Just One of Those Weeks

A week of worrying about my son. And it's not over. Friday we finally got confirmation that his high fevers were definitely because of an ear infection. A double ear infections. A very bad double ear infection. The doctor had switched his antibiotic from Augmenten to Omnicef. And finally there was relief. He had been fever free for two days. Still not eating the greatest and a wobbly walker and fussy and sleepy, but no more fever and none of those other symptoms have been as bad. Then today he got up with little tiny red dots all over his face and back with a few on his chest and arms. As the day progressed his face and back has gotten worse and he's getting more spots on his chest and arms and legs. This is my poor speckled frog right here:




I called the on call doctor this morning who said stop the omnicef and call his doctor in the morning to let her know his reaction. He said she might want to put him on another course of antibiotic to finish the round she might not. I'm guessing she'll want him to get more than two doses of an antibiotic. Especially since the infection didn't go away with a course of Amoxicillin and the Augmenten didn't even touch it. With how bad she said the infection was she better call in another antibiotic. Not sure what else is left at this point. But the ear infection drama continues...

Week In Review: June 21-June 27.2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for June 21 - June 27, 2009

Check out my little picture recap of the week here.

Sunday: Happy Father's Day. Joe had to be at work early. So I woke up to no one sleeping next to me. Again with CJ charging into my room. I guess that's a nice wake up call. Sometimes I wish his sisters would stop taking him out of his crib though. So it was time to get up and start our day. I fed the kids breakfast. Planned a special dinner for Joe. CJ went down for a nap. The kids and I had lunch and before we knew it Joe was home from work. They gave him their gifts and then we went to the store to get the ingredients for his special dinner. We came home and I cleaned up a little and then started on Joe's dinner. We had a nice family dinner. We put CJ down for bed and let the girls stay up late since they didn't have to get up for school. We watched Wipe Out with them and then sent them to bed. Joe and I watched some TV and I fell asleep on the couch. Got up and went to bed.

Monday: Got up to the CJ alarm again. Got everyone up slowly and fed and ready for the first day of swimming lessons. The girls enjoyed their swimming class. After swimming we went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program. Then we came home and the girls showered while I made lunch. Put CJ down for a nap and then Joe took the girls fishing. When he came home we had dinner and then went for a drive. Then we came home and put CJ down for bed. We let the girls stay up and watch some TV. I did some laundry and then we went to bed.

Tuesday: I woke up before everyone. Enjoyed some peace on the computer and then the kids started waking up. I fed them breakfast. Before we knew it was time to get ready for swimming. This time CJ and I were going in the pool too. We got to the pool and CJ kept running towards it and couldn't wait to get in. That is until he felt how cold it was. And boy was it cold. He cried through most of it and wouldn't let me do anything with him. So we got out about five minutes before the class ended. Then the girls got out and we dried off and went home. The girls showered, I gave CJ lunch and washed dishes. Joe made the girls lunch while I took a bath with CJ (still in my bathing suit). He wasn't too happy with me after the freezing cold pool so I wanted to help him to enjoy the water with me again. He had a good time. Then I put him down for a nap. I guess all the crying in the pool really wore him out too because he took a better nap than he's had in days. Although, problem was when he got up he had a fever of 101. He wasn't acting sick just very hot. Joe left for work. I cooked dinner. CJ got worse. Wanted to be held and very lethargic. So while trying to prepare dinner I had a very clingy baby. Poor guy. He didn't really eat. I'm worried his ear infection is back or never went away. He got up to 102. I gave him tylenol after dinner. Changed him and put him to bed. Waited up for Joe and then put the girls to bed. If CJ isn't better in the morning the doctor might be getting a visit from us. I watched the end of the Mets game (another loss) and took a shower. Finished up the swimming laundry and then went to bed.

Wednesday: I had to get up early to bring Joe to work. He was in at 7. So we slowly got the children up. CJ was still burning up. His temperature was 101.9. He felt much hotter than that, but rectal and ear were all saying the same thing. So we brought Joe to work and CJ stayed limp in my arms. He fell asleep so I put him down and waited for 9:00 to roll around so I could call the doctor. The doctor just decided to call in another script for his last ear infection and not see him. I was feeling uneasy about that. He woke up and ate some crackers and drank good. Still very hold me and cranky though. We brought the girls to swimming where it was cold and rainy. But CJ wanted out of his stroller and to walk around on the covered deck overlooking the pool. That was nice to see. Short lived though. After swimming we went to the pharmacy to pick up his new script. Came home and the girls showered while I tried to get CJ to eat something to give him his meds. He wouldn't eat, but did drink his pediasure. So I tried giving him his meds. He fell asleep in his high chair. Fever seems to be coming back with a vengeance. I didn't take his temp just put him down for a nap. I had to wake him up so we could go get Joe. He was burning up. 103.7! So I went to pick up Joe and we came right home and I ran him a luke warm bath. That brought his temp down to 103. I called the doctor to see what else I could do. They said I could alternate motrin and tylenol and do the luke warm bath and to give the antibiotics another dose or two to really start working. So I ran to the store to get some Motrin. He had the Tylenol before his bath so we had to wait a few more hours to give it to him. He has been miserable though. The majority of the time either Joe or I held him. We put him down to nap for a little while and he got up shortly before we could give him the Motrin. He was burning up. Gave him Motrin and called for a pizza. When the pizza came we put CJ down again because he wasn't interested in eating. Shortly after 8 we got him up to change him and give him another dose of the antibiotic. He was really burning up again. I got a temp of 104.5, but after taking it again it really seems stuck around 103. We argued about taking him to the hospital. I felt the hospital would just say to do what we're doing and give the antibiotics more time to work. Joe wanted to make sure it was actually an ear infection. We decided to only go if it gets over 104. So we gave him the antibiotic and he fell asleep in my arms. Then he woke up around 10 and it was time for more Tylenol. So we gave it to him. He was in and out fussing all the time. I tried to do the swimming laundry. Joe was letting him drink some soda and then he threw up all over me. And it just kept coming out. So I had to strip. We put CJ in the tub and gave him another bath. Joe cleaned the carpet while I bathed CJ. Then he took him out of the tub and sat with him while I put my clothes in the wash. His temp seems to have gone down a little now though. Hopefully the vomiting doesn't lead to dehydration. He's sleeping with us tonight.

