I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by Betsy at http://challengesandadventures.blogspot.com/

5 songs that I'm embarrassed to admit I love:




1)Blame it on the rain by Mili Vanilli
2)I can talk from Charlottes web
3)The gummy bear song
4)Fishin in the dark (can't remember the singer)
5)I'm a little airplane now from Sesame street

Click on the links below if you want to hear one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwrL9MV6jSk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47EUaIFrdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwqJZpJeQHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUmNmZjWTs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipfndLa0Cuc

I'm tagging Juile, Mama, Ronda and Shannon and anyone else who wants to do it.

I kiss my son too much..

I am constantly following that boy around and kissing him on the head or the cheek. I just love that boy so much that I have too. Also his cheeks are very kissable. When Molly was little I used to tell her that I needed to give her 20 kisses a day. I can't kiss her as much now, because she is bigger and won't let me. Sometimes I hold her down for a kiss, lol. Parker isn't much of a kisser himself. He always makes me kiss him on the cheek, it's rare I get the lips. Sometimes though, if he really likes someone, he will kiss them on the lips. It's usually a kid trying to avoid him, lol. I'm dreading the days when he will get older and not let me kiss him as much. I don't want to have to go kissing dh all the time, lol. I even kiss my cats sometimes. They don't love it, but they let me. I'm so thankful that Parker does let me kiss him. It would be so hard if he wasn't affectionate. I know that a lot of kids with autism aren't and I feel so blessed that he is. Most of the time he tries to get away from me, but he tolerates it. I don't really know what this post is supposed to mean, I'm just feeling sentimental about the boy...

special exposure Wednesday #2

Here is a picture of Parker's video collection. This is very special to him. He loves his videos and he loves it when I put them in order. (Parker has autism, for anyone just reading this.) He loves to go to consignment stores, thrift stores and video stores to find the ones he likes. They are mostly vehicle, Barney, Elmo, Maisy and Blues Clues videos. I wanted to post this today because it is something Parker loves and it is something that makes him special.

I also posted this picture because movies help him when he is stressed. They help him when he's getting his hair cut, visiting a relative or taking a long car ride. He can get through most family get-togethers if he takes along his portable dvd player.

August

With August coming up I have a lot of new stresses.

In August we have:

-school
-Molly's birthday
-soccer
-school shopping
-the fair
-talent contest
-niece's wedding
-me starting college

I've been writing things down because I've been becoming overwhelmed thinking about it all. Molly and I have been planning her birthday for the end of August. She wants to have a tea party birthday. I've been looking online for ideas for snacks, decorations and cakes. I think we have it pretty much figured out. She wants a bike for her birthday. So with the party, her presents, school clothes, wedding presents, lunches, clothes for the talent contest, soccer cleats, and everything at the fair, I'm scared. Money money money. Here's hoping it's easier than I think.

Random stuff

Today was a nice day. I didn't get a lot done, but I did take a nice walk with Molly. It's so pretty out today. Our whole town, actually, is pretty. There is lots of manicured green grass and pretty trees, surrounded by redwoods.

I'm not sure what I have planned for tomorrow. I need to think of something.
Not much new with Parker today. He was pretty happy, but glued to the computer. We played outside some and he kept splashing me with water from our little pool. He thought he was so funny. Our playing outside didn't last too long because I found a wasps nest in the eves of our house. Luckily when dh got home tonight, he sprayed it down and killed the wasps. My hero!


On a different note, I love these:


They are so relaxing. I used to have one but the kids spilled soda in the sand. Parker would make a huge mess with it too. I could play with this things for a long time and it really was relaxing. I think I'm going to get another one. My last one was pretty small, I want a bigger one like this. I saw some cute ones at a toy store not long ago, that Parker would like. They had ones with construction sites or garbage trucks.

Sunday....

Hmmm...What did we do. Let's see, I mowed the lawn, went to a birthday party, did a little grocery shopping and discovered that Parker has his first loose tooth! Molly and I were very excited about it! It's super wiggly and he won't leave it alone with his tongue. Molly knows now that the tooth fairy isn't real but she wants to help in keeping Parker believing. She is wanting to find glitter and all kinds of prizes to put under his pillow. She even wanted to see her old teeth today as proof. She was really surprised at how many I'd saved. Tonight she is at a friends house. I really miss her when she is gone, especially during the day.

