This weekend will be a big weekend for us, MAC is turning 13 Sunday and on Monday Hubby will be turning 41 on Monday. MAC got a ferret as an early birthday gift so we'll be doing a small family party, she did get to choose an awesome cake from Cake Love and Hubby has ordered some cup cakes for his friends at work.
My parents are coming up to be able to spend their birthdays with them. Tomorrow MAC has IOP and we have a family meeting with the talk therapist so we'll miss seeing them. MAC will get to spend some time with them on Saturday since they wanted to take her to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. MAC has a "gig" at the Navy Stadium in Annapolis on her birthday morning and thinks it's great because it means she also gets to miss church services. I'm a little worried because the weather man is not calling for very nice weather!
I can hardly believe that MAC will be 13! I know it sounds trite but some days it really does seem like we just brought her home from the hospital and she should be an infant. (Then there are the other days where she acts like a law student and picks apart every sentence you just said to her.) Happy Birthday to the two most important people in my life!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Week 9
I know that I'm spoiled and tonight I have realized that dinner to me means a hot meal. Tonight we had wraps, chips, and a fruit salad. While it was good, and the best part was that all we had to do was clean up our empty dishes, here I am at 9:40 wanting something hot.
Tonight's family activity was for MAC to write a contract stating that she would not use drugs or alcohol. Hubby and I as her parents were asked to write a letter to her explaining why we don't want her to drink or use illegal drugs. I was very proud of how quickly she was able to write up her contact. In it she explained very directly why she would NEVER use drugs or try alcohol.
The break out sessions were about how to work your way through a problem. The parents discussed using direct language ("Please pick your clothes up off the floor and make your bed" instead of "clean up your room"). The kids had a true life discussion about bullying and decision making as one of the kids had had a run in with a group that had tried to beat them up.
The final family session was showing the leaders our contracts, letters, and trying to walk a straight line wearing "beer goggles". MAC was able to walk a surprisingly straight line although she looked down a lot. There was a lot of laughing as all of the teens tried them on.
Tonight's family activity was for MAC to write a contract stating that she would not use drugs or alcohol. Hubby and I as her parents were asked to write a letter to her explaining why we don't want her to drink or use illegal drugs. I was very proud of how quickly she was able to write up her contact. In it she explained very directly why she would NEVER use drugs or try alcohol.
The break out sessions were about how to work your way through a problem. The parents discussed using direct language ("Please pick your clothes up off the floor and make your bed" instead of "clean up your room"). The kids had a true life discussion about bullying and decision making as one of the kids had had a run in with a group that had tried to beat them up.
The final family session was showing the leaders our contracts, letters, and trying to walk a straight line wearing "beer goggles". MAC was able to walk a surprisingly straight line although she looked down a lot. There was a lot of laughing as all of the teens tried them on.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Chorus
Yesterday was the Middle School chorus festival. The all Bates Chorus was the first to go after the judges' lunch. They were very good.
Another chorus went after them and then the PVA Chorus went. I know that I am biased but I think they did an excellent job! The issues happened while we were listening to the next two chorus'. They weren't MAC's issues either I am glad to say.
The chorus after the PVA had two soloists. I was a little surprised at the lack of volume from such a large chorus. One of the soloists was very good and the second one no one could hear. I felt bad for him since he could barely reach the microphone. There was a lot of chit chat among the Bates chorus and a little laughter. At least they did clap at the end of each song.
The second chorus was smaller but their director had them doing very difficult pieces. They had trouble finishing the warm up. There was a lot more laughter this time. There was much less applause for them. I am proud to say that MAC was not one of the ones who laughed, and she made it a point to clap at the end of each song.
I told her how proud I was of her and she said, "It's the right thing to do they tried their best".
Another chorus went after them and then the PVA Chorus went. I know that I am biased but I think they did an excellent job! The issues happened while we were listening to the next two chorus'. They weren't MAC's issues either I am glad to say.
The chorus after the PVA had two soloists. I was a little surprised at the lack of volume from such a large chorus. One of the soloists was very good and the second one no one could hear. I felt bad for him since he could barely reach the microphone. There was a lot of chit chat among the Bates chorus and a little laughter. At least they did clap at the end of each song.
The second chorus was smaller but their director had them doing very difficult pieces. They had trouble finishing the warm up. There was a lot more laughter this time. There was much less applause for them. I am proud to say that MAC was not one of the ones who laughed, and she made it a point to clap at the end of each song.
I told her how proud I was of her and she said, "It's the right thing to do they tried their best".
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Out of the Comfort Zone
Today was a visit to a place called Terrapin Adventures. It is an outdoor adventure center in Savage Mill, Maryland. We went with the Girl Scout Troop. We have decided to disband the troop at the end of the year so we are spending the cookie money that was earned this year. Terrapin Adventures had a Girl Scout day today and we were lucky enough to be able to get spots in the 9:30am tour.
Yes, it was as fun as it sounds! We had some really fun guides: Byron, Steve, Chas, and Sally (the only girl with all the boys). Sally was our main guide and she had us dancing, and singing which totally embarrassed MAC when I did it. It was 3 hours of being outside, being on a zip line, swinging from a 45 ft. giant swing, trying to scale the tower in any number of ways, and challenging the "challenge course".
