Frustrated...

We had Matt evaluated for ADD and the results are inconclusive. The doctor said that it's really difficult to diagnose really bright kids because they don't have the problems of keeping up in school. Last night I went to a seminar about the differences between boys and girls relating specifically to gifted children. I got a lot of information out of it, but the biggest thing I got was that most of the boys were very high energy, impulsive, etc... Well, that seems to be the general description of ADD as well. The parents of boys who were there were also complaining that the schools were trying to label so many of the gifted boys as ADD, but the parents didn't truly believe that they were. It's just so strange because Matt show some signs of ADD such as getting easily distracted, not finishing work, fidgeting and not sitting still. However, he excels at spelling, reading and math, which ADD kids don't tend to do. We're not ready to medicate him, but our pediatrician didn't have any other suggestions of where to get additional help. It's so frustrating to not have a direction to even look to get help. My game plan is to check with the school counselors and see if they have any suggestions and to do a lot of reading.

On the other hand, I've been practically holding Adam during all his waking hours for the past 3 days. He caught some sort of stomach bug and it's just really doing a number on him. It started Monday night and seems to come and go. Today, I thought he was getting better - he was hungry mid morning and ate some saltines, almost a full waffle and a bunch of nilla wafer cookies and managed to keep them down. Tuesday and Wednesday, the only things he could keep down were popsicles, so I thought this was a great improvement and was thinking that the end of the tunnel was in sight. This evening, he had no appetite again, drank some sprite and then got a really bad tummy ache. Then he managed to lose everything in his stomach, which wasn't much, thankfully. I don't know how, but he's managed not to get dehydrated, thank God! I felt so terrible when his stomach was hurting, though. It lasted a long time and practically had me in tears because I was helpless to do anything to make it better. Lee tried to help with Adam, but the little guy wanted Mommy and there was no changing his mind. He was exhausted, so now he's sleeping peacefully - I hope it lasts all night, at least. We both need the rest. I hope that tomorrow will be another improvement.

Rambling...

I recently "ran" into someone I used to know when I was growing up. I ran into her on an online scrapbooking forum and we got to chatting - I asked her if she was Lithuanian and then we figured out that we knew each other. It was pretty wild to run into someone like that.

It got me thinking, however. I had told her that I left for college and never went back, which is really what happened. She's still active with the Lithuanian community and so are her kids. She's very active in scouting, which is part of what I miss in my life here. I have so many good memories of my younger years in scouting, especially camping. Things changed quite a bit, though, as I got older. There weren't many girls my age for some reason and I got grouped with some girls who were a year older than I in scouting. To make a long story short, they made my life uncomfortable and I never have figured out why they didn't like me. The only thing I can think of is that one had a crush on a guy I dated, but I can't imagine that could be the only reason, but who knows. Anyway, after chatting with this other gal (we knew each other, but she was my older brother's age), I got to thinking why I never felt like I wanted to move back and a big part of it seems to me to be these experiences in my teen years. Now, don't get me wrong. I had some great friends in high school, just not in the Lithuanian community like my parents would have wanted. I had a lot of fun in high school and had a good overall time. I never felt like I didn't fit in anywhere - I always had some good support and friendships. I just knew that there were some places I didn't fit in, but that was ok with me for the most part.

I think we all want to be accepted and valued - it's part of human nature. We tend towards activities and groups in which we are accepted and appreciated. I guess that the friendships that I made later in my life (I did have high school friends that I kept in touch with through college) were stronger. Well, that and I met dh while in college and he had no desire to move north.

I just found it interesting that we all seem to find or make a place for ourselves in which we're comfortable. I'm very happy with my life - I love my dh and boys, I love where I live, my neighbors are great and I've got some great friends, although not all are local. It's just interesting to take a look at how I've arrived at where I am.

Friday, finally?

You know, I've been thinking since Wednesday that it's Friday, lol! I think it's a combination of having a lot of stuff going on this week and the time change. My body is protesting this time change - there's just something wrong about getting up so early, lol!

