Gay parenting music video

2:57 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

Bear with me while I re-organize....

6:47 PM Edit This 2 Comments »
Page could be a bit of a mess until I get the new layout situated and decide if it is going to work!

Saying goodbye to a pet

8:13 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
The boys' dog was put down yesterday. Rosko was about to turn 5. They arent sure what happened to him but something was attacking his immune system and the vet said there was nothing they could do, so they put him down. Two years ago their Great Grandma died and that was their only experience with death so far. Losing Rosko had a big impact on them, especially since he was young and it was quite sudden.
Have you lost pets in your family? How do you deal with it?
The film Marley and Me is playing in the theatres currently and at the end deals with pet death. It is being reccomended as a good way to introduce the facts to kids.

A tribute to Rosko:
(the boys did this in total silence before he went to the vet)




Teach your kids to value (and understand) diversity

4:31 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Children often question whether I am a "boy" or a "girl". I have short hair and wear loose fitting mens clothing. There is nothing wrong with wondering. Kids will be kids, and I always value their curiosity about the world. If a child asks me I have a whole speech prepared (that I give quite often) about how sometimes girls have short hair and boys have long hair (listing examples if possible) and how all people look and dress differently and that is ok. They are children, they are new to this world and dont understand all that there is to know. When they see a person with a disability, a different colored skin, "funny" clothes or a haircut... anything out of their small world they want to know about it. Children should NEVER be punished for this curiosity! I cannot count the number of times that a parent has yelled at, spanked, or inflicted some other kind of corporal punishment on their child for inquiring about my gender. These kids are learning that it is bad to ask questions and also getting the subconsious message that something is "wrong" with the object of their interest because of the reaction they are getting when they ask about it. And because no one is taking the time to explain differences to them, it is much too easy to grow up ignorant and fall victim to the thought process of many other un-enlightened groups of people.

It is easy to avoid this. Open the lines of communication early. There are great books out there that teach diversity. Todd Parr is probably my favorite author. 'Its Okay to be Different' is a fantastic book to have in any collection. Tell your children to ALWAYS ask if they have a question and to not be embarrassed about it. In order to be effective at this, YOU need to be comfortable talking about things. Its not always easy, but think about the effect it will have on your children in the future and you'll be able to handle it. We took the boys to pride in 2007, when they were 7. Before heading to the parade I explained that they would probably see a lot of things that they had never seen before, and that if they had any questions to ask me. Because Danny is very shy I told them they could just tap my arm and whisper their questions to me. And you know what? They did. They asked questions here and there and accepted most of my answers without protest or further inquiry. And in all honesty, they asked a lot less questions than I expected. Kids are innocent. They take things for face value.

So when your child blurts out "Is that a boy or a girl?", "Why is that lady dressed like that?" or "Why does that man walk funny?" in public, try not to be embarrassed. Answer them to the best of your ability. And dont be afraid to talk to the person. Because in most cases the person in question will not mind educating a child.

And the winner is....

6:48 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
The winner of the LittleLovies giveaway is..... #21!

"judybrittle said...
My granddaughter goes to sleep each night with her ratty doll. It looks like its been through a war but she loves her. I was always with my Barbie. I love your Pooh and Friends Latchook. My entire kitchen is Pooh and this would look awesome on my wall. Thank you!"

Thanks to everyone who entered. There were only 32 entries and I truly appreciate those 32 people for taking the time to stop by!

The day.....

9:08 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Was great! We had a 2 hour delay, so they were only in school for 4 hours, and we only had 4 kids! They were thankful to be back and showed it with exemplary behavior! Yay!

Stop! Baby time!

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*can you tell tha I am avoiding going to bed???*











MY cupcake!
She ate the whole thing, too!















Phone? What phone?








School starts tomorrow

9:39 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
In 10 hours i'll be back at work after a 2 week break. Im pretty sure im going to be a walking zombie! Im excited to see the kids, I really have missed them. I do feel like there should be some kind of de-briefing meeting first, though! Mondays are hell on these children because they had 2 days off. I cannot imagine what 2 weeks will be like. I hope all goes well.

