Last year at this time, I blogged about the many blessings I have in my life. This year, I feel like I have even more to be grateful for.
I’m thankful for my three beautiful children, who are the very center of my world. I’m so lucky to be their Mom!
I’m thankful that the Universe saw fit to give me another chance at Love. Having John in my life has been such a gift… a most wonderful surprise… which just keeps getting better every day.
I’m thankful for Nick and Annabelle, John’s kids, who accepted me so warmly and so readily.
I’m thankful for Papa and NanaKat for their Love and support, in good times and in tough times.
I’m thankful for all my brothers and my sister… I appreciate them more and more the older we get.
I’m thankful that my brother Dan is FINALLY coming home, and that he Vanessa can finally start building a life together on their own terms.
I’m thankful for my cousin, who is six months older than me. We have grown up together, and I treasure those 38+ years of shared memories and experiences.
I’m thankful that I’m able to homeschool, and let my babies live a life full of free time to play, learn and grow at their own pace, in the ways that work for them.
I’m thankful for my big yard, which contains two big climbing trees. I’m so fortunate to get to watch my two big kids climb among the branches every day.
I’m thankful that every spring I can sow seeds that will grow and feed my family.
I’m thankful that my kids love books so much, and I’m grateful that I get to discuss so many of my old favorite books with my two older kids.
I’m thankful for the magical light of my youngest child, and the amazing gifts he has to share with the world.
I’m thankful for my fellow Homeschooling Moms… I’m so blessed to have these women in my life, with whom I can share in the joys, struggles and challenges of raising our families.
I'm thankful for time spent in the woods, on mountains, and by the ocean. Fresh air and sunshine feed my soul.
I’m thankful for Friends, old and new.
I’m thankful that I can think back and remember the amazing summer I had… it was a really great summer!
I’m thankful for the people in my life who believe in me, and have encouraged me and kept me going when I didn’t believe in myself.
The past couple of years have been a journey… a journey toward finding peace within myself. The journey hasn’t always been easy, and it involved a lot of difficult decisions. But… I’m surviving, and in many ways even thriving, among the many changes and challenges. In spite of the fact that I’m more broke than I’ve ever been, and I’m working harder than I ever have, I am, without a doubt, the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m so so blessed, in so many ways. And I am Thankful.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving Project
We have done this project every Thanksgiving since Annabelle was about 4... I think this is the 5th year! We cut a bunch of leaf shapes out of colored paper, and we write things we are thankful for on the leaves. When we're finished, we string them up into a garland. I love doing this activity with the kids, as it always opens the door to some good discussions about being grateful, and appreciating all the good we have in our lives.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Making Breakfast with Harry
Raising a child with Sensory Processing Disorder is, well… a little different than raising a kid without SPD. Sensory Processing Disorder is a neurological disorder which affects the way the senses process information. Kids with SPD are typically either over-responsive or under-responsive to stimuli, and in some cases can be over- or under- responsive in varying situations. SPD can also cause motor issues, and difficulty in regulating movement, among other things.
In Harry’s case, while he sometimes becomes overwhelmed by visual and auditory stimulation (loud noises, big crowds, etc) mostly he is what is known in SPD circles as a “Sensory Seeker,” meaning he needs to seek out tactile stimulation in order to feel “right”. This takes the form of needing to climb, jump, run, stomp, touch things, get wet, etc. Harry requires BIG sensation. However, this “sensory seeking” presents certain challenges for the rest of us!
This morning, my kids wanted pancakes for breakfast. Harry followed me down to the kitchen. As I was getting out the pancake stuff, Harry was running laps in the kitchen, and then began to try to climb onto the kitchen table. “Whoa, Buddy… I don’t think so.” I said, as I scooped him off the table. “Look at Mommy’s face. Do we climb on tables?” He glanced around. “Look at my eyes, Harry. Look at my face. Is it safe to climb on the table?” He tried to look me in the eye. “Uuuummmm…. No?” “That’s right. We do not climb on tables.” I said, as I wrapped him up in what we call a “Squeezy hug” and started rubbing his back hard. The squeezing and pressure on his back give him the sensory input he often seeks, and is part of his therapy. When he seems calm, I ask if he’d like to help with the pancakes.
