Friday, March 18, 2011

A letter to all parents…

The next time you get annoyed at your child for interrupting you while you are on the phone…
Be thankful your child has the ability to talk

The next time your child is whiny because they are sick or their tummy hurts…
Thank God your child can tell you where it hurts.

The next time you complain about having to drive here, there, and everywhere for your children…
Be glad to know that when they are 16 they will be able to drive

The next time your child talks back…
Remember at least you have the chance to hear “I love you” without having to prompt your child.

The next time your kids fight...
Be glad that at least they are socially interacting

You see…it hit me this morning as I was getting ready for work and I heard Madison babbling away in the living room. It was adorable…she was being so “talkative”. And it made me realize how very easy it is to take the simple things in life for granted. I do it all the time.

Granted I didn’t birth her…or hold her in my womb for 9 months…I do help raise her every day. I help give her a bath…and make her hair pretty…so that at least she has one less thing to worry about dealing with during the day. Kids are cruel…and they will only get worse as she ages…so if I can give her every single opportunity to fit in…I’m going to try.

As I said…I’m not her biological parent…but I love her as if she were my own. I’m hard…probably too much so…because I want the absolute best for her. I push her…because I know that with a little prodding she can excel beyond even my own wildest dreams. I know how I feel about her…and I can’t begin to know how hard it is for Casey. It’s heartbreaking to see that your child wants to talk…but can’t. Seeing the tears in their eyes as they try so desperately to pronounce a word. Its torture seeing your child sick…only you have no idea where it hurts and where you can kiss the boo boo…because they can’t tell you. Casey is a saint with her. His patience with her knows no bounds. I’m…well…not so much.

While having an autistic child is challenging beyond imagination…I wouldn’t change her for the world. Would it be nice if she could talk?? Of course…but seeing how she looks at the world is amazing. Seeing from her point of view sheds new light on every day things. And quite frankly…it’s fascinating. She will grow to be a remarkable young lady…and I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Rant-diculous

I will not have my feelings hurt if NONE of you read this…but I need to vent. Bad!! Days like today I wish I still smoked!


I’m feeling incredibly negative today so here’s just some of the things irking me at the moment.

Dear Copper Wire Steeler: Please do not expect us to feel sorry for you when you get electrocuted to death stealing the wire on top of a building…but thanks for clearing up the city of one less worthless criminal.

Sincerely,
Next time wear rubber shoes

Dear Peyton Manning:
I know that the entire city of Indianapolis thinks you hang the moon. I however am not convinced. If you are so strapped for cash that you have to make the Colt’s pony up more money to keep you then here’s my advice. Start winning the Superbowl every year and earning that big paycheck. That actually goes for all sports people…but I’m talking specifically to you Peyton. Stop asking others who have FAR less money than you to donate to the United Way…when you my friend could buy an entire country. I am pretty sure you could fund the entire United Way for the next 50 years. Stop saying you are here for your fans and the people…not that I’ve actually heard you say that but if you ever have…stop. You’re not here for the fans…you’re here for the money. Meanwhile, the rest of us busting our butts 8-5 52 weeks a year only to live paycheck to paycheck and can’t we still can’t afford your football tickets. So please…by all means…whether you go some place else, or you stay…don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Sincerely,
Frustrated tax payer paying way too much for a stadium I can’t ever afford to go to.

I just want to say that with the growing rate of murders this year in Indianapolis, no one should be surprised. How often is there a murder where the person was actually an upstanding citizen…besides Officer Moore…or the child of someone not quite so upstanding?? If you associate with drug dealers, gangs, gang bangers, rapists, etc…be forewarned that you might end up dead by one of your “friends”. K, thanks!

And one more thing. If I ask you to do something, or for something, and you know you have no intention of fulfilling said request…please just say no thank you or you aren’t interested. If you say yes, I will bug and hound you until said request happens!

Whew…I wish I could say that made me feel better…but it didn’t. I’m still annoyed.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Madison and weekend plans...

So this weekend was little Miss Madison’s b-day…and we made her sick…which is a good and bad thing. Let me explain. Madison is on a Gluten free, Casein free diet. Essentially she eats no dairy or wheat. We did this because it supposedly helps with Autism. I could definitely see the change from before the diet to after, but we really noticed it this weekend. Casey wanted Madison to be able to have her favorite foods on her b-day…so Friday he stopped and got her McDonald’s – Chicken nuggets and French fries…and a real coke. She would do back flips for McDonald’s French fries. However, assuming that everyone is following her diet, this is the first introduction to gluten and casein she’s had in almost a year. She started stimming a lot…which had decreased a lot since she’s been on the diet. You are probably wondering what Stimming is. Well I was going to copy and paste it all…but that would take up too much room…so if you’re interested in a definition please go here . Saturday was her party, even though Friday was her birthday. So again, she ate stuff not in the diet. And that evening…she had horrible diarrhea. And a LOT of it. So essentially we caused this. That being said…after her bout of diarrhea, she was fine. We did see some behavioral issues as well (she refused to try certain foods...which ever since we started the diet she'll try anything without much protest...she might not like it...but she'll try it, she would cry over nothing, she would get mad over little things). When there is an infraction you typically see things for 2-4 days…so I’m REALLY hoping it goes away after all this is over.


