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Sunday, July 31, 2005
The Return of the Queen
We have returned from vacation. It was very nice to be away but as always nice to be home. I have lots to tell you about the trip, but I have 488 emails to weed through and then other things to do around the house....so bear with me and I will post soon!!!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tommorrow, Tommorrow....
I Love you tomorrow!!!!! We are leaving for Disney in the morning so no more posts here until we return next week!!!
Yesterday I thought it may not happen. This has been a hell of a week....Papa Bear working nonstop which has finally stopped as of last night, phone line problems and Sprint thinking I am nuts, Lil Michaelangelo and Bam-Bam fighting constantly lately, etc.... and then it was topped off yesterday when I was out with all three kids and a dead cell phone and the minivan started acting crazy jumping when I tried to accelerate. I have had enough older cars before to know a transmission problem when I feel one so I had to call a tow truck to bring it to Aamco. I am still waiting this morning for their call and diagnosis and more important - price. So I didn't know how on earth I was getting our family to Disney. Adam's car is out of the question because the kids won't fit in there with their car seats and now I am faced with the added expense of renting a car on top of fixing my car and vacation money. Then a knight in shining armor appeared and offered to Papa Bear the use of the company account to both rent the car at a discount and pay for it for all the extra work he has done lately....so we took them up on the offer and will be picked up by Enterprise later this afternoon. One thing down, now we just wait for Aamco to call with the $$$ figure and we can figure out if we can go to Disney on a budget or without worry.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Tuesday....3 days and we leave!
Friday can't come fast enough!!! Almost done with the laundry and then I can start packing. Already started piling up stuff but I can really get things packed tonight. Need to go shopping so bad as we are actually serving Kool Aid to the kids right now since I am out of juice and bottled water. Tried to make it as long as possible without buying anything before vacation. Oh well. Have to hit Walmart in a bit while my sister watches the boys.
I finished Harry Potter last night - fabulous book! Loved it! With all the late hours Papa Bear is putting in (haven't seen him for more than 30 minutes since last week) I have had two long nights to fill with something to do so I read right through that book. Now I need a new one! :)
Need to get ready, sis will be here soon. Off to Wally World Hell.....
Monday, July 18, 2005
My daily schedule thrown off...
Between trying to get work done and needing to get things done and packed before our vacation on Friday my daily schedule is so thrown. I have no time to be on here so you won't find many interesting things coming from me for awhile. I didn't even get to spend much time on SSM this morning - skimmed some posts and posted a few times, did my daily forum posts and then left. Posting here quick and then off to do work for the day, laundry, and begin pre-packing. Haven't seen Papa Bear in days. He is out of the house to work before I wake up and back home in the wee hours of the morning. I am really concerned his lack of sleep over the last few days is going to catch up with his on one of his hour long rides either to or from work. He assures me he is okay as he calls me constantly throughout the day, but I know he is tired. He has been going on about 4 hours of sleep each day since last Wednesday and it doesn't look like it will be letting up until this Wednesday at the earliest. Luckily we leave Friday for vacation and he can finally relax - hoping his boss leaves him alone to relax with us for at least the first few days..... :(
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Hugs4SmilesUSA needs volunteers!!!!
I don't know if any of you would be interested but I am a volunteer for an organization that supports our military by adopting out soldiers/airmen/sailor etc and their families to a loving, supportive volunteer. At the moment we have quite a list of people waiting for adoptions and need more volunteers! The program requires that you send letters and two small packages to your adopted hero each month and if you adopt a family as well you send them letters and one small package each month. These "packages" can be something small like a magazine and some gum. The program is NOT anything political - there are strict rules about that. We are here for support only regardless of your stance on the war. For me, I don't agree with the war at all, but I have friends serving over there who need taking care of so this is doing my part. I adopted an Army soldier and his family - wife and three kids. We write back and forth to one another and I email his wife almost daily. My soldier has sent me pictures and money from Iraq to my kids. I send him things he misses from home like NASCAR magazines and Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips, etc. My boys draw him pictures and The Professor writes letters to him. It is great. I don't spend a lot per month either - maybe $20-$25 including postage. I visit the dollar store alot to send items to him and little things to his kids and I really take advantage of buy 1 / get 1 sales to send him things too! Their website is www.hugs4smilesusa.org Please check it out if you are interested. If at any time it gets to be too much for you and your family to support a soldier, you can cancel your adoption at any time no questions asked!
