It's A Memory Thing

Why is it Arion can't seem to understand that Lauren's memory is more screwed up than his was. I got home from work and asked Lauren if she did her home work. Simple question. She said yes, so of course I checked her bag. After going thru BOTH folders I found that once again, she had not done her language arts. You see she now has two (2) folders. I take it out and ask her and of course "I forgot". I have Arion come down to set the table and he sees her working on homework. Then he asked "where did that come from". I informed him it was homework and I thought he was checking this. His comment was that he asked her. Once again I try to explain that he has to check BOTH folders for homework, not just the one and not just ask. I also remind him that her memory is worst than his was at her age. This he doesn't remember. Funny that. And I just was worrying about HER memory problems.

Brandon's IEP

Tomorrow is Brandon's IEP meeting. I got a draft of it on Friday. Pretty impressive. His last one was about 4-6 pages. Well maybe more, but I don't remember the school giving me this kind of info about what he can and can't do. This one is 19 pages. There are 4 pages that are basically the evaluation part. The following 9 pages are his goals for next year. Last years was more like 2 pages of goals. There seems to be much more on non academic stuff. Brandon needs to sit in his chair, facing the table, and focus for 10 minutes. Last year was 7 minutes. Remain on task for 8 minutes, follow non-preferred directions without protest or getting upset. That's a big one. There are several goals that end in Brandon not getting upset. Basically teaching Brandon that he has to do thing that he doesn't want to do. There is also stuff on writing letters and number, reading and math. One thing that reading it has done for me is the thought that any school district we move to will not want to attempt this one and will leave him where he is. At this point, Jim doesn't even want to risk it, but I really want to leave the district for Lauren. I find more and more that the school is not following her IEP other then sending her to another class for language arts.

Justin's Graduation

Yesterday was my nephew Justin's graduation. I really wish I was there. With everything from Jim's sister dieing, his Mom being here and Jim going to Mexico, I figured that going was not in the cards. Now I really wish I had spent the money, drove the 7 hours and everything else be damned. Justin's Mom said everything went well. I will put some pictures up when I get them. Here are some old ones of Justin and Arion and Justin and Brie. I am glad that even though we live far apart that our kids are still close. It means the world to me.

The Start to a Long Week

Yesterday afternoon Jim and his Mom left for Chicago. Jim is supposed to get her home and then meet up with his friend for this long awaited trip to Mexico. He's not due back till the 2nd. Meanwhile, I'm on my own with the kids. I hope his has a good vacation. God knows he needs it after the last couple of months. When he gets back he has to find a new job. He is hoping to find something else in the company, but anything will do at this point. It's just not worth it anymore. For me things are going great at work. I got a new super and number 2 guy and it has made work fun again.

One thing that I noticed the other day that really has me smiling is my last post. Not that Brandon fell, but the fact that he was able to tell me in a way that I understood. If you know Brandon, that was huge. It used to be that I would never figure what he did or what happened. Usually it's like 20 questions with no answers. He really has made great progress. I got his "draft IEP" last night and I have a meeting on Tuesday. I plan to go thru it today and I will let you know.

The Purple Guy Made Me Do It

Last night I was trying to cook dinner and I heard Brandon come in crying. I ran over to see what happened and he was yelling that it was "Dangerous". OK . . . . What was dangerous I asked Brandon. He started to tell me about standing on the seat of his bike, but it was dangerous. RIGHT . . "Why were you standing on your seat" I asked. "The purple guy said to. He does it". Somehow I knew what he was talking about. Scary right. You see he has this toy. Its a guy on a motorcycle that can sit or stand. I then try to explain that he's a toy and Brandon is a REAL boy and REAL boys don't try things that toys try. I think he got it because he kept saying that it was dangerous. YEAH . . . RIGHT. He ended up with only a couple of scraps, nothing broken. I guess a new lesson has been learned. Don't listen to your toys.

