Category Archives: Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen: Stuff hitting the fan

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In the interest of s*&^ hitting the fan:

  1. Bugaboo has been having nasty seizures. I hate watching it. I cannot do anything about it. The Neuro is working on a course of action.
  2. Darling gets super depressed this time of year. He didn’t just have a crappy childhood. He had the kind of childhood where his parents were divorced several times, he and his sister were sent to live with Grandma and he didn’t see his father for months and years at a time. He tries to make it special for the kids but I can see he is hurting.
  3. I cut my fingers with knives this weekend. Not once, not twice, but THRICE. Twice just from reaching into a drawer.
  4. I listed stuff on eBay. Which is great except that 3/4 of the items (yes, I sold three out of four) sold three hours after I listed them. Which means I gotta send it out. Now.
  5. I can see dust and dog hair piling up in corners and on baseboards. It is making me crazy. If I had enough time to cook dinner and do laundry I’d do something about it. I may do something about it today and say the heck with the clothes, they can wear dirty ones.
  6. The dog got out this morning. Darling did not pack lunches last night when I was at choir practice so they did not get done. I had to do them this morning and was running late and rushing around so Bugaboo decided (while he was looking out the front door for his bus) that since the dog was so eager to get out he’d help her out. She did not come back for nearly a half and hour and she NEVER runs away, just visits the doggie across the street. It turns out that she ran to the next block because she was spooked by the bus and there was a dog barking at her in the second yard in (who was chained, but she didn’t know it) and she was corned, cowering. Never mind she is twice the size of the offending dog. She is 80 lbs and afraid of her own shadow. And her name is Shadow. Go figure.
  7. Bug Boy got invited to the party of the kid he likes the most. He rarely gets invited to things since it is difficult to make friends. The party is taking place the day after Christmas (the kid’s birthday) and we will be away visiting relatives. I am going to try to set up another playdate.
  8. I have barely made it to the gym. I am hoping to make it today. If I don’t I may turn into a blob of potato.
  9. I had to nuke my tea THREE TIMES PEOPLE!!!! ACK!
  10. There was a mix up at Bug Boy’s school. I am homeroom mom (remind me in September NOT to volunteer again) and I had to send out a letter for the gingerbread house building that invited all parents to the festivities. Then the Principal sent out a letter saying that they couldn’t accommodate all parents and would only accept a few volunteers. Then I got calls from seven confused parents in one afternoon. Then I had to write a note and e-mail to the teacher asking what the heck is going on because I already invited all the parents. She finally got back to me and said that they could come, just no unruly toddlers, since it is a messy project and there weren’t any extra supplies. So no Bugaboo. Thank goodness they moved it from the day he originally had off to a day when he has school.
  11. I forgot several things on my weekly shopping trip and now have to go out and get a few things today. It is a good thing I am going to the post office to stand in line for hours today or else I don’t know what I am going to do with my time.
  12. The Credit Card Company was kind enough to send out bill this week. Darling opened it. He freaked out accordingly. He is starting all the talk about a stricter budget, I spend too much(on food! Never mind the fact that I have holes in my underwear and socks and I buy half my clothes at Goodwill!), yadda, yadda, yadda. That night he did the bills and then started asking me if he should buy a Camry or an Accord and should we test drive one this weekend.’Cause you know, we can afford $400 a month car payment. And we can’t buy food.
  13. Bug Boy has a birthday party this weekend with a nice boy whose parents are in total denial about his issues. They think he has a minor delay and some social issues. The kid is the poster child for Asperger’s syndrome. He spent three hours at Bug Boy’s party telling me all about Prehistoric animals and dinosaurs and was delighted I had elephants in the house because he really like Woolly Mammoths, and did I know that Mammoths are the ancestors of the modern-day elephant? That that Woolly Mammoths lived in the ____ period (I forgot which one he said) and that the dinosaurs lived in the _____ period (forgot again)? Then he spent the whole party playing with one dinosaur toy, didn’t join in at all and didn’t play with any other kids. Oh, and someone at Bug Boy’s party asked which kids had PDD/Asperger’s and which didn’t and I laughed and looked around and said, “They all have PDD.” I realized that in my quest to get Bug Boy normal friends, I overlooked the fact that he is most comfy around kids like himself. What IS normal, anyway?

I’m just tired today. Please disregard everything you just read. Thanks, The Management.

