When It Becomes A Chore........

You know how you feel about having to do chores. You dread them, you do them because you have to but you are not happy about it. That is how I have been feeling about blogging lately, I am very sorry to say. Blogging, writing blogs, reading and commenting on your wonderful posts, has become a chore to me. I dread having to come up with a new topic to post.


I love reading about your lives, I have giggled at the mishaps of a blooming romance, cried tears of joy at the triumphs of Anissa and her family, learned from Silly Classes on Blogging, stood at the looking glass to see Alice’s poems and pictures, been envious of the obvious love for wife and sons as well as an AMAZING way with words, and learned many things from other spectrum moms and talking pickles.  All of you and MANY, MANY more have made this experience wonderful and fun.  A part of me will miss you and I imagine I will still look at life as a blog post.  "How can I blog about this?"  ;)

In my real life, I have fabulous things happening. I have a wonderful son, who while being sassy with pre-teen angst, is my world. Spring is here and with it a call to be outside where computers and internet don’t reach. The puppy is growing rapidly and as he grows so does his energy levels, dragging me with him.

I have the possibility of love. Its out there waiting for me, I just have to stop hiding from it. I have gotten very good at hiding from it. I stay home to read and write blogs! I have the love of my family and immediate friends. But I feel that now is the time to get out there and find the love of a partner. I feel it calling me and I am ready to answer it.

Don't panic!  I am not giving up totally on blogging. This will not be an empty nest, it just won’t be occupied as often. I am perched on the ledge, spreading my wings to take off..........

I Got An Award!

Jody from Take Me As I Am gave me an Award!  Thank you very much, Jody!

She thinks I am a beautiful blogger!  Isn't she sweet?

Of course there are rules that go with this.  I am not one to follow the rules all the time.  Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.


Ok.  I took care of #1.  Now for #2
1.  I am a single mom.
2.  I work for a Non-Profit
3.  I have a puppy named Jaxon, and 2 kitties named Saylors and Kitters
4.  I live in an apartment on the River.
5.  I LOVE sunsets
6.  I am a VERY lucky woman.
7.  Even after my messy divorce (I took him to the cleaners!) I still hope to find love again.  Its out there waiting for me!

#3.  I hate this part of the rules!  I love all my followers and readers too much to choose between you all.  If you want this award, help yourself to it!

#4.  I don't have to contact anyone cause I took the easy way out!

I hope everyone has a beautiful day!  I know I will.  ROAD TRIP to Headquarters later this morning!  Gotta love the Highways!

Shoes

I am a country girl at heart.  I hate shoes.  I didn't put shoes on this winter to walk about outside until there was snow on the ground.  And then it was only when I HAD to have shoes on.

This weekend with the WONDERFUL weather I kicked the shoes off again, except when I was in a store or on my bike.  This is the result:

Dirty feet!

I'm off to wash my feet before I crawl into bed!  Nite nite!

Happy Weekend!

Jaxon is getting better.  He is sleeping through the night again and going to the bathroom normally!  YAY!  We have one more dose of medicine to give him and hopefully he will be all better! He LOVES being outside with us laying in the sun.  He's learning to fetch and he walks on the leash VERY well.  I am kinda surprised at how easy he is to train to do things. 

The potty thing is taking longer than most things but he doesn't have control over those things yet.  He will soon though!  I think he is doing VERY well with the potty thing, there haven't been any accidents in the house in a couple of days.  YAY!

Don't mind the mess!

Yes, that is a life size Bear in the Big Blue House.

Son LOVED that show when he was little and I found Bear at the Disney outlet in Rehoboth for about $10.00.  It was a find that I could not resist!  Son has slept with him ever since, the cats like sleeping with Bear and now, so does Jaxon!

My weekend is shaping up to be pretty nice and not just weather-wise!  I'm taking the car for a tune-up, meeting my BFF for coffee and a cooking demo at the mall, riding my bike and having a cookout with the Compound (that's what we call the group of apartments where I live).  Son is going to his Dad's so I will probably also be napping in the hammock by the river!  Is it 5 o'clock yet?