Getting Pissed Off

OK, I wasn't going to write about this, but changed my mind. I was reading some blogs today, as usual. I check the ones a read on a regular basis. There is a man that just had his child tested and they noted that he had some "attention issues". Now they weren't testing the child for this but it was noted in the results. I would take this as you need to add this to further testing, but no. What bothers me is the comments people have left. I find it offensive the way they talk about putting a child on meds for ADHD as a terrible thing. I refuse to believe that you are a bad parent if you put your kids on meds. These people don't understand the benefits that these children get from these medications. They all believe that it just makes your child a zombie. OH PLEASE. Give me a break. My boys are both on meds and it helps them both to concentrate and focus. They are not zombies. Their memories are better, they can follow directions, Brandon's speech is better. It's not just to keep them from jumping around. I wish people would take the time to really research what these drugs do and how it really affects the kids. Sorry, but this really burns me up.

Lauren's Swimming Class

Last night Lauren had her swimming class. At the end she stayed again to work with the teacher on jumping in. She needs to get past this to move on to the next phase. She still has major anxiety issues about jumping off the side or off the block. She is now able to jump off the side of the pool without too much trouble, but the block is another story. After jumping in a couple of times the teacher asked her to try the block. He anxiety level went through the roof. She kept going from foot to foot and started to cry. It didn't matter what we said, she was a reck. I even tried to bribe her with a dollar. NO GO. I then suggested that she sit on the block and go from there. I think the problem is the height. That did the trick. We got her to do it twice. Baby steps, just think baby steps. She was funny. The minute she came out of the water the first time, she asked for her dollar. When we were heading for the showers, she asked if I was mad. I told her I was very proud that she was working hard. I told her she would get there and we would keep working at it. With Lauren, its a constant thing. She always need to know that she is loved and is doing good. I just wish it wasn't so hard for her. She wants to do things, but is always worried about doing it wrong.

Mixed Emotions

Sorry I haven't written in a while. We had Jim's Mom stay for a couple of days and things have been crazy. Yesterday was the boys doctor appointments. I also had time to talk to Brandon's teacher. Thus the mixed emotions. She said that she was recommending that Brandon stay with her next year. So I'm feeling many things. Most of them leave me feeling guilty for feeling them. This is how it goes. I sort of expected it. I still feel kind of depressed and sad. I know it is the right thing for him and I would never try to push him when he wasn't ready. Still . . . . the feelings are there. My rational side says things like it will be good for him. It will give him more confidence and gain more skills before moving on. He will probably be more comfortable in the same class with the same teachers. I worried about telling Jim. Some times I'm not sure how he will take things. He sort of surprised me by saying "It worked for Arion". With Arion we just started him late. Thus the reason that he's 19 and just finishing high school. Jim is right of course. Arion did much better having the extra year of maturity. Brandon's teacher did say that he was the youngest in the class. There is also a part of me that is glad. I like this teacher. She seems to understand Brandon and I won't have to worry about him for another year. We also would have had to do this if he hadn't gotten into the new school. He never would have done it in one year in the regular school setting. I mentioned Brandon not moving on to the Neurologist and after he worked with Brandon, he agreed that it was a good idea. Told me not to worry. Of course he then said that he think Brandon will be dyslexic too. THANKS. That helps, right??

10 Years and Counting

Yes, today is Jim and I's Anniversary. 10 Years. Not sure if it feels longer or shorter. Maybe just right. Of course we really have no plans. Tonight is swimming for Brandon and karate for Arion. I then go away with Lauren for an overnight with the girl scouts. I think the plan is to celebrate on Sunday. I thought I would put some pictures up of out wedding. I can't believe how young Arion looks. So Happy Anniversary Jim. I hope the next ten are even better.

Upcoming Appointments Are Not Stressing Me Out

Usually at this time of year I am starting to stress out. Brandon and Arion's Neurology appointment is on the 22nd and Brandon's IEP appointment is on the 29th. I feel pretty good about both. Brandon is doing great this year and I can't wait to see what happens next year. Arion is getting ready for college and we just need to set up how we plan to get him his meds. It's nice for once not to feel like I'm going to war for this IEP. I feel I can trust this school to make the right decisions and set the right goals to help Brandon.