Im going to the School District Office tomorrow after school gets out to ask about the test you can take to be a certified Para. I love the company I work for, but it is just too stressful to not get paid during the breaks. I am missing a full check this month because of the 2 weeks off for winter vacation. If im employed through the district I can choose to be paid year round, and I will also get health benefits, which is huge! I need to have a checkup, and I would love to be able to fill my perscriptions again! One way or another I need to find a solution before this summer, because I need a paycheck those 3 months! The other option is taking out a bunch of loans and going back to school. Ive tried to work and go to school and I just cant manage it; it has to be one or the other. I guess we'll see what happens!

What makes a good parent?

9:16 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
I have touched on the fact before that some people do not belive that I will be a fit parent (at least not yet) because of some of my... differences. I truly belive I was born to be a mother. Its all i've ever wanted to do. I know that I am fundamentally capeable of caring for a child. So im a bit odd. My child will simply be exposed to more things. Many people with disabilities have kids. Monica has Ceberal Palsy, a physical disability. My problems are more neurological. But they will not get in the way of my parenting.
I was eating rice today and the spoon tasted too metally, so I had to get a new one. My body shakes a bit when I get overly excited. Loud noises bother me. Tell me why any of these should prevent me from being a parent?
They shouldnt. Thank you for staying tuned for this broadcast.

Giveaway!

12:35 AM Edit This 33 Comments »
I've become addicted to making fleece tie/no-sew blankets! Im even working on mass-production! I've got the rudimentary beginnings of a store going here: Little Lovies

To celebrate my hopefull success in this endevor, im having a giveaway! I made a couple super cute little lovey blankets tonight in an ABC animal pattern.


























I told you it was cute! They're about 12" by 12", and oh so soft! And im giving one away! All you have to do is comment here saying what your childs favorite lovey object is, or what yours was as a child! (I still sleep with a stuffed Heffalump!)
Feel free to check out my store as well, but dont criticise too hard yet- its 1am and I just put it together!

Giveaway will run through Thursday, December 8th at Midnight! Winner will be chosen at random!

Happy New Year!

1:40 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
I hope 2009 brings health and happiness to all of you, your family, and friends. I have a weird feeling at the moment, which for some reason I think is attached to the New Year (though it could be the fact that its 2am, the nacho's I had for dinner upsetting me, or the 13 episodes of Big Love that i've watched today!) In any case, I had nightmares while taking a nap earlier, and my head is kind of up in the clouds at the moment, pondering life, love, and the world as a whole! I'd love to write around 2am every day, but with our household schedule the way it is once I start work again, that isnt a possibility!

I have a feeling that this week will go really fast. School starts again on Monday so it's back to work, and a crazy few days it will be I am sure! With two weeks off of school the kiddos are going to be all sorts of worked up. I just hope that the holidays treated them all okay.

I have so much to do this week, and its already Thursday. I need to finish taking the Christmas decorations down (Once the holiday is over, Monica is DONE with it until next year!), do dishes and laundry, de-clutter the house, and clean the garage! Our garage is a complete disaster. I am quite literally giving most of it away. Im a packrat and keep absolutley everything. So im putting it all in boxes, setting it on the front snow (read: lawn) and posting on craigslist for people to come take it away. I hope it goes quickly because otherwise every time I have to walk past im going to be picking things out of the boxes!

Im getting all nesty. It happens quite often. Ive fallen in love with a house thats pretty much down the street, just a couple blocks away. Its incredibly cramped to have 3 adults, 3 dogs, and 2 cats in a 900 sqft, 2 bedroom house. We're going nuts! The house is on my favorite street in town and its beautiul, plus it has a yard! Its on the high end of what we could afford right now, but its there still. We could stay there for a while without outgrowing it, too. Des could bring more of her stuff over and not leave it sitting in the garage. We've put a lot of work into this house and I love it, but its just too small for us now. Not to mention the other work that needs to be done I dont really want to pay for. We need a new fence in the backyard, and we need new windows throughout the house. Last week there was literally a 1/4 inch of ice in the INSIDE of our windows. Its costing $300 a month to heat our little place!

Anyways, we cant really afford to move at the moment. Especially this month since im missing a check because of the winter break when I didnt work. And come summer time I wont have work either. I really need to get on with the school district so I can choose to get paid over vacations. Or find a way to afford to go to school so I can get that over with and earn a decent living and not have to worry.

Ok, feeling a little loopy. Best be off for tonight I suppose.