If you were to look at Witchlet on vacation, you would think she was just hanging out at home. Seriously. She spent the majority of her vacation reading and read 3 books over the week that we were here in Sweden.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Witchlet on Vacation
If you were to look at Witchlet on vacation, you would think she was just hanging out at home. Seriously. She spent the majority of her vacation reading and read 3 books over the week that we were here in Sweden.
I really meant to post!
I really meant to post while I was on vacation, but I was so busy. A short trip to Sweden means very little downtime. This was not ideal for me. Ideal would be a longer trip with some rest days. Also some breaks in the day too. I am really worried that this trip has derailed the potty training efforts we had made with Butterfly. She potty chair they had would be a great size for someone trying to EC with an infant. She did not fit on it well and refused to use it. So lots of accidents during this trip.
So .. today there will be MANY posts to cover our trip to Sweden. Better late than never right?
So .. today there will be MANY posts to cover our trip to Sweden. Better late than never right?
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Flying, Airports, and Children
What can I say about the flight .. it was long. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Security there was not too difficult. I did forget to take Butterfly's juice out of my carry on which caused them to do an extra check on that but it was not a huge deal. Had dinner at a restaurant there and then went to our gate. Without too much drama we were able to find out what to do with the stroller we planned to gate check. Then we were on the plane and settled. The Butterfly began with "are we moving yet?" and "are we there yet?" Other than this she watched Disney shows on the plane tv which each lasted 22 minutes and I had to start a new show for her each time. When the plane descended this caused Butterfly a lot of ear pain. She screamed quite a bit. This was NOT fun.
Next we had to get through Immigration and security in Amsterdam. Immigration was quite easy. The agent looked at passports and compared our pics to us and stamped our books and that was it. Security was not so easy. Again we had the issues with Butterfly's juice. Eventually it was allowed but I would like to try and find something smaller here because they said it was actually illegal. Then Goobie-kins has walked off. Very scary when you are in a country where they mostly speak a language that you do not understand. One more flight, much shorter than the first, but again the screaming upon descent.
All this time poor Butterfly did not go to the bathroom. She pretty much refuses to do this when away from home. We were stuck in traffic going to my in-laws home from the airport and she really had to go and started to cry. I had her in a pull up and thought it would be ok to just go, so I told her that it would be ok if she could not make it home, but as it turned out, she soaked everything.
Once "home", we had a small fika. To learn more about fika, see this post from our last trip to Sweden. http://chaosismyreality.blogspot.se/2008/08/swedish-tradistions-krftskiva-and-fika.html After fika, I went to sleep for 11 hours. This actually helped immensely with handling the time difference.
So this is how our vacation has started .. it has to get better from there, right?
Next we had to get through Immigration and security in Amsterdam. Immigration was quite easy. The agent looked at passports and compared our pics to us and stamped our books and that was it. Security was not so easy. Again we had the issues with Butterfly's juice. Eventually it was allowed but I would like to try and find something smaller here because they said it was actually illegal. Then Goobie-kins has walked off. Very scary when you are in a country where they mostly speak a language that you do not understand. One more flight, much shorter than the first, but again the screaming upon descent.
All this time poor Butterfly did not go to the bathroom. She pretty much refuses to do this when away from home. We were stuck in traffic going to my in-laws home from the airport and she really had to go and started to cry. I had her in a pull up and thought it would be ok to just go, so I told her that it would be ok if she could not make it home, but as it turned out, she soaked everything.
Once "home", we had a small fika. To learn more about fika, see this post from our last trip to Sweden. http://chaosismyreality.blogspot.se/2008/08/swedish-tradistions-krftskiva-and-fika.html After fika, I went to sleep for 11 hours. This actually helped immensely with handling the time difference.
So this is how our vacation has started .. it has to get better from there, right?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
We're Going on a Trip
Do you have a child between the ages of 3 and 6? Maybe a lil younger, or a lil older? Does my title make you hear that song?
I am getting really nervous. We are flying overseas with the kids. We have done this before but Butterfly was only 1 then. Now she is telling me that airplanes are scary. I really hope this goes well. At least I do not have to worry about my home .. a wonderful friend of our family will be taking care of everything here.
I am getting really nervous. We are flying overseas with the kids. We have done this before but Butterfly was only 1 then. Now she is telling me that airplanes are scary. I really hope this goes well. At least I do not have to worry about my home .. a wonderful friend of our family will be taking care of everything here.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Going shopping!
