Week In Review: August 23 - August 29, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for August 23 - August 29, 2009

Sunday: Just another lazy Sunday. Got up and gave the kids breakfast. Joe went to work and the kids and I hung around the house all day. I washed some dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Joe cooked dinner. After dinner I gave CJ a bath and put him to bed. The girls ended up going to bed early too in preparation for the start of school. Joe and I stayed up and watched TV and then went to bed.

Monday: I was up early and playing around on the computer. We were supposed to have the cable company come so after breakfast we cleaned up the apartment. I washed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then cleaned up the living room and vacuumed. Then we had lunch and I called the cable company who had no work order for us. Great, I canceled my DSL and now no one is coming out. So after arguing with them I got them to come out for Tuesday. Well, it's better than nothing, but that meant no internet for a whole day. Joe had to go to work. I don't even know what I ended up doing all afternoon. I cooked dinner and fed the kids. CJ was running a fever. He was very clingy so I held him a lot. Sent the kids to bed early and then waited for Joe to come home from work. Went to bed shortly after he got home.

Tuesday: Joe and I woke up and laid in bed talking. Then the kids all got up and joined us in bed. When things got a little too crazy I got up. Made breakfast and fed the kids. Got dressed and ready for the cable guy to come. Then we waited and waited and waited. The cable guy did show up. I got into it with him a little because he was asking me how to do his job. Actually, the problem was he didn't like that the dish used their cable to run our dish into the house. I showed him where it came into the house that wasn't being used by the dish, but I guess he didn't like that. He decided to drill a hole in the house instead. Unfortunately he did it on the wrong side of the house. Now mind you he saw where our computer is. He can't run cable around doorways. So when he brought it in he goes we'll set up the phone on that table (not where I wanted it). I told him no it can't go there the baby will play with it. He got a little snippy with me again. I was getting very fed up with this guy. I told him just leave us extra cable and we'll run it ourselves to where we want it. Grrr, now I remember why we canceled our cable. Once he left Joe worked on getting everything set up and I tried to get back online. It wasn't working so I had to call. I got disconnected and had to call again. Finally we got it, but we really needed to go back to school shopping. So we went and did that. Got all of the kids stuff and then went and picked up a pizza. That couldn't be easy either though. They took longer than they said to make it. When I went back they told me they'd bring it out to me. Well, the girl came walking out with our pizza and didn't even actually look for us and just went back in. So I had to go back in to get it. We did get a free soda for our trouble though. Although when we got the pizza home we found that the pizza girl made the pizza slide. I hate that. We ate and put CJ to bed and let the girls stay up for a little while before sending them to bed. Then Joe and I stayed up for a while before also going to bed.

Wednesday: Joe got up and went to work. I woke up after he left and CJ got up shortly after that. I went and got the girls up and told them to clean their rooms. Then they wanted to pack their back packs for school on Thursday. I told them to wait. Everyone ate breakfast. CJ threw a fit for no good reason for half an hour. Then he cuddled with me. I fed them lunch and put CJ down for a nap. He slept for a long time. Joe came home from work and I washed dishes and made dinner. Then I washed laundry. After dinner the girls took a shower and I spend an hour curling and braiding hair. Joe gave CJ a bath for me while I did that. I got all of the back to school supplies packed in back packs and all kids in bed only about 20 minutes later than I had hoped for. I finished up the laundry and cleaned up the kitchen and then it was my turn for a shower. After my shower I went to bed so hopefully I could get up with the kids in the morning for their first day of school.

Thursday: I was woken up by Kaitlyn wanting me to take her curlers out. I sent her off to get dressed first and tried to wake up myself. First day of school finally here. I won't go into all of the details of the day, you can read that here. After school I filled out all of my paperwork. Washed dishes. Joe cooked dinner. We ate and chatted about the day. The girls took a shower and I changed CJ and all the kids went to bed. Joe and I stayed up watching TV before we went to bed.

Friday: I woke up way too early and couldn't go back to sleep. The kids got up eventually and got ready for school. Joe brought them to school on his way to work and left me and CJ by ourselves. CJ curled up with me on the couch and went to sleep. I didn't let him sleep for too long though. We played a little and then I made him lunch and put him down for his nap. I did some stuff around the house and laid down on the couch. Joe got home from work and CJ woke up. Got him dressed and went to pick up his sisters from school. After we got them we went to the bank and then the grocery store to get a few things. We came home and put the groceries away and made dinner. Cleaned up after dinner and just hung out. Got CJ ready for bed and put him to bed and let the girls stay up for a little while watching TV with us. Then sent them to bed and Joe and I made some nachos and watched a DVR recording we had. I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I was uncomfortable though so I just got up and went to bed early.

Saturday: Woke up around 8. I must have been really tired. So was the rest of the house though because they didn't get up until 9. Fed everyone breakfast. Another rainy Saturday put a damper on our plans for the day. We went out to look at some houses and then stopped at the store for a few things. Then we were supposed to have our friend's kids for the afternoon, but didn't end up having them because they got grounded. So we went home. I cleaned up a little and talked my friends into letting us bring dinner to them. They agreed and we ended up making a night of it. I cooked macaroni and cheese and cleaned up while it was in the oven. Then when it was done we wrapped it up and headed over to my friend's house. We ate and the kids played and we had a nice time. We even brought a movie over for everyone to watch. So saw 17 Again which was a pretty good movie. After that we got the kids to clean up their mess and then we dragged everyone out. As soon as we got home it was off to bed for the kids. So even though the weather put a damper on our plans we still managed to have a nice night.

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First Day of School 2009

I am now officially the mother of a 2nd grader and a 5th grader. Today was the first day of school. It was a good day. The girls were up early and ready to go half an hour before we had to leave. We got to the school and found their teachers and I sent them on their way. Then I stayed outside and chatted with some friends of mine and went home for a few before going BACK to the school to meet with the school psychologist. After meeting with him I stopped in to chat with the FRC and then went home and fed CJ lunch. He fell asleep in his high chair so I put him down for a nap and he slept for over 3 hours. So I had complete peace at home. I went to pick the girls up who were all smiles and very excited that I had homework and they did not. I met with Kaitlyn's teacher to talk about Kaitlyn and her difficulties and likes and stuff. I feel very confident that her teacher will work with me to help Kaitlyn with her reading. She's open to the possible ADHD diagnosis and is going to play to her strengths when teaching her. This just might be the year that she comes out of her funk. I ran into the principal on my way out of the school who was raving about this years 5th grade class. He says they are the best group of 5th graders they've had in 10 years. Glad that my child is part of a group like that. I think this is going to be a great year all around. Natalie's teacher was already familiar with Natalie's strengths and seemed very excited to have her in her class. Three weeks until open house. I can't wait to get in there and see what they've been doing the first few weeks of school. Until then I leave you with some pictures of my two beautiful girls and a few with that handsome son of mine...

This is what it takes to look beautiful


Natalie all ready to go

Kaitlyn all ready to go

The 2nd grader and 5th grader

Natalie, Kaitlyn, and CJ excited about the day

CJ wants something on the counter

Kaitlyn and Mrs. Nazare her 2nd grade teacher

Natalie and Mrs. Hurlbert her 5th grade teacher

Kaitlyn in line to go into her class

Kaitlyn's curls didn't last long I'm afraid to say. They are both looking forward to day number two tomorrow. Now hopefully CJ does okay with it. He had a difficult time this morning without his sisters. He was looking for them.

