5 Question Friday

 

 

1. How many pets do you have?

1 dog- a long-haired mini dachshund named Reese. He's the sweetest dog ever!

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?

Anna Paquin- on a day she was filming True Blood so I could cuddle up with Bill and Eric and Alcide :)

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?

This is way more than a tip, but I love using the CVS "system".  I save tons of money that way and probably won't need to buy toiletries for another 6 months. 

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?

Happy.

5. What is your favorite quote?

 Lately it's this one...

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go". Joshua 1:9

Let's Lighten Things Up A Little Bit

My husband can be a bit overdramatic at times.  He has several stories from his childhood that involve "traumatic experiences." For instance, his parents once took him to a seafood restaurant and ordered oysters. When the waiter brought the oysters to the table, they looked so disgusting that Jason immediately threw up in the middle of the restaurant. He hasn't eaten seafood in the 15 years since. 

Today, he comes up to me and says in a solemn voice reminiscent of a police officer waiting on your doorstep with bad news, "Baby, you're gonna need to go in the baby's room. There's been an accident."

WHAAT?!

Oh, the dog had an accident. The dog pooped in the floor and he's too squeamish to clean it up, but he makes it sound like I'm walking into a nightmare. Maybe his nightmare is having to clean up poop off the floor, but mine involve a hurt baby! I've asked him to tone down the theatricality a little bit, but we still have incidents like this...

Jason is giving Jackson a bath when he starts screaming "EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" I run into the bathroom expecting to have to give baby CPR (which I don't really remember how to do) to a drowning toddler, only to see that Jason is holding a laughing Jackson in his arms.

"What the HELL?" I say, clutching my heart as it tries frantically to beat out of my chest. "WHAT is the freaking emergency??"

"Oh, Jackson pooped in the tub.  I'm gonna go put him to bed, you clean that up."

Does your husband do anything that you find completely ridiculous?

WW: Sea Turtles

Saturday we loaded up and headed to Jekyll Island, to check out the Sea Turtle Center.

They even have itty bitty baby sea turtles there! I really wanted to take one home :)

Facing Reality

There have been so many times that I have tried to write this post and haven't been able to get these thoughts and feelings out.

I'm scared.

When I took Jackson to his 2 year check up (almost 2 months ago), the doctor took a look at his file and saw that he passed his hearing test. Wondering what else could be wrong (since he still isn't speaking, despite almost a year of twice a week speech therapy) she handed me a list of questions to answer.

Reading through the questions, I knew at once what it was for, because I have worried that Jackson might have autism for awhile now.  He exhibits certain signs, but I was too scared to say anything, to scared to have them tell me that I was just overreacting and too scared that he would possibly be labeled something that he is not. My husband thought that I was just worrying over nothing.

It was an autism screening, and while he didn't completely "fail" it, there were enough worrisome answers that she decided to send him to a developmental pediatrician. However, this pediatrician had a 3 month waiting list and we won't be able to see her until the end of September.

In the meantime, I have been studying and worrying. I've read every book on autism and diagnosing autism and healing autism that I can get my hands on. And in the end, I am left with  nothing but questions. 

It is amazing, that in this world of autism, there are no answers. No certainties. There are those who think they can heal autism and that gave me hope. But other doctors think that these methods of healing are actually harmful to the kids and that those doctors are just preying on scared parents. 

There is nothing that I can really do until he gets a diagnosis anyway.  Part of me has accepted the fact that he is somewhere on the autism spectrum. There are just too many signs for him not to be (no speech, no pretend play, stemming, hard time socializing, etc).  But there is also a part of me that hopes beyond hope that despite his issues, we will be told that he is normal. That maybe there is some other developmental issue but that it's not autism. That it will be something that can be easily overcome.

And then there are times that the fear and panic overtakes me and my body is racked with sobs as I worry that my son will never have a normal life, that nothing will be easy for him. That he might not be able to make friends, that every small transition will be a huge issue for him, that he will be in therapy for the rest of his life, that I won't be able to make this okay for him.

Every night, I pray for him. But most of all, I pray for wisdom.  I am an inherently horrible decision maker. For every decision that I make, I doubt and worry and fear that I am doing the wrong thing.  Decisions about Jackson are 100 times worse, because while I might screw my life up beyond repair, I am scared beyond belief of screwing his up. 

So if you have a moment, please send good thoughts and wishes our way and if you pray, please pray for us, for healing and for wisdom.  Thank you.

Preschool Problems

Even though I majored in education, I never thought that I would homeschool my kids. Not because I thought there was anything wrong with homeschooling, I just never thought it would be something that I would want to do. I wanted to go the more traditional route of "home preschooling" until they were old enough to go to Kindergarten, and then I would go back to teaching. I didn't think that I would enroll Jackson in preschool unless I really needed to go back to work.

But then he turned 2, and he still wasn't talking. (Still isn't actually. Not one word.)

So our speech therapist suggested that we send him to preschool.  She said that he needed to be in a situation that did not involve me. Sure, we go on playdates ALL the time, but I'm always there and I always know what he needs. She suggested that if he were in a classroom then he would have to learn to communicate in order to get what he wants. Sounds logical.

