The Great Car Seat Shake up of 2015

Ah, that time again... complacency will not be tolerated. As previously mentioned I've been reevaluating our car seat status. I had two high back boosters that expired over a year ago.  Two convertible car seats are scheduled to expire, the first June 2016 and the second Feb. 2017, and a harness to booster seat will expire Aug 2016. Originally, I had planned on continuing the use of all the seats till expiration and shift kids about at that time. However, plans have changed.

While doing a some research in the current seats available, I learned that two of my seats, both Recaro Proride, had a recall issued back in September, three months ago! Despite living in the exact same house and with the same landline that I registered with the company, I've not received a repair kit, nor have I been informed of the recall. Look, Recaro, you just lost a customer! I need to replaced seats next year and I'm taking my business elsewhere. It's not that the seat might have a safety issue, I get it, recalls happen, but that you haven't even contacted me, a registered customer yet, is unacceptable. I'm just suppose to "look it up." Really? Any confidence I had in the company to do the right thing, is gone.

However, even more concerning is that Consumer Reports found a 75% harness failure rate for children riding forward facing at 35lbs. They recommend against use of this seat in forward facing mode. Well, since my 4.5 year old child is 41lbs, he can no longer use this seat rear facing, and if the seat broke in a crash I'm not comforted by the prospects of him suffering from a head injury should he slam into the seat in front of him. So today, Christmas Eve, I reorganized our car seats and removed our forward facing Recaro Proride.

Since Consumer Reports found the Proride to be safe in rear facing mode, our 2 year 10month old will continue to use the newest Proride till it expires (or I replace it). Being on the 20% in height, he has room to grow.

My 90th% 7 month old has been advanced into a new carseat, the Britax Boulevard Click-tight. Which is so easy to install, we can move it to dad's car when needed, and can accommodate any of my four youngest children. So far, I really like this seat. (I found the best price on Amazon).

My 90th% 4 year old will move into the Recaro Prosport harness/ booster till it expires or I find something better. I like the Britax click tight Frontier, however, it's a bit wider than our current harness/ booster, and has some critical reviews that concern me (mainly the flimsy head rest).

Meanwhile, the 60th% 6yo will ride in our new booster, as long as she can prove she can be a "big girl" and stay upright in her seat. I purchased the Britax Parkway mostly because it's narrow enough to squeeze between larger bulky carseats (which we have a few of) and the because I think the Secure Guard Clip will give me piece of mind by keeping the lap belt from riding up... which for my children with probable splenomegaly (enlarged spleens) I'm most cognizant about. Abdominal rupture can silently kill a child if undetected in time. The SGL model also includes latch hooks to help hold the seat into the car when there's no occupant. I very much appreciate not having to worry about a booster seat flying into anyone during an accident, especially since it would more than likely hit my little folks in the front row square in the face. Latch is good since it's likely a 6yo might not remember to buckle her seat into the car when she gets out.

Finally, the 50th% 10yo, has been told it's okay if she's in a backless booster now. We have a few of those still in working order (including a Bubble Bum booster in dad's car).

Thankfully, my oldest two have graduated from requiring a booster seat... being taller than mom, they just need to remember not to slouch... oh what am I saying!?!?! Not much more I can do for them, but ensure they have a headrest, buckle up, and be glad our van has airbags all the way around.

I was on time...

No actually, today was mostly good. Had an easy time waking up... and actually woke before the alarm... squeezed in the cardio with weights (not to sound impressive as it's only 3s and 5lb) before the kids had a chance to assault my kitchen for breakfast. I thought I was doing really good! Then I noticed the cell phone wasn't connected to the wifi... memories of last month's data overage charges fresh on my mind, resulted in spending the next hour one my cell phone with Verizon when I finally figured out the internet wasn't the only thing not working this morning. Though having the land line go down is actually somewhat of a relief. The only folks who call my house are usually scammers or have no intention of actually talking anyhow.

Still... we had a great day! Like things just went smooth... mostly. I never go around to folding the daily dose of laundry, so that's backed up, as is prone to happen if I don't wash, fold and put away ever. single. day. even. Sunday.

Still... good speech and OT session.

What I'm noticing though... life is hectic, and it just is what it is, and I'm okay with it. But the sight of us, even in our most perfect of hours, can still overwhelm other folks. I don't know what I can do about that. I'm sorry it worries or upsets them, but there's nothing I can't think of to remedy that for them.

I'm not sure what to make of an assertion a friend posted several weeks ago. It was suggested that "young" moms who refuse help are denying other's works of charity... or something like that. I've tried to wrap my head around it, but can't help but feel entrenched on the side of the young mom who prefers to take her herculean task on by herself rather than accept help... especially if they're strangers. And as chance would have it, since this came up, I've had two happenstances... only two mind you where a stranger verbally offered to help me, but I wasn't in need of help.

The first was last week as I was rushing the gaggle of kids out of the van, I'd managed to score a parking spot with a vacancy next to the sliding door. Just as I'm loading my 2yo onto my back in my soft structured carrier (SSC), a woman turned her car into the open spot, where I was standing. Being mid mount I can't really get out of her way... and she stopped, asking out of her window in all earnest, "do you need help with that carrier?" All I wanted her to do was not hit me with her car. The last thing I "needed" was someone to try and help. I've trained my big kids to check me, and usually ask them to "tug the top" of the SSC body if I sense it's not all the way up. So I really, honestly, and truly do not "need" help from a stranger. Am I being uncharitable? Selfish? Really? I can't quite figure out what I can do about it... being a bit busy trying to ensure we get out and back without incidents, I guess selfish and self centered is how I am.

Today, I made an extra effort to sound grateful, but sincere when a woman dashed across the lot (mind you she still had her arms filled with her own bags) to ask if I needed help loading my stroller into the van. With the above posting in mind I told her, "No, (paused with smile) I've got this, as I collapsed the stroller in 2 seconds (cause it's really one of the easiest on the market), and "I promise, this isn't too hard, but thank you so much!"

Besides, if I don't put it in "just so" it won't fit in the space behind the seat... even my husband can't always remember the exact way it goes and he'll resort to removing the top seat to make it fit. So, honestly, it really is easier and faster if I just do it myself. 

But I've noticed a distancing from folks... and I guess it could be me, or them. Whether I'm inadvertently putting off distancing vibes even though I don't mean to, but bringing myself to cinch in these trailing relationships, that seem so far away now... well I'm not sure I know how, and doubts of whether they even want to be that close linger. Upon real honest contemplation I think I might just be too busy and caught up in my own little world (that of my activities of daily living)... when I think about what I have time to do to improve upon the friendships I regret there's very little time and capital.... and yes, sometimes I do feel like it's a lack of $ or status that might also be a hindrance too... and well, not much I'm going to be able to do about that at the moment... though it doesn't stop me from thinking about it none the less.

I've trying to read, Different... Not Less, a compilation of stories written by older adults on the Autism Spectrum. To be honest, I've finding it challenging because it makes me wonder if there's a difference between the "Spectrum" and having introverted tendencies... and if being introverted is just another rung on the "Spectrum" ladder... because I can relate to some of these folks... somewhat. I started reading the book to try and understand my son's diagnosis, but now I just feel, for lack of a better word, unsettled.