Wordless Wednesday: Swiffer Sweeper Baby

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To PTA or Not PTA

The summer is coming to an end and days are filled with back to school shopping, labeling our children’s school things, and thinking about what this school year will be like for our children. Will she have a good teacher? Will her best friend be in her class? Will she do well in school? How much homework will she have? What can I do to make the school days easier for her?

Then the first day of school arrives and you have your children dressed to the nines. You snap pictures and send them off for their big day. They come home with their brand new back packs filled with homework for YOU to do. They have tons of paperwork for you to fill out updating all of their information for the year and numerous fliers including one from PTA. You quickly fill everything out and send it back. You study the PTA paper and think should I join PTA? Why should I join PTA?

Let me tell you why I joined the PTA. It started five years ago when my oldest was in Kindergarten. I was excited about my daughter beginning school. I wanted to be there though and be involved. I went to the first meeting and even volunteered to help get shopping carts for their first event. I went to a few meetings, but that was about it. I paid my dues and even joined again the following year, but there were new officers and I found myself not knowing when PTA meetings were. I felt like it was some elite club that I wasn’t really welcome at.

Unfortunately a lot of parents were beginning to feel that way in the school about our PTA and things needed to change. I was approached by our schools Family Resource Center about this. I went to every meeting that next year. I became the chairperson for the schools Fall Festival. I was good at it, but I did struggle big time with officers who did not communicate or want to give up power. Somehow it all worked out though. And I continued to push. I got the Box Tops program up and running in the school again. I found a new fundraiser or our spring fundraiser. I was nominated as PTA president. I ran unopposed. That was how I became the PTA President at my school.

This is not to say it will be the case in all schools. I decided though that I wanted a change. I wanted our PTA to be welcoming and better for my children. I knew this was an important group and an important part of the school and I wanted to be a part of it and I wanted it to succeed.

You’re still wondering, why PTA? Is it for me? Isn’t it just a bunch of cookie making fundraising moms? Well, it’s not supposed to be. Yes, I do bake cookies and yes PTA does do fundraisers. This is not why I do it though. Here are a few things you might be interested to know about PTA and why it will be beneficial to join:

1. You are part of a group of parents with a large voice to help advocate for the health, education and welfare of our children. So if you have an issue with anything pertaining to the school (ie lunches, the math program, or the safety of the building) you have a connection to lots of other parents who might feel the same way you do and you can ban together to voice your opinions. And even beyond that nationally you are a part of 5 million other parents who could feel the same way you do about an issue and you can tap into that group of people and make a change nation wide.
2. An understanding of the school system. You’ll be in the school and working with the principal and the teachers and knowing what goes on day in and day out in your child’s school.
3. Child development training classes.
4. As a PTA member you get special discounts like coupons and money off your T-Mobile bill.
5. More parents’ involvement equals more successful children. It is proven that an involved parent raises a child’s progress in school. And really isn’t that what it’s all about? Making sure our children are successful in life.

PTA is not all about fundraising and cookies. We provide enrichment for the children. We have events which bring the parents and children into the school for fun and learning.

For me my involvement in the school has given me so much for my children. I have such a great support system in the school. I know my children’s teachers. I see them on a day to day basis. Both of my girls were honored at the end of last year for being super students. They were two out of just about fifty other children in the school to win this distinguished honor. My oldest had straight A’s all of last year. She also read the most minutes of any other student in the entire school and won 1st runner up in the poetry contest. My involvement in the school has helped my younger daughter in a much different way. She struggles with reading. I have sat down with the principal to discuss her troubles numerous times. Because he has worked closely with me for three years now he knew that I wasn’t just trying to cause trouble. He took my concerns seriously and when I requested more be done he provided it. He knows my children very well. And it’s not because they are trouble makers and in his office all of the time either. He knows them by name. He knows their personalities. He’s been watching my youngest since he was a new born and will be ready to have him in his school in two years. My children are comfortable talking to the principal and going to his office. I couldn’t ask for a better relationship between myself and the principal and my children and the principal.

So when that PTA paper comes home in your child’s backpack on the first day of school what will you do with it? Will you throw it out? Or will you begin on a wonderful journey with your children this school year? I hope you make the choice to join PTA this year. I really think it’s a choice you will NOT regret.

Week In Review: August 16, 2009 - August 22, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for August 16 - August 22, 2009

Sunday: Another lazy Sunday. Watched my soaps and played on the computer. I cooked a nice dinner and washed dishes. Gave CJ a bath and put him to bed. Let the girls stay up a little while and then sent them to bed. Starting to send them to bed earlier and earlier as school will be starting up soon. I took a shower and went to bed.

Monday: Got up thinking why did summer wait so long to get here. It's been hot and humid. I took it easy in the morning. Joe went out to fill out some applications. When he came home we had lunch. I took the girls to the library. Natalie had won a harmonica so we picked up her prize and some more books. Came home and watched Joe fix the girls bikes. They wanted to ride, but their shoes were in their room and their brother was napping. They tried to go in quietly to get them, but he woke up. So we went to the grocery store. Got a few necessities and then came home. I researched some different companies we could use for phone and internet. Ended up ordering a different service. Someone came over to purchase one of our air conditioners. After that we came in for dinner. Then Joe got out the water guns and we went into the yard to spray the kids. Our landlords kids were out there too and ended up getting in on it. Except they were going after me. Even though I wasn't spraying them. So I got soaked too. I surrendered (I didn't really want to get wet in the first place) and came in. Joe brought CJ up and we changed him for bed. Called the girls in who were not happy. It was getting late and the bugs were biting. So they came up and pealed their wet clothes off in the shower. While they were in there I told them to shower. So they did. We put CJ to bed and they stayed up reading and playing video games for a little while. Sent them to bed and Joe and I watched some TV before going to bed.

Tuesday: Got up early again even though I didn't have to. Took it easy in the morning. Checking e-mail, fed the kids, got some stuff together to meet with my PTA officers. Gave CJ lunch and put him down for a nap. Then me and the girls went to the school to meet with the principal and vice principal about the upcoming year. Joe stayed home with CJ. Had a nice lunch meeting at the school. Before we left we got the girls teacher assignments for this year. Natalie's teacher is Mrs. Hurlbert who she's very excited to have. And Kaitlyn's teacher is Mrs. Nazare who she's also very excited to have. We left the school and came home. Hung out with Joe for a little while before he had to go to work. He left and CJ got up from his nap. I made dinner for the kids. Took it easy. Put CJ to bed and let the girls stay up to wait for daddy. Shortly after he came home the girls went to bed. Joe and I watched TV and then went to bed.

Wednesday: I got up with Joe when he went to work in the morning. CJ was up shortly after that in a really good mood too. He was a lot of fun actually. The girls finally crawled out of bed and I fed everyone breakfast and we just vegged all day. Joe ended up working overtime. It was so hot in the house that we decided to order chinese take out for dinner. That came and we ate. I gave CJ a bath and then vacuumed. I put CJ to bed and started a load of laundry. The girls stayed up and watched some TV with us before going to bed. I finished the laundry and took a shower and went to bed.

