took me back right away of course, I get all hooked up to oxygen, IV port put in, EKG, heart monitor leads, pulse/ox machine. Uh. I get baby aspirin and nitro. At that point I am really freaking out. Am I having a heart attack? I mean of course that was on my mind, that is why I came in. I get a chest x-rays, Lopressor to bring down my blood pressure because it was just staying way up there, fluids through IV, all kinds of blood tests, one called a D-dimer to check for clots and then the usual ones to check my enzymes.

Thankfully everything was normal, and after 3 hours the pain was gone. They aren't really sure what caused it at all or why my blood pressure was so high. They are thinking my chest wall was spasming for some unexplained reason, real reassuring, and it stressed me causing my blood pressure to rise. The scariest part is all this happened while I was sleeping. So anyway we finally got home like 6am this morning. Of course John heads right to work, poor guy that is exactly why I debated about even going, I knew he would sit there with me and then go to work and work all day. I am so exhausted, but feel a lot better. Now I have to force myself to call my doctor for a follow up. Did I mention I hate doctors?

Birthing

My niece Tiana spent the night a couple weeks ago and the girls love their pretend play. What little girl doesn't? Here is Amber giving birth while Tiana and Jewel are helping her out. What adorable little mama's.

Michael J Fox

I planned on napping this morning until I saw Michael J Fox was going to be on Rachel Ray. I do not ordinarily watch Rachel Ray. I used to. But these days I usually flip on the TV about 11 to catch The View's hot topics because who can turn away from a train wreck and that's about all I watch of daytime TV. I listen to a lot of music these days. Okay so anywho I am straying. Back to MJF. You do not see him too much since he semi-retired in 2000. Honestly before seeing MJF suffer from Parkinson's I never heard of such a young person having the disease. I work with the elderly and it seemed nearly every senior I worked with had it and I never gave it a second thought, ok they shook a bit, it made things a bit difficult. But seeing MJF pout it all in a completely different light.
So on Rachel Ray there were some tears around her kitchen table this morning, the main topic was Team Fox running the NYC marathon raising money for awareness for the disease and what not. There were lots of laughs, MJF is such a funny guy, when RR asked him what his advice on marriage was his answer was this: If a man says something in a forest and his wife doesn't hear him he is still wrong. MJF was one of my first crushes when I was a kid, well besides Bucky Dent. Back To the Future, Teen Wolf, Family Ties. MJF was da bomb! To see him like this is heartbreaking. Yet inspiring. He and his wife have been married a long time and we all know in Hollywood that is next to impossible add to that the fact they have faced things that normal couples have difficulties with. I miss MJF and really wish we would see him more often.

Love/Hate

Things that bother me:

Old people who think they are entitled to things just because they have lived longer than you.
People who hold job positions simply to try to boss other around, despite the fact they cannot.
Idiots who let their kids run the amok.
When people make an unnecessary amount of noise when eating.
Body odor, enough said!
The way our government is run.
How wasteful some people are.

Things that I enjoy:

Watching how carefree most children are.
Reading in total silence and getting absolutely lost in the book.
Spending time with the people I love.
Rummaging through thrift stores and finding total bargains.
Making someone see something a little differently than they did before.
Snuggling up with someone when it is cold outside.
A person helping a stranger because it's the nice thing to do and not because they were asked.
Taking a nap, anytime, anywhere, for any reason.

History's Been Made!

Consider This

From a Larry King blog.Enjoy!Obama '08!!What If... What if Obama had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter? What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee? What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards? What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married? What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard Law School? What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.) What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker? What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter? What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing ....planes? (Zorn Note -- FactCheck. org clarifies
the McCain piloting stories/rumors here and the bottom line is, "McCain did lose two Navy aircraft while piloting them. One crash was found to be be McCain's fault, the other due to an engine failure of undetermined cause. What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem? What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution? You could easily add to this list.If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference. And consider the following: Educational Background:Barack Obama:Columbia University - B.A.Political Science w/ Specialization in Int'l RelationsHarvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude Joseph Biden:University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A.in Political ScienceSyracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)vs. John McCain:United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899 Sarah Palin:Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semesterNorth Idaho College - 2 semesters - general studyUniversity of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism