School: a thorn in my side...ok, two thorns!

Update on home invasion: the 25 yr old man that came into our house and terrorized us is now in prison. He was offered a plea bargain and he took it. He will serve 2 years in prison, 3 years of parole, yada yada. He has to pay restitution and if he slips up at all in the next 5 years he will serve 4.5 more years in prison. Knowing justice has somewhat been served DOES NOT make anything better. I still have anxiety from hell and think that if something like that ever happens again, I may adopt the idea of shoot first and ask questions later. That being said, onto other things...


Ok, so school, both mine and my kids, are thorns in my side. It's like I just can't catch a break. I have a big test in anatomy and physiology this Tuesday and am terrified! But that is less than my issues with my kids' school. 

A&J are in separate classes. J, my son, has a wonderful teacher who is really doing wonders with him. She has put these great measures in place to keep him from breaking down. Then there is A's teacher. I really don't know what to do anymore. In A's IEP meeting it was amended so that we will get a report on her behavior everyday. We want to make sure that her ADHD is being handled well. Well, it seems that the teacher still doesn't give a crap! She sent home a message that said A Good Day. Really? Seriously? The IEP states that I am supposed to get a morning report and an afternoon report. Can I legally slap this teacher?? I am so frustrated. I think next week the principal and I are going to have to have a little chitty chat about his old school teacher and the fact that she needs to retire if she isn't going to give a crap about her students. She has outlived her usefulness as a teacher. I don't care if my daughter is learning to read and none of this teacher's students leave kindergarten without being able to read. My daughter has an IEP and it needs to be followed!!! There is a reason that she has one! Why couldn't A. have had the other teacher?? Maybe we should try to switch districts. That may be a better option. They miss their old school anyways! Then I'll just complain to the board of ed about "Ms. I know better than the parents". This woman has me fired up! My daughter is slipping through the cracks and it seems that I am the only one who really cares! Anyone else out there have similar problems? I need advice...

Long time...

Blue is soothing...and I need blue today...preferably in the form of a beautiful ocean. But back to my reality! It's been a while, and things have been crazy. I have school, the kids are in kindergarten, my husband works non-stop it seems, and I take care of literally everything...it's getting old. Anyways, today I went to parent teacher conferences for our kids. Our son is doing great. They call him exceptional. He is incredibly intelligent. He still has some melt downs in class, but they have put measures in place to keep him from breaking down. He needs a strict schedule or he flips out kinda. So they are doing well with him and they think he is adjusting well! Then there is our daughter, who in the space of 24 hours pulled two of her own teeth. Busy tooth fairy in our area. Our daughter isn't doing well in school. Her and her brother have separate teachers and the teachers do things very differently. Our daughter's teacher seems to think that she doesn't need to give our daughter the extra help and attention. The aid in my son's class helps him stay focused. Our daughter's aid apparently sits on her thumbs. When Audrey gets up and wanders off into her own little world, the teacher and the aid aren't helping. They are complaining to me that she is "severe" (which they have NO AUTHORITY to determine) and won't focus. She won't answer the questions she is asked. She renamed herself (like over a year ago, hello), and she is a fairy princess in a make believe world (sometimes her world seems more fun and better than reality, I'd want to stay there too.) So why is it my job to fix these things?? I take the kids to a great institute, I do my best at home to teach them (and yes, she is more unfocused and has difficulty listening and understanding), but if I am supposed to be the one to teach my children and everyone else give up I might as well home school her!!! I mean, seriously! The teacher acted like teaching my daughter or trying to get her to focus was too much of a chore! I really just wanted to slap her. That was my thought. I think we are just gonna try and get the kids on SSI and then save it for private school. And in the meantime I am gonna try and get our daughter on ADHD medication. Maybe that will help. I sure hope it does. I REFUSE TO LET THEM HOLD MY CHILD BACK!! She is a bright, fun, passionate little girl. She has the ability to learn and she loves to play and pretend and draw and create! She's my little Picasso. I just wonder sometimes if these older teachers just need to be sacked and bring in the newer teachers. My son has a young teacher, and my daughter an old teacher. It really bothers me. Anyone have any other suggestions? My husband even thought that maybe we should switch school districts...Oh, and we have court next week for the home invasion. The guy is in jail and now just awaiting trial. I am nervous as heck! Well, gotta run, I have a house to clean, groceries to buy, and hair to pull out...Oh, did I type that last one out loud ;)

Update on home invasion

According to a neighbor, who heard it from a guy at a local liquor store who supposedly knows the guy, they tried to take the guy who broke into our house out of the medically induced coma and he went crazy again. This supposedly happened twice. Apparently he was acting the same way he did when he broke in. So his brain may be permanently fried. The "liquor store informant" also said that they had to keep him on a breathing tube because of the damage to his trachea sustained by the choking my husband gave him. That's crap. He has to be on a breathing tube because they have him in a medically induced coma, stupid idiots. I have mixed emotions on this whole thing...if he dies: there will be no trial and no testifying in court for me and my husband. If he lives, he will be tried, we will have to testify, and there is no guarantee that he will ever be safe to let out into society again. Anyone have any advice for me? I'm conflicted. 


