Truth or Dare

While we were in Tampa, we took the kids on a streetcar. They were really excited to go on it. They could barely hold their excitement while we were waiting for the streetcar to arrive at the station stop. It was really neat to watch the joy on their little faces.

From the tecolinestreetcar.org site: Today, electric streetcars are back in Tampa, supporting continued growth in Downtown, Channelside and Ybor City. The first phase of the TECO Line Streetcar System is a 2.4 mile section that connects these three areas, improving transportation capacity, supporting Tampa’s thriving cruise industry and transporting workers to and from their jobs.
We took the streetcar to historic Ybor City from our downtown Tampa hotel. We have wanted to see Ybor City since Andrew took the bar when we first moved to Florida 2001. It is a neat historical area and I am glad we got to take our children there.
When we left the hotel, we didn't take any electronics with us. We disconnected completely for our Ybor City trip. On the way back to the hotel, Lane and Alex shared a seat. Alex taught Lane how to play truth or dare on the trip back.
I have never heard 4 and 6 year olds play a game of Truth or Dare before and it was hilarious. I tried not to laugh at their conversation. Some dares included: hitting the bench five times with a hand, smelling a shoe, and telling a random stranger hello. Truth questions included: do you like to smell your feet, what is your favorite food, and what is your favorite color. The innocence of this age is wonderful.
The few other passengers on the streetcar were having a tough time containing their laughter as well.

Band aids are still the rage

It cracks me up when kids do things that have been done for generations before them.  Of course it's new to that child and they think its a unique idea.  

Such is the case with Lane and band aids. She loves them.  She loves to pick them out at the store and creates an entire art display when she uses them.  Even the teensiest owie deserves a band aide. 

I captured one of Lane's artistic creations.  Since band aids are still affordable, I didn't flinch and she was rather thrilled with the outcome. 

Our friend Whitney

Shortly after moving to Florida, we went out to eat at a Japanese steak house. We didn't have one in Iowa so it was real treat to have one only a few minutes away. We sat down at the hibachi grill next to three women. 

Almost five year old Alex struck up a conversation with the gorgeous young woman sitting next to him.  I honestly think it was his first crush because he acted completely different around her than anyone else. We learned her name was Whitney.   We exchanged information and found each other on Facebook.  

It was an instant friendship with Whitney. The other two women were her cousin and her mother.  We haven't seen her cousin again but we have been in touch with Trudy. 

As far as I know, every time Whitney ventures to Florida, she contacts us and gives us a piece of her vacation.  One time she and her friend hung out with us for a few hours and it was delightful. 

You know how sometimes you just click with other people? Well that is our Whitney and Trudy. We adore them. It feels more like family than even long time friends because when we get back together it feels like its been a week rather than a few months.  It's an easy friendship. Whitney is the girl who every mother wants their daughter to grow up to be - smart, funny, outgoing, beautiful, thoughtful...the list of positive adjectives is never ending. 

The last time we spent time with Whitney and Trudy we met in New Smyrna Beach.  Andrew and I hadn't been there since before Gabriel was born, over 8 years ago.  Surprisingly it still looks the same. 

The kids played on the beach until it got too cold and the tide came in, attempting to take their breach toys out to sea. 

We had an early dinner and an awesome treat of ice cream   Even though it was a cold evening, ice cream was yummy and appreciated by everyone. 

Whitney taught the kids their family tradition of getting ice cream on their face      I don't remember the exact tradition - eating without a spoon maybe?  They were thrilled with the des and two weeks later wanted to do it again at a birthday party we attended.  

We plan on spending time with Trudy and Whitney in a month.  Since it will be close to Alex's seventh birthday, I'm sure he will be thrilled to practice the ice cream tradition. I will have to ask Whitney what exactly the tradition is because me kids seem to think its just to put lots of ice cream on their face. 

