Hmmmmmmmmm......

MOM-NOS posted something on her blog today that just hit me right in the gut. I think Im going to be changing a couple of things on my blog here tonight.....Its still me-but Im going to be changing a couple of things...From now on Im going to be writing about our Journey into the "Jungle" LOLOL;)

OKay....#1 is going to be Stinger-you only get one guess who this is-LOLOLOL
#2 is going to be pink Flamingo-yeah shes got the grace and beauty there,LOLOL but she is just also sooo FASCINATED to the point of driving me crazy with her"pink"
#3 is my little monkey-such a happy little guy-clowning and running ard in circles to make YOU dizzy just watching ;)
Anyway welcome to my little world of adventure :)

Parent/Teacher Conference Time once more...

Well today was Stingers conference with his teacher. We went over a couple of test scores etc-district class assessments. Stinger has improved sooo much in just a short time this year...His Math scores were unbelieveable-some he scored 100%-way above the average-shapes, sequencing, add and subtract) That sure made him proud of himself. Math was something he sooooo struggled with last year-getting so frustrated-and then giving up and not completing it. Total change this year :)But litte did we all know that he just needed a little help to get that knowlege out.....WHAT A CHANGE :)One thing that I think is interesting is that he is still insisting on using a number line and one of the goals we agreed on was that he would start to learn a counting method instead-be it hands etc, counting up from the started number etc. He seams stuck on this number line-so we are going to have to work on this.....I think its all a matter of him trusting something different and new-kwim? We just need to reinforce that it doenst change the answer-he'll still get it right ;)

Spelling and Writing we still need to work on as he is still quiet below his peers. His teacher actually defended his work on the wall saying that it didnt look like much of a sentence, but that he had done all the work himself and she was ecstatic abt it :) She said some REALLY nice things at the meeting. Stinger is sure lucky to have gotten her this year. I know I have been pretty hard on her at times, but I still feel that she is one of those teachers that you are oh so lucky to have.....

The spec ed teacher was there as well-emphasising how important it is whenever Stinger pokes or pushes-immediate timeout(we have settled on a chair instead*rolls eyes*) should be inforced, and I could tell that his regular teacher doesnt always inforce this-she stated that she hated to have Stinger missout on things in the classroom. Did I say how wonderful she is turning out to be for Stinger? LOLOLOL Then the two "talked and agreed";) how important it is for Stinger to stay in there as much as possible-LOLOLOL

She asked me if I would like a detailed report on the testing(no one has ever asked me that before)as I could see what needed to be worked on etc. I was all for that :)

So the meeting went extremelly well and I feel like she and I are totally on the same page here. She stated again how pleased she has been with Stinger-that they do have off days, but then he is right on track again-making sure his deask is straightend and tidy(WOW) and she loves having him in her class...:)

Flamingo's meeting is tomorrow and I will update on hers then......

Darned if I do...Darned if I dont.......

Okay well as most of you know I had my IEP team meeting last Monday.....I havent written abt it as I was torn all this week abt what went on and how I should proceed next. Ive been writting and getting facts and advice from everyone I can think of-and I have come to the conclusion that either of the outcomes are NOT good-in essence Im messed with no matter what I go with....

The MEETING:
Well I had my agenda-the school had theirs-as usual. My BIG issue was getting the timeout room-GONE!!!!I heard every line you could possible dream up-but my personal favorite was when the spec ed teacher said he felt he needed it for his OWN safety from Stinger!!!!OKay is it just me-or does this sound REDICULOUS!!! The ONE person on the team whom I thought was on my side-showed his true colors and I am not at ALL pleased.....Let me explain a little:
Stinger has impulse issues-a poke here, a tug of hair there. These have been a constant problem-when he is frustrated, when someone is too close to him etc. These impulse behaviors are just that-impulses-that he cant really control....and as soon as he has done the behavior they are GONE. Its not like Stinger is an aggresive child out to fight and beat up people-sheesh......and as far as I KNOW he has ONLY showed aggresion to the teachers etc-when they are"forcefully"(yes, their nice word for grabbing and making him)guiding him to the timeout room-hence if the timeout room WASNT THERE-it wouldnt be an issue. Is it just me or is this plan of "safety" purely ludicrous!!!

"We have timeout rooms in every school"-oh really then why was it last year you had to special order a window so you could see into this room for my child? oh I get it-every other school the parents dont care if their child is locked in a room and isnt being supervised, or better yet, the parents have NO IDEA-oh I see....UGH!!!!

Okay so that timeout room is getting difficult. As they seam to have every defense fo it-whether it be ludicrous or not-they are sticking to it.

Now-dont get me wrong-if a child is way out of control-is seriously hurting himself or others this might be neccesary-but a child poking someone with a weed at recess and going in there for 15 min-REDICULOUS!!! Its still in the emergency clause-so I guess this is what you would call an emergency.....???!!!!Timeout rooms ARE abused, parents arent given details, escalate the childs frustration, increase the anxiety, are a simple "get rid of the child", child learns to surpress feelings-having it turn into other coping bad behaviors:example-the bolting from last year)or worse depression...the list could go on and on abt what best pratices has to say abt it all....

I talked to them abt replacement behaviors-"dont want to" was the response-GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!NO sensory gadgets to keep him focused-as was suggested by the Occupational Therapist who tested Stinger. So basically they just want to punish the bahavior out of him-even though he cant help these impulses. They want a little robot that they can control. I asked them abt teaching him to ask for a break-"no". I asked them abt teaching him or giving him a card to ask for needed help-"no". So no replacement or alternate behaviors are to be taught to help HIM regulate.

Stinger isnt being watched at recesses-as is written in his IEP(legal document)he got plummeted repeatedly in the head with a soccer ball the other day from a 4th grader.....so I brought that up" well that was a one time incident and we ARE watching him"...oh okay-so I should just trust you all as you have proven in the past you can be trusted. "here's YOUR sign"LOLOLOL-hey I love that Jeff Foxworthy guy!LOLOL

So needless to say nothing was changed-everyone thinks everything is fine and I left pretty hot abt everything.....the behavior specialist wasnt even there-give me a break.....

I came home typed up a Letter of Understanding-basically what this is is restating everything that went on during the meeting and stating your case and what the schools case was and asking them if this was misunderstood to contact me back etc.
I also wrote up a PWR(Prior Written Notice)abt the timeout room. This SHOULD, I repeat, SHOULD be done by the school WHENEVER they deny or refuse something that pertains to your child getting a FAPE(free and appropriate eductation). They are suposed to detail their reasons, explain the testings they used,any other options discussed, why they rejected these, and all other factors that relate.

They are required to do this BY LAW-have they?-no, so I wrote this and printed this out too. The Disability Law Center told me to do this also....

So Ive got these two letters and they are sitting-LOLOLOL

I also have a no restraint and seclusion letter I found online which states you are and WILL not permit this treatment anytime or anywhere on your child. Which by the way these are all AVERSIVES-nothing positive has ever been proven by best practises to have any positive effect-especially with ASD children...and they ALL need a parents' okay...so I could just mail them this and be done with it.....

I know I will be awakening a sleeping lion and I just dont know if this will solve anything as I will have a whole new set of issues-and it could get REALLY hostile.....and I know they would try and change Baileys placement just to get rid of me and Stinger.....SOOooooooo I dont know what to do....DH says to wait and see if they do use the timeout room-as right now there is a first step that WAS added at this last meeting-a timeout in the resource classroom. and it might not be an issue this year....but my momma hunch (which is seldom wrong)says this is closer than we all want to admit.....

So I dont know-Im just darned if I do or darned if I dont....sigh.....

Im slowly going craaaazzzzyyyyyyyyy!AGH!

VENT comin' on strong...
Well I took the easy way out here.....Maybee if I vent my frustrations and feelings abt this it will just go AWAY!!!!!!!...sigh.......

Okay so littel Monkey is taking his quiet time out here with Stinger(as Stinger likes to watch a little TV before retiring to his room-its not really a quiet time now is it....well Im open for ANY suggestions here.....now we are dealing with the TWO of them-Stinger arguing that he doesnt want Monkey out here as this is HIS time-ARGH!!!

Okay-so I must tell you what the deal is with little Monkey here.....these repetative phrases.."it okay I close my eyes???!!!"I woke up bright and early at 4 AM this morning-just like I did last night and the night before, and the night before,with him crying and saying this and having a MAJOR meltdown as I wasnt there to respond to this phrase.....

