IEP?

So I got a phone call the other day telling me that the boy's meeting has been schedules for May 13th and was that a good time.
I said ok and today I got a call from the psychologist
"Is he on Medications?"
"Does he receive therapy?"
she said "I'll send this to the school and they will come up with a date for the meeting" I told her the day was set for May 13th and she said "nice of them to let me know "

HUH?

these are surely not the nice and helpful people who were on Curly's team

Now I am scared.
Now I understand all the chatter I have heard from everywhere about how dreadful IEPs are

I swear Curly's IEP was a pleasant picnic! no kidding they sent me an invitation with a notice of everyone that would be there, and I had a ton of time to prepare
this is different. they don't even know what they are doing.

So when I went to go check the mail there was a letter form the school, I thought maybe that would be more info

no it's the forms to fill out for next year

I still do not know what we are going to do.

:(
should he stay in the charter school? should We put him in the public?

repeat the fifth grade, or advance to the sixth?

*sigh*

as I sit and listen to my daughter cry for auntie Nan ...I just wish...

she loves her Dad
she loves her brother,
loves her sister
loves her teacher
her aids and helpers
her class mates
her therapist,
her specialists
her aunts her cousins
the dog next door...

I am her Mother!

vacation

no time to blog but will update later

I still have not figured out how to blog from the blackberry
soooooo
I know you will miss me :)

Bandages and Focalin

Soo I went to pick up the boy at his school early yesterday to take him to the doctor's For a medication check. They called him out of his room and he came down to me clutching his elbow "I got hurt someone pushed me over at recess" So I look at his elbow, and it's just a really big scrape, but the nurse had put a teeny tiny bandaid on it.

So I was glad we were going to the doctors because that nurse took one look at that pathetic job the school nurse did and got the stuff, cleaned up the wound and bandaged it right. *sigh* so I would like to ask "don't they have a first aid kit at the school?" So I went out to Walmart and picked up a package of knee and elbow bandages to give them, but WOW I was kind of surprised at how it was handled, not that the cut was bad, but the little band aid and the blood dripping all over the place, I could see bits of dirt in there...kind of shocking KWIM? I know he is in middle school now but I can't imagine them expecting him to clean a wound himself. *shrug*

so back to the ADHD stuff\

He needs a med change and homework is impossible so the psychiatrist recommends him changing to several doses a day instead of the once a day extended release
*sigh* of course the two doctors don't agree, but I am going to take the word of the Ped TYVM So they increased his dose.
Sometimes I get so upset, I wish we didn't have to give him medicine, I wonder about how it all affects him :( I've evn tried taking him off a few times, one time they sent him home from school...it's obvious he struggles so much without it :(

anyway we are hopeful that the new dose will help.

IEP is coming up :)

funny stories are always nice

I asked my kids the question at dinner

"what is the most fun you had at today at school"

Messy (who's new nickname is now Curly) was the first to tell me
" today I had a time out in school"

Ok the fact that she answered my question was thrilling, I guess we need to teach what "fun" means :) but we are still thrilled that she answered, and was the first one to answer :)

Moo (who will keep that nickname) took some coaxing to get her to answer, she is upset because I put the macaroni and cheese in the green bowl, and she had wanted broccoli in the green bowl, and the mac and cheese in the orange bowl hmmm you know she is just copying her sisters issues right??? after telling us several times that she had absolutely no fun at school today, she finally admitted that she slid on the slide and that was fun LOL

Mapboy (who's new nickname will be Larry) said that he had a quiz on Africa and he was only supposed to write in 20 countries he knew 32 and he also knew the capitals which are supposed to be extra. after several minutes of bragging about how awesome he is at Geography I reminded him that he needed to do his Language arts homework LOL


my kids ROCK! I complain about them a lot, too much they are pretty cool kids :)

So the nicknames results are in!

did you pick up on the names?

Moo Larry and curly :)


it is going to be a long spring if I am going to have to forgo redsox games so the kids can do homework ARGH LOL

I've done a few posters since the last blog update I'm just going to paste them over form flickr :)

Autism the real deal

I have changed a lot in the last couple of years, I used to be the mom in the grocery store who thought " man that kid is really spoiled rotten the parents must not know how to discipline" Now I'm the mom who thinks "oh that poor kid is really struggling" I guess that is why I almost never say anything to people who make comments and things. Thank God I never said anything to anyone back when I was unaware...but hey I can't go back in time and change how I used to think, only how I think now.


