Never ending task....

I am one of those that goes crazy when things are not organized 

but

I have the hardest time also finding a system that works for us.

I seem to find something and then after a couple months/weeks/days 

I decide either I can't keep up with it or it is working absolutely nothing like that

mom who posted the grand idea.....

Am I the only one who looks at pinterest or a blog and thinks

WOW....the answer to my problem

Yet after I am done putting sweat and tears into it, it either looks like

my 3 yr old put it together, nothing at all like it was suppose to or

Ben comes home and asks why I would ever think that would work ;-0

Oh I don't know because this mom who has it completely together and has a home cooked meal

on the table every night, has a fully organized system in every room of her house, makes

everything from scratch, sews, crafts, has an amazing new idea weekly that turns out 

and yet still posts about taking her kids to the park and doing crafts with them made it work!

Well people I think I found a system for the kids unending papers and art work that I want 

to keep for them because you know when they are 30 yrs old they are going to treasure

it beyond words.....they will be so grateful to me for my dedication to preserving their hard work :-0

So I started with a bin for each kid.  Well after that being filled by the end of 1st grade and doing the math times 4 kids I was thinking I'll be needing Ben to build a storage building for the bins alone!

I started by dumping out each year into separate piles.

Then went through and just kept a few things.  I will still have 1 small bin

per child  for the clay pieces, large art pieces and trophies.

Then get some type of file container/bin.  Right now I have all the kids in one but in the end there

will be one per child.

I then added these to the front.....I know my cute little patterns I paid extra for are gone!!  arrrgghhhh...

You can get free printouts for this here.  That is also where I got this solution!

Finally fill the folders with the projects from the different years.....done!

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We are also trying very hard to keep the kids on task and give them some responsibilities.  Well Caleb started his this past week and he loves it.  His "job" is to help set the table...

He is doing a great job!  

We also have a little bug slowly hitting one kid at a time :-(

Hope you all are staying healthy!!

Packing........

So the packing is underway!!!  Oh the fun.  Last time I did this we only had 2 kids and I feel like a lot less.

I am doing my best to go through everything as I pack it up so I'm not bring anything with that we don't need which is making this process take forever!  But I'm hoping in the end that it will be worth it.

I am also trying my best to keep the boxes next to me so I can pack them fast and seal them.  We are having some issues in the house of things going missing (believe that would be culprit Caleb trying to "help" and tossing things in boxes) and issues of later in the day seeing items I know I put in boxes (that would be little miss Ana pulling out toys or items when I am not looking).  So we take 2 steps forward and 1 back but we are getting somewhere or at least I like to tell myself that :-)

I am also dying to get into the house and get some projects going for the kids playroom/sensory room!

Like this treehouse

Ok tried forever to turn it...lol 

source

Or this fun market

source

these fun seats....

source

And what would a playroom be with a table to do those messy art projects on!

source

Ok now time to stop day dreaming and get back to the world of packing.....I did find a great way though to store special papers from your kids.  I'll post that next time!

Anyone still with me????

Well hello there stranger........Long time no talk.....You want to know how long it has been?  Well long enough that it took me about 5 min to figure out how to get a blank page up on the screen to start this :-)!

So summer is over and fall is finally here.  I love fall, I mean LOVE fall.  Kids are back in school (I love them and all but after 3 months I have run out of fun ideas and the kids have hit the ....I AM BORED.....wall), pumpkin spice lattes are in and I get to sleep under the quilt without sweating buckets.

So what is new around here....we are moving.  If you know me this is wonderful news.  I love to move, every 3 yrs I get the itch and we have been here for 6 so the time has come.  We are not moving far and the kids will stay in the same school but the best part is that my parent are moving up by us.  Oh and not just by us but 2 houses away!  I can not even begin to imagine what amazing memories we will all have in the coming years.  What a blessing for our children!  They love their mimi and papa :)

So to catch you up on the kids.  Nathan is still my crazy boy who loves anything outside.  He started 3rd grade and loves it!  He also started drum lessons and says he can't wait to play at church.

Katie is in 1st grade and is playing the piano now.  Everyday she gets home she also plays school(she reminds me of myself so much).  There is a child who is deaf in her class this year, so instead of just being a teacher she is now the teacher's interpreter.  It makes me smile, she has such a sweet heart.