I found a great little morning school run by a local church (a church that I have started attending since then and LOVE) and when we went to visit it, Jackson immediately took to his teacher.  This amazed me, because it is not often that he just automatically goes to another adult, it usually takes him quite a while to get used to new people. I took this as a sign that this was where he was meant to be (after I looked at the lesson plans and found out for sure that this was a preschool type place, not a daycare type place).

 So I enrolled him for twice a week, 3 hours a day. I thought it was perfect.(Did I mention that I would be getting almost 6 whole hours a week to MYSELF? I could not have been more happy)

Jackson, however, does NOT think it's perfect. He does NOT want to go ANYWHERE without his mom (or dad).  He doesn't seem to remember his teacher or care that she is so sweet and does plenty to try to make him happy, he just cries his eyes out the whole time he is there.

He has only been twice, so I am hoping things will get better. Starting tomorrow, I am going to take him in for only an hour at a time. We are hoping he will get more used to the idea of being away from me if I come back quicker and then we will expand to an hour and a half and then two hours, etc.  I'm really hoping this works.  The director told me that this idea worked with a few kids that had the same problem last year.  After a few weeks though, if it doesn't get better, I will pull him out.  I want to give this thing a try, but I'm not willing to have my child get so stressed out about it.

Have you dealt with this sort of thing before? How did you get your child ready for preschool?

Winner of the Hapari Swimsuit Giveaway!

Congrats Kate! Please send me an email with your mailing address.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

WW: Jackson's First Day of Preschool

He wanted to take his blocks with him. 

He was so happy...until he actually got there that is.

Apparently he cried for most of the morning.

He'll get used to it though, right??

Getting to Know You Sunday!

1. What kind of athlete has the hottest body? Runners.  I like that lean but toned look :)

2. Are you a planner or a procrastinator? Both. How, you ask? I usually plan everything out and then wait until the last minute to actually do it!

3. Diet or regular (soda)? Regular- I hate the taste of any "fake" sugar. Yuck! I'd rather just limit my intake of soda and drink water the rest of the time than drink diet soda all the time.

4. What's your one "must have" for Fall? Uhhh...I have no idea.

5. What's your favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-A. Have you had their chicken minis for breakfast? AMAZING.

6. What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy? The military- gotta love those uniforms :)

7. Did you wear braces? Sure did.

8. Would you rather have a guy that's super sexy or kind? Kind. Sexy is good, but it only goes so far.

Don't forget to check out the Hapari Swimwear giveaway! 

WW: My Sister's Birthday

Last Friday was my sister's 23rd birthday.  She came to visit me & I took her to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.

Jackson liked it too :)

Friday night we had some of the birthday cake that I made for her...

It was yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and raspberry filling. 

I know it's ugly, but in the words of my husband- "That's kind of your thing...ugly cakes that taste really, really good."

Tot School: 5 Little Monkeys

Jackson is 25 mos old. 

Last week we did sort of a mini unit on Five Little Monkeys.  Of course, we read the book.  We sang the song. and we also watched this video (which Jackson found hilarious).

I bought these little wooden monkeys at Michaels (for about 50 cents each) and attached magnets to the back.  I did actually have 5 of them but apparently Jackson has carried some of them off! Anyway, we played with these on the magnetic white board while singing the song.

This monkey puppet was the doctor :)

Jackson had banana pudding for a snack.

He did a do-a-dot page (found here)

and I printed off some pieces of Carissa's 5 Little Monkeys Tot Pack.  I put the first 5 pages of this counting book together for him.

Jackson used a glue stick for the first time this week.  I cut out the pieces from this story retelling page and helped Jackson glue the pieces on to the page.

And this is totally unrelated to the monkey theme, but Jackson got a basketball goal for his birthday and he is really having fun with it! Here's a short video of him making some slam dunks :)

Mashed Potato Fake-out: Mashed Cauliflower recipe

Okay, these really did fool Jackson! I liked them a lot too. They had a tiny bit of an aftertaste that regular mashed potatoes do not have, but supposedly if you add cream cheese you won't even taste that. Plus these were as easy to make as homemade mashed potatoes.

Mashed Cauliflower 

Ingredients: 

1 head of cauliflower
salt, pepper, butter, chives, garlic to taste (basically anything you would normally put in your mashed potatoes)

Directions: 

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil for 5-10 minutes (or until tender).

Drain & place in a food processor. Whip until smooth.

Add butter, salt, pepper and/or whatever other spices you usually put in your mashed potatoes. And voila! There you have a tasty side dish and easy way to trick your kids into eating something other than potatoes. (If you have that problem. Which I obviously do).

Looking for more recipes? Check out: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays ...Whats cooking Wednesday... Tuesdays at the Table....Homemaker Monday...Mouthwatering Monday, DIY Day, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday , What I Made This Week (Fri) and Tackle It Tuesday!

Hapari Swimsuit Giveaway!

