Wordless Wednesday - Doing her Best

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For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

We have a Place!

We finally have a place to move into. I am so happy! It is a duplex, but it is large and lovely with a fenced in yard for the kids and beautiful garden.

Dear You Know Who You Are:

Since you neither of you are doctors, or even have a University degree, you will forgive me if I believe my doctor before I believe you. Since I live with my daughter, you will forgive me if I assume I know more about my daughter than you do. Despite what you may think, she does not just need more discipline. She gets plenty thank you very much. She is a high functioning autistic! She may look like everyone else, but she isn't. She needs support, not yelling.

And I homeschool her because it is what is best for her. She was miserable in public school. And I don't think forcing the school to keep her and not send her home when she is cowering under a table screaming and covering her ears would have been the best thing for her. Not for the school FOR HER! Being homeschooled is not going to make her have low self-esteem, being in public school was pummeling her self-esteem. She was scared of the police because she was convinced that they were going to come and arrest her because she was a bad girl. She was convinced that Santa would never come because to the depths of her soul, she was certain she was a bad girl. When asked to describe herself. she said she was weird and bad. That was all she thought she was. She got so low, she WANTED TO DIE!!!! I am working to repair the damage that public school did to my daughter, so don't you dare tell me that it would be better for her. I KNOW HER and I would rather walk over hot coals barefoot slowly than put her back there.

Don't tell me what is best for my girl. Trust me, you are not my role models in how to raise children. I have seen homeschooled teenagers, if my girl turns out like any of them, I would only be proud.

My girl is SPECIAL, UNIQUE, WONDERFUL and a HANDFUL, and I do NOT require your input on how to raise her!

Signed a frustrated MAMA BEAR

Six Months Old!

TOS Crew: Blog Walk - Week #3

I saw that Lisa-Anne at The Berry Patch was doing a Weekly TOS Crew Blog Walk and I thought it was a marvelous idea, so I joined in!

Thanks to Debbie at Debbie's Digest for the cool graphic!

This week has me checking out the following ten blogs. These are all members of this year's TOS Homeschool Crew.

This has been so much fun for me and it's so much fun (and so encouraging) to the blog writer to have lots of comments! I hope you enjoy these blogs. :)


1. All American Family
2. Growing Fruit
3. Learning to Teach
4. Codex Young Author's Publishing Program
5. Stairsteps Homeschool Academy
6. Kingdom Academy
7. Living Sola Gratia
8. Wynfield Christian Academy
9. The Cow Queen
10. Creek on the Prairie

It needed a happy ending

Yesterday I was watched a movie with Princess Belle (I love that she is at the age that we can watch movies together and both enjoy them). In the movie, the female lead passed away. I think it was the first movie that Princess Belle had seen where one of the main characters died. She was understandably upset. So after the movie was over, she decided to rewrite the ending of the movie.

She came up to me carrying some pictures:

"See mommy, this is where they are dancing. This is where she ate some goop and got sick (funny I don't remember any goop in the movie at all). This is where she was dying
This is where a machine came in with a hose and sucked all the sickness out of her, so she got better. This is where they started dancing again. And this is where they lived happily ever after and went to the beach."

I hugged her and told her it was a much better ending.

Saturday PhotoHunt: purple

The theme this week is PURPLE, so I decided to share some pics of Princess Belle with a purple flower. She was just playing in the park with a flower she had found and I took the opportunity to start taking some pics!

Since I missed it, . . . TOS Crew: Blog Walk - Week #1

I saw that Lisa-Anne at The Berry Patch was doing a Weekly TOS Crew Blog Walk and I thought it was a marvelous idea, so I am joining in! I missed last week, so this I thought I would go back and visit those blogs too.

Thanks to Debbie at Debbie's Digest for the cool graphic!

So, I am checking out the following ten blogs. These are all members of this year's TOS Homeschool Crew.

1. Reaping a Harvest
2. Pink & Orange Coffee
3. Live, Laugh, Learn!
4. Mrs. Mandy's Musings
5. The Fantastic Five
6. Refined Metals Academy
7. Just A Moment in Time
8. Providence Farm
9. My Journey
10. Petra School

You Know You're a Mom When . . .

• You never wear a shirt longer than 1/2 hour before it has a milk stain or a chocolate face-print
• Your child wakes you up at 5 in the morning and you count that as a victory
• You have ever let anyone chew on your fingers because their mouth hurt
  
• Your windowsill proudly displays a green plastic cup filled with dandelions
• While you understand why Sam Wiggle had to replace Greg Wiggle, you defiantly declare that Joe will never be as good as Steve on Blues Clues and the original Loonette will always be the best one
• You have found yourself randomly snacking on fruit roll-ups and goldfish just because they were there
• You have to search your car after long drives because it has snack foods and toys stashed in every available crevice
• Someone who has vomited on you, drooled on you, and urinated on you and not only do you let them stay, you add more just like them to your household
• You have ever celebrated when someone went to the washroom
• Your follow members of your household around with a camera trying to document every special moment because you know they pass by just much to quickly
• You were ever crying and a toddler wrapped her arms around your neck, looked up at you with chocolate covered, puckered up lips and somehow she managed to kiss it make it all better.

These are all I can think of now, I will add more as I think of them. Add yours in your comment for fun!

TOS Crew: Blog Walk - Week #2

I saw that Lisa-Anne at The Berry Patch was doing a Weekly TOS Crew Blog Walk and I thought it was a marvelous idea, so I am joining in!

Thanks to Debbie at Debbie's Digest for the cool graphic!

This week has me checking out the following ten blogs. These are all members of this year's TOS Homeschool Crew.

