Ok, so I'm not a good blogger friend lately and unfortunately it is probably not going to change in the near future. PLEASE if you have some really good news or something interesting...email me because I probably/more than likely won't get to keeping up with everyone else's blogs...I've just got to get some things straight in my own world.
And Dear Blogger Friend whom I am meeting for Lunch on Friday...I can't wait! Let's keep in touch after the 1st!
Monday, December 31, 2007
What a morning we had...
Hitting = bloody nose for me
kicking = bruised shins for me
spitting = slap in the face for her while i was trying to block the spit from hitting my face
swearing = vinegar to the swearer when she got home
phone call to hubby = either come get her or I'm calling social services to come get her = Emilee begging for 1 more chance to be good.
He came and got her.
I'm going to kill you tonight - I hate you - You're mean - I'm going to kill you tonight - I hate you - You're mean - You are a F***ing A** Mom! = a new cd player for me and a really cool Hannah Montana cd and lots of other cool new christmas presents that are currently taken away.
This all took place in the waiting room of the dentist office AFTER she had her teeth cleaned.
Yep - a "normal" day in my life. DO I trust to leave her home with a babysitter tonight???
kicking = bruised shins for me
spitting = slap in the face for her while i was trying to block the spit from hitting my face
swearing = vinegar to the swearer when she got home
phone call to hubby = either come get her or I'm calling social services to come get her = Emilee begging for 1 more chance to be good.
He came and got her.
I'm going to kill you tonight - I hate you - You're mean - I'm going to kill you tonight - I hate you - You're mean - You are a F***ing A** Mom! = a new cd player for me and a really cool Hannah Montana cd and lots of other cool new christmas presents that are currently taken away.
This all took place in the waiting room of the dentist office AFTER she had her teeth cleaned.
Yep - a "normal" day in my life. DO I trust to leave her home with a babysitter tonight???
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Perm Plan
or should I say "Child and Family Team Meeting" (minus the child as they are not allowed to attend). What a dumb name...anyways...
for the first time this meeting lasted 1 1/2 hrs when it is supposed to last 30 minutes. I had a page of notes on each kid. I felt bad that everything on the list was negative but that is life right now. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything positive to say about either kid.
So here's the jist of what was decided:
1. I need to call the clinic and get JP in for a med checkup.
2. I need to call the office where Emilee goes and try to get JP in to see the same psychiatrist that Emilee is scheduled to see Jan 15.
3. I need to call the respite home where the kids went in Nov and see if they will agree to watch the kids everyother Sat or Sun for the day to give us a scheduled break and so it's part of the routine for the kids.
4. N, our partnership program lady, will set up a meeting for the end of Jan with the "team" and include the school and psychiatrist.
5. I need to fill out some form to see if we can get some more money for the kids on a monthly basis. (Before anyone jumps on me...we DO NOT do this for the money. The point in this is that I am in jeapordy of losing my job from being gone so much. These kids are a lot of work and if we can get more of a monthly subsidy for them, I can easier afford to quit my job before I am fired. In NOV I was gone 14 days from work. In Dec (not counting my meeting today or the kids' dentist appts on Monday) I have had 16 days with appts from being gone anywhere from 2 1/2 hrs to all day.
6. I have been told to check into PATH as that would get us more money and more support/training for dealing with the kids' behaviors and again allow for me to possibly be a SAHM and be free to run them to their MANY appts on a daily basis. This would also add another case worker to my already long list.
7.Hubby and I need to discuss whether we want a case aide (i.e. Path Parent) to take Emilee for a few hours a few different days a month for another sort of respite care.
8. Hubby and I need to discuss if we want intensive in home therapy (ummm when would this fit into our schedule??? I have no clue). This would be another appt on my calendar even though they would come in the evenings to our home...when??? We get home at 6:30-7:00pm and the kids are in bed at 7:30pm???
9. Transportation help was talked about. Our county won't do it because the kids are not from this county. THey want the kids' county to pay our county in order to do it and even then our county kids would take precidence (?sp) over my kids. AKA...they wouldn't ever help anyways and the transportation lady is old and I really can't stand her anyways...so would this really be a help to me??? NOt sure.
10. There is a child psychiatrist that would be good for the kids to see vs the one here in town. The prob...this psych is 60 miles away so that's more time off work and more time in the vehicle burning $3.00/gal gas and getting a wopping $30 reimbursement from MA for each trip. That barely pays the gas let alone any wear and tear on my vehicle or lost wages, etc. Something we are supposed to talk about as a couple. (Yep another thing for ME to do)
11. Adoption was discussed. I made it VERY clear that there will be NO DISCUSSION on adoption for a LONG time. There are FAR TOO MANY issues with these kids and if ADOPTION is what they want in the near future, they need to move these kids. Adoption discussion was dropped! (What does that tell you...they know they would have a hard time finding a home to take these kids)
There were a few other minor things discussed as well. Did you notice that a lot of things were things that I need to take care of? Yep, thanks for all the support!
for the first time this meeting lasted 1 1/2 hrs when it is supposed to last 30 minutes. I had a page of notes on each kid. I felt bad that everything on the list was negative but that is life right now. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything positive to say about either kid.
So here's the jist of what was decided:
1. I need to call the clinic and get JP in for a med checkup.
2. I need to call the office where Emilee goes and try to get JP in to see the same psychiatrist that Emilee is scheduled to see Jan 15.
3. I need to call the respite home where the kids went in Nov and see if they will agree to watch the kids everyother Sat or Sun for the day to give us a scheduled break and so it's part of the routine for the kids.
4. N, our partnership program lady, will set up a meeting for the end of Jan with the "team" and include the school and psychiatrist.
5. I need to fill out some form to see if we can get some more money for the kids on a monthly basis. (Before anyone jumps on me...we DO NOT do this for the money. The point in this is that I am in jeapordy of losing my job from being gone so much. These kids are a lot of work and if we can get more of a monthly subsidy for them, I can easier afford to quit my job before I am fired. In NOV I was gone 14 days from work. In Dec (not counting my meeting today or the kids' dentist appts on Monday) I have had 16 days with appts from being gone anywhere from 2 1/2 hrs to all day.
6. I have been told to check into PATH as that would get us more money and more support/training for dealing with the kids' behaviors and again allow for me to possibly be a SAHM and be free to run them to their MANY appts on a daily basis. This would also add another case worker to my already long list.
7.Hubby and I need to discuss whether we want a case aide (i.e. Path Parent) to take Emilee for a few hours a few different days a month for another sort of respite care.
8. Hubby and I need to discuss if we want intensive in home therapy (ummm when would this fit into our schedule??? I have no clue). This would be another appt on my calendar even though they would come in the evenings to our home...when??? We get home at 6:30-7:00pm and the kids are in bed at 7:30pm???
9. Transportation help was talked about. Our county won't do it because the kids are not from this county. THey want the kids' county to pay our county in order to do it and even then our county kids would take precidence (?sp) over my kids. AKA...they wouldn't ever help anyways and the transportation lady is old and I really can't stand her anyways...so would this really be a help to me??? NOt sure.
10. There is a child psychiatrist that would be good for the kids to see vs the one here in town. The prob...this psych is 60 miles away so that's more time off work and more time in the vehicle burning $3.00/gal gas and getting a wopping $30 reimbursement from MA for each trip. That barely pays the gas let alone any wear and tear on my vehicle or lost wages, etc. Something we are supposed to talk about as a couple. (Yep another thing for ME to do)
11. Adoption was discussed. I made it VERY clear that there will be NO DISCUSSION on adoption for a LONG time. There are FAR TOO MANY issues with these kids and if ADOPTION is what they want in the near future, they need to move these kids. Adoption discussion was dropped! (What does that tell you...they know they would have a hard time finding a home to take these kids)
There were a few other minor things discussed as well. Did you notice that a lot of things were things that I need to take care of? Yep, thanks for all the support!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
How much more????
Daycare called. Emilee is using the F word left and right today. Daycare said she's heard of this side to Emilee but never seen it herself...until today that is.
Hubby called. Van has a flat tire. No big deal. I decide to take a lunch hour (it was 2:20pm) and take him an air tank to air it up so he can change it and I can bring it back to work to have it repaired so Hubby can put it back on the van tonight. Then work tells me they are not sure they can fix the tire. UGH! Not that I have any special tires on it or anything but they did cost $115 a piece and that was just the end of June that we put new tires on the van.
