Random Friday Stuff

We have so much going on, and it is awesome! So, here is a random blog about the events in Holstein world.

Olivia has her first dance recital on Saturday, she is just giddy with excitement about it.

We are going to our first Quinciera (thank you God for spell check!) next weekend. The only one I have ever seen was on The George Lopez show and I am pretty sure that no one is going to jump out of a huge clam shell, but that would be really cool. I had to look up online what you buy for a gift. If you are curious, a gift card is appropriate.

I am co-throwing a bridal shower in 3 weeks for Eddie's sister, I am making the food and cupcakes and I think I am going to do treat bags or something....I should probably get working on that more.

The kids are getting ready to be out of school, we are getting a membership to the YMCA and may try camping this summer. I still have to work on all their activities. Lena and Alison are going to camp, and we are starting more therapies for the boys...possibly Melody too. We are really encouraging the kids and ourselves to start more physical activities and healthier eating, and this will be the perfect time to get started.

So,if you haven't noticed I took the fridge thingy off of here. Here is a explanation of why, along with an apology to anyone who may have been offended (this may be long, sorry)

Eddie has a little brother that is getting married and in turn has become Jewish. I am open to other religions, what works for one person will not work for another. We have found what works for us, and now live an amazing life following Christ. In respect to Eddie's brothers faith I did not invite them over for Easter dinner because as I said in an earlier blog, Jews don't really celebrate Easter. Which is fine for them....but as a Christian we do. So, after being offended about Easter from him and then turning into a embarrassment on Facebook...I thought the whole thing was done.

I was wrong, I wrote them an email about a bill collector of theirs who has been harassing us, and asked them to please contact them to make it stop. His fiancee then wrote Nazi on my fridge....nice.

So, first off if I was Jewish I would not use that word so flippantly. I had the honor of meeting a holocaust survivor my senior year of high school, and it changed me forever. Lena and I watch documentaries on that horrible tragedy and it still affects me.

I was pissed, I do this blog as therapy, and a way to show how our lives dealing with Autism effects our family. I was close to just shutting the whole thing down, because I am not interested in dealing with those kind of stupid issues.

I was going to write her another email, I had this whole script running in my head of everything I was going to say to her....putting my anger into words with the image of that little boy in that camp....as and adult still hardly able to get the words out of his mouth of how his parents were killed in front of him. The ironic thing, is this whole thing started with differences in religion, and the things I wanted to say to her were NOT very Christ-like.

So,I then after Eddie calmed me down....I really thought about things. And here is the conclusion that I came to. There are some people that you meet that are just lost, they don't have a great life of their own and they try and tear other people down. And now, I just feel sorry for her. I have such a great life, and she must live in a place of such sadness and hate...... Years ago, we were in that dark place...thank you God for getting us out!

So,that is enough on that hot mess. Today, I am going to get housework done (does that ever end?) and go to work. On a side note, I read this thing the other day that says instead of complaining about house work you need to count your blessings that have a home, instead of complaining about laundry- be thankful that you have clothes....you get the point. I am trying, but it is hard to be thankful for your home when you can't get red Kool-Aid out of the carpet....I will work on it. Have a good day, dear readers.

Bud Light and the kids Dr. appointment.....

So, Eddie is on the creative arts team at Church (which he loves) and instead of waiting in the car I decided to take Tobey in to see Pastor Sam. He did pretty good turning on the coffee maker, staring at a Braveheart cutout, and managing not to break anything. But then Tobey had a meltdown, not a bad one.... just a typical one. So after he calmed down we asked him what he needed....he said "Bud light" just plain as day! Normally and with any other Pastor I would have been mortified, but Sam laughed and the world didn't come to an end!

So, the kids appointment....where do I start? Ok, we will begin with Melody. She is at a good weight and size, but she has low tone. I am not sure how to explain this except that she has no real strength and she is double jointed. Her speech is delayed and they are not saying Autism yet....but we are going to have to put her in the same special preschool Tobey was in. So, IF she turns out to be Autistic, we will have everything in place and we are at the perfect age for her to start any therapies down the road. For the time being, we are going to get a membership at the YMCA as a family and enroll her in several sports. So, we are going to keep a very close eye on her, she may just have some Autistic tendencies....not full Autism.

