Another Park, Another Day

Today we headed to the dog park in Hockinson.  My brother thought that was hilarious.  We went to a dog park without a dog.  I explained it is also a big playground and baseball fields.  And besides...we meet dogs there.
Afterwards we went to Pat's house to hang and pick up Phoebe.  Pat made us some yummy deep fried fish.  The little man has proclaimed that Pat makes the BEST fish.  And he does.
I think it is funny how weekends are pretty good now and weekdays are harder.

Time For Parks

We went to Marshall Center Park today.  It has a really big play structure.  The little man naturally found a group of kids to play with.  You can tell he likes to be in charge.  They seemed to be playing follow the leader all over the structure.  The little woman spent a lot of time spinning and riding this thing from side to side.  Burnt a little energy.
Then we went to Pat's and hung for awhile.  Seems to be our new time killer. 

Working At Pat's

Pat called and wanted to know if the little man wanted to work and make some money.  Well.....yes.  So we went over and the little man stacked more wood.  He also rolled some big pieces over by the splitter so they are ready to rock next time Pat gets out there to split.  The little man has started the third row of stacked.  Now each row is about six feet long, so they aren't greatly big.
Then Rebecca fed us.  She didn't plan on that.  We had steak and baked potatoes and the little man had mac and cheese.  Naturally the little woman waited until we were home to eat.  Poor picky eater.
The little man is set to do some more work next weekend.  I'm sure it is more stacking of wood.

Working With Emma

We just love Emma.  She is a running start student who is a fill in worker for us.  So she works rush.  Well we now have the impression that we are losing her.  As we always do.  She got a new job at Starbucks and just loves it.  She is finishing up Running Start this year and going on the WSU next year. 
It so does my heart good to meet a young person who is personable, motivated, has work ethic and just fun.  So we will enjoy her while we have her and miss her when she is gone. 
We have changes at work so we won't have so many fill in people.  We have Emma for spring, but we are betting on no one for summer.  And it probably is all right.  Enrollment is down so the bookstore won't be as busy.  Not sure yet how they are going to work fall rush.  Time will tell. 

Again

So the little woman got up and out the door and on the bus on time.  I spend so many days fighting with her to go to school.  Two days in a row without a struggle feels almost unreal.  I wish I could take away her anxiety about math that makes her not want to go to school.
So whatever is at play this week that got her up and out twice, I am thankful for.
The biggest benefit of her getting up and going is there is less time with both kids to annoy each other.   I have tried to explain that multiple times.  If you go, you brother is not on the bus.  Anxiety is a horrible master.  Whichever thing she is most concerned with in that moment wins.
The home specialist came by this afternoon.  He let us know that he will now also be working with the little woman.  So we will be seeing him twice a week for awhile.  While it is all good, it is one more thing on our plate.

Terrific Tuesday

Well.....the little woman got up, dressed and out the door on time to catch the bus.  The little man did not want to go but got right out of the car when I said I needed to get to the eye doctor for my pressure check.  I think he was thinking of the dog.
The eye doctor was pleased with how well the new eye drop is working.  So am I.  Guess I was thinking about the dog.
I had therapy.  We talked about whether she thought the little woman was ADHD, no she did not.  I filled out an anxiety questionaire for the psychiatrist and she said it was pretty obvious from that alone that there is anxiety going on.  The anxiety is probably what is causing her problems in school.  I have thought that since I figured it out.
Picked the kids up and we took a picnic to Kiwanis Park. The kids played for a couple of hours.  We decided that after dinner is better than before.  Bigger kids later and younger kids earlier.  They finished our picnic at home.  Then the little man and I went out and played with his big red ball.  I love that ball.  You can't throw it hard.  Well you can, but it loses momentum fast.
Then we went in and watched some "Larva Island" and he promptly fell asleep.  Got to love those nights.

