Temporary Hiatus

Boys are in the hospital with pneumonia. Tending to my babies. Will be back soon.

xo maggie

Battling Domino Effect Germs

3x3 weeks and counting... That is, 3 KIDS SICK FOR 3 WEEKS AND COUNTING! I know the details may be a little different but... How familiar is this story for those of you with children with special needs (or any kids at all)?

It started with The Boys' aide at school asking if I'd noticed that the Little Man was "a little congested" during this past week. Yes, of course I noticed! I am his mother and I do attend to every single little noise and nuance of his [and my other 2 children's] existence... literally! Over the weekend, that little bit of congestion spread to the Big Little Man and, oddly, to me. (That almost NEVER happens... Mama can't get sick!) Then it became the dreaded "D" word (diarrhea) right in the midst of potty-training. We briefly thought we were dealing with a resurgence of The Boys' lactose sensitivity issues -- that would have been EASY -- but alas, it was not to be! The Sarge started his "vacation" (NOT the respite he was hoping for) so together we stayed the course with undies and managed to get through the week -- elbow deep at times -- with both boys sporting their new Spiderman and Toy Story Fruit-of-the-Loom whitey-tighties. Thursday brought some relief so we confirmed our reservations and braved the wilds of Smith Point Park for a VERY relaxing camp-out with our friends. Our collective congestion improved with the beach air and rest. A tease!

Still a tad choked up but doing better, The Boys went back to school on Monday and Tuesday. All was well in the world, or so I thought, until another Mom stopped me in the lobby on my way in to pick-up The Boys to say 3 children were just taken away vomiting! Ugh! You know that wave of nausea that comes over you when you realize the potential foreshadowing of information like that?

Wednesday was a staff development day at The Boys' school and I had my last day of Lay Advocacy training so hubby took the helm at home. Those 7 hours of potty-training our still-fragile pooping, mildly-congested and overly-tired twins wiped all 3 of them out. It was an Early to bed though not very restful night...

And, an early to rise morning! Thursday I was up bright and early, ready to get all the kids back into our usual somewhat-unusual routine. I had their lunches packed and ready; all 3 children dressed; one already fed, and two to go! I had a warm bowl of oatmeal in one hand and a spoonful in the other when the Little Guy turned adamantly away saying, "NO!" That's usually the Big Little Guy's line so I coaxed him with, "Just take one bite! One bite, that's all!" Much to my chagrin, he hesitatingly obliged...

... Then proceeded to throw IT and everything else in his stomach up all over the rug as I screamed for the Old Soul to grab a pot, QUICK! Skipping the gory details, the neighbor took the Old Soul to school and by 11:00 AM I was waiting in the Pediatrician's office with The Boys. And at 12:00 noon I was waiting again, this time at the pharmacy while they mixed up 2 different antibiotic prescriptions for Bronchitis and Sinus Infection for us. My Little Man's propensity to suffer upper-respiratory consequences proving itself once again while my Big Little Man took another hit in the sinuses... where it hits him every time.

Friday was my "quiet" day... LOL. I spent the day potty training (we're up to 2x/45 minute intervals) using the GymBoss interval timer in between dispensing various prescription and over-the-counter meds to address the multitude of symptoms that were keeping The Boys from getting any healing sleep. By the time Daddy rolled into the driveway I was desperate to escape... ANYWHERE! So I took the Old Soul and ran to the St. Anthony's Feast -- in the company of my Aunt who's recently and begrudgingly moved to an Assisted Living facility nearby for a 30-day-trial (and is having a hard time acclimating). At our leisure, we ate burgers and sweet potato french fries topped off with zeppoles. (Like Girl Scout cookies, thankfully these are available ONLY at the feast... to my mind... Please don't tell me otherwise!) Unfortunately, it was within 15 minutes of our arrival that the Old Soul casually mentioned her sore throat and "exhaustion". History has taught me that when the Old Soul says she's exhausted, she'll be spiking a fever within 24 hours no matter what I do to avert disaster. So I let her go on one ride and promised a follow-up visit barring any health issues.

Saturday morning those health issues reared their ugly heads. My Little Man was still vomiting on and off -- though I've come to believe it's probably a function of the high fever, choking cough and excessive mucus -- and was averaging a 103.1 fever with ibuprofen every 6 hours and acetaminophen every 4 hours. The Big Little Man was the only one who appeared to be on the uphill climb back to good health with a low-grade fever and mild lingering cough. And our trip back to the Pediatrician on Saturday morning confirmed that the Old Soul had a raging case of strep throat with her temperature rising. Not good!

