I've spent the weekend so far cleaning house and starting to organize for Spring! If I can maintain cleanliness of house today while making other strides, I would be happy. However, you might remember my younger daughter, Hurricane Sophie, who can destroy a clean home in a few stormy seconds. I think she's coming down with a cold, and so maybe she'll be a little more settled today. (I'm not hoping that she has a cold, because that would be bad. However, if she has one, I can take advantage of the effects.)
My goal today is finish organized the family room. I bought more shelves and put those together yesterday. Now, I need to go through 2 laundry baskets full of papers, etc. and toss, file, or do! I also want to go through my closet and dressers and donate to charity, hand down to my daughters, or throw away. Sometimes, purging feels so good.
My friend Stacey came over yesterday and retrieved some fabric. Next up...curtains for Sophie's room. I cannot wait to post a pic of them! I love the fabric!
The best cleaning I did yesterday...I had the windows open! Fresh air and sunlight are the absolute best cleaners and clearers ever. It clears the head too!
Okay...Sophie just poured bits of ricecakes all over the dining room floor. It's been about 5 minutes, I fearfully wonder what the kitchen looks like since she started out in there. Better go!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Dirty Dozen
I asked a bunch of my friends to answer a dozen questions. Check out all the different answers! (Okay some of them will be vastly different, like question #1.)Just some fun! (My answers/comments are in orange!)
1. Where did we meet?
at work - PQ
ProQuest
ProQuest
At ProQuest...I liked you because you were nice enough to tell me that although Robin was being helpful, she often told newbies how she does things, and that I can feel free doing things the way I liked to. That was nice. :o)
School
I think the first time was at the JCPennys in Adrian.
SHU Alumni Stuff!
Your Mom's house
At my birth (Hannah's answer...I laughed my booty off!)
2. Take a stab at my middle name?
lots of the right answer with Ursula
Catherine (That's a good guess of a Catholic middle name!)
I see the "U" above, and as your alumni director, I should have known...
I was named after my Mother's best friend Mary Ursula DiMattia.
3. Do I smoke?
no and don't care for those who do
nope
Um, no. Really not.
That would be a big, fat "no!"
Definitely not!!!
no and neither should I
bleck - I hope not!
of course not
NO
My Dad smoked for so many years; I saw the pain and suffering it caused him and us.
4. Color of my eyes?
blue
greenish hazel
Green? Oh boy...I think I have that right.
Hmmm... hazel?
hazel
greenish brown
green???
blue
Bluish green
Blue...my eyes are blue!!! When are they green or brown or hazel??? Of course, I don't know anyone else's eye color other than mine, my brown-eyed sister, and my daughters blue eyes.
5. Do I have any siblings?
2 brothers & 1 sister
yes
Yes, you have a sister and brother, right?
Two brothers and a sister... (right??)
yes, 3
yes, 1 sister and 2 brothers, one of which I married.
A sister & a brother.
yes, a sister and two brothers
Yes
I see that too often I just say "my brother" instead of "one of my brothers".
6. What's one of my favorite things to do?
watch movies and go to Target - definitely, end-capping is the way to go
bug "a man who I refuse to name"(That's something I used to do, but haven't in a long, long time.)
lust after hot men - well, well...only construction workers on ladders
Watch fun movies with cute guys... (cute guys in the movies -- not watching them on the couch with you...) - I would not be opposed to cute guys on the couch with me.
Be with your kids - Definitely!
shop? - Hello!!! Of course, retail therapy is the best!
cannot say your favorite thing to do on here in case anyone reads it.... :-) - Everyone is a comedian!
Read - I used to spend all summer up a tree with a book.
Read - Read wins!
7. What's my favorite type of music?
country & the stuff on Doug - For those not in the area, DOug is a radio station.
you like a lot of different music
rock
Hmmm... anything upbeat and fun, or nostalgic
80's and country
not sure a little of country and rock?
country??
Josh Groban type
Old Rock
I do like a little bit of everything, but probably like 70s and 80s the best. From AC/DC to the Raspberries to the Go-Gos. Very eclectic.
8. Am I shy or outgoing?
pretend outgoing nature at first with people, but really a little reserved
duh….very outgoing
are both, depending on the setting
Pretty outgoing -- more so if you know the person pretty well
Outgoing, but can be shy at times
outgoing
Outgoing but not obnoxious.
outgoing
outgoing
Wow...an overwhelming vote for Outgoing? Actually, the first answer is probably the closest to truth. I was born shy. I learned to be outgoing if I had to be.
9. Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?
follow the rules at work and where there would be repercussions, but when you know that you can get away with it, you don't abide by society's expectations.
again…duh
you follow the rules
You follow the rules -- unless you're defending the underdog or someone has done you wrong.
a little bit of both, but usually follows the rules
of course the rules
Follow the rules when they make sense.
you follow the rules but are outspoken at times
follow the rules
The truth is a blend of two answers = I follow the rules (unless I'm defending the underdog or someone has done someone I love wrong) + I follow the rules at work and where there would be undesirable consequences, but when I know that I can get away with it, I fly my own way.
10. Any special talents?
writing, witty, funny
none I can mention ;-)
SUPER MOM! And super Read Receipt lady.
You can fix anything... you're especially organized... you can keep up with the local gossip better than any 80 year old lady. :o) (I say that affectionately.)
very good at being patient with me and Sophie! (This answer is not from Hannah!)
raising your 2 girls on your own
apparently... LOL oh, and you are very funny and smart.
patience, patience & more patience
Being a Good Mother - from my Hannah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah...all good and noble, but my real special talent is popping my shoulders out of joint.
11. How many children do I have? 2 wonderful girls...okay, everyone got this one right! I went on a date with some dude once, and he didn't know that I had kids until the way back home. Yeah, he was icked out of contention right there.
12. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing that I would bring?
poster of a cute boy like Vin Diesel or Tim Daly
snacks – and your target card (even though you couldn’t use it)
John Stamos with a Stephanie Plum book in his hand
Vin Diesel, an endless supply of venti skinny decaf no-whip caramel macchiato and your Burt's Bees
your chapstick
sun block
Your girls!
your ipod
Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls
All excellent choices...I'd have to bring it all!
1. Where did we meet?
at work - PQ
ProQuest
ProQuest
At ProQuest...I liked you because you were nice enough to tell me that although Robin was being helpful, she often told newbies how she does things, and that I can feel free doing things the way I liked to. That was nice. :o)
School
I think the first time was at the JCPennys in Adrian.
SHU Alumni Stuff!
Your Mom's house
At my birth (Hannah's answer...I laughed my booty off!)
2. Take a stab at my middle name?
lots of the right answer with Ursula
Catherine (That's a good guess of a Catholic middle name!)
I see the "U" above, and as your alumni director, I should have known...
I was named after my Mother's best friend Mary Ursula DiMattia.
3. Do I smoke?
no and don't care for those who do
nope
Um, no. Really not.
That would be a big, fat "no!"
Definitely not!!!
no and neither should I
bleck - I hope not!
of course not
NO
My Dad smoked for so many years; I saw the pain and suffering it caused him and us.
4. Color of my eyes?
blue
greenish hazel
Green? Oh boy...I think I have that right.
Hmmm... hazel?
hazel
greenish brown
green???
blue
Bluish green
Blue...my eyes are blue!!! When are they green or brown or hazel??? Of course, I don't know anyone else's eye color other than mine, my brown-eyed sister, and my daughters blue eyes.
5. Do I have any siblings?
2 brothers & 1 sister
yes
Yes, you have a sister and brother, right?
Two brothers and a sister... (right??)
yes, 3
yes, 1 sister and 2 brothers, one of which I married.
A sister & a brother.
yes, a sister and two brothers
Yes
I see that too often I just say "my brother" instead of "one of my brothers".
6. What's one of my favorite things to do?
watch movies and go to Target - definitely, end-capping is the way to go
bug "a man who I refuse to name"(That's something I used to do, but haven't in a long, long time.)
lust after hot men - well, well...only construction workers on ladders
Watch fun movies with cute guys... (cute guys in the movies -- not watching them on the couch with you...) - I would not be opposed to cute guys on the couch with me.
Be with your kids - Definitely!
shop? - Hello!!! Of course, retail therapy is the best!
cannot say your favorite thing to do on here in case anyone reads it.... :-) - Everyone is a comedian!
Read - I used to spend all summer up a tree with a book.
Read - Read wins!
7. What's my favorite type of music?
country & the stuff on Doug - For those not in the area, DOug is a radio station.
you like a lot of different music
rock
Hmmm... anything upbeat and fun, or nostalgic
80's and country
not sure a little of country and rock?
country??
