Saturday, April 3, 2010
Lake George trip
In the beginning of March the kids and I went to The indoor water park at The Great Escape in Lake George with Nama. The kids had so much fun and it was a pretty good experience. They loved being in the water, once they got over the initial fear of being swept away or something. It was for two nights/3 days and we got to do so much stuff. Aiden got to meet his all time favorite character ever, Scooby Doo! He even got his autograph! Riley did not sleep well though. He has almost always slept in his crib with the door closed, not in an open hotel room with four other people! I have a lot of pictures, so bare with me!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Has it really been THAT long??
Wow, I guess it has been quite a while since my last post! I have been kind of in hiding from the world. I kind of shrunk into my own little shell and couldn't quite climb my way out.
The sad thing is that I am still digging my way out of this mood and this feeling. I thought taking a couple of days away to myself would help me clear my head and re-focus myself on what's important. I was wrong. I came back even more stressed out and feeling very frazzled over all the emotions I am going through. It was odd having time to do nothing or even to do whatever I wanted. I didn't have the daily routines to keep my head busy or to distract me from my thoughts. I missed the kids horribly and realized that I have GOT to get myself out there more, because I have so few people that I can call and talk to about things.
Life has taken so many turns over the past few months. The kids are doing okay. Things are tough and different and they know this. Their behavior has been all over the place from being clingy to being angry and everything in between.
Aiden has been having a harder time at school and on the bus, he has been acting out a lot. He is very excited about his 7th birthday coming up (I am excited for him, but I miss my baby boy!). He has baseball starting up very soon and then I just signed both him and Calleigh for SAMBA soccer camp this summer!
Miss Calleigh. Well, things have been extremely difficult with her. I believe I wrote about her ADHD diagnosis. We have had tough time finding her a medication that works with her. The first one we tried made her like a zombie, it completely wiped out any spunk and spark and made her almost focus too much (seems odd to think about it that way, but it did!). SO then we had some trouble with the pharmacy and the insurance and getting a prior authorization so she was without any kind of medication for about a week. Which was probably one of the craziest weeks ever. We finally got her on the second medication and it did the opposite of the first. She was hyped up all the time and almost euphoric. It was to a point though that she was doing unsafe things and thinking they were hilarious. We were at the store and she let go of the stroller and ran through the doors towards the road! Before you could just yell her name and she would immediately stop and know she was in trouble and come back. This time she ran faster and was laughing hysterically the entire time. She was almost possessed. It was odd. Then we went to a third one and once again had problems with the insurance company. She was once again without meds, but for almost 2 weeks. It was back-breakingly painful to watch. She was all over the place and I felt horrible. I know she mentally and physically just cannot control herself, no matter how hard she wants too. She is wired completely different than we are. We finally got her on her new medication, but it is like an anti-depressant: it takes about 3-4 weeks to build up in her system. SO it was a little rough at the start still, but now that it is starting to build up (she's been on it for just over 2 weeks) I can see a slight difference. She goes up and down throughout the day still but she is able to do the things she enjoys much easier. When it's working it's good, but when it's not working and we are in the "down" phase.....it is insane to deal with. I just hope for her own peace of mind we can get things smoothed out soon and she can be a happy, productive and lovable little girl I know she is!
Riley is doing good. He is growing so quickly and he talks ALL the time now. He is one that knows what he wants, that's for sure!! The two's have hit him in full force like it never did the other two. It is hard because he wants to be just like Aiden. He tries to do the things Aiden does (and not just the great things!). Aiden figured out the whole "I hate you" thing and now Riley repeats it to any and everyone when he is mad. He will say "I mad at you, I hate you". It is some time's very heart breaking to hear those words come out of his little cute mouth. I know he doesn't really understand and mean it, but it still cuts kind of deep when he says it. I am anxious to see how potty training will go with him. I am hopefully going to start that next month, but I am not sure if he will be quite ready for it.
And me. Well, I am breathing and taking as many steps forward as I can. It is extremely difficult though to make it through the days. I did get offered a job at Home Depot. I wish I could say I was thrilled about it. I am happy that I can bring in some of the income that the kids and I need, but I wish it was doing what I wanted to do. The hard part is that I am not sure what that is at this moment. I do have another interview at a greenhouse in Essex, which I think I would enjoy much much more, just not sure if I should take the risk to do a seasonal thing or go with the steady one for now. I am thinking I would like to get a job at the school so that I could have the same schedule as the kids. It would work out the best in my situation. It is hard with my qualifications...which is basically nothing. Needless to say I am really stressed out and don't know what to do with myself half the time! I'm hoping things turn around with the BEAUTIFUL weather we are having right now. It was so warm and sunny today and that is supposed to continue. I am going to try and do updated "nice" pictures of the kiddos. I got them some matchy matchy kind of outfits from The Children's place and I think they will look great, I might even hop into one of the pictures so I can get one of the four of us.
