Happy Halloween!!!!!

Well, Halloween has arrived my friends....And I can hardly move from the party yesterday!

We had around 50 or so people and it was a blast. Considering that this was my first real "event" for Precious Stones, I was pretty happy with it. But now that morning has arrived my mind is racing with what could have been done better! I would like to take a moment and thank everyone that helped with cookies or games! That was awesome and I love you for it!

The highlight of my day was getting to know a 21 year old Autistic who had a lot of the same issues as Tobey...non-verbal, etc. I saw him sign to his caregiver that he was happy and a big boy now! He absolutely stole my heart, and why I wanted to do this from the get go! I met a lot of people that don't even attend our Church (maybe they will now!) and after talking to them, I saw just how much we had in common with concerns for our children.

Some of the things that were discussed was trying to fit in with parent's who don't understand the job of raising these wonderful kids, frustrations with the medical community, dealing with schools, what if our kids outlive us, and respite. So, I now have tons of ideas for future meetings.

One thing that broke my heart is I think that Tobey will have to go to respite when I have these events. Which just seems insane because Edwin and Tobey is the main reason that I wanted to do this! It was super hard to talk to parents, control the group and meet with all the other kids while my mind was on Tobey and doors that I couldn't keep shut. So, I think that when we have the "events" my Mommy hat will have to come off.....

The kids are ready for Halloween! Lena is dressing up as a Zombie, she said....but I will not buy her a costume because she is not going trick or treating. She will get a little surprise but I can't say what it is in case she reads the blog! Alison will be a Rebel Fairy (that is what the costume says), Edwin will be Finn from Adventure Time ( had to make that one, it looks nuts!), Olivia will be a Gothic Cheerleader, Tobey will be Jake from Adventure Time (a dog), Emily will be Tinkerbell, and Melody will be Superwoman! I will be going as a tired Mother!

So, I am off to get ready for the day! Have a great Halloween!

It's a Major Award!!!!!!

Well, here I am again my friends....and hopefully we are done having computer problems again!

Today, my Tobey Jude came home with a witch in his backpack. Would you like to know why he has a witch in his backpack? Well, Tobey Jude won it at school from the cafeteria staff for being the quietest in the lunch room. Personally, I found this so funny that Tobey being non-verbal won a contest for being quiet, I mean really, it wasn't even a fair contest! So, he is enjoying his major award!

The party for Precious Stones is tomorrow, and I am so excited. One thing that surprised me was the emails that I have gotten asking if they could come. Yes!!! You can come! I will love you and accept your children! It doesn't matter what there disability is, whether born with it or an accident happened, or how old they are....we want you to come! I can't wait to meet more of these special kids!

Besides the party, life has been especially hectic...I will give you the run down....

• Lena is horrible about wearing her glasses even though she looks adorable in them, so they have become yet another thing that I am trying to keep Tobey from breaking.
• Alison has been whining just as a pre- teen should, I do think that if Lena doesn't kill me with the teenage years...Alison will!
• Edwin does not like Tornado drills, I know this because he bit his teacher when she tried to put him in position for it. Part of me is glad that he won't let anyone mess with him. But I now have to find a card from Hallmark that says " I am sorry my Son bit you....he has had his shots!".
• Olivia is doing good, we have a lunch date planned for next week together, so she is happy!
• Tobey started a new thing of rolling his eyes into the back of his head, scared the heck out of me! It looked like a seizure thing, I am still getting it checked out....we need no more issues in that area.
• Emily is getting along famously with Edwin, she has learned to go into his "world", hopefully this does not lead to therapy!
• Melody has decided that she is a super hero, thanks to a craft at Church. I got her the costume today (Superwoman) and she will not take it off, or answer to the name Melody.

So that is all tonight. I am off to eat junk food with the kids and watch Charlie Brown, and work on the party stuff! Have a good night!

Monday.....