So we have to go to a new place to get the girl's blood test now, the nurses at the Peds office don't want to anymore, frankly I don't blame them but it makes things harder for us.

So we go to Children's Hospital and they don't really know us yet so I had to warn them when we got there "she has autism and puts up a fight for the blood test" I do that because it's easier than just saying "she puts up a fight" when you use the word autism it makes them understand that you really mean it KWIM?
Don't get me wrong, they are great there, they are fast, and accurate, none of that wiggling the needle around trying to find the vein KWIM? and they are very nice.

So the phlebotomist kept taking Messsy's face and looking in her eyes...I was pretty sure I knew what was coming next...the old "she doesn't have autism" thing sure enough this woman is convinced she has been misdiagnosed
Why? she talks, she is smart, and she is a girl...apparently girls don't get Autism LOL I have to be nice, the woman is really just trying to help. And after all one of Messy's Doctors doesn't believe she has it either.
Me I've excepted it. she needs an aid to help her or she would be a total disruption in her class, she spins around, she paces, some times she will throw herself on the floor and start screaming with her hands over her ears for no apparent reason, she needs help walking down stairs, she doesn't like to hold my hand, but does like to hold her dad's, she has to draw a picture and take it with her before we leave the house, she will pick up a knife, a razor, a candle, a hot coal she never remembers what is dangerous, she would run out into the street with cars coming if she saw a blue jay, not that she does these things I just think she might if we didn't watch her every second of every day. I gotta say that if she doesn't have autism I'm Rachael Ray...and we all know that I am NOT RR LOL


You all know that April is Autism awareness day right?
I hope my vast number of followers, I think I have 5, don't get sick of my autism posts
because all month I am going to talk about autism and Messy and what I want/hope/pray for.

hey isn't that the whole reason I started this blog in the first place? to talk about Messy :)

I am the MEANEST mom LOL

How many times have I told the boy not to leave his homework out

you don't even know

it's not funny
anyway last night I told him three times to clean up his homework off the table and he didnt, he also left out his pastels that is DANGEROUS with those girls LOL

So meanie mom took the pastels and put them into my cabinet (the place I put stuff they are not going to see again either ever, or for a long time) and I scooped all his homework up with his sisters papers and told myself that when he asks for it I will give it to him with a little "when will you learn your lesson" kind of talk.


problem

he never asked me for it

and

I totally forgot it was sitting with his sisters papers.

So he got called for the WCC work completion center its just a fancy way of saying he has to stay after school.

OK I still didn't remember until I went to go through the papers and separate artwork, from school work

So the boy is staying after school
because I can't pick him up at the same time as his sister I have to send him to the after school program


it cost 16 dollars to send him to that


We will be billing the boy

don't worry he knows it we have discussed this before, there is no way I can be in two places at once and the after school program is the only way

*sigh*

he is not going to be happy for sure

a little part of me wanted to say NO and rush his homework to him, but really, when is he going to learn his lesson and keep his homework where it is supposed to be?

what happens when I forget to blog for a bit

I can't remember what I blogged about and what I didn't LOL

I got a call from the kindergartner's teacher yesterday
she has been having lots of trouble with sensitivity to noise
Whistles on the playground, morning announcements...any normal noises have her rocking with her hands over her ears

I know that that is what she does doesn't necessarily mean her ears are bothering her.
I tell the teacher this and she agrees with me, but is also concerned that she might have an ear infection because she also has a runny nose and, well you know the deal right? they don't want to start behavior modification if she is doing it out of real pain, or if she is really sick. Autism really stinks sometimes

So I took her to walk-in and the NP says that she has fluid in the ear
OK I am holding a pamphlet in my hand about how you shouldn't treat fluid in the ears with antibiotics...but the NP is pushing for them so the school can get going on the Behavior modification. OK OK I get it! I just wish I was one of those really smart strong mothers who has all the answers and knows what to do....you know who they are right?

anyway Dh is away until Friday so we are going to busy all week :)

now I am off to make homemade pizza with the kids, well semi homemade...I bought the dough

sometimes I miss them

Here is a picture from the past!



OH those curls!

What kind of day has it been?

Well The Messy Girl has a book to return to school I really need to find another nickname for her I am starting to really dislike "Messy"

I can't find it

and I wonder is this a typical problem with kids?
do kids that don't have issues with autism hide things? whenever there is something that has to be returned to the library or the school, she hides it and she is really good at hiding things, then she forgets where it is, sometimes she hides her favorite toys and she can't find them. it's maddening!



anyway I can't find the missing book, and the moo-ster peed her pants right when it was time for Messy's bus So I rushed around changing Moo and getting Messy on the bus and then getting Moo off to school *sigh* My head is pounding

I drop moo at school, late again...I think we are late more days that not, but that is because we can't be in two places at once KWIM?