Since changing our therapy day, our new time slot exposes us to other children on the "Spectrum" who are more profoundly affected. Today I watched a pre-teen crawling around on the floor repeatedly punch keys on his augmented communication device. He's non-verbal. Having heard stories of folks with severe autism breaking the communication barrier to alert the world that they do in fact think and have awareness, I couldn't help but feel a little distressed whenever he punched the buttons for the words "help, eat, and stop." Was he really in pain, or something... or just stemming? I wondered how his care givers could tell... Inside wondering what it must be like for him to go unable to really communicate with others. Also I wondered how ought I respond? Should I pretend I don't notice him, or smile? Say something should he look my way? I can see other, more out going sorts, who just have a natural ability to engage folks in conversation or in this case, one sided communication. I don't think I have that gift.

My son can speak, formulate sentences, and even writes. His spelling is actually pretty good, but it's clear that there's more in his head than he can find the words for.... and quite frankly, I feel the same very often as well. I've often struggled with trying to formulate my thoughts into words, and in a way that is conveyed in a way I'd intend...sometimes there's a misconnect, and I know how uncomfortable that can be.

But today was a full, and blessed day... honestly and truly.

Contact Dermatitis

For over a week I've been doing my best to not scratch an itch... or many itches. Sometimes I just can't help it, and have indulged in episodes of frantic scratching, leaving my skin rough, red, and a little broken up. Meanwhile, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I've been exposed to that has started this episode of contact dermatitis.
Was it the new shampoo or the olive oil soap I'd tried? My beloved wool shirts, socks, and jackets? Something I ate? Something in the water?

Rash on my arm next
 to the new uniform.

Then as I was hanging my husband's new uniform on my indoor clothes line, a label caught my attention, and gave me another suspect to consider. Had I washed my clothes with these insecticide laced uniforms? Generally, I don't separate his uniforms from the rest of the laundry, but I will now.

Honestly, my husband isn't trekking through mosquito infested jungles. Lacing Permethrin into his uniform worn in an office building environment seems ridiculous. This is one instance where I feel a class A uniform would be much better suited for what he's actually doing.  Fighting beltway traffic, and preparing morning briefs at 0-dark hundred does not require protection from disease carrying insects! And I don't need these chemicals seeping into my household environment neither.

The label also stated, and I hope this is true, that dry cleaning will remove the chemicals. So I've asked him to dry clean them. I have no way to testing this for sure, and don't care to subject myself to a trial for science sake. I just want whatever I'm reacting to gone... along with the itching to stop. So the olive oil soap, new shampoo are gone. And I'm giving wool shirts and coats a rest too, though the socks don't seem to be the problem, so I'm thinking perhaps my wool shirts are just adding salt to the already inflamed skin and might not actually be the cause... and they're not new... so that decreases my suspicion of a wool allergy.

Oh, for the sake of science... p90x3

A rare moment of cosmic perfection resulted in the final rest day of my first round of p90X3 falling upon Thanksgiving. Having completed the 90 day program, I'd lost about 10 pounds and an inch around my waist... maybe two. More importantly, I can bend over and touch my toes without bending my knees, and I can carry almost 40lbs of baby weight on my back and front without feeling like I'm going to snap in two... at least long enough to get through a well-child doctor's appointment..... Okay, I can fit into my jeans again too.

For the first round I followed the classic p90x3 program, so this for the second round I've decided to deviated and do the lean program, which will have more cardio workouts instead. Today was day 3 of the first block and I'm hating it already. No, I seriously could be fat and happy, if being out of shape didn't limit my ability to fulfill the required daily activities of a mother of seven. Alas, being out of shape is not an option... so the pursuit of better fitness must continue.

At my spouse's behest, I've taken some "selfies" at the beginning of this round, for comparison at the end. Being that I can't really see a big difference after the first 90 day go round, perhaps the pictures will help me "see" a difference next time.


Fitness isn't just my own personal goal anymore. Two weeks ago the idea struck that I ought to have the kids run on a regular basis for time. The idea being that they could work towards besting themselves, condition for track and cross country, and.... just burn some energy. Thus far, the three big kids have completed two timed miles, and the little folks have clocked at least 1/4 mile each. I'd like to be able to join in this activity, but I've not figured out how to time everyone and run at the same time. Perhaps, after this next round of p90x3 I'll be able to start getting in a bit of running myself too.

If... we move

My current area to research is Tampa, FL.

I've done a bit of research of this area before. Since the branch guy said, that "if" my husband gets promoted he'd "probably" slot him in an assignment to Tampa, I'm renewing my research into that area.

The thought of moving out of our house still makes me weak at the knees, but not having anything solid right now is surprisingly a relief... as I can't really fret if there's no actual orders to go anywhere. "When" we move has moved back to the "if" status... at least this week. "If" is a little less intimidating.

Meanwhile, the only things I accomplished this week towards preparing was to donate four bags of stuff and sell a few more things on eBay.

Sensory: deep pressure seeking

Our OT therapist noticed that my son seems to be seeking deep pressure sensations. She's advised him to try wall push ups, yoga poses, and activities at home. While in therapy he utilizes the foam pit, vibration standing board (thing), and large swings to fulfill this vestibular need. However, he's very tall, and our space is somewhat restricting his movement. The other day he hit his head on the doorway going down the stairs... something I hadn't even though was possible, but indeed he just barely clears it when he going down carefully... let alone if he forgets and bounds down the stairs. Whack!

Anyhow, he frequently wraps his finders on the walls as he moves about the house, which our therapist also thinks is a sensory seeking behavior.

He can breath just fine, so
no cause for alarm, please!
 He just likes to hide inside,
but usually has his head
outside the body sock.

So I asked her for more ideas for how we can accommodate is special needs in a therapeutic way at home. She showed me a body sock, and had him try the largest one they had at the clinic...which was still a bit too small. Still he seemed to like it a lot. So I decided I'd make him a bigger one.

Used a 2 yard cut of Nylon Lycra four way stretch spandex from Hancocks Fabric, I turned the fabric and folded it in both directions and asked my son which fold he liked best (long and skinny or wide and short) and he chose the width folded down for a wider horizontal and a bit shorter vertical). Mine doesn't have as many seams as the one our therapist owns, and my seams are princess seams for strength, but not necessarily beauty.

So as soon as I finished it, he climbed right in and was all about it. Kind of weird, uh? But if it helps him, it's worth a try. It cost about $25 to make (material, thread, and soft elastic webbing for the opening).

Yanking my chain

Last week it was.... oh we're going to slot you in your top pick for your move this summer. So I was mentally preparing for a move to the mid-west.

Then today it was... never mind.

Now it's... we're going to wait and see if you make the promotion board cut, then we'll find you an assignment somewhere.

So we may still move... but on short notice.

Or we might not move... but we'll be preparing to exit the army.

Or we'll get to stay and still be a military family, but with a possible move next winter.

Yup... as firm as jello!

Continuing Education

I can't believe I just spent over 6 hours, spread out these past three days reading about medical cannabis... cannabinoids to be more specific.

There's most certainly a stigma attached to this new alternative, still somewhat questionably legal therapy. I for one, didn't want much to do with the subject. In fact the only reason I elected this continuing education course was because it was part of the cheapest package.

So...