So, here it is Monday has struck again....I have tons to do from having too busy of a weekend, and it is looking dreary out. The kids were cranky because I sacked out and Eddie let them stay up too late.

After Edwin gets on his bus, I am making Eddie take me for a drive....I love to drive around in this weather, I also love to cook in it. On tonight's menu....Baked Ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate chip cookies....that is if the dishwasher can go to turbo drive and catch up all the dishes from the weekend.

So, in planning the Fall-o-ween party for Precious Stones, I had a few things stressing me out....one was pumpkins, no one wants to donate them and I need quite a few. Last night I got a message that a friend of a friend did very well on the BOAT (casino) that he wants to donate pumpkins....yipee!!!! Pumpkin decorating was kinda one of the big events. We were also concerned about volunteers for the event after I finally came to the conclusion that three people could not pull this off, and now I have enough! We also have managed to find a resource that will provide free childcare for our meetings and the big Christmas Party! So, things are looking good!

The move is finally feeling like it's real now...boxes are in my dining room and we decided not to do our own Thanksgiving this year just so we don't worry about putting on a huge dinner before we leave. It is bitter sweet, this house with all of it's problems ( there are lots) was still our home for 2 years. And was a roof over our head when we were virtually homeless after the fire. And even though the whole lead deal has not been pleasant, we have had some great times here... I am excited to see the difference between living in a 110 year old home, compared to a 15 year old home. Some things I will really enjoy with the new place will be a driveway, attached garage, not being by the hospital, no Notre Dame traffic, no scary neighbor (hopefully) and being out of town!

We had a great time at Logan yesterday....if you aren't from the area, Logan is a resource for special needs family that provides jobs, housing, and fun events....I know they do more, but I am just starting with them. I did see that they do help handicapped individuals find homes when they outlive their parents, which is something that we have talked about several times in our home. I think that Edwin will do fine either on his own or living with friends and just support. But Tobey, that one worries me. I used to think that well, I have 5 girls that maybe one of them will step up and take him in. But, how fair is that to them....and how fair is that to Tobey? I want my kids to have the best life possible, and not to feel burdened....or feel like a burden. To me, taking care of Tobey for the rest of my life is as natural to me as breathing. He is a ton of work, I am the first one to tell you, but I don't bat an eye if we have to help him every step of the way. So, I may check into what Logan has to offer in that kind of care. Ahhhh, the things parents do for their children.

The kids are hyped up about Halloween! We are going to Trunk or Treat at our Church, and Eddie keeps saying that he will provide free rides with the wheelchair lift for the entertainment! Only my husband would think to do that! I think that we will leave Lena at the van to hand out candy, while we take the other 6 to get their candy! My mother-in- law who has been doing a great job of staying out of my parenting voiced her opinion on that one though. She thinks that as long as kids dress up they should be able to get candy. I think that 13 is the limit in our home. Lena who is tall for her age got quite a few comments last year, about being to old....My mother-in -law did not understand this. So, because of the age limit this will be Alison's last year, which she is fine with, she complains about the walk! I can honestly say most of my kids are lazy, maybe Tobey sucked out all of their energy!

Well, that is all for today! I am off to load the dishwasher....again!!!! Have a great day!

Hello again!

Well, I have a new keyboard so, I am back in business!!! We have had a busy week, and I got quite a bit accomplished. Yesterday I went with CJ to A Rosie Place....very nice facility. It is a respite home for medically fragile children to stay at and give their parents a break. I was slightly worried because one of the staff members said that Tobey would not be approved, until seizures came up in the conversation. So, here was my dilemma....

