Not Me! Monday

It's Monday! So what does that mean? A chance to deny happenings MckMama style. This blog carnival was started by MyCharmingKids.net So when you are done rolling your eyes at me, head on over to MckMama's site to see hundreds of other denials!


I am NOT sad to admit that I haven't had much to deny lately - so I will NOT continue in my several month long streak of offering up lame denials...

I do NOT let my children get a face-full of sand when at the playground. I guess Ryan doesn't mind...

I did NOT laugh my head off when my dad ordered blackened tofu on a taco salad. You see, my dad is NOT a conservative, middle-American CPA. So after the waitress left, we did NOT ridicule him - only to find out, he did NOT think tofu was a fish. Then we razzed him about the taco salad with fish? He did NOT think he ordered a ceasar salad. Needless to say, we did NOT change his order.

Speaking of my dad (or not speaking of my dad), we did NOT go to the beach twice while he was here. He did NOT wear shorts and he did NOT stay away from the water. Ryan did NOT try really hard to get him in the Gulf. No luck...

My mom did NOT spend a week at our house and we did NOT relax for days. I mean seriously we did NOT have our days filled with reading, relaxing, and just "being".

I am NOT getting addicted to editing photos. I did NOT spend all this time editing photos and trying to put them on my blog from Picasa, only to have it mess up. I do NOT (really, I don't know) know what happened to the post below this one... The pictures worked last night.

My children were NOT off the wall last night. Ryan did NOT strip his bed and empty his drawers when he was supposed to be sleeping. I did NOT ignore the noise because I was NOT editing pictuers. Only to be really mad to see the mess. I do NOT ignore my children when I know they are up to no good. I do NOT ignore the noise because I know the mess will be huge!

It's raining today and I am NOT super happy because I can sit around and NOT piddle my time away while the boys are at summer school. Oh, I do NOT love summer school and I do NOT wish it lasted all summer!

Sorry this is so lame - I will try and act crazier next week!!

Grandma and Grandpa at the beach

My mom and dad were here recently for a visit. We had a wonderfully relaxing time. While this is all good and exciting... I really only created this post so I could see these pictures I edited using Picasa 3. A friend of mine told me about Photoshop and I tried it, but the free trial didn't work the next time. So I got back to using Picasa and here's what I came up with. I wonder how they would look printed like a regular photograph?

Now I remember why Ryan cried a lot as a baby...

I am in the process of going through old photos and putting them on Picasa web so when my computer crashes again, I won't lose pictures. Plus, this whole "cloud computing" thing is intriguing me...

Anyway, I ran across Ryan's baby pictures. I think you would cry too if this were your brother...

Trying to "feed" you when you just want to relax...

(Ryan is looking awfully suspicious of Zach...)

I don't think Ryan exactly trusted Zach. And now as I see them wrestle, I realize that Ryan thinks it's payback time...

I've always maintained that Zach ought to watch out... Ryan is going to be a little beefier and sneakier than him and that's not always a good thing, ya know?

Notes to Self...

I am feeling rather random today, so here are some thoughts running through my mind. There is absolutely no depth!

Note to self... don't go to WalMart at noon. It will be as packed as "Season"!

Note to self... empty pockets before wearing clothing in the pool. Cell phones are NOT as forgiving as key fobs.

Note to self... don't put spring cleaning off. Follow FlyLady's system or use Travis' system - Spring Clean Year 'Round.

Note to self... plan dinners ahead of time, it makes life easier.

Note to self... my husband is a fantastic father and husband.

Note to self... hanging clothes on the line is kinda fun.

Note to self... when being cheap and cutting your children's hair - make sure it's even. But if you are going to screw it up, be sure to mess up on the child who wear's the "goober hat."

Note to self... don't listen to Susan about how many lunges to do when working out with her.

Note to self... get the mail in the box early - the mail carrier is now showing up in the morning.

Note to self... it takes 10 bags of mulch to take of the front flower beds.

Note to self... learn to use the weed-eater.

Note to self... stop looking for marathons to run! Just eat less so my butt/thighs don't get big.

I have a bunch more thoughts, but I'm getting a bit bored - as you probably are too!

As long as he's healthy...

Those little words are oh so common to pregnant women. How many times have you said, or heard, those words. The conversation goes something like this:

Stranger: Oh! Are you having a boy or girl?
Mama: We don't know... As long as it's healthy we will be happy...

These little words have become really irritating to me. Of course we all want our babies and children to be healthy.

But what if they aren't? Do we love them less? Discard them?

What if they don't develop normally? Do we love them less?

I am going to venture a guess that 99.9% of us will fiercely love our children - NO MATTER WHAT.

The other day at Target I overhead this comment. And with my unnormal children in tow, I fought ever urge I had to tap her on the shoulder and say, "What if she's not?" However since I didn't know her, I figured it wouldn't go over too well. Instead, I just prayed...

So why are these words becoming my big pet peeve? I don't know. They just are...

Maybe because I'm sensitive about children with special needs.

Maybe because I have quite a few friends who children have struggled with health and I know how beautiful these children are.

Maybe because I'm tired of people looking twice or making insensitive comments about my children.

