I'm Here - AND THERE!

Hi everone! I wanted to let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth! Some of you, actually, have managed to find me. I am writing as the parent-of-special-needs-child/working mom representative at Chicago Parent Magazine's online component. You'll know how to find me when you get there, I promise. Life is still as crazy as ever. If you read the post below this one, then you know that even our sacred "7th Day" is no longer ours. We've been busier than bees, running to this, that and the other - usually at the same time. The band is on a roll and is gearing up to complete our CD!!! Stop on by ChicagoParent and say hi! There are many posts in there that I'd love your feedback on. Leaving a comment is as easy as clicking in the upper right corner where it says, "Join," creating a username & password (kind of like here at blogger), and then just leaving a comment (also kind of like here at blogger). I'll keep writing here, too...no worries, just not as often!

For A Friend in Need

Hi my favorite sources of support and sanity! I have a friend from my myspace site, Cherie, who is in need of some advice. She lives in Ontario Canada and has a sweet little 4/5 y/o boy named Aidan. He's on the spectrum. Mom is making no headway with the schools and is pleading for advice and suggestions. I'm reposting one of her myspace blogs here and asking for your comments and ideas which I will, then forward on to her (unless, of course you have a myspace account - then you can reply directly to her myspace blog).

Wednesday, February 07, 2007 - 8:02 PM

It all begins... I knew the day was comign but didn't expect this...

This is going to be a long blog, so grab a cup of tea and sit back. So this is where things are at: Aidan attends nursery school three mornings a week for two hours at a time. During this time the nursery school has a schedule and Aidan has done really well in learning how to do all of these activites and transition from one to the next without much difficulty. The children have 30 minutes of free time a day and during this time Aidan is given about 5 activities to do. Even if he hates the activity he iss till forced to do it. This is something I was not aware of, and it was also not shared with me until today that Aidan was literally having meltdowns after he was being forced to do these things i.e. a puzzle. So Friday afternoon their is a case conference regarding Aidan being held at his nursery school. At this time his preschool resource witll be there. (This person goes into the nursery school and works one on one with Aidan once a week, and gives the nursery school directions on ways to help Aidan etc... p.s. might I add this woman has been working with Aidan for 1 year now and has done no training with autism...) Aidans SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) will be attending to give the nursery school different suggestions on how to promote communications with Aidan and activities etc. to keep him using speech. (This SLP has only seen Aidan 3 times and that has been once a month and nothing hands on has happened with her. So I have demanded more one on one speech therapy with Aidan once a week, instead of this once a month for an hour crap.) All nursery school staff will be present (3 of them) They are great ... really! I swear to god they are all Mary Poppins. Always happy and cheerful... kinda makes me sick haha.... no really they are great. Anyhow... Aidan SSAH worker (Special Services At Home.... same a s Respite just more hours and she does what I need her to with Aidan. Currently we get about 12-15 hours a week, and we have been concentrating on socializing Aidan out in public, swimming and any activity I feel he needs help with i.e. crafts, task completion activities...etc.) Of course I will be there as well. I guess I am having a bit of a bitch fit right now, because Aidans Preschool Resource worker has a horrible habit of trying to run the show. It's like she assumes I cannot do it. Trust me, this mamma can more than handle it... infact it is always me giving the sugegstions or getting the tools... I am his advocate. Now I am silly to even say this because we all do this so you know... but these people just don't get it sometimes. It is important to point out that the Preschool Resource works with all children from all different areas... NOT specifically children with Autism... infact on her caseload,...she has maybe 2 out of 50 that have autism. Ya seriously. She also has not educated herself with autism, learning tools or ways to help Aidan so she in turn isn't able to give those suggestions and advice needed to the nursery school because she doesn't have the training to do it. to me it seems like she is using all methods to teach Aidan... sorta seems like treating a broken leg with a bandaid... She just doesn't have the training necessary. Also being as this is a rural area 2400 people... my options of switching her is pretty limited. So the preschool resourse phones me at home today to say, "I think we need to video tape Aidan, and send that video in to have him re-evaluated for IBI / ABA" Ok... now in Ontario, Canada only those children who are on the severe end of the spectrum even qualify and Aidan was diagnosed as being mild. Aidan also is past the stages of IBI / ABA and the entire PECS program because he is so verbal, he makes requests, he knows his ABC's, 1-20, Colours and is able to put a few 2-3 word combinations together. Aidan was seen and assessed by a child psycomotrist (who only deals with autisitc children). I phoned her today as she is the one that the Preschool Rescource wants to haev the video tape sent to. She was as angry and appauled by the suggestion as I am. She said, "Cherie, no matter how many times this child is assessed... he will never be severe... and he defiantly will not benefit from IBI / ABA because he is past that... the skills taught using IBI / ABA ... He already has those skills." It seems like Aidans Preschool Resource is seeing IBI / ABA as the be all end all therapy to cure this child and that is just not the case. She drives me crazy. I have had to limit her time around me because she seriously makes me want to beat her. I realize that a large portion of her clients parents, ... do not know who to contact or what services to access. A lot also are not really great parents and lack skills, like the ability to do laundry, wash a floor or cook. These are all areas I do NOT need help in. This she knows. So back to the Nursery School and Preschool Resource. So I am being told when Aidna is at the nursery school that they are having a hard time transitioning him from one task to the next and that he is having meltdowns, or it is taking two of them to physically move him to the next activity. What are your thoughts??? I am thinking... 1) He isn't getting enough 1 on 1 2) He is being given to many options and is overwhlemed 3) Aidan is being forced to do activities he hates (don't get me wrong of course he has to be pushed and forced to try new things but is in necesssary every morning that he is there??) 4) 3 mornings in a row Aidan has cried when I have dropped him off... this is something that he never did before... why is he doing this??? Again we have a meeting Friday so any imput you could give me or suggestions... hit me with them, because I want him to continue at the nursery school but I also want everyone else to get it together and put some emphasis on Aidan and the fact that he does have autism..... nott hat autism is everything but he does have it. Ok... what has worked for you guys??? I feel lost... Gees I hope this makes sense... lol