Josh Groban type
Old Rock
I do like a little bit of everything, but probably like 70s and 80s the best. From AC/DC to the Raspberries to the Go-Gos. Very eclectic.
8. Am I shy or outgoing?
pretend outgoing nature at first with people, but really a little reserved
duh….very outgoing
are both, depending on the setting
Pretty outgoing -- more so if you know the person pretty well
Outgoing, but can be shy at times
outgoing
Outgoing but not obnoxious.
outgoing
outgoing
Wow...an overwhelming vote for Outgoing? Actually, the first answer is probably the closest to truth. I was born shy. I learned to be outgoing if I had to be.
9. Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?
follow the rules at work and where there would be repercussions, but when you know that you can get away with it, you don't abide by society's expectations.
again…duh
you follow the rules
You follow the rules -- unless you're defending the underdog or someone has done you wrong.
a little bit of both, but usually follows the rules
of course the rules
Follow the rules when they make sense.
you follow the rules but are outspoken at times
follow the rules
The truth is a blend of two answers = I follow the rules (unless I'm defending the underdog or someone has done someone I love wrong) + I follow the rules at work and where there would be undesirable consequences, but when I know that I can get away with it, I fly my own way.
10. Any special talents?
writing, witty, funny
none I can mention ;-)
SUPER MOM! And super Read Receipt lady.
You can fix anything... you're especially organized... you can keep up with the local gossip better than any 80 year old lady. :o) (I say that affectionately.)
very good at being patient with me and Sophie! (This answer is not from Hannah!)
raising your 2 girls on your own
apparently... LOL oh, and you are very funny and smart.
patience, patience & more patience
Being a Good Mother - from my Hannah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah...all good and noble, but my real special talent is popping my shoulders out of joint.
11. How many children do I have? 2 wonderful girls...okay, everyone got this one right! I went on a date with some dude once, and he didn't know that I had kids until the way back home. Yeah, he was icked out of contention right there.
12. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing that I would bring?
poster of a cute boy like Vin Diesel or Tim Daly
snacks – and your target card (even though you couldn’t use it)
John Stamos with a Stephanie Plum book in his hand
Vin Diesel, an endless supply of venti skinny decaf no-whip caramel macchiato and your Burt's Bees
your chapstick
sun block
Your girls!
your ipod
Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls
All excellent choices...I'd have to bring it all!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Being Blessed by Autism
Yes, I am blessed. Autism has blessed my family. Would I be extremely happy if my daughter could speak and eat healthier and have fewer sensory issues? Of course. However, I am very blessed to have her in my life. Her innocence, her sweetness! Everyone who really knows her loves her. She is special in many ways.
One way...Sophie's Aide...In the Spring of her 1st grade year, the woman who spent all school day with Sophie was injured by a drunken semi-truck driver. This woman's legs were cut off above the knee. When her Aide returned to the school to work the following fall, she was in a wheel chair. Sophie walked up to her, kicked her leg out at the open area where her Aide's legs should have been, and then proceeded to crawl up on her Aide's lap. What was Sophie saying? Yeah, I notice that you are different now, but I still like you anyway.
Another way...My older typical daughter spent the night at a friend's house. When I picked her up the following morning, she said, "They are like the perfect family. It was creepy!" What did she mean? Dad is the sole financial provider. Mom is a Stay-at-home-Mom. One daughter. One brother. One purebred dog. They ate dinner while sitting at the table! Spotless house. Uh...yeah, nice, but not like us. We are Deadbeat Dad, Single Working Mom, one typical daughter, one special needs daughter, one mutt. That table in the dining room is for sitting and eating a meal together? Who knew? And most specifically...the house is a mess. I asked my older daughter if she knew that most houses did not have bits of ricecakes and popcorn scattered about the floor and table and counter, etc.? What's more important perfection through control or a loving, caring, accepting attitude? A child with special needs answers that question.
And another...adversity through a child brings family together. I know without a doubt that my Mother (and Father, if he were still alive), my Siblings and their children, and even extended family members hope and dream and do whatever they can for my girl! That's a good feeling!
A child is not a burden. A child is a gift. A special child is a special gift.
We have been very fortunate.
