It is only Tuesday and already we are having one of "those" weeks. I guess I really can't say that but the past couple of days have been...interesting. I'm sure the rest of the week will be better.
Sunday brought panic to our house. I'm not sure why they thought it was a good idea, but Zachary and Ryan spent some time wrestling. Ryan comes in screaming, "Zachary tore my stitches. Zachary tore my stitches." Yes, there was a fair amount of blood running down his nose. I wiped the blood and discovered that the stitches were still intact but the scab had come off. This time he did need a band-aid. I told both boys that it would probably be best to do something else besides wrestle.
Monday afternoon Ryan had his stitches removed. Ryan happily brought home an envelope with little stitches inside. The doctor said his nose looked fine and it should heal nicely. The doctor did say if Ryan re-injured his nose we would have to take him back for more stitches. I guess the wound wasn't totally healed but if the stitches weren't taken out skin would start to grow over them. Good to know. So I told Ryan to be careful. He is very anxious to see his scar.
I was not able to take Ryan to the doctor. I was at home with the latest bug to hit our house. This time...the stomach virus. Why is it that my kids can throw up once and be fine but I have to live on the toilet for at least 3 days?!? Joshua got sick last Thursday night at bedtime...and was fine Friday morning. Zachary threw up once Monday evening...and was fine at bedtime. I had a horrible day yesterday - all day. It's not fair, I tell you!! It's just not fair. Well, I can't complain too much because I am better today. Must be the 24 hour virus. That is definitely something to be thankful about!
Zachary started occupational therapy tonight. He did well. His therapist is wonderful. She specializes in sensory issues and that is where Zachary needs the most help. She actually explained WHY she chose certain activities and HOW they affect the brain. Zachary did not like waiting for us to finish talking. I was hoping that this first session would bring some calming to him but it seemed to have the opposite effect. He was very "active" at dinner.
Well, it looks like we are moving back to Texas. Chris learned on Monday that when this particular start-up receives the second round of funding, they will offer him a job. He is excited. He really wants to work with this group of people. He thinks he will be a good fit and enjoy his job. No one really wants to move back to Texas but we believe this is where God wants us right now. We can always visit Oregon. We can move back here, too, if it is what God wants for our family.
I just have a few little boy funnies I want to add:
Joshua, the pirate "Shiver me tenders."
Ryan, about his band-aid "My thumb is wearing a coat."
Zachary, all the time, about me "Mom, stop being such a chatterbox!"
Tomorrow is Zachary's last speech appointment. It is at 8 am so I better get to bed.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Stitches
What do you get when you add one 6 year old boy and one china cabinet? 10 stitches. Ryan had a run in with the china cabinet on Monday. I'm not sure how it happened because, naturally, I was not in the room at the time. All I know is Ryan and Joshua were playing with toys and being boys. Somehow Ryan's nose met the corner of the cabinet. Ouch. He ran into our room where I was getting ready for the day, screaming "I need a band-aid." All I could see was an eye full of blood. I followed him into the bathroom where I wiped his face. Fortunately, his eye was not involved but he had a pretty nasty cut in his nose. I told him he was going to need a whole lot more than a band-aid this time!! I rushed him off to the hospital where they sedated him and got him sewn up in pretty quick order. What a day!
Of course, that's not all that happened on Monday morning. I woke up to the freezer door open because of a bag of ice and a full freezer from the shopping trip. The popsicles and ice cream never did recover. After that I discovered ants on the counter in the kitchen. Now, we might be cluttered but we are clean. I hate ants. I quickly washed the counter and made sure the dishes were put away, etc. What a day, what a day!
Ryan is back to thinking he is invincible. He missed school on Monday but was up and at 'em on Tuesday. I even found him walking on the back of the couch!!! I know he is just an active little boy but I swear he is bound and determined to give me gray hair before 40! The weather has not really allowed for the boys to be outside so I know Ryan especially has a lot of pent up energy. Fortunately it is starting to warm up.
