The Jumpin' Jelly Bean Share Café

I won't lie, I just freaked out on my DH for not supporting my M4B's AT ALL this year. He hasn't got one single dollar in donations. For that matter, no one from his family has brought in one single dollar. My 3 biggest fundraisers last year were him, his sister, and her husband. Her husband was the top 3rd walker in my area for pete's sake......

This year...Nothing.

I cried a little today...

Blah...blogging now...

Jessica - Congrats on the house closing!!! That's awesome. Update on the dr visit!!!

Liz - hang in there girlie. My family (outside of my parents) hasn't donated a dime, ever. My brother did some fundraising one year, but that was it.

Jackie - Deep breaths! You'll get through it.

Stacy - lips bleed like there's no tomorrow. Poor little guy. And there's no way I'm supermom. Someday I will post pictures of what a disaster my house and yard are. You guys will never be impressed with anything I do ever again. lol

Lindsay - fingers crossed it turns out well. Yes, my sister is getting married. No, the kids aren't in the wedding, but I'm singing during the ceremony. SCARED!

Lorena - Your kids are JUST as amazing as the boy you're hosting, just in different ways. Don't beat yourself up. Happy Anniversary!

Katie - Feel better. And Happy Anniversary to you too!

Tracy - Are you feeling any better?

Poor Grace had a total meltdown this morning. I think yesterday was too much for her....first day back at school, girl drama at school, then 2 hours of dancing followed by 90 minutes of soccer. And she has two hours of dance again today. Poor thing. She's wiped out.

Jess~ Congratulations!!!! That's awesome!!! Can't wait to hear updates from the dr. visit!

Donna~ HEY!! It's great to see you back! I'm glad that the visit was a good one and congrats to your sister on her upcoming marriage!

Lorena~ That kid is probably HORRIBLE at his own house!! You know how our kids are great when they're somewhere else....they save their "bad side" for us. There's nothing wrong with S. having different likes as he grows up than other kids!

Katie~ Really?? Strep again!???

Stacy~ Poor little man! I hope his little lip heals quickly without the nasty look tomorrow.

I can't remember anything else.....it's been a long day.....

So Day 1 of testing was survived! I really struggled to get going this morning and felt really weak, but thankfully I made it through and I'm feeling a lot better now.

It's a boy!!!! It's a boy!!! It's a boy!!!
& ALL LOOKS SUPER HEALTHY XOXOXO can you hear the excitment in my voice....can i just scream how happy I am today?

Yay for baby boys!!!!!!!

Wahooooooooooo!!!!!!! Congratulations Jessica! So cool.

Tracy - Glad you made it through the day.

Jessica: Congratulations!!!! I am so happy for you and your family.... and congratulations on your new home.....

Donna: I didn't know you sing..... Poor Grace...... Hope days get better for her and she can return to her normal routine.... that is what I am talking about, all the extra curricular work, maybe I am lazy and not pushing a little harder my kid to do some sports...

Lindsay: Glad you had a nice interview..... Is this the one you have to fake to fail??? That is hard for me as competitive and perfectionist as I am is hard not to do it ok...... My host kid is from Honduras...... not so far, but incredible how things are different.... wow Argelia, that is far..... and another world..... I felt in another world in the middle east.... thanks for the cheers .... that brings me to another issue my kid likes extreme sports.... he was asking me if we can buy him a endurance motorcycle ......

Stacy: Poor dear Elim..... he really is a trooper.....Your mom has my respect.....

Tracy: Glad you survived your day and are feeling better.....

JAckie: I think I try to mortified myself, I just let S invite good kids home......hope this 2 weeks are done fast and good luck with your walk.....

Liz: Coffee stain in the ceiling??? ...hugs for you......

Katie: thanks for having a high concept of my S, but he doesn't play all those sports......hope you are feeling better....

Lauren: thanks......

Thank you all for your words, I am really proud of my kids, don't get me wrong on that, but I was wondering of my parenting...not my kids.......maybe I am too lazy, and I should be a little more pushy at this age with sports, so they get interest in one or two....