Okay I didnt see this coming AT ALL-its been like this for as long as I can remember-me having to do certian things and having things just so at BEDTIME-I dealt with this with Stinger as well, so I thought it would get better???LOLOLOLand was somewhat just what I needed to do to calm him-so I did and he did-right? Well its getting worse-now its a quiet time too!!!!
This is how it goes(in case anyone wants to step into my world):

Monkey-"Goodnight Mom"
me-"Goodnight Monkey"
Monkey-"Have a goodtime on puter";)LOLOL He knows me well eh? LOLOL
me"Thank you Monkey"
Monkey-" Okay I close my eyes??!"
me-"yes Monkey, Its okay you close your eyes"
Monkey-" I love you Mom"
me-"I love you too Monkey"
Monkey-" It okay I close my eyes??"
Word for word-each and every time. And so the saga continues...after I close the door, after I go in the other room, after I go upstairs, and after I go to bed(hey I didnt say sleep did I?)....sigh....
So now its at nap(or quiet time)too....
I also forgot to prompt him to tell Daddy when he left today that(Monkey-" I have lots of firetrucks" needed to be said-so of course a meltdown and running to his room in tears-until I call Daddy and let Monkey say it yet agn.....(thsi also need to be said each and every time Dh leaves for work.

So I of course, consult the many experts of children and this is what they say:

"I have a friend who has high functioning autism and is an adult, she
says sometimes she repeats things to hear the sound of the words(she also
writes poetry and feels it is her way of communicating that works best
for her, she gets into a language flow that way). Sometimes kids repeat
things to get the same answer, because as she also says, she 'seeks
same" or predictability. These kids have so much trouble with transitions
and changes, that they seek something that will remain the same, that's
why many have repetitive behaviors, whether opening and closing things,
or repeating words and waiting for that same reassuring answer. As they
adjust to things, they may drop some questions, or not be as
anxious...just a couple reasons I have seen higher functioning kids give who can
express themselves.."

Okay so does that make me feel ANY better???????I dont think I have to answer that question........sigh....not right now anyway....sigh.....I REFUSE to think about it!!!!!!....

D-Day :)

I recieved this today through email........just incase anyone wants to understand what I was going through last year and why I was so against the time out room-that was being used 24/7......hmmmm.looks like I can FINALLY quote a case to them now. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE is FINALLY listening......:)YEAH!!!!!!!!!!:) :) :)

Court: Release names in timeout room

Published Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:19:41 PM Central Time


By Kevin Murphy

Special to the Times

MADISON -- A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the
Department of Public Instruction must release the names of six unruly
special education children disciplined in Abraham Lincoln Elementary
School's controversial seclusion room to a disability rights advocacy
organization.

The Chicago-based Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a
decision by District Judge Barbara Crabb who denied a request by
Disability Rights of Wisconsin, Inc. finding that privacy laws
required the federally-mandated agency to get the children's names
from their parents or guardians.

Instead, the appeals court said that would be an undue burden on DRW,
which was established by federal law to advocate for and protect
individuals with mental illnesses or disabilities. Since both the
Department of Public Instruction and DRW are subject to the same
privacy laws, releasing the names to DRW isn't a concern, according
to the decision.

"To withhold the records in contention here is to give Š (DPI) the
last word over the abuse and neglect of the disabled or mentally ill.
This clearly defeats the purpose of the DRW and the (protect and
advocacy) statutes," according to the 19-page decision.

DRW attorney Jeffrey Spitzer-Resnick said the decision gives Crabb
discretion as to how the names of the children are to be disclosed,
including requiring DRW to keep them confidential, which Spitzer-
Resnick said the agency is required by law to do.

"We represent people with disabilities and advocate claims for people
with disabilities who are being abused. There's no question that
locking children in a room is abusive, and we have a right to that
information," he said.

School District of Monroe Superintendent Craig Jefson declined to
comment at this time, as the district received the court's decision
late last night and is still reading through it. He said the district
should have a response by Friday.

Abe Lincoln had two seclusion rooms, which were used to house
disruptive special education students for "time out" periods if their
Individual Education Programs permitted it. The one seclusion room
subject to DRW's injunction request was a five-by-nine-foot basement
room that was carpeted and locked from the outside without an
interior doorknob.

A parent complained to DRW in October 2004 about their child being
sent to the room without it being in their child's IEP. A Madison
television station then aired a program in March 2005 about the
seclusion room without naming the district.

The broadcast prompted other parents to contact DRW about the
seclusion room and since some of the children had limited verbal
skills it was difficult to determine if their child had been sent to
the room.

Responding to the broadcast and parents' complaint, the DPI
investigated Abe Lincoln and concluded that a seclusion room can be
properly used as a last resort disciplinary measure. However, after
finding that one of Abe Lincoln's rooms was used briefly when the
light was out and it lacked an interior doorknob, the district agreed
to replace the doorknob and add a larger window in the door to permit
outside monitoring of the entire room, according to the DPI's April
7, 2005 report.

With voluntary parental involvement, DRW has already negotiated
settlements with the school district for three of the children sent
to the seclusion room, said Spitzer-Resnick. As a result of the
settlements, one student was transferred to another school within the
district, staff was trained on how to avoid use of the seclusion room
and restraints and another child had their IEP rewritten to prohibit
use of the seclusion room.

A DPI spokesman said the agency hadn't seen Wednesday's appeals
decision and had no comment on it.

Spitzer-Resnick said once the DRW obtains the remaining names of the
students sent to the seclusion room, it's likely that new IEPs will
be written for them to address their education needs and allowable
disciplinary measures.

The decision comes after Monroe has addressed the seclusion room
problems at Abe Lincoln, said Spitzer-Resnick, so the impact of the
case will be felt elsewhere.

"What the decision clearly establishes is that the DPI shouldn't say
no to us anymore, nor should any school district. If they want to
litigate, they will lose," he said. --

Well...not to jinks a good thing........

Im concerned agn-Hey-WHATS NEW!!!!!!!!
Its this new teacher(okay.....I KNOW everyone adores her already..)
Its this friend that Stinger has(okay.....This is Wonderful that Stinger has a friend-I KNOW this)
Its just some things are not going as perfectly planned-LOLOLOL. Maybee Im just paranoid-as usual.
Stinger has been coming home with little things now-not all smiley faces etc-and they are at recess and lunch etc, PE etc. Ive had a talk with him to try and figure things out and honestly I dont know what to do.
Stinger was literally crying and upset abt getting a frowny face-and I was stumped.....Seams this new friend has alot of the touchy feely things Stinger was dealing with last year-trouble with peers, pinching, kicking, going back to his bullies-when he should be leaving them alone or telling the tecaher. Stinger feels that this is his best buddy and that it is HIS job to be out there ALWAYS by his side protecting him....be it maybee having to punch a kid to leave this friend alone...Stinger said numerous times he would do this....then he started to cry.:(
But anyway Stinger feels he needs to be there and teach this kid and keep him out of trouble-as he KNOWS what trouble is;)LOLOLOL, but he ends up getting caught right in the middle and of course doesnt understand that EVERYONE is watching Stinger and sees him involved-thus blaming Stinger.......I just told him that he needs to be VERY careful with choices he is making and that he needs to tell the teachers. But we all know what good that does. This friend is delayed as well so he doenst alwasy understand what peers are doing or meaning and takes things wrong I think too-just as Stinger does..
My heart is torn as we will probaly be having to go back to guided recesses(as we had last year)honestly dont ask me why we stopped. But now its going to be a REAL problem starting them agn, as he has made this STRONG attachment with this friend. So I dont know what to do. This is the 1st friendship Stinger has had with ANY peer and its not looking so good.....Stinger has done sooo well with his impulse issues and I am sooo proud of him, but this friend isnt having the same luck it seams and I dont know what to tell Stinger......
For example today-there was a kid waiting outside the lunch doors and told them that he was going to watch Stinger and this friend all recess-Stinger and this friend didnt like that they ran away then the kid chased them then they chased them etc.... and so the chasing began-and then Stinger got in trouble and recieved a frowny face:( This is what Stinger said-and hes not a lier at ALL. Thats one thing abt Stinger-he tells the truth-has never been caught not saying what really happend or anything that a typical kid does when they think they are in trouble-he comes right out and says what went on.He has given me no reason to doubt what he says when especially abt school issues-hes always been right on. So when he tells me something, and I have to pry it out of him, I sit up and take it seriously...He tells it all and says it like it is- But others dont believe him much of the time-which was the case last year-until the principle got involved-went outside and actually watched Stinger at recesses and noticed that he was indeed getting picked on like he said...sigh.....NO ONE believed us until then...
I talked with the principle abt it and he is concerned that Stinger isnt playing with any other kids etc and that they cant seam to seperate them. But if anyone knows Stinger this is not going to be an easy task if attempted and I can just see trouble.....Once he has something or someone stuck in his head, like he does with this friend-thats were he will be, thats what he will talk abt, and thats what IS important!!!-kwim? No talking him out of it just like his conversations-If its in there-thats what we talk abt etc.
Then the teacher......sigh......she has only nice things to say abt Stinger...but something just feels off. I talked to the spec ed teacher abt why the board wasnt being used(its in his IEP)Its a transition board to help him visually see what is coming next so he isnt anxious or worried abt things etc. He especially needs this at transition times as he gets very nervous-not wanting to go into the classroom etc-if he hasnt been prepared each and every time. The teacher has a "class" schedule but it doesnt help Stinger as he cant understand the words on it!!!????I even brought the board up at this last IEP meeting!!!!!So the speced teacher said he would talk to the teacher and now they have put pictures up by the words???-so still no board!!!!!When Stinger gets pulled out of class for his things speech etc-how is THIS schedule going to help him????Stingers teacher is also not wanting to disrupt HER schedule for hi social scripts(stating at the IEP meeting that "OH!He cant miss calendar time!!!" UGH...and then the sped teacher walking on tip toes ard this-not wanting to offend her.....he stated that the Social Scripts(they are stories set up just for Stinger that have certian situations on them-so he can see actual events taking place and are helping him know what to do when certian situations like that come up that he has trouble reacting to etc) are very important and that he likes to start the day off with them with Stinger so he can think abt them first thing-I am in total aggreement with this.....but then the teacher has her own schedule that cant be changed???
Little things like that are bugging me-I REALLY have no idea what is going on in that classroom and Stinger says he hardly sees his sped teacher at all anymore. How is that possible when he is suppoed to go to reading with him, writing and social scripts etc EACH day???? He is also suposed to coem into teh calls and help Stinger at Math time-So something is up.....
The teacher sent home Stingers spelling words and its words like amphibian etc????(Stinger had no idea what that even was)with no directions etc-Stinger had no clue what he was supposed to do with them-neither did I-so I had to call her and tell her that Stinger has a hard time remembering or telling me directions and that any info that needs to be conveyed back out to parents-no matter how little or big it is- needs to be written down????I still dont know if they are having a test on Friday-I HOPE not!!!!Since nothing was sent home abt it. But I dont think she is understanding how these little things are BIG things to Stinger and he needs help here.... I honestly dont think she has even seen the IEP-or why would she not know these things????
I dont know-its just bugging me is all.....I see this teacher and I know she is a good teacher. She is VERY structured and Stinger needed this,she adores him and all, was hand picked for him as were the peers in his class...but...its like she has her little ducks and doesnt want them out of order or out of HER line so to speak-kwim? And that is going to catch up with Stinger sooner or later.....I think hes been dealing with it REALLY well...but its going to catch up to them all I think as they arent supplying his proper supports as they should be.I just dont undersatnd thsi at all -and I feel like im a nagging parent here.....
But Ive got a meeting on the 19th-so hopefully we can get it all out then????
So the story begins yet agn........