We got really lucky that the snow they called for last night only arrived in a small amount and that the sun came out this morning as we were leaving the house at 8:30am. We were planning on going whether there was snow on the ground or not, it just made it easier to do the tour without snow. Steve told me that they run the tour rain, shine, sleet, or snow and last February when we got 6 feet of snow on the ground they did have a hearty group doing the course.
MAC had a blast and even made a new friend. The Zip line was really fun and she wasn't so sure that she wanted to get up and try the challenge course but after talking about it and seeing her friend do it she went up. Even with an untied shoe she was able to make it around level one. The most fun the girls had all day was on the swing. They all wanted to do it multiple times and because we had such a small group (7 girls and 4 adults) we were able to try everything at least once and some of the things 2 or 3 times.
Yes we did try the rock climbing wall (which I have always wanted to try) and we tried the rope climb (it looks a lot easier when Johnny Depp does it in Pirates of the Caribbean) but all I can say is "thank goodness someone was there to belay me!"
Today was totally outside the comfort zone and we had a blast!
If you want to check out the site please visit: http://www.terrapinadventures.com/
Yes, it was as fun as it sounds! We had some really fun guides: Byron, Steve, Chas, and Sally (the only girl with all the boys). Sally was our main guide and she had us dancing, and singing which totally embarrassed MAC when I did it. It was 3 hours of being outside, being on a zip line, swinging from a 45 ft. giant swing, trying to scale the tower in any number of ways, and challenging the "challenge course".
We got really lucky that the snow they called for last night only arrived in a small amount and that the sun came out this morning as we were leaving the house at 8:30am. We were planning on going whether there was snow on the ground or not, it just made it easier to do the tour without snow. Steve told me that they run the tour rain, shine, sleet, or snow and last February when we got 6 feet of snow on the ground they did have a hearty group doing the course.
MAC had a blast and even made a new friend. The Zip line was really fun and she wasn't so sure that she wanted to get up and try the challenge course but after talking about it and seeing her friend do it she went up. Even with an untied shoe she was able to make it around level one. The most fun the girls had all day was on the swing. They all wanted to do it multiple times and because we had such a small group (7 girls and 4 adults) we were able to try everything at least once and some of the things 2 or 3 times.
Yes we did try the rock climbing wall (which I have always wanted to try) and we tried the rope climb (it looks a lot easier when Johnny Depp does it in Pirates of the Caribbean) but all I can say is "thank goodness someone was there to belay me!"
Today was totally outside the comfort zone and we had a blast!
If you want to check out the site please visit: http://www.terrapinadventures.com/
Saturday, March 26, 2011
One Good Thing
We had our 3rd family meeting today. Friday's are really hard to do these days because of the IOP. We usually start our meetings off with one good thing that happened over the week. By the time we had our meeting today we forgot about this part.
We did go over what has been planned for the week and what is expected as we come to the close of the third marking period.
I have to say I was duly impressed by how she reacted today when all 130 students were in the auditorium and they kept moving them closer to each other. She did not complain, nor did she start yelling which has happened in the past when she was touched by another student. She was right up front and seemed to really enjoy the play. She did say that it was a little hard to understand because there was no talking. I can understand how it might have been an issue for her because she had no start point to reference. The dancing and the way the dancers changed characters was wonderful.
There was a lot of color and a whole lot of movement which is apparently why she really liked it.
We did go over what has been planned for the week and what is expected as we come to the close of the third marking period.
I have to say I was duly impressed by how she reacted today when all 130 students were in the auditorium and they kept moving them closer to each other. She did not complain, nor did she start yelling which has happened in the past when she was touched by another student. She was right up front and seemed to really enjoy the play. She did say that it was a little hard to understand because there was no talking. I can understand how it might have been an issue for her because she had no start point to reference. The dancing and the way the dancers changed characters was wonderful.
There was a lot of color and a whole lot of movement which is apparently why she really liked it.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Just like...
I have been reading a book called "Animals in Translation". I started reading it because I thought it might give some insight into why MAC acts the way she does. It helps to explain how autistic people see the world and why sometimes watching animals can give us insight into ourselves.
I downloaded it to the Nook and have been reading it but asked Hubby to start reading it too. After reading the first several pages he said, "Wow it's just like me!" I am hoping that he will continue reading it and may find some ways to help himself and MAC too.
Tomorrow is a PVA Plus day. MAC and I will be going to see the Magic Paintbrush. She said that she really wanted to go and even though she had written a paper and did not have to go tomorrow she wanted to. They usually have something they need to look for or draw to turn in for a grade. It's just like being in school but hopefully a little more fun.
I downloaded it to the Nook and have been reading it but asked Hubby to start reading it too. After reading the first several pages he said, "Wow it's just like me!" I am hoping that he will continue reading it and may find some ways to help himself and MAC too.
Tomorrow is a PVA Plus day. MAC and I will be going to see the Magic Paintbrush. She said that she really wanted to go and even though she had written a paper and did not have to go tomorrow she wanted to. They usually have something they need to look for or draw to turn in for a grade. It's just like being in school but hopefully a little more fun.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Family Art Therapy
This was week two of Family Art Therapy. We had a much better week. There was some laughing and even some teasing with smiles.
