When CPS comes for a visit

I debated writing about this--
mostly out of embarrassment...
but as stated in my title--"LIFE HAPPENS" and this is my life--honest and true...
I mean--what good mom has CPS come for a visit?
Well just for the record--this one did. Not that i am a perfect mom

--UMMM--no way, now how,
but i do NOT warrant a visit from people who are the watch dogs of parenting.

It all started with a card at our door...
we were left perplexed but there was no note attached and none of the kids knew anything about it...we let it go at that and did nothing with it--
So yesterday i received a call from a gentleman at CPS stating that he needed to come out and meet with me--a complaint had been filed on little man coming to school with a dirty face

and soiled diapers....and they worried about neglect.

I was SHOCKED
--hurt--
upset,
and then (excuse my french)
just PISSED!!!

Give me a break!
First and foremost even before he is a child with special needs
he is a BOY
--a seven year old BOY...
who loves the dirt.

At grandma's house his favorite pass time is to sit in the holes that his friend Turbo the Dog has dug for him. Turbo sits by and watches as my boy appreciates his handy work--smoothing it out--
I have given up trying to stop him--does that make me a bad mom? Have you ever tried to keep a boy clean and spotless--not an easy task. I will admit--sometimes he does have a dirty face--

but that is only after he has already had a shower for the day and started out in clean clothes. Never has he gone to school in already dirty clothes--they start out clean everyday--but come on people.... a dirty face?

Does this dirty face look neglected?

--that my friends is a face of happiness...

This kid bathes/showers more than my 12 year old (not that that is hard to do) In fact i told the guy from CPS that if that was a benchmark they should be taking the 12 year old away--we have to constantly stay on him to get him to shower these days--i will be happy when the summer is here and there is pool water involved--not that that constitutes bathing but at least the water will be touching his skin and he will realize he won't melt away...I digress....

As far as the dirty diapers go---lets talk shall we? If he could control his bowel movements he would not be in diapers...I have NO control when he goes...again he starts out in a clean one--and while we are on the subject what about the fact most days he comes home off the bus POOP-EE? Do you see me filling a complaint? I might complain but i do not seek out the authorities for this....

When little man was in Preschool i would often get a call from the school nurse anytime he would show up with a new bruise. It really bothered me at first and once i even made the comment "have you seen the kid walk?" He was not the most stable child--he even gave his aid nightmares about falling...and I soon realized that they had to document everything for their protection...Did CPS ever show up then? NO!!!

It bothered me to think i was wasting the time of someone who was already overtaxed,and taking him away from children who really do need his services. He told me that they get a lot of referrals like this that amount to nothing....and that as soon as he left he would forget me. It bothers me to think that everyone can scrutinize me and the job i am doing and if they don't like it they can place a call. If they think having a child with special needs is easy--have at it. They can borrow him for a day, even a few hours and see how crazy he can make your life...and how clean you can keep his face...

Can i also comment that never mind the fact that he has therapists(yes, that's plural) that come into our home on a weekly basis and if they saw him being neglected/abused they would be the first to call--or how about his case manager that i meet with on a quarterly basis--no calls being made there....

More than anything I was hurt...while the man from CPS cannot say who filed the complaint it was evident to me that someone from his school did. It upset me that the people i put my trust in to take care of him do not trust me. In my mind i know that they do this to protect children but COME ON--neglect? He won't let you neglect him--and if you happen to--he tears up the house--even when you are watching him he is the TASMANIAN DEVIL....He has 6 others that love him and watch out for him on a constant basis

--more than most kids have...
he his happy...

he is healthy
and he is a BOY.....

he gets dirty...

but not because he is neglected!

Today i am being the good aunt--
I am going to watch my niece play ball again....
They have only won 4 games this year...
can you say
"LONG SEASON?"

3:50 pm--at the softball field....

Sun is at 10o'clock in the west
It has gotten hot! Not warm.....
HOT!
Just a week ago I was wearing a sweatshirt...
and today i am m-elt-ing.....