On another note, Chris has had a week full of interviews with a start-up company located in Richardson, Texas. While moving back to Texas is not our first choice, we do like to eat and have a dry place to live. Chris has had a phone interview each day with prospective co-worker or supervisor. He is very excited about this company and what they are doing. He thinks it would be a good fit for him. We are hopeful it will work out. Did I forget to mention the best part? Most of the people with whom he has been interviewing have worked with him before. They know him and his work - that helps!
Not too much else for now. I'll try to get pics posted of Ryan and his scar soon. Right now I am enjoying the mellow-ness of having had a glass of wine. Somedays, that is nice.
Of course, that's not all that happened on Monday morning. I woke up to the freezer door open because of a bag of ice and a full freezer from the shopping trip. The popsicles and ice cream never did recover. After that I discovered ants on the counter in the kitchen. Now, we might be cluttered but we are clean. I hate ants. I quickly washed the counter and made sure the dishes were put away, etc. What a day, what a day!
Ryan is back to thinking he is invincible. He missed school on Monday but was up and at 'em on Tuesday. I even found him walking on the back of the couch!!! I know he is just an active little boy but I swear he is bound and determined to give me gray hair before 40! The weather has not really allowed for the boys to be outside so I know Ryan especially has a lot of pent up energy. Fortunately it is starting to warm up.
On another note, Chris has had a week full of interviews with a start-up company located in Richardson, Texas. While moving back to Texas is not our first choice, we do like to eat and have a dry place to live. Chris has had a phone interview each day with prospective co-worker or supervisor. He is very excited about this company and what they are doing. He thinks it would be a good fit for him. We are hopeful it will work out. Did I forget to mention the best part? Most of the people with whom he has been interviewing have worked with him before. They know him and his work - that helps!
Not too much else for now. I'll try to get pics posted of Ryan and his scar soon. Right now I am enjoying the mellow-ness of having had a glass of wine. Somedays, that is nice.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Clarification
I re-read my last two posts and realize I might have contradicted myself a little. In one I talked about how much I spent on books and in the next one I spoke about how much money we didn't have. That is not a good message to send.
Yes, I still order books from the book clubs, although not as many or as much as in the past. I limit my boys to 1 or 2 of the least expensive books, usually the $1 variety. It is hard for me to break this habit. Plus, they have given up so much already. I would rather give up something for myself than deny them a little bit of happiness. Books are so important to each of them. I must admit that I really like it when they bring the new book to me, sit in my lap, and say, "Please read, Mama!"
Chris and I are doing our best to make the right decisions for our family. We are doing our best to budget wisely and make the most of our circumstances. It's not always easy and sometimes we don't make the best choices. It's hard to hear one brother tell another, "We don't have any money for that because Daddy doesn't have a job." Right now, being Mama is hard.
In the future we may have to stop buying event he $1 books for the boys. We may have to rethink our menus, use more generic and give up our soda habit. We may have to move our family back to Texas. But we will still be a family. We will be OK.
Yes, I still order books from the book clubs, although not as many or as much as in the past. I limit my boys to 1 or 2 of the least expensive books, usually the $1 variety. It is hard for me to break this habit. Plus, they have given up so much already. I would rather give up something for myself than deny them a little bit of happiness. Books are so important to each of them. I must admit that I really like it when they bring the new book to me, sit in my lap, and say, "Please read, Mama!"
Chris and I are doing our best to make the right decisions for our family. We are doing our best to budget wisely and make the most of our circumstances. It's not always easy and sometimes we don't make the best choices. It's hard to hear one brother tell another, "We don't have any money for that because Daddy doesn't have a job." Right now, being Mama is hard.
In the future we may have to stop buying event he $1 books for the boys. We may have to rethink our menus, use more generic and give up our soda habit. We may have to move our family back to Texas. But we will still be a family. We will be OK.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Tough Decisions
How do you tell your 8 year old son that he might not have his birthday party after all? How do you explain to your 6 year old that he can't have the $8 book from the book order this time? How do you tell your 4 year old that we just can't afford to eat at McDonald's every Wednesday before school like we did in the past? How do I tell my boys all of these things?
