Okay,
Another huge catch up post.
It has been so long I hardly know where to start!
Well, we moved into our new house on November 5th. The movers were very careful and really did a wonderful job. So different from our move down from Mass. Nothing was broken, the only surprise (and not a good one!) Was that it actually ended up costing double the quote they had given us. And I had packed the whole house myself. And it is a good thing I did, for them to pack one box was $40 dollars. Yes, you read that right FORTY!! So thankfully I had a wonderful friend in the ward who went out hunting for boxes for me on more than one occasion, she literally saved me thousands of dollars, THANK YOU Sherry!!
The house turned out great and we really love it! It is such a great house and we love the area we live in so much. It is closer to everything we do, now I am not spending several hours a day in the car running the kids to their various appointments. What a relief that has been.
In other news, Rob had to have his appendix taken out. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we were our shopping (buying a new TV and Blu-ray on sale!!) He mentioned that his stomach was really bothering him. But he thought it was something silly like gas that would just pass. Throughout the day I would occasionally ask how he was feeling, and it was the same. That night he didn't come to bed until midnight. That is when I knew we had a problem. (We are serious grandpas and go to bed at 9:00PM at the latest, typically.)
I asked how he was feeling and he said a little worse, so I asked him to show me specifically where the pain was....lower right hand side. I called my mom just to confirm my suspicions and off to the emergency room we went. I called my good friend Rachael and she rushed right over and ended up staying all night and most of the next day with my kids. THANKS again Rachael!
So by 8:00AM he was heading into surgery. He had a bit of trouble coming out of the anesthesia, I guess at one point he was screaming for me. The nurse had to yell at him to calm down. It was a little scary for a little while.
He has been resting and took a week off of work and it almost back to normal. It is amazing what they can do know laproscopically(sp?)that just a few years ago was a pretty big cut and a long recovery.
Rob stayed busy by setting up tons of appointments with fence contractors. We have had a pretty steady stream of guys coming to give us quotes, not only for the fence but a patio and built-in bookcases too.
No work is being done today though, because we are being pounded with SNOW!! We have not had snow like this in all the time we have lived in Virginia. It is reminding me of some of the storms that we would get on a regular basis near Buffalo, NY. We are going to have a big job to dig back out!!
And in the way of very exciting news, we have two new little guys at our house. We got two new kittens yesterday. Max and Murphey are both orange tabbys and they are so cute and so fun. The kids love them, especially the girls, they are hauling them around and taking care of them like they are babies. It is so cute to watch them. Alana was really excited to help me scoop out the litter box this morning. We will see how long that lasts.
Unfortunately though, I think I may be allergic to them. Last night I went to bed with really itchy eyes and a stuffy nose. And today was bad until I took some Benedryl. We will have to see how this goes.
I really like them and don't want to have to get rid of them, and the kids would be heartbroken, so for now I will just suffer through.
Those of you who I usually send Christmas cards to, please forgive me for not getting them out this year and know that we love and think of you often and wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The House is Finished!!
We had our quality walk through this last Wednesday and we will be closing next Wednesday!!
And I am pleased to report the house is GORGEOUS!!! Wow! I am so excited. It turned out so beautiful!
It is a little hard to imaging while you are picking tile and wood and carpet and cabinets and light fixtures, etc., etc., etc., how everything is going to look on a large scale and all together. And I must say, I did a good job!!!
We are very excited to move next week. The movers are scheduled, Rob has taken the week off of work, kids are arranged for. And off we go. Hopefully very smoothly!
And I am pleased to report the house is GORGEOUS!!! Wow! I am so excited. It turned out so beautiful!
It is a little hard to imaging while you are picking tile and wood and carpet and cabinets and light fixtures, etc., etc., etc., how everything is going to look on a large scale and all together. And I must say, I did a good job!!!
We are very excited to move next week. The movers are scheduled, Rob has taken the week off of work, kids are arranged for. And off we go. Hopefully very smoothly!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Happy Birthday Big Boy!!
Our little Archer turned 2 years old today!! I cannot believe how quickly time flies. He has grown into such a fun and sweet little boy. He is usually very happy and loves to laugh.
He has started talking up a storm. He loves to sing the ABCs and count. He knows most of the letter sounds and understands that they make up words, and has tried to sound out many words after watching his siblings sounding out words and reading.
He had a fun day and loved the chocolate cake for his party. He received some new toys and a big ball of his own and some new clothes.
I cannot believe 2 years has already gone by!! It seems like just a few days since he was born. The year he was born there was a huge heat wave that week and I was so happy to have an air conditioned home. He was just a happy little clam in there and was not coming on his own so I was induced at 41 weeks. And his birth was totally and completely pain free, I am not kidding!!
Because I was induced the contractions were not strong at all, I couldn't even feel them when they came in and said, you are dilated to a four, do you want an epidural now? I said, well I am not in any pain at all, but why not.........
So they placed the epi and within 2 hours he was born, and I did not feel one twinge of pain. I will tell you what, that is the way to give birth!! I was so easy I couldn't believe I had even had a baby. (After 3 quite painful no medication births this was heaven.)
I am so happy to have this little man in my life. He is such a joy and sweet happy boy! I love him to pieces!! Happy Birthday ARCHER!!!!
He has started talking up a storm. He loves to sing the ABCs and count. He knows most of the letter sounds and understands that they make up words, and has tried to sound out many words after watching his siblings sounding out words and reading.
He had a fun day and loved the chocolate cake for his party. He received some new toys and a big ball of his own and some new clothes.
I cannot believe 2 years has already gone by!! It seems like just a few days since he was born. The year he was born there was a huge heat wave that week and I was so happy to have an air conditioned home. He was just a happy little clam in there and was not coming on his own so I was induced at 41 weeks. And his birth was totally and completely pain free, I am not kidding!!
Because I was induced the contractions were not strong at all, I couldn't even feel them when they came in and said, you are dilated to a four, do you want an epidural now? I said, well I am not in any pain at all, but why not.........
So they placed the epi and within 2 hours he was born, and I did not feel one twinge of pain. I will tell you what, that is the way to give birth!! I was so easy I couldn't believe I had even had a baby. (After 3 quite painful no medication births this was heaven.)
I am so happy to have this little man in my life. He is such a joy and sweet happy boy! I love him to pieces!! Happy Birthday ARCHER!!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Summer is winding down.....
Well Grandma is here for a couple of weeks and we have already been very busy. We headed up to Massachusetts to check out our old renters and check in the new family that will be residing there.
It was a quick trip, and very exhausting! But I must say I have children who are wonderful travelers. We spent about 19 hours in the car in 3 days and they did GREAT!! The only whines were when they were hungry or tired. (Which thankfully wasn't too often)
The new tenants seem like really good people and are very excited to have our home for a year or two. I hope they are very happy there.
We have all the kids registered for their respective schools and all is well. And school starts the week after Grandma leaves. The kids are all very excited and the girls even did a fashion show for Grandma this afternoon, modeling all of their new school clothes.
Before long they day will be even busier with dropping off and picking up of children from 3 different places. But I think I have the timing down and everything should run smoothly most days. And things will calm down considerably when we are able to move into our new house.
The house is still moving forward, not many noticeable changes lately, they have been doing all the plumbing and wiring and such. We should be ready for drywall in the next week or two. We still have an estimated completion time of "November", no more specific than that, "November", it is kind of making me a little crazy, don't these people know I need to plan and think and stew about all of these things. I cant even schedule movers until right before the move, because we don't have a specific date!! AAAHHHH!!!! But I can still do lots to get ready. And when my mom leaves I am going to start packing like crazy. If I do a little each day it won't take me long until we are ready to go!!
But, I must get going..........dinner is here, get the door it's Domino's!
It was a quick trip, and very exhausting! But I must say I have children who are wonderful travelers. We spent about 19 hours in the car in 3 days and they did GREAT!! The only whines were when they were hungry or tired. (Which thankfully wasn't too often)
The new tenants seem like really good people and are very excited to have our home for a year or two. I hope they are very happy there.
We have all the kids registered for their respective schools and all is well. And school starts the week after Grandma leaves. The kids are all very excited and the girls even did a fashion show for Grandma this afternoon, modeling all of their new school clothes.
Before long they day will be even busier with dropping off and picking up of children from 3 different places. But I think I have the timing down and everything should run smoothly most days. And things will calm down considerably when we are able to move into our new house.
The house is still moving forward, not many noticeable changes lately, they have been doing all the plumbing and wiring and such. We should be ready for drywall in the next week or two. We still have an estimated completion time of "November", no more specific than that, "November", it is kind of making me a little crazy, don't these people know I need to plan and think and stew about all of these things. I cant even schedule movers until right before the move, because we don't have a specific date!! AAAHHHH!!!! But I can still do lots to get ready. And when my mom leaves I am going to start packing like crazy. If I do a little each day it won't take me long until we are ready to go!!
But, I must get going..........dinner is here, get the door it's Domino's!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I promise to have Rob let me post some pictures!!
The house is in FULL SWING!!! We have in the last week; had the first floor completely framed, the slab in the garages poured, and the second floor started. It is actually looking like a house!!
It looks a little smaller than what we envisioned, but it isn't. It is right and I am sure when the drywall goes in we will see. When it was just the foundation I swear I could cry. How much money are we spending on this? It is not going to be big enough. But, we are building the same house as the model and I know it is big enough. It is just deceiving with no real frame of reference.
Other exciting news, Several months ago Verizon came through our neighborhood to put in the fiber optic lines so the neighborhood could get FIOS, well, they had to do some digging in our yard. They put one of their boxes in the side yard and they also dug a little through our front yard. ---So yesterday I was having my sprinkler system turned on for the year and one of the zones was not working. The guy was like, "This is strange, I wonder what is going on..............OH! That's IT!!" Point to a huge mound bubbling up in the yard. He hurried to turn off the water and we knew that there was a broken pipe there. ..........Right where Verizon dug in my front yard!
They completely cut through one of the pipes.
The thing that makes me so mad about this is, I went out and told them before they even started digging that we had a sprinkler system and that they were clearly going to be where there were pipes. They guys acted like I was an idiot and said, "We do this all the time! We are not going to hit any of your pipes!!" BIG FAT JERK!!
Well they did!! It was clearly busted right in half and you could see the cute little fiber line going right over it!
Thankfully it was a fairly easy fix and didn't cost too much either. But now I have to decide if I should contact Verizon or not. I am sure they wouldn't do anything about it anyway!
It looks a little smaller than what we envisioned, but it isn't. It is right and I am sure when the drywall goes in we will see. When it was just the foundation I swear I could cry. How much money are we spending on this? It is not going to be big enough. But, we are building the same house as the model and I know it is big enough. It is just deceiving with no real frame of reference.
Other exciting news, Several months ago Verizon came through our neighborhood to put in the fiber optic lines so the neighborhood could get FIOS, well, they had to do some digging in our yard. They put one of their boxes in the side yard and they also dug a little through our front yard. ---So yesterday I was having my sprinkler system turned on for the year and one of the zones was not working. The guy was like, "This is strange, I wonder what is going on..............OH! That's IT!!" Point to a huge mound bubbling up in the yard. He hurried to turn off the water and we knew that there was a broken pipe there. ..........Right where Verizon dug in my front yard!
They completely cut through one of the pipes.
The thing that makes me so mad about this is, I went out and told them before they even started digging that we had a sprinkler system and that they were clearly going to be where there were pipes. They guys acted like I was an idiot and said, "We do this all the time! We are not going to hit any of your pipes!!" BIG FAT JERK!!
Well they did!! It was clearly busted right in half and you could see the cute little fiber line going right over it!
Thankfully it was a fairly easy fix and didn't cost too much either. But now I have to decide if I should contact Verizon or not. I am sure they wouldn't do anything about it anyway!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Time to catch up.......again
Well it is time to play catch up again!!!
I just get so caught up in day to day life, that I don't often spend much time on the computer.
(The past couple of weeks I have spent reading the Harry Potter books again) So that is how I have been spending all of my free time.
And......we only have one computer set up right now. A few weeks ago, Alana was trying to push away from the computer table and shoved off with her feet and tipped the entire table over. Two BIG flat screen monitors, two switches and a host of other "network guru items" (that I have no idea how they really work) went crashing toward the window and floor. Thankfully everything fell in such a way that nothing was broken. I cannot tell you how relieved I was....... Rob thinking he must go out and spend thousands of dollars on new computer equipment is enough to send me over the edge!!
He has been so busy with work he has only taken the time to set back up the things he needs and one of the computers. (I think this is a bit of a punishment for the rest of us. He doesn't like me or the kids using his stuff or being in his way when he is working or studying. (Which is most of the time!!))
So there are my excuses for not posting more.............pretty lame I know! ;)
Well the house is in full swing.
They dug about two weeks ago. We have foundation walls and they have hooked us up the the water and sewer at the street and they are busy plumbing the basement for the bathroom and wet bar and sump pump, drains, etc. before pouring the basement floor. They are moving quickly in spite of the near tropical rainstorms we seem to be having at least 4 days a week! But the good news with that is, I haven't had to water my lawn yet, and it is the middle of June already!!
Thank heaven for that little money saver right there.
I just get so caught up in day to day life, that I don't often spend much time on the computer.
(The past couple of weeks I have spent reading the Harry Potter books again) So that is how I have been spending all of my free time.
And......we only have one computer set up right now. A few weeks ago, Alana was trying to push away from the computer table and shoved off with her feet and tipped the entire table over. Two BIG flat screen monitors, two switches and a host of other "network guru items" (that I have no idea how they really work) went crashing toward the window and floor. Thankfully everything fell in such a way that nothing was broken. I cannot tell you how relieved I was....... Rob thinking he must go out and spend thousands of dollars on new computer equipment is enough to send me over the edge!!
He has been so busy with work he has only taken the time to set back up the things he needs and one of the computers. (I think this is a bit of a punishment for the rest of us. He doesn't like me or the kids using his stuff or being in his way when he is working or studying. (Which is most of the time!!))
So there are my excuses for not posting more.............pretty lame I know! ;)
Well the house is in full swing.
They dug about two weeks ago. We have foundation walls and they have hooked us up the the water and sewer at the street and they are busy plumbing the basement for the bathroom and wet bar and sump pump, drains, etc. before pouring the basement floor. They are moving quickly in spite of the near tropical rainstorms we seem to be having at least 4 days a week! But the good news with that is, I haven't had to water my lawn yet, and it is the middle of June already!!
Thank heaven for that little money saver right there.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
What is a good title?
I have the hardest time coming up with titles. Why do I need to title things anyway?
Things here are good. In a quiet kind of way. I like it. I like when I don't have huge worries and things to stew about all night long. I have been sleeping great!
The house paperwork is nearly complete. We are waiting on answers from a few of our "non-standard" requests. They have said yes to everything so far, so I am hopefully optimistic.
We have finished picking out all of our interior appointments. Hardwood color, cabinet wood and stain, the granite for the kitchen and master bath and the fireplace surrounds. The lights, faucets, etc. It has been really fun. It is really amazing how quickly everything adds up though! (not in a good way!)