She Keeps Growing and Growing and Growing

OK, this is not funny anymore. Someone make her stop. Lauren is in a growth spurt that really won't stop. She is driving me crazy. I can't keep up. In August we went shopping and I bought her size 8 pants for school. Since then I have bought 8H and then 10. Last month I bought a pair of 12, thinking I was buying big, and they fit (except for the length). This weekend I noticed that all her shorts (even the one's I just bought in March) don't fit. Jim and I took her out to buy some cloths for the summer and I had to get a 14/16. I know she is overweight, not a lot, but some. We have cut back what she eats and how much. Well I try. God knows she eats lots of fruit. The thought that soon I will need to go to the Juniors department for my 7-8 year old is driving me crazy.

House Hunt Begins

Last night we went to look at a house. NOOOO. The house was in a good location and the price was good, but there was just tooooo much work. We would really need to just gut the thing. We started adding up the work it needed and the cost was very high. New kitchen, new baths (all) new floors (most carpet was missing anyway) and patch and new paint. The outside needed lots of work. New siding, cut down trees, yard had crap everywhere, and the back deck slab was cracked. Oh well, the realtor is going to call us with some more listings. We'll see. The plumber is supposed to be here in 2 weeks to put in the tub. Jim is also supposed to be leaving for a vacation with his friend in 2 weeks. Maybe I can get some stuff done while he's gone. We still need some work done to get this house ready for market. I'll let you know.

The Kids View On Last Week

I always find it very interesting to see how Brandon will view the world. To him it really is Brando's World. What I think will bother him doesn't and then something I never expected will pop up. I tried very hard to explain things to him and Lauren all last week. Each night I would describe what they would see. What they needed to do and what they didn't have to do. Still we had issues. This biggest for Brandon was not being on his regular schedule. He kept saying "It's on the calendar!!". He seemed to know he was missing T-ball, swimming and school. At the viewing, I had told them they didn't need to go near the body. I didn't want to freak them out. They both seemed drawn to her. I'm not big on viewings. Don't want one for me. Brandon's big freak out was all the people. Too many that he didn't know. Luckily, they had a room downstairs with games and videos to watch. Not many people went down there and Brandon was able to handle then in the small doses.

At the church we had another adventure I didn't think about. You see we're not Roman Catholic and Jim's family is. In this church the kids couldn't take communion. That upset both. They didn't understand and I forgot to mention it earlier. At the end of the service they started with the incense. Another thing I hadn't mentioned. They just kept swinging that thing and we were in the front row. Lauren looked at me and turned green. Then she whispered that she was going to be sick and we ran for it. Graceful, very graceful. At the grave site we had to keep a hand on Brandon. He kept leaning over to see into the hole. I had visions of him falling in. I was so glad when it was all over.

Time Is NOT My Own

I have been meaning to post and just can't seem to find the time since we got back. Things have been crazy, the house was a mess from Arion and his Dad. Arion's reply was "Huh". Thanks. Then Monday it was Girl Scouts, Tuesday it was swimming and karate, last night was T-Ball. We still need to spend time with Jim's Mom and work on where she will live. We drove by a house last night that is for sale. Big fixer upper, but a really good price. It has it's pros and cons. We need something bigger in case we need extra room. Tonight we have swimming for Brandon and karate again. I need to see the inside of this house. We have T-Ball again on Saturday and Jim's Mom and brother will be coming over. I have no idea what we're doing for Mother's Day. I still need to do all this stuff for college and graduation. I have to get these stupid announcements out. I would drop it but I paid $250.00 for them. We'll see how things go.

Just Catching Up

As you can imagine, it has been a long week. We drove to Chicago in two days, leaving Friday night and driving till 1 in the morning. Then finishing up the drive on Saturday. We got there to lots of cleaning out and fixing of stuff around the house. The funeral took two days. GOD HELP ME. Yes, Roman Catholic (Italian) is not an easy matter like in my family. All went well. I still can't believe how much stuff my sister-in-law had. Just a bit of a shop-o-halic and pack-rat. I'm still trying to cancel all her credit cards. We talked Mom into coming back to Pennsylvania with Jim's brother and us. She's with them now and will be with us at some point. We are trying to convince her that she HAS to move out here. There are many reason for this. The first is that we can't keep running to Chicago. Also there is the money factor. Not sure how much she can afford on her own.

Back here at home, Lauren has mountains of school work to catch up on. Jim is still not himself. Brandon is happy to get back on his routine (more on that later). I feel a real need to clean out my stuff. And Arion just seems grateful to have us all home.