I bought Madison some rice milk so that she gets some calcium since she can’t have dairy. I tasted it first…and I’m not really a milk person. It was actually quite good. At dinner she would take drinks without a problem however she didn’t finish it…so I put it in the fridge and asked Casey to make sure she drank it before she went to bed. I have my book club this weekend so I went to bed to read about 8:15…and I heard Casey tell her she had to finish the milk before she went to bed. Apparently she took a sip…and spit it on the carpet…on purpose. This is a typical “let me see how far I can push you” thing for Madison to do. You know…kind of like when she sticks her stuffed animals in the toilet (with clean water) so they can go for a swim…or maybe it’s because she doesn’t care for those certain toys…not real sure. She’s definitely a master in button pushing…then again…I live with her father…so I see where she gets it. On a positive note…she has stopped biting other kids in her class. She’s taken a kinder, gentler approach…now she is biting herself. Oy…this is so hard. I know some people have it much worse…and I don’t know how they handle it.

On a totally unrelated note…I was reading a book awhile back and the character in the book starts talking about how instead of calling an object by the objects name, they call it by the brand name…and I thought to myself…I do that ALL the time. So here’s my list…It’s not quite as long as I had envisioned.

What I call it vs. What it really is
Band-Aid -  Bandage
Ace Bandage - Anything in that nude color that you wrap around your knee, etc.
Advil  - (Any pain reliever…I will call it advil and get annoyed when the person says “I don’t have an Advil but I have Ibuprofen”)
Jello  - Gelatin
Kleenex  - Facial Tissue
Scotch Tape -  Any of the clear tape
Post-Its  - Sticky square piece of paper for notes
Match Box Cars - Any small metal car

Hmmm, I guess that’s all I can think of. I really felt like I did it more often.

Wanna know what I’m doing this weekend?? Well, I’d love to tell you but my two amazing friends refuse to tell me. You see, we’re going someplace. A destination within 4 hours away…but that’s all I know. This is supposed to be teaching me to live in the moment and that I don’t have to plan EVERYTHING. Granted I have a tendency to plan every situation (down to how every second of the situation will go) I really don’t think that taking ALL control out of my life is fair. So what they are really teaching me is the art of revenge…because oh yes…revenge will be mine!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Random acts of kindness...

You know…with the conditions of the world as they are, it makes you lose faith in humanity. I mean, is anyone a good person anymore?? Indianapolis has 5 murders already…and it’s only the 6th day of the New Year. What is wrong with this world…and then something good happens…and it restores your faith. Someone does something completely selfless and unnecessary and it makes you realize that there are still good people in this world.

About a month ago I made a Facebook post about Reese and how she ate my new, and favorite lip balm. The lip balm is from a small company up in the New England area and I’ve been in love with her lip balms ever since I was a member of her lip balm of the month club. I am all about supporting smaller businesses…and her stuff rocks. Anyway, it was not two weeks after I got this lip balm…and then Reese jail breaks her cage and eats the entire thing…although she did leave me the tube as a parting gift. So last night I’m sitting in bed and Casey brings me the mail…and there was an envelope with something in it. I opened the envelope and inside was a card…from Emily Caswell. A very sweet card, with a very sweet note…along with 2 of my favorite flavor lip balms. Apparently her best friends dog also is a big fan of her stuff. Who knew dogs loved lip balm. She saw from my Facebook post that Reese ate mine and she wanted me to have those. It was such a small thing, but it meant so very much to me. She didn’t have to do that. For all I know she didn’t see the FB post. She didn’t have to give me anything…but she did. And I truly believe she expected nothing in return. It really made my day!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

My little birdies...

So I found this new template designer that offers free templates...which is VERY hard to find...and her work is great.  However, is it just me or are my birdies cut off??  All I see are there itty bitty legs.  :(  Hopefully it's just me, but I'm sure it's not. 

I got a new phone over the weekend.  I have been waiting in anticipation for about 4 months...or ever since I washed my Blackberry in the washing machine.  Turns out those things don't much care for water.  I've been using a loaner ever since then...which was a decent phone...but definitely not what I wanted for the long run.  I have had my eye on the HTC Evo for quite some time but had never seen it in person.  We stopped at the Sprint store New Years day on the way home from Lexington.  Much to my chagrin, it was HUGE.  GINORMOUS!!  Then again, I was going from the smallest Smartphone on the market,  to this...phone...that could be mistaken for a Tablet.  Yikes!  Apparently the phone comes in white or black.  Man, I didn't know I was going to have to make choices...I was SO not prepared for this.  Normally I would have mulled this over in my head for weeks...and I'd probably have changed my mind 27 times too...but this time was not the case.  I opted for White...because it just seemed more girlie.  The rest of Saturday was consumed with becoming one with the phone.  I think I have finally mastered it.  Well, sort of anyway.  Casey was wonderful enough to buy the phone for me...and of course I have the stupid mail in rebate...which is such a joke.  Making me do work to get my money back.  Pfft!

