Go, buy something.
A good friend of mine is starting the adoption process, and is hosting a fundraising auction to help defray the costs. Go check it out, pick something, and buy it.Lily's worth it.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Lily's worth it.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Yeah, we went trick or treating. Twice, once was a field trip with Noel's class, and then again on real Halloween. We are swimming in candy.And I am really, really, sliding on the good blogger angle, right? I mean, geez. What kind of mommy-blogger am I, anyway? The kind that slacks, apparently.
Sorry about that. Sort of.
(and Jill, yeah, I am on FB, but so rarely it's not even funny. I would have responded to your comment, but it was to a no-reply address)
On that note, here are the little buggers in costume, and I'll be around.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Scholarly
So. We've gotten through a couple of weeks of school, and here's what I know.The one typical kid in the class is a teacher's kid. She lurrrrves Noel. She also tried to cut his hair during arts and crafts last week. Heh.
After a week of Noel actually taking a nap at school, now he doesn't. Every day on his daily report home, it says 'rested'. I assume that by rested they mean 'mostly didn't try to visit every other kid in the room while they slept'.
Today the para walked Noel out to our pick-up spot. Apparently, today she was doing some diagnostic testing to see where Noel was with some stuff.
You should have seen her face when she told me that Noel knows shapes. "Even oval and diamond!". Yeah, we knew that. So I told her that he can also count to ten. (braggy brag brag, right?)
Also, we are tossing the idea of homeschooling around at our house. School isn't compulsory here until the year the kid will be 6 on Feb.1, which translates to the 2011-2012 school year. We have some time to think about it, to put it mildly.
I'm not tied to any particular education method, be it homeschool or public school or private. I am, however, open to any of them, should they prove to be the best thing for my kid.
If anybody has Ds specific information regarding homeschooling, I'd be interested to see it! But like I say, we've got some time before we have to make a decision.
Also? Only one kid is a freaking BREEZE.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Absence explained. Sorta.
We were just here and away, doing summer things, building gardens, traveling to visit friends, and other assorted whatnots. I kept meaning to get back here and say something, but it never seemed interesting, really.Noel is starting pre-k in about a week. The way our programs work around here is this: 0-3 gets in home or out of the home therapies, determined by an IFSP. After we age out of that, he goes into the public school system, and receives his therapies in a classroom setting- or, theoretically, we could decline the school part and I could take him to a school to get speech. Just speech. He wouldn't get PT or OT, because the system isn't able to do something. I stopped listening somewhere around there.
We declined the school thing back in March, and had intentions of sending Noel to a private school. Unfortunately the school (illegally, I'd like to point out, but it doesn't matter if I'm not suing them, right?) declined to accept Noel once they saw his vaccine exemption. So.
We've had the entire summer without therapy of any sort, and just last week I went ahead and re-instated our school placement and Noel's IEP. When we declined in hte spring, it was because I couldn't fathom that Noel could manage well in a full day, 5-day a week program. This was before his tubes were placed, before his Sure Steps. At the time, he was walking 40-50% of the time, but was still crawling. He had a good number of signs and word approximations, but was essentially non verbal. I was very concerned about going from all-mommy all-the-time to 30 hours a week in someone else's care.
But what a difference a few months makes, no? Noel is walking and talking like a toddler. I think that at this point, he'd really benefit from the program and so that's what we're doing. I'll still pick him up before naptime because really? He can sleep at home.
He might be ready, but I'm certainly not. I'm not ready to share him with a teacher I don't know, who may not appreciate all the fabulousness of my kid. It's the first of the little breaks, right? Little steps away from mommy. It's the way it works, I know, but man. Stings.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Father's day?
Again? Really?Man, I've got to get something together for that. I know it's a huge cop out, but I always give everyone pictures of the kids. I know. But everyone always likes them, and luckily for me, it's what I do. And I like to think that they're not too shabby.
Crisis averted.
Oh, except for that other thing- the one that's keeping me awake at night and has me doing that thing... I know I'm not the only one- where you say, I could do this, and maybe this, but then this other thing won't work. Or I could try this thing, but thenthat other thing won't fit. And then you just work around in circles in your head for a while and it seems like you're getting someplace but then you're nowhere again? Yeah. That's driving me totally crazy.