My husband is still my hero...forever and always! Thank you God for bringing him to me eight years ago. 

Home Invasion

I haven't blogged in a while so I wanted to give an update. It's a really busy time here in our household. My husband's classes ended just as mine began. I have been taking the prerequisite classes for nursing. Specifically Anatomy and Physiology. It's a rough class for a summer course, but I am doing well, Thank God! And then we had THE incident. Last sunday, June 10th at around 9pm we had a home invasion. Some guy whacked out on Bath Salts broke into our home while we were watching TV. Luckily the kids slept straight through everything, the alarm going off, my husband subduing the man (thank God my husband was home and is trained in self defense), and even the police and all the ruckus that ensued. It was a traumatic and terrifying experience. We are all ok, although it was something that I wouldn't wish on anyone. My husband used a rear naked choke on the man and got him unconscious. The man is still to the best of my knowledge in ICU. He may never come out to be charged. That is basically it in a nutshell, and that is all for now. 

My husband's in the army, I have to be fit too! ee

OK, so here is my health and wellness blog:


My husband does PT almost every morning, and sometimes in the afternoons too. He is pretty fit and can run (I envy this, as I am still a running novice). So I decided that being a stereotype (the fat wife of a soldier) was overrated and it was time to take care of myself. Hey, don't get mad at me for saying what everyone else thinks about army wives. There is a stereotype and the only way to fix it is to fight it :)  


So I started with Zumba (so much fun) and started eating better, not the best, but better. I was counting calories and using the MyFitnessPal app for iPhone (which I still use). I also threw in some extra cardio with the elliptical trainer. I started shedding pounds. Then, I decided to get a personal trainer. She is currently kicking my butt with killer moves and teaching me a good way to eat. I have semi successfully cut out processed foods (like special K bars and such), added about 50 extra grams of protein per day, and have cut out wheat and most other grain carbs. I still eat rice on occasion and corn meal made things (sorry, but corn chips are great), but for the most part, if the carbs don't come from veggies and fruit, I don't eat much of it. 


This way of eating works. My proof is because I took a break from eating this way and felt horrible and had little to no energy or motivation and even got down right depressed. So, grain carbs are mostly bad and you can never ever get me to say otherwise again. WHEAT IS HORRIBLE!


Sample die for one day:


Breakfast at 8:30am- 1 large egg and two or three egg whites, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 sliced kiwi


Snack 1 at 11:30am- chobani (Greek) strawberry yogurt cup, 1 piece of fruit


Lunch at 1:30pm- 6 COOKED oz (8 oz uncooked) boneless skinless chicken breast, 1/2 cup rice, and a serving of salsa


Snack 2 at 4:00pm- 2 kiwi or 1 small banana, 1 oz of 2% cheese


Dinner at 6:30pm- 4-6 oz lean protein (6 oz if lean like fish or turkey breast, 4 oz if lean beef, like filet Mignon), greater than 1 cup (I eat two cups) of steamed veggies or salad veggies. 


Done right, this works out to about 1365 calories a day. I try to do this no matter what I burn. Sometimes I do a protein shake in place of a snack or breakfast, although people who consume eggs for breakfast tend to eat less calories throughout the day, according to some research I heard somewhere. I believe it though. But for dinner you could do 4 oz of protein and a bowl of homemade veggie soup. Also, Trainer Bob from the biggest loser tweeted that there should be NO CARBS after LUNCH. I take this to mean grains since the carb count in most fruits and veggies are nominal. 


OK, so here is the next portion of my blog: exercise. The dreaded exercise. Let me tell y'all something: I have more energy now then when I wasn't exercising. Yes, part of it is the 25 lbs gone, but my husband told me, "A body in motion tends to stay in motion." Yes, it takes a while to get into it, but once you do, you will be glad you did! So, I started off with a bang: Zumba and/or Hip Hop Hustle 3 to 5 times a week, elliptical 3 times a week, P90X when I could. Now, I am trying to do cardio everyday, whether long or short, with one easy day, and strength/circuit training 3 to five times a week. I have been running and can proudly say that I can now run a mile without stopping. It still sucks, but I can do it. My husband wants me to do a tough mudder with him this fall, and I need to endurance training that the circuit work gives. If you want a good circuit training workout go to www.toughmudder.com and click on training. Don't worry about taking the quiz, just click on go to training. It is in PDF form and it will kick your butt if you do it right. Start out with two circuits and build up to five. It is designed to get your body into shape for a tough mudder, which is approximately 12 miles and 25 obstacles long, and you have to sign a death waiver. Talk about brutal. Looks fun though. 