Thursday: CJ felt cooler when we got up. Seemed a little better too. Still wasn't eating though. We brought Joe to work and then came home and waited around the house for swimming. CJ wasn't going to his class though because he was still running a fever. So the girls got dressed. We went to swimming where CJ was whiny and clingy. We came home and tried to get CJ to eat, but he wasn't interested. We had to go pick up Joe from work. So we did and came home and put CJ down for a nap and the girls had lunch. I went to the store to get a few things we needed for dinner. When I got back CJ was up and so was his fever. We gave him Tylenol, but it still wasn't coming down. I cooked dinner and we ate. CJ didn't really eat again. We gave him his medicine and he was just miserable and fell asleep. I put him in his crib early. He had a restless night with a lot of fussing and crying. We watched some TV with the girls and then sent them to bed and I ended up crashing on the couch. Got up and realized I didn't do the swimming laundry. So I stayed up late to finish that and went to bed tentatively listening for CJ.

Friday: I woke up worried about CJ because I hadn't heard him all night. I checked on him and he stirred with I opened the door. So I let him be and he slept until almost 9. I showered and came out and Natalie had him on the couch. He was just laying there. He had slept for over 12 hours. This was not normal. He needed changing so I brought him into my room to do that and waited for 9 for the doctor's office to open. I called the doctor's office and got him in for 4:00. Joe was not happy about how late the appointment was and he took his anger out on me. So we argued again about it. CJ had something to drink and a few bites of bread. The girls had some breakfast too. Then we got them ready for swimming. Joe stayed home with CJ while I brought the girls to swimming. We came home and CJ was asleep. So the girls showered and luckily didn't have to go in to his room to wake him as we had clothes in the living room for them. They had lunch and we hung around the house just waiting for 4:00 to come around to find out what's wrong with my baby. CJ finally woke up around 3. Much cooler and seemingly in better spirits. Just in time to go to the doctor. We brought Joe to work and then went on to the doctor. We apparently got to the doctor's office just at the right time as the rain, wind, and lightning came pounding down. The doctor said CJ has a very nasty double ear infection. So it was his ears. She put him on a different antibiotic though and gave us some ear drops for the pain. We left thankfully with the weather better, but the roads not so much. Down trees and power out all over the place. It was scary driving during rush hour in that. But we made it to the pharmacy. Got CJ's scripts and something for dinner. CJ even picked out a special something for himself. We came home and I made dinner. CJ ate some noodles and some yogurt bites (his special treat). I was very happy to see that. I gave him his new meds which he fought me. Thankfully this one is only once a day and not twice a day. CJ has been up and playing already though so I think he's finally on the mend. We had to go pick Joe up from work and then came home and put CJ to bed.

Saturday: Got up for the first morning in days where CJ didn't have a fever and he wanted to EAT! A great feeling. Fed the kids and then CJ had an explosive diaper so I gave him a bath. Then I needed to clean out the tub which turned into cleaning the whole bathroom. Put CJ down for a nap. Joe left for work and the girls and I had lunch. I realized that when CJ had his explosive diaper he got it in his high chair. So I cleaned the pad on his high chair and did some other laundry with it. CJ got up from his nap and wanted some bread. So I gave it to him. We just hung around until Joe got home from work. While just hanging around Kaitlyn popped out one of her teeth. I didn't think it was that loose. So a quick phone call had to be made to the tooth fairy's husband to make sure there was enough money for the tooth. Joe came home and we figured out something for dinner. CJ was getting cranky so we put him down to sleep for a little while. Got dinner and he was awake. So we ate and then watched some TV. Put the kids to bed. Joe and I watched some more TV together and then we went to bed.

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A Picture Recap of the Week

Monday: First day of swimming lessons. Cold and rainy day. Perfect for swimming! And also a good day for fishing. Kaitlyn caught a goldfish.


Tuesday: Day two of swimming for the older two and day one for CJ. He couldn't wait to get in, but then when he got in he couldn't wait to get out...

and then CJ started getting a fever that night. So he spent the night with me or Natalie like this...


Wednesday: Much of the day was spent like above with CJ. He spiked a very high fever. Not a fun way to spend the first week of summer vacation.

Thursday: CJ's fever went down, but it was still there. Supposed to be day two of swimming, but we had to skip for him today. The girls swam though. And then got themselves into trouble at home.

CJ wanted to join his sister in the corner

Still feeling pretty miserable


And this has been the first four days of our summer vacation. Cold and rainy spent at the pool and with a sick baby. It has to get better from here, right?

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there I hope you are enjoying a much deserved day of gratitude.

To my own father thank you for raising me. Thank you for the laughs and the tickles when I was little. Thank you for the musical inspiration. Thank you for the baseball games. Thank you for the hugs and kisses. Thank you for your love!

To my husband and the father of my children thank you! Thank you for the late nights rocking our children when they were babies. Thank you for supporting me and worrying with me when they were sick or in trouble. Thank you for being a wonderful provider so I could stay home with our children. Thank you for getting the best laughs out of them. Thank you for being their Daddy!

Week In Review: June 14 - June 20, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for June 14 - June 20, 2009

Sunday: Got up and cleaned. Did some laundry, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen and living room. Fed the kids breakfast and once the living room was vacuumed we put CJ down for a nap. I went to take a shower. While I was in there our friends came over to help Joe replace the starter in my van. I got the kids showered and bathed while they were over and ready to go as soon as the starter was replaced. It took about an hour to get it done. We thanked our friends and they left. Then we headed out to go to my cousin's engagement party. We had a nice time there seeing family. After the party we went home. We took some leftovers from the party which we fed the kids for dinner. They stayed up and watched some TV and then went to bed. Joe and I stayed up a little while longer before going to bed too.

Monday: Woke up very sore from a fall down the stairs I had Sunday. Had to continue my day though. Got the kids ready for school. Joe brought them in. I got CJ changed and dressed. We brought Joe to work. Came home and I put CJ down for a nap. Then I got prepared for meeting with Kaitlyn's teacher later that day. Had lunch and got CJ up for lunch. Then we went to school where I met with Kaitlyn's teacher about her Literacy Action Plan. After that meeting was over I went down to the gym where both of the girls were being awarded for being outstanding students. I got to take them home early. We came home and then had to go pick Joe up from work at 4. We got Joe and came back home. The chicken that I planned on making for dinner was bad so we had to go back out to get something to eat. Came home and it was almost time for the kids to go to bed. So we got them ready and sent them to bed. Then I spent the rest of the night with the heating pad on my very sore back. Even tried a bath, but I was still sore. All I could do was try to get some sleep.