I am thankful everyday that I don't know anything about feeding tubes and oxygen masks. I have a dear friend who everyday has to load up her child in a wheelchair. And her strength, not only for that, but her spirit as a human is admirable. And then you have Tobey Jude who on the outside is the handsomest 5 year old boy I know, and his problems are all internal, you can not tell from the outside that he has severe lead poisoning, or seizures that scare the crap out of his Mother, or a mental illness that causes him to not talk and disconnect from our world, and has such severe ADHD that he weighs 32 pounds because of his activity level. How can he not be considered medically fragile? And how can I not get the same benefits? So, here's hoping that Tobey is medically fragile enough so that I can get respite that will be covered by insurance and not us paying out of pocket....isn't that crazy? I did enjoy the facility and the staff were amazing, it was very homelike, and Tobey Jude may be in the South Bend Tribune along with my friend that I admire to the utmost degree.

So, as you may have seen on Facebook....my Tobey Jude had a haircut. It was a sad day here.....I am still holding back the tears. Here is the play by play of the events. At the school on Friday, the teacher timidly told me that they simply couldn't handle his long hair....the bangs were getting in his eyes. They then said he could keep the length in the back....but have the front short. That is a mullet lady!!!!!!!!! So, there was Eddie....thrilled with his chance to cut the boys hair and teasingly saying " My hand could get shaky, and cut all of it off." I informed him in front of the staff that my hand would remain steady on the divorce papers if he even tried that! So, in the fear that Tobey would end up looking like he was going into the service, I tried to trim his bangs. Now, Tobey Jude HATES haircuts and moves like crazy and I swiped off a huge section in the back when he moved. At this point...Tobey is crying, I am near depression and Eddie who tried to help, has managed to take my son from Rocker to Amish looking child. So I don't know if I should start calling him Tobias Judah to match his hair cut....I am thankful that his hair grows back quickly and so I am on the hunt for a hairdresser who will help me maintain Tobey's beautiful locks when they grow back. His hair will be long again, you can bet on it.

We had some birthdays last week.....Eddie turned 35 and Alison turned 12! Alison who I think maybe our child who ends up going goth....wanted only Monster High stuff for her Birthday. I would like to thank Target for having all of it on sale. She also got money, a stereo and Justin Beiber things....I got a headache, hahaha! She got to spend yesterday with her favorite teacher, who took her to Michigan. And then we finally had her cake last night! So she had a good weekend!

To the other parents out there....Do your kids maintain relationships with former teachers? Or is it just mine? Olivia still spends full days with her kindergarten teacher Mrs. Yoder, and Alison spends time with Mrs. Maheiu....I think Lena would like to spend a day with Mr. VanDyke, but that will happen over my dead body. If anyone is spending the day with Mr. VanDyke it will be me, haha! He is adorable, people. Going on....I really like that the kids are that close to their teachers and I think that the fact that they take time out of their schedules to plan a day and take them out is awesome!

So today is a day of fun, we have Church and an event at the Logan Center....and then Church again. I love Sundays! And then home to keep working on the party on Saturday for Precious Stones.....less than a week, Yikes!

So, have a great day....and pray that I get the party done, world peace, Tobey getting into respite and that his hair grows back quickly!

The keyboard.....

My lovely children spilled soda on the keyboard, so I am typing this using an on-screen keyboard. Very annoying.

We have had sick kids again this week,I am starting to wonder if this is just going to be the norm. Anyway, Tobey should FINALLY go back to school on Tuesday.

We have a busy week planned so if I don't blog much, forgive me. We have 2 birthdays and the never ending packing to do. Tobey has also decided that sleep is not a priority anymore, again i say the boy is lucky he's so cute.

2 years ago yesterday we had our house fire. We were having such a great day that day, we put on a Christmas layaway, had breakfast out, and then while getting our Pastor an appreciation card, we got a phone call, that our home was on fire. I think the worst part was losing all our pictures and the kids baby books. Everything else was just things. Another tough part was they never let us back in to see what we could salvage, anyway that is the past.

Well, that is all until I buy a keyboard! Have a good one.

Dairy Queen with the Holstein's....

First off do you see how clever the title is? Holstein's are dairy cows...hahaha, get it? Anyway I will continue on. I know that I am a dork...