They have yet to break ground, even though we were told it was happening two Tuesdays ago! But I expected this. It will take lots of time and I just need to be patient.
Things here are good. In a quiet kind of way. I like it. I like when I don't have huge worries and things to stew about all night long. I have been sleeping great!
The house paperwork is nearly complete. We are waiting on answers from a few of our "non-standard" requests. They have said yes to everything so far, so I am hopefully optimistic.
We have finished picking out all of our interior appointments. Hardwood color, cabinet wood and stain, the granite for the kitchen and master bath and the fireplace surrounds. The lights, faucets, etc. It has been really fun. It is really amazing how quickly everything adds up though! (not in a good way!)
They have yet to break ground, even though we were told it was happening two Tuesdays ago! But I expected this. It will take lots of time and I just need to be patient.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Lazy Day
Rob has been out of town for several days, to his cousins wedding. He has been having a blast hanging out with his friends and going and doing whatever he wants.
He sent me some beautiful flowers for Mother's Day from him and the kids. It was so fun. It has been a long time since I have had flowers.
The girls are off playing with friends in the neighborhood and the boys are watching Cars. The house is so quiet it is a little weird.
The day started super early this morning. Alana was up by 5 AM and was sitting out in my glider pressing on a water bottle. So it was making these loud crinkly popping sounds. It woke all of the rest of us up. By 6:10AM all of the kids were up, dressed and fed. What a great way to start the day!! --And I am actually not irritated at all. I know how hard it is to read tone in a post. But I was a little irritated when I was awakened, but I decided not to let it make it a bad day. So all is well here.
Happy Mother's Day to all!!
He sent me some beautiful flowers for Mother's Day from him and the kids. It was so fun. It has been a long time since I have had flowers.
The girls are off playing with friends in the neighborhood and the boys are watching Cars. The house is so quiet it is a little weird.
The day started super early this morning. Alana was up by 5 AM and was sitting out in my glider pressing on a water bottle. So it was making these loud crinkly popping sounds. It woke all of the rest of us up. By 6:10AM all of the kids were up, dressed and fed. What a great way to start the day!! --And I am actually not irritated at all. I know how hard it is to read tone in a post. But I was a little irritated when I was awakened, but I decided not to let it make it a bad day. So all is well here.
Happy Mother's Day to all!!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
We are building a house!
So I have been a huge slacker in updating after the last post.
The phone rang literally before I could hit the "publish post" button. So I hit it quickly and ran for the phone. The builder countered our counter and came down an additional $5000. So not too bad. They are finishing the basement for free. They are paying all of our closing costs. And they came down $90,000 in the price. YAY!!!! Not to mention all the other things we asked for in the offer. Paint that is NOT a flat finish (I hate flat paint with all my heart!!!!) The are finishing the basement bedroom with an egress window. (So it is actually a legal bedroom instead of a "den".) And several other things that I can't seem to think of right this minute!! But you get the idea!
WE are SO excited to finally be moving forward. They have already pulled the building permits and are starting this week. I will be taking pictures and hopefully posting them. I need to figure out the whole downloading and posting pictures thing. (Not to mention Rob is a little weird about me posting photos) So hopefully you can enjoy this ride with us!!
The phone rang literally before I could hit the "publish post" button. So I hit it quickly and ran for the phone. The builder countered our counter and came down an additional $5000. So not too bad. They are finishing the basement for free. They are paying all of our closing costs. And they came down $90,000 in the price. YAY!!!! Not to mention all the other things we asked for in the offer. Paint that is NOT a flat finish (I hate flat paint with all my heart!!!!) The are finishing the basement bedroom with an egress window. (So it is actually a legal bedroom instead of a "den".) And several other things that I can't seem to think of right this minute!! But you get the idea!
WE are SO excited to finally be moving forward. They have already pulled the building permits and are starting this week. I will be taking pictures and hopefully posting them. I need to figure out the whole downloading and posting pictures thing. (Not to mention Rob is a little weird about me posting photos) So hopefully you can enjoy this ride with us!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
I am waiting.......
I am waiting anxiously for a call from our Real Estate agent. We should be hearing back from the builder this morning. I am sure they will counter. We offered a fairly low amount for all the things we were asking for. So hopefully by tomorrow we will have a ratified contract. And then they can get started.
I was talking to the sales manager yesterday, and she said that everyone is on "High Alert" that we want to get in as quickly as possible. I am so excited!! It seems like everything is coming together!!
A few of you have asked if I could post the floor plan. Here it is. The model is the Emerson, and we are doing elevation one.
We are making a few small changes here and there but that is pretty much it. Instead of a two story open family room, we are doing a fifth bedroom and bath upstairs, I am also moving the laundry to the alcove in the master bedroom closet and turning the old laundry space into a big walk in pantry. We are also doing the sunroom extention on all three levels so it brings the square footage up to 5400. We are also doing a three car garage.
Ring phone ring.........
I was talking to the sales manager yesterday, and she said that everyone is on "High Alert" that we want to get in as quickly as possible. I am so excited!! It seems like everything is coming together!!
A few of you have asked if I could post the floor plan. Here it is. The model is the Emerson, and we are doing elevation one.
We are making a few small changes here and there but that is pretty much it. Instead of a two story open family room, we are doing a fifth bedroom and bath upstairs, I am also moving the laundry to the alcove in the master bedroom closet and turning the old laundry space into a big walk in pantry. We are also doing the sunroom extention on all three levels so it brings the square footage up to 5400. We are also doing a three car garage.
Ring phone ring.........
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Are you sick of hearing about my house hunt yet???
Well yesterday we took the plunge. We signed a contract to build a new house!
The other day when I went our with our Real Estate agent one of the houses we went to look at took us to a neighborhood that was great. I didn't really care for that house (or any of the others we saw that night) but the yard of this house was GREAT!!! Huge (for this area) and FLAT!!!
We have search and hunted and begged and pleaded for a big flat yard. We have a big yard with the house we are in now, but we also have a HUGE HILL sloping into the trees. The kids used to like to play ball, but not anymore after chasing it down a ski slope 7956 times.
So we decided to go talk to the builder in huge yard land and see if they could build me something to love. I honestly did not think I was that picky until I started house hunting. I guess that is one problem with having too much choice. So my agent and I toured the model and it is beautiful!!! They can do five bedrooms upstairs and it has 4 baths all upstairs too. I get my laundry upstairs, and a big pantry. What mom of many could ask for more?? But there is more!! We also have a Sun room extension on all three levels and the basement is fully finished with a media room!!
So I was really excited to find a house I was really finally happy about. And I knew that Rob would love the yards. So I took him the next day and he was thrilled!! He says this is what he has been looking for for the last two years.
So off we go!!!
We signed all of the initial contracts yesterday and gave them our deposit. Now there are a few things we asked for that we are waiting for approval on then they will pull permits and we are off and running. I am so excited. They are also going to try and have it done for us by the end of August so we only have to ask for one extra month on the rent and we will hopefully be in by the time school starts!!
The other day when I went our with our Real Estate agent one of the houses we went to look at took us to a neighborhood that was great. I didn't really care for that house (or any of the others we saw that night) but the yard of this house was GREAT!!! Huge (for this area) and FLAT!!!
We have search and hunted and begged and pleaded for a big flat yard. We have a big yard with the house we are in now, but we also have a HUGE HILL sloping into the trees. The kids used to like to play ball, but not anymore after chasing it down a ski slope 7956 times.
So we decided to go talk to the builder in huge yard land and see if they could build me something to love. I honestly did not think I was that picky until I started house hunting. I guess that is one problem with having too much choice. So my agent and I toured the model and it is beautiful!!! They can do five bedrooms upstairs and it has 4 baths all upstairs too. I get my laundry upstairs, and a big pantry. What mom of many could ask for more?? But there is more!! We also have a Sun room extension on all three levels and the basement is fully finished with a media room!!
So I was really excited to find a house I was really finally happy about. And I knew that Rob would love the yards. So I took him the next day and he was thrilled!! He says this is what he has been looking for for the last two years.
So off we go!!!
We signed all of the initial contracts yesterday and gave them our deposit. Now there are a few things we asked for that we are waiting for approval on then they will pull permits and we are off and running. I am so excited. They are also going to try and have it done for us by the end of August so we only have to ask for one extra month on the rent and we will hopefully be in by the time school starts!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Offer Update
Well we did not get that house!
I am bummed!!
I talked to our agent and there were 20 offers on the house!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!
The jerks just hold it out there and keep everyone on the line, hoping.
But OH WELL!!
My agent sent over 9 new listings, and there are 5 of them I am REALLY interested in! We are going to see them this afternoon, if I can get a hold of Rob and get him home from work ASAP!
Holy Cow, I am really starting to hate this home buying thing! I just want the perfect house with the perfect yard at a great price, is that to much to ask? ---I don't think so!
I am bummed!!
I talked to our agent and there were 20 offers on the house!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!
The jerks just hold it out there and keep everyone on the line, hoping.
But OH WELL!!
My agent sent over 9 new listings, and there are 5 of them I am REALLY interested in! We are going to see them this afternoon, if I can get a hold of Rob and get him home from work ASAP!
Holy Cow, I am really starting to hate this home buying thing! I just want the perfect house with the perfect yard at a great price, is that to much to ask? ---I don't think so!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Offer update
So after much thought and research we decided to up our offer by $25,000. We still feel like this house is a great deal, even at the higher price.
So our agent updated the offer and our bank upped the amount on the pre-approval letter and the offer was faxed over yesterday afternoon.
So now it is just a waiting game. Hopefully we will know soon. I hate not knowing.
If it is meant to be it will happen, if not, there is something else better for us out there.
So our agent updated the offer and our bank upped the amount on the pre-approval letter and the offer was faxed over yesterday afternoon.
So now it is just a waiting game. Hopefully we will know soon. I hate not knowing.
If it is meant to be it will happen, if not, there is something else better for us out there.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Housing.....why do we need it anyway?
So since my last post about the housing situation more has happened.
The following Monday our landlord called and wanted to talk about selling the house we are renting to us. It is a great house. And we have talked to him in the past about the price he would be willing to take for it. But it was always higher than we really thought it was worth in the current market. He has been dumbfounded about how low the prices in the neighborhood have dropped. So he found out some information that is part of one of the real estate recovery programs the government is trying to introduce. The one he is trying to do would pretty much make up any loss he has had on the house since he had to move on orders in 2007.
Our real estate agent, who also happens to be his agent, does not think the package will apply to him. His rank is quite high and he makes a lot more money than most military people. And these packages are designed to be VERY hard to qualify for. So she thinks he will either have to do a short sale or find someone else to rent after we move.
So as the government finalizes the rules, they should be out mid-April we decided to keep looking. And if we found something fabulous we would move on it no matter if the landlord sale thing would work out or not.
So I went out again to a house that I had tried to look at before. The day before we were to go to Great Wolf Lodge we went to see this house. (it is house number 1 ) At that time we couldn't get in to see it. There was no lock box on the door. So my agent called the listing agent, and only got the office and was told a variety of lies about why there was no key on the house. So she ended up threatening to report them because to have a house listed on MLS without a lock box is a $1000 fine. So the listing agent promptly took it off the market.
We went on vacation and came back and decided to keep looking. Our agent sent us a bunch of new listings to look at, and the same house was there but for $40,000 less than when I tried to go and see it before. SCORE!!
So we went to see it, and it is great!! It really fits our family's needs. 5 great size bedrooms upstairs. Fully finished basement, three car garage, great storage and more. It is not super fancy inside, I think the poor people who originally built it spent all their money getting the size, with all the bump-outs and additional rooms, that they did not have enough to finish it really nice inside. But the finishing touches are easy to do and will not cost that much.
So we put in an offer! That next day we submitted an offer for 12oo over list with extra so we could ask for closing costs. Essentially we offered 14000 more so we could get the 14000 back for closing costs.
So today, we get a call. There are multiple offers on the table. Give us your best and highest by 11PM. So now we have this huge dilemma. What the heck to we offer. We have no clue what anyone else has offered. We don't even know how many other offers there are. The bank said specifically that they will take no escalation clauses. So that really sucks! (an escalation clause says, "we will beat your highest offer by x amount") So we wouldn't have to pay more than absolutely necessary. But they won't do that. They want absolutely as much for the property as they can get.
So we are just sick. We really, really want this house. But don't' want to pay much more than we originally offered. We could just say, our original offer was our "best and highest" and just see how things go. But I think if we do that, we will lose it! ARGH!!!
The comps in the neighborhood are all over the place. And the tax assessment is for $140,000 more than we offered. So there is lots of up potential.
Man, I don't know what to do!!
I need to talk more to Rob, right now he just wants to say, our first offer is the highest, but then there is no taking it back, no second chances! I don't know what to do!!
The following Monday our landlord called and wanted to talk about selling the house we are renting to us. It is a great house. And we have talked to him in the past about the price he would be willing to take for it. But it was always higher than we really thought it was worth in the current market. He has been dumbfounded about how low the prices in the neighborhood have dropped. So he found out some information that is part of one of the real estate recovery programs the government is trying to introduce. The one he is trying to do would pretty much make up any loss he has had on the house since he had to move on orders in 2007.
Our real estate agent, who also happens to be his agent, does not think the package will apply to him. His rank is quite high and he makes a lot more money than most military people. And these packages are designed to be VERY hard to qualify for. So she thinks he will either have to do a short sale or find someone else to rent after we move.
So as the government finalizes the rules, they should be out mid-April we decided to keep looking. And if we found something fabulous we would move on it no matter if the landlord sale thing would work out or not.
So I went out again to a house that I had tried to look at before. The day before we were to go to Great Wolf Lodge we went to see this house. (it is house number 1 ) At that time we couldn't get in to see it. There was no lock box on the door. So my agent called the listing agent, and only got the office and was told a variety of lies about why there was no key on the house. So she ended up threatening to report them because to have a house listed on MLS without a lock box is a $1000 fine. So the listing agent promptly took it off the market.
We went on vacation and came back and decided to keep looking. Our agent sent us a bunch of new listings to look at, and the same house was there but for $40,000 less than when I tried to go and see it before. SCORE!!
So we went to see it, and it is great!! It really fits our family's needs. 5 great size bedrooms upstairs. Fully finished basement, three car garage, great storage and more. It is not super fancy inside, I think the poor people who originally built it spent all their money getting the size, with all the bump-outs and additional rooms, that they did not have enough to finish it really nice inside. But the finishing touches are easy to do and will not cost that much.
So we put in an offer! That next day we submitted an offer for 12oo over list with extra so we could ask for closing costs. Essentially we offered 14000 more so we could get the 14000 back for closing costs.
So today, we get a call. There are multiple offers on the table. Give us your best and highest by 11PM. So now we have this huge dilemma. What the heck to we offer. We have no clue what anyone else has offered. We don't even know how many other offers there are. The bank said specifically that they will take no escalation clauses. So that really sucks! (an escalation clause says, "we will beat your highest offer by x amount") So we wouldn't have to pay more than absolutely necessary. But they won't do that. They want absolutely as much for the property as they can get.
