Field Trip

Hey Love Magnet, wake up! It's field trip day. Time to get dressed, brush teeth, comb hair, eat breakfast and....

Ummm, Love Magnet....?

We made it just in time for the bus. Off to the Botanical Gardens. What a gorgeous, sun-shiney day! Apparently too bright to open your eyes....


The Love Magnet tried to listen to the science lecture about roots and stems and leaves and fruit and flowers. Then her attention wandered off....


...at the mention of flowers. These purple ones were right over her head.

Back to the science lecture. It was getting too long for her when they started talking about seeds. Good thing they brought out exploded seeds to eat (popcorn).

Everyone was getting wiggly by then.

Some of the garden tour was about flowers and native plants.

Then we were given the chance to look for toads.

Found the eggs! It looks like a necklace.

Found the toad! Can you see it?

After the toads it was time for the science hunt. The Love Magnet loved having her very own magnifying glass.

Looking for seeds, flowers, bugs, rocks.....

....and sticks.

Holding worms was fun....until it started to squirm around. That was just too much. To her credit, the Love Magnet did not scream and throw her worm the way other kids did.

She just let her other friends hold the worm for her so she could keep looking.

Riding home, The Love Magnet did not want to sit by her mom or her aide. She is much too cool for that. It was hard to get her to stay in one seat as everyone wanted her to sit by them.

Products I Love -

Children who have Down syndrome often have a hard time understanding social behavior. They do not do well in reading body cues and often need extra practice is basic social skills. Elizabeth Verdick has a wonderful series of books called Best Behavior Series that we checked out of the library. Among the series are the books: Words Are Not For Hurting and Feet Are Not For Kicking. The books have a section at the end for parents, caregivers, and teachers to help them approach the subjects in a fun manner.

Theses books are not meant solely for kids with disabilities but as a help for all kids who are learning the ropes of proper behavior. The drawings are simple and it is easy to judge the feelings of the children in the book by their facial expressions.

My daughter has had problems this past year with saying bad words to teachers and classmates, kicking, pushing, and otherwise doing things that first graders are supposed to know are not acceptable. It has been hard to know if she understands that the behavior is wrong and why there are consequences. I was really worried that we weren't getting through to her until we found Ms. Verdeck's series and started to read them every night before bed. It made a difference. The Love Magnet has had great success with these book and now often tells her own friends "Words are not for hurting!" when she hears them yell words that are not appropriate. That shows her progress right there. We're taking the books back to the library and purchasing our own copies.

DID YOU JUST HEAR ME SCREAM? TWICE?!!!

WOOO-HOOO!

Just had word that our Utah house sale has finally funded and we are no longer land barons. No more paying for two mortgages. We are now the proud owners of one house!


WOOO-HOOO!

Grades are out and I earned an A- in Stats. That puts my GPA at a 3.8. Does an A- still count for straight A's? The person with the highest grades in the family gets to pick/plan the family vacay. Secondborn won last year with straight A's. I told him to watch out this semester. Excuse me while I do a happy dance......

Thirdborn - future pilot soon to be flying your plane.

Sunday Gratitudes (on a Monday)

I'm grateful for airplanes that save me from a 16 hour car ride with 4 impatient children. I can handle 4 impatient children for three hours in a plane. My apologies for those who had to ride with us.

I'm thankful that my nephew was married in the San Diego Temple. That place is absolutely beautiful. The sealer who presided over the ordinance was a joy to listen to. He sounded (and looked) like a Hawaiian version of Colonel Sanders from KFC. He also knew many of the same people Mr. Wonderful knew in Hawaii.

I arranged to meet one of my Cookies while at the temple. Barbara took time out of her busy schedule to meet me on the grounds while the picture-taking was going on. It was so fun to see her. I'm grateful that Mr. Wonderful and the kids were able to meet her, too. I wish we had the entire day to talk rather than the half hour or so.

My kids had a great time in San Diego. There wasn't any time to do Disneyland, Sea World, or even Legoland. But they did get to play with friends, swim in pools and the ocean, see seals at the ocean,and collect shells. I'm grateful that they were able to spend the time doing this with Mr. Wonderful and his parents.

According to Thirdborn, the best part of the trip was the very last second. He wants to be a pilot. When this was discovered by the airplane crew, they escorted him into the cockpit at the end of the trip to show him all the gadgets and gizmos and let him be the one to switch the plane off. Thirdborn was beside himself with joy. I'm grateful that this crew would take the time to do all of this. Thirdborn refuses to take his wings off that he was given by the copilot.