Labor Day...

Well I know it was Monday-Im sooo slow.
So it was decided to try a Movie....:)I was voting to go to Willard Lake, but was highly outvoted when Dh mentioned a "movie anyone??" LOLOLOL.How do you compete with that!!!!! So Movie it was.....
This was little Monkeys first movie and our families first movie all together. Monkey was sooo funny-he was sooo excited, yet when asked abt it-he had NO IDEA! LOLOLOLOL Too funny;)Stinger and Flamingo have both been before with either dh and I or Papa and Nana-so they knew what to expect and were just as excited:)
We decided to see 'Cars'. Something everyone would enjoy. We had previously thought abt Monster House-but it got terrible reviews by parents-so that was out....
So we load up the kids with each their own propcorn/drink/candy(you know those combo meal things)Monkey boy was just beside himself and I think he had finished his popcorn before we even went in to the theatre-LOLOLOL. But not to worry-he stil had his candy and drink;)LOLOLOLWhew!;)Stinger and Flamingo did just fine carrying all their goodies and wouldnt think about having any help-lest they somehow loose one of the yummy items-LOLOL
So we all sat down to enjoy a movie for the first time EVER-and guess what......we all did!!!!!!It was one word and one word only-blissful. Okay I know what you are saying -how can a Cars movie with a bunch of screaming kids ard and a loud car screeching be anything "blissful"???But thats just it-I sat down looked ard-other parents looked frazzled, other children looked cranky and you could hear it.LOLOL Then I looked at our kids-eyes glued to the screen, smiles plastered from ear to ear on each face = blissful. Our little family each one in a total happy place.Its as if time wa sstanding still and we were all alone in their-kwim?
I knwo ist hard to understand. But when you have to think abt taking 3 kids with you wherever you go-these things all way out and have to be considerd. A 4,6,and 7yr old and the 4 yr old constantly a little monkey with ants in his pants, and Stinger a complete mystery how he will react to things-places and events are NEVER taken lightly-LOLOLOL. And WHEN they are a success-it is something to be celebrated and CONTINUED!!!!LOLOL
So I think we have decided to make this a monthly "family thing" it just went over soooo well.
We stopped at Sonic on teh way home and got a bite to eat-the kids were just so goofy-not touching anything, totally in the off zoning out etc-I guess the movie wore them out or they were just plum stuffed. They all nodded off in the car on the drive back home.
A great Labor Day?? I thought so........

A GREAT Week!!!!!! :)

Well we all survived here this week :)
Stinger has been getting nothing but good reports from everyone. He even got a post card from the teacher today in the mail telling him how proud she is to have him in her class and what a great job he is doing. I have seen a couple worksheets come home this week and I seriously cannot believe the change in concentration he is having. He finished two sides of a math worksheet(in one day!!!!) and only missed 1 problem. Last year he would get sooo frustrated that he could barely finish one side page......then he was throwing the paper and getting just so frustrated. He was so proud of himself when he was showing me his math pages-so-a total change this week...Also he showed me a picture he had colored in-was beautifully done. He had also written a STORY?????and pasted together a sunflower at school(I havent seen this one yet) but the teacher wrote a note home saying that Stingers picture was so well done and that he is quiet the artist!!!!!!!He had no patience fro drawing ANYTHING last year.....I have to keep pinching myself lately.......but it is wonderful seeing him work so hard and be proud of this work he is being able to do now:)THIS has been REALLY wonderful!!!!!!!!HE has been playing with a kid from 1st grade at recess-they are like two pees in a pod these days:)
Pink Flamingo has just been loving school-she comes home all smiles and loves riding the bus(she likes going down the steps-LOLOLOL;))She has been making fiends-everyday she tells me that she made some more-LOLOLOL-like that will surprise you??!!LOLOLOL She is doing really well and is just so happy. She has almost got writing her name down-this is too funny-she has to make it all pretty with curls on the "P"-LOLOLOL, she is also learning the pledge and almost has this down too:)Its very cute listening to that!
Little Monkey has a cold-then Flamingo has it, now Stinger has it too. Im just waiting for DH to catch it-he seams to catch everything they get-I dont-lucky me-;) LOLOLOL But Monkey has been rather moody lately and Flamingo too when she comes home from school-I try and put her down for a quite time, but she just wants to fall asleep on the couch. I think she's been working really hard.Everyone has been working really hard thsi week-Im a proud Momma Bear-yet AGAIN! :)
So its been a WONDERFUL week!Im praying for MANY, MANY more :)

WE HAVE A "GO"!!!!!!!!!!!!!:) :) :)

