Sunday Haiku

This week's haiku is about my first time ice skating tonight. I took Camden to a friend's birthday party at the ice rink where we both strapped on our skates and took off.

Excited, afraid
to fall. Step. Step. Whoa! Crash. Up.
Nervous. Step. Push. Glide.

I wish I'd had a camera. Camden really LOVED being on the ice. He wore a pair of size 12 skates and pushed a walker designed for beginners. He was in the middle of the rink the whole time, up and down, up and down. I was so proud of him. That kid's not afraid of anything!

Click here for sensory processing disorder

I learned last week that Benjamin has sensory processing disorder. I had no idea what this meant. And I still don't fully understand it, but it's good to know that there are some answers out there to help our little guy out.

He doesn't seem to stand out as "out of sync" (the name of the book recommended to me on this is "The Out of Sync Child"), but he a bit different. Benjamin craves big, rough-and-tumble play. He wants to be tickled, sqeezed, buried under blankets and pillows. He's sensory underresponsive in these situations. His body needs a lot of sensory input.

And on the other hand, he finds some new situations repugnant and will avoid or turn away from these - like when a friend of mine whom he doesn't know well talks to him. These situations he perceives as threats, even though we know they're not. We need to help him train his brain to accept these situations as normal and respond appropriately.

That's what I've learned about Benjy so far. As his occupational therapy progresses, we'll learn more. His OT (occupational therapist) is wonderful and very knowledgable on SPD. She's already given me lots of new information to digest, and in her first visit with Benjamin, she learned about his sensory-avoiding and sensory-seeking tendancies. (Interesting he'd be BOTH, I think....) I'm eager to learn more about this and what we can do to help him cope with new situations. If you want to know more, then get the book I have - "The Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. You can also check out that website here.

First Snow

This one's for you, Mom! (Aren't you glad I didn't call you at 7:30 this a.m. to tell you it's snowing?!)

Snow

snow
and don't ever
go
cause i know
that you are the
real part of me so
just snow
and in my heart
glow
shape it joy
or sad rainbow
but just stay
and snow

noha ramzy

inspiration

Here's a layout I did tonight using the wonderful and FREE digi kit from Shabby Princess. Her stuff is just amazing! Check her out here.

I've been inspired to take better care of my body. Inspired by Katie Couric and the Today Show's coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Inspired by my snug blue jeans. Inspired by my need to feel healthy inside and out, by the issue of Women's Health I picked up at the book store, by Camden who moves constantly and is the picture of health.

So, I've been walking on the treadmill in the afternoons, even when I don't feel like doing it. I walk and flip channels on the TV with the volume booming at a whopping 39. Turns out, this is really good for my brain, too. See, I don't flip between home decorating and talk shows. I've been watching the news and the Weather Channel. I forgot how much I LOVED TV news! With two kids, we don't get to watch much TV news while they're awake. And 11 p.m. is just too late for news these days!

So, hopefully, I'll tone up my hips and tummy as I firm up my mind.

What else did I accomplish today?
* Started a subscription to Netflix so that we can rent movies for $17.99 a month - unlimited movies!!!!! This will be sweet!
* Got caught up at work after being out since Tuesday for various trainings and a bonus day off. :)
* Cooked pretty darn good spaghetti for dinner tonight.
* Ate oatmeal for breakfast.
* Took my vitamin.

Sunday Haiku

Uh-oh, I forgot my Sunday Haiku yesterday. So, I'll try to whip one out this a.m. before I go to work. Let's see...

Camden's light saber.
You don't know the power of
the dark side of him.

solemnity

Here's my latest digital layout - of my Benjy on school picture day at KinderCare. He looks overjoyed, huh? This is Benjamin at his most stubborn, serious, and solemn. On this day, we rushed to school hoping the picture lady was still there. She was. I rushed Benjy into the line. Nothing, N-O-T-H-I-N-G would make him smile. He fussed. He whined. He winced. He wanted nothing to do with the picture. I thought at first that it was me. But the center director tried later to take him back for more pictures. No-can-do. I swear, I think that child had made up his mind that he was not going to pose for some camera. And, by golly, he would not. So, this is the picture I get. Keep in mind that I had parents showing me all week how gorgeous their kids' smiles were. How precious their pictures were. How they couldn't wait to buy every last sheet in the package!

Well, I love my son and all, but I only bought one sheet. I'm no professional photographer, but I think the pictures Curt and I take of Benjy really capture his personality. This captures his stubborness. In all fairness, I suppose, that's a part of his personality, too. And just as I love his silliness and sweetness, I guess his solemnity should be just as special. It is, after all, what makes Benjamin - Benjy. Even in his most serious moments, he's still my baby boy. :)

104

Camden, my son who seldom gets sick, spiked a fever tonight of a hundred and four degrees. Poor thing. You know something is wrong with your baby when he comes home from school and falls asleep on the couch. Bless his heart.

