Emails, letter,Down syndrome, and prayer request

Yesterday I received an email from my sis-in-love. She wanted information about disabilities, the 'R' word, and my hopes for my daughter. This information would be shared in a blog post and also to her Young Women.

I ended up pouring my heart into a letter addressed to her, her YW, and her blog readers. I'll post it here, too, but not until she has had the chance to post her blog and use what info she needs.

In the meantime, would you please keep me in your prayers? Going through a bit of a rough time right now. Nothing drastic. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Much love to you all.

Sunday Gratitudes

Thanks to The Pirate King (aka the Laundry Faerie), I am crocheting again.

I learned how to crochet from my mom. My last project was the bunch-o-baby hats I made and donated to Primary Children's Medical Center when The Love Magnet had open heart surgery. I hadn't picked up a hook since then.....until the Pirate King started an afghan and then waxed enthusiastic about the socks she was knitting.

I don't knit. But the bug bit again. I needed a Sabbath activity to keep me busy. So I bought some blue variegated yarn and black and started another afghan. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to create something.

When I get this done, I think I'll make one for each child for Christmas. Then I'll go back to the humanitarian projects and crochet baby hats and blankets to donate.

So, I am grateful to my mom for teaching me how to crochet. I'm thankful for The Pirate King for getting me back into it. And I am thankful for this supply of yarn. It just might be one of the things to help me keep my sanity.

Ultimate Praise in the Kitchen

Last night I was making a coffee cake from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. The Love Magnet was so proud to help (it was her week to make the treat for Family Home Evening). She enthusiastically dumped, poured, sprinkled, and turned on the Bosch mixer.

As I was thinly slicing apples for the top of the cake, my daughter's eyes lit up and she exclaimed

"Mom! Just like Ratatouille!"

Feels so good that my knife skills and baking prowess are appreciated.

Sunday Gratitudes

The generosity of the Love Magnet. She came home from her school's Valentine Day party and gave away every single one of her treats. Well, except the crayon heart (see previous post). What 7 year old is willing to give up a candy stash? TLM was so excited to wish everyone a Happy Fa-la-tyne Day.

I have to admit that I am grateful for the Olympics. It is the only time that I willingly watch sports on TV. It's fun to root for not just the USA, but every one who does really well. Especially the underdog countries who just have a few (or one) athlete. Surely I am not the only person disappointed that the Jamaican bobsled team didn't make the Olympic qualification round.

I'm grateful for parents who willingly volunteer their children. See, I'm starting a third choir. Yes, I am crazy, thanks so much for noticing. It's going to be a Primary age chorus that will sing around 3 special musical numbers during the year. The first will be with the Ward Choir and Youth Choir for Ward Conference next month. My first practice with the Primary chorus will be this weekend. I have 22 kids signed up. I hope I have 22 kids show up. I think there are over 185 kids in our Primary.

I am grateful for good professors. Mine are really good this semester. They are more than willing to discuss subjects near and dear to my heart (Down syndrome) when I havce questions or comments.

Warm blankets, a cup of Rooibos herbal tea, and Jasper Fforde books. Nice to have a non-textbook read. I love the Tuesday Next series and have them all. Brush up on your British history and Brit Lit. Makes the Fforde books all the funnier when you realize how skewed the Tuesday Next world really is. I think I've read these almost as much as Jane Eyre.

Evaporated milk. Yes, I am serious. The flavor reminds me of my Grandpa S who loved pouring it over home-canned peaches. I love pouring it into my cups of herbal tea (no, no caffeine in my tea. I know that my nieces and nephews read this. Must make perfectly clear that I am not drinking tea-with-a-kick). It's just one of those flavors that takes me back to my childhood. Dill, homemade pickles, and raspberry jam remind me of Grandma S. Italian Cream Cake, ambrosia salad, and the smell of fresh baked biscuits remind me of Grandma in Georgia. Cracked-wheat cereal and homemade cracked-wheat bread remind me of my southern Grandpa (my mom used to make it every time he visited).

Valentines - apparently not all are edible

The Love Magnet came home today with a huge bag full of valentines and treats. She shared all of her candy - she even remembered that mom likes Tootsie rolls and doesn't care for sour gummies. Each valentine had a treat of some sort........

except for one..........

