Van Halen. David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen. Roth's solo career. Eddie marries Valerie. Sammy Leaves Van Halen. Gary Sharone joins Van Halen. Eddie in Rehab. Eddie outta rehab. Eddie divorces Valerie. David comes back to Van Halen to record. Van Halen decides to go on tour. Eddie back in rehab, sans teeth. David refuses to go to Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Sammy and Michael show up to collect and sing Sammy songs.
Blame everything on Global Warming.
Medical assistance. We have to reapply every two years for the boys. They have a diagnosis of autism (which is considered a permanent disability) and our regular insurance will not pay for most things considered developmental delay. Medical Assistance, which they are entitled to, wants you to reapply, you know, in case they are cured. They want all of our financial info even though we do not qualify based on finances. They send us paper work on the eleventh that is due on the fourteenth. 'Cause I can just drop the OTHER THREE PACKETS of paperwork that are due that same day and run to the mailbox and priority mail it whenever I want.
Year-round school schedules. Two week breaks. Only 180 days for these kids?
School District. They pay for private therapy for some people. They provide Extended School Year for some children, based on academics. Bug Boy will NEVER qualify based on academics but does on social skills. They do not provide anything for social skills and emotional support over the summer, they consider that the domain of wraparound. Wraparound only provides behavioral support. I can send him to the special camp for Autism but he is so high functioning that last year we decided he did not belong there. So I want to send him to a regular camp, out of pocket. But they will not provide behavioral support if he goes there. So he has to go alone. With no help. By himself. I hope he is ready. If not, I will take good data and shove it at the school district in time for next year's decision.
20 degrees. 50 degrees. 73 degrees! 64 degrees. Oh well, 50 degrees. Sigh. 37 degrees.
Bug Boy. All week he has been sneaking around, out of his room, staying up late. Last night we went to bed at eleven and found him in our bed watching television. He is SURPRISED when we tell him he cannot do that. He looks at us like we are talking crazy talk. He is STUNNED that he is supposed to stay in bed at eight. Then he is SHOCKED when we wake him and tell him he cannot stay home and let him play video games all day just because he is too tired .
The previous owners. No Norm Abrams there. Nope. No skills WHATSOEVER. More Bob Vila.
Potty training. He will sit for hours. Then he takes off his clothes and pees on the floor. He knows what he is doing. I have two potty seats, I am going to get two more today. My sister had a good idea. One in the living room, one in his bedroom, maybe one in the basement. Everything I read said that you have to get him going on the toilet right away and not fool with the potty seats, since he has issues generalizing. I don't know, my rug may thank me for it. So will my couch.
Tea Bags wrapped in little individual plastic bags. Talk about a waste of packaging.
Bugaboo signs and talks all day. Two weeks go by with NOTHING. Then he uses he PECS, smiles, hugs and plays for two days. Then he does NOTHING of the sort for a few more weeks. Whenever he has off from school he has trouble falling asleep that night and wakes in the middle of the night for hours. We have slept on the recliner all week from 2:30 until 6:30. Every night. At the same exact time.
Juicy Juice boxes used to have twelve in a pack. They now come eight to a pack. Unit price is actually higher now.
I moved eighteen months ago. I used to donate regularly to certain charities that would come to pick up from my house. They frequently came to my neighborhood and still call to tell me they are going to be on my old street. They WILL NOT pick up at my old house.
Bugaboo just came downstairs from his room, without a diaper, with poop all over him.
Showing posts with label Friday wrapup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday wrapup. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2007
Friday, March 09, 2007
Friday Wrap-up
Soccer practice (today) and the first game of the spring season (tomorrow) are cancelled due to it BEING TOO FRICKIN COLD AND SNOW IS ON THE GROUND!!! It is supposed to warm up but the fields would be an awful mess.
Today is our appointment with the developmental pediatrician. I am looking forward to discussing the boys' progress and what we still need to work on.
Funerals suck. 'Nuff said.
I hate getting my hair wet and today I just don't want to even dry it.
I finally made an eye appointment for this coming Monday. I lost my glasses three weeks ago and I am finally going to get them replaced. I cannot see what I am typing and it is frustrating me because I make mistakes and have to sit about two feet away for the screen to be clear (farsighted) and then the screen is teeny and I have to squint. Don't even get me started on attempting to read MUSIC right now. Dots and lines run together faster than words.
