I don't really know how to feel about this...

We told the kids this past Saturday.  They had been out with family for lunch and a movie, Geek and I got into a huge fight.  Then he left.  Packed a bag, took our car, and didn't tell anyone where he was going.  So I have no way to get around.  I can walk to the store or the doctor, but it will take awhile and I can't do a big shopping trip.  Oh, and he changed the password to the bank account.  No, my name isn't on it, he works for the bank so in order to get a free account it had to be in his name only.  No need to tell me how dumb it was to close my account (hey, it was costing $20/month that could be better used somewhere else), I know.

So, he dropped off some groceries this morning and I found out he is staying with his girlfriend.  They haven't known each other for more than a month.  Oh, and he wants to take the kids next weekend, overnight, and stay there.  Over my dead body.

I filled out a form for assistance this morning, I have an appointment tomorrow already.  I'm no longer embarrassed to have to ask for help.  It's not my fault I've spent the past 6 years "working" as a mother and wife and now he wants to play house with someone else.  She is 7 years older than him!  I could never date a guy that much younger than me.  It's not even like he is one of those "older than my age" guys.  If anything, he's a 15 year old trapped in a 32 year old body.

I know him wanting the kids next weekend is going to cause yet another big fight, and this woman may be a wonderful person (although from what I gather from someone who knows her, I'm not sure this is anything more than a fling with Geek) but it will be less than two weeks since we told the kids about the divorce.  He should not be having sleepovers with them at her place.  I'm worried Geek with tell me I'm doing this to "hurt" him, but I really think I'm protecting my kids emotions.

They rarely ask about him unless it's to ask where he is and when he's going to come back.  They understand they are moving with just me, but it's weird to them for him to not be here since he told them they will still be able to visit him here.  I had to talk them into talking to him on the phone last night.  They only wanted him to come back...same thing this morning when he stopped by.  I try not to cry or get emotional in front of them, but they can tell when I'm sad and they have both asked me if it was "because of Daddy"

He can screw anything he wants...he just needs to keep it away from the Minions for a bit yet.

Please tell me I'm not over thinking this!

I'm FINALLY putting myself first...and I'm not feeling bad about it!

I'm finally in a good place.  Yes, I'm still pissed about the pending divorce.  Yes, I'm still pissed that I can only meet jerks (I took down my online dating profiles!)  But I finally don't want to rip Geeks balls off and feed them to him so I'd consider it a huge improvement.

My diabetes doctor and my family doctor have both suggested I consider weight loss surgery.  They mentioned this over a year ago.  Looking back, I should have just done it, but we were dealing with so much with Bubba and Diva, I just couldn't take time for myself.

But last week I realized something.  My blood sugar has been out of control for the past few month...weird how it had been under great control until all the stress with Geek started, huh?  My PCOS makes it hard to lose weight.  I exercise, I eat well (probably better than most people), I take my meds...but the weight just hangs on.  I need to be around for my Minions for as long as possible and it seems that this is the only way to get this weight off...and therefore get my life back.  My diabetes will probably go away (or at least be to the point where I won't need insulin and meds twice each day) and therefore I will live a longer, healthier life.

I'm not gonna lie, being thinner is a big bonus, being able to go into any store and find something to fit, is a big bonus.  Not getting disapproving looks when I eat out (no matter what I eat!) is a big bonus.  Showing my kids that it's great to be there for others as long as you don't forget about yourself in the process, is the best bonus.

I'm actually feeling content with my life.

*I wrote this on 6/19/14, it's the last in the "Here's what's been going on in my life the last few months" updates.  I'm getting ready to take the Minions down the shore for two weeks and I couldn't be more excited.  Just me and them for two weeks.  Swimming, playing in the sand, staying up late to watch movies...making good memories with them.  I may post some pictures, I may not.  But there will be another update soon, because I just found out Geek lied to me tonight and I'm hot.  Stay tuned.*

Grow the F up!

Must be nice to get to act like a 15 year old.  Must be nice to think that other people are responsible for YOUR happiness.  Must be nice to know that someone else will always be there for the children you helped create.