The best thing I can tell you is to start walking or running or taking a class that gets you moving your own body weight. A stationary bike or elliptical won't do that, and moving your body weight gets your respiratory system working a lot harder than the others. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Why? It is easier to workout when you can haul your own weight. I am sure there are more important reasons that I am overlooking, like better lung capacity and your body using oxygen more efficiently. But I don't know the whole physiological story behind it. Also, if you start out moving your own body weight it gives you a great advantage. I almost got discouraged when I started running because it was so difficult. Heck, it still is, but it gets easier every time. 


OK, so I am not gonna touch on herbs and supplements today, but watch for that one. ONE THING: Don't use stimulants except caffeine and only in small amounts. Don't be stupid. There have been some recent deaths in the military due to products like Jack3d and OxyElite Pro. So be wary of products claiming to get you ripped, jacked, and MAKE you lose weight and burn fat. There is no safe magic pill or beverage. BE SMART and DON'T FALL for gimmicks. 


And that's really all for the day. Have fun and go get your sweat on!

MRI, Kennedy Krieger

Ok, so this is a shorter post because I am gonna do another one later on health, wellness, and herbs. 


So, here's where we are: MRI. My MRI was negative for tumors and vascular issues. It was positive for an abnormality in the nerve sheath over my left frontal lobe. What does this mean? Who the heck knows. I have been instructed to not worry about it at this moment and we will check into it again way later unless I start having neurological symptoms. So, if you know me, you know I called my dad straight away and started asking questions. My father, a retired DO (Osteopathic Physician for those who don't know), told me that it could mean almost anything. I could have just been born that way. We don't have any previous MRI to reference, so who knows. Also, there are a number of rare neurological diseases that can cause a thinning of the nerve sheath, but usually this is all over the brain, not just in one particular spot. Also, it could have happened when I was in my car accident back in 2002, or the one in 2004 (I was a careless driver before those accidents, and I learned my lessons well!) The accident may have caused trauma to the brain in that area and therefore caused the thinning of the nerve sheath. Who knows. So we will just have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. But hey, no tumors in my head, right?!! Yippee! Ok, so now onto the kids.


We had their 6 month appointment with Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore. The doctor, a neurologist, was pleased with their progress, told me not to worry about the stupid IQ numbers, and gave us information as to what to do with our concerns. We are going to look into behavioral therapy to address some of the issues that the kids have and look into occupational therapy for the displaced aggression that our daughter has. My husband went with me and was like, "Why did we come all this way and what did this accomplish?" True it wasn't inspirational or anything, but we did get some new info and some of my anxiety was lessened. So it was a good visit all in all. Plus, the staff there is so wonderful and they don't look at me like I am a terrible mom. To them, I am normal...whatever that is :)

Stressed out

So it has been a while. And I have been stressed beyond my max. Since we are recruiting and not in the "real army" I don't have quite the support net that I would like, so my blog is going to have to do for right now. I have been dealing with all kids of stuff: health problems (me), behavior problems (kids), work issues (my husband working freaking over time all the time), not having enough time to get stuff done, working hard toward my weight loss goal only to have injuries, and dealing with my own head (both literally and figuratively). I get the results of my MRI today. Also, I have been having such bad anxiety issues that it really is starting to impact my quality of life. And I am getting attacks from the smallest of stressers. Meds make me feel crappy and listless, so I am now trying herbal supplements. The passion flower seems to be working the most.

I have really lost sight of myself and my goals for life. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, but it has been really difficult. The kids went through assessments at school, both academic and cognitive. Blessing: they will now be including into a regular classroom for kindergarten. Problem: the test gave us IQs. The numbers weren't what I had hoped, but what I had suspected. This is a huge stresser for me. I should be thinking of the positive things about our meeting with the teachers: the kids will be going to normal kindergarten, we reached our number one goal! The kids have made leaps and bounds developmentally! I should be jumping for joy! But no...I am having anxiety attacks over a number that will change when they retest in three years. What is wrong with me?!! (Totally rhetorical. Last thing I need is for people to start posting what's wrong with me, lol.) Actually, I have GAD. Generalized anxiety disorder. Look it up and my picture just might be under the definition.

My kids behavior at school is pretty good. At home: not so much. They don't want to listen. And when I take away toys they throw temper tantrums and still won't listen. You know what the doctor told me: find parenting classes. Lol, I really wanted to punch him, just for a second. Then I realized he doesn't have children with disability. I am waiting to see what the doctor at Kennedy Krieger has to say and what resources they share. As for now, we are going to keep doing positive reinforcement and possibly a strict afternoon schedule. That way we can cut down on some of the chaos.

I do need a support system though. I need a mentor. Someone who has been there and done that in the world of Autism. I don't need a book. I don't need a therapist (although I am sure some would disagree). I need a real person, another mother of an autistic child who has gone through all this and made it out the other side.