Harry Potter Baby!!!
WooHoo!!!! Waiting somewhat patiently for the mail to arrive today with my pre-ordered book!!! I cannot wait to start reading! I am so excited!!!! :) I betcha I will be up all damn night reading this thing! Happy dancing all the way to the mailbox today......
Friday, July 15, 2005
One week and Counting....
Woo Hoo!!! One week until our vacation to Disney World. Now I can pull out the suitcases and line them up around the house and begin the pre-packing - items we won't miss being put away already. Then it will really feel real. Can't wait to go.....I need to relax so bad!!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Blah Mood Today....
Not in the mood to do anything today. The never ending pile of laundry in my room really needs to be folded and put away and I have no desire to do it, or even look at it so I shut my door. lol Oh well.
Trying to get The Professor more involved in vacation planning this year so he feels like this is a family endeavor so we started a 10 days to Disney countdown that we read about in the Disney Kids book. Each day has an activity to prep for the vacation like on day 10 we planned a Dinsey Dinner Party for day 2 including menu, dessert and decorations. Today is day 8 and we have to fill out our addresses and email address for postcards, etc for the park. He is enjoying it. Some of the days he has to make planning lists for each park and has even thought to include rides/shows on the list for Bam-Bam and Lil' Michaelangelo without our suggestion to do so. Glad he is still thoughtful where his brothers are concerned.
Got about 10 minutes worth of that nap yesterday. Bam-Bam was up again last night and I so wanted to kick his little butt when he just would not let me sleep. Papa Bear and I took turns dealing with him, but I was ready to kill. Not a good thing where he is concerned but it was a bad night. He seems fine today, - been up for hours and no tantrums yet, *fingers crossed* so hopefully that will be a good sign. Not getting my hopes up as I know better. well I better try to make that mountain on my bed into a molehill before I have to do some work. Vacation is't coming soon enough.....
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Tired, Tired, Tired
I am so tired today. My eyes hurt trying to keep them open. Didn't do my normal weekly food shopping over the weekend due to the possibility of Dennis coming. Last year I had went food shopping the day before Charley hit and being out of power for 5 days, lost all of my food and lots of money on all of it. So this time I didn't want the same to happen just in case. So I waited and didn't go shopping and wasn't able to until 5am this morning. Generally that early rising wouldn't bother me due to the Professor's daily wake up call at 5am, but seeing as I didn't crawl into bed until after 1:30am and was awake for a bit with Bam-Bam during one of his no sleep hours last night (or I should say this morning) I was dragging ass around Walmart this morning. Had to go though. Out of bottled water, juice, cereal, snacks, salad stuff..... so I did it and was back home in an hour. Even bought some birthday gifts I had needed to get to mail out. So I am sitting here now waiting for FreeCycler #1 to come and pick up a painting....3 more people to come pick up their new treasure, my old junk. Work to do today too. And somehow, some way I am going to nap!!! It will happen! I will do it.....maybe....hopefully....wish me luck and some Zzzz's.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Neurologist List
Trying to get my list together for Bam-Bam's upcoming Neuro visit at the Dan Marino Center in a few weeks to send there soon. To give you an idea where Bam-Bam is at - he is 4 years old and this is a rough draft of my unfinished list of his strengths and issues:
Current Skills/Strengths:
Words (understood by others):
- Help
- Juice
- Eat
- Wash
- Potty
- No, Oh no
- Yes
- See
- This
- Apple
- “Jay” – for PB& J Smuckers sandwiches
- Book
- “Pipo” – Pillow (for his body pillow – stimming)
- Look
- Ma
- Dad
- Open
- More
- Diaper
- Bye
Signs (performed regularly):
- Help
- More
Great Memory for details
Puzzles – excellent at putting together puzzles and solving puzzles
Loves to look at books
Loves music
Gross motor – Lots of Physical Energy
- Running
- Jumping
Current Issues:
- Hand-flapping
- Rocking on pillow
- Jumping up and down flapping hands on tip-toe when excited making strange faces and noises
- TV Obsession
- Repetition of TV and Movie Phrases and Songs
- Always in “own world” – mumbling and talking to himself walking around in his own place
- Never interacts with group – plays outside of group unless group is running or jumping then will engage in activity but not engage other children
- Bumping head, nose or chin on objects and people for sensory input – has started to bang head on floor again leaving marks on himself
- Lining up items in a row (cars, blocks etc)
- Spinning with eyes fixed on one point
- Will not use utensils when eating – only finger feeds. Textured foods he can not use fingers with he will not eat such as mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding, etc