Geek has said the reason he wants to divorce is because he "isn't happy"  Really?  Somehow this is my fault?  I think it's more likely you are pissed I'm insisting you act like the 32 year old man you claim to be.  Stop with the constant playing of some stupid text based online computer game that you have been playing since 8th grade!  Know what I did for fun in 8th grade that I still do?  NOTHING!!!  Ok, I read, but I'm not still reading the same books from then.

Grow the F up!

We should have moved far away from his family.  I thought he was different, he isn't.  Since Geek is an only child, his mother and her gay, childless, unmarried/unattached aunt spent their lives catering to his every need and want.  They did everything to keep him happy...now he refuses to grow up.

Why didn't I see this earlier?  I'm not sure.  I mean, I have had to talk to him before about the amount of time he spends with his computer (and since we've gotten smartphones, the amount of time he spends playing games on that!) and maybe I should have seen it, but I loved him (and I think I still do) so I over looked it, made excuses, and basically just decided this was going to be my life from now on.

Think the Minions and I moving out, and him only seeing them a few times each month, will make his realize how much of an ass he's being?  Yeah, probably not.

You are not a single dad!!!

Geek has NO right to call himself a "single dad"  I'm still doing 90% of the parenting.  The only time he parents is if I need him to watch the kids because I won't be home (the only time I get out of the house anymore is if I have a doctors appoint.)

Once the Minions and I move out (I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT DAY!) he will see them every other weekend...4 days each month.  He has asked for one week of vacation with them each summer...let's see if that actually happens after the first year.  He STILL can't tell you what meds the kids take each day.  He has no idea how to do anything with Diva'a hair other than bruch it.  She has long hair, it needs to be braided each night and have something done with it each morning or it looks like a hot mess.

He has started yelling way too much at Bubba.  Bubba doesn't respond well to yelling but Geek seems to forget this.

I'm the only who makes the appointments, I'm the one who keeps up with the kids meds, I'm the only who deals with calls from the school, I'm the one who attends the IEP/504 meetings (when he attends he has pretty much no idea what's going on anyway).  I'm the one who is up with them at night when they are sick/have a bad dream/can't sleep/just want to be with someone then gets them breakfast and off to school before I start my daily cleaning/cooking/looking for a job that pays money/dealing with EVERYTHING.

Look, I know it's important that Geek works, he makes the money.  But when you can't even mow the lawn so the kids can play in the yard then call yourself a "single parent" it makes my blood boil.  I'm sorry, you are a "weekend dad"...actually, you are an "every other weekend dad"

I should have known...

I should have stuck to my original plan and not dated ever again.  I should have known that all the good ones are either dead, married, or gay.  I should have realized that Cowboy was only saying what I wanted to hear to get me into his bed.  I should have stuck to my guns and ignored the sexual tension between us.  I should have known that guys don't want a fat chick with two kids, especially when those kids are special needs.

I didn't know he existed until about a week and a half ago, we only met in person a week ago.  He knew I hadn't been getting the attention I wanted from Geek for years, so he gave it to me and I let a smooth talker finish breaking my heart.

I sent him a text telling him that things are different when you date a single mom.  I have to make plans at least a week before so I can arrainge things like child care.  I told him that  if he couldn't or didn't want to put more time and energy into our relationship then he needed to tell me.  His response:  "Who is this?"

I know I gave him an ultimatum, but he didn't have to be such an ass about it.

So I'm not going to look for someone.  I'm getting off the two dating sites I'm on.  I'm going to tell people, if they ask, that I'm working on me and I really don't have time to date since the kids are only with Geek 4 days each month.  But really, my heart has been so broken that what little I have left I'm giving to my kids.  I refuse to allow another man into my life, I refuse to be hurt again.

The Gray Area

I feel like I'm living my life in The Gray Area.

Geek and I are separating...but not really.

Bubba has Autism...but the support groups and other things (apps, books, etc) are for kids with the classic form, which he doesn't have.

Diva has cerebral palsy...but again, any support I can find is for kids with the severe form, her is mild ataxia.

Let's start with Geek and I.  If we didn't have the kids, this would be really easy..."bye!"...but not only do we have the kids (and for their sake we need to stay friendly...not that anything is ugly between us we just realize we aren't working as married parents) but we need to wait until the end of the school year to even tell them on the suggestion of their psychologist.  The last thing we want to do is cause any issues with them finishing out the school year.