Well, I think my catch up has turned into a long rambling of stuff. Hopefully I can slowly crawl out of my hiding hole and get back into writing the blog. I have to pull myself together and move forward.
The sad thing is that I am still digging my way out of this mood and this feeling. I thought taking a couple of days away to myself would help me clear my head and re-focus myself on what's important. I was wrong. I came back even more stressed out and feeling very frazzled over all the emotions I am going through. It was odd having time to do nothing or even to do whatever I wanted. I didn't have the daily routines to keep my head busy or to distract me from my thoughts. I missed the kids horribly and realized that I have GOT to get myself out there more, because I have so few people that I can call and talk to about things.
Life has taken so many turns over the past few months. The kids are doing okay. Things are tough and different and they know this. Their behavior has been all over the place from being clingy to being angry and everything in between.
Aiden has been having a harder time at school and on the bus, he has been acting out a lot. He is very excited about his 7th birthday coming up (I am excited for him, but I miss my baby boy!). He has baseball starting up very soon and then I just signed both him and Calleigh for SAMBA soccer camp this summer!
Miss Calleigh. Well, things have been extremely difficult with her. I believe I wrote about her ADHD diagnosis. We have had tough time finding her a medication that works with her. The first one we tried made her like a zombie, it completely wiped out any spunk and spark and made her almost focus too much (seems odd to think about it that way, but it did!). SO then we had some trouble with the pharmacy and the insurance and getting a prior authorization so she was without any kind of medication for about a week. Which was probably one of the craziest weeks ever. We finally got her on the second medication and it did the opposite of the first. She was hyped up all the time and almost euphoric. It was to a point though that she was doing unsafe things and thinking they were hilarious. We were at the store and she let go of the stroller and ran through the doors towards the road! Before you could just yell her name and she would immediately stop and know she was in trouble and come back. This time she ran faster and was laughing hysterically the entire time. She was almost possessed. It was odd. Then we went to a third one and once again had problems with the insurance company. She was once again without meds, but for almost 2 weeks. It was back-breakingly painful to watch. She was all over the place and I felt horrible. I know she mentally and physically just cannot control herself, no matter how hard she wants too. She is wired completely different than we are. We finally got her on her new medication, but it is like an anti-depressant: it takes about 3-4 weeks to build up in her system. SO it was a little rough at the start still, but now that it is starting to build up (she's been on it for just over 2 weeks) I can see a slight difference. She goes up and down throughout the day still but she is able to do the things she enjoys much easier. When it's working it's good, but when it's not working and we are in the "down" phase.....it is insane to deal with. I just hope for her own peace of mind we can get things smoothed out soon and she can be a happy, productive and lovable little girl I know she is!
Riley is doing good. He is growing so quickly and he talks ALL the time now. He is one that knows what he wants, that's for sure!! The two's have hit him in full force like it never did the other two. It is hard because he wants to be just like Aiden. He tries to do the things Aiden does (and not just the great things!). Aiden figured out the whole "I hate you" thing and now Riley repeats it to any and everyone when he is mad. He will say "I mad at you, I hate you". It is some time's very heart breaking to hear those words come out of his little cute mouth. I know he doesn't really understand and mean it, but it still cuts kind of deep when he says it. I am anxious to see how potty training will go with him. I am hopefully going to start that next month, but I am not sure if he will be quite ready for it.
And me. Well, I am breathing and taking as many steps forward as I can. It is extremely difficult though to make it through the days. I did get offered a job at Home Depot. I wish I could say I was thrilled about it. I am happy that I can bring in some of the income that the kids and I need, but I wish it was doing what I wanted to do. The hard part is that I am not sure what that is at this moment. I do have another interview at a greenhouse in Essex, which I think I would enjoy much much more, just not sure if I should take the risk to do a seasonal thing or go with the steady one for now. I am thinking I would like to get a job at the school so that I could have the same schedule as the kids. It would work out the best in my situation. It is hard with my qualifications...which is basically nothing. Needless to say I am really stressed out and don't know what to do with myself half the time! I'm hoping things turn around with the BEAUTIFUL weather we are having right now. It was so warm and sunny today and that is supposed to continue. I am going to try and do updated "nice" pictures of the kiddos. I got them some matchy matchy kind of outfits from The Children's place and I think they will look great, I might even hop into one of the pictures so I can get one of the four of us.