I'm glad I got the lawn mowed today. It looks so much better. Bobby took Parker to his Grandma's for a little while so I could do it. Funny thing is, one time I got the bagger on wrong, and it sprayed grass all over my face and down my shirt. That was a fun one, lol. Then I mowed a big stick that I had to yank out. Fun fun!

It's 10:08 and I'm still up. I should be in bed. Bobby is snoring on the couch. I may have to put a clothes pin on his nose tonight. He says I snore, but I don't believe him, lol. It's so funny, one time when Parker and I were both sick, I slept in the living room with him. My nose was plugged up and I must have been snoring. Molly slept out there with us too. She woke me up saying, "Your snoring is scaring Parker." "He kept pointing at you saying, no! No!". Poor guy, I must have really scared him.

Ok, one more thing to blog about tonight. Molly's hamster is looking funny. His whole back end looks swollen. I know this is gross to post about, but I'm wondering if I should take him to the vet or not. He could just be maturing, lol, but I'm not sure. I'd be really embarrassed if I took him to the vet and he was fine. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at, lol. I'll keep watching it, but I go back and forth on weather to take him in or not. Anyone ever experienced this with their hamsters?

Saturday...

Today I filled up the pool outside for the kids. It's just a little wading pool, but it does cool you off. (It was actually warm for a while) I even rolled up my jeans and waded with Parker.



I also took a cute picture of Jack.

I just love orange kitties!

Molly wasn't outside until later, so she's not in any of the pictures. We hung out until Bobby came home around 2:00. I gave him and Parker a haircut. Bobby had to stop at the dollar store first for some prizes for Parker. Haircutting is pretty upsetting to him, so prizes help. He moved when I did the sides, so one looks choppy. Oh well, he's a kid.
He was really upset when I used the clippers on the sides and back of Bobby's hair. It really really upset him. He plugged his ears and hummed loudly on his bed until I was done. It upset him so much that he got really sweaty. Just so you know, I never use clippers on Parker. Afterwards we gave him a bath and his prizes and he was happy as a clam. At 4:00 the respite worker came. She is so great. Bobby and I went to dinner and then to the casino. We met my Mom and sister there. It wasn't that fun. It's never fun to lose money, plus we were hardly together. It was nice seeing my Mom and sister though. That's about it for the day. All in all it was nice. Here's hoping tomorrow the kids and I can take a long walk and Bobby can get the lawn mowed. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

(add: For some reason all my pictures are turning out big and lopsided. I think it's the way I'm uploading them from photobucket. They should be way smaller.)

Our day and feelings...

Today started out pretty good. I got some housework done and the kids and I went for a really nice walk. We walked to the local fish hatchery, then to the train and then to the store.

Here is a sweet picture of Parker. It's off centered, but I love his smile in it!


Here is just a pic to show you how pretty it is there.


Here is Parker laying on a rock that they have there, lol.


And here is an attempt at getting them to stand together so I could get a good picture. It's pretty cute anyways, though.


Here is the sprinkler triathlon we had to get through to get to the train, lol. We all ended up wet.


And finally, here is Parker on the train. It's an old steam engine that is kind of part of a museum type thing that kids can climb on. It's about the only fun thing in town, lol.



The walk was really fun and nice. Afterwards we got some ice cream at the store and Parker got some little candies. Little did we know until half way home that he had been dropping the wrappers on the ground the whole way. That got a laugh out of Molly and I, but we felt bad.

Afterwards we came home. There were a few problems with Bobby's party and people canceling, so we decided not to have it. Actually he decided that, since he didn't want a party anyways. He would rather go out tomorrow night, which is what we'll do. I feel bad about it. I had nice plans for it, but oh well.