Here we go to another dr appt

When we lived in Iowa, I felt like I lived at therapy and doctors offices. Gabriel had occupational and hippo therapy several times a week. On top of his therapy appointments, Lane had physical therapy and feeding therapy. The kids had wellness checkups, cardiology appointments, dental cleanings. and developmental appointments.  

From my experience, young children with autism are often hurt. We had to take Gabriel in for stitches when he fell into the book case.  He stuck a rock in his nose one day at school and that meant another visit the doctor. Another day he quickly drank water purifier for fish. 

Then there were the trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night. You know you've been in the ER too often when you know the ER doctors names. Lane had a lung virus as an infant and ended up in the hospital for several days, Alex had pneumonia as a toddler, and both boys had febrile seizures. 

I knew our doctors and therapists well. So well that our doctor told me that the good ones always move and gave me a big hug. I adored our pediatrician.  I could call and tell him that my kids had pink eye and he would call in a prescription rather than make me trot into the office again. He made me laugh easily about the craziness of parenting and he held me when I couldn't hold back the tears in his office Our occupational therapist attended our farewell party. I honestly miss them even two years later. They became part of the working cog of our family 

Now that Gabriel is older, our trips to the doctor are fewer and his therapy has changed to group activities. We still travel to the child development center though. It's almost an hour away and I am grateful my kids are able to entertain themselves with the toys there. I'm also glad they aren't too phased by the experience 

If you know a family with a special needs child, please know that this is our life.  We see doctors and therapists far more often than anyone else can imagine. We want to join our friends in other activities, but we don't have the extra time. We miss out and we don't necessarily want to but we have to do what we think is best for our children. 

Alex's summer birthday

We celebrate birthdays in our home but the celebrations have gotten less elaborate over the years. Since Alex's birthday has fallen shortly after our moves the past two years, we haven't known kids his age in the area to join us. We celebrated but not with his friends.  

I was thrilled when I received a note from Alex's teacher letting me know that he would be a part of a summer birthday celebration at school.  I offered to send in a snack for the party but it quickly became a larger ordeal.  I can't believe my baby boy is turning seven this summer! 

I incorporated the last day of school treats into his party. 

I attempted to print on the paper bag but it didn't work for me. (Pinterest fail!) I pulled out a sun stamp instead and closed it with a summery ribbon. The bag held pretzels. I added tape to the water bottle with a paper straw. Duct tape comes in all sorts of fun patterns now making the possibilities endless. I added a ball in a snack size baggie with a topper that said, "have a ball this summer." 

I cleaned two of our sand buckets in order to hold the kids treats. The balls were in one pail and crazy straws were held in another pail.  I printed some cute Happy Birthday gifs that I found online and taped them to the pails. It was super easy! 

Lane and I set up the classroom while the kids were in music class. She is enjoyed setting up the plates, napkins, and food. It was adorable to see her enthusiasm.

 

Lane and I were able to stay to watch the class sing to Alex. He wore his crown with jewels and had a grin from ear to ear. It was a great way to celebrate the life of our little Alex  

The Peabody Hotel

The boys and Andrew hadn't seen the Peabody ducks so we went to the Peabody Hotel as a family this morning. Lane remembered the details of her trip to the Peabody last fall. It was super cute to hear her memories of being picked, seeing the duck penthouse, and walking with the Duck Master. I didn't realize she had such a great memory.
We waited patiently at the side of the red carpet. The announcement came letting us know that the ducks were coming down the elevator with the Duck Master. Within seconds, the five North American mallardducks passed us and it was over. I think Alex counted 29 seconds.

We went to the see the duck penthouse. Their home was built for the sum of $100,000. There is a ton of Italian marble in their penthouse.

The kids had a lot of questions about the ducks. I was surprised by how interested they were in the whole event. The Duck Master was the same woman Lane and I met last year. She is a wonderful, kind hearted woman and she remembered Lane. She was patient with the kids and answered all of their questions. Gabriel wanted to talk her into taking two ducks home as pets.