Alright, now on to Alison....this one I feel like a failure on. Our focus is always on the boys... With the other kids I don't let them have excuses,I push them ahead and try as we might to give the same amount of attention on all 7 kids...it is impossible. So, here is where we are at with Alison. We are waiting for a referral to see a neuro-psychiatrist, and we are checking here for ADHD, Autism and depression. Whew....Autism I know, depression is something that Eddie and I dealt with a lot before we found God, ADHD I am not well versed on even though Tobey has it. So, we are in for the long haul with Alison.

So, here is something that parents of special needs hardly even talk to each other about,and an issue that I am dealing with Alison. Alison has a low social IQ (probably Autism) and also has this great quality of being a people pleaser. This is a REALLY bad combo. Here is why, Alison can very easily be taken advantage of and does not know a stranger, she also tends to have crushes on older guys (like her Dad's age). So, because of this the Dr., Eddie and I have decided to put our 12 year old on birth control (that looks so odd in print). No matter how hard we try to be there every minute of the day with her...we can't. And Lord forbid something would happen to her....I can't even go there.

As if that wasn't a hard enough decision...I am at a loss as far as how to not let her think that this is her pass for her to have sex when she is at a dating age. We have explained to our kids over and over again that sex is to wait until marriage. Do we even tell her that she is taking birth control? Isn't she going to ask why she is getting a shot every 3 months?

I have seen what can happen when parents are not proactive about putting their special needs child on birth control and it is not a pretty picture. One of my clients was taken advantage of and she had 2 kids at a young age. She lives in assisted living and misses her kids daily. Her kids live pretty far away with a grandmother who is in failing health...and one of the kids has special needs. It is just not a good situation, and one that we want to avoid. So, there it is....life with the Holstein's. I need a vacation!

So, I have today off...thank heavens, the laundry is overwhelming! But, then I start my marathon work week. The end of the month is the worst! The paperwork alone is insane and then I have a ton of meetings this week. So, I am not sure when I will blog again...but I will try. I hope you have a great day!

I have no title, sorry....

I sat here for 10 minutes trying to think of a title and I came up with nothing...life will go on.

Tobey Jude has shorter hair now, I didn't think I would like it, but I do! Please don't tell Eddie he is right, I will never hear the end about the one time in his life that he was right about something. It is much easier to fix in the mornings and you can see that precious face better, so I am happy with it. The Barber was amazing with him and we will be going back. I will also recommend him to other families when they ask, it is so hard to find Barbers to work with special needs.

We have had a busy week already but I am soooo looking forward to having some time off. I have 4 days in a row off! WooHoo! I love my job but I was getting burned out on it.

Eddie's new job is going very well, he loves not being on that third shift anymore and having only 40 hours a week. It is still weird seeing him get dressed up and putting on cologne every morning.

Speaking of Eddie, I miss the guy. Because we both work and have a ton of commitments, we don't see each other as much as we would like. I have no idea when we became that couple that has to text each other and leave notes for each other. Some of our longest conversations are emails anymore. Don't get me wrong we know that we have to work and we are blessed to have good jobs, but it is hard on family life.

Next month we will be married 15 years! That makes us sound so old. We are going on our Annual Date Night! We are going to see the Monkees and go to the Emporium, I can't wait! Now, after our last date night we found out that Tobey was a very sick little guy with lead poisoning. I am in hopes that the Monday after doesn't bring anymore bad news. If it does, I may have to cancel our Annual Date Night!

This Friday we are taking Alison and Melody to the Dr., this will be their first appointments with the new Dr. The Dr. will then officially have all 7 kids under her care, I hope she can handle it...haha!

