Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Life! Need I say more?

Where to begin...

Last Friday we went to the Doctor and got the OFFICIAL diagnosis for Alex. I already knew what it was, but needed the diagnosis in order to get the help for him at school. If you are wondering, it is ADHD. What I was not expecting was that the Doctor suggested that he should be on the same diet that Max is on. The Gluten Free/Casein Free diet. So, Sunday was our first full day of it. I am so thankful that I am already prepared for this diet. I already have done the research and am aware of the foods that do or do not work for it. That is a blessing. It is going well so far.

I have learned a little more about ADHD and it is fascinating.

Colin has been having a really hard time lately. He doesn't want to listen. He argues with me and Todd daily. He is getting a lot of time-outs too. So, after much thought and prayer I brought this to Todd's attention. I feel that he was acting out because he is in need of our attention. With preschool in the afternoons he is not getting much one-on-one time. Todd and I talked in detail about this. I felt that it was time to pull Colin out of preschool. Here are my reasons:

We need more one-on-one time with Colin

Children aren't required to attend preschool

I began taking him to preschool with the idea that if for any reason Colin was not happy we could pull him out.

I hate driving him! But would deal with it if necessary.

Now that Alyssa is almost 5 months old I have more time available to spend with him. At first it was really hard to make time for him because Alyssa required so much time, as most newborns do.

At first Todd was not on board but after hearing my reasons he agreed. I called on Tuesday and told them he would no longer be attending preschool. My only disappointment is that we love the people there and now we won't see them. But he will see a lot of MOM!!!

Today I had to do the budget, which takes a long, long, long time! So, I committed myself to getting it done and to taking breaks for Colin and Alyssa. It took me ALL DAY to complete it, BUT...
we played together,
tickled and giggled together,
took a walk...well Colin ran and I tried to keep up,
Colin rode his bike,
I took cute pictures,
and we just enjoyed each other.

TJ has been very helpful lately. He came out to help me bring the groceries in from the car all on his own.

Max is doing great. He goes to school without a problem lately and he is doing so great on his work. I had been bribing him and now he understands. For instance, I have not told him this week that he would get a reward for doing well at school. I did that all of last week. Last week I told him if he did well all week I would order some of his fish sticks. At the end of the week, because he did so well, he expected me to have his fish sticks. I had ordered them but they didn't come in until Saturday. What I didn't know was that when you order something they do not carry you have to buy the whole case. AAH! So, $64 later we have a dozen boxes of gf/cf fish sticks in the freezer!! He had his treat on Saturday evening. Today he came home and told me how wonderful he did on his work and asked if he could have his fish sticks. He is SOO smart! I laughed and told him he had to wait until the end of the week. If he does well all week then he can have them on Friday. You can't pull one over on him! But he sure can pull one over on you!

We will begin reading the Island of the Blue Dolphins as a family tonight. It is the book we are doing for Book Club through our Relief Society enrichment groups. TJ is excited! He LOVES to read good books.

Todd is feeling a little better after coming home from Michigan with a sinus infection and a raging ear infection. He still has a ringing sort of noise in his ear and is having a hard time hearing sometimes. I am sure he will be back to normal soon!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Can't find the phone!

Yesterday was crazy. The morning was fine and then once I left to take Colin to preschool I never stopped. So, while we were having a little meeting about decor for the upcoming Relief Society birthday party little Nesto was playing with my home phone and it got misplaced. Funny thing...it was on. So, you can't call it, or page it. After everyone left we did some searching. I took apart the couch a couple of times, looked under it, took apart the chairs and looked under them. Then I looked through my cabinets, dishwasher, closets, and under beds. You name it. I think I looked there too. I even put on rubber gloves and dug through a bag full of trash. Not there either. This is like playing "Where's Waldo"! Only, he is no where to be found. So, The second handset was useless last night because you can't use the two handsets at the same time. I waited until this morning and the second handset now works, which means the battery finally died on the one that is lost. I spent a while today looking. My friends checked all their bags. I looked in the dishwasher, inside pots and pans, in the fridge, behind the piano, in the piano bench, and in yet another trash can. At least I can use the second hand set!!!