Irreguardless of the promise that cannabidiol (CBD) and the other cannabinoids, the stigma is going to continue to stand as a major roadblock for the acceptance of Hemp derived medical substances... especially since the preferred route for most users is inhalation; which of course is the most expeditious way benefit from the various beneficial affects. I sincerely doubt doctors are going to be rushing to jump on the bandwagon for this, mostly because they're going to feel repulsed by the idea of promoting a substance that has been illegal for such a long time, and still has some questionable status in most states, as well as still considered illegal by federal laws... to my understanding. I know I'd be pretty nervous about recommending it... only because of the legalities.

All that aside, there seems to be some promise in treating certain ailments which should not go ignored.

Soooo.... next I get to read about Chronic Pain management. Pain... I hate it while experiencing it... a perpetual squirm that's difficult to escape from. However, for as long as patience allows I try to remind myself, during times of pain, that it's a reminder that I'm still alive and I should cherish every moment for as long as I have it. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for those who suffer from pain day in and out with no relief in sight.

Quick update: P90X3, mid block 3

Today was the beginning of week three of the third block, which will be five weeks long. The first two blocks are only four weeks long.

Anyhow, it seems that rest weeks are when the changes start to occur. The scale is beginning to show a slow shed, and I am bouncing between 130 to 134lbs these days. The waist "looks" better, but my taping is only showing a small decrease that averages between 35-36", which puts me back into several pairs of my non-pregnancy pants; enough that I won't need to buy more for winter.

More importantly, my energy is so much better than it's been. Today was absolutely manic; speech and OT therapy, dance class/ kids to the park, voting, dance class/ return home for playing in the back yard, followed by another dance class/ with a quick trip to Costco. I wore the baby, who has got to be pushing about 20lbs, nearly all day, with a couple intervals of wearing both 20lb baby on the front and the 26+lb toddler on my back... and I made it!

P90X3 block 2

Approaching 60 days of almost consecutive daily exercise, I'm still looking at a mostly inflated abdomen and wondering if I have some sort of metabolic problem. This month I bounced back up to 140 on most days, with an occasional drops to as low as 136lbs. The waist line was similar in that it bounced between 36-37 inches. The lowest measurement a couple days ago brought me all the way down to 35.5", but today we're back to 36.5".

Summarizing the experience, I feel a lot of soreness and a bit of increased strength, but little overall change in appearance. Endurance has been difficult to really measure, as I've had a few sick days (me or a kid) and sometimes have had to back off the work out intensity some just to get through it... or skip a day due to hectic days and priorities which dictated other time allocations.

My BMI is normal, but my waist circumference is still classified as high risk. To get to normal I need to drop to below 80cm (or about 31").

As for diet... I've been looking into how the hormone leptin affects weight loss and it seems that it's not a very good indicator, and definitely not something I want to supplement with, as too much leptin doesn't provide a long term solution... from what I'm reading. Desensitization of leptin might explain why folks suffer rebounding of previous fat loss. I always wondered about that sort of thing when I see folks who are starving themselves and still don't have a weight loss to equal their efforts. It's not necessarily their fault, but their body trying extra hard to over correct. The metabolism seems like it can get rather screwy sometimes.

Right... so I'm going to keep working out and hope that over time... slow and steady will win the race.

Breaking free

We spend a lot of time devoted to trying to stick to a school work regimen. Of course I have goals, and the drive to accomplish more and more can infringe upon just getting out of the house. Aside form therapy appointments and prescheduled extracurricular classes there's not enough time for anything else. There's just no room in the finite allotment of time. With a special needs child... teenager... they ALWAYS need more time. No matter how much restraint I've used to avoid assigning an unmanageable amount of work, it's always too much work. So we push and push to get everything finished... and we're never.... almost never finished.

And the social life suffers. Not just because of the aforementioned work load, but inhibitions that build up from previous catastrophic socializing failures. Nobody likes to crash and burn repeatedly.

But it gets lonely, and a little maddening.

And this weekend I experienced a disappointment when an incomplete invitation to see friends didn't pan out, followed up by an overwhelming feeling of unworthiness and rejection when the undisclosed event went off without a hitch and without us.

Being a beautiful day, this deep desire to bask in fellowship and the outdoors took hold and controlled the entire day. No formalized lessoned were given, and the kids played vigorously almost all day long. It was recess, homeschooler style, at two intervals for an hour and a half each, two different age groups at different parks; park hopping.

Then one child went to dance class, as split ops facilitated a second child's simultaneous swim class attendance.

Tomorrow we'll return to our regularly scheduled lessons, exactly where we left off... and we'll keep pushing for progress. But next Wednesday we'll make time for play, because it's just as important, if not more important...

No weight loss

Nothing gained... nothing lost...

I feel a little weird... self conscious about this post, but here goes.

Having completed 28 days of nearly consecutive workouts, at least 30 minutes a day, the scale isn't lying, and I've lost nothing. While the tape measurer suggest I "might" have lost an inch in the waist...maybe... it depends upon what time of day I tape at.

When I'm working out I sometimes feel like the toned fitness buff on the videos... like I can feel muscles somewhere deep inside, they're just hidden under a layer of fluff. Well, in some places that layer is a little more fluffy than I'm used to... for me. Yes, I know I look pretty good for having seven kids... yada, yada... I'm fine with my weight, as it's still considered healthy and normal. What concerns me is the waist line and belly fat which can be associated with things like diabetes and overall poor health, even in "skinny" folks. If I never lost a pound, because I gained muscled and decreased the waistline I'd feel in much better shape health wise. My waist is the same number as my hip measurement, and that's not usually considered healthy.

My feet feel stronger... if that makes any sense. Planks and upward dogs really work those feet muscles.

Yesterday, during the last day of summer (Labor day is always the last day the pools are open) I got in 24 laps in the pool. While knocking out my swim I managed to lap the gentleman in the next lane over within four laps, which made me feel like a rock star. I realized that my ability to perform long distances relies heavily upon a competitive drive, to slowly, but steadily catch up to and surpass my opponent. I'm sure most folks would rather not be the target I'm silently chasing, but nothing else but a steady stream of adrenalin could keep me going. I'm certainly no sprinter, as my ability to generate quick burst of energy has never been forthcoming. I can't sprint, and never have been able to. Swimming 20 laps in a continuous stretch lends time for reflection and it seems I can't help but employ this strategy to a lot of difficult task I'm faced with. Get in for the long haul, and try and build up speed in a slow and steady pace. However, if not properly fueled or nourished I will crash and burnout.

Tomorrow is the last day of the first block; a rest day, kind of sort of... not really, because P90X3 Dynamix is kind of a work out... anything with planks (even the easier side planks) is a workout as far as I'm concerned.


The program calls for a diet component, however, since I'm nursing I'm not skipping meals. It seems to me that since I often feel like crashing by the middle of the day that quality is paramount for energy generation (B complex vitamin rich sources) and now is not the time to cut caloric intake, but to push for better nutrition and hydration. Recently, I read that if you're exercising, and still not loosing fat, you might not be eating enough! It's easier for your body to break down proteins than fat for energy, said the article, thus if you don't fuel enough, you'll loose muscle and not fat. That gave me something to think over. So I've started adding a supplemental protein to my drinks... and we'll see how it goes over the second block.

To renew, endorse, or go inactive

It's time to think about the nursing license again. Every two years I have to get on the horn, knock out continuing education credits, and fork over a fist full of money to the Board of Nursing in a state so very far away. This year finds me in serious doubt that I'll ever actually need that license, not in that state ever again.

