LIFE

There are 70 wedding pictures on FB.  I am trying to wait and put them together in a slide show and unveil them at once on here.  If you want a sneak peek do a search on Phoenix images on Facebook. Or wait a week and I will get creative.

There is no rhyme or reason to this post.  I realized that i had not posted in 2 weeks and so much has been going on - just life but just life can be exhausting.

We have seen an increase in Drew's anxiety level - he is getting very nervous about school starting.  He has the same teacher but there are some unknown factors in his life so that makes it hard.

I have lots of inquiries about vacations especially Disney ones.  booking one today.  That makes me happy.  Disney World has a great deal right now - FREE DINING for dates in September, October and  December.  Also a wonderful deal on a California Coast cruise with many of the Pixar characters.

Scott is recovering well.  Most of the road rash is gone.  His knee looks pretty bad and so does his ankle but his head has healed pretty well.  the most visible sign of the collision is the bright pink cast he wears on his right wrist.  It is due to come off August 15.  He seems better recovered than Drew and I.  Mentally at least.  The thought of him getting on a bike again TERRIFIES me.  I wish he would take up long distance running.  for some reason that doesn't seem as scary to me.

The newlyweds are back from Estes Park and had a wonderful time.  They seem to be settling into married life pretty well.

lots more but time is short.

I am back

I tried the world of Word press but it was not for me.  I thought I wanted to be a blogger of deals and steals but I want to come back to my little corner of the world and blog about me and Scott and Drew and homeschooling ( yes the H word) and Phil and Betsy and life and love and all things me. This is where i belong.  I have to figure out how to put some of the other blogs posts on this site so i don't lose them.

Where do I start?  We have been fighting the wonderful world of bullies and drew getting beat up and dealing with the school for not telling us.  Drew is asking for home school again.  He is tired of it and wants to feel safe.  We meet with the school again on Monday for an emergency IEP and I think the will be seeing things my way for the end of the this year.  I can file lawsuits with the best of them.

We are also finding that Drew may have APD (auditory processing disorder).  So off to the audiologist we go Monday afternoon.  Tomorrow Drew and I are off to San Francisco to meet with the Tourettes doc at UCSF.  Scott and I went last week and now Drew gets to go three times then a plan of action will be put into place.  They are also putting us in touch with an Asperger specialist at UCSF to help as well.

Wedding plans are on course as far as I can tell.  They tell me when they need something.  but otherwise i stay out of it.  Safer that way.

Scott is getting ready to run a half marathon.  His goal is to finish in the top 10 my goal would be to have fun and finish.  I have started going back to the gym.  well until the doc benched me because I tore a muscle so now I am waiting for the all clear to go back.

new direction

Hello my readers.  Life certainly throws us some doozies doesn't it.  I am finally taking stock in what is going on and where I want to go.  In addition to using this blog to update people about what is going on in the Anderson household I am working with a couple companies to start having giveaways and increase my readership.  We all know how entertaining my family can be.  But things are a changing and I am realizing it is time I step up and do what I love.  And that is write.  I want to be able to give reviews of products I love so you can find out about them as well.  Hopefully the two sites I have contacted will feel this little old blog is worthy of some new blood and I can bring some new ideas to you.

I promise to get here more often and let you know what is going on in the Anderson household.  Now that Drew is back in school, and Phil is finishing up college and getting married it is time for me to pursue what I want to do.

Cathy

Camp is over

YIPPPPEEEE SKIPEEEEEE! Done with Twilight camp for another year. It isn't a horrible experience it is just HOT and the boys get cranky because they are hot and tired. I have found the best way to keep their spirits up is to eat snacks. They do bring snack dinner but in between events we would pull out licorice, fruit snacks, oreos etc. The boys never knew what was coming out of Cathy's magic bag next. The excitement of the mystery also helped. But herding 8 boys in a sea of 300 boys is like herding cats thru kittens. Nearly impossible because every time we think we are on the move to an activity invarialby one kid has to go to the bath room - which means 2 kids have to go because they have to use the buddy system. Then another will see a friend from school in a different den and HAVE to go talk to him (worse than girls) Then another wants to go fill a water bottle so off go another 2 and by this time we have 2-3 boys left and they are bored waiting so we start hearing "NOT IT" over and over as they start to run the quad to play tag. Quite the experience.

But at least now that camp is over things can get back to normal. Did I say that? Drew gets out of School on Tuesday so there goes MY normal until August 16. I don't know how many mom's I talked to at camp who were acting as leaders talking about the state of affairs in their homes. Telling their husbands it will get back to normal once this week is over. We go to camp from 430-830. You would think that would leave plenty of time to get things done. For some reason nothing gets done. I was glad to hear I was not the only one with an island full of stuff that had not been put in its place in several days. that the news papers stacking up inside the front door looked like they had been on vacation for 10 days. Desks were covered with mail and bills waiting for a moment of the mom's time so the cable didn't get cut off. For some reason Comcast doesn't take " But I was herding cats at Twilight camp" as an excuse for not paying the bill on time. The towels were stacked by the washer but they hadn't been kind enough to jump in and wash themselves. The nerve of the towels.

