Got a New Phone

I finally broke down and got myself a new phone. This is the first new phone I've had in two years.  This is the first nice phone I've had in a long time. All of my other phones lately have been pay- as -you go phones. For a while there the kids kept taking my phones and throwing them in the bath or toilet.

I got a new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phone. This phone has an awesome voice to text function. This should help me keep up with the blog.  Now will be able to write my posts for the blog while I am out. This phone will also help me keep track of appointments and  reminders for the children. I can see a lot of functionality in this phone for me. It was well worth saving up my money for the last 2 months to get this phone! Yea!

Hiding!

John came over for his two hours of visiting the children tonight and I left the house.  I took off in my car and headed over to a local wi-fi hotspot and I am sitting in my car with the windows rolled down playing on my computer.  It is SO humid outside tonight!   LOL

I am just enjoying the quiet time here. I can get some work done on the blog.  I was busy today trying to make some phone calls and get some packing done.  The kids are SO curious!  I was out in the sun room area of our house trying to go through the boxes out there.  It is a lot of their baby stuff and the kids were having a great time!  I was able to pull some things out where I had hand prints or pictures of them when they were just little babies.  They were loving it...lol.  Called UCLA and I was told the doctor STILL had not finished reviewing Joseph's medical records so NO appointment!  Called the UMOM homeless shelter again but still no reply.  Called the   pulmonologists and got an appointment for Joseph but not until the end of the month.  It will cost me $70 to see him so I am waiting.  I need to start looking for specialists in the Phoenix area for the children and making appointments.  For many specialists there is at LEAST a two month wait to get in so I want to make sure I am on the ball.

Before I left the house I had been listening to the children screaming for the last 90 minutes.  I did not stop it because it was happy screaming...lol.  They were having fun.  Joseph was on a small ride-on toy, Margaret was in a large dump truck and James was on his scooter board.  They were all pushing themselves around the "track" in my house and chasing one another.  One would scream and another would scream in reply.  It was hard on the ears but I am glad they were having fun.

Earlier today one of the things James mentioned to me was Shawn. James said Shawn is Daddy's friend.  So I asked if Shawn was a girl or boy and James said she was a girl.  So I asked if Shawn was little like James or big like Mommy and James said, "Big like you silly!"   So I texted John...

Me: Who is Shawn? Boy, girl, work friend, church friend or what?
John: Why are you concerned?
Me: Because he knows a lot about them and you have not mentioned them.  Just as I am sure you would be curious if the situation was reversed.
John: Not particularly.
Me: If she is someone you are seeing then you should just say so.
John: It is not.  It is A friend from church.

Notice he does not say if Shawn is a boy or girl.  He does not tell me much.  It seems to me if he was interested in getting back together with me he would be forthright.  Also am I SO out of line for wanting to know the people who are around my children when I am not there?

Tonight I have to go to bed early.  I have to roll out of bed at 5am and get the kids out of the house by 5:30am.  I have an appointment for Joseph to have his blood drawn at 6am.  This way he will not be starving for too long since this is a fasting thing.  It will be a LONG day tomorrow!  Hopefully the children will want to nap.  One can dream....

News Bits

This is being published early today so I may add to it as the day goes by.


Oklahoma Specialty Foods is trying to bring to the market in the United States a genetically modified (GM) apple called the arctic apple.  This apple has been modified to resist browning causing by bruising or cutting of the apple.  In theory this sounds like it might be an advancement but there just has not been enough testing to make sure the slicing and dicing we are doing with our food supply is safe.  This makes me worried.  We are consuming more and more GM crop products and we are becoming sicker and sicker as a society.

You can read there report here that Oklahoma Specialty Foods submitted to the USDA.

____________________________________________________________________________
I found an interesting article. Macon, Ga and parts of Bibb County are teaching Mandarin Chinese to school children.  They start the language classes as young as Kindergarten and continue teaching it until 12th grade.  This and other changes to the school district began when Haitian-born Romain Dallemand took over as superintendent.  Other changes he has made to the struggling school district include longer school days and  year-around instruction.