Tonight's theme was to draw a garden and to put ourselves in the picture. I tried to paint a sun using the yellow paint but someone else had used it near the blue and it turned my sun green! We decided the garden must be on another planet and because we have been listening to "Little Shop of Horrors" for the last 3 weeks decided it was Audrey II's planet.
MAC made a path and drew herself sitting on a hill staring off into space. She also drew a fence and Hubby drew the three of us walking along the path. I on the other hand drew a rock garden with a waterfall. I drew myself at the top of the waterfall.
In the vein of "Little Shop of Horrors" Hubby drew a picture of Audrey II. When MAC discussed the picture for the group all she could talk about was how blood thirsty the plant was. We kept trying to move her on but she was fixated. I was glad that we were the second to the last group to go because it cut our time a little short! At least there was some discussion about the picture. We have not been scheduled for Family Art Therapy next week. She has been dropped to 3 days (no Wednesday or Thursday). That's progress right?
Tonight's theme was to draw a garden and to put ourselves in the picture. I tried to paint a sun using the yellow paint but someone else had used it near the blue and it turned my sun green! We decided the garden must be on another planet and because we have been listening to "Little Shop of Horrors" for the last 3 weeks decided it was Audrey II's planet.
MAC made a path and drew herself sitting on a hill staring off into space. She also drew a fence and Hubby drew the three of us walking along the path. I on the other hand drew a rock garden with a waterfall. I drew myself at the top of the waterfall.
In the vein of "Little Shop of Horrors" Hubby drew a picture of Audrey II. When MAC discussed the picture for the group all she could talk about was how blood thirsty the plant was. We kept trying to move her on but she was fixated. I was glad that we were the second to the last group to go because it cut our time a little short! At least there was some discussion about the picture. We have not been scheduled for Family Art Therapy next week. She has been dropped to 3 days (no Wednesday or Thursday). That's progress right?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Week 8
Oh YUMMY! Tonight was Chick-fil-a night! I don't know about you but Chick-fil-A is one of my family's favorite places to eat. Everyone got a "box meal" which consisted of a chicken sandwich, a bag of baked lays, a cup of fruit, and a brownie. The sandwiches disappeared quickly and MAC tried to eat her brownie right away but I was mean and made her eat some fruit first. She ate it as fast as she could, the brownie disappeared before I was even done with my sandwich.
The discussion groups were all about drugs, alcohol, and how we as adults felt about our child trying them. The homework last week was to discuss amongst ourselves how we would feel if our 11 year old had...tried to visit a website about drugs, had a friend who drank beer at home, had a friend's parent come to pick her up and had been drinking. We were also asked about our feelings on allowing our child to try tobacco and alcohol. The family session tonight was to watch a movie that was made in the early 1970's. It was about a cat who drank too much and also took drugs.
While it was about drinking and drugs and the bad things they can do to you I have to say it was very funny to watch Pat the cat drink from the humans coffee cup, walk over the piano keyboard, and drink from the toilet.
And in the "what a small world we live in" category today: one of the leaders for the adult group and I just happened to be talking about being a waitress and found out that we had waitressed at the same restaurant about a year apart, then we realized that we had graduated from the same high school, and then to top it all off we realized we had graduated in the same class!
The discussion groups were all about drugs, alcohol, and how we as adults felt about our child trying them. The homework last week was to discuss amongst ourselves how we would feel if our 11 year old had...tried to visit a website about drugs, had a friend who drank beer at home, had a friend's parent come to pick her up and had been drinking. We were also asked about our feelings on allowing our child to try tobacco and alcohol. The family session tonight was to watch a movie that was made in the early 1970's. It was about a cat who drank too much and also took drugs.
While it was about drinking and drugs and the bad things they can do to you I have to say it was very funny to watch Pat the cat drink from the humans coffee cup, walk over the piano keyboard, and drink from the toilet.
And in the "what a small world we live in" category today: one of the leaders for the adult group and I just happened to be talking about being a waitress and found out that we had waitressed at the same restaurant about a year apart, then we realized that we had graduated from the same high school, and then to top it all off we realized we had graduated in the same class!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
School or IOP
I didn't understand how lucky we were the last time we had to do the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)! School was out the last time and all we had to do was make sure that someone (mostly Hubby) was able to take her to IOP. We are having to figure out how to make sure that homework, and the after school programs are all completed.
Monday Hubby picked her up from the bus stop and they headed directly to the IOP. By the time they got home it was 7:45 pm and MAC ate dinner, took her meds, took her shower, and then went directly to bed. No passing GO, no collecting $200 and definitely no homework.
Tuesday she has an appointment with the Psychologist at 3pm. She will not be able to even finish the school day since I will have to pick her up around 2:15. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the after school days so she will also be missing the required after school time today too. I am really glad that IOP doesn't start until 5 because that means that we don't have to take her out of school on most days. It is all the other appointments that go along with this (family meetings, art therapy, med checks) that make it a little time consuming.
There are days it feels like we are having to make a choice between school and IOP. IOP will come out on top everytime though...
Monday Hubby picked her up from the bus stop and they headed directly to the IOP. By the time they got home it was 7:45 pm and MAC ate dinner, took her meds, took her shower, and then went directly to bed. No passing GO, no collecting $200 and definitely no homework.
