Oh how I love a good nap.

So far this summer has been pretty good.

The kids have been busy with camps, bible school, sports and we just returned from a week's vacation.

Oh, how we needed that vacation.

Before we left, Baby O was not wanting to take his naps in the afternoon. I think we tuckered him out so much on our trip that he's back to needing them again!

Let's hope it continues.

As all of us mom's know, life is never the same once the little ones no longer take naps. It's a bit better for travelling mind you, but everyone needs a little down-time in the afternoon (including me) and when I have a screaming toddler at the dinner table because he didn't have a nap in the afternoon... well, let's just say... this does not make for a very happy mealtime.

I would rather not hear the screaming of a toddler while I'm trying to enjoy my dinner. Or have to get up and down 15 times because he just can't decide what he wants to do.

Naps... I love naps.

Before our vacation however, we did have to cut the naps back to NO MORE than 2 hrs in the afternoon, and they absolutly cannot go beyond 3pm or else we have a toddler running around our house until 10pm. We will continue with this plan for the next little while.

I don't know how some people do it. I have friends who have children who are four years old and they still nap in the afternoon!! My four year old has not napped since he was two and a half!! I need to find out what kind of herbs they are slipping into their sippy cups and get myself some!!

S would be a much happier child if he would have a quick little power snooze in the afternoon. Just 30 mins would suffice. I feel so badly for him some days. He'll be laying on the couch during "quiet time" and you can see his eyes are glazy, etc. But... try putting him into bed - NO WAY!

The only way he will sleep in the afternoon is if we are driving in the vehicle... which is sometimes a trick we play on the kids. "Okay everyone, hop in the van, we're going for a drive!!" (hehehehe)

This isn't as good for me however, because I would like to nap with them!

I can see myself now, pulling over to the side of the road while everyone else is napping so that I too can get a little shut eye.

Knock, knock...

"Oh, excuse me officer, I was just so tired... the kids won't sleep at night and now they don't want to sleep during the day... all I need is 20 minutes and I'll be out of here. We're fine... really, we're fine."

Oh yes... kids change your life completely. I really miss those days when we used to sleep in until noon.

I'm sure though, once they're all out on their own, we'll wish we were back to sleepless nights and crazy days with no naps or downtime... or maybe not, we'll be too busy napping.

Have I told you lately that I love you??

Today is day two of rain... again with the rain! When will it stop?

It's been a pretty rainy summer thus far here in my little corner of the world. Five weeks of rain to be exact! Rain never bothered me before... but now, with three little boys in the house who won't stop fighting with each other? It's the end of the world when I wake up to a wet and dreary day.

I know what my mother meant now when she used to say, "you two kids are getting on my last nerve!!"

When I was a kid, I used to love to go outside in the rain... jump in mud puddles... play with my umbrella!

My kids? (the oldest two)

OMG - it's like pulling teeth to get them away from their little handheld video games long enough to eat, let alone go outside and play. Baby O, would stay outside all day if you would let him.

The best thing I've said to my little munchkins today is this:

"Have I told you lately that I love you? Great, now go put on your rain slicker and your boots and GET OUTSIDE!! I'll see you in no less than 45 minutes."

Phew - peace and quiet at last!

Oh wait... who's little face is this pressed up against the window?

"Get away! Go play in a mud puddle!"

It's like shooing the neighbors dog out of the yard!

Poor little O, has no problem playing in the rain... I can't let him stay out long though and he has to stay on the deck where I can keep an eye on him. However, he's the one trying to make it to the swing set... the other two? Faces pressed against the patio doors, crying like they're being abused... they're going through withdrawal and it's only been not even two minutes.

This is really quite funny.

"It's July boys, not January... it's rainy but not cold! Suck it up and give your poor mother a break."

We are leaving in two days to go on vacation for a week. Please let it be sunny!!

We'll have to be sure to pack those rain slickers and rubber boots, JUST in case.

Extras for Mom and Dad too.

I can't get us packed to go if I have to keep being the referee... and believe you / me... vacation is EXACTLY what this family needs!!