****************UPDATE*************** Tire is NOT fixable. New one can't be here until Friday at the earliest. Price has gone up. Not much, but enough. 80 miles/day on a donut...yep..that's safe.
Mom called. 1. Uncle (mom's only brother) was in ICU last Sat night. Diabetic coma. Aunt went to console a mom whose son was killed in a car accident (icy roads, speeding, no seatbelt = rollover = dead at 24 yrs old). Terrible thing but COME ON - YOUR HUSBAND IS SICK!!! HE SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY! By the time they took him to the ER, his blood sugar was 1500. He is now blind. Out of ICU, but on 4 insulin shots a day and they can't get it under control. Mom and her bro don't have a good relationship but they are the only 2 kids. It still put a damper on the weekend. Mom called to tell me that she gave my aunt and my 2 cousins on that side of the family all my contact info incase something happens in the next 5 days. (Mommy & Daddy are going on a mini winter vacation with some friends...good for them...she needs some stress relief!). 2. Gma (mom's mom) is sick with bronchitis. Not getting any better. Been on antibiotics for 5 days now and still not good. Can I check in on her a couple times a day (by phone - she lives 60 miles away at mommy and daddy's farm). Yep I can do that. Also, gave gma's special friend (aka boyfriend but no one will admit it) all my contact info too. Thanks mom. I can handle it. Have a good trip!
So....at what point do I breathe in the next 5 days???
Hubby called. Van has a flat tire. No big deal. I decide to take a lunch hour (it was 2:20pm) and take him an air tank to air it up so he can change it and I can bring it back to work to have it repaired so Hubby can put it back on the van tonight. Then work tells me they are not sure they can fix the tire. UGH! Not that I have any special tires on it or anything but they did cost $115 a piece and that was just the end of June that we put new tires on the van.
****************UPDATE*************** Tire is NOT fixable. New one can't be here until Friday at the earliest. Price has gone up. Not much, but enough. 80 miles/day on a donut...yep..that's safe.
Mom called. 1. Uncle (mom's only brother) was in ICU last Sat night. Diabetic coma. Aunt went to console a mom whose son was killed in a car accident (icy roads, speeding, no seatbelt = rollover = dead at 24 yrs old). Terrible thing but COME ON - YOUR HUSBAND IS SICK!!! HE SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY! By the time they took him to the ER, his blood sugar was 1500. He is now blind. Out of ICU, but on 4 insulin shots a day and they can't get it under control. Mom and her bro don't have a good relationship but they are the only 2 kids. It still put a damper on the weekend. Mom called to tell me that she gave my aunt and my 2 cousins on that side of the family all my contact info incase something happens in the next 5 days. (Mommy & Daddy are going on a mini winter vacation with some friends...good for them...she needs some stress relief!). 2. Gma (mom's mom) is sick with bronchitis. Not getting any better. Been on antibiotics for 5 days now and still not good. Can I check in on her a couple times a day (by phone - she lives 60 miles away at mommy and daddy's farm). Yep I can do that. Also, gave gma's special friend (aka boyfriend but no one will admit it) all my contact info too. Thanks mom. I can handle it. Have a good trip!
So....at what point do I breathe in the next 5 days???
Oh I forgot one more "HAPPY" moment
I had ordered hubby some remote control toys online for his present. I knew he'd LOVE them. Well, they came. One broken. Reordered. Came on Monday. AWESOME! NOT. It was broken too.
Although this is out of my control...I still feel horrible. Hubby was a good sport. He didn't care. He loved the idea...so why do I still feel like I failed?
Although this is out of my control...I still feel horrible. Hubby was a good sport. He didn't care. He loved the idea...so why do I still feel like I failed?
Trying to explain
Ok I will try to explain the last few days in a nutshell...
Friday night...left home at 6:40pm headed to my brother's house in South Dakota. A normal approx 2 hr drive. From the time the pickup was moved outside the garage to the time we got in the pickup it had started sleeting/freezing rain. We left anyways. After talking to my sil, it was just cold and windy in their town so we decided to keep going. After about 15 miles on the interstate and 6 cars and 1 semi in the ditch, and people passing us like we were standing still (we were only going 25-30mph) we decided to take the back roads. About 2 hrs into the trip we were somewhere between No Man's Land and The End of the Earth (aka, I have NO CLUE exactly where we were at the time) we pulled over to let the string of cars behind us go past. Well we ended up backing into a light pole that we didn't see due to the snow/wind. Yep, couldn't even see the light on the top of the pole. And we were dumb enough to be out driving in it! But by the time the rain had switched to snow and the wind had come up, we didn't have much choice - either turn around and go back home or hope we would drive out of it soon as it was still not doing ANYTHING at the town we were going to. We FINALLY drove out of the bad weather about 50 miles from our destination and at 10:20pm, we arrived. Crabby Hubby, Crabby Jody and VERY CRABBY KIDS!
Sat we celebrated Christ.mas with my family. Other than my very weird brother and his wife and their 3 1/2 yr old son who is not potty trained and does not eat solid food, the day went pretty well. I was able to get online and lurk thru a couple blogs until my sister "caught" me. She then saw that I had a blog and that is reason #1 that I went private. She got my address. I have crabbed about her on here and I don't need her seeing that. I like the fact that NOONE IRL knows about this blog. No friends, no family, noone. This way I can feel free to say what I want and not worry about hurting someone's feelings. Sat night Emilee had a "normal" temper tantrum directed at me and my bro and sil got to witness it and how much it gets to me. I felt bad. I know it was a strange house but it's not like it was the first night there. She did fine Friday night. She just didn't want to go to bed because we weren't going to bed (it was already 9:30pm).
Sun - we traveled home with no big issues and got home mid afternoon.
Mon - day went ok. Night..well that's a different story. JP wouldn't go to bed. He cried, he screamed, he yelled, he hit. (Hmmm have you heard that before? just a different kiddo) He finally fell asleep at about 10pm. Then SAN.TA had to do his thing quickly and we went to bed. At 12midnight JP got up and went to the bathroom. No big deal. Then he decided to stand outside Emilee's door and say "Emilee"..."Emilee"..."Emilee". So hubby got up and shushed him and told him to go back to bed. THen he layed in his bed yelling and screaming. So he brought him to our room. He then sat on the floor next to our bed yelling and screaming about wanting a drink of water. He got one. Then he wanted more. Then something to eat...come on kid...it's the middle of the night. You can wait until morning. So there we sat. At 3am Emilee woke up due to the noise. I went to her room to calm her down. She was VERY worried that SAN.TA wouldn't come because JP was awake. I promised her that if she went back to sleep that SAN.TA would still come. She did as she was asked to do. Hubby and I dosed off and on but how much can you sleep with a 5 yr old sitting at the edge of your bed making weird noises???? He never did go to sleep.
Tues am Emilee got up and came in to see if SAN.TA had come. He did. She got to open her gifts. JP got to open A gift from SAN.TA as he must have come back and took a present back after seeing how JP was acting in the night because I'm sure he would have kept it even and given them both 2 presents had they both been good! JP spent the day in his room resting (and yet he still NEVER fell asleep). We spent the day resting. Emilee spent the day in her room listening to her new CD player and Hann.ah Mont.ana cd that SAN.TA had brought her. Last night was no better for JP. He's overtired. I'm not sure what his problem is. All I know is that I can't deal with it. He told me this morning that he wants to go back to Donny & Conny's house. I screwed up. I told him that they didn't want him back and that is why he is with us. It's the truth but probably not what he needed to be told. Then again..I don't care. (My therapy appt on the 3rd is not getting here soon enough!)
That gets us to today. The pickup is here in the shop. Damage (at my employee rate) is not too bad. If you can figure $900 not too bad. That's with parts at cost and 25% discount on labor. It could be a LOT worse! for a stickin' pole! The kiddo's are at daycare. JP in a pullup becuase he peed in his bed last night. I feel a little guilty as the only pull-ups we have left are princess ones but oh well. With his mood lately, I don't need daycare calling me to say he peed in his pants or all over her house and needs to be picked up or brought dry clothes. He also has orders to take a morning nap and an afternoon nap.
Here's some pics of our lovely pickup.