Now, the support groups.  I want support from other parents, I want their advice, their tips, their friendship.  Our families really don't understand, some of them try to but until you live it day in and day out you really just don't get it.  For instance, Geeks aunt and mother don't understand why we "insist" on disciplining the kids immediately...I'm not sorry, you cannot take Bubba/Diva with you to do something fun and postpone his/her punishment!  The there is the snide, "Does she really need to sit in her wheelchair?"  Um, yes, if we don't pace her she will tire out and meltdown.  I'm sorry you are embarrassed by the wheelchair and her braces, but tough shit.  Yeah, I'm not sorry about getting rid of my in-laws at all.

I wrote this back in early May.  Over the next few days, I'll be posting  a lot.  I wrote to help me through my emotions, but I didn't want to post anything until I was in a better emotional place.  

It's been awhile, I know!

Geek has been out of work for about a month with a lung infection then a kidney stone...he just can't catch a break!  He finally went back to work last night.  Things are getting back to normal.

Just over a week ago, we were getting ready to go to the local aquarium.  I let Diva shower by herself for the first time.  Big mistake.  She slipped on the 3 inches of floor between the tub and the towel on the floor and smack her head on the side of the tub.  I was in there within seconds.  But then she started vomiting.  So we dropped Bubba at his grandparents and rushed Diva to the ER.

Thankfully, everything looks fine.  She was out of school all last week due to the headaches, she is not allowed to do gym class (or ride her bike, skates, scooter, anything that she could hit her head again) this week and has an appointment at the Concussion Clinic at our local children's hospital later this week.

Bubba is back on stimulants for his ADHD.  We aren't seeing any of the side effects that caused us to take him off them before (thank goodness!) and they are working so well for him.  However, we now have new things starting with him.  He is really getting physical by the time his meds wear off in the afternoon.  This evening alone he kicked Diva, pushed her, and hit her.

*sigh*

I'm working on some new items for my Etsy shop and wrestling is winding down.

Yeah, it's been busy!!

I'm trying to get back to my goal of twice per week posting but I'm also looking to get back into the workforce.  It's time.  I'm comfortable with how well the kids have been doing that I feel I can re-enter the working world.

So yeah, just another rambling "here's what we have been up to" post :0)

I must be weak

Bubba and Diva are really becoming a handful.  Geek hasn't been much help and in fact seems to retreat into his computer games every chance he gets.  So I handle it, I handle it all and feel like shit when I ask him to help out...especially when he spends the time yelling at the kids.  I wonder if being a single mom would be better for all involved.

I don't think I ask much: take the trash out, do the laundry (I fold and the kids put away), clean the bathroom, mow the lawn, and supervise the kids cleaning at times.  Geek will help out more when I'm sick or hurt (I have a slipped disk in my back so throwing it out happens every now and then) but I still do 95% of the child care and cooking.  I cannot imagine how much of a mess things would be if I had an actual job!

Geek can be worse then the kids about leaving things around the house.  He has this bad habit of taking his clothing off and just leaving it where he got changed at.  Drives me nuts!  He is a grown man and I pick up after him more then I do the kids!  And I swear he does things in the worst way possible (like folding laundry or loading the dishwasher) just so I don't ask him to do it again.

The kids needs are wearing me out.  I feel more worn down everyday.  I'm on 24/7.  Even on the few days each month I can sleep in, it doesn't happen.  Someone needs their hair done or can't find something they were looking for (even though they would find it if they moved something!)...see what I mean?  Kids get sick?  Mommy!  Bubba needs nebulizer treatments every 4 hours?  Mommy!  What's Daddy doing?  Probably playing his dumb ass computer game.

I've spoken to him about it many times over our relationship, things change for a few months but then they are right back to where they were before.  I barely have the energy to give to my kids everyday, I defiantly don't have the energy to deal with Geeks computer game addiction.

I must be weak to stay with a big man-child.  I must be weak because my kids medical problems are crushing me...heck, my own medical problems are crushing me!