I'm grateful to come home to my own kitchen. Get ready to cook. Tonight I'm making a southern banana pudding for a belated Family Home Evening.

Documentary: UP SYNDROME

These are two parts of the same documentary called Up Syndrome. You can find it on You Tube or at Trisomy Films. Please take a look. You will love Rene. One of these days I would love to meet Duane Graves and Rene Moreno and thank them for such a positive piece of work. Oh, and please make more. I want the world to see the Up in Down syndrome.

Before you watch the excerpts, please be sure to turn off the soundtrack I have. Just scroll to near the bottom. You'll find it.

Sunday Gratitudes

Thanks, Mom, for loving me even though I was a blue-and-hairy-rhesus-monkey-looking-baby. I'm sorry for the grief I caused for being three months premature. It wasn't entirely my fault, though. My twin sis is partly to blame.

Thanks, Mom, for being so proud during my first and completely unintentional solo in 1st grade (Tommy was supposed to sing with me but got stage fright and stood there with his mouth hanging open and no sound coming out). I can remember you being proud of me and making me believe that I could do anything.

Thanks, Mom, for being enthusiastic when I wanted to make Stone Soup, start a St. Lucia tradition in our family, learn the art of dancing with poi balls, and all the other fun things I brought home from Miss Morgan's 2nd grade class. You encouraged my enthusiasm every time I learned something new.

Thanks, Mom, for helping out with election posters when I ran for class officer in 8th grade. You had great ideas and I felt like I had the best posters.

Thanks, Mom, for getting after me about bad grades and bad boyfriends. You were right. Enough said about that.

Thanks, Mom, for attending every single performance of my senior musical, all of my choir concerts, and my senior plays. While I'm at it, thanks for the help on the very best hats and costumes. Thanks for making sure I didn't get sick before performances.

Thanks, Mom, for giving me a should to cry on through frustrations, disappointments, confusion and the toughest time of my life. I know you didn't understand. That is okay, I didn't understand either. But I made it through.

Thanks, Mom, for making my wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, helping to pick out cake and refreshments, stringing who-knows-how-many white Christmas lights on trees, and making my wedding wonderful. I hope you can forget any attitude I gave.

Thanks, Mom, for being there when I needed help doing laundry, scrubbing floors, and catching up on the dishes. Thanks for not judging me when you saw that my bedroom was full of laundry waiting to be folded, the kitchen floor hadn't been mopped in weeks, and that my kitchen table had oatmeal cemented on it from who-knows-when. You did not say one word of "I taught you better than that."

Thanks, Mom for helping me to figure out how to mother a of a baby/toddler/child/preteen. You were very wise. Of course you were, you practiced with 7 kids.

Thanks, Mom, for being there when I had to go through an emergency C-section. I know that Heavenly Father sent you to my hospital room the next morning to be there when the pediatrician announced that The Love Magnet had Down syndrome. Thank you for asking the questions I didn't know to ask. I'm so very grateful that you were there and that I didn't have to face that information alone.

Thanks, Mom, for being willing to serve a mission in a place you never expected to serve. I lived vicariously through you as you experienced Africa. I have since learned a new a deep gratitude for the simple things: clean water, a warm home, public schools, decent medical care, honest police, and a steady income.

Thanks, Mom for always being there for me. I hope I do just as well with my own children.

It happened! It really happened!

Remember this?

The Love Magnet has been hoping to lose a tooth. Begging people to pull a tooth out so she could be like all the other kids in her class.
You can read about it here.

Last night when I came home from school, my daughter told me she had a loose tooth. I had heard it so many times before that I didn't believe her. Finally I reached in her mouth to show her that there were no loose teeth.......and there is was. On the bottom front, a very wiggly tooth. I was afraid that she would swallow it when it fell out. What if it fell out at school and she didn't know it? She would be so disappointed. I never thought this would happen so soon. Kids with Down syndrome get their teeth in late and out of order. I thought she would be in 3rd grade before she ever lost a tooth.

Fast forward to this morning. I was helping her brush her teeth (Be careful, Mom, it's a sore loose tooth. Be soft, Mom!") when......

it

fell

out.




The Love Magnet had a shocked look on her face. She didn't know what to think about the blood and the empty feeling in her teeth. (Hence the "I'm not sure about this" look.) I got her cleaned up and had her look in the mirror. Thirdborn came into the bathroom to see what the excitement was about. We started cheering for her. We danced around. We high-fived. We tried to call Mr. Wonderful, but he wasn't answering his phone (he was in a meeting). So we called Uncle Teeth (who was our dentist in Utah) and he made all the appropriate "That's great!" and "Way to go!" The Love Magnet started to get excited.