It seems impossible to keep a positive attitude. I really do look at everything negatively. I mean, my MRI was just to rule out the worst since I haven't had a scan done for my migraines since I was five. But all I can think about is, "I might have a tumor and die..." Seriously. I actually had problems getting to sleep last night because I was so stressed out that I had heart burn and heart palpitations. Something has got to give! (I will let everyone know how the MRI turns out.)

So I am now working on writing down everything: my goals, my priorities, my stressers, and what makes me happy. I am gonna take those lists and make a schedule for my day and work on fixing what needs fixing and letting go of the things I can't control. I am going to change my way of thinking...with God's help and many prayers, I am sure, but I am going to do it. It may take the rest of my life to get everything under control, but at least I will be working on it. And I am going to take time out everyday for me to relax and meditate! But not yoga. I actually stress more when I try to do yoga, lol. And once my shin splints heal I am going to start running with a friend of mine. She is a super runner and a total sweetheart. I know she will be a prayer warrior for me, and a positive role model.

If you want to help and want to be a sounding board for me then tweet me @Tiger215. Please :) I need all the help I can receive!

army wife + autism spectrum children=crazy unfair life

I have never experienced so much rage, hatred, and complete frustration as I have when dealing with Tricare, doctors, and doing it while being Tricare Prime Remote. Drs won't take my case because it is an insurance covered case even though I have a referral. I can't believe how money hungry our drs and surgeons have become. It makes me sick. So while I am juggling two kids with ASDs and all the end of the school year crap that is going on, I am spending hours on the phone with Tricare, Drs for me and the kids, trying to keep the ship afloat while my husband does army crap including his recruiting duties AND the Sergeant Audie Murphy Board crap, which also includes the fact that I won't see him or get any help or respite for two weeks. Sometimes I would like to tell the army to kiss my @$$.

I have rearranged my life and my schedule so my parents could come up for my birthday just to be told that they may not be coming now. I am tired, frustrated, discouraged, and ready to go postal on someone. I have no friends here because I got pissed at one of them because I was being used and abused. (I am too nice and too generous.) So I guess they really weren't my friends. I can't wait for my husband to get back to the real army so we can live near other army people who at least know a little about what I am going through. The rest can kiss my arse.

Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot,
Over.

PS: You army wives should get that one ;)

Still trying to keep the ship afloat.

So, we are still trying to get our daughter to sleep in her own bed. This is so difficult at this point. I did some short research on the net and found a couple of article that seemed to say the same thing: Don't talk to the child when they get out of their bed and promptly usher them back into their own bed. Well, this has led to much crying on our daughter's part, and little sleep on ours. Not to mention I am trying to hit the gym every day. It is difficult to stay active when you don't have much sleep. I am considering stock in 5 hour energy and red bull. I need sleep. :(


Oh, and anyone that has ideas for my birthday celebration of 31 random acts of kindness send them in! 


Oh, and I have a bone to pick: a friend of mine told me that her friend is receiving government assistance because she is pregnant and she lied on her application. She makes $50 an hour as a RN, drives a luxury car, and has a house that is worth approximately $250,000. She gets WIC, food stamps, and free health care. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is a piece of white trash. I could throw all kinds of dirt out there about her, but I am going to be mature, lol, for once.

what's wrong with society?!!!!!!!!

Ok, so this is obviously a rhetorical question, but I am so gonna dish on my feelings. So, everyone is up in a tizzy about the dad who shot his daughter's computer with a .45 caliber with hollow point rounds. Number one, all you gun haters, stick a sock in it. You are being unconstitutional! Number two: WE ARE NOT RAISING OUR CHILDREN RIGHT IN THIS COUNTRY! When a country tells its teachers that they can't kick a child out of a classroom or send him to the principal for misbehaving, we have a problem. When the government steps in and says we can't discipline our children and tell us how NOT to raise our kids, we have a problem. Let me tell you something. I would have been back handed by both of my parents if I would have said what that 15 year old said, much less put it on the internet or, in my case, it would have been the newspaper. Needless to say, I respected my parents more, was scared do death of ticking them off or WORSE disappointing them. I grew up with old fashioned Christian values and I must say, I think I turned out okay. My brother is raising his kids with old fashioned Christian values and DEMANDS respect, and he has two GREAT kids. I have two 4 year olds that already say "please", "Thank you", and "Excuse me". This country is going to hell in a hand basket because too many people aren't raising their kids right. We have teenage hoodlums that curse, get pregnant, and terrorize neighborhoods because parents don't care. If you aren't willing to put in the time and effort it takes to raise a child that will be an asset to society then practice birth control and don't contribute to the population. I am just saying. Condoms aren't that expensive and you can get free pills from the health department. Or better yet, keep your legs together or snake in your pants. Too many idiots are breeding. 