It's Sunday. Sarge has worked through the entire weekend. Sometime yesterday I had to implement a written record of medications because I began to lose track of who was getting what and when I could dose again to keep The Little Man's fever below the hospital-invoking 105.5 (per the Pedi's instructions). Still hovering around 103 at the outer edges of dosing, he's mostly sleeping and coughing and running at the nose. He's not eating but he is, thankfully, still sipping at his apple juice. I'm officially on dehydration -- or worse -- hospital and/or pneumonia watch as his labored breathing has become progressively worse over the last 3 days. We have 2 days left on his antibiotic. Not looking good for a miracle cure or rapid recovery. My guess is I'll be back in the Pediatrician's office again tomorrow to check his breathing and, hopefully, we're able to avoid a chest x-ray at the ER.

I've barely slept in well over 2 weeks... sitting vigil day and night listening to the labored and shallow breathing of my youngest child. Watching his entire abdomen suck in as he gasps for air. The white "spots" on the Old Soul's tonsils are more like mini cities sprouting up out of nowhere, ringed with white... Never saw anything like it! It's UGLY though she says it doesn't hurt much anymore. Not sure if I can send her to school with those lumps still there or not. I ,stupidly I guess, thought they'd start to go away instead of continue to spread once we started the antibiotics! We live and learn, huh? The Big Little Man is good... relatively speaking. He's still coughing and his nose is occasionally running but he's fever-free (hear me knocking?). But I'm sure as heck not packing the other two sickies into the mini van tomorrow for a 90-minute round-trip drive to The Boys' school just to get him there. School will have to wait for them all to be well again.... I'm just not so sure I can ;o(

And, yes, I'm still hacking away myself. It's no wonder!

For the record, this is not the first time we've been taken down as a family with various domino-effect illnesses. But I think this is the first time each of them has had a completely different illness or manifestation. I'm sure it won't be the last. As a matter of fact, having children with special needs has given a whole new meaning to the concept of germ warfare. I'm sure all you Moms of children with special needs are nodding your heads right now and recalling your own multiple, way-too-long battles -- won sometimes at great cost -- in the trenches. And, I cannot even imagine the trials and tribulations of medically fragile children... thankfully, mine are not. I don't know how those mamas, you mamas, do it. My heart breaks for and I applaud you all for the incredible dedication.

Somewhere during the day today, I think we might have collectively taken a turn for the better. We are not "cured" by a long shot... but I have hope that we'll get back to our version of normal again soon. In the meantime, hope you all are well and laughing at the ridiculousness of this post... because I know you've all been there and feel my pain.

And the sun will come up tomorrow!

God Doesn't Make Mistakes!

God Doesn't Make Mistakes!

What Have I Become In My Rush to Get Where I'm Going?

Canadian Geese crowd the Old Soul's schoolyard (taken from the car window at dismissal).

I am by nature a nature lover and animal lover. I thrive and feel the greatest peace when I'm immersed in and mindful of nature, surrounded by animals. For me, a 5-Star hotel can't hold a candle to the great outdoors.

Sadly, I'm finding lately that life's pressures -- just taking care of business -- sometimes get in the way of being one with nature and all of God's creatures. Fixing my house, driving my kids, writing my blog, advocating for people with special needs, putting dinner on the table, catching up on email, etc. are all things I choose to do. And while that IS a good thing 'cause they all HAVE TO get done there's important stuff that I'm not attending to. All these tasks that have to be done crowd out most of the opportunities I have to enjoy the beautiful world around me. I forget to take the time, to make the time, to attend to the natural world!

And I've been suffering terrible guilt the last several days as a function of my lack of focus on this gift of nature.