Well today was the long awaited day-"dum de dum dum duuuuuuuuuum......."LOLOLOL Oh Im sooo dramatic-eh? LOLOLOL-But honestly I just dont know where to begin!!!!
I got the kids ready for school-of course took pictures-Ive got a Kinder here-;)LOLOLOL. They both looked sooo darn cute.
We get to school and Stinger just had this look of judge dread on his face-Flamingo was just oblivios except for the fact she was going to school and just KNEW it was a GOOD thing!LOLOLOL;)
Stinger spots a little guy who he used to really like on his bus last year. And it was just "see ya MOM" LOLOLOL;) J/K-but pretty much. I had NO idea how good of friends they were. I heard a little abt him from Stinger last year-but he was in K last year so only went half day. Now he's in 1st and is there all day. So of course we all got our breakfast and sat down-Stinger next to him. This kid was just overjoyed to see Stinger-put his arm ard him and said "hi ya Stinger!!" It was too cute.They were just sooo cute there togther. He said to Stinger "Youre my bestest buddy Stinger". We're friends forever." I heard that and I abt cried.:)Stinger was just beaming. They are just the bestest buds I guess:)I think this kid is delayed in something too-but Stinger and him fit together perfect. Neither one noticing their differences:)What friendship couldnt be more perfect-eh? Stinger is kinda the quiet type, and this little guy is just all over-LOLOLOL. But that right there-watching them sure warmed my heart. So Stingers got a friend!!!!!!!!!He kept talking about another kid that used to be mean to Stinger and said that he'd tell him when he saw him;) LOLOLOL What a pall-eh? I heard today too that they were ALWAYS asking for each other at recess etc-and were never far apart-LOLOL:)Im sooo happy for Stinger :) :) :)
So I think that abt made Stingers day-seeing that this friend was there too:)
Flamingo was just too thrilled with the little pancakes to dip in syrup-LOLOLOL, got it alllllllll over her shirt-LOLOL. The bell rang and we went over to the Kindergarden line to wait for her teacher. There she saw her best friend from gymnastics-so from there on out it was "see ya MOM" as well-LOLOLOL. I swear-my kids were close to killin me-LOLOLOL. But as they walked away with the teacher the two of them were holding hands and Flamingo let out a "Bye Mom"-in the wrong direction that I was. I told her "Hey-Im over here Pink!!!"LOLOL;) She laughed and blew a kiss goodbye-and then they were gone-LOLOLOL.
:( :( :( :( :( :( LOLOLOLOLOL. Oh thank goodness Ive only got one more of these to do(little mONKEY)-but heck-like it ever gets any easier as they get older-eh? LOLOL
But I think Ive decided to have them both ride the bus tomorrow-okay Im still going to go inside with them for breakfast-but they'll be riding the bus home-LOLOL Hey-Im doing good-compared to a weeks worth of following the bus last year-but hey I might do that agn too-LOLOL. UGh-its soooo hard letting go.........I dont even want to go there thinking about next year.....sigh......
sTINGER went straight into his class-totally solumn look on his face and did exactly what he was supposed to do-NO CLINGING!!!!!!!WAHOOOOOOO!Waved goodbye abt three times, then went full force into consentrating on what the teacher had assigned them to do. WHAT A TROOPER-I was sooooooo happy!! :) :) :)
He came home saying school was "good"Im still not exactly sure what the "good"-meter reads exactly- LOLOLOL-But got all smiles on his tracker from the teacher. She told me when I picked him up that it was a wonderful day :) :)
The schedule is wacky right now-so no visual schedule for class(sTINGER told me that they do have somewhat of a schedule on the board-but he cant understand all the words-hence the need for his own visual one, and transition planning, etc-but he still did wonderful! YEAH!He said he really likes the teacher and she explains things to him when he gets stuck-:)and he likes her rules too-WOW-I know;) LOLOLOL.
He actually had his turn too talking about his new puppy-he had told me before school started that he WAS NOT doing this(the teacher wrote a letter asking every child to share something about them or something neat abt the summer, etc.-and I had told the teacher he was nervous and wasnt wanting to do this, so shE said shE would help him etc-this was when we had our meeting.-but nooo-he did it today!WHOOT!She must make him feel really comforteable-SUCH an awesome thing, and really a feat to master-eh?!!!
FLAMINGO wanted to show me everything in her backpack right there in the school hallway-she was so proud of her stuff that she brought home-and even got a sucker from the teacher :) LOLOL So "She's a good one Mom-See???!!!" LOLOLOLOL
So it was a GOOD day. :)
I left the pictures of the kids and the one of Flamingo on the counter in the kitchen-Dh said when I got home, that he had woken up and seen the pictures and had abt cried....See-so Im not the only looney one;) LOLOLOL
So our future looks bright-eh? There couldnt have been a prouder Momma Bear than me today :)
Little Monkey-REALLY liked having breakfast with just Momma Bear and Father Bear this morning. He kept telling us that he was such a Big Boy staying home without his "friends"-what he calls Flamingo and Stinger :)
Good-Good Day :)

Just Ard. the Corner......

Well today was a BIG day:)And a good day-those two things very often dont go well together-LOLOLOL;)But It was a GOOD day :)
I took Pink Flamingo and Stinger to school today to meet their next years teachers.
Flamingo was just giddy with excitement-she found her name outside and I thought she was just going to fall over-she was just sooo pleased to see her name there on the wall:) LOLOLOL. Then we were greated by her teacher. Flamingo stood there with such an angelic grin with her hands behind her back.-It was SOOOOOO funny! LOLOLOLOL I couldnt help but chuckle;)NO worries at all-I could see it in her face:)This teacher went on to show her all ard the room-acting like Flamingo was just the only thing there-Flamingo just ate that right up :)Showed her where her cubby was and the bathroom in the room. Flamingo through this whole process acted like she was floating on a cloud-you could not erase that grin plastered from ear to ear. The whole process was amusing to say the least.LOLOLOL Flamingo is so eager to just jump right in-its crazy, but oh sooo relieveing, and amusing at the same time-kwim:)Whew!LOLOLOL This teacher is WONDERFUL-and you know how you just get that feeling when a teacher is a good one-well shes the cream on top. I know Flamingo is going to just thrive and be soooooooo happy there. :)
Then we went back to the office and had the principle lead us to Stingers room and introduced us to Stingers teacher. Stinger was a statue-twiddling his fingers-I could just see his tummy churning in knots from the look on his face. The teacher took Stinger ard the room and was telling him this and that-Stinger wasnt listening to anything-just was soo nervous and face down. The teacher was trying so hard and just put on a bigger smile. I did notice she has set up a quiet corner in the back of the room-I liked that and its right under a BIG ceiling vent window thing-just really nice and relaxing. I dont think Stinger even noticed or heard her talking about it, but she went on to explain that the room is kinda dark sometimes because they dont have a window-just that ceiling window thing. Agn-I think this will be great for Stinger :)Unless hes looking up at the window thing all the time for spiders and such-theres alot of spider webs-LOLOLOLOL.
I spoke to the teacher asking how she was feeling about everything and told her that I had had a really good relationship with his past teacher-so if there was anything she wanted to say or concerns she was having to feel free to tell me etc. I think, well I know, she is a bit worried-I could just feel it-or maybee its me-LOLOLOL. Anyway I just wanted her to know she could approach me with anything at any time. She said that was really nice to know and that she was so happy that last years teacher and I had a good relationship-she looked relieved. I wonder who she has been talking with???LOLOLOL But she didnt mention all the research she has done to prepare for a child like Stinger????LOLOLOL So Im assuming she hasnt done any research, or learned any tips etc. Thats to be expected though I guess.....I just had thought, since she had already told the principle she was concerned at last years end IEP meeting that she was concerned etc, that she would have looked up a little on things to be a little prepared-kwim .I dont know-call me paranoid I guess, but she told me they were going to have a great year!!! :)So maybee she has????She said that she would see Stinger on Monday and Stinger was too busy getting out of the room to hear her, or just didnt repond.....Which is no surprise as he doesnt answer questions unles you are looking at him and he at you-and that is a feet unto itself. etc....Anyway I got a so-so feeling from her. I asked Stinger what he thought abt her and he said "Good" So thats a GOOD THING! so I guess??? she passed in his eyes???LOLOLOL
We(teacher, spec ed teacher, principle are all meeting on Friday morning to go over the IEP and just make sure everything is set up okay....so we shall see how that goes.... I called the spec ed teacher -just incase he wasnt invited agn;)-as I want him there!!!!You know who WONT be there-the spec ed district lady!!!WHOOT!!!!!!
So it was a GOOD Day-eh? I think so!!!!!!Im hoping everything runs smoothly this year, but just incase we have a couple of bumps-Ive got my cards up my sleeve this go ard:)So Im confident.
Tomorrow is the parade in town as its fair time agn. Should be loads of fun-the kids are all excited abt it!!!Who doesnt have fun at a parade???!!! Littel Monkey has been bugel-ing ard the house-hes all excited:)LOLOLOL-hes such a little funny guy!!
5 MORE DAYS!!!!!:)

HAPPY B-DAY BILLY!!!!!! :)