Anger, Frustration & Worries

I logged in today and read my last post from last week. Talking about S's great group therapy session, etc. Oh what a wonderful day that was.

The following day, he had a one-on-one session which didn't turn out quite so great.

Here is his story:

Drop off went well. S's therapist was running late and I had to be at work, so one of the other therapists agreed to integrate him into her session until his therapist was able to get there. That was fine with him. He got to make a new friend.

During snack-time however, things took a turn for the worse.

Because there were two little boys there that day, the therapists thought it would be nice to have snack-time together.

The other little boy thought it would be funny to take S's cookie bag and play a game with him.

He would take the bag, give it back; take the bag again, give it back. On the third time that he took the bag, he kept it a bit longer than the first two times, causing S to cross his arms and "huff" in anger.

The therapist then asked S to "ask the little boy for your bag back."

No response.

When she realized he was not going to do this, she did not give him the bag back. She made him clap to get the bag back.

Before he would actually "clap" however, he had a melt-down and started to cry.

(He's probably thinking... screw you lady, just give me the GD cookies back! And, why don't you tell that little bugger to give me my GD cookies back!!)

While he was crying, the therapist (who BTW is a University summer student whose mother happens to be the Director of the Program) said that he would not speak for approximately 20 mins and when he did start to speak again, he would not speak in sentences and his words were not phonetically correct.

Okay... I understand this... this is our whole issue. When S gets upset, he shuts down. That's what you guys are getting paid the big bucks for... you need to help us figure this out and teach him how to cope in these situations.

The day after the therapy session, I got a phone call from one of the ladies involved with the program stating that, "we are afraid to do therapy with S, because we think that there may be something 'medically' wrong with him. This is not typical behaviour that we have seen before and therefore would feel more comfortable once the neurological paediatrician has done some more tests."

So, I'm completely bewildered. I thought this was the whole point of therapy. We told them what was going on before he even started. The paediatric an recommended this program... now, they want to stop all therapy? WTF??

I hang up the phone and immediately call the paediatrician's office and explain to her assistant, what is happening. She is completely confused and cannot understand what's going on the same as I.

Saturday evening, the paediatrican calls me at home to hear my story. She states that even if stressful situations were causing him to have seizures (which is what the program director is thinking), there would be no reason to just stop therapy. Plus, the two EEG's that she has ordered over the past few months have both come back normal with no signs of seizures.

Tuesday, I get a phone call from the Director of the Program. She states that she has sent an email to the Paediatrican after trying to phone her the previous day with no luck in reaching her.

I express my anger, frustration and worries. I got a little "hot" under the collar when speaking to her on the phone because I thought this was their "job" to help figure this little boy out.

She then proceeds to tell me that, during the session when S had his melt-down, the therapist witnessed weird eye movements and facial twitching. WTF???

Why in hell didn't they mention this on Friday? I wish I had been armed with this information when speaking to the Paediatrician!!

That makes more sense to me.

While I was speaking to the Director, she received a reply to her email from the Paediatrician stating that she had put in a requisition for a video overnight EEG to be completed at the end of August and has also put him on the list for an MRI... which could take months. The earliest will be September and that is with everyone on this great earth crossing their fingers and praying to whatever god / universal power that they possibly can.

So my question of the day?

What do we do now?

The doctor tells me to watch him carefully for weird eye movements and facial twitching and to call her if I witness ANYTHING. Honestly... I've never seen this in the past four years of this child's life!! Other than when we were at the last EEG appointment when his face kind of drooped to one side when he was screaming his head off!

The doctor seems to think though that if he was having seizures, he would be having them more often than when he was having a melt-down. And if it was affecting his speech, he would most likely sound like a deaf person when he speaks... but this is not how he speaks. He speaks very slow, clear and phonetic.

The worst thing I have ever heard in my life thus far is, "Momof3, your son is very unique and a mystery to us... we just don't know what is going on with him."

WTF??

This does not make me sleep well at night!

God / Universe... give me strength.

Horray!!