Time...time... time...

Teaching time to children is much more difficult than I realized. I started teaching time to the kids last week with a baseball game. It can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Math-Center-Time-to-Batter-Up-128984 The boys were able to figure out the o'clock for the most part. It got confusing when the hour hand was in between numbers rather than pointing straight at a number.

On freehomschooldeals.com I found printables for the clock. We taped a paper plate on the cabinet and wrote the numbers around it like a clock. We then taped the printables around our paper plate in order by 5's. The boys did a great job counting by 5s and they almost have the concept of connecting the number amount to the minute hand. Lane was able to recognize the numbers.

It was a challenge to find a clock activty for Lane so she could participate. I found a clock activity for Lane on this site: http://www.harcourtschool.com/teacher_resources/math/grade_01/g1_time.html She glued the numbers in order without any problems.

The boys started a time telling book today. It's located here: http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/2011/07/telling-time-printables.html They worked hard on writing different times in digital form.
We have a long way to go before I have two young men who can tell time. Alex isn't even impressed with the idea as a whole. He said that he would be fine with reading a digital clock for the rest of his life. I didn't have many arguments back for him except that he would have to learn how to tell time at school this upcoming year so he might as well learn it with me.

Dr office slide

I understand the need to wait for a doctor's appointment. I'm actually very patient when I have to wait with the kids and unusually plan ahead with activities to keep them entertained. After an hour of waiting in the waiting area, it even begins to annoy me.  

After an hour of waiting for my doctor, Lane put the kids chairs together and danced on them. She also jumped and asked everyone in the waiting room to clap for her while she bowed.  I allowed it because it kept her entertained.  Her dance efforts continued for another half hour. 

Finally after an hour and a half, we went to the patient room. Lane is a creative soul and fortunately for her, still a small package.  She turned the patients exam table into a slide.  She was full of joy while she entertained both of us. 

After sliding, she turned her attention to me and asked me to take her picture.  Life is never dull   

DANCE gifts

The kids have incredible dance teachers. Their experience and patience abounds and I am grateful to have them in our lives. The boys are busy with hip hop while Lane learns tap and ballet. I hope their love for creative expression lasts throughout their lives and I feel certain that it will happen with their teacher's instruction.
We started dance in January of this year. It was rocky at first. Alex had a love/hate relationship with the idea of dance. The kids hadn't been apart of a group sport in a while and it was a new concept to them. Even when I took them to gynmastics, it was shortlived and I helped them during the lesson.
Our first recital was this past Saturday and I wanted to bring a gift for each teacher. I didn't allow enough time to order something and I already gave them flowers for teacher appreciation week. I had to get creative in order to show Miss Meagan and Miss Maggie how much we appreciate their time and dedication. I realize they spend hours outside of the studio preparing for my children's lessons. (and if they don't, they've fooled me!)

Each teacher was given a cosmetic bag in their favorite color. The bag contained foot scrub, a nail file, and bathroom containers.

Then I found a fun hip hop image for the boys. They thought it was cool but offered no assistance in creating the card. They agreed to write their names though.

Lane and her friend painted their hands to make hand print ballerinas. Miss Maggie and the girls love purple so it was all done in purple! I saw the idea on this blog: http://meetthedubiens.com/2011/06/handprint-ballerina-tutu.html
Lane was more than happy to assist in adding glitter and ribbon to this card.

Father's Day 2013

Andrew picked his favorite place to go for Father's Day. We spent the afternoon at the beach. We played in the water, built sand castles, and relaxed. It's always a treat to head to the coast. The sound of the crashing waves is powerful and I am always impressed by it.
Andrew recently broke the blender so it was an easy decision to get a new one for him for Father's Day. However, I've decided that I'm a horrible gift hider. Lane and Andrew both found the gifts I bought for them. Lane now has a Rapunzel doll and Andrew didn't have a surprise for Father's Day.
I didn't want his day to be disappointing so I bought tickets for us to go to the Tampa aquarium. We will be going to Tampa soon and Andrew has wanted to go to the aquarium since we moved back to the Orlando area, almost two years ago. I think I salvaged the gift dilemma and I need to work on being a better gift hider in the future.