Thirteen things that I have on my mind today

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  1. How can we get Bugaboo to change his eating habits? He is getting calories and protein, and apparently enough fat. But he is low in iron, folate, B vitamins, you name it. Hmmm…
  2. I gotta pack so we can go on our little romantic getaway this weekend.
  3. My incredible sisters are bending over backwards to help out with Bugaboo this weekend so that he could stay in his own home and be comfy and not get totally thrown off. They know how much I need it and I am in tears thinking about how awesome they are!
  4. Bugaboo is gone for eight hours a day and I miss him sooooo much. It is killing me, but I know he is getting what he needs.
  5. Bug Boy is doing great in Kindergarten and is so much happier than he has been in the past! His anxiety is decreasing and he is more assertive. Now, if only we can work on the control freak issues.
  6. I want to clean up a little in here so my sisters have clean sheets and a clean toilet.
  7. Bugaboo has to have a gastric emptying scan and they said he has to drink/bring milk. He doesn’t drink it. He hates it. So how do we get this test done? Can I teach him to drink milk?
  8. Darling’s car is going. As in, breaking down slowly. Do we dump $1,000 into a $3,000 car or purchase a new/newer one? We dont‘ want a car payment, we are finally comfortable with our finances and are living within our means. Adding a payment would make things much tighter.
  9. I haven’t been to the gym in ten days, and it shows. I feel sluggish and my tummy feels yucky. I am trying to keep up with it around here, but we’ve had so many doctor’s appts the past few weeks. Grrr…
  10. Now that Bugaboo is in school so much I should have more time to do things around here, right? So why am I still scrambling? Sounds like I need to revamp routines so I can get in what I need to. Right now I am kinda making it up as I go along. And the floors are filthy, even though the rest of the house is straightened up fairly well.
  11. I am finding that I am becoming more and more of an introvert, if that is possible. For the first time in my life I am PREFERRING to spend time with myself, rather than fill it with friends, tv, etc. I actually take myself out to breakfast and lunch once in a while, and just sit and eat and ponder. It feels great. And, I like it quiet in my house now. I used to HATE silence. I still miss my kids terribly but I am learning to enjoy the solitude. It does NOT last long and I can get so much done in those hours.
  12. I know that I will not have any more children but it still hurts. I should be happy that I am fortunate enough to have these two rays of sunshine, yet I find myself wishing I could have that third baby. The one I always dreamed would complete my family. I am happy, don’t get me wrong. But if there is some way I could go back and fix what went wrong with both labors so that I don’t bleed nearly to death, I would. You know, ’cause bleeding to death in childbirth is bad and all.
  13. I have the support of my friends and family. I have friends that are doing what I do, with special needs children and without, without any help from grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. They have themselves for support and that is it. I cannot imagine having to raise my children without the support I have. I cannot even believe that people raise children like Bugaboo as a single parent. It is difficult enough with a dedicated husband and close family. I am one lucky momma.

Thirteen things about Marj’s Day

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  1. SIL is here with her son and we are having a nice visit.
  2. We are supposed to be away on vacation right now, but due to Bugaboo’s current medical issues we did not feel it was a good time for us to go.
  3. We spent the week being lazy and sleeping late but got more housework done in two days then I usually get done all month. Having Darling home is good, in some ways. He takes over with the kids when I need to, I get naps and they love having him home.
  4. It was a great day to take the kids to a local farm/orchard where they have a phat playground. It wasn’t busy, it wasn’t hot and the kids had a blast. We were there for two hours.
  5. We had a nice lunch at Panera’s. All three kids were ready to fall asleep at lunch.
  6. Only one kid slept when we got home. Not my kids.
  7. I mad a kick-ass, though easy, dinner tonight. MIL came over and she was in good form and was helpful with the kids. We had grilled pork tenderloin, fried green tomatoes, salad caprese and grilled pineapple. It rocked!
  8. After dinner we took a family walk with everyone, including the dog. It was a beautiful walk! We even had to wear jackets!
  9. When we finished our walk we got the kids ready for bed, they really didn’t fight it much. Darling built a fire outside and Darling, SIL and myself had some wine and talked for a few hours.
  10. I stink of Eau de Campfire.
  11. SIL might rush home tomorrow ahead of the storm.
  12. We are trying to talk SIL into staying an extra day or two, no reason to drive home in the rain to try to beat the storm home.
  13. I don’t want to go to bed right now because it is so quiet!