My house is a balmy 64 right now. Darling refuses to raise the heat any higher due to our recent $385 utility bill (electric and heat) and refuses to believe that the spike was due to him working at home so much (plugging in his computer), the space heaters being on constantly (plugged in and electric) and the fact that he leaves the dang lights on all the time.
I went to sign up for the Y again (I forgot to renew it) which is crucial for my sanity. I waited why they tried to fix a computer glitch and then decided to go back another time, since they couldn't process my membership. I hope to do it today.
My dishes are clean and my laundry is caught up. I just need to put away the four loads (soon the be five) on my bedroom floor. I am sick of picking through baskets to find socks and underwear. The boys have wet themselves enough times this week to make me crazy.
I slept two nights in a row. I do not know what I am going to do with myself. Wanna know why? Because Bugaboo took naps two days in a row and I woke him up after 45 mins or so. He fell back to sleep easily because he was still tired (at 10). We may be going back to naps because he is just too tired to fall asleep (see the irony in that?) at night. Here's the crazy thing: When he doesn't sleep much (the past few weeks it has been 6 hours a night) he has better eye contact, better concentration, better behavior, less Doctor Destructo impersonations, more affect, more affection, better eating habits and more laughing and smiling. I do not get it. The extreme (and I mean, EXTREME) hyperactivity that this child suffers from really seems to impede him. And yes, I mean suffer from. You can see in his little eyes that he WANTS to stop running around and he CANNOT. He is so tired of running back and forth and jumping up and down and he becomes frustrated but he CANNOT stop moving. Not. For. A. Second. It is so sad to watch, I want him to be able to sit and play! And when he has less sleep he plays and plays. The past two mornings I have sent Bug Boy up to wake him in the morning(Bugaboo would sleep all morning, but I cannot allow it since his bus comes forty-five minutes after he wakes up!) and I went up to find them cuddled under Bugaboo's comforter, heads together, playing with a Thomas Laptop. Too cute. I nearly cried.
Last night Darling was working on the couch with his laptop and Bugaboo saw him and the attack began (Bugaboo is a computer-a-holic). He couldn't stop touching Darling's computer. He tried and tried to keep his own little fingers away so Darling gave up and put on a computer game to play for Bugaboo. Darling said, "Bugaboo! Do you want your own computer? Mommy and Daddy should get you a computer." Bugaboo jumped up and ran off. We did not realize what he was doing until he came down from his room a few minutes later and had his little kiddie Thomas the Tank Engine "laptop" and crawled back up next to Darling, pulled the blanket back on himself and happily pushed his OWN buttons and pretend mouse. It was so cute!!! They sat there and worked together for an hour. And Bugaboo did not try to touch Darling's computer ONCE. He did not move. For an hour. Did I mention that he sat still? For an hour?
My mother is on a crusade to send my nephew to a Catholic School. His parents (my very poor sister and her husband, the archaeologists) are dead against it. My sisters and I feel like it is a huge mistake (remember, this is the child who has autism, his parents admit it, and they don't want to take him to the doc because they don't have money for it and think he'll grow out of it). He needs to go to a public school to receive services, and our only hope for him is that the Kindergarten screening will send up huge flags. HUGE BIG RED ONES. Otherwise, he will be labeled as a behavior problem and he isn't! He is a sweet, happy, lovable and intelligent little boy who just needs to have the right learning environment. A Catholic school would crush him. Believe me, I am pro-parochial for the right child. Bug Boy may have done well there, but he would not have received services there. The nephew would be viewed as an undisciplined brat (because my mother is convinced that discipline is all he needs). My sister may have different parenting skills but she LIVES for her kids and is very creative and eccentric and artistic and wonderful. She may not discipline with a rod, but her kids are taught right from wrong. He just is not getting it because there is a communication problem.
I am hungry. I haven't eaten yet. I am stopping my rambling to get food. Have a nice day.
Today is our appointment with the developmental pediatrician. I am looking forward to discussing the boys' progress and what we still need to work on.
Funerals suck. 'Nuff said.
I hate getting my hair wet and today I just don't want to even dry it.