I know you guys are full of resources & suggestions. This is what I wrote in response:

Hey Cherie -
First, I want to applaud you for YOUR restraint for not beating the crap out of that woman! Secondly, I also blog at MommyGuilt with a group of wonderful parents of kids on the spectrum. These people are from around the globe, from different population sizes, different school systems, etc... I urge you to also pop over there and start reading and checking out their blogs. A couple of bloggers you should check out are Kristina, whose Charlie is more towards the severe end of the spectrum, andKyra, whose 5 y/o "Fluffy" has Asperger's. Both are fountains of knowledge on programs, schools, resources, helpers, etc. Pick their brains and tell them I sent you.

Extremely important:-YES, YOU are Aidan's advocate! You know what strategies work best with him. Try to, without seeming on the defensive, push this to the teachers, perhaps by writing a "manual" or an "about me" from Aidan - I'd be happy to send you a couple of the ones we did for SmallBoy. Also, very important, especially if the school staff seems to feel the need to take charge of the meeting and push you off to the side. See if the psychomotorist is available to either attend the meeting, in person or via conference call.

In answer to your questions:
1) He isn't getting enough 1 on 1 - Probably not, but from the way it sounds, it's because the school, as we all say, doesn't "get it." They need education from YOU on the best things to do for Aidan.
2) He is being given to many options and is overwhlemed - Absolutely. I hate to use this analogy, but it might be the simplest for the teachers to understand....it's like when your computer is taking too long to process your commands and then overloads because you keep pushing the buttons over and over trying to make it respond...Same theory in play here.
3) Aidan is being forced to do activities he hates (don't get me wrong of course he has to be pushed and forced to try new things but is in necesssary every morning that he is there??) - No, it's not necessary, especially at his age. If they could choose, say , one activity a week to have him work on and let the other ones slide for that week, then perhaps he could slowly be worked into them. Also, if the teachers help him do the activity in a "fun" way....in a way that they are doing it together, that sometimes helps. Look into RDI (Relationship Development Intervention). That sounds like the track that you guys should be doing, particularly if he's well past ABA and is verbal.4) 3 mornings in a row Aidan has cried when I have dropped him off... this is something that he never did before... why is he doing this??? - It could be a number of things: stress, anxiety in anticipation of being made to do something he doesn't want to or doesn't understand.