So we are just sick. We really, really want this house. But don't' want to pay much more than we originally offered. We could just say, our original offer was our "best and highest" and just see how things go. But I think if we do that, we will lose it! ARGH!!!
The comps in the neighborhood are all over the place. And the tax assessment is for $140,000 more than we offered. So there is lots of up potential.
Man, I don't know what to do!!
I need to talk more to Rob, right now he just wants to say, our first offer is the highest, but then there is no taking it back, no second chances! I don't know what to do!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Happy Birthday Alana!!
Sweet Alana Nicole turned five years old today.
She had a wonderful day. She had a little party this afternoon, with some friends from church and the neighborhood. It was really fun!
Five years ago Rob was traveling with his job quite extensively. He had been in Guam for about 6 weeks followed closely by Spain for a month. He was so nervous he was going to miss the birth. I was doing fine. I was not really that nervous. I was the Primary president and Avalon was only 16 months old, so I had plenty to keep me busy.
We picked up Rob about 4:00PM on the 27th. He was dead tired after traveling for about 14 hours on a plane. So we headed home and went bed before 7:00PM (hey, I was just about to have a baby, I was tired too.)
The next morning I woke up to contractions. They were not really powerful, yet. I was even debating whether or not we should go to church. I woke up Rob and he got showered and ate breakfast and I rushed around packing a bag and making phone calls.
We had a young boy we picked up each Sunday, had to arrange another ride for him, and let my councilors know I would not be there, as well as let our friends know who were taking care of Avalon for us.
Then we headed off to the hospital. We arrived there about 9:00AM, and by that time, there was no doubt I was going to have a baby, and soon. They got us checked in and into our room. The doctor arrived soon thereafter and stayed through the remainder of the labor. She was terrific. I had no pain medication at all, and was really scared. It was going really fast and hard. Rob was the best coach ever. Even after the birth the Doctor and the Nurses all complimented him and told him what a great job he did. He was so dead tired from his long journey the day before, but was so excited for his new baby girl.
Alana was such a sweet wonderful baby. So quiet and so easy. She slept well from the very beginning and was so good natured!
We are so grateful to have her in our life!
We love you!
She had a wonderful day. She had a little party this afternoon, with some friends from church and the neighborhood. It was really fun!
Five years ago Rob was traveling with his job quite extensively. He had been in Guam for about 6 weeks followed closely by Spain for a month. He was so nervous he was going to miss the birth. I was doing fine. I was not really that nervous. I was the Primary president and Avalon was only 16 months old, so I had plenty to keep me busy.
We picked up Rob about 4:00PM on the 27th. He was dead tired after traveling for about 14 hours on a plane. So we headed home and went bed before 7:00PM (hey, I was just about to have a baby, I was tired too.)
The next morning I woke up to contractions. They were not really powerful, yet. I was even debating whether or not we should go to church. I woke up Rob and he got showered and ate breakfast and I rushed around packing a bag and making phone calls.
We had a young boy we picked up each Sunday, had to arrange another ride for him, and let my councilors know I would not be there, as well as let our friends know who were taking care of Avalon for us.
Then we headed off to the hospital. We arrived there about 9:00AM, and by that time, there was no doubt I was going to have a baby, and soon. They got us checked in and into our room. The doctor arrived soon thereafter and stayed through the remainder of the labor. She was terrific. I had no pain medication at all, and was really scared. It was going really fast and hard. Rob was the best coach ever. Even after the birth the Doctor and the Nurses all complimented him and told him what a great job he did. He was so dead tired from his long journey the day before, but was so excited for his new baby girl.
Alana was such a sweet wonderful baby. So quiet and so easy. She slept well from the very beginning and was so good natured!
We are so grateful to have her in our life!
We love you!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Announcing.......
Avalon got in!!!!!!
We received the letter from the Charter school today. I came home from a long morning out. Target, Doctor's office and back to Target for prescriptions. I came home and got the mail before pulling into the garage. There was the envelope. It was thick. Always a good sign. Thick envelopes mean more papers to sign and more information. Thin envelopes, one page to say, you are wait list number 3458.
Avalon's was thick, and my stomach jumped to my throat, "she got in" I thought!! I ran inside and called to Avalon, to come upstairs so we could open it together.
Congratulations!! We screamed and hugged and jumped around. We are thrilled!
Avalon just kept saying, "They said yes!!"
Now, she is a little sad that September is so far away.
SWEET!
We received the letter from the Charter school today. I came home from a long morning out. Target, Doctor's office and back to Target for prescriptions. I came home and got the mail before pulling into the garage. There was the envelope. It was thick. Always a good sign. Thick envelopes mean more papers to sign and more information. Thin envelopes, one page to say, you are wait list number 3458.
Avalon's was thick, and my stomach jumped to my throat, "she got in" I thought!! I ran inside and called to Avalon, to come upstairs so we could open it together.
Congratulations!! We screamed and hugged and jumped around. We are thrilled!
Avalon just kept saying, "They said yes!!"
Now, she is a little sad that September is so far away.
SWEET!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Major catch up......again!
Man, I pretty much suck at this blogging thing! Life just gets too busy! We still have tons going on, and I am feeling really stressed lately, even with working my butt off at the gym lately. The workouts help relieve my stress, but added stress makes me eat like a pig, so thankfully I am not gaining, but not really losing either! I really need some things in my life to settle and normalize a little bit again. I have been feeling out of control lately, and those who know me well, know that out of control is not a phrase that describes me!!! ;-)
We are still looking for a house. We are being really picky. We have seen tons of really nice houses that we could easily afford, but we are holding out for everything we want. Hopefully we will find it soon.
We had decided that we were going to go ahead and build the Davenport with Brookfield. They are a great builder and we felt like we were getting a good house for the money and the incentives were incredible. So we went in to sign a contract and get things rolling. To make a REALLY long story short, we were in the office for 5 hours and still did not have signed papers, so we took the blank contract home to read over and sign and return. Two nights later our renters from our house in Mass called to let us know that he had lost his job and that they were giving their 30 day notice. So then it all made sense why Heavenly Father created so many road blocks and circumstances that kept us from moving forward on the house like we had originally planned. If we had gone forward when we had first planned we would not have been able to back out of the deal, and we would have been super stressed financially paying for both homes.
So now we are keeping more realistic expectations and are only looking for homes that the mortgage will be about the same that we are paying in rent. Because we know that we can afford both homes with no issues. It is definitely the wiser course of action.
We went last week and spent a night at Great Wolf Lodge with some good friends of ours. Our friend is a Doctor and in the Navy and is being deployed at the end of the month. So we wanted to go and let the kids and us have some fun together before he heads overseas and we move away. We had a GREAT time!! This was our second trip down in the last few months and it was even better this time. We knew better what to expect and pack, and the kids had a great time!
Adam did SO much better this time as well. Last time he pretty much stayed in the kids pool and only did the slide once and was pretty nervous to venture far. But this time he did GREAT!!! He did the slides over and over and played all over the big climbing structure. Even with all the sprayers and geysers he did fine! He is making so much progress lately, I am so proud of him!
Our friend loved it too. We are so glad we did it!
I went to see the developmental pediatrician today for the "results" portion of our visit after she evaluated Adam. She does feel that he is on the Autism Spectrum. She mentioned several strengths that she saw as well as a few weaknesses. She suggested that in addition to his preschool classes that I start him in private speech and occupational therapy.
Overall it was a good informative meeting. She gave me a list of books and websites to look into and a list of doctors and therapists to work with as well.
We will go back in for a follow up in a few months after the start of a new school year when he will have been in speech and OT for several months and will have started his preschool classes four days a week.
She feels that he is very high functioning and has lots of potential. Hopefully we can get him all the help he needs. I feel very blessed to live in an area that has so many resources available to us.
Well, I am tired and think I will sign off for tonight, and go and waste some time watching TV.
See you!
Hey, all you guys out there, leave me a comment if you are reading. I had site meter, but it is not registering any visits, ever! According to the stupid thing, no one has ever been to my blog to read it in any way..... so if you are out there, give me a quick hello!!
We are still looking for a house. We are being really picky. We have seen tons of really nice houses that we could easily afford, but we are holding out for everything we want. Hopefully we will find it soon.
We had decided that we were going to go ahead and build the Davenport with Brookfield. They are a great builder and we felt like we were getting a good house for the money and the incentives were incredible. So we went in to sign a contract and get things rolling. To make a REALLY long story short, we were in the office for 5 hours and still did not have signed papers, so we took the blank contract home to read over and sign and return. Two nights later our renters from our house in Mass called to let us know that he had lost his job and that they were giving their 30 day notice. So then it all made sense why Heavenly Father created so many road blocks and circumstances that kept us from moving forward on the house like we had originally planned. If we had gone forward when we had first planned we would not have been able to back out of the deal, and we would have been super stressed financially paying for both homes.
So now we are keeping more realistic expectations and are only looking for homes that the mortgage will be about the same that we are paying in rent. Because we know that we can afford both homes with no issues. It is definitely the wiser course of action.
We went last week and spent a night at Great Wolf Lodge with some good friends of ours. Our friend is a Doctor and in the Navy and is being deployed at the end of the month. So we wanted to go and let the kids and us have some fun together before he heads overseas and we move away. We had a GREAT time!! This was our second trip down in the last few months and it was even better this time. We knew better what to expect and pack, and the kids had a great time!
Adam did SO much better this time as well. Last time he pretty much stayed in the kids pool and only did the slide once and was pretty nervous to venture far. But this time he did GREAT!!! He did the slides over and over and played all over the big climbing structure. Even with all the sprayers and geysers he did fine! He is making so much progress lately, I am so proud of him!
Our friend loved it too. We are so glad we did it!
I went to see the developmental pediatrician today for the "results" portion of our visit after she evaluated Adam. She does feel that he is on the Autism Spectrum. She mentioned several strengths that she saw as well as a few weaknesses. She suggested that in addition to his preschool classes that I start him in private speech and occupational therapy.
Overall it was a good informative meeting. She gave me a list of books and websites to look into and a list of doctors and therapists to work with as well.
We will go back in for a follow up in a few months after the start of a new school year when he will have been in speech and OT for several months and will have started his preschool classes four days a week.
She feels that he is very high functioning and has lots of potential. Hopefully we can get him all the help he needs. I feel very blessed to live in an area that has so many resources available to us.
Well, I am tired and think I will sign off for tonight, and go and waste some time watching TV.
See you!
Hey, all you guys out there, leave me a comment if you are reading. I had site meter, but it is not registering any visits, ever! According to the stupid thing, no one has ever been to my blog to read it in any way..... so if you are out there, give me a quick hello!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Adam Update
Well we had our meeting with the Child Find evaluators today.
And to make a long story pretty short, they have approved services for him.
For his age range they look for delays in five categories. Physical development, Cognitive development, Communication Development, Social/Emotional Development and Adaptive development. He was delayed in three of the five (you only have to be delayed in one to qualify for the services.) The two he is adequate in are physical and adaptive.
From here we meet again next week to work out an IEP (individualized education plan) And that will state where he is now and where and how he needs to progress in the next 6 months or so.
It feels good to finally have things really moving forward. I am going to send all of the paperwork and reports to the developmental pediatrician too. Hopefully all of us working together can help my sweet little man have a more normal life.
And to make a long story pretty short, they have approved services for him.
For his age range they look for delays in five categories. Physical development, Cognitive development, Communication Development, Social/Emotional Development and Adaptive development. He was delayed in three of the five (you only have to be delayed in one to qualify for the services.) The two he is adequate in are physical and adaptive.
From here we meet again next week to work out an IEP (individualized education plan) And that will state where he is now and where and how he needs to progress in the next 6 months or so.
It feels good to finally have things really moving forward. I am going to send all of the paperwork and reports to the developmental pediatrician too. Hopefully all of us working together can help my sweet little man have a more normal life.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Ch-ch-cha-cha-changes.......
I am sorry I have not been posting much lately. We have had so many things going on, and so many things I am thinking about that it seems like all of my time has been spent lately contemplating, thinking, stewing and otherwise lost in thought. I have been having trouble getting to sleep, only to wake up around 3:30AM to start my day full of thoughts and what ifs.
We are going to me moving this summer. Our lease is up at the end of July and beside that, we feel like with the market conditions, now is the best time for us to buy. The rates are at 50 year lows, the builders are doing so many things as "standards" that were expensive upgrades a few years ago not to mention the prices being down to about what they were here 5 years ago.
So here comes the non-stop thinking part. Do we look around and try to find a house that has everything we want, in a good location, that we can afford? Do we go for a smaller house that may be more affordable even if we don't absolutely love it? Do we just go for it and build new and get everything we want for a good price?
There have been so many different options that I think, there is too much to think about!!
If we decide to build, which I think we are leaning toward...... Now which house do we build, which lot do we pick. Do we want to face west, or does the rear of the house where the solar panels would hide, be better facing west. Even though the other lot backs to trees?
How much do we really, I mean really want to spend on a house payment? The bigger, nicer house might be a little tight for now, but probably won't be in a couple of years. Is it better to just stick it out for now, or do something that really won't stretch us, but it is a house we don't LOVE. ----AAAH!! Who knows!!! That is only one of the reasons I sit and think and think and think and think.............
We have been busy this last week with appointments for Adam. He saw a developmental pediatrician this last Wednesday. I went alone on Tuesday to meet with her and give her the history and express all of my concerns. Then Adam and I went together on Wednesday for his evaluation. Then the doctor complies all of her notes and findings and I go and meet with her in the next month for her recommendations for where we go from here. She did not really express to many of her thoughts while we were there, she just pretty much took notes while Adam and I played and interacted. She made a few suggestions as to what she would like us to work with, so she could see some specific things. She wanted to watch him work on a few puzzles, and see me read a few books to him. She also had several toys out that he could just freely go to and play. She was watching how long his attention span is, see what his frustration level was with more complex tasks. Some of it was to see how creative he is and to listen to him talk.
She did notice that when he presses on something with a flat hand, that his fingers bend backward slightly. She says that it is a sign of low muscle tone and that is a factor in this motor skills, his clumsiness, and balance. She says it could very well be a contributing factor in his facial and jaw muscles and his ability to speak. Very interesting. She says that he is definitely smart and very creative. She also payed me a very nice compliment. She said that the way I play and interact with him naturally, is the way they try to teach other parents to interact with their kids. She said that she would like to video tape me, (to show to other parents) because the way I play with him helps to encourage his language and cognitive skills. And I was doing so many things that most people need to be taught. That made me feel much better, because for the most part I feel like a pretty crappy mom. It is so hard to deal with this and try to help other people deal with Adam more effectively when I feel like I don't know how to help either.
The previous Friday we had Adam to his Speech Evaluation. He did very well listening and following directions. I was so proud of him. She said that he definitely has severe communication delays, but that his understanding seems to be quite high. So that is good.