Caleb turned 5 this summer and is doing amazing.  We chose to hold him back so he is doing 1/2 days in Early Childhood again.  We are hoping his speech will become a bit clearer over the year so he has a better chance of interacting with friends in school next year.  He also started gymnastics and is loving it.  They have the regular teacher, a speech therapist and OT there.  It is awesome.

And last we have Ana, miss personality.  She has such fun humor and keeps us running.  I love having her home everyday.  She also started gymnastics and is doing great.

Other then the kids keeping me very busy I have been searching the internet for lots of fun projects for Ben once we move.  I have a tree house picked out, a kitchen table to make, a kids art table, some book cases, toy storage cubbies and a play house for the playroom ;-) (quiet...he doesn't know yet I have that many picked out!)  Oh and then I am hoping to make part of the playroom into a therapy/sensory area for Caleb.  That should keep us busy over the cold winter.

Here are some pictures from the summer!

Hope everyone had a great summer!

Loosy Goosy.......

So I didn't even get through week one to blog every day....ugghhhh.....complete fail on my report card.  Ok in my defense I knew this would be a hard one for me but it became even harder when 6 out of 6 people came down with a fever, cough and sore throat and I think mine is now into a sinus infection.  If I wasn't so darn stubborn I would just go to the dr!  Then 3 out of 4 kids got pink eye in the last week.  Caleb was the only one who didn't but of course he didn't want to be left out of this fun.......

 

Caleb took a visit to the ER on Sunday night.  Earlier in the evening he had fallen off the toilet ( I caught him 1/2 way off so he didn't land on the ground) and cried but got up and continued to play until bed.  He was walking around and climbing then at bed time he started crying so Ben brought him out and rocked him until he fell asleep.  I didn't think anything of it but then at 10:00 he started crying again and when I brought him back out and was holding him I could fell and hear something popping.  Ben said he noticed it also earlier.  We could not get him comfortable and after looking at his leg over and over I could see his knee was popping (still confused on how it did this other then maybe I didn't see it get caught on the seat or something).  So off to the car we go to head to the ER.  When I put him in his car seat he let out a huge cry and then in about 5 min was asleep.  Well we get to the ER and they ask why I think it is dislocated, I start explaining that we could not get him to stop crying and heard a very loud pop with his knee when you bend it.  Now the nurse is looking at me and then Caleb and when I turn to him he is smiling, looking around and moving his legs all over.  So I say see.....and start moving his leg.....yep you guessed.  No pop and no crying.  Actually he thought it was funny and a game that I was doing it.  Well we got xrays done and the conclusion of the dr is that most likely his fibular head was dislocated and when I put him in the car seat and he screamed was when it popped back in!  So now we have to wrap it for a week but the boy is back to his silly crazy self. 

 

So your awareness for today is as my friend said......children with down syndrome have those darn loosy goosy joints.   Their joints have "hyper-flexibility".  The liagements that hold their joints together are longer then normal.  As they grow older and their muscles grow stronger there is less chances of injury to their joints.  When we received Caleb his legs were very weak and wobbly.  I am still not sure why.  He was in a great foster home and space to move.  I am guessing he might have been "helped" a lot because he was so loved!  His legs muscles have come a long way with us working on stairs with him and his PT so hopefully this won't become a common injury with him. 

 

Make it a great day!

 

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Also did anyone notice my new blog look.  My amazing husband asked our friend Ashley to redo it since Caleb's picture wasn't on there.  They surprised me w.ith and she did AMAZING.  I love it!  Thanks Ash for putting it together

Signing.

I know when I had all 3 of my kids I loved signing with them.  It helped out so much in understanding what they wanted before they could talk.  I am so grateful for the little knowledge I had of signing to begin the signing with Caleb.  It also helps that all our children signed the main words before Caleb came home.

It is amazing how quick kids can pick up on it and I think it helps out with tantrums and bonding.  Here is a video I took after Caleb was home for 3 months.  I am hoping this week to do another to see how far he has come since then.  I wanted to send it to his foster home to show them how well he was doing but then I forgot :( 

 

 

 

 

 

Some fun facts.....

While researching his book, "Common Threads, Celebrating Life With Down Syndrome," Brian Skotko also surveyed the abilities of children with Down syndrome. He sent questionnaires to 3,000 households on the Band of Angels customer data base and received 1,000 responses. Here are some results for children age 10 and older:


~Seven out of 10 read books for personal enjoyment.

