Three Things I Learned Right Away From Just Skimming...

 "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun" by Carol Stock Kranowitz (Amazon link). And to be honest, I was shocked. We stop by Half-Price Books often, and when I saw the title I vaguely remembered one of Roo's therapist's talking about it years ago.. and ya know, it was at half-price books, and I figured, why not? MIND BLOWN. This was definitely one of the best "why not?'s" ever!

(On a side-note.. I see Jenny McCarthy's books both there & at Goodwill, and I've never been tempted. If I ever do succumb, it will be to save someone from buying them who doesn't know any better... and later.. I would burn them... with fire!!!! Muhahahaha!)

(On another side-note... Please keep in mind that I have my own version of sarcasm & humor.. And if something sounds crazy, it was probably supposed to be funny..  :-| )

Back to the book..

1. Don't just say "be careful", elaborate. - I am guilty of this all the time. If we're just coming in from outside & Roo's feet are wet, I'll have her take off her shoes, and find myself yelling, "Be Careful!" after her while she runs through the kitchen. If anything, she's probably wondering what she's supposed to be careful about. And if anything, "Be Careful!" was probably more of a distraction than an aide. Something else Roo does is yank on my arm really hard if she feels like we aren't walking fast enough, or she's trying to be silly, or... really, she probably she just gets input from that somehow.. but anyway, it nearly knocks me down the first time, every time, because there's no warning. My first response is to yell. It scares me, embarrasses me, &, frankly, gets on my nerves. This week, I'm saying, "Stop. You're going to make me fall on you and we'll both get hurt." & "You can't do that in a parking lot, or we could fall & get hit by a car. That would hurt really bad."  How long I can say this in a patient voice, I don't know, but so far I'm holding it together.

2. Don't let digital experiences replace real ones. - This is a good one, & it actually caused to me unsubscribe to ABCmouse.com.  For reals, I was sucked into that portal, thinking that it would be good to have around during the summer months. And honestly, they have a great program, if you can afford it.  But if you're letting online puzzles replace sitting down with your child and putting together a real puzzle together, you're both missing out in the end.

3. Special needs equipment can be expensive, and DIY imitations can add up quickly, but the results can be priceless.- Self-explanatory at best, but just to say I laid it out there.. you really should provide what you can for your child. Skip the coffee, skip the girls' night/guys' night, sacrifice a little here and there, & eventually you'll have enough put back to purchase or build what your child needs. Or, if it's something MAJOR (think hospital bed), don't be afraid to set up a gofundme account or raise money in another way. Some kids get trampolines because they're fun.. my daughter got an indoor trampoline when she was nearly 3, because her therapist recommended it, & she still uses it. It was one of the best things we ever purchased for her, because we could tell that it made her feel good. And it made her feel good, because it was filling her sensory needs. That in itself could be another blog post, so I will leave you with that.. annnnnnd this really cute pic of Roo & her cousin from back in 2011! Thanks for reading! :-D

Glimmers of Me..

There hasn't been a lot going on around here. Right now, I'm eating popcorn & sipping Pepsi out of a cute cup decorated in a smarties theme. Sleepless in Seattle is on in the background, which is one of my all time favorite movies. The hubby is gone & the kiddo is asleep, & sometimes I just get tired of the quietness.

I pulled a muscle in my calf last week during a massive, early morning charley horse, which sent me to the ER the following night fearing a blood clot. Tests showed the all clear and the check out lady asked me for a $500 co-pay.. which was confusing because I thought it was $100? Either way, the fifth "bill me later" seemed to get through to her, lol.

This past week has been horrible as far as getting to school on time. I think we made it to the bus stop twice.. Anyway, next week will be better, right??

I throughly cleaned my bedroom today.. something that doesn't happen very often.. and it's nice. Sheets are in the dryer & I can't wait to put them on my bed..

And *this* is the excitement of my life! And *this*... is why I haven't been writing. Not a whole lot to share. :)

Just in case you were wondering, the little booger butt is doing great with the potty business. We're getting tons more dry pull-ups when we potty, and the sticker system actually helped this time.

The older Roo gets, the more that I see she does have some of me in her. It's more than looks, and it probably seems odd that it would be such a big deal, but I never knew if I would see any of "me" in her. For instance, she is SOOOO pokey in the mornings, and that is so me. I don't know how many times I've considered apologizing to my mother for all the missed buses just to see if our mornings would suddenly get better.

Something I excelled at as a child was reading, and Roo has always liked books, but now things are  different. She's not chewing on a board book, or flipping through the pages ninety miles an hour, she's listening.  I went out on a limb and changed our bedtime routine a month or so ago. I needed it. It was getting old & there were too many teary nights. It took some tweaking, but after a couple of nights she was hooked. We call all the people she loves to call earlier, and after snack, meds, & potty, we settle down on the couch and I read to her from a chapter book. Right now we're reading "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" & I'm loving it just as much as she is. She lays there and listens until she falls asleep & we carry her to her bed. This  is awesome. We both look forward to our time reading together, and that is something that I definitely didn't know would ever happen.