Long day, in school they must think I am crazy, I rushed all morning and went to school for parents' meeting but I confused the days, it is next Tuesday...... then run for some errands, went to my class, back home, prepare quick lunch, picked the kids and head to Chuky E Cheese..... we stayed there the whole afternoon...then we had the traffic hour, and arrived home at 7:30 I am exhausted so I am heading to bed......

Good night everyone
Lorena

Liz: Big hugs momma!

Donna: Ha! I bet your house is spotless! Or at least has a lot less spots than mine! Ok, maybe not after today, my bathroom is finally clean! Now just the rest of the house to do..... Oh wow, sounds like she's little miss busy too, I hope she gets some rest tonight!

Tracy: Glad you're feeling a bit better now!

Jessica: YAY!!! Congratulations on a little boy! They're so much fun!

Lorena: Wow, busy woman today! Hope you get some rest tonight!

Ugh, I hate the commissary! I used to love it but it's so far away now so not so much! Maybe it'll give me an excuse to go to eat some lunch at Panera beforehand tomorrow before we go grocery shopping.

So Elim looks like quite the bruiser, awhile after he fell I noticed that there's a bruise on his right jaw, as well as his left chin, and kind of right under his bottom lip about in the area where he bit himself. Poor kid, he's taking it in stride though.

Jessica- CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

Jessica-Woohoo!!! Boys are so much fun!!!!!

Lorena-You are always so busy! I don't know how you do it!

Stacy-Love me some Panera! Poor Elim, he's going to be a football player, taking those bumps!

So, the claws are out and momma bear has requested a conference with Alex's teacher and an administrator. I clearly told the principal that Alex will not be attending school until a change of placement has been made. Not sure she knows who she's messing with this time!!! The only problem is, I am so mad about the whole situation, that I cry every time I try to explain it, better bring the hubby along!

A good friend of mine posted this yesterday on her facebook page. Thought many could relate.

Welcome to Holland
by Kaci Buchenroth King on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 9:01am ·

In 1987, Emily Perl Kingsley wrote an essay comparing having a child with a disability to traveling. Today, I find myself thinking of this writing. Today, I promise myself to stay focused on all of the wonderful things about our Rembrandt. ;0) I'm grateful for our journey: all that I've learned, all the wonderful people we've met because of it, but most of all having our boy. He's such a kind, caring warm soul with the ability to turn a really tough day into happiness.

Austin's ETR testing was done at school recently. The report was sent home and today is a group meeting to talk about results. Of course, all of it is very honest and open and needs to be so he can receive the best help for his needs. Sometimes, as momma bear, it isn't always easy to listen to. Also, hearing this morning that the special ed director (whom has been a godsend to us), moves onto another position in the school seemed hard to swallow. If only the radio station could've waited to share that announcement tomorrow. lol

To all the mom's we've met in Holland, we love you. And thank you for traveling this journey with us. xoxo

"Welcome to Holland:

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, Gondolas. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After several months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland!” “Holland?” you say. “What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy. I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It’s just a different place. So, you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around. You begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. And Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.” And the pain of that experience will never, ever, ever, go away. The loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."

(As a side note, I no longer mourn. Its not a loss of a dream for me, but every parent wishes for the best for their child. Sometimes the unknown for me is more frightening than anything.)

Thank you. I think we can all relate in some way.

Jessica- Congratulations on the house and the BOY!!!!! YAY!

Liz- I find walk participation up and down. Some years we have great participation from our families and others not so much. My husband sees it as my thing but is supportive of it. Good luck.

It has been that kind of week and I can't remember much else.
I hope all of the stomach flus have passed and no kids get hurt today.

Have a great Wednesday.

Oh, this story of mine gets better, phone call from the teacher today blaming the whole thing on Alex and telling me that my child is afraid of me. We have a meeting tomorrow at 8, wish me luck!

Thank you girls...

Katie omg how are you controlling yourself? I'm feeling for ya today girlie...you have got to be so beyond stressed.

Jess-I have been in tears all morning. I am hurting for Alex and I am so angry at the teacher. My daughter is not afraid of me, she is afraid of getting in trouble, as any good kid should be. I am not going down without a fight on this one! I have already emailed the principal asking for an immediate change of placement due to the teacher's comments to me this morning. We shall see...