One way...Sophie's Aide...In the Spring of her 1st grade year, the woman who spent all school day with Sophie was injured by a drunken semi-truck driver. This woman's legs were cut off above the knee. When her Aide returned to the school to work the following fall, she was in a wheel chair. Sophie walked up to her, kicked her leg out at the open area where her Aide's legs should have been, and then proceeded to crawl up on her Aide's lap. What was Sophie saying? Yeah, I notice that you are different now, but I still like you anyway.
Another way...My older typical daughter spent the night at a friend's house. When I picked her up the following morning, she said, "They are like the perfect family. It was creepy!" What did she mean? Dad is the sole financial provider. Mom is a Stay-at-home-Mom. One daughter. One brother. One purebred dog. They ate dinner while sitting at the table! Spotless house. Uh...yeah, nice, but not like us. We are Deadbeat Dad, Single Working Mom, one typical daughter, one special needs daughter, one mutt. That table in the dining room is for sitting and eating a meal together? Who knew? And most specifically...the house is a mess. I asked my older daughter if she knew that most houses did not have bits of ricecakes and popcorn scattered about the floor and table and counter, etc.? What's more important perfection through control or a loving, caring, accepting attitude? A child with special needs answers that question.
And another...adversity through a child brings family together. I know without a doubt that my Mother (and Father, if he were still alive), my Siblings and their children, and even extended family members hope and dream and do whatever they can for my girl! That's a good feeling!
A child is not a burden. A child is a gift. A special child is a special gift.
We have been very fortunate.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Autism and Vaccines
I don't usually blog too much about autism. I live it every day. So, when I write, I write to escape. However, a friend of mine asked me about vaccines and autism. Here is my reply...
Never get "caught up" on vaccines. Do not even follow the schedule. I tell my friends to have one shot at a time done on their babies.
Both my girls had multiple shots done at once. I trusted the doctor and the medical industry. Bad idea. In my gut, it felt wrong. I should have known it was stupid.
Why, oh why, would anyone choose to give a kid all of those diseases at once? That's what's happening! Can a body handle a little bit of polio, diphtheria, measles, and others all at once? Hell no! It's common sense. Take it slow. One shot at a time. Let the kid recover. If the baby does have a reaction, how would the doctors know from which shot? We take our time and introduce one new food at a time, but we inject them with terrible diseases all at once? Common sense says no. Do not let the doctors shame you into anything.
The medical community means well, but they are brainwashed into thinking whatever is commonly taught. Do I think that the doctor who administered the 4 vaccines at once into Sophie wanted to harm her? No. I think that the doctor was trying to keep her safe, but the doctor was misinformed and passed that misinformation along to me.
Do I think that the medical industry needs to change their tune about vaccines? Yes! I use the word industry, because it's the businesspeople running the big pharmacy companies who are lobbying and persuading and buying the idiots who announce that vaccines are safe for all in the way that they are recommending.
The medical community needs to promote one shot at a time. Will it be inconvenient for parents to take their kids to the doctors more often? Yes. Will doctors be busier than they already are? Yes. Will insurance companies be happy? No. Is the inconvenience to parents and doctors worth it? YES!
I live it. I live everyday wanting and wishing and hoping and having faith and expecting miracles that my baby girl will talk to me, that she'll be able to care for herself one day, that she'll be able to let the world know what she's thinking and feeling. And now my heart is breaking with each tear I cry for her, for me, for anyone who knows and loves a child with autism.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Foolish Self-Deprecator?
I have great faith in fools - self-confidence, my friends call it.
~ Edgar Allan Poe
Someone who can make jokes about herself does not have self-esteem issues, but is secure enough to laugh. Those who are not secure with themselves are those that comment on someone else's self-deprecating humor and ask why.
My ex-dysfunction did not like it when I laughed at myself. Everything was so serious. Drama, drama, drama. I'm so glad to be rid of that serious fool.
It's better to laugh than to cry. Why whine and complain about every little thing? I'd rather have a bit and be a bit entertaining. Laughter is contagious. Laughter is the best medicine.
So, why not laugh at yourself?
~ Edgar Allan Poe
Someone who can make jokes about herself does not have self-esteem issues, but is secure enough to laugh. Those who are not secure with themselves are those that comment on someone else's self-deprecating humor and ask why.
My ex-dysfunction did not like it when I laughed at myself. Everything was so serious. Drama, drama, drama. I'm so glad to be rid of that serious fool.