He even let this lady put the ear phones on his head to check his hearing. I was amazed!! He is usually so sensitive about his hearing and ears. She spent lots of time with him and was able to switch to another way to do the same test if she was trying something he didn't want to do. She was very flexible and so sweet to Adam. I really feel like just in the past couple of weeks he had been making progress. I think that the new diet is definitely making a difference. He has been making drastic improvement at Preschool also. He has been also having fewer tantrums at home. I am going to keep up with the Gluten Free/ Casein Free diet, I think we are seeing results! He has his hearing with the ChildFind school district representatives this coming Thursday. That is when they will determine if he qualifies for services and which ones. I am pretty confident he will qualify, just from what the ladies who have been doing the evaluations have been saying.---Dr Powell, the developmental ped.--said she thinks from what she has read from their reports that they will approve services. So I will have to let you know.
The other dilemma that came into my life is the possibility of a new job for Rob. I can't say much about it, but it made me do a lot of pondering about our family situations and the future.
This will be one we have to think and pray about extensively!!
We should be hearing from the Charter school about Avalon's application by the first week of April, and I cannot wait!! I hope so much that she got in. I think it will work so well for our family, now and in the future. So I have been considering my options of what I will need to do if she does not get in, and what to do for Alana either way. So my poor mommy brain is crammed full lately.
We are going to me moving this summer. Our lease is up at the end of July and beside that, we feel like with the market conditions, now is the best time for us to buy. The rates are at 50 year lows, the builders are doing so many things as "standards" that were expensive upgrades a few years ago not to mention the prices being down to about what they were here 5 years ago.
So here comes the non-stop thinking part. Do we look around and try to find a house that has everything we want, in a good location, that we can afford? Do we go for a smaller house that may be more affordable even if we don't absolutely love it? Do we just go for it and build new and get everything we want for a good price?
There have been so many different options that I think, there is too much to think about!!
If we decide to build, which I think we are leaning toward...... Now which house do we build, which lot do we pick. Do we want to face west, or does the rear of the house where the solar panels would hide, be better facing west. Even though the other lot backs to trees?
How much do we really, I mean really want to spend on a house payment? The bigger, nicer house might be a little tight for now, but probably won't be in a couple of years. Is it better to just stick it out for now, or do something that really won't stretch us, but it is a house we don't LOVE. ----AAAH!! Who knows!!! That is only one of the reasons I sit and think and think and think and think.............
We have been busy this last week with appointments for Adam. He saw a developmental pediatrician this last Wednesday. I went alone on Tuesday to meet with her and give her the history and express all of my concerns. Then Adam and I went together on Wednesday for his evaluation. Then the doctor complies all of her notes and findings and I go and meet with her in the next month for her recommendations for where we go from here. She did not really express to many of her thoughts while we were there, she just pretty much took notes while Adam and I played and interacted. She made a few suggestions as to what she would like us to work with, so she could see some specific things. She wanted to watch him work on a few puzzles, and see me read a few books to him. She also had several toys out that he could just freely go to and play. She was watching how long his attention span is, see what his frustration level was with more complex tasks. Some of it was to see how creative he is and to listen to him talk.
She did notice that when he presses on something with a flat hand, that his fingers bend backward slightly. She says that it is a sign of low muscle tone and that is a factor in this motor skills, his clumsiness, and balance. She says it could very well be a contributing factor in his facial and jaw muscles and his ability to speak. Very interesting. She says that he is definitely smart and very creative. She also payed me a very nice compliment. She said that the way I play and interact with him naturally, is the way they try to teach other parents to interact with their kids. She said that she would like to video tape me, (to show to other parents) because the way I play with him helps to encourage his language and cognitive skills. And I was doing so many things that most people need to be taught. That made me feel much better, because for the most part I feel like a pretty crappy mom. It is so hard to deal with this and try to help other people deal with Adam more effectively when I feel like I don't know how to help either.
The previous Friday we had Adam to his Speech Evaluation. He did very well listening and following directions. I was so proud of him. She said that he definitely has severe communication delays, but that his understanding seems to be quite high. So that is good.
He even let this lady put the ear phones on his head to check his hearing. I was amazed!! He is usually so sensitive about his hearing and ears. She spent lots of time with him and was able to switch to another way to do the same test if she was trying something he didn't want to do. She was very flexible and so sweet to Adam. I really feel like just in the past couple of weeks he had been making progress. I think that the new diet is definitely making a difference. He has been making drastic improvement at Preschool also. He has been also having fewer tantrums at home. I am going to keep up with the Gluten Free/ Casein Free diet, I think we are seeing results! He has his hearing with the ChildFind school district representatives this coming Thursday. That is when they will determine if he qualifies for services and which ones. I am pretty confident he will qualify, just from what the ladies who have been doing the evaluations have been saying.---Dr Powell, the developmental ped.--said she thinks from what she has read from their reports that they will approve services. So I will have to let you know.
The other dilemma that came into my life is the possibility of a new job for Rob. I can't say much about it, but it made me do a lot of pondering about our family situations and the future.
This will be one we have to think and pray about extensively!!
We should be hearing from the Charter school about Avalon's application by the first week of April, and I cannot wait!! I hope so much that she got in. I think it will work so well for our family, now and in the future. So I have been considering my options of what I will need to do if she does not get in, and what to do for Alana either way. So my poor mommy brain is crammed full lately.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Back to normal??
So yesterday we took my parents back to the airport. It was a sad, sad ride. When Alana finally realized it was time to leave the house to head back to the airport she starting sobbing! She cried and cried as she hugged Grandma and Grandpa and told them "I will miss you so much!" And she continued to cry for several miles of the drive. Until finally I told her that I had had enough! She can get herself worked up into quite a tizzy! She is nearly inconsolable sometimes.
We had taken Adam to preschool that morning and Rob stayed home again so he could go pick him up and he wouldn't have to miss a day of school. He is doing so well, and is finally going in without crying his head off and clinging to me like I am leading him to a pack of hungry wolves.
He is actually now running in to sit on the carpet and look at a book as soon as the teachers open the door!! I am so proud of him! He seems to really be adjusting well. And we feel like he is already behaving better in other parts of his life as well.
Church has been a lot better too. He was having such issues in Primary and not doing well that we all decided that it would be better if I can just stay with him. So they are moving me from my CTR 7 class to the Sunbeam class to be Adam's official "buddy". This seems to be such a good solution. It was tearing me to pieces to sit back with my class and watch him struggle or to be struggling with him and trying to be attentive to 5 other kids. So the presidency is finding a replacement for my other teaching job and now I can focus on Adam. It seems to be so much better. For him and me. I have sat with him and attended class with him for the past two Sundays and the difference has been remarkable! He still will wander and explore a tiny bit, but for the most part he will stay right with me. And class has been fantastic. He really responds to his teachers and he seems to be getting the hang of it!
We had such a fun visit with my parents. It is fun to have an excuse to go do lots of touristy things. We went to the American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, Rob and Dad went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, (mom and I did that on their last visit, but dad and rob were home with the bigger kids). We went to the zoo and Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII monuments, the international spy museum and a couple of other things that were a little more local and not so cool to mention. Like bowling and eating food from some of our favorite restaurants. All in all I think we went into the city about 6 times. It was so fun and so worth it!
So now that life is back to normal we will be doing school today after a fun "vacation" I must pay about a billion and a half bills after I update my checkbook and I have to fold about 3000 lbs of laundry. And of course back to the gym and I will be watching a little guy for a friend, so yea, pretty much just back to normal.
We had taken Adam to preschool that morning and Rob stayed home again so he could go pick him up and he wouldn't have to miss a day of school. He is doing so well, and is finally going in without crying his head off and clinging to me like I am leading him to a pack of hungry wolves.
He is actually now running in to sit on the carpet and look at a book as soon as the teachers open the door!! I am so proud of him! He seems to really be adjusting well. And we feel like he is already behaving better in other parts of his life as well.
Church has been a lot better too. He was having such issues in Primary and not doing well that we all decided that it would be better if I can just stay with him. So they are moving me from my CTR 7 class to the Sunbeam class to be Adam's official "buddy". This seems to be such a good solution. It was tearing me to pieces to sit back with my class and watch him struggle or to be struggling with him and trying to be attentive to 5 other kids. So the presidency is finding a replacement for my other teaching job and now I can focus on Adam. It seems to be so much better. For him and me. I have sat with him and attended class with him for the past two Sundays and the difference has been remarkable! He still will wander and explore a tiny bit, but for the most part he will stay right with me. And class has been fantastic. He really responds to his teachers and he seems to be getting the hang of it!
We had such a fun visit with my parents. It is fun to have an excuse to go do lots of touristy things. We went to the American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, Rob and Dad went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, (mom and I did that on their last visit, but dad and rob were home with the bigger kids). We went to the zoo and Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII monuments, the international spy museum and a couple of other things that were a little more local and not so cool to mention. Like bowling and eating food from some of our favorite restaurants. All in all I think we went into the city about 6 times. It was so fun and so worth it!
So now that life is back to normal we will be doing school today after a fun "vacation" I must pay about a billion and a half bills after I update my checkbook and I have to fold about 3000 lbs of laundry. And of course back to the gym and I will be watching a little guy for a friend, so yea, pretty much just back to normal.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
My Parents are in town!
I have been a bad, bad blogger lately!! We have had our first snow this last week, a tiny skiff of just over an inch and they canceled school one day and had a delay start the next day. So my workouts were sidelined, because the Rec Center follows the school closings, and on the delay start day they cancel morning preschool, so after a teacher work day on Tuesday and the snow day on Thursday, Adam was missing a whole week of preschool, and with Inauguration day the week before, in the last two weeks he was only able to go to school once! (and they don't discount tuition for missed days!!! So I am more than a little irritated!)
On the snow day was Adam's speech evaluation, so I had arranged a babysitter for the other kids and made my way on slightly scary roads, only to find the whole school board complex with out a car in sight and all the gates closed and locked!! When they called to reschedule, they told me that they could not see him any sooner than February 20th!!!!!!! So after we had already waited a month for the speech evaluation appointment, the stupid snow that shouldn't even register as snow, cancelled our appointment!!! And we have to wait nearly another MONTH!! Hopefully our next and only snow for this year won't happen on the night of Feb 19!
So now on to other things!! My parents are in town!!! We picked them up on Tuesday the 3rd and they will be with us for two whole weeks!! We look forward to their visits so much! It has been a year since we saw them last. I am so grateful that they are willing to take the time and come on out to visit. Because flying with the kids is pretty much impossible these days.
The kids have been so excited for the visit. The girls, especially Avalon have been telling everyone they see, that "Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit!!" It has been so fun seeing them get so excited to see their grandparents again. They love to go to the airport to pick them up. But the waiting is the hardest part.
The kids have been extra hyper, but now that they are a year older, they are more obedient when Grandpa says that he is "all done". Adam even remembers them. He has been so sweet giving them hugs and letting Grandma read to him and playing with Grandpa. I am a little surprised (and pleasantly so) that he remembers them so well and has just joined in the fun without missing a beat!!
We went into the city to the American history museum yesterday afternoon. And learned a hard lesson! A $100 lesson. Yeah, I got a parking ticket. I didn't realize that the street we were parked on had a parking ban during rush hour. And rush hour starts at 4:00PM, so at 4:10 I was issued a ticket. But I am actually really grateful that it was only $100, because as we were loading up the van a tow truck came to tow me away. Can you imagine 8 people stuck without a vehicle in February, and no way to get home! So the hundred is cheap compared having to pay for the tow and to get the car out of impound and a taxi ride to either home or the impound yard, where ever that is! So I'll take a big ticket over that hassle any day!!
But, the museum was really fun!! And we were able to see the original "star spangled banner" that hung over Fort McHenry during the war of 1812, talk about neat!! It was huge! Probably 40 feet by 50 feet. It was made out of wool and the white sections are very worn. The wool that had been dyed blue or red was in much better shape. It also had been cut in a few places where people took a star or another scrap of fabric as a memento.
So today after Adam's school, the plan is to head to the Natural History museum. They have a new oceanic room with a live coral reef and real salt water fish. So this will be a nice alternative to the aquarium where it costs $25 a person to get in!
It should be a fun day!!
On the snow day was Adam's speech evaluation, so I had arranged a babysitter for the other kids and made my way on slightly scary roads, only to find the whole school board complex with out a car in sight and all the gates closed and locked!! When they called to reschedule, they told me that they could not see him any sooner than February 20th!!!!!!! So after we had already waited a month for the speech evaluation appointment, the stupid snow that shouldn't even register as snow, cancelled our appointment!!! And we have to wait nearly another MONTH!! Hopefully our next and only snow for this year won't happen on the night of Feb 19!
So now on to other things!! My parents are in town!!! We picked them up on Tuesday the 3rd and they will be with us for two whole weeks!! We look forward to their visits so much! It has been a year since we saw them last. I am so grateful that they are willing to take the time and come on out to visit. Because flying with the kids is pretty much impossible these days.
The kids have been so excited for the visit. The girls, especially Avalon have been telling everyone they see, that "Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit!!" It has been so fun seeing them get so excited to see their grandparents again. They love to go to the airport to pick them up. But the waiting is the hardest part.
The kids have been extra hyper, but now that they are a year older, they are more obedient when Grandpa says that he is "all done". Adam even remembers them. He has been so sweet giving them hugs and letting Grandma read to him and playing with Grandpa. I am a little surprised (and pleasantly so) that he remembers them so well and has just joined in the fun without missing a beat!!
We went into the city to the American history museum yesterday afternoon. And learned a hard lesson! A $100 lesson. Yeah, I got a parking ticket. I didn't realize that the street we were parked on had a parking ban during rush hour. And rush hour starts at 4:00PM, so at 4:10 I was issued a ticket. But I am actually really grateful that it was only $100, because as we were loading up the van a tow truck came to tow me away. Can you imagine 8 people stuck without a vehicle in February, and no way to get home! So the hundred is cheap compared having to pay for the tow and to get the car out of impound and a taxi ride to either home or the impound yard, where ever that is! So I'll take a big ticket over that hassle any day!!
But, the museum was really fun!! And we were able to see the original "star spangled banner" that hung over Fort McHenry during the war of 1812, talk about neat!! It was huge! Probably 40 feet by 50 feet. It was made out of wool and the white sections are very worn. The wool that had been dyed blue or red was in much better shape. It also had been cut in a few places where people took a star or another scrap of fabric as a memento.
So today after Adam's school, the plan is to head to the Natural History museum. They have a new oceanic room with a live coral reef and real salt water fish. So this will be a nice alternative to the aquarium where it costs $25 a person to get in!
It should be a fun day!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Foodie Friday
Well I tried my first gluten free, casein free recipe yesterday. It was a basic white bread.
The recipe looked good and fairly easy, and it talked about how soft this bread is. Well, I messed it up! My loaves turn out more like dark little bricks than soft yummy loaves.
I think I figured out what I did wrong, the recipe calls for tapioca starch and I could only find tapioca starch flour. I am pretty sure now, that they are NOT the same thing.
But, my grocery store, even thought they carry lots of gluten free products, doesn't seem to have the tapioca starch. I will have to go back and ask specifically for it.