Perhaps I'll request an endorsement and obtain a license in the state I actually reside in. It seems kind of silly that I would make such a commitment like buying a home, but not feel committed to the region enough to seek licensure. Though, it's mostly since I don't foresee working outside the home for another.... I can't even fathom when I'll be free to leave all the kids at home and not be minding them constantly. Often I do imagine all sorts of enterprises I'd like to get involved in. Given the many changes that have taken place in health care, and my personal disappointing experiences as a patient (or patient's mom)  I'm not sure it's a good fit for me anymore.

Or I can just let the thing laps and throw away the investment... go inactive.

Someone turned ten

Now I have three children in double digits...

And one very enthusiastic volunteer cake maker (the 12 year old) who takes orders from her Pony loving little sisters.

In my e-mail box was a note calling for volunteers to organize my 20th High School reunion. NO, I don't think so! I knew I shouldn't have, but I opened the invite to the newly formed class of 1996 FaceBook page, to see a good number of folks from my youth. Nope, don't really want to go there. Thankfully, we're a little far away and it's unlikely we'll be attending.

Presumptions

As any Catholic ought to know, the Pope is making a visit to our country next month. After reading his published itinerary I thought "maybe" we could see his plane come or go, but had no illusions that we might somehow get in to attend the Papal Mass. Nope, no way that was going to happen. My husband didn't think it was as impossible as I did. Then someone I knew posted that they are getting to go, I was pretty shocked.

Today I saw this in our bulletin:

However, it turns out our Parish might receive 4 tickets after all; two seated and two standing room slots are going up for a drawing.

When I think about it, there are so many other parishioners who I feel are so much more deserving and I do not indent to submit my name for those precious few slots. Besides, I couldn't find the child care and I'm not sure my baby would make it through a 2+ hour Mass in Spanish. I'm hoping it will be broadcast on the web at least.

No travel tour

After leaving California I realized I might have missed an opportunity to find the grave of two relatives in the Monterrey area. By chance a few years ago I stumbled upon a picture listed on Findagrave.com and had left a request to get a picture of the graves, as the listing picture was the cemetery marker, and not the specific graves. Then I forgot all about it as the request went unfulfilled.

Out of the blue, a month ago I heard from a gal who had taken a trip to the San Lucas Cemetery and regretfully couldn't find the grave sites I'd inquired about. Being a very small cemetery in a very sparsely populated town, there wasn't much left from the graves planted over 100 years ago. I asked if I might be able to see the pictures she had so that I might capture the "feel" of the place and get a sense of what it might have been like to visit. She generously offered to send me a disc copy of all the pictures.

 Of all the graves that were no longer recognizable, this picture made me wonder most, since my Great (x3) Grandfather was buried in the same cemetery as his infant grandson (who died at 9months of age). I wonder if the family ever even had a headstone for them, as this cemetery strikes me as rather humble.

Shortly after the tragic deaths the family left California for the territory of Oklahoma. Many years ago my grandparents took me on a road trip from CO to OK, which squelched any notions of romanticism I might have held for the Okey state. While I was glad to have seen the small cottage home built for my Great Grandmother, I didn't get the sense that was were I belonged.

I've often pondered where we might finally settle for good. Perhaps I've allowed myself to plant our roots a little too deeply, as our current domicile feels quite comfy. However, there's little assurance that we'll be able to stay forever. So I continue to wonder, where home will be. Of course I wonder about places that from which my ancestors came.  

Timber...

No, not the tree, but the lamp post in the front yard has become the leaning pole of Piazza. Upon reflection this pole was the first thing that drew our eye to this house, a very pivotal element of whatever curb appeal our property has. Yet, it's rotting under ground and will need to be replaced... or perhaps sunk into the ground and supported with concrete.

It's wood, and that little plaque indicates it was manufactured by the Walpole Woodworkers in Massachusetts, and was not cheap! Their website no longer shows this exact model, however, I'm not so inclined to replace it given the performance of this particular specimen. It didn't strike us as very old. Given there are lamp post on our street that look quite vintage likely being original to the property, it seems a little ridiculous to have this pole fail like it has.

But this was just one honey-do task that cropped up on my annoying happenstance radar this morning as we scrambled off to our weekly therapy appointments.
Keys; check
kids dressed, shod, fed, clean, buy buy diapered, and safely down the stairs; check
Lamp post learning over about to fall on the mail man or anyone else who might approach our property; Augh!
Rear bumper sensor popped out again causing a constant beep when in reverse; Augh!
No less than four unmarked cop cars along our route this morning; while I thought I always drove the speed limit anyhow, having them watching makes it feel all the more like we "might" actually be speeding and I feel like we're driving at a snail's pace...

Finally, after nagging my husband for the past four years to make an appointment to update our wills; the lawyer tells us we need a special needs trust attorney to help us properly construct a will to take into account any long term special needs consideration, and nobody he knows of at Legal does that. Now I'm not saying it should be the military's responsibility to provide such a lawyer, not at all. However, given the increased percentage of autism among military families (Why is that!?!?!) you'd think there'd be a line of families needing that kind of lawyer. My guess is there probably is such a need, but perhaps most of the parents aren't thinking that far forward in the saddle, or just don't have any assets to put into a trust, so there's no point.

At any rate, we updated our wills, and spent a good deal of time contemplating what life would be like for our children if we died. No way around it, I don't like the prospects and am plum determined not to die anytime soon. Our list of folks lining up to inherit all our children was very short. There were wonderful acquaintances I could imagine might be better parents than even myself, but how odd would it be to ask someone who doesn't know you all that well. So we had to content with pressing our relations should the need arise. I'm certain we all pray it never will.

Habits

the view out of
the corner of my eye
 

For the past week, almost every time I walk into my kitchen I subconsciously make a sweeping pass to close the cabinet door that's no longer there. Isn't it funny to see what sorts of behaviors we have that are completely autonomic... I think being a mom, and even more so when you have a lot of kids, you pick up a lot of autonomic behaviors.

How do I schedule

Actual adult conversation... we made it to the pool today, and I ran into a mom I've been sort of getting to know at the pool. Being a fellow homeschooler, she asked how I schedule our days. Good question!

I had to admit that I haven't much success in keeping to a schedule because more often than not someone will throw a monkey wrench into my best laid plans. Sadly... or mercifully, there are only so many hours of the day. Some of my children require a lot of time to work through certain lessons. Instead I have to gage our workloads, especially my own, and continually strive to press on even when goals aren't met. It's good to have goals, but important to realize they might not always be met on a predetermined timeline... not when it comes to children... especially young once who have no concept of the importance of time management.

There's simply no substitute for time.


Lately, I've been wishing that there could be more time... but by night fall I'm eager for the close of the day.

I don't construct daily lesson plan, instead I write down what we've accomplished, as it's proof of what we've done and not a checklist of failures. I select a course or curriculum and we just dive in, working at a pace that matches our ability. Rushing through lessons without mastery or at least a vague comprehension serves us very poorly. To learn it's sometime necessary to slow down and really digest the materials, mastering something before we can move on to the next.

 In the past we also had to contend with a lack of motivation, which made lessons absolutely stagnant and brought many a days to a near standstill. Lately, we've implemented a mind craft reward system, which has generated a great deal of forward progression in the workbooks that used to sit idle while excuses were made, and efforts were lack luster.