Running between school drop-offs, doctor's appointments, CPSE meetings, food shopping, cleaning the house, folding the laundry, and then after-school pick-ups, therapy schedules, after-school activities, and maintaining bath- and night-time routines, etc. I neglected one of God's creatures. Driving along the Cross Island Parkway on the way to picking up the boys, I saw one of those beautiful tan and black Canadian Geese stuck on the roadside edge of the guardrail. Panicked because of the heavy, fast-moving traffic the goose was trying to get himself over the rail but did not have the luxury of take-off space which, if you've ever watched a goose take flight, is critical. He couldn't fly over that rail and he was about 75 feet from the exit ramp where he could clear the roadway and get safely back in the grass. As I passed in the fast lane -- 2 lanes between me and that graceful animal -- I was torn between stopping and trying to help -- I could try to redirect the traffic away from that lane (potentially quite dangerous) until the goose was safe -- and moving on to pick up The Boys from their preschool on the north shore by 2:30 and getting back to the south shore to pick up my Old Soul from her school at 3:05. I didn't want my anxious little girl standing in the schoolyard alone and feeling abandoned by her mother (as she is predisposed to do). If you're from Long Island, you know that successfully making such a trip in the short amount of time I have is no easy feat. I struggle daily to do so and often fail. But on this day, I watched that goose, and felt his terror, and did nothing as he faded from view in my rear view mirror. Even as he disappeared from my sight, I went on worrying all day and all night about whether he made it; angry at the drivers who whizzed past him with complete disregard for his safety. Minimizing the importance of his life. After all, he's a HUGE Canadian Goose in the middle of a vast parkway. TOTALLY visible. No reason to hit a target like that.... Every opportunity to avoid such a collision. I considered doubling back and attempting to herd him towards the exit ramp but dismissed that thought as I might actually drive the poor, lost animal into traffic and to his death. I rationalized that he was close to safety and intervening might spook him... so I should leave it alone. I copped out!

The sight of him panicking as he attempted time after time to fly over that guardrail haunted me all day and night.

It wasn't until the next day as I was once again picking up The Boys from school that I learned that beautiful bird's sad fate. He'd made it all the way to the exit ramp when some uncaring, unfocused driver (probably on a cell phone) cut him down when he was so close to safety. His beautiful feathers matted with blood and long slender neck bent and broken unnaturally, I saw his once sinewy body laying still in the gutter. I cried! I'm crying now! Why did I choose not to take the 5, 10 or 15 minutes it would have taken to stop and help that goose? I might have saved his life! It occurred to me "he" might have been a mama goose with eggs or goslings in the grass. It occurred to me that I did the WRONG thing by justifying my lack of attention to the immediate needs of that beautiful creature in favor of moving through my busy little life and attending to insignificant tasks compared to saving his life. The Boys were safe at school. They could wait another 15 minutes. The Old Soul and I have a plan that if I'm not there AT pick-up time she should go to the playground and play with her friends under the watchful eye of several parents who know to keep an eye on her until I show up a few minutes late if traffic delays my arrival. I could have helped that goose. I might have saved his or her life.

One of God's beautiful creatures perished because I was too busy to do the right thing! THAT is not my nature. I had to actually ignore my nature, my heart, everything my mind and body were saying to me to drive past that graceful but frightened bird and not take action!

I'm sick over my poor judgement. When did I become so callous to think that my ridiculously over-burdened schedule (all my own doing) was more important than another life? Ah, but it was just a goose, you say? When and how did we humans come to the conclusion that we are more important in the grand scheme of things than any other life form... than a goose? I think it's this self important, greater than thou mentality in our society that is at least part of what's wrong with the world these days. People have little consideration for any one else. Their mission is more important than everyone and anyone elses. Special education committees make decisions based on budgets instead of childrens' needs. People fail to hold open a door for someone behind them because they're in a rush to get to that appointment all of 10 seconds sooner. Drivers fail to yield because getting to their destination is more important than common courtesy (never mind driving laws). Frankly, I'm embarrassed that I did not do the right thing as I have always tried to live my life (and teach my children) to do just that... the right thing! Even when it's harder. Even when it's not convenient to do so. But in this instance I consciously chose not to do the right thing and one of God's creatures lost it's life because of my apathy.

I promise you -- and, more importantly, I promise myself -- this will not happen again!

REAL Inclusion And the Least Restrictive Environment Law

I sat in on a meeting as a Parent Member of the Committee on Special Education (CSE) with the shared responsibility of making decisions pertaining to the education of a child in my town. For privacy reasons, I'm NOT going to share anything specific about that meeting or that child but I am going to share an AHA! moment that knocked me upside the head during the opening remarks of the meeting and was then revisited and reinforced throughout the meeting... FOR ME. I'm not sure that the other committee members saw the light bulb glowing over my head. You see, my role in the committee is slightly different from the other members. Everyone else is there to report on the child's progress and services. I am there because, to some degree, I walk in the shoes of the child's parents... but (perhaps) can listen and respond less emotionally because we're not deciding the future of my child. In this role, I can ask questions or make suggestions that the parents may not have thought of. In theory, it's not personal. In reality, whoever said that wasn't a parent of a child with special needs... (LOL) IT IS ALWAYS PERSONAL!