Matt started his classes in the gifted program this week and we had two meetings in the evenings in relation to that - one a parent orientation and the other a presentation on what they'll be working on for the rest of the year. The program seems fantastic. I guess it should be - it's gotten all kinds of awards nationally. I picked Matt up Wednesday and he talked all the way home about his day (this was a half hour car ride). He never talks to me about his regular class this way. It's nice to see him so excited about something at school. We also had parent teacher conferences with his regular teacher as well this week. He's doing really well academically, but has trouble with being able to sit and finish work if he's not interested in it. Matt seems to really like something until he feels he's mastered it and then he doesn't want to do it anymore. I guess he gets bored.

Adam and I went swimming (more like splashing) yesterday after I worked out. He's been in swim lessons and really doesn't want to get in the water, so I thought this would help him out. He loves getting a noodle and kicking his feet while holding on to it. We spent about an hour in the pool before I got too cold to stay longer.

Adam told me yesterday that he doesn't like kisses anymore. :-( Hopefully, this is just a phase. Hugs are still good, though. It's funny that I don't want Adam to grow up. I always expected Matt to be more mature. I guess it must be something to do with Adam being my baby, lol! I don't know if it's because I don't think I'll have more kids or because he seems so much younger than Matt that I think he should stay little for a bit longer. No wonder there's all this psychological theory with respect to birth order. Much as we try, I don't think we can treat our kids in the same manner. That's a good thing, though. Each of our kids is an individual and should be treated as such. Sometimes I need to remind myself of this and give the boys the time and attention they deserve. It just seems so easy to get bogged down in the not so fun details of daily life (cooking, cleaning, etc) and forget why I'm staying home.

The doorknob caper

So, this morning, Adam's not listening to me. I'm trying to get him dressed so I can go work out and he's not cooperating. He shut himself into my old office (soon to be his new room) and locks the door. Nothing I say or do convinces him to open the door or even unlock it. Me, I'm royally pissed. I go down and get my screwdrivers and try to pick the lock. I checked every @#%#$#$ doorjamb in this entire house and no key for the door. Picking the lock doesn't work and Adam's still not unlocking the door. So, I look and see that the screws to the doorknob are on my side of the door.

I unscrew the doorknob and take it off the door. Still can't open the door because the other part of the whole thing is still keeping the door closed. Of course the operable part of the doorknob is now in the room with Adam... I called my neighbor to see if she had any suggestions and she had none, but was going to come over to take a look anyway (and probably see if she could make me see the lighter side of this whole fiasco). Just as I get off the phone with her, I hear a door opening upstairs and closing again.

The little stinker just put the doorknob back in the door, unlocked it and opened the door just to show me that he could. I finally managed to get him to open the door again. Of course, he comes out of there so proud of himself for opening the door after I took everything apart. He's got this grin on his face. Good thing he's so dang cute! It sure makes it easier to get over my temper, lol! I got to the gym, though, and had a great workout - it's amazing what some anger can do. Hopefully, I won't be too sore tomorrow.

Woodpecker!

I finally managed to get a good pic of one of the woodpeckers that visits my suet type feeder! It's the smallest woodpecker that I've ever seen. The other has a red patch or stripe on its head, so I figure that this one must be the female. Sure is pretty!

Splat!

So, I'm making spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight. I finished making it and needed to transfer it to a saucepan because I have to use the pot for the pasta and while I'm doing this, the saucepan starts getting heavy. I put it onto the counter, or so I thought. I put it half way on the counter and suddenly everything in the kitchen is covered with spaghetti sauce. I mean everything - me, the floor, the cabinets (some upper cabinets, too), the cat. Poor Miss Cuddles was in the kitchen with this happened and got splattered as well. She didn't get hit too badly and got to have some people food, but she does have a couple of orange spots that weren't there before... I think that I might even have some in my hair. Good thing that I had jeans on. If it were warmer and I had been wearing shorts, I'd probably have a few burns, since it was hot.

I think this one tops the barbecue sauce incident in which I shook a bottle of barbecue sauce that had it's lid on, but not screwed on. This was during Adam's birthday party and one of the guests placed the cap back on the bottle without twisting it on. Sure surprised me!

So, since things come in threes, I'm wondering what's next for me. So far these have been messy, but not serious - no one got hurt. I'm hoping my luck holds...

for Jen!!