Thursday: Got up early and brought Joe to work so I could have the car. Came home and gave the kids breakfast. Then we got dressed and went to run a few errands. Post office, Walmart for diapers, and stopped on the way home to get some ice. Arrived home and the electricians my landlord hired had the power turned off to the whole house. It was stifling in the apartment. Thankfully it wasn't off for too long. Washed dishes and fed the kids lunch. Put CJ down for a nap and then rested myself. Got CJ up and went to drop all three kids at my friends house for a few hours. Went to pick Joe up from work so we could go to the pediatrician's office to discuss Kaitlyn's possible ADHD. Got out of there earlier than I anticipated and went to the grocery store. My friend who was watching our kids called Joe. We were planning on letting the girls spend the night and picking up CJ. Her husband was offended by that so wanted CJ to stay. So we went to the grocery store and got us something for dinner and a couple of movies from the Redbox. Then we went home to put that stuff away and grab a few things for CJ and went to my friend's house to drop it off. Explained that we were just trying to make things easier on them by picking up CJ. Went back home and cooked our dinner. Realized we had nothing to drink so walked down to the corner store. Forgot our keys so had to break into our own house. Joe crawled in through the bathroom window. It was quite the sight. Got in and ate our dinner and watched a movie. Then made some popcorn and watched our second movie. Then went to bed.

Friday: Again, a day when I could have slept in, but I didn't. I was up very early. It was very quiet in the house. I played on the computer. Joe got up and I went and took a shower. Got ready to go so I could bring him to work and then go pick the kids up. Dropped him off and went and got the kids. They had done great at my friends house. I hung around and talked to her for a little while and then CJ started to melt down so I decided to take him home. He was so tired. We got home and I tried to get him to eat something, but he was just not interested. I sat down with him because he wouldn't let me put him down and he fell asleep on my shoulder. So I put him down for a nap. I fed the girls lunch and laid down myself and dozed for a few. Got up and woke CJ up. Changed him and went to pick Joe up from work. We got gas and then went home to pick up the movies I forgot. Returned those and came back home. CJ was very cranky. We gave him a snack, but he was still fussing. So Joe laid him down. The girls wanted to go out and play, but the skies were getting dark. They played for a few before it began to pour. We decided we wanted to go to the drive in. So we got CJ and left to get some snacks and head up to the drive in. We got some food for dinner while up there too and spent the night under the stars in our car watching Aliens in the Attic and GI Joe. Well, I should say Joe watched GI Joe. The rest of us were sleeping by the time that came on. Joe drove home. We sent the kids right to bed and we went to bed shortly after that.

Saturday: CJ woke up shortly after 8. So I got up with him. It wasn't long after that Joe got up. We fed him breakfast before the girls even woke up. They really slept in. Joe ended up putting CJ down for an early nap. The girls missed breakfast so had a little early lunch. We were supposed to go to the beach, but the weather report was saying rain. So I was trying to figure out what we could do. I found the tye dye kit we had gotten a while ago with the shirts we bought. I thought we could do that. As I was reading the instructions I realized the shirts we got weren't 100% cotton like it called for. So we decided we'd go return/exchange for the correct shirts. So after CJ woke up we all got ready to go. I thought this would be a quick exchange. I couldn't find the 100% cotton shirts for the kids though. We ended up going to AC Moore, then Walmart, then Michaels, and finally Target before we got what we were looking for. By then it was dinner time. We stopped at Quiznos for some subs and came home and ate. Then cleaned up the kitchen and I had put the shirts in the wash. Put CJ to bed and prepared the dye. Tye dyed our shirts and sent the girls to bed. Then Joe and I watched some TV.

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Back to School is almost here

The much anticipated time of year for parents and much dreaded for children. Back to school! My children have six days of summer vacation yet. I have been looking forward to them going back all summer long. And now that it's upon me you'd think I would be more than prepared. I am not! I have done nothing in the way of back to school shopping. Limited funds probably has a lot to do with that. Not having a school supply list is why the school supplies have not been bought yet.

I love my children's school, but waiting until a week before school starts to find out their teacher and what they need for school is just torture. The letters just came in the mail yesterday. I had gotten a sneak peak at the teachers they would have though while meeting with the principal, vice principal, and PTA on Tuesday. Both girls are very happy with their teachers this year. Yes, mom is happy too. I think they both have a good match up this year.

So Natalie is entering the 5th grade this year. Her last year of elementary school. My gosh, wasn't it just yesterday that I was dropping her off for her first day of Kindergarten? Certainly feels that way sometimes. Here we are five years later and she's part of the oldest group of children in school. Her teacher's name this year is Mrs. Hurlbert. She has been teaching at the school for six years now. She got her masters in education at the University of Bridgeport. Why is this important? Well, I practically grew up in Bridgeport. One town over. Joe and my first apartment together was in Bridgeport. So I was pretty excited to read that. If you don't live in CT you probably don't realize how different things are from county to county around here. Growing up in Fairfield county was definitely different than where we live now in Hartford county. Seriously, you'd be surprised at how different it can be. Natalie's teacher has sent home a homework policy and a discipline policy. I really like this. We know just what we're getting before we get in there. I have been in Mrs. Hurlbert's classroom over the years for PTA things and she has such a great way with all of the children. She's strict but fun. A perfect combination for Natalie. And knowing just what's expected of her going in is a huge help. So I can't wait to see what this year brings for Natalie. Will she be another Super Student? Will she read the most minutes in the entire school again? Will she win the grand prize this year in the poetry contest? Will she maintain her straight A's this year? All definite possibilities for her. Whatever happens, I just hope she has fun, learns a lot, and does well.

Kaitlyn is going into the 2nd grade this year. Ummm, yeah didn't I just have her? Second grade! This is crazy. Her teacher is Mrs. Nazare. She was new to the school last year. I am not too familiar with her since she's so new. The teacher I wanted Kaitlyn to have retired last year. I'm over that though I swear. This could be a good fit for Kaitlyn. I'm already impressed with her. She asked for us to write her a note explaining our child to her. Her interests, skills, fears, concerns, expectations, friends, siblings, pets, life outside of school, personality traits, and anything that will help her to get to know her better. Well, this is perfect. Because it has been my intention to go into the school and track down her teacher to discuss Kaitlyn anyways. Oh there's so much to discuss about Kaitlyn. Knowing that she truly wants to hear from me as her mom and what I'd like to see for her this year just makes this all that much easier. After I'm done she might wish she didn't ask though because we are embarking on a possible ADHD journey with Kaitlyn. But I think it's very important for her teacher to know and be aware of. I am very hopeful that this is the year that reading really clicks with Kaitlyn. That when I tell her it's time to read I don't get but mom there's nothing I can read. I want her to love reading as much as her sister does. I want her to sit down and do it just because she has to know what happens to that character in the story. This is my hope for Kaitlyn this year.

So I think we're all excited to start the new school year. We have our school supply list now. There's not too much we will have to get for them. Most things we already have. So back to school shopping here we come! School starts August 27th!