Monkeys B-day was yesterday. He was so excited! LOLOLOL It was a wonderful day.We all woke him up singing Happy Birthday and he was just all smiles and was galloping ard the house ALL DAY-He was so funny!!!He got a cowboy hat just like Dad, a Thomas the Train set, and cars, cars, and more cars(hey the wheels Im betting will be off in a day or so LOLOLOL)He also got some candy and a screwdriver in a book that he has been carying ard. He says he's going to be buiding a house with it-he-he! HIGH HOPES-EH? LOLOL Some clothes with CARS on them too :) He loved the decorations and they are STILL UP!!!! WOW!!LOLOLOL
We had pizza for dinner-his request;)(okay a little promting from Momma Bear) LOLOLOL Then we had his chocolate cake-it had three more diggers on it-so he liked that-I think better than the cake;)Got it everywhere.......LOLOLOL
He is 4 now-sheesh...He'll be starting K next year!!!He is growing up to be such a little cutie. His smile just warms my heart and I REALLY have a hard time getting on him for things-he's my BABY!!!!HE's just so darn cute-I end up smiling and then I cant stay upset abt what he has done etc.-LOLOLOL. He has stopped bumping into things...which is REALLY good to see, and he made a #2 in the potty yesterday too. I was giving him high fives on that for sure!!!We've been really struggling with that lately. Stinger was the same way-insisting on a diaper for these...but he was sure proud of himself and kept saying he was a big boy now :)So I think the thing is just getting them to do it once, then its good as done kinda deal-its just that first one. We'll have to see, but I sure would like to get rid of the diapers. Night time will take awhile-as he wont realise and has accidenst still.....but we are getting there...slowly........LOLOL
But all in all it was a wonderful day. We sure missed Papa and Nana though-Monkey asked where they were. They have moved, so they wont be able to make it to B-days that much anymore:(So they were sorely missed.
Flamingo has another tooth under her pillow tonight. It FINALLY came out. Poor Pink:( It was turning sideways and she said it wasnt hurting, but ugh-it sure looked like it was. But I made a promise that I wouldnt pull on it-I had two times before and I had hurt her. Oh! Thats the worst-yanking and it still being in there :( So She decided to just pull it out on her own this morning :) What a big girl she was-so its under her pillow. Now she can eat agn!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!LOLOL
Thats abt all thats been going on here. Just getting ready for school to start. I am sooo excited abt Flamingo and how she will like school this year. The principle has made free breakfasts for everyone every day ths next year-so that will be fun-as they are "soooooooo much better than yours Mom"-per Stinger-LOLOL. She's also got her best friend from gymnastics in her class this year-how exciting eh? LOLOL-I think Im more excited than she is though;)But we got some new back-packs at the store-they are big kid ones-with all the pockets and things-no spongebob or tinker bell this time-LOLOL:) But they are all so excited.
Only 2 weeks to go.....:)

Prayers were heard :)

The meeting.....
Where oh where do I start........Didnt go good :( I knew it wasnt-the night before- the spec education teacher called me back and said that he hadnt even been invited which threw me for a loop-I didnt know I could invite him-but I can invite ANYONE, but I didnt know that when I talked with him......sheshh...so I knew I was going in there all alone......but he told me that it was going to be a good meeting and it was just to discuss the test scores, but thought he should have known abt it......red flag!!! Im thinking uh-oh....so he coudlnt go as he was out of town.
So at the meeting it was principle, school psychologist, district lady, and me. The first thing the principle wanted to discuss was "trust." Inside im going "oh great this isnt looking good."-LOLOL So then we get to the test scores. ADOS-Stinger scored low, yes you heard that right, low. The lower the number the more not even on the spectrum.....I couldnt figure this out at all....The ADOS is when a tester comes in and manipulates things trying to get Autism characteristics or symptoms to come out, in a very structured setting with an observer writing everything down. How they talk, how they interact etc. Basically exactly what the Psychiatrist at Childrens did-and he said Stinger was clearly on the spectrum?????The district lady was smiling!!!! She actually told me that the tester had said this child(Stinger) was clearly not on the spectrum more so than any other child she has ever tested. Exactly what did she want me to say to that-I have no idea???Totally disregard a M.D PHD Psychiatrist at a Childrens hospital-and this is who he specializes in is ASD childen, just erase all my research I had looked up and erase all of last year fighting to be heard??? I guess so -I guess she thought this one test would do that?
I could just see the district lady smiling over there-as they now have the "proof" that they need as this one test shows no signs of any Autism characteristics.
The ADI-R test results: All over the board with Autism characteristics????
Then BOOM- they start talking about changing Stingers placement. Out of all the things I had prepared myself for this was not one of the things! LOLOLOL Placement CAN NOT be discussed without the WHOLE IEP team present as it has to be a team decision. So I was thrown for a BIG loopola....."WE have this school in the district over in blah blah blah.........(abt 40 min away)that is set up for certin kids with behavior problems(there we go agn thinking Stingers behaviors are all caused by his willingness to be naughty and that it is soley a behavior problem)
I showed them the paper from the doct where he had stated that Stingers behaviors were caused by his PDD-NOS:not understanding social ques and that Stinger is not an aggresive child and sees no reason to medicate him for this. The doc said also that Stingers problems come from not understanding what the teachers are saying, not understanding what is expected of him , not getting the ques from his peers etc.
The district lady just hemmed and hawd. The doc recomended positives out the ying yang-like every 15 min getting a sticker for not bolting, for raising his hand,keeping his hands to himself, peer group work etc-not disciplinging in a time out room. Also said that timing his bolting would be very innefective as Stinger would not correspond this punishment with his actions. The district lady interupted with "well when we let Stinger get away with these actions we are in essence saying we are lowering our expectations of him. So basically she didnt believe a word of it yet agn-like she usually doesnt.
The next meeting was to be set up at this new school they want to place Stinger in. He would be in a secluded classroom(with a bunch of manipulative kids acting out) where they would work on his behavior-Im sure discipling left and right,)then would be included with the reg classroom slowly , then making it back eventually to his homeschool. Its an EI(Early Intervention)K-3rd grade, program that the district has set up so they can have the spec teachers there with all the paraprofessionals-basically saving them selves $$$$$ not having to provide every school with aides-they simply send your kids THERE......
They asked if there was anyone I wanted at this next meeting and I said the spec education teacher-thinking he was already on the list, but no he wasnt. How is that for thinking of Stingers best interest-not having the one person there who actually knows Stinger and has worked with him.GOOD GRIEF!:P
Anyway thats how the meeting left. I was nice, said I had to talk with dh abt it, but wasn't going to sign anything now and that I needed to talk to my advocate and Law Representation as I didnt think this was a proper placement. Really almost nothing was registering-I was totally in a blur being not prepared for this blow yet agn.:(
I go home talk to dh and call my advocate and the spec ed teacher. All three persons who are very royally upset.
Advocate-says this is not least restrictive environment
Spec Ed teacher-he was HIGHLY upset, discussing this type of topic-placement without him is a BIG NO NO, and he would be making some calls
Disability Law canter-recomended and are setting up an apt to talk to a lawyer in person
Dh-said it sounded like a place where they just try and get rid of problem behavior kids, instead of trying to help them at their home school
So not a very good meeting-seams pretty bad-eh, but it turned ard.
I call the principle the next day stating my concerns, telling him that he can cancel the meeting at this other school as I would not even be able to see it in progress-(NEVER place unless youve seen deal)Stinger will be starting on meds and I want to keep an eye on that closer to home, etc.and was VERY restrictive and I didnt agree with it.
Guess what the principel says: "I am new to this case, and I can honestly say that this placement is wrong for Stinger, having talked with others I have come to realise new information that wasnt presented to me before that I had no knowlege of at the meeting. Last year we did not do enough for Stinger, we could have done alot more. I dont think we should have even talked abt a different placement as we are no where near that stage yet.I am behind you 100% and feel the same way that you do and agree with you. I will cancel the meeting and next years teacher, you, and I and the spec ed teacher will meet and discuss how we can help meet Stingers needs next year. Understand that I am an advocate for you and your husband and Stinger and I was not given all the information-and I will be behind whatever you choose."
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT-total flip flop from the meeting! Hmmmmmmmm.....I wonder who he's been talking to-someone- obviously not the district lady.......wow-someone really let him know what has been going on. Whew! Thats all im going to say-Ive been pretty shaken up by the whole thing and Ive been walking ard on cloud nine, but realizing I came awful close to having to go somewhere that I didnt want to go to-know what I mean? :)
But I am soooooooo HAPPY!!!!!! I think Im really going to like this next years principle-a big wig actually not listeneing to the district-can you imagine!!!!!!LOLOLOL
So all is right with the world agn-thank goodness....I must have grown abt 50 gray hairs on WED!!!If anyone is still reading this I told you it had a good ending-eh? :)Thank you for all your prayers....They were heard!!!!!!
OH-Flamingo is doing well, the two teeth just will not come out, but she is bouncing and dancing ard like her usual self-LOLOLOL-Just waiting to put them under her pillow ;)But everything is healing fine like the dentist said it would :)So we are all just waiting...and waiting... and waiting...LOLOLOL