You would think with how deep I am into this Autism thing that this wouldn't make me nervous...but it still does. She wants to test both of them for Autism because there is obviously a genetic link with Eddie and I. I am about 90% sure that Alison has Autism, she has had Autistic tendencies for a while. She is not as severe as the boys so it was put on the back burner. Melody? Well, I have seen a few things...impulsivity, sensory issues and language delays. So, if they are Autistic, I will be ok, I obviously have been down that road before.

Our Divine Miss Em is 5 now. She is such a neat kid, it is hard to find the right words to describe her...all I can say is she is an absolute blessing to our lives and has brought extreme joy to us. I love my time with her and not to thrilled about her going to school. She however is elated about it!

Well, that is all for today...I have housework to do! Have a good one....

Miss Emilita

This is Emily Frances...in three days, she will be 5. In celebration of her birthday, I thought you might like to hear 5 things about her...

1. She is a brilliant little girl. Her intelligence is matched only by her vocabulary and speech.


2. She loves makeup. She is a girly girl, and makes no apologies about it!


3. To the chagrin of her mother, her favorite movie is Kung Pow. I blame her father.


4. She already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. She wants to be a chef. No bones about it, she is all about making food,and in fact, insisted on making the birthday cake for her party.


5. She and her sister are nearly inseparable. They do EVERYTHING together. We are not sure how her going to school in the fall is going to affect her sissy.

All in all, Emily is almost pure joy. We were asked at her doctor's appointment how she reacts when she gets in trouble. We had to answer that we did not know, because she is hardly ever in trouble.

When you see her next, please wish this little bundle of joy Happy Birthday!

Bring it.....

Well, here we are at only Wednesday and I am ready for the weekend...don't know why really, I work the whole freaking weekend!

First off here is the update on Tobey Jude...his teacher has won the battle! He will officially get his haircut on Monday at 4:30. She fought the battle well, and I have learned to accept defeat. She has sent home pictures of John Lennon with short hair, sent home notes attached to Tobey that say "haircut, please", every phone call ends with "when is he getting his haircut?". But this week, she went above and beyond and found us a hairstylist who will work with him, got us a discount and is actually going with us on Monday. She asked what kind of cut he was getting...I said "Mohawk" she called me naughty! For the record though it will NOT be a crew cut!

We also found out that Tobey Jude has pretty bad seasonal allergies, which is causing the meltdowns and then seizures, he starts the meds in the morning. So, here is a list of Tobey Jude's issues that we now have to deal with and that precious boy has to endure.

1. lead poisoning, still at a bad level despite our best efforts.


2. non-verbal


3. seizures


4. elopement (takes off with no regard what so ever to safety)


5. allergies


6. ADHD


7. self-injury


8. cannot control his body temperature (doesn't sweat)


9. oh, yeah he also has Autism!

So, here I am in amazement that this little 34 pound boy is the happiest child I have ever met and he AMAZES me daily! And since I listed 9 things that are "wrong" with my beautiful boy (Beatles reference, for you guys) I will now list 9 great things about my Tobey.

1. He wakes up in a great mood and loves to cuddle for 5 minutes with me every morning.


2. If I say "I love....", he will say Tobey in the cutest voice ever!


3. He can find a fan in any room.


4. He is a total goof ball.


5. I have never had to tell him to be quiet (laugh here)!


6. He would do anything for a matchbox car.


7. He is just about the cutest little guy I know.


8. He loves to be tickled, and he will say it!


9. He has brought me more joy and clarity to my life that I can put in words.

So, onto other things....Mother's Day 2011was the best. I only expected a card because we got my SUV. But after visiting both sides of parents and also the cemetery I came home to the nicest surprise on Saturday. On my back door there was roses and then I walked into the house and closed the door to find a gift bag and in it was a Beatles CD (Woo Hoo!) and 2 cards. One from Eddie and one from the kids and everyone from Tobey up had signed it. And then as I got in the fridge to get Eddie his requested Coke, there was another bag and in it was....homemade chocolate covered strawberries (yes ladies, that is my man for you) cupcakes, cheesecake and candy bars! Total chocolate overload....I then got the night off from everything and a back massage! Great Mother's Day but now I have to figure out what the heck to do for Fathers Day! I have a lot to live up to now. Oh, yeah did I forget to mention that there was a Cody Lundin marathon that night? Yep, I was a happy mama!