On to my feelings. I'm down tonight and I can't seem to shake it. Is it summer, being cooped up? Is it money problems? Is it not having a car? Is it lots of things I can't control? Is it guilt for not going to church as much or sticking to reading my bible? I can't pin point it, but it could be a lot of things. I guess I don't have a lot to look forward to right now, and that's part of it. Also, keeping Parker happy is hard too. He always wants to be on the computer and is upset when I take him off it. If you pray, I could use your prayers for some happiness tonight and throughout the week. I hate to keep whining all the time, I swear it will stop soon, lol.

Morning work...

Today I've been cleaning the carpet, by hand. There are a few spots and our cleaner isn't working. Oh well, it looks much better. I'm getting the house cleaned up for Bobby's birthday party tomorrow. The kids and I are also going to take a walk soon. Parker really likes riding in his jogging stroller. We went for a walk yesterday.

Keep us in your prayers, we may have found another car. Someone might be willing to work with me for a couple of payments for a mid sized car. That's exactly what I'm looking for. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

I don't have much else planned today. I might clean the bathroom really well and sweep, but otherwise my house is pretty clean. Yesterday a friend from out of town stopped by. It was really nice to see her and her kids. We went for a walk and had a nice chat. Parker also had OT yesterday. She wants me to work on him crossing the mid-line, putting small things into jars or piggy banks and get him lots of exercise. We are trying to figure out if he is left handed or not. It seems like it, but we are still not sure. If he's not crossing the mid-line, it might be preventing him from choosing a hand. He might just use the hand closest to whatever he needs.

We had yummy watermelon today and ....

And, my boy got his stroller. He doesn't look happy in this picture, but it was because he wanted us to go right now. He loved going for a ride and was so happy. He had second thoughts about letting the wagon go, but in the end he was happy. The lady had 2 little boys that were really happy about their wagon and I had a little guy really happy about his jogging stroller. It's really easy to push too! P.s-Try to ignore Parker's bad hair day. He was so excited to go that he wouldn't let me comb his hair first.

I can be crafty too...

I know how to make your own cake stand. I'm linking a couple of posts because I'm not actually doing it today. While looking for pictures online I found a couple cute ideas. My idea, that I didn't come up with, is to glue the bottom of matching bowl to the bottom of a matching plate. Wala, you have a cake stand. My sister even gets dollar store plates and bowls and makes them. You want to get some kind of water proof glue. Here are some sites that make some.

Here is one out of plastic plates and cups:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tabletop/how-to-make-your-own-cake-stands-029374

Here is one out of plates and sundae cups:
http://armellejewelry.blogspot.com/2007/03/make-your-own-cake-stand.html
It also has one like the idea I told you about below it.

This one has a lot of examples:
http://athomewiththefarmerswife.blogspot.com/2008/06/make-take-cake-plates.html

Take a picture if you ever end up making one of your own so I can see it! I plan to make one for Bobby's party Saturday if I get to the store in time. Or maybe my lovely sister will make one for me if she has time, hint-hint. Lol!

Special exposure Wednesday

I thought I'd post this picture, even though I've posted ones from that event before.
This is a picture that shows so much bravery in Parker.



He is very afraid of noises. Farm animals noises are one of his scariest. Cows top that list. Not long ago he went with his class to a dairy. I didn't have a lot of hope that it would go well. Last year when we went with his class, he was so upset he could barely take it. We had to just get away from the cows. This year he still plugged his ears. But this year he also petted a cow and tolerated it without a lot of whining. He coped with it and actually had a good time. I was so proud of him. The funny thing that happened was that the farmers name was something else, but Parker insisted on calling him, "farmer Dell," you know, like the song, "Farmer in the dell". That guy is too funny. They also had ice cream and I told his teacher he wouldn't eat it. What did my boy do, he ate the whole thing! Way to go Parker! I'm so proud of you!

I am going to try and do this if I can figure it out.

If you click on the link you can see what it's all about.

Your name....

I got this link from Mother Hubbards cupboards.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 11 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

How many people have your name?

A day of joy!