Tuesday she has an appointment with the Psychologist at 3pm. She will not be able to even finish the school day since I will have to pick her up around 2:15. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the after school days so she will also be missing the required after school time today too. I am really glad that IOP doesn't start until 5 because that means that we don't have to take her out of school on most days. It is all the other appointments that go along with this (family meetings, art therapy, med checks) that make it a little time consuming.
There are days it feels like we are having to make a choice between school and IOP. IOP will come out on top everytime though...
Sunday, March 20, 2011
To get it right...
Music. It is what gives my life meaning. I tend to see things in realtion to song lyrics. Lately MAC and I have been having a real good time finding ourselves in the Glee 5 CD. She started with liking the song "Firework" and after really listening to the lyrics I too like the message the song is giving us. "Baby you're a firework, let your colors burst!...You don't have to feel like a waste of space, you're original can not be replaced..."
After seeing this weeks Glee both of us have found new songs that we like. She has found that "Loser Like Me" has things that she really identifies with in it. "All the dirt you've been throwing my way it ain't so hard to take...I'll just shake it off, I'm not thinking about you haters... hit me with the worst you've got I don't care..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDvZ0R4idE&feature=related see the youtube version at the attached link. She wanted to sing this for the talent show but we couldn't find the sheet music so she decided to do Firework instead. We'll keep looking for the Glee sheet music.
I on the other hand have found "Get it Right". After this week I have found so many parallels. "Just trying to help has hurt everyone else, now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders...what can you do when your good isn't good enough when all that you touch tumbles down? 'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things I just want to fix it some how...Sometimes life just isn't fair..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5J5U2CXJ3o&NR=1 I am trying to see to other side and I know that it will be ok if we can just make it through the rough road.
Music does sooth the savage beast doesn't it? If not the beast, the hurt feelings and the anger at least.
After seeing this weeks Glee both of us have found new songs that we like. She has found that "Loser Like Me" has things that she really identifies with in it. "All the dirt you've been throwing my way it ain't so hard to take...I'll just shake it off, I'm not thinking about you haters... hit me with the worst you've got I don't care..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDvZ0R4idE&feature=related see the youtube version at the attached link. She wanted to sing this for the talent show but we couldn't find the sheet music so she decided to do Firework instead. We'll keep looking for the Glee sheet music.
I on the other hand have found "Get it Right". After this week I have found so many parallels. "Just trying to help has hurt everyone else, now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders...what can you do when your good isn't good enough when all that you touch tumbles down? 'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things I just want to fix it some how...Sometimes life just isn't fair..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5J5U2CXJ3o&NR=1 I am trying to see to other side and I know that it will be ok if we can just make it through the rough road.
Music does sooth the savage beast doesn't it? If not the beast, the hurt feelings and the anger at least.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Not the Best Start
Today was spent trying to keep up with the requisitions that kept coming accross my desk one and two at a time, having a meeting and sending several e-mails about issues at work and at home. I had to do it all in 4 hours since MAC had a dental appointment that Hubby scheduled.
Now don't get me wrong, I really appreciate Hubby taking it upon himself to schedule this appointment but today was a Thursday; after school activities including help day from two teachers. It was also the first day of Intensive Opatient Program.
I took a half day to take her to the dentist and then we waited for Hubby to come home so we could head to MSA. We had a quick trip to Rita's after the dentist because this was the first time we had been to the dentist and she was a model patient. I told her how proud I was of her and bought her a chocolate custard, she was excited to taste it while half her mouth was numb. For the first time in a few years I had to laugh at how messy she could be. Half her mouth was covered in chocolate the other half was completely clean.
IOP was horrendous. I know we need to do it. She is still not in a very good starting place. Thursday's are Family Art Therapy Night. The first hour is talk therapy and group then the second hour is all the families together making a picture. We are all given the same theme and as a family we draw a picture.
Tonight the theme was St. Patricks day. We had to draw a rainbow, one side was where we are right now and the other side is where we want to be (the pot of gold at the end). We each had to make sure to draw ourselves into the picture. MAC drew the rainbow (smaller at the start end and bigger at the pot of gold end). I painted a black cloud for where we started. Hubby drew himself under the cloud even though MAC and I had drawn ourselves next to the pot of gold. MAC refused to do anything else and every time we asked her a question she would start to cry.
When we had to explain the different parts of our picture I broke down. Then MAC broke down, pulled her hair over her face and wept. Hubby became upset because both of us were upset and things went downhill for us from there. Now MAC is in bed and Hubby is really dreading taking MAC to IOP tomorrow. Not the best start, but as I was reminded tonight, our start last time was not the best either.
Now don't get me wrong, I really appreciate Hubby taking it upon himself to schedule this appointment but today was a Thursday; after school activities including help day from two teachers. It was also the first day of Intensive Opatient Program.
I took a half day to take her to the dentist and then we waited for Hubby to come home so we could head to MSA. We had a quick trip to Rita's after the dentist because this was the first time we had been to the dentist and she was a model patient. I told her how proud I was of her and bought her a chocolate custard, she was excited to taste it while half her mouth was numb. For the first time in a few years I had to laugh at how messy she could be. Half her mouth was covered in chocolate the other half was completely clean.