The letter Pp

Lane continues to work on the letter Pp this week. I found a few cute ideas and incorporated them into her learning today. She made a purple P and glued pink polka dots to it. I saw the orignal idea here: http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2009/12/tot-school-letter-p.html



I saw another great idea where the preschooler glued popped popcorn on to the letter P. (the Little Red Barn Preschool)However, kernels seemed like a better idea to me. I don't like the kids to use food in artwork that will attract bugs. I have a big enough problem keeping the dogs away from any food that is left out of the pantry. They have eaten countless art projects over the years.



This website: http://www.creative-preschool-teaching-themes.com/preschool-thanksgiving-theme.html has a great idea too. They wrote a number on a cupcake liner and the preschooler put the corresponding amount of popcorn in the liner. I wrote an 8 on one of the liners but realized this would be too easy for her. Simple addition isn't interesting either so I started subtraction with her. She quickly understood the concept and laughed about taking the popcorn out of the liner. Whatever works, right?



We started learning how to tell time. It's more complicated than I realized. I made three paper plate clocks to start learning. I also played a game that I printed last year from teacherspayteachers. It's called Time to Batter Up. I gave the kids a few batters cards with the time on it and set down the cards that showed the time. They understood the o'clock concept today. Now we can work on counting by fives and figure out the difference between the minute and hour hands.



There is a cute lego game on Pinterest. Unforunately, when I clicked on it to print it, I was led to an image. I was able to find another one that someone else made and she was generous enough to share! http://christiansenchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/05/lego-game.html Alex and Lane liked this game a lot. However, they are both very competitive and didn't want to lose. The acceptable conpromise? There were two winners - the child with the most legos and the child who finished the game first.

Summer School 2013

The first day of our routine for home summer school began today. I utilized the craft sticks which was surprisingly met with enthusiasm all morning. I think I could get the routine including all of academics accomplished by noon. We were close today.



Mathematics is one subject all three of Mai children enjoy and it seems to come easily to them at this point. I enjoyed watching them all work on math at the same time. Lane counted stickers in circles and worked on same/different pictures. Alex worked on second grade dinosaur word problems while Gabriel worked on geometric shapes. They were all silent for a few moments as they worked. Ahhhhh.

Lane chose the letter "P" to work on today. In Montessori, she learned the sound "pah" rather than the letter name "peeee". After she wrote the leter a couple times, I asked her if she remembered the name and sound of the letter. She quickly said, "pah." Then she stopped. She looked at me and said, "poop?" Yep, my bright daughter thought Pp is named poop.

Our friend stopped by with her new 11 month old boxer. Gabriel was especially thrilled to have a young puppy in the house. I had forgotten how fun, energetic, and playful young dogs are and it was a joy to meet Lucy.



Prior to dance class, we went to a Summer kick-off party. There was a bouncehouse, crafts, and snacks. They also put on a movie and my kids enjoyed Junie B Jones quite a bit. Lane told me later that it was nice to relax.

"Stick"ing to a Routine

Routine is essential in our home when something needs to be accmplished. I learned that Alex, especially, thrived on routine this past school year. I wasn't sure how I would keep a routine at home and yet allow for fun and sun this summer. The kids need to avoid regression with their school work but learning can be best done through play, so I need to keep a happy medium in our home.
I found a chart that would have worked for us. A homeschooling mother shared it free printable that was really nice. It included the child's name and each subject to complete each day. However, it would work better to help an older child organize. My little visual and hands-on learners needed something else.
I decided to write each task I wanted them to accomplish on a craft stick. I colored coded it - red for Gabriel, blue for Alex, and purple for Lane. I only gave each child six tasks to begin this routine. I included two easy ones - brush teeth and get dressed. Once they finish these six tasks in reading, writing, math, and helping us, they can pick games on the computer or DS.
If the kids complete these tasks all week, we will take them for some type of treat. They can pick a new toy or get ice cream. It will be something that we normally do not do with them.
As of tonight, they are very excited about their task sticks. We had a test run today, didn't push the academics, and the majority of sticks are in the "done" cup already.