See, here's the thing. I have had this business idea. I've had it for quite a while, it's one of those things that just kind of rolls around in the back of your head. I went to a studio outside of my local area for a lighting seminar, and the photographer there had the thing that was in my head.
And it was very, very cool.
And I wanted it.
But I'm not at a place where I can comfortably open a brick and mortar studio, and I'm not the 'in my house' studio type, and that's ok. So I keep on being an exclusively on location photographer.
Well, then this thing happened, and this other thing happened, and then my mom decided to put a garage on her property. With a little attached studio. Well, it's really not a studio, but it's going to be. So, yay!
And that gives me the space to do the really cool thing that I wanted in the first place, but the sheer volume of choices to make has me absolutely boggled. I just have to make the choices, so I can start the real planning, but I'm totally stranded in the pre-planning, because I can't make the decision. It's a tough life.
I have this condition- we joke about it, but it's kind of weird- I either want or need something (always specific, but could be anything) and I can't find it, within about six months after it's too late (for my purposes) that thing is everywhere. Drives me crazy. Also, it worries me a little, in particular with this project, because I want to be the only one in the area with this awesome idea. At least I think it's awesome.
So, here's what I'm planning (but in miniature):
So far, the best example I've found
A very small cottage facade, with full garden in front. Good for fairies and princesses. Also a small barn facade, with some barn-y type props. A bale of hay.
Either brick or flagstone patio with some type of sitting area- bench, low wall, a fountain or something. A sand area with palm tree and a couple little kid-size Adirondack chairs.
My big problem is that I have too many ideas and not enough room or money. I have to pick the most viable, the ones that will be most productive. I have some ideas about asking for an exchange with local businesses- maybe I could get a local playhouse builder to work with me for advertising. I haven't gotten that far yet, because I'm still trying to figure out exactly where I'm going to put things... and which things will be there at all. And I'm stuck.
But I'm really excited, because the in-studio/outdoor thing is exactly what was floating around in my head. It's just hard getting it from in there to out here.
Monday, June 15, 2009
just... wow.
You can read all about it here.I read a blog- Citizens for Midwifery. I know that I'm considered fringe, that by having a home birth after a cesarean I'm already considered to be a little out there. Not that I had a home birth, but that's a little dicey, too- but especially after a c-section. I know that the obstetricians in my state and the nurses' groups, too- they both have lobbyists working for them to outlaw midwives here. The laws on midwifery are sunsetting, which means that they will have to get voted on again to keep the laws allowing midwives to practice on the books.
And the AMA is pulling this crap- something that I cannot even begin to wrap my head around- because I am a non-compliant patient. I would be at risk of having my insurance company not cover my care because I would have this information in my medical history.
Ladies, even if you don't think that homebirth is for you, even if you don't ever want to see a midwife- at least give the ones of us that want it the choice. We are losing our choices, and I'm not noticing many opposing voices.
Support your local midwives.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Quick! Tell me what to do!
So, I was at Tuesday Morning today, and while poking around in the luggage section (don't need luggage, but anyway) I saw some laptop cases. The majority of them were fairly hideous, but...there was one. It was a little briefcase looking job, but way smaller than a briefcase (which is good, because I'm smaller than a person). But there were little compartments and whatnot in part of it, spaces that would be pretty decent for taking some jewelry samples with me to pre-shoot client consultations.
I know nothing of upscale leathers, and less than that about handbags. I carry around a wallet. Granted, the last wallet purchase I made, I got something really cool instead of the business card holder I was using to stash my credit cards in, but still. I'm not exactly a fashionista. Nor am I involved in the briefcase toting lifestyle- so really.
This little case was more than I'd "just" buy, but not so much that I'd be upset over the amount. And I didn't buy it while I was there, but I'm sorely tempted to go back and get it.
It's a Tanner Krolle, which meant nothing to me until I got home and googled. Ha. But If I'm trying to present my work to the chi-chi in our area- those moms know the name. And it's cute. I can't find an example of the bag online, so it's probably long discontinued, but still.
(ps. I said tell me what to do, I know, but never mind. I'm going back anyway.)