Bread is the one thing I think I really need to be able to master. The gluten free loaves at the store are super tiny and cost $5.00!
I think I am going to go online today and see if I can't find most of these things in bulk, so they are less expensive.
Wish me luck!
The recipe looked good and fairly easy, and it talked about how soft this bread is. Well, I messed it up! My loaves turn out more like dark little bricks than soft yummy loaves.
I think I figured out what I did wrong, the recipe calls for tapioca starch and I could only find tapioca starch flour. I am pretty sure now, that they are NOT the same thing.
But, my grocery store, even thought they carry lots of gluten free products, doesn't seem to have the tapioca starch. I will have to go back and ask specifically for it.
Bread is the one thing I think I really need to be able to master. The gluten free loaves at the store are super tiny and cost $5.00!
I think I am going to go online today and see if I can't find most of these things in bulk, so they are less expensive.
Wish me luck!
Movie Thursday!!
I have a WONDERFUL movie to tell you about today. It is called "The Express" ---Go and watch this trailer, even if you don't usually like to, go!
This is the story of Ernie Davis, a young black man who played college football in the 60's. But more than the story of an African American during the civil rights conflicts, it is a story of inspiration and hope.
Never too "in your face" about the race social situations at the time, no name calling, which I absolutely hate, just small glimpses of the behaviors we find mind boggling now. --At least I do-- How can someone, anyone, a child of god be treated and spoken to as if they were less than an animal simply because of the color of their skin??!!
But this movie is a football movie! A feel-good, inspirational, we can all do better, movie.
Ernie Davis was a man who chose to do his talking on the football field. Maybe we all need to work a little harder to become an inspiration to those around us.
Rob Brown, is the quiet excellent actor we came to know in "Finding Forrester", he does an outstanding job as Ernie---And he really plays football!
Dennis Quaid is the coach that helps Ernie become an even better player!
This movie was EXCELLENT!! I watched it, loved it, and watched it again with the commentary!
Go out and rent this one, you won't be sorry!
This is the story of Ernie Davis, a young black man who played college football in the 60's. But more than the story of an African American during the civil rights conflicts, it is a story of inspiration and hope.
Never too "in your face" about the race social situations at the time, no name calling, which I absolutely hate, just small glimpses of the behaviors we find mind boggling now. --At least I do-- How can someone, anyone, a child of god be treated and spoken to as if they were less than an animal simply because of the color of their skin??!!
But this movie is a football movie! A feel-good, inspirational, we can all do better, movie.
Ernie Davis was a man who chose to do his talking on the football field. Maybe we all need to work a little harder to become an inspiration to those around us.
Rob Brown, is the quiet excellent actor we came to know in "Finding Forrester", he does an outstanding job as Ernie---And he really plays football!
Dennis Quaid is the coach that helps Ernie become an even better player!
This movie was EXCELLENT!! I watched it, loved it, and watched it again with the commentary!
Go out and rent this one, you won't be sorry!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Weight-Loss Wednesday and an update
So, first and most importantly, I reached my goals this week!!!
189!!!! I lost 3 lbs. Down 26 lbs since I started exercising, down 51 since Archer was born!!!!
It has been SO long since there was a one at the beginning of my weight and even longer since 8 was the second number. Yea!! Can you tell I am excited!??
I am finally moving down pretty quickly again. I did really well during June, July and then we went on a two week vacation in August, and I seemed to stall totally after that. (Even though I only gained 3 lbs during that two weeks, I just couldn't get the "ball rolling" again. So this last couple of weeks since I started posting about weight on my blog, and have gotten the kick in the booty I needed!
Updates!
Adam went to his first day of school today. I didn't think that it would be a big deal at all for me, but it was!! Dropping him off, I had tears in my eyes and I had a bad stomach ache. The teachers are all wonderful and the head teacher was waiting there in the hallway to greet Adam and run me through the check in procedures and to go over his paperwork. He is familiar with all the teachers because most of them he sees nearly everyday at the Rec Center in one way or another.
After I finished talking to his teacher I took him into the room and set him with a teacher he knows for the "Good Morning song". Then I quickly headed out. He calmed down pretty quickly, because I was listening in the hallway for a minute.
I thought about him many times during my workout, wondering if he was crying, if he was being good, if he was having fun. I even refrained from going and peeking in the door, on the off chance he accidentally saw me, and would get worked up again.
When I picked him up, he came right out and gave me a big hug and got his coat and backpack. The teachers said he did VERY WELL for a first day. WHEW!! I am so relieved and so proud of him!
He seemed to have fun. They were having "Teddy Bear Picnic" day. They all had their animals they read "Goldilocks and the Three bears" and made chocolate pudding and finger painted bears, and had teddy grahams for a snack. So fun!
House Update......
Well, the real estate agent sat on our offer long enough he got another one, from a person who has never even seen the house. This other guy offered $530,000 I think he might be a little disappointed when he finally get into the house, it needs quite a bit of work. But from what I understand, he wants to use it as an income property, so I doubt he will do much fixing. Oh well! It was a good plan. To bad the agent was a dishonest little bugger!
But we have decided to start looking at houses for ourselves. We talked to an agent that lives near us and she sent me the listings for several houses, and we are going out to look on Saturday, then if I find something I really like, then we will drag Rob out to it. There are quite a few houses in our neighborhood that have come down in price far enough we can actually afford them now. We are so excited and relieved. This was the plan when we moved here about a year and a half ago, to rent for a couple of years, let the prices fall, fall, fall...... then we would buy. Well, we have decided to jump in. Hopefully this is a good time.
189!!!! I lost 3 lbs. Down 26 lbs since I started exercising, down 51 since Archer was born!!!!
It has been SO long since there was a one at the beginning of my weight and even longer since 8 was the second number. Yea!! Can you tell I am excited!??
I am finally moving down pretty quickly again. I did really well during June, July and then we went on a two week vacation in August, and I seemed to stall totally after that. (Even though I only gained 3 lbs during that two weeks, I just couldn't get the "ball rolling" again. So this last couple of weeks since I started posting about weight on my blog, and have gotten the kick in the booty I needed!
Updates!
Adam went to his first day of school today. I didn't think that it would be a big deal at all for me, but it was!! Dropping him off, I had tears in my eyes and I had a bad stomach ache. The teachers are all wonderful and the head teacher was waiting there in the hallway to greet Adam and run me through the check in procedures and to go over his paperwork. He is familiar with all the teachers because most of them he sees nearly everyday at the Rec Center in one way or another.
After I finished talking to his teacher I took him into the room and set him with a teacher he knows for the "Good Morning song". Then I quickly headed out. He calmed down pretty quickly, because I was listening in the hallway for a minute.
I thought about him many times during my workout, wondering if he was crying, if he was being good, if he was having fun. I even refrained from going and peeking in the door, on the off chance he accidentally saw me, and would get worked up again.
When I picked him up, he came right out and gave me a big hug and got his coat and backpack. The teachers said he did VERY WELL for a first day. WHEW!! I am so relieved and so proud of him!
He seemed to have fun. They were having "Teddy Bear Picnic" day. They all had their animals they read "Goldilocks and the Three bears" and made chocolate pudding and finger painted bears, and had teddy grahams for a snack. So fun!
House Update......
Well, the real estate agent sat on our offer long enough he got another one, from a person who has never even seen the house. This other guy offered $530,000 I think he might be a little disappointed when he finally get into the house, it needs quite a bit of work. But from what I understand, he wants to use it as an income property, so I doubt he will do much fixing. Oh well! It was a good plan. To bad the agent was a dishonest little bugger!
But we have decided to start looking at houses for ourselves. We talked to an agent that lives near us and she sent me the listings for several houses, and we are going out to look on Saturday, then if I find something I really like, then we will drag Rob out to it. There are quite a few houses in our neighborhood that have come down in price far enough we can actually afford them now. We are so excited and relieved. This was the plan when we moved here about a year and a half ago, to rent for a couple of years, let the prices fall, fall, fall...... then we would buy. Well, we have decided to jump in. Hopefully this is a good time.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Foodie Friday
I have been reading up more and more about Gluten Free and Casein Free diets. Mainly for Adam's benefit, but I think I am going to move the whole family into this eating pattern.
Basically there are some proteins that are harder for our bodies to break down into amino acids. And two of the most complicated protein chains are from gluten which comes from the grass family of grains: wheat, barley, oats, semolina, bulgar, couscous, graham flour, groats, malt.
And the other is casein which is found in mammal milk and milk products, including cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter, etc.
When a person's body cannot properly break down these chains into the "links" the amino acids, they can stay in the large intestine and eventually leak into the blood stream. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and have an opiate like effect to that person's brain. Those with Autism and ADHD seem to be particularly sensitive to the gluten and casein and have negative effects on their brain processes and behavior. "These opiate-like peptides mimic the effects of drugs like morphine and have been shown to react with areas of the brain that are involved in speech and auditory processing. Opiate-like effects on the brain could also result in social withdrawal. A child may "zone out" or "be in his/her own world." He/she may laugh or giggle for no apparent reason. In addition, a child may have a high pain tolerance since opiates, like morphine, are excellent painkillers" ---Quote from The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook
By removing the offenders from a person's diet their brain does not continue to have the same short circuits that negatively effect, behavior, speech and other stereotypical behaviors associated with Autism and ADHD. This book and a couple of others I am in the middle of really make a lot of sense to me. There is actual science to back up these claims, as well as hundreds of "real life" examples of children whose autism symptoms nearly disappear when kept on this diet.
I am looking forward to implementing this more fully in our family and look forward to the results I hope to see in Adam. And the rest of the family too. I think we will have happier, healthier kids as a result. Don't worry, I will keep you up to date!
Basically there are some proteins that are harder for our bodies to break down into amino acids. And two of the most complicated protein chains are from gluten which comes from the grass family of grains: wheat, barley, oats, semolina, bulgar, couscous, graham flour, groats, malt.
And the other is casein which is found in mammal milk and milk products, including cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter, etc.
When a person's body cannot properly break down these chains into the "links" the amino acids, they can stay in the large intestine and eventually leak into the blood stream. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and have an opiate like effect to that person's brain. Those with Autism and ADHD seem to be particularly sensitive to the gluten and casein and have negative effects on their brain processes and behavior. "These opiate-like peptides mimic the effects of drugs like morphine and have been shown to react with areas of the brain that are involved in speech and auditory processing. Opiate-like effects on the brain could also result in social withdrawal. A child may "zone out" or "be in his/her own world." He/she may laugh or giggle for no apparent reason. In addition, a child may have a high pain tolerance since opiates, like morphine, are excellent painkillers" ---Quote from The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook
By removing the offenders from a person's diet their brain does not continue to have the same short circuits that negatively effect, behavior, speech and other stereotypical behaviors associated with Autism and ADHD. This book and a couple of others I am in the middle of really make a lot of sense to me. There is actual science to back up these claims, as well as hundreds of "real life" examples of children whose autism symptoms nearly disappear when kept on this diet.
I am looking forward to implementing this more fully in our family and look forward to the results I hope to see in Adam. And the rest of the family too. I think we will have happier, healthier kids as a result. Don't worry, I will keep you up to date!
Book and Movie Thursday
Okay,
I have read quite a bit again this week. There are three books and a movie to tell you about. So, lets get going!
The easy one first, the movie" The Duchess with Keira Knightly
Based on the true story of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire. An amazing woman ahead of her time. Makes a "good" match to the Duke and begins a married life to a man who does not love her and only cares for her to provide him with an heir. Many years and a couple of daughters later he moves his mistress into the home with them.
The Duchess becomes quite involved in politics and helps reshape England just after the United States has won the revolution.
There is much heartbreak in her life included the death of children and her love for a man that is not her husband, whom she can never really have.
I really enjoyed this movie, there was much sadness, but the life of this incredible woman is worth looking into. (On more than just a movie screen) I am reading up on the Duchess of Devonshire, what an interesting woman!
Now for the books!!
I have read three this week. The first, was one Rob was really irritated that I brought home. (He can't understand how I have any interest in watching a family with tons of kids running around, when I already have it at home!)
Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin
This is a more in depth look at the Gosselin family from the TLC show "Jon and Kate plus 8" this family has twin daughters then sextuplets. The story is told by Kate and takes you through the family story from the beginning and in more detail than is covered on the show. You get raw emotion and the grittiest feelings as this little family expands, quite literally.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, but is a quick easy read. (I read it one evening in about 3 1/2 hours) There is also so much more of their faith. There are many scriptures quoted and you get much more understanding of their religious convictions. If you like Jon and Kate, you should definitely get this book. Happy Reading!
And two more David Baldacci books:
Saving Faith and Split Second
Both of these books were written a few years ago. In '99 and '00 I believe. You can tell they are earlier works from this author if you read his books much. But they are both really good stories.
Saving Faith is set in Washington DC and revolves around the political games and behind the scenes operations in DC. A young woman who has worked as a lobbyist for many years finds herself running for her life after she tries to do the right thing and contacts the FBI. But is it not the FBI that wants her secrets to remain silent. David Baldacci is a favorite of mine, because he can always keep me guessing. I liked this one so well I am reading it again.
Split Second is the story and back story of two characters Baldacci uses in many more books to come. Why each of them is no longer in the secret service, the bumps along the way that led them to each other. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell end up opening a private investigative firm together. This book was great! I loved the twists and turns to bring us to the climax of the story.
And having read more recent books, it was nice to see King and Maxwell get their start.
Happy Reading!!
I have read quite a bit again this week. There are three books and a movie to tell you about. So, lets get going!
The easy one first, the movie" The Duchess with Keira Knightly
Based on the true story of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire. An amazing woman ahead of her time. Makes a "good" match to the Duke and begins a married life to a man who does not love her and only cares for her to provide him with an heir. Many years and a couple of daughters later he moves his mistress into the home with them.
The Duchess becomes quite involved in politics and helps reshape England just after the United States has won the revolution.
There is much heartbreak in her life included the death of children and her love for a man that is not her husband, whom she can never really have.
I really enjoyed this movie, there was much sadness, but the life of this incredible woman is worth looking into. (On more than just a movie screen) I am reading up on the Duchess of Devonshire, what an interesting woman!
Now for the books!!
I have read three this week. The first, was one Rob was really irritated that I brought home. (He can't understand how I have any interest in watching a family with tons of kids running around, when I already have it at home!)
Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin
This is a more in depth look at the Gosselin family from the TLC show "Jon and Kate plus 8" this family has twin daughters then sextuplets. The story is told by Kate and takes you through the family story from the beginning and in more detail than is covered on the show. You get raw emotion and the grittiest feelings as this little family expands, quite literally.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, but is a quick easy read. (I read it one evening in about 3 1/2 hours) There is also so much more of their faith. There are many scriptures quoted and you get much more understanding of their religious convictions. If you like Jon and Kate, you should definitely get this book. Happy Reading!
And two more David Baldacci books:
Saving Faith and Split Second
Both of these books were written a few years ago. In '99 and '00 I believe. You can tell they are earlier works from this author if you read his books much. But they are both really good stories.