A Crying Princess tonight :(

Today started just awful. I was feeling so grumpy and had a headache. I was snapping at the kids and at Dady Bear for no reason. I guess Ive just needed some rest that I havent been getting. At quite time today I actually layed down for awhile and I felt much better. Maybee I should do that every day-eh-LOLOLOL.
We had an early dinner as we had Karate to go to and then Vacation Bible School-which is at 6:30-8:30-yeah I know late-eh? So anyway we ate then headed off to go.
I dropped Flamingo off and the boys and I went to the park. We were there abt 10 min and up comes a car and the mother inside asks if Im Pinks's Mom. I say yes and she begins to descrobe Flamingo getting head butted at class-mouth all bloody. :(
Stinger didnt want to leave. The Mom says "Dont you want to see if your sister is okay?" Stinger just kept saying he didnt want to leave. Didnt even register to him that Flamingo was hurt. I tell Monkey and Stinger that we will have to skip the park today and go see if Flamingo is okay.
Oh she looked awful-blood all over her shirt and her front tooth and side one totally loose. The instructor made the mistake of mentioning the doctor or dentist and Flamingo just lost it!She hates male Docs or any med professional-I have no idea why, but they scare the bejeepers out of her. She started breathing all fast and totally working her self all up over just going to the dentist. So I told her I was ONLY calling to find out what I should do, etc.LOLOLOL
Oh she looked so bad :(
I took them home-everyone including Flamingo had a hissy fit abt missing Vacation Bible School. But there was nooooo way we were making it there tonight. We come home and I call Daddy Bear and then the dentist. He basically said he could pull them or they could just come out on their own, so gee ....Flamingo would need to be sedated to walk in there -so it looks like we will just let them come out on their own. The front tooth next to the two was already a little loose anyway, so these two should be coming out in the near future.
We told Flamingo-just more tooth fairy money, and of course Daddy says he'll get her a surprise tonight at the store for being such a big girl.LOLOLOL I hope he doesnt buy the whole darn Wal-Mart! LOLOLOL ;)He tends to go overboard with her-or any of the kids for that matter when they are hurt or sick-LOLOL:)But dont we all-eh? LOLOL
So anyway-My headache is gone -LOLOLOLOL:)Until tomorrow Im sure-LOLOLOLOL. Its going to be another late night preparing for tomorrow morning...sigh....but I havent thought about it all day *big smile*

Feeling better!!!!!! :)

Okay-Im feeling like im writing and beating a dead horse here-but I just wanted to say I feel soooo much better abt everything :)And this blog has been sooo helpful. I reread everything and set things straight in my mind and Its been a huge help-Im so glad I started this :)LOLOL

First-Ive got Stingers Doc at Childrens tomorrow morning-wow-gunna have to get up really early to get to Salt Lake by 9:30-but can do it :)Im going to be expressing my concerns and have him look at Stingers school reports and his "plan" and see if he is concerned abt everything that has been going on-I know hes going to be torked abt everything-as he told me basically that the staff at school were just being crazy not giving him the supports that he needed etc......so Im excited abt that-Im going to be def having him write something down this time-so everyone can actually listen to him-more details etc.
Second-I talked to a Mom here in Utah-actually spoke with her on the phone-words cannot express how nice that was to hear an actual MOM on the phone having been down this same road I am traveling :)Sooooooooo nice :)She told me that it might be bad, but that also if its a new principle he might just want to express things and get to know both daddy Bear and I better. This new principle(whom I have met before)is going to be really cool I think. Example-one day when I was having to go back to pick up Stinger at school and had to take all the other kiddoes-he took Flamingo and Monkey into the library. I go in there and there they all are-he was reading a story abt a matador and a bull fight thing and he was being all goofy with a mexican accent-and not really reading-but like so many Moms and Dads do-they animate and fill in words here and there to make it interesting and funny. It was funny to watch-but right there he struck me as a really thoughtful guy-someone I am going to be able to talk with. So this might just be a meeting for everyone to meet etc-and since its not an official IEP meeting I wont be required to sign anything and they wont be able to say this and this is how its going to be etc-its a no pressure on anyone kinda deal? So it MIGHT go like that??????LOLOLOLOL;)-her talk really made me feel better and more confident that I will do the right thing and have been doing the right things etc.
Third-I called the Disability Law Center on Friday. #1-they are violating a "Safe School" law by letting him run off like that(no one has ever told me anything like that and I have asked sooomany dif organisations etc)So taht was good to know anyway, also they told me to tell the school taht they were advising me now and that this is what they had advised me to do (if I get into a corner)Present my paper on my requests(have to have in writing as this gives them a time they have to say yes or no and document with reasons etc by)That "I would like to schedule an IEP when I can have my representation present and that I would be tape recording all future meetings as they put me in situations when they know I wont have representation present and know I am uncomforteable."
The Law Center said they would start to watch what they say from now on when I let them know that they are advising me now:)
So I am much more confident now-that even if it doesnt go my way I can keep my cool and say the right thing and leave.....shhesh-now if I just had my law degree to go with all of this it'd be a cake walk eh? LOLOL
Anyway-im clear of the festering-YEAH!!!!!!For now anyway.......LOLOL;)
Gotta go hit the sack now-for tomorrow ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz
Later-

Beautiful story I heard tonight.......

Okay another touching story...get those tissues handy-LOLOLOL. Its a true story too :)Its called:
Where Is Gods Perfection?

In Brooklyn NY "Chush"is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children in Chush remain there for their entire school carrers. Others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fundraising event, a dinner, the father of a Chush child deliverd a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff he cried out "Where is the perfection in my son Shia? Everything God does is done with perfection, but my child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is Gods perfection here?" The audiance was shocked by the question and pained by the fathers anquish and stilled by the piercing query."I believe, the father answered, that when God brings a child like Shia into the world the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child." He then told the follwowing story abt his son Shia:
One afternoon Shia and his father walked past a park where some boys Shia knew were playing baseball. Shia asked his father" Do you think they'll let me play?!!" Shia's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and knew most boys wouldn't even want him on there team, but understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give his son a sense of belonging. Shia had never felt that way. Shais' father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shai could play. The boy looked ard for some guidance from his team mates, but after recieveing non, he decided to take matters into his own hands and said "Well,we are loosing by six runs, and the game is in the 8th inning. I guess he can be on our team-we will try and put him up to bat in the 9th inning." Shais father was exstatic as Shia smiled broadly. Shai was told to put on a glove and go out to play in center field. Shias team scored a few runs in the eighth inning but they were still behind by three. Shias team scored agn in the 9th inning, and with two outs and bases loaded, Shia was scheduled to be up with the potential winning run on base. Would the team actually let Shai bat at this juncture of the game and give away their chance to win? Surprisingly Shia was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible as Shia didnt even know how to hold a bat let alone hit with it. However as Shia stepped up to bat the pitcher moved in a couple of steps so he could laud the ball in sofly so Shia would at least be able to make contact with the ball. The first pitch came in, Shia swung clumsily and missed. And then one of Shais teammates came out of the dug out and together they both held the bat and faced the pitcher for the ball to be pitched. The pitcher agn took in a couple more steps for Shia, and threw it more softly. At the next pitch Shia and the teammate together swung the bat and together they hit a low gound ball to the pitcher. The pitcher slowly picked up the slow grounder and could have easily thrown it to the first baseman-Shia would have been out and would have ended the game. But instead-the pitcher picked up the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field-far beyond the reach of the 1st baseman. Everyone started yelling "Shai run to first, run to 1st Shia!!!" Never in his life had Shia run to first. He scampered down the base line-wide eyes and startled. By the time he got to first base the right fielder had the ball and could have easily thrown it to second who would tag out Shia who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitchers intentions were. So he threw the ball high and far over the third basemans head. Everyone yelled "Run to second Shia. Run to second!" Shia ran to second base as the runners ahead of him deleriously circled the bases toward home. As Shia approached second base the opposing short stop ran up to him, turned him in the direction of third base and yelled "Run to third Shai, run to third!!!" As Shia rounded third the boys from both teams ran behind him yelling to him "Run home Shia,run home!!" Shia ran home, stepped on home plate, and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero- as he had just hit a grand slam and won the game for his team.

"That day, said his father-now with soft tears rolling down his face, Those 18 boys reached their level of Gods perfection."

BEAUTIFUL STORY-EH??? :)
There is so much in this story-so much for us all to learn. Extending this act of kindness showing Gods perfection. oh!!!! I love this story!!!!