BUT in the midst of all this chaos I did manage to SCORE a great deal at CVS yesterday. I thinkk CVS is becoming my favorite store for couping.

I think CVS must have tiers of shoppers and the higher teirs get more and better coupons. I got one in my email on Thursday for 30% my entire purchase. We needed a new Igloo cooler. I went and found one for 50.00. I had 2 4.00 off a 20.00 purchase as well as my 30% off so my cooler ended up being about 24.00. I also used a zyrtec coupon that was buy a 5 count for 5.99 and get CVS ECC for 5.99 in addition I had a 5.00 off coupon so my zyrtec was 5.99 less5.00 so I paid .99 but then they gave me a coupon for 5.99 a future purchase. You do the math!

I AM

I look around and feel off balance in my life. I look around at everything we HAVE and it doesn't feel right. Why do I need 2 boxes of yarn? Why do I need 4 TV's. There are only 3 of us. We have as many computers as people this house. I am feeling bogged down by all the STUFF that we feel we have to have. I look back at the small house we had in Kansas - it wasn't that small it was 2200 square feet. I wanted more. Now I want to get rid of so much of it. I am tired of stuff. I feel like there has to be more than stuff.

Why do humans always want more? I have jackets I haven't worn in years but I don't get rid of them because some day I MIGHT need one of them. I look at my youngest and I am realizing I am setting a bad example for him. I lost my cell phone and after not finding it in 4 days I had to go buy a new one. I didn't need it. Drew found my phone a couple days later. I am part of the NOW generation. I never WANT for anything. If I want something I go buy it. I am realizing that is not the way to live.

As I have lived in California for the past few years I have realized that so many people have a sense of entitlement. I am one of them. I want to be someone who sets a different example for the world. I don't know how I am going to do it but there is a path I feel I am being called to walk and changing my thinking my step is the first step. Wanna walk with me?

Go to the Oprah site and watch and read about Tom Shadyak and who he was and who he has become. Also learn about what 3 guys have done in Uguanda for the invisible children. After reflecting on how I want to live my life and know I am not fulfilled and it is time to make the changes and follow my hearts desire and give back to this glorious Earth.

Raising a child with a disabilty

First let me say this week has been incredible. THe lumbar puncture not so much. I will explain what happened in the next few days. But until then let me say my dad saw Holland this week and has a new appreciation for it's wonders, beauties and difficulties. And I have a new appreciation of my dad as well

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

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 Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After 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 guide books. 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.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. 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 will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very 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.

thought for the day

The road of life has so many twists and turns and obstacles, it is good to have family and friends to help us navigate the difficult ones and celebrate the good ones.

haven't been around

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my blogging duties. I have many things to talk about but I am finding out people are reading my blog and then using things I say against me within my family. So I have decided to focus on things that don't have to do with my personal life that people can mistrue and get defensive about. That makes me sad because I always felt like this was a safe place for me to talk and if family chose to read it they would realize this was my avenue to vent and talk and exercise my right of free speech, and be myself but I am quite tired of the toxicity within my family right now. Some times family can be as toxic as trying to be perfect. I am tired of people who claim to know me trying to change me. Telling me how to act, how to be what they want me to be, how I was a disappointment to them, that they know more than me on every subject whether they honestly do. But to try and advice them is like entering the center of a hurricane and I become the worst person on earth.

Therefor while I will continue to talk about my kids, becoming Gluten Free, vacations, etc. My private life info is going to be off limits because I have found that I am honestly not free to be me. Censorship is a bad thing It is sad that "family" tends to judge the harshest even when they have no clue what is actually going on in my life. Judgement is not love but then I really wonder what family love and support look like these days.

Airport

Do you know what I like about airports. Watching people reunite. We picked up my mother in law this afternoon at the Sacramento Airport. We were early because we had to stop and rent a car for the week. It is too difficult for her to get in and out of the back seat of our 2 door Ford Focus.

While we were at the airport it was so wonderful to see kids coming home from college rushing to hug their mom. We saw several soldiers come home. Grandma's and grandpas waiting not so patiently for their grandbabies to come down the escalator with the kids parents. It was funny to watch grandparents ignore their kids to give the grand kids hugs, kisses and presents. I even heard one grandma tell her son in law "sorry I forgot to hug you too." It made me smile.

I am thankful today to have seen the love of so many families today. I am also very thankful that I get the next week with Mary Lou.

colds

Have you ever noticed that Colds come at the most inopportune time? Not like anyone wants to schedule when they have a cold but honestly they always seem to appear at the worst possible - most busy time for me.