I just want a few days, totally alone, no husband/kids/cats to take care of.  I don't want to worry about anyone but me and recharge my batteries.  But that will never happen, so I just keep figuring out how to keep functioning.

Wow...just wow

I really have no words for the way some people on my side of the family treated me very early on Christmas Eve.  My kids don't sleep well, even at 7 and 6, so therefore I don't sleep well (Geek works 3rd shift if I forgot to mention that before.)  Remember, Bubba has high-functioning autism, mild Tourettes (which is getting worse), and ADHD; and Diva has mild cerebral palsy and is now being treated for anxiety.

Anyway, at around 3am on the morning of Christmas Eve, after my second night of less than 2 hours of sleep, I took to Facebook to complain about my kids not sleeping and how tired I was.  My father informed me that it was all part of being a parent and I should "quit bitching", my brother-in-law said the same thing, then one of my sisters posted a passive-agressive status stating I should just be happy for what I have.  My husband informed them that they have no clue what it's like to raise one special needs child, let alone two, who don't sleep well,

Here's the thing...I very rarely complain on Facebook.  And when I do it's mostly light-hearted, like complaining that my perscription insurance needs an easier to navigate web site.

Geek was pissed, to say the least.  He called my step-mother, told her what was going on and let her know that we wouldn't be making it to the family Christmas Eve party because he didn't know if he could keep from punch my father and brother-in-law.  Yup, that's how pissed he was (and still is.) 

I should mention that my step-mother took our side, blasted her husband (my dad), son-in-law, and daughter.

I actually un-friended my father, sisters, and brothers-in-law.  I feel GREAT!  They were some of the most negative and pessimistic people.

I'd love to know why it's ok to complain about their jobs, their pregnancies, their pets, other drivers, service at restruants/stores, how tired they are, etc but I get blasted.

Best part?  I don't have to see (read?) the dumbass political stuff they post.  I'm all for everyone being entitled to their own opinions and political views...when they are actually informed about it and don't get their news from internet memes :0)

"I just want to walk and walk and walk!!!"

Those are the words that came out of Diva's mouth this past weekend...on her second day of wearing her AFOs (leg braces). 

My baby girl, who usually hates talking because it makes her so tired and makes her legs hurt, wanted to walk and walk and walk!

It's enough to make a mom cry...with happiness, of course!

There is a down side, we had to buy her new sneakers (ugh, $50!) because she needs the widest ones available.  By the way, I HIGHLY recommend New Balance shoes and a visit to Stride-rite!  They were so helpful!  But sneakers are the only thing we have found to fit her.  Being a lover of shoes, this has been hard on her, but she understands.  At just shy of 6, this little girl understands that she can either wear whatever shoes she wants or she can have her legs not hurt.

AND!!!  She is getting her toe fixed on Friday.  She is excited because the toe hurts her.  I'm anxious, really anxious.  I'm not sure why, it's not like my kids have never had surgery before.

We are STILL at odds with Bubba's school, nothing really came of our meeting and Geek and I are currently in contact with an attorney.

AND, with all this craziness...wrestling season has started!!

Never a dull moment :0)

Here is the pattern Diva picked out

Here she in in her new AFOs

I Would Be So Bored With "Normal"

There is nothing normal or typical about my life.  Well, there are a few things.  I cook for my family...we laugh...we play games (the Minions LOVE bored games)...I spend one night a week putting their weekly pill containers together...we visit so many doctors that my kids know the drill by heart...

Wait, those last two aren't normal.

I spend Thursday nights, after the Minions are tucked into bed, filling their weekly pill containers.  Diva takes two pills each day...one is a fish oil and the other to help her sleep, in addition to mirilax.  Bubba takes 5.5 pills each day...two fish oils, 1.5 for ADHD, one for asthma, and the other for reflux.

Doctors visits...Diva sees a GI doctor, an orthopedic doctor and a psychiatrist on a regular basis, in addition to her family doctor.  Bubba sees a pulmonolgist (for asthma) and a psychiatrist, in addition to the family doctor.  Of course, they also see the dentist and eye doctor.

Did I mention before that they both get physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) and Diva also gets speech therapy (ST)??

They have seen just about every specialty at the childrens hospital at some point in their life.

