A Long Couple of Days

On Thursday night we received bad news from Jim's family that his sister had pasted away. This caused mass confusion in the household. On Friday both of us went to work and made arrangements to be out of town the following week. On Friday night we packed up and started driving. At about 1:00 am we found and hotel and then started out again the next morning. At present we are preparing for the viewing on Monday and the funeral Tuesday. Today was spent going through the large amount of stuff she had. I never new one woman could have so much stuff in one tiny space. We pack up two car loads for Good Will and an enormous pile for the garbage man. We still have more to go. I hope to get more done on Wednesday and Thursday. I am writing from my Mother-in-law's house and am not sure how much I will be able to write.

Back In The Swing

Last night I realised that I really wasn't thinking when we signed up for T-ball. I should have dropped swimming for awhile or not done the T-ball. Too late. So we had a game at 6:00 pm, which meant I had to have Arion start dinner, and then Lauren and Arion had to be at the YMCA at 7:30 pm. A little crazy to say the least. Lauren and I left the game at 7:00 pm. Thankfully it was almost over anyway. We ran and picked up Arion and headed off for karate and swimming. All three went very well. The game was great. Brandon is so much more into it this year. He really was doing great with going after the ball and throwing it in. Lauren was working with her new swim coach on jumping off the side after class. She still if freaking out about jumping. The coach said she can try to work with her a little because they are the last class. Arion was sweating bullets when he was done. I think he really is focused now that he has signed up for the martial arts club at college. Next week I will have the same craziness with Brandon on Thursday. You see the T-ball games change their night from week to week. Oh Well, the kids will be sleeping great for the next couple of weeks.

Bully Wars Continue

This bully thing has got us all on edge. Saturdays problems just continued to get worse on Sunday. By Sunday I figured out where the kid lived. Not too far away. I had told Jim that I planned on talking to his parents if he kept it up. I then sent Jim to keep an eye on both Lauren and Brandon while I worked on the garden and some other projects. Bad idea. Not only was the kid trying to pick on Lauren but then he started in on Brandon by yelling in his face. Brandon got mad and stood on the corner screaming. Jim lost his cool and went up and grabbed the kid by the back of the neck to talk to him and all hell broke loose. One of the neighbors made it sound like Jim was ringing his neck. Jim came home and told me what he did. Then the boys parents came over and were talking about calling the police. I wanted to call the police about their kid. We tried to talk to them. Jim apologized for grabbing him. They couldn't believe that their child would do anything wrong. I swear that if I heard "boys will be boys" or "kids will be kids" one more time I was going to explode. The mother said her son told her I grabbed his scooter and him yesterday. I told her I never grabbed him, just his scooter and if she knew we were having problems, why didn't she talk to him last night. They finally left and sent their son inside. Not ten minutes later he was back out on his scooter and this time yelling things at me. Lovely child, such an angel. Later I was talking to some of the neighbors and found out that this kid is known for trouble. Two weeks back he and his friends trashed a neighbors spring house by smashing all the windows and doors. NICE. Now I'm afraid of letting either kid outside without someone watching for this kid. GREAT since the weather is now good enough to play outside.

It's Just a Cup of Water

Is it me or are my children trying to drive me crazy. I was sitting on my back porch enjoying a fire in our chiminia when a bird flew over head and pooped right next to me. I asked Lauren to go and get me a cup of water so I could clean it up. OK. I didn't feel this was too taxing, not too hard. So she brings me a paper towel.

Mom: "No Lauren, I asked for a cup of water, not a paper towel. I'm not going to wipe it up, I want to wash it."

Than Lauren brings me a bottle of drinking water.

Mom: "No Lauren, I don't want bottled water. Get me a cup of water from the spickett"

Lauren: "What's a spickett?"

Mom: "The faucet in the kitchen sink, where the water comes out. Get a cup from the cabinet fill it with water and bring it to me."

Lauren: "Do you want ice in your water"

Mom: (laughing hysterically) "No Lauren, I'm not going to drink it, I'm going to wash the bird poop with it."

I don't know if it's just the age for she really is having memory problems.

Bike Riding For Pros

Today was the day. After working all morning I got home to beautiful weather and a child that needed Mommy time. I had decided a while ago that this was the year Lauren had to give up the training wheel. Why not start today? So out we went. I got the wrench and the air pump for the tires. We went out on the road, and to my surprise, she had it in a few minutes. She just has a little problem getting started but after that she does great. She fell only a couple of times and really didn't get hurt so I am calling it a great day. Of course now Brandon wants to dump his training wheels. OK, one at a time please. Mommy only has so much sanity.