Oh what a beautiful day. The sun is shining and my van is finally fixed. I won't tell you the story about how they could have had it fixed last week, because the part that they said WOULDN'T fit, really DID fit once they actually tried it! GRRRR!! (It's now in the past... let's move forward)

S, had his first day of "school" (aka - therapy) yesterday. He did so great! He didn't have a hard time joining in with the other kids at all. Wednesdays will be a group session during the summer. He'll be doing a school readiness program to get him ready for preschool in the Fall. The rest of the week will be one-on-one.

He was pretty tuckered out by the end of the day but very proud of himself. He wore his new Super Mario Backpack and was sure to tell everyone there, who was on it.

I stayed for most of the session... took my laptop and did some work in a nearby room where I could hear what was going on. At snack time, the teachers asked the kids to go and get their backpacks to take their snacks out of it and he was sure to say, "My backpack has Mario on it! Look, my backpack has Mario on it!" It was pretty cute. Super Mario is such a hero in our house!!

This morning however, he advised me that he was going to the sitter but he wasn't going to school. He changed his mind later on when I went to pick him up, but I was wondering if it would be a struggle.

Let's just hope every day is like that.

I feel kind of bad for him though... he'll be inside doing this therapy on nice sunny days and his brothers will be at the babysitter or at home, probably in the pool... it doesn't quite seem fair. He's working a 20 hr week before he even hits preschool.

This therapy will hopefully help him learn coping skills though and help him to deal with stressful situations.

So, I'm off to pick up the kids and enjoy the sunshine for the rest of the day... thank goodness it's finally here. And now that I'm not driving DH's truck with the stickers all over it, I feel much better driving through town harrassing construction workers and people who cut me off! LOL

Carpooling Really Sucks!!

You know, you don't appreciate having your own wheels until they break!

I am now on day seven of carpooling with my DH. Let me tell ya! It is not going well.

I want to say the heck with the old heap of junk and buy a new one... however, my bank account does not agree with this scenario.

As a rule, we are the family who is always rushing around. Late for EVERYTHING. Always pushing the kids out the door. That's a typical day with us going in two different directions.

Now, we're even worse and getting grumpier as each moment passes because we have to wait for one more person!

AND to top it all off... there's construction going on in our tiny little town on the main street that everyone has to drive on! Now everyone is grumpy... and late.

So, the laws of attraction say, you must remain positive...

I'll try to think about how nice those roads will be once they are fixed and how nice my newly fixed van will drive over them.

AND I also have to think about how the sun is going to start shining the week we go on vacation because, as we are well aware here in our little corner of the world, we are now on day 19 of rain/mist/showers. DH says only 21 to go... perhaps we should start building our Arc??

Construction + Carpooling = Not a fun adventure

I'm kind of getting side-tracked... getting back to carpooling.

The worst thing about me having to drive DH's vehicle is the fact that he owns his own business and therefore has fancy stickers all over his truck...

Does he not realize that with the construction/driving kids around town/work, I am on the roads practically all day long... I am prone to a little road rage and have been known to wave frantically/yell/honk at people who cut me off... you can't do this in a truck with fancy stickers all over it without people knowing who you are.

I've now started wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses while driving so that everyone thinks its DH behind the wheel, not me!

At least when I'm driving my minivan... there's another one around town that looks just like mine... there's a chance that the crazy person behind the wheel, isn't me!

Being positive pays!

Quote of the day:

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

This quote is so fitting for me at this point in my life. I just had to share.

Here I am going all philosophical on you all. Sorry.

However, have you read "The Secret?"

Some people think that I'm crazy. I'm really not. I'm just passionate about certain things. The book, The Secret, just happens to be one of them.

There have been so many occasions in my life where the laws of attraction have certainly been obvious... now that I realize it, I see it much more often.

I have this wonderful friend, who probably thinks I'm nuts, but I know that if she (you) read that book I gave her before she moved away from me, she wouldn't think I'm so crazy anymore! I'm kidding... I know, she's a busy woman and doesn't have time to read! Someday though, when the time is right, she'll read it and thank me!

Anyhow, I'm getting off track.

Life for the past few months, as you faithful readers know, has been one heck of a ride for my family. It's one thing after another it seems. However, throughout this process of "testing" I have not given up on the possibility of everything working out in the end.