ADHD Meds

As my long time readers may know Kaitlyn has been struggling in school. Particularly with reading. She's a great math student. I have pushed for all sorts of testing from the school because with how hard she works and how little progress she makes I am concerned about her. They found nothing though. Well, I shouldn't say nothing really. Her tests did have some interesting results that no one really explained to me why. You see in some of her psychological exams there were some results that seemed to puzzle everyone. She tested on some subtests almost at a genius level, but then on different tests in the same category she really flopped on. I thought hey this is a red flag, but because the numbers were saying no learning disability they were like well we'll have to leave things as is.

So at Kaitlyn's physical this year I mentioned to her doctor about her struggles. She asked us a few things about Kaitlyn. How she behaves in school, if she's really good at anything, what's her attention like. I told her everyone loves her at school, she's really good at math, but I don't think she's paying as close attention to things as she could be. So she gave us a questionnaire to fill out as her parents on ADHD. Which we did right away and brought right back to her along with the testing the school had done. She was pretty much ready to say yes ADHD lets get her on meds, but she needed to lay everything out for us.

So today Joe and I went without any children to the doctor's office to discuss it. She told me first of all while there were a few mentions in the school psychologists report of her attention she needs more from him. She can do this without the school, but if I think I can get them on board that would be great. Then she went over what we do and why we would do it. First of all Kaitlyn does not have the hyperactivity part of ADHD. The doctor strongly believes that it's an attention thing. And when she describes a typical ADHD child and their behaviors it sounds so much like Kaitlyn. She can't really fully focus on one thing. She explained it to us like this. To a child with ADHD it's like trying to watch 15 different episodes of your favorite TV program at once. You want to watch it all, but you can't get all of the information you need by watching those 15 episodes at once. So what the meds do is take 14 of those TV's and shrinks them down and turns the sound down on those while making one of the TV's big and loud so you just focus on the one. Then you can get all the information you need and move onto the next task at hand. If we continue to allow Kaitlyn to watch 15 TVs at once then eventually she'll begin to feel that she can't do anything and is a failure and has more of a chance of failing in life. So of course we don't want that.

Now the scary part is the meds they have to treat this all have black box warnings. The stimulants have caused sudden unexplained death and the non stimulants are an antidepressant which in young people can cause unwanted side effects like thoughts of suicide. Big picture though is there are only 52 deaths out of 7 million children on these drugs. So she has a greater chance of dying playing a sport and we wouldn't stop her from doing that if she wanted to. Okay, not so bad.

However, here's where I think the rub is going to come in Kaitlyn's case. Stroke is one of the possible side effects. I asked if there are certain risk factors and there are. First, if there's a heart defect (ie a hole in the heart) it's not safe. Now Kaitlyn has had all normal exams and thankfully the doctor would send us to a cardiologist who will do an EKG on her to make sure her heart is all good. So a little peace of mind there. However, if there's history of stroke in the family then it might not be safe for her to take. Joe's mother had a stroke when she was in her 40's. So when we told this to the doctor she kind of didn't know what to say. She said we'd have to talk to the cardiologist about that. Okay, so one more reason to see the cardiologist.

Now I really wanted to make sure that Kaitlyn is properly diagnosed so I asked the doctor if there's more testing we could do. She said we'd have to pay out of pocket which we can't do. However, after talking to some other people that might not be the case. So tomorrow I will be making some phone calls. First I need to try to get in touch with the school psychologist to see if he's prepared to say yes this looks like ADHD. I also need to talk to this years teacher and last years teacher as well. And then on top of that I think the insurance company will be getting a phone call so we can find out what exactly we can do to get this properly diagnosed in her and then we will go from there.

My head is spinning a little from all of this. A whole diagnosis for her I wasn't anticipating, but the more I talk to people the more I think this is what Kaitlyn has. So a new medical journey for us to take with Kaitlyn.

Soccer Camp

Two hours a day Monday through Friday this week was spent at the park watching the girls learn how to play soccer and play a few games. They were cut short on Wednesday due to some thunder storms in the area, but every other day they were out there in the heat and humidity and even one day in the soggy muddy grass. They had fun though. I put together a little video slide show of the week.

Week In Review: August 9 - August 15, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for August 9 - August 15, 2009

Sunday: Slept in a little. Got up and fed the kids breakfast. Hung around the house for a few hours before Joe got home from work. He was out nice and early. When he got home I went and took a shower. He fed the kids lunch and put the fishing stuff in the car. I got dressed and ready to go and we all went and met some friends to go fishing. We had a nice time. So much so in fact that after a few hours of fishing we decided we didn't want the fun to end so we went to the park. After playing in the park we had to say our goodbyes and go have dinner. After dinner we put CJ to bed and the girls stayed up and watched some TV with us. Shortly after they went to bed too though. I did some laundry and then fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up I went down to put the laundry in the dryer and then went to bed.

Monday: I woke up early again. Had a terrible headache. So got up and took some aspirin. Then played around on the computer for a while. Before I knew it Joe was up and the kids too. We had to bring Joe to work. So we dropped him off and then came back home. Had breakfast and got the kids ready for swimming. Went to swimming and came back home. The girls were starting soccer camp today so they just changed and we had lunch. I put CJ down for a nap. I laid down too. Got up and edited some pictures and deleted them from my camera. CJ got up and it was time to bring the girls to soccer camp. So we left. Got them all signed in and found a spot on the grass to sit down and watch. One of the hottest days of the summer and the kids were out there running. A few got some heat exhaustion. I think Natalie ad a touch of it too because she was complaining her stomach hurt. She drank some fluids and I put something cold on her neck and she seemed fine. CJ ran around. Joe got a ride home from work and met us there. The girls seemed to have a good time. We went to Subway for dinner and came home to eat it. After dinner CJ and Joe were playing around on the couch. I sent the girls to take a shower (with a special treat of a bubble bath first). They got out and CJ went to bed. They stayed up a little later. I sent them to bed and went and did the swimming/soccer laundry. Once that was done I went to bed.

Tuesday: Had to be up early to bring Joe to work. Got him to work and then came home. Washed dishes and made some pancakes for Kaitlyn because Natalie finished off her cereal and left her with nothing she likes. Got ready for swimming lessons. We went to swimming and changed while there. Then went to Joe's work to drop off his cell phone and then off to the library to return books. The girls got their raffle tickets, more books, and searched for the picture on the wheel to earn an extra raffle ticket. Then we went home for lunch. Fed the kids. CJ fell asleep in his high chair. I left him there so I could get some things done. Including putting Kaitlyn's hair in braids. Then before I knew it it was time to pick Joe up from work. Got him and came home for a few before having to go to soccer. Sat on the soccer field for two hours and came home for dinner. Joe had stayed home to cook. Ate dinner. Gave CJ a bath and then sent the girls to the shower. Put CJ to bed. The girls stayed up late. We sent them to bed and I did the swimming/soccer laundry and then went to take a shower. After I showered I went to bed.