I am hormonal. Having my normal nephew here is difficult. He is chatty, a charmer, generally pleasant and cute. He also eats. I can’t help but watch Bugaboo and cringe. At the playground it was tough, too. Bugaboo did his normal circle (he finds a loop, like up the ramp, down the slide, around the back and back up the ramp, and does it over and over) for the whole two hours. At panera he stared at the ceiling fan and stimmed on the stroller with his feet. And Bug Boy’s anxiety about school next week is making it loads of fun here. And my in-laws, and most other people, don’t think there is anything “wrong” with him since he seems so normal. They have no idea.

Gotta stop feeling sorry for myself. This is my life. I can handle it, I can do it. I have been doing it. Don’t compare to others. Keep finding more moms and dads with kids with ASDs to hang with. And find some time to see my friends. THAT is killing me. I need some girl time, badly.

Five days a week Sept 11. Can’t wait, but I know I’ll miss them both!

Thursday Thirteen

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Things I want to get done around the house!

  1. Clean up around the yard – many miscellaneous things just hanging around that need to be put away or decluttered.
  2. Cut back bushes that have taken over the yard
  3. trim back the rose bush that has gone to town on the side of the yard
  4. Hack the ugly bushes in front of the porch and get rid of ‘em!
  5. Pull out mulch, put dirt in flower beds and re-mulch with brown instead of red (next year, methinks)
  6. Paint front door and shutters
  7. Take down makeshift railing from previous owners and replace with a nicer one
  8. Create new flower beds near corner of yard in front (around street sign), on kitchen side of house when you first walk into yard (outside of picture window, so I can watch the birds and butterflies) and on deck side of rear yard in corner where Lake Erie begins to form (to minimize the yard flooding)
  9. Get rid of rock pile on side of house from when part of retaining wall was removed. Talk to the neighbor who wants the rocks and ask him to get them!
  10. Remove small tree in side yard that is NOT doing well and is not growing. Is diseased and a type of tree we don’t want in back yard.
  11. Plant another tree on “old pool” side of backyard, away from sewer line (we’d like a copper beech or Sugar Maple, like our old house)
  12. Call and get mulch prices and have them deliver play mulch for around swingset so that the sand stops getting tracked into the house!!!
  13. Start harassing DH about deck plans, we have to rip down our structurally unsafe deck and want to replace it with a two-level deck, with the steps coming down towards the garage instead of the street. We have to call Uncle Pete in on this one!

Thirteen Reasons Marj Maintains a Blog

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  1. All of the other kids do it.
  2. It is a geeky thing to do, and geek is chic!
  3. I find it therapeutic, almost like keeping a diary.
  4. It gives me a creative outlet.
  5. Blogging is a nice distraction from what is going on around me. Which is ALOT.
  6. I feel empowered to be able to tell my story in my own words.
  7. So that my IRL friends can keep up with my inner-most thoughts when they can’t see me, and so I don’t have to post it all on flying-in-PA-Delco.
  8. I like ‘puters and this is just another way to sit in front of one.
  9. I am hoping to be discovered and become a famous Hollywood Writer.
  10. I am trying to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
  11. It is good practice for playing the piano. The more I type, the better fine-motor coordination I develop, the better I can play more difficult pieces.
  12. I am hoping someone Googles “Baby Ax Murder Bug collection Autism” and finds my site.
  13. Tens of people are counting on me for inspiration and entertainment and therefore read my blog with an avid desire.

Thursday Thirteen

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Thirteen things I want to accomplish when the kids are at camp this summer!
9-2! EVERYDAY! WOOHOO!
  1. apply joint compound and sand (several times)
  2. paint Halls, LR, DR and Kitchen
  3. declutter my house
  4. get the last of the boxes out of the attic and go through them!
  5. Gardening
  6. Work out!
  7. Paint Bugaboo’s room
  8. Make curtains for Bug Boy’s room
  9. Go out to breakfast with a friend I rarely see
  10. Play the piano without interruption
  11. Learn to photoshop
  12. Go through the toys in the playroom and purge
  13. Listen to the silence

They won’t be gone all summer, just six weeks. Bugaboo has school in between (he goes year-round). But still, it will be nice! And, the best part is that the camp is F-R-E-E! Covered under the mental health portion of their insurance and is part of their wrap-around services for autism services. So, sometimes the system works in our favor. Sometimes…