It's better to laugh than to cry. Why whine and complain about every little thing? I'd rather have a bit and be a bit entertaining. Laughter is contagious. Laughter is the best medicine.
So, why not laugh at yourself?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Time...
Time, why you punish me?
Like a wave bashing into the shore
You wash away my dreams.
~ Hootie & The Blowfish
So much time has gone by. I haven't done the things that I want to do. I cannot even find the time to go to the post office with pictures to mail to my sister (with her Christmas card). That's how long I've been trying to do this one thing.
It's already the end of March! Where does time go?
Like a wave bashing into the shore
You wash away my dreams.
~ Hootie & The Blowfish
So much time has gone by. I haven't done the things that I want to do. I cannot even find the time to go to the post office with pictures to mail to my sister (with her Christmas card). That's how long I've been trying to do this one thing.
It's already the end of March! Where does time go?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Curiosity
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
~ Einstein
If there's one thing that the Siena Heights Sisters taught me, it is to question. Sr. Pat Hogan, in Philosophy of Person, must have asked, "Why?" once a minute in every class. Sr. Mary Louise Hall taught me to prove points that I didn't even believe. Sr. Pat Schnapp raised her left fist with an "Aha!" when we took an idea a step farther.
When someone does something to you or against you, it's not necessarily what it seems. Think about the why. Curiosity will take you farther than yourself. The why is usually all about someone else and his own circumstances.
Just like when you get dressed up for a party or for church. No one else is really looking at you (unless of course, you wear the same gray pants every day!); they are all wondering how they look to you. Curiosity brings a better understanding of self while trying to understand others. (Maybe her husband told her that gray pants brings out the gray in her eyes? Maybe her Father wore gray pants to work every day, and it brings her comfort or courage to be like him.) More than likely, gray-pants-girl is not trying to be weird or offensive or anything else to you. She doesn't necessarily want the whole world to join the gray-pants-club, but she would be happy for you if you chose to wear gray pants too. And if she did say how great you'd look in gray pants, maybe just ask yourself why?
Why is a bully a bully? If you ask why, it takes the personal edge off. More than likely, the bully actually has nothing against you. The bully either gets bossed around elsewhere or yelled at by others or some other treatment where they learned their own bullying techniques. They're seeking to get something of themselves back. I feel sorry for them. I don't have to put up with them, but I feel sorry for them. Their bullying me is not about me; it's about them.
Asking "Why?" will bring understanding or not. Perhaps, it will end with another "Why?" which is okay too. Not knowing the answer to every "Why?" is okay. It's the asking that mostly counts. Besides, no answer is an answer. After all, who has all the answers to her own reality?
~ Einstein
If there's one thing that the Siena Heights Sisters taught me, it is to question. Sr. Pat Hogan, in Philosophy of Person, must have asked, "Why?" once a minute in every class. Sr. Mary Louise Hall taught me to prove points that I didn't even believe. Sr. Pat Schnapp raised her left fist with an "Aha!" when we took an idea a step farther.
When someone does something to you or against you, it's not necessarily what it seems. Think about the why. Curiosity will take you farther than yourself. The why is usually all about someone else and his own circumstances.
Just like when you get dressed up for a party or for church. No one else is really looking at you (unless of course, you wear the same gray pants every day!); they are all wondering how they look to you. Curiosity brings a better understanding of self while trying to understand others. (Maybe her husband told her that gray pants brings out the gray in her eyes? Maybe her Father wore gray pants to work every day, and it brings her comfort or courage to be like him.) More than likely, gray-pants-girl is not trying to be weird or offensive or anything else to you. She doesn't necessarily want the whole world to join the gray-pants-club, but she would be happy for you if you chose to wear gray pants too. And if she did say how great you'd look in gray pants, maybe just ask yourself why?
Why is a bully a bully? If you ask why, it takes the personal edge off. More than likely, the bully actually has nothing against you. The bully either gets bossed around elsewhere or yelled at by others or some other treatment where they learned their own bullying techniques. They're seeking to get something of themselves back. I feel sorry for them. I don't have to put up with them, but I feel sorry for them. Their bullying me is not about me; it's about them.
Asking "Why?" will bring understanding or not. Perhaps, it will end with another "Why?" which is okay too. Not knowing the answer to every "Why?" is okay. It's the asking that mostly counts. Besides, no answer is an answer. After all, who has all the answers to her own reality?
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