Wednesday: Got up to a quiet house. Once Joe woke up I talked to him about our plans for the day since he was off. Once we figured it out I threw some chicken in the crockpot and got us ready to go out for the day. The girls got their swimming stuff on and I put together a change of clothes for them and packed a suit for CJ. We left the house for swimming lessons. My friend was at the pool to meet us to give me her two children that we offered to watch for the afternoon. The girls went swimming and we took the kids up onto the deck. We watched them swim and then left to go to the store to get some lunch for me and Joe. Then we headed to the park with five children. We got to the park and ate lunch. Then we sent the kids off to play. My friend came to pick up her two kids around 2. We said goodbye and stayed at the park. The kids bounced between the playground and the splashpad. Then after 3:30 we started to head over to the car so the girls could change. We ended up seeing other friends there too so we stopped and chatted with them a while. Then we brought the girls over to the soccer field in the park to let them play soccer. There were some rumbles of thunder so they told us they might call it. I told them we were going to go back down to the playground and could call me which was fine. So we headed back down to the playground and were chatting with our friends there when we got the call that they were calling it. So we headed back over to the field to get the girls and went back to the playground so they could play a little longer. Then we ended up leaving at the same time as our friends. We went home to finish cooking our dinner. I washed dishes and cooked the sides and we ate. While we were eating we were discussing what we were doing for dinner the next night. We were going to have our friends two boys. So we called our friend to see what they might like and ended up deciding on pasta and meatballs. I needed more sauce though and pasta for the extra people we'd be feeding. So after dinner we headed back to the store to get a few things. Then we came home and put the stuff away. Joe put the garbage out and I washed the dinner dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Joe put CJ to bed and I got the laundry together. Then I put the girls in the shower. When they were done we watched some TV and they went to bed. I washed the laundry and Joe and I crashed completely exhausted from the whole day spent in the sun.

Thursday: Got up early to bring Joe to work. Came home and spoke to my landlord. Then went up for breakfast and to get ready for swimming. I made some meatballs and sauce to put in the crockpot for dinner. It was our last day of swimming for me and CJ. We went to swimming. We had a private lesson. After swimming we came home. Had to clean the apartment. Fed the kids lunch and bathed CJ and put him down for a nap. I did laundry and cleaned up the apartment. Then I took a shower and got CJ up from his nap so we could go pick Joe up from work. Came home and got the girls ready for soccer and then headed to the soccer field. We watched the girls play soccer and our friends came and dropped their two boys off to us for us to watch for the night. We left the soccer field with five kids in tow and stopped at Dunkin Donuts to pick up some donuts for breakfast in the morning. Then went home to make the pasta and eat dinner. Everyone enjoyed their food. The kids played for a little while. I put CJ to bed and the girls took a shower while the two boys played the Wii with Joe. I did more laundry and then hung out playing with the kids. We finally got the kids all settled. Our guests had to sleep in the living room so we went to bed early. I guess I didn't realize how tired I actually was because shortly after going to bed I fell asleep.

Friday: Got up early again to bring Joe to work. Then came home. Had breakfast and the kids got ready for their last day of swimming. I brought everyone to the pool and my friend came and picked up her boys while the girls were swimming. The girls got their lollypops and papers and we left. Came home for lunch. Someone came over and purchased a TV we had for sale. Then I put CJ down for a nap. Got the girls ready for soccer. Then got CJ up from his nap to go pick Joe up from work. We went and got him and then went to the bank and brought the girls to soccer. We left them there to go take care of some things and then got to get back in time to see them start their games. After soccer we went to visit a friend at work and then went home for dinner. We ate and put CJ to bed. Watched some TV and I fell asleep on the couch. Got up and went to bed.

Saturday: I woke up with a terrible headache. It wouldn't go away and wasn't being helped by a fussy CJ. Very hot and muggy I guess was getting to him. I layed low. The kids had breakfast and eventually lunch and I put CJ to bed and then I worked on editing some pictures. Joe came home from work. I washed dishes and cooked dinner. The girls played outside for a little while. We put CJ to bed. Then watched some TV with the girls. Sent them to bed and I continued to work on picture editing.

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Chivalry is Not Dead

I was shocked to be a part of not one, but two chivalrous acts today. I brought the kids to swimming as I always do. It's Tuesday which means a Parent/Child class for me and CJ. The girls get in the water 15 minutes before we do. So I went up like I usually do onto the patio to watch the girls for a little while in their swimming class. I was carrying CJ in my arms and had our beach bag over my shoulder. I walked over to the fence near this older gentleman who was reading the paper and stood there to watch the girls. Suddenly this older gentleman was offering me his seat.

I said, "No thank you we won't be up here too long I'm just watching."

He said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, thank you though."

Wow, I don't know if it was because I had CJ or because I'm a woman or maybe a combination of the two, but I've never had that happen before. Let alone twice.

A few minutes later standing in the same spot I had put CJ down on the ground to watch because he was wiggling free from my arms. I stepped back and checked on him and turned around and another man was putting a chair behind me and then walked off. Huh, do I look really tired today or something? Like I really need a seat? Well, now CJ had something to play with anyways as he started pushing the chair around on the deck and climbing up onto it. Shortly after chasing him around with the chair I took him down to the pool so we could wait for our class to begin. I'm still reeling a bit though from those offers. It's not often these days you see a man give up a chair for a woman. It was actually rather refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that women can do just what men can do and all, but still it's nice for a woman to be treated like a lady with a man holding the door open and offering his seat on a crowded bus or something. I think that really goes a long way with a woman. Hopefully my son will learn to be a gentleman and offer his seat to a lady. I must admit, Joe does do this so he does have a good roll model to model after.

Week In Review: August 2 - August 8, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for August 2 - August 8, 2009

Sunday: Started out like any other Sunday. Just relaxing and taking it easy. Joe had to work. After lunch Kaitlyn complained that her stomach hurt. I didn't think too much of it. She says that from time to time. Told her to lay down. She kept going to the bathroom, but not really doing anything while in there. Joe came home from work and she started throwing up. So I made her some soup for dinner and then made some ravioli for the other two kids. As Kaitlyn was eating she threw up all over the table and then stood there instead of going to the bathroom and continued to throw up. So I got the pleasure of cleaning that all up. Joe went to the store to get her some ginger ale. I washed my table cloth along with some towels. Kaitlyn was feeling better though after that last time throwing up. So we let the girls stay up and watch some TV and put CJ to bed. Then I sent the girls to bed. I finished up the laundry and watched some TV and then went to bed.

Monday: Got up early to bring Joe to work. Kaitlyn was feeling better. We brought Joe and then hung around waiting for swimming. The girls got ready and we left. It was a beautiful sunny day. They had a good time swimming. We came home and had lunch and I took the kids to the park. There is a new splash pad at the park so I let them stay in their suits to play in the splash pad. They had a blast. Even CJ went in and enjoyed it. Some friends ended up coming while we were there so it was nice to have some friends there. Then they were going to go in the pool. CJ needed a nap though so we did a little playing on the playground and then went home. The girls showered and I put CJ down for a nap. Then we had to go pick Joe up from work. Got him and came home. I washed dishes. We had dinner and went out to just get out of the house. We came home and started getting the kids ready for bed. They had gotten a little too much sun today so Joe was putting some lotion on them. Natalie didn't want to take her shirt off to get it on her back. She was embarrassed. So we went in her room just me and her and had a talk about her changing body. She's feeling very self conscious about her body. I think I made her feel better though. Then we sent them all to bed. Joe and I stayed up and watched TV. I did the swimming laundry and then we went to bed.