Oh and back to the meltdowns: If those teachers had any clue, they'd understand that he's in nursery school and he's on the spectrum....of COURSE he's going to have meltdowns. What you need to do now is find a plan to help him work his way out of the meltdowns, either on his own or with their assistance.

Check out my MommyGuilt blog and get in touch with some of the wonderful people on there. They'll give you some guidance and some suggestions. They're great great people.

She needs your suggestions. Thanks guys!

Test Post

Is it me, is it blogger, or was it because I was trying to put the fabulous cookie day slide show into the post. (check the sidebar to see it - or go to my myspace blog to see it bigger!). I'll blog some more in a bit...trying to work this bug out and, believe it or not, I'm actually busy at work. YIKES

Ok - Switching Now

Somehow, I managed to make the switch to beta. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get all of my cool stuff back - you know my slide shows, my links, all that jazz. In the meantime, bear with me. The kids are at their dad's this weekend, so I only have to work around everything else we're doing today in order to get computer time.

Stick around. I'll figure it all out soon!

I'm Stumped

Last night while I was posting for yesterday, I had tons and tons of ideas for todays post. Now, I'm at a loss. I think I was so intent on staying on track for the big gigantic post that I wasn't about to stop and write down my ideas, lest I change tangents mid-post. So, in the meantime, while I'm wracking my brain for ideas and reading YOUR posts, go back and read my two posts from yesterday and then look at the slide show post from our weekend.

Read Post Below - This wouldn't add in the first time

Don't worry, I've got more coming today.

50 Ways to Ease the Chaos

Ok, ok, so it's not 50. It's not even 5...just one. If you've been following the posts the last few days, you've seen what total insanity my week has been and is going to continue to be. You've read about how this absolute lack of structure is making my poor Not-So-SmallBoy melt, how my Girl is so overextended that she's forgetting committments, how LargeBoy is, well, LargeBoy, but a stressed LargeBoy, and how PC & I are just pulling our hair out trying to make the schedule work and keep everyone happy.

Last night was a basketball game for Girl and a meeting for me. Thankfully, both were at school. The timing, of course overlapped and it seemed like there was no way on earth that we could pull all of this off effectively. As it turned out, I left work at 4 because I had to make the bank deposit. Despite the long line at the bank, I was still home before 4:45. PC had been cooking the most divine pot roast since 1:30. SmallBoy and I made my grandmother's dumplings (I'll have pics for you tomorrow). Girl went early to her basketball game with some friends because they wanted to watch all the games prior to hers. One problem solved - we didn't have to get her to the gym 1/2 hr before game time which happened to be in the middle of my meeting. I didn't have to be at school until 7, so we still had time to sit down and eat sort of as a family.

To further maximize our time, since Girl's game was at 8:00, PC drove me to the meeting and went to do some errands. SmallBoy stayed home with LargeBoy and did the post-dinner routine. After the meeting, I walked over to the gym hoping to be on time for tip-off and to meet PC. Things seemed to be going well and running about as well as could be expected. Yeah. You know what THAT means. At 8:00, the scheduled start time, the 7th grade game had just begun the 3rd quarter. Lovely. Our Girls finally tipped off at 8:40. They fought hard, kicked some butt in the 2nd half to come behind, but just didn't have the defense (nor the offensive boards) to pull this one off. Finally, after post-game conferences and clean up, we piled back into the car at 10:00.

When we arrived home, LargeBoy informed me that his brother had gone to bed on time. We were glad to hear that, but surpised, since we could see his bedroom light on through his window when we came in from the garage. I went up to kiss him goodnight, and he was still awake, waiting for me to tuck him in and perseverating on where his Christmas list could have gone (he has to have this to his Grandma Pooh-Bear - Ex's mom by Saturday). I assured him that it was somewhere in the house and that we'd find it the next day. He finally consented to let me leave the room after tons of hugs and squeezes and squishes. I tucked him back into his sensory tunnel (something I've gone back to for his sleep since his being "off track" returned), zipped his bed tent and went back downstairs. Ahhhhhh, finally time to relax with my husband.