Yes, there have been many times throughout the last few months when I've thought to myself... "what the ??? How much more do you honestly think one person can handle?" The old saying goes, "God never gives you any more than you can handle." Well, I've been certainly questioning that!

The thing I've said the most to friends and family is this... "something good is going to come out of all of this... I don't know what it will be, but it will be something."

It's hard to stay positive all of the time. Believe me, I have my moments. But like the above quote states... "when you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." What else are you suppose to do??

Saturday nights in our house is "family movie night." Well, this past Saturday night we watched "Meet the Robinson's." Such a sweet movie, the kids loved it. My husband noted however that it was, "kind of deep for the kid's don't ya think?"

It was - BUT... guess what the message was?

You got it! If you dwell on bad things that happen, you will live a miserable life!

Well, that's what I got out of it anyway. I won't ruin the ending for you if you haven't watched the movie, but if you do watch it... pay careful attention to Gube.

We try every day to teach our children to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try again. It's hard, yes. But, living in a positive light, makes living so much easier.

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford

A little update on the Fam:

I have positive news today about S's therapy!

It will be held in our home town (less Wednesdays when we will have to travel).
Sure beats travelling four days! I'm very pleased with our persistence... and it really didn't take much.

So, I guess I can calm down and stop being a CRAZY woman!! Maybe now, people will want to hire me!

I'm sending that positive vibe out into the universe... let's just see what happens! :)

Weekly Recap

I can't believe it's been over a week since I've updated my blog. Sorry faithful readers :)

What's been going on in my life for the past week?

Well... let me just say... I feel like a complete ASS! Here's a little recap.

Thursday:

I received an email from a friend, letting me know about a potential career opportunity for moi. It sounded interesting so I though, what the hey... I'll give it a go.

I submit my resume. Let's see if I get an interview.


Friday:

I get a phone call from the lady who works for the company who will be doing therapy with S this summer. She got a message that we were not happy with having to travel for S's appointments and is looking into how we can resolve the issue.

The thought of all of the travelling is still stressing me out.

Saturday:

A has a birthday party to attend. My friend and I take our two sons to the party in a nearby town that is about 35 mins away. The party was fun... although a little rainy. We thought we would take a short-cut on the way home... it ended up being a long cut. I've not been this freaked out in a long time. Listen to this...

We're driving down a road that we "think" we should be driving on and realize that we are going the wrong way.

We turn around and start driving back and decide to try another road that "looks" like the road we should be driving on... nope... wrong way.

We turn around again and notice that there is a vehicle parked along the side of the road. Great! We'll ask for directions.

We pull up beside this vehicle and roll down the window to find this huge dog looking at us (I gasp!!) and this man who looks like he has no eyes! AHHHH!!! There is a person in the back of the vehicle who seems to be looking for something but does not get out to talk to us. We were too scared to move!!!

We ask for directions and the man with no eyes tells us which way to go! Thank you!! BYE BYE!!

We drive past and I look back to see a woman crunched over in the back of the vehicle wearing tight black pants and a black halter top... she looks like she's been through the war... much like someone you might find on a street corner. I have no idea what she was doing. My friends says, "I think she's cutting up the body in the back!" AHHH!!

That was soooo freaky! It took us both a couple of minutes to say a word to each other. The boys were unaware... they were in the back seat playing DS. Phew!

Remind me to never stop and ask for directions again.

Now mind you, we live in a rural area with a seemingly low crime rate. There's not much that goes on around here other than petty theft, drug sales and cross-border smuggling. That experience certainly scared the bajesus out of me!!

Sunday:

S had a big birthday party and invited 11 of his closest friends! It was a great day... the kids had a lot of fun.

Monday:

(in the back of my mind all day is the fact that S, has an EEG tomorrow where he MUST be asleep for a period of time... I'm stressed about how that's going to happen)

Moving on about the day, my son, A, and I had a dentist appointment in a nearby town which is about a 20 minute drive. We're driving/chatting/singing along with the radio when suddenly the radio turns off!