I did end up re-earning my name of "Neighborhood Bi*ch Mom". There were three boys out playing with their scooters. I spoke to them in the beginning. They are all several years older and bigger then Lauren. I told them it was her first day and they needed to give her room and leave her alone. I knew the one boy pretty well and he was being good. At one point Lauren wasn't in my view and as I rounded the corner I saw the one standing with Lauren and it didn't look good. I asked Lauren what he was saying. She told me that they were saying they were going to arrest her and some other weird stuff. She then told me they had bullied her and a friend earlier in the week. OK. So I yell to the boy to leave her alone. Not 5 minutes later she's riding at the end of the block and he started circling and taunting her. Oh no you didn't just ignore me. So I start to walk over to him. He was trying to play that he couldn't hear me because of some earphone. Well he heard me when I grabbed his scooter. I then informed him that if he messed with her one more time I would be taking him home to his Mom and we would have a little talk about his manners. I then sent him on his way. I then heard one of the other boys telling him to leave Lauren alone because I wasn't kidding. That's Me. "Bi*ch Mom".

The Pros and Cons of Signing

As some of you know, I taught Brandon some sign. It all started when he was in early intervention and they taught him his colors. He took to it right away. I thought it would be great for him since signing is visual and what he has trouble with is verbal. I ask the school would they be teaching him more and they said NO. What. Why would you even start if your not going to follow thru. So I took it on myself. Of course Jim was not for it. To this day he has no clue what we are saying. Yeah, denial is just a river that RUNS THRU MY HOUSE. OK. I started with books. Then I found a set of DVDs called "Signing Time". Very cool and highly recommended. It's set to music and is for young children or children with issues. Between the two (DVD and books) we have a small vocabulary. I really feel they should use it more at school, but I'm OK with it just at home. I tend to use it more than he does. I guess that would be my first con. He does use it when he thinks I'm not paying attention or if he really wants to get his point across. Like tonight, he was signing over and over that he was full. I, on the other side was signing "more". That could be a "pro". It does give him another avanue to commicate. You can also have arguments without anyone knowing what you are saying. This is very helpful in church. Another con would be that even books that are supposed to be using the same American Sign Language don't always agree on what sign is what. Another problem is that Brandon has figured out that if he closes his eyes, he won't see what I sign. I do, in the end recommend it to any family having communication issues. I find that when explaining something to Brandon, specially when he has done something wrong, he understand much more when I sign and say, then when I only say it.

What God Gave Me

Sometimes I think that I have been given a lot that helps me through my life. Sometimes I think we get things that may not seem good, but end out helping us out in the long run. I have come to appreciate these things and look at the hard things as something that I will learn from or will be able to make use of later in life. Here are some examples.

I was given two great friends as a teenager that I have continued to pull strength from even today. Both friends now have children with problems like me and now-a-days we discuss what we have to do to keep them on track.

I was given Shannon (one of these friends) so I would better understand ADHD. She is and so growing up together made some of it "normal".

Shannon also taught me tolerance for people with MR/autistic issues in her work with adults with disabilities.

I was given my own disabilities so I would be a better advocate for my kids. I fight harder so they won't get screwed like me.

I was given Arion as a warm up for Brandon. In learning how to work the school system with Arion I am better prepared to anticipate what the school might try to pull. Lately this has really helped with Lauren.

I was given a very supportive family. My siblings and I are always there for each other. We have become very close. After Mom died, I think we all decided that she would have wanted us to take care of each other.

I feel very blessed for all these things.

Not Too Bad After All

Yesterday turned out pretty good. Arion's father called early and said that he could take Arion to his karate test. That was a big help. In the end Arion did pass the test and got his yellow belt. That just left me with the T-ball game and picking up the dog. We tried to go to the opening day ceremony, but we couldn't find the team. Turned out they were gathering on another field away from all the other teams. After 45 minutes of looking, we left because we were getting cold and cranky. Later we went back for the game. Both kids did great. Brandon did much better than I expected. I hadn't given him his meds, but he was still paying attention and fielded about 5 balls. They put him as pitcher (you just stand there, there's no pitching) and the balls seemed to be going straight for him. Even one other mother who remembered him from last year commented on how good he was doing. At the end we did have a problem. I saw him come off the field with the other kids and then he just stood there. His eyes were shut tight, teeth clenched, body tense, tears flowing and him growling. I tried to figure out what was wrong and I'm still not sure. He really wouldn't tell me. At one point he tried but it came out as an garbled yell. At that point he was DONE. The coach tried to get him to finish with saying good game to the other team and a cheer, but it wasn't happening. The coach was worried he had done something. I tried to explain, but how do you explain that sometimes he just melts down. In the end I think it was because the team playing after us was his old team from last year. He saw their uniforms and it set him off. He had wanted to be on that team again. Hopefully he will get used to the new team.

