Stinky Monday

I hope all you dad's and grandpa's had a good day on Sunday. I cut the grass in the morning and then we went to the cemetery after lunch. I wasn't planning on making the trip, but when I told Robbie and Ted we weren't going to go, they asked if we could. I don't mind going to the cemetery, it gives me peace. I always feel like I am making the kids go, I want them to want to go. I knew in my heart that Peter wouldn't have cared either way, he probably would have wanted us to stay home, we would have saved gas. When we got home, we set up the pool that I bought three summers ago. I always had a bad feeling in my gut whenever the kids asked when we were going to put it up. I thought Helen might pick Noah up and throw him in the pool, it was the time that she was always picking him up. Now that they are older, and she doesn't pick him up anymore, I feel more at ease. It was a very good investment, they have been in that pool so much this week. Helen has turned into a fish! On Monday, they went in for the first time, I couldn't get her out! I did get her out at dinnertime, but then she went right back in. It was 8:00pm by the time she finally came out. She absolutely loves that pool. My furry niece, Fiona, liked it too. We were dog sitting this week-end, and I completely forgot how much she enjoys pools. While it was filling up, she jumped in and started biting at the water going in a circle. She has her own pool at home and does the same thing. The kids got such a kick out of it, they wanted Toby to go in too. I told them it wasn't such a good idea, his fingernails could puncture the pool. Toby hasn't been too interested in it anyway, probably because anytime he goes near it, they splash him.

The week didn't start out so good, Helen started summer school on Monday. It was such a hectic week-end, that I completely forgot the bus driver never called to tell me what time they were going to pick up Helen. I called the bus company Monday morning and was told they didn't have Helen scheduled for a bus until June 29th, a full week after school started. I couldn't understand how that happened when the bus company called me the previous week to make sure all of her information was correct. I was told to call the transportation department, it was them that put in the order. Of course when I called, I got a recording, so I left a not so pleasant message. I was so mad. I just told them they should have told me Helen didn't have bus service the first week of school, so I could plan accordingly. Along with the letter telling me what school she was placed at, and that she would receive bus service, they should have included the fact that she wouldn't start the bus until the second week of school. It still irritates me. I did speak with someone in the special education department and complained to them about the situation. I said, "We are supposed to be working as a team, making sure all of Helen's needs are met. To leave out such important information about Helen's transportation to her mother, is unacceptable. Who dropped the ball?" She informed me that they were so back logged, I was lucky it was just the first week of school. To that I said, "If you are so back logged, why did I receive a letter stating Helen would receive bus service from the start of school until the end? That is not a good enough excuse." I then went on to tell her how disappointed I was with the school system, and I really hoped this mistake would never happen again. After that, I politely said good-bye. It was a very frustrating morning. The other kids started Bible Camp that morning too. Noah wanted nothing to do with it, even with a couple of his friends there. He ended up coming with me, there went my hour and twenty minutes to myself. Guess what else happened, my air conditioning went out on my car. I took it to the mechanic, it will cost an arm and a leg to get it fixed. We are going to try and make it without, it hasn't been easy, it has been hot and humid around here lately. It's always something, isn't it!?!!

I know Sherry is the one to write about the business side of things, but I'm so excited, I couldn't help but mention this. Helen was fitted on Saturday with our first pair of jeans...Hallelujah!! I can't begin to describe the feeling I had when she put them on and they fit. To see her put them on and not have two feet of pant leg to pull up, is indescribable. She was also fitted with the bodysuit, it looked so nice on her. So all you patient people out there...soon!

Until next time-
Take Care,
Sue

A Long Summer Ahead

This is going to be a very long summer...On Monday I stained the swing set, it took me all day. It was also Helen's last day of school. I took a break when it was time to watch for her bus. Right after she came home, my friend stopped by to tell me she will be teaching at the kid's school next year. Her youngest is in school with Noah, and our boys are in Cub Scouts together. While we were visiting in the front, Helen was a busy beaver in the back. I had placed the stain and paintbrush off to the side, thinking I would be back after Helen came home. The other kids knew not to touch it, a few of them had already gotten yelled at when they grabbed it during the day. When I was done visiting with my friend, I headed to the backyard to continue staining. I was met by Helen who was covered from head to toe with brown stain. She thought she would help by staining the fence, not just the privacy fence, but our chain link fence(dog run) too! Thank goodness it is in the corner of the yard so it's not so noticeable. I was so mad, especially when I went to finish the swing set and couldn't because I ran out of stain. I had to put that project on hold for a few days, until I could get more stain. I am proud to say, I finished the job today, and it looks awesome! Helen was pretty easy to clean up, and I was surprised to see that the stain came out of her clothes.