Tuesday: I was woken up by CJ charging into my room. It was time to get up and get the girls ready for their last full day of school. Joe brought them to school and I gave CJ his medicine. My back was still sore so I took the opportunity of a quiet day to take it easy. Joe had a doctor's appointment. He went to that while I put CJ down for a nap. Joe got home around lunch time. We had lunch and CJ got up from his nap and I fed him lunch. I picked the girls up from school and then we brought Joe to work. We hung around until we had to bring Natalie to Chili's for her dinner with her teacher. At the beginning of the year he told the kids he'd take them to Chili's if they get all of their math tests right. Natalie was the only one who did that, but her teacher gave the rest of the students a second opportunity. They had a test with all of their multiplication facts and whoever got all of them right got to join Natalie. Well, eight more students got it right so half of the class was joining the teacher at Chili's. We left Natalie there and came home to have dinner (just me and the two little ones). Then we picked Natalie up at 7. Joe got out of work at 9, but luckily he got a ride home. I was able to put the kids to bed at their normal time and watch my baseball game. A Mets win!

Wednesday: Got up and Joe wasn't feeling well. We debated about what to do. He couldn't call out of work it was too late. I was taking the car to go to field day. My back was still sore and I didn't want to walk the girls to school and then down to the field and all around field day and back to the school and back home. Joe said I could take the car. He was going to try to stay for half a day. Which is exactly what he did. I had to go pick him up at noon. So I brought the girls to school and met two of my PTA officers. We all went down to the field and took tons of pictures of our children participating in field day. I had to leave before they were done though to go pick Joe up from work. He was still feeling awful. Came home and he made him self something to eat. CJ was wiped so I put him down for a nap. I had to go pick something up from my mom at work. So I left CJ with Joe napping and went and got the girls from school and then drove down to my moms work. Came back got CJ and went to the bank so Joe could rest. Came home with the kids and waited for Joe to get up to figure out what to do about dinner. We had Subway. Joe was feeling better. The kids showered and bathed and went to bed. I stayed up working on some pictures from the day.

Thursday: Another day Joe woke up not feeling well. Thankfully he didn't have to work today. I brought the kids to school. Stopped to pick up my friend's kids so she didn't have to walk them in the rain. Came home and hung out. CJ was very hold me so there wasn't too much I could do. I put him down for a nap and went to the school a little early to take a picture of Kaitlyn's class and do a few other things. Got the girls and my friend's children because it was raining and she didn't have a car. I brought them home and then me and the girls went home. We had lunch and then went grocery shopping. I needed to get some pictures developed so we also went to do that and ended up picking up a few other things. We came home and put everything away and had dinner. Then we worked on the gifts for the girls teachers. I sent them to bed and finished up their projects. I showered and went to bed.

Friday: Got up and got the kids ready for school. Had to find something to put the mugs for their teachers in. Once I did we ran out the door in a rush. Got the girls to school and took some pictures. Then we went to my friend's house to pick up her two kids who we were watching for the morning while she went to her older daughters middle school graduation. We then went to Target and picked up a few things. Then before we knew it it was time to get my friend's son to kindergarten. So we dropped him off and came back home. CJ took a very short nap. We had some lunch and then went to pick everyone up at school. This was their last day. The kids both passed to their next grade. After lots of pictures and tearful goodbyes and a few laughs we came home. The kids played outside for a few before my friend came to pick up her two. Then we went in and fed the kids lunch. After that Joe took the girls fishing and CJ and I took a nap. When they came home we ended up going out for a special dinner. Then to the store for some soda that went on sale today and back home to watch some movies. We put CJ to bed and let the girls watch their movie. Joe and I played Scrabble. I was feeling lousy so after sending the girls to bed Joe played on the computer while I laid down on the couch and fell asleep.

Saturday: Got up after a rough night to CJ barging into my room. We fed the kids breakfast and I took it easy. After putting CJ down for a nap Joe and I watched our movie. Then when that was over CJ got up from his nap and we had lunch. Then Joe went to work and the kids went into their room to play and I took a little nap on the couch. After waking up I washed dishes and made dinner. Joe came home from work and we watched Wipe Out with the girls and then sent them to bed.

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Summer is Here!

Today was Natalie and Kaitlyn's last day of school. They have both passed to the next grade. So I am now the mom of a 2nd grader and a 5th grader. I can't believe this is going to be Natalie's last year at O'Connell school. It has gone by fast.

The girls each made a mug for their teachers and a picture board of pictures I've taken this year. Both of their teachers loved it.

I don't really know what else to say about the day. A picture says a thousand words so I'll let the pictures do the talking for me...

Kaitlyn and her teacher after giving her the gifts

Natalie and her teacher after giving him his gifts

My friend's son and daughter on her sons last day of Kindergarten

Couldn't forget about CJ

There goes Spencer on his last day of Kindergarten with his substitute teacher

Kaitlyn officially a 2nd grader

All year long Natalie's teacher, Mr. Stafford, had wanted to play connect the dots with Natalie's freckles. He finally got his chance. I offered him a marker and he really drew on her. Now before you go saying I'm a mean mom or anything like that Natalie totally enjoyed every second of it and she now refuses to wash her face. I promise it's a washable marker and it is very faded.



See she still loves him...
Natalie saying her final goodbye to Mr. Stafford as a 5th grader now

Natalie with her straight A report card! She did not want to smile because she's very sad to be leaving the 4th grade

We had a nice day. Kaitlyn seems excited to be moving on. Natalie was all for having stayed back. Too bad she's a straight A student. She's really been taking today hard. I am trying to get her teacher's contact information so she can stay in touch with him over the summer since this has been so hard on her.

O'Connell School Field Day 2009

We finally had a nice enough day for the kids to have field day. They had a great time! And look at those awesome shirts donated by the PTA for the kids. What a great PTA we have.

The girls during the dancing portion of field day.

A fun time was had by all!

Chili's Night

So remember how I said here this has been a great week for the kids? Well here's another reason why. Boy, I don't know how much more I can take of this beaming from ear to ear with my wonderful kids.

Natalie had a special treat Tuesday night. She was one of only 8 other students in her class chosen to go with her teacher to Chili's. And why you may ask? Because she knows her multiplication facts. All of the students were told at the beginning of the year that if they get every single one of their math tests right then the teacher would bring all of those students to Chili's at the end of the year for dinner. Natalie did it! Natalie was the only student in her class to do it actually. She studied hard. I quizzed her hard. She knows her multiplication facts from 1-10 like the back of her hand.