So, I have decided to take up a new hobby.  I am going to become a professional amateur photographer.  AKA an amateure picture taker.  I have always had this inner passion for taking pictures...as all my friends can attest by my need to take a picture of everything...but this time I'm going to actually try and get good with it.  I'm reading up on tips and tricks.  I know that the first thing I need to do is learn my camera inside and out.  I tried doing that but the battery was dead...so I guess I will have to wait until tonight.  I need to know all there is about it to fully get the most out of each picture.  So if you see me walking around taking a picture or something you might find odd...just wait...I could be in the next National Geographic. 

Monday, December 27, 2010

It's all about Meme...

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family? Reese is a member of my family


2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be? To be truly happy


3. What is the one thing most hated by you? Ignorance


4. What would you do with a billion dollars? A wholllllleeeeeee lot!


5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood? Generally my friends


6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone? For me it’s being loved by someone


7. What is your bedtime routine? Go potty, wash my face, brush my teeth, hook up my amazing heating, prop up my fifteen reading pillows, get in bed, put on chapstick, put in allergy nose spray, put in eye drops, ear plugs in, read until sleep, go potty again, get back in bed, turn off light.


8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner? Yes, and at my former job (building actually)


9. If you could watch an creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be? Probably a songwriter because it’s so amazing to me. Maybe Taylor Swift.


10. What kinds of books do you buy? Novels mainly. Not that romance crap.


11. How would you see yourself in ten years time? Who knows…because had you asked me that 10 years ago it would be a much different answer than my life really is.


12. What’s your fear? Never having my own child


13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is? I stole this so N/A






14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor? Happily married and poor. If it was unhappily married and poor then I’d rather be single and rich!


15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Curse at my alarm!


16. Would you give all in a relationship? I always do, just sometimes it’s not good enough


17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be? First name is fine, but if you’re feeling imaginative, you can do the whole thing. I’m quite partial to my name. Sarah.


18. What’s your favorite magazine? Redbook or Good Housekeeping


19. What are your three most important expectations in love? Honestly, loyalty, Respect


20. List people to tag:


50 Questions Meme

50 Questions:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? I actually don’t think I had a thought this morning…but my recent thoughts have been “man I need to lay off the chocolate covered peanuts…this is the biggest I’ve ever been.

2. How much cash do you have on you? I have change…not cash. Wait…I might have a dollar.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Whore…just kidding!! Floor

4. Favorite planet? Well I was partial to Pluto but it had to go and screw everything up by becoming a non-planet!

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? My Momma

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? They are all crap!!

7. What shirt are you wearing? A black long sleeve shirt and a fuchsia vest

8. Do you label yourself? Not anymore

9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Something from Target

10. Bright or Dark Room? Dark room

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Well I stole it from someone’s blog online…so I can’t really tell you what I think of them.

12. What does your watch look like? It’s a Timex sports watch…cause I’m so sporty!

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? “Yes, that is fine”

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? The only one I know of is at Pendleton Pike and Post. Not a desirable neighborhood!!

16. What's a word that you say a lot? “I know, right” That’s actually three words…but go with it.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Casey

18. Last furry thing you touched? Reese

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? LOTS!! None of the illegal kind however.

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? Believe it or not, I have several that are probably over 10 years old.

21. Favorite age you have been so far? Oh my, I don’t know. I like the 30’s.

22. Your worst enemy? Myself at times

23. What is your current desktop picture? Snow flakes

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? I was talking about Christmas presents

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? A million bucks…cause I could buy an airplane if I wanted to fly.

26. Do you like someone? Yes

27. The last song you listened to? Crap…I don’t know.

28. What time of day were you born? Crap again…I don’t know. Morning I think.

29. What’s your favorite number? 5

30. Where did you live in 1987? Lexington

31. Are you jealous of anyone? Yes

32. Is anyone jealous of you? No

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? I was working at Aston Group

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Probably spout some obscenities.

35. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Some place not visible.

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Spanish would probably be the most useful.

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yes

39. Are you touchy feely? I used to be. I still like touch.

40. What’s your life motto? Carpe Diem

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Chapstick, phone, a beverage

42. What’s your favorite town/city? I really like Charlotte and Savannah

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Chick Fil A

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? It’s been so long I can’t remember.

45. Can you change the oil on a car? Nope, but I can change a tire.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? My first real love…well I live with him. My first high school love where the feelings weren’t mutual…he’s a wrestling coach at my HS.

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? I was related to John Quincy Adams…that’s pretty far.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? Apparently it’s been awhile…

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? Nope

50. Have you been burned by love? Yep