It makes me sad when we get complements like "it's great that they can swallow pills and that they don't give you a hard time taking them"..."you are so good letting me examine you"

Honestly, I wish I had to hold them down to get a shot or take meds.  I wish they haven't had to experience of anesthesia.  I wish I would have to sit there and watch them take medication, rather than just telling them "time for meds" and they know which slot to open.  I wish they didn't know to question if they have the correct pills if the color/size/shape changes.

I wish my kids didn't know what the inside of a childrens hospital looks like.  I wish I didn't have to give their teachers a full page background on them.  I wish Diva could have milk, didn't need medication to help her poop every day, and that she could sleep well.  I wish Bubba could make friends easily, knew a time when he didn't have daily pills to take, and didn't have to carry a nebi/inhaler everywhere.

I'd like to have just one week to enjoy my Minions without the consent worry.  But it's not going to happen, and I'm ok with that.  Taking Diva home after her surgery a few weeks ago, I said to Geek, "We would be so bored with our life if the kids were "normal""  He agreed.

A friend of the Geek said to him, "I don't know how you do it.  I'd be mad a the world."  Geeks response, "What good would it do?"

Mainstream schooling...*sigh*

Bubba has an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and is mainstreamed at school, with some modifications.  Basically, that means that he is in a regular education class with some extra in-class support and he gets extra time to take tests.

This keeps him with neurotypical students.  Neurotypical means kids who don't have "issues" with their brain, for example:  autism, seizures, etc

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

It's good because the other kids are usually good role models for how to act.  They help him practice proper social interactions.

It's a bad thing because kids with Aspergers usually can't tell when someone is a friend or a bully (we dealt with this in kindergarten adn 1st grade) or when someone is friendly-teasing.  And it can also leave the non-neurotypical kid feeling like an outcast.

We have been having trouble with Bubba's school over the last week-ish.  We get a feeling that he is being singled out due to his Asperger's, and that the teachers/aides are relying on the other kids side of the story and not even listening to Bubba's.  Kid's with Asperger's are honest to a fault.  They don't understand things like the "little white lie."

I threatened to pull him out of school to home-school him.  I don't want to because this child is going to be smarter than his college graduate mother before too long :0)

Our next option was to look into alternative or private schooling.  There is an autism program run in our county out of a school about half an hour away.  We are going to insist, at the least, that we be permitted to look into the program.

The school keeps insisting that he needs to be with neurotypical kids to "socialize" him.  He started publie school in Pre-K, he is now in 2nd grade.  His friends are the kids he wrestles with because they accept him for who he is.  He has no friends in his class and hasn't since he started school. 

"Socialization" is no longer a good enough reason to keep him in that school.  Especially when I get an e-mail from one of his teachers telling me that the other students "shouldn't have to tolerate" the things he does.  Well, I don't think he should have to tolerate being forced to sit still for hour at a time, or being picked on when the teachers/aides are out of ear-shot.

After he came home with wood chips all over his socks and him telling me that some kids TOOK HIS SHOES out on the playground, I asked him if he told an adult at the school.  He said he did but was told not to "tattle."  So when the kids pick on him, he doesn't say anything anymore.

How freaking sad is that?



We have an appointment on Monday, 10/21.  I'm sure I will have to get pissy a few times.

Don't mess with the cub if you can't handle Mama!

Finally....some answers!!!!!

We have some answers for Diva!  She has mild Ataxic Cerebral Palsy.  And CP is most likely the cause of her cronic constipation.  As for the feeling of food getting stuck in her throat?  Well, according to her orthopedic doctor, the form of CP she has is mild so it's not likely...but anything is possible.

Her treatment plan (Geek and I are so freaking happy we finally have one!!!!) is as follows:
-PT is increased from once a week to twice
-lower leg braces to be worn part-time (so basically for school and walking trips, like the zoo)

We left her appointment feeling so much lighter.  This massive weight has been lifted off our shoulders. 

We have treatment plans for both kids.  We feel we have the best diagnoses for both of them.

Things are starting to fall into place!

Tummy Troubles

Diva is still having tummy troubles, and they really don't know why.

