A little boost :)

When I was at work today I was commenting to Jenny that I had noticed a big drop in Henry's enthusiasm lately. He's guessing at answers, making up answers, and just not trying. It's so frustrating, especially when I KNOW that he is capable of so much more (man, what parent/Teacher hasn't said that!?). We discussed the possible reasons for awhile, and decided to increase his iron, and start giving his fish oils again. And I'm going to take him out more, rather than keep him at the table so much. Yay, Fun! I was wondering if the new programs + learning every day + new teaching strategies have tossed him for a loop, and tired him out.

So then, after we figured all that out, Jenny gave me a great boost. She said that her and Scott (dad) had both noticed that Henry is more conversational with me then anyone else they know. Including family that he see frequently...including his own parents. I was so shocked to hear that. He is a chatty kid at times, but I don't get to see him around others very often. But then, when I got to thinking about it, I had to admit that it's probably true. I'm often surprised that a story Henry told me a couple hours before loses about 75-90% of it's steam when he tells it to someone else. Like today, he was telling me about how he went somewhere with a friend this weekend, they walked horses and got to pet a donkey, and then when he was walking away, the donkey started braying(LOL, not his word!!), because the donkey didn't want him to leave! So funny. But then, when I dropped him off at school this weekend, the only part of the story I could coax out of him for his EA was that the donkey didn't want him to leave.

Anyway, it was a nice boost that I could take a boy from wanting to scratch my face off, from telling me I was too Expensive and needed to leave, to being willing to tell me so much about his world.

I'm on top of the world today :)

~Lisa~

7 Things about me!

1. I'm thinking of getting a tummy tuck! Seriously. Al and I were talking about it the other day, and when our loan is paid off, I'm really thinking of using that money to get a tummy tuck. There's no way diet and exercise are ever going to fix it, my c-section belly hang-over is crooked, and I am REALLY self conscious about it. I hate it. Hate.

2. I've never been able to BBQ very well. I think I must always try to rush it. But! This season, the skill seems to have come over me. I made chicken the other night on the grill....And it tasted GOOD! Not over cooked!! Not as good as Al's always is, but in my defence, I was also watching all three kids in the back yard while trying not to ruin yet another dinner on the BBQ! I'm so proud of myself!!

3. I've lost a grand total of 13 pounds!! only 3 more pounds and Jenny has to babysit for me!!! Which actual makes me a little nervous, because dude, Mason can be a Brute, and I am terrified of coming home to find him still awake, and Jenny losing her hair :) But, I'll try not to think of that, and enjoy my night OUT!

4. I hate being in a room without a clock. I swear I have some kind of tic when I don't have the option of looking up to see what time it is. Am I crazy? Don't answer that.

5. I also have a little bit of OCD when it comes to doing the dishes. I like to wash them in a certain order, and stack them in a certain order. Al laughs at me. He also thinks it's Hilarious to throw things into the sink out of order, just to annoy me. It transfers to the dishwasher too. I like that loaded a certain way, and will actual change the placement of things if Al has done it 'wrong'. Although, this isn't an option right now...because my dishwasher is broken :(

6. I have a favourite child. I'm not going to say who, because it's possible that it may change one day, but it's true. I feel guilty about it though. Very guilty.

7. I hate my hair. All the hair on my body. The hair on my head can't decide if it's curly or straight. the hair on my chin keeps getting dark. The hair under my arms is a b---ch to shave. And the hair on my legs is Very dark, Very thick and grows in Super fast. I hate it all :)

So, there you go. 7 things you may or may not have known about me. 7 things you maybe didn't ever want to know but HAHA! now you do. Tag to anyone that hasn't done this yet!!

Lisa

Outside fun!

I think we saw more of our back yard than the inside of the house all weekend. It was so awesome out there! I even managed to snap a few good pics of the kids! The one of Jenna is Amazing at its full size :) I don't know what caused that bright spot on the side though :( and I wish her hat wasn't coming apart right in the front like that. I really need Photoshop...and some lessons on how to use it :) Doesn't Mason look like he's totally up to no good!? He was. He climbed the ladder up to the monkey bars, and then let go :( that was pretty awful :( But he's okay, and climbed the ladder again shortly after. He'll be the one I spend a lot of time in the ER with, getting stitches and casts :) I could barely get Aidan to look up from the sandbox to get his picture :) He's such a busy kid :) Anyway, enjoy :)! I do!!