~One out of three read the daily newspaper.

~Two out of three prepare their own breakfast every morning.

~Three out of four make their bed in the morning.

~Two out of five play a musical instrument.

~One out of three sings in a choir or vocal group.



Did you know in 1913 the average age for a child with Ds was 9 yrs old.  Today the average age is 60!

Some facts....

This is a post I did in May 2011.  I think it is always worth while to refresh ourselves with facts and remember that we need to be educated before making a decision.  We need to make sure we are not making decisions out of fear.  We need to make sure we aren't just taking the social worker's or doctor's opinion on what they feel would be the best decision for our family.  Both are human and have their own fears or opinions on what in life is worthy.  And yes even doctors are sometimes wrong with facts.  Sometimes doctors feel they can tell you how "functioning" your child will be and how that child will affect your family.  In the post below I am talking about fear of adopting but it can also be great facts for those parents who are facing the birth of a child with Ds. Educate yourself!!!

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I have been thinking lately of all the little ones sitting in orphanages with so much love to give. I wonder why others don't chose to adopt. Now don't get me wrong. I truly don't believe everyone is called or should adopt but I do think many chose to push that desire aside.

WHY???? Fear. Ridicule. Money. Comfort...........

I think many many times especially with children who are special needs it is the unknown. Well God what if they need 24/7 care? What if I can't handle their issues? What if I don't bond with them? What if they can't bond with me? What if my birth children are angry with us? What if.....what if ......what if.......

Oh trust me I have said these things and many more what if's. I have gone over and over in my head so many what if conversations with God I've lost track. Every time though it comes back to me saying.......Yes, this is what we are called for. This is where our heart is leading us and we are fully trusting that this is where we are suppose to be. Will it be all laughs and joy.....nope......but I can promise you that I truly believe that there will be many more highs then lows.

One way to help is education.

Down Syndrome: Myths and TruthsMyth: Down syndrome is a rare genetic disorder.
Truth: Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. One in every 733 live births is a child with Down syndrome, representing approximately 5,000 births per year in the United States alone. Today, Down syndrome affects more than 350,000 people in the United States.

Myth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to older parents.
Truth: Eighty percent of children born with Down syndrome are born to women younger than 35 years old. However, as a woman ages, her chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome becomes greater.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are severely retarded.

Truth: Most people with Down syndrome have IQ’s that fall in the mild to moderate range of mental retardation. Children with Down syndrome are definitely educable, and educators and researchers are still discovering the full educational potential of people with Down syndrome.

Myth: Most people with Down syndrome are institutionalized.
Truth: Today people with Down syndrome live at home with their families and are active participants in the educational, vocational, social and recreational activities of the community. They are integrated into the regular education system, and take part in sports, camping, music, art programs, and all the other activities of their communities. In addition, they are socializing with people with and without disabilities, and as adults are obtaining employment and living in group homes and other independent housing arrangements.

Myth: Parents will not find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.

Truth: In almost every community of the United States there are parent support groups and other community organizations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Down syndrome.

Myth: Children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education programs.
Truth: Children with Down syndrome have been included in typical academic classrooms in schools across the country. In some instances they are integrated into specific courses, while in other situations students are fully included in the regular classroom for all subjects. The degree of mainstreaming is based on the abilities of the individual; but the trend is for full inclusion in the social and educational life of the community.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unemployable.

Truth: Businesses are seeking young adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions. They are being employed in small and medium sized offices: by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. They work in the music and entertainment industry, in clerical positions, and in the computer industry. People with Down syndrome bring to their jobs enthusiasm, reliability and dedication.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are always happy.

Truth: People with Down syndrome have a wide range of feelings just like everyone else. They respond to positive expressions of friendship, and they are hurt and upset by inconsiderate behavior.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unable to form relationships leading to marriage.

Truth: People with Down syndrome date, socialize and form on-going relationships. Some get married. Women with Down syndrome can and do have children, and there is a 50 percent chance that their child will have Down syndrome. Although rare, men with Down syndrome can father children.

Myth: Down syndrome is untreatable.
Truth: Through early intervention, speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy, it is possible to improve many of the problems associated with Down syndrome. In addition, research on Down syndrome is making great strides in identifying the genes on chromosome 21 that cause Down syndrome. Scientists now feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct, or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future