I was at least smart enough to anticipate the heat--
well actually i listened to the news and they told me...
so i whipped out the shorts today-
and my winter white legs are exposed...

I am feeling NO shame for this
except--
for the fact that i could have shaved better...
It is amazing what you can see when the sun is shining down on you...
I am feeling a bit glisten--eeee (because girls don't sweat)
AHHHHH--
an ever so gentle breeze--
but it is air--that is moving just the same--
what a difference a bit of air makes....
Even my drink which still has ice rattling around in it does not feel cold anymore...
Umbrellas have been pulled out
--not to be used in case of rain--
they are used as shade here.
really it just gives us a chance to actually use them,because we all know that we don't actually go out in the rain. When it does actually rain we stay inside and watch it--then when it is over we leave....

During our winter I relish our tepid weather--
forgetting how hot it really does get...
until days like this....
We make comments on those wonderful days
that this is why we live here.
We rub in our wonderful weather to those who are freezing their buns off in other places--
and then the heat comes on with a vengeance.
It arrives in the form of a HOT flash...
Something nobody wants...
and we all get far too soon....

life is easier this week

I am breathing a collective sigh of relief....
AHHHHHHHH.....
My son informed me a week ago that his wrestling banquet was tonight-
that is all well and good but in that weeks time i had a TON of "have to do's" and I couldn't even begin to think about making a video. Plus the fact that i was still waiting for music from my son so i could even start. Having Prom over and done, i could now focus on the wrestling video--only after my son gave me the music last night. He gave me a wide variety of music to choose from--so many choices that i had to narrow down--before i could even get started. I had already categorized and narrowed down the 1400 pictures--but i needed the music before i could start putting it all together---and together it came. I am giving myself a collective pat on the back since i was able to get it done in time for the banquet tonight...YIPEE one more thing i can cross off my list of things i need to get done.

Why is it that i can only focus on those things that are pressing at that moment...Sometimes i feel like life is one great big juggling act and i can only add another object into my act if i throw one out....I guess i have learned some balance and know that there is only SOOO much that i can realistically handle. It just feels like i move from crisis to crisis--only i am done for this week--while i still have must do's on my list this week they seem to pale in comparison to the last few weeks. I probably will need to make a list just to keep me in line--after all it is often the small things that fall through the cracks....

Long Sunday naps

I love Sundays--it is a day to rest and re-coup. I especially love morning church so i can come home and take a ridiculously long nap...just so i can stay up ridiculously late or early as the case may be and once again start my week sleep deprived. I know i should be in bed--it really doesn't seem that late until i look at the clock--I guess i will call it a night or morning as the case may be and head off to bed--I need to get a video done for the wrestling banquet tonight--might be able to accomplish more if i am not sleep deprived....

new calling...new responsibility

Recently i got a new calling at church--
I am now holding the position of Activity Chairman
Been there,done that....
with this new calling comes responsibility--
I really don't want to be responsible
at least not hold all the responsibility--
i don't mind being the Indian, instead of the chief....
in fact these days i would prefer it
but alas i am now the party planner of the ward.
It is not enough to be in charge of the social functions
i now have to go to ward council...
which meant no sleeping in this morning....
Sometimes there are real dis-advantages to being a Chief
and as far as i am concerned this is one of them....

prom part II

My daughter has allowed me some insight into her prom evening by allowing me to download some of her pictures--actually all of her pictures, but i am only going to post a few....
It is so nice to see that all the money that was spent on orthodontia was well worth it--look at those nice straight teeth...
I still can't help but look at that tie in awe--the color was sooo perfect--i guess it helps that they went shopping together for it....

the key to being able to stay up so late is a caffeine drink the size of your head--normally they would have gone to Sonic--but they were already closed sooooo
it was....we like to refer to QT as drink bar heaven. So many choices--I love the crushed ice...and the option for vanilla or cherry....and the hot chocolate...

---my daughter wanted to document their trip
but when you have a tall person and you have shorter arms it tends to be a bit tricky to fit everyone in... thus his head being cut off

this time he was in the picture but without any hair--is it my imagination or does his head look really big? I guess it is that whole perspective thing...and do her arms look really long or what?