Now wait a minute you said she was one of 8 other students who got to go. How did those other students manage to go along if Natalie was the only one to get all of her tests right? Well, I'm guessing her teacher didn't feel it would be appropriate to only bring one student. It might look bad and all. So he gave the whole class a second chance to redeem themselves. He gave them one more test with 50 multiplication problems and five minutes to complete it. Those who got all of them right would be able to join Natalie. And if still no one did it then Natalie was going to have to choose two other students to join. Natalie did not want it to come down to that. She didn't know who to pick. So thankfully 8 others got it all right. Oh, and FYI, Natalie took that test too and got all of them right again.

So anyways, Tuesday night was the night. One boy couldn't make it. Natalie was relieved about that because apparently this boy picks his nose. Ewwww, gross. Natalie was very nervous. I don't really know why. I brought her there. I offered to allow her to take my camera to take pictures of her fun, but she said no. Then as I got home and was taking CJ out of the car my phone rang. I answered it and much to my surprise it was Natalie. She wanted to make sure I was bringing my camera when I picked her up. I guess she wished she had taken me up on my offer. I wish she had too so I would have more than just this picture to share. But this will have to do.

Natalie at Chili's with her math wiz friends and their teacher.


Natalie was all smiles and happy about her time on the way home. She even got dessert out of the deal (a milk shake). We never buy her dessert when we eat out. She did confess to me that she was going to cry when I left. She doesn't know why and neither do I. I think that might be part of the reason why she called me. She said she felt better after she talked to me. Well, I'm glad I can reassure her without even knowing I'm doing it.

My Super Students

On Monday Natalie and Kaitlyn received a very high honor. They were one of only 60 students in the entire school to earn this award. Both of them successfully completed all of their homework, participated in the reading incentive, and earned their PAWS by Playing fair, Acting kind, Working hard, and Showing respect. So they had a nice little ice cream social for the students and invited the parents to come. I am so proud to have both of my children honored in this way. And then on top of that to have it announced again that my oldest daughter read over 6000 minutes by March (the most in the school). I couldn't be more proud of my children. And they couldn't be more proud of themselves either.

Kaitlyn receiving her award

Natalie receiving her award

Some people from the Roberts foundation who provided the grant which made this day and the reading incentive possible. Thank you Roberts Foundation

Natalie and Kaitlyn with Mr. Audette, the principal

Natalie and Kaitlyn with Mr. Huber, the vice principal. And yes Mr. Huber we love your tie!

What a great week it's been for my children. They've worked so hard all year and they deserved this honor so much!

Engagement Party

My cousin and her fiance had their engagement party on Sunday. We were nervous with the car troubles that we weren't going to be able to make it, but thankfully we were. It was so nice seeing family and celebrating this joyous event. My cousin Margaret and her fiance Kevin are so cute together. It's so exciting to be celebrating the joining of a family and this was a great opportunity to meet my new cousin in laws family.

Here's some pictures to share too:

The bride and groom to be cutting the cake with the maid of honor her parents his best man and mother.

Kaitlyn

Natalie

CJ

CJ playing it cool for Victoria

CJ watching Victoria get a beer stick her hand in cold water

Exhausted on the ride home. They fell asleep holding hands

I can't wait until next May when they have their wedding. It's going to be so much fun. And I'm so honored that my cousin has invited me to be such a big part of this. Next, I need to plan the bridal shower. I've already got a bunch of ideas for it in my head. I can't wait!

Kaitlyn's Literacy Action Plan

Last week after meeting with the special ed team about Kaitlyn and finding out that she didn't qualify for special ed services I got a note from Kaitlyn's teacher. It said that she was going to be doing the Literacy Action Plan (like they had in March) for her and if I had any questions to call. Well, I said I wanted to be there. So her teacher arranged for us to do it this afternoon.

I have been discussing at length reading and how it's taught now with another teacher. I've been trying to get the school to do more phonics with Kaitlyn because she is not consistent with her letter sounds. So I went in there today armed with all these things I wanted in the action plan. First and foremost I made sure that the things which were discovered from the school psychologist testing were on there. More visual cues for her, allowing her to slow down, and checking in with her to make sure she understands instructions. They were receptive to those things.

I asked them what a typical reading group looks like for Kaitlyn and how much phonics and letter sounds they do with her and making sure they incorporate it into reading. Her special reading teacher was there and told me she comes in and they look at the pictures and discuss the story and then when they start to read if she gets stuck on a word she's encouraged to use her strategies (help from the picture, looking at beginning and ending sounds, and getting her mouth ready). If she still can't get it then her teacher will help her to look for words she knows. For example today she got stuck on the word called. So her teacher reminded her to take off the ed at the end and then try. She still couldn't get it. So her teacher showed her the word ball which she knew she knew and then told her to just change that first letter and then she got it. They are telling me that phonics doesn't make much sense to a child because there are so many rules and so many exceptions to the rules in the English language. But they still need basic phonics. I'm clearly not going to get them to change their teaching method.

I struggle with this during the school year. Obviously I was taught differently. I
was not taught this "whole word" memorization stuff when I learned to read. So my style is very different from how Kaitlyn is being taught. So I'm hopeful that during the summer without the pressure of school I can really focus on phonics with her and help her do better. Hopefully whatever I teach her over the summer doesn't get untaught after she starts 2nd grade.

They still believe there is a disability there. Honestly, I think that was them putting up a defensive because I was suggesting that their teaching style isn't working for her and since the testing has shown no disability they don't want to take the blame for not teaching her. So they are still saying that given her family history and the kind of family she comes from (a very involved family focused on their child's education) they think it was just too early to test. And I'm being told of course that they can't test again. First it was a state law then it was just a special education guideline that they follow. Apparently there is no other testing at this age than what they've already done for her. So they are saying they don't like to use the same test again because kids memorize it and know what to expect so you don't get the right answers to things. So I guess we have to wait until she's in 3rd grade for a different test that she can take. I don't think they can refuse though if I request another test a year from now. Of course the only way I can see myself requesting she be tested is if she falls much much further behind. I have this feeling though that if I work with her this summer on phonics and decoding then she'll improve greatly and could even start the year at grade level if we work really hard.

Week In Review: June 7 - June 13, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for June 7 - June 13, 2009

Sunday: Another lazy Sunday. I did some laundry. Joe called out of work in hopes of taking the kids fishing. He didn't end up taking the kids fishing though. Couldn't find any worms. So we just hung around the house. The girls played outside for a long time though. I made dinner and got the girls in the shower. CJ started running a fever so we gave him some Tylenol and a bath and put him to bed.