Today was a great day! First off, Parker went to the mall with his respite worker. They had a great time and he did so well! Later we went to town to pay bills and do some shopping. First we ate at Hometown Buffet, which Molly loves. Parker wouldn't eat a thing. Then we went to Mervyn's. I got a great deal on socks for Parker and that always makes me happy. Then I got a new black, sparkly, Mickey mouse t-shirt since I slopped dinner on my other shirt and didn't want to go to Costco that way. Then we went to Costco and got some good food. The kids just love Costco. I got one of those flatbed cart things so that both kids could ride on it and have fun. It was pretty hard pushing an almost 10 year old. I had to kick her off eventually. Then Parker decided it would be nice to feel my new Mickey mouse shirt that has sparkly studs on them. I had to keep prying his hands off my shirt. Afterwards we got Parker a hot dog and we had berry smoothies! Yummy! All in all it was a great day. Tomorrow we get the jogging stroller from the lady and I can't wait to take Parker for a walk.

Oh, I almost forgot. I am so proud of myself. Guess what I was doing at 12 am last night? Worrying about the 5 years worth of pictures that I have stored on my computer!!! Can you believe that. I decided that I was going to work on them today. When Parker was with his respite worker I decided to write down all the picture folders and get rid of bad or repeat pictures. I got pretty far. Then I sent 3 months worth of pictures to Costco to be developed. I have to start doing this! I did 2 of the oldest months and then 1 new one. I'm going to do that every payday. Parker really loved looking at all the pictures. He kept wanting me to tell him about them. It really was a great day!

Some pictures from Parker at preschool.

His teacher gave me a disk and I copied a few of them.

Licking an ice cream with his ears plugged. (at the dairy)


Sitting with his buddies at the dairy.


Feeding a calf with his ears plugged, lol.


Holding a bunny at the pet store.


Riding the merry go round.


Reading at school. (or looking at a book)


And lastly, going down the slide.


I just loved his preschool!

All alone with my playdough...

Here is Mom:


Here is Parker:


What is wrong with this picture, lol! He left me outside with the playdough and came inside to play on the computer. Oh well, at least I tryed.

There has already been a benefit to cleaning up the yard...

Parker and I just got finished reading a book about a fire fighter who kept trying to eat his dinner but the alarm bell kept ringing. We went outside to pretend to be that fire fighter. We would sit at the table and pretend we were eating. (the table we just took outside) Then I got the idea to play with our camping dishes set at the table. Parker really liked all the dishes and pretend play. Then I thought it might help him with his eating issues. He rarely drinks milk so I decided to see if he would drink some out of the camping cups. I poured him some and he promptly took a drink. Only one drink, but that is progress. Then I thought I would try something he used to like again. I got out some shredded cheese and put it on his plate. He ate it right up, took the cheese off my plate and then asked for more. He hasn't touched cheese for like 3 months! I am so happy about all of this. I think maybe we'll try something he doesn't usually have outside on those plates all week. We'll act out the book, which he really likes, and then get something to eat! How cool!

Yard work day.

I'll admit it, I've been really feeling sorry for myself lately. I decided that I need to do something about it because things are not going to change right now. Dh and I cleaned up the backyard. We took out the old sand box, bleached it out and turned it back into a pool, which it originally was. We got rid of a bunch of old yard toys. Took a table out of the garage for our cement slab. Washed the slab, sprayed down spiderwebs off the house and got rid of anything junky. We moved the swing set more to the front where the kids might be more enticed to use it. Then we arranged and sprayed off everything so it's nice and clean. It needs to be mowed, but we'll have to do that when Parker isn't at home. I decided that if the yard was nicer we might find more things to do out there. It never lasts too long though, because of the noises from the neighborhood. Parker just hates that.

One thing that I've been needing is a jogging stroler. I posted on Craigslist about trading Parker's wagon for a one. I'd like to take long walks with the kids, but the wagon is murder on my arms. Today a lady called that wants to trade! I'm so excited! We'll go for a walk after she brings it tomorrow. It should be great! Parker loves riding in a stroller, even though he's getting big.

Also, af showed up so I'm sure that's making things worse. I'm just going to try my best to have lots of things to do and hope that the summer goes by fast. I also want to go through a lot of stuff and have a big yard sale. This Saturday we are having Bobby's birthday party. I'm glad we cleaned the yard, maybe we'll have it out there. The week after I'm having a Tupperware party, that should be fun. I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Molly was in Thursdays paper!