And here, because he is squatting down i think he kinda looks like a bobble head
Even though she is not centered in the picture at least it is more in perspective--love the candy behind them....kids hopped up on sugar and not alcohol....
And then i just thought this was cute of the two of them--they do make a nice looking couple...

PROM 09

I promised my daughter

i would be better about posting her dance pictures--

she will be shocked

when she sees that i have her prom pictures up.

After all, she is still waiting for me to blog about

coronation and MORP

unfortunately those events happened at times

when i was WAY busy

not that that isn't always the case,

just some days/weeks are worse than others

That my friends is the story of my life.....

Prom #1 is over and done...
It was a week earlier than i had planned--
hers it not actually till this week
and we are not sure if she is going or not.

This weekend she had the chance to attend her "friends"
She was excited to be attending another schools since she has friends there as well.
I am assuming she had a great time since she stayed out late and was all happiness and smiles when she came in

I love her eyelashes
--seriously--
they are soooo long and thick!

This is the hair we ended up with--up until an hour earlier we still weren't sure how it was going to turn out....we tried a few things and this was what we liked the best...

Thanks to her aunt for the great jewelry--she gave her quite a few options and this was what she ended up with...her aunt insisted that she wear the earrings...she NEVER wears earrings...i am glad that she listens to someone else,because if i had suggested them (which i have in the past) the answer would have been "NO"

even when she makes goofy faces like this
the earrings look good

she decided to add the gloves last night
--kinda fun--
not so practical...
--but fun--

I love this color on her....did i mention the moment of panic when i was zipping up the dress and the zipper decided to split---AHHHHH---luckily my mom was there and we were able to get it back down again and worked with it till it zipped up correctly--the next option was to sew her into the dress....

And how is this for composition? Notice her date in the mirror? He was so patient while I took pictures of her...normally i would have done that prior to his arrival but we were running a bit late...

And the flowers--matched oh sooo perfectly....

And how is this for a cute couple--
she swears they are just friends

you gotta love a guy that you can wear heels with

Both Grandma's came by to see her before she left

with her heels on she manages to tower over the both of them--she loves her grandma's and we are soooo lucky that she has them both so close--something i didn't have the luxury of having

And even i got into a picture---good thing since her dad wasn't here to see her off--we had to play divide and conquer tonight--and since he doesn't do hair, he got the pleasure of attending the chili cook off....

And there goes my baby...
so grown up...
all dressed up....
not even looking back....
I think this is a sign of things to come....

no chopsticks for you....

Here is a bit of randomness into my life....

My daughter was looking at my pictures and she came across this one--
/

"mom why did you take a picture of your Panda?" she asked...

"What is wrong with the picture?" i responded

It didn't take her but a second to figure it out

"Your eating it with a fork?"

BINGO--

There are just certain things that are just wrong--

and for me it is eating pseudo/Chinese food with an American utensil

(I love the orange chicken and black pepper chicken--although I have been mixing it up with the Beijing beef as of late)

I am accomplished enough with chopsticks and prefer them when i am eating thee appropriate food--but on this given day i was not GIVEN chopsticks....

so a fork it was....

it felt WRONG i tell you

JUST WRONG!!!

dress trauma

Oh MY WORd.....
this is a week from H--E---double toothpicks...
a ton to do and we just keep adding to the fun....
It is three days till Prom...
Not her prom--NOOOO
that is a week from now--
a whole entire week to be able to prepare--
but instead we are stressing this week--
my busy, out of control, too many things already scheduled week.