While swimming laps... it's always refreshing and empowering when I'm able to squeeze some lap swimming. Usually I'm the fastest in to pool, but today the lady in the next lane over was faster. I joke that she had the advantage with the speedo suit, while my mom dress suit wasn't designed for actual swimming, making it the perfect drag suit. I definitely had more resistance and was less streamline... and it's not a big deal, but since I've always gotten a little thrill out of pretending to race anyone else in the pool (and being used to winning my races) it was a bit of humbling experience to swim along side someone a league above... but in a good way. It makes me want to swim more and get better. That's how I've always been. I look to those in front of me as someone I want to catch up with, and then pass... which was how I ran my cross country races, a mental method if you will. Coach always said it was the best way to run a race. I certainly felt it was the most fulfilling... and really the only way I could maintain stamina to finish. A steady stream of short-term goals leads to the bigger finishing goal. So in many ways life, for me, is like a race... a long distance race. There's no quick and easy, just long and hard fought.

Ramdom stuff

We are so lucky... what I think every time a bald eagle flies overhead when we're at the pool. We probably go once a week, which isn't as much as I'd like. But with seven kids, and only two of them being proficient swimmers, and two decent bobbers, and the other three likely to sink like rocks, I can't go outmanned. So we go when Dad can come with us.

I'm so excited, I hope it works out. An adapted class for "advanced" (able to swim at least 25 yards) was listed at one of our local pools! While the three pools nearest to us always have swim classes and such, I've never seen a special needs course like this in the catalog. It specifically states this class would be ideal for those interested in participating in Special Olympics... and this gives me hope that we'll be able to help him fulfill his maximum potential. When the registration went live early this morning he was the first one enrolled. The class maximum is 5, so I pray enough students will enroll so it won't be canceled.

I'm conflicted, as the girls have not gotten their room cleaned. They had all summer to prove they could do it, but it's not happening. I won't allow them to continue with dance unless they step up and clean up after themselves in there. So I'm sitting on my hands to keep myself from enrolling them into the dance classes of their choice. The deadline for returning student preferential treatment has passed. This means they might not get in if enough new folks take up their slots. Classes don't start till after Labor Day, so they probably figure they've got plenty of time. I'm rather torn over this. Dance requires a lot of driving back and forth, and killing time always ends up costing us money. Dance tuition in and of itself is very cheap, but it's the coffee or Slurpee stops, trips to the local stores (some we would have done anyhow, but still)... and just waiting in the car in the dark winter months that I would be happy to do without. However, recital (if we're still here at that time next year) is so rewarding! Consequences is a very important lesson to learn in life, better early than later.

"I can't stand loosing," was the chorus line that came on the radio this morning as I started the car to head to speech and OT. It was timely in that I had just admitted to the kids that mommy is kind of competitive and I wanted to get there a bit early so we could get a good parking spot. It makes my life a little easier if I only have to drag all the little folks a short 25 feet to the front door, verses 25-50 yards. My eldest daughter began to chide me about trying to beat the other moms to the good spot. She said it wasn't nice... and my snarky retort was, "it's not like I verbally rub it in when I can get there first. It's not about nice, it's about survival" and I might have added "of the fittest." So when the song came on, it just seemed a little bit fitting. Yes, today I got the really good spot, right in front of the door, AND there were actually two empty spots right next to each other, so I was able to pull in very easily and didn't have to jockey my big van into position. I fold in my mirrors so I'm not taking up more space than the lines allot. I've had plenty of days were I am the big looser in the parking lot, and you live and learn.

Apples and oranges need not be compared. A human is the most sacred of all creation because we're made in the image of God. Animals are also precious creations, to be cared for and respected. However, they are not equal. We are called to be good stewards of the earth and all that's in it. We aren't suppose to hunt lions for sport, but surely only out of self defense or for game (if a lion made good eating I suppose). However, it bears repeating, a lion is not as important as a human, especially the most innocent humans, who are in essentially most whole and wonderfully made in the image of the supreme Being. The unspeakable is being shown and spoken. If you love the lion because he's God's creation, you must love human life even more, for man is God's chosen creation for salvation.

In my mind comparisons of all sorts fail when trying to contrast the taking of innocent lives with other issues. There can be no other issue more important. Yet, folks will try to draw parallels in order to downplay the severity of the sin of the matter, and thus justify abortion. In turn, sometimes folks will seem to care more about another lesser cause than the more severe injustices. Case in point (as previously mentioned by a dear friend) abortion as a women's right verses infant circumcision and the parent's right to choose. Indeed they are both law given "rights" decided by the parent on behalf of the child. One is far more severe than the other and deserves a much greater level of scrutiny. Abortion takes away his entire anatomy and thus life, where as elective circumcision takes away the child's future autonomy over a small part of his anatomy and does not usually (though in rare instances it has) end his life. I feel pretty strongly that the child's healthy (unless diseased in some way) anatomy and autonomy should be maintained intact and whole entirely. So that the taking of the life... or the lesser significant piece of anatomy would remain a decision best left to the individual himself. Protecting the child's future bodily autonomy is my job. I'm to preserve and nourish my children and seek to destroy nothing of his God given attributes. I should take neither his life nor make irreversible alterations to his divine design. However, it's obvious and infinitely more important that above all the decision in regards to the child's life ought to left up to the Creator, and is more important than the lesser issue; that is not to intended destroy him, but does removed a part of him irreparably.  It's out of respect for God's creation that I personally appose both abortion and circumcision... as well as the dispatching of animals for no useful reason. But I appose them at different levels of intensity, to match the measure of importance. Does that make any sense? It's beyond late.

Time to press on

This project has been stalled out for about a year now. So we're taking a divide and conquer approach. My husband is painting the doors in his shed, and I'm slowly working on the cabinet boxes during my free time. Currently, I'm about half way finished applying the second coat. Three coats of the base paint will likely be required before the finish 1-2 layers of top coat. When these are finished we'll work on the bottom cabinets, paint the rest of the walls and update the light fixture (which has a cracked plastic cover). The future of the floor has yet to be settled.

But progress! I'm trying to focus on the small accomplishments as we tackle the long laundry list of to-dos.

Junior High Literature Lessons

"Diana"...
someone isn't hardwired
for spelling...

Can you guess the book we're reading right now? 


Artwork is not part of the assignment, but has mysteriously appeared on my board like some fantastical crop circles.    Sort of.... not really... I know exactly who drew these. She seems to have a love hate relationship with this course thus far. She hates that I am slowing the reading of this book down, as she's rather used to consuming a novel whole in a day or two. Instead, we're dissecting chapters, extracting vocabulary words, and asking questions which (one hopes) will lead to deeper thought about the characters in this building roman.

 

 

Egg drop

Everyone surely must remember doing the egg drop experiment sometime in their academic career, right? Our assignment was to device a way to protect an egg from breakage before hurling it off the highest point accessible to us. In my day that was the top of the football bleachers. For my kids, it was the top of our deck. Since we have an abundance of cushy vegetation, I insisted we aim for the walkway and avoid the fall breaking affect those hostas would have, undoubtedly provided.

The results

Tissue box filled with baby doll quits: Pass

Tupperware lined with cotton balls and

pencils taped to the sides  and paper parachute: Fail

Lesson, insulation works better than rigid stilts. Perhaps if something with springs or coils had been used, the second design might have worked out better.

Disclaimer: No eggs were wasted in this experiment. They went right into the morning hash... along with my "sneaky greens" folate fortification.