The difficult economic times have not left our house unscathed. In January of this year my husband was laid-off. He was fortunate to receive a severance package of a few weeks salary and insurance coverage through the end of May. He considered it a blessing to be able to access a career management firm for a month. He signed up for his unemployment. He has been applying for jobs since the very day his job was "downsized." While he has enjoyed his time at home to be Dad, reevaluate his career choice and improve his skills, he is ready to work again. If only he could find a job.
It has been almost 2 months since he entered unemployment. Our severance is almost gone. While we have insurance, we are in the "gap" between what our health reimbursement account (through our insurance plan) paid and when our traditional insurance pays everything. We have limited funds in our FSA. He has diligently applied for jobs, finding them through headhunters, job websites and networking. He has had a handful of phone screens. Still, no job. He has some more promising leads this week, although they would take us away from a place we have grown to love. It is a tough decision. One of many we have had to make.
After moving to Oregon last May, Chris and I decided to take the fall "off" from activities for the boys so we could get settled. It was more important to establish relationships with doctors, church, friends and the preschool. We had big plans for the spring for our family. There is a recreation center to join, homeschool enrichment classes, sports activities...the list could continue. We were unable to see any of that happen. All the talk of music lessons and karate turned into talk of how to cover basics. My loving parents graciously stepped in to cover school costs. I had to change from thinking about how our family could make extra activities a reality to how our family can stretch grocery dollars and still be healthy eaters. The discussion about decisions and how sometimes life isn't fair began.
Not all decisions are as simple as cutting out fast food or cutting back on name-brand or organic groceries. Joshua needs tubes in his ears. Actually, one of his ears has a tube and he can hear fine but the other ear has fluid behind the eardrum and his hearing is not very good. In most situations I would have tubes in his ears in a heartbeat, but we just can't afford them right now. Yes, we have insurance but we would have to pay for this out of pocket because of the "gap" we are in right now. His ENT assures me that because he can hear well out of one ear we can wait a while longer. I have decided to discuss the money part of the surgery with the business manager at the clinic to see the cost and explore options. Joshua's speech is already behind (this would be his 3rd set of tubes - the fluid builds up and he can't hear, then he can't make the speech sounds properly) and I know it is starting to effect his social and academic skills.
Another decision is about Zachary's therapy. We will be paying for some of that out of pocket. He has two more speech sessions left and then will start OT. I simply will NOT allow him to go without this therapy - he has a difficult time functioning without this help. Because he has been going since the beginning of the year, he is very close to meeting his out of pocket max for the year. I suspect we will not have to pay for very many therapy sessions before his limit is met. It is hard to "choose" therapy over Joshua's tubes but we have limited money in our FSA and feel it will go best toward Zachary's therapy. This decision is also made with the hope that Chris will have a job soon and both will happen. I don't like that I have to make a choice at all.
I will give my boys a lot of credit. They are taking everything in stride, for the most part. Joshua keeps asking when Daddy's company will get more money so Daddy can go back to work. Zachary has us moving everywhere Chris puts in an application; just this morning telling his speech therapist that Daddy got a job in Tennessee and we would be moving. All three are very observant and know that Mom and Daddy are stressed. This does have an effect on their behavior. Ryan is acting up a little more at school. Zachary is not sleeping well and has had issues with meltdowns. Joshua is extra clingy. Each day we tell them we love them and we will ALWAYS take care of them, regardless of Daddy's work status. I think that is the most important thing we, as parents, can do at this time.
I know we will be fine. We have hope in the Lord. We gather our strength from Him. Our family has offered to help in any way possible. We are surrounded by friends. We are surrounded by prayer. It is difficult to wait. It is difficult to see God's timing. It is hard to want something and discover that He does not want the same things for our family. It is hard to figure out what God wants for us, sometimes. Still, we will wait. We will stay in Oregon, if possible, or move if God says, "Move." Following Him - that's not a tough decision.