My Beautiful Baby

On Thursday, Lauren brought home her Spring portraits. I think this is her best picture yet. She had just gotten her hair cut and I curled it in the morning. Isn't she cute?

Last Leg of This Weeks Rat Race

Sorry I haven't written. With Jim out of town, things have been more than crazy. Monday was Girl Scout, which Brandon had to go to; Tuesday was Karate for Arion. We all took him then me and the kids tried to get the oil changed in the car, but it was closed. We ended up show in the pet store for odds and ends. Then Wednesday, I had to pack for me and the kids. Thursday, I left work early, packed up the car and took off as soon as everyone got home. After dropping the little ones at my sisters, Arion started the long ride to see the college. The drive turned out to be a nightmare. You see, I have never driven for over 2-3 hours without a break. This was 6 hours in the rain, sleet, and snow. We stopped halfway to take a quick break to eat and then were back on the road. We finally got there at 11:30 pm. At the hotel I had problems sleeping because of all the caffeine I had drank. On the good side, Arion loved the school. It is very small. The town is very small. I think we described it as "the middle of bum F**king nowhere". Arion described it was looking like were Uncle Mike lives. I thought it made where Mike lives look like a thriving metropolis. Anyway, the "food was good and the chicks were hot" so he is happy to plan on going. They also had a martial arts club that he signed up for. At about 1:30 pm we left to start the long ride home. Today, I have to drive Arion to his karate test early and come back for the kids first T-ball game and then back to pick up Arion. A little crazy I know. Jim has pushed back his return till Sunday. His sister is not doing well, and he just couldn't leave yet. If I can make it today, next week should get better, I hope.

A Crazy Day

Things have gone into utter ciaos mode here. On Thursday night we heard that Jim's sister had been moved to a different hospital and that they were going to do emergency surgery soon. Later, about 11:00 pm they called to say that surgery was set for 7:30 am. NOT GOOD. You see, Jim and Mike (his brother) always try to be there for the surgeries. Chicago is a good 12-14 hour drive. They were up on the phone and computer making reservations. They managed to get the 6:00 am flight. He stayed up late and packed. The alarm went off around 3:30 am and he was out of the house by 4:00 am. Not much sleep for either of us. It was a race, but they got there just before she went in and got to see her for about 10 minutes. Big Thanks to the nurses for the assist in giving them time. We are all very scared for her. This was her 4th heart surgery. Later in the day, around dinner time, Jim called to say she made it though. They replace the one valve and tried to repair the other. They did some work on the rest. They had to leave her open. They plan to check and see how things are, and on Sunday they will either go back in for more repair work or close her up. It will be touch and go till then. This week will be a little rough for us here. I will be on my own with the kids. I still need to take Arion to visit college on Thursday night and Friday. My sister says she can take Lauren and Brandon so we can still go (thanks Mary). It will mean they miss school on Friday, but it is really important for Arion. I'll let you know how it goes.

T-Ball At Brandon's Pace

This weekend we started T-Ball with the two young ones. Both were upset that the team would be different. They thought they would just go back to the same team with the same teammates. When we got there things got a little dicey. Lauren was worried about being the only girl. Brandon was just being Brandon. We had them tossing the ball to one another and it was going OK till Brandon decided that he wanted to bat. This started one of Brandon's fits. Total shut down of all speech ensued. Lauren was fine as soon as another girl showed up and it was someone from last years team. The coach called them all to come in to talk and then break into groups. Brandon wanted no parts of it. Brandon and I had a long talk (OK I talked & signed, Brandon huffed, grunted and made faces). I think it had more to do with all the new people. Finally I walked him over to where the coach had some kids in a line and stood there till he did his first throw. The coach was great. We had informed the coach prior to the practice about the problems he might have. Jim just kept humming the Elmo's World theme to remind me that it was Brando's World and he had to do it at his pace. In five minutes he was loving life and had a big smile on his face. Hopefully the season will go good.

Brandon As A Speech Teacher

I think we have discovered that this bird it a much better thing for Brandon then we first thought. Brandon has decided teach the bird to talk. Of course this means that Brandon has to talk to the bird. He has started telling the bird what the names of everything. All around the dining room, anything on the table, different items from around the house. It has been really cool. It is also teaching him patience. We have started training the bird to sit on our finger. To do this you have to take your time and be calm. The bird needs to take a second to get used to his hand first and then he has to move slowly over without scaring the bird. He and Lauren have both gotten Superman to sit on their fingers.

Loving Words

Yesterday Lauren was sitting with me on the couch. We love our time to cuddle even though she is really getting big. As we watched a movie on TV, an add came on for Sudden Change Under Eye. You know, that stuff for bags and wrinkles under your eyes. Lauren looked at me and said "Mommy, you should get that for your eyes." Great. Now I really feel old.