Lorena, I always wonder if I'm a lazy parent. However, I go to bed saying, "I did the best I could today". And, I hate traffic!

Stacy, Yikes! on the bruising. Poor guy.

Katie, I'm anxiously awaiting to hear an update about Alex's school. I get like you, the fangs are out, and yes, I am so mad, I cry. Thinking and praying for/of ya! Whoa! Whoa!! WTF about the teacher calling you?!? I'd be so f'ing infuriated that I would Wait for her to leave school, write down her license plate# and egg her car.(I would't really do that, but I would think it) You have got to be kidding me?! I'm disgusted and it's not even my situation.

Cool Holland story...I can relate.

I'm so shocked that Alex's teacher called and said those things, that I forgot what I was going to type.

bbl...

OMG Katie!!!! I missed what happened but I'd be steaming just based on the teacher's response alone. Seriously? Who says stuff like that?

Lorena - Grace is my only child that can handle being in more than one activity at a time. We don't even have Ethan in anything right now, outside of his therapy once a week. Ryley is just in baseball. I thin the best parents are the ones who question their success and abilities. Hugs.

Stacy - I literally spit my water all over my computer monitor with your "spotless house" comment. I would post a picture of my kitchen and family room just as proof, but it's embarassing. Relatively clean, but definitely cluttered and shtuff all over the place. Plus my labradoodle, who is more lab than poodle, sheds like a fiend.....all over my dark wood floors. My house is definitely "lived in". Pool Elim - sounds all boy.

I'm beat. Was up until after 1am. Decided at 11:30 to stop tossing and turning and just get up to deal with a few things that were stressing me, thinking that would help. Hah. And I'm supposed to go out with some school moms tonight. Oy.

Katie: Wow, I'm totally livid for you and Alex. Just wow. Any word back from the principal. I'm totally an angry crier too, which makes me even madder when I start crying!

Chris: Love that poem!

Ellen: Hugs! I hope you get some time to just relax soon!

Donna: Lol, one reason I love carpets, it hides dog hair!! Ugh, hope you get better rested tonight!

This kid of mine, I swear I need to get a plastic bubble wrap outfit for him! Today I was going to try taking the baby gate down. Within five minutes he was in splashing around in the dogs bowl. So I grabbed him and undressed him from his soaking wet clothes and went to throw them in the washing machine. Come back and he's already back at it, but since he's already splashed around the tile is wet and he bit it. Hard. Whacked his head pretty good and cut up his toe, I think he bet the toenail back. Poor kid is gonna have bruises from head to toe if he keeps this up!

Stacy-Elim makes me laugh, he is so boy!!!!!!!

Donna-I am pretty sure when I picture your house, it is like a magazine cover!

So, I spoke to the principal, she is actually out on bed rest. I told her my concerns and she was very sympathetic to me. She suggested that I still meet with the teacher and voice my concerns. John and I are going in tomorrow at 8 to speak with the teacher. I am guessing that they are not going to change her teacher, so we are just going to let her know that we are watching her every move. We applied to get her in to a Charter School that will cater to her higher academic needs, we are seriously hoping she gets in for next year! We just need to survive the next five weeks with this teacher!

Wouldn't be surprised if she's sick tomorrow! Go get 'em momma bear.

Stacy- Awwww poor kiddo! But I mean... come on.. I get it... dog bowl... SO much fun!

Katie: Ugh, I hope your meeting with the teacher goes as well as can be expected tomorrow. How much longer till school is out?

Lauren: Lol, he LOVES anything to do with water, he just walks up to it and starts swirling his hand around in it. Pretty sure he's going through withdrawal because we're doing quickie baths because I'm paranoid about his ears getting wet. After two weeks I think the restriction is supposed to ease up though.

I got the cleaning fairy and I'm not sharing! Ok, really, I'm not coming to y'alls houses to clean there too. Aside from mopping and vacuuming our room the house is clean for the first time in a long time! Not picked up, but at least clean!

