Oh what a day....

Special needs parenting is not for the weak of heart. Today my hubby took A~man to a doctors appointment and then took him along as he ran some errands for work. (The joys of working for another homeschool family! Very family friendly) My husband came back home and told me about an incident at the gas station. Instantly I thought maybe A~man had stolen something although he has only done that a few times at a store and it has been years since it has happened. But no.

He was lagging behind hubby a bit and ended up asking a random man if the moped outside was his, if those were keys to his moped, and if those were keys to his house. These are things he asks people because he loves mopeds and he loves keys. Normally someone will nicely just chat with him for a few minutes or at worst just ignore him or look at him oddly. But no. This man had been drinking and I think must have been mentally ill. He said "What? Are you giving me the third degree?" Then started swearing obscenities at my son and left. He waited for my husband and son outside and continued to scream at them. Thankfully A~man promptly listened to his daddy and ran and got in the truck. My husband tried to explain to the man that A~man had special needs but he continued and actually verbally threatened to kill them. Long story short but my husband called the police and they showed up right away but the man promptly left before they pulled up.

Honestly it has just made me feel so sick inside. I am so thankful my husband didn't physically hit the man...I know he wanted to. Oh, and no we do not live in a large city. Where is the plastic bubble I can put around A~man? Thankfully this was just a freak occurrence. Now what my son said was a little quirky but it wasn't offensive. Thank goodness he didn't say something REALLY bad....I can't imagine. Needless to say both hubby and especially sonny are very shaken up. I think I want my family to become hermits...well maybe just for a few days...haha.

Happy Mother's Day!

It was an overly emotional day for me...lol..as I have PMS. There, I admit it. But overall it was awesome. Last night my sweet son bought me a coffee at Starbucks and a Reese's candy bar. The boy knows I love chocolate and coffee. (although I do not eat chocolate very often) It was a nice treat. Z~girl was at camp all weekend and if I (and she...although she had fun) had it to do over I would not have had her gone for most of Mother's day. Do you know what my sweet girl did though? Out of her own bank account she payed for half of my Mother's day gift. (she wanted to pay all but daddy wouldn't let her) What? I wanted a picnic table. My girl has a heart of gold. My sweet hubby gave me roses which I really love.

Onto the daily post that I am behind in. I will eventually catch up.

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

I am going to make this Prader-Willi specific even though it applies to all children. When your child is very young, make exercise a part of your daily routine. Since before our son could walk we have went for walks many times a week. This is something we have always done. Now at 13, when the weather is pleasant we all walk 3-4 miles a day 4-5 times a week. If the weather is not good we take the kids swimming. They love the physical activity and on their own ask on the rare occasion we do not exercise for awhile...they both suggest it. 

Does this mean I am in perfect shape? haha. No. Which brings me to the other part of advice that I myself am working on. Be a good example physically. Before children I was underweight. I am sure, due to stress, I am an awful night time snacker and need to lose some weight. How can I be controlling my son's food intake (when he by the way is very slim) when I need to lose 20 pounds? I feel like a hypocrite and this is something I am working on. I have discovered that after 35 years my metabolism changed. Not only do I need to keep exercising but I also need to watch my own intake. I am 5 pounds down with 20 to go.

Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)

My favorite photo ever. This was taken 12 (I think?) years ago. It was taken by my father in law who passed away when A was 5 and Z was 3. I'm thinking it was taken around or on Mother's Day. I was so happy. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a mama. That was my all time wish. That wish was not a simple one though as 9 years into our marriage and after at least one miscarriage it just wasn't happening and I was told I could not conceive without IVF. So we pursued foster care. We were placed with a very medically fragile 4.5 month old that they were not sure was going to live. (He is probably 18 months in the photo...they are 22 months apart) Due to his high needs and his birth mom's own challenges she was not able to care for him. (although she loved him dearly) Both hubby and I had training in caring for individuals with disabilities so he was placed with us. This picture? It shows my beautiful miracle son on my lap and behind him is my beautiful miracle girl in my tummy. Mommyhood ACHIEVED!

Who says Mother's day has to be one day? haha I think we will have a light homeschool day tomorrow and A~man will do his reading program and work on ABC order. Z is working at the barn tomorrow and I may do some fun art games with her. Other than that...I'm going to make it a happy day spent with my children that I feel so blessed to have!

Playing catch up...

 Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

Locally the only family we have nearby is the 4 of us although my mother in law and step father in law are moving here soon. I am most afraid of losing my hubby and kids...and being alone. To the point of when he takes the kids, as he does often so I can have some quiet and work...that if I hear an ambulance/firetruck...I text to make sure they have made it to their destination safely.