Going to bed and it isn't quite 9.  :)

Morning Struggles

Almost every morning we have some kind of struggle.  Most mornings it involves both kids.  The little man does not like his new school and does not want to go.  The little woman is struggling with math and doesn't want to go.  And on and on and on.
So today I managed to get them both going even though neither wants to go.  The struggle was not as big as some mornings. It was there though.  I can't change his school and I can only do so much in her understanding of math. 
One day at a time.  And for today we shall feel blessed that it was a minor struggle.

Stitches

We took Phoebe to the vet today to get her stitches out.  Her face looks good.  Her incision looked good.  It was like overnight it looked like an incision to looking healed.  We waited until later afternoon hoping for a lull in the office.
We timed it right.  Got there and they soon took her back.  About ten minutes later the vet brings Phoebe out.  She said it looked really good and the stitches came out fine.  But she then decided to clean up the crusties a bit and the wound opened some.  Not enough to be an issue and it will heal right up. But it sure looked worse than it did when we went in. 
The little woman had a moment of anxiety.  I reminded her that while it was a little open and there was a little blood, it still looked a lot better than when her abscess opened. 
By the time Phoebe went to bed it was scabbing over and I'm sure it will be fine. 

Fred

On a whim I called Fred today.  He is our cousin back in MN.  He came out here two years ago to see us and go to the family reunion up north.  His daughters and son-in-laws came along. 
This winter we found out he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He has opted not for treatment and just wants to live his life to the fullest. 
We chatted for about twenty minutes.  We talked about Mom and how mad she got at him when he was here.  They disagreed about the benefits of assisted living.  We talked about the littles and their dad.  We talked about Dave.  It never ceases to amaze me how much my family loved Dave.  He so easily just became one of us.  We talked about Polinder men and their social ways. 
It was good to hear his voice.  He took my number and said he would call sometime.  And he is.....living his life to the fullest.  I'm glad that he has a lot of family there to surround him and share his life. 

Excellent

I had to work early this morning.  That meant that the littles had to go to daycare before school.  The little man just went right in.  I assume most of school was all right since I had no reports.  Then he got sick and I had to collect him. Some kind of tummy bug wreaking havoc with his butt. 
He took it easy most of the afternoon and evening.  Just vegging on the couch.  Interacting with his sister in a positive way.  He felt better and went to Pat's house to spend the night.  He had an excellent day behavior wise.  Got to love that.  Hope we have many more of those kinds of days. 

Parent Teacher Conference

I had a parent teacher conference with the little woman's teacher today.  The school psychologist popped in for a few.  The little miss has a tough time staying on task and focusing sometimes.  Well maybe more than sometimes.  Anxiety.  They are concerned it is ADHD.  I don't know.  I know she has anxiety.  I will say something to the therapist and we shall see what comes of it.
Math is still the little woman's struggle.  She is back in math academy for extra help.  I need to remember to ask her if she likes math academy.  I know she did in first grade when I attended a shadow day.
Her strength is in reading and writing and naturally illustrating.  Her teacher told me she writes these great stories and illustrates them.  Then she shares them with the class on the overhead.  And the class loves them.  She is funny.  She has never said a word about it at home.
And that was that.

Upped Again

The little man saw the doctor this morning.  The dosage got upped on his medication for the last time.  Starting today.  This is a time released so he only takes one tablet a day.
I decided that earlier is better, so I set him for taking it around dinner time.  Ever since he started taking the medicine he has been staying up late.  He just doesn't fall asleep.  But one day we took the pill early and he fell asleep at his normal time. 
So I gave it to him then and we had dinner.  Then the littles wanted to go to the park.  So we went and they ran the entire hour and a  half we were there.  Good for them.  I ended up in the car as it got too cool for me when the sun went down and the breeze was blowing. 
Little man fell asleep at 9 o'clock.  Got to love that. 

Movie

We went to the new movie "Wonder Park" tonight.  It was very cute and had some good messages in it.  It is tightwad Tuesday.  This is the first movie we have been to in the theater this year.  Kind of was waiting for some better behavior.  At home and at the theater. 
They behaved really well.  They had to earn the outing in the first place and did.  I had my doubts yesterday, but it worked out for them. 