Breakfast: 2lbs of precooked chopped red potatoes (with skins, which I had frozen) defrosted
1/4 olive oil butter
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt (natural minerals)
1tbs Lawry's season salt (flavor...live a little)
1/2 a package of goat cheese (for us bovine intolerant types)
4 eggs (Omegas!)
1/2 tbs chia seeds (iron, omegas, calcium...ect)
1/2 tbs flax seed (can you really have too much omega... NO!)
1 tbs coconut oil (good fat, feeds your nervous system, fights yeast and infections... nature's antibiotic)
Big fist full of super greens (I keep a bag in the freezer, cause we all need natural folate, vitamin K, yada yada... and roughage).

Defrost potatoes, add to the pan with butter, cook till hot.
Mix goat cheese, chia and flax seeds, and coconut oil into the potatoes.
In a small bowl mix eggs and salt, then pour over the potato mash, allowing it to seep into the potatoes. Cook till golden crust begins to form, stir occasionally to avoid burning. Finally, add sneaky greens and mix in, allowing to cook for another 2-3 minutes before serving. The kids will cover it in ketchup anyhow, so who cares, go crazy adding in the green stuff!
Optional: add sausage or corn beef, or cook in bacon grease... yummy!

No breaks

If we're going to take any time off from our studies and learning activities it's going to have to be scheduled... and I haven't worked up the nerve to schedule down time... though I know I should. But.. but.. but...

There's so many new things we're integrating into our routine, one of which is Integrated Listening Systems (iLs), which our Occupational Therapist began with our oldest a couple months ago. We're increasing our sessions by doing more at home.

The regular task of washing clothes, cleaning, cooking (at which I genuinely lack talent), and keeping little folks safe remain. 

While doing dishes my toddler brought me this Mei Tai carrier I completed a few days ago, and wanted some up time. Given his baby sister was sleeping happily in her swing I was glad to oblige. After a minute he whispered over my shoulder, "Jesus." At which I realized he was identifying our statues. So I asked him to name everyone else in the Holy Family. He said, "that's Mary," and as I pointed to the tallest figure, he insisted, "that's Jesus." It's actually Joseph, so we had to work a while to convince him of this, because he wasn't buying it. Finally, he conceded that Jesus was the baby, and the tall statue was Joseph.

Near occation of pride...indignation

Selecting Godparents is always a challenge. Kicking around the prospects for Godparents for our newest little girl, the "proof of being a practicing Catholic" requirement played heavily into our decision. It's often quite a chore and I dread having to ask it. The wonderful couple we settled upon probably wouldn't need to go to extra effort since they're fellow parishioners. We'd had them in mind for a while, but hadn't gotten up the gumption to ask till today when I finally got up the nerve to make the phone call. Facebook messaging just didn't seem right. Having obtained gracious acceptance of the request, my husband was tasked with the job to stop into the parish office to fulfill the rest of the requirements. I expected the following to go smoothly.  To our surprise, the Godparent selection did not lead to an immediate smooth path to a scheduled date.

In the past I've taken all or most of my children into the rectory when submitting our paperwork, and the secretary (or in one instance the priest) note our large family and give us the pass for the Baptismal class requirement. Large families with many young recently baptized children are often granted an exception, since it's assumed we've already learned what we need to know before this very important sacrament.

I had expected my husband to return home with an appointed Baptism date. Instead he told me that the office lady told him he had to attend a class before he could proceed. Incidentally, the class was tonight! My prideful indignation got the better of me and I resolved that indeed we all would attend this class (even though they said only one parent needed to attend). I was so incredulous I was determined to drive home how ridiculous a request this was by showing up with our entire family in tow for the class. And so we did.

I joked that they would see us coming and run out to tell us we didn't actually have to take the class after all... and that's exactly what happened. Apparently, very shortly after my husband left the rectory someone else realized how silly it was and tried to run after him to let him know he didn't need to attend the class. All the same it was nice to see his reaction to it all when he actually told the religious education coordinator, "I didn't want to make a fuss or act like I was more special than anyone else." Utterly refreshing... as I am keenly aware of how much my inner being was wanting to be like, "I can't believe you think I need to attend a class!" He looked absolutely genuine, whereas I doubt I was able to mask my pride completely.

And now I contemplate my own character... or lack there of...

We have yet to procure a date, however, as the Baptism coordinator has left and the new person is still in training and not currently scheduling at the moment. We're to call tomorrow and see try again, but our paperwork is done. I just hope the baby won't outgrow the gown I knit for her.

Rainbow Connections

It's just about summer... and the humidity is setting in full strength. Today it was both sunny and raining at the same time, which I think might be why we had this rare rainbow arching across the sky late in the evening when we set out to take someone to her tap class. It was just a bit surprising to find myself picking her up even though it was still light outside at 8:15pm at night. All year long our Thursday night routine has taken place in the cold and dark of night... and now it's all of a sudden ( to me anyway... as I missed a couple weeks) a daylight affair.

My oldest took the picture for me. Honestly, I can't recall the last time I saw a rainbow arching across the sky like this. It seems like it's been years and years. When I was a really little girls a rainbow on the back of someone's car meant they loved Jesus, peace, and was a reference to the rainbow promise God gave after Noah's ark came through the flood. And now... rainbows on the back of cars seem to have a totally different meaning.

This is why I tend to keep things to myself...

Snide comment about how we really ought to consider adoption or something instead of having more children...

It's rude!

And it's the wrong thing to say to anyone who has graciously taken time out of their hectic day with a new baby to share their good news with you.

I know, I know, I shouldn't be surprised... I don't hear these very often because I generally don't put myself out there. I don't announce when I'm expecting... I don't want to hear your disapproval.

I hide my excitement, almost to the point of totally denying myself any joy in being blessed with another child... because I don't want to hear your disapproval.

I keep my pain and suffering... discomforts, inconveniences, and burden TO MYSELF.... so as to not give you any excuses to feel as I've in any way inconvenienced YOU... by daring to have yet another child.

I don't expect anything from you and receive none from you... and yet you still feel as if you have a place to judge. Go ahead, have you opinion. It's your right. But I don't want to hear it. It doesn't make my job any easier and I don't see how making me feel like crap can make your day any better.

And to be honest, the person who has said something, hasn't seen me nor my children in years. Hasn't even met half of my children... and need never do so either.

Seriously!

I just need to vent a little, as it's so hurtful and irritating... I don't know how my fellow friends who are so much more forthcoming with their growing-family-news deal with this without coming unglued. Shesh... I can't hide any further under than rock than I already do, and yet I still manage to offend by my shear existence. I doubt I could be more eco-mom than I am now... I knock myself out doing all the "right" things... cloth diaper, breastfeed, home everything! Go ahead, tell me how I'm stripping the planet of all it's natural resources because I'm over populating the earth. Give me a break! On my street, there are houses full of many things, but very few of them have so much as even one child living within.

Mama cloth...
wash clothes instead of baby wipes...
Composting...
We grow a lot of our own veggies in the summer...

And even if I stopped all those things tomorrow because mama is getting exhausted keeping up with the eco-freakish Jones... where do you get off judging me and putting all this pressure on any mother on this planet that she live up to YOUR expectations of what you think someone else ought to be doing?

Okay... stepping down and off my soap box... got that off my chest and I won't think about it anymore... deep breath, a prayer for their soul. I've already spent too much time on this already.