We got some news that the new house won't be ready until Thanksgiving, so we have a few more weeks to move, which may not be a bad thing. So, we thought since we haven't taken the kids out for ice cream we would treat the crew...this is how a 15 minute car trip went.

We constantly bicker over the radio, if I had my way it would be non-stop Beatles, Eddie likes Rage Against the Machine, Alison and Lena like anything that U93 plays....so you can see the problem. After 5 minutes of wanting to pull out my hair we switched to the Christian channel, and Edwin who is also a metal head was not happy started yelling at the top of his lungs. Lena then said the line of the night..."Jesus wants you to shut the heck up and listen!", nice....We then arrived at the golden gate, or Dairy Queen to the normal people who don't have 7 kids, only to see that due to a ton of road construction it was nearly impossible to get in, after 5 minutes of circling Dairy Queen we made it to the drive thru ( we hardly go in restaurants, unless we have lost all sense of reality) and then we have 6 kids screaming their order, Tobey my darling boy is just spinning tires on his Matchbox car. Now here is the funny thing, they think they have a choice of ice cream, they don't. They will make a line of cars wait 10 minutes to make their choices....so we order the ice cream and head home. Again, Edwin starts screaming his head off...Can you guess why? Ice cream headache!!!! At this point I am nearly ready to bang my head into the dashboard, it has been a long day. I then quietly ask Eddie to humanely shoot me, which Lena heard. Lena knowing that no one has more shooting experience than Edwin tells him to shoot his Mother. Edwin has seen his Holy Grail, and it is in the shape of his finger shooting me, complete with reloading...


So, I had a first today....I ate Sushi....wasn't too bad. Not life changing by any means. I will probably have to go and get the number 5 from McDonald's, but I am trying to open my horizon's. Eddie is getting the kids ready for bed and then we are going to watch a scary movie together, I will have to hold Eddie's hand. He gets scared during these movies, which I find funny....Me? Nope. I am NEVER scared during these things, I honestly don't even flinch. I do however enjoy seeing everyone else jump. My Mother in her love of horror and gruesome flicks has made me immune to their effects and fake blood. But the gore is totally fun to watch...Is that twisted? Probably. (from the husband--You know what really scares her? me...naked)

I should probably not blog when Eddie is home....well I am off to spend time with the hubby on his only night off....have a good night, and watch a scary movie....I dare you!

Guess what Tobey did......

Emily Frances wants to be a chef when she grows up, she is much happier watching Food Network than Nickelodeon. She came name off almost all of the chefs and I am sorry to say that Rachael Ray is her favorite, it should be Paula Deen. But because of this unnatural desire for a 4 year old to cook, she gets in the kitchen and "makes" things. Now, I don't mind her helping me make dinner....but when she goes in there by herself, I am not as happy about. Lately, it has been things in the fridge that interest her....milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, etc. And she has been making some messes for me while I am busy attending to another kid. So, now that you have the back story....here is what Tobey Jude did.

While I was helping Olivia with homework, Emily decided to make a cake....and not with my permission, I should add. Well, Tobey seen her with the eggs and yelled "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!", he then took them from her, brought them to me, pulled on my shirt and said "Emmy!". That's a boy!!! Look at him saving the eggs, and ratting out his sister. Just like a real boy!!! This is so cool, because a year ago, it didn't seem like we really existed in his world. And now? Wow, that is a big thing to know that he sees what is going on around this place, and maybe I will have a second set of eyes around here. He could be like my secret spy, and I can send him on missions to see what everyone is up to.


Eddie and I are planning an at-home date night for Friday. Going out on a night date is simply impossible right now, so we are going to make the best of what we have. After the crew settles down we are going to make a fire and watch a movie and maybe some wine, even. We have hardly got any time to talk lately, so it will be nice to try and have an uninterrupted conversation. He is getting burned out on work, but excited about starting school in a few months....still not sure how the heck we are going to fit everything in. But, where the is will there is a way, and we have a lot of will.

