Another Manic Monday brought to you by...

...A change in schedule! Normally tonight is gymnastics night however summer session does not start until next week and on Tuesdays! Mind you we have been doing Mondays for the last 2 1/2 years. So what did we do? We drove to a closed gym. Womp, Womp, Womp.

Mondays: 1  Parents: 0



Has anyone else drive to the wrong place before on the wrong day and time? I'm sure someone out there has. I feel so bad that she was disappointed :-(

Organization Can Ease Some Pain

Organization makes me happy! :-)   I love organization!  Organization can be a big help for Moms.

With so much going on it can be hard to keep track of the things in our houses.  I know at the end of the day the last thing I want to do after work is clean or pick up. However it is important to keep some semblance of order with the chaos and clutter to help the days and nights go smoother. Nothing is more frustrating then looking for something and not being able to find it.

Top 3 things we do to help stay organized:

1. We have the cubes with the cloth boxes for our daughters toys 

     2.  We use lots of Tupperware to contain groups of toys like My Little Pony items or Littlest Pet    
          Shop

    3.  Almost everything in our living room does double duty. The coffee and end tables have drawers       
         and baskets to hide toys from sight.

 

I like how easy it is to hid things if we want or need to. Yes we do clean the house and make it adult like from now and then for company.  

She knows where her things go and it makes it easier for her to find things later.

Do things still go missing? Absolutely. Do things always get put away? Nope.


Our house does not have an entry way closet. So to help with piles of coats and shoes on the floor we installed a coat hook bar and placed what is actually a book case under it to hold our shoes. Since we recently got new carpet a few months back we also have a basket with grippy slippers for guests to put over their socks if they are not comfortable other wise. Hey we all have something.

I do believe I have a touch of OCD :-)  As everything has a place and the routines at the end of the day are to put them in their places is a must. It is a nice way to feel in control of life when life gets crazy.

As they say there is a place for everything and everything has its place. Happy Organizing!

What things do you do to help keep your life organized?

5 Things For My Daughter

As the school year ends and my daughter's first year in elementary school comes to an end, I have been thinking about all of the changes she has gone through.

My daughter was diagnosed with high frequency sensioneural hearing loss bilaterally about 2 weeks before the start of the school year.  She had gone for her kindergarten physical and failed her hearing test. They at first thought maybe it was a fluke since it was the first time she did the test and actually had to follow the directions. Being that they could not pass her on her forms she had to go to the audiologist where she had 2 more tests that confirmed it was in fact not a fluke.

This started a whirl wind of activity for us at a time of great transition for her. We had to sign her up and wait for approval for medical assistance (the hearing aids are expensive) and figure out ways to make sure she is able to learn to the best of her abilities in school. She has no other issues does not have any academic or behavioral issues as well as no speech issues. Lacking in speech issues is pretty much what masked the hearing loss.

There are certain sounds and frequencies that she cannot hear and or hurt her physically when she does hear. I was the meanest Mommy and had her get hearing aids that blended in with her hair and clear ear molds instead of bright red. Oticon is a wonderful company that makes removable stickers for their pediatric hearing aids and she has a blast changing those.

So here she is starting a new school where she knew no one in her new class, all of a sudden has these hearing aids and now can hear things she did not before and has to re learn how to adjust to those sounds in her world in order to concentrate and succeed. 

For as long as I can remember she did not like loud noises. As parents we just decided to avoid those noises. This means sit blocks away from fireworks, avoid automatic toilets, no movies or bowling.

The reality is that we do not know what caused this or the future of the loss. We have no clue if this will get worse. As a baby she had GERD so bad she did not sleep through the night until 2 1/2 years old, she was on 2 different medications and special formula. She would eat and vomit and cry in pain 24/7 and the specialists could not figure out how to help her. She did grow out of it but it was still a very difficult time.

We will do all we can to help her accept this permanent hearing loss and the adjustments she needs to make in her daily living.

As I sit here and reflect on this first year there are 5 things I want my daughter to know.

1.  I love you no matter what.
2.  You are not your disability. You can still do whatever you want just maybe a little differently.
3.  I am amazed at the strength and resilience you have shown while going through this. I know no child
     wants to be different or stand out. You have dealt with this with grace and maturity beyond your years.
4.  It is okay to advocate for yourself. It is okay to ask for help or for someone to repeat things for
     you. That does not make you any less smart then your peers. 
5.  You are still the strong, beautiful, talented, smart, creative, wonderful person you were before the
      hearing loss. You are still you and that is the best way to be.

Perry The Platypus

I love, LOVE Pinterest. I wish someone would pay me to go on Pinterest and make a bunch of their projects. I have done several and some turned out better then others.

This project I made for my Dad for his birthday because he likes Perry the Platypus and I was crocheting my Mom a scarf and knew he would like something handmade as well (he already received a new hat so making one was out of the question).

I learned how to crochet a couple months ago from a YouTube video. The person I follow on there and look to for how to is fabulous and shows you step by step in a very easy way.

I apologize for not taking step by step pictures of this project. I am however posting the link from Pinterest to the pattern I used. It turned out great :-)

I promise next time I will take those pictures so you can follow along. Forgive me I am new to all of this.

My Perry the Platypus:

I attached the hat permanently as I know my Dad would not want to worry about losing it.  The hat could be better but hey it was my first try. This was actually pretty easy to make and the first written pattern I ever followed for crochet. It took me about two days as I did not have the time to sit and do it all at once.

 

The link:
http://my-crocheted-world.blogspot.ca/2011/11/perry-platypus-free-crochet-pattern.html?m=1

Memorial Day

On this day while most people enjoy spending time with family and friends please take a moment and remember those fallen soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives in order for you to have yours. Always support those that support your right to be free and live.

5 Things You Can Add to you Memorial Day Celebrations

1. Actually tell  a soldier, veteran and their families thank you.
2. Visit the VA if there is one near you.
3. Write thank you cards and hand them out at your local town celebrations.
4. Volunteer.
5. Visit neighbors who may have served or are apart of the military who may not have family with or near 
   them.


Thank you Service Men and Women!!!

Disclaimer! It takes a village

Just for the record I have nothing against SAHM. I know some pretty fantastic ones the are very  near and dear to my heart :-)
 (besides in post one I said I wish I could join their ranks)

This is just a place to talk about struggles, triumphs, etc of parenting and life. The main focus may be the working Mom but I love everyone as long as you support and love each other.

We all have gifts, insight, and ah-ha moments that we can share with  other Mom's. So far in the Survival guide many things can apply to Mom's all of kinds.

Saturday Night Date Night

Ahhh last night we had an unexpected at home date night. The princess went to bed early after swim lessons and an outdoor birthday party. So hubs and I got to enjoy some time together.

We ended up baking a cake and watching a movie on tv. What a good sport he was watching the Princess Diaries with me :-) These are the times together we enjoy the most. I also feel like it's the time where we talk about the mundane (it's so needed). I always go to bed after these times with so much love and joy in my heart.

I feel you should always be working on your relationship with your significant other. Take the time to relax, reconnect and rejuvenate your relationship.

This is the first at home date night in a while. We really had no clue what to do besides a movie.

What are some fun and creative ways you spend at home date nights?