The waiting is the hardest part

My babies tend to take longer to be ready. Generally, when I'm expecting, I can anticipate to still be pregnant at least 1 week or more after my due date. The longest I've ever gone is 42weeks and 1 day over an adjusted date (which was at least three days forward from the typical wheel date I would have been assigned had I not been charting). And it seems these days there's a lot of fear surrounding the notion that a baby will expire if not born right on time. Ironically, with each of my kids who went past the magical date, when all was said and done, none showed any signs of being over-due. They always look good, smooth and emerge covered in plenty of chunky vernix, and enough hair to convince docs and attendants that surely my dates were off... or something.

Anyhow, once again I've managed to...knock on wood... emerge from childbirth unscathed, and with a seemingly healthy infant, who thus far seems lustrous and hardy. She has the fullest head of hair I've had thus far, and gobs of vernix stuck in it, so that she looks almost as if she's been playing in her daddy's hair molding products. This one was probably about 12 days past the "due date." She was just under two hours shy of arriving on her big brother's birthday, but will have a day of her very own, though it's likely cakes will be shared in the future...and mother's days too, as I shared mother's day with my special four year old birthday boy this year.

Refridgerator...back or what?

Our appointment this morning... The technician (a local independent contractor called in by Frigidaire) was late. A few minutes after I called to see what was up, he arrived. After calling in the for guidance on the error code, he pulled open the panel to look at the fan and control board wiring before determining that it would all need to be replaced. Apologetically informing me that it would probably require another 10 days before the parts would arrive, which was the worse case scenario I'd anticipated.

He unplugged the unit and advised that I clean it out to keep it from smelling while inoperable before departing. I was almost too busy to be forlorned.  A couple hours later, as I contemplated our filtered water situation I decided to plug it back in so we could continue utilizing our fresh water source. The error code was gone and over the next few hours the fridge and freezer returned to regularly operational temperatures.

I think I'll wait a while before calling this a mechanical miracle. But if I can have ice over the weekend I'll be most grateful! If the fridge is still working in 10 days, well then even better! Though I'm hesitant to call them off just yet. What if this is a reoccurring error issue, then I'll loose my place in the que.

Still under warranty

Our brand new fridge (not even a year old) began to flash an error code this past weekend. After looking for weeks and having to wait a long time for it to arrive, I'd bought the extended warranty for it, because I knew how hard it was to get a fridge that would fit our dimensions. Seems that's the game with appliances today. If the full replacement plan is a good deal less than replacement cost, you should buy it, since odds are you're going to need to replace that appliance in due course. They just don't make them like they used to!

Thankfully, our old fridge, which we moved downstairs, was built to last. Even though it's unsightly, and kind of small, it's providing our only source of refrigeration for now.

The one appliance I replaced this year which I did not buy a plan for, is due to expire soon. Whirlpool sent me an extended warranty plan for the dishwasher today, which was priced at nearly the exact same price as the unit itself. Clearly, that is not a good deal! Since we can procure another dishwasher for about the same price as an extended warranty, I would not advice purchasing a plan in this case.

Our service appointment is Thursday. I hope they will have all the necessary parts with them and get our fridge back up and running same day.

Oat pancake

Ever since I learned that Bisquick had added some new weird preservative ingredient that didn't even have a name, just initials... like who needs some strange chemical added to pancakes!?!?... I've been trying to come up with alternatives to pancake morning. Additionally, if it could be gluten free, and made with truly nutrition rich ingredients, it would be even better.

So I experiment every so often. This morning's experiment turned out pretty good. Missing one of our usual standby items (flax milk) I improvised. Most of us also avoid cow milk, so that's why we use alternatives to the bovine substance.

First grind he following in the vitamix (or food processor)
3 cp rolled oats
8-10 almonds (or more, but that's all I had left in the open bag)
1tbs chia seeds
Then add all the above and below into the mixer
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder (aluminum free brand)
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs

3 cup water, 4 tbs whole goat milk powder, 1 tbs coconut oil, 4 tbs apple sauce (mixed separately in the vitamix)
Mix, and cook (setting 5 on my stove)

Makes enough to feed 1 picky kid (who only wants one) and everyone else had at least 2-3 pancakes (1/4 cup size)... so that was probably 18 pancakes perhaps. Top with real maple syrup of course ;)

Birthday Connections

My firstborn and one of my cousins share a birthdate.
Best I know my second born has a date all to herself.
My third came into the world on the same day as an infamous hurricane.
My fourth shares a birthdate with my cousin's daughter (one year older exactly).
The fifth arrived the due date of my second born (who choose to arrive a week later).
And the sixth has a date all of his own... best I know.

Either we'll hit someone else's birthdate, a major storm, or Number 5's original due date (next month). This month of April is loaded with birthdays, three grandparents, Great grandmother, some cousins, and an aunt, many of which have come and gone, most of which would have been a bit too soon anyhow. There was quite the storm last night... but nothing happened.

Back from the brink...

Our little lemon tree had us all convinced that it was dead. The leaves crumpled up and fell off,  I'd unceremoniously placed it on our back deck and paid it little attention. Last weekend we found another small lemon tree (not nearly as nicely branched) at our local Home Depot, and decided we'd try again. Since the new lemon was already potted, it's been sitting in our kitchen window for the past week with no urgency to transplant. Thank goodness we put this aside because today I noticed evidence of life in our first lemon. It's not totally dead after all!

More painting

Fridge wall
After

Fridge wall
before

Okay, I'll concede, this gray paint is really light. No, it's not obvious that I've painted the walls. Oh well, I'm almost done and I'm sticking with the super pail gray color.




Wash the wool blankets and plant the tomatos

The clouds parted enough today that we decided to eat lunch on our deck. Since it's warming up, it seemed time to wash the wool blankets, and sun dry them in preparation of storing them till next winter. Not everyone has a wool blanket, but the two we have (king size and one twin) generally get washed in the wool cycle perhaps a couple times a year... unless they actually get dirty. Generally, it was still very much a school day with plenty of chores. Still, finding time to be outside seems vital to our health (10 minutes of sunshine makes a daily dose of vitamin D). Not being prepared for a long play session in the yard (we had math to get back to), the young folks helped me plant some more tomato (cherry this time) and cucumber seeds before I pressed everyone back indoors, with minimal protest. Somewhere I read that even if you can't play, finding time to just be outside is really important to health and child development. Seems sage to me.

Quiche

I might have forgotten to give this Christmas present the credit it's due. This year my husband got me a quiche pan, the type where the bottom pops out. Are they all this way? I have no idea. Up till today I hadn't used it once. We haven't been working off of a menu lately and the kids and I are getting mighty tired of some of our regular fare. So I got it in my head to make a quiche this morning... so breakfast was more of a brunch.

Googling brought me to The Pioneer Lady, whose quiche I drew instruction and inspiration, but deviated from, as I was certain the grilled onions weren't going to be part of my dish today. I did, however, head her advice and went mostly with her pie crust instructions...mostly, sort of, kind of...

My crust
1/2 cup olive oil butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cup flour
8 twist from my Himalayan salt grinder
1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp. water
1/2 egg
Mix, then knead some, then after spraying the pan with olive oil, pound and press it into shape (perfect isn't necessary).