I'm posting some of the pics I've taken at my bird feeders for Jen's benefit. I think the first one is of a house wren - I know, pretty boring, but I never seem to catch the fun birds... If you look carefully at the second (you probably have to click on the pic to get a bigger view) you can see a variety of birds in the tree including the house finch that builds a nest in my hanging flower basket every year in front of the house. I think I may need to find a decorative birdhouse or basket just for the bird family this spring. The third one is a mocking bird. It was odd to see this one at this feeder - I usually see the wrens and woodpeckers at this one. The mocking bird can be often seen at the green feeder at the front of the house. The last picture shows one of the resident cardinals at the feeder and you can see the female in the tree close by. Enjoy Jen!!

I'm still here...

Well, it's been ages since I last posted something... It's been busy, but I should be used to that by now, right? I wonder if I'll ever get used to the business that is my life these days...

We took an extended weekend trip to Hot Springs to visit some friends. It was wonderful to visit with them. I would love to live closer to them, but then we wouldn't have a fun place to visit, right? We did some shopping, hanging out, visiting, the usual thing. There's only so much you can do in two days.

Adam and I had our last visit with our Parents as Teachers educator last week. Amy's not getting rid of me so easily, though. She's not only been a great educator, but she's become a friend. She used to scrapbook, but hasn't in a long time. I'm planning on getting her started again. I made a set of cards for her as a small thank you gift. I was really struggling for inspiration when I was working on them. I don't know why, but I just couldn't seem to pull it together that night. Of course, she's much more girly than I (and she has two daughters rather than two sons) and I had no pink embellishments to put on the cards - not even any pink ribbon. See, I recently cleaned out my stash and thought "why would I need a bunch of pink ribbon?" and so I gave it away... I managed, though. I wish I had scanned the cards, but the scanner's not hooked up and by the time I was done, I was exhausted.

I'm managing to work out at least a couple of times a week. I need to increase that to 4 or 5 days a week. When it gets warmer, I can start running outside again, so I won't be tied to the gym. For some reason, I have no problem getting up at 6 am and going for a run, but I can't get up to go to the gym at that hour.

I've been couch shopping. Of course, the couch that hubby and I can agree on is outrageously priced - $2400 and it's not even leather! That doesn't include the ottoman either. It's a good manufacturer, but I can't figure out why the newer conversational sofas (they're curved) have to be so much more expensive than traditional sofas. I'm just venting - I'm frustrated.

I was bad at Hobby Lobby on Monday. They're having a paper sale this week and I went to pick up some cardstock and ended up with a bunch of additional paper, rubons (which were also on sale) and a Sarabinder which was on clearance. I think I'm going to try to create something tonight - I've got a bunch of new stuff to play with and it's still actually pretty early tonight. I'll post if I'm successful. ;-)

And we have snow!!

Yes, I'm so happy - we actually have snow! I'm one of those weird people who like the white stuff. School was cancelled today, so the boys are both home. It was still just raining this morning at 6:30 - I should have gone to work out then, but I got lazy. Lee's working from home today, so I could have had the time to get a good workout in... I did shovel the entire driveway, though. That must count for something. We were very lucky - the changeover from rain to snow was very quick in our immediate area, so there's only a little ice under the snow on the driveway. I haven't driven anywhere today, so I have no idea of what the roads are like... The boys came out with me, but we didn't go sledding today. They got a little discouraged when they realized that the snow didn't stick enough to make snowballs or snowmen.

The bird feeder's been busier than a McDonald's today. I filled it this morning and the birds haven't stopped. I've seen an amazing variety as well - finches, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, doves to name just a few. Every time I glance out the window, there's a different batch of birds out there. The cat's been at the window all day just staring at the feeders, lol!

I need to get another bird feeder to put out where I can see it from my office. I've got a beautiful window and can see a good portion of the back yard. I'm looking forward to spring when I can put in plantings around the new patio. I love the winter with all the snow, but I'm really looking forward to watching my gardens bloom and grow. I'm so glad that I live in an area that has 4 full seasons - I love the changes.

I'm back?

Well, at least I think I'm back. ;-) I had a good visit with my parents. It was nice to be able to just sit around and chat - not something I get to do often with them. My Mom is doing much better. I saw improvement each day I was there, which was really good to see. I left their house on Tuesday morning, expecting to stop by my brother's house and head home. The weather and my car had different ideas.