HAPPY WEEKEND!

My Lunchtime

Was spent like this

He had to go to the Drs yesterday cause he hasn't been eating and had diarrhea.  Poor baby has tape worms!  Ewww!  So some medicine, some brushing to get rid of the fleas, some love in the sun with Mom and he'll be good as new!

Hope everyone is having sunshine!

Puppy Damage

This cute little guy

Chewed on THIS

the cord that connects/charges my eReader to the computer

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

LEGO Group

Friday was Son's first LEGO group session.  The Dr. who trained the staff at the Autism Center was there to get them started and boy, is he CUTE!  Had I known that, I might have pushed to have Son be in his LEGO group in Voorhess, NJ!

There were about 10 to 12 boys ranging in ages from 9 to 12.  I thought the facilitators were very brave to host that many kids that age and add on top of that the fact that the boys have varying degrees of Autism!  I was also surprised at how many grandparents there were dropping off the boys.  I was the youngest person there picking up/dropping off.

The parents were not allowed to stay for the group, of course but I was in my car watching through the window.  Son behaved very well, he stuck with the LEGOs more than any of the other boys in the group.  There were boys wandering around the room, one was laying on the floor and there was Son and a couple other boys seriously building the LEGO project.

There was one boy that got on Son's nerves with his disruptive behaviors but Son let the facilitiator take care of it.  And we talked about it when we were in the car on the way home.  Son showed some empathy for the boy.  I was proud of my Son.  He's a good kid!

And Son is excited to have group again next week!  Since they are changing from Friday's to Tuesdays, there is no group this week.

I have a meeting with the facilitator of the LEGO group on Tuesday of this week to discuss Son's goal for school and some other things that have come up recently.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE the Autism Center?

Polar Bear Plunge 2010

It over! We did it and had SO much fun! There is so much anticipation and excitment only to have it over in a matter of minutes. And we will be back next year!

Because of the Nor'easter that went through on Saturday, the water was rough and they were keeping us in a small area. They also wouldn't let us go out past our knees cause of a MEAN rip current.

Rough Ocean

Son was so excited he ran to the water ahead of us.  I met him coming out as I was going in.  Neicy and I always go back for a second dip and this year, I went back in with Son for a third time.  Once you are numb, it doesn't matter how many times you go back, until you start to thaw and get pins and needles!  OUCH!

The plunge was at 1 and we were off the beach by 1:30.  Amazing!  Here are some more pics from the day!

Neicy, Son and me before the plunge

See!  We really did get wet!

Here we all are running into the water.

I hope everyone's weekend was as good as mine! I will update about the LEGO group tomorrow.

Happy Friday

Its FRIDAY! I actually worked an entire 5 days straight! I haven’t done that since January. February had some holidays, Dad had his procedure and there were snow days. I almost forgot what 5 days in a row is like. Its darn tiring!

This week I met with Son’s teachers to discuss the feasibility of removing the aid when he starts 6th grade. The teachers have a lot of good things to say about Son, good improvements he has made to his behaviors. We also discussed some things that he will have to work on to achieve his goal. I have also told him that there is a good chance that he won’t have an aid but if he is not ready, he will have one. If an aid is what he needs to be able to function in school, he will have it. But we will also be working on the skills necessary to remove the aid.

Friday is the first LEGO group and while I am excited, Son is worrying about it. He is afraid to meet new kids. I know that once he gets in there with the LEGO’s he will be just fine.

Son is with me this weekend and if we don’t float away from all the rain predicted this weekend, we will spend Sunday in Rehoboth. Yes, the Polar Bear Plunge is this Sunday! They are predicting 58 on land and 40 in the water. Brrrrrrr! But that’s the fun of it.

Saturday, the Autism Center will be sponsoring an afternoon of bowling and since its supposed to rain, Son and I will probably join them. It will give Son a chance to meet with some of the kids from the LEGO group again.