Tuesday: Joe had to be at work early again. So we got up and brought him. Then we came home and waited until it was time for swimming. It's Tuesday so that means CJ and I go in the pool too. This session we don't get private lessons. There's one other little boy in the class 10 months younger than CJ. I like our teacher so much better than all of the other ones though. We've had him before and he's just so great with the kids and he actually shows you how to do things and sings songs and plays games. After swimming we came home for lunch and showers. CJ fell asleep in his high chair. So by the time I managed to get him to wake up and take his bath it was really too late for me to get in the shower. I needed to throw clothes on so we could go pick Joe up from work. We did a little grocery shopping and came home and put it all away. We put CJ down for a nap and I edited some pictures. Then Joe got a phone call from his sister telling him that her daughter (Joe's niece) had her baby boy today. So he chatted with her for a while and then I cooked dinner. After dinner Natalie wanted to talk to me privately so we went into my room to talk about things. She's growing up and has lots of questions. After that we put CJ to bed and then watched some movies we had rented from the Redbox. Then swimming laundry and off to bed.

Wednesday: Joe had a day off. He came with us to swimming. Then we went home for lunch and showers. We watched some TV before having to leave to go to Kaitlyn's physical and CJ's ear recheck. After we got out of there we didn't really want to go home. So we called up some friends and asked if they'd like to go to mini golf. They agreed so we met up with them and went. We had a great time. After we finished it was late and we hadn't had dinner. So we all went out for pizza. After dinner we said our goodbyes and went home. It was very late so we sent the kids right to bed. I still had to do swimming laundry. So I did that and then went to bed.

Thursday: Had to get up early to get Joe to work. We came back home and waited for swimming. I had made plans with a friend to meet for lunch after swimming. So I made the lunch and got everything together for our picnic/fun in the park. We had swimming and then met up with our friend and had a great time playing in the park. We left the park around 2:30. Joe was getting out of work at 3 so we just headed to pick him up. I needed to use the bathroom and didn't want to use the gross one at the park so I used it at the store. We waited for Joe's replacement to arrive. He was late. Then we came home. Put CJ down for a nap and I ended up taking a nap as well. Got up late. It was my friends birthday and I decided to make her a cake. I had to go out to get something to eat for dinner too. So I did that and we ate and then called up my friend. We walked over to her house with her special treat and hung out there for a few and then came home. We sent the kids to bed and Joe and I finally got a chance to watch our movie. It wasn't very entertaining so we turned it off. I did the swimming laundry and took a shower and went to bed.

Friday: Wow, a morning where I wasn't up with the birds. I got up and my landlord was knocking on my door soon after. I was not in the mood to talk to him since I had just woke up and was still in my PJ's. He was persistent though. He ended up calling both cell phones and then coming to the front door. So I finally answered. He suddenly realized he hadn't given us a lease. Yeah, we haven't actually had a signed lease in years. He always brings it up. There's always something wrong with it. We always tell him to fix it and he always forgets. Now he was really pushing it. He was like can I come back up in 10 minutes to get it. Well, I don't know if I'll get a chance to look it over in the next 10 minutes because the kids are getting up and I need to feed them and get them ready for swimming. He says he'll just try and see where we are with it. Yeah okay whatever. And he actually came up 10 minutes later too (total shock since he has no concept of time). I skimmed over it. Problem is Joe and I don't want to be stuck here another year. He told us well you can just give us 30 days notice that's what everyone else has done. Ummm, yeah I don't think so. It doesn't say that in the lease and if we were to move with the lease as it is we could be held liable for the remainder of the lease. So I explained this to him that we'd like something in writing. So he goes well that's a month to month lease, but since we'll be gone from December to March we really can't have you leaving then (not that I think you'd want to he says). Little does he know that was actually the plan. So he says he'll write us up another lease and maybe just make it a six month lease or something like that. So he finally left and I rushed around the house getting everyone ready for swimming. Joe stayed home with CJ while I brought the girls to swimming. After swimming we went by the school so I could get the PTA mail and check in with the principal. He wasn't there though so I left a message with the secretary. We went home and had lunch and the girls showered. Then we brought Joe to work. I came back home for half an hour before getting ready to leave to bring Natalie to her doctor's appointment. We got in the car and it wouldn't start. Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me. I called Joe he told me to call our friend Ron who helped us when the starter went. So I called him and he said he'd be over in a few. So then I called the doctor's office to tell them my car wouldn't start and if I could get it running we'd be late, but if I couldn't we'd need to reschedule. Well, they told me they are booking all the way into May of next year!!! OMG, I needed to get to this appointment. They said I had until 4 to get there (it was about 2:45). I also needed to get my insurance troubles squared away before they'd see us too though so I tried calling my worker who of course left the office at 1:30. I tried her supervisor who didn't answer. Ugh, perfect. So in the meantime Ron shows up and jumps my car. It starts up. He lends me his jumper cables and shows me how to put them on if I get stuck again. Told me to call him when I'm done to make sure he's home and bring it over so he could see if it's my alternator or not. So I've got a running car. I call Joe to tell him what's going on and then I call the doctor's office to let them know I'm on my way. It's 3:00 so I should get there by 3:30. Not too bad, only half an hour late. I explained how I couldn't get ahold of my worker and they said that's okay they'd try calling because they have some pull with them anyways. So I did get there half an hour late and checked in and filled out paperwork. They told me that my insurance info was being inputted into the computer and they don't see any problems with us having insurance, but if for some reason it doesn't go through I'd be responsible for the bill. I'm not too worried about not getting the insurance though so I agreed to that. So we waited and waited and waited. The nurse called us back and checked all her stuff and then we waited and waited and waited in the room for the doctor. She finally came in and we finished up Natalie's exam and then I made an appointment to discuss Kaitlyn's ADHD paper we had filled out and went out to my car fully expecting it to start up. It didn't. So I had to get everyone out of the car to go in and find someone to jump me. Well, luckily someone was walking out before I got CJ out of the car and I asked her if she could help. She said okay, but she didn't know how to do it. I said it's okay I know and she pulled her car over. So after some struggles with the cables I got it on and jumped. Okay, we're good to go. Thank you thank you thank you complete stranger and we're on our way. I called Joe again to tell him what happened and called Ron to tell him we were on our way. I had to stop at the Redbox to return a movie. Thankfully one is outside of a grocery store so I just went to that one and had Natalie go return the movie. Then we were pulling out of the parking lot and my battery light came on and all things went hay wire. Oh please let me make it to my friends house at least. If I make it there I'm fine because I can walk home. Okay, so I got there and he checked and thinks it's the alternator. Great. I was going to go get one, but the car was acting up so Ron told me to just go home and he'll come over in the morning to jump me again and bring Joe to work so I can go buy the alternator. Then I can come back to his house for him to put it in for me. Okay, sounds like a plan. Joe was getting a ride home from work from someone already. We went home, I cooked dinner, fed the kids, changed CJ and put him to bed. Joe came home a little while later and off to bed the kids went. My landlord came up with the month to month lease except for the months of December through March. He promises not to raise the rent until March (that's what it says in the lease). I questioned this since he was willing to leave it until the end of June in the original 13 month lease he was giving us and he mumbled something that I didn't understand about why he was doing this. Something about taxes and insurance going up. Like it wouldn't do that in a 13 month lease come March. Okay, well whatever he needs to do I suppose. He left. Joe and I vegged and watched TV for a while and then went to bed.