- Screams and screeches for no reason (just walking around doing it)
- Excessive tantrums that can turn violent with hitting, kicking, and thrashing and throwing items
- No fear of danger – will run into road, try to turn on stove, etc
- Irrational fears – Scream and throws tantrum if sat on a counter top, etc
- Group noise – does not like group singing Happy Birthday, etc and covers ears and cries
- Sleeping problems – up for hours at a time in the middle of the night
- Appetite Change – Used to eat without any problems all of the time but now only snacks all day on some items. Favorites are crunchy items like crackers, carrots, apples, etc
- Walks around making strange noises like raspberry noises for no reason – he will walk up to you when he wants something too and make these noises or if he is around other kids he will do it too at them
- No social awareness
- Likes to be naked – will keep clothing on in public but never wears any at home
- Likes his routines – for example when going out Jake must get his pillow and book before he will leave the house or when his diaper is changed you must help him up if he is laying down or he will stay laying there and scream until you come help him
- Has problems when things are out of place – example if he is eating a snack and one of the items drops on the floor he will scream and yell oh no and cry until you go over and pick it up
- Will all of a sudden laugh or scream for no reason
- Fine motor skills difficulty – holding a pencil, using scissors, manipulating objects, etc
- Seems as though he is ignoring you when you speak to him (hearing is ok) even does not respond to his own name most of the time.
- Will not follow ANY directions even in simplest forms or cues like pointing to an object, etc
- Plays with toys in a way thy are not meant for
- VERY Loud when speaking or verbalizing sounds
- Once he starts crying or having a “meltdown” he is very hard to calm
- Needs to be bear hugged to calm sometimes
- Lots of babbling sounds in long strings interrupted by a “hahaha” or a scream as though carrying on some sort of conversation with himself
- When having a tantrum will smack self or scratch self
Actually had a productive day yesterday....
I woke up to find none of my early risers were awake yet so I was able to clean the castle, then have my coffee with my favorite moms at SSM. Ater the kiddos woke up and were fed and changed I played online at SSM for while and actually got my ass out of the computer chair to watch a movie with the boys, make lunch and start working early. Since I work from home I can generally plant my behind in front of the TV and work so that's what I did and finished up at about 5:30. I made dinner - which was a flop because I intended to make Baked Ziti and realized I didn't have enough Ziti left and wound up with baked ziti and elbows!!!! Oh well!!! Papa Bear worked late and The Professor passed out before 8pm so I watched the little ones play and visited SSM with my dinner before getting off for the night when Papa to see him through the door at 9pm to see him for awhile before bed.
Now today is a whole new story..... here it is after 12 and I have yet to begin my work for today. Good thing I have that leftover Baked Elbow ziti creation for lunch so that is one thing I won't have to do!!! :)
Sunday, July 10, 2005
WDW Here We Come
Less than 2 weeks until our yearly family vacation to see the mouse!!! We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge this time around for 7 nights. This will be our first time staying in one of the deluxe on-site resorts so we can't wait. Been doing lots of research on the new stuff there and things we haven't been to a lot. Finding LOTS of tips and tricks from http://allearsnet.com and the DIS Boards. They are better than travel agents with their wealth of knowledge from fellow Mouse Lovers!!! :) So far I have booked a dinner in the castle at Cinderella's Royal Table and a character breakfast at Animal Kingdom's Donald's Breakfastasaurus. hopefully our boys will love both. The Professor is making a list as I type of all the rides and shows he wants to see at each park. We have been prepping Bam-Bam for months with the planning videos hoping to ease his stimulation and lessen the amounts of meltdowns he has at the parks if he can see and get used to what things look like. We are frequent visitors of WDW but he needs to be constantly reminded and prepped for daily things, let alone vacations like that! Lil' Michaleangelo will be going for the second time and is much more aware of characters this year so that should be fun!
Rain Rain Go Away....
Ugh...I am so tired of rain. have to say we are so lucky Dennis didn't decide to pay us a visit. I feel so sorry for those poor people in the panhandle of Florida and in Alabama. We know what all that was like after Charley last year.
Starting out...
Starting out in the world of Blogging is proving to be an interesting endeavor. I am hoping what seems to be our simple little life proves to be an interesting read for all of you. More to come. Bear with me please! :)