Something to take my mind off of things....LOLOL

WEll....... I have been festering over you know what and I found this and thought it was funny. The Holland thing is so not how it is!!! LOLOL. Anyway it made me smile-which is worth alot these days-its a long read-beware;) LOLOL

Holland Schmolland
By Laura Krueger Crawford

If you have a child with autism, which I do, and if you troll the
Internet for information, which I have done, you will come across a certain inspirational analogy. It goes like this: Imagine that you are planning a trip to Italy. You read all the latest travel books, you consult with friends about what to pack, and you develop an elaborate itinerary for your glorious trip. The day arrives. You board the plane and settle in with your in-flight magazine, dreaming of trattorias, gondola rides and gelato. However, when the plane lands you discover, much to your surprise, you are not in Italy -- you are in Holland. You are greatly dismayed at this abrupt and unexpected change in plans. You rant and rave to the travel agency, but it does no good. You are stuck. After a while, you tire of fighting and begin to look at what Holland has to offer. You notice the beautiful tulips, the kindly people in wooden shoes, the French fries and mayonnaise, and you think, "This isn't exactly what I planned, but it's not so bad. It's just different." Having a child with autism is supposed to be like this -- not any worse than having a typical child -- just different. When I read that, my son was almost three, completely non-verbal and was hitting me over a hundred times a day. While I appreciated the intention of the story, I couldn't help but think, Are they kidding? We are not in some peaceful countryside dotted with windmills. We are in a country under siege -- dodging bombs, trying to board overloaded helicopters, bribing officials -- all the while thinking, What happened to our beautiful life? That was 5 years ago. My son is now 8 and though we have come to accept that he will always have autism, we no longer feel like citizens of a battle torn nation. With the help of countless dedicated therapists and teachers, biological interventions, and an enormously supportive family, my son has become a fun-loving, affectionate boy with many endearing qualities and skills. In the process we've created well our own country, with its own unique traditions and customs. It's not a war zone, but it's still not Holland. Let's call it Schmolland. In Schmolland, it is perfectly customary to lick walls, rub cold pieces of metal across your mouth and line up all your toys end to end. You can show affection by giving a "pointy chin." A "pointy chin " is when you act like you are going to hug someone and just when you are really close, you jam your chin into the other person's shoulder. For the person giving the "pointy chin" this feels really good, for the receiver not so much, but you get used to it.(I thought this was funny-could sooo relate to Stinger in this..) For citizens of Schmolland, it is quite normal to repeat lines from videos to express emotion. If you are sad, you can look downcast and say "Oh Pongo." When mad or anxious, you might shout, "Snow can't stop me!" or "Duchess, kittens, come on!" Sometimes, "And now our feature presentation" says it all. In Schmolland, there's not a lot to do, so our citizens find amusement wherever they can. Bouncing on the couch for hours,(...Stinger) methodically pulling feathers out of down pillows, and laughing hysterically in bed at 4:00am,(.....Stinger) are all traditional Schmutch pastimes. The hard part about living in our country is dealing with people from other countries. We try to assimilate ourselves and mimic their customs, but we aren't always successful. It's perfectly understandable that an 8-year-old boy from Schmolland would steal a train from a toddler at the Thomas the Tank Engine Train Table at Barnes and Noble. But this is clearly not understandable or acceptable in other countries, and so we must drag our 8 year old out of the store kicking and screaming while all the customers look on with stark, pitying stares. But we ignore these looks and focus on the exit sign because we are a proud people. Where we live, it is not surprising when an 8-year-old boy reaches for the fleshy part of a woman's upper torso and says, "Do we touch boodoo?" We simply say, "No we don't touch boodoo" and go on about our business. It's a bit more startling in other countries, however, and can cause all sorts of cross-cultural misunderstandings. And, though most foreigners can get a drop of water on their pants and still carry on, this is intolerable to certain citizens in Schmolland who insist that the pants must come off no matter where they are, and regardless of whether another pair of pants are present(its funny to hear abt this-like so many things you think your child is the ONLY one going through these things, makes you feel somehow connected, and not so alone in what you are dealing with) Other families who are affected by autism are familiar and comforting to us, yet are still separate entities. Together we make up a federation of countries, kind of like Scandinavia. Like a person from Denmark talking with a person from Norway, (or in our case someone from Schmenmark talking with someone from Schmorway), we share enough similarities in our language and customs to understand each other, but conversations inevitably highlight the diversity of our traditions. "Oh your child is a runner?" "Mine won't go to the bathroom without asking permission." "My child eats paper. Yesterday he ate a whole video box." "My daughter only eats 4 foods, all of them white." "My son wants to blow on everyone." "My son can't stand to hear the word no. We can't use any negatives at all in our house." "We finally had to lock up the VCR because my son was obsessed with the rewind button." There is one thing we all agree on: we are a growing population. 10 years ago, 1 in 10,000 children had autism. Today the rate is approximately 1 in 250. Something is dreadfully wrong. Though the causes of the increase are still being hotly debated, a number of parents and professionals believe genetic pre-disposition has collided with too many environment insults -- toxins, chemicals, anti-biotics, vaccines -- to create immunological chaos
in the nervous systems of developing children. One medical journalist speculated that these children are like the proverbial canary in the coal mine here to alert us to the growing dangers in our environment. While this is certainly not a view shared by all in the autism community, it feels true to me. And I will never stop investigating new treatments and therapies that might help my son. But more and more my priorities are shifting from what could be to what is. I look around at this country my family has created, with all its unique customs, and it feels like home. For us, any time spent "nation-building" is time well spent.
* * *

"THEY" called....LOLOL

Okay-
So for anyone who has been following this drama and would like to know;)the school finally called this morning....It was the psychologist and he sounded all chipper-LOLOL;)He always is-its funny.Anyway he was wanting to know if the 9th would be okay
to get togther-and that the district lady was wanting Daddy Bear there.
(okay that right there is a very STRANGE thing)hmmmmmmmmmmm...I have a few thoughts on this-none of them are good ones-kwim?LOLOL They have NEVER asked dh if he could come with me. This whole year it was never mentioned by anyone. But we cant just up and go to something like that as we have three kids-duh!So thats a negative-unless they can have someone there to watch the kids etc-which my advocate said I could ask for. But Ill probably just be going.
I told the psychologist this and he hummed and hawed.....gee....then went on to say that EVERYONE was going to be there-but it wasnt an IEP meeting. So this kinda threw me for a loop too. I just thought it was a simple table meeting to discuss these two test results. OBVIOUSLY I am mistaken-the principle will be there along with the district lady I love so much:P, case manager, spec ed teacher, next years teacher,psychologist, testers from district,I probaly am missing a few "key" people in there somewhere-LOLOL(if anyone is wondering this is what an IEP meeting consists of when everyone meets together and "discusses" things goals etc-disagreements)
So I am in for a treat I imagine.YEE-HAW!
Then he goes on to say that the principle( new this year)has alot of things to tell everyone at the meeting and is excited abt these things(okay what ARE these things???)and why are THEY are all excited abt "these "things.LOLOLOL
Okay as you all know me- the red flags are flashing with all of this and I immediately called my advocate. Of course shes not going to be able to come to this meeting with me-thats when all her meetings are is in the morning and I can only have meetings in the morning etc-so Ill be going it alone it looks like-GREAT! LOLOL
So Im super paranoid now-LOLOLOL
Its either going to go two ways:
1. The tests are in agreement with the Childrens' doc-seeing some Autism Spectrum Disorder.(this is what I am hopeing for)-they have found an Autism consultant to come support the teacher for next year, all Stingers supports will stay inplace, they will finally see the Stinger I have been talking about, they will change his behavior plan to include positive replacement behavior instead of just discipling him,all in all their "thoughts on things" will change and they will do all they can to help Stinger succeed in school and learn!!!:)
2. The tests show no form of ASD-they want to change the label to emotional disorder, slowly take away all his suports in place right now-FORGET abt the autism consultant coming in as Stinger is just a "discipline" problem(which is how the district-no she isnt a doctor but thinks she is-lady thinks anyway), maybee change his classroom placement,no need to figure out WHY behaviors are happening-as he is just a "discipline" issue now anyway....so no support for the teacher besides disciplining Stinger for his behaviors so more time outs that ever before, more just watching him run away, more of everything I dont agree with at all.
Yeah I know what you are thinking-Its not going to be THAT bad -well judging on this district ladys opinion on alot of things so far it WILL be that bad if not worse.What I wrote was pretty sugar coated-LOLOL
But I think Ive come up with a plan-if I dont agree with the test scores I will table(leave" the meeting)-plain and simple and not waste mytime listening to anything more they have to say....LOLOLOL
Yeah you know I wont do that-but if I get to overwhelmed with anything I will leave....
Well thats my strategy-eh? As I have no idea what they will be presenting me with-I HATE that. They will all be there ard the table I will walk in and then -BAM-im stuck in a corner scrambling to just get any words out...
UGH-Im not looking forward to this meeting-but it needs to be done and soon so I dont want to reschedule it just so my advocate can come. ILl keep digging in my head and try and figure out this a little more.....like I dont have this in my head 24/7 as it is anyway....sigh....

Something I never thought abt till today.......

Lately Ive been festering-fester-fester-fester. Im really good at doing this lately. I belong to a forum for Autism-PDD kids and something just made me eyes tear up tonight in a conversation we were having.