We hung out for a while and then headed up to bed, shortly after 12:30. Morning came entirely too quickly and it came in just the same way that the day went out - chaotic. I woke 10minutes before my alarm to Girl trying to rouse the dog. She was afraid that the dog had beaten us to the punch and decided to "go" before we could take her in for the "last doggy walk." Finally, she got up, but our hearts were all racing. Morning routine went as usual, start doing hair, stop doing hair to go wake up LargeBoy, come back upstairs to start waking SmallBoy, finish hair, get dressed, make up at work....I was on track. Then the phone rang as I was down to crunch time. It was my drummer, who is unbelievably difficult to get ahold of, calling to discuss our gig this Saturday. Yep. Schedule thrown. Rush rush rush, SmallBoy wanted no part of getting up because he was cold and, despite the darkness outside, it was still too bright. LargeBoy was running behind because he overslept AND hadn't made his lunch yet. We were now, officially running late. I still, miraculously made it to work on time, however.

Girl has a basketball game tonight. I have cantor rehearsal tonight. Of course the times that everyone has to be where they need to be overlap. I had already asked Girl to get a ride to the game and told her we would meet her there. My rehearsal is once a month and, as we're entering the Christmas season, there are a whole slew of things that get added into the mass, so missing it would not be very beneficial. After this morning, however, I called PC and told him that something had to give and that I would not be going to the game tonight. I am going to stay home and spend some time with SmallBoy. We'll do some OT work with his body sock and his pilates ball and his weighted ball and I'll let LargeBoy hog the computer and figure out my iPod (hooray, it just arrived! - I'm still taking song suggestions, btw). PC totally agreed. Instead of sending Girl off to her game, though with no one to watch her fabulousness (cuz Ex never goes if it's not at the home gym), he's going to go and watch her while I stay with SmallBoy.

I had a mixed report from the teacher yesterday, but, considering his last week or two, it was better than I had expected. Kyra, you're hitting it right on the nose about just the craziness being enough to set him running for cover and decompression with no where to turn, and there's another messed up no structure kind of week right around the corner. We'll be starting the communication notebook at school next week and PC and I will be going in to school the first week of December to present SmallBoy's book to the other 4th grade class and the teachers are inviting the parents and staff to attend (I'm SO excited! Again, Marti - God Bless YOU and Child for that!).

So here I sit blogging - at work. This is the one place, lately, where I stay put for 8hrs. The most running I do is going to the salad bar next door to get lunch. Here I will stay and enjoy my calm before returning to the chaos. At least it seems like today, though, and last night - generally, there has been some easing of the insanity. Btw, I'm still taking workout song suggestions for my iPod. Thanks a million to the ones that have come in. Smoochies!

My ONLY Chance to Post Today...

...is right this very second. I have to make the bank deposit for work today and, thus, am leaving in about 40minutes. When I get home, it's run run run run - dinner, sacrament meeting for SmallBoy, Basketball game for Girl - ok, that's only three things, but we won't be home until almost 10:00. NO SmallBoy time built in there, cuz he has to be in bed by 9:30 and is still having a terribly difficult time holding himself together at school (see two posts below - sorry, no time for linking).

It's really kind of funny because this is one of the few times, that I'm dreading leaving work. No, not because I don't want to go home, I'm DYING to see my family, but simply because of the nonstopness (like my new word?) of it all. Of course, there is a big bottle half full of breathing red wine still on the counter. Perhaps a glass of that will keep me on an even keel. I AM looking very forward to Girl's basketball game tonight. It promises to be a good one. I'll try to make mental notes and post on it tomorrow if it's a great one - AND I recharged my batteries for my camera (NOTE TO GIRL: I STILL NEED A NEW CAMERA FOR MY BIRTHDAY TO REPLACE THE ONE THAT GOT "MISPLACED" IN MICHIGAN), so I should have some pics that actually turn out.

Ok, better run, but wanted to make sure that I got my post in today. Oh, and my iPod Shuffle comes tomorrow, not today like I had originally thought, so returning to the workout place will have to wait til Thursday when I've had a chance to upload some workout tunes - anyone have any good music ideas? I can do a post on what I used from YOUR suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a Wonderful Resource YOU Are!

I promised you a post on Parent-Teacher conferences. They were pretty much what I expected except that SmallBoy has had a much more difficult time holding it together. He's having angry outbursts in class, he's melting much more frequently and reacting poorly when someone asks him what's wrong. Academically, he's doing fine. I've been doing some work with him at home, work that we do at my job (a program I HIGHLY recommend for those with decoding and/or symbol imagery and/or comprehension weaknesses) and his last reading test was beautiful. It was mainly comprehension and he scored a 97%! I must be doing something right with that.