Saving Faith is set in Washington DC and revolves around the political games and behind the scenes operations in DC. A young woman who has worked as a lobbyist for many years finds herself running for her life after she tries to do the right thing and contacts the FBI. But is it not the FBI that wants her secrets to remain silent. David Baldacci is a favorite of mine, because he can always keep me guessing. I liked this one so well I am reading it again.
Split Second is the story and back story of two characters Baldacci uses in many more books to come. Why each of them is no longer in the secret service, the bumps along the way that led them to each other. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell end up opening a private investigative firm together. This book was great! I loved the twists and turns to bring us to the climax of the story.
And having read more recent books, it was nice to see King and Maxwell get their start.
Happy Reading!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
An Adam Update
We had a very nice lady from the county come to the house yesterday and do some follow up testing on Adam. These are not medical tests but tests that see how well his cognitive functions are functioning. :) These tests were designed to check on everything from attention spans to intelligence to how he problem solves or processes information.
And it pretty much looks like playing.
She was really nice and Adam took to her right away. She understood his speech VERY well. Better than anyone but me! It was truly amazing to have her sit on the floor with him and have him answer questions and do tests for her. She was so easy going about everything. If he didn't want to do something and told her "no thanks" she would just move on to something else that caught his attention. If he wandered off, which he did several times, she just observed him and took notes and talked to me about things she was seeing or asking me questions about how he acts in certain situations.
At one point he even headed upstairs to play with the girls, and she was not stressed at all about having him hurry back to her to move on. Eventually he came back and joined right back in with what she was doing.
She picked up on so many things just by playing with him and watching him interact with the world around him.
She of course, is not there to make a diagnosis, she said, that is for the doctors to do. But she shared some of her wonderful knowledge with me. She says that she doesn't think he is "classically" autistic. She said he seeks out interaction and affection, which is absolutely opposite what most children with autism do. The are typically very withdrawn, wont make eye contact, avoid touches at all costs.
She said, though that she does think he is on the autistic spectrum, just really high functioning. More than anything she thinks he has sensory integration problems. (Which he certainly does!) It is essentially that his brain and nervous system cannot process the senses the way most people do. Light, is extra bright to him, loud noises cause physical pain to his ears. Having a haircut and having all the tiny stray hairs on his face and neck feel like needles poking him. Standing in the shower hurts. And there are many more examples. She referred me to a web site and book from a leading authority in this field. I went to the web site and read around some, and it is ADAM! So I ended up ordering several books and plan to read up as soon as they get here.
Another thing she observed was that he cannot really answer questions. I have known this for quite a while and have been trying to work with him on it. She thinks there is some cognitive issue (she had a fancy name for it, that I can't remember) that essentially means his brain cannot figure out what you are asking and how to answer. Right now he has "echodidactic" speech, which pretty much means he will repeat back the last word or phrase that was said to him.
Like if you ask, "Adam, what color is that?" He will answer, "color" instead of red. But he is VERY intelligent, he knows his alphabet and all the letter sounds and is trying to sound out words, he can count and recognize numbers up to about 20. He knows most shapes, even more complex ones like octagon and hexagon. And his knows his colors well, even white, black, gray and pink. She said being hyper intelligent is actually pretty typical for some kids on the autistic spectrum.
She also suggested that I should look into and research a gluten and casein free diet. She said that 10 years ago she would have totally passed that off as a bunch of garbage, but she said that she has observed children before and after being started on a gluten and casein free diet and has seen "miraculous" improvement.
So I have found some books to read up on it and a cookbook to help us get started. I think it will be good for all of us. We are going to start avoiding High fructose corn syrup as well.
So hopefully I will have wonderful results to report back on soon!!!
And it pretty much looks like playing.
She was really nice and Adam took to her right away. She understood his speech VERY well. Better than anyone but me! It was truly amazing to have her sit on the floor with him and have him answer questions and do tests for her. She was so easy going about everything. If he didn't want to do something and told her "no thanks" she would just move on to something else that caught his attention. If he wandered off, which he did several times, she just observed him and took notes and talked to me about things she was seeing or asking me questions about how he acts in certain situations.
At one point he even headed upstairs to play with the girls, and she was not stressed at all about having him hurry back to her to move on. Eventually he came back and joined right back in with what she was doing.
She picked up on so many things just by playing with him and watching him interact with the world around him.
She of course, is not there to make a diagnosis, she said, that is for the doctors to do. But she shared some of her wonderful knowledge with me. She says that she doesn't think he is "classically" autistic. She said he seeks out interaction and affection, which is absolutely opposite what most children with autism do. The are typically very withdrawn, wont make eye contact, avoid touches at all costs.
She said, though that she does think he is on the autistic spectrum, just really high functioning. More than anything she thinks he has sensory integration problems. (Which he certainly does!) It is essentially that his brain and nervous system cannot process the senses the way most people do. Light, is extra bright to him, loud noises cause physical pain to his ears. Having a haircut and having all the tiny stray hairs on his face and neck feel like needles poking him. Standing in the shower hurts. And there are many more examples. She referred me to a web site and book from a leading authority in this field. I went to the web site and read around some, and it is ADAM! So I ended up ordering several books and plan to read up as soon as they get here.
Another thing she observed was that he cannot really answer questions. I have known this for quite a while and have been trying to work with him on it. She thinks there is some cognitive issue (she had a fancy name for it, that I can't remember) that essentially means his brain cannot figure out what you are asking and how to answer. Right now he has "echodidactic" speech, which pretty much means he will repeat back the last word or phrase that was said to him.
Like if you ask, "Adam, what color is that?" He will answer, "color" instead of red. But he is VERY intelligent, he knows his alphabet and all the letter sounds and is trying to sound out words, he can count and recognize numbers up to about 20. He knows most shapes, even more complex ones like octagon and hexagon. And his knows his colors well, even white, black, gray and pink. She said being hyper intelligent is actually pretty typical for some kids on the autistic spectrum.
She also suggested that I should look into and research a gluten and casein free diet. She said that 10 years ago she would have totally passed that off as a bunch of garbage, but she said that she has observed children before and after being started on a gluten and casein free diet and has seen "miraculous" improvement.
So I have found some books to read up on it and a cookbook to help us get started. I think it will be good for all of us. We are going to start avoiding High fructose corn syrup as well.
So hopefully I will have wonderful results to report back on soon!!!
Weight loss Wednesday--
So Weight loss Wednesday.....
I did not complete any of the goals from last week. BUT I still managed to lose another pound, 192 today, even after eating a slice of combo pizza from Costco for lunch. So I probably did lose that 2 lbs, that was my goal, but since I had a full tummy it tipped the scale up, (do you buy it?)
Well I am going to blame my not getting to the gym 5 times on the kids, it is all their fault, yea, I have no control, yea.... why should I take responsibility for myself?? (But I did make it 3 times)
And I didn't keep that food journal worth beans! (They are really cheap, so you can guess how well I did!) I know that I will do significantly better in my weight loss, if I just record what I am eating...... but here I sit!
So for this week:
Lose 2 lbs.
Get to the gym 5 times! --No excuses!
Get to writing down that blasted food!!
So my tip for this week: Eat like a kid.
No, I don't mean throw a fit and complain about everything but Macaroni and Cheese or Chicken Nuggets.
Eat small meals and snacks often.
When you are hungry get a little something good to eat.
When you are full....... STOP eating no matter what is left on your plate, and yes, I know all about starving children in Africa.
Use little bowls, cups and plates. It is amazing that you can still feel satisfied eating a child size bowl of cereal instead of something you should mix cake batter in!
Don't drink you calories! Water is good for you, and it has no calories! Drink water with your meals and you save at least 100 calories if you usually drink milk or soda.
Okay so that is it for WLW!
I did not complete any of the goals from last week. BUT I still managed to lose another pound, 192 today, even after eating a slice of combo pizza from Costco for lunch. So I probably did lose that 2 lbs, that was my goal, but since I had a full tummy it tipped the scale up, (do you buy it?)
Well I am going to blame my not getting to the gym 5 times on the kids, it is all their fault, yea, I have no control, yea.... why should I take responsibility for myself?? (But I did make it 3 times)
And I didn't keep that food journal worth beans! (They are really cheap, so you can guess how well I did!) I know that I will do significantly better in my weight loss, if I just record what I am eating...... but here I sit!
So for this week:
Lose 2 lbs.
Get to the gym 5 times! --No excuses!
Get to writing down that blasted food!!
So my tip for this week: Eat like a kid.
No, I don't mean throw a fit and complain about everything but Macaroni and Cheese or Chicken Nuggets.
Eat small meals and snacks often.
When you are hungry get a little something good to eat.
When you are full....... STOP eating no matter what is left on your plate, and yes, I know all about starving children in Africa.
Use little bowls, cups and plates. It is amazing that you can still feel satisfied eating a child size bowl of cereal instead of something you should mix cake batter in!
Don't drink you calories! Water is good for you, and it has no calories! Drink water with your meals and you save at least 100 calories if you usually drink milk or soda.
Okay so that is it for WLW!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday update!
Well the last week has been full of sick little ones, lack of sleep, and the whirlwind of buying a house.
Sick kids, so sick! This last round of junk was pretty yucky! Some cold symptoms, runny nose, cough. But BOY OH BOY the fevers!! Everyone had terrible fevers. I was just trying to keep a head of the heat by alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen and they would still shoot up unexpectedly. Adam's got up to 106!! Yes, you read that right 106!! We stripped him and threw him into a lukewarm bath. Thank Heavens his fever came down really quickly. Down to about 101. Thankfully the terrible fevers only lasted a couple of days.
And the lack of sleep was, of course, from the sick kids. It seemed like someone was coming in every 20 minutes every night for about 10 days! They don't all get sick at the same time. It seems to stagger itself out over several days. Thankfully we had Avalon feeling better by the time Adam and Archer really started feeling yucky!
Well the house buying whirlwind. We have our contract signed on our end and have given the earnest money, but guess what....... the good for nothing realtor has not presented it to the seller and the bank yet! We signed all of our stuff on the 6th!! And he is still sitting on it! We think he thinks he has a higher offer soon to be coming so he is trying to "slow walk" it. But he has never dealt with me before! I called immediately after I faxed it to make sure he received it. And also to make sure he received the copies of licenses and the deposit check. They were sent in a PDF file to his e-mail. He says, "I don't check my e-mail much." WHAT!!!???? This is 2009 and you don't check your e-mail!!?? What a joke. Unfortunately we cannot change Realtors, this is the guy the bank has chosen to represent and sell the house because it is a short sale. Well I had better see some action ASAP or his butt is mine!
So now that you are getting a small glimpse of my feisty temper are you going to run away?
Be afraid, be very afraid! j/k
Sick kids, so sick! This last round of junk was pretty yucky! Some cold symptoms, runny nose, cough. But BOY OH BOY the fevers!! Everyone had terrible fevers. I was just trying to keep a head of the heat by alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen and they would still shoot up unexpectedly. Adam's got up to 106!! Yes, you read that right 106!! We stripped him and threw him into a lukewarm bath. Thank Heavens his fever came down really quickly. Down to about 101. Thankfully the terrible fevers only lasted a couple of days.
And the lack of sleep was, of course, from the sick kids. It seemed like someone was coming in every 20 minutes every night for about 10 days! They don't all get sick at the same time. It seems to stagger itself out over several days. Thankfully we had Avalon feeling better by the time Adam and Archer really started feeling yucky!
Well the house buying whirlwind. We have our contract signed on our end and have given the earnest money, but guess what....... the good for nothing realtor has not presented it to the seller and the bank yet! We signed all of our stuff on the 6th!! And he is still sitting on it! We think he thinks he has a higher offer soon to be coming so he is trying to "slow walk" it. But he has never dealt with me before! I called immediately after I faxed it to make sure he received it. And also to make sure he received the copies of licenses and the deposit check. They were sent in a PDF file to his e-mail. He says, "I don't check my e-mail much." WHAT!!!???? This is 2009 and you don't check your e-mail!!?? What a joke. Unfortunately we cannot change Realtors, this is the guy the bank has chosen to represent and sell the house because it is a short sale. Well I had better see some action ASAP or his butt is mine!
So now that you are getting a small glimpse of my feisty temper are you going to run away?
Be afraid, be very afraid! j/k
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday is certianly not a day of rest!
Well, Adam had is first day in primary yesterday. This was his first week in the older kids class. The 3 year olds. He missed last week because the kids were all quite sick.
So yesterday, we had to get everyone bathed in the morning, because for some inexplicable reason I totally spaced out getting things ready the night before. So the day started a little before 6 AM. Rob and I got showered and I got my hair done and headed down to make breakfast. Rob got the boys up, because they were both awake and still in their rooms. He got them bathed while I started the bacon and mixed up the pancake batter.
So here is the recipe!!
Buttermilk Pancakes----recipe by Rosalie Peterson
2 c. White Flour
2t. Baking Powder
1t. Baking Soda
1t. Salt
3T Sugar
2 Eggs
3T Vegetable Oil
About 2c. Buttermilk
For my own variation that has progressed over the years, up the sugar to about 1/3 c. and I also add about 2t. Vanilla this makes them extra sweet and delicious. Besides, who doesn't love a little more "cake" flavor in their pancakes! --If you don't have buttermilk, I usually don't, just sour regular milk with about 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add the vinegar, let it sit while you mix up the dry ingredients and it is ready to go when you are ready for the liquids.
They turn out delicious every time!! We love them and eat them about once a week. Sunday mornings are pretty typical. They are so good, and everyone eats them well and it helps us all make it happily through church!
Well, after a quick ramble (or not so quick!) Back to church.
Adam had a pretty bad day. Bad, bad bad. I had such high hopes of him being with the other kids and being willing to sit in the tiny cute chairs, built just for little bums. But NO! He was having none of it!
He didn't want to sit with the class. Couldn't be distracted and entertained with Bro. Giles' neat toy. Didn't want to sit with me and my class. Didn't want to sit with his sisters. Didn't want anything to do with this new situation! NOTHING! So pretty much the whole 40 minutes-Singing time and sharing time, he tried to escape the various people trying to help him get the hang of this new place. He has spent the last 2 years in a class where playing is the norm, and he was more than okay with that! But time marches on and you have to move up and grow up a little too. It is just hard sometimes. Hard on us all. I spent the whole time crying, feeling like my heart is being ripped out. So sad for my little boy who struggles so much. Hard for the wonderful ladies who run the primary, who were trying to include Adam and help him to see that it is not such a scary place. Hard for his terrific teachers who have their hands very full with a big class.
And especially hard for Adam who can't process this chaotic, noisy, strange place.
So here's hoping the next few weeks will be better. Hopefully I can learn how to better help him adjust. And maybe just maybe he will learn to love primary. I am sure he will!
So yesterday, we had to get everyone bathed in the morning, because for some inexplicable reason I totally spaced out getting things ready the night before. So the day started a little before 6 AM. Rob and I got showered and I got my hair done and headed down to make breakfast. Rob got the boys up, because they were both awake and still in their rooms. He got them bathed while I started the bacon and mixed up the pancake batter.
