random stuff

* the weather was so nice here this weekend. the kids jumped into the pool for just a minute. was a chilly 70 degrees. a little too cold for them. :) but it was the perfect temp for a little street hockey with dad.

*mom brought over some old pictures she found. really great photos. she had a picture of great-great grandma. i need to start working on my geneology stuff again.

*getting back into the school routine has been tough. lots of resistance, but we are finally coming around.

*big changes around our house lately. needed to do something different regarding reward/disciple system. what we were doing was not working. actually wrote down our family rules and went over them with the kids. the rules are now hanging in the kitchen so they can see them. i think that is the key. yesterday was the first day and we saw huge improvements. we'll see what today brings. :)

* been reading about all the benefits of fish oil and omega 3's again, but this time in relation to ADHD. been wanting to give it to the kids for a while, but they won't take pills. so i have been on the search for something to give the kids that they will ACTUALLY eat. finally found Coromega, and they love it.

friends.

been thinking about a certain friend a lot lately. really missing her. the boys and i saw her kids the other day, and it was like time stood still. the kids ran up to each other and hugged. they really missed each other. really miss the days when we had nothing to do but enjoy the kids and hang out all day, every day. the heart never forgets. :)

a tag

got tagged by Rett the other day and have been having problems with blogger, so
here are my answers, finally!

The rules are : List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. Dont forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog!

First I will Tag: rachel, *e*, katrina, wilna, michelle

5 Weird things about me:

1. i always wear my socks inside out. the seams bother me.

2. i am neurotic about time. i always have to be early to everything. and if i'm going to be late, i would rather not go than walk in late. my motto, " if you're on-time you're late!"

3. i hate to clean. i am a slob :)

4. i love rocks. was a geology major in college and just love collecting them, still have a big box from when i was a kid.

5.i hardly ever wear jewelery, other than my wedding ring. i have worn the same pair of diamond stud earrings since i got them. ( about 8 years)

how come nobody told me...

you can't throw toilet paper in a urinal.

this was the conversation with my two boys
yesterday while in the bathroom at school.
drew had to go potty yesterday while we
were picking shannon up. i would
usually just take him into the womens with me.
but since everything is kid height and made
for them...i figure...why not??
so ryne and i go in there with drew, and he shimmies
on up to the urinal, i'm just looking around...
since i've never been in a little boys room, and then
i here..."ohhh, i dripped on my leg...i need toilet paper."
i say..."no problem ..here's some."
so hand him the paper and he throws it in the urinal.
and then he flushes.
it's not going down.
try to flush again.
ask ryne....can u put paper in a urinal?
NO... don't you know that mom!
well...matter of fact i don't.
i've never been in a mens room :)

so there i am fishing toilet paper
outof the urinal with paper towels.
can u say EWWWWWWW!!!

that was my afternoon yesterday!
thanks for stopping by :)

pizza making 101

yesterday was full of fun.
we made homemade pizza
for dinner. well...i made
the dough in the bread-
maker. (yeah i cheated! LOL)
but the kids loved it anyway!
gave everyone their piece
of dough and they got to toss
it around. too funny seeing ryne's
piece go flying through the air.
shannon just kept flattening
out her dough and then rolling
it back in a ball, because it kept
getting holes in it :) she was
loving every minute of it.
she is going to be the next
food network star i tell ya!
drews favorite part was
putting on all the cheese.
i think i need to enlist their
help in the kitchen more
often.
tried to get pictures of the
kids with their pizzas
when they were finished
cooking. i kept saying,
drew look at mommy, every-
time...looked in a different
direction... and ended up dropping
the pizza on the floor a
total of three times.
"still tastes good mommy!"
"you bet it does, monkey!"

scenes from yesterday

just a nice relaxing day at our house. started working on my curtains today. actually, i'm making roman shades for the kitchen. got this awesome new amy butler fabric. and i'm in love with these colors. so bright and fun. rich was inspecting the underneath of our truck. friday, as i was running errands, i started up the truck and the starter kept on going. i rushed home with it smoking. turned off the car, jumped out and the starter was still running. LOL. finally stopped a few minutes later. totally burned up. so rich was checking out how big a job it would be. looks like it will be a big one. so the tow truck will be called today.
finally got to finish a scrapbook page i have been working on. love the bright colors.
and today we start homeschool, so yesterday i made this posterboard. it is our daily schedule. our house just runs more smoothly with a schedule. this way ryne knows what to expect at any point during the day, and if there are changes i tell him in the morning. and shannon has been asking what time it is lately, and trying to figure out the whole telling time thing, so this will help alot.

this is a great pix of drew. pretending to be jimmy page. daddy hooked up the new tv and stereo and was blasting led zeppelin. so of course the kids grab the guitars and jam. so funny. :)

i have really been trying to get better about meal planning and grocery shopping. we have gone an entire week without eating out. that is monumental for us. so we celebrated with a big mac and fries yesterday. HA! i've been dying for some fries and a mcdonald's coke. :)

if anyone has a good recipe, let me have it. i need to expand our menu.