My birthday plans: Yes I know my birthday is a couple months away!

This year, I have decided to do something new for my birthday. While this is not an original idea (I saw a blog about this woman who did this), it is a fabulous idea for any special occasion. In April I will turn 31. This is going to be year one of my new tradition. I am going to take my birthday and turn it into my random acts of kindness day. This year I will do 31 random acts of kindness. I would like to invite others to participate with me. I plan on taking my kids (God Help me please!) along for the ride. While others want cake and icecream and presents, I want to do something one of a kind and beneficial to the heart, soul, and someone else. So, on April 15th, please join me in my birthday celebration of 31 random acts of kindness. I will post pictures and/or descriptions of the experience. I will also be planning out the random acts of kindness ahead of time, so I am not floundering to find something else to do! Thanks for taking part if you choose to do so!!!!!

feeling good

I have gotten more accomplished this week than I have in a long time, and I have a cold. I have started a workout regiment that has given me more energy and is making me feel a lot better. I go to the gym about 5 times a week and do 45-50 min of elliptical. I do abdominal exercises 6 times a week using the lolo  easy abs app for iphone. It is wonderful! I also use the My Fitness Pal app and it helps keep track of how many calories I eat and burn. It is great. In fact, I have about 50% less back pain since I have been exercising and eating better. Sweet! 

My kids are doing ok. We can't seem to get our daughter to stay out of our bed. She wants to sleep with me and it doesn't matter how many times I put her back in her own bed, she still ends up in our bed. My husband ends up on the floor. *sigh* Any suggestions out there? My twitter Autism peeps: any ideas? Let me know. Oh, and if you want to follow me on twitter: @Tiger215 . But be warned, I have to approve my followers. 

My husband and I are going to a resort next week for our 7 year anniversary! Excited! To say the least! It will be our first trip without the kids in a very long time! 

Hmm, what else? Oh, I want to set up a little school area in our house for our kids. They don't go to school everyday, but I want to keep them on the school time schedule when they are at home. Any ideas? Should I get little desks? Or a single table for them? Should I get actual home schooling books? Or should I wing it? What does everyone else do for their ASD children who need the structure? It's time I jumped on the structure bandwagon!

Peace, love and God Bless to all!

Blog time!

Gonna try to make this as short as possible. These past few days have been hell on earth. Two kids with PDD-NOS and a stomach virus is about as bad as it has ever been! Kids puking until they are left with no energy to even move and then begging for you to make them feel better while they have their heads bent over a trash can will make even the strongest person have tears in their eyes. My husband and I didn't puke, but we felt like we were gonna be sick. It was the weirdest virus we ever had. I am still not feeling the best. But today has been about nothing but cleaning...ok, and a quick blog. There is so much to do after a stomach virus. Toys to sanitize, bedding to clean, pillows to clean, surfaces to sanitize. I should by stock in Lysol. LOL. 

I think the hardest part of this experience, other than seeing my kids sick and in pain, was realizing that they didn't understand why this was happening. My son was more understanding, but my daughter, she just didn't get that mommy and daddy couldn't make the sickness go away. We could just be there and talk her through it and love on her. She didn't understand that she couldn't chug juice or she would most certainly puke again. She wanted more and it was heart wrenching when she said please and started to cry, but we couldn't give it to her. Tugs on the heart string, that does. 

Anyways, the dryer just went off. Got more laundry to fold.

Breaking News...And It's Not GOOD!!!

So we have an important issue on our hands. Right now "The definition is now being reassessed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association," Please read the article I have provided. I want to start a movement against this. Wow, I am so mad I am having a hard time putting my words together. I mean, think about it. They want to drop the number of cases of ASD. NOT FIX THE PROBLEM! 1 in 100 children are being diagnosed. Narrow the definition and those children's problems don't go away, they just get swept under the rug. HELP ME STOP THIS! Will your children qualify for special education and specialists when they narrow the definition? Mine might not. Which means they will go into regular classrooms all the time. Be kicked out of school for misbehavior, picked on by "normal" kids. We need to keep these idiots from taking away our children's future. The key to a normal life is early intervention. What if 50% of cases never got early intervention? Come on, we all have to band together and do something. Our children's futures are at stake! Read the article, contact me through twitter @Tiger215. I am gonna sit down and figure out a preliminary game plan on who to contact and all that and will post stuff here. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/health/research/new-autism-definition-would-exclude-many-study-suggests.html

sleep deprived, yet happy

I went to visit my parents this weekend. My kids are doing the same on sleep. My daughter got up at 4am one morning and was up for the day. I am fortunate that I have a father that sleeps only 5 hours a night, so he got up with her. My daughter tends to do this though. Last night she slept pretty much all night, except for when she got in bed with me. I think she sometimes sleep walks. Anyways, I ended up in her bed. I wish I could bottle my kids energy and sell it. I would be a billionaire! Oh, well. Guess we will just have to live like other citizens, lol. If I was a billionaire I would still be middle class because I would give it all away. I really would.