I am disappointed that I have not been able to get out on my bike this week. Its been too hectic and not enough daylight. But we spring ahead on the clocks so I will have more daylight. Son and I will be able to go for a short ride after dinner!

I wish everyone a happy weekend! For those in the East Coast, try to stay dry and don’t float away!

Jaxon Found His Voice

Jaxon is SO cute! He has found his growl and his bark! Check him out!

The Interview

Son had to do a project for school to learn about a disease. He of course chose Aspergers Syndrome. You got Extra Credit for doing an interview of someone with the disease or works with people who have the disease. I was SO proud of his interview, I wanted to share it with you.





Isn't he a CUTIE?

I have fever!

SPRING Fever! The weather has been so nice all weekend and its carried over into the week. Jaxon and I spent as much time outside as possible. I do not want to be at work! I want to be out on my NEW BIKE!

My New Bike.

Neicy and I went Saturday morning to get our bikes that we put on layaway in February. When we put them on, there was only one in the store and they would get the other one in from the warehouse. The bikes would be there waiting for us when we were ready to pedal.

When we got there, only one of the bikes was put together and it would take them about an hour to get the other one taken care of. Ok, we’ll head over to the mall to get a Starbucks and Auntie Anne’s pretzel and be back. YUM!

Since it was the first nice day of the year, EVERYONE was out at the bike store. Getting bikes or supplies or getting their bike tuned up. It took over 2 HOURS to get Neicy’s bike put together. (Yes, it was hers because mine was sitting in the back with my name on it!) We finally got out of there with the bikes and new shorts with padding in all the right places. Neicy’s daughter and her boyfriend wanted to meet us for a ride in the afternoon.

Getting on the bike felt RIGHT. Little adjustment to the seat height, playing with the gears to see what worked for me, and then just pedaling. It was euphoric to get on the seat, push off, and get into my groove.

To feel the power of my legs pushing me, watching the road fly past, hearing the wind in my ears was heavenly. I had not realized how much I missed all this over the winter. I felt in tune with myself and the world around me.

Saturday was a short ride, just around the block of 6 miles. Sunday, we went a little farther a field for a 10-mile ride. By the end of the 10-mile ride, my butt was a little tender and I imagine if I had time to ride yesterday, it would have protested! My legs and lower back was a little stiff Sunday night but all was fine on Monday morning.

I reset my speedometer so I can track how many miles I put on the new bike. With as great as it felt this past weekend, I am hoping LOTS and LOTS of miles!

I can’t wait for Day Light Savings to come this weekend with more daylight and I can get a ride in after work.

Son's Goal

Son has been having difficulty with his Aid recently.  Well, not really recently, more like ALL school year.  He is very disrespectful to her and I don't know what to do about it. 

At every IEP meeting with every new child study team, I expressed that I would like to see Son taught the skills he needs to cope with daily school life without an Aid by high school.  And since he is in 5th grade, I felt that a reasonable goal.

In his last IEP meeting we discussed working toward cutting the Aid to half time with him.  There seemed to be only certain times of the day (as well as every other Monday) that he needs the extra support.  His teacher seemed to think that as long as the class size stayed where it was, that she and Son could handle things without the Aid.  Btu there were skills that he needs to learn and practice in order for the Aid to be cut back and eventually weaned out completely.

This week, I have received not one but TWO emails as well as write ups on his behavior paper about his attitude towards the Aid.  I have told him in the past that this behavior is UNACCEPTABLE and we discussed and practiced ways that he can do better with her.  It seems to me that there is something about her that just irritates Son and makes him snap.  He can never seem to tell me what goes on and why he is mean to her.

So this week, when I got the first email from the teacher about his mouth, we talked.  I explained to him what I see as my role in his education plan.  I am his advocate to make sure he gets all that he needs to get through school as best he can.  I asked him if he wanted the Aid.  He said he didn't want her to go to 6th grade with him.  I told him that there are things that HE needs to do in order to be without an aid and that I would work with the teachers and the Aid to figure out what everything is and how we can help him to learn those things.