It was about how our ASD kids have a really hard time having empathy-even for our own family memebers. Littel Monkey my youngest always runs over to check if someone is crying or has gotten hurt. Pink Flamingo-our princess gets VERY concerned-to the point she might even start crying-LOLOLOL. Stinger doesnt do this. No matter who it is-Mom,Dad, Sister, Brother-he doesnt see the need for concern-or actually it just doesnt have a place in his world. He doesn't acknowledge it, doesnt come over to see if you are all right. He doesnt stop doing whatever he was doing etc. Its made me quite upset in the past, and it still does when I forget that these feelings are just not there and that he just needs to be frequently taught this and reminded OFTEN....
I was thinking in my head abt how this next school year might go. I invision Flamingo who is starting K this year to be very excited, and not even giving me a second look as I show her to her classroom. She will flock over to some girly girls and be in total Heaven-you'll see it in the sparkle in her eye-she will be so pleased and Im sure will hate coming home.LOLOL :)I smile when I think abt it.LOLOL
Stinger will need a bit more help. He'll be a little-well alot-nervous, will probably cling to me-so unsure how and what to expect. He'll look over to see who is in the class with him and he will be anything but pleased(Im hopeing his one buddy is in there from last year)It will turn into a big ordeal just getting him into the classrooom.
Anyway... this is what I am invisioning-a bit different from what I invisioned a long time ago-thinking that Stinger would be FLAMINGOS 'big' brother in every sense of the word-looking out for his little sister, protecting her etc. I think it will be the opposite. Flamingo is so quick to come to Stingers side-so patient with him. So strong were Stinger is weak.Which leads me to a poem that I wanted to share. It was written by a very special mom on one of my forums. It made my eyes water when I read it as this is so how it is between Stinger and Flamingo and I could really relate to it. I have never really loooked at things like this before and I actually thought to myself-this makes perfect sense. Every child has a divine purpose -every thing is in the Masters hands-everything makes sense. I dont know how I have been so blind. Anyway it touched me inside and made me cry-not a hard thing to do lately, LOLOL but it also made me smile and marvel at the same time...what is at work and the Lords plans in my life-truly amazing and utterly beautiful.....

Im sending you a spirit
One from up above
He's sent to teach you
something-
Something about love
Not just any spirit
A special one you'll see
A baby boy with deep blue eyes
And curls flying free
This journey you must take with
him
Will come with many tears
So Im sending him a sister
To hold for all his years.
She comes with her a gift of
strength,
Of purity and light
She'll love him and protect him
She's his beacon in the night.
She wont need to hear his words,
She listens with her soul
They'll play and love and laugh
and cry
Two halves that make a whole
I watch them as they sleep at
night
From sunset to sunrise
Her soul is there to comfort him
No tears fall from his eyes.
Their souls are linked for always
They came form up above
And he will teach her something-
Something about love.

A sombering night....

BREAKING NEWS
The Salt Lake Police Department announced at a press conference that the body of Destiny Norton was found this evening at 518 East Elwood Place.

I just finished watching this news release tonight.......I had the intention of writing a regular little blog note, but Im not in the mood anymore. :(
Little Destiny was only 5 years old. The same age of my little Flamingo. A little girl dancing ard in a pretty little dress-feeling like a princess with a priceless toothless grin. I see my Flamingo and I weep. :( I weep for this sweet little sole stolen from her parents by an evil man. Im not to fond of the death penalty, but this guy and all child predators should fry!!!
I can only imagine what this has done to her parents, to her family and friends and relatives. I didnt even know her or her family and I am so torn up inside abt this. I just feel sick......
We will miss you Destiny-our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.....

When Elizabeth Smart went missing I was hit hard with that. I immediately went to all the Amber Alerts and signed up for all the alerts they had!!! I was terrified of taking Flamingo out in the public eye-fearing that someone was watching and waiting......but Elizabeth was found and all was well with the world. I still went to sights to look up predators-ones that were near-ones that were far-studied their faces, looked at the make of their cars. They are everywhere and some really close to schools*shudders*

How can we live in a society where they are allowing this to happen???? You hear abt the parents out there with picket signs yelling about a pedaphile that has just moved into the neighborhood. Yeah..well.....Id be right along side with them.......they'd be lucky to get away with just a picket sign from me.:P
Okay well this isnt a very Christian attitude...but we are talking abt CHILDREN here-who else is out there to defend THEIR rights????-except US the parents.

But then the real scary part-do you REALLY know your neighboors? Destiny was taken just a little ways from her house. Elizabeth was hidden in the woods behind her house.
The whole thing just makes me ill.......just plain makes my belly ache..........
These are the reasons I keep such a careful watchful eye out for my kids. Why it near is the death of me when Stinger wanders off.....when my heart skips a beat when I yell and no child responds as they are "hiding"....Why I walk Stinger to the bus stop EACH morning and am there to see him off of it when he comes home......Why my head whirls when I go anywhere with the kids when dh isnt there to help me keep watch........Why when things are too quiet a take a double look....Why I make sure the windows and doors are all locked at night(yeah our community is small, but why take the chances of a chance being taken-eh?)...Why I dont do ANYTHING or go ANYWHERE that I just THINK there might be a chance I might have to look away from my children for a second, that I might be too destracted to watch and keep my kids safe. EVERY SECOND counts when youve got kids....................IM not taking that chance or that second-not in THIS world anyway.......seconds are all it can take.........Call me a Paranoid- Crazy-out of touch with reality-Overprotective-Insane Mother-I CAN live with THAT;) LOLOLOL

UPDATE!!!!!! FOUND 150 feet away from her house!!!!!!!!!!! SAME COMPLEX SHE WAS LIVING IN!!!!!
yeah...Id be torked too-this family has EVERY right to be upset abt this "search" effort.....livid-yeah thats a better word!!!

SOOOOOoooooooooooHOT!!

OH BOY! We are dying here.........I dont even like going outside these days. And you know its hot when ALLL your kids want to come in after abt 5 min of playing out in it!!! LOLOLOL:) SO we have been trying to figure out some fun things to do out of this scorching weather we are having......
Stinger for the past couple of days has been making bee-hives all over the place. He LOOOOOOVES bees-any kind-bummble bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets they are all the same to him-and oh so neat!! You ask him abt them and he just wont stop talking about what each worker does, what each job description is. Just now he came down to share a cookie with me and I had to eat it like a bee....LOLOL-making sure to say oh yum when I tasted the sugar frosting-as that is the "bees favorite". ;) After lunch he was acting all weird with his feet and I asked him what he was doing and he said that this is what the bees do after they taste something yummy-putting it on their legs etc. Luckily he hasnt taken it as far as actually rubbing real food on-LOLOLOL. Its just pretend for right now*knock on wood*But he showed me each step and was thoroughly pleased with himself. :) So anyway...he is keeping himself busy inside acting like a bee. He's gotten stung more times than I can count and it doesnt even phase him-so he just goes abt looking and exploring, trying to catch or take down a little hive he has found-and trying to sneak it inside. YUCK!!!!! LOLOLOL But thats my Stinger.......utterly focused when he wants to be......
Pink Flamingos got karate tonight so the boys and I will be going to the park, and dropping Flamingo off at her class. Its so hot outside-we better remember to take our water jugs :)Stinger already told me he wants to come home instead-he wants to play in his hive;) LOLOLOL So Im not sure what we will be doing yet. Flamingo has been thoroughly enjoying her karate classes. She just loves being with the other kids-I dont know if its the class so much as seeing her friend there;) The teacher says that she is doing really well-its just a matter of remembering all the steps in a movement that is hard. But she said Flamingo is cordinated -which I didnt think she was-as in Gymnastics she has had trouble with some things. She wont show us anything-I guess she still needs help with all the steps involved etc-but it is hard as I cant stay in the class and watch her:(
It just cant be done with the boys-yes I have tried it once or twice;) LOLOL Not a good deal......not gunna happen;)
Little Monkey has been extremely moody lately-EVERYTHING sends him running away and having a meltdown. Some days aren't as bad, but is a pretty usual thing lately.....But then he can be soooo happy......Ive been trying to really talk with him and give him extra amts of my time etc to see if this is what is causing his moodiness....I dont know.......his cheeks are always red lately-so maybee he is just hot???Or maybee its the bumping into walls that is agrivating him. He actually told me last night that he needed glasses and that his eyes werent good...????LOLOLOL So I guess ill be making an appointment to get that looked at........He is a REALLY bright little guy-his thought process simply amazes me sometimes....
Well thats abt it here...just lazy daisy days of summer.......with the air on 24/7!!!!! AGH!!!!!