I finally made an eye appointment for this coming Monday. I lost my glasses three weeks ago and I am finally going to get them replaced. I cannot see what I am typing and it is frustrating me because I make mistakes and have to sit about two feet away for the screen to be clear (farsighted) and then the screen is teeny and I have to squint. Don't even get me started on attempting to read MUSIC right now. Dots and lines run together faster than words.
My house is a balmy 64 right now. Darling refuses to raise the heat any higher due to our recent $385 utility bill (electric and heat) and refuses to believe that the spike was due to him working at home so much (plugging in his computer), the space heaters being on constantly (plugged in and electric) and the fact that he leaves the dang lights on all the time.
I went to sign up for the Y again (I forgot to renew it) which is crucial for my sanity. I waited why they tried to fix a computer glitch and then decided to go back another time, since they couldn't process my membership. I hope to do it today.
My dishes are clean and my laundry is caught up. I just need to put away the four loads (soon the be five) on my bedroom floor. I am sick of picking through baskets to find socks and underwear. The boys have wet themselves enough times this week to make me crazy.
I slept two nights in a row. I do not know what I am going to do with myself. Wanna know why? Because Bugaboo took naps two days in a row and I woke him up after 45 mins or so. He fell back to sleep easily because he was still tired (at 10). We may be going back to naps because he is just too tired to fall asleep (see the irony in that?) at night. Here's the crazy thing: When he doesn't sleep much (the past few weeks it has been 6 hours a night) he has better eye contact, better concentration, better behavior, less Doctor Destructo impersonations, more affect, more affection, better eating habits and more laughing and smiling. I do not get it. The extreme (and I mean, EXTREME) hyperactivity that this child suffers from really seems to impede him. And yes, I mean suffer from. You can see in his little eyes that he WANTS to stop running around and he CANNOT. He is so tired of running back and forth and jumping up and down and he becomes frustrated but he CANNOT stop moving. Not. For. A. Second. It is so sad to watch, I want him to be able to sit and play! And when he has less sleep he plays and plays. The past two mornings I have sent Bug Boy up to wake him in the morning(Bugaboo would sleep all morning, but I cannot allow it since his bus comes forty-five minutes after he wakes up!) and I went up to find them cuddled under Bugaboo's comforter, heads together, playing with a Thomas Laptop. Too cute. I nearly cried.
Last night Darling was working on the couch with his laptop and Bugaboo saw him and the attack began (Bugaboo is a computer-a-holic). He couldn't stop touching Darling's computer. He tried and tried to keep his own little fingers away so Darling gave up and put on a computer game to play for Bugaboo. Darling said, "Bugaboo! Do you want your own computer? Mommy and Daddy should get you a computer." Bugaboo jumped up and ran off. We did not realize what he was doing until he came down from his room a few minutes later and had his little kiddie Thomas the Tank Engine "laptop" and crawled back up next to Darling, pulled the blanket back on himself and happily pushed his OWN buttons and pretend mouse. It was so cute!!! They sat there and worked together for an hour. And Bugaboo did not try to touch Darling's computer ONCE. He did not move. For an hour. Did I mention that he sat still? For an hour?
My mother is on a crusade to send my nephew to a Catholic School. His parents (my very poor sister and her husband, the archaeologists) are dead against it. My sisters and I feel like it is a huge mistake (remember, this is the child who has autism, his parents admit it, and they don't want to take him to the doc because they don't have money for it and think he'll grow out of it). He needs to go to a public school to receive services, and our only hope for him is that the Kindergarten screening will send up huge flags. HUGE BIG RED ONES. Otherwise, he will be labeled as a behavior problem and he isn't! He is a sweet, happy, lovable and intelligent little boy who just needs to have the right learning environment. A Catholic school would crush him. Believe me, I am pro-parochial for the right child. Bug Boy may have done well there, but he would not have received services there. The nephew would be viewed as an undisciplined brat (because my mother is convinced that discipline is all he needs). My sister may have different parenting skills but she LIVES for her kids and is very creative and eccentric and artistic and wonderful. She may not discipline with a rod, but her kids are taught right from wrong. He just is not getting it because there is a communication problem.