The difficult economic times have not left our house unscathed. In January of this year my husband was laid-off. He was fortunate to receive a severance package of a few weeks salary and insurance coverage through the end of May. He considered it a blessing to be able to access a career management firm for a month. He signed up for his unemployment. He has been applying for jobs since the very day his job was "downsized." While he has enjoyed his time at home to be Dad, reevaluate his career choice and improve his skills, he is ready to work again. If only he could find a job.
It has been almost 2 months since he entered unemployment. Our severance is almost gone. While we have insurance, we are in the "gap" between what our health reimbursement account (through our insurance plan) paid and when our traditional insurance pays everything. We have limited funds in our FSA. He has diligently applied for jobs, finding them through headhunters, job websites and networking. He has had a handful of phone screens. Still, no job. He has some more promising leads this week, although they would take us away from a place we have grown to love. It is a tough decision. One of many we have had to make.
After moving to Oregon last May, Chris and I decided to take the fall "off" from activities for the boys so we could get settled. It was more important to establish relationships with doctors, church, friends and the preschool. We had big plans for the spring for our family. There is a recreation center to join, homeschool enrichment classes, sports activities...the list could continue. We were unable to see any of that happen. All the talk of music lessons and karate turned into talk of how to cover basics. My loving parents graciously stepped in to cover school costs. I had to change from thinking about how our family could make extra activities a reality to how our family can stretch grocery dollars and still be healthy eaters. The discussion about decisions and how sometimes life isn't fair began.
Not all decisions are as simple as cutting out fast food or cutting back on name-brand or organic groceries. Joshua needs tubes in his ears. Actually, one of his ears has a tube and he can hear fine but the other ear has fluid behind the eardrum and his hearing is not very good. In most situations I would have tubes in his ears in a heartbeat, but we just can't afford them right now. Yes, we have insurance but we would have to pay for this out of pocket because of the "gap" we are in right now. His ENT assures me that because he can hear well out of one ear we can wait a while longer. I have decided to discuss the money part of the surgery with the business manager at the clinic to see the cost and explore options. Joshua's speech is already behind (this would be his 3rd set of tubes - the fluid builds up and he can't hear, then he can't make the speech sounds properly) and I know it is starting to effect his social and academic skills.
Another decision is about Zachary's therapy. We will be paying for some of that out of pocket. He has two more speech sessions left and then will start OT. I simply will NOT allow him to go without this therapy - he has a difficult time functioning without this help. Because he has been going since the beginning of the year, he is very close to meeting his out of pocket max for the year. I suspect we will not have to pay for very many therapy sessions before his limit is met. It is hard to "choose" therapy over Joshua's tubes but we have limited money in our FSA and feel it will go best toward Zachary's therapy. This decision is also made with the hope that Chris will have a job soon and both will happen. I don't like that I have to make a choice at all.
I will give my boys a lot of credit. They are taking everything in stride, for the most part. Joshua keeps asking when Daddy's company will get more money so Daddy can go back to work. Zachary has us moving everywhere Chris puts in an application; just this morning telling his speech therapist that Daddy got a job in Tennessee and we would be moving. All three are very observant and know that Mom and Daddy are stressed. This does have an effect on their behavior. Ryan is acting up a little more at school. Zachary is not sleeping well and has had issues with meltdowns. Joshua is extra clingy. Each day we tell them we love them and we will ALWAYS take care of them, regardless of Daddy's work status. I think that is the most important thing we, as parents, can do at this time.
I know we will be fine. We have hope in the Lord. We gather our strength from Him. Our family has offered to help in any way possible. We are surrounded by friends. We are surrounded by prayer. It is difficult to wait. It is difficult to see God's timing. It is hard to want something and discover that He does not want the same things for our family. It is hard to figure out what God wants for us, sometimes. Still, we will wait. We will stay in Oregon, if possible, or move if God says, "Move." Following Him - that's not a tough decision.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Books and Reading
My boys love books. They come by it very naturally, though. My mom, sister and I can tune out the world when we are in the middle of a good book. My grandma was the same way. I love seeing my boys carrying on this love of reading. At any time you can find Zachary reading about space or Pokemon, Ryan reading about anything science or Joshua looking at books with dogs. All three prefer to read encyclopedias and non-fiction but will read a good fiction book on their favorite topic on occasion.