~Lisa~

OH what a day...and night :)

I had quite the day yesterday!

I started out by rushing around in the morning to get the house cleaned up and then raced out the door to make my 9:30AM appointment to donate blood. I got there in good time, and relaxed. Here's where I provide you with a very helpful public service announcement. Never ever rush before you're about to donate blood. ever. Because what will happen is this, you'll get there, and you'll get through the screening process, then climb into the big cushy chair, and relax. Your body will slow down in such a hurray, that it will forget to stop slowing down. Which results in cold sweats, nauseousness, dizzyness and a tendancy to lose focus. Luckily, as I started feeling like that, I took a few deep breaths and got everything to settle long enough to get the whole litre out! YAY! 3 lives saved :) As the nurse was coming over to look at my progress and tell me that I was done, she looked up at me and asked if I was okay. I said i didn't think so, heard her say she needed help, and then everything went a little grey for a moment. SO scary!! I have NEVER passed out in my whole life. Ever! Luckily the nurses were AWESOME! They wiped me down with cool cloths, and got a fan on me right away. It was only a few minutes before I felt like myself again. But wow. I do NOT want to feel like that again!

Luckily the day got better from there! My Dad and step-mom came over to meet with yet another window company. Good news!! We're Finally getting new windows!!!!!! How excited am I!! All new windows upstairs! Right now the windows are wood frames, totally falling apart and with an R factor of about -98. Not good. :) The house is going to look so pretty when we're done :) I bet Al and I stand at the windows feeling for air leaks for days after they're installed :) Al says it's going to be so quiet in here that we won't be able to sleep :) I might even forget about my plan to give the nieghbours yappy dog a poison steak for barking all damn night! Just kidding...i would never!

After my Dad left, we went down to the back yard to have a BBQ with our tenant and his fiancee! I'm liking them more and more. I think because they remind me so much of Al and I when we were just starting out :) And they're totally sarcastic and teasers like me :)

After dinner we sat around and gabbed for awhile and laughed at Aidan as he pretended to be Spiderman and hung from my lilac bush :) Karen came over and invited C and I for drinks later. So I hurried and put the kids to bed and off we went :) Man...I laughed SO hard the whole time we were there. Especially as I tried to explain over and over what my attraction to House was about. I don't think they got me...but whatever, I'm still in lust with him :) I had way too much drink, and an awesome time. And decided C is totally awesome :) I'm not the best at making new friends, but this was just easy :) She's great. And so close! :)

So that was my Saturday :) Pretty awesome. Hope yours was too!

~Lisa~

I need an idea...

So, on the mornings that I can't walk Jenna to school, her best friend's mom walks her. I drop Jenna off about 20 minutes before school starts, and D makes sure she's safe and entertained. We've had this arraginement for nearly the entire school year. It's awesome for me, and I love D. She's a great Mom, and just one of those people you know understands just what life is really like. I've offered to pay her for her time and energy etc. a few times, but she always flat out refuses.

So, I was thinking, that with the end of the year coming up, I'd love to give her a gift. But I haven't a Clue as to what kind of gift would be appropriate for this. I don't know her on a level where I would know many of her interests, music/movie/book tastes. I DO know that she likes to cook and bake. I know that she's an early to bed early to rise kind of person, and that because of an illness she has, she often has days where it's hard to get going, and she tires easily.

She has three incredible kids, whom I know she loves to bits, and a husband who works out of town and is often away most of the week.

I really want to do something for HER. I've offered to watch her kids any time she needs me to, but her oldest is 11, and is the most responsible 11 year old I know, and is very capable of watching her siblings. I was thinking of taking over a meal...but it doesn't seem like enough. Then I considered doing up a basket for a family movie night, with a Blockbuster gift card, popcorn, candy, the whole shabang...but I don't know if it's enough for HER. I could get movie theatre tickets for her and her husband, and free babysitting...but again, I know she goes to bed really early, and she's said before that when her and S were dating, she used to fall asleep at the movies. So, maybe not right?

I considered a spa card, but some people aren't really into that...and with her illness, I worry that she could have allergies, and wouldn't be able to have the creams and lotions used at the spa. So, out goes that AND the bubble bath gift basket idea too.

She said yesterday that she would LOVE to have a housekeeper (God, wouldn't we all!?) So I thought it might be cool to get her one for a month or something...but would that be like saying her house is a disaster (It's soooo not!!!)??