IOP was horrendous. I know we need to do it. She is still not in a very good starting place. Thursday's are Family Art Therapy Night. The first hour is talk therapy and group then the second hour is all the families together making a picture. We are all given the same theme and as a family we draw a picture.
Tonight the theme was St. Patricks day. We had to draw a rainbow, one side was where we are right now and the other side is where we want to be (the pot of gold at the end). We each had to make sure to draw ourselves into the picture. MAC drew the rainbow (smaller at the start end and bigger at the pot of gold end). I painted a black cloud for where we started. Hubby drew himself under the cloud even though MAC and I had drawn ourselves next to the pot of gold. MAC refused to do anything else and every time we asked her a question she would start to cry.
When we had to explain the different parts of our picture I broke down. Then MAC broke down, pulled her hair over her face and wept. Hubby became upset because both of us were upset and things went downhill for us from there. Now MAC is in bed and Hubby is really dreading taking MAC to IOP tomorrow. Not the best start, but as I was reminded tonight, our start last time was not the best either.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Half Way through
Tonight was week 7. It started with two word searches. Hubby and I helped MAC do most of the first puzzle and then I told her I'd race her to the finish. She had two words left to find and I had a whole new puzzle. The excitement was on, Hubby was laughing his head off, as she kept saying, "I just can't find..." and I kept marking off words I found. She found her last word when I had 2 words left.
We had another wonderful dinner from Boston Market. The more we have from them, the more I remember why I loved them. The mashed potatoes with gravy and the salad had a sweet dressing that was amazingly delicious, I did have a piece of turkey (and MAC had a piece of salad).
The family time was to have a family meeting. If you have never had one of these I highly suggest that you do. We had our first one last week so we had a pretty good idea of what we needed to discuss. We started with something good that happened in the past week, and then gave each other a compliment. We went on to discuss something in the family that MAC wanted to change. We didn't quite have a good resolution when it was time to go. We will finish the meeting tomorrow in the car on our way to the IOP.
It is very hard to believe that we are half way through the sessions. We all seem to have learned something about ourselves and have learned to enjoy each other. Hopefully it will cary through after the sessions end.
We had another wonderful dinner from Boston Market. The more we have from them, the more I remember why I loved them. The mashed potatoes with gravy and the salad had a sweet dressing that was amazingly delicious, I did have a piece of turkey (and MAC had a piece of salad).
The family time was to have a family meeting. If you have never had one of these I highly suggest that you do. We had our first one last week so we had a pretty good idea of what we needed to discuss. We started with something good that happened in the past week, and then gave each other a compliment. We went on to discuss something in the family that MAC wanted to change. We didn't quite have a good resolution when it was time to go. We will finish the meeting tomorrow in the car on our way to the IOP.
It is very hard to believe that we are half way through the sessions. We all seem to have learned something about ourselves and have learned to enjoy each other. Hopefully it will cary through after the sessions end.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A New Start
So today MAC went back to MSA and had another interview. Today's interview was to return to the Intensive Outpatient Program. I have to say that I have been dreading her having to go back to IOP because it takes sooooooo much time, I really was hoping to continue with the Strengthening Families Group, and before it was the summer so she wouldn't miss any school. It is everyday for 2 hours starting at 5pm.
The intake Dr. feels that she needs to return to the IOP. She is scheduled for Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and next Friday for another interview. When I questioned Hubby about Wednesday he said that she asked to be excused from IOP because she really wanted to continue with the Strengthening Families Group and the Dr agreed.
I guess this is a new start. This is positive.
The intake Dr. feels that she needs to return to the IOP. She is scheduled for Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and next Friday for another interview. When I questioned Hubby about Wednesday he said that she asked to be excused from IOP because she really wanted to continue with the Strengthening Families Group and the Dr agreed.
I guess this is a new start. This is positive.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Lost Sleep
Nothing made MAC madder today than when I told her to do something and she would look at her watch and say, "but it's only..." and I would tell her that "no we sprung forward last night and it is really an hour ahead of when she thought...".
She hated the fact that I woke her up at our normal time of 8am for church but she was still tired (because to her it was 7am). We still made it to church, a little late, but we made it. She wasn't hungry when it was time for breakfast, lunch or dinner but she sure was interested in snacks.
I sent her to bed half way between when she usually goes and when she felt she should go to bed. None of us enjoyed the lost hour of sleep but we all sure love getting the hour back in the fall!
She hated the fact that I woke her up at our normal time of 8am for church but she was still tired (because to her it was 7am). We still made it to church, a little late, but we made it. She wasn't hungry when it was time for breakfast, lunch or dinner but she sure was interested in snacks.
I sent her to bed half way between when she usually goes and when she felt she should go to bed. None of us enjoyed the lost hour of sleep but we all sure love getting the hour back in the fall!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Responsibility
When I left the house this morning MAC had one task to complete today. She needed to clean her room. The floor was a mess and you couldn't even walk into her closet! The last time I looked under her bed you couldn't even see the floor due to all the paper and clothes "hidden away".
When I got home after Destination Imagination appraising, I asked if she had cleaned her room. I was told to go look for myself. It was amazing! She had cleaned under her bed, the closet looks almost like it did when we moved in, and her floor not only has a walking path but is almost barren. We were both extremely proud of her.