I am hungry. I haven't eaten yet. I am stopping my rambling to get food. Have a nice day.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Friday Wrapup
This will be a busy weekend. Polite boy is sleeping over tonight and Darling's sister is going to drive up from NJ and we are watching her son Saturday evening while they go to a fortieth birthday party. I like busy weekends because it is better for Bugaboo. He cannot stand the types of days where we are housebound and there isn't much to do. His little body just cannot take it.
Bug Boy is thrilled Polite Boy is sleeping over. They are buddies. Polite Boy is a great influence on him and is a great role model. When Bug Boy and Polite Boy are together, Bug Boy really works hard to hold it together and act like a "typical" child. He is doing so well at school! His teacher even told me that he is a good role model for other children, he follows the rules (imagine that, a child with ASD that sticks to the routine and rules!) to the letter and helps other children when he is finished his work (which is almost always, since he is reading two grade levels above the other kids in his class). He loves to be a leader (read: control freak). He wants so badly for the other kids to like him, sometimes he tries a little too hard. You know what? He has come such a long way the past few months. He now gets invited to ALL of the parties and has had many playdates. A huge difference from last year where kids played with him once and never called again!
Speaking of Bug Boy, soccer starts next week. All game are 9 or 10 am. WOOHOO!!! Saturday mornings, so that is awesome. And, he knows three kids on his team that go to school, one of which is in his Sunday School class. We switched soccer clubs for him this year. The one we used to belong to was right down the street but in the next town and with kids in our old school district. We liked the coach (he was amazing with Bug Boy and the kids) and the kids were all kids he went to preschool with. This year we decided he needed to start making friends with the kids from school so we put him on a team in our new school district. He is very excited and so are we! The only problem is that they do not have a special soccer program, so Bugaboo will still play with the old club, who takes kids from any town anyway.
Darling is home today. He isn't working from home, he actually took a DAY OFF!!!! So, he is currently doing taxes and at some point we are going out to lunch, while Bugaboo has therapy this afternoon. On Fridays Bugaboo has a half day and attends a therapeutic playgroup in the afternoons. We may discontinue it soon because I am considering private speech and OT on Friday afternoons, as well as a trip to the Chiropractor.
Speaking of Bugaboo, he is feeling MUCH better. A few days of motrin and he is back to the happy, smiling awesome kid that we know and love. He was in so much pain and was miserable the past two weeks. He woke up this morning and smiled the second he saw me. I love that! I love starting my day that way! He wakes up, smiles at me and then reaches his arms out to hug me and holds so tightly. There is no greater feeling to me...hugging my family is pure joy.
I've said it once and I will say it again: I have a great life. Things do get difficult and I always get the comments (how do you do it? I don't know how you do it!) but I wouldn't have it any other way. I would LOVE for Bugaboo to learn to communicate. I would LOVE for Bug Boy to have less anxiety about every little detail. But they are doing well and are happy and our family is happy. We really have more than we need and are very blessed. No matter how little sleep I get I realize that it is only temporary (although it is still difficult to remember that at 2am!).
Have a great weekend. I may or may not check in, depending on the schedule of events. In the meantime, here is your moment of zen. Look closely:
Bug Boy is thrilled Polite Boy is sleeping over. They are buddies. Polite Boy is a great influence on him and is a great role model. When Bug Boy and Polite Boy are together, Bug Boy really works hard to hold it together and act like a "typical" child. He is doing so well at school! His teacher even told me that he is a good role model for other children, he follows the rules (imagine that, a child with ASD that sticks to the routine and rules!) to the letter and helps other children when he is finished his work (which is almost always, since he is reading two grade levels above the other kids in his class). He loves to be a leader (read: control freak). He wants so badly for the other kids to like him, sometimes he tries a little too hard. You know what? He has come such a long way the past few months. He now gets invited to ALL of the parties and has had many playdates. A huge difference from last year where kids played with him once and never called again!
Speaking of Bug Boy, soccer starts next week. All game are 9 or 10 am. WOOHOO!!! Saturday mornings, so that is awesome. And, he knows three kids on his team that go to school, one of which is in his Sunday School class. We switched soccer clubs for him this year. The one we used to belong to was right down the street but in the next town and with kids in our old school district. We liked the coach (he was amazing with Bug Boy and the kids) and the kids were all kids he went to preschool with. This year we decided he needed to start making friends with the kids from school so we put him on a team in our new school district. He is very excited and so are we! The only problem is that they do not have a special soccer program, so Bugaboo will still play with the old club, who takes kids from any town anyway.