Last week was book order week at our house. Ryan and Joshua get Scholastic Book Club order forms once a month. Let me just say that I don't care how much money we don't have I will still order books. I would give up eating - just myself, no one else - for a few days to have enough money to buy books for my boys. Scholastic has some good deals on their forms - $1 books. Most of the time I can find a $1 book to buy for one of my boys or to use with school. I honestly try not to get carried away with the book orders and always have a limit. But sometimes the books are just so good. I've tried to find a 12 step program for this behavior but so many people think reading and books are good things!
Anyway, last week we got the books we ordered at the beginning of February. Ryan had his Reptile True and False book memorized the next day. Joshua was excited to get a book about ducks and hugs - two of his favorite things. I think I ordered 6 or 7 books for about $20. I try to order one or two books for each boy and then I usually find a good book for school. You just can't beat the $1 book on the life cycle of chickens or the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly.
Today Ryan's class had a field trip to the library. We don't go to the library all that often because Mama can't remember to get the books back by the due date. Judging by the look on Ryan's face when he saw all the books he could read without having to ask Mama for money, I think we'll be going more frequently. Ryan got his first library card today - I was so proud. He checked out a book in the Andrew Lost series (by J.C. Greenberg) and an DK discovery book about Epidemics. He thought about a book on Lyme Disease and one on Smallpox but decided a book covering more germs would suit his needs better. He was nice enough to check out a book about the movie Bolt for his brother. If the school would have been just a few more minutes away from the library he would have had the book on germs read from cover to cover. It baffles my mind that he is already so interested in germs.
I totally love the fact that my kids like to read and that 2 of them are already good readers. It makes homeschooling easier, that's for sure. It also opens their minds to so many different things. They get to use their imaginations and "see" the story in their heads. I like that they like to read non-fiction and learn things. Although I love to read and always have I did not like the books that were chosen for me to read when I was in school. I just did not see the point to many of them, especially the "novels" we had to read. I didn't like dry textbooks. Neither do my boys. Being able to allow them to read exciting books about sometimes boring topics is just one more reason I love homeschooling.
We still read to our boys at night. They each get to chose a short story or a few pages from a longer book. If they do not cooperate during the bedtime routine, they lose their story at bedtime. It breaks my heart when I have to take this privelege away. Tonight I got to read from the Bolt book to Joshua and a chapter from Zachary's new Pokemon book. Daddy got to read about bacteria and epidemics to Ryan, who already knew most of what he was hearing. Zachary and Joshua usually fall asleep right away after their story but Ryan will stay up reading. He'll yell facts about whatever topic is in his book to me - "Mom, did you know that an anaconda can be 35 feet long?" More than once I have found him asleep with a book on his chest.
Ryan's school has a one on one reading program in their kindergarten program. Parents volunteer to spend about 1/2 an hour helping the kids learn how to read. There are different levels, starting with letter recognition and ending with early readers. I have enjoyed being able to help with this program. I have worked with different levels and it always excites me to see the look on a child's face when they master a concept, especially reading. All of the kids are so excited to learn how to read or to improve their skills. Because of this I am entertaining the idea of going back to school to become a reading specialist. I would love to learn more about teaching children how to read. Zachary and Ryan picked it up so easily and I really didn't have to "teach" them anything. Joshua is heading on the same path. Some children need the teaching part and I would love to learn effective methods so I can help others learn to read. Just something to think about.