See my dilemma? What do I get D?! I need to say thank you in the kindest most thoughtful way, and my brain can't get past the basics :(

Help me out here!? Please? And Thank you in the kindest most thoughtful way :)

~Lisa~

Look what we made!!

I was so sick and tired of my closet being crammed with clothes. There was just one metal bar going from end to end and a shelve. Just your average closet. I wanted MORE! So, I drew out a picture for Al of what it was that I really wanted in our closet, and he made it the next day!! and it ROCKS!!!! No more shoving Al's stuff out of the way to get to my things, no more losing my pants in the mess. Just pure, organized bliss :) I LOVE IT!! I know it's a little hard to see from the picture, but there are a lot of clothes packed in there...the closet extends another almost 2 feet each side past the doors :)

I think I'm going to find a couple new laundry baskets to put on the floor in there, so I can get that mess out of my living space too! WOW! I am Just on a ROLL!

Just had to share, and brag about how handy my husband is :)

~Lisa~

Tough Love

I hate tough love. I hate being the Mommy sometimes. I hate needing to bring out my inner hard-ass. Blah. Hate.

Jenna is entering her "I'm-almost-6-and-I-am-the-princess-of-this-house,-and-my-mother-is-quickly-losing-all-of-her-intelligence-thereby-making-me-the-boss-of-the-world" Stage. How I loved that stage when I was almost 6. How I Loathe it at 27.

I swear, she tries my patience over everything! Unless someone else is watching. It's time to get dressed, Oh no! She didn't WANT That Shirt! Heavens no!! But!! Take her to the baby-sitters and she's an angel! Time to eat, stop talking, What!? I'm sure she couldn't hear me because she Won't Stop TALKING! BUT!! Take her to the store, and she's helping get the groceries, and suggesting menus for the week if she thinks someone might be listening to her! Have someone over for Dinner? She's setting the table and handing out napkins. Get her into her car seat, and she's a whiny brat because Aidan got to the seat she wanted first.

What on earth happened to my sweet as pie, take her anywhere, princess that I was once so proud of!? Where do they learn this Attitude from!?

She's currently up in her room, cleaning it from top to bottom because she was trying to take an hour to get her boots and coat on so we could all go to Wal-Mart. Al asked her about 20 minutes before he and I started getting ready to go to get her things on. Then he asked her again. Then I told Aidan to go get ready to go to Wal-Mart. He did. He got his coat, boots, hat and mits on in the time it took Jenna to get on one shoe. A shoe! AFTER I had told her to get her boots on. The came the melt down. The straw that broke this mommy's back. So I finally gave up...or maybe this time I didn't give up. I took my coat off, stopped butting on my boots, and told her we were staying. And then Al informed her of her room cleaning punishment, and an early bed time. And cue the second of many more melt downs tonight.

Are we asking too much of her!? I mean really. It was boots and coat. Which her 3 year old brother can do just fine. I didn't think it was too much to ask.

How the hell am I going to get through her defiant teen years if I am already pulling out my hair at 5 1/2? Oy. I almost want to take up smoking. But I won't. Because ew.

Pray for me.

~Lisa~

So far so good!

Well, I've had a couple days with the new programs. I'm liking them! I'm pretty sure that I am taking down the data in a completely asinine way, but I'll meet with my boss on Monday to talk about any kinks like that. Henry is a little off, but that's to be expected. He and I have been doing some of the same programs for almost 2 years now. And the programs have always been run the same way. Now that it's completely different, and I am probably acting a little like a fish out of water, he's a bit confused by it all.

Any ideas on how to make reciprocating social questions fun!? LOL...he needs a little help making conversation, and the natural, basic way to encourage that skill is to ask social questions (Name, age, address, parents names etc.) He can do all of that, answer tonnes of questions, but what he can't grasp is how to ask them back. I tried to do a mock-up today where he and I were just meeting in the park, but he didn't quite understand what I was asking him, and ran around like a hooligan :) I guess I'll be needing some more thought on this one :)

I love my job you know. I love teaching, and seeing the changes in Henry. I love discovering the world of Autism with him. I cry at the same frustrations his parents cry at. I cheer when they cheer. I swear, he's like my fourth child.