I am loving the weather lately, it has made me in the mood to cook those comfort foods, and bake. Even Eddie got in the mood to bake yesterday, he burned several cookies, but the rest were really good!

Tomorrow we have a ton of errands to do, and Tobey has a dentist appointment, Lord help us. This will be his first time there, so we get the honor of explaining his entire medical history AGAIN. When we went to the eye Dr. last week, this guy that does the initial exam asked me about having two sons with Autism. I explained that there are on different ends of the spectrum and that only Tobey is considered non-verbal, and Edwin goes to a regular classroom. He then asked me what I did differently during my pregnancies with the boys, because our girls don't have Autism. How am I supposed to take that? Does this guy think that I gave my sons Autism? And, considering that no one really knows what causes Autism, am I supposed to know all of the answers? So, I sheepishly told him that I don't know why they have Autism, and to tell the truth, it doesn't really matter now, how they got it.....they do, and I go on with my life.

During one of our growth/support group meetings, that very thing was brought up. Do we blame ourselves for our children's disabilities? To be honest, there are days that I do blame myself, that is just part of being a mother. And as I sat there crying at one of those meetings with overwhelming guilt, another Mom named Sarah that has a son with Autism said something profound, that no one has ever said to me....I can't remember it word for word, but it went something like this....Do you think that we would serve a God, that would punish us for something that maybe we did wrong and give our children a disability? I never thanked her for that, but it changed me. I am not going to say that all of the guilt is gone, but I am better now. I know now, that the God I serve is a loving God, who would not punish me, things happen, sometimes life is not fair....but to be honest again, I can't see my life any other way and I am thankful....I just need to remember that on the rough days!

Well, that is all for today, it is time to take Edwin to school....have a good one!

The house of Holstein.....

I really don't have much to blog about, I have mainly been focused on moving and making lists and stuff. Kinda boring.....

Tobey should be able to go back to school tomorrow! So, I am totally ready for that. I don't know how to put it into words, but when he is at school I can breathe. I have never looked at him as a burden, and I love my time with him. But it is nice for a few hours a day of not having him be my responsibility, not worrying every 2 minutes that I don't physically have my eyes on him.

Edwin has had a good week at school as far as school work, but....well he told some choice words, so he is grounded. He is doing great on half days though and able to keep up with all his school work.

One benefit to having him on half days, is I get his homework done in the mornings and when Olivia comes home I can concentrate on just her. I thought I was making headway with her until this morning when she informed me that I do nothing for her. The whole fiasco started after I told her that she needs to brush her own hair. I guess that she forgot that I laid out her clothes, found her shoes and backpack, wrote a note to her teacher, and oh yeah....gave her life! So, she lost that argument. Maybe we will get this all out of the way before she is a teenager, and then it will be smooth sailing....yeah, that's how it works!

Everyone else is doing great. Lena should get her glasses on Friday, so if you know her give her a compliment (thanks). Emily and Melody have just been a joy this week, and have been trying to help with packing. And the hubby is working 68 hours this week, so I am yet again a single parent....

Well, that is all for today....have a good one!

The post below...

So as you know I am inspired everyday by people with disabilites, I live with 2 of them....But this guy brought tears to my eyes, enjoy.

Winner of China's Got Talent Final 2010 - Armless Pianist Liu Wei Perfor...

Is this Monday?

So, being a stay at home Mom, I am not one to complain about Monday's. But today.....well,I see now what the rest of the world is talking about.

We have tons to do and it seems like the never ending sick kid cycle will ever end. We managed to get Lena off to school, and Olivia is doing well today, but they sent Tobey home already today, because he picked at a sore under his nose and he bled all over their wooden puzzles. So, he will be home for a while....he is sooo lucky that he is cute!

I am not sure how to get everything done, including meetings with new teachers in between a ton of appointments and well, kids that can't go to school.