The small paper from our area had a pic of Molly and the ladies who run the talent contest she is in. They even had a little clip about her on it. It was so cute. I'm so proud of her! The contest is put on by our local hospitals. She had practice today and she did so great! I am so proud of my girl! If you want to see a clip of it, let me know. I didnt want to put in on here because I don't want some weirdo knowing where we live.

Today is Parker's last day of summer school

I'm sad today. I'll really miss that school and his teachers. Parker was so happy to go to school today. They are going to the bounce house place at the mall today. I bet they will have so much fun. Parker will be sad that he isn't going to see Dennis anymore. (The guy who drives him to school) He ended up really liking him. He talks his ear off sometimes, lol. I really appreciate him taking Parker. I think Parker had a good time at summer school. Today is also Bobby's birthday. I'm making him a cake and we are going to go to a movie. Next week we are having his party.
We had spaghetti last night and left a mess. There is nothing worse than cleaning up spaghetti mess. I have my work cut out for me today. Molly is still coughing, I need to get to the bottom of this. I'm going to dust her room and clean out her fan in case that's bothering her. I may have to take her to the dr. pretty soon. Thank goodness Parker is better. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Made the kids a schedule..

I hope we all can stick to it. I also need to stick to having Parker do more for himself. He needs to dress himself, help make his bed, wash his hands more and help out around the house a little. I treat him more like a baby more than I should. Today I had him set the table with me. He seemed to like it. I had Molly help cook dinner too. We are having spagetti and biscuts.

Atomic diarrhea!

Love my title? Yuck! Parker is having it bad. Yesterday he had such a blow out that dh swears he's going to throw the computer chair away. He cleaned it and put it outside, but I don't think it will survive. This morning when I went to get him up, I smelled it right away. It was all over his pj bottoms. Boy, that was fun. I got him in the tub and called his ride. He was definitely not going to school. He's had it once more, but he seems like he feels fine. He's eaten lunch and breakfast and not complained. He was so happy when I said he was sick and he could stay home. He kept smiling and repeating it over and over. "I sick, I stay home with you." What a little turkey. Now he is on my new recliner and I am eyeing him. I even told him not to poop on the recliner, do you think that will help, lol. So, I'm doing laundry, checking butts and hanging out with my sick boy. I hope everyone is having a good day.

A quiet day...

This morning is kind of grey and quiet. Before bed last night I did all the dishes and made sure the living room was picked up. It was really nice to wake up to. I decided to light some candles this morning to make it cozy and smell good. Molly even wanted the heater on. Some habits die hard, that cats are right in front of it. In the winter the kids have to fight the cats to sit in front of it. Parker is at school this morning and Molly and I are lounging. It's one of those days where we have nothing good to snack on. I'm going to try and find a good recipe for some canned pumpkin I have. Maybe pumpkin muffins or something. Bobby doesn't care for pumpkin much but maybe I can tell him they are zucchini, lol.

You could win a Nana Star book and Plush doll

at http://momreviews.net/2008/07/15/win-a-nana-star-book-and-plush-doll/ by entering her contest. I know any little girl would love it!

I have a recurring bad dream...

that I've lost Parker at the beach at night. Could you imagine? That dream has happend at least 4 times and every time it's really dark and we are looking everywhere for him. That would be a parents worst nightmare, especially with a child who might not answer you back or might not be afraid of water. I hope that dream stays away. I always think about it when I go to the beach. Funny thing is, I never go at night. Plus, I watch Parker like a hawk when we go. Last night I dreamt that Parker's teacher dropped Parker off to me and said that school was too hard for him. She said that she didn't think he could make it regular and should go to a different school or no school at all. In my dream he was super emotional and crying all the time. Boy am I glad that one was a dream.

Today it's kind of grey out, but I like a break from the heat. Not much exciting going on today. Oh well, I'm sure I'll miss days like that when everyone is busy again.

Monday

Techno Chicken

A friend of mine showed me this video. I love anything with chickens in it, lol.

I need to make some changes...