We decided to go out for a celebratory dinner. CheBurger Cheburger was delicious! We kept telling her how proud we were of her for cleaning her room. She did it by herself and did it on her own terms. YEAH MAC!
If you go on daylight savings don't forget to "spring forward" tonight! MAC is not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep, but she is looking forward to being able to play outside when she gets home from school.
When I got home after Destination Imagination appraising, I asked if she had cleaned her room. I was told to go look for myself. It was amazing! She had cleaned under her bed, the closet looks almost like it did when we moved in, and her floor not only has a walking path but is almost barren. We were both extremely proud of her.
We decided to go out for a celebratory dinner. CheBurger Cheburger was delicious! We kept telling her how proud we were of her for cleaning her room. She did it by herself and did it on her own terms. YEAH MAC!
If you go on daylight savings don't forget to "spring forward" tonight! MAC is not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep, but she is looking forward to being able to play outside when she gets home from school.
Friday, March 11, 2011
SO TIRED!
Yes, yes, I know that I have have been missing in action for several days. I didn't mean for it to happen, but the lap top was totally dead when I tried to start blogging on Wednesday. We had a wonderful Wednesday. MAC, Hubby and I had a very nice time and had lots of laughs. The opening exercise was another word game, The Tragic (But True) Story of the Two Little Pigs. I had a hard time leaving any for the two of them...we learned about family meetings and had some discussions about behavior modification.
We were all excited that MAC would be going back to school on Thursday and she was dressed and ready to go, having eaten breakfast and taken her pills a full 15 minutes before we needed to leave. Our reinstatement meeting was scheduled for 8. She thought, great she'd even be able to make it to first period. There were 2 other students parents waiting for their meetings and our kept getting pushed back. We finally met with the Principal, Counselor, and Special Ed coordinator at 9am. She missed most of first period but was able to get the homework for the days that she had missed. I was able to make it in to work at 10. I receive the call from the school at noon. MAC had not made it through the morning classes. She had made a statement in 3rd period that the school felt warranted some intervention on the part of a therapist. By the time she was picked up this became a visit to an Emergency Room and within 10 minutes of leaving the school it became a visit to North Arundel's Emergency Room.
I have been to North Arundel several times and each time the wait time and the nursing staff got better each time. We arrived at the Emergency Room at 2pm. We were moved to a "conference room" about 2:40 and saw the pediatrician around 3:15. I have been to enough emergency rooms now that I have a bag ready, it has a few games, and all the chargers that I would need. We played Uno as a family for the next 30 minutes before we were moved to a room with a bed and TV. When she was finally settled Hubby went to find the cafeteria and brought us some snacks because we were hoping to be on our way home before midnight. She got a dinner around 6pm. Around 8 I asked the nurse if she had any idea on time because MAC was getting tired. She told me that she thought it wouldn't be until after midnight. The nursing staff at North Arundel was very helpful and seemed very nice. Unfortunately we were not seen until around 3:15am. When we left this morning at 4:30 I was thankful that it wasn't 5.
Today was the scheduled IEP-A meeting. This is where the school and I as the parent sat down and discussed MAC's issues. It had been scheduled for a week now and I have been pushing for one of these for years now. I was not about to miss this meeting! When I got home I grabbed a quick 3 hour nap and then got up and went to the school for the meeting. The school now has 60 calendar days to cognative test, and academic test MAC and send me a report. I left the meeting at noon and arrived home feeling better and was thinking about another quick nap when I received a call from MSA. They did not want MAC to attend the girls group tonight before she saw her therapist but she couldn't see her therapist until she had been re-evaluated by the Intensive Outpatient Patient (IOP) therapist to see if she needed to start the IOP again. I left a message to schedule that appointment and ate some lunch. Our appointment is next Tuesday.
Can we say FRUSTRATING!? I did not get a chance to get my nap before we ran to do some errands and get some dinner. I now realize that there was a reason those "all nighters" in college never worked! Lack of sleep makes for a very foggy brain!
We were all excited that MAC would be going back to school on Thursday and she was dressed and ready to go, having eaten breakfast and taken her pills a full 15 minutes before we needed to leave. Our reinstatement meeting was scheduled for 8. She thought, great she'd even be able to make it to first period. There were 2 other students parents waiting for their meetings and our kept getting pushed back. We finally met with the Principal, Counselor, and Special Ed coordinator at 9am. She missed most of first period but was able to get the homework for the days that she had missed. I was able to make it in to work at 10. I receive the call from the school at noon. MAC had not made it through the morning classes. She had made a statement in 3rd period that the school felt warranted some intervention on the part of a therapist. By the time she was picked up this became a visit to an Emergency Room and within 10 minutes of leaving the school it became a visit to North Arundel's Emergency Room.
I have been to North Arundel several times and each time the wait time and the nursing staff got better each time. We arrived at the Emergency Room at 2pm. We were moved to a "conference room" about 2:40 and saw the pediatrician around 3:15. I have been to enough emergency rooms now that I have a bag ready, it has a few games, and all the chargers that I would need. We played Uno as a family for the next 30 minutes before we were moved to a room with a bed and TV. When she was finally settled Hubby went to find the cafeteria and brought us some snacks because we were hoping to be on our way home before midnight. She got a dinner around 6pm. Around 8 I asked the nurse if she had any idea on time because MAC was getting tired. She told me that she thought it wouldn't be until after midnight. The nursing staff at North Arundel was very helpful and seemed very nice. Unfortunately we were not seen until around 3:15am. When we left this morning at 4:30 I was thankful that it wasn't 5.