Friday night...left home at 6:40pm headed to my brother's house in South Dakota. A normal approx 2 hr drive. From the time the pickup was moved outside the garage to the time we got in the pickup it had started sleeting/freezing rain. We left anyways. After talking to my sil, it was just cold and windy in their town so we decided to keep going. After about 15 miles on the interstate and 6 cars and 1 semi in the ditch, and people passing us like we were standing still (we were only going 25-30mph) we decided to take the back roads. About 2 hrs into the trip we were somewhere between No Man's Land and The End of the Earth (aka, I have NO CLUE exactly where we were at the time) we pulled over to let the string of cars behind us go past. Well we ended up backing into a light pole that we didn't see due to the snow/wind. Yep, couldn't even see the light on the top of the pole. And we were dumb enough to be out driving in it! But by the time the rain had switched to snow and the wind had come up, we didn't have much choice - either turn around and go back home or hope we would drive out of it soon as it was still not doing ANYTHING at the town we were going to. We FINALLY drove out of the bad weather about 50 miles from our destination and at 10:20pm, we arrived. Crabby Hubby, Crabby Jody and VERY CRABBY KIDS!
Sat we celebrated Christ.mas with my family. Other than my very weird brother and his wife and their 3 1/2 yr old son who is not potty trained and does not eat solid food, the day went pretty well. I was able to get online and lurk thru a couple blogs until my sister "caught" me. She then saw that I had a blog and that is reason #1 that I went private. She got my address. I have crabbed about her on here and I don't need her seeing that. I like the fact that NOONE IRL knows about this blog. No friends, no family, noone. This way I can feel free to say what I want and not worry about hurting someone's feelings. Sat night Emilee had a "normal" temper tantrum directed at me and my bro and sil got to witness it and how much it gets to me. I felt bad. I know it was a strange house but it's not like it was the first night there. She did fine Friday night. She just didn't want to go to bed because we weren't going to bed (it was already 9:30pm).
Sun - we traveled home with no big issues and got home mid afternoon.
Mon - day went ok. Night..well that's a different story. JP wouldn't go to bed. He cried, he screamed, he yelled, he hit. (Hmmm have you heard that before? just a different kiddo) He finally fell asleep at about 10pm. Then SAN.TA had to do his thing quickly and we went to bed. At 12midnight JP got up and went to the bathroom. No big deal. Then he decided to stand outside Emilee's door and say "Emilee"..."Emilee"..."Emilee". So hubby got up and shushed him and told him to go back to bed. THen he layed in his bed yelling and screaming. So he brought him to our room. He then sat on the floor next to our bed yelling and screaming about wanting a drink of water. He got one. Then he wanted more. Then something to eat...come on kid...it's the middle of the night. You can wait until morning. So there we sat. At 3am Emilee woke up due to the noise. I went to her room to calm her down. She was VERY worried that SAN.TA wouldn't come because JP was awake. I promised her that if she went back to sleep that SAN.TA would still come. She did as she was asked to do. Hubby and I dosed off and on but how much can you sleep with a 5 yr old sitting at the edge of your bed making weird noises???? He never did go to sleep.
Tues am Emilee got up and came in to see if SAN.TA had come. He did. She got to open her gifts. JP got to open A gift from SAN.TA as he must have come back and took a present back after seeing how JP was acting in the night because I'm sure he would have kept it even and given them both 2 presents had they both been good! JP spent the day in his room resting (and yet he still NEVER fell asleep). We spent the day resting. Emilee spent the day in her room listening to her new CD player and Hann.ah Mont.ana cd that SAN.TA had brought her. Last night was no better for JP. He's overtired. I'm not sure what his problem is. All I know is that I can't deal with it. He told me this morning that he wants to go back to Donny & Conny's house. I screwed up. I told him that they didn't want him back and that is why he is with us. It's the truth but probably not what he needed to be told. Then again..I don't care. (My therapy appt on the 3rd is not getting here soon enough!)
That gets us to today. The pickup is here in the shop. Damage (at my employee rate) is not too bad. If you can figure $900 not too bad. That's with parts at cost and 25% discount on labor. It could be a LOT worse! for a stickin' pole! The kiddo's are at daycare. JP in a pullup becuase he peed in his bed last night. I feel a little guilty as the only pull-ups we have left are princess ones but oh well. With his mood lately, I don't need daycare calling me to say he peed in his pants or all over her house and needs to be picked up or brought dry clothes. He also has orders to take a morning nap and an afternoon nap.
Here's some pics of our lovely pickup.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
A short break
Freezing Rain...Snow...0 visibility==== damaged pickup = $1300 minimum to fix...my guess.
Having a blast of a time...NOT!
Having a blast of a time...NOT!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Have & Safe & Happy Holiday
I just wanted to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday. If you are traveling...be careful and watch out for the other person!
Oh and do me afavor..I won't be near a computer until Next Wed...so let's keep the blogging to a minimum so I don't have so much to catch up on, ok??? LOL!
Oh and do me afavor..I won't be near a computer until Next Wed...so let's keep the blogging to a minimum so I don't have so much to catch up on, ok??? LOL!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
So much to say...So little time
Ok I know you have all been wondering what it was that happened this week.
The short version is:
Emilee decided she didn't want to be in school on Tuesday and nobody was going to make her so she decided to hide out in the bathroom. The teacher found her and told her to go back to class and according to her that day...NO ONE was going to tell her what to do and also "Emilee" was not her name. Her name is "McKenzie". For a while now when she gets extremely upset, she has been using this at home too. I'm not sure where she got the name "McKenzie" from but when she says it..her eyes are totally blank and it makes us think she means it. Anyways, after finally returning to the classroom she threatened the teacher and was removed from class by the principal. At home Tuesday night, things were not good either. That led to the emergency appt with her therapist. And an appt schedule with a med doc to try and get her on some sort of mood stabilizer until we can get in to see a Psychiatrist in Jan.
Ok that about covers it in short form.
**On a side note...I'm sooo peeved at our local sw and her office right now. I'm trying to find SOMEONE who could go get Emilee from School (30 miles from where I work) and bring her to town as I have a meeting at work and I don't want to miss it. Then I can take her to the doc and THEY WON'T DO IT! She's not technically "their" kid as she's from a different county...so they won't transport. UGH! Now what do i do??? Just when I was starting to feel better...this gets thrown at me...I just may cancel her appt...I don't know what else i can do?
***********************
Today I spoke with the lady from the Partnership Program. She is supposed to be support for HUbby and I. She called me yesterday when we were leaving therapy and I couldn't talk much cause Emilee was in the car with me so she said she would call me today. Her first question to me was, "How are YOU doing thru all this?" My response?"HOnestly, not good". and then the tears started flowing AGAIN! I did tell her that I had made an appt with a therapist (Jan 3 for all you out there!) and she said that was great. We made small talk for a little while and then went on to what we needed to discuss.
I also told Hubby today that I was going to start seeing someone. Guess what he said??? I think that's a good idea - you've really been a beeatch lately. Hmmm thanks dear! But he's right and I can't fault him for telling me the truth and at least he wasn't like, "You don't need to do that...just talk to me" like he was for a while there. This morning getting the kids ready went VERY well. I just kind of felt at peace. I think making the actual phone call was VERY stressful for me. Now that that is done, I can mark that off my list of things to do. I'm actually making progress already!!!
Now my question to you out there who are also seeing a therapist. What should I bring with me to the first appointment?
The short version is:
Emilee decided she didn't want to be in school on Tuesday and nobody was going to make her so she decided to hide out in the bathroom. The teacher found her and told her to go back to class and according to her that day...NO ONE was going to tell her what to do and also "Emilee" was not her name. Her name is "McKenzie". For a while now when she gets extremely upset, she has been using this at home too. I'm not sure where she got the name "McKenzie" from but when she says it..her eyes are totally blank and it makes us think she means it. Anyways, after finally returning to the classroom she threatened the teacher and was removed from class by the principal. At home Tuesday night, things were not good either. That led to the emergency appt with her therapist. And an appt schedule with a med doc to try and get her on some sort of mood stabilizer until we can get in to see a Psychiatrist in Jan.
Ok that about covers it in short form.
**On a side note...I'm sooo peeved at our local sw and her office right now. I'm trying to find SOMEONE who could go get Emilee from School (30 miles from where I work) and bring her to town as I have a meeting at work and I don't want to miss it. Then I can take her to the doc and THEY WON'T DO IT! She's not technically "their" kid as she's from a different county...so they won't transport. UGH! Now what do i do??? Just when I was starting to feel better...this gets thrown at me...I just may cancel her appt...I don't know what else i can do?