As you can see, reading and books play a big part in our family life. Chris and I spend our date nights perusing bookstores (not all the time!). He holds my hands - not because he is being romantic but because he knows I will buy something if my hands are free. My boys are the same way. I am happy. I am not sure what I would do with a reluctant reader. Reading can always be taught but I believe the love of reading is something that is within a person. Sometimes - it takes a while for that love to be found.
Last week was book order week at our house. Ryan and Joshua get Scholastic Book Club order forms once a month. Let me just say that I don't care how much money we don't have I will still order books. I would give up eating - just myself, no one else - for a few days to have enough money to buy books for my boys. Scholastic has some good deals on their forms - $1 books. Most of the time I can find a $1 book to buy for one of my boys or to use with school. I honestly try not to get carried away with the book orders and always have a limit. But sometimes the books are just so good. I've tried to find a 12 step program for this behavior but so many people think reading and books are good things!
Anyway, last week we got the books we ordered at the beginning of February. Ryan had his Reptile True and False book memorized the next day. Joshua was excited to get a book about ducks and hugs - two of his favorite things. I think I ordered 6 or 7 books for about $20. I try to order one or two books for each boy and then I usually find a good book for school. You just can't beat the $1 book on the life cycle of chickens or the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly.
Today Ryan's class had a field trip to the library. We don't go to the library all that often because Mama can't remember to get the books back by the due date. Judging by the look on Ryan's face when he saw all the books he could read without having to ask Mama for money, I think we'll be going more frequently. Ryan got his first library card today - I was so proud. He checked out a book in the Andrew Lost series (by J.C. Greenberg) and an DK discovery book about Epidemics. He thought about a book on Lyme Disease and one on Smallpox but decided a book covering more germs would suit his needs better. He was nice enough to check out a book about the movie Bolt for his brother. If the school would have been just a few more minutes away from the library he would have had the book on germs read from cover to cover. It baffles my mind that he is already so interested in germs.
I totally love the fact that my kids like to read and that 2 of them are already good readers. It makes homeschooling easier, that's for sure. It also opens their minds to so many different things. They get to use their imaginations and "see" the story in their heads. I like that they like to read non-fiction and learn things. Although I love to read and always have I did not like the books that were chosen for me to read when I was in school. I just did not see the point to many of them, especially the "novels" we had to read. I didn't like dry textbooks. Neither do my boys. Being able to allow them to read exciting books about sometimes boring topics is just one more reason I love homeschooling.
We still read to our boys at night. They each get to chose a short story or a few pages from a longer book. If they do not cooperate during the bedtime routine, they lose their story at bedtime. It breaks my heart when I have to take this privelege away. Tonight I got to read from the Bolt book to Joshua and a chapter from Zachary's new Pokemon book. Daddy got to read about bacteria and epidemics to Ryan, who already knew most of what he was hearing. Zachary and Joshua usually fall asleep right away after their story but Ryan will stay up reading. He'll yell facts about whatever topic is in his book to me - "Mom, did you know that an anaconda can be 35 feet long?" More than once I have found him asleep with a book on his chest.
Ryan's school has a one on one reading program in their kindergarten program. Parents volunteer to spend about 1/2 an hour helping the kids learn how to read. There are different levels, starting with letter recognition and ending with early readers. I have enjoyed being able to help with this program. I have worked with different levels and it always excites me to see the look on a child's face when they master a concept, especially reading. All of the kids are so excited to learn how to read or to improve their skills. Because of this I am entertaining the idea of going back to school to become a reading specialist. I would love to learn more about teaching children how to read. Zachary and Ryan picked it up so easily and I really didn't have to "teach" them anything. Joshua is heading on the same path. Some children need the teaching part and I would love to learn effective methods so I can help others learn to read. Just something to think about.
As you can see, reading and books play a big part in our family life. Chris and I spend our date nights perusing bookstores (not all the time!). He holds my hands - not because he is being romantic but because he knows I will buy something if my hands are free. My boys are the same way. I am happy. I am not sure what I would do with a reluctant reader. Reading can always be taught but I believe the love of reading is something that is within a person. Sometimes - it takes a while for that love to be found.
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