So, here is my plan of action....I bought a notebook to write down everything I need to get out of my head. So, in my head I am juggling Dr. appointments, sick kids, moving, money to move, Christmas coming up, yet another neighbor confrontation, Edwin and Tobey's new quirks for the week, it is endless.

I have this fantasy , and trust me I am not delusional, I know that it is just a fantasy. Of having this "normal" life when we move. I know that a new house is not going to fix Autism or finances or turn us into this perfect family. I do know that realistically it will help with some things. No lead, more space, no close neighbors, everything works in the new house, and parking....so I know that things will be easier there....at least I hope.

We had an great day at Church yesterday, I got to volunteer at both morning services and that was fun getting to see kids that I normally don't get to. I did however take a nap, while Eddie watched the Colt's win, before we went to the evening service. Reverend Sam (look what I called you!) always has great sermons, I have never drove away from Church and said " Well, that was an OK sermon.". They have always had something in them that changes me for the better. But yesterday's was one that I needed to hear. It was about God's promises and how he always answers prayer, but in his own time and in his own way. It actually got me excited about facing the week, and not dreading it....the stress will not defeat us. " Go Towanda!!!!!". Fried Green Tomatoes reference, sorry......I love that movie.

So, since I am known for my love of reality TV, I figured I would update you on some current events.....

• Sig is coming back to Deadliest Catch, thank you Discovery Channel...I have faith in you again.
• The Hillstrand brothers are coming back, not a fan of theirs, so whatever!
• Cody Lundin will be back for a second season, again I would like to thank Discovery Channel and God for answering that prayer.
• I have nothing to say about American Idol, they are dead to me.
• NEW SHOW!!!! The Sister Wives, a great show about polygamy. I already love Big Love on HBO, so this is the real thing. There are times when the kids get me so worn down, I wish Eddie would check in to that....haha, I am joking here, but....well, I will go on.
• This is the last season of Little People, Big World....kinda sad. I will now have to focus on The Little Couple....there is also a show with little people and animals on Animal Planet, but that previews really creep me out!

Well, that is all for today! I hope you have a great one!

ARGHHHHHHHH

So today Tobey is running a temperature, Olivia is feeling clammy, and Lena is still the same....So, you can guess how fun my day is! We didn't even have to deal with the crazy eyed bus driver, so there is your silver lining.

I have a lunch date today, so that will be fun! And then back to the house to try and get everybody well enough for us to head out of town tomorrow and take my cats to my Dad's house and keep them safe for the move. My Dad turned 61 yesterday, and probably wouldn't be happy to know that I put that on my blog....but he doesn't have a computer. I love my Dad, but he may be the one person on Earth that is less techy than I am. And that is saying something. I love the relationship I have with him now. We talk almost daily, he tells me advice and then I hand the phone over to Eddie so they can battle out their issues with Notre Dame. Eddie is a fan, my Dad is a fan of whoever they are playing that week. If Notre Dame loses my Dad calls and sings the fight song, if Notre Dame wins....Eddie has it cued up on Rhapsody to play it for my Dad. It's funny because a few years ago they couldn't stand each other. But then Eddie started watching football, and well they are living happily ever after.

The kids although they may be sick are driving me nuts with Halloween already. So far the only on we have bought is Tobey's because the other kids have changed their mind like 30 times. Olivia is currently looking through a catalog and racking her brain about what she should be. She is currently considering a dead cheerleader, Ariel, bride, a pirate and now she is thinking very hard about being Silvermist. For you non-Tinkerbell movie fans, she is a water fairy and one of Tink's best friends. I am sure she will change her mind by noon.