So, someday the phone will show up and we will laugh because we didn't think of the correct spot to look in. Until then...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Stinky stinky!!

Okay, so Todd and I kept smelling this awful smell. I would catch a whiff of it here and there and think, "What in the world is that smell?" My nose would wrinkle in disgust! Yuck.

So, this kept happening. Not daily, but frequently. Sometimes I would have TJ and Alex wash their feet because that was the only thing I could find that was stinky. They LOVED that! Finally today when I smelled this again the Spirit whispered to me! I went DUH! Why didn't I think of that? So, I smelled TJ's arm pit....AAAGH! TJ laughed so hard at me that I couldn't explain the reason for the changes for a few minutes. Then when he was more serious I explained some of the changes that will occur. I told him that I will be buying his some deodorant the next time I go to the store. The next thing I hear is TJ singing to himself, "I get to wear deodorant like Dad!" I never knew that puberty could be so joyous!!! It put a smile on my face!

So, next time you wonder where the stench is coming from, don't forget to check your almost 11 year old's underarms!!

Max had a great day today. I am thrilled. I prepped him this morning by telling him that the only way he could have a video game was to go to school. Then I told him that if he listened to his teachers and did what they asked him to do really well I would give him a few M&M's. Sometimes a good bribe can really work!

Well, I best be off to take care of my children. Have a fabulous day!

Friday, March 6, 2009

So many thoughts!

I have wanted to write for days but just couldn't figure out where I put my time and energy. So, it is Friday and I have had a crazy full day and I decided it was time. So, here I am!

I have had so many thoughts this week on Autism. I read Jenny McCarthy's book, the name is escaping me, and I loved it. I identified with her. But she needs to print a censored version. The language...need I say more! Anyway, it got me thinking a lot. I have met many a mom with a child that is effected by Autism and when we begin talking about the things we have tried, many of them don't want to hear about the diet. Yes it is expensive. Yes it is very difficult and time consuming at first. But what are the benefits for your child. There are some things that I would be willing to go broke for. One would be an awesome treatment.

So, my thought is, keep an open mind. No matter what you are dealing with in your life. Be it Autism, ADHD, neuropathy, cancer, a rebellious teenager, what ever. Be willing to try something new and do it with your whole heart.

I'll get off my soap box now.

Todd heads to Michigan tomorrow for a week. That won't be too bad. Panama was hard. This summer he will be MIA for 3 months while he attends tech school. So, I might just disappear for a while to Maine. There's no might about it...I'm going!!!

Today Max got into trouble with the Teacher at school. When he was asked to do something he didn't like he would go to his para and ask her. When he got a different answer, both times, he did a "Na na na na na!" kind of thing. Mr. Smarty pants out smarted the teachers yet again. But now that they are aware they will be able to stop it. The other boys do that to us at home. I chuckled. But we still had a talk with Mr. Max.

Alyssa is in the talking phaze. She is very vocal. And she smiles a lot. She is one of my greatest joys. She may not sleep very well right now, but she is so happy. I feel blessed. And giggle. This girl likes to giggle. I love it!

Colin was so patient and good for me today while I was on the phone and computer so much. At the end of the day I sat by him on the couch and hugged him and thanked him for being so good. He is a sweetie!

TJ is into writing silly stories right now. I love it. He is getting so creative and instead of always drawing his thoughts, now he is writing stories. I can't wait to read what he comes up with next. A little author is developing in him.

Alex...oh Alex. He is so funny. He wants to make people follow the rules and can't stand it when they don't but then he doesn't have to follow them. The boy can smile. He can make a joke out of anything going on. Cereal can be funny to him. The other day he was sitting at the table eating and all of the sudden he started laughing. Todd smiled and asked him, "What is so funny Alex?" Now he was caught and he chuckles. "Oh I was just remember something from the Suite Life of Zack and Codie." Then he proceeds to explain the episode. Silly boy!

Maybe my brain will slow down and I will have less random thoughts in a few days. Then I will add more! Have a fabulous day!