I had to take the Mustang, since the boys were staying home with Lee and the car seat doesn't get along well with the Mustang. Unfortunately, the Mustang doesn't get along with snow and it was snowing Tuesday. I could barely keep the *%*$&^** car on the road on the way to my brother's house. Luckily, they didn't mind me spending the night with them. I got to visit with my nephew as well. He was very excited to show me his room and we watched a movie together. I also had a wonderful visit with my sister-in-law - we had all afternoon to ourselves. Overall, it was a really fun afternoon and evening. Until around 10 or so. That's when the water pipe burst and flooded the basement (did I mention that it was cold?). So, I helped clean up the basement and got more visiting in with my brother. I wouldn't wish burst pipes on anyone, but I'm glad I got the time with my brother. It had been too long since we had time to visit and catch up. I usually stay with my other brother when we head up because our boys are closer in age and they've got more space. I guess this was God's way of making me take the time to catch up. I'm glad that I had the chance.

I've been catching up on housework and life in general since coming back. Tomorrow, I'm heading over to my friend Tammy's house to scrapbook with a group of friends. I'm really looking forward to it - I just have to figure out what to pack...

Oh! Almost forgot to mention it - Adam's MRI came back just fine. The ortho is recommending some physical therapy to see if we can alleviate the problem. I'm so relieved.

Hello from Chicago!

All I can say is BRRRRRRRR!!!! It is COLD!! I doubt it ever got out of the single digits here today - and that's not counting the windchill. I had to get gas and by the time I finished, I couldn't feel my face today.

Adam's MRI went well - he was nervous, but he had a great nurse who kept him distracted until it was time to put him under. He wasn't quite as happy coming out of anesthesia, but he woke up quickly. He never even knew that he had an IV - just wondered why he had a big bandaid on his hand. We'll be finding out the results in a day or two.

My Mom is doing ok. She's got some pain and her sciatica's acting up. I've been having a good visit with both my parents. I had lunch with one of my old college roommates. It was great to see her and she and her husband live pretty close to my parents now. It had been way too long since we'd seen each other. Two of my brothers came down today for a short visit as well.

Nervous Mama

Well, tomorrow is the MRI and I'm a bit nervous. I think of Adam as my little guy and having to sedate him is making me uneasy. Now, I know things are going to go well, but I keep thinking that he's so little to have to go through this. I'm probably babying him too much on other stuff as I reflect on my feelings about this. Matt was about the same age as Adam is now when he was hospitalized for almost a week. He had an IV and I didn't keep thinking that he was just too little for this... Of course, I was worried about other things at the time. I really tend to expect a lot out of Matt and I'm wondering if I let Adam get away with too much because I think of him as being so young. I just hope that this doesn't scare Adam so much that he won't be able to get past it. I don't want him to be afraid of hospitals and doctors as he grows older. One of my nephews had a traumatic experience when he was about the same age - he fell on his face and hurt his nose. He was too young for a broken nose (it was still almost all soft cartilage at the time), but the ER experience has made him extremely reluctant to go to the doctor for anything...

Musings

I wonder if once one is put into a purely bureaucratic position if one is required to loose all common sense. I scheduled Adam's sedated MRI last week, but they were only scheduling them for 2 pm. Then, they tell me that he can't eat anything for 8 hours prior to that. Huh?? That would mean that Adam wouldn't get breakfast, snack or lunch the day of the MRI. I complained up a storm. Turns out that it's a new scheduling policy and many departments are unhappy about it. I got it changed for Friday morning, so I just get Adam up and out the door for the MRI. Some manager thought it would make sense to schedule the little kids in the afternoon... Good thing I didn't get to talk that person. The person who got to reschedule my appointment actually thanked me for complaining about this...