When asked about these changes Dallemand stated, "Students who are in elementary school today, by 2050 they'll be at the pinnacle of their career. They will live in a world where China and India will have 50 percent of the world GDP. They will live in a world where, if they cannot function successfully in the Asian culture, they will pay a heavy price."  I cannot say I completely disagree with the thought behind Dallemand's decision but if the school district is struggling where most of the student receive free/reduced lunch and about half of the students don't graduate wouldn't Spanish be a more practical language to learn?  Better yet, make sure they have an excellent command of the English language and can read and write well so there is a chance they could get into college and succeed.  I think Dallemand's heart is in the right place but I believe he missed the mark on this one.

_________________________________________________________________________

Watching my oldest two children grow up I often wondered why they were so different when it came to their attitudes towards school.  My son hated school and would NOT do his homework.  I tried rewards, punishment, grounding, talking to him and everything else I could think of.  He just would not work in school.  He graduated not long ago and barely made it.  Now he is struggling to get a job because he only has a high school diploma.  My daughter on the other hand participated in school and seemed to enjoy the academic challenge.  She is now in college.  I had often wondered if there was a way to teach the qualities my daughter possessed to my son.

Paul  Tough, author of How Children Succeed, believes he has figured out how to help parents teach grit, curiosity and character to a child.  Here is an introduction to the book.  I think I will have to pick up a copy!  : )

Why do some children succeed while others fail?

The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs.

But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control.

How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough traces the links between childhood stress and life success. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to help children growing up in poverty.

Early adversity, scientists have come to understand, not only affects the conditions of children's lives, it can also alter the physical development of their brains. But innovative thinkers around the country are now using this knowledge to help children overcome the constraints of poverty. With the right support, as Tough's extraordinary reporting makes clear, children who grow up in the most painful circumstances can go on to achieve amazing things.

This provocative and profoundly hopeful book has the potential to change how we raise our children, how we run our schools, and how we construct our social safety net. It will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Here is a great blog to read!  Parenting stories are told in a hilarious pictorial manner.  After reading the first three blog posts I was cracking up because I could relate...lol.  Please stop by Amber's blog, Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures!

 _______________________________________________________________________


That's all the news bits for now.  Have a GREAT Sunday!

News Bits

The coolest Google Doodle I have ever seen is on today.  Today is the 46th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of the original Star Trek series.  Check it out if you can!

Their is a blog spot called Tell It Like It Is – On Being Asked What It Is Like to Have an Autistic Child .  There are eight things the author says are typical for a parent of an autistic child to deal with. This is a great article and many parents will be able to relate.

A heartbreaking story that was posted in the New York Times called A Terrifying Way to Discipline Children is an opinion piece written from first hand experience.  The article describes the experience of Rose.  A five year-old child that has special needs (language delay) and was repeated locked into a closet at her local public school as a discipline measure. It is a horrifying read!  This especially scares me when I think about sending my own children to school.

That is all I have of interest today.  Stay tuned for more news tomorrow!

News Bits

Courtesy of TimeAndDate.com

I love it when I have various news sources overflowing with information!  So on the autism front I have some interesting news.  The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is holding its Fall Conference in Garden Grove, CA in October 11 - 14.  The speaker line-up looks great with Dr. Emeran Mayer, Co-director of the CURE: Digestive Disease Research Center at UCLA, Dr. Robert Hendren of UC San Francisco, Drs. Nancy O'Hara, Elizabeth Mumper, Martha Herbert and others.

I know this is a MAJOR area of controversity but I wanted to post this here to let people hear all sides of the story.  Holly Riley discusses how her son with Autism was cured with biomedical intervention.

 
A Facebook friend, Jennifer Grayson, writes a wonderful blog about Autism, food allergies and other health related topics.  It is a great read.  She recently wrote and article about parasites.  We may live in the United State but if you think there is NO way you could have parasites you might be wrong and are suffering silently for it.  Conditions such as allergies (including food), eczema, asthma, migraine headache, nightmare, bedwetting, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthralgia, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, seizure, mental illness and even cancer could be caused by a parasite infestation.  The article is a great read so please stop by!