The Love Magnet was so excited to go to school and tell everyone about losing a tooth. She told her aide, all of the other aides, the lunch lady,the music teacher, her teacher, and her classmates. They all nodded and smiled polite smiles. No one believed her. After all, she had been telling her classmates and teachers about this all school year. Finally one girl looked in her mouth...

"Hey!" This time she really did lose a tooth!"

All the kids were excited and had to look. The Love Magnet loved the attention. Everyone gathered around after the bell rang to sing the Tooth song to my daughter while I took pictures. She had waited all year for this big moment.

For some reason, she was shy.

Sunday Gratitudes

I am grateful for the rain and all the spring flowers. These are growing in my front yard. I have no idea what they are but I think they are beautiful. I am grateful for simple beauty in my own yard.

Aaron Barker Photography you can see his work here

18 years ago today I entered the Salt Lake Temple for the first time to receive my own endowments. I made promises to my Heavenly Father to be the best person I could be. That day was such a beautiful day. My twin sis helped me all through the endowment along with my mom and Grandma S. Afterwards, Mr. Wonderful took me on a quiet drive to talk about the covenants I made and what our future would be. (Our wedding date was set for the following week.) Now, whenever I go to the temple, I renew those covenants. I feel incredibly blessed and thankful for that opportunity.

On May 1, 2008, The Love Magnet had open heart surgery to repair her mitral valve. Last Friday we celebrated Happy Heart Day. I didn't make it a very big celebration, but is was big in my own heart. I am so grateful that she is healthy and that the surgery was successful. I'm grateful for that scar she has on her chest. I'm thankful that her doctors had the knowledge to perform the surgery successfully. Most of all, I am grateful for the strength that Heavenly Father gave my family, and for the love and kindness and prayers from our extended families, our ward families, our friends, our T-21 buddies and their families, my Cookies, and my Internet kindred spirits whom I haven't yet met. I felt all your prayers.

On a less serious note: Firstborn had his first date this past weekend. All of his friends canceled on him, including the guy who was going to drive. Poor Firstborn, he had to endure his mom driving him and his date to the movie theater. He didn't talk the entire drive. When I asked them if they were being so silent because I was there, he remarked "yeah, and this is the most awkward drive in my life." But he survived the humiliation and even had fun. And his date was darling. My gratitude here? He was chivalrous and remembered everything I taught him about treating girls.

This day just keeps getting better and better.....

I finished my last paper for the semester.


Ahhhhhh.


I got good news that people like me after all.


Yesssssss!


I finished registering for fall semester. Thanks to the university's generosity in accepting my many credits as electives, I don't have to take 16 credits - only 10.


Woooo-hooo!


Now if I could just get confirmation today that the ink is dry on the sale of my Utah house, that would be the proverbial whip cream on top.


Hoping...Hoping...Hoping...

My Little Houdini

We discovered this past weekend that The Love Magnet has learned how to open the garage door, run outside, and close it using the security key pad. She thinks she has discovered the freedom to run and play whenever she wants.

Made a trip to the local hardware store. Bought flap locks for all doors leading outside or too the garage. Installing them high in case The Love Magnet decides to take a chair to the door and see if she can learn how to unlock flap locks.

My daughter thinks it highly unfair that her brothers can play with friends without having Mom along as a chaperon. She also thinks that she should be allowed to do everything they do, no matter how age-inappropriate it may be for her.

My 6 year old has suddenly turned 16. What on earth am I going to do when she really turns 16 and wants to drive?

Sunday Gratitudes (on a Monday)

I am grateful (ohh, so VERY GRATEFUL) that there are two weeks left before finals. I love school and I have loved this semester, but it has taken over my life. I'm looking forward to only one class this summer and much more time to be with my family. Cook in my kitchen. Blog. (I miss blogging on a regular basis.)

I'm thankful for flap locks. The Love Magnet notices that her brothers get to do things that she can't....like play with their friends without a chaperone. She has also learned how to open and close the garage door. The flap locks are going on the doors today. Very high on the doors. (I wouldn't put it past her to pull a chair over to the door to try to undo the locks).

I'm grateful that The Love Magnet was invited to a birthday party last weekend. She had a wonderful time. Lots of pasta salad, lots of kids (birthday twins) and a pony ride to boot. I kept going over the rules of birthday parties with her on our way there so she wouldn't try to help blow out candles or unwrap presents. The Love Magnet behaved marvelously and hugged everyone when we said goodbye.