We wash his hands, and he pulls the stool up to the counter, and begins to pick up and touch all the stuff there… as I’m measuring ingredients, he’s picking up the baking powder, shaking the cinnamon bottle, playing with measuring spoons. “I wanna stir!” he says. I pass the bowl to him to stir, and I start putting away the things we are finished with. I am standing at the cabinet, putting away the spices when I look over to see him with an egg in his hand, saying “what if I toss this egg?” Before he finishes the sentence, the egg is a puddle on the counter. “Uh oh” he says. I’m feeling a little flustered at the mess and the wasted egg. I sigh, “Harry, why did you do that?” as I’m getting paper towels. “I dunno” he says. While I clean up the mess, explaining that eggs are delicate, and they should stay in the carton till we need them, Harry sticks his fingers into the batter. “it feels gooey!” “Harry… please don’t put your fingers in the batter” I let him play in the sink for a minute, under the guise of “washing his hands” until I realize his shirt is soaked. I take off the wet shirt, and I suggest he draw a picture until it’s time to eat. Back to the pancakes.
On the other side of the kitchen, the floor is strewn with paper, and I look over to see Harry drawing all over himself with a marker. “How about you draw on the paper, Buddy?” He is now lying on the floor, repeating the same line of dialogue from the movie Cars, over and over. Fortunately, by this time, the pancakes are pretty much ready, so I send him upstairs to get Annabelle and Theo.
SPD doesn’t go away. There is no cure… there is just therapy, to teach regulation and coping skills. Harry has come a long way already since we started therapy. We are working with his OT on his spectrum-type behaviors, as well (SPD often comes with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and further diagnosis on that is pending) The biggest challenge of all is helping others to understand Harry and his unique challenges. Harry looks “normal” and so when he exhibits behaviors that one does not expect in an almost five-year-old, those who don’t know him think he’s undisciplined or “out of control.” This is a common problem among parents of children with “invisible” disabilities. We’re not “bad parents” we’re parents who are required to have a little extra teaching, love and patience in our job description.
In Harry’s case, while he sometimes becomes overwhelmed by visual and auditory stimulation (loud noises, big crowds, etc) mostly he is what is known in SPD circles as a “Sensory Seeker,” meaning he needs to seek out tactile stimulation in order to feel “right”. This takes the form of needing to climb, jump, run, stomp, touch things, get wet, etc. Harry requires BIG sensation. However, this “sensory seeking” presents certain challenges for the rest of us!
This morning, my kids wanted pancakes for breakfast. Harry followed me down to the kitchen. As I was getting out the pancake stuff, Harry was running laps in the kitchen, and then began to try to climb onto the kitchen table. “Whoa, Buddy… I don’t think so.” I said, as I scooped him off the table. “Look at Mommy’s face. Do we climb on tables?” He glanced around. “Look at my eyes, Harry. Look at my face. Is it safe to climb on the table?” He tried to look me in the eye. “Uuuummmm…. No?” “That’s right. We do not climb on tables.” I said, as I wrapped him up in what we call a “Squeezy hug” and started rubbing his back hard. The squeezing and pressure on his back give him the sensory input he often seeks, and is part of his therapy. When he seems calm, I ask if he’d like to help with the pancakes.
We wash his hands, and he pulls the stool up to the counter, and begins to pick up and touch all the stuff there… as I’m measuring ingredients, he’s picking up the baking powder, shaking the cinnamon bottle, playing with measuring spoons. “I wanna stir!” he says. I pass the bowl to him to stir, and I start putting away the things we are finished with. I am standing at the cabinet, putting away the spices when I look over to see him with an egg in his hand, saying “what if I toss this egg?” Before he finishes the sentence, the egg is a puddle on the counter. “Uh oh” he says. I’m feeling a little flustered at the mess and the wasted egg. I sigh, “Harry, why did you do that?” as I’m getting paper towels. “I dunno” he says. While I clean up the mess, explaining that eggs are delicate, and they should stay in the carton till we need them, Harry sticks his fingers into the batter. “it feels gooey!” “Harry… please don’t put your fingers in the batter” I let him play in the sink for a minute, under the guise of “washing his hands” until I realize his shirt is soaked. I take off the wet shirt, and I suggest he draw a picture until it’s time to eat. Back to the pancakes.