Well, I think my catch up has turned into a long rambling of stuff. Hopefully I can slowly crawl out of my hiding hole and get back into writing the blog. I have to pull myself together and move forward.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
feeling frazzled, but found a boost.
I came across this while I was looking for an image to post of a busy, frazzled, frustrated Mom. I really needed to read this today, it was a great boost for me today!
www.suburbanpediatrics.org/ParentingTips.html
Often, as parents we are tired! Frazzled by never ending obligations, we sometimes neglect to fully engage with our kids. Try to enjoy the little parenting moments as they happen.
It’s OK to have a messy house sometimes.
It’s OK to get a sitter and go out.
It’s OK to stay home with the kids — watch a movie or play a game!
It’s OK to make cookies this year from frozen Pillsbury dough instead of homemade.
It’s OK to sit in the warm car at the park while you watch your older kids go sledding.
It’s OK to re-gift — its green!
It’s OK to give your kids less gifts ... they will appreciate them more.
It’s OK to say NO without giving a reason!
It’s OK to order pizza 3 times this week because life is busy — and the kids will actually eat it!
It’s OK to go to a party with baby spit-up on your shoulder and down your back.
It’s OK to let the kids have a little extra TV, computer or game time if it helps keep you sane.
It’s OK to let go of the parenting guilt! We all do our best.
It’s OK to not be perfect!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Pleatman's Parenting Tips
1. Use the 20 second rule! As a parent you have 20 seconds to change your mind after you have already told your child “yes” or “no”. After 20 seconds changing your mind teaches kids that they can push you. No rewards for crying and begging!
2. If your child yells: “I hate you” because she does not like your rules, that’s good! It means you are setting appropriate limits. Remember, you are a parent, not a best friend. Kids need and like limits.
3. Teach your kids to think before they speak. A friend gave us a framed sign for our kitchen that reads:
Integrity:
• Is what I am about to say necessary?
• Is what I am about to say kind?
• Is what I am about to say helpful?
• Is what I am about to say the truth?
We use it daily with our kids!
4. Lies – Teach kids that if they lie (which they all will at some point) to “fess up” immediately instead of lying more to cover the first lie. To allow them to “save face” you might say: “Do you want to think about that answer and try again?” Tell them that we all make mistakes, but in the end honesty feels good inside!
5. Don’t over schedule young kids – they need time to use their imagination. Over schedule teens to keep them involved in their community and out of trouble.
Monday, March 8, 2010
playing with hats
Calleigh and Riley have been wearing hats around all the time lately, I happened to catch them in a good mood and they let me take some pics of them with the hats on. Calleigh's "totally dramatic" shirt says it all!
my silly boy!
This is what I found the other day. Riley had gotten the rabbit's water bottle off the cage and hid under the table. When I asked him what he was doing he said "I taste it Mommy, it's okay for 'dem". I swear this is not a normal thing to let him drink out of animal bottles!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
An amazing person to know
I know I posted a little while back about my sister Erin's pregnancy and now I have even more exciting news to share. My little sister is getting married! It is something that her and Adam had talked about already before she found out she was pregnant and she is SO happy. I love seeing her this happy and I can't wait to be a part of such an exciting life for her. She has such a positive outlook on everything from life to love to hardship. I am so thankful to have her as a part of my life and to have her as an aunt to my children. Erin, you will make a fabulous wife and mother. When you believe in yourself you can go so far, when others believe in you it makes the road a little straighter. I wish the best for you on your wonderful journey you have ahead. I love you!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Princess Party
The UMall was having an "Every Girl's a Princess Party". I thought it would be a fantastic thing for Calleigh since her girly side is coming out in full force in recent weeks! So she got all dressed up, she even picked out the entire outfit all by herself. She chose the makeup, how her hair would be and the clothing. She was VERY excited. However when we got there I was pretty disappointed. It was poorly organized and I never would have paid what we paid ($24 for 3 people) if I had know how it was going to be. It just seemed like a flop. Calleigh had a little bit of fun but she kept asking when we were going to the party? I tried to explain to her that we were there and this was it. She wasn't too impressed either. I did get some cute pictures though.
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