Shopping is one of those things I dread doing with Butterfly. I try to not do this. EVER. Still, once in awhile it must be done for one reason or another. Today I needed to take her with me because one of my stops was to get her some shoes. Unfortunately, our mall is an outdoor mall. Usually I like this. Today with torrential downpours, taking Butterfly from store to store was NOT fun.
It was pouring. We were getting drenched and she was refusing to even move. She wanted the rain to stop first. She was crying because she was getting rained on and yet not wanting to move so that we could get her out of the rain. Eventually Witchlet and I got her inside a store, but by then there was not a dry spot on any of us.
It was pouring. We were getting drenched and she was refusing to even move. She wanted the rain to stop first. She was crying because she was getting rained on and yet not wanting to move so that we could get her out of the rain. Eventually Witchlet and I got her inside a store, but by then there was not a dry spot on any of us.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Happy Father's Day
Today is Father's Day and I think our plans are to just stay home. I will cook a nice dinner for my husband, but otherwise it will be like most other Sundays in our home.
Usually I would go and see my dad on Father's Day, but this year is different since he has moved out of state. I cannot just get in my car and go. Instead, later this afternoon, I will pick up the phone and give him a call.
It can be hard when family members move away, especially on days like today. Traditions that you are used to can no longer be followed. New traditions can be made though. That is what we will have to do.
Usually I would go and see my dad on Father's Day, but this year is different since he has moved out of state. I cannot just get in my car and go. Instead, later this afternoon, I will pick up the phone and give him a call.
It can be hard when family members move away, especially on days like today. Traditions that you are used to can no longer be followed. New traditions can be made though. That is what we will have to do.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Living with Butterfly
It has been so long since I have posted anything here. So much has changed in that time. And so much has not.
Butterfly has turned 5. Where has the time gone? The time has gone so fast, which is odd considering some days, actually a lot of days, feel painfully slow. Butterfly has recently been diagnosed with autism. She is still the same little girl. Still adorable and lovable. Just now we know why some things have been so hard. Things like potty training .. which she still has not mastered. We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a long road ahead with that one. I would love for her to be fully potty trained before she starts Kindergarten in the fall.
This is just one of many examples of the challenges that parents of children with autism have to face. Children with autism often have problems with their senses. Everything is too hot or too cold, or too loud or quiet. Too bumpy. Not the right color. What will cause the next meltdown? That is about as predictable as a tornado. Speaking of tornadoes, Butterfly is like a human tornado. I once thought all small children were like that, but I must admit that Witchlet and Goobie-Kins did NOT prepare me for Butterfly. Nothing could have prepared me for Butterfly.
That isn't to say her autism is all bad. She has a form of it that gives her an incredible memory. She can spell/read at possibly a late 1st grade/ early 2nd grade level. She can add and subtract. She can multiply the facts that she has memorized. All before Kindergarten. It is a wonderful feeling when she reads to me. The hard part is the realization that though she reads, she isn't comprehending.
It is a long journey ahead of us. There will be many ups and downs. Of this I am sure. Still I know that someday, she will understand. She may be living with autism, but it won't stop her. After all, a Butterfly is meant to fly.
Butterfly has turned 5. Where has the time gone? The time has gone so fast, which is odd considering some days, actually a lot of days, feel painfully slow. Butterfly has recently been diagnosed with autism. She is still the same little girl. Still adorable and lovable. Just now we know why some things have been so hard. Things like potty training .. which she still has not mastered. We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a long road ahead with that one. I would love for her to be fully potty trained before she starts Kindergarten in the fall.
This is just one of many examples of the challenges that parents of children with autism have to face. Children with autism often have problems with their senses. Everything is too hot or too cold, or too loud or quiet. Too bumpy. Not the right color. What will cause the next meltdown? That is about as predictable as a tornado. Speaking of tornadoes, Butterfly is like a human tornado. I once thought all small children were like that, but I must admit that Witchlet and Goobie-Kins did NOT prepare me for Butterfly. Nothing could have prepared me for Butterfly.
That isn't to say her autism is all bad. She has a form of it that gives her an incredible memory. She can spell/read at possibly a late 1st grade/ early 2nd grade level. She can add and subtract. She can multiply the facts that she has memorized. All before Kindergarten. It is a wonderful feeling when she reads to me. The hard part is the realization that though she reads, she isn't comprehending.