On the other side of the kitchen, the floor is strewn with paper, and I look over to see Harry drawing all over himself with a marker. “How about you draw on the paper, Buddy?” He is now lying on the floor, repeating the same line of dialogue from the movie Cars, over and over. Fortunately, by this time, the pancakes are pretty much ready, so I send him upstairs to get Annabelle and Theo.
SPD doesn’t go away. There is no cure… there is just therapy, to teach regulation and coping skills. Harry has come a long way already since we started therapy. We are working with his OT on his spectrum-type behaviors, as well (SPD often comes with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and further diagnosis on that is pending) The biggest challenge of all is helping others to understand Harry and his unique challenges. Harry looks “normal” and so when he exhibits behaviors that one does not expect in an almost five-year-old, those who don’t know him think he’s undisciplined or “out of control.” This is a common problem among parents of children with “invisible” disabilities. We’re not “bad parents” we’re parents who are required to have a little extra teaching, love and patience in our job description.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Halloween, part two, and then some.
Well, I promised Halloween pics, but then we got busy and I just haven't gotten around to the ol' blog! I fell a wee bit behind on stuff with all the halloweening and such going on, and I'm only just now (2 weeks later!) finally beginning to catch up!
So anyhoo... Here are my kids on Halloween!
So anyhoo... Here are my kids on Halloween!
We went trick-or-treating in a friend's neighborhood in Rockport... it looked like a scene from a movie, with most of the houses all decorated, and the streets filled with trick-or-treaters. We scuffed through the leaves, walking house to house, and the sky was a practically perfect halloween night sky, with a nearly-full moon. We all had a fantastic time!
The past couple of weeks since have been busy! But, fortunately we've managed to squeeze in time to play with friends here and there. Last week we enjoyed a fun afternoon of games and pizza at a fellow homeschooling family's home, and then today we went for a lazy hike with a big pack of homeschoolers... including a few families we've never met! It's always nice to make new friends!
We've got much to look forward to in the coming weeks, with the holiday season approaching. Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! It seems that fall is slipping by as quickly as summer did... time flies when you're having fun, as they say.
Friday, October 30, 2009
BOO!
We've been Halloweening all week!
Tuesday we took a little field trip to the farm for pumpkins! We had the little toddler we care for a couple of days a week with us, and the kids were so cute pointing out the farm animals to him, much to his delight! That afternoon we enjoyed cider donuts for snack and painted our pumpkins.
Since the farm had only small pumpkins, we made another excursion on Wednesday to get a big Jack-o-lantern pumpkin... WOW, did we hit the jackpot there! A church in the next town over has an annual pumpkin sale, and when we went on this rainy wednesday morning, we were the only customers there. There was a lovely elderly couple watching over the pumpkins, and they were so kind and sweet, chatting with us, watching my babies examine every pumpkin, searching for the perfect one. Once "THE" pumpkin was selected, the kind gentleman collected our money, and along with the change gave each child a small pumpkin of their own, along with some stickers! Huge smiles all around!
Thursday night we attended our Homeschool group's Halloween Rollerskating Party, which was good fun for all... Harry even got on skates for the first time, and did really well! The kids were excited to hang out and skate with their friends.
Today, we carved our Jack-O-Lantern! We always do this on the afternoon before halloween, and then we eat our dinner by jack-o-lantern candlelight! This year, rather than a frightful face, we opted for a jovial one... a winking, laughing Jack-O-lantern!
All of these Halloween adventures have been merely a lead up to tomorrow... actual Halloween! We've got a big day planned... we'll be baking Halloween treats in the morning, and then the kids will go with their Dad in the afternoon for some Halloween visiting, and then they'll return home for a bite to eat before the evening festivities begin! Photos to follow, for sure.