Saturday: Had to wake up early to be the wake up call for Ron to come over. It took a few calls to get him up. Got dressed and got the kids up and dressed. Ron came and took our battery out of our car and put his battery in ours and ours in his. Jumped our battery off of his and he brought Joe to work while I went to Advanced Auto to get my alternator checked and buy a new one. Got there and they tested it for me and said my alternators fine. It's giving plenty of juice to the battery so it must be the battery. Phew, what a relief. Batteries are way cheaper than alternators. So I went back in purchased the battery. Saved myself $100 from what I planned on spending. Called Joe to tell him it was just the battery and called Ron to tell him I'm on my way it's just the battery. Got to his house he swapped out the battery for me and I went home. Gave the kids breakfast and then hung around the house until I had to go pick Joe up from work at 3. Then we went and returned our old battery to Advanced Auto Parts so we could get our $5 core charge back. Then we spent some time browsing Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Got a couple more summer outfits for CJ (because he's running low) and a couple of books for the girls. Went to 7-11 to get a slurpee and then came home. Washed dishes and cooked dinner and sent CJ to bed early because after screaming through dinner because he was done, but the rest of us weren't we needed him in bed. I think he needed it too as he went right to sleep. The girls stayed up and watched some programs with us we had recorded and then went to bed. Joe and I stayed up and watched TV.

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Medical Week Update

We had a lot of doctor's appointments this week. I decided rather than update each time I had one I would just do it all at once. So this was the end of our medical week. I am going to have more appointments in the future, but for now we'll discuss the big stuff. I was going to go youngest to oldest, but then I thought I better just do smallest updates to biggest updates. So here goes.

CJ
CJ had to have his ears rechecked from his ear infection earlier in the summer. So he was weighed. He gained 2 pounds since his 18 month checkup in June. He's now 24 pounds 9 ounces. And the even better news is his ears are clear. What a relief since he never finished that last round of antibiotics due to his allergic reaction. So he's growing and moving and shaking as he should be. Keeping me on my toes.

Natalie
Natalie's 10 year well child visit was today. She now weighs 79 pounds and is 53 inches tall. That's 60th percentile for weight and 25th for height. The doctor did say she needs to watch what she eats. She's solid is how she put it. Not overweight, but she needs to make sure to make healthy food choices. Good advice for us all though. She unfortunately didn't do so great on her vision test even with her glasses. I've been meaning to make that eye doctor appointment. It's about time we go back. Other than that all is going well. The doctor discussed her changing body with her again and how not to listen to the kids on the playground. To check with me before she believes what other children are saying. She told us about the book "The Care and Keeping of You" which we've already been reading. And what a great book that is for helping young girls transition. So I'm happy to say that we're already right on top of everything and doing what we're supposed to. She's still saying she's in the beginning stages of puberty. So I guess we do still have a while before we have to worry about a period. She will be very well prepared when it does happen because we've been discussing all of this stuff since last year. And that's about it. She got one shot (the Hep A vaccine) and we were done.

Kaitlyn
Now why would I have to save Kaitlyn for last you may be wondering? I mean we've got CJ who's had weight issues, allergy issues, and ear issues. Then there's Natalie who's getting to that age of puberty. But Kaitlyn well she's just 7 what could be going on with her that's so big? First of all I want to say it's nothing super serious. It's something I have been begging for answers about her for a long time. She's healthy and growing well though. She's 47 1/2 inches tall and 57 pounds. She too was in the 25th percentile for height like her sister (we're short people) and in the 75th percentile for her weight. Oddly enough the doctor isn't too concerned about her weight. She said that was good. She passed her eye and ear exams. And physically it appears everything is doing what it should be. She too needed the Hep A vaccine so she got that without a problem. So where does the problem come in? Well, the doctor asked if we had any concerns. So of course I had to pipe up about our concerns with Kaitlyn's reading. The doctor asked a few questions. How is she in school (behavior wise)? How does she do in math? How's her attention. I told her she's well behaved and quiet in school, she's great at math, but I think her attention is very off. So she whips out this paper she wants me and Joe to fill out about her. She thinks it's ADHD or probably actually ADD. She doesn't have the hyperactive tendencies. So she told me she could do this with or without the school. Either way if we fill out the paper and upon our report it appears she has it we'll go from there. But when she was talking about it and how it gets missed in girls a lot because they are well behaved in school and quiet usually, but they also work really hard with little results I was like this is Kaitlyn. I told her of the testing I made the school do on her to see if she had a learning disability and how they said she didn't, but how the results of the tests were baffling to them. She wanted to see that. She said if in their testing they said anything about her attention that they could use that. There's a law where the school can't tell us that they think she has ADHD because then they can just pawn the children off on doctors and give them meds instead of going deeper and finding out what's really going on. So after Kaitlyn's appointment I filled out the paper and Joe filled out the paper and I found the testing from the school. I brought it with me to the doctor today and after we discussed Natalie I showed everything to the doctor. She was a little disappointed that there weren't more ADHD testing in there, but I think that's mostly because they didn't want to test to begin with. They wanted to wait until the middle of 2nd grade with her and they were focusing more on a reading disability. I've expressed my concerns about her attention to the school a lot though. So I guess in a way it's a little shocking that they wouldn't do more testing on that. So anyways, the doctor said since there are numerous mentions from the school psychologist about her attention and because there are such huge discrepencies in her numbers on some of the tests that raises some red flags for her. It's not enough for the school to label her with a learning disability because her scores averaged out, but it's enough that the doctor is worried and believes she would benefit from interventions and medication. So we go back to discuss all of our options with the doctor and where we go from here in 2 weeks. We have to get a sitter. I'm not too sure I want to medicate her and I want to make sure there are no other problems going on here too so I'm also going to see if we can maybe get a referral to a neuro pyschologist to make sure we're treating her correctly. I am excited to have someone giving a name to what's making reading so difficult for Kaitlyn though. We'll see what the next weeks and months have in store for us with her. I want her to be able to focus on those words to read them correctly so if this is what we have to do then so be it.

All in all I'm feeling good about these doctor's appointments. I'm happy to see some weight on CJ and to know that he is healthy. I'm happy that Natalie is growing and right on track with puberty. I'm happy that Kaitlyn is healthy and that we might be getting a way to help her with her struggles in reading. Now, aside from this appointment Joe and I have with the doctor in 2 weeks we likely shouldn't have to go back until November. Well, except maybe with Kaitlyn if we put her on meds for adjusting them or something I suppose.

Park Playing

Ahhh, the joys of summer. You get to go to the playground for a picnic and fun in the sun with good friends. That's exactly what we did yesterday. After swimming lessons we met up with some friends at the park for lunch and fun. The kids played on the playground and in the splash pad (different park from the one we went to on Monday). The older kids are able to just go off on their own for the most part, but I had to spend the afternoon chasing after CJ. That's okay though, it's fun to watch him experience things for the first time anyways. Most of the pictures I got yesterday of course were of him, but I did get some of the older two and my friends kids too. My friends son is 5 (he'll be 6 in October). He does not like the water at all or getting wet. He did decide to "get his feet wet" eventually though. So I captured a little of his attempt to get into the water without getting too wet. And yes, he managed to just got his feet and a little bit of the bottom of his shorts wet. I love that boy dearly. He's funny and oddly enough reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. Had to do it in my own way and my own time and on my own terms. It was a fun exhausting day though. Only three more weeks of days like this.