Secondborn announced this past weekend that he had the 2nd highest score in his 6th grade for the language IRI test. We are thrilled for him! I am grateful that he has done so well in school this year. Math testing starts this week. We're praying for him, cheering him on, and making sure he eats a good breakfast.

Thirdborn had his book project due last week. This month he chose to do a reader's theater. I helped him put together a script and he worked hard on some really great animal masks for the characters. Mr. Wonderful and I went to help out. The project turned out very well. I'm grateful that Thirdborn has not lost his enthusiasm for school.

Mr. Wonderful had to speak in church yesterday (he is the YM President and the theme was the Aaronic Priesthood.) Other than announcing that we had three kids instead of four - he meant to say that we had three boys and one girl - his talk was flawless. He had great stories about his experiences and the Young Men were listening. I'm thankful that we were there to support him. I am sure he is grateful that it is over.

This past weekend, Firstborn participated in a dance event for our church. His group learned country line dancing and country swing. They did a great job. I'm thankful that he had a positive experience (he didn't want to do it at first...but I made him). Pictures will be posted soon.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Cold, drizzly day. Trying to think warm. No, think tropical. Feel urge to cook (since when do I not feel the urge to cook, I'm a foodie for Heaven's sake!) See overripe bananas on counter. Think how good they will be combined with coconut.....

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

from Cooking Light

CL's notes: The tangy lime glaze cuts the sweetness of the bread. Substitute apple juice for the rum if you prefer.

My notes: I used coconut and rum flavorings instead of rum. Added lime zest to the lime glaze. Ohhhhhh, yum. The same article also did a Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread that is my other favorite banana bread recipe since 2003. But you'll have to wait for me to post that recipe. I'm trying to think warm right now. Hawaii would be nice.....

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

3 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Yield: 1 loaf, 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)CALORIES 193 (21% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.3g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 35mg; CALCIUM 15mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35g; SODIUM 179mg; PROTEIN 2.9g; FIBER 1.1g Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

Proud Mom Moment

Last weekend, Firstborn told me about a lesson in his English class. His teacher asked the class "What is chivalry?"

No one could answer.

No one except Firstborn.

When his teacher asked him how he knew these things, he told her about being taught at home. Opening doors for all women. Letting a woman walk first into a room. Standing up when a woman walks into a room. Offering your chair. Holding a chair for a woman. Helping her with her coat. When walking on the street with a woman, be sure that you are walking between her and traffic. Offering your arm to a woman, especially if the way is slick, so she doesn't fall. In other words, doing everything you can to show respect to women. (In case you are wondering, Firstborn gave me this definition.)

He told her that he watched his dad act that way towards his mom. He also said that his mom took all her sons on dates and made sure they learned how to do the same.

Amazement from English Teacher.

Meanwhile at home, I am thankful that the lessons at home are truly sinking in. I am grateful that he has now seen the validity of such lessons. Not only did it earn him an A that day, he has seen that girls like being treated in this manner.

I am a Proud Mom.

Happy Easter from my house to yours

Be sure to pause the music (scroll down my blog page and look on the right) before you listen to Elder Holland's conference talk. The talk is amazing.

Peace and goodwill (if only for a moment)

Tonight was one of those nights where I wish I could just bottle it up and save it.

I picked up my younger kids after school and took them home to find the two older boys. We had some celebrating to do:

Thirdborn earned 100%on his spelling test.

Secondborn got straight A's on his report card.

Firstborn earned 100% on his health exam today.

All of these are big accomplishments at our house. I took the kids out to dinner at our favorite burger-and-shake place. This is the moment I want to save, the moment we sat down:

Thirdborn was hugging everyone when they expressed admiration over his spelling score. He worked so hard for that this week. First born was high-fiveing everyone over his sports health exam score. Secondborn was proudly telling everyone about his report card and his latest exam on Ancient China. The Love Magnet excitedly told everyone "Good job!" as she scarfed french fries and fry sauce.

Everyone was listening to everyone else.

There was no fighting, teasing, or taunting -

For the entire meal.

My kids are good kids, but they aren't perfect. When these rare moments come along, I want to sit back and watch every second, hoping that I don't lose a single detail to faulty memory. I can't explain why these moments happen. But for one meal, it did happen.

Harmony.

Apparently Heaven is a burger joint with fabulous onion rings and lemon custard shakes, where love abounds between all brothers and sisters. Who knew?