So, my husband and I are gonna take a trip for our anniversary. We are going to stay a couple of nights at a wonderful little resort nestled into the West Virginia mountains. We are so excited. The place is beautiful. I have driven past the place many times since childhood even. My father went to medical school near the resort and I am familiar with its surroundings. It has gorgeous rooms, a spa, a golf course (although I don't golf), a formal dining room (yea! I get to dress up), and a casino (honing my poker skills as we speak!) The best thing: my parents can keep our kids and we will be a short drive away if we need to come back. We have never had a chance to go on a honeymoon or anything of the sort, so this will be nice. We did get to take a trip to New York once, but that was right before he left for deployment before we were even married. So this should be nice. The place is near a wonderful little colonial town with small yet wonderful little shops and antique stores. I visit there a couple times a year, but my husband has never been, and I think he will fall in love with the area. I could live there and be as happy as a lark! 


Let's see, what else...Oh, don't miss One for the Money. It comes out in theaters on January 27th. It is gonna be a hoot. 


Also, for all you people out there taking "natural" diet pills and other "natural" diet products. Be wary of what you are taking. Come to find out there are banned prescription drugs in some of them that are coming from overseas. The biggest country of production is, of course, China. Go to Dr. Oz's website and check it out. The ingredient labels are usually completely false and some have banned diet drugs in them that cause brain cancer, heart valve damage, and so on. Even high powered antibiotics were found in some. So, please check these things out before you buy those foreign miracle weight loss supplements.


Let's see. Oh, my sorority sister was voted off of The Biggest Loser. I was upset, but I have faith in her that she will win the home title. GO LAUREN LEE! WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU! SIGMA LOVE TO YOU! 


Oh, a new game I am addicted to: Scramble with Friends. It is pretty much amazing. Plus, it is free (as long as you don't mind the little ads that come up on screen.) Be warned: It is addicting. 


Well, I have cleaning to do. God Bless everyone and hope y'all have a great day!

Marines Urinating on taliban bodies

Ok, so I am gonna rant. This might be short, but I have to get this out there. WHO CARES if those marines peed on those bodies. I mean, really people. These terrorists are evil people who have decapitated and killed our soldiers. SO WHAT if they peed on some that got caught. They were dead. Treat their bodies with respect? Really? Do you think they would do the same for us? No. My husband just censored what I was going to say. Something about sheep. Anyways. My message to the marines and soldiers: don't take cameras along. That was just moronic. Just do what you do and don't take pictures or home movies for later reminiscing. I can't believe that we are going to discipline those marines. Just slap them on the wrist and let it go people. All's fair in love and WAR!!!!!!!

Memory failed me a few days ago, but here's my rant on people.

So, the other day at Walmart, I had an incident that really rattled my cages. Luckily I kept my cool. I was shopping for cat litter and walmart had moved it. So I parked my gigantic bus of a cart in the middle of the aisle near the fish. You know the carts I am talking about, they have a double seat attached to a regular cart and the thing corners like a bus. Anyways, I had parked it so the kids could see the fish but not touch anything and I walked five feet backwards to grab some cat litter. So this woman, while I am grabbing the cat litter, pushes my cart out of the way so she could get by. My daughter then spilled her chicken nuggets on the ground. I was ticked. I mean, who does that? I would NEVER shove someone's cart out of the way if there were kids in it. I almost feel like she assaulted my children. Not to mention she didn't pay for the chicken nuggets that she made my daughter spill. THEN, to make matters worse, my daughter was apologizing for dropping the nuggets, worried it was HER fault. Another lady was standing near to us and she just stood there gaping at the woman. I wanted to grab that woman by her nasty hair and slam her face into the ground (yeah, I have anger issues sometimes). The only thing I said to her (I am proud of myself) was "If you would have asked I would have moved the cart out of your way.." Ok, so it was said in a mean tone, but I could have done worse. I am just glad my husband wasn't there. He would have popped a gasket. Anyways, what are your takes on this? Send me some comments! What would you have done? Would this have made y'all mad? Am I overreacting? 

New Ideas

We have implemented a new positive reinforcement tactic to our discipline problems. We have started the "Good Jar". When our kids do something good, i.e. potty, put their dishes in the sink, clean up a mess they made, etc, we put a shiny "gem" in their jar. If they do something bad, i.e. beating up your sister, scratching your brother, not sharing, etc., then we take a gem out. When they fill up their jar they get a prize. We haven't figured out the prize yet, but I am sure it will be something like a toy. We are using the little jelly jars and those little gems that you decorate vases and floral arrangements with. Some people use them in fish tanks and wedding decorations. The kids picked out their own gem colors, we put their names on the jars with the handy little labeler I have for my organizing, and told them the rules. With our kids, we had to demonstrate very specifically, but they got the concept pretty well, I think. So far, it is working very well on our son. Our daughter doesn't seem to care as much. We are also doing a rewards chart with stars for certain important things. For example, we were having a problem with the kids staying in their own beds, so if they stay in their beds all night, then they get a star. 5 stars gets them ice cream. This works wonders for our son. Our daughter: not so much. She is only slightly interested in the stars, but definitely wants the ice cream. (Who wouldn't?!) 