Back to Back

We had back to back therapy appts. today.  And it didn't work so hot.  Maybe in the future we can still do them, but not with all of us in the room.  Maybe one sits with me in the lobby.  I don't know.  Anyway we got the little woman's 180 done which means she has been in therapy for six months.  At six months they review to see how they are doing and if we need to continue.  Yes we are continuing. 
The little man was amped up and just stayed that way all the way until he fell asleep.  Not over the top naughty, but definitely pushing his sister's buttons.  Oy. Tomorrow is a new day.

Quick Tale

I had to get gas.  So I stopped at Arco.  I don't really stop at Arco a lot.  Back in the day we used them a lot and hoped for no water in the gas.  Not a great reputation back then.  But when you are on the poor side you can't buy expensive gas. 
Anyway I am at Arco and I get out, get the car ready, scan the card and start pumping.  I look behind me and realize a car had pulled in behind me.  It was a really nice car.  Sometimes you can just tell when it is a really nice car without knowing what it is.  It is the paint or the vibe or something.  I didn't recognize the emblem and couldn't read the words.  So I got closer. 
It was a Mazerati.  So I figure if Arco is good enough for a Mazerati, it is good enough for my Kia.  It really was a nice car. 

Birthday Celebration

Before we started the celebration for Pat, we went to the Farmer's Market.  The littles played on the playground for two hours.  That was a lot of energy burnt.  The little woman even found someone to play with.  The little man found someone from his class to play with.  I thought that was pretty amazing.  He is in a class of seven.  So what are the odds of him running into a classmate anywhere?

Then we went to Pat's house.  Left the little man there while I collected the cakes, Mom and dinner. 

Pat wanted Chinese food.  He got a wonderful German Chocolate cake and the non-coconut eaters got just a normal chocolate cake.  

As he pulled his presents out of the group gift bag he asked if he had told me a tropical shirt.  He had not, but I thought it a great idea anyway.  And it went with the quick dry shorts.  I was thinking ahead for those days in Maui.  He also got a new pair of Levi's and the t-shirt he wanted.  He had sent me a link for it back in January.  He said it was from his favorite movie, "The Road Warrior".  He was happy with his celebration.  

Then the little man spent the night and they were going to play Rust.  

Fabulous Friday

The littles got up and went to school with no squabble.  Yay.  I had time to stop and see my mom and make it to work on time.
I had a meeting with the little man's teacher, but she had emailed to change it.  Naturally I didn't get the email.  So we have postponed the meeting until next week, but we still touched base since I was there.  She recognized he is way smart and is giving him math from late second grade/early third grade.  Good.  She sees that he is starting to settle in.  So she really wants a few more days of that before we tweak or don't tweak the IEP.
We hit the McDonald's with a play place to burn off some energy.  It just was a pretty good day with low amounts of misbehavior and frustration.  I like days like this.

Beyond Busy Thursday

And naturally we have to have a morning struggle to start a day that is packed full.  I did finally manage to get both kids to school.  Picked up Mom's prescription and dropped it off, but did not have time to see her.  Went to work and actually worked my full shift.  Ran to Winco to grab some cat food.
And then I spent almost an hour with the brain doctor and the therapist at the Children's Center.  Holly was giving us the results of his testing.  His IQ was 126.  Oy.  Holly said he had done stuff that she had not ever seen in a seven year old.  It was his verbal score that brought the IQ down in the average.  Most of the stuff were way up there with a couple of components being in the 99th percentile.  While he has a deficit in the verbal, it is still in the average range so he will never get help for it.  She did some social testing and some of those were a bit lower.  He does not recognize fear either in himself or others.  The brain doctor told the therapist and I that we have a lot of work because his behavior is caused by an emotional component due to the traumas he has suffered.  His brain is good.  And we cannot go back and redo those first three weeks of his life.  We cannot go back and redo the stress his mommy had when she was pregnant with him.  We cannot go back and redo the losses and abandonment he has suffered in his lifetime.  We can just move forward.  It was very interesting and kind of intimidating to have validation for the feeling I have always had that he is way smarter than me.
From there I hurried to daycare to pick the littles up so we could try and not be too late to his hip hop dance class.  We made it about five minutes late.  He is so loving this class.
Then we picked up Phoebe and headed home.  Tired.  Exhausted.  It was a late night last night and looking a little late tonight.  The weekend is almost here.