For the record, EVERYTHING I do that involves children with special needs is personal. I have 2 children with special needs. Every piece of information I gather and apply either to my own children or to another parent's child is done to make their world a better place. And the more parents of children with special needs I can help navigate the world of special education in our district and state (in whatever way I can), the better off their children -- and therefore my children -- will be in our schools, community and world. So it is, in fact, very personal!


My AHA! Moment? The Dad mentioned that he'd had the good fortune to attend a particular school known for naturally integrating the local children with special needs in with the general population in their schools and community. He found the experience extraordinary. Recalling that even the most unlikely "typical" student was automatically and outright helpful to the children with special needs. Everyone benefited.



To which I responded in agreement...


Now that's REAL INCLUSION!


I've always considered myself a REAL inclusionist! My life has always been intertwined with children/people with special needs. As a second-grader, my dear friend, Alex, was wheelchair-bound due to Cerebral Palsy. I played constantly with him and his little brother, Vinny, who had a learning disability. Most of my childhood was spent on the "dead end" street around the corner with my life-long friends, Alison and Kelley, whose Aunt Carole had special needs and often joined in our tea parties. And, Uncle Stevie lived with my cousins and spent countless hours playing Cowboys and Indians with us. At 15, one of my most enjoyable "baby"-sitting gigs was being a companion to Johnny, a brilliant teen aged boy who happened to have been severely physically affected by Cerebral Palsy (but unaffected cognitively). I can go on with examples of people with special needs being really included in my life, throughout my life. Seems I've always been naturally enmeshed with people who were differently abled than I. It was natural for me then, to expect that this is how the world is -- integrated -- with people with special needs fully INCLUDED in all areas of life. Then I had my own children with special needs -- my identical twin sons who happened to have been born with Down syndrome! I have known from the start what I wanted for them... The research shows that full-inclusion in all aspects of life -- school, community, workforce etc. -- produces the best, most successful outcomes socially/emotionally and academically... spawning the greatest level of independence possible. As such, I've consistently followed the inclusionist path and the inclusionist advocates' and experts' advice and mindset. That said, I'm not sure why this particular meeting's underlying inclusion theme shook me down to the very foundation of my soul. I guess it pushed the concept of REAL INCLUSION right in my face... a little boy who needs, yearns for, and thrives on being included in his school and community... BUT WAS NOT QUITE THERE and he knew it because of the way the school district does "inclusion"!


The Boys marching in their Thanksgiving Parade at their integrated Preschool. Not quite full inclusion but they are being educated side-by-side with some of their typical peers.

A child who recognizes that he attends a different school than his siblings because he's "different"; A child whose friendships don't include the kids who live next door or around the corner because they go to the neighborhood school and she doesn't; A child who rides a different bus... the "short" bus; or goes to a separate "special" class where all the children have disabilities -- usually in a far wing of the school -- is NOT INCLUDED! They are being segregated. And the process of segregation and the thinking behind it is pervasive. Someone at my own CPSE meeting actually said TO ME [when erroneously trying to sell me on the self-contained class they recommended for my boys], "It's so cute, they go down to the cafeteria at lunch time and eat with the REGULAR KIDS!" (I'm sure you can imagine my reaction!) Maybe they LET your child participate in Art or Music class with the general population. Maybe they mainstream (different from inclusion) for story time only and then send the child with special needs back to his/her segregated class. This thinking, these practices are why New York state continues to lag behind 48 other states in our nation that are implementing the inclusion laws. Why NY continues to separate people with disabilities from those without despite the laws that require them to do otherwise. This is NOT inclusion, it's discrimination!



Just because Johnny or Jane learns differently from Tommy or Tess doesn't mean they shouldn't be or can't be in the same classroom. As a corporate executive, I was responsible for understanding the individual learning styles of each of my employees and using that style to facilitate their career path and growth within my department, employed by our same company, living and operating together in our shared world. INCLUDED regardless of their learning style. Why should it be any different for a child in school? I didn't fire all the visual learners because they didn't listen to me or catch on during trainings. I bought them books so they could learn their way what they needed to learn to do their jobs well. I didn't sit my employees who learned by watching in the corner with a book. I assigned mentors (read: peers) to show them how to do it, to facilitate their learning. I provided individualized support for each person according to their learning style! In my 20-year career as a database marketing executive, I managed to teach and forward the careers of every employee I ever had. Never terminating a single employee.