Egg filling
8 whole eggs
1 1/2 cup whole whipping cream
1 cup parmesan

cheese
Four slices of chopped ham
8 twist of Himalayan salt
4 twist from pepper grinder
2 hand full of chopped super greens (kale and spinach mix)

Stir it all up, pour into over the crust. I placed my quiche pan onto a cookie sheet in case of boiling over (I just scrubbed the stove last week), and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes.... But that seems to be a bit too long or too hot. I think this would have done better in my oven at a slightly lower temperature. So...note to self, next time try it at 375 for an hour.

This was a hit with almost everyone. My eldest did pitch a bit of a fit at first, insisting he would require ketchup to stomach it. We went back and forth on whether the condiment would be necessary, and eventually I ignored him. A couple minutes he said to me, "this quiche was very good, may I have more." Astonished, I looked up to realized that indeed, he had cleaned his plate! The youngest picked his apart and spread it all over the table. Everyone else ate theirs.

Painting

Having gotten a bee in my bonnet to paint my laundry room, two of the walls are now painted. The other wall will require the dryer and second fridge to be moved, so that part will have to take place another time. So after I finished the parts I'd intended for today, my family dutifully informed me that they couldn't tell the difference. My super light gray wall looks white to them. The only thing they can tell is that the wall now looks clean. My dear husband inquired if we might want to take the paint back and ask them to make it a little darker...but then I'd have to do those two walls all over again, and I'm happy with my super light gray walls, because I can see the difference.

There is a fourth wall, but that would require the removal of the sink, washing machine, and a plexi-glass back splash thing. I'm inclined to just paint the three walls and call it good. But we'll see...

Drain Pain is over...

And our laundry room floor is beautiful! I think I need to paint the wall now! 

So many rooms in this house need painting. I've painted so many of them already and my lovely prodigies have promptly inflicted their wear and tear on them, so that they'll need to be done again. It occurred to me last night that the laundry room is a safe place to paint as I can be fairly certain that nobody will come along and mess up the walls in there. It's like my office, nobody but me goes in there. I really SHOULD make it the awesome room...like the bathroom is suppose to be (but since it's been redone, everyone wants to use it).  My old pink bathroom used to be my sanctuary, but now it's like Grand Central.

Nobody is at all interested in hanging out in the laundry room though. They've paid very little attention to it and I had no trouble keeping them out while the grout dried. I think I'm seriously going to fix up my room... I mean laundry room.

Drain Pain resolving

It's been a while since this project began. With the bathroom redo and preceding our laundry room and kitchen drain issue, we had to cave and ask our home owners policy folks if there was any way any of the drain and floor demolition was covered. Turned out that the dig up and repair of the floor is covered, while the plumbing wasn't. So we pressed ahead with the pipe repair and hoped that reimbursement would help me pay down the debt I'd accumulated on the credit card. Then the claim seemed to stall out. The adjuster wanted more information from the plumber (who I'd already paid) and the estimate to replace the tile seemed out of our reach. I'd come to terms with not receiving any assistance on this particular mishap.

However, then the flooring company called to find out where we were at with our decision and we called our insurance to see if they ever made a decision. Our original adjuster never returned our calls and seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Luckily, another person pulled up our claim and informed us that it had indeed been approved, our deductible was already met (thanks to the expensive floor demolition) and that the rest of the work would be covered. I just needed to select new tiles.


Today, the work is about half done. The slippery laundry room tiles are no more, and the workers seem to be doing a very nice job thus far putting down the new tiles. I do like texture and natural stone looking tiles. These shouldn't be near as slick as the previous floor. I truly wish we could afford to have the kitchen floor done too... Heck, I'd love to just rip out our blue bath and the kid's white bathroom and go all Tuscan earthy in those rooms too. I'll remain grateful for the bits of lovely we are receiving.

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It's about that time of year when I start to think about our progress with the kid's schooling and therapy. Admittedly, I've been somewhat frustrated with the slow gains in speech, feeling as if we'll be doing speech therapy for life without any hope of ever graduating. Our therapy center offers a few alternative treatments and I asked for more information a couple weeks ago. I just want to try something different to see if we can start making more progress. While there are more options, insurance won't cover them. Yet, I'm feeling like we "need" to do something more and am considering introducing Interactive Listening System (iLs)  into our occupational therapy regimen.

Having had tremendous success with other neuroplasticity focused programs before (FastForWords Basic, now discontinued) my son's verbal skills gains correlated with the time he spent working on the FFW program yielding major language expression and comprehension gains, so that he actually graduated from the private speech we'd accessed when he was about 7 years old (perhaps because they didn't have the ability to work beyond basic articulation issues). It seems that these sorts of treatment modalities can work on certain kinds of kids. The other day I watched my son working on a level 10 on the Trouble Brewing game on Lumosity and was astonished as the speed and skill he had gained making as many as 8 different beverages at a time.  With three different screens, only one showing at a time, he had to flip back and forth between them to view the orders, load two different machines, and return to each cup before they overflowed. I was astonished at how fast and efficient he was. Keeping in mind that this was only a computer simulated situation, I still couldn't help but wonder if he could do these tasks as well in real life. If he could, maybe there was hope he could attain employment one day.

Spring planting

Yesterday, the boys and I planted zinnias and roma tomato seeds. It's been about 5 years since I last did zinnias and for some reason I'm drawn to them this year. My dear husband likes to have lots of romas so he can make tomato sauce, which we all love.

Hammock for Easter

Our OT therapist often comments about how much my oldest seems to enjoy his time in the "taco swing." I've never seen it, but she says it's like a large hammock which he can wrap himself up in, and receives sensory input from all around...or something like that. The one session I was able to attend I could tell he did need certain movement input to calm his system. Unfortunately, he's so big, and our ability to provide him with some of these opportunities is somewhat limited. I'm certain he'd really enjoy a large trampoline, but it would need to be quite large, and my mother hen fears dictate that we would need a super duper "safe" trampoline, which isn't cheap. However, some of the less expensive things I've been able to procure for him are balance balls, balance board, and of course I try and arrange our home in a way that maximizes open floor space for whatever movements or stretching one might feel inclined to initiate. He likes to do P90X3 with his father, so that requires a lot of open space in front of the T.V.

The view from the hammock

Our Easter gift to the whole family was a new nylon hammock for the back yard (which will be brought inside when not in use), and a hammock chair for our swing set (though it's not a swing). Both have been very popular this weekend and the kids race to them whenever one has been vacated, so that there's almost always someone nestled inside (sometimes more than one). I did manage to snag a few minutes in the hammock myself today and enjoyed the scenery.

We all spent a lot of time outside on this glorious Easter day. The temperature was perfect, and the trees haven't quite hit their pollen producing peak, so allergies weren't overly aggravated. The industrious kids took to building a fort like house with our tomato stakes and bamboo shoots. My husband taught my daughters how to make deviled eggs using some of the dyed eggs (which nobody likes to eat, but everyone wants to make anyhow). Meanwhile, I started my zinnia seedlings for two of the three colors I have planned for our yard this summer. Then I capped off the time outside, by getting started on giving the dog her springtime clipping...which will have to be continued another time, as it's taking a long time to cut through the long winter coat without taking it all off. It would go much faster if I weren't using a guard to keep it from becoming skin tight length. I'd like to leave a little bit of length on her, as temperatures are still fluctuating. For now she looks rather ridiculous, with somewhat of a reverse Mohawk look.