Then I zip to the grocery store to pick up a few things I need, get home to see Messy's lunch box and thermos on the table
So I zip over to her school to drop it off
zip back home and start taking off the couch cover

see we have these loveseats that have the removable covers, and we got extra covers
two loves seats and two red covers, two black covers, and then we found a zebra striped cover in the "as-is" room for 5 bucks Messy LOVES the zebra cover I wish we had a second one because I like it when things match but....

Ok I got sidetracked there didn't I?

anyway the red covers need to be washed so I started taking of one had to stop to zip and pick up moo who had a great day at school today :)

got home get her lunch and finished taking off the cover
Got the zebra cover lined it up and pulled it on smoothing it out, got it just perfect, I just needed to put the straps on it to keep the cover on and Moo climbed up on the couch all excited "ohh zebra" So I said "please get down, I still need to put on the straps" "ok mama" she got down and sat on the floor.

The cover slips in between the back and seat and the straps run through there


so I go to push the the cover in between and it felt wet

Yes she sat on it for 1 minute and peed on it. and what is the deal with the pee accidents? twice in one day for Moo, yesterday Messy had three pee accidents ????

So I went to clean her up and thought "well she needs a shower anyway, why don't I do that now" So while I was showering up Moo the phone rang.

Guess what? IT was 12:30, and the boy had a half day, I was supposed to pick him up at 12:15

so I had to whisk a wet and drippy moo I dried her off dressed her up and wrapped her up in a blanket, it's nice out, but not THAT nice out KWIM, off to pick him up *sigh*

all I can say is...it's got to get better :)


I guess I'm not going to make it to the library LOL

anyone have any advil? ROFL

Oh I made up a good dinner

I took the leftover corned beef dinner and I made a good casserole

I sliced up the potatoes and carrots really thin
cut up some of the meat into realy small cubes

I started with a layer of veggies
layer of cabbage
layer of tomato sauce
sprinkled some of the meat
layer of mozzarella

veggies
cabbage
sauce
meat
cheese

sprinkled some Italian seasoning
and Parmesan cheese

baked it about 20 minutes

and it was awesome

The boy loved it, the hubby loved it, I thought it was pretty darn good

girls wouldn't try it because it looks like "Basagna" and while they both know that Garfield LOVES "bazagna" they don't so.....

I must say the boy has been less fussy about his food lately :)


now if we could only get the kid to do his required homework.

sick kids and kids who don't have homework, but....

Moo is still sick, she sounds awful when she is coughing still clear mucus but if she isn't better by Monday I am taking her in. at least her fever is gone.

Messy is feeling better, she barely got sick huh?
Boy is driving me nuts with his "I have no homework, oh yeah I have to finish this project for my..." stuff. he got just a little sick too weird

Next week we will start my "no more missing church" campaign it was supposed to start this week, but they are all sick
Me I feel pretty bad, if Moo feels half as bad as I do I feel bad for her

the thing with Moo is she hardly ever gets sick
I know they say antibiotics don't prevent colds and things, but I swear she never gets sick, she is three and is learning about covering her mouth and how to blow her nose.

Ok the boy finished his NON homework project so we are going to eat lunch.

*sigh*

Yesterday we went for a drive and caught a majorly awesome sunset

here are a few pics

officially sucked in

I know I said I wouldn't watch Idol this time

but I have now put it on the top of the tivo list.\


Today Moo is still sick

and my blackberry is dead

I got a replacement phone it's just a phone though, so it's not like I can go on facebook or anything LOL


starting to change the way we do our food planning


hopefully stop wasting money and food

Am I like the worst blogger eveh?

LOL

It's wednesday

I'm really sad that I am not watching Idol this time around.
I keep reading updates and wishing I had watched :(

I'm keeping the little one home from school today

she is coughing a lot
she seems fine, and never get sick, so I am sure she is ok, I just am not used to her coughing like that...we need to work on the "cover your mouth" thing some more, she just doenst get the practice her siblings always get LOL

I do need to go to the laundromat, so maybe keeping her home wasn't such a good idea, but I knwo I wouldn't want to be the teacher with a coughing kiddo who doenst always remember to cover KWIM?