The Federal Least Restrictive Environment Law was developed to accommodate inclusion whenever and wherever possible. The law states (my accurate paraphrasing) that a child with special needs should be educated side-by-side with his/her typically developing peers in the least restrictive environment where he/she can make academic progress with appropriate supports in place. The law exists because the research supports INCLUSION as the best practice in educating children with special needs. The best outcomes are reported when children with special needs are fully included. The problem is that school districts are left to interpret the law, to determine what level of support is appropriate which, unfortunately, becomes a matter of convenience (easier to place them in the existing special needs class than to put together an individual support-infrastructure in the general education setting) and budget (schools receive funding for each child placed in a "special" class supporting on-going segregation) versus what is BEST for the child. Their interpretation continues to support the antiquated infrastructure and segregated thinking ignoring the research that supports the inclusion laws!


INCLUSION IS A BEST PRACTICE! INCLUSION RESULTS IN THE BEST OUTCOMES FOR OUR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. INCLUSION IS THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE THAT WAS MEANT TO BE IMPLEMENTED TODAY! Is your school district practicing inclusion according to the Federal laws?

Every Day Is a Good Day To Be Thankful!

I've been remiss in posting. I'm not sure any of you miss it so much as I do. My ability to handle what the world throws at me dwindles when I don't get things off my chest and, more importantly, when I forget to stay focused on all the beauty in my world. I have so much to be thankful for. Sadly, I'm human and sometimes neglect acknowledging all the good stuff in favor of dropping to my knees and screaming, "I can't take anymore!"



You see, I take on too much and I'm a procrastinator at heart. I try and counter these tendencies by doing everything just as soon as it's presented for doing.... read: NOW. I know, of course, that it's not possible to sustain this practice or mindset indefinitely so, inevitably, I crash. And I've been crashing lately. All the things that need to be done that I'm not getting to -- in favor of the more important tasks like caring for my children and being involved in their lives -- are weighing heavily on my mind. And, my mental health and house are suffering for it! Generally, I'd spend what could have been a rejuvenating mental health weekend trying to catch up on the housekeeping... TRYING and marginally succeeding before inviting our "regular" life back in... And the cycle begins again.





Then something or someone reminds me by telling their story -- either about how much cr*p they're going through or how thankful they are for the blessings in their lives -- and I get hit with a 5 ton brick of guilt. My moment of questioning why I feel so overwhelmed is inevitably followed by a good soul cleansing that only thankfulness affords me.


That's when I know I'm on the right track again... I just have to keep reminding myself that it feels good even though it appears, on the surface, like one more unnecessary thing on my to do list. (Kinda like exercise! LOL). Anyway...


[1] The boys are having their potty epiphany... At age 5 (and not a moment too soon with Kindergarten just around the bend)! I was beginning to think my Potty-Epiphany method of toilet training might not be possible for my identical twin boys who happen to have Down syndrome. Shame on me for ever thinking that my extraordinary boys, blessed with an extra 21st chromosome, might never have the potty epiphany.... Proving true once again that children with Down syndrome can do everything any other child does but they do it in their own time and in their own way. So, 5 is the magic number for us and I'm potty training. I'll let you know how it goes...

[Hold on, the 20-minute timer is going off. Gotta go put them in front of the potty.]

[2] I've been yelling a bit too much today and it's not making me feel very good about myself or my parenting skills. Why? You ask. Because my Old Soul is being 8! She has some nerve acting her chronological age instead of her old soul's age. Not doing what she's told and then complaining when my ignored advice turns out to be just what she should have done. It's no fun being ignored. But it does prove that she has a mind of her own and she is willing to risk everything to use it. That bodes well for her future... My present? That's another story.

[Needed a nice-sunny-day break but I'm back after taking the kids for a visit with Grandpa in the nursing home, a jaunt on the playground and a walk at the Nautical Mile waterfront.]

[3] Yes, we're just back from taking the kids to visit my Dad at the nursing home and I'm feeling pretty lucky to still have my Dad to joke around with. That's more than many of my friends can say. Though he's drugged and deteriorating -- succumbing to the evils of Alzheimer's and the meds necessary to control his sun downing behavior -- he still recognizes us. He lovingly kissed The Boys' imaginary boo boos, played that pull-your-hands-away-before-I-can-slap-em game with the Old Soul and demonstrated his warped sense of humor is still in tact in between momentary drug-induced naps. He's alive and kicking [though barely] and I'm glad for the few moments of pleasure I witness as he plays with his grand kids. Needless to say, my Catholic guilt comes bubbling to the surface when I miss several weeks of visits when my crazy ol' life gets in the way, but his lost sense of time makes him think we've just been there the day before... even if it's been several weeks since I've come. It's hard seeing him like this. But, I am glad he's still here.