I was SO proud when Son said he didn't want the Aid to go to 6th grade!  This is the first goal he has set for himself during all this.  And now that he has a goal, I want to do everything necessary to ensure that he gets to meet that goal.

For now, I have a meeting with the Aid on Monday to find out what she does to help him through the day as well as to find out details of WHEN Son is mean to her.  I want to see if there is a pattern to his attitude.

I also have a meeting with the behavioral specialist at the Autism Center (which keeps getting postponed due to snow!) where I will discuss ways to help Son with his attitude.

Friday Madness

Happy Friday!  I am SO glad its Friday!  And the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend.  In the 50's!  Neicy and I are going to pick up our bikes on Saturday and RIDE!   I can't wait to stretch my legs, feel the wind and watch the miles go by.  Its been a long winter and I have missed getting on the bike and going.  The stationary bike in the house just isn't the same.  I'm hoping that since I have been on the stationary bike for a while now, that the real bike ride won't hurt too much.

Dad is having his procedure today.  It was canceled last week cause the Dr didn't think he'd be able to get here with all the snow.  So, fingers crossed that they find good things today!  This test will determine if his heart failure has gotten better enough for them to talk about fixing the 2 leaky valves.  I hope so!

Son has not had LEGO group yet.  Last week was canceled due to snow. This week is canceled because the Dr who designed the program is not available.  So, Son is disappointed but we will get there!  Hopefully next week.

Son's father continued to harass me about the schedule, etc but I did something VERY empowering.  I stopped arguing BACK with him and told him to tell it to the Judge.  Go ahead and file the court papers.  But LEAVE me alone.  It felt GOOD!  He sent one more mean email that I just ignored.  We'll see if he files for court or not.  Probably not.

Jaxon, the sweet, loving little pup, went to the Drs yesterday and is 3 pounds!  Dr said he is healthy and in a couple of weeks, we should see his TRUE energy level.  Oh boy!  Jax is doing pretty, VERY well with the potty stuff.  No accidents in the house/crate for 3 days!  And he slept from 10 to 4 last night.  Boy, did THAT feel good!

We went to the neighbors last night to visit and he played and played!  When we came home, he CRASHED.  I woke him up to take him out for one last break and he went right back to sleep.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  I know I will with the bikes and GOOD weather!

A Book Review Actually 2 Books

Mother Daughter Duet

by Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum

About the book:

When a daughter is born, her mother has a thousand hopes and dreams for her, especially that they will be best friends one day.

Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can go awry. There are so many challenges on the journey to adult friendship that the reality is fraught with friction and frustration. But a harmonious relationship is possible.

Award-winning author Cheri Fuller and her daughter, Ali Plum, have been there and have discovered the keys to a healthy relationship. In Mother-Daughter Duet they share their story—each from her own perspective—in which they have experienced distance and tension, growth and challenge, and, ultimately, acceptance and harmony. Filled with personal anecdotes and based on several basic principles (letting go; listening; respect; setting boundaries; and more), Mother-Daughter Duet helps moms repair the breach so that daughters want to draw close.

The mother-daughter dynamic is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But mothers and daughters can achieve mutual respect and learn to celebrate their differences when they learn the two-part harmony of the mother-daughter duet.

When I was offered the chance to review this book, my first thought was “no” because I don’t have a daughter and my mother has passed. I thought that reading this book would revive memories of times with my mother.

This book is about a mother and daughter who “lost” their connection with each other over the years. Both describe how that connection became lost over the years and how each felt about that lost connection. They also described the work they put into creating a newer, stronger relationship based on them both being adults.

Mom had to work on letting her daughter go. Yes, she had helped her to pack up and move out and even encouraged her to go. But Mom didn’t really “let go”, she would still do everything she could to rescue her daughter when it seemed she needed it. Even if the daughter didn’t want Mom to rescue her.

It’s a very frank and open discussion of their problems and interviews with other moms and daughters. There are discussion questions geared just for Mom or just daughters or both in the book. There is advice in this book about forgiveness, from both Mom and Daughters points of view. Forgiveness is key to creating a connection and harmonious relationship between yourselves.

