happy love kids

Today is the kids last day of school! My little book worm, Chloe, wants more school and Brendan has one month of summer school that starts up next week but technically they are out for the summer!! I signed them up for the Summer Reading Club. All kids are signed up and ready to read! I have to read to Brendan and Makayla and am supposed to read 6 books each week to them which I can do easily. I am not sure Bren will pay attention to all of them but I will try. The library puts on a show for them each week so that will take up some of our day. The magic show is on Friday to kick off the program so I am excited. I think it will be great for all of them. Camping was a lot of fun. The kids did not wear me out as much as last year. Chloe was a great sister and often took Bren to find pine needles and sticks for the camp fire. We bought a special needs bike trailer from Wike a few months back and it is really coming in handy. We brought that along with Brendan's wheelchair and walker bu...

It has been a little over two months since we did PERCS. I am still thrilled with the results. He is still standing straighter, taking better steps, and has a better gait. He is stronger. He is working harder in therapy and he is much easier to stretch! He is looking pretty awesome I must say. He walks 4 minutes on the treadmill at therapy and is still riding his bike at home. At home I try and do stretches multiple times per week along with some exercises. He also rides his bike and walks around the house. He is doing well and I am thrilled. I sometimes wonder if we should have gone through with SDR only because he is doing so well after PERCS. I was told by one Dr. in MA that he uses his tone to do everything and that SDR would take away his tone leaving him very weak but I see that after PERCS his tone has been taken away yet he is stronger. I am not sure if I was ready for SDR or ever would be but I want the best for my son and now I am pondering it. I guess that will be another ye...

The kids only have a few more days of school. This is my first year that I am not working. The kids have always gone to daycare full time all summer long. I have never had three kids on my own for so much time. I am nervous. I am worried I won't be able to keep them entertained but I am also excited for them to enjoy their summer fort he first time. I must admit that I am totally clueless to what I can do with all of them everyday. Brendan definitely makes things more difficult like going to the beach, going grocery shopping, and just really every day activities. It is really hard for me with all three. I am over the fact that they won't behave because for the most part all three are excellent children. I think it is the logistics of getting all of them somewhere without totally exhausting myself. Parks are pretty much out because I can't leave Brendan walking by himself or he will most likely fall. He likes to try dangerous things in his walker. Makayla is 3 and is into cl...

We got the kids a blow up water slide. It is pretty awesome. Brendan doesn't usually like 'toys'. He never says he wants anything. He never has a favorite toy that he just has to have so when he does like something I get it. Everytime we showed him a water slide in the store he lit up and asked us to buy it. So we did. I looked at a ton of them and found a great one at BJ's. It has a smaller slide which is great for Makay and Brendan when we don't have th energy to lift him onto the bigger slide. The sides are nice and high so he can't fall off while zooming down all on his own. On the way home from therapy last night (which he did awesome at) I told him that Derek had set it up and he can try it when he gets home. He told me no he didn't want to go on it, he wanted to watch cars on Youtube. Well as soon as he saw it outside he said "mom can you get me changed?" He wanted in and he LOVED it. We just need some warmer weather so we can actually use i...

I have to now. I stay at home with my kids so my husband is the only money maker. It is scary. We have a budget that we try and stick to but lately my husband's trade isn't doing so hot! I can't work part time because I can't afford daycare for my youngest. I am a mystery shopper and do jobs when I can. I coupon to save our family money and get more for what we spend. I also have belonged to sites on line for years where you can earn points or bucks and turn them into gift cards and even paypal cash. I figured I would share three sites that have really worked well for me. You can earn points/bucks simply by clicking on emails, playing on line games, searching the web and of course on line shopping. If you shop on line alot you can earn cash pretty fast. You just use their portal to go to the site and shop like you normally do. Sometimes it takes 30 days to receive your points or bucks but you always do. For instance, shop online at Old Navy you will earn 4% back. I boug...

I found this on another blog and had to share. It will make you laugh and tear up within seconds: 1. Because we never thought that �doing it all� would mean doing this much. But we do it all, and then some. 2. Because we�ve discovered patience we never knew we had. 3. Because we are willing to do something 10 times, 100 times, 1,000 times if that�s what it takes for our kids to learn something new. 4. Because we have heard doctors tell us the worst, and we've refused to believe them. TAKE THAT, nay-saying doctors of the world. 5. Because we have bad days and breakdowns and bawl-fests, and then we pick ourselves up and keep right on going. 6. Because we gracefully handle the stares, the comments, the rude remarks. Well, mostly gracefully. 7. Because we manage to get ourselves together and get out the door looking pretty damn good. Heck, we even make sweatpants look good. 8. Because we are strong. Man, are we strong. Who knew we could be this strong? 9. Because we aren�t just moms, w...

Some of you would have no idea what is like to raise a child with cerebral palsy or any child with special needs. I honestly think it takes a special person to raise these children. It is far from easy. It is emotionally and phyiscally draining. It is stressful. You cry more than you want to. However, life is also very rewarding and makes you appreciate things like you never knew you could. You literally get beyond excited at every single milestone and progress they make. My husband just doesn't get it and thinks I am wierd when I get so beyond happy for him. I beam! I have to tell everyone. I blog about it! I think I deserve the happiness I get from it after all I am his mother. It involves therapy and Dr.'s appointments...lots and lots of appointments. I used to write all his appointments in a little calender and one year I had counted them. I can't remember the exact count but I am pretty sure it was close to 300 between the age of 1 and 2 years old. It was a bit insane...

I was doing exercises with Brendan this evening and afterwards I sat him down on his bum and let him play while I was stretching his healcords. I noticed he was sitting so straight all on his own. His right leg was almost flat on the ground. He looks so awesome! Sorry it isn't the best photo, it was my camera phone and he was busy playing. He loves cars! His calves are getting bigger. They aren't so skeletal like anymore. I see muscles forming. His biceps are coming back as well from using his walker without the arm troughs. I really want him to become stronger but he typically does not like therapy or working very hard. I must say he did great tonight. He had fun, didn't complain too much and after working out, stretching, and playing he walked three laps around the house.

My husband and I have recently begun couponing. I have always clipped coupons, even as a young child. I helped my mom shop and even did the family grocery shopping when I got my license. I love coupons. I think they are really neat since they are basically just like cash. I try and hunt for coupons wherever I go. I use multiple coupon codes when I shop on-line. I get some pretty great deals but lately I have even amazed myself. You really can get stuff for free! I have been watching the coupon show on t.v. and it really has me interested and focused on saving money and spending less for more! We have been doing this for a little bit over one month and already have a stock pile. I don't get everything for free but I am getting really great deals. I just got 18 bottles of Lawry's marinade and 21 boxes of pasta for free. I have a stash of razors that I paid maybe a few dollars for. I am talking a power shick razor for $.89. I have 12 boxes of tampax tampons (20 count) that I paid ...