On the weightloss side of things! WOOHOO!!! As of yesterday I've lost 7.5 pounds!! I can't believe how fast it's coming off! And I am having such an easy time of it! I'm still counting some points, but now that I've been doing it for almost 3 weeks, it's become second nature. I don't snack on heavy calorie filled crap anymore, I am loving the healthy stuff, and I have the BEST inspiration :) Al has been AWESOME!! He too is always looking to loose weight, and has always complained that I never help him enough to be successful. Which, for a long time I thought was crazy, since I figured it was Him that made the decisions to eat what he as eating. Well! Now that I see how helpful he is in making me healthy, low point meals, and keeping me on track, I can see how easy it was for me to sabbotage his progress all these years. I feel really awful for it. It's easy to see that he is losing weight too! He's wearing size 46 pants comfortably. When we met he was in a 44! And the year I got pregnant, when he was at his heaviest, I am pretty sure that his size 54 pants were getting tight. I am soooo proud of his progress, which definitely gives me the motivation to keep going.

Of course, I have my period this week, and the Easter bunny was pretty generous, so chances are my weight will go up a bit, but I'm honestly not too worried about it! The day after I started on my way to eating healthier, I tried on a pair of jeans I got last September. I could barely pull them up over my bum, and the button and button hole were a good 3-4 inches away from meeting. Well! On a whim this morning I tried them on again. Not only could I pull them up, but I did them up too!! button, Zipper! All of it!! I even sat down, and climbed stairs! now, there's no way in hell they are decent enough to be wearing in public yet, but man! What a good feeling it was when that button slid through the hole :)

So, that's where we're at. All is good in Dodge.

This is it!

I start full(ish) time today. I'll be home by 1:00, so I guess it's not too bad. But I am still kinda dreading it. And I am really going to miss the kids :( Really Really. Even Jenna said this morning that she was sad that she wasn't going to get to spend time with me anymore. I'll have to dream up something fun for when I get home. I can't wait for the weather to turn back into spring so that we can go to the park when I get home in the afternoons.

I'm also going to miss doing laundry! How crazy is that!? I used to be able to spread it out over the two or three whole days that I was home a week, with a couple loads on Saturday. Now I'll probably have to do some every afternoon to keep up. Blah. Oh well, I guess it's a fair trade for the fewer diapers I'll be changing. :)

I am really excited about the new programs I get to run with Henry!! There's some really fun ones. I was SO bored with the old stuff. Now I just have to learn the new style (Totally different teaching method than I have ever used before) and we'll be good to go!

Guess I'd better get back in gear so I'm not late! have a great one! If you're reading this, wish me luck :) I am going to be soo tired by the end of the week :)

~Lisa~

YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!

You have GOT to make these cookies!!!!!!!! OMG! Best I have EVER tasted in my WHOLE life!!! I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com..it's got well over 3500 reviews, and you'll regret the day you ever came upon it, because they are sure to ruin Any diet! But wow, really, try them!!

The secret is in the pudding :) I used 1 cup milk chocolate chips, and 1 cup peanut butter chips. Yum! Also, I only needed to bake mine for 6 minutes, but my oven does tend to run a little hot. So, without further ado, the recipe!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Award-Winning-Soft-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Seriously, try them! You'll thank me! And then you should invite me over to try them :)

~Lisa~

Scared

So, I am starting with Leaps and Bounds next week. It should have been this week, but the stupid Ministry was late sending Jenny her cheque. I am so scared about this you guys. Not the job. I am quite confidante in my abilities to do the job. It's the pay that is tearing me up inside.

The way Leaps and Bounds pays is once a month. So,my hours are due on the 4th, I will have to work all of this month, and submit my hours on May 4th. Then I will have to work all of May, and will get paid on the 4th of JUNE for the hours I work in April. They are always behind like that...which is nice for the month after I finish working for them, since I will get what might feel like an extra cheque.

But right now?? What am I supposed to do right now? I make enough now to pay the babysitter, and get the groceries. I know that we can survive grocery wise, as there's enough meat in the freezer to get us through. But I really don't know what I am going to do about the babysitter. I'll be working 5 mornings a week, meaning that I will have to pay for all 3 kids 2-3 days a week. And gas to get to work.

I hate being broke. I hate having Just enough every month. I hate that Jenny took off for 2 weeks in March with no thought to what that might do to me. And I hate thinking that, because who the hell doesn't deserve a vacation?

Ugh. Any money saving ideas for me?

Donations kindly accepted. HAHA! maybe I should get a bumper sticker that says that?? perhaps some random wealthy person will just stuff my car with money one day!? naw.

Oh well, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Thanks for letting me vent/whine.

Lisa