***********************
Today I spoke with the lady from the Partnership Program. She is supposed to be support for HUbby and I. She called me yesterday when we were leaving therapy and I couldn't talk much cause Emilee was in the car with me so she said she would call me today. Her first question to me was, "How are YOU doing thru all this?" My response?"HOnestly, not good". and then the tears started flowing AGAIN! I did tell her that I had made an appt with a therapist (Jan 3 for all you out there!) and she said that was great. We made small talk for a little while and then went on to what we needed to discuss.
I also told Hubby today that I was going to start seeing someone. Guess what he said??? I think that's a good idea - you've really been a beeatch lately. Hmmm thanks dear! But he's right and I can't fault him for telling me the truth and at least he wasn't like, "You don't need to do that...just talk to me" like he was for a while there. This morning getting the kids ready went VERY well. I just kind of felt at peace. I think making the actual phone call was VERY stressful for me. Now that that is done, I can mark that off my list of things to do. I'm actually making progress already!!!
Now my question to you out there who are also seeing a therapist. What should I bring with me to the first appointment?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Appt
Emergency Therapy appt @ 2pm today.
*********Updated***********
we are back from therapy. Some possible diagnoses were discussed just in small talk between the therapist and I. His first comment was my first thought and that is scary that I am already thinking along the same lines as a therapist and I'm so new to this sort of thing. As for any help..she refused to talk to him as she knew she was going to daycare when we were done there and she wanted to go hold the babies at daycare. Well sorry dear...but I put a stop to that. I told her that I did not want her holding babies or carrying babies at daycare. She asked me why. I told her because until her behaviors improve and she can recognize when she isn't feeling well...I don't feel that the babies would be safe. I told daycare the same thing and she agreed. I'm such a mean mom!
*********Updated***********
we are back from therapy. Some possible diagnoses were discussed just in small talk between the therapist and I. His first comment was my first thought and that is scary that I am already thinking along the same lines as a therapist and I'm so new to this sort of thing. As for any help..she refused to talk to him as she knew she was going to daycare when we were done there and she wanted to go hold the babies at daycare. Well sorry dear...but I put a stop to that. I told her that I did not want her holding babies or carrying babies at daycare. She asked me why. I told her because until her behaviors improve and she can recognize when she isn't feeling well...I don't feel that the babies would be safe. I told daycare the same thing and she agreed. I'm such a mean mom!
I Lost it this morning
After a morning of dirty looks and talking back...I lost it.
Me: Emilee come here.
Em: (Staring at me)
Me: I'm not birth mom
Em: I know that. (extremely snotty tone to her voice)
Me: I know birth mom hurt you. I know you are angry at her. I know you love her. That is all normal. You need to remember that I'm not her though. I'm not going to hurt you. But I can not have you treating me this way. You have lied to people. You have told them that I hurt you. I have had to talk to the cops (ok - CPS but she wouldn't have understood who that was) because of these lies. I have NEVER hurt you. I will NEVER hurt you. But this is me and daddy's house. OUR rules will be followed in this house. If you CHOOSE to not follow OUR rules, YOUR choices may lead to you not being safe in this house. Is that what you want?
Em: (just staring at me)
Me: (crying) I love you Emilee. I will ALWAYS LOVE you! You behaviors won't change how much I LOVE YOU! BUT, I need to be safe in my home. Daddy needs to be safe in his home. Jacob needs to be safe in this home. You need to be safe in this home. You need to quit blaming everyone else. You need to somehow let me in to help you. I only want what is best for you and Jacob. And we can't go on like we are.
Em: giving me a big hug and telling me she's sorry. Mommy..don't cry.
Ok. that's the abreviated discussion from this morning. I said a lot that I probably shouldn't have said but I'm at my breaking point. I can't do this much longer. I can't have my name drug thru the mud for this little girl anymore.
****Note...I've made the call for therapy. Now I just have to wait for them to call me back to schedule an appointment.
Me: Emilee come here.
Em: (Staring at me)
Me: I'm not birth mom
Em: I know that. (extremely snotty tone to her voice)
Me: I know birth mom hurt you. I know you are angry at her. I know you love her. That is all normal. You need to remember that I'm not her though. I'm not going to hurt you. But I can not have you treating me this way. You have lied to people. You have told them that I hurt you. I have had to talk to the cops (ok - CPS but she wouldn't have understood who that was) because of these lies. I have NEVER hurt you. I will NEVER hurt you. But this is me and daddy's house. OUR rules will be followed in this house. If you CHOOSE to not follow OUR rules, YOUR choices may lead to you not being safe in this house. Is that what you want?
Em: (just staring at me)
Me: (crying) I love you Emilee. I will ALWAYS LOVE you! You behaviors won't change how much I LOVE YOU! BUT, I need to be safe in my home. Daddy needs to be safe in his home. Jacob needs to be safe in this home. You need to be safe in this home. You need to quit blaming everyone else. You need to somehow let me in to help you. I only want what is best for you and Jacob. And we can't go on like we are.
Em: giving me a big hug and telling me she's sorry. Mommy..don't cry.
Ok. that's the abreviated discussion from this morning. I said a lot that I probably shouldn't have said but I'm at my breaking point. I can't do this much longer. I can't have my name drug thru the mud for this little girl anymore.
****Note...I've made the call for therapy. Now I just have to wait for them to call me back to schedule an appointment.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Things have taken a turn for the worse
Right now I'm not comfortable writing but Emilee has taken a HUGE turn for the worse today in school. I'm unsure how long she will be able to remain safe in our home. Please pray for us!
Yondalla wrote:
But... you know ... if it were me, I think I would also feel a little pissed that she was being so wonderful at school and such a little terror at home. I mean, I would understand that it was all about attachment, that it was safe for her to be good at school because she wasn't "in danger" of forming a real, honest, deep emotional connection, so she wan't terrified all the time.
I would understand.
But I would be annoyed and maybe jealous too.
You are exactly write...but remember...the last post was a HAPPY post so I left all those feelings out! You are a smart woman!
**********updated (ok I'm adding my negative points about the Happy News from last night)
Ok so I have a little more time now. The comment about "being so wonderful at school"...but she ISN'T!!!! She has been home since the SUnday after turkey day. Out of 12 1/2 days of school (she was sick 1 day, therapy 1/2 day and then misc doc apts 1 day) she has brought home a note depicting her behavior in school AT LEAST 9 of those 12 days. So why was she chosen as Star Student???? I have NO IDEA!!! Unless they are somehow trying to reward her and hoping her behavior will improve because of it???? If that's it...I hate to tell them...it won't work! Been there done that! Ok, I'm stepping off my pedestal now and going back to giving her the benefit of the doubt and being HAPPY for my daughter!
But... you know ... if it were me, I think I would also feel a little pissed that she was being so wonderful at school and such a little terror at home. I mean, I would understand that it was all about attachment, that it was safe for her to be good at school because she wasn't "in danger" of forming a real, honest, deep emotional connection, so she wan't terrified all the time.
I would understand.
But I would be annoyed and maybe jealous too.
You are exactly write...but remember...the last post was a HAPPY post so I left all those feelings out! You are a smart woman!
**********updated (ok I'm adding my negative points about the Happy News from last night)
Ok so I have a little more time now. The comment about "being so wonderful at school"...but she ISN'T!!!! She has been home since the SUnday after turkey day. Out of 12 1/2 days of school (she was sick 1 day, therapy 1/2 day and then misc doc apts 1 day) she has brought home a note depicting her behavior in school AT LEAST 9 of those 12 days. So why was she chosen as Star Student???? I have NO IDEA!!! Unless they are somehow trying to reward her and hoping her behavior will improve because of it???? If that's it...I hate to tell them...it won't work! Been there done that! Ok, I'm stepping off my pedestal now and going back to giving her the benefit of the doubt and being HAPPY for my daughter!
Happy News
Ok so I blog a lot about how "bad" the kids are and last night when I got home we got some good news from Emilee. She has been chosen as the STAR STUDENT for December. WOW! WAY TO GO EMILEE! We had to finish some questions/statements about her...
My favorite subject is....
I am proud of myself because....
When I grow up I want to be ....