It is a long journey ahead of us. There will be many ups and downs. Of this I am sure. Still I know that someday, she will understand. She may be living with autism, but it won't stop her. After all, a Butterfly is meant to fly.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Why I walk
Almost every year, I walk in the March of Dimes annual fundraising event. This used to be called Walk America. When I first started walking it was just something to do. I did not know how important this cause really was .. until my first child was born. When Witchlet was rushed to the NICU, I was frightened. Thankfully, her stay was brief. From that point forward, I have been a faithful supporter of the March of Dimes. 10 years later, my youngest child, Butterfly was also rushed off to the NICU. Both of my girls are healthy now, but so many babies aren't. So again this year I will walk .. and next year too.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Goobie's Afterschool Snack
Real conversation between me and Goobie-kins:
Me: Goobie, what are you getting into.
Goobie: A snack.
Me: What snack?
Goobie: Tostidos scoopy thingies. (He gets that word from my husband)
Me: Don't eat a lot of that junk. (I don't normally buy this stuff .. it was for a party .. this is leftover)
Goobie: It's not junk, I am putting cheese on it.
Me: That doesn't make it not junk, that makes it junk with cheese on top!
Me: Goobie, what are you getting into.
Goobie: A snack.
Me: What snack?
Goobie: Tostidos scoopy thingies. (He gets that word from my husband)
Me: Don't eat a lot of that junk. (I don't normally buy this stuff .. it was for a party .. this is leftover)
Goobie: It's not junk, I am putting cheese on it.
Me: That doesn't make it not junk, that makes it junk with cheese on top!
The Forgotten Blog
I keep forgetting to blog! I really do not mean to forget. So what does a typical day for me look like?
I wake up and try to eat, but Butterfly always tries to take my food unless she is downstairs with her daddy. I do what I can online in the morning while also derailing all of Butterflies attempts to kill herself. What is it about toddlers that they will always find the most dangerous object in a situation? Seriously, you can put a toddler in a swimming pool full of foam cubes (Butterfly likes to play in one of these foam pits at gymnastics) drop a single vicodin in there and guarantee that said toddler will find it.
Anyway after lunch is naptime and I could probably blog then, but half the time I need a nap too and the other half I try to do things to work on my business or work towards getting Witchlet enrolled in virtual academy. Almost done with that last task ... and that will of course mean no more naps for me. I will need to be devoting 5-6 hours a day to teaching Witchlet. Goobie-kins will still go to school. I am only planning on this for the remainder of this school year. She is just on different levels for every subject and it is not working out well for her to be taught at the same level for each subject. It seems she will do better with this in Junior High and High School where she changes classes for each subject and we can sign her up for classes based on strengths and weaknesses. We are actually going to start her doing 5th grade math and 5th grade spelling words and try everything else at the 6th grade level. She must achieve an 80% on the test to go to the next subject so the system automatically ensures that she is learning something before moving on. It will be interesting that is for sure. I will try and keep everyone updated on how it goes.
I wake up and try to eat, but Butterfly always tries to take my food unless she is downstairs with her daddy. I do what I can online in the morning while also derailing all of Butterflies attempts to kill herself. What is it about toddlers that they will always find the most dangerous object in a situation? Seriously, you can put a toddler in a swimming pool full of foam cubes (Butterfly likes to play in one of these foam pits at gymnastics) drop a single vicodin in there and guarantee that said toddler will find it.
Anyway after lunch is naptime and I could probably blog then, but half the time I need a nap too and the other half I try to do things to work on my business or work towards getting Witchlet enrolled in virtual academy. Almost done with that last task ... and that will of course mean no more naps for me. I will need to be devoting 5-6 hours a day to teaching Witchlet. Goobie-kins will still go to school. I am only planning on this for the remainder of this school year. She is just on different levels for every subject and it is not working out well for her to be taught at the same level for each subject. It seems she will do better with this in Junior High and High School where she changes classes for each subject and we can sign her up for classes based on strengths and weaknesses. We are actually going to start her doing 5th grade math and 5th grade spelling words and try everything else at the 6th grade level. She must achieve an 80% on the test to go to the next subject so the system automatically ensures that she is learning something before moving on. It will be interesting that is for sure. I will try and keep everyone updated on how it goes.
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