And It Is Done

The vet's office called after surgery.  It went fine.  They needed me to bring the eye drops since Phoebe was staying overnight and most of the day tomorrow.  So I built that into my schedule.
The home specialist came and worked with the little man.  They set up a safe spot and then practiced what we do when we get angry.  We go to the safe spot and take a time out.  The little man chose his room right behind the door.  So he keeps the door closed with his body.  It was a good session and hopefully a skill we can implement in the heat of some moment.
Then we took the drops to Phoebe.  We got to see her.  I was not sure how the littles would react.  They took it in stride.  And she didn't look bad really.  We kissed her and went on our way.
At Arby's I got a call from Mom's place.  Seems she needed to go to the ER.  So we went to the ER and hung out there for a couple of hours.  Amazingly enough the littles behaved well the whole time.  But at the end of the time it was time to go.  Mom is okay.  She was dehydrated and has a bladder infection.  Bladder infections are common in dementia patience and they can't tell you that is the problem.  So it is what it is.

Oy Man

Today was the recheck day for Phoebe's eye.  Even though we were using the drops her eye pressure continued to increase.  The vet said she is in a lot of pain.  The choice now was to go see the specialist or have the eye removed and that probably would be what the specialist would do. 
Taking a deep breath and going with it. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow because they don't want her to be in pain for any longer.

Phoebe

Phoebe's eye began looking very weird.  Like it was filled with blood.  The little woman and I took her to the vet.  Turned out she has glaucoma and it is a high high pressure.  So we went home with drops.  Suppose to use them for three days and go back for a recheck. 
I did not know there was an animal opthamologist.  I can only imagine how much that might cost.  I think we will take it one day at a time and go from there. 

Family Time

The little man and I went grocery shopping.  Always easier with one child.  He is not the child I prefer but he did fine today.  Then we picked up a new microwave from my friend Michael.  The little woman got to go out for breakfast and have chocolate chip pancakes.  Her favorite.  Picture compliments of Pat. 
Then we all met up at Pat's place.  I picked up Mom and Pat cooked a tri-tip roast.  It was so good.  The little man even ate two helpings of meat and all his broccoli.  Mom only ate meat.  She reminded me of a little kid.....only eating one thing on the plate.  Anyway the meal was delicious. 
I took Mom back since Pat was running the shamrocks for his friend.  They are looking pretty cool. 

He's now working on the engraving.  They are being used for a weight lifting tournament and they are for the winners.  If he had any extra I would hang it from my rearview mirror. 

Sleep Over

We hung out at Pat's today.  And then the little woman decided she needed a sleepover there.  So the little man and I got the evening by ourselves.  We just cuddled on the couch watching youtube videos.  It was very quiet and very nice. 

According to Hoyle

The little man realized that today was Friday. Friday is share day at daycare.  So he changed his mind and wanted to go to daycare with his share.  Makes my life easier.  I'm not trying to rush right home to get him.  We are really really close on time and that is if traffic flows and I don't hit every red light between work and home. 
I still hurried home just in case.  No call.  When I picked them up every thing was honky dory fine.  The transition from school to daycare was easy for Miss Angela.  Why can't every day just be like that?

Melt Down

I don't know what caused it, but the little man decided he was not going to daycare after school.  And so he didn't.  The van can't wait around.  So the school called me to come pick him up.  And I did.  It took quite awhile for him to settle down.  Finally he did and we got on our way.
It was like the switch just got turned off or on.  He told me what we needed to do next and next and next.  He had his first hip hop dance lesson.  I debated about not going as a consequence, but dang I paid for that.  So he went to class and had a great time.  He is looking forward to next week.
We talked about the fact that some days he has to go to daycare.  And most days he has a choice about having a little play time or being picked right up as I come through town.  Hopefully it goes smoother next week.