When I was a kid I was almost always Elvira's daughter, my mother was always Elvira. I hated that stupid costume, my mother though was obviously a big fan of hers. But I wore what I had to so I could get candy. If you don't know who Elvira is, just YouTube her, personally I would like to forget her. I do however remember 1 year when I stayed with my grandparents and they took me to Hooks and bought me my fist real costume. I was Wonder woman! Does anyone else remember those plastic costumes that came in a box, and that mask you could not breathe in? And then because of the fine quality of the costume that band would break on the mask, and because of your mad dash to get candy the plastic costume became a plastic shredded mess. I am relieved that they stopped making those things, they were not the comfortable plush things that you see at Target now, that is for sure.

Well, I am off to take care of the sickies....have a good day.

2 out of 7.....

Well, today we only had the pleasure of sending 2 kids to school. Lena has a fever and sore throat. Edwin is home because he has a sub today, so they suggested he stay home. And Tobey who is finally about over pink-eye has a fever, temp and broken out in a rash all over. So, today is looking to be a fun day!

I am getting more excited about moving, tomorrow night we are going to have a meeting with the kids to discuss room arrangements and extra chores, because it is a bigger home and yard. One thing they are already arguing with me about is that they won't have TVs in their rooms at the new place....they are not pleased. They will live, I think.

The girls will have their own playroom with a TV and the boys will have a TV in their room. I am in hopes this will work, because the girls fight with Edwin daily about him being in their space, and Edwin gets mad that he is stuck watching girly stuff all the time. By the way I laughingly put down the boys' room, I know that Tobey is probably never going to not sleep with me....It is going to get weird in a few years, maybe, just maybe some day he will sleep on his own.

So, I forgot to tell you a story about our adventure at the pumpkin farm. Tobey has this habit of throwing leaves and twigs in the air and watching them fall down. I always let him do it, it makes him happy and he has never hurt anyone. Well, last Saturday he threw some leaves and it landed on this boy who was probably 10 and I started helping him clean up and apologized. Tobey had done a number this time, it was in the kids hoodie, his latte' and his hair. I then looked over and saw his angry mother. Fearing for my life, I played the Autism card. Wow, does that thing come in handy! It may have possibly kept 7 kids from becoming motherless. The mother just looked at me, then Tobey and smiled and said it was OK. Thank you Autism. I will however not let Tobey do that in public anymore, it can be dangerous.

I read this article that when we go to Disney I should have cards made up to explain that the boys' have Autism, to use as "Get out of jail free" cards. I am honestly thinking of just making them up all the time. I don't mind explaining Autism to family and friends, and I certainly don't mind explaining it when it keeps me from getting my butt kicked. But there are times at the store or park when it gets old. Because of Tobey's cuteness ( come on people, you know how cute he is...) we constantly have older ladies wanting to come up and talk to him, so you either explain his medical history, or....hope they think he is shy. It is especially hard to explain the complexities of Autism when you are loading groceries on the belt for 9 people, and have Emily asking for candy and trying to keep Olivia and Alison from talking to every stranger they see. I want to increase awareness for Autism, I just don't want to do it 24 hours a day.

I hope you have a great day! See you tomorrow....

I give up....

I hear this from a lot of people all the time, like on Facebook or just in a conversation. I know the feeling that can get you there...were you feel like no matter which way you turn, you make a wrong turn and you are facing the wrong direction.

Yesterday for me was one of those days I just wanted to say those fateful words, and it was over something stupid that was not life altering. But I finally felt a surge of relief because Tobey is feeling better and going back to school on Thursday and Edwin has had 2 fabulous days of school in a row.....and I felt like "Hey, look at this! No problems at school!", look how "normal" we are. Until....I opened Olivia's backpack, and there was 3 notes in there about Olivia's behavior. One from the teacher ( no biggie), one from the nurse (again, no biggie) But the last one was from the librarian....(really?!?!?!?!?), so that was a first.