He's having difficulty, however, doing more than the absolute bare minimum of an assignment and becoming extremely agitated if asked to put in more effort. I know that when PC, Meem, Mom (GR) & I went to the conference with Dr. Baker, he had some suggestions on this, so I'll have to look at my notes. One example, when, PC and I first noticed his resistance to doing the whole assignment was when the class had to bring in an article from the newspaper about the mid-term elections, and talk about it to the class. He and I went through the paper and looked for something shorter and something with a bit of a different twist than what we thought the rest of the class might bring in. We found a short article about how, despite the new voting "technology", there were still entirely too many glitches. Obviously, an article written in the Chicago Tribune about an election is going to require some "translation," which I did. SmallBoy, however, took that as a substitute for reading the article. He did NOT wish to read it at all. It got so ugly that I, Ms Calm Cool & Collected, told him, "Fine. If you don't wish to read it, then you will have to take the consequences when Mrs. M asks you to explain it to the class."

So, anyway, we chatted about that at conferences and Mrs. M asked us for more ideas on how to help him out of a meltdown, how to help keep him focused, how to keep the outbursts at a minimum. These have really been reaching a peak over the last few weeks and we haven't noticed them, at home, anyway, until early last week. This morning I emailed the teachers. Oh - I forgot, the other 4th grade teacher asked PC & I if we can come in and present SmallBoy's Book to HER class (Marti...WOW!). We're SO excited. Here's what I wrote to the teachers:

Good Morning Ladies -

After speaking with you both at conferences on Thursday, we proceeded to SmallBoy's occupational therapy and spoke with his OT for suggestions. She suggested that perhaps a system of reward motivators that can be carried over to home so that his rewards stay consistent and come, ultimately, from my husband and myself. You could simply use a corner of the chalkboard and make a mark of some sort, without putting his name on it, or he could keep a card on his desk to keep track. That way, he's not receiving any extra special attention/rewards that the rest of the class is not. What he earns that day could be communicated home.

The system we use at home is a star system. The number of stars he receives is equivalent to the task he performs or the task & the lack of complaining. Additionally, he will receive stars for pulling himself out of a meltdown, if he does something without being asked, if he goes out of his way to help someone, if he demonstrates superb behavior, etc.

He uses these stars in exchange for video game/computer time with each star equivalent to 5 minutes.

To help make this system transfer from school to home, and vice versa, I've taken a cue from some fellow parents with children on the spectrum. They send a notebook back and forth to school each day to create a constant communication between the parents and the teacher. For example, if SmallBoy had a great day, but melted at one point over something, you could let me know. If he had a difficult time on his homework, or had a really rough morning, I could let you know. Even better, if he had a fantastic day, or was ready to melt over something and found a way to pull himself out.... We could also communicate about the stars he had earned that day.

Another suggestion his OT had was as far as keeping him focused or bringing his engine back down to a regulated level. What she has found works for him is giving him a sour candy. This works with homework, too. I expressed to her that candy in the classroom probably was not a huge possibility, but she mentioned to me how brilliant teachers are at subtlety and that simply walking past his desk and dropping a few near him (we would be happy to supply the stash), or if he could keep some in his desk and you could cue him when you notice he needs one, "SmallBoy, what can you use to bring your engine down?" or "SmallBoy, where's your engine right now?" (something like that).

After thinking more on what a hard time he's been having lately, we realized that our multiple schedules (Cub Scouts, OT, Girl's non-stop sports, meetings, work, etc...) have finally all collided creating many nights in a row when none of us are home together for any length of time. Additionally, our dog has been growing increasingly sicker and will, in all likelihood, be put down this week, on which he's been dwelling, plus, the "off" schedule of the last week has thrown him quite a bit. We were hoping that this week would be a bit calmer, since next week is going to be a shortened week for him, too, but it's even more crazy than the last few. We've made a visual calendar of just this week, though, so that he can see what activities are going on, and for whom, and on what days. I'm hopeful that will assist in his anxiety, especially now that the rest of us have a visual and can plan some quiet SmallBoy time accordingly.

Let me know what you think about these suggestions.