People like me because...
and there were a couple more that I can't remember now.
Then we had to choose 6 pictures of Emilee and/or her family(us) for her to take to display at school. That was fun. I would like to get a picture of the bulletin board where they are displaying it.
I'm so proud to be her mom!
My favorite subject is....
I am proud of myself because....
When I grow up I want to be ....
People like me because...
and there were a couple more that I can't remember now.
Then we had to choose 6 pictures of Emilee and/or her family(us) for her to take to display at school. That was fun. I would like to get a picture of the bulletin board where they are displaying it.
I'm so proud to be her mom!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Depressed (again)
I'm really not having a good day. Yesterday JP got up on the wrong side of the bed. It lasted ALL DAY! Sat night was family movie night as the kids had had a good day with Hubby (since Emilee was gone 3 hrs to a friend's house - she didn't have much time to get into trouble) and it was so cold we didn't want to go see the HOliday Train in town. It was almost 9pm before they got to bed. From the way yesterday went...family movie night will NOT happen again or at least not to the point where they stay up late...it will start at 5pm so they get to bed on time.
Hubby's brother brought Em's homework from Friday down yesterday morning. (Why he didn't call sooner so we could have went and got it from him I have no clue...but that's a whole different post). So up to the table we went...Emilee with 6 pages of Language Arts & Math to do...JP with 3 pages of homework from being gone on Thursday. With an interruption for lunch and naptime (that was VERY MUCH NEEDED) we got homework done 5 hours later.
I just feel so crappy. Life is not fun. Being a parent is not fun (and i know even with "normal" kids parenting isn't always fun) but I VERY RARELY feel happy anymore. The kids' behaviors get to me right away. I try my hardest to remain calm and usually I do - they just end up sent to their rooms which aggravates them even more. The yelling/screaming/spitting/throwing things is getting out of control. Plus JP's behaviors continue to get worse and it's exactly what he is learning from his sister. I know that's normal to a point but this is extreme. He's now taken to spitting on me.(hmmm his sister did this how many times in the past?).
We are leaving Friday afternoon to celebrate Christmas with my family 2 1/2 hrs away for the weekend. Then we are coming home Sunday and I have MOn/Tues off from work...and guess what??? I'm NOT looking forward to spending 4 days home with my kids!!! How sad is that????
(Yep...therapy is #1 on my New Year's Resolutions!)
Hubby's brother brought Em's homework from Friday down yesterday morning. (Why he didn't call sooner so we could have went and got it from him I have no clue...but that's a whole different post). So up to the table we went...Emilee with 6 pages of Language Arts & Math to do...JP with 3 pages of homework from being gone on Thursday. With an interruption for lunch and naptime (that was VERY MUCH NEEDED) we got homework done 5 hours later.
I just feel so crappy. Life is not fun. Being a parent is not fun (and i know even with "normal" kids parenting isn't always fun) but I VERY RARELY feel happy anymore. The kids' behaviors get to me right away. I try my hardest to remain calm and usually I do - they just end up sent to their rooms which aggravates them even more. The yelling/screaming/spitting/throwing things is getting out of control. Plus JP's behaviors continue to get worse and it's exactly what he is learning from his sister. I know that's normal to a point but this is extreme. He's now taken to spitting on me.(hmmm his sister did this how many times in the past?).
We are leaving Friday afternoon to celebrate Christmas with my family 2 1/2 hrs away for the weekend. Then we are coming home Sunday and I have MOn/Tues off from work...and guess what??? I'm NOT looking forward to spending 4 days home with my kids!!! How sad is that????
(Yep...therapy is #1 on my New Year's Resolutions!)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Some people are so lucky
This past July my parents were the honored guests of Clint Bowyer at Daytona International Speedway for the race. They are so lucky. Anyways, part of their winning was that they each got a free pace to the Richard Petty Driving School that included a ride around Daytona track with a driver. WOW! Due to health issues, my mom didn't go so dad got 2 rides. Here he is getting out of one of the cars.
***Ignore the 1/1/97 date as their camera was screwed up...it was july 7, 2007.
Here's just some misc pics from their trip. I'm doing a scrapbook for them for Christmas. Yep and today I finally printed the pics off the cd. We are exchanging gifts one week from today...I NEED TO GET BUSY!!!
The pit wall before the race.
The car sitting on pit road before the race.
The cars on the final lap behind the pace car.
The cars at race speed after crossing the start line with the green flag.
The Checkered Flag being brought in by a parachuter!
Mom, Dad and Clint Bowyer...he's such a cutie! And he's actually 8 days younger than I am. I would have thought he would be older...he looks older (Sorry Clint!). Guess that's what Racing can do to a person. I've blocked out mom and dad's faces for their own privacy.
***Ignore the 1/1/97 date as their camera was screwed up...it was july 7, 2007.
Here's just some misc pics from their trip. I'm doing a scrapbook for them for Christmas. Yep and today I finally printed the pics off the cd. We are exchanging gifts one week from today...I NEED TO GET BUSY!!!
The pit wall before the race.
The car sitting on pit road before the race.
The cars on the final lap behind the pace car.
The cars at race speed after crossing the start line with the green flag.
The Checkered Flag being brought in by a parachuter!
Mom, Dad and Clint Bowyer...he's such a cutie! And he's actually 8 days younger than I am. I would have thought he would be older...he looks older (Sorry Clint!). Guess that's what Racing can do to a person. I've blocked out mom and dad's faces for their own privacy.
Which Reindeer are You?
I found this on another blog (can't even remember which one as I was just surfing from blog to blog today - yep I was a lurker!) Let me know which Reindeer you were!
You Are Donner |
 The most loveable and sweet reindeer, you're also a total dork! Why You're Naughty: You keep (accidentally) tripping the other reindeer while flying. Why You're Nice: You're always smiling, even if you've fallen flat on your horns. |
Call It Mother's Intuition
Guess who was running around and playing last night when I got home from work??? She sure didn't look too sick! No throwing up and no icky poops all day either...hmmmm..was she really sick??? I don't think so!
Friday, December 14, 2007
What a week it has been
I got a call from the clinic on my way to town yesterday morning that JP's strep culture did come back POSITIVE from the main lab. Oh Yipee! I guess that's exactly why they say "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" right? So so much for school and work yesterday. But come on...he went to school on Wed when the clinic said the "quick" test came back negative so he exposed everyone anyways and yet he couldn't go yesterday because the test said positive???? Go figure! Anyways, after sitting in town for 1 hour waiting for the pharmacy to open, we got his meds and headed back home for a day just JP and Mommy. It was nice. I got a lot done and his behavior was very good.
Emilee came home from school and was in a good mood. About 15 mins before supper she found out that JP had been home all day with me. Guess what??? Her tummy instantly started hurting. She refused to eat supper and said she was going to throw up. We sent her to bed after sitting in the bathroom laying on the floor for 10 minutes. About 1/2 hour later she was puking in the bathroom. She threw up a total of 3 times in about 3 hours. She has no fever though. So how much of this could be self induced???? I feel so bad for asking that and I know there is a flu bug going around but this is the hurt mom talking who has been accused of so much. She was fine. SHe had a cookie for snack when she got home. She was playing and running and laughing right up until JP told her he got to stay home. Then after she had gotten "sick" she was more concerned with whether or not she would get to watch cartoons today when she stayed home with me. Well first of all, I took Wed off for her Eye Doc Appt, Therapy Appt and JP's doc appt. Then yesterday I was off due to Jacob having strep. I told Hubby today was his day. She ended up staying with my fil (who just happens to have Friday's off) for a while this am and now Hubby is home with her. She threw a fit when he told her that she had to go in her room and nap. I don't doubt that she probably does not feel very well as we are all suffering from colds...but I can't help wondering if she is making it worse herself??? Hubby says I shouldn't feel this way. I can't help it. Afterall, she has taken all her frustrations out on me this whole time and it will take me time to "let her back in" to my heart. I'm really feeling like a crummy mom right now.