hope you have a great day!

beauty is everywhere

especially when you're visiting King's Canyon & Sequoia National Park.
took a little day trip up to the mountains. the kids were so thrilled and excited to see the big
trees. it is amazing to think how really big they are. We visited the Grant Grove and saw the General Grant tree. which is the 3rd largest tree in the world. it's 268 feet tall, and it's circumference is 107 feet. until you see it up close it is really hard to imagine anything that large. after visiting the trees we stopped for an awesome picnic lunch and then it was onto boyden cavern. this was probably the most exciting thing on the trip, as i have never been inside a cavern. i'm embarrassed to say that because i once was a geology major :) the kids had been waiting to see the stalactites and stalagmites. and of course we were hoping we did not see any bats :). such a fun day full of new experiences. :)

thankful

i wanted to say thanks to everyone for
the comments and emails about my grandpa.
i am truely touched.
he will be missed.
i've been working on a collage piece
for the funeral. it will stand on an easel
next to the urn. i spent the other night
with mom and dad looking through pictures.
it was really fun to see my grandpa in his
20's. such a handsome guy. i started
putting together my piece and remembered
that dad had given me, many years ago,
construction plans that he had from my
grandpa. i decided to incorporate those
into the piece. i was telling my dad my ideas
and he said he might have some other things
i could use. he came over tonight and brought
the most precious items. my grandpa's rosary
from his first communion, his birth certificate, and
his signature that was made into a wooden stamp.
so many treasures. after i finish the piece
for the funeral. i told my dad i want to make
a shadow box full of all these little remembrances.

in other news, i finally get to share my piece
that i made for the maya road contest a few months
back. i was so excited and shocked to
make it to the top ten.

santa cruz

took the kids to the coast for a few days.
lots of sun and fun.
the weather was beautiful
and the water was cold.
the kids played in the sand
for hours and then we rode
rides on the boardwalk and
ate lots of junk food.
the kids did not want to come
home. drew asked if we could
come back to the beach
next year, and stay for the whole
year. :)

ETA: blogger won't let me upload
pictures thismorning. i'll try again
later on.

remembering

remembering grandpa.
grandpa passed away yesterday morning.
finally at peace.
finally with grandma again.
he will be missed.
they are missed.

picture is from 1993.

happy mail day

got my latest issue of legacy today. yeah...got to see one of my pages in there. so excited! they have had this page of ryne for over a year, so i've been anxiously waiting. in other news, got two circle journals in the mail, so i tried to hurry to get them sent off again.

the first pages go into Glenni's book about things we collect. I love to collect anything with a history, especially old photos, fabric, just bits and pieces. this photo is of my grandmother working in a candy factory in cleveland in the 30's. and the piece of fabric on the bottom is from an old feedsack, or flour sack. women used the flour sack material to make clothing in the 40's. love the patterns. such cool things to hang on to.

the second group of pages is for Julie's book about dreams. I just really felt like doing a collage page and since i had a dream the other night about numbers i figured it was a perfect topic. maybe i should go play the lottery :)

catch-up post

sorry it's been so long since my last post.
been crazy busy here, and now drew has
strep throat. the last few days have not been
fun. poor little guy.

this years school stuff has been arriving by ups.
i'm not really ready for school to start yet. feels like its
still june.

wanted to share a new art journal page i made. just had
fun with it.

sneak peeks

finally got the ok to show the layouts that i've been working on all weekend. these are for the MME booth at CHA.
so excited! There are four new lines debuting at the show. so be sure to stop at the booth if you're at the show. wish i was going :( take a peak at all the other girls awesome pages too. Rachel, Michelle, Audrey, Nisa, and Kim.

thanks for peeking :)

NLD

it has been almost a year since i did this page about ryne. well, we finally have the diagnosis. Nonverbal Learning Disorder, ADHD, and anxiety disorder. i am not shocked, in fact, this is what i have known for a long time. it has been such a long road trying to understand. i am relieved and excited. i am starting to feel like this is just the beginning. with this diagnosis we will be able to get all the services and help he needs. the diagnosis also brings new understanding.

What is NLD?

NLD is a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain. Reception of nonverbal or performance-based information governed by this hemisphere is impaired in varying degrees, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative, and holistic processing functions.

The syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD) consists of specific assets and deficits.