I need to get to bed earlier.
I need to get Parker more on a schedule.
I need to find more play activities.
I need to take a walk in the evenings.
I need to keep myself occupied when ABA people are in the house.
I need to plan for birthdays and holidays.
I need to have the house clean before I go to bed.
I need to read the bible more.

I feel......................

Restless, whiny, bored, cranky and sleepy. I think old aunt flo is on her way to visit me. I've got to think of things to perk me up. I think I'll have Parker help cook dinner. Play some play-dough with both kids. Read some in my book. I don't know what else. I had a really good morning. Bobby decided to get up with the kids. He even gave Parker a bath first thing. That was so nice. Then he cooked breakfast for us. Talk about winning some points. I told him it was my day to get up with the kids but he said he was already awake. Lucky me! I need to go get a dirty shirt out of the dryer. Parker spilled his drink on it and then said it needed to go in the dryer. I told him to put it in the laundry basket. Next thing I hear is the dryer door opening and closing, lol. What a silly guy!

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

Parker just ate some golfish crackers! A new kind at that! I am so excited! He is holding the bag and eating them like there is no tomorrow! I cheered and clapped! I am also so thankful to God that he may be adding a new food to his small list! Yay!

New background!

I just love it! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A scary site to Parker....

Today he is going to a dairy farm with his class. He is terrified of farm animal noises. He likes to be in control of noises and of course you can't control an animals noises. Last year he was happy to go but was scared to death once the baby cows started mooing. He was fine with the quiet dairy cows being milked, but once those babies thought it was time to eat, he wanted out of there. There was nothing I could do to comfort him. We couldn't really leave so we just had to walk around and try and get away from the noises. His teacher thinks he will do better this time because he is excited about it and because I won't be there. She thinks he has more anxiety when I'm around, because I'm his mom. She said she would call me when they got back to the class and let me know how he did. I'm betting that he plugged his ears the whole time and wanted to leave. We shall see. I'll let you guys know.

Don't talk about this much....

Molly has mild ocd. It comes and goes in different forms. The form it comes in quite a bit is a germ or getting sick phobia. With the new tomato issues, she has been really worrying about certain foods. She didn't want to get ketchup or taco sauce yesterday. I told her that we'd had the stuff for a while so it was fine. I guess I might need to look it up on FDA website to reassure her. When her episodes come, they are big and last a couple weeks. One time she washed her hands so much they were raw and red. We got through that and I feel like it's something in the past. I just don't want this tomato thing to bring up old issues.

On a lighter note, I got up early again today. Didn't get a lot done but at least started the laundry, read the bible and picked up the living-room. Bobby stayed home from work today because he had a flat tire. It's always nice when he's home. I hope everyone has a great day!

Molly tried out for our county's talent contest...

She did it last year and this year she got in again. I'm so proud of my little girl!


Created with dumpr.net - fun with your photos

(pic idea taken from another site, thanks)

They don't have a ton of people in it, maybe 15, but it's so much fun for her. Last year she got an award and roses. She didn't win, but really, it's how many people you bring with you. The audience votes. This year she is doing, "What time is it?" From "High School Musical 2". She even uses a basketball in part of it. It's nothing fancy, but it's cute. It's not going to be until Aug 9th. They have a great dinner before it too. Where did I get such an outgoing girl? She is the total opposite of me. The pic above was from before she left today. My niece did her hair and taught her some dance moves. She is so nice to Molly. I want to do something nice for her.

The other rooms in the house

I decided to take a pic of the kids rooms to share. I typed over a pic of Mollys because she had shorts on and she looked like she was posing. You don't know what weirdo's are reading your blog so I didn't want to leave the picture like it was. The kids rooms look nice but they still need to be decluttered. They have waaaaaaay too much stuff. Heck, you should see their closets!

Here is Mollys room:
Her bed has a slide but we took it off for a while.









Here is Parker's room.







I couldn't take the best pics because their rooms are small and it was hard to get a good angle. Thanks for looking.

Morning to myself...