Curt stayed home with both boys tonight while I went to church for our Wednesday night Food and Faith dinner. What an interesting class! I'm so glad I went, even though I was worn out after my day-long workshop in Cranberry. We've been discussing the history of Christianity and the Episcopal Church. Tonight we moved from the basement parish hall to our beautiful nave and sanctuary upstairs. Larry, our priest, pointed out so much detail in our church that I've previously taken for granted. Here are some random things I learned tonight that will certainly enrich my worship when we go back this Sunday. Thanks be to God!

* The stained glass windows tell stories from the Bible. They originated in the middle ages to educate the illiterate.

* Our liturgy is based on the ancient Jewish synagog practices of call-and-response services. These are designed to keep the lay people involved in the worship.

* Jesus mandates only two sacraments - Baptism and Holy Communion. A sacrament has two parts - an outward manifestation (water, wine, bread) and an inward manifestation (God's grace working on the participant).

* We stand to praise God, sit to learn, and kneel to worship. - Yes, we Episcopals are quite active!

* Our church's design is based on medieval architecture.

* The arched beams in our ceiling are like an upside-down arc. Get it - Noah's Arc?!

* Our liturgy includes at least four Scripture readings - a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and from the Gospel of Christ, as well as a Psalm responsively read or sung.

I really love our church and what going there is doing for me. I'm learning to really worship, appreciate, and let Christ live in me. And I see a difference for my family, too. Camden is learning Bible stories, and he really cares what God is thinking. Curt is as eager to learn and worship as I am. And, Benjy is happy here. Yes, the cookies at Coffee Hour on Sundays is a bonus, but I think he senses a higher power at work. :)

Thanks be to God!

scarecrows

OK, so our scarecrows aren't quiet like the ones featured in Martha Stewart's October issue of Living magazine. But they are our attempt, and they are OURS. We made these on Sunday afternoon. Camden and I went to Gabe's to get clothes for our scarescrows. Gabes is a super cheap place to get clothes, household stuff, and just assorted junk! We found the boy's pants for $1, his sweater for $2, the girl's skirt and her sweater for $1 each, and her scarf for a whopping $2.99. We had to have it - even though it was far too expensive! hehehe

And, I even found two pairs of pants for $1 each and a corduroy jumper for only a buck! Too cool!

We had so much fun putting these together, stuffing them with straw, and dressing them. We just need to add a hat to the boy. One day. Hopefully before Halloween.

I'm surfing!

My new iBook came today! I couldn't believe it - less than a week after I ordered it from Apple. Macs ROCK!!! So here I sit on the couch surfing, checking out my new features, fondling my new keyboard. :) There are these cool things called widgets on my screen that tell me the weather, time, a calculator, etc. - all at the touch of a button! Too much! I'm so happy with my new computer!

Hallaboo! - click here to see what we did today!

A Haiku to describe our day at Idlewild, a nearby theme park geared toward families -

Fall Hallaboo fun:
trick or treat, eat, play, climb, jump,
family - perfect.

Halloween is coming!

We've had a change of plans. Our friend Kristen from Ohio got some sad news about her mom today and is planning to go see her in Georgia tomorrow morning. So, we're going to postpone our trip to Columbus. We'll go back and see her and everybody soon, when she's back and settled down a bit. Until then, I miss you, Blaisdell Babes!

So, here's what we need to accomplish on our surprise weekend here:
* go to Hallaboo!
* go grocery shopping
* pick up Ellie's meds from the vet
* clean downstairs
* find something to watch since the Hokies are off tomorrow
* declutter!
* scrapbook my latest Camden pix
* play with the boys :)
* go to church
* take pictures of the trees that are just starting to change
* find some neat classroom extensions online for our preschool teachers for Halloween
* send my grandmother a card
* call Jodee with my Partylite order
* finally mail thank you cards from my bday
* relax

Mommy, what if...

Camden asks this question every day. Sometimes it's just a silly situation. What if a volcano came? What if a spaceship came? What if I really was Darth Vader? Sometimes it's more serious - What if I come home on the bus and you're not here?

Well, the more serious happened today. Camden's substitute teacher accidentally put him on the bus even though his school has a note to put him on the day care van every Thursday. Around 4 o'clock, I went to look for him (a perk of being the preschool program specialist at this very daycare/preschool). He wasn't there. I started to panic. I asked the director if she had seen Camden since she drove the van from his school that day. She hadn't. He wasn't there. I launched into full panic mode, but still was within my right mind to drive home. Thank the Lord - Thank the Lord! - that Camden was safe and sound, playing with the next door neighbor kids with whom he rides the bus. I ran next door, out our fenced backyard and into theirs, and hugged him with all my might, crying and relieved beyond comprehension. He knew just what to do. He realized I wasn't home so he went next door, rang the bell, "dropped off my backpack and walked right in! I've been playing!" I think he loved this little diversion on the outside, for he loves his neighborhood friends. But I also think that this little upset in his routine rattled him a bit. I told him several times how proud I am of him. How he knew just what to do. Thank God I had answered his incessant questions. Even the ones I thought were pointless. Thank God he asked.