---Quick sidetrack----
These pancakes are SO yummy! The base of this recipe came from the mom of one of the missionaries that Rob and I were friends with back in our Rhode Island days when we were first married. These two particular Elders: Peterson and Tomlinson were quite literally our best friends in those first few lonely months in a place very far from home. We had them to dinner at least once a week. Every Friday night. We jokingly called it "Date Night" because most families in the ward were not interested in having missionaries over on Friday night, so that became our night. We went out to eat tons. What can I say we were newly married with pretty cheap rent and too much money to spend. Oh! Those were the days! :) We would often eat in too, and one night these wonderful friends decided they wanted to cook for us. So Elder Peterson had me call his mother and get a recipe for her delicious buttermilk pancakes. (I think it might have been just a tiny bit of a ploy to get a call into the mom, but I'll never admit that!---Love you Aaron!)
So here is the recipe!!
Buttermilk Pancakes----recipe by Rosalie Peterson
2 c. White Flour
2t. Baking Powder
1t. Baking Soda
1t. Salt
3T Sugar
2 Eggs
3T Vegetable Oil
About 2c. Buttermilk
For my own variation that has progressed over the years, up the sugar to about 1/3 c. and I also add about 2t. Vanilla this makes them extra sweet and delicious. Besides, who doesn't love a little more "cake" flavor in their pancakes! --If you don't have buttermilk, I usually don't, just sour regular milk with about 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add the vinegar, let it sit while you mix up the dry ingredients and it is ready to go when you are ready for the liquids.
They turn out delicious every time!! We love them and eat them about once a week. Sunday mornings are pretty typical. They are so good, and everyone eats them well and it helps us all make it happily through church!
Well, after a quick ramble (or not so quick!) Back to church.
Adam had a pretty bad day. Bad, bad bad. I had such high hopes of him being with the other kids and being willing to sit in the tiny cute chairs, built just for little bums. But NO! He was having none of it!
He didn't want to sit with the class. Couldn't be distracted and entertained with Bro. Giles' neat toy. Didn't want to sit with me and my class. Didn't want to sit with his sisters. Didn't want anything to do with this new situation! NOTHING! So pretty much the whole 40 minutes-Singing time and sharing time, he tried to escape the various people trying to help him get the hang of this new place. He has spent the last 2 years in a class where playing is the norm, and he was more than okay with that! But time marches on and you have to move up and grow up a little too. It is just hard sometimes. Hard on us all. I spent the whole time crying, feeling like my heart is being ripped out. So sad for my little boy who struggles so much. Hard for the wonderful ladies who run the primary, who were trying to include Adam and help him to see that it is not such a scary place. Hard for his terrific teachers who have their hands very full with a big class.
And especially hard for Adam who can't process this chaotic, noisy, strange place.
So here's hoping the next few weeks will be better. Hopefully I can learn how to better help him adjust. And maybe just maybe he will learn to love primary. I am sure he will!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Foodie Friday--Food Storage
This year I am going to try diligently to build up a food storage and start using that storage. I have to figure out what to do with most of those things before something bad happens and I HAVE to know how to use them.
Recently I ordered the Comp II emergency kit from Emergency Essentials. It is a really great set with a big hiking size back pack and a much smaller day pack. It has all the basics in there, food and water for two people for two days as well as shelter, warmth and sanitation. All in all I am feeling better about life.
The plan is to have these be our "evac packs" They are packed and ready to go in case we have to evacuate in a hurry. I still need to get clothing set aside for everyone that is easily accessible too.
So on to the food of Foodie Friday, and sticking with the food storage theme, I just received a can of Mountain House Granola with Milk and Blueberries and a can of Vegetable Stew with Beef, also from Mountain House.
I opened both cans just to see what they look like inside. And I must admit, not to bad! The fruit and veggie pieces have retained their color and even look appetizing, even before mixing.
I mixed up a serving of the Granola and it is really good. The milk takes on a purple hue from the blueberries, and it tastes great! Avalon, just came in and asked what I was eating, she said, "Purple??" (In a curious but unsure way) After I let her try a bite she asked if she could finish it all! So, I guess it is a hit!
Recently I ordered the Comp II emergency kit from Emergency Essentials. It is a really great set with a big hiking size back pack and a much smaller day pack. It has all the basics in there, food and water for two people for two days as well as shelter, warmth and sanitation. All in all I am feeling better about life.
The plan is to have these be our "evac packs" They are packed and ready to go in case we have to evacuate in a hurry. I still need to get clothing set aside for everyone that is easily accessible too.
So on to the food of Foodie Friday, and sticking with the food storage theme, I just received a can of Mountain House Granola with Milk and Blueberries and a can of Vegetable Stew with Beef, also from Mountain House.
I opened both cans just to see what they look like inside. And I must admit, not to bad! The fruit and veggie pieces have retained their color and even look appetizing, even before mixing.
I mixed up a serving of the Granola and it is really good. The milk takes on a purple hue from the blueberries, and it tastes great! Avalon, just came in and asked what I was eating, she said, "Purple??" (In a curious but unsure way) After I let her try a bite she asked if she could finish it all! So, I guess it is a hit!
So, here's the Flip
Here is a link to the house we have a contract on.
The plan is to fix a few things, paint the whole interior, lay new carpet, refinish the hardwoods, and update the kitchen. Plus a few touches outside, general clean-up, some new plants, and some mulch and we should be on our way.
This is the house.
Now before everyone freaks out about the price, we are getting if for $399,900. That is with a $30,000 allowance for the fix-up, plus the seller is contributing $14,000 for closing costs! We are getting this house for $7.49 out of pocket! Pretty cool, eh!
Yes, it will take a lot of work, sweat on my part mostly! The couple we are doing this flip with, currently live in the house but will soon be moving. --Not soon enough for me-- The quicker they move the quicker I can get over there and get busy!
We have a huge list of things that need worked on while they are still in the house, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it probably will not happen. So I am pretty much planning on doing most of the work myself. ---The only problem is............my kids! What am I supposed to do with 4 young children while I am spackeling, sanding, cutting, hammering, etc!??
We close on February 20th, and I was hoping to have lots of the work done before we even close. That way I can get it back on the market ASAP!
The plan is to fix a few things, paint the whole interior, lay new carpet, refinish the hardwoods, and update the kitchen. Plus a few touches outside, general clean-up, some new plants, and some mulch and we should be on our way.
This is the house.
Now before everyone freaks out about the price, we are getting if for $399,900. That is with a $30,000 allowance for the fix-up, plus the seller is contributing $14,000 for closing costs! We are getting this house for $7.49 out of pocket! Pretty cool, eh!
Yes, it will take a lot of work, sweat on my part mostly! The couple we are doing this flip with, currently live in the house but will soon be moving. --Not soon enough for me-- The quicker they move the quicker I can get over there and get busy!
We have a huge list of things that need worked on while they are still in the house, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it probably will not happen. So I am pretty much planning on doing most of the work myself. ---The only problem is............my kids! What am I supposed to do with 4 young children while I am spackeling, sanding, cutting, hammering, etc!??
We close on February 20th, and I was hoping to have lots of the work done before we even close. That way I can get it back on the market ASAP!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Book and Movie Thursday
So my plan for Thursdays is to give a review or recommendation for a book or movie,
So today I actually have 3 things I wanted to tell you about.
My movie of choice this week: Seven Pounds Starring Will Smith. ---SPOILERS---
Some may say that it glorifies suicide, and it does, a little. But I think to good message and the way it makes you think about how fragile life is, counteracts all of that!
Basic story line--a brilliant young man makes a stupid mistake and causes a car accident where 7 people including his fiancee are killed. He is obviously devastated and longs to make restitution. The way he decides to do this are to give "seven pounds" of his own flesh. Now, before you get all grossed out, read on. He has decided to give a gift to better the lives, in truly life changing ways, of 7 people. One for each person who died. One of his gifts is financial, but the others are sacrifices of his own body for them. Some of the gifts he can supply while he is alive, some others have to happen after he has died.
The movie made me laugh and cry. Mostly cry! It was heart wrenching to see this man struggle with what he had caused and his ultimate struggle to find those he would try to help.
It made me appreciate how truly fragile life is. How quickly things can change. How one single decision, not only effects your life but can effect so many others.
So should you go see it? ---YES---
If you don't want to spend $20 to go to the movie, at least keep it in your memory banks for the video store in a couple more months!
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9nn0eKwxHY
I think Will Smith is one of the greatest actors of our generation. And I think he is largely overlooked because of some of his action movies that don't seem to take much acting skill, or too many people cant get past "The Fresh Prince", but this movies shows what a terrific actor he truly is!
Okay, now on to the books!!
I have had a sore back and had a couple of days to read while I rested. I read two really good books in that two days.
The first is from one of my favorite authors David Baldacci: Divine Justice, this is his latest novel and continues the story with the characters introduced in the Camel Club.
I absolutely loved Divine Justice, it was an original plot line, that had many twists and turns and had a great ending. I love this author, I always look forward to his next book!
Here is a link to another review, that gives a bit of the plot! Happy reading!
Amazon Link: Divine Justice
The other book was from an author I had never read before. His name is Jeffery Archer and quite honestly just picked up his book because his last name is the same as my son's name. I read the dust jacket synopsis and thought it sounded good, so I gave it a whirl!
IT WAS SO GOOD! It was the tinest bit hard for me to get into for the first 50 pages or so, then it just caught my interest and I couldn't put it down! I loved it! It reminded me a lot of "The Count of Monte Cristo" but much more modern and easily relateable. The book is called A Prisoner of Birth.
A young man is convicted of a murder he did not commit and goes to prison for 20+ years leaving behind his pregnant fiancee. He is assigned to a cell with a man that will truly change every aspect of his life. He manages to escape and begins to exact revenge on the men who did carry out the crime, and all lied to send him to prison. It was terrific! Go read it! Happy reading!
So today I actually have 3 things I wanted to tell you about.
My movie of choice this week: Seven Pounds Starring Will Smith. ---SPOILERS---
Some may say that it glorifies suicide, and it does, a little. But I think to good message and the way it makes you think about how fragile life is, counteracts all of that!
Basic story line--a brilliant young man makes a stupid mistake and causes a car accident where 7 people including his fiancee are killed. He is obviously devastated and longs to make restitution. The way he decides to do this are to give "seven pounds" of his own flesh. Now, before you get all grossed out, read on. He has decided to give a gift to better the lives, in truly life changing ways, of 7 people. One for each person who died. One of his gifts is financial, but the others are sacrifices of his own body for them. Some of the gifts he can supply while he is alive, some others have to happen after he has died.
The movie made me laugh and cry. Mostly cry! It was heart wrenching to see this man struggle with what he had caused and his ultimate struggle to find those he would try to help.
It made me appreciate how truly fragile life is. How quickly things can change. How one single decision, not only effects your life but can effect so many others.
So should you go see it? ---YES---
If you don't want to spend $20 to go to the movie, at least keep it in your memory banks for the video store in a couple more months!
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9nn0eKwxHY
I think Will Smith is one of the greatest actors of our generation. And I think he is largely overlooked because of some of his action movies that don't seem to take much acting skill, or too many people cant get past "The Fresh Prince", but this movies shows what a terrific actor he truly is!
Okay, now on to the books!!
I have had a sore back and had a couple of days to read while I rested. I read two really good books in that two days.
The first is from one of my favorite authors David Baldacci: Divine Justice, this is his latest novel and continues the story with the characters introduced in the Camel Club.
I absolutely loved Divine Justice, it was an original plot line, that had many twists and turns and had a great ending. I love this author, I always look forward to his next book!
Here is a link to another review, that gives a bit of the plot! Happy reading!
Amazon Link: Divine Justice
The other book was from an author I had never read before. His name is Jeffery Archer and quite honestly just picked up his book because his last name is the same as my son's name. I read the dust jacket synopsis and thought it sounded good, so I gave it a whirl!
IT WAS SO GOOD! It was the tinest bit hard for me to get into for the first 50 pages or so, then it just caught my interest and I couldn't put it down! I loved it! It reminded me a lot of "The Count of Monte Cristo" but much more modern and easily relateable. The book is called A Prisoner of Birth.
A young man is convicted of a murder he did not commit and goes to prison for 20+ years leaving behind his pregnant fiancee. He is assigned to a cell with a man that will truly change every aspect of his life. He manages to escape and begins to exact revenge on the men who did carry out the crime, and all lied to send him to prison. It was terrific! Go read it! Happy reading!
Weight loss Wednesday!!
Okay,
So here is my attempt at some accountability!
It is weight-loss Wednesday and here we go!
Today I weighed 193 lbs. that is down from 215 when I really started exercising and trying to feel better at the end of May. So that is a loss of 22 lbs.. The day that Archer was born I was at my all time heaviest 240! So since Archer was born in August of '07 I have shed 47 lbs.
Not bad, but not terrific either.
So my hope in posting weight loss information here, (not to mention my true weight!!!) is to have a major since of guilt when I want to skip the gym that day, or to pig out on cake, cookies, chips, Carmel popcorn, etc! ---What am I mentioning all of my trigger foods!!????
So my goals for this week:
shed another 2 lbs.
keep a food journal perfectly!
make it to the gym 5 times.
So to make Weight-loss Wednesday more than just a listing of stats, I will try and post some tips, tricks or exercises that I have tried and liked.
So for today, the awesome BOSU! It is essentially a ball cut in half that you can stand on to exercise. It is a very dynamic surface. It helps with balance and strength training because you have to engage your core muscles to even stand still on it. You can do so much with it, squats, lunges, crunches, v-sits, or even to just stand or kneel on it to lift hand weights.
So here is my attempt at some accountability!
It is weight-loss Wednesday and here we go!
Today I weighed 193 lbs. that is down from 215 when I really started exercising and trying to feel better at the end of May. So that is a loss of 22 lbs.. The day that Archer was born I was at my all time heaviest 240! So since Archer was born in August of '07 I have shed 47 lbs.
Not bad, but not terrific either.
So my hope in posting weight loss information here, (not to mention my true weight!!!) is to have a major since of guilt when I want to skip the gym that day, or to pig out on cake, cookies, chips, Carmel popcorn, etc! ---What am I mentioning all of my trigger foods!!????
So my goals for this week:
shed another 2 lbs.
keep a food journal perfectly!
make it to the gym 5 times.
So to make Weight-loss Wednesday more than just a listing of stats, I will try and post some tips, tricks or exercises that I have tried and liked.
So for today, the awesome BOSU! It is essentially a ball cut in half that you can stand on to exercise. It is a very dynamic surface. It helps with balance and strength training because you have to engage your core muscles to even stand still on it. You can do so much with it, squats, lunges, crunches, v-sits, or even to just stand or kneel on it to lift hand weights.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
General Information
I am going to try and not share too many personal details. I am not a sharer. But, what is the point of a blog if you don't share some things?!