For those dealing with mitochondrial disease the options for treatments and therapies can be confusing.  United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) is an excellent website for many resources on mitochondrial disease.  They even have a page breaking down the various treatments and therapies to help point you in the right direction.  This is a wonderful site if you are trying to diagnose mito and need information on local doctors. They have been very helpful to me in finding Joseph a doctor.

Found a wonderful recipe of Zucchini Chips from the Naked Kitchen.  Yum!  They are both a green veggie and much better for you than potato chips.  What more can you ask for?  LOL   There were several FB friends that swore by this recipe and I am looking forward to trying it one day.

For those who cannot eat gluten and are looking for a easy add on to a meal that is flavorful and chalk full of fiber check out this recipe for Homemade Refried Beans.  I have made these at home and they are delicious!  I used it and mixed in some homemade salsa for some chip and dip action.  The children ate it up!

Working Behind the Scenes

I know it may not seem like it but I have been super hard at work behind the scenes on the blog.  I have had a few pages under construction but had not published them until today.  One of the toughest pages to publish was Martha's page.  I knew I was doing a lot better in dealing the the loss because I can now at least LOOK at the photos of her and not burst into tears.  On the other hand writing her page, the physical act of writing and picking out words to describe what happened, was more difficult than I had ever imagined.  I think it is because I carry a lot of guilt in her death.  I feel like choices I had made such as moving away from Vegas where I had a great doctor to Alabama (where I had family that was suppose to help) played a BIG role in my pPROM and early delivery of the babies.  I was riding in a car for 90 minutes to make a doctor appointment in Alabama to see a specialist with high order multiples yet she would not admit me into the hospital even though I was 24 weeks with quads. I had an appointment to go back and see her two days after they were delivered.  There are few people on this planet I carry hate and animosity around in my heart for and she is one of them.  Right or wrong that is the way I feel.  I am hoping one day that changes but so far I have not been able to let it go.

The other page was more fun because it is the photos page.  I put up a picture of when I was in the hospital after I pPromed but BEFORE I had the babies.  I was HUGE!   LOL  I also have pictures of the babies a few hours after they were born.  I will be posting more pictures up there as the days go by.  I have been SUPER busy scanning in old photos of my oldest children.  I have this blog dedicated to the little ones and I have a TON of pictures of them but few of the older kids.  I feel bad about that because I don't want them to think I do not care.  I do care.  That is why, as I have been repacking things to move, I have come across items I have held onto for close to 20 years.  I found some of Jerrin and Caitlin's old baby clothes.  I will be sending some of them to Jerrin since he is expecting his first child.  I will hold on to Caitlin's for now.  I also came across Jerrin's old woobie...lol.  I have a LARGE box of photos.  I just need to scan them so I can have them digitally.  That is what I was trying to do today along with packing but the little kids made it hard.

I was trying to get things out so I can look at them and decide if I still need it, should sell it, or give it to someone else.  The babies on the other hand had some different ideas.  It seemed like every time I left the room to make a scan of a photo, get a box, sort through a box or put a box away the babies were doing what they could to get in trouble.  It was a rough day here.  I think it is all the strange stuff out coupled with being on a sugar high from all the cake and ice cream from my birthday bash.  LOL

One instance today was pretty bad.  James was having a smart moment and decided to move one of the kitchen chairs to my hutch.  There he opened the door and got down my "smell-good" (perfume bottle) and took it into their bedroom.  They were in there laughing and having a good time.  I heard it and thought nothing of it.  I should have known better!  LOL   A few minutes later Margaret comes into my computer room where I am adding a few more clothes to the sell pile and she is coughing saying, "I coughing mama."  Then I get a whiff.  She reeks of my perfume!  I head to their room and I walk in to see James spaying Joseph and the smell in the room is overwhelming.  The room reeked like a two-dollar whore!  Hummm, should I be saying that since it is MY perfume???  LOL  Well, I NEVER wear that much of it at one time THAT is for sure!  WOW!

So I was scanning, packing, sorting, trying to keep the kids in line, and now I am taking a minute to inform my dear readers (the two who stop by my page...lol) what is going on in my life.  Now I am going to see if there is anything of interest to report from Facebook and then I am off to bed. Tomorrow is more of the same along with therapy for Margaret and Joseph.