Thanks to my friend Kayla for the jar idea :) 


In other news: our 7 year wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks. Yippee! We are still in the going strong category of the nuptials population. I can't wait until we go to our next duty station, though. Hopefully the stress from recruiting will take the stress off of our marriage. No, that's not right. The stress isn't necessarily on our marriage. We are totally committed and retarded (excuse the pun) for each other. It's our friendship that recruiting seems to take its toll on. But thank God we know that it is recruiting that is chipping away at our chipper demeanors. That and the stress of having two special children. 


Speaking of marriage and recruiting. We have a couple new recruiters that are married. I need to see if I can get together with their wives and let them know the deal. It will make everything a little easier on them I think. I am convinced that if you have the right mindset going into recruiting you can weather the hellacious storm that most of the time ensues. 


Not everyone has problems with recruiting. Some soldiers end up loving it and sticking with it until the end of their career. My husband, though, is in the infantry. He told me that he fantasizes about holding his M4 again. He isn't meant to do a desk job. He is a frontline kind of guy and loves it. Recruiting is just not for him. So, my husband dislikes his current job, although he does a darn good job at it (top recruiter for the company right now), and he brings home that stress. Not to mention these little high school brats call or text all hours of the day and night. Sometimes I fantasize about throwing his work phone into the toilet, or river, or dishwasher...you get my point. Anyways, that's enough on that.


Comic relief: if you don't know who Janet Evanovich is, you need to get acquainted. She is an awesome writer of romance, crime drama, etc. She is my comic relief in a world of chaos. This month, the screen version of her first Stephanie Plum book One for the Money is coming out in theater. Please read, or in my case listen, to her books. She has a new book out titled Love in a Nutshell. Great read. Plus, if you listen to her audio books, she has the best reader for most of them: Lorelei King. She is great! You will just love Janet's characters, especially Lula, lol. Oh, and Ranger *sigh*. He will make you want to go out and buy Bvlgari Green Shower Gel. Mmmm. Anyways, if you don't laugh while reading her books, then you aren't human and don't have a sense of humor. 

Weekend difficulties and revelations

After a weekend with friends, a stressful day of a non-compliant daughter, and, yes, even I cry sometimes, some tears, I have decided to finally take some action on the subject of our twins with PDD. This weekend I realized that we need help, and serious help at that. This weekend I almost hit my breaking point. I realized that my husband and I have differences of opinion as to the abilities of our children, and that we have differing opinions on how to discipline. I understand that my husband has a day job that is demanding, frustration, and mentally and physically draining, and that he expects me to be able to pick up slack and keep our ship afloat, but now it is time for a reality check. It's time for self preservation mode, and that means it's time to take action and get some education and professional help with our kids' disabilities, or I am gonna go bonkers! Our son is doing well with the way we are dealing with him, but our daughter isn't. She is defiant, and our friend, who is in education, pointed out that maybe she is ODD as well as PDD. I think I might agree. She is definitely defiant. and she is defiant on purpose. So we are gonna take action and see what we can do. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment. Share with me your stories, your ideas, your disciplinary measures, what works, what doesn't, etc. If you don't know anything to tell us but a friend has a similar situation, have them comment. We need community on this. It takes a village to raise a child, and with ours it might take a whole state! Right now I am thinking about going to our local college, who has a master's program in special ed, and asking if I can sit in on one of the special ed classes pertaining to behavior. I am also researching online about the subject of PDD and behavior. If anyone has an idea, let me know. 

OTHER THAN THAT: Our weekend with our friends was great. It was so nice to see our friends. We met this couple at Fort Hood, Texas and we had not seen them in over a year and a half. It was a great change of pace! They are the same as we remembered them...except with a new addition, their 15 month old baby, EJ. *sigh* We have missed them. Their son is a hoot and totally cute. I hope we get to visit with them again sooner rather than later! It was good to have the fellowship along with the outside perspective on our kids! Anyways, that's it in a nutshell for today!

Sleep, what's sleep

It took our daughter FOREVER to fall asleep last night, and then she woke up at least 3 times after that. There has got to be something out there that can help. I am losing sleep nightly and I have a house and kids to take care of, so mommy doesn't get to nap often. It doesn't help that my husband is an insomniac and if he does finally get to sleep, he wakes if a mouse farts. So, our daughter playing at 2am really grates on his nerves.