Tuesday we took a little field trip to the farm for pumpkins! We had the little toddler we care for a couple of days a week with us, and the kids were so cute pointing out the farm animals to him, much to his delight! That afternoon we enjoyed cider donuts for snack and painted our pumpkins.
Since the farm had only small pumpkins, we made another excursion on Wednesday to get a big Jack-o-lantern pumpkin... WOW, did we hit the jackpot there! A church in the next town over has an annual pumpkin sale, and when we went on this rainy wednesday morning, we were the only customers there. There was a lovely elderly couple watching over the pumpkins, and they were so kind and sweet, chatting with us, watching my babies examine every pumpkin, searching for the perfect one. Once "THE" pumpkin was selected, the kind gentleman collected our money, and along with the change gave each child a small pumpkin of their own, along with some stickers! Huge smiles all around!
Thursday night we attended our Homeschool group's Halloween Rollerskating Party, which was good fun for all... Harry even got on skates for the first time, and did really well! The kids were excited to hang out and skate with their friends.
Today, we carved our Jack-O-Lantern! We always do this on the afternoon before halloween, and then we eat our dinner by jack-o-lantern candlelight! This year, rather than a frightful face, we opted for a jovial one... a winking, laughing Jack-O-lantern!
All of these Halloween adventures have been merely a lead up to tomorrow... actual Halloween! We've got a big day planned... we'll be baking Halloween treats in the morning, and then the kids will go with their Dad in the afternoon for some Halloween visiting, and then they'll return home for a bite to eat before the evening festivities begin! Photos to follow, for sure.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Frugal Living
This year, I find myself with a much tighter budget... and a tighter budget means I'm always looking for ways to live a little more frugally. With the economy in the state it is, even two-income households are facing similar challenges, finding themselves needing to cut back and stretch their dollars. I've already written about our adventures in canning apples, and while I didn't get much to can or freeze from my garden this year, I plan on continuing to buy seasonal stuff when it's cheap, and can it for the winter. This week I also cleared out a space in the basement to store food purchased in bulk, as well as the stuff we've canned.
This week, we're taking steps to reduce our heat bills! Last year, we averaged more than $600 a month to heat our drafty old house. I'm determined to cut that down as much as possible this year. I'm putting plastic up on all the windows, and Annabelle and I have been sewing draft stoppers for all the doors. I'm also going to invest in some flannel sheets, so we can keep the heat a bit lower at night.
The other cool thing about living frugally is that frugal living is usually greener living, too. It's always good when you can lessen your impact on the Earth. I'm finding that many of the typical frugal-living things we've always done... baking from scratch, recycling things, combining errands to save gas, shopping with a list to avoid impulse buying... but I'm always on the lookout for new tips. If anyone has any frugal living tips to share, I'd love to hear them.
This week, we're taking steps to reduce our heat bills! Last year, we averaged more than $600 a month to heat our drafty old house. I'm determined to cut that down as much as possible this year. I'm putting plastic up on all the windows, and Annabelle and I have been sewing draft stoppers for all the doors. I'm also going to invest in some flannel sheets, so we can keep the heat a bit lower at night.
The other cool thing about living frugally is that frugal living is usually greener living, too. It's always good when you can lessen your impact on the Earth. I'm finding that many of the typical frugal-living things we've always done... baking from scratch, recycling things, combining errands to save gas, shopping with a list to avoid impulse buying... but I'm always on the lookout for new tips. If anyone has any frugal living tips to share, I'd love to hear them.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Apples!
We went to Brooksby Farm yesterday, and came home with a bushel and one and a half pecks of apples! If you aren't sure how many apples that is, exactly, let me just tell you it's A LOT. We did a bunch of cooking and canning today.... the end result was eleven pints of applesauce and 6 pints of spiced apples, and we only used up slightly more than half a bushel! I plan on doing more canning this week, with the goal of having plenty of appley goodness to last us through the winter! Here are photos from our apple adventure:
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