Well see how she is doing tonight. I have to work tomorrow so Hubby is in charge all day tomorrow too. It will do him good.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Emilee came home from school and was in a good mood. About 15 mins before supper she found out that JP had been home all day with me. Guess what??? Her tummy instantly started hurting. She refused to eat supper and said she was going to throw up. We sent her to bed after sitting in the bathroom laying on the floor for 10 minutes. About 1/2 hour later she was puking in the bathroom. She threw up a total of 3 times in about 3 hours. She has no fever though. So how much of this could be self induced???? I feel so bad for asking that and I know there is a flu bug going around but this is the hurt mom talking who has been accused of so much. She was fine. SHe had a cookie for snack when she got home. She was playing and running and laughing right up until JP told her he got to stay home. Then after she had gotten "sick" she was more concerned with whether or not she would get to watch cartoons today when she stayed home with me. Well first of all, I took Wed off for her Eye Doc Appt, Therapy Appt and JP's doc appt. Then yesterday I was off due to Jacob having strep. I told Hubby today was his day. She ended up staying with my fil (who just happens to have Friday's off) for a while this am and now Hubby is home with her. She threw a fit when he told her that she had to go in her room and nap. I don't doubt that she probably does not feel very well as we are all suffering from colds...but I can't help wondering if she is making it worse herself??? Hubby says I shouldn't feel this way. I can't help it. Afterall, she has taken all her frustrations out on me this whole time and it will take me time to "let her back in" to my heart. I'm really feeling like a crummy mom right now.
Well see how she is doing tonight. I have to work tomorrow so Hubby is in charge all day tomorrow too. It will do him good.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
It's Official
We have become the cold & flu season at our house...ok, so hubby actually had the flu symptoms about 2 weeks ago but the kids are not sick. JP has laryngitis. He sounds soooo cute when he talks but I know it hurts to talk so I try to keep him quiet. That's hard to do with a kid who NEVER shuts up and has to ask "How Come?" to EVERYTHING that I say. LOL. We have strep going around right now in town/school/work so I was a little worried. He started coughing Sunday night and it's just gotten worse every day so I finally took him in this morning. I guess it's good news that it's not strep!
I've got a heck of a cold too. My throat is KILLING me and I could play Rudolph in a christmas play and not even need a red nose! :-( Oh well...for me..life must go on.
Em was fine until she found out JP was sick. Now her head hurts and her throat hurts. Oh and I'm a mean mom today because she didn't eat before we left home because she could eat at daycare (she has her 1st therapy appt today and an eye doc appt so she didn't go to school) and then I could get JP in to the doc so it was 9am by the time she got to daycare and she was "STARVING to death". Poor thing. Ok I know she normally eats breakfast at 7am and I don't doubt that she was hungry but give me a break...you would have thought she hadn't had food in a week the way she was carrying on. She also has started calling herself "Stupid" and "Snot nosed Brat" because that's what Conny & donny used to call her (according to her). I told her we don't talk like that at our house and we are not Conny and Donny so she needs to quit that and she told me I'm a mean mom because I won't let her call herself those names. I can't win for anything with her today! Oh well.
Sounds like some snow in our forecast for tonight. Stay warm everyone!
I've got a heck of a cold too. My throat is KILLING me and I could play Rudolph in a christmas play and not even need a red nose! :-( Oh well...for me..life must go on.
Em was fine until she found out JP was sick. Now her head hurts and her throat hurts. Oh and I'm a mean mom today because she didn't eat before we left home because she could eat at daycare (she has her 1st therapy appt today and an eye doc appt so she didn't go to school) and then I could get JP in to the doc so it was 9am by the time she got to daycare and she was "STARVING to death". Poor thing. Ok I know she normally eats breakfast at 7am and I don't doubt that she was hungry but give me a break...you would have thought she hadn't had food in a week the way she was carrying on. She also has started calling herself "Stupid" and "Snot nosed Brat" because that's what Conny & donny used to call her (according to her). I told her we don't talk like that at our house and we are not Conny and Donny so she needs to quit that and she told me I'm a mean mom because I won't let her call herself those names. I can't win for anything with her today! Oh well.
Sounds like some snow in our forecast for tonight. Stay warm everyone!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Letter to Santa
I just got this from my sister...it's so cute. It's been around year after year after year but still it is cute.
Dear Santa,
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my
children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor
and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a
shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my
list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter
with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry
room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time
in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze,
but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy
aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh
month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a
television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking
animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes,
Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't
fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without
the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in
the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can
only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough
time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the
luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being
served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare
ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would
be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house
without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized
crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my
feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.
Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and
come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet. (you promised me last year you would lose some weight with me so next year you and I could be a cute size two blonde...ok, some requests go too far, but none the less.....
Yours Always,
MOM...
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep
my children, healthy, safe and of course, young enough to always believe in Santa.
*Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all the mommies you know
Dear Santa,
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my
children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor
and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a
shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my
list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter
with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry
room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time
in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze,
but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy
aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh
month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a
television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking
animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes,
Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't
fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without
the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in
the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can
only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough
time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the
luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being
served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare
ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would
be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house
without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized
crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my
feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.
Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and
come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet. (you promised me last year you would lose some weight with me so next year you and I could be a cute size two blonde...ok, some requests go too far, but none the less.....
Yours Always,
MOM...
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep
my children, healthy, safe and of course, young enough to always believe in Santa.
*Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all the mommies you know
Monday, December 10, 2007
A short lived post
I know it's hard to look at pics of kids when we are all going thru what we are...but I just had to share these pics from yesterday. I will be removing them in a day or so but wanted to share with all my friends out there.
***************PICS WERE REMOVED. IF YOU MISSED THEM AND WANT TO SEE THEM...SEND ME AN EMAIL. IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS BLOG..TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.
Me, Emilee, and My sister's middle child (13 months old)
My Grandma, Me & My Twin (so do we look alike???LOL)
My 2 and my sister's 3 kids D is 3 1/2, K is 13 months and R is 10 weeks
Emilee & JP
Isn't this just the cutest pic ever? She was NOT HAPPY that we wanted to take more pics of her! LOL.
***************PICS WERE REMOVED. IF YOU MISSED THEM AND WANT TO SEE THEM...SEND ME AN EMAIL. IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS BLOG..TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.
Me, Emilee, and My sister's middle child (13 months old)
My Grandma, Me & My Twin (so do we look alike???LOL)
My 2 and my sister's 3 kids D is 3 1/2, K is 13 months and R is 10 weeks
Emilee & JP
Isn't this just the cutest pic ever? She was NOT HAPPY that we wanted to take more pics of her! LOL.
Pics of My "babies"
Ok everyone posts pics of their "babies" aka pets or whatever so since Hubby took some pics of our "babies" this weekend with my new digital camera that "Santa" aka Hubby bought me I thought I would show them off as well. Check out the horns...NO I do not go in the fence with them. I'm chicken! (oh wait...we have chickens too..I'll have to take some pics of them to show off too) And our cats..and my puppy. If I post one pic a day of animals..I could post every day for quite a while! LOL.
Friday, December 7, 2007
It's Friday
and I only have to work until 12noon. :-) Then I'm off to Emilee's Xmas Program at school. Should be fun. As I told one of you already today...being able to say "I'm here to watch MY DAUGHTER, Emilee" will be so great. It's that happy feeling that makes my other feelings so hard to deal with and makes me feel so bad about the other feelings...but I'm not going to go there today. I want to be happy today!
The weekend sounds like it is supposed to be BURRRRRR cold so good day to do some baking tomorrow. THen on Sunday, weather permitting, we are having Christmas with my mom's side of the family (she has 1 brother who has 2 living children & their families and then my grandma.) Should be fun - i just love family gatherings with this side of the family (NOT!).
Anyways,hope everyone has a great weekend and for those of you with cold temps like us...STAY WARM!
The weekend sounds like it is supposed to be BURRRRRR cold so good day to do some baking tomorrow. THen on Sunday, weather permitting, we are having Christmas with my mom's side of the family (she has 1 brother who has 2 living children & their families and then my grandma.) Should be fun - i just love family gatherings with this side of the family (NOT!).