The assets include:

• Early speech and vocabulary development
• Remarkable rote memory skills
• Attention to detail
• Early development of reading skills and excellent spelling skills
• Eloquent verbal ability
• Strong auditory retention

The three categories of deficits are:

• Motoric: lack of coordination, problems with balance and graphomotor skills
• Visual-spatial-organizational: lack of image, poor visual recall, faulty spatial perception, and difficulty with spatial relations
• Social: inability to comprehend nonverbal communication, difficulty adjusting to transitions and novel situations, and deficits in social judgment

People with NLD can be affected in varied levels of severity in each of the categories, so that each person with NLD presents a unique clinical, behavioral, and educational picture. People with NLD can be helped by many forms of therapy, but their world is filled with confusing sensory stimuli. For some, their physical endurance is challenged by generally low muscle tone. Some need support throughout life with cognitive and organizational skills, motor skill development, pragmatics and social skills.

Children with NLD have advanced verbal and auditory memory. Some are precocious readers with advanced vocabularies. Nevertheless, NLD is a problem of language. People with NLD have rote language skills but when it comes to functional daily use of language, they have difficulties with tone of voice, inference, written expression, facial expression, gestures, and other areas of pragmatic speech.

People with NLD have difficulty understanding patterns and lining up columns of numbers. Spoken instructions can be troublesome due to difficulty picturing consecutive directions and poor visual memory. NLD can also affect coordination, causing clumsiness, poor balance and a tendency to fall. Many people with NLD have poor safety judgment.

We are not sure what causes NLD, but we know that the earlier the intervention, the better the prognosis.

excerpt taken from nlda.org

i'm going to be sending out packets of information to family and those that have contact with Ryne. i hope you will take the time to read and educate yourself. thanks to everyone for their love and support.

anticipation

it is so hard to put so many feelings into words. where do i start? in a few days we will be seeing dr. glidden. he is a neuropsychologist and is an expert on the brain. you are a super-special kid, and very different from most. you have certain strengths and weaknesses, and this dr is going to help us find out what those are. when certain strengths are found with certain weaknesses, the dr.'s give it a name. but i want you to know it is only a name. it's not you. you are an individual, you are YOU. the dr. is going to give us ideas on how we can best help you to grow up to be a happy, healthy, successful man. to become who you are; to use your strengths to the fullest. this visit is the culmination of about five years of study, research, and pushing our way through the medical establishment. all to get you what you need and deserve. i am filled with so much emotion. happiness, love, nervousness, and anticipation. this is really just the beginning. love you. july 2006

trees???

so this morning shannon & drew woke up and put on the foodnetwork to sit and watch. the kids are 5 and 3. they love the foodnetwork. crack-up. they were making stuffed porkchops.

daddy: drew, where do pork chops come from?

drew: fish?

daddy: no

drew: shark?

daddy: no

drew: trees?

daddy: no, they come from piggies.

drew: ohhhhhhhhhh.

too funny.
not much going on today, just trying to stay cool. hoping to get some scrapbook goodies to play with today.

gotta run.
xxx

a funny

Not much is happening on the homefront. Just trying to get this pool done so we can finally swim. the kids are absolutely dying over here. and it has been blazing hot.

we were running errands yesterday and had to stop at target. well...as we pull into riverpark the kids see the police getting on the horses. they asked if we could stop and say hi to the horses. and i said sure. so then horses became the topic of conversation.

shannon: i would love to BE a horse!
ryne: no you wouldn't. they can only see in black & white.
me: really??? i had no idea.
ryne (says matter-of-factly) : yeah, cuz they only have rods, not cones. ( in their eyes)

i just giggled to myself. that kid is too smart for his own good.

i'm telling you these kids are a constant source of amusement. crack me up everyday!!

WOW!!!

Wow !!!! can u tell i'm excited. Got a call this morning asking me to be
on the MY MINDS EYE DESIGN TEAM!!! so stoked. so unexpected.
i am still in shock.

can't wait to work with these awesomely talented girls.

xrachelle

mail love & scenes from the pool

I got this awesome package yesterday in the mail from Australia. Rett is a friend of mine that I made through 2P's. She is the most amazing artist and constantly inspires me. We traded ATC cards and i just got her package in the mail yesterday. Not only did it include this incredibly cool ATC, but it was full of ribbons, chipboard, a frame, fabric, and lace. I couldn't wait to play with everything last night. So this is what i came up with; i used the awesome frame and some chipboard. Thank you so much Rett!

Just a quick update on the pool. The pool people came yesterday and worked all day filling in around the pool and of course the kids wanted to help. :) Today they are supposed to come to hook up the pump and do the electric work. Hopefully in a couple weeks we will be swimming.

we have a pool & new art

Well yesterday they came with a huge 80 ft crane to
lift our pool over the house and into the hole in the
backyard. i was speechless to say the least. The kids
were so excited, especially Drew.

School ended last week for the kids, so we have been
playing this week. Lots of trips to the park, daisy scout
meeting, and just general laziness going on.

i have been making some art. working on scrapbooking
more this summer. i've been trying to make a page a day,
and so far have kept to it for the month of june.
xrachelle