One boy in her class melted down crayons and made hearts. Each 2" heart was stuck onto a homemade valentine using sticky craft foam buttons.

The buttons looked like mints.

The heart looked like candy.

After dinner, my daughter came up to me. "Mom, yuck." She held out the crayon heart with a bite out of it and did a perfect imitation of Tom Hanks in the movie Big where he tries caviar for the first time. I escorted her to the bathroom where we rinsed her mouth out.

Back to the couch where the valentine lay. The Love Magnet fingers the foam buttons that look like Altoid mints. The Love Magnet loves Altoids.

"Sweetie, why don't you throw that away."

"But, Moooom! It my fa-la-tine. 'M' gave me!"

i made her throw it away with the promise of popcorn and a movie tonight. I guess I need to check over her valentine goodie stash the way I need to check her Halloween candy. I really don't want to call Poison Control tonight.

I wonder if any of the other kids in her class will eat their valentines from 'M'?

The Flat Love Magnet - Traveler Extraordinaire

Last year The Flat Love Magnet went to Paris (yes I really should scan those pictures in. that was a fun adventure). This year, TFLM is going to Seattle. You can follow her at the brand new blog:

The Flat Love Magnet.

Follow along on her new adventures with The Pirate King, Captain Midnight, and the Divine Miss V. You never know where those Scalawags will take her.

When she comes back, she might just take off again. TFLM loves to travel.

Therapy Quandary

Today I had a meeting with a developmental therapy place. It was the usual determination for The Love Magnet to see if she qualified for services. They told me that she would need to do at least 10 hours a week of services.

Do you realize how hard it is to plan 10 hours a week for therapy? That doesn't include the Physical therapy, Occuptaional therapy and Speech therapy she gets outside of school.

I didnt' want her to miss school too much so we finally determined that she would leave school the last half hour and be working on DT at their facility until dinnertime. Her therapist will even pick her up as part of services.

This is all new to me. We never qualified for services in Utah, but the rules are different in Idaho. So all of these new therapies have been thrown at us since January.

I am not sure what to think.

On one hand, I want every single advantage I can get for my daughter. But I worry that I am scheduling too much. DT will specifically aim at safety issues (wandering, trusting strangers, personal space) as well as social issues (like the bad behavior at school, pushing limits, hitting friends to see what will happen) and the constant redirection she needs when she gets off task. If these problems weren't a big deal, I wouldn't worry about it. But they are a big deal. They are affecting her at school. I do believe we need some extra help.

Should I worry that someone I will have barely met be driving my daughter from school to therapy? They are licensed and registered, background checked and educated. Will that be enough to protect my daughter?, although I can pick her up (I am in school at the time and wont' be able to take her myself.) I don't want therapy to go beyond her normal dinner time. Dinner with the family is important to us.

I don't want her to miss too much of school. She also gets out early for PT and OT one day a week. She loves school. But the afternoons are hard for her because those are when the specials like music, P.E., art and library are scheduled. Because there is less structure in the afternoons, that is when most of he problems start. The therapy we've done for a month have made noticible improvements in The Love Magnet. She likes PT, but not OT (OT is too much like work to her. PT is just fun).

I need to talk to other mothers doing this. I need to talk to Mr. Wonderful. I might need to try it for a month to see if it is worth doing. Is it worth doing? I try to make sure we don't overschedule the children.

Is it worth it? I need to pray about this, too.........

Firstborn's Birthday Party

Need a cool party for a bunch of teens?

GO-KART RACING!

Then Hawaiian food........

.............and a 3-D movie.

Happy Birthday Firstborn. I think you had a good time.

Happy birthday Firstborn

He is a full head taller than me.

He has a crazy-fun sense of humor.

He wants to be a pilot.

He is so close to his Eagle (if he would just get his project approved so we can be DONE!)

He knows how to treat girls with respect (from following the great example his dad sets.)

He honors his priesthood.

He has memorized a lot of scriptures in prep for his mission. He has won scripture mastery competitions in Seminary.

He can identify nearly ever make and model of car.

He loves to read.

He is loved by the families whom he home-teaches and they look forward to his visits.

He can cook (his mission companions will be so grateful).

Happy Birthday to my incredible son. I hope you enjoyed your day.