Today was the scheduled IEP-A meeting. This is where the school and I as the parent sat down and discussed MAC's issues. It had been scheduled for a week now and I have been pushing for one of these for years now. I was not about to miss this meeting! When I got home I grabbed a quick 3 hour nap and then got up and went to the school for the meeting. The school now has 60 calendar days to cognative test, and academic test MAC and send me a report. I left the meeting at noon and arrived home feeling better and was thinking about another quick nap when I received a call from MSA. They did not want MAC to attend the girls group tonight before she saw her therapist but she couldn't see her therapist until she had been re-evaluated by the Intensive Outpatient Patient (IOP) therapist to see if she needed to start the IOP again. I left a message to schedule that appointment and ate some lunch. Our appointment is next Tuesday.
Can we say FRUSTRATING!? I did not get a chance to get my nap before we ran to do some errands and get some dinner. I now realize that there was a reason those "all nighters" in college never worked! Lack of sleep makes for a very foggy brain!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Too Much Sleep
MAC was home for the second day today. We told her that she could earn some extra points toward her list. When she was suspended we changed the amount of points needed to earn a roll of the dice. She did not earn her roll on Saturday and it does not appear that she will earn her roll tomorrow.
I called her today and reminded her that we would give her an extra point if she was fully dressed when Hubby got home. I also called her and said that I would take her somewhere she would enjoy if she had finished her paper about the concert on Sunday.
When I got home (admittedly I got home a little early) she was asleep in her clothes. She had the whole day to work on her paper and she slept through most of it. She said she did eat lunch but "there wasn't much to do". We did not go and get the new Glee CD. Hubby said that when he called yesterday at 10 am she had just woken up. She took herself back to bed after dinner at 6:30pm.
I know that kids are supposed to get a lot more sleep than adults but I wonder if she might be getting too much sleep. I know that sleep is a sign of depression and I am always on the look out for "the signs". She will be going back to school on Thursday and I am a little worried about how much sleep she has been getting. I guess I'll call her several times tomorrow, between the meetings and Muddy Creek Band practice.
I called her today and reminded her that we would give her an extra point if she was fully dressed when Hubby got home. I also called her and said that I would take her somewhere she would enjoy if she had finished her paper about the concert on Sunday.
When I got home (admittedly I got home a little early) she was asleep in her clothes. She had the whole day to work on her paper and she slept through most of it. She said she did eat lunch but "there wasn't much to do". We did not go and get the new Glee CD. Hubby said that when he called yesterday at 10 am she had just woken up. She took herself back to bed after dinner at 6:30pm.
I know that kids are supposed to get a lot more sleep than adults but I wonder if she might be getting too much sleep. I know that sleep is a sign of depression and I am always on the look out for "the signs". She will be going back to school on Thursday and I am a little worried about how much sleep she has been getting. I guess I'll call her several times tomorrow, between the meetings and Muddy Creek Band practice.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Always on My Mind
It has been a very busy day and as usual I have a million things running through my head tonight. Just a few are:
1) How is it that MAC's excuses always sound so reasonable?
2) Do I have everything I need for Destination Imagination tomorrow?
3) IEP, good and testing by the school, even better!
4) The movie Little Shop of Horrors will be played many times this weekend.
5) What are we going to do for 3 days of suspension?
6) What kind of mother am I that I get a phone call from the school counselor and principal and even after hearing what they said MAC's written side of the story sounds plausible too.
7) Dinner tomorrow with my friend SG.
8) Did my computer at work update? It looked like it had started as I was leaving at 4:45 tonight.
9) MAC earned 9 out of 15 points on her chart today. (She needs to earn 20 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
10) I need a day OFF!
I really need to be able to turn thoughts off. If you figure out how please let me know (the knitting, the reading, and even the watching TV doesn't help).
1) How is it that MAC's excuses always sound so reasonable?
2) Do I have everything I need for Destination Imagination tomorrow?
3) IEP, good and testing by the school, even better!
4) The movie Little Shop of Horrors will be played many times this weekend.
5) What are we going to do for 3 days of suspension?
6) What kind of mother am I that I get a phone call from the school counselor and principal and even after hearing what they said MAC's written side of the story sounds plausible too.
7) Dinner tomorrow with my friend SG.
8) Did my computer at work update? It looked like it had started as I was leaving at 4:45 tonight.
9) MAC earned 9 out of 15 points on her chart today. (She needs to earn 20 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
10) I need a day OFF!
I really need to be able to turn thoughts off. If you figure out how please let me know (the knitting, the reading, and even the watching TV doesn't help).
Thursday, March 3, 2011
By Now
I have the fun of signing the public up for SERC's outreach programs. It is amazing how many people wait until the last minute to try to schedule classes for their children! We opened the Spring classes 3 weeks ago. All but about 4 courses are full with waiting lists at this time. I received a call yesterday asking to sign an 8 year old child up for a home school class. I had two open classes, one of which was yesterday. As the mother was signing her child up she said, "The form asks if there are any special needs, my daughter does have some." She proceeded to give me a list which I typed into an e-mail and sent to the teacher.