Monday: Woke up and CJ was still running a slight fever. He has a cough, but nothing else really. Joe brought the girls to school and I fed CJ, but he didn't want to eat too much. Joe and I went grocery shopping and when we got home we put CJ down for a nap and he slept for a while. I left at 1 to go meet with CJ's PAT (Parents As Teachers) teacher to discuss his Ages and Stages and then to meet with the school psychologist to discuss Kaitlyn. They are both doing relatively well. I came home for a few before having to go back out and pick the girls up from school. We came home and they both did some reading and then cleaned their rooms and the porch off before going out to play again. Brought them in for a late dinner and then it was right to bed.

Tuesday: I woke up very early. Played around on he computer and got everyone ready for school. I was supposed to watch my friend's son while she went on a field trip with her daughter, but rain postponed the field trip again to Wednesday. So Joe brought the girls to school and when I put CJ down for a nap I ended up laying down for a nap too. Got up and took a shower ate lunch and got CJ up from his nap and fed. We went to Kaitlyn's PPT. That took an hour to find out that Kaitlyn doesn't qualify for special ed. Then we came home. Hung out until I had to go pick the girls up from school. Got them and sent them to do their reading and then Joe had to go to work. I made dinner and fed the kids and CJ fell asleep after dinner. So I got him ready for bed and put him to bed. The girls stayed up a little late and then I sent them to bed. I watched the rest of my Mets game (a 6-5 win by the Mets) and fell asleep on the couch. I got up around midnight and went to bed.

Wednesday: CJ was up early this time crying. So I got up and got him out of bed. Got ready and got Joe to work. Then got the girls ready and brought them to school. Picked up my friend's son while I was there to watch him for the morning. We came back home and I did a few things around the house while the two boys played. I put CJ down for a nap and turned the TV on for my friend's son. I made lunch for him which he did not eat. I got CJ up from his nap and brought my friend's son to school. We were a little late because it's been so long since I've dropped a kindergartner off at school (a whole year) and I thought he had to be there at 12:30, but it was 12:25. Oops. I went up to the office and checked on the field day shirt distribution and talked to the secretary about seeing if the gym teacher would like to use the extra shirts as prizes or something. Then I came home and fed CJ lunch and I had lunch. I went to pick the girls up at school and came home for them to do their reading. Then we went to pick Joe up from work. We came home and had dinner. I had the girls shower and CJ take a bath and then sent them all to bed. Then I stayed up and made a sign for the FRC saying save our FRC for the next day and went to bed.

Thursday: I was woken up way too early by a car alarm from the person next door. It kept going off. I couldn't go back to sleep. I got up and discovered my car was missing. So I flipped out. Joe and I frantically tried to figure out what happened. This is our only vehicle and he had to get to work and it was a rainy day. So we arranged for a pick up of him and I got to deal with the car situation. Such a mess. I also had to get the girls to school and go to Meriden for a rally to save our FRCs. So I did that with my friend. It was quick. Came home and put CJ down for a nap and made a million phone calls. Found out where my car was, but we couldn't go get it and needed to come up with money to get it too. Joe got home from work and we walked to pick up the girls and my friend's daughter. We went down to talk to the FRC and let them know how the rally went. Then we started to walk home, but I noticed my friend was outside the school waiting for their other child to get out. So we figured we'd give his daughter to him, but she didn't want to go. So after many tears and her refusing to go I said well we'll take her back to our house and you can come get her after your son gets out of school. He agreed and my friend's daughter was happy with that. So we went home and the kids got to play together for a little while and then my friend came to pick up his daughter. She left willingly this time thankfully. We had a stressful day so we ordered a pizza for dinner. Had dinner and watched our recording of Wipe Out with the kids and put them to bed. Joe went to bed early and I stayed up to watch my Mets game, but fell asleep. I woke up around midnight after the game was over and realized they lost and went to bed.

Friday: Another early wake up call. Joe was called into work early. He had to find a ride though and I had to juggle a few things. I had to call the insurance company first thing in the morning pertaining to the car. A friend of mine picked the girls up for me because I was getting a ride from my health insurance company for CJ's doctor's appointment. Got them off to school and CJ and I went to the doctor. We had CJ's appointment and called for the return pick up. I got home around 11 and put CJ down for a nap. Then I had more phone calls to make and found out we could get our car. So my friend who brought the girls to school for me said she could bring us to get the car. But Joe has to be there and he gets out at 4:30. I walked to the bank to get the money we needed and then walked to pick the girls up from school. Came back home and waited for Joe to come home so we could get our car. My friend drove us to Waterbury to pick up our car. Got it without too much incident. Then we went to get something to eat and back home. The girls played outside for a little while. We put CJ to bed and brought the girls in. We watched some TV with the girls and then sent them to bed. I watched the last half an inning of the Mets game where they blew it big time. I was not happy. Went to bed sometime after 12.

Saturday: For some reason I am no longer able to sleep too much past 6:00 anymore no matter how late I go to bed. So I was the first one up and enjoying the quiet. The kids got up and immediately the fighting began. Sigh, it's going to be a long summer. I washed dishes and fed the kids breakfast. Since we have been having so much trouble getting CJ to willingly take his medicine I put it in his pediasure. That seemed to work. I looked up on the library website to see if they had a book I want to get. They don't. But I told the girls I'd take them to the library. They are doing this special thing today where the kids Read to dogs. It's supposed to help improve their literacy skills so we shall see. I showered and then brought Joe to work. Returned bottles and cans (got $13 for that which is a lot at a nickel a piece). Then we stopped at the bank and then to the library. The girls first picked out some books then we went in to read to the dogs. There were only two dogs there so we had to wait our turn. The girls read to the dogs though who were very sweet. Put up with a lot from CJ. Then we left. We came home and had lunch. CJ wasn't really interested in eating though. Before I knew it we had to go pick up Joe from work. So we got him and stopped at the liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine as a gift for my cousin's engagement party tomorrow. Then off to Walmart for diapers and wipes and a few other things we needed around the house. We came home to get a few things and planned on going to the drive in for movies. When we went to leave my car wouldn't start!!! Seriously? After all we just went through with the car I was furious that it wouldn't start. It seemed like the starter to me. Joe tried to find it, but couldn't. The kids were very upset. We were very upset. It wouldn't start at all. So I was looking around online trying to figure out if we could possibly fix it ourselves and what it would cost. If we couldn't we'd need a tow and to pay a mechanic which would kill us. We found where the starter was, but it was getting too dark to mess with it too much. I had posted of our problems on Facebook and my friend ended up calling us around 8 to see if he could help. He ended up coming over and agreed it was the starter. It was too late to go buy a new one though. He did pull the old one out and will come over tomorrow to help us get to the store to buy a new one and put it in for us. Hopefully in time for us to leave for my cousin's engagement party. He can't come over until after noon. I can't wait till the week from hell is over.