Darling is home today. He isn't working from home, he actually took a DAY OFF!!!! So, he is currently doing taxes and at some point we are going out to lunch, while Bugaboo has therapy this afternoon. On Fridays Bugaboo has a half day and attends a therapeutic playgroup in the afternoons. We may discontinue it soon because I am considering private speech and OT on Friday afternoons, as well as a trip to the Chiropractor.
Speaking of Bugaboo, he is feeling MUCH better. A few days of motrin and he is back to the happy, smiling awesome kid that we know and love. He was in so much pain and was miserable the past two weeks. He woke up this morning and smiled the second he saw me. I love that! I love starting my day that way! He wakes up, smiles at me and then reaches his arms out to hug me and holds so tightly. There is no greater feeling to me...hugging my family is pure joy.
I've said it once and I will say it again: I have a great life. Things do get difficult and I always get the comments (how do you do it? I don't know how you do it!) but I wouldn't have it any other way. I would LOVE for Bugaboo to learn to communicate. I would LOVE for Bug Boy to have less anxiety about every little detail. But they are doing well and are happy and our family is happy. We really have more than we need and are very blessed. No matter how little sleep I get I realize that it is only temporary (although it is still difficult to remember that at 2am!).
Have a great weekend. I may or may not check in, depending on the schedule of events. In the meantime, here is your moment of zen. Look closely:
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday Wrap-Up
My first task of the day was to get outside in the blustery wind and clean up the doggy treasures before more meltage occurred and made it a poop-swamp. Digging and scrapping doggy-doo out of little half-frozen, melted and refrozen puddles is always a fun game. I literally had a whole Tarzhay bag full of dog stuff (and snow). Don't try this at home, kids...
Bugaboo is still asleep, as of seven-thirty. Either he stayed up too late (75% likely) is sick (20% likely) or actually needs more sleep (5% likely). I am not a gambler and I do not care why he is still in bed, just that I may actually finish a hot cup of tea sans nuking this morning...
Bug Boy was awake before I was and is happily chowing down on Honey Nut O's and a banana. He is being amazingly compliant this morning, a huge change from the past few weeks (since the Groundhog's Day Fiasco of 2007). I think part of it has to do with the fact that since he woke up early he was able to say goodbye to Daddy. Daddy has been working twelve-hour days lately and barely sees the boys, except for weekends. I like sleeping in on Saturdays...
Speaking of Darling, yesterday he had his yearly review (for 2006) and received his raise and promotion, as promised. He also received a sizable bonus, enough to literally buy the car he wants, cash (there is a 2006 leftover that is a bit cheaper). That is after taxes. I, of course, reminded him that if he wanted to go out and spend that kind of money all in one day, I could think of three therapies we could plunk down money for TODAY and about five things that need to be done to the house in the next three months (roof, a few windows, siding, ripping down the unsafe deck and regrading underneath to prevent seepage in our basement). For some odd reason the conversation ended there. I cannot figure out why...
The good news is that Darling is being serious about staying on antidepressants. He finally agreed that it wasn't just work stressing him out (he was blaming it on work) but that he has major depressive episodes and probably has a chemical imbalance. He has been so much more interactive with us and happier all around. He even comments on how much better he is able to handle the little things that used to set him off. Do not think he doesn't get angry, he still does. It is just that he does not completely lose it when he drops a contact or spills a drink. And when I had to be out three nights in a row this week (parent meeting, choir practice, tutoring) he did not turn into a zombie and get snitty when I came home. The house was picked up and the kids were in bed, a major feat. Now if only I could get him to pack lunches...
Speaking of being out of the house, I am looking forward to breakfast/coffee with the girls tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is our coffeefest for the flygirls. We have a new favorite spot, thanks to Trace. I plan on getting there early to get the good table, since there is a whole gaggle of us...