Ms. R - Looking at my schedule, I am unable to get away from the office until the first week of December, as my boss is out of town at a conference this week, and then on vacation for 2wks. However, if we can schedule the 6th or 7th of December. Also, I can check with my husband for his availability and perhaps he can come in and present sooner. As in Mrs. M's class, I know that SmallBoy would appreciate being a part of the presentation, so I would like to also coordinate with Mrs. M a time when we could "borrow" SmallBoy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to spend "learning" SmallBoy, and for working so closely with us. We appreciate the fact that he has such caring teachers, and a compassionate atmosphere in which to learn and grow. Again, let me know your opinions on the suggestions and if you have any others.

Sincerely,
MG & PC

I would LOVE any other brilliant ideas or suggestions that any of YOU may have. You see where I already swiped the Communication Notebook (why haven't I been doing that all along? DUH!). You, my blog family, have been such an incredible fountain of knowledge & wisdom, and one of the many things for which I am truly thankful!

GO! Check THIS Out!

See that cool slide show down there...I did one for the band and replaced the old boring one that we had. Go to our myspace and check it out. And no, this is NOT today's post. Read yesterday's - It's heavy-ish, and I've got another one already in the works for today (yes, I'm VERY bored at work).

A Little Too Close for Comfort

As I'm sitting and relaxing with my family, after a long few days of cleaning and cooking for the pentultimate family event, it just dawned on me that it was 10:55pm and that I hadn't posted today. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! It was a LONG day, filled with church, family, food, and squirrels...Lord had I the time to tell you everything, but I don't, so I'll just give you snippets.

The long day really started over the when we embarked on the project of getting the house "ready" for the party on Friday. I've felt like shit for about 4 or 5 days, so I haven't been assisting much in the preparatinon stage of the event...granted, I planned, invited, made lists, assigned foods, etc..., but the actual physical cleaning and getting ready, I've sat on my ass. I still can't reach the top of my inhale. I'm still convinced that its part cold and part anxiety over my finances.

Today, though, we had the big giganto party. The Expando-Family was invited starting at 2pm. This party was not just for my children, but any one on my side of the family with a birthday in the last quarter of the year...and in my family, every quarter is FULL of birthdays! But wait...there's more! PC, ET, & I stayed up very late last night. We were ripping up carpet, cleaning, and preparing food. Just as we were getting ready to present our boarding passes for our seats on the slumber flight, we were all rudely awakened from our bliss by a Princess displaying the international sign for choking. Thank God for her fast acting and quick thinking, and amazingly calm father. He realized that she was choking (on a large Lemon Head) and gave her the Heimlich maneuver as soon as he figured out what was going on. Needless to say, we were all on a bit of an adrenaline high after that. There was no way we could go to bed at that point, especially after being scared out of our wits! Thankfully, our sweet little girl was ok and I made it a point to offer up thanks at church this morning that I don't normally offer up.

Speaking of church, it was SmallBoy's first time singing with the youth choir. I can't begin to explain to you the pride, but all of you, I'm certain, know what I'm talking about. But to be watching your ASD child, completely apart from you, in an environment where he is forced to hold it together, where he MUST follow the music and the director and the format for the mass...it was truly incredible. I had to fight to keep the tears from rolling down my face. Yes, I was extremely proud, just like any other parent there, but unlike any of the other parents, I had an additional element of "WOW", as well as pride. He did SO great!

Came home, had lots of family over, lots of food, we're all ready to explode, had a wonderful time. Girl & SmallBoy are in bed, LargeBoy is in the shower, PC & ET are on the couch "watching" TV and I'm here....

Oh..........Yes, you want to know about the squirrel! Well...now THIS is a funny one. In the middle of the party, the phone rang and it was my FIL, he hadn't been able to attend the party, so we just thought he was calling to check in. Turns out, he was calling to tell us that there was a squirrel loose in the house, running around, knocking over precious glasses, lamps, etc....HOLY ACORNS, BATMAN! PC, ET, and I thought that perhaps, if FIL really wanted the squirrel to give up that he should corner it and give it a lecture of his choosing. Then again, we also created, in our imaginations, the picture of my FIL giving up the chase and being reclined on the sofa watching the game while Mr. Squirrel sat on HIS big comfy leather chair. Teee Heee....

Well kids, I've got a few more good posts up my sleeves for this week, but the alarm will be going off entirely too soon in the morning. I'd best get my boys situated and to bed. Nighty Night!