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CJ's 18 month Check Up

CJ had his 18 month check up today. Only a month and a half late. He's doing good. He's up to 22 pounds 11 ounces and 31 3/4 inches tall. His weight is in the 10th %tile which is good for him. Last time it was in the 5th %tile. He kind of flip flops between 5th and 10th, but the doctor says it's steady which is good. His height is in the 20th %tile and his big ole noggin remains in the 90th %tile.

He had his first Hep A shot. Hopefully he handles that well. He's also being put on antibiotics. He's been having a cough for about 10 days now. It was a fever at the beginning of the week with the cough getting worse and then of course the runny nose and all. So during the doctor's check up she looked in his ears and said they looked a little red. She thought at first it was because of him crying, but I guess she saw something that had her thinking she needed to treat him though in the second ear. She didn't want us having to call the on call doctor over the weekend or having any problems so she decided to just put him on antibiotics now.

So we'll go back in a month to check to make sure he's all clear. So aside from the ear infection he's doing great. Developmentally the doctor seems pleased. I was very happy to see that they wanted me to fill out an Ages and Stages questionairre and I had already done it and brought it with me. I explained the results of his personal social and that I don't think there's any concern there, but it will be watched. She agreed that he was fine as he said hi to her when she walked in the room ;). He hated the exam, but all typical of an 18 month old. He did great with the shot. Didn't even cry. Of course that surely has to do with the doctor's method of distracting. She's so great. Makes it not traumatic at all. If only all doctors would use her method for giving shots.

Kaitlyn's Progress

Today we had Kaitlyn's PPT (Planning and Placement Team) meeting. I had met with the school psychologist yesterday to discuss the testing they had done on Kaitlyn and was pretty sure coming in that I would be told no special ed services. Yes, this is a good thing, but I still have my doubts. All of her testing came out with her being in the normal range and sometimes even above normal. They are still very puzzled by Kaitlyn though. I don't know maybe she's a genious. After all Einstein didn't do well in school.

The testing done by the school psychologist did reveal some helpful tips. First of all Kaitlyn is a visual learner. Whenever possible giving her pictures to look at for instruction will be a huge help for her. Also there are some attention things. So the school psychologist suggested that making sure that she understands by checking in with her frequently will be helpful. And lastly she is very good at scanning things, but the faster she goes the more errors she makes. This was an area of strength that she had. Actually very great strength, but when she's timed or has to do things quickly there are errors. So slowing things down for her and getting her to relax will be an important thing there.

Now here's my concern when it comes to this. In 3rd grade she will be taking the CMT's (CT Mastery Tests) which are a timed test. If we don't figure out a way to get her to do things speedy and effitiently by then how is she going to do on that?

Oddly she can read a passage out loud that makes no sense (because she won't correct the words that she gets wrong that don't make sense), but she can comprehend what she read well enough to answer multiple choice questions about it which are read to her. That's puzzling to me. Almost like she's hearing the words differently, but yet in her phonemic awareness testing with the speech she scored well. I don't get how she can read something without any corrections and still do so well on a multiple choice test that was read to her.

I'm really unsure of how to help her. I mean I think as far as limiting our frustrations with her in daily living with her chores I can work with the visual aids for that, but I still don't know what to do for her with her reading. Her math skills are fine now, but they are going to start doing word problems. Now numbers seem to be something she's interested in. If a word problem is read to her she can come up with the correct answer, but is she going to be able to read it herself and come up with the right answer?

Then there's her spelling. I forgot to ask about this today. She can spell the words at home for me. Now sometimes I have her write them sometimes I have it aloud. This might come down to the whole speed thing with her since at home she gets all the time in the world since I'm only testing her.

The other thing I forgot to ask about is her writing. More specifically her pencil holding. She still doesn't always hold her pencil right. Now maybe this isn't such a big deal, but I really think this is a big reason why her writing is so hard to read. When I remind her to hold it correctly her handwriting is so much neater. I don't think they even tested anything pertaining to my concerns about her fine motor skills.

So where we stand now is she doesn't qualify for special ed. She will move onto 2nd grade next year with her friends. She is probably getting a new teacher to the school. Not new to teaching just to the school. They say she's very strong in reading and going for her masters degree in reading. So hopefully that will be helpful to her. We will get lots of sight words to practice with her over the summer. And we will be spending lots of time at the library I'm sure. I will talk to her teacher for next year hopefully before school even starts to give her a heads up about Kaitlyn so we can jump right into the school year with all the information in place. And I will continue to push things if she's still struggling with reading. I'm tired of waiting to see if it clicks and hope that now with this new insight into her we can start using that and getting everything into place so she continues to want to read.

Week In Review: May 31 - June 6

Here is this weeks Week In Review for May 31 - June 6, 2009

Sunday: A lazy Sunday. Joe went to work early. So it was just me and the kids until just after 2. We were going to go out and do something, but the girls didn't clean their stuff up in the kitchen after being told to numerous times. So we just stayed home. I made dinner and did a few loads of laundry. Bathed the kids and sent them to bed. Then Joe and I stayed up playing around on the computer before going to bed.

Monday: Got up and got ready to bring Joe to work. We dropped him off and then came back home. Got the girls ready for school. Brought them to school and went to the FRC to drop off CJ's Ages and Stages. Talked to them in the office for a few and then went to see if we had any more BBQ orders. Only one more order had come in. Came home and made a bunch of phone calls. Had to deal with something pertaining to one of my speeding tickets which I got resolved. Called to order hot dog rolls for Friday. E-mailed some people to confirm a few things. Put CJ down for a nap. Folded some laundry. Had lunch and fed CJ. Then we went to get the girls from school. Came home to do some homework, but Kaitlyn doesn't have anymore homework for the rest of the year. We went to pick Joe up from work and do some WIC shopping. After that we had to head over to the park to sign everyone up for swimming lessons. It was crazy how they did it with lines twisting in all directions. But all the kids are signed up for swimming in session 1 now. They start on June 22nd which is their first official day of summer break. Then we went home so we could feed the kids and I could get what I needed for my PTA meeting. I left for my meeting. We finished early. Joe was going over my VP's house to help her boyfriend cut some meat. So I called to see if he was still there. He was so I went over there. We stayed there for about half an hour before going home. Put the kids to bed and I had something to eat. Watched some TV then went to bed.