She had an endoscopy with biopsy just over a week ago.  We got the results back and they are normal, totally freaking normal.  Geek and I are at the point where we just want them to find something, any thing!  Once we know what's going on, we can treat it.  Right now, we are just grabbing at straws in the dark.

We don't get the results of her gait analysis until the end of the month, but they did tell us she is coming down harder on one foot compared to the other.

Geek and I really hope we get some answers soon, it sucks not being able to help our kids simply because we don't know what's going on with them.

I keep telling myself...

I have to keep reminding myself that Bubba's brain doesn't work the way mine does.  Between the Asperger's and ADHD, his wiring is just so different from mine that I have to keep telling myself he has his own way of doing things.

This has good and bad parts.

The bad is that it can take him a lot longer to do what I consider a simple task.  He can't focus because he hears everything.  For example, the sound of my super quiet (to me at least) dishwasher is so loud to him.

The good?  He sees things and thinks things that amaze me.  He has such an active imagination.  The way he solves problems blow my mind.  There have been a few times he has come up with a solution that Geek and I never considered.

I need to keep telling myself that we will eventually get from Point A to Point B, we just may take the scenic route.

In a bit of a daze...

We got back from Bubba's behavioural health appointment a few hours ago.  Why is this blog-worthy?  Because his doctor not only agrees with us that there is something more than ADHD going on with him but has diagnosed with with Asperger's as well as Tourette's Syndrome.

Let's tackle the Tourette's first.  We stopped all ADHD meds on the last day of school back in June.  If the medication was causing his tics, they would have stopped after we stopped the medication.  He is not only still having them but they are worse and he is having more.  As of now, the plan is to treat the ADHD with medication and the tics with fish oil and hope that the combination helps control the tics.  There are medications to control the tics, but the side effects aren't worth starting him on them right away.  And we really don't want to put him on yet another medication.

While the Tourette's is a shock, I actually think I'm more shocked about the Asperger's diagnosis.

I'm really not sure why, seeing as how I have had the suspicion this is what was going on for a few months now.  I guess I was hoping the doctor would tell me I was reading too much into Bubba's quirks.

From what I understand, there is no cure or medication for the treatment of Aspergers, you just kinda manage the symptoms.

We walked into the doctors office with one diagnosis and left with three.

He is still my Bubba.  He is still the funny, loving kid who is obsessed with history...and reading...and playing video/board/card games...and cheeseburgers, he loves cheeseburgers :0)

I really hope this isn't rambling, I really don't have my thoughts organized, I just knew I had to get them on paper.

Well, Diva has her gait test tomorrow, her behavioral health appointment next week, and her endoscopy next Friday.  I'm sure there will be a lot to write in the coming days!

Why is it so hard to speak properly?

I live in a highly diverse area, which I love!  But one of the downfalls is the butchering of the English language.  I'm not talking about those who learned English as a second language, nope, I mean the ones who grew up speaking it.

To borrow some phrases from Bill Cosby: "where he be" "what he drive?"  And I will add a few of my own : "diz be how..." "how cum she..."

Look, I have no problem with text-speak...in text messages!  I abbreviate all the time in my text messages.  But when you write or post like this in or on things like Facebook or e-mail (or even worse you actually SPEAK like this!) you just sound uneducated.

Please, please, please don't allow your children to speak this way. 

Would you want your surgeon to say, "Yo, diz what we gonna do.  We cut 'cho head open, den we gonna cut dat bitch outta dere and stitch yo head back up."

Probably going to piss a few people off with this one!

It really pisses me off how all you breastfeeding mothers high-five yourselves and put down those of us who choose to use formula. Where does all the anger come from?  Someone posted on line a picture of a recipe for a pizza that was paid for by someone else because the mother whipped her boob out in the restaurant to feed her baby.

Please remember, some of us want to breastfeed and can’t. Some of us choose not to breastfeed.  GET OVER IT!

Guess what?!?!?!? It doesn’t come easy to everyone.   Does that surprise you "Nipple Nazis"?  

Does that make me less of a mother because I NEVER got milk in?  Yeah, even with meds, herbs and many lactation consultations I STILL couldn’t get milk in either time I was pregnant!  