Katie, as an end of the year gift get her a gift certificate to charm school, lol. I wish they would just move Alex, she deserves better.

I can't remember anything else. Trevor is keeping me busy. His fever is gone and we never heard about his UTI results, ugh.

Jess - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! So thrilled for you, boys are the best even though they pee on you.

Donna, I'm going to be in Temecula in August (the 29th and 30th) for a wedding, is that anywhere near you? I would love to see you while I'm in CA.

OK, I need to go shower so I can get ready to go meet with Nathan's teachers so we can prepare for his IEP meeting.

Laura - Temecula is 25 minutes away from me. Oh yay!!!!!! Putting the dates down now on my calendar.

Katie - Soooooo NOT a magazine cover. Sending lots of good thoughts your way.

Sorry I cut that last one short...didn't realize the time, and it's my carpool morning. AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Laura - good luck with the IEP meeting. And where did you find your keys? :-0

Loooooooonnnnngggg day ahead. Supposed to go swim this morning, after Ethan's 8 year old check up. Then lunch with a couple of friends, laundry and packing, Ryley's game (or the start of it), and soccer meeting. We leave tomorrow morning for AZ (again). Ethan's had a bit of a rough week settling back in to routine, and now we're pulling him out of it again. Blech.

Donna-Nope, pretty sure your house is always spotless! My vote is a nap instead of a swim!

Laura-Good luck with the IEP meeting this morning. I say you don't shower, they might give you whatever you are asking for just to get you out of there! Call me if you need any advice!

No meeting this morning. I sent Alex to school, with a note that says I will not meet with the teacher without an administrator present, so they are setting something up. I sent her planner, with the inappropriate note from the teacher back to school with her. The teacher emailed me this morning, completely backtracking, I am pretty sure she reread the planner and feels horrible. She apologized for offending us!

On a better note, I am down 34 pounds!!!! Love me some Weight Watchers!

Katie - Way to go. And she should be apologizing. Moron. Oops did I type that out loud?

You really want a picture of my messy house, don't you?

Katie...Totally jealous of the 34 pounds. Stupid teacher should be apologizing. That whole thing still angers me.

Laura...hahahha I am honored to know your child pee's on you.

Donna, back to AZ...hope that's a good thing.

Stupid kid care at the gym pulled me out of my awesome workout this morning. I was actually motivated to jog 5 miles on the mountain terrain on the treadmill, but only got 3 in. They said "Tori is crying, wet and freezing" I told kid care she had spilled water down the front of her in the car. I come back to kid care to find Tori in someone's oversized zip up sweatshirt(that reaked like cigarette smoke) and her socks and shoes. Kid care hands me back her now dry clothes and said she was crying and inconsolable. I'd be upset and crying too if a stranger took all of my clothes off. I thought to myself.."Don't ever take my kids clothes off, come get me first" I told the stupid ladies it was water. dumb, dumb lady.

bbl...

Katie- She best be apologizing!! and 34lbs! OMG!

Liz- 3 miles?! I'm impressed already!

Stacy- You send that cleaning fairy right over here this instant!! I'll gladly just sit and have pizza with her on the lanai!

Donna- Ugh, that is a ridiculously busy day.... you sure you don't have more hours in the day than the average bear?

Laura- Seriously, still no results?! Good luck at the meeting!

Ooooh I made the best coffee this morning. Love it when it's sooooo perfect!

Laura: Say what?! Are they going off of the no news is good news route? Glad his fever is gone now though. Big hugs!

Katie: Fingers crossed that the backpedaling means she'll start treating Alex better.

Liz: Um....yeah, I'd be pretty upset if I were her too!

Lauren: Well now, since you put it that way! I'm packin' my bags!

Lauren, I love perfect coffee....Oh, how I love the perfect cup of coffee...

Stacy, how's Elim doing with no baby gates? ps-Tori still has a tendency to dip her hands and or toys in Raskal's water. She also has a tendency to eat a kibble of CAT(SeeyAtee)'s food.

I'm still perplexed that the kid care people took all of T's clothes off. Is that normal? It's rubbing me the wrong way...I'm not sure why.