Take the one I woke up with. Yesterday I felt out of sorts - kind of crabby and just not my self. I am usually such a ray of sunshine. If you believe that I have part of a bridge in Brooklyn to sell ya. Anyhow, in the middle of the night I woke up feeling achy and by morning I was sure my head was going to explode and Scott would be having to clean grey matter off the office walls.

My week? Tonight is the kickoff for the Scout Pack fundraiser. Who is to present it to the parents? ME! Tomorrow Drew has his tutor and his therapies and I have choir tomorrow night. We will see what happens. Friday is CHILL (our homeschool co - op.) I am supposed to teach. My co-teacher is away on a business trip. Then as soon as CHILL is over we are to head to Bodega Bay for a CHILL camping trip. IF we don't do that we are supposed to go to OctoberFest at church as well as the Bishop is coming for his visit on Sunday morning to church. Not to mention I have to teach Drew all week.

I checked the scheudle and I have tried to explain to this cold that 3 weeks from now would be better if it would like to rebook. I was met with a full on coughing attack. Guess this cold and I will not be seeing eye to eye and it is planning on sticking around a few days.

change of plans

Well the trip to Disneyland is out. With the questions about my health right now Scott was not too excited about me taking Drew for 6 days with no back up. Plus the money we save on that mini trip can be applied to the BIG trip in December. In some ways I am actually relieved that we are not going. Drew was all right with it after I promised that SOMETIME in the future we would take a big trip with Phil and Betsy. He just doesn't know when.

On the health front, we see the neurologist tomorrow morning to hopefully get some answers about all of this. The eyesight is improving. It will never be what it was but hopefully it will continue to improve.

I get so frustrated. There are so many things I want to do with Drew but I can't. I feel like he is getting short changed. I feel all right in the morning but by afternoon it is all I can do to move and stay awake. Tried to get in the pool with the guys on Saturday. The water was too cold and I spent 5 hours trying to get warm and waiting for my muscles to "unseize"

I refuse to have a "pity party" This was the hand I was dealt and I will deal with it. I know I am getting ahead of my self because we don't have a diagnosis yet. I am hopeful that what ever this is there will be a treatment and I can get my life back and have the engery to do the things with Drew and go back to being the wife and mom that I used to be and that Scott, Drew and phil deserve.

I usually think

Yes I think (as scary as that is) but what I was going to say was during the day I think of all sorts of wonderful things to blog about. Problem is I am not at my computer at the time so by the time I get to my computer I draw a blank and blog about nothing. I think there was a TV show about nothing at one time. Wish my blog could be that popular.

On Tuesday,April 13 my oldest friend is coming to visit. We have been friends since 5th grade. not saying how many years that is but if you read my older posts you can figure it out. planning on doing very little. Just sitting out back and drinking margaritas, eating salsa and talking. We are going to San Francisco for a day but that is it. I love company that is easy. They don't want to be entertained they just want to be. The obligatory trip to Squeeze Inn is on the list. She wants to check out a couple bead shops. Like I said easy. I have very few friends that are like that. Lori is one. The others would be Kim and Anna. Most people you feel like you have to entertain. With them I know they are coming to see me. That is what makes it easy.

been very neglectful

Yes I know. everyday I log into follow everyone else but don't seem to find time to update my own blog.

Where to start?

Scott came through surgery fine. 3 more weeks and he should be able to drive as well a get back on his bike. He is walking everyday and is very happy to be maintaining weight. He is still working from home and appears to be happy doing so. I love it most days.

Phil and Betsy are still dating. Phil told me the other day he had been named to the Greek National Honor Society. Not bad. He is doing better and better every semester.

Drew has offically been diagnosed with Autism. Not a shock but still felt like a kick in the ASS when the told us. They have said it is EXTREMELY high functioning autism but still autism just the same. He is doing remarkably well being homeschooled. We all like it. He is finally reading. I love Hooked on Phonics. It is a god send. We start Math U See after Spring Break and I am hoping Andrew is as successful at that.

I am starting to sell Tastefully Simple. I went to a party a few weeks ago and fell in love with the products. Every time I mentioned to a friend that I was having a TS party they all said "make sure you invite me" or "send me the link I need to order some stuff" That got me to thinking. Why shouldn't I profit from this?

I love being a SAHM. But I never have felt like I have contributed enough. I know I contribute by parenting the kids, taking care of bills, cleaning house, supporting Scott, etc but I always feel like I should be contributing monetarily. Infact while I was typing this TS called and gave me my consultant number so my site will be up and running shortly.

My dad was here last weekend and we had a wonderful visit. Like he says great to see them come - great to see them leave.

Oh the big news it that we are planning a trip back to Disney World for December/Jan of this coming year!!!

I promise to pay more attention to my blog and update soon.