At about 2:30 I received an e-mail from the teacher. She said that the mother had brought her child in for the class and then left. She asked if I signed this child up for another class if I would make it clear to the mother that she needed to stay in the class with her child as the special needs had made it very difficult to teach the class.
The conversation took me back to several conversations that I have had with different leaders (girl scout leaders, Sunday School teachers, camp counselors, and doctors). Knowing that she had some issues I would never leave her without giving the adult in charge my cell number. After being called back to several locations I finally brought a book or knitting with me and sat outside the classroom where her meetings were being held.
I know that as parents with "special needs" children that we are trying to get our children integrated with others. Sometimes, although all the other parents get to drop their children off and go out for a quite bite to eat or a coffee we won't be able to.
By now I have figured out a few things:
1) Small groups are best (20 children in one place can be too much)
2) Always have a cell phone with you and leave the number with the adult in charge
3) Try to set your child up for success by repeating and repeating and repeating directions
4) The best laid plans will always have flaws
5) No matter how ridged your child is, you need to be flexible
At about 2:30 I received an e-mail from the teacher. She said that the mother had brought her child in for the class and then left. She asked if I signed this child up for another class if I would make it clear to the mother that she needed to stay in the class with her child as the special needs had made it very difficult to teach the class.
The conversation took me back to several conversations that I have had with different leaders (girl scout leaders, Sunday School teachers, camp counselors, and doctors). Knowing that she had some issues I would never leave her without giving the adult in charge my cell number. After being called back to several locations I finally brought a book or knitting with me and sat outside the classroom where her meetings were being held.
I know that as parents with "special needs" children that we are trying to get our children integrated with others. Sometimes, although all the other parents get to drop their children off and go out for a quite bite to eat or a coffee we won't be able to.
By now I have figured out a few things:
1) Small groups are best (20 children in one place can be too much)
2) Always have a cell phone with you and leave the number with the adult in charge
3) Try to set your child up for success by repeating and repeating and repeating directions
4) The best laid plans will always have flaws
5) No matter how ridged your child is, you need to be flexible
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Week 5
Oh, to think we were worried that 14 weeks would be too long! Tonight was a delicious dinner of steamed green beans, meat loaf, corn bread and mac and cheese from Boston Market. Sometimes it is really great to have someone else choose dinner because you get things that you normally wouldn't. I haven't had meat loaf from anywhere but my friend SG in years! I usually get mashed potatoes and gravy but the green beans were delicious.
The "warm up" tonight was coming up with something free that the family could do with every letter of the alphabet. We started very poorly (couldn't come up with anything that started with "a"). By the end of the evening we were only missing--A, F, I, U, X, and Z. The family time tonight was making a chart of behaviors we want MAC to do in the next week and a potential list of rewards she can earn by doing them. She choose rewards such as an extra hour of TV, Glee day, watch "on demand" with parents, and a computer hour.
It was refreshing that she didn't ask for expensive items. When I asked her if she hadn't included any more expensive items on the list because she really wanted to spend more time together or if she just didn't think about them, she said time together was much more fun than another Wii game.
Next week is week 6 and our second set of incentives. She is really looking forward to going shopping at Best Buy with enough money to buy any game she wants.
The "warm up" tonight was coming up with something free that the family could do with every letter of the alphabet. We started very poorly (couldn't come up with anything that started with "a"). By the end of the evening we were only missing--A, F, I, U, X, and Z. The family time tonight was making a chart of behaviors we want MAC to do in the next week and a potential list of rewards she can earn by doing them. She choose rewards such as an extra hour of TV, Glee day, watch "on demand" with parents, and a computer hour.
It was refreshing that she didn't ask for expensive items. When I asked her if she hadn't included any more expensive items on the list because she really wanted to spend more time together or if she just didn't think about them, she said time together was much more fun than another Wii game.
Next week is week 6 and our second set of incentives. She is really looking forward to going shopping at Best Buy with enough money to buy any game she wants.
Anger
On Monday I almost had an accident. I was pulling out of Chick-fil-A in Edgewater and a car that wasn't there when I pulled out came around a corner speeding and almost hit me. The guy driving then proceeded to follow me so that he could yell at me from his car for the next 1/2 mile about how stupid I was.
There have been days that I know MAC has been angry enough to yell but she has been working on how to control herself. Dr. P has given her some exercises and keeps reminding me to have her use emotion words. She does still have some times of silence when you can tell she is really angry but doesn't quite trust herself to speak without being nasty.
While I'm not saying I wasn't partially at fault on Monday it felt a little excessive that he would follow and yell for so long. If a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder can learn to be angry and then let it go an adult should too, right?
There have been days that I know MAC has been angry enough to yell but she has been working on how to control herself. Dr. P has given her some exercises and keeps reminding me to have her use emotion words. She does still have some times of silence when you can tell she is really angry but doesn't quite trust herself to speak without being nasty.
While I'm not saying I wasn't partially at fault on Monday it felt a little excessive that he would follow and yell for so long. If a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder can learn to be angry and then let it go an adult should too, right?
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