We are doing wonderfully. We are early to bed and early to rise.......but that does not necessarily make us healthy, wealthy or wise. But I would like to think that we are working on all three.
Rob, continues to do wonderfully at work. They love him and are not afraid to let us know. It is wonderful to feel somewhat secure in a very volatile time in our economy. ---Now I am not saying this to brag in any way, and Lord please don't send extra trials just because I am shooting off my mouth!
Rob studies hard and continues to earn certifications and professional accolades. He earned his CCIE in 2004 and it has continually brought respect, job security and great pay. I am so proud of his ambition. I appreciate so much his hard work and diligence in propelling his career forward. And his wonderful ability to provide for our family.
He is a terrific husband and father. The kids are always so excited to see him at the end of the day. They all scream "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY" and full out run to the back door to throw their little arms around him and welcome him home! --he loves it!-- It makes him so happy when the kids want to sit and talk with him, or have him hold them. It makes me grin to see how much they all love each other. We are truly blessed!
Well I am keeping busy with the house and kids. Four little ones 6 and under is a wild ride. Though, I must admit that it is much easier than it was even a couple of years ago! I try and tell myself that I have it all together, even if it doesn't feel like it most days! I am trying to make sure I am taken care of as well as the family.
I have been going to the gym most every day for the past several months. I LOVE it. It feels so good to get out and have the kids watched in a place that is safe and stimulating and where I can sweat for an hour! It is my Prozac..... I feel so much better about every aspect of my life when I am active and strong. I am going to keep you updated and have some accountability on Weight loss Wednesday.... so stay tuned.
Another adventure that is soon to begin........ I am going back to school! Yes, even with four young kids, I can do it! I have signed up for Biology 101 and Psychology 202, and both my classes start next week! I am very excited! The Biology will be on campus and the psych class will be online. I am looking forward to challenging my brain in a new way again! The proposed goal right now is Nursing. It is something that I have thought of for a long time, and can totally picture myself doing. Not to mention that health care is one of the fastest growing career options out there. My plans are to take things nice and slow. Just a couple of classes each semester and move at a nice easy pace, as to not upset the dynamics of the household!
Avalon is now 6 years old. I cannot believe my tiny dark haired beauty is so big. She is so smart and articulate. And she can talk the ears off anyone who will listen! She is very obedient and helpful. I think she is a lot like me, with a great mix of some of her Dad's best qualities, friendliness and extroversion! The extrovert, I am not! We have been homeschooling Avalon for the last couple of years. She is just now age qualified to go to public school, because of a late birthday. But she was ready and willing to start school a couple of years ago, so we have been schooling her at home. She has done beautifully and gets tons of social interaction at the gym and in the classes she takes away from home. (Dance, gymnastics, art, cooking swimming, etc.)
For the coming school year we have applied for her to get into a local charter school. It is an excellent school with terrific teachers, test scores and parental involvement. I am hoping beyond hope that she will get in! We decided to see if another option other than homeschooling will fit our families needs because of newly added stresses. (More about that in Adam's paragraph) So hopefully she will get in, and then I will have some more time to focus some other things. If she doesn't get in, ( I don't even want to think about it!!!) then for now we will look into some local private schools or continue to home school. We will have to see. If any of you feel like you can, please send up some extra prayers that she will get in. :) --And not to mention, once one of your kids are in, they save a spot for upcoming siblings! It is just what I am looking for!
Alana will be 5 at the end of March and is such a sweet little girl. That is, unless she is tired or hungry or upset for some other reason, then she can be a bit of a feisty bug! She has always been a tad on the emotional side, and boy oh boy does it show sometimes! --Can we say drama queen?!--
Alana has joined us for schooling this year. She loves to learn and has been doing very well. She learns very quickly and never ceases so amaze me! She is beginning to read and is a whiz at math! It has been really fun and challenging to have both the girls schooling this year. I am not sure exactly what my plans for the coming school year are for Alana, if Avalon gets into the Charter school, I think I am going to find a private Kindergarten for Alana until she can join Avalon as she moves up to 1st grade. (This particular school starts at 1st grade and goes through 8th.)
Alana has and probably always will be a big Daddy's girl. She and Rob have such a sweet special bond. It is so fun to watch them together. Their personalities are SO similar!
Adam turned 3 at the beginning of October. He is such a handsome little guy. Light blond hair and big blue eyes, I still get stopped in stores for people to tell me how cute he is. He is MY boy, he is wonderful about giving hugs and kisses and telling me "I love you!"
He still struggles greatly with his speech. He is severely delayed in that regard and a few others. We are in the beginning stages of having him tested and diagnosed with Autism. We have been suspecting it for about a year and a half, but have been somewhat in denial because he does not have many of the Autism markers, but he definitely has more than a couple. He is very high functioning, but people who are around children a lot can definitely pick up on the signs. This is the added stress I mentioned in Avalon's paragraph. He has lots of appointments for testing and treatment so homeschooling on top of all of that is proving to be too much. Another reason we want Avalon to get into the Carter school is that they have the staff and resources for help Adam and deal with his special needs.
He is now the age to move up to Primary out of the nursery class at church. Hopefully the transition will go smoothly. The teachers for that youngest class are wonderful and will really be good for him.
Archer is 16 months old and is such a sweet wonderful baby! Though, I can hardly call him a baby anymore! He started walking a few days ago and is off and running!
He has taken his merry sweet time deciding he can walk. He has been running around with a train walking assist-type toy. (Can't think of what they are called!) He has even been standing still unassisted, until he realized that he wasn't holding onto anything, then down he goes. It was really funny to see him standing there, drinking a sippy cup or playing with a book or toy, only to look down and realize that no one was holding onto him or that he wasn't leaned against the couch and he would immediately sit!
Well, I started this post yesterday and didn't get a chance to finish it, and since that time, we have decided to go ahead and buy a house, more on that later! And we have also decided that my going to school right now, may not be the best plan. We have been discussing the school issue for several days and just this morning decided that trying to home school the children, take care of everything else, and do a flip on a house, that adding school may not work out well. So, sadly, I canceled my classes this morning and returned my textbooks and parking permit. It is bittersweet for me. I was definitely looking forward to school, but at the same time thinking about all the stress it would add for me and the family, maybe it is the best thing.
We are doing wonderfully. We are early to bed and early to rise.......but that does not necessarily make us healthy, wealthy or wise. But I would like to think that we are working on all three.
Rob, continues to do wonderfully at work. They love him and are not afraid to let us know. It is wonderful to feel somewhat secure in a very volatile time in our economy. ---Now I am not saying this to brag in any way, and Lord please don't send extra trials just because I am shooting off my mouth!
Rob studies hard and continues to earn certifications and professional accolades. He earned his CCIE in 2004 and it has continually brought respect, job security and great pay. I am so proud of his ambition. I appreciate so much his hard work and diligence in propelling his career forward. And his wonderful ability to provide for our family.
He is a terrific husband and father. The kids are always so excited to see him at the end of the day. They all scream "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY" and full out run to the back door to throw their little arms around him and welcome him home! --he loves it!-- It makes him so happy when the kids want to sit and talk with him, or have him hold them. It makes me grin to see how much they all love each other. We are truly blessed!
Well I am keeping busy with the house and kids. Four little ones 6 and under is a wild ride. Though, I must admit that it is much easier than it was even a couple of years ago! I try and tell myself that I have it all together, even if it doesn't feel like it most days! I am trying to make sure I am taken care of as well as the family.
I have been going to the gym most every day for the past several months. I LOVE it. It feels so good to get out and have the kids watched in a place that is safe and stimulating and where I can sweat for an hour! It is my Prozac..... I feel so much better about every aspect of my life when I am active and strong. I am going to keep you updated and have some accountability on Weight loss Wednesday.... so stay tuned.
Another adventure that is soon to begin........ I am going back to school! Yes, even with four young kids, I can do it! I have signed up for Biology 101 and Psychology 202, and both my classes start next week! I am very excited! The Biology will be on campus and the psych class will be online. I am looking forward to challenging my brain in a new way again! The proposed goal right now is Nursing. It is something that I have thought of for a long time, and can totally picture myself doing. Not to mention that health care is one of the fastest growing career options out there. My plans are to take things nice and slow. Just a couple of classes each semester and move at a nice easy pace, as to not upset the dynamics of the household!
Avalon is now 6 years old. I cannot believe my tiny dark haired beauty is so big. She is so smart and articulate. And she can talk the ears off anyone who will listen! She is very obedient and helpful. I think she is a lot like me, with a great mix of some of her Dad's best qualities, friendliness and extroversion! The extrovert, I am not! We have been homeschooling Avalon for the last couple of years. She is just now age qualified to go to public school, because of a late birthday. But she was ready and willing to start school a couple of years ago, so we have been schooling her at home. She has done beautifully and gets tons of social interaction at the gym and in the classes she takes away from home. (Dance, gymnastics, art, cooking swimming, etc.)
For the coming school year we have applied for her to get into a local charter school. It is an excellent school with terrific teachers, test scores and parental involvement. I am hoping beyond hope that she will get in! We decided to see if another option other than homeschooling will fit our families needs because of newly added stresses. (More about that in Adam's paragraph) So hopefully she will get in, and then I will have some more time to focus some other things. If she doesn't get in, ( I don't even want to think about it!!!) then for now we will look into some local private schools or continue to home school. We will have to see. If any of you feel like you can, please send up some extra prayers that she will get in. :) --And not to mention, once one of your kids are in, they save a spot for upcoming siblings! It is just what I am looking for!
Alana will be 5 at the end of March and is such a sweet little girl. That is, unless she is tired or hungry or upset for some other reason, then she can be a bit of a feisty bug! She has always been a tad on the emotional side, and boy oh boy does it show sometimes! --Can we say drama queen?!--
Alana has joined us for schooling this year. She loves to learn and has been doing very well. She learns very quickly and never ceases so amaze me! She is beginning to read and is a whiz at math! It has been really fun and challenging to have both the girls schooling this year. I am not sure exactly what my plans for the coming school year are for Alana, if Avalon gets into the Charter school, I think I am going to find a private Kindergarten for Alana until she can join Avalon as she moves up to 1st grade. (This particular school starts at 1st grade and goes through 8th.)
Alana has and probably always will be a big Daddy's girl. She and Rob have such a sweet special bond. It is so fun to watch them together. Their personalities are SO similar!
Adam turned 3 at the beginning of October. He is such a handsome little guy. Light blond hair and big blue eyes, I still get stopped in stores for people to tell me how cute he is. He is MY boy, he is wonderful about giving hugs and kisses and telling me "I love you!"
He still struggles greatly with his speech. He is severely delayed in that regard and a few others. We are in the beginning stages of having him tested and diagnosed with Autism. We have been suspecting it for about a year and a half, but have been somewhat in denial because he does not have many of the Autism markers, but he definitely has more than a couple. He is very high functioning, but people who are around children a lot can definitely pick up on the signs. This is the added stress I mentioned in Avalon's paragraph. He has lots of appointments for testing and treatment so homeschooling on top of all of that is proving to be too much. Another reason we want Avalon to get into the Carter school is that they have the staff and resources for help Adam and deal with his special needs.
He is now the age to move up to Primary out of the nursery class at church. Hopefully the transition will go smoothly. The teachers for that youngest class are wonderful and will really be good for him.
Archer is 16 months old and is such a sweet wonderful baby! Though, I can hardly call him a baby anymore! He started walking a few days ago and is off and running!
He has taken his merry sweet time deciding he can walk. He has been running around with a train walking assist-type toy. (Can't think of what they are called!) He has even been standing still unassisted, until he realized that he wasn't holding onto anything, then down he goes. It was really funny to see him standing there, drinking a sippy cup or playing with a book or toy, only to look down and realize that no one was holding onto him or that he wasn't leaned against the couch and he would immediately sit!
Well, I started this post yesterday and didn't get a chance to finish it, and since that time, we have decided to go ahead and buy a house, more on that later! And we have also decided that my going to school right now, may not be the best plan. We have been discussing the school issue for several days and just this morning decided that trying to home school the children, take care of everything else, and do a flip on a house, that adding school may not work out well. So, sadly, I canceled my classes this morning and returned my textbooks and parking permit. It is bittersweet for me. I was definitely looking forward to school, but at the same time thinking about all the stress it would add for me and the family, maybe it is the best thing.
So.... I guess I'm a blogger.......
Well, here we go.
I have been thinking and thinking and trying to decide if I am brave enough to put myself out there for the whole world..... Or at least for a few family and friends.
I am not a big talker. I pretty much keep to myself. I am not a sharer, is that a word??
But I need to have a good way to keep up with friends and family, since we have lived so far away from most of you for many years.
I pretty much decided to take the plunge because I enjoy reading others' blogs. I have a big list off the the side where many of you may find your blog listed, and you didn't even know I was reading........again with the keeping to myself and not sharing!
Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and family who may know us and want to keep track.
So here is the plan. I am going to make this a mix of truly selfish look at me, look at me, look at me posts and general family news and events.
I am not trying to be the funniest blog around, because, lets face it, I am not that funny! I am not trying to gain a bazillion readers, because I don't care to have tons of strangers knowing my business. I am not trying to compete in any way. This is just a fun, creative outlet/ family journal. Since I suck at journal keeping and scrapbooking, I thought this might be the solution I am looking for!
THE PLAN
Mondays for the mundane...... catching up on the things we have been up to.
Tuesday .......... catching up on our history.
Weight loss Wednesday......... Update on my constant battle to slim down!
Thursday .......Movie and book day.
Foodie Friday.........a post about a yummy new reciepe we have tried or a new book or website.
That is about it, I reserve the right to change "the plan" at any time for any reason, so don't get your used to anything. I seem to change my mind on a pretty regular basis.
I have been thinking and thinking and trying to decide if I am brave enough to put myself out there for the whole world..... Or at least for a few family and friends.
I am not a big talker. I pretty much keep to myself. I am not a sharer, is that a word??
But I need to have a good way to keep up with friends and family, since we have lived so far away from most of you for many years.
I pretty much decided to take the plunge because I enjoy reading others' blogs. I have a big list off the the side where many of you may find your blog listed, and you didn't even know I was reading........again with the keeping to myself and not sharing!
Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and family who may know us and want to keep track.
So here is the plan. I am going to make this a mix of truly selfish look at me, look at me, look at me posts and general family news and events.
I am not trying to be the funniest blog around, because, lets face it, I am not that funny! I am not trying to gain a bazillion readers, because I don't care to have tons of strangers knowing my business. I am not trying to compete in any way. This is just a fun, creative outlet/ family journal. Since I suck at journal keeping and scrapbooking, I thought this might be the solution I am looking for!
THE PLAN
Mondays for the mundane...... catching up on the things we have been up to.
Tuesday .......... catching up on our history.
Weight loss Wednesday......... Update on my constant battle to slim down!
Thursday .......Movie and book day.
Foodie Friday.........a post about a yummy new reciepe we have tried or a new book or website.
That is about it, I reserve the right to change "the plan" at any time for any reason, so don't get your used to anything. I seem to change my mind on a pretty regular basis.
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