I would recommend this book to anyone who might be experiencing a difficult time with your parent or child. It’s a easy read and is very open and honest.

You can buy the book here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601421623&ref=externallink_mlt_motherdaughterduet_sec_0119_01

Dancing with My Father

by Sally Clarkson

About the Book:

The reality of living in a broken, fallen world can leave women feeling overcome by fear, guilt, and weariness. Many develop “sawdust souls,” numb to any sense of joy.

In this warm and wise book, author Sally Clarkson invites readers to take God’s hand and let Him lead them into a life of anticipation, passion, and purpose. With the voice of a trusted mentor, she reveals how, by getting in tune with the rhythm of God’s presence, women can nurture an inner attitude of anticipation and celebration even in the stressful seasons of life.

Through rich biblical insights woven with real-life stories, women will be inspired to recapture a spirit of joy as they follow God’s lead on the dance floor of life.

This book describes a woman’s journey to a joyful, child-like happiness with God. She found a lack of joy in her life, especially within her family and all the challenges of raising children. She wanted to do more than trudge through her days, feeling the disappointment of life.

After remembering a time in a park watching a little boy twirl around in joy, she decided she wanted to feel that joy and child-like abandonment in her relationship with God and knew it would follow in the other parts of her life. At the end of each chapter are questions you can ask yourself and compare to your life in your journey to a joyful existence with God in your life.

This book was a very easy read, I actually read it over the weekend. While I am not looking for this type of relationship with God, there are pieces of this book that I can apply to my life and start looking for good and joy in parts of my life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who may be dissatisfied with her life. There are wonderful tips that can be applied easily in to find joy and goodness in your life.

You can buy the book here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307457066&ref=externallink_wbp_dancingwithmyfather_sec_0119_01


This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I've left you hanging

I don't remember if I posted that the Polar Bear Plunge was postponed to March 14th due to one of the MANY blizzards the east coast had this winter.  Not quite as polar bear-ish as if it was still in February.  Neicy was excited at the thought of running over the snow covered beach to the water.  Me, not so much.

This also is the weekend of Spring Ahead on the clocks!  I can't wait for more daylight and warmer temps!

So anyway, all of us, Son, Jaxon and me will be heading to the beach on March 14th to swim in the ocean!  There's still time to donate!  Let me know if you are interested and I will send you the link!  Thanks to my readers who HAVE donated!  You are the BEST!

I will post pictures after the Big Swim.

I'm Tired

Yes, I'm tired.  I don't remember being this tired when Son was a baby but he also slept through the night within 3 weeks.  Jaxon has not been home for a week even and I am tired.  We are up several times during the night to potty.  And then of course, I have to get up early to get Son ready for school and go to work. 

My parents stopped down the other night to see Jaxon.  Not me, not Son, Jaxon. They are in love with the newest grandchild!

So without further ado, here are pictures of the Baby!

Jaxon was looking for his littermates and Son was a good substitute

Jaxon stole this from my neighbors dog who was afraid of him.

Jaxon does like his crate and the Buddy that Son shared with him.

Saylors spent the weekend on top of the TV. 

The Kitties seem to have called a truce and are at least tolerating Jaxon.  They will stay in the same room with him and Saylors even sniffed his leg while I was holding him.  Its progress!

I have a big federal grant to work on at work and in addition to reading the lengthy instructions, I have to read not one but TWO curriculums that are required.  What I am trying to say is that I don't know how much blogging I will be doing until this grant is finished and Jaxon is sleeping through the night.   See you real soon!

I Got Nothin'

Hello Nesters!  Just wanted to pop in and say that I got NOTHING.  Absolutely NOTHING to say.  And I ALWAYS have something to say.

But its been a busy weekend with the new puppy, Jaxon.  And I am TIRED.

I will post more pictures later this week but for now, I'm going to prop my eyeballs open and do some research for people to give my agency MONEY!

Happy Tuesday!