Mini Golf

After Kaitlyn's physical yesterday (which I will tell you all about after we have Natalie's tomorrow and get it done all at once) we met up with some friends and all went mini golfing. Eighteen fun holes of mini golfing with ten people sure takes a long time. We all went out to dinner afterwords and had a late evening. But it was lots of fun.

Natalie, Kaitlyn, and Mikayla waiting their turn

CJ sizing up the hole

Natalie putting

Kaitlyn at the Lighthouse

CJ giving it a try

At the windmill

Natalie trying the windmill

Kaitlyn's turn at the windmill

We really enjoy this mini golf place. It's always pretty crowded though. It's probably the best around. Everyone had fun. Even though none of us are particularly good.

Rockwell Park Splash Pad

So there's this park literally in walking distance from my house. It has a small pool there (only five feet deep) and it had a small playground. Last summer they started taking out the playground to put a skate park in. I was not pleased. I mean here was this nice little park for the little kids and they were ruining it. The skate park opened this spring and they had begun to erect a playground, but it was slow going. I was disappointed to say the least. We went during the playground construction a couple of times, but there were so many older kids on their bikes and skate boards and of course with it all not being complete it just wasn't safe. Then I heard from some friends that they had installed a splash pad there and the playground was complete. I was still hesitant about going, but after hearing my friends rave about it I figured well for some free fun it can't be all that bad. If it's bad we'll just leave. We won't be out anything. So yesterday was a nice sunny hot day and Joe was working all day so I decided to bring them after swimming lessons and lunch. The kids had a blast. They really did do a nice job. The splash pad is far enough away from the skate park that we don't have to hear the older kids mouths. And thankfully they don't seem too interested in running around the splash pad either. There were mostly little kids there. A few were Natalie's age. There was a little trouble with some boys. There are water cannons and some of the boys thought it was hysterical to aim the water cannon at CJ and try to spray him right in the face. Natalie tried to block him. My friend and her husband ended up meeting us there and her husband went over and yelled at the boys. And for his trouble he got sprayed. But shortly after the boys left and it didn't seem to bother CJ too much as he stayed right in there getting nice and wet. The kids had so much fun that they actually thanked me for bringing them there when we left. They want to do it again. I'm sure we'll give it a try a few times before the summer is over. I mean why not. Look at all the fun they were having...

Walking CJ through the water

Kaitlyn getting sprayed and Natalie coaxing CJ through the splash pad

Look over there CJ

Here comes Kaitlyn

Natalie exploring

Kaitlyn resting

Here they come!

There they go

What next?

Well I'm going over here!

I'm outta here!

Here I come Mommy!

This is so fun!

Kaitlyn under the mushroom

CJ surrounded by jets of water

Thursday I think we're trying the other park with the splash pad with some other friends. I love free memories!

Making A Splash

CJ was in the newspaper yesterday (Sunday August 2, 2009). Here's a picture of him in the paper:



The girls are a little jealous. Not too much I can do though. This was taken on Thursday at his swimming lessons. There's no article, but under the picture it has his name and age and says he's in the "mommy and me" class.

Week In Review: July 26 - August 1, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for July 26 - August 1, 2009

Sunday: A very lazy day. Joe went to work. I did some laundry. Washed dishes and cooked dinner. I made a peach pie. The kids stayed up a little late. A very low key day.

Monday: Swimming lessons. I brought the girls. Joe stayed home with CJ. Then we rushed home so the girls could quickly change and me and the girls could go back out. We went to my PTA secretaries house to talk with the rest of my officers about the next school year. We had a nice lunch and chat. The kids all played together while the moms talked. It felt very productive. After that we went to the library so the girls could return their books and get some new ones. Then we came home. It was late so we ended up going to Subway for dinner. Came home and ate and put CJ to bed and the girls stayed up a little while longer. I did the swimming laundry and then went to bed.

Tuesday: A beautiful sunny day for swimming. CJ and I were in the pool today. He had a blast. After swimming we came home and everyone bathed. We then had lunch. I put CJ down for his nap. Joe had to go to work. CJ had just gotten up as he was leaving. It was hot. CJ was getting a rash so we just took it easy. I made dinner and the kids and I hung out a little. I put CJ to bed and Joe came home from work. Shortly after the girls went to bed. I did the swimming laundry and then went to bed.

Wednesday: Joe had to be at work early so we got up to bring him. Then we hung around waiting for swimming. We left for swimming and then came home and showered and ate. I put CJ down for a nap, but he didn't nap for long. I guess it worked out since we had to go pick Joe up from work. Went and got him and did some grocery shopping. Came home and put all the groceries away. Washed dishes and cooked dinner. Natalie had a temper tantrum and got herself grounded. She had to clean the kitchen and living room and then couldn't watch TV. Needless to say she wasn't happy, but I had a clean kitchen and living room. The kids went to bed kind of early. I did laundry and then went to bed.

Thursday: Another day we had to get up and bring Joe to work. I also needed to get gas. So I did that and then came back home. We had swimming again. There was a photographer there from the newspaper who asked if he could take pictures of us. I agreed to that. After swimming we went home for showers and lunch. I put CJ down for a nap, but again he didn't really sleep. We had to go pick Joe up from work though. So we left to get him and came home and put CJ down again for a nap. He slept better. I even went and laid down because I was exhausted. We had dinner and enjoyed another quiet evening.

Friday: A very rainy day, but the girls last day of swimming. So we had to go. I brought them, but when we got there we had to wait because they had heard thunder. They did get to get in the pool. It was fun Friday in the rain. After swimming they got their "report cards". Neither one of them moved to the next level. Then we ran over to the indoor pool to sign up for the final session of swimming. Got them all signed up and came home to shower and have lunch. CJ went down for a nap. Joe left for work. CJ got up from his nap and I tried to figure out something for dinner. I washed dishes and cooked. We ate and then watched some TV. I put CJ to bed and the girls and I waited up for Joe to come home. He came home and the girls went to bed a little while after that. Joe and I stayed up and watched TV together before going to bed.

Saturday: CJ is 21 months old today! Hard to believe. Only 3 more months to plan his 2nd birthday. Anyways, this is what I was up early doing while everyone else slept thinking about how much my baby boy is growing up. After everyone else got up we had breakfast and then got dressed. We went to the store to get a few things including jars for jam. Then to Walmart to check out a few things and kill some time. Came home and had lunch. While the kids were eating I washed dishes and then Joe and I started making some jam. We made raspberry and blueberry jam. First time ever. It looks like it came out good. CJ will test for us tomorrow as he's our little jelly boy. We put CJ down for a nap and I cleaned up after the jam project and then started cooking some chicken. While my oven fried chicken was cooking I showered. Got dressed and then the chicken was done. We packed up the chicken and some other things for our planned trip to carload night at Quassy. We went with some friends and met some family there. We had planned dinner with our friends. They brought the sides we brought the chicken. We ate and got our bands to ride the rides. I was the photographer/babysitter as CJ couldn't go on most of the rides. We stayed until closing and came home and sent the kids right to bed. It was a very fun day with the family and some good friends.

Check out more Week In Review posts!