Curt's new toy

Curt has turned 7 all over again. Last Friday he brought home a Playstation 2 and the Lego Star Wars game. I haven't seen him and Camden so engaged in a single activity in ages. On a positive note, Benjy and I are doing a lot more fun stuff together because it's BORING to watch them play. I have to concede, though, that Curt picked up PacMan for me and I could feel those old gamer juices burning once more. Daggonit, those little ghosts are faster than they used to be!

Finding art today

Although our fridge is covered with colorful ABC magnets, they don't get played with everyday. If they did, I'd be singing my ABCs daily. If they did, the both boys would know their ABCs and their respective sounds by heart. Still, these magnets are a part of my every day life. I see them every morning, every afternoon, every night. Whether I want milk, butter, or a pudding snack, I see them. This is the art of my family. This is the art of my every day life.

click here to Find The Art in Every Day

I found this wonderful thought on another blog by Melanie Komisarski:
"Find the art in the everyday. Beautiful concept, isn’t it? I think it involves seeing the ordinary in extraordinary ways. Having an appreciation for the raw realities of life. Being open-minded and attentive in a noisy world of chaos and clutter. Have you found the art in your everday?"
So, this is my new goal. Starting tomorrow. (Well, it's after 10 pm now, and too late to get creative in my opinion!) When I get up in the morning, I'll pack my camera with me and go find the art in my every day.

Virtual Cropping

I've been cropping since about 5 p.m. today, and I've got 7 pages to show for it! One of my scrapbook clubs had a "virtual crop" tonight where we all sat in our PJs in our own houses and cropped, chatted on the site's message board, and relaxed. One thing's for sure, it's been a Benjy month around here for pictures. I'll have to get some Camden shots here this weekend so I can do some more Camden pages. :)
Here's what I accomplished tonight:

Sweater Weather

Finally, tomorrow the temperature will feel like fall. It's supposed to be around 60 degrees, probably rainy or at least cloudy if the expected rain falls overnight. I spent 20 minutes in my closet this morning trying to find something to wear to work today. Nothing felt right. It was supposed to get up to 80, so I knew I didn't want to dress for fall. And yet I was sick of dressing for summer. I finally settled on a green summer cotton dress and a pair of sandals. Tomorrow, I'll not settle. I'll throw on my favorite pair of jeans, a white longsleeved tee shirt, and a Hokie tee overtop for work. Woohoooo - dress down day!

I can't wait to hit the Eddie Bauer Warehouse when we go to Columbus next weekend. Did you know that the warehouse is super cheap? Skirts for 10 bucks? Jeans for 10 bucks? Sweaters for 10 bucks? Are you getting the picture?
Here are a few of the things that would make my fall and winter wardrobe just right... (If only money grew on trees.)

Seasons of Love

This broadway musical will become a movie this fall, and I can't wait to see it. If there's a song that gives me chill bumps and has me singing along mesmerized by its beauty - both of the lyrics and the melody - then it's "Seasons of Love" sung by the cast of Rent. Check out the movie trailer by clicking on "Seasons of Love" above.

Seasons Of Love lyrics

COMPANY
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of
love.

SOLOIST 1
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure
the life of a woman or man?

SOLOIST 2
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.

COMPANY
It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember
the love! Remember the love! Remember
the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.

This is the little church my boys picked out for me for my birthday. It's just perfect, and it came at a time in my life when I'm really beginning to explore and appreciate my faith in God and Jesus. There is so much I don't understand. So much I'm sure I never will. But that's what faith is all about, I suppose. A willingness to see beyond what we understand and to trust in something we cannot see.

MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Not 100. Not 1,000. Not 100,000. More like 1,000,000. That's how many times a day I have to answer to an insistent, piercing "MAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It starts first thing in the morning. A sweet, soft "Ma" when Benjamin's ready to get out of bed. By breakfast, it's more like a whiny moan - "Maaaaaaa". And when he asks for candy, and I tell him, "No, we don't eat candy for breakfast. How about a waffle?" then, a shrill, full-lunged "MAAAAMAAAAMAAAAA." Followed by an all-out tantrum. Around this time, I'm ready for Benjy to go back to bed. For the day.

It must be so difficult to be 2. To want what you don't need - candy, scissors, cake, TV, And not to be able to communicate these desires to the grown-ups who are perfectly capable of providing them. I believe Benjy is all too aware of the power of his "Ma". He knows he can charm me with his first "ma" of the morning. He knows his screamy "ma" grates on my very last nerve. He also knows that at some point in the day, enough "Ma's" will buy him 30 minutes in front of the TV. Yes, I'm a bad mom.

Still, no matter how many times I hear and even endure Benjy's various forms of "Ma", no matter how many times I answer back with "Benjamin" and we get involved in a never-ending cycle of back and forth, no matter how many times I dream of putting him to bed at 9 a.m., well, I have to admit that just hearing a single solitary "Ma" from Benjy is special. Yes, Benjamin, I am proud and blessed to be your Ma. And, I'll always answer to you. :)