Am I Crazy or Am I Needing Motivation? (oh yes, and I need HELP!)

Yup. I'm crazy. I haven't been writing much lately, so, with a good swift kick in the pants in the form of a nice little challenge, and a little encouragement from Kyra and my family, I've decided to participate in NaBloPoMo this month. For those of you unfamiliar, it is a challenge to post on your blog every single day for the month of November. It doesn't have to be anything profound, it can be simple, short, or you can babble on and on, which, I find, I have no trouble doing. I don't think I'll have too much difficulty with the posting part, it's the uploading of the logo that is challenging me.

I'm not certain if it's me or if it's blogger or if it's a little of both...it took me all day just to get the photo into THIS post...and I KNOW how to do THAT. Well tonight we trick or treat, tomorrow we embark on the post. In the meantime, I need HELP!!!!! Kyra and I have been, as she put it, the blind leading the blind when it comes to figuring out how to get our friend Yoda, here, into the sidebar. There are many logos for the NaBloPoMo challenge on the page. This is the one I chose to use. However, I am terribly challenged in the area of doing anything to the blog except actually posting. If you know anything about adding these little tags to blogger, any knowledge you'd like to share with me would be MUCH appreciated! Send it through my email - in my profile! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Unpacking begins

Following, or previously, I should say, will be some of my favorite articles from our previous site.

by mommyguilt on April 25, 2005 03:20PM (CDT)

SmallBoy is making his First Holy Communion this Saturday. LargeBoy is graduating from 8th grade this June. To keep from driving myself, and my family, crazy I've decided to combine the two celebrations into one party. Woo-hoo! Less cleaning! Oh. No. Wait. There's still going to be a party....

...and it's going to be
......THIS SATURDAY !!!!!!

Ok - first things first: STOP PANICKING. This shouldn't be too difficult of a task. The front porch project is, for the most part, done and successful. All we need for that, now, is for the weather to cooperate, so that our guests can enjoy our front porch. The kitchen cabinet project is complete. The back porch project is underway. Mom helped tremendously with that this weekend. There are flowers in a couple of the pots on the front stairs and some coming up in the garden in back. What's left?

OH YES! The scary scary projects - cleaning up all the CRAP that's IN the house! That Crap encompasses mail, homework papers I can't bear to throw out, LargeBoy's graduation pictures, report cards, sports schedules, hot lunch menus, books, shoes that do not have a home, stray socks, sports equipment....ok, so the sports equipment's on the back porch. I suppose I could put all of this crap in the laundry chute and just hide it for the day!

Perhaps when I leave the office today I should have a cold, frothy beverage to help me decide. It may sway me to throw most of the crap in the garbage!

BY GEORGE, I THINK I'VE DONE IT!!!!

With the exceptions that I don't have any fun fonts or colors or sizes when using my computer here at work as opposed to my laptop at home, I think I have managed to figure out how to use this site. I've managed to put in links - which is more than I could on the other. My next attempt is photos. The computer system here is too ridiculous and I can't sneak enough "work" time to upload all my photos to the site that helps you with photos when working on a mac. I will try them from home tonight, though.

Attempt from Work

Through my computer here at work, I can only type in whatever font the computer wants, no colors, no links, the size is predetermined by the computer, etc...so I'm back to boring. I still cannot seem to find a way to link to other sites, but I will not give up. I'm going to attempt a few photo loads today too and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Address Change!

Mommy Guilt has moved. We love our new home. We won't be able to publish as frequently, because our computer at work is ridiculous and won't support blogger, but I can do this at home. We moved from our previous site to this site just tonight. I hope you will spread the word. The topics won't change. Until I get the hang of this new site, I may very well be importing articles from my previous site. Right now, I'm having some major mommy guilt as I sit here next to SmallBoy as he tries to do a Spanish Word Search. I have only my Sesame Street Spanish to rely on and cannot help him with much. I should really close this up so that he can focus on finding abrigo on the word search instead of reading over my shoulder, BUT I'm enjoying what I'm doing. PC is upstairs reading this wonderful book now because I'm working on the computer. Do I feel guilty? YES! But you know, as Girl said to us once,

"You guys really need your own space and your own time every once in a while. We'll be fine."