Happy Birthday Chris!

April 22

So far, so good.....

Surviving April vacation......
DJ is at "archi-camp" (architecture camp.....hands on art class) until Thursday. It is from 9-2, so he is enjoying the break from school and making a really cool, scaled to proportion, "class A" motor coach replica. I will post pics when he is finished with the project.

The weather has been beautiful, so we are outside, all day!
I am still working on my list of projects in the yard......but I am enjoying it, no complaints when it is so perfect outside.

Avery got into the preschool program for September, Emmy is talking nonstop (be careful what you wish for) and DJ is having a fantastic school break (so far!)......everyone is healthy and happy as of right now, fingers crossed that we stay on track for a while :)

Autism: The Musical

I got a chance to watch this insightful documentary tonight.
It is about autistic kids from all areas of the spectrum, who are part of "the Miracle Project", a musical theatre arts program.
The Miracle Project was founded by Elaine Hall, an educator, writer, performer, acting coach as well as the mother of an autistic boy. Emphasizing creativity, self-expression and social consciousness, Hall leads the kids along a 6 month journey of communicating their feelings and interacting with others, ending with the performance of the production.

The documentary also follows five of the autistic kids, their families and their life stories. It is an honest, straightforward, organic perspective from all parties and I really connected with this film on many levels.
This will give you some insight to the challenges faced by families with autistic kids as well as the funniness of the kids.......I really loved this one!

Its an HBO documentary, more info here.

lovely, warm, sunny spring days

2 out of 5 isn't too bad.....we got out and had fun!

mmm, mmm, meatballs!

cooking in the crock pot all day....yummy!!

tonight....



tomorrow.....

projected to do list for spring....

Tuesday and Thursday were such gorgeous spring days! I was out with the girls all day, started cleaning the yard and assessing what projects need to be done......












-rake yard to get up pine needles (have to do this multiple times to get them all...lots of pine trees here)
-re-seed grass
-clear out sticks, limbs and pine cones from play area
-re-mulch play area
-decorative garage foundation "paint project" (from last year's list)
-mulch and plant in small gardens
-clear out side area near river
-power wash deck and re-stain (from last year's list)
-set up gazebo and deck furniture
-plant veggies
-redo small patio (from last year's list)
-"small" pool project
-fence needs to be stained (last on the list)

If the weather would just stay consistent, I might get some of this done by the summer......fingers crossed!

Are you aware?

DJ is autistic and placed on the high functioning end of the spectrum, classified as Asperger Syndrome.
Autism is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication at different levels, it also causes repetitive and restrictive behaviors.

DJ is able to do everything that "neuro-typical" kid can do, he just has a different way of processing information and relating to the world.....which can be a challenge at times (for all of us) and is ALWAYS interesting!

So, with April being Autism awareness month, you may want to take a moment to increase your awareness of Autism.

Monday with the girls

girlies...


Bella's spring hairstyle....


Avery's photography....


BFFs....

daddy's little gamer girl

doppelgänger

green thoughts

With the weather being so yucky and the kids still feeling yucky, this weekend has been a bit sluggish. I decided to get a head start on my weekday chores and get the laundry started, dishes going and some surface cleaning tackled......hoping that the weather will be nice this week and I won't have sick kids keeping us housebound.
So, I realized that I use vinegar for a lot of my household cleaning as well as cooking. It has many versatile uses that I personally use it for and tons more that I have just discovered.

Surface cleaner
Mix equal parts vinegar and water ( and a couple of drops of tea tree oil ) in a spray bottle to use on any surface.

counter tops

windows

stove tops

appliances

chrome fixtures

floors (add vinegar to my steam mop to get floors really clean)

bathroom surfaces (use full strength to really disinfect)

toys (use full strength to disinfect)

To cut through grease on oven doors or surfaces, use full strength and let sit for a few minutes before wiping off.

Dishwasher Rinse
In place of a rinsing agent like "Jet Dry" in the dishwasher, use vinegar to get dishes spotless.
Use vinegar to clean dishwasher when you run it through an empty cycle.

Fabric Softener
Use it in the rinse cycle to make clothes soft, fresh, lint free and cling free.
Use vinegar to clean washing machine when you run through an empty cycle.

Odor remover
Put small amount in an open container in back of fridge to keep neutralized.
Spray equal parts water and vinegar onto pet (or kid) stains to remove odor and stain.
Spray equal parts water and vinegar into air to neutralize odors.

Other uses~~clean veggies, use in iron to prevent buildup, spray full strength on weeds or on pavement cracks to prevent weeds from growing, spray full strength where ants may come into the house, add a little bit to water to prevent shells from cracking when boiling eggs, add olive oil and herbs to make salad dressing, use as antiseptic on cuts, use on bug bites and bee stings, rinse in hair after shampoo for shine and healthy scalp, remove stickers and decals and rinse dog with vinegar for shiny coat.