Could my daughter narrow down her dress selection to just one?
Yes, we have more than one choice.
We have picked up dresses as we found great deals as to not have to stress come dance time---
I AM STRESSING!!!
I mean SHEESH--it is only 3 days before prom...
She thinks i have time to do alterations--
not just alterations--she wants me to find the time to buy the fabric, cut out the fabric and make sleeves for the dress she thinks she wants to wear....oh and a sash...
Can we talk about the dress that she had to have that made her feel like a princess--that she
loved, LOVED, LOVED,
and now says she won't wear it because she thinks it looks like a wedding dress?....
DARG....
I was just explaining to her all the things i have to do...she said "I will buy the fabric." That is nice and all-but have you ever sent a non-sew-er to the fabric store? And once I actually have the fabric it is more than just wiggling my nose "Samantha" style to have the sleeves magically appear...

Anyone know how to make more time appear out of thin air--because the air is feeling really thin around here--
(did i mention that is the only thin thing in my life....)

tastes like sugar

here is something "sweet" to think about

I remember when sugar cubes were the mainstay on tables
none of those cute little pastel packets of sugar/sugar substitute

My son and i were at a restaurant the other day and they actually had sugar cubes on the table-kinda a blast from the past and at the same time it kinda grossed me out. It is not that i even eat/drink anything that i would need sugar in it--but just the idea that someone could have been touching/playing with them and someone else would use them....
EWEWWWWEE.....
I am becoming a bit of a germ-a-phobe as i am getting older...
(we won't even talk about how i feel about taking my shoes off in the airport--we will leave that for another day...)

The temptation of cute little squares had him reaching for the bowl right away
My son was equally impressed with them--
remember what i said about playing with them-
what is with the line right down the middle of his face?...


-YEP--just too much temptation...
just for the record--I limited him to two and they DID NOT go back into the bowl....

P.S.---i have been trying to update my blog from our trip in March--
time just keeps moving on--
so you might have to look back in the March entries if you want to read something new--
I am not trying to hide my entries--just put them in the correct time frame...

Unpacking

I left my bags on the bed...
I had started to unpack them and at least got out the clothes--
that left my new acquisitions laying there.
It is a rare occasion that i come home from a scrap convention without something new to play with.
It is not that i need ANYTHING--
i have PLENTY--
but i have a sickness....
I think i acquired it through a really nasty paper cut. Once you get the paper in your blood it is hard to get it out--i have yet found an immunization that works..

The problem with acquiring more is that i now have to find spaces to put these things...
This is not an easy feat...

Leaving the bags out brought to the forefront of what i have in my husbands mind...
He made the comment

"If we had food supply like you have scrap supply we would not go hungry for ten years."

He speaks the truth--
I have always said that some of the paper looks good enough to eat--
if things get to bad we just might be doing that.....

TMI

Sorry about the "potty" talk yesterday.
My husband informed me that the last entry was TMI--
as in Too Much Information.
I guess you shouldn't say Pee in your own toilet--WHOOPS--did it again.
But let's be honest here--can we? Just for a minute?

Anyone who has spent time away and had to use a variety of public facilities knows what i am talking about. For guys it is not that big of a deal because they don't have to sit and relax every time they want/need to go--
us girls on the other hand....
And what about the lines? Have you ever been somewhere where 99.999% of the people there are woman? It makes for long lines--and when i need to go i don't like to have to wait. And if any of you are Sienfeld fans--sometimes the moment passes--(I did try to find a clip of that on YouTube-but to no avail)

So my apologies for using the potty talk again...sometimes i just write what is on my mind--sometimes it is the simple pleasures in life that you need to go without in order to appreciate their true value....

I am home

Nothing like being able to go pee in your own toilet to make you feel at home.

The length of any trip is in direct relation to the number of public facilities you end up having to use....and since i was in a more humid state i did not evaporate the fluid from my body like i do when i am home in the "dry" heat--there fore that meant many potty stops.....Like i said "it is good to be home."


I do love to travel and visit different areas. I love teaching and i had great classes. It is funny how some people just "freeze" when they have to stand in front of a group of people...The only problem with being at the front of the room--"the center of attention"--so to speak is that you have to be "ON". So for two days i was happy, smiley and cheerful--which is usually how i am--just not on a CONSTANT basis. By the time i was leaving--I AM DONE. I want to be in my own little world. Nothing personal--but on the plane i want my space--all 16 inches of it--to myself.