I've decided that Lee has no patience once he decides that he wants to do something. He just about cried when I told him that I went and ordered the entertainment center that we wanted and that it would take 8 to 10 weeks to get here. He wanted it all here in a week or two at most, since he's picked out the tv that he wants... Now if we could only agree on seating for the basement. He found this pit group that just has "man furniture" written all over it, lol! Recliners everywhere (which is ok as long as it doesn't look like a recliner, lol), cubbies for storage (more junk to clean out for me), a massage chair, maybe there was even a cooler, I can't remember. He thought it was cool, but didn't really want to get it (I think). The boys loved it too - they were fighting over the controls to the massage chair. We'll get there, but we need to do more shopping and we're having a hard time finding time to do it.

I'm heading up to Chicagoland this weekend to visit my parents. My Mom had surgery Monday and I'm going up to help out as much as I can. Lee's staying home with the boys. I'll be gone Monday and Tuesday of next week as well - Lee will get plenty of quality time with the boys and I'll get a much needed break from them. Hopefully, they'll behave for him with regards to school, getting up, etc...

The MRI that wasn't

Well, we went to get the MRI done and Adam was just too scared. I got him to lie down and we were ready to move him into the scanner part, but he was just too afraid. I don't blame him, though. That machine is pretty intimidating. I guess we'll have to reschedule and have him sedated. I was really hoping that we wouldn't have to, but that's life.

I heard from an old, old, old friend of mine today! We were really good friends in college (ummmm over 15 years ago) and we've just been exchanging Christmas cards over the years. I didn't have his or his wife's e-mail or phone number, he didn't have ours... You know, all those excuses we all use when we drop the ball with friends. It sure made me feel great to hear from him again. Hopefully, we'll do better at keeping in touch this time around.

Matt said that his testing was fun today - he even enjoyed taking his IQ test, lol! He likes things that make him think and allow him to be creative in his solutions. We'll see how things go. Adam was dancing around the family room again this morning. This time it was to the Rolling Stones. I think Lee got tired of my Hip Hop cd and gave Adam the Stones instead. He was so cute - he even asked me to dance with him. I can't remember the last time someone asked me to dance, lol! It's been a while since I've been to a wedding, which is usually the only place I can get Lee to dance...

Oh, and I still haven't found that picture that I've been looking for. I've put that layout to the side because I really want that pic for it. I might find it someday...

Stuff...

Well, I seem to be keeping busy and mostly off the computer with misc. stuff. Last week was Matt's first Pinewood Derby. He and Lee worked on his car together and it turned out pretty neat. Matt was more concerned about how it looked than how it worked, lol! At least until the race itself. I was a bit disappointed - his car was pretty slow. It turns out that one of the wheels was rubbing on the body of the car itself and really dragging it down. Lesson learned - we'll do better next year. All the Tiger Cubs got a trophy, so Matt left happy. :-) Adam loved watching all the cars race, too. He's been telling everyone about it since.

Matt's being tested for participation in the Gifted program at school. My fil is dead set against Matt being part of the program. That's partly because one of his wife's sons was considered gifted and then has had some major problems in life. I've never heard anything but fantastic things about the gifted program in our school district. Everyone I've talked to has had amazing things to say about it. There's always the argument of not labeling a child as "gifted", but that's already being done to an extent. When I asked Matt if he was interested in going into this program he said "Sure. It's where all the smart kids go and I'm smart." To me, it already seems like he's labeled and he knows it.

Adam is going in for an MRI of his full spine tomorrow. He's been complaining about back pain since November or so and we haven't been able to figure out what it is so far. His pediatrician ran blood tests and took x-rays and both came back fine. We saw an orthopedist who ordered the MRI. She couldn't see anything in the x-ray, either. Because Adam was so cooperative during his exam with the orthopedist, we're going to try a non-sedated scan. I'm not sure how that will go - a full spine MRI takes an hour and a half, not to mention all the noise that goes along with it.

Matt's home from school and Adam's up from his nap - quiet time is over for me. :-)

Missing pic?

Ever spend the day looking for a pic that you just can't find? I'm working on a layout of some pics that I had of Adam with me and Tasha (our cat). While I was working on this, I swear I remembered a pic of Mickey (another cat) on the couch right next to Adam when he as just a newborn. Mickey died just a month after Adam was born. I thought it would be a perfect pic to include, but I have searched through all the stashes I can think of and just can't find the pic. This pic was very unusual, too, since both cats avoided Matt when he was a baby (as well as when he was older). It was just very strange that Mickey, or Tasha for that matter, would voluntarily lie down right next to a new baby. I've even dug through the old negatives and still can't find the pic. Now I'm beginning to think that I'm imagining the picture. I can even see the outfit that Adam was wearing in it.