One was born 9 weeks early and the other 4 weeks early, both were difficult, dangerous pregnancies.  I almost died while pregnant with my oldest, hence him being 9 weeks early.

"Oh, but you could have gotten milk from someone else!"  HELL NO!  There is no way in hell I would allow another woman's milk into either of my kids bodies.  Sorry, that's just gross.  Not to mention, with two kids with special feeding needs (i.e.- I had to mix their formula to a special calorie mixture and add rice due to reflux) formula was easier in the long run.

"But that's how they did it before formula!"  Yeah, they also used to drain blood out of your body to "cure" just about everything.  The old way is not always the best way.  Oh, and if we still did things "the old way" I would have probably died from pre-eclampsia before Bubba was born and if I had survived, Bubba probably would have died from the pyloric stenosis he was born with.

Just once, I’d like to see “High-five for feeding your baby!”  Really, who the fuck cares how you feed them!

I’m an AWESOME mother, I have AWESOME kids…hell, my son has genus level IQ and my daughter isn’t far behind!  See how important breast milk is?  

Seriously, other than your kids doctor and maybe your OB/GYN, who was the last person to even care if your kids got the boob or the bottle?  I haven't been asked in years.

One hell of a storm!

I thought the rain was never going to end!  I heard on the news we got around 5 inches of rain!

My street during the storm

My back yard during the storm

Diva enjoying the new swimming pool :0)

Bubba enjoying the new swimming pool :0)

We usually park the car here, it's up over my ankles

Just about 4.5 feet onto my sidewalk, the tip of my shoe is where the water like is.

My whole street during a brief period of no rain.

The new fountain from the man-hole cover...it was still going like this a few hours later.

 My street is still flooded out, it has NEVER stayed flooded this long.  The rain stopped about 3 hours ago but they are calling for more overnight.  I'm so thankful that our house sits up on a small hill, otherwise I have a feeling our basement would be flooded.

There are pictures all over Facebook of the flooding in my area.  So far there just seems to be a lot of water and no property damage or bodily harm...let's hope is stays that way!

Got Wrestling?

Both my kids wrestle.  They LOVE it!  They wrestle for our local Junior Wrestling club.  Bubba just completed his second year and Diva just completed her first year.

Wait?  Didn't I say both my kids have special needs (by the way, I hate that term, but more on that in another post)?  How can we let them do things with "normal" kids?  How can we let our daughter wrestle with boys?

First of all, wrestling is one of the best sports for kids, like Bubba, with ADHD to participate in.  I read about that recently in ADDitude Magazine and wish I had saved the link.  It hepls with social skills because the kids practicce as a team, but the accomplishments are personal.  The kids are out there for 3, one minute periods (unless they get or are pinned)...it's all them in those three minutes.

Wrestling has also done wonders for Diva with her low muscle tone.  The best example:  at the beginning of the season she couldn't do a back bridge, she couldn't even hold herself up in one if the coach assisted her into getting into the position.  By the end of the season, she was not only able to hold the bridge but she was able to get herself up into it!  This position is fairly important for the sport as it's the best way to get out of a pin.  Oh, and she was also able to make it through the entire 1.5 hour practice.

So how did they do last season?  Wonderful!  Bubba didn't get any pins, but he got much better as a wrestler.  He was able to put what he was taught in practice to use on the mat and improved as a wrestler.  Diva eventually stopped crying when she got pinned, so that's a BIG plus!  How do we know they love what they do?  They can't wait for next season to start!

How do we feel about girls wrestling the boys?  To us it's a non issue.  I know of other mothers who force their daughters to quit once they start to develop boobs, even if they are amazing wrestlers.  I don't agree with this, but they aren't my kids so my opinion really doesn't matter.  What will we do once Diva starts to develop?  I don't know.  Who's to say she will even still want to wrestle in a few years?  We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Hubby and I are so happy the kids have found a sport they are passionate about.  He coaches and I'm Team Mom.  Basically, we do nothing but wrestling from October-ish to March-ish...but I wouldn't have it any other way!

 professional pictures from Picture People...they do amazing work!

 Diva and Bubba at a tournament

 pep talk from Coach Daddy

pep talk from Coach Wayne