Maybe because I couldn't imagine not having these children in my life.

Maybe because this isn't the motherhood I signed up for, but I wouldn't change a thing.

But this I know... God cherishes and adores each and everyone of our children. Healthy or not. And since I have to children who are developmentally delayed - I think He loves us more! Just kidding - sorta.

Random Not Me! Monday thoughts...

Today is Monday and that means it is time to jump feet first into MckMama's blog carnival, Not Me! Monday. It's simple really. You deny things that you did this week. For complete rules and links to HUNDREDS of other confessions, go to MyCharmingKids.net

I did NOT totally cry when I heard Madonna was adopting another baby. I do NOT want to adopt a baby. But I do NOT know that I am seriously coo-coo-for-cocoa-puffs for even entertaining the idea.

I did NOT run this morning and never shower afterwards. It is NOT super hot and humid... I did NOT crawl back in bed and wake up at 8:45. I did NOT throw on a hat and run to my favorite bargin store to look for things to resell on Ebay. I do NOT try to get there early to beat out the other Ebayers. I am NOT 3 hours later still unshowered!

I did NOT start Zach on ADHD medicine yesterday. I did NOT see a difference - it was like the decaf version of my 7 year old. I do NOT wonder if it was my imagination or if it was genuine... I did NOT see the medicine wear off around 3 pm. But again, I do NOT wonder if it is my imagination.

I did NOT go to our old preschool with the intention of getting them to take the boys while I'm on a mission trip in July. I did NOT shamelessly preface my favor asking with a description of Zach being on meds... hoping they would take him. The last time they were there, the girls did NOT tell me in not so many words that they thought Zach was too much for them. Oh, and they did NOT agree to take both boys. But I am NOT looking for other options for Zach...

I am NOT staying awake at night worrying about things that probably will never happen... Like childcare when I'm back at work and school is still out. Or the fact that our insurance guy only wrote half of our house policy and my house is currently not insured for fire, etc!!! I am NOT freaking out about this. Insurance guy is NOT out of the office today. Ok, so the reason is NOT completely legitimate - but still. Insurance guy is NOT a friend of ours and so I think this does NOT make this stuff extra annoying!

I am NOT so majorily PMS-ing that I could NOT feel my bad mood coursing through my veins. I did NOT want to lash out at everyone who slightly annoyed me. I did NOT lay low all weekend because I knew the carnage would be ugly if I was around people. However, I did NOT take some of my ugliness out on my husband. I did NOT have a "therapy" session this morning when I ran with Meg again... So I'm NOT feeling better - although the house is empty but for me...

I am NOT contemplating what marathon to run next. I did NOT gain 10 pounds since April! I do NOT blame it on not running much anymore. See the NOT-connection between big thighs and marathon training? I told myself I would wait until October to consider. But the ill-fitting clothes has NOT made me reconsider!

I did NOT list 30 things on Ebay last week. I was NOT hoping for $200 in sales. I am NOT upset that I only made $70 ont he 14 things that sold. I did NOT get docked by Ebay for having too high shipping prices. Silly me... I did NOT lie about the weight of shoes! Apparently, everyone else lies and says that the shoes are 1 pound and ship for $5. Silly me for being honest and not trying to cheat the post office!

I was NOT struck again by this notion that keeps popping up in my head. I do NOT know with all sincerity that I my boys and their disabilities will be used as a platform for some kind of ministry. The problem is... what that looks like. So I am NOT waiting on God to reveal this all to me. So when I was at a mission trip planning meeting last night, I was NOT blown away by the listening prayer that we are using as the platform for this trip. Things were NOT revealed to me by a total stranger confirming my desire to reach out to families and children. I am NOT completely incoherent explaining this because it is NOT a big cloud in my brain...

I do NOT need to end this post to clean windows... and the NOT-dreaded grocery shopping. Seriously, my refrigerator does NOT have just cheese, hot dogs, condiments, and cherries in it...

Amazing!

For those of you who don't know my children and the developmental delays they have, this post isn't very exciting.

But for those of you who know my kids and have interacted with them, hopefully you will be at least a fraction as excited as I am...

He repeats what we say sometimes, but not parroting. It's more like repeating it so that it cements in his brain. And he is making connections and sentences.

Yesterday, I was instant messaging a friend and Zach wanted the computer. I told him to hang on a minute I was talking to Sarah. He picked up the phone and said, "Call her!" I was shocked! That is a huge connection for Zach and he used his problem solving that school psychologists say isn't there. Yeah, 42 IQ my foot.

Then later, I fed Zach and Ryan the extremely healthy and uncommon old standby dinner of hot dogs. Zach looked at me and said, "I want it cut please." Before he would try and do it himself or fuss until I guessed what he wanted. He used words! To communicate needs! Holy cow. You special needs parents out there will get my excitement!

I feel like I have "normal" children!! I love it and I am amazed at the progress Zach has made these past few months. I can't wait to see what happens if/when we find the right ADHD treatments!

God is so faithful in bringing new miracles to our children. I would love to go on describing Zach's progress, But for now, I need to figure out what the commotion is... Zach is screaming, "No Ryan!" and then I hear banging. This, however, is not a new phenomenon or phrase...