Anyways,hope everyone has a great weekend and for those of you with cold temps like us...STAY WARM!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The diagnosis is in...
on my van. Needs a new heater core. Thank goodness for extended warranty's. Since the van was a "GM certified used" vehicle when we bought it (with just over 6000 milse on it) it has Manufacturer warranty to 39010 miles and then it has a Vehicle Service Contract on it until 75000 miles or something like that. Guess how many miles are on it...36100! Yep normally, my warranty would have expired 100 miles ago. Then again, had it not been CERTIFIED USED with the extended warranty, we would not have bought it or I would have traded it off already. I've never kept a vehicle (since the day I have bought my own vehicles) past 2 years and for sure have never driven it without a warranty on it. Yep, I'm my parents kid. They trade vehicles every 2-3 years MAX and so that is what is engraved in my mind. Hubby's 03 pickup we had for 4 years (March 03-Feb07) with a Vehicle Service Contract purchased on it for coverage up to 100,000 miles and we were glad to have the contract when the light behind the gas gauge went out and we had to replace the complete instrument cluster for 1 light bulb! Yep $3000 repair - that made our $1700 contract well worth it and that's not the only time we used it.
So where was I before I went off about Hubby's truck....hmmm.....oh yeah, so now they think the van MIGHT be done tomorrow afternoon. I told them that I was leaving town at noon tomorrow and so if it wasn't done by then, I wouldn't be able to pick it up until Monday morning. He said to call him before I leave town. I would like it back. We are forcast for MORE SNOW this weekend.
Last 7 days....Sat (1st) 8+ inches
Tues (4th) 2+ inches
Thurs (6th) so far about 1 inch and it has now quit
Sat/Sun (8th/9th) forcast for more
Yep...gotta love ND!
So where was I before I went off about Hubby's truck....hmmm.....oh yeah, so now they think the van MIGHT be done tomorrow afternoon. I told them that I was leaving town at noon tomorrow and so if it wasn't done by then, I wouldn't be able to pick it up until Monday morning. He said to call him before I leave town. I would like it back. We are forcast for MORE SNOW this weekend.
Last 7 days....Sat (1st) 8+ inches
Tues (4th) 2+ inches
Thurs (6th) so far about 1 inch and it has now quit
Sat/Sun (8th/9th) forcast for more
Yep...gotta love ND!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Time to empty my brain...
As my "cluttered mind" quiz showed, I have too many things going on in my brain. I should talk to a therapist. I know that. I do have plans to do that. I've started my New Year's Resolutions (or at least listing them) and seeing a Therapist is one of them. I'm just not sure where that would fit into my OVERLOADED schedule right now. So for now...I'm laying it out there to all of you. (and You're welcome in advance! since i know you will all say THANK YOU to me for having you suffer thru reading all this!)
I've been following a lot of my fellow bloggers currently seeking fertility treatments and that has me thinking a lot lately. What if we had continued with our treatments? Hubby (ok, I'm stuck with that name for now as my brain does not have room to be creative right now) wasn't too keen on the idea of using a donor; however, using him is not an option. Maybe after this trek thru the foster care system, he would feel differently. Would we be parents now if we had continued with treatments? Would we be parents now if we had went ahead with the adoption agency when we first went to their meeting 3 years ago? What if...what if...what if.
What do I want? I want to be a forever mom to an infant. (Ok, before i go any further with this, I want to remind you that I do LOVE Emilee and JP. I do WANT to be their FOREVER MOM. I just want MORE than that). Although I didn't think being pregnant was such a big deal...the more I think about it, the more I think I want to experience it. It's not like it's a MUST, but it is something I want to experience. I want to know if all the things my sister wined/moped/b**ched about is for real. I want to be up in the night feeding my child and bonding with MY child. I want to hear that child call me MOMMY and not have to share that term with anyone else. (I know - I'm selfish) Especially when it has a negative meeting when applied to the other party. When we had G and she called us Mommy and Daddy, it was so wonderful. She didn't know any different. I want to see their first smile, hear their first giggle, I want to smell the "clean baby" smell after a bath, I want to see the first roll over, the first crawl, the first steps (ok we saw G & L take their first steps and that was SO AWESOME!). Does any of this make sense?
But now on the other hand...how will Emilee and JP react to this? Is it fair to bring a biological child into this mix of things? Will Emilee and JP resent us for it? Emilee wants a baby in the house, but what happens when it's a baby that NEVER leaves? Will she still handle it ok?
I know right now we have enough going on in our lives. It's not that I want to run back to the doc right away and start up fertility treatments or anything (although I DO WANT to do that...I know it's not realistic right now). We need to get Emilee and JP settled, we need to get their issues stabilized.
I know Hubby and I need to discuss this too. But like I said, bringing it up to him right now just wouldn't be worth it. There is far too many things going on now. That's a conversation for us to have after the holidays. But I also know what he'll say...Emilee and JP are enough to handle. They are...but is that enough for me? That is the question and I really don't think it is.
I'm also not getting any younger. I'm 28,Hubby is 34. Yea, we can wait a few more years but if we wait too long...what will that do for our chances? I don't know. No one knows.
I read everyone's blogs about getting babies in foster care. Originally Hubby and I had said we wouldn't take any child over the age of 4 due to the "baggage" that they usually come with. We'll we've done it and I'm always the one who pushed him and said, we should take the kids. With Emilee and JP, it was no different. I wanted them. According to what we were told their issues were, they were minor. Well as we've learned since they came to us, certain parts of their history were left out of the info we received on "accident". I don't believe for one minute that those parts were left out on "accident" but that's beside the point now. Had we known what we know now, I can't say that we would have taken this placement. This is the exact reason why we didn't want to take older kids. I'm not ready to deal with all this. Now I have no choice. The kids are here. THey have no family. They have no parents in a sense as all rights have been terminated. Now I almost feel "stuck" with them. Yes I could call the county and tell them they have to move them but what good would that do the kids? Afterall, we do foster care FOR the kids. They NEED us. So why do I feel so bad and so "stuck" by all of this?
Oh and to top it all off...my van went to the shop today due to NO HEAT! Guess that's a problem when you live in ND with highs in the single digits and low teens above zero. No wonder I couldn't keep my windshield unfrozen on the way home last night in the freezing rain.
I've been following a lot of my fellow bloggers currently seeking fertility treatments and that has me thinking a lot lately. What if we had continued with our treatments? Hubby (ok, I'm stuck with that name for now as my brain does not have room to be creative right now) wasn't too keen on the idea of using a donor; however, using him is not an option. Maybe after this trek thru the foster care system, he would feel differently. Would we be parents now if we had continued with treatments? Would we be parents now if we had went ahead with the adoption agency when we first went to their meeting 3 years ago? What if...what if...what if.
What do I want? I want to be a forever mom to an infant. (Ok, before i go any further with this, I want to remind you that I do LOVE Emilee and JP. I do WANT to be their FOREVER MOM. I just want MORE than that). Although I didn't think being pregnant was such a big deal...the more I think about it, the more I think I want to experience it. It's not like it's a MUST, but it is something I want to experience. I want to know if all the things my sister wined/moped/b**ched about is for real. I want to be up in the night feeding my child and bonding with MY child. I want to hear that child call me MOMMY and not have to share that term with anyone else. (I know - I'm selfish) Especially when it has a negative meeting when applied to the other party. When we had G and she called us Mommy and Daddy, it was so wonderful. She didn't know any different. I want to see their first smile, hear their first giggle, I want to smell the "clean baby" smell after a bath, I want to see the first roll over, the first crawl, the first steps (ok we saw G & L take their first steps and that was SO AWESOME!). Does any of this make sense?
But now on the other hand...how will Emilee and JP react to this? Is it fair to bring a biological child into this mix of things? Will Emilee and JP resent us for it? Emilee wants a baby in the house, but what happens when it's a baby that NEVER leaves? Will she still handle it ok?
I know right now we have enough going on in our lives. It's not that I want to run back to the doc right away and start up fertility treatments or anything (although I DO WANT to do that...I know it's not realistic right now). We need to get Emilee and JP settled, we need to get their issues stabilized.
I know Hubby and I need to discuss this too. But like I said, bringing it up to him right now just wouldn't be worth it. There is far too many things going on now. That's a conversation for us to have after the holidays. But I also know what he'll say...Emilee and JP are enough to handle. They are...but is that enough for me? That is the question and I really don't think it is.
I'm also not getting any younger. I'm 28,Hubby is 34. Yea, we can wait a few more years but if we wait too long...what will that do for our chances? I don't know. No one knows.