Cub Scouts, Cute Babies, and Heroes (all in one fun filled Pack Meeting)

Yesterday, we had our first pack meeting in our newly formed ward. Thirdborn (finally!) received his Bobcat patch. When asked if he would like to say something, Thirdborn replied "I really love Scouting!"

The Love Magnet was ever so supportive....until she got sidetracked by a Cute Baby Alert.

The Love Magnet loves babies. Especially patient ones who will let her hug and kiss them. This particular baby was incredibly forbearing. Can you blame my daughter? Look at the cheeks on that baby. And the red hair and blue eyes. It's almost an overdose of sweetness.



After the awards were done, there was an Easter Egg hung on the back lawn of the church. Unfortunately, The Love Magnet wasn't fast enough. She didn't get one egg.



When they discovered that The Love Magnet didn't have any Easter Eggs in her sack, Thirdborn and two other Cub Scout Heroes shared their eggs with her. The Love Magnet ended up with more eggs than anyone. I am constantly amazed at the kindness and generosity of 8-10 year old kids. None of them were forced to do this. They even hugged back when The Love Magnet expressed her thanks.

Add one more hero. Nothing is better than the view from the top of a big brother's shoulders.

Food Storage Made Easy is selling these cute food storage organizer binders. The whole purpose of FSME is to show you that EVERYONE can do this. They'll hold your hand and walk you through their list of babysteps. Check it out here. They are also giving away a few of these binders in a promotional contest to advertise the new and shiny gizmo. Pass the word on.

I really ROCK at this food storage thing....

Over the weekend I bought 80 boxes of Post cereals for $51.20. That breaks down to $0.67/box. (Cereal that would normally cost $4.98 a box for a total of $398.40.) I saved $347.20.


Now, I know you are thinking: What on earth is she going to do with EIGHTY boxes of Post cereals?!


I'll have you know that I have four children, two of them teenagers. They eat through one box every morning. (no, I am not kidding). If I let them eat cold cereal every single morning, those boxes wouldn't last three months.

Good thing I don't let them eat cold cereal every single morning. There are also pancakes, muffins, oatmeal (not much success in getting them to like oatmeal but they still have to eat it every now and then), bacon and eggs, and smoothies.

Truly, food storage is a really good thing. It saves money since you stock up on sale items. It saves trips to the grocery store. Click on these links for ideas:

Simply Living Smart
Food Storage Made Easy
Provident Living

Sunday Gratitudes

Sunday Gratitudes on a Sunday! That has become a bit rare around here. My life has been so full of school and kids that I hardly get to do much more. I was holding off a post until I could get the pictures downloaded....but my camera isn't cooperating. You'll just have to imagine the beaming faces:

I'm grateful that Thirdborn was awarded the Star Award for Determination. He was beaming in front of the whole school. I can't think of anyone who deserves that Determination Title more than him. He has worked so hard. I'm currently reading Dr. Levine's A Mind At A Time which has been great at explaining how Thirdborn thinks. I'm eager to get the summer academic program started that will focus exactly on his learning disability.

I'm grateful for "Grandma P" who visits The Love Magnet's class once a week to work on writing workshops. This sweet woman helped my daughter to write, illustrate, and "publish" a story called The Rootbeer Float (apparently TLM got the idea after having floats for FHE treat). My daughter so so excited to read the book to me at the Authors Party her class hosted. She was even more excited to read the book to her best friend E. (Unfortunately, the great pic I had of this moment is floating somewhere around my camera. This is where you imagine beaming faces). Let me also share how thankful I am for E. E is so patient with The Love Magnet. They play together and work together. I am so grateful that my daughter has good friends in her class.

I'm grateful for General Conference weekend. The talks will be available to read soon. If you can't wait, you can see the video archives here. I will post the links to my favorites: Elder Holland and Sister Thompson. (I would love to have lunch with Sister Barbara Thompson someday. I think she might be a kindred spirit.) I loved the messages of living within your means, trusting in our Heavenly Father, having faith, understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ and exactly what his sacrifice means for us. My spirit has rejoiced today. My batteries are recharged.

I'm thankful that I was able to get the research done and my papers finished this past week. More exams and papers coming up every single week until the end of the semester. This semester has been hard, mainly due to the class times, but I'm making it and the semester is almost done.

I'm grateful that we were able to see my family and Mr. Wonderful's family over Spring Break. It had been awhile. I really got to spend some time with my mom and my twin sis. It was divine to be together.