Tuesday: Got up early. CJ was up too. The girls even got ready quickly it was amazing. Joe took the car to work. I walked the kids to school. Came home and replied to some e-mails. Played some blocks with CJ. Put him down for a nap a little late. I finally got a price for my cousins wedding cruise next May and was not happy. I need to find a better price. I went to take a shower and CJ got up shortly after I got out of the shower. I fed him lunch. Cleaned him all up because he was sticky. Played some more blocks with CJ. Cleaned off a griddle that I had borrowed for the Pancake Poetry. Joe called to say he was late and I was expecting him to be home so we could go to the school to get the girls. I changed CJ and waited for Joe to come. He came and got the griddle to return. We got to school in time somehow. Gave the griddle back and went up to the office to check if we had any more BBQ orders. We had a few more. Came home and Natalie did homework. Cleaned up the living room. Washed dishes and started dinner while the kids went out to play. Had dinner made the girls take a shower and sent them to bed. Stayed up and watched the Mets lose another game. Stayed up a little while longer before going to bed.

Wednesday: Got up and got everyone ready for school. Joe took the car so I walked the kids in. Then CJ and I came back home. We had a lazy day. I made a few phone calls finalizing things for Friday's BBQ, but other than that not much else. I walked to pick the girls up from school. Much to my surprise it was drizzling. It felt nice though. Got to the school and went up to check the PTA mailbox for more fundraiser orders. There were a few more. Got the girls and we walked home. Joe was pulling up the street just as we were turning onto the street. So he helped me got the kids in the house and the stroller up the stairs. Natalie did her homework and Kaitlyn did some reading. We had dinner and the kids argued with us about going to bed. They wanted to stay up to watch Wipe Out. We were recording it though so we sent them to bed at the normal time. Joe and I stayed up a little while longer watching some TV before going to bed ourselves.

Thursday: Got up too early. Did some stuff on the computer and broke up some fights between the girls. Joe brought them to school while I stayed and fed CJ his breakfast. He ended up dumping that on the floor so I cleaned that up and put some dishes away. I tried to clean up the kitchen a bit, but CJ was having nothing to do with that. After putting him down for a nap I showered. Then I counted some money I needed to deposit into the PTA account. We ordered a pizza for lunch. CJ got up just before the pizza arrived. We ate lunch and since the sun was coming out Joe decided to take the car to work. So I walked to pick up the girls again. We came home and it was homework and then I made them clean up the rest of the kitchen (most of it was their garbage and toys left on the table anyways). I washed dishes and made dinner (pancakes since Joe wasn't home and he hates breakfast for dinner). After dinner I told the girls to put their toys away in the living room. CJ was very cranky so I ended up changing him and putting him to bed early. I let the girls stay up a little late before sending them to bed. Then I sorted some laundry and threw a load in the wash. Joe came home from work and I straightened up the living room. Only time I can do it without having everything pulled out right behind me. I washed the dinner dishes and vegged a little before finally going to bed.

Friday: Got up and showered and got the kids ready to go. Fed everyone and dressed them. Joe brought me and the girls to the school. Then he left to go pick up a grill we had purchased and I stayed at the school and met my PTA VP. We went to the office and waited for any last minute BBQ orders to come in. We got a few more. Then we went to our closet to get our last Avon order out to give it to someone who was giving it to it's owner. Cleared some space in the closet for the field day shirts and we left to go shopping. We went to Sams Club and got everything we needed for the BBQ. On the way back to the school we stopped at the ice cream shop to pick up the ice cream sandwiches. We got to the school and emptied the car. Put everything in the fridge and freezer. The PTA treasurer was there after having gotten the field day shirts so we decided to go ahead and sort and distribute the shirts to the classrooms. After completing that task we locked up and left. My VP brought me home. Where I finally had something to eat. I got a phone call from a parent at the school claiming to never have gotten the BBQ paper and wanted to pay at the door. I explained to her that we weren't dealing with any money at the door, but offered to allow her to come pay at the end of the school day. She said she would and I called my VP to try to figure out where we were getting the extra hot dogs. Then I went back to the school to pick up the girls. Talked to the office and let them know what was going on. Since I didn't reach my VP on her phone I found her at pick up and we squared everything up. The grill was delivered without charcoal so I had to run to the store to pick up another bag of charcoal. Got that and came home for a little while before having to go back to the school. CJ ended up falling and hitting his eye on the corner of the bookshelf. He was okay though. We went to the school for 4:30 and set up for the BBQ. Bad weather forced us indoors for the 3rd year in a row. We still had a nice turn out though. The kids had fun. We came home around 8. Put CJ to bed and let the girls stay up to watch our recording of Wipe Out then they went to bed. I caught up on my e-mails from the day and edited some pictures.

Saturday: Got up at my usual time. Checked on CJ's eye. Was relieved to see it hadn't swollen shut. Fed him breakfast and played around on the computer. The girls got up slowly. Got them some breakfast and sent them to clean their room. I spent the rest of the day playing catch up on my soaps. CJ didn't take much of a nap so he was pretty cranky by the end of the night. He fell asleep in his highchair after dinner. So we put him to bed. We let the girls stay up a little late before finally sending them to bed.

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End of the Year BBQ 2009

Last night we had our End of the Year BBQ at the school. Every year the PTA hosts this BBQ. It's a fun event. Lots of work for the PTA, but worth it. We had rain so everything was moved indoors. I did manage to snap a few pictures of the festivities though.

Kaitlyn's balloon hat

Natalie's lady bug

Our friend Hunter eating an ice cream sandwich

Hunter's all done with his sandwich. Look at that face

Tails making balloon animals

CJ checking things out

Kaitlyn waiting for her balloon flower to be made

Kaitlyn and Tails the Clown


Our friend Spencer helping clean up


As you can see it was a fun night. I had a hard time getting a lot of pictures of the older two because they were always running around playing with all of their friends. It was a fun event that was a huge success and our last PTA event of the year. A nice way to end things.

He Got into a Fight with a bookshelf...

and LOST!

moments after the incident


So here's what happened...