I read everyone's blogs about getting babies in foster care. Originally Hubby and I had said we wouldn't take any child over the age of 4 due to the "baggage" that they usually come with. We'll we've done it and I'm always the one who pushed him and said, we should take the kids. With Emilee and JP, it was no different. I wanted them. According to what we were told their issues were, they were minor. Well as we've learned since they came to us, certain parts of their history were left out of the info we received on "accident". I don't believe for one minute that those parts were left out on "accident" but that's beside the point now. Had we known what we know now, I can't say that we would have taken this placement. This is the exact reason why we didn't want to take older kids. I'm not ready to deal with all this. Now I have no choice. The kids are here. THey have no family. They have no parents in a sense as all rights have been terminated. Now I almost feel "stuck" with them. Yes I could call the county and tell them they have to move them but what good would that do the kids? Afterall, we do foster care FOR the kids. They NEED us. So why do I feel so bad and so "stuck" by all of this?
Oh and to top it all off...my van went to the shop today due to NO HEAT! Guess that's a problem when you live in ND with highs in the single digits and low teens above zero. No wonder I couldn't keep my windshield unfrozen on the way home last night in the freezing rain.
Getting to know your friends - Christmas Style
I got this in an email...thought it would be fun to post on here too....
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper – what fun is it to open a bag at Christmas time?
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial
3 . When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend before Thanksgiving but don’t plug the lights in until Thanksgiving Day (this year it didn’t get up until the weekend after thanksgiving.)
4. When do you take the tree down? 1st weekend in January
5. Do you like egg nog? Never tried it and don’t plan to.
6. Favorite gift received? Sweatshirt from B & D (I was totally shocked Hubby had done ANY shopping that year so that meant a lot to me)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes (but it’s not up this year – too much other stuff going on – got the tree up –figured that was enough)
8. Hardest person to buy for? My “kids”
9 . Easiest person to buy for? Hubby
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Email what I can – mail the rest
11 .Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can’t think of any of them.
12 . Favorite Christmas movies? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/ The year without a Santa Claus (can you tell I’ve got kids in the house again this year???)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I’d really like to shop throughout the year but the time I did that, I lost the gift that I had bought (and YES it’s STILL MISSING 3 YEARS LATER!)
14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Frosted Sugar Cookies (frozen)
16 . Clear lights or colored on the tree? Blue lights (from our wedding dance)
17. Favorite Christmas song? “Sleigh Ride”
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I don’t mind traveling if it’s to my mom and dad’s (9 miles) or Hubby’s dad’s (2 miles) LOL!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes – I was going to put them in here, but then I thought…that gives it away to the rest of you!
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Some each day…afterall, Santa doesn’t come until Christmas Eve
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? TOO MANY RUDE PEOPLE in the stores!
22. Favorite ornament theme? Snowmen Favorite color theme? Blue/Silver/White
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey/Mashed Potatoes/Gravy (MOM’s COOKING!)
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new digital camera and…a wish that I can’t say because if you tell a wish…it won’t come true!
Ok, I'm going to tag Trace, No Swimmers, and Kathy and anyone else who wants to participate. If you want to leave me a comment - i will link your post to this one (if I can figure out how to do it!LOL)
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper – what fun is it to open a bag at Christmas time?
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial
3 . When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend before Thanksgiving but don’t plug the lights in until Thanksgiving Day (this year it didn’t get up until the weekend after thanksgiving.)
4. When do you take the tree down? 1st weekend in January
5. Do you like egg nog? Never tried it and don’t plan to.
6. Favorite gift received? Sweatshirt from B & D (I was totally shocked Hubby had done ANY shopping that year so that meant a lot to me)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes (but it’s not up this year – too much other stuff going on – got the tree up –figured that was enough)
8. Hardest person to buy for? My “kids”
9 . Easiest person to buy for? Hubby
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Email what I can – mail the rest
11 .Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can’t think of any of them.
12 . Favorite Christmas movies? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/ The year without a Santa Claus (can you tell I’ve got kids in the house again this year???)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I’d really like to shop throughout the year but the time I did that, I lost the gift that I had bought (and YES it’s STILL MISSING 3 YEARS LATER!)
14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Frosted Sugar Cookies (frozen)
16 . Clear lights or colored on the tree? Blue lights (from our wedding dance)
17. Favorite Christmas song? “Sleigh Ride”
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I don’t mind traveling if it’s to my mom and dad’s (9 miles) or Hubby’s dad’s (2 miles) LOL!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes – I was going to put them in here, but then I thought…that gives it away to the rest of you!
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Some each day…afterall, Santa doesn’t come until Christmas Eve
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? TOO MANY RUDE PEOPLE in the stores!
22. Favorite ornament theme? Snowmen Favorite color theme? Blue/Silver/White
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey/Mashed Potatoes/Gravy (MOM’s COOKING!)
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new digital camera and…a wish that I can’t say because if you tell a wish…it won’t come true!
Ok, I'm going to tag Trace, No Swimmers, and Kathy and anyone else who wants to participate. If you want to leave me a comment - i will link your post to this one (if I can figure out how to do it!LOL)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
How cluttered is your mind?
No Swimmers wanted to know how cluttered my mind was...so here it is. Now how cluttered is YOUR mind? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Your Mind is 84% Cluttered |
 Your mind is incredibly cluttered. You have so much going on in there, it's hard to think straight. Consider talking to a therapist. It's a good idea to sort through your thoughts, if only to see which ones are worth hanging on to. |
Monday, December 3, 2007
Well the UNofficial Official Amount is in...
At our house we measured 8.5 inches of snow. The kids LOVE it! Hubby got the yard cleaned out using the 4 wheeler and his tractors w/loaders. I finally got all my christmas lights plugged in with extension cords and guess what....they don't work! :-( Guess I'll have to try to figure out why tonight.
I also started by baking on Sat once I got home. I made choc covered ritz bitz w/peanut butter, peanut butter choc kiss cookies, an easy mint candy using vanilla almond bark and andes mints, sugar cookies w/snickers candy bars inside them, and peppermint candy cane cookies. I still need to make frosted sugar cookies, peanut butter balls, choc and vanilla coated pretzels, mint/choc swirl fugde and another batch or 2 of the mint candies. (Can you tell I like mint???) Hubby also put in his order for m&m oatmeal cookies from scratch. Ok, so out of all this, I may eat the mint candies and a few sugar cookies. Otherwise, I don't like this stuff. I just like to bake. THat's my contribution to christmas dinner...the sweets!
Sounds like we are in for up to 6+ more inches of snow beginning tomorrow. Gotta love living in ND!
**********Updated weather forcast...just a snow advisory vs a winter storm watch....BUT (you know there always has to be one of them in there) we are supposed to get FREEZING RAIN first! YUCK. 2 years ago we had a Freezing Rain storm Thanksgiving Weekend and we were without power for 8 days! I DO NOT want FREEZING RAIN!
I also started by baking on Sat once I got home. I made choc covered ritz bitz w/peanut butter, peanut butter choc kiss cookies, an easy mint candy using vanilla almond bark and andes mints, sugar cookies w/snickers candy bars inside them, and peppermint candy cane cookies. I still need to make frosted sugar cookies, peanut butter balls, choc and vanilla coated pretzels, mint/choc swirl fugde and another batch or 2 of the mint candies. (Can you tell I like mint???) Hubby also put in his order for m&m oatmeal cookies from scratch. Ok, so out of all this, I may eat the mint candies and a few sugar cookies. Otherwise, I don't like this stuff. I just like to bake. THat's my contribution to christmas dinner...the sweets!
Sounds like we are in for up to 6+ more inches of snow beginning tomorrow. Gotta love living in ND!
**********Updated weather forcast...just a snow advisory vs a winter storm watch....BUT (you know there always has to be one of them in there) we are supposed to get FREEZING RAIN first! YUCK. 2 years ago we had a Freezing Rain storm Thanksgiving Weekend and we were without power for 8 days! I DO NOT want FREEZING RAIN!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
It's a Winter Storm
I really wish I had a camera that I could take a picture with right now and upload it. We are having our first Winter Storm of the season. I came to work simply because I NEEDED to get out of the house. The drive wasn't too bad but I really wonder how I will be able to get back home. We are expected to get 8+ inches of snow today and winds are blowing too. I'm sitting in my office right now looking out at the hwy that runs just on the other side of our parking lot and the cars going by are getting harder and harder to see. Am I stupid for being out in this, yeah probably but oh well.
Hopefully I can get some pictures at home this weekend and post some next week. Have a great weekend.
Hopefully I can get some pictures at home this weekend and post some next week. Have a great weekend.
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