Olivia is an amazing kid, she is smart, funny, loving. I am jealous of her hair color, and for the most part a pretty good kid. So, Monday I am off to Darden for another conference ( I have actually lost count already this year). I know my daughter and I know what the problem is. And, it is my fault. The kid needs more attention and I am one person, who is trying to juggle schedules for 9, trying to protect a child who can't do much for himself, deal with a teenager, have fun with 2 toddlers, teach Edwin how to become a real boy, and help a pre- tween through that awkward phase. All, the while I need to start packing in between the 1000 appointments we have! So, yeah...the easy out would be to say "I GIVE UP!!!!". Is it going to do me any good? Nope. Is it going to put me in a better mind set to conquer the obstacles of life? Nope. So, giving up is not an option. It never has been, it will get me no where.

We had 2 eye Dr. appointments yesterday for Lena and Tobey Jude. Are you interested in how you do an eye exam for a kid who doesn't talk? It was not easy! They pretty much just checked the health of his eyes, which looked great except for the eye infection, which they think is allergies now. So he goes back in 2 weeks. Lena though, is getting GLASSES! And, she is super excited about them. She will be sporting them in 7 to 10 days. We knew it was coming, Eddie's eyes are horrible. He is near-sighted in 1 eye, and far-sighted in the other. All of our kids are going to be wearing glasses, I can already tell. Like we need more things to make us stick out. haha

So, I am off for another day of fun! And then come home to get everything done as quick as I can so I can try and become Mother of the Year in Olivia's eyes! Have a good one....

The Catch Up.....

So, I have been super busy with, well....life. So here is how that Holstein's are doing. We are officially moving into a great house on November 1st! I will post pictures as soon as I figure out the camera...sorry, I am not real techy....Anyway it is 5 bedrooms and has a huge yard and NO LEAD!!!! I am super excited about it!

Even though we found out about the house yesterday was a rough day, we had several appointments and in the middle of them we found out that Tobey had pink eye, picked him up and then did errands, and took Edwin for his first day of half days. We then came home to find out that his cat was killed when he got out with group 1 getting on the bus. We talked for hours trying to figure out how to tell Edwin without doing permanent damage to him. He has slept with this cat for 2 years. So, after tons of debate on how to tell him the news he took it a ton better than I thought. I explained about heaven and all those things that you say to help and make them feel better, but he did fine with it. I don't want to say that we are parents of the year, but 3 kids immediately told us that Comet is in heaven playing with her Momma Diamond, and they were happy for her. I don't know if I do everything right as a parent....but that I am proud of.

We took the kids to the pumpkin farm on Saturday with Ed and Lorinda and had a great time, I took tons of pictures....but again I have to figure out how the heck how to do them and Eddie is a little too busy working his butt off to help me, so be patient.

Today we are doing a ton of appointments again, and taking several kids to the eye Dr. I am actually going to be thrifty and pack our lunch and not go out for fast food. I feel like Caroline Ingalls or something. We will then load up our wagon and go see Dr. Baker and avoid Mrs. Olsen....I think I watch that show too much!

Speaking of nasty people, Ohhhh there was this woman at Wal-Mart yesterday that tried to tell me how to parent Tobey Jude. So, yeah....so her first mistake was that this was Tobey she was talking rudely about, so I am already not liking this "woman" and then upon looking at the fact that she couldn't even manage to dress herself in clothes besides pajamas and brush her hair to go into a public place....I figured that it just wasn't worth the battle or even my time to explain about Tobey. But then, I ended up behind her in line and she was the most annoying human ever in the history of the world to be behind. She would put things back, pay for some this way, and then change her mind....you know the type I am talking about. I was waiting for her to say something else to me about Tobey but she never did...I had the script running through my mind, including clever comebacks. It is probably for the best, it was not very Christan of me to have the thoughts I did about her. I don't know if anyone else struggles with this but I have a hard time not being a pushover, and standing up for myself. I think I worry that i will take it to far. Knowing my luck I would end up in jail.....that would make a good blog though!

So, I am off to tackle the day....I will say this though, I had this genius parenting idea of getting all the dentist and eye appointments done in 2 weeks for 7 kids.....not the best idea....I am going insane! Have a great day!