I got up a little after 6 this morning. I got dressed, made the bed, and did some laundry. Then I sat down and read the bible for a while. I even memorized a bible verse. I said an uninterrupted prayer and had some time alone. I'm proud of myself because I went to bed early and made the choice to get up early. Usually I sleep in until 7 or 7:30, depending on when Parker wakes up. I even had time to read Parker a book and sit and cuddle with him. It felt really nice. It's 8:40 now, the house looks nice, aside from some vacuuming and sweeping, and Molly is still sleeping. I can tell it's going to be another hot one today. I hope we can keep the house cooler. Last night at 10:00 both kids still couldn't sleep so we stood outside in the backyard for a while. Turns out Parker didn't like Molly's door open and t.v. on and Molly was hot. I wiped down Parker's hair, shut Molly's door, sprayed her with water and turned off her t.v.. They both went right to sleep. Luckily it had cooled down by then some. It was cooler than last night, at least a little. Here's hoping today is cooler. Everyone have a great day!

Could use some prayers...

This is a totally selfish prayer, but we need it just the same. We found a vehicle we want, we just need to find a way to get the money. We will have the money next month, just not this month. I am so afraid that this vehicle will be sold before we get the money. If you pray, please pray that something works out for us. If it doesn't, it wasn't the one for us. Thank you.

On a lighter note, I think Molly and I will make some popsicles and pudding today. We need all the cold things we can get. I am trying to find a way to cool ourselves and our house. I put tinfoil on Parker's windows. I heard that could help. I'm freezing milk jugs of ice to put in front of the kids fans. I'm doing all the cleaning, laundry and cooking early so the house won't be as hot in the evening. I was so grouchy yesterday because it was so hot. It was like an oven in here and it's supposed to be hotter today! Wish us luck!

Yesterday...

Yesterday was fun. My sister came over and helped me rearrange and organize Molly's room. We moved her bed by the door, so it wasn't by the window. She was scared to be by the window. It turned out really nice. We also changed the livingroom around some. My sister said it looked like a waiting room, lol.

Here is one view: Excuse the clutter!


and another:


and another:


last one:


Here is one of Parker on the couch with his prized possesions. His video's and his monster trucks. He was watching monster jam at the moment. I wish I would have gotten one where he was looking at me.

How to give your cat a pill

How to give your cat a pill: A funny


Sit on sofa. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your elbow as though you were going to give a bottle to a baby. Talk softly to it.


With right hand, position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. (be patient) As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. Drop pill into mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.


Pick the pill up off the floor and go get the cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. Sit on floor in kitchen, wrap arm around cat as before, drop pill in mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.


Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. Scoot across floor to pick up pill, and go find the cat. Bring it back into the kitchen. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. Drop pill into mouth.


Pry claws from back legs out of your arm. Go get the cat, pick up half-dissolved pill from floor and drop it into garbage can.


Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of closet. Call spouse from backyard. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.


Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.


Get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.


Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.


Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band.


Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.


Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take another pill from foil wrap.


Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour one cup of water down throat to wash pill down.


Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table.


Get last pill from bottle. Go into bathroom and get a fluffy towel. Stay in the bathroom with the cat, and close the door.

Sit on bathroom floor, wrap towel around kitty, leaving only his head exposed. Cradle kitty in the crook of your arm, and pick up pill off of counter.


Retrieve cat from top of shower door (you didn't know that cats can jump 5 feet straight up in the air, did you?), and wrap towel around it a little tighter, making sure its paws can't come out this time. With fingers at either side of its jaw, pry it open and pop pill into mouth. Quickly close mouth (his, not yours).


Sit on floor with cat in your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking gently to it for at least a half hour, while the pill dissolves.


Unwrap towel, open bathroom door. Wash off scratches in warm soapy water, comb your hair, and go find something to occupy your time for 7-1/2 hours.


Arrange for SPCA to get cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.





This is almost how it went today worming our three cats. The first cat is big and overweight. She hated it and almost bit me. Of course she had to have 2 pills. Then the middle cat, only had to have 1 and she was the hardest. Not only did she scratch us and keep spitting it out, but she drooled a huge gross drool forever. Then the third cat Jack, he had one and a half, but he was easy. We tried the middle cat again, got it in and we thought down, but she barfed it up. Then she drooled again forever. I don't know if it was the butter on it or just the pill alone that made her sick. Now I don't know what to do and I have lots of drool to clean up. Good grief!