Principal

Today I got a call from the principal at the little man's new school.  He told me everything that happened yesterday and what his thoughts were as it transpired.  And in the end he agreed with me about not rewarding misbehavior.  He told me that if they can self-regulate...they stay in school when the incident is over.
They told me right before he transitioned that there would be some unexpected behavior in the first couple of weeks.  I guess they were spot on.

Foiled

We had a therapy appt. before school.  The little woman was being stubborn about going to school so we took her with us.  Therapy went fine.  And then it was time for the school jaunt.  She still didn't want to go, but went grudgingly. 
He decided he did not want to go either.  Would not get out of the car.  So I asked for help from the school and the principal came and talked him out and into the building.  I went to work.
I was at work for an hour when school called.  They needed me to come....the little man had ran away from the school.  They had called the local cops.   And I was stuck.  I was manning the warehouse.  So I made sure that I got the work done that was priority while I was waiting for my boss to come back.  Feeling anxious.  About half an hour later I called the school to let them know I was still stuck at work.  Well by then it was over.  They had convinced him to come back to school and the episode was over.  He was fine and going to class.  Whew. 
This occurred a couple of times at the other school and they would always send him home.  So he learned......if you don't want to be at school, just run away.  I was so pleased that that didn't happen this time.  Let's not reward misbehavior. 

Phones

So I got a new phone because I wanted one.  The old one is starting to have some charging issues.  It will only charge with a couple of chargers.  And I never seemed to have it.  So I got a new one which left the old one to the little woman and the iphone to the little man.  Ha.  Best laid plans. 
For some reason now when we are home the little woman thinks she needs two phones.  One for music and one for games.  So today she ended up with my phone and took it with her to school.  Now I did not miss it all day.  But I didn't feel comfortable leaving and going anywhere if the schools could not get ahold of me.  Makes me wonder how we managed back in the good old days.  ;p
Now I am thinking I may need a new phone.  Or a tablet or something.  But I already know it will never be enough. 

A Break Through

Oh my goodness.  The little woman had an epic temper tantrum.  At least nothing got broken.  It was over and then escalated right back up.  So much like the little man's sometimes.  So the little man was in the bedroom with the dog.  And he came out when it got quiet.  I told him to go back and he didn't.  Just because I said so....I'm sure.  Anyway he got her to say something and she claimed how everyone hated her.  She had grabbed a kitchen knife....they need a new hiding spot.  I came in and sat about three feet away from her and we talked quietly.  He walked right up to her and took the knife away and put it in the kitchen.  We had a family discussion.  We talked about how none of us hate each other.  And she admitted she just felt that way in the moment.  We had a group hug with the dog.  She soaked up some love and some compassion and felt much better afterwards.  And now it is an hour later and it is like it never happened. I felt like we actually heard each other.  Including the little man.  We are still an island of three and need to take care of each other. 

Energy

The little man had a great day of burning up energy. He started off at his friend's house jumping on her trampoline. The little woman had cookie booth so I took him to the park. He got involved in a pick up game of basketball.  We spent the afternoon at Pat's house just hanging out.  And then they wanted to go to JJ Jump.  I have a punch card from 2017 so it didn't cost anything to get in. And they ran and jumped and bounced for two hours.  They mostly had a good time, although the little woman had a problem with some bigger girls.  Girls can be so mean.  They told her Momo was going to get her.  I don't think that bothered the little woman as she knows Momo is not real.  She was more bothered by the bullying aspect of the bigger girls. 

Hello March

Oh my goodness.  Every one went to school.  Minimal hassles.  And then my day by myself began.  I got a lot of little crap done.  Broken glass got thrown out.  I kept messing up the recycle bin and they didn't want to take it.  So it went in the garbage.  Three boxes to goodwill, and then naturally I found another one that got forgotten.  Some laundry done.  Living room picked up and vacuumed.  The dishwasher unloaded and loaded and ran.  And then it was to the grocery store by myself.  Some vegging in front of the TV and then the best part of any day....a little nap.  And so March begins.