Alex's 6 year old writing

Alex is headed to second grade next year. He had evaluations done on his writing. This included his penmanship and mechanics. 

Alex has been meticulous about his work since he started writing. He erases letters and words until he gets things to look exactly like he wants them.  

We were told that his penmanship is remarkable for a first grader.  I looked at his writing journal and i swear he could form the letter templates for teaching children how to write with some of his pages of writing 

Here is a small sample of what he wrote at school.  I adore the attempt at spelling pepperoni - "peper oenee."  His teacher told us that she had to tell Alex that he didn't need to worry about spelling be she has read first grade writing for years. 

Enjoy teacher cup

Summer vacation is upon us and before school finished, I had to figure out end of the year gifts.  I had grand ideas but ended up scaling down.  The kid and teacher gifts still worked out, just on a smaller level. 

I bought Starbucks single use lemonade and refreshers. I even had a coupon! I added four to a each teachers BPA free plastic cup with some tissue paper.  I printed a free "enjoy" straw flag and later wrapped it in a plastic bag. 

I made two little packages for the kids.  One had a ball and said, "have a ball his summer."   The other package had two suckers and said, " hope you have a sweet summer."   The free printable are online which makes this project a lot easier. 

Two IEPs

After the school denied any accommodations or services to Alex last year, I asked for an independent evaluation (IEE).  The school district agreed that Alex's evaluation were inaccurate and agreed to pay for his evaluations. 

He had ASD (autism) and speech evaluations performed and completed  by the end of August last year.  He was found to have deficits in language. I asked when the school would have a meeting regarding Alex's evaluations several times through the school year and we never had a meeting. 

When I found out that the school should have had a meeting in 60 days, I filed a state complaint. The district and school finally held an eligibility meeting for Alex.  He was found eligible for a 504 plan but we agreed to more evaluations.  Unfortunately there was only a week of school left and the evaluations needed to be accomplished quickly in order to have another meeting by the last teachers day on Friday. 

After many emails back and forth, we were able to schedule a meeting on Friday, the last day for teachers, at 1 pm.  As a committee of a parent, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, an advocate, a district compliance representative, a district speech therapist, and a district school psychologist we were able to determine Alex was eligible for an IEP - an individualized education program.  It helped that he has a diagnosis of ADHD and anxiety (OCD). After proving that his disability impacts his education, Alex has an IEP. 

So why did I cry while we signed the IEP paperwork? It was culmination of a year and a half battle.  It was realizing that I know more than some people receiving a salary for dealing with IEPs and 504s.  People who have worked in education and with special needs students for years should have more knowledge than I do.  It was the realization that I have spent years fighting to figure out why Alex processes things differently than other children.  I heard that he's "just a boy", "follows his brother's lead", "just immature", and more.  I knew better and I've been seeking help for him since he was three years old.  He turns 7 in August.  Other parents might have given up and turned off that intuition. 

I haven't.  

So I cried.   It's been a battle for my child.  Is there anything more important for a parent to fight for? I would argue no. 

I also cried because I had to fight for something I didn't really want.  I wanted him to have help but I didn't want him to have a disability.  I had to prove it, over and over again.  It's painful. No parent wants to see their child struggle. I had to state many times that my child deserves help. I had to admit many times that I have not one but two sons with special needs. I've been playing with the statement for a while. Medically, I've known for a while that I have two sons with disabilities.  Educationally, it was written on paper. Finally. 