[4] The nice weather is finally, hopefully, seasonally upon us to stay, I think... and pray! That's important because it's a surefire way to lift my spirits. I LOVE to be outside with the sun shining in my eyes, feeling its warmth on my skin, going for a run-walk in the neighborhood, gardening. Hitting the beach, jumping in the pool or runing through the sprinkler with the kids. We go to church carnivals, street fairs and medieval festivals (goofy but we LOVE them!). I'm committed to getting back into kayaking and SCUBA diving this year (I promised The Old Soul she could give the latter a try.) More daylight hours, less coats, warm days and cool nights, no school (at least for the Old Soul). Oh, the potential for fun is endless. Yeah, Summer's in the house! Woot Woot!

[5] I know this sounds trite and I know every mom must feel this way at least 99.9% of the time. But I've got to say it... I've got the best, most amazing kids. Seriously, they're growing up big and strong and healthy. They're gentle and kind and loving (except when they're really tired, like right now, LOL). They're learning, progressing and becoming beautiful little men and woman right before my very eyes. They blow me away! I am in awe of each and every one of them... with their understanding of the world and the consistent love they have for all living things all demonstrated in their own unique way. I am truly blessed!

May I never take any of these extraordinary gifts for granted.

TGIF and Other Thankful Thoughts

OK, so how's this for original... Instead of posting what I'm thankful for on Thursdays like everyone else in the blogosphere, I'm going to do it on Fridays and call it "TGIF and Other Thankful Thoughts". LOL! Here's where my thankful thoughts are taking me tonight:

[1] I'm thankful that The Boys' birthday 5th Birthday party is finally upon us. Though there's a lot of work yet to be done, I'm certain that we'll end up with a beautiful day and a reasonable number of guests to join us singing to ABBA and Alvin & The Chipmunk Karaoke-style tunes. It's gonna be waaaay fun!

[2] I'm grateful to all the people in our lives who totally accept The Boys just as they are. Their friends are their friends because they truly LIKE The Boys. Completely unsolicited, several of their classmates -- did I mention they're in an integrated preschool class -- have asked if they could have a play date with The Boys at our house. One child said The Boys are his "favorite school friends". And two others said they like my beautiful little men because they're "ALWAYS so nice to me...ALL THE TIME!" At 5, it's a pretty big and positive impression they're leaving on their classmates... their friends!

[3] I think our friends are our friends for the same reasons... We do really good play dates and try to be nice to people. That last part might be one of the 10 Commandments -- goes something like "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You". OK, that's not verbatim and maybe it's not a commandment but it's a really good rule to live by. And I hope my friends know that I am grateful for their friendship, support, camaraderie and laughs... especially the laughs! May I be as supportive of each of you on whatever journey you're on at any given time as you all have been to me.

[4] By the grace of God, I'm thankful that my house didn't catch fire and burn down (some of this 2oo+ year-old lumber would go up like tinder) when the light burned out in The Old Soul's fish aquarium night-light lamp last night. The strong smell of burning and smoke woke me and I turned off and unplugged everything I thought might be the cause. Turns out, those swimming fishies and that little light put out a lot of heat... which could have been a much bigger problem than it turned out to be. OK, so I learned the aquarium is not the best "night light". I'm incredibly grateful to have learned this something new "the easy way" instead of the hard way. BTW - that reminds me: change your batteries in your smoke detectors! Ours was inadvertently disconnected for construction and never hooked back up again. NOT good!

[5] And, finally, I'm beyond grateful to my Yahoo Biggest Loser Challenge 2010 group. With their constant support, motivation and inspiration I've managed to lose a little of myself (9 lbs so far). If I do that 3 more times, that'll be a total of 36 lbs gone and I'll almost be at my goal weight. I know with their help, I can do this! Psyched!

There's so much more I'm thankful for but I'm incredibly tired and have a BIG, FUN day ahead of us tomorrow. Take a moment to think about what you're really thankful for. A grateful heart is good for you!

Chutes & Ladders

The Boys' PT at school thinks they can't climb up a 4' hard-runged rope ladder!

I know they can do that and a WHOLE LOT MORE!

The Boys were up and down those Chutes & Ladders keeping up with kids who were bigger and older -- but not any more able -- than they are! The Sarge and I were so proud of them!

Believe! No one can know the limits of another!

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