What happened?

We turn off of the highway and the van starts to chug and gurgle and sputter!

Next thing we know, we're sitting along side of the road calling DH to come and get us because the van won't start! AHHHH!

DH comes to the rescue and we manage to get the van back home.

Later that afternoon, I'm sitting at the computer doing my most favorite duty (paying bills) and the telephone rings. It's a local number... but not one that I recognize.

Who could it be?

Remember when I said I applied for a new job last week?

It's the Director of Operations calling to see if I would be available for an interview. They are looking to hire someone right away... full time, 8:30am-5pm.

Holy shit! I can't believe they're calling this quickly. I thought I would at least have the therapy issue worked out before I would hear back about this job prospect.

I kinda went ballistic on the woman! I feel like such an ASS!

I told her that I would love to have an interview but explained the situation about the therapy, travelling, etc. I'm not sure that I should have done that but she caught be at a weak moment. I just spilled my guts!

When I got off the phone, I sat there, numb for a minute. I can't believe I just told this lady my life story (or at least the last six months of it). That's not really something a potential employer needs to hear on an initial phone call. I'm feeling like a huge ASS.

The lady was really nice though... a little stunned, I think, and told me to call her back in a couple of days once I got some new information and spoke with DH about a possible schedule for travelling, IF there is such a thing that we have to do so.

Okay. Thank you.

Tuesday:

OMG - I am in such a state of bewilder. We had to keep S up late last night for his sleep deprived EEG and wake him up two hrs early this morning. I'm stressed about him going through this. I'm worried that if he's stressed he'll stop talking again.

I'm stressed about the ASS I made of myself on the phone yesterday.

I'm pissed that I haven't heard back from the people about the travelling.

AHHHHH!

I make a phone call from my cell while we're driving to the agency looking after the therapy, trying to get a cell number for our contact person (who BTW told us to call her at any time, day or night). The girl on the other end of the phone "can't give out her cell number!"

AHHHH!

Luckily though, she came into the office shortly thereafter and gave me a call.

We now have the travelling issue somewhat resolved.

We have to travel on Wednesdays and they will make accommodations for the rest of the week.

THANK YOU!

We get to the hospital for the EEG and although a bit hesitant to start, S does very well, gets hooked up and GOES TO SLEEP!

Thank you EEG lady! You were wonderful!!

We come home and I make a call to the Director of Operations to tell her that I am now in a position to redeem myself from my state of ASSness (okay, not a word, but work with me here).

I have to leave a message.

Wednesday:

CANADA DAY! A holiday... I'm wondering/stressed/freaking out.

TODAY:

I get a telephone message from the Director of Operations. Call her back. Get her voicemail. Leave a message. She calls me back and this is our conversation:

Me: I apologize for my state the other day. Things have been so up in the air lately but we have finally been able to get things under control and know what our schedule is going to be. I am in a position to come in for an interview whenever it is convenient for you.

Her: (Lightly laughing) That's okay. I understand this has probably been a stressful time for you. I was speaking to the owner of our company the other day who happens to be coming to the area next week. She and I would like to sit down and review the position and what we will require from the potential employee. We will not be in a position to begin the interview process for a couple of weeks but I will give you a call at that time and set up an appointment with you.

Me: (disappointed) Okay then. That's great. That should give me a little bit of time to get everyone on a schedule and I will hopefully be in a better position to let you know what I can provide to you (we had previously had a little conversation about what they were looking for, etc., but she didn't really elaborate much... since she probably thought I was CRAZY).

Her: I thought that you might appreciate this little bit of time. I will call you in a couple of weeks.

Me: Okay great. Thank you!

Facts:

My friend who told me about the position initially, said that they didn't want to advertise and asked her to put a few "feelers" out. They wanted to hire someone asap.

Question:

In my Assy state, did they decide that, "Hey, this girl is WhAcKy! Maybe we should advertise after all?"

I don't know! I guess I'll just have to wait and find out.

Food for thought...

Never tell your life story to a potential employer when they call to ask you for an interview...

and

Never stop and ask for directions when you're in the middle of nowhere!!