We had an awesome flight on the way out there--we had rows and rows to ourselves--which by the way is one advantage to being a shorter person--I was actually able to lay down--crash and burn. So spoiled....that was not the case on the way home today. It was a very full flight--so full that one of the last couples to get on was disappointed that they could not sit together....are you kidding me---"NO,nobody is giving up there seats so you can sit together.".....to bad...so sad..sit down and lets get going. So i was the lucky one and got the woman...she waited until we were pulling away from the gate and then told the flight attendant that she wanted/needed her jacket from the bin up above. She was told she was going to have to wait....It is not that i want to be rude--I just really don't want to talk to anyone (unless i know them and even then today i just wanted to sleep) So here i was next to this stranger that wanted to be sitting next to her husband--and i would have preferred she had. Maybe he wouldn't have minded being elbowed in the ribs--it was rather irritating to me. I kept trying to meld myself into the window--attempting to get away from her pointy sharp elbow without coming unglued. Am i being punished for not wanting to make friends? She was not a big woman--just a little greedy with the center space--made me feel like i was home already--fighting for my space....AHHH only a few more hours till it is a reality. I did manage to sleep a bit--before the woman felt the need to get up--shaking the entire seat and about hitting me--I just kept telling myself she had no clue--should i have said something?...I decided not to--just kept my mouth shut waiting my time out....

a case of the giggles

tonight we have been crackin' up--
laughing till we had tears--
over....over nothing.
Maybe we are just tired--
but it feels so good to laugh
brightens the soul
and refreshes the attitude.
I do love to laugh...
this has been fun--
I almost forgot that i am working....

Laughter is an instant vacation.

~Milton Berle

calgon take me away

Living in AZ we have what is called
"HARD WATER"
I don't really think that much about it--
it is just apart of my life.
I know people that pay for the luxury of soft water...
I am not one of them...
I have found that you can actually tell the age of a toilet by the number of calcium rings that are built up in it...
and your shower head can diminish to a drip--and not long after there will be a sign posted that says--beware of falling rocks.
YES, we have HARD water.
We don't drink our water--at least not out of the tap.
That is an idea that is so appalling to us--
it is as if you were asking us to drink out of the toilet...
you just don't do it--
I forget that in other parts of the country they actually turn on their taps and partake of the wet goodness that pours from it--somehow that is such a foreign idea where I come from. And then if we do drink water that is not bottled it must be had with plenty of lemon--after all the acid helps break down the build up.
I also forget that you don't need as much soap--and that soap actually bubbles up without too much effort--
As much as people would want to sell me on idea of soft water
I am not sure i am such a fan--
as i was showering today i could not get past my slimy feeling--
and that was before and after i had used the mighty bubbling soap.
The water was too soft--
I didn't feel clean....
I guess i have just become hardened by my hard water--
Plus i like the way my skin looks all dry and pasty white afterwards...

St.Louis here I come

I am off.
I am having a hard time believing it is here.
As i walked out the door i yelled to my kids--
"I am outta here"
"LOVE YOU!"
No response....
I at least expected a response from little man--he usually freaks out when i go around the corner without him--but nothing...
"Isn't any one going to say anything to me?"
I did get a "Bye mom"--from a far off distance from my oldest son--
is it a good thing that they are so self sufficient that the are able to get along with out me?

The daughter dropped me off at the airport...
and quickly pulled away.
Has it really only been 2 weeks since i was boarding the plane with my kiddo's?

I was feeling pretty good that my husband had gotten me #19A
found out my girlfriend was #20A.
Getting your boarding passes is a game on Southwest--trying to get the lowest #--
and we felt rather proud of ourselves--until we found out that there were only 28 people on the flight. Are you kidding me--we were in the last half of the numbers--nothing impressive about that. In the end there were 35 people on our flight---i think we each had several rows to ourselves--doesn't happen very often--but i really appreciate it when it does--especially since we didn't arrive until after midnight and finally got to our hotel around 2 in the morning...one of many late nights with lack of sleep.