Katie and Grace did a great job at Greek Fest this past week-end, I got teary-eyed while watching them. There was a very big crowd watching them, I was afraid Katie would get overwhelmed, but she didn't. I think the roar of the crowd made her smile even more, and Grace was all smiles throughout the dance. The kids and I had a great time there on Sunday, even though they had run out of Dolmades(stuffed grape leaves) by the time we went to get some. They did have Loukoumades(honey puffs), thank goodness, the kids love them.

Toby ate Katie's glasses...again! I was so mad, I had to take some time to myself in my bedroom, and lock the door. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have told Katie to put her glasses up high so Toby couldn't get them. She placed them on the corner of her dresser, right next to Helen's bed. Toby hopped up on the bed, grabbed the glasses, and had a feast. We went and ordered her a new pair today, I told her it was coming out of her bank account. If this past week is any indication of how this summer is going to be, maybe I should stock up on beer!! Just Kidding!

Until next time-
Take Care,
Sue

Naughty Helen

Oh my goodness, I am soooo not used to having the kids around all day long. As you can see, I had a hard time getting on the computer today. Every time I sat down to get started writing, someone needed something, or, they were nonstop asking when I would be done. I couldn't concentrate, so I gave up and decided to wait until they were in bed. Aaahhh, quiet time!

I met with Helen's teachers last week for a follow up to her IEP from back in February. I don't know if you remember, but they were talking about changing her program which would mean changing schools. They decided not to move her, the program she would have been going into would have done more harm than good. Her teacher told me she is not going to give up on Helen, she is invested. It is my understanding that the program they were talking about putting her in, was the one where they focus on self help skills, that's it. I guess there are behavior issues in that type of class, and her teacher was afraid Helen would pick up on it, and do her more harm than good. Like her teacher said, Helen has the potential, she just needs to start cooperating a little more. The past two days Helen has been acting up at school, so she has gotten sad faces on her chart. I wouldn't know this from seeing her chart because somehow it gets lost before it reaches home. I called her teacher today because of the way she was acting when she got off the bus. She wouldn't come in, she stood out on the sidewalk with her thumb in her mouth (a sign that she knows she did something wrong). It was then that I learned of the naughty behavior Helen has been displaying at school. Do you remember what happens when Helen doesn't get all smiley faces on her chart? Helen does, that's why she "loses" her chart before she gets home. She knows she will not get her favorite snack of pretzels and marshmallows if she has one sad face. She was extremely naughty today, which is why she had her thumb in her mouth and wouldn't come in until she could no longer see me waiting at the door. When she finally got to the door, I asked her how school went, she told me, "No Mommy!" I feel bad she was so naughty, but glad to see she understands her behavior was unacceptable. I am hoping with a good night's sleep she will be better behaved tomorrow at school. I think that had something to do with it. The other kids are done with school so they get to stay up. When I told her it was time for bed because she had school in the morning, she fought in every way possible. I should have been more firm with her, it's hard at night, my energy level is very low. I was able to get her to bed at a decent time tonight, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Katie and Grace are dancing at Greek Fest this week-end, I'm working the beer tent on Saturday night. Maybe I'll meet someone...or, maybe not.

Until next time-
Take Care,
Sue

Stickers

I don't say this very often, but, I don't know what to do with myself this morning. It's Wednesday, I'm supposed to be helping with hot lunch at the school, at least that's what my internal clock is telling me. The last hot lunch for the school year was last week and I already miss it. I thought I would fill the void and write my blog, next week it may be a different story.

Yesterday we went to Children's for Katie's follow up appointment with the surgeon. We had to wait a long time for the doctor. I had to have the nurse call the cardiac clinic because Helen had an appointment scheduled, and we were late. When I spoke with the scheduling department they assured me there was enough time for us to get to Helen's appointment on time, I should have known better. Once the doctor came in to see Katie, she felt her tummy, asked how many lollipops, and we were out of there. All that waiting for less than a minute of her time! Our next stop was Helen's appointment, she was there to get hooked up to a Holter monitor. For those of you who have been fortunate enough to have no idea what that is, it monitors her heart rate for 24 hours. It's like having an EKG for a day. When the 24 hours are up, I take off the monitor, put it in a Federal Express envelope, and they will come and pick it up at my house. I don't have to make another trip just to drop it off, how awesome is that!?!! After dinner the kids went outside to play for awhile. I checked Helen's stickers(that's what she calls them) when she came inside. They were in the right pattern, but in the wrong spot. It looked like they had slid down from her chest to her tummy, but that is not possible. If any of you have ever had an EKG, then you know how strong the stickers are, they don't move. I think Helen did some rearranging! I put them all back where they belonged and got her ready for bed. She kept insisting on taking off her stickers. The last thing I heard her say last night...stickers! When she woke up this morning I checked them again, all but one had fallen off during the night. They were all crumpled, I had to replace them with new ones. She was not a happy camper, in fact, the last thing I heard her say on the way to the school bus...stickers!

Until next time-
Take Care,
Sue