In the middle of the night? Ever since A~man ran away if I hear any type of emergency vehicle I jump up to check on him. Despite the fact we have alarms on the window and in the hallway to alert us. Needless to say I do not sleep well. I haven't really slept well since becoming a parent. 

I am just a wee bit behind.

It's been a week. A~man has been especially difficult, A & Z are fighting like cats and dogs (not a norm for them) AND this week my recently turned 84 year old mother fell down concrete steps and landed on her face. I should add that she is 3,000 miles away and I feel helpless. Thankfully, she did not break ANYTHING! (thank you God) but one of my brothers sent me a picture and it was so bad I wouldn't let the children see. So hard to know your mom is hurting...she can't take pain medicine either. Breaks my heart. So I haven't felt like writing but have just kept it going with schoolin'.

Also I feel like God has led me to step way (I mean WAY) outside my comfort zone with something that I might share later but...well...it has been hard. Trying to just trust that God knows what he is doing as I do not.

So let me do a brief catch up on my 30 day challenge.

Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member

There are many but I choose Jeannot at LIFE AFTER ALZHEIMER CAREGIVING. Not my typical read but she is a dear lady with a fascinating life story. Plus when the kids were wee she did respite for us and took care of both kids...so that the hubby and I could have the rare date. Our paths do not cross locally anymore but when we do both kids know and lover her. We were around her husband too briefly back then and it was an honor to have met such a talented artist.

Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Homeschoolin', work from home mama, trying her best to stay sane despite the challenges I face daily.

More later.......

A blink of the eye

I swear (actually I don't ;) this last week went by so fast that I can hardly recall what happened. It seems like some weeks are like that and I do not like for time to seem to go by so fast! I have lettuce and spinach coming up nicely and the tops of the carrots I planted are barely showing. There are many more flower and vegetable seeds I want to plant but it has been so rainy that it's hard for me to go outside and get drenched in the process even though I am sure the seeds would love all of the rain we are getting. Me? I am ready for a little sunshine.

Both A and Z are having a blast with special needs baseball and soccer even though the last couple of weekends have been cold and wet for playing ball. Z is also having a blast observing all of the baby goats that are at the barn she volunteers at. She is hoping to be able to see an actual birth but it hasn't worked out yet. 

I am still trying to decide what summer school type activities we will use on occasion during our break to keep up on skills. Z~girl really doesn't need direction during a break as she will entertain herself with sewing, art, reading or taking care of the critters. A~man does best all around to keep a few things going during the summer, even if it is just an occasional word search puzzle. I plan on coming up with a summer book reading list for both kids and I will share it when I'm done. I also have an ongoing pinterest summer list that I love adding to. 

As far as going anywhere we are planning on going to PA in the fall (the joys of homeschooling and choosing when you go!) as one of our nieces is working there so we will be meeting up with her and my brother. (hoping my sister in law will make it too!) Oh and I cannot forget about camping! Weather permitting we will be going for the first time this season with Z's Girl Scout group. 

What plans do you have with your children this summer? I plan to try and keep a schedule for A~man but will also try and slow things down a bit and just enjoy being outside with my family.

I Am Only One

Day 4 of blog every day in May. I saw this one for the first on a wall of the bathroom in one of our favorite sandwich shops. It completely spoke to me.

Things that make ME uncomfortable...

Here it is day 3 of the May challenge and I have to write about some things that make me uncomfortable. Which in itself seriously makes me uncomfortable. I have anxiety issues so I could choose from a handful but I will spare you all, and myself and only pick 3. 

The first one goes back to when I was a toddler in church Christmas programs. I am VERY uncomfortable in front of a group or even just being in the middle of a large group of people. I do not like having a bunch of eyes on me at once. When I was little it would make me physically sick. Actually, I remember being in a speech class in college and it made me physically ill. My hubby still teases me (not in a mean way) about the time we were at a local street festival and all of a sudden he saw me taking off like a flash to get out of the crowd. So now if we are at that same yearly street festival he will ask me "You aren't going to take off running are you?" LOL 

My next one is an absolute phobia of the dentist stemming from having a horrendous dentist when I was really young. I would much prefer to go to the OBGYN doctor than get my teeth cleaned.

Lastly, I hate to talk on the phone. It seems like this has gotten worse since becoming a parent but talking on the phone while my son is around is impossible which causes me to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. This has unfortunately really affected my relationships with friends/family. A friend of mine Cris, that I grew up with is also participating in the 30 day challenge and when I read her issues with the phone I thought..."THAT IS SO ME!" Most people now know they should text me, Facebook me, or email me. Does this mean I do not like people? No, I love my family and friends. I really enjoy spending one on one time with people or in small groups of people. It is torture for me to talk on the phone. I break out in a sweat. Most people do not understand this though and take it personally. Thankfully my husband does understand and handles most phone calls.

Phew!!  Enough of all that.