Speaking of early, the kids next door are coming over in five minutes and I am putting them on their buses. Their parents have a home-based business and work some crazy hours, the dad was working until MIDNIGHT setting up servers for a client. They have to work all weekend (and I mean, all day Saturday and Sunday) so Polite Boy may stay here all weekend and keep Bug Boy busy. The girls will go to their Nana's. I have had them every morning and afternoon this week, and they stayed for dinner last night. I have also had Bugaboo's little school friend here all week from eight until three-thirty (he also has PDD). Needless to say, I need Calgon in the worst way. I also need to shave, desperately. Not that you needed to know that...
Speaking of hair removal, I need a haircut! I also over-plucked the eyebrows before Christmas and the woman at the salon begged me to let them grow in for six weeks or more, she swares (swears, even) that it is the only way to fix them. Letting them grow in has shown me why I pluck them in the first place. I tell people I am going for the Brooke Shields look, but deep down I cringe when I see my almost-unibrow. Since Darling has one, too, both kids inherited it as well. Lucky...
My day is starting, kids are arriving. Have a great day/weekend/Chinese New Year/first week of Lent, y'all.
Bugaboo is still asleep, as of seven-thirty. Either he stayed up too late (75% likely) is sick (20% likely) or actually needs more sleep (5% likely). I am not a gambler and I do not care why he is still in bed, just that I may actually finish a hot cup of tea sans nuking this morning...
Bug Boy was awake before I was and is happily chowing down on Honey Nut O's and a banana. He is being amazingly compliant this morning, a huge change from the past few weeks (since the Groundhog's Day Fiasco of 2007). I think part of it has to do with the fact that since he woke up early he was able to say goodbye to Daddy. Daddy has been working twelve-hour days lately and barely sees the boys, except for weekends. I like sleeping in on Saturdays...
Speaking of Darling, yesterday he had his yearly review (for 2006) and received his raise and promotion, as promised. He also received a sizable bonus, enough to literally buy the car he wants, cash (there is a 2006 leftover that is a bit cheaper). That is after taxes. I, of course, reminded him that if he wanted to go out and spend that kind of money all in one day, I could think of three therapies we could plunk down money for TODAY and about five things that need to be done to the house in the next three months (roof, a few windows, siding, ripping down the unsafe deck and regrading underneath to prevent seepage in our basement). For some odd reason the conversation ended there. I cannot figure out why...
The good news is that Darling is being serious about staying on antidepressants. He finally agreed that it wasn't just work stressing him out (he was blaming it on work) but that he has major depressive episodes and probably has a chemical imbalance. He has been so much more interactive with us and happier all around. He even comments on how much better he is able to handle the little things that used to set him off. Do not think he doesn't get angry, he still does. It is just that he does not completely lose it when he drops a contact or spills a drink. And when I had to be out three nights in a row this week (parent meeting, choir practice, tutoring) he did not turn into a zombie and get snitty when I came home. The house was picked up and the kids were in bed, a major feat. Now if only I could get him to pack lunches...
Speaking of being out of the house, I am looking forward to breakfast/coffee with the girls tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is our coffeefest for the flygirls. We have a new favorite spot, thanks to Trace. I plan on getting there early to get the good table, since there is a whole gaggle of us...
Speaking of early, the kids next door are coming over in five minutes and I am putting them on their buses. Their parents have a home-based business and work some crazy hours, the dad was working until MIDNIGHT setting up servers for a client. They have to work all weekend (and I mean, all day Saturday and Sunday) so Polite Boy may stay here all weekend and keep Bug Boy busy. The girls will go to their Nana's. I have had them every morning and afternoon this week, and they stayed for dinner last night. I have also had Bugaboo's little school friend here all week from eight until three-thirty (he also has PDD). Needless to say, I need Calgon in the worst way. I also need to shave, desperately. Not that you needed to know that...
Speaking of hair removal, I need a haircut! I also over-plucked the eyebrows before Christmas and the woman at the salon begged me to let them grow in for six weeks or more, she swares (swears, even) that it is the only way to fix them. Letting them grow in has shown me why I pluck them in the first place. I tell people I am going for the Brooke Shields look, but deep down I cringe when I see my almost-unibrow. Since Darling has one, too, both kids inherited it as well. Lucky...
My day is starting, kids are arriving. Have a great day/weekend/Chinese New Year/first week of Lent, y'all.
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