I have two sons.  Two sons with disabilities.  Two sons with disabilities and IEPs. 

Is he going to CoOk Me???!!

Gabriel used to run from everything. Something would trigger him to run and there was no way to stop him. Gabriel was a fast five year old who would dash without any warning. We had two other children, a baby and a 3 year old making it even more challenging to know when he would take off.
Once he could open doors, we had locks at the top of every door. Anyone who entered our home was warned about the necessity of the locks at the top of door. Every exit had extra locks in order to keep Gabriel safe in our home.
We were able to add a tracking device to his ankle when he was in kindergarden. Somehow he was able to get outside of the school twice, one time it was winter and freezing. He didn't have a jacket on and he was found the playground. Once he ran away from me at my parent's house. He ran full force toward my parent's horses and grabbed their electric fence. I am grateful that my parents had it set on a low setting. I still called Gabriel's cardiologit to make sure that his little zap wouldn't make his heart condition worse.
The plastic anklet was free through a grant given to the Sioux City police department. I checked the battery every evening and a police officer went to the school to change the battery once a month. If Gabriel was missing more than five minutes, all the adults in Gabriel's life knew to call 911 if he was missing more than five minutes. Once the police departmen was alerted, they guaranteed that he would be found in 30 minutes or less. They used volunteers who were trained in search and rescue as well as a helicopter.
When we went on trips to Omaha or Sioux Falls, out of state, I had a lump in my throat. The program wasn't necessarily available in those locations and the risk of losing him seemed even higher.
We had locks on all of the doors in Celebration last year but Gabriel has outgrown his need for running. He no longer leaves the premises without letting us know. We can even allow him the freedom to walk outside without hovering over him. Gabriel takes the trash to the unattached garage and comes back in the house without a problem. This really is an incredible development for him. I keep an eye on him and remind him about busy roads but I no longer feel like I'm going to puke every time we are near those busy streets. I am comfortable about him being at the school and no longer fear any escape route.
A year ago, I visited many private and public schools. At each school, I surveyed the escape route risk factor. Where were the fences? Were they on busy road? Was the school a closed in building or one with classroom doors facing the outside?
While I am ecstatic that things have changed in regards to Gabriel's running, he now has new fears. Strangers make him fearful. His reaction to strangers is extreme.

At the library one day, Gabriel was nervous about the older librarian I was talking to. He started asking if she was going to cook him. I told him no she wouldn't but it wasn't enough. He shoved his head in the back of my shirt, rearranging my clothing completely. She asked how old Gabriel is and seemed surprised that he is 8 years old.
It seems to be happening in any situation where he is nervous. Gabriel makes a little screeching sound and then yells, "Is he/she going to COOK ME?!!" I think this idea came from Hansel and Gretel but I'm not entirely positive. It's an odd thing to yell in public, no matter where the idea originated.
I explain that Gabriel is nervous and introduce the person to Gabriel and he seems to be better at that point. So far it has been working but this new anxiety has created some awkard moments.

Scary movies

Lane gets scared easily by the mean characters in movies.  Rather than listen to her complain and whine, I told her that she needs to find a way to watch her movies in the car or we can't turn them on any more. The problem is that most, if not all, princess movies have an evil character. She, of course, loved the princess and Barbie movies.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, this is what I saw: 

She found a way to handle the scary part! 

Planted carrots

I wrote about planting with Lane and Gabriel. I found an idea on Pinterest about planting carrot seeds in a plastic soda container.  

We rarely have soda in the house but due to a bout of illness, we had am empty container.  Lane had a friend over for a play date so I pulled the container, dirt, and carrot seeds out.   The girls had fun filling the container with dirt and seeds.  

Unfortunately, the experiment was an epic fail.  We didn't see anything grow despite taking good care of the seeds. 

Oh well, it was fun and spurred more sand play for the kids in our little sand box.