Not Me! Monday

Hello everyone! It's Monday and that is my chance to deny several things that most definitely did NOT happen this week... This is a blog carnival started by MckMama at MyCharmingKids.net So after you read this post - head over there and see what hundreds of other people have NOT done this week.

I do NOT want to admit this, but this is a pretty light week for us... So I will NOT keep this brief...

I am NOT spending my first true day of summer vacation cleaning my house. I do NOT put off my spring cleaning until summer... My parents are NOT coming in 2 weeks and I do NOT want the house in pristine condition for their visit. This does NOT involve painting way too many walls... I do NOT know why I insist on doing stupid things like vacuum under my bed just because my parents are visiting. I would be seriously surprised if my mom looked under there... So why do I obsess about weird things like that??

We are NOT on computer number THREE in less than three weeks. Thank God for the two spare computers we HAD - they are no longer spare. I am NOT putting off taking the "real" computer to the computer guy because I know it is hopeless. But I do want to get my pictures. As an avid scrapbooker - I am NOT seriously bummed that all my pictures from 2009 are gone!!

I did NOT spend over an hour on Saturday getting about 20 listings ready for Ebay. Only to have that computer die on us!! I am NOT afraid to do all that work again... What if this computer dies? I did NOT go to Goodwill this morning and find some great shoes to resell. One should go for about $100!! However, it does NOT have a flaw on the heel that I might need to fix before I sell...

Oh and this is NOT how we fix computers in our household. I know what you are thinking... no wonder we are on computer number 3...

I did NOT buy an expensive bed for my child only to have him sleep on the floor night after night. Think how much room I would save if I could get rid of his bed... See Zachy sleeping on the floor?
I do NOT get a kick out of how Ryan sleeps - with his feet propped up...

Or hanging over the bottom of the bed.

Oh, and my kids ALWAYS wear pajamas to bed. I do NOT let them sleep in the t-shirt they wore that day. What kind of parent do you think I am? Don't answer... I also do NOT have Ryan in "princess pants" because they were on sale super cheap.

I am NOT praying that tomorrow's visit to the neurologist will result in some ADD/ADHD meds! I mean what parent begs for drugs for their children? Certainly NOT me!

I did NOT find a rat's nest in my new classroom for next year. I did NOT refuse to move my stuff until I know for certain that this "class pet" has been relocated. And speaking of next year, I am NOT super psyched about my schedule. I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade reading/language arts. It is going to rock!! I mean it's NOT going to rock.

See? Mild week... I will NOT start collecting things to add to next week's list!

Love,

Kristin

Not Me!! Monday

Well folks, it's Monday and you know what that means... Time to deny what we did not do this week. This blog carnival was started by MckMama at MyCharmingKids.net So when you are done here, be sure to check out what hundreds of others have not done this week.

I did NOT have a busy weekend full of graduation parties and celebrations. I did NOT spend all day Saturday at Emma's house with several friends and completely lose track of time. (Emma is Ryan's girlfriend) So I did NOT show up late for a pool party for one of my Sunday School girls. Since I was not late, I did not swing by really quickly to tell her I would be back in about two hours. I first had to take the boys to their end of the year pizza party.

So in two hours, Zach and I did NOT head back to the apartment complex where the party was being held. Unfortunately, Sarah was no longer there. But since Zach was NOT begging me to swim, I did NOT let him get in the water and swim. That's against the rules - so I would most certainly NOT let him swim in some random apartment pool when we have a perfectly good pool in our backyard.

After about 10 minutes, Zach did NOT get out of the pool with his infamous "poop squat." (You see, Zach does NOT have a pooping problem - he has excellent bowel control. He does NOT drink the pool water and if he did, it would NOT make him poop. And if it did make him poop, he would certainly NOT go in his pants!)

Anyway... Zach gets out of the pool with the poop squat - I mean Zach does NOT get out of the pool with the poop squat. Some kid who was also swimming in the pool does NOT push Zach back in the water. So Zach does NOT think this is an invitation to keep swimming. Zach does NOT go over to where the boys are and keep swimming. I do NOT get up to look at what's going on and see the poop in the pool. And we are not just talking about one piece of poop. We are talking a cloudy mess of disgustingness!

Being the person with great integrity, I did NOT pull Zach out of the water and bolt out of the apartment complex. I did NOT race to my car with a screaming child behind me. I did NOT peel out of the parking lot and drive super fast home. I did NOT keep looking in the rearview mirror to see if anyone was following me!! And I was NOT laughing my head off.

Because... it serves that kid right. Pushing my son into the pool.

On a less disguisting note... I am NOT super-duper thankful for Emma's mom and Maddie's mom. They are the gals I hung out with on Saturday. We each have special needs kids and when we are together, our kids are just normal and we all support each other. I did NOT want to jump up and hug one of the gals because she understood my frustration about seeking a diagnosis and getting tired of the run-around. And not having the energy to constantly pursue things!! I do NOT look forward to spending more time with these super-fun girls!

What did you NOT do this week? Leave me a comment!!
K