CJ likes to pull the books off of the book shelf. It's a daily thing. The books go flying. As soon as I put them back they go flying again. Generally speaking I will leave them until he's napping or has gone to bed because otherwise that's all I'd be doing with my day is placing books back on the shelf. So today was no different. Joe, Kaitlyn, CJ and I were all in the living room. I was at the computer and Joe was watching TV. Kaitlyn was by the couch playing with CJ. I didn't actually see what happened. I heard the cry, but it wasn't a OMG Mom you have to drop what you're doing. I assumed he had just gotten tired of his sister or fell down on the floor or something. I turned around and saw him trying to stand up by the book shelf. He was sobbing I called him over to me and he came and I picked him up and he was fine. Not really knowing what had happened and since he was so easily consoled I figured he just tripped on the floor or something. Then Joe noticed his eye. He got ice which is pointless for a 19 month old. He kept fighting and pushing it away. Not much we could do. It had already swelled up pretty good. But as far as I can figure CJ tripped over the books he had pulled off of the shelf and landed face first on the book shelf. The way the mark is on his face it looks like he caught the corner.

The above two pictures were taken shortly after it happened and just before leaving for the school BBQ at 4:30 tonight. If you'd like to see how it progressed check below...

Taken around 8 p.m. (4 hours after the injury)

As you can see it's still very red, but turning very black and blue. If you'd like to see how it progresses check back. I'll take pictures of it as it goes through it's stages of healing.

And this just goes to show you, DO NOT TAKE ON A BOOKSHELF, IT WILL WIN EVERY TIME!

Save our FRC

I'm sure my long time readers have heard me talk about the Family Resource Center (FRC). When we first moved here 5 1/2 years ago we knew no one. I met my neighbor through an online yahoo group we were on together. She told me of the FRC at the local elementary school. Since at the time the girls were only 4 1/2 and 1 1/2 I knew nothing of the schools. They hadn't entered the schools yet. So she was telling me about these playgroups and Tune Times they have for children birth to 5. Well, this was perfect. I was becoming increasingly disappointed with the preschool I had Natalie in and wanting to remove her from the school. But her having a speech delay I did not want to do it if I didn't have some way for her to be around other children around her age. So when my neighbor told me about this I said okay this sounds perfect. I called up and spoke to a woman named Carol. She told me when and where they were and to come on they'd be more than happy to have us. So the following week I went with the girls. I knew no one there. Carol came up and introduced herself and welcomed us. I went to the puzzle table with the girls. Linda eventually came over and introduced herself to me as well. I didn't really know any of the parents, but I felt so welcome and it was such a nice environment for my young children. Plus, this was the school in our district. Natalie would be attending this school in September for Kindergarten. So it was nice to already be familiarizing ourselves with this elementary school and some of the people in the building.

Now fast forward 5 years and I still attend those playgroups that originally brought me to the FRC. Both the girls are no longer able to attend, but CJ and I go. I know everyone there. Carol and Linda are still there running them.

Now let me go back again. At first I thought all the FRC had to offer were these playgroups. I was so wrong though. As I got prepared for Natalie to start kindergarten I began to learn what a presence the FRC has in the school. They are huge. I began volunteering my time in the FRC. I was invited to join the PEP group (People Empowering People) when Natalie was in Kindergarten. I helped plan their May International Dinner for the school. I offered my clowning expertise for that event. I also had helped plan a Child Safety class for parents to take through the FRC. So many doors were being opened up to me at this time.

After graduating from PEP I continued my work with the FRC. They are the ones who pushed me two years ago to run for PTA president of the school. I did and I won. I don't know that I would have gotten as involved in the PTA as I did, or rather stay involved if the FRC wasn't there supporting me. We had some glitches with the previous officers as I was trying to get my foot in the door of the PTA. The FRC was there helping me through it all though.

But what about what they've done for my kids? Well, they have given Natalie and Kaitlyn great confidence in the school. They have talked to my girls when we've gone through difficult times in our family. They have provided winter coats, back packs, school supplies, and countless other things to children in the school who couldn't otherwise afford things. And numerous times a year all the kids get free books from the FRC through book share and the Reading is Fundamental program.

Mostly they have been a huge help to me when CJ was going through problems from birth. We were struggling with a doctor who wasn't listening to me and was more interested in accusing me of starving my son. They helped me to find a new doctor who would listen. I ended up joining their PAT (Parents As Teachers) program last year. I did it initially thinking I don't need this. CJ is my third child. Been there done that. I know how to parent. I was doing it to help someone new to being a PAT teacher. I never imagined how much help she would actually be to me. In all of our concerns about CJ's weight gain his development wasn't a huge concern to us. We were constantly worried with the pounds he was putting on. So when we did our first Ages and Stages and discovered that CJ's motor skills were falling behind I was surprised. He wasn't greatly behind, but enough to throw up some red flags and get Birth to Three involved. So the FRC helped me get someone from Birth to Three out to evaluate. They came out and determined he did qualify for services. He's just recently been discharged because he's doing so well. However, I still worry. So my PAT teacher is doing another Ages and Stages to see where he is now and then when we go back in September we'll see if he's still doing well. I am so reassured to know that we have this resource to fully monitor his progress and make sure he stays on the right track for development. I don't know what we would do without it.

Most recently the FRC has helped us out in a financial matter. When we lost our Angel Celeste back in December we did not have the money to cremate her. We did not want her to be tossed out as medical waste though so the FRC helped us fund the process. Not only that, but everyone in the FRC rallied around us and brought food and attended her memorial service and were just such a great support to us morally.

Now you might be wondering why is she singing the praises of the FRC so much? Well, it's because next year we might not have an FRC in our school any longer. I don't know where that would leave us with CJ. But even on a wider scale I have seen the amazing things that have been done for so many families at the school in helping with financial matters and so many other things that arise. So many more families are in need now with the state of the economy so losing the FRC at the school would be a huge blow.

The governor of CT has proposed new budget cuts. Originally she was saying all funding would remain in place for the FRC's. Now, however, she's proposing all funds be cut from the FRC's in CT. This would virtually close down the FRC. We can't have that. I understand cuts need to be made to prevent raising taxes, but the FRC is not a place to cut. Our families need them more than ever now. So I don't want to see these funds cut out of the budget. If anyone reading is in CT and would like to help me support our FRC please leave me a comment to let me know. I will get you all the information you need to contact the governor and tell her not to cut our FRCs. Lets work together to save our Family Resource Center!