Well, I have got to get the troops settled down and clean up the kitchen from dinner, the honeymoon is over, back to being the tired Mom....it was great while it lasted! Have a great one!

Sorry for the delay....

So,I haven't been on for a while, I apologize. Life is always busy for us so I will not use that as an excuse. We have been going through a lot of changes and they are catching up with us.

Eddie's job is going well even though some of the computer stuff is a challenge for him. It is super weird having him home for dinner every night and having to share the bed and the TV all the time. I am enjoying him doing more things for the kids and making dinner 4 or 5 times a week. He will get his business cards and company paid cell phone next week probably....he is going to be one of those fancy guys now. Eddie with a briefcase? Scary thought.

Lena found her self a new man already...his name? Jeremy. I haven't met him yet. But from what I have heard about him is going to lead to some family issues with the outside family. So, I think we will see if he is around at the holidays and jump that bridge when we come to it.

Alison, Edwin and Tobey were supposed to have their first softball game last Wednesday. We did not make it....lack organization on the parents part, lack of work ethic on the children's. We will try again next week.

Tobey is doing better...I am almost scared to put that in print. It seems like he can change minute to minute. We are going to register for the Autism walk this week. It is in October. I am thinking about getting shirts made with their pictures on the front and then "different,not less" at the bottom. And then on the back put " We are walking for them, Edwin and Tobey Jude". I am getting excited about them.

My job, oh my job. We had meetings coming out of the wazoo! Meetings with the state, parents, IPMG, staff and of course my bosses. On top of that I had to make reports telling in detail about every Dr. appointment, goal and possible health problems on the 2 guys I took care of. I was ready to lose my mind, they took me 8 hours!

So, guess what? I got my new car! Ok,it is a 1999. But to me, she is awesome. Here are some of the luxury features. The doors open from the inside, it has brake lights, and you don't have to do a dance to get it out of gear. She is a silver Blazer! I feel like a millionaire driving this baby around. The best thing about her? She is not the size of peoples homes and she gets 16 miles to the gallon! Twice the gas mileage of our last 2 cars! I was one of those dorks who got those stick figure decals to put on the back that show how many people are in your family, we look like the Duggar's. I had to buy 2 packs! The Duggars would need like 5 packs of those things! Going on, her name is "Phantom". And she is the first vehicle I have had of my own since I have been married. I am giddy with excitement. The first place I took her was the grocery store, I am such a wild woman!

And here is a word of advice if you want to keep your sanity. Here is a list of things that you should not do if you have 7 kids with 2 dealing with Autism in a 1 month period.

1. Buy a new car, Edwin said that is smells weird. Weird smelling means no rotting McDonald's food.


2. Start 2 promotions with the parents within 4 weeks. We are tired!


3. Change up your kids meds....not a great combo.


4. Switch to new sitters, the kids are doing ok. The sitters are barely hanging on!


5. Try and fit a months worth of meetings into a week.


6. Try and rush around to your kids first game and load up in the car only to realize your husband has no idea where the gloves are. And then you miss the game!


7. Putting your oldest on a "lifestyle change",not diet,a change....I love the kid but now I have to watch my soda intake, not fun. We are also having to watch her eating like a hawk and portion out her food. All the while making sure her self esteem is not trashed!


8. Be on constant baby fish watch...the Mickey Mouse fish decided to breed and now we have to keep a constant look out for the babies before they get eaten. About the fish...no one else I know has their fish breeding all the time. I don't know if they breed with us because they feel like they need to fit in to our family or what? But they need to stop it because my tank is already at capacity and I don't think we can get the male fish a vasectomy. I am going to start giving them away as door prizes at Precious Stones events!

So, that is all for today and now my husband can stop bugging me about not writing the blog. Granted his hast entry on his blog was in March...I hope you all have a great day and if you want some fish let me know.