SHE of course is angry at me for not letting her go to school

ROFL

she is so funny :)

like my new header?

it means those cute kiddos need to park themselves in their own beds thankyouverymuch ROFL

--------------

homework should not take 3 plus hours

-----------------------------
I had an non productive day

BUT the good news is, I have not taken one Advil all day

no knee pain (well just a little)
no tooth ache
No back pain
no headache

Lets party!
it has really been awhile since I could say that

Monday blues

spring is gone and winter has fought it's way back for a brief time
the birds seem confused
I put out extra food for them
the kids are happy
it's been a week since I last blogged

I didn't get to write about the beautiful weather,
or our anniversary
no time for reflection
it's Monday
not enough time to do what I need to do

yet here I am blogging

LOL

Happy Birthday Peter and Paul

Why do I remember this day?

someday I will be...

44 years of fun and excitement :)

Well so the birthday didn't go as planned but... well that is what life is all about right?
we all got ready to go to Church the girls were super excited because I had matching butterfly dresses for them, and then we were just about to leave when Messy had an accident....most kids a quick change into another dress would be fine, but not her :( she really wanted to match her sister, and even her french poodle dress (her favorite) was not en0ugh to let us get to church on time :( I was a bit disappointed.

we spent the rest of the day getting DH's car fixed, and shopping for a new haircolor, they don't have mine anymore ...actually according the the website they still make my color, but they are not to be found anywhere.

made dinner, birthday person gets to pick, so I picked breakfast...breakfast for dinner was one of my favorite dinners as a kid so.... it sort of loses it's fun when you are the one cooking it ROFL but it was still good :) I got many birthday wishes.

then the boys went down to watch Indana Jones and the girls and I frosted the cake :)

we sang Happy Birthday, and then we ate cake, Moo just licked the frosting off, Dh got pics of the kids with chocolate frosting all over ROFL

oh Dh got my flowers

that was my birthday
I wish I had gotten to church, but other than that I had a good day with the kiddos

:)

Next week we will celebrate our anniversay!

I'm planning on making a something special...but I am not sure what yet ROFL

thanks to all my friends for all the wonderful wishes

random stuff

time flies

the boy is having trouble at school

same kid

never ending lies

yes I know ten year olds lie

which 10 year old is?

detention he said, but no call from the school

weirdness I just want to pull him out and back into the safe walls of our home
The dr says "to bad you can homeschool him again, he did so well back them"

*sigh*
I think we have established that...I'm just not able to do that very well...
If I must be honest I don't really want to do that :(
failure sucks

bullies sucks

autism sucks

but the girl is doing well
she likes school
she talks about school
she makes eye contact
answers questions...well sometimes
she likes her teachers
likes her "friends"

even draws pictures of them and talks about them by name

amazing


the little one seems to have forgotten how to use the potty regularly
Nothing I can't handle but I sure wish my washer was fixed LOL



Dh has been away all week, we are doing OK, mornings are hardest, but we have pulled it off :)
I've been pretty whiny all week more than I should be
no excuse for my bad attitude

My birthday is coming up, I don't really care about that

my mom died 4 years ago

*sigh*


I can hear the red wing blackbirds

spring is coming

time to move on :)

what did you learn today Moo?

I love three year olds :)

today I jsut realized Moo has a wicked boston accent ROFL
so I picked her up at school and we went to the grocery store, and I asked her what she learned at school



"candy is NOT a good choice for healthy dinnah"


"when a biggah boy pushes on my backpack and wont let go, you Postah say 'sxcuse me but please don't push on my backpack cuz moo don't like that' cuz dah teachah will smile, and if you yell the teachah will be sad!"

"feets don't think"





ROFL

a little creativity please?

So after watching the girls play in a doctors waiting room, they lined up the little beanie babies and then Moo took her coat and draped it over the toys and claimed that they were now at school.

I thought up an idea for them, I have some cardboard boxes I tucked away when I got my Ikea love seats

so when the girls did not want to leave their "school" I mentioned an idea to them

"at home I have a big box, we can decorate it and make it into a school for your animals" they loved the idea


when we got home I told my idea to MB

to decorate the box to make it a school


So the boy who can't focus, can't stick to a project at school, the kid who is having so much trouble staying on task, spent the whole day building a school, he went through the recycling bin and cut up cardboard to make rooms, desks and even a printer...the school has everything even a gymnasium.

ADHD is such a confusing thing



I mean this is truly a work of art


how come he cant get school credit for this?

the poor kiddo