Not to mention: I AM THE ONE that sits with her most of the time. If she gets up, 80% of the time I am up with her. Trust me, everyone is happier if my husband gets some sleep. Especially me. He's too stressed out to ever be happy. Trust me, avoid recruiting orders if you can! It will kill a marriage if you let it. We are just looking forward and counting down until we leave. Less than a year and a half to go! Thank the Great Lord God.

Anyways, let me see. Oh, we are so excited! Our best friends from our last duty station (Fort Hood, Texas) is visiting this weekend! We haven't seen them since May of 2010. We really miss them! And they have a baby now! Well, he's one year old, but still, we haven't met the cute little booger yet! Talk about a much needed visit! She might just be as spastic as me when it comes to being an army wife. We can both get a little mouthy. :)

Well, that's all for now. I will think of something else to share later!

What it's really like to be an army wife

So, I hear that there are stereotypes about being an army wife...and I want to say something about this. I am an army wife. I am an educated woman from middle class upbringing and we don't get more money for more kids. (Yes, I have heard that one.) Let me tell you what we are: strong (ok, well most of us), plumbers, electricians, nurses, secretaries, teachers, babysitters, house cleaners, mothers, and sisters; many of these are not by trade, but by necessity. We learn to do so many things while our men are out in the field, at schools, on deployments, or doing some other training. We are the underlying support system of the army (ok, and there are some men in this category, but we don't hear too much about y'all.) Too many people think that we are nothing but blithering idiots that stay pregnant and sit on our butts and do absolutely nothing. Our job is sometimes the hardest. We don't wield guns or fight on the front lines of war, but we have to deal with bills, crying children who miss daddy and wonder why he has to be gone for so long, and generally just try and keep the ship afloat while our men are away. We have to project the outward appearance of having everything together and being cool, calm, and collected. What many don't realize is that we cry ourselves to sleep when the children are finally asleep. We hold a shirt, a teddy bear, a picture, a piece of jewelry, or dog tags close to our hearts because our soldier gave them to us, or it smells like him. Anything to remember our soldier when all we have are memories, letters, or pictures. Believe it or not, sometimes we have hard times picturing our soldier's face because we haven't seen them in 6 months, 9 months, a year. Sometimes we go to the hospital and give birth to babies that won't meet his/her father for many months to come. So tell me: how do some of you people out there who have never been in our shoes get off talking trash about army wives? I'm just sayin' that you should walk a mile in our shoes before you make assumptions. You know what they say about assuming things. 

Anyways, that's my rant for this evening. I am gonna do my best to stay off the topic of politics and religion, since my views tend to really tick people off or cause a tizzy. But this one thing just had to be addressed before I went any further. Thanks for listening to/reading my crazy ranting :) 

Introductions

Hi, I am an army wife. Not the greatest job in the army, but definitely one of the hardest. My husband is infantry with three deployments to his career, but we are on recruiting orders right now. We have a beautiful set of twins. Yes, I know. Everyone thinks their own kids are beautiful, but ours really are gorgeous. We are so in trouble when they get to high school. Also, our twins (boy-girl fraternal) have been diagnosed by a specialist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute with PDD-NOS. That stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified. It is a high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. They are very smart, very fun, VERY ACTIVE 4 year olds. They just have a couple difficulties in the developmental areas. For example, our son has difficulty with fine motor skills. He can already read and spell some, count to 10,000, and write all his numbers and many other things, but he holds the writing utensil with a fist, not with his fingers. They both learn better when there are pictures involved. My daughter also has a touch of ADHD. She has problems sleeping and we are still potty training her. She doesn't want to slow down to pee in the potty. Let me tell you something. If we could bottle her energy and sell it, we would be worth billions! Our daughter has trouble with retaining information...or it seems like it. I think she just stores it away for when SHE wants to use it. She is a redhead and SO stubborn. Everything is always on HER time. It can be very challenging. One of the things we are having the most trouble with is disciplinary actions. We are having a problem finding ways to discipline our daughter. Our son is doing great with a reward chart and time outs. Our daughter doesn't really care too much. If anyone has any good ideas, let me know. Something great about our daughter: she is so creative and has the greatest imagination ever. She never ceases to amaze us with what she comes up with in that head of hers. We have a full life of joy, and also, sometimes, frustration. Like last night, she got up at 3am and didn't fall back asleep until 5am. She wanted to play. Sometimes she doesn't fall back asleep and is up for the day. She doesn't nap, and she will be up until she goes to bed around 8:30pm. Momma needs some sleep today! LOL. We give the kids melatonin to help them get to sleep (recommended by the pediatric neurologist over benadryl) and it works great, but keeping our daughter asleep all night is definitely the biggest issue we face. I don't remember what it is like to sleep all the way through the night. *sigh* Maybe one day. As for right now, coffee is my best friend.