I know it is almost time for the kids to head back to school, but here in the South at least, there is still plenty of swimsuit weather ahead! I know that Jackson and I will still be making trips to the water park through September.  I've been searching for a nice swimsuit all summer. I found a decently modest one, but it is plain black and BORING. 

So when Hapari contacted me about hosting a giveaway, I got very excited! I've been on their website and I love these tankinis:

Super cute, right? 

 So if you are looking for cute, modest swimwear, check out their great selection of tankinis.  They have bikinis and cover-ups too!

Giveaway:  I am giving away a gift certificate for a full swimsuit (a $96 value) from Hapari!

How to enter: 
Go to Hapari's website and then leave me a comment telling me which swimsuit you would choose! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

For extra entries: 
1. Let me know that you are a follower of my blog! (+1)
2. Grab my button and put it on your website. (+1)
3. Tweet about this giveaway. (Can be done once per day, 1 extra entry per tweet)

This giveaway will end at Midnight on Saturday, August 21st.  Good luck!

July Goal Check in

 Weight: After pulling myself out of denial I finally got on a scale and found out that I did gain about 4 pounds in June.  I lost those 4 pounds this month, but that was about it.  I need to get back on my diet and exercise plan.  I want to lose these next 5 lbs so that I will reach my goal before I make a new goal.  Total Lost: 25 lbs

Healthy Recipe: Eggplant Snack Sticks
 
Books Read: 
Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Uneasy  by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unworthy by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unwelcome by Mary Janice Davidson
Where there's a Witch by Madelyn Alt
A Witch in Time by Madelyn Alt
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How Do You Tuck in a Superhero? And Other Delightful Mysteries of Raising Boys
by Rachel Balducci
Bullet by Laurell K Hamilton
Love Bites by Ellen Schrieber
When a Man Loves a Weapon (Bobbie Faye series) by Toni McGee Causey

Goals for August: 
Lose these last 5 pounds
Take Jackson to his first day of preschool without bawling my eyes out
Go on vacation! (We have one all planned, we just haven't gotten an official "okay" for Jason to take time off yet)
Eat less fast food

Do you have any new goals for this month?

Healthy Recipe: Eggplant Snack Sticks

I have tried out a few new recipes in an attempt to actually get Jackson to eat vegetables. So far, it hasn't worked! But I've liked the new things that I have made.  Yesterday I tried these rutabaga french fries. Dipped in ketchup, I honestly couldn't tell that they weren't made with potatoes. But Jackson doesn't eat ketchup (the horror!) so he didn't like them. I will probably make them again later this week when he have turkey burgers.

Jackson didn't like these either, but I did! They're actually very good as an appetizer for other Italian foods.

Eggplant Snack Sticks 

adapted from Taste of Home's Fun Food magazine

(In the magazine they look more like french fries, but I cut mine differently, obv.)

Ingredients: 

1 medium eggplant 

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (I used milled flax seed instead) 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3/4 cup egg substitute (I just used an egg) 

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, warmed (I added a little bit of Parmesan cheese to the sauce) 

Directions: 

1. Cut the eggplant into strips (or cubes like mine, but make them relatively thin or you have to cook them longer) 
2. Combine the wheat germ (or flax seed), cheese, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning in one bowl.  
3. Dip eggplant in the egg then coat with wheat germ mixture.  
4. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 
5. Spritz eggplant with cooking spray (I used EVOO- no additives like some cooking sprays have) 
6. Broil for 3 minutes.
7. Turn eggplant over and spritz again. 
8. Broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown. 

Looking for more recipes? Check out: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays ...Whats cooking Wednesday... Tuesdays at the Table....Homemaker Monday...Mouthwatering Monday, DIY Day, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday , What I Made This Week (Fri) and Tackle It Tuesday!

He's Home!

Jason is finally home from deployment! He came home last weekend and had most of this week off (hence the lack of posting and commenting I've been doing this past week!).  We have been doing a whole lot of nothing and it has been fabulous! Jason finally got to see the series finale of LOST and catch up on some other TV shows he missed.  And he got a new video game --Starcraft II for any other nerds or wives-of-nerds out there who might know what I'm talking about :) so a lot of our time has been spent with him sitting there playing video games and me curled up next to him reading. It's amazing how much I missed simple things like that while he was gone!

Another good thing about having Jason home is that I can finally go out and do a few things with my friends without having to worry about Jackson.   This week I got to go to our book club meeting and a game night with other moms and I can't tell you how good it is to be able to have actual discussions that aren't interrupted because some kid looked at Jackson wrong and he decided to cry about it. *sigh* I also finally got to go see Eclipse, and I must say I liked it a lot better than the other two movies.  Did they get a new director or something? Maybe they finally sent all of the actors to acting classes. I don't know, but it was good. 

Anyway! So, I'm back.  I've got a few posts that I want to throw out there this week and I'll hopefully have time to catch up on all of your blogs too.  Hope everyone has a good end to your weekend!  I know I will b/c we are finishing today with a trip to the water park and then a new episode of True Blood which, if the preview for this episode is any indication, is going to be amazing.