• Second Star to the Right and Straight On Till Morning
• Surviving the Testosterone
• Family Style School
• School Around the Table
• 1628
• Morris Family Madness
• Homeschool Musings
• Homeschooling (and then some!)
• Heartfelt Homeschooling
• following Him home

Upcoming Review

It’s official! I received my first item to review for the 2010-2011 TOS Crew voyage. I am really excited, so I thought I would share the title now, to wet your appetite for when I post my review late next month when it is due.

It is the e-book Travel Kits. It sounds great and I love the idea of ways to keep the Princess Belle happy and cheerful when we’re in the car for a while, like when we are driving into town to get groceries. So watch for the review of what looks like a wonderful resource.

Upsetting News

I am so upset. A town I used to live in a few years ago was hit by what they think is a tornado. The trailer park that I used to live in and that several of my friends lived in was destroyed. I haven't lived there for a number of years, and it is silly for me to be so upset, but I am.

Here is a news video on the damage: http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/video.aspx?cp-documentid=cbcc2010-2406-0719-0004-152927117300

Wordless Wednesday - Funny Face Snifflefritz

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Little Note

I am loving my new look. Every time I come over and look at my blog it makes me smile.

Tuesday Tidbits

Well, as you can see I have rearranged things around here a bit. I just got to thinking that I was tired of green and needed to spruce things up a bit. I have to say, I really like this color scheme. The pink is courtesy of Princess Belle who informed me when I asked her opinion that if she was choosing a color, it would be pink because that is her favorite color. LOL

I was up WAY to early this morning. One child got up and the proceeded to wake up everyone else in the house, you know how that goes. But it is only 9 am and I have done dishes and laundry already this morning, so that is something.

I am still trying desperately to find a house to move into. I am amazed at how much rent prices have gone up in the last 4 years. They have increased by almost 50%, and of course our income has not increased by that much so it does cause some difficulties. But, at this point, I just want something to be available. Anything at all. I found a place an hour from where I want to live that costs $350 more than the last two I looked at and I am still considering it. That is how desperate I am to get out of here and make my girl's life better.

Princess Snifflefritz has gone back to waking me once a night now that she has her tooth in. Please let us hope that she doesn't get any more for a while. I need the rest.

Princess Magpie has taken to taking off all her clothes when she in her room "sleeping". This is so NOT fun. I was thinking about transitioning her to a toddler bed, but I am not ready for her to have full access to her room when she is making messes like that. EEEEWWWW

I have come to the conclusion, I am listening to entirely too many kids shows throughout the day. I find myself working away quietly humming a Wiggles or Imagination Movers tune. This is no good. LOL I also find myself rocking a baby that isn't in my arms any more and pushing the broken baby swing when there is no baby in it. (It is broke so I sit beside her doing something else with one hand and pushing her with the other.) Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am slowly losing my mommy brain entirely. If you find me standing still in the grocery store with a cart full or formula, diapers, peanut butter and goldfish, staring blankly into space, quietly rocking a bag of flour while singing a Wiggles tune. Please forgive this sleep deprived mommy and point me in the direction of the checkout, okay?

Understanding

I am feeling better today. I am remembering back to the other times in her life, when I felt that Princess Belle was extra stressful and misbehaved and I am remembering that it was always related to some change happening. She doesn't do change well. It bothers her, it stresses her out and she can't articulate it, so she acts out. It is all a part of her Autistic personality. Knowing that makes it easier for me to not feel like such a bad mom. I have to guide her and love her and not let her get away with bad behavior, but I have to understand as well.

We are going through a big change, we are moving. But it is being dragged out as we wait to find a place. That is stressful for me, so I can understand how a long drawn out big change like this would be stressful for her too.

I talked to her today. We discussed the move and how long it is taking. We talked about her feelings. She got a bit teary when she discussed how lonely she is here. I truly feel like I have hit on the reason for her behavior lately.

sigh

There are days when I feel like I don't know what I am doing with my Autistic daughter. There are days when she will do something that completely shocks with what she thinks is okay. I don't know how to make her understand what is right or wrong. How can she feel that some of the things she does is okay???

I feel like sometimes I am failing as a mom with her. Once upon a time, I thought all I needed to do to be a good mom was love my kids and do the best I could to guide them and give them a good home, but with her, I am not sure that is enough. I am lost and I don't know what to do.

How Cool is this!?!

I just found an article about my blog! Check it out: Most popular blogs for moms!

Saturday PhotoHunt: six

The theme this week is SIX, so I thought I would share pics of Princess Belle when she was just six years old. It seems like only a day or two ago instead of almost three years ago.

Friday Five . . . Back!

1. Sorry for the unexpected absence. My computer broke and it too time to get back to you!
2. Another hit on the hit list that keeps on coming, my Father-in-law was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a suspected heart attack. They are keeping him again, so it must be serious.
3. We are still planning on moving to improve Princess Belle's situation but we are having troubles finding a place. It is tough, but I know it is best for her.
   
4. Princess Magpie is always trying to help Princess Snifflefritz, she even tries to feed her from her sippy.
5. Princess Snifflefritz ha her first tooth!! She cut it yesterday. I am hoping she is done for a little while, I NEED some sleep!
   

Saturday PhotoHunt: Bubbles

The theme this week is Bubbles, so I thought I would post a pic of Princess Belle back when she was a baby.

Around Our Town

As promised, here are our pics from our drive around town. It was really nice to see the kids with the horses. And the house with the odd shapes everywhere is called "Jack's Rubix Cube"! Can you guess why? I have a fondness for old deserted houses, they just seem to have a history and wonderful air about them that I love so much.