Those are examples that I can attest to, lots more ideas here ........enjoy!

memo to my nemesis

Dear Random Virus,
You have plagued my family for the past month, making us miserable. Each one of us had altercations with you and we managed to ride out your visit by keeping focus on the fact that you would eventually leave.
I thought that you finally decided to pack up and move out.
We were starting to feel better and get back on track with our normal activities, but you felt the need to return and pay us an unexpected visit. Emmy woke up with the runny nose and sneezing and DJ had to come home early from school because he felt your effects settling in.
I have been polite about this issue in the past, but I am over the politeness, I want you to know that you are not welcome here.......go away!

Pack up your belongings,
go far, far away
and do not even entertain the idea of returning for a very long time.

Sincerely,
Mom to a bunch of miserable kids who can't catch a break

bathroom words

When DJ was little, we would call inappropriate words "bathroom words", it is a phrase that I have forgotten about because I haven't had to use it in a long time.

Boys seem to think that words used to describe bodily functions are really funny.
I remember distinctly when DJ was about 4 years old and he was rhyming words, he asked me what rhymes with "scoop" (poop), "cart" (fart) and "riarrhea" (he thought he was pretty sly with that one). It was hysterically funny for him to "trick" me into saying the "bathroom words".

Then there was the song that he and Uncle AL made up....it went like this:
"poops
and farts
poops
and farts
and eyeballs
and eyeballs
and eyeballs
and eyeballs..... "
They both really got into this jam, says a lot for Uncle Al, huh?!!

Another incident that sticks out was when DJ was in preschool and a little boy had an accident during quiet time. DJ must have caught a glimpse of them cleaning up because he went on for weeks about how Johnathon had a "diarrhea crumb" (his exact description) on his bum when Miss Sue was cleaning him in the bathroom.
We still giggle about this one!

DJ is now 13 and he has his bathroom words in check (most of the time) and thankfully hasn't taught the girls anything that I would cringe over.
The terms are different, "fart" has been replaced with "toot".....I don't think that the girls know that the word fart exists.

Avery never found any amusement in her bodily functions, they are just that, bodily functions.
Sometimes, she will giggle if something slips out unexpectedly.
Emmy, on the other hand finds all of this pretty funny.....burps, toots, sneezes, poops and whatever else sneaks up.
Her comedy act originated in the bathtub, where she tooted and found it hilarious.....the bubbles, the sound and our reaction to her surprised look on her face.
She proudly proclaimed, "Emmy tooted in the tub".......now she goes around telling everyone (loudly) that "Emmy tooted in the tub".......I laugh every time!

What would I do without my crockpot??

I use mine a lot, it makes my life so much easier to throw together some food and let it cook while we do whatever we do for the day.
I have had my crock pot for years, use it multiple times a week and its beginning to show signs of old age.

~~non removable crock, I have to wash the whole thing, cord and all

~~there is rust around the seams because I have to submerge the entire appliance in order to clean it

~~older style with ugly, decorative vegetables all over it

~~both settings get really hot

~~unfortunately, it is time for a new one


I figure that I will have Chris and the kids grab me a new one for Mother's day, as they like that kind of thing.

I found the perfect one, I love it.....now the challenge is to make it known to Chris that I seriously want/need this!

books, stickers and lollipops

The little girls had a routine check up today at the pediatrician's office.

I am finally at the point where I am able to combine the appointments, it makes for less trips and the girls seem to enjoy it together. I was a little apprehensive of Emmy because, as we all know, she freaks over things like this. Her usual routine is to cry upon entering the exam room, cry harder when Nurse Cheryl comes in to check her out and freaks out completely when Dr. Latif examines her......shots are their own entity, we just go with it and deal with the screaming toddler. Its not easy to communicate in this environment.....but they are so patient and understanding, I really love our group!

Chris was able to join us and I tried my best to prepare him for the worst.....believe me, I have seen this situation get really ugly, so I wanted to warn him.

When we got to our appointment, Emmy was already whimpering in the waiting room.....so I braced myself for a rough ride. We went in and Avery got on the big girl scale to get weighed and measured, she took her eye test and peed in a cup, all of the big girl things.....Emmy paid close attention as we made a big deal out of all of this.

So, now it was Emmy's turn to start the check up, Nurse Cheryl asked her to go stand on the scale like Avery......guess what she did?.....she went willingly and stood proudly on the scale as we of course made a huge deal of this accomplishment! She went through the rest of the appointment following Avery's example and did awesome!

Emmy didn't cry when Dr. Latif came in and examined the girls, I was actually able to have a conversation with her, unlike our usual loud, rushed appointments of the past.

Everything went smoothly until it was time for shots, Avery had to get 4 boosters as well as her lead test and Emmy had to get her lead test......so I was a little nervous for how Avery would react to having 5 needles stuck into her. She was unbelievable, kind of winced but not one tear or complaint from her.....I was so proud of her!
Emmy did cry, but I totally expected her to, she did so well regardless.
They both were troopers.....they left with new books, stickers and lollipops!