Ugh!!

Ok, I was going to post all about my miserable afternoon, but it's too depressing. It's been one of those days that makes you feel like a terrible parent. Thank goodness that the boys are finally in bed. I was ready to call Lee and tell him that we're going to start looking at daycares and I was going back to work full time.

Anyway, I ordered some cubes for my scrap stuff - they'll be arriving Tuesday of next week (if they're not delayed by weather). Here's a link: http://www.organize-everything.com/whmocu.html We'll see how it works and if it's durable.

I renewed my membership at the gym this week! I'm so excited - I love working out. I went yesterday and felt great. I went back today and tried a new machine - a wave something or other. Boy, did that ever hurt!! It's like skating or rollerblading uphill. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I want to get back into shape so I can run this spring and summer. It's so nice that this gym has a babysitting service and Adam likes it. :-)

We're facing another ice storm tonight continuing through the entire weekend. It's raining pretty steadily right now and the sidewalks and driveway are only wet for now. However, the trees are already freezing. We're right on the edge of the bad stuff, though. It might not be as bad as last time. It's going to be ugly, though. Freezing rain all weekend and then really cold temps next week. This ice will be around for a long time. If you don't hear from me, it's probably because we've lost power. Keep us in your thoughts.

Harlem Globetrotters

Matt and I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters last night with his cub scout pack. It was a lot of fun and we both enjoyed the show. Lee was supposed to take Matt, but accidentally scheduled a trip to Atlanta on the same day. I tried to take pictures, but nothing worked with the camera. When I had the flash on, the flash wasn't strong enough (big surprise) and when I turned the flash off, the camera was too slow and all the pics came out streaky. :-( DH was going to get me a digital rebel for Christmas, but I asked him to hold off for a while yet - we've had too many big expenses lately. Maybe for my birthday.

Speaking of expenses, Lee wants to buy (of all things) a paddle boat. I'm not sure where he got this wild idea from, but I personally think it's a bit off the wall, lol! I think he's looking for a fun way to get some exercise, but this just isn't practical if you ask me. He gets home from work at 6 (if not later) and the boys go to bed by 8 and we have to eat dinner in that time as well. We don't live on a lake, so he'd have to transport it somewhere, get it in the water, etc... He told my brother about it and he thinks it's an odd idea as well (guess the opinion runs in the family, lol). I would probably think a whole lot differently if we lived on a little lake or something, but not as things stand now. And he hasn't elaborated on why he thinks this is a good idea, either.

I'm still searching for what to do in my office for my scrap stuff. I'm seriously considering using cabinets and counter top, but that gets pretty pricey (of course, I want the expensive stuff). I just haven't found any sort of desk that would have the type of storage I want...

My new office!

Finally!! A picture for everyone to see - can you believe it?? Here are a couple of pictures of my office and desk. The second picture is there primarily so that you can see what the ceiling looks like. I really love the way the plank ceiling turned out - it looks fantastic irl. The floor is great as well. I'm looking forward to officially moving all my scrap stuff, but first I have to go through and donate or sell a bunch. I am planning on keeping this office neat and I can't do that when I've got a ton of stuff I don't need or use.

A whole houseful...

Of sick people. All four of us have strep throat. I talked to my brother and all four of them have it as well. Nothing like sharing over the holidays. I'm not feeling great, but I'm on my feet. Lee's doing better than I am. Matt was in really rough shape today and Adam's not showing any symptoms, but tested positive. I wonder how long the strep bacteria can live on surfaces... All the doctors said that we'll be contagious until we've been on antibiotics. I guess I'll have to start disinfecting everything tomorrow.

On a happier note, I'm partially moved into my new office/scrap room. My computer and bill paying stuff is down here, but all my scrap stuff is still upstairs. I have nothing to hold it all in yet. I need to decide on a system soon. I'm considering a cube system, but those don't look as nice as I would like. My new desk is fantastic - I'll post a pic of it tonight after I get the boys to bed.