I am so so happy!!!!!!!!!!

Parker is now eating Chili again and his potato garlic soup he used to like! I am just so thankful that he is almost back to eating all his foods he used to eat! Thank you God! He ate 2 bowls of his potato soup today! I told him how proud I was of him! Yes! Another thing to add to his menu!

Molly made the swim team! Yay!

She had to try out yesterday and she made it. She was so proud of herself! It's going to be so good for her. I'm a little stressed about it though, it means a lot of walking for Parker and I. That's not a big deal normally, but he doesn't always want to go and it takes a lot of pleading. Plus, she goes right in the middle of Parker's therapy so she'll have to walk there by herself. It's only 4 or so blocks, only half a block from her school which she walks to during the school year. We live in a tiny town with like 500 people. I know it's a safe town but I still am worried. At least during school there are crossing guards and stuff. She is despirate to go, I don't know. It's only 3 days a week. There is one lady who might take her, I need to find out more today. Anyways, I hate new things and change, so here's hoping it all turns out great.

I can't stop blogging today!

Things just keep popping into my mind! After seeing other peoples blogs that show pictures of their house, I wanted to show more of mine. Here is our room after our stay at the hotel. Remember I said I wanted our room to look like that room. It doesn't really, but it feels nice to me. I'm not sure I like the color of pillows on the bed, or some other things, but it's ok for now.





Our room is pretty small, but it works. Or should I say, our room is decent size, but our bed is a California King. Thanks for looking.


Another topic, I'm embarrassed I didn't clean my living room yet this morning. Yesterday was so hectic that I just left everything for today. Then this morning I got a knock on my door. Two Jehovah's witness ladies. After talking a while they said they could see I wasn't expecting company, lol. Duh, and I even took a book and said they could come back. Duh! What was I thinking. I kept hinting that I already had a church but they kept pushing. Grrr!

Another topic, what kind of purse do you have? Big, small, fashionable? My other sister bought me a purse for my birthday. I wasn't sure what I thought of it at first. It's not really me, but it's growing on me. I change purses like I change my house around, so I don't mind trying another one for a while. It's smallish, black, with embroidered cats on it. It's all hand done and very nice. Usually I like bright, kind of trendy purses. Once I had a purse that was shown in Woman's World. I was so excited, here I was reading a copy and came across my purse! I had to save it and show everyone. Look, I do have style, lol. It's really my favorite purse, it's bright orange. I also have a nice black one that I use a lot. I find I need my purses to get bigger and bigger since I keep so much in them. This purse my sister got me is relatively small. Yesterday I just put a few things in it and left the rest at home in my other purse. It was so nice to carry a light purse that had just what I needed. So do I need my purses to get bigger or my load to get lighter?

I found a link to my cat purse: http://www.colorfulcritters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2783

Laundry....a "Duh" moment....

I've discovered something to make doing laundry easier. This may sound really dumb to most of you, but I never thought of it. I was reading my "Flylady" book yesterday and read the chapter about doing laundry. She recommends that you do all the step for the laundry right away, you know, sorting, washing, drying, folding and putting away. It's the putting away part that I'm lazy about. I hate hanging things up. Then I read one of her tips. Take hangers into the laundry room with you. Put the clothes that need to be hung up on the hanger as you pull them out of the dryer. Hang them up first and then fold the rest of it. I have been doing this and it makes such a big difference! The hanging up part is what i used to leave on my bed for last. Then I'd forget and get ready for bed and see a pile on my bed. Not anymore! Thanks Flylady!

What a day yesterday...

It wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It was actually worse, lol. My Mom's van broke down on us. The van started heating up and smoking. A water hose broke. Long story short, we had to ride the bus into town. Then Bobby had to get Parker and we had to spend 2 hours at the mall. I took them to "bounce a rama" for an hour, so that was good. They really got a work out. It's a place that has a bunch of bounce houses. I wish I had one of my own for the kids. Parker was grumpy and fussy and I didn't realize until I got home that he hadn't eaten lunch at school